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- [00:00]
BBC Announcer
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- [00:07]
Advertiser
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- [00:54]
Will Chalk
this is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk and in the early hours of Monday 6th April. For all these are our main stories. President Trump swears at Iran in a social media post and threatens to destroy its infrastructure after US Forces rescued a missing American aviator. Tehran calls Washington's ultimatums nonsense as the deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz shifts again. Also in this podcast, the challenges of raising a child in a country with little autism awareness.
- [01:35]
Martha
Neighbors started talking saying this child is troublesome, why isn't she locking her inside the house?
- [01:42]
Will Chalk
And sponsors say no to Kanye west headlining Britain's wireless festival. In the last podcast, we reported that Donald Trump had given Iran until Monday to make a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz and that the search was continuing for an American aviator whose fighter jet was shot down. Well, U.S. forces have now rescued the missing airmen and we will have more on that mission later. But President Trump has also now shifted the Strait of Hormuz deadline to Tuesday, but there are still mixed messages coming from the White House. On one hand, Mr. Trump insists he's in deep negotiations with Tehran and claims there's a good chance a deal will be reached by Tuesday. And yet, in a social media post containing multiple swear words, he once again threatened to unleash hell if the Straits isn't opened. Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day all wrapped up in one he wrote before calling the Iranian regime crazy bastards. So what can we read from his latest threats and this stronger rhetoric? It's a question I put to our correspondent in Washington, Simi Jolaosho.
- [02:58]
Simi Jolaosho
You can sense the frustration from him and it makes for a slightly uncomfortable read for some people. He includes a swear word he calls the Iranian regime crazy bastards. And this is the second reminder that he shared this weekend of this 10 day deadline that he gave Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz he's also been speaking to US Media today, saying that if they don't make a deal and reopen it fast, that he would consider, quote, blowing everything up and taking over the oil. I think what's also important to note is the reality on the ground, right. The White House has said before that they are negotiating with Iran, and then the US Struck Iran, and that's how we got here in the first place. So even though President Trump has said that the US And Iran are deep in negotiations, the reality on the ground is that the US has sent more Marines, more paratroopers, and more military assets to the Middle East. So I think it's important not to underestimate President Trump making good on his threat.
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Will Chalk
And as the clock ticks down towards this deadline, what sort of reaction is there from other politicians inside the US
- [04:11]
Simi Jolaosho
on the Democrat side, you've got the Senate Minority leader, Chuck Schumer, who posted after President Trump shared that threat on social media. He said that as Americans head to church to celebrate Easter, the president, quote, is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media. And then he goes on to accuse President Trump of threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies. On the Republican side, we've seen a bit more support from the president. So Republican Senator Lindsey Graham praised President Trump as a great commander in chief and said that Mr. Trump is deadly serious when it comes to this ultimatum and that he hopes Iran chooses wisely and chooses quickly. We've also seen some reaction from analysts and legal experts here in the US who are expressing concern on whether President Trump goes ahead with his threat to target civilian infrastructure, such as Iran's power plants and bridges. Would this constitute a war crime under international law?
- [05:15]
Will Chalk
And also reaction, well, I imagine from voters will be coming with the midterms round the corner, won't it? And this war isn't proving popular with everyone.
- [05:24]
Simi Jolaosho
No, it's not proving popular with voters here at all. But unfortunately, the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point there, is making it hard for Mr. Trump to end this war and also to end it on his own terms. And the public are seeing that. They're also seeing the spending that's happening with this war alongside the sort of economic disruption that is occurring here, the rising gas prices, especially when affordability has been a huge issue in America over the past couple of years. And now there's an additional sort of growing concern about the risk to US Service personnel, particularly with talk of a possible ground invasion. And it's interesting that we're seeing this across the political spectrum that there's little appetite for another so called forever war and for further American casualties. So it'll be interesting to see how that translates during the midterm election.
