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

Hello, I'm Oliver Conway.

This edition is published in the early hours of Sunday the 5th of February.

The US shoots down a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina,

accusing China of an unacceptable violation of sovereignty.

Thousands of Israelis in Tel Aviv demonstrate against plans

by the Netanyahu government to limit the power of judges.

And Pakistan blocks access to the Wikipedia website.

Also in the podcast, why the war in Ukraine has forced an Austrian band to split up.

And...

It was necessary to do a new translation, because the old ones are either too bland

or there are too many mistakes in them.

The English national opera prepares to stage a newly translated version of Wagner's The Rinegold.

For the past few days, the US military has been tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon

as it travelled east across America.

On Wednesday, it was spotted over the state of Montana, home to one of America's three nuclear missile sites.

A plan to shoot it down was rejected because of the danger from falling debris on the ground.

But on Saturday afternoon, as it left the coast of South Carolina and moved out over the Atlantic,

it was shot down.

President Biden said he made the decision several days ago.

On Wednesday, when I was briefed on the balloon,

I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down as soon as possible,

...