Israel rejects Trump's Gaza peace plan

Summary

Global News Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: Israel rejects Trump's Gaza peace plan
Date: August 10, 2026
Host: Pete Ross, BBC World Service

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Episode Overview

This episode covers a breaking story: Israel's public rejection of US President Donald Trump's proposed Gaza peace plan—a plan that initially seemed supported by all sides, including Hamas. The episode features on-the-ground and in-depth analysis of the implications for Middle East peace, as well as additional stories on organized crime in Ireland, catastrophic wildfires in British Columbia, Denmark’s royal warrants, a major box office hit, art policy in the UK, and an ancient shipwreck discovery in Sicily.

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Main Story: Israel Rejects Trump’s Peace Plan for Gaza

Context and Key Points

• Trump's Peace Proposal:

  • Recently announced a 15-point plan aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
  • Required Hamas to commit to a phased disarmament.
  • Called for Israel to withdraw military forces from Gaza.
  • Trump described the plan as a “monumental step towards lasting peace and security.” (02:14)

• Initial Responses:

  • Hamas signaled support, contingent on Israeli withdrawal.
  • Israel was silent until Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a public rejection just hours before this episode aired.

• Israel’s Position:

  • Netanyahu firmly rejected the plan, despite prior involvement in negotiations.
  • Key sticking point: Israel demands full (not phased) disarmament of Hamas before any forces are withdrawn.
  • Netanyahu’s quote: “The IDF will not execute any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say disarming Hamas, it means heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, all weapons.” (04:17, Netanyahu via John Donison)
  • Further emphasis: “We are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.” (04:37)

• Current Situation:

  • Israeli forces still occupy 70% of the Gaza Strip.
  • Ongoing violence: “The war in Gaza never really ended. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since a supposed ceasefire was announced last October. Hundreds of thousands remain homeless.” (03:28, John Donison, Jerusalem Correspondent)

• US Response:

  • The US, via its High Representative for Gaza, continues to advocate for the Trump plan as “the only way forward.” (05:00)

Analysis and Political Dynamics

• Pressure and Public Fallout:
  • Bernd Debusman, Washington correspondent, describes the rejection as “something of a defeat for President Trump personally because he had been hailing this 15-point proposal as something of a foreign policy victory.” (05:22)
  • Debusman notes the Trump administration has “enormous leverage over Israel due to the vast amounts of military and financial aid,” but has never threatened to cut it. (06:00)
  • The split complicates Netanyahu’s domestic politics with coming elections, needing to balance US pressure with hardliners in his coalition: “Many of these hardliners rejected the 15 point proposal very, very quickly, and Prime Minister Netanyahu really needs their support to remain in his current position.” (06:59)

Notable Quotes

• “For every step forward, there is always a step back.” (04:42, John Donison)

Key Timestamps

• [01:36] – Episode and story introductions
• [02:14–05:22] – Full breakdown on Gaza plan and reactions
• [05:22–07:39] – Washington correspondent analysis and Israeli domestic context

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Other Major Stories

1. Irish Crime Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited and Charged

• Context:
  • Daniel Kinahan appeared in a Dublin court after extradition from Dubai, ending a decade-long international manhunt. (07:39)
  • Kinahan is accused of directing an international crime syndicate. He denied all allegations.
  • Hearing details: “He faces one charge, and that is of directing the activities of a criminal organization between October 2015 and April 2017.” (08:38, Chris Page)

Notable Moments

• "I think we know I won't get bail. But he went on to thank the judge." (09:15, Chris Page quoting Kinahan)

Timestamps

• [07:39–10:02] – Kinahan’s court appearance and case background

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2. Devastating Wildfires in British Columbia, Canada

• Event:

  • Wildfires force the evacuation of about 12,000 residents from Summerland.
  • Doug Holmes, mayor of Summerland: "It was an exception to have a summer with smoke filled skies and fires nearby. Now it's an exception not to have it. It's become the new norm and it's tragic." (02:03)

• Extent and Response:

  • Fires swept through agricultural valleys rich in fruit orchards and vineyards. (11:44)
  • Hundreds of homes lost or damaged.
  • Significant losses to agriculture—“Recovery is going to be hard. Going to need government support.” (13:38, Doug Holmes)