- [06:19]
Will Chalk
Our correspondent in Washington, Simi Jolla Osho. Now, Iran has hit back at those latest comments from President Trump, accusing him of following orders from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Tehran said our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu's commands. Now, as we've said many times on this podcast, it is difficult to get information from inside Iran. But a couple of residents from Tehran did manage to send us their thoughts about this comment from a woman in her 20s has been voiced up by one of our producers.
- [06:55]
Florence Piri
My mom is filling every bottle she can find in the house with water. I have no idea what we are going to do now. I think more and more people in Iran have realized that Trump doesn't care about them at all. I hate him from the bottom of my heart and those who support him too.
- [07:15]
Will Chalk
A businessman in the capital had this
- [07:18]
Mary King
to say no Iranian can feel good about the destruction of their country's infrastructure. These past few days, all of us have been telling each other that maybe by Wednesday or even this weekend, we want to be able to do certain things. Maybe we want to even be able to go to our businesses or our shops. What really matters is that the government should act in the interest of Iranian people. Iran has already fallen behind for years because of sanctions and honestly, I don't even know what will happen next.
- [07:51]
Will Chalk
Our correspondent Lee Stucet has this assessment.
- [07:55]
Lee Stucet
With every day that this war drags on, we're constantly asking who is President Trump relying on for his advice. He was asked by the Wall Street Journal that wouldn't Iranians suffer if he attacked civilian infrastructure? And he said, the people of Iran want me to attack the infrastructure because they've been living in hell. If President Trump attacks the civilian infrastructure of Iran, legal experts have been saying this is possibly going to be war crimes. What we hear is that the Iranians will then escalate and they will attack civilian infrastructure in the Gulf. So we'll have escalation after escalation. It's really hard to make sense of any of the comments over the past few weeks that President Trump has made about the diplomacy. He keeps saying that there are serious talks. He keeps saying that they're close to a deal and there is no evidence of that. All we have is that there are messages being passed.
- [08:50]
Will Chalk
So chief international correspondent Lee Stucette, Donald Trump's Latest comments were made in the wake of that dramatic rescue of an American aviator who went missing in southern Iran after his F15 fighter jet was shot down on Friday. The President called it one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US History. So how did it happen? Here is our military analyst, Mikey K. It's remarkable.
- [09:18]
Mikey K
The success of extracting an airman, as time goes by becomes exponentially less because the Iranians are going to flood the area with all sorts of capability from night vision capability, vehicles, dogs, drones and manpads, man portable air defense systems. And they're used by troops to basically take out aviation. Aviation is the only way that this crew member could have been extracted. Now, the additional capability that was put in was significant additionally to the combat search and rescue capability. The Americans then deployed two HC130J Hercules transport aircraft deep into Iraq, talking about 350-400km in. Knowing that there was going to be a significant threat, the Americans literally threw everything at this. So they put two of these HCC130Js onto a forward operating base near Isfahan. And inside those C130s there are little bird helicopters. And the idea is, is that these two air transport jets, they fly into a forward operating base, they've got special forces on board, they'll take out the two helicopters, which are quite small. And now that helicopter provides airborne reaction force for the Delta forces to get on and actually go in and locate. Now, the problem with where the weapon system operator was located was immediately after he ejected and landing, he went for high ground in the mountainous terrain. But what happened was, is that he's got a beacon. He got into a ravine. And so the range of that beacon is significantly diminished. This is where the CIA come in, not only with a misinformation campaign, passing the word in Iran that they found the airman when they hadn't, but also they were using a specific capability that the CIA have to geolocate. Once that's all happened, you now have two C130s on the ground at the forward operating base that are stuck in the mud effectively. So then you have to launch three more aircraft to extract all of the special forces out. And then they get US aircraft to put bombs onto the two that are stuck to completely destroy it all.
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Will Chalk
Mikey K. There. Well, let's get more now on the stretch of water around which this entire war seems to be increasingly centered. The Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has had a massive impact. Oil prices have soared and global markets have been in turmoil. Now, a handful of Ships have been allowed to pass through the strait, including some Omani vessels. And our correspondent Ola Guerin was on board one of them.
