Concern in Europe after Trump and Putin agree to start Ukraine talks

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary BBC World Service | February 13, 2025

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1. US and Ukraine: Tensions Over Peace Negotiations

As the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches, significant developments have emerged concerning the United States' role in seeking an end to the conflict. Former President Donald Trump has engaged in unprecedented diplomatic efforts, including a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and plans to meet him in person. These moves mark a stark departure from the longstanding US isolation of Putin and have stirred controversy within NATO.

NATO's Response: At a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized Trump's approach, accusing him of making concessions to Russia prematurely. Pistorius emphasized the importance of maintaining Ukraine's potential NATO membership and addressing territorial losses, stating:

“Putin is constantly provoking the west and attacking us in a hybrid manner. It would be naive to believe that this threat will actually subside as a result of any peace agreement whenever it comes.” [01:46]

US Defense Secretary's Stance: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to criticisms by asserting that the US remains committed to Ukraine, highlighting the substantial financial support provided:

“We recognize the incredible commitment that has been made over many years... the United States has invested in stabilizing those front lines after the aggression of Russia. There is no betrayal there.” [02:15-02:35]

Despite these assurances, the unity within NATO appears to be waning. Jonathan Beale, BBC correspondent in Brussels, noted:

“With the new administration, Donald Trump is in the driving seat. He's calling the shots, not NATO as a whole. So that unity has been frayed somewhat.” [02:54]

Ukraine's Perspective: Timofy Milovanov, a former Ukrainian economy minister, expressed concerns from Kyiv:

“President Trump, without consulting with Ukraine, without consulting with the EU, makes decisions and accepts, gives out already to the demands of President Putin.” [05:49]

Milovanov highlighted the challenges Ukraine faces in maintaining its role in peace negotiations, especially with the US imposing conditions that exclude future NATO membership and territorial restitution.

2. Munich Car Attack: Germany's Immigration Debate Intensifies

A tragic incident occurred in Munich when a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker deliberately drove a Mini Cooper into a crowd at a trade union rally, injuring 28 people, some critically. Bavarian State Premier Marcus Söder confirmed the attack as deliberate.

Political Repercussions: This attack comes just ten days before Germany's federal elections, where immigration remains a hot-button issue. Damien McGuinness, BBC correspondent in Berlin, reported:

“Over the last few months there have been a number of attacks involving asylum seekers... sparked a huge debate around migration connected to criminality.” [11:32]

The incident has intensified the debate between mainstream parties advocating controlled immigration and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has seen increased support following such attacks. The conservative leader Friedrich Merz has adopted a hardline stance to counter the AfD's rise, pushing for stricter immigration policies which are likely to influence the upcoming election results.

3. China's Energy Policy: Coal vs. Renewables

China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has seen a significant surge in coal plant construction, reaching its highest level in nearly a decade. Despite President Xi Jinping's pledge to peak carbon emissions before 2030, approximately 95 gigawatts of new coal-fired power capacity were added in the first half of 2024.

Renewable Energy Efforts: Contrarily, China has also made remarkable progress in renewable energy, especially wind and solar. Laura Bicker, BBC China correspondent, explained:

“China has installed more in wind and solar in almost one year than the United States has done in total since records began.” [13:20]

However, the simultaneous expansion of coal capacity raises concerns that renewable installations are supplementing rather than replacing coal power, potentially jeopardizing China's net-zero target by 2060. The report suggests that without a strategic shift towards replacing coal with renewables, China's environmental commitments may falter.

4. Artificial Intelligence: Risks and Regulations

Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, voiced serious concerns about the future misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) at an AI conference in Paris. Highlighting the potential for AI systems to be exploited by terrorists and rogue states, Schmidt emphasized the need for stringent oversight.

Key Concerns:

“An example would be the ability for the system to fool us. Another one if it developed a desire to get access to weapons, especially nuclear weapons.” [14:36]

Regulatory Challenges: Schmidt criticized the current AI development landscape, which is dominated by private companies without adequate government regulation:

“AI and the future is largely going to be built by private companies... It's really important that governments understand what we're doing and keep their eye on us.” [19:46]

He urged for international cooperation and regulation similar to nuclear containment strategies to prevent AI proliferation and misuse, stressing the urgency of establishing global standards to mitigate extreme risks associated with AI advancements.

5. Middle East Ceasefire: Hamas and Israel Negotiations

Hamas announced the release of three Israeli hostages on Saturday and reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire deal with Israel, following mediated talks in Cairo. This development follows Hamas's previous postponement of hostages' release due to alleged breaches by Israel.