Timestamps

• [11:19–14:38] – Wildfire reporting and mayor’s account of the crisis

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3. Denmark Scraps Royal Warrants

• Overview:
  • Denmark will phase out centuries-old royal warrants, a major marketing credential for businesses.
  • Interviews with shop owners highlight a mix of regret and adaptation.
  • "It gives it kind of a credibility that okay, if this is a brand approved by the royal court, then they must be trustworthy." (16:05, Barret Hertz, jeweler)
  • Shift toward online review platforms for credibility. (17:10, Camilla Simod, candy factory owner)

Timestamps

• [14:38–17:36] – Danish business reactions to royal warrant changes

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4. Nigeria: Army Rescues 33 Kidnap Victims in Zamfara State

• Incident:
  • Group abducted while traveling by road; army intervened and rescued all 33.
  • Ongoing banditry and kidnapping remain rampant in the region.
  • "Armed groups continue to operate in these remote areas and they particularly target people who travel along major roads and in rural communities." (21:20, Shimmy Jolo)

Timestamps

• [19:53–22:19] – Kidnapping rescue and security situation in Nigeria

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5. Spider-Man: Brand New Day Breaks Box Office Records

• Film News:
  • Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” grossed nearly $1.7B in the first 10 days.
  • Fans are drawn to Tom Holland’s portrayal—“readers of the comics and fans of the movies have grown to love… a beaten down, down on his luck, poor, broke, alone [Spider-Man].” (23:57, Sean O’Connell, film journalist)
  • Reflects larger industry trends—audiences returning to cinemas post-pandemic.

Notable Quote

• “Audiences are ready to get off their couch, to get away from streaming and to get back to the big screen as long as Hollywood will give them good films they can support.” (25:01, Sean O’Connell)

Timestamps

• [22:19–25:43] – Film discussion and analysis

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6. Art or Vandalism? UK Removes Banksy Murals at High Cost

• Issue:
  • UK government spends $270,000 removing three works by the elusive street artist Banksy.
  • Contentious debate: tourist draw vs. property damage.
  • “They have to remove the whole wall as well as the painting. One of them went to auction and get this, it went for 25 million.” (27:00, Paul Moss)

Timestamps

• [25:43–28:07] – Banksy murals and public policy

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7. Ancient Roman Shipwreck Discovered off Sicily

• Discovery:
  • 2,000-year-old vessel found with hundreds of well-preserved amphorae, likely used for transporting wine.
  • “For a few moments you realize you're probably the first human being in 20 centuries to see this place, a treasure at the bottom of the sea.” (28:54, Giacomo de Mola, fisherman/diver)

Timestamps

• [28:07–29:29] – Shipwreck find and significance

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Notable Moments & Quotes

• On Gaza War:

  • “The war in Gaza never really ended. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since a supposed ceasefire was announced last October. Hundreds of thousands remain homeless.”
    — John Donison [03:28]

• On Political Pressure in Israel:

  • “Many of these hardliners rejected the 15 point proposal very, very quickly, and Prime Minister Netanyahu really needs their support to remain in his current position.”
    — Bernd Debusman [06:59]

• On Canada’s Wildfires:

  • “Now it’s an exception not to have it. It's become the new norm and it's tragic.”
    — Doug Holmes, Mayor of Summerland [02:03]

• On Spider-Man’s Resonance:

  • “This is the version of Spider-Man that we find relatable. It’s not Superman… it’s not Batman, who’s a billionaire with all the toys.”
    — Sean O’Connell [23:57]

• On Banksy Art Policy:

  • “Banksy’s works have become quite a draw for tourists... but they do rather like the money.”
    — Paul Moss [28:07]

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Conclusion

This episode spotlighted the unraveling of a high-profile peace effort in the Middle East, showing how complex, multi-layered realities—political, social, cultural—can quickly transform hopeful initiatives into lasting deadlocks. Alongside that, the episode explored crime, natural disasters, cultural changes, film phenomena, and archaeology, weaving together a global snapshot of urgent and intriguing developments.

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For more information or to get involved, listeners are invited to contact the BBC Global News Podcast.