- [11:40]
Ola Guerin
We're sailing along the coast of Oman. The sun is glinting on the waves and there are spectacular cliffs rising up along the water's edge. The area is calm and peaceful. Peaceful. But just a short distance away in Iran, war is raging up ahead. There are cargo ships at anchor. They're at the edge of the Strait of Hormuz. Now, this critical artery is normally used for 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. Well, not anymore. Since the war began, Iran has put a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Only five or six ships are being allowed through every day, in contrast to about 130 before the war. And the Iranians are hand picking who is allowed to go through here. In effect, this waterway is now a weapon in the hands of Tehran, perhaps the most powerful weapon they have. By leaving ships stranded here, Iran is reducing the global supply of oil. It's creating shortages, it's driving up prices, it's creating fear among consumers and pressure in the international community. And Iran is hoping that all of that pressure will be applied to Donald Trump to get him to end the war. This is about as close as we can get. There are restrictions imposed by the authorities here in Oman, and there are also risks with trying to pass through the strait. Ships that are on that waterway can come under attack from Iranian drones and missiles. There are concerns too, about mines in the water. And looking out at this exposed area of open sea, the idea of any kind of force, American or international, coming to try to take control of the strait, well, you can see how difficult, if not impossible, that would be. We've been sailing along the coast here for a few hours now, and normally at this time of year, you would see boats full of tourists coming to see the dolphins in the water here. They're a popular tourist attraction. Well, today we've seen plenty of dolphins, but almost no tourists. There's a dramatic impact not just on the economy here in Oman, but across the Gulf and across the wider region and the world. This war is bringing a great deal of economic pain, and Iran is hoping it can use that pain to push Donald Trump towards a settlement.
- [14:37]
Will Chalk
All again. Still to come in this podcast, this
- [14:44]
Alison Lux
God tier Skibidi sculpture is straight up chef's kiss.
- [14:48]
Will Chalk
How a 77 year old museum curator is trying to interest a new generation in the arts.
- [15:03]
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- [16:15]
BBC Announcer
it done at the BBC we go further so you see clearer With a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app, you get unlimited articles and videos ad free podcasts, the BBC News channel streaming live 247 plus hundreds of acclaimed documentaries from less than a dollar a week for your first year. Read, watch and listen to trusted independent journalism and storytelling. It all starts with a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app. Find out more@BBC.com unlimited.
- [16:51]
Will Chalk
This is the global news podcast with just a week to go before crucial parliamentary elections in Hungary, explosives and detonators have been found close to the Turk Stream gas pipeline just across the border in Serbia. That's the pipeline Hungary depends on for cheap gas from Russia. But according to the opposition and some security experts, the attempted attack is a false flag designed to drum up sympathy for Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose party is trailing in the polls. There are even fears it could be used as a pretext to cancel next Sunday's elections. Our Budapest reporter Nick Thorpe told us more.
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Nick Thorpe
Well, this is a strange story and a very dramatic one in the middle, of course, of this election campaign in Hungary. Basically, two rucksacks full of explosives and detonators were discovered very close, about 20 km from the Hungarian Serbian border inside Serbia, near the village of Tresnivac on Sunday morning. Immediately, Serbian President Alexander Vucic rang his close political ally Viktor Orban, who called this emergency meeting. So we don't know more about the nature of the explosives and certainly it comes at a time when experts and indeed the opposition party here in Hungary just one week ahead of this crucial election have been warning of exactly an incident like this, which might they say arouse more sympathy for Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party or might even provide an opportunity for him to postpone or cancel that crucial election next weekend. But of course, from the Hungarian government side, they're saying this is a serious potential terrorist attack and they're looking to the Serbian authorities to give more details. But of course, if those details were to include, for example, the possibility that Ukrainian explosives had been discovered in these rucksacks, that would give Budapest an opportunity, another opportunity to point the finger at Kyiv. So it's a very tense moment and a very remarkable new incident in this campaign.
