This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Alex Ritzen and in the early hours of Monday the 13th of May,

these are our main stories.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced his long-standing ally Sergei Shoygu as defense minister.

A coalition of separatist parties in the Spanish region of Catalonia loses its majority after regional elections.

And Chinezian police arrest a prominent lawyer and commentator,

a moment captured live on TV. Also in this podcast.

I came to Italy and I followed in his footsteps and I could look at his paintings and his drawings and I could see the landscape even after all these years.

The geologist who claims to have solved the mystery of where the Mona Lisa was painted. Weeks after his resounding and entirely expected re-election as Russian President Vladimir

Putin is ringing the changes in the Kremlin hierarchy.

He's replaced his longtime ally Sergei Shoygu, who's been defense minister since 2012,

and a key player in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Paskov had this explanation for the change.

Andre Bolusov has been appointed Minister of Defence as you know.

Perhaps what is important to note is today on the battlefield,

the winner, is the one who is more open to innovation,

more open to its implementation as quickly as possible.

And therefore it's natural that at the current stage the President has decided to have a civilian

as head of the Ministry of Defence.

For more on this and what it might mean I've been talking to our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.

I began by asking him if, on the face of it, this was a straightforward demotion.

I think it's a demotion, yes. I mean, he's not out completely, he's being moved to the Russian Security Council, so you know he still has a job

But I think as far as Russian politics goes that is a demotion

...