Transcript

[Pete Ross]

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[Pete Ross]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Pete Ross and in the early hours of Monday 10th August, these are our main stories. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects Washington's peace proposal for Gaza. A suspected Irish crime boss has appeared in court in Dublin a decade after escaping an assassination attempt and fleeing into exile. And in Western Canada 20 years ago

[Doug Holmes]

it was an exception to have a summer with smoke filled skies and fires nearby. Now it's an exception not to have it. It's become the new norm and it's tragic.

[Pete Ross]

Rapidly spreading wildfires force thousands of people to flee their homes. Also in this podcast, why are authorities in the UK spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove works by renowned street artist Banksy and the remarkable discovery of a more than 2000 year old Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily? We begin the podcast with the latest on the Trump administration's proposed peace plan for Gaza. Just over a week ago, President Trump announced a 15 point document that required Hamas to commit to a phased disarmament. Israel would be required to withdraw its military forces from the territory. On social media, President Trump described the proposal as a monumental step towards lasting peace and security in the territory. Hamas almost immediately said it supported the plan on condition that Israel withdrew from Gaza. But until a few hours ago, there had been silence from Jerusalem. Now, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has responded by firmly rejecting the plan which his officials had helped negotiate. Our correspondent John Donison sent this update from Jerusalem.

[John Donison]

The war in Gaza never really ended. More than 1200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes since a supposed ceasefire was announced last October. Hundreds of thousands remain homeless. There's little doubt Gaza needs a plan. Hamas disarming is a key part of President Trump's plan. It's just over a week since he announced what he called a monumental step. For the first time, Hamas had agreed to give up its weapons if Israel withdrew its forces from Gaza. And at Camp David last weekend, President Trump said Israel was on board.

[Pete Ross]

Israel is very happy about it.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Israel helped us and they've been very good.

[John Donison]

But it turns out Israel's Prime Minister is not happy with the plan. Israel rejects the 15 points document. The IDF will not execute any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say disarming Hamas, it means heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, all weapons.

[Pete Ross]

And we are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.

[John Donison]

So for now, Israel's forces, which fully occupy 70% of the strip, are going nowhere. Hamas called for America to pressure Israel to toe the line when it comes to peace in Gaza. For every step forward, there is always a step back.

[Pete Ross]

Responding to Mr. Netanyahu's rejection, the High representative for Gaza for Donald Trump's Board of Peace insisted that the U. S backed peace plan remained the only way forward. So how is the US President likely to respond to this very public rejection of Washington's hard work negotiations? That's a question I put to our Washington correspondent, Bernd Debusman.

[Bernd Debusman]

This is a very rare public break between him and Prime Minister Netanyahu and it's something of a defeat for President Trump personally because he had been hailing this 15 pound proposal as something of a foreign policy victory for his administration. Just last week he said that Israel was very happy with the deal and that they had been consulted. So I think such public rejection, I think he will very likely react quite negatively. He's at times expressed frustration with Prime Minister Netanyahu in the past over operations in Gaza and in Lebanon, but certainly nothing of this scale.

[Pete Ross]

How is it likely to respond the Trump administration?

[Bernd Debusman]

Well, Washington has enormous leverage over Israel due to the vast amounts of military and financial aid it gives Israel. But at no point throughout this conflict, neither the Biden administration nor the Trump administration has since suggested cutting that. But Prime Minister Netanyahu does enjoy very considerable support from the Trump administration and it's something he points to domestically in Israel. So I think if President Trump were to outwardly criticize it also complicates matters for Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel as he tries balance between moderate figures in his government and the more hardline figures in his government. And I think even a public spat between the two of them really complicates his efforts ahead of his reelection campaign.

[Pete Ross]

Well, that's kind of perhaps the crux of this, isn't it, that Benjamin Netanyahu is facing pressure externally from Washington to accept this deal, but also internally in Israel, there's elections coming up. How much do you think that internal pressure has to do with this decision that we've heard today?

[Bernd Debusman]

I think it has an enormous amount to do with the decision. I mean, many of these hardliners rejected the 15 point proposal very, very quickly, and Prime Minister Netanyahu really needs their support to remain in his current position. So I think that in and of itself is a very tricky balancing act for the prime Minister, especially when Washington very much wants to get this conflict done and dusted, as it were. President Trump very much sees himself as a deal maker and any sort of rejection of his deals is something that weighs on him politically here in the United States as he kind of repeatedly points to these conflicts, the war in Gaza included, as sign that his foreign policies are working, especially in the Middle East.