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Will Chalk
Nick Thorpe, now, in general, across the globe, we know more than ever before about autism and how the condition affects the way people perceive the world, communicate and interact with others. But in places like Malawi, where resources are scarce and support is limited, managing it can be a challenge. Florence Piri reports from Mzuzu in the north of the country.
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Florence Piri
Five year old Lecho runs into the kitchen with a yellow plastic plate in her hand. It's dinner time. Her mother, Martha, dishes up meat, stool and msima. It's a thick dough made from maize.
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Martha
Rachel is an amazing child. I felt so guilty that my child could have been dead by now.
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Florence Piri
Rachel spent her first year of life in and out of the hospital. And then at 2 years old, she was diagnosed with autism.
- [19:55]
Martha
Neighbors started talking, saying, this child is troublesome. Why isn't she locking her inside the house?
- [20:03]
Florence Piri
The stigma Martha faced from the community made life feel impossible.
- [20:09]
Martha
I felt crushed by the enormous weight. Because of her sickness, I could not find any peace, so I told myself that would be better if she died.
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Florence Piri
In a state of desperation, Martha planned to poison her child.
- [20:25]
Martha
I had made up my mind that she should die, but my heart wouldn't let me do it.
- [20:32]
Florence Piri
Martha says she wants to share her story to help other parents. In a community center, elders from different states gather on green plastic. They are here for an autism awareness session run by St. John of God, a local organization funded mainly by the Catholic Church that helps children with disabilities. Many here believe witchcraft is a root cause of autism. A vicar with a large God cross around his neck explains how people can bewitch each other. Another man stands up, claiming magic is sent to pregnant women. This room is full of community leaders, faith leaders, traditional healers. Each and every one of them believes autism can be cured in one way or the other. Malawi has two child development doctors for a population of over 22 million people and around three consultant psychiatrists. Like many other African countries, the word autism does not exist in the national language. Rachel, dressed in her blue and white checkered school uniform, claps her hands in time to the music. She's been going to school at St. John of God for a year. She now takes medication and is learning to speak.
- [21:59]
Martha
My child has changed now. I didn't know I could be this happy because I adore my child now.
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Florence Piri
Martha and Rachel's story is a positive one. But with an estimated 60 million people worldwide on the autistic spectrum, according to the World Health Organization, there are many more living without any support.
- [22:25]
Will Chalk
That report was by BBC Africa Eyes Florence Pyrrick. Ever since Kanye west was announced as the headliner for a three day music festival here in the uk, there have been calls for him to be dropped. He is considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. But his past anti Semitic comments have led to a big backlash. Now Pepsi has pulled out as a sponsor for this summer's Wireless festival here in London and Diageo has followed suit. And there's a growing pressure on others too. Our reporter Zoe o' Brien asked Londoners what they think.
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Zoe O'Brien
The main sponsor of the Wireless festival withdrew from its long standing partnership in the face of fierce criticism. The pressure on Pepsi to act began to build after Kanye west was announced as the headliner for the event, which is held in Finsbury park in North London. The rapper, who had three UK number ones in his heyday last year, declared himself a Nazi and retracted an apology he'd made for previous anti Semitic posts on social media. In January, he said he was sorry and blamed a bipolar episode.
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Advertiser
It's not good what he said.
- [23:32]
Will Chalk
Fine, get it.
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Advertiser
But you know, he had an episode. Maybe it's not, you know, the right
- [23:37]
Will Chalk
thing and whatnot and you can't just pin everything on an episode.
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BBC Announcer
Feels like he is kind of reintegrating into the music scene, kind of cultural life without any kind of real kind of consequence. So yeah, I don't think she would perform it.
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Ola Guerin
I'm not too sure if now would
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Simi Jolaosho
be the greatest time because it's too,
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Ola Guerin
it's still too recent.
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Simi Jolaosho
After all the things that he has said and me personally, I feel like, like he needs a lot of help.