[Pete Ross]

Our Washington correspondent, Bernd Debusman to Ireland now, where the suspected Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan has appeared in court in Dublin following his high profile extradition from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Kinahan was arrested there in April, a decade after escaping an assassination attempt in Ireland and fleeing into exile. Prosecutors and the US Government say he's the ringleader of one of the world's most dangerous crime syndicates. He has appealed the extradition order over the last few months, but his attempts were unsuccessful, bringing to an end a global game of cat and mouse, with authorities in the U.S. europe and the Gulf appearing in court under extra security, having been driven at high speed to a special criminal court in Dublin. The businessman and boxing promoter was charged with directing the Kinahan cartel as well as drug trafficking and firearms offences. He has always denied the allegations against them. Our Ireland correspondent Chris Page was in the special criminal court in the Irish capital, Dublin, for the hearing.

[Chris Page]

Daniel Kinahan appeared in court in a hearing that lasted for about 13 minutes. He sat on a wooden bench for Most of that time, he was wearing a black hooded top. He occasionally sipped from a bottle of water. He rose to his feet on several occasions whenever One of the three judges, Patrick McGrath, addressed him directly. He also stood with his hands clasped in front of him when a court official put the charge to him. So he faces one charge, and that is of directing the activities of a criminal organization between October 2015 and April 2017. Towards the end of the hearing, a prosecutor suggested to the judges that they should explain to Daniel Kinahan that he could only apply for bail at the High Court in the Dublin. So the judge did that, and Daniel Kinahan replied, I think we know I won't get bail. But he went on to thank the judge. So now he has left here, this court complex in Dublin. Also during that court hearing, a detective Garda gave some details about how he arrested Daniel Kinnan, how he executed the arrest warrants. So he's been around it in custody until the 1st 5th of October. Until then, he's being taken to Port Leash Prison, not far outside Dublin. It's a maximum security prison and the facilities there, it's understood, have been upgraded.

[Pete Ross]

Daniel Kinahan's arrest has followed years of investigations into the Kinahan organized crime group by an international coalition of law enforcement agencies. Several members of the gang have been jailed in recent years. But Daniel Kinahan's extradition is likely to result in one of the most significant criminal trials in modern Irish history, says our correspondent Tom Simons.

[Tom Simons]

Daniel Kinahan is alleged to have taken over the Kinahan organized crime group after his father Christie stepped back. He was arrested in 2010 in a Spanish investigation, which petered out through lack of evidence. A 2021 BBC investigation found he'd also been involved in managing professional boxers. In 2016, he escaped an attempt by a rival gang to kill him with automatic weapons during a raid on a boxing weigh in at the Regency Hotel, Dublin. The Kinahan group retaliated with a string of murders. Irish police eventually tracked down Sha McGovern, described as a senior Kinahan lieutenant who organized the killings, extradited him from Dubai and successfully prosecuted him using evidence from encrypted phones. The same special court, with three judges and no jury, may be used to prosecute Daniel Kinahan.

[Pete Ross]

Tom Simons. In Canada, the vast western province of British Columbia is under a state of emergency. With more than a hundred wildfires burning. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, including the 12,000 residents of Summerland. The town's mayor is Doug Holmes. And he gave the BBC this update from Penticton, about an hour's drive south after he'd been ordered to leave his home very early on Saturday morning.

[Doug Holmes]

The fire started around 5.30pm, 15km outside Summerland. And then it just moved really quickly. We're a farming community. There were kind of three mountain valleys with real rich soil, lots of cherry and peach orchards and vineyards. And the fire just kind of ripped through two of those three valleys. So those two valleys were evacuated probably around 8:30, 9:00 clock Friday night, our time. And then the fire just kept coming closer and closer to town. And so the decision was made at midnight Friday night, Saturday morning, to evacuate the whole town. You can imagine that number of people all packing up their cars and heading out the same time. There's only one highway that comes through Summerland. The north end of the town was blocked off by fire. So we could only leave going to the town to the south, which is Penticton. And so there was basically a large convoy of cars heading south.

[Giacomo de Mola]

You've arrived in Penticton, and it sounds like that's where most people have ended up as well. About an hour's drive under normal conditions south of Summerland. And what are people staying in?

[Doug Holmes]

We're two closely connected communities anyway, so people are staying at friends or families. A lot of people left with their camp trailers and their caravans. And so the parking lots in Penticton are full. And if there are people who have no place to stay, there's an evacuation center has been set up at the convention center here.

[Giacomo de Mola]

Did the fire reach your town?

[Doug Holmes]

Lots of parts of town. It did reach not every part of town. So we do know parts have been spared. We know our downtown is okay, but homes have been lost. Everybody will know somebody who has lost a home.

[Giacomo de Mola]

It's an agricultural region, isn't it? I mean, there's a lot of farming that goes on. I think a lot of winemaking that goes on as well. I assume there must be immense concern about what's happened to the land.

[Doug Holmes]

You know, the immediate concern is what happens to people's crops. I know farmers who have told me that they know they've lost their barn, for example, and recovery is going to be hard. Going to need government support. But we'll pull together as a community and we'll get through it.

[Giacomo de Mola]

Have you got any update on the progress of the fire and when you and others may be able to return to Summerland?

[Doug Holmes]

Well, that's the number one question everybody asks, is when can we go home? And we just don't know yet. The fire is still out of control, they're still fighting it. That's the top priority right now, is to get the fire under control. And then once it's under control, we can start planning re entry. There'll be farmers who've left animals behind. They need to get back to their farms to feed those animals. And then people can't return to their homes until we know it's safe to do so. There's power, the water has been contaminated, there's structures that we don't know are safe or not. So all that sort of thing has to happen before people can return to their homes. All that's going to take time.

[Pete Ross]

Summerland's mayor Doug Holmes talking to my colleague Tim Franks. Denmark is preparing to scrap its royal warrant system, ending a centuries old royal seal of approval used by businesses to market everything from beer to cars. The BBC's Daniel Rosney has been to Copenhagen to meet companies facing this change over the next three years.

[Daniel Rosney]

Years some of the most well known Danish brands and businesses such as Carlsberg and Lego have a royal warrant. And as well as global brands, there are also smaller independent companies too which all have a warrant. Many shops in this city that have the warrant put it proudly on the front of their premises in big gold letters just like this one.

[Barret Hertz]

My name is Barret Hertz and I'm the sixth generation of Denmark's oldest jewelry store. It's called Peter Hertz. We've been here since 1834.

[Daniel Rosney]

The Hertz family have had the title of royal court jeweler for 120 years.

[Barret Hertz]

We made the wedding bands to now the King and the Queen. And we're allowed to tell you about that because it was made from the first Greenland gold. It was kind of me just story otherwise we never tell what we make.

[Daniel Rosney]

Since the business was founded and passed down through six generations, it has been awarded royal warrants by five Danish monarchs.

[Barret Hertz]

Because we've had it for so many years, it kind of defines us who we are as well.

[Daniel Rosney]

Does it give you any kind of status?

[Barret Hertz]

It gives it kind of a credibility that okay, if this is a brand approved by the royal court, then they must be trustworthy.

[Daniel Rosney]

Because of the history that the P. Hertz store has in Copenhagen, Barrett has been given permission to keep the crown and the facade of the store once the royal warrant has been phased out.

[Barret Hertz]

People really feel that the store is a part of the Copenhagen picture. When you walk down co Magill and you see that all the way from almost the round tower and you can

[Camilla Simod]

see down My name is Camilla Simod and I am owner of an old candy factory. It is a hard boiled candy.

[Daniel Rosney]

This is a family run business and Camilla is the fifth generation to take charge. The history is traditional methods.

[Camilla Simod]

Yes, everything in here is handmade.

[Daniel Rosney]

Simode has had a royal warrant since 1991. It's something the company proudly put on its packaging.

[Camilla Simod]

It was a major step up. It was also because it was a time before social media, it was a time before Internet so it was a quality stamp.

[Daniel Rosney]

But two years ago things changed.

[Camilla Simod]

I've spent a lot of time and a lot of energy to focus on the more modern approaches now, which is Google Reviews and trustpilots because that is what the modern generation uses more so than the Royal Warren title. But I do know that quite a few tourists, they appreciate it more and they follow that more. Want to see the stores and the shops that has the title.