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Zoe O'Brien
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was concerned by the booking at London's Finsbury Park. He said anti Semitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. The largest representative body of Jewish people in The UK said he should not be allowed into the country. This is Michael Vega from the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
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BBC Announcer
The vast majority of British people are good. They're not racist, they're not bigots. And I'm sure we'll be very relieved if such a man is not permitted to be in the UK and to perform here.
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Zoe O'Brien
The BBC understands the Home Office has not yet received an application for Kanye west to enter the uk. The rapper's representatives and the organizers of wireless festival Republic have been approached for comment.
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Will Chalk
Zoe o' Brien now, as anyone who's ever chased likes on social media will tell you, there is no set formula for going viral. But it turns out a combination of a 77 year old museum curator, Gen Z slang and centuries old exhibits works pretty well.
- [25:08]
Alison Lux
This God Tier Skibidi sculpture is straight up Chef's Kiss. It was made for Rudolph ii, the Holy Roman Emperor of flexing.
- [25:19]
Will Chalk
That's Alison Looks from the National Gallery of art in Washington D.C. who has become an unexpected star online. My colleague Julian Wariker spoke to Alison and her social media producer Mary King.
- [25:33]
Alison Lux
I had walked through the galleries with some of them talking about the works of art and they were interested in that and they asked me, would you be willing to do a video on some of these things in Gen Z slang? And I was kind of puzzled. I don't really know Gen Z slang except maybe a word or two. And I remember thinking, well, why would anyone want to look at that? But, but that. Okay, if it helps bring these works of art to a new audience, the sculpture and decorative arts and the early works in the collection, it's worth a try. There's no harm in it. So sure, I'll try it.
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Mary King
Mary how fast a learner was Alison?
- [26:12]
Oh my goodness, she was a lightning fast learner. Such a talent. And I mean, honestly, she treated it with the seriousness of almost like a linguistic exercise, which honestly is no surprise considering she speaks. Alison how many languages? I believe four or five.
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Alison Lux
Well, I've studied five languages. I speak them very imperfectly with different degrees.
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Mary King
But that's interesting, isn't it? Because that does suggest that there's a part of your brain that's quite receptive to learning some kind of new form of speaking.
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Alison Lux
That is absolutely true.
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Mary King
So, Alison, what did you think when you began to realize that you had actually created quite a stir, a level of interest here that perhaps you weren't anticipating?
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Alison Lux
I was absolutely amazed. You were right. I sure wasn't anticipating it. As I told people, I figured we'd Get a few likes and a few cringes. And I was just flabbergasted when these things started to go viral. I don't know what to make of it.
- [27:10]
Mary King
What means the most, probably to me, to Alison, to all of us, is the thousands of comments. A lot of people saying things like this just sent me down an Internet rabbit hole about art. Or people even saying, I'm coming to the museum just to see this object or just to.
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I mean, that's the point here, isn't it? I was wondering about younger new visitors coming to the museum as a result of this. That's definitely happening. Is it?
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Well, Allison's been recognized, right?
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Alison Lux
Actually, I've been recognized once that I know of. Occasionally I get a really nice smile from someone and I wonder if it's because of the videos or if they just happen to be a friendly person. I don't know.
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Mary King
Presumably this continues. Does it? I mean, you do it, what with more and more works of art in the weeks and months to come, Alison, Is that the plan?
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Alison Lux
Well, there's no shortage of works of art. The only problem is narrowing it down. It really is fun.
- [28:00]
Will Chalk
Alison Lux and Mary King. And that is all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us@globalpodcastbc.co.uk you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global Newspod. Don't forget our sister podcast. The Global Story goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Javid Gilani. The editor is Karen Martin and I am Will Chalk until next time. Goodbye.
- [28:46]
BBC Announcer
At the BBC we go further so you see clearer. With a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app, you get unlimited articles and videos ad free podcasts. The BBC News channel streaming live 24. 7 plus hundreds of acclaimed documentaries from less than a dollar a week for your first year. Read, watch and listen to trusted independent journalism and storytelling. It all starts with a subscription to BBC.com and the BBC app. Find out more at BBC.com unlimited.