[Daniel Rosney]

There has been no public assessment on a projected economic impact and there's also not an estimate on how much it will cost businesses to change their packaging, storefronts or advertisements that state it has a Royal Warrant.

[Pete Ross]

Daniel Rosni reporting. Still to come in this podcast because

[Camilla Simod]

I'm not just Peter Parker, I'm Spider man.

[Pete Ross]

Why the New Spider man film is Breaking Box Office records.

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[Pete Ross]

this is the global news podcast to Nigeria where the army has said its soldiers have rescued 33 people who were kidnapped in the northwest of the country. The group was traveling, traveling by road when the abduction took place. Our Africa correspondent Shimmy Jolo also told Celia Hatin more about how the people were taken.

[Shimmy Jolo]

Well, according to the Nigerian Army, a group of 33 passengers were traveling through an area called Magazu in Zamfara State, which is in northwestern Nigeria, when they were abducted on Saturday afternoon. The army said it received calls about the attack and that as the kidnappers were trying to move them to another location, the army said it quickly mobilized troops alongside police officers to reach where the calls were coming from. The army said its troops managed to catch up with the kidnappers as they were moving the passengers away. The army said the troops then opened fire and that the gunmen fled into nearby bushes, leaving the 33 passengers behind. The army has confirmed that all 33 people were rescued safely and that there were no casualties or injuries. And they said that they are now searching the area trying to track down those kidnappers.

[Podcast Advertiser]

This isn't the first time that we've talked about kidnappings in Nigeria, and recently there's been an upsurge in violence in the state. Tell us more about what's being done to address security challenges there.

[Shimmy Jolo]

Yeah, in fact, Zamfara State has been one of the worst affected by armed banditry and kidnappings, especially in northwestern Nigeria. And the security forces have increased military operations in the area, including patrols and operations aimed at at disrupting these armed groups and rescuing kidnapped victims. But the scale of the problem remains significant. Armed groups continue to operate in these remote areas and they particularly target people who travel along major roads and in rural communities. The authorities, like in this case, are also relying on information from those local communities to identify the movements and locations of these kidnappers. So while there have been some successful rescue operations recently, including this latest one, the wider security challenge in Zamfara State but also in northwestern Nigeria remains.

[Pete Ross]

Simi Jala Oso in Lagos the film Spider Man, Brand New Day has made history. Sony Pictures says the film grossed almost $1.7 billion in its first 10 days of opening, putting it on course to become the biggest blockbuster ever. So why is it so popular? Jillian Wariker spoke to Sean o'. Connell. He's an entertainment journalist and the author of With Great Power How Spider Man Conquered Hollywood during the golden age of comic book blockbusters.

[Sean O'Connell]

It's a combination of two different things. One, fans love Tom Holland's interpretation, specifically of Spider Man. I think they have bought into what he has done as the character for the previous three films.

[Camilla Simod]

Maybe I'll never read this to you. No, maybe I'm just writing this for me. And maybe that's my responsibility to live alone with the truth, because I'm not just Peter Parker, I'm Spider Man.

[Sean O'Connell]

But even off screen, they love the combination of him and Zendaya.

[Camilla Simod]

Hi, I am Tom Holland. Hello, I'm Zendaya and we are answering

[Podcast Advertiser]

your Spider man questions.

[Camilla Simod]

Your name's so big on the poster.

[Giacomo de Mola]

Yeah.

[Sean O'Connell]

They have built this franchise around their two characters and the fans are turning up to support that. Marvel has been down a little bit in terms of the quality of their films, but Spider Man's one of those trusted brands that whether you're a die hard fan or just a casual blockbuster attendee, you know what you're getting from the Spider man films, and people are hungry for that in the summertime.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

What is he doing with this character that is particularly appealing?

[Sean O'Connell]

He is giving a version of Peter Parker and Spider man that readers of the comics and fans of the movies have grown to love, which is a beaten down, down on his luck, poor, broke, alone. Like this is the version of Spider man that we find relatable. It's not Superman, it's not Batman, who's a billionaire with all the toys at his disposal. The Tom Hardy Venom franchise didn't necessarily connect. Sony tried to make film franchises out of supporting characters like Morbius and Madame Web. And the audience vocal about the fact that they did not like those films and did not want to see that bit concluded. The Spider man films that Tom Holland has been in have benefited from the fact that Marvel Studios is collaborating with Sony on a creative standpoint to make sure that they are as close to the comics as they can be. And that's been really helpful up to this point. And I hope they can keep it going. But we know how difficult that can be.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

And on the broader picture, clearly many, many people are going to the cinema to see this, but they're actually going to the cinema more generally, perhaps more than people were expecting just now, aren't they? What's that all about?

[Sean O'Connell]

It's good product being put into the theaters, and Hollywood is still struggling with that. The two big things that slowed the industry down, one was the pandemic and the other was a writer's strike that sort of ground Hollywood to a halt. We are now climbing out of that and the studios are sort of stockpiling the types of films that they're able to get into theaters. But we don't have enough. You know, we're seeing one big movie every weekend where we used to see two to three, and now we might have some weekends where nothing major is landing at all. And so audiences are the theaters and saying, okay, what's available? What can I see? Audiences are ready to get off their couch, to get away from streaming and to get back to the big screen as long as Hollywood will give them good films that they can support.

[Pete Ross]

Sean o', Connell, entertainment journalist, speaking to Gillian Warwicker now. He's one of the most well known, if not recognizable artists in the world alive today. Works by Banksy, who famously keeps his identity hidden, have sold for millions of dollars at auction. But are the street murals and inst that often appear overnight and attract huge crowds, art to be admired and preserved? Or acts of vandalism that should be cleaned up and removed? The BBC has been told that the British government has spent $270,000 dealing with three works put up in public by the elusive street artist. Most of the money went on getting rid of a mural on a court building in London that depicted a judge in a wig using his gavel to hit a protester. Our global affairs reporter Paul Moss told us about the three Banksy pieces and what all the money was spent on.

[Paul Moss]

The first one, the most expensive one, is the one you mentioned, the judge bashing a protester over the head with a gavel, which was seen as a comment on some recent judicial decisions where protesters have been prosecuted. Yes, the Ministry of Justice, they're responsible for the Law Court where it was painted. They say it cost the equivalent of $70,000 to remove the paintwork and another $50,000 spent on security making sure no one painted anything else. Gotta say, that does seem like a lot of money for a removal job that took two days, but that's what the Ministry is saying. The second work is a giant statue of a man marching along with a flag. The extraordinary thing about this is that Banksy managed to erect this in the middle of the night right in the centre of London without anyone noticing. Now, Westminster Council is they haven't removed it they've put security fences around it. They say that has cost $80,000. And the final one was a police box, sort of sentry box for police, which Banksy covered in some rather colorful pictures of piranhas. That for that the police simply removed it and that cost a few thousand dollars. So yes, as you say, a lot of money involved. One work of Banksy's was removed and bear in mind they have to remove the whole wall as well as the painting. One of them went to auction and get this, it went for 25 million. One little postscript I should add is that Banksy's works have become quite a draw for tourists. So local councils are a bit of a bind. They don't really like these works going up without permission willy nilly, but they do rather like the money.

[Pete Ross]

Paul Moss and finally on the podcast, Italian divers have discovered a Roman era shipwreck off the coast of Sicily. Officials say measures will be taken to protect the site while it undergoes investigation. Mimi Suebe has more details.

[Mimi Swaby]

The vessel, believed to be more than 2,000 years old, was found piled high with hundreds of well preserved containers used in Roman times to transport goods and most commonly, wine. Italy's culture minister said the wreck was one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years. It was discovered 46 meters deep after a tip off from fishermen. Giacomo de Mola, a fisherman and free diver, made the discovery. He described his experiences on social media.

[Giacomo de Mola]

Below me there's a huge spread of amphorae, a few hundred amphorae, perfectly intact. Below me, a Roman ship that's been sleeping there for at least 2,000 years. It's hard to explain what you feel. For a few moments you realize you're probably the first human being in 20 centuries to see this place, a treasure at the bottom of the sea.

[Mimi Swaby]

Local media say the vessel is 21 meters long and 6 metres wide. The site will now undergo further documentation and investigation by experts to determine the nature of the wreck and learn more about its cargo.

[Pete Ross]

Mimi Swaby with that report. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. And don't forget our sister podcast, the Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Derek Clark and the producer was Emma Joseph. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Pete Ross. Until next time. Goodbye.

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