Negotiation Dynamics: James Waterhouse, BBC correspondent in Jerusalem, detailed the situation:

“Hamas did put out a statement saying it didn't want the deal to collapse. It reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the exchange of prisoners.” [15:18]

However, the negotiations remain fragile, with Israel withholding official comments on the latest developments. The second stage of the ceasefire, aimed at a permanent end to hostilities and the reconstruction of Gaza, faces uncertainty, especially with President Trump's proposed post-war plan for Gaza, which involves removing its residents and repurposing the territory—a plan rejected by Arab nations.

6. Environmental Impact: Crocodiles Under Climate Change

Researchers in Australia have discovered that rising temperatures are affecting the behavior of crocodiles. A study conducted by the University of Queensland and Australia Zoo has found that crocodiles' average body temperatures have increased by over 0.1 degrees Celsius as local peak temperatures rose by 0.5 degrees since 2008.

Behavioral Shifts: Simon Atkinson, BBC correspondent in Cairns, reported:

“Hotter crocs don't dive for so long, giving them less time underwater to ambush prey... devoting extra time to keeping cool means activity for reproducing and staying safe from predators is reduced.” [21:15]

The ongoing research aims to understand the broader implications of climate change on crocodile populations and the overall health of the region's ecosystems.

7. Satirical Petition: California for Denmark

In a light-hearted story, a satirical online petition titled denmarkification.com has gained over 230,000 signatures, proposing to "buy" the US state of California for Denmark. The petition humorously promises to introduce Danish cultural elements such as bike lanes, traditional sandwiches, and renaming Disneyland to Hans Christian Andersenland.

Cultural Connections: The initiative draws a parallel to Sanvang, a city in California founded by Danish immigrants in 1911, which celebrates its Danish heritage. Harry Bligh, BBC correspondent, highlighted the playful nature of the petition, noting its creation amidst serious geopolitical discussions.

8. Technology Recall: Apology for Missed Mention

In closing, the podcast issued an apology for omitting a mention of Sophie Jackson from the Museum of London Archaeology team during a previous report on a significant archaeological discovery of a 2,000-year-old Roman basilica in London.

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Notable Quotes:

• Boris Pistorius on Russian Threats:
  "Putin is constantly provoking the west and attacking us in a hybrid manner. It would be naive to believe that this threat will actually subside as a result of any peace agreement whenever it comes." [01:46]

• Pete Hegseth on US Commitment:
  "We recognize the incredible commitment that has been made over many years... There is no betrayal there." [02:15-02:35]

• Timofy Milovanov on Ukraine's Vulnerability:
  "President Trump, without consulting with Ukraine, without consulting with the EU, makes decisions and accepts, gives out already to the demands of President Putin." [05:49]

• Eric Schmidt on AI Risks:
  "An example would be the ability for the system to fool us... If it developed a desire to get access to weapons, especially nuclear weapons." [14:36]

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This episode of the Global News Podcast provided comprehensive coverage of pressing international issues, from geopolitical tensions and domestic crises to environmental challenges and technological advancements. For more detailed discussions, listeners are encouraged to tune into the full episode.

Transcript

[Jackie Leonard]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard and at 14 hours GMT, these are our main stories. The US defense secretary has denied that President Trump has betrayed Ukraine by pushing for a peace deal with Russia. Meanwhile, Germany has accused Mr. Trump of making concessions to Russia on Ukraine before peace talks have even started. And a breakthrough has been reported in talks to get the Gaza ceasefire deal back on track. Also in this podcast, a man has driven a car into a crowd of pedestrians in the German city of Munich in what officials suspect was a deliberate attack.

[Jonathan Beale]

The fact that there are many injured is a slap in the face. We feel for the victims, we pray for the victims. We very much hope that everyone will make it.

[Jackie Leonard]

And researchers in Australia say a warming planet is changing the behavior of crocodiles. We begin with Ukraine. As the third anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion approaches, there's been a flurry of activity from the US about ending the conflict. As you'll have heard in our last edition, Donald Trump has had a long phone call with President Putin of Russia and says he plans to meet him in person, reversing years of the US isolation of the Russian leader. Mr. Trump has also spoken on the phone to President Zelensky. The news of these conversations has been front and center. At a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Boris Pistorius of Germany accused the US President of making concessions to Russia before peace talks have begun. He said the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO should remain, as well as the issue of losses of territory.

[Boris Pistorius]

Putin is constantly provoking the west and attacking us in a hybrid manner. It would be naive to believe that this threat will actually subside as a result of any peace agreement whenever it comes.

[Jackie Leonard]

On Wednesday, the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said it was unrealistic to expect Ukraine to return to its pre2014 borders. And he downplayed the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. But today he insisted the US isn't betraying Ukraine and it's time to move towards a negotiated settlement.

[Pete Hegseth]

We recognize the incredible commitment that has been made over many years.

[Jonathan Beale]

And no country, as the President Trump.

[Pete Hegseth]

Has pointed out, has made a larger commitment to the Ukrainian mission than the United States of America, north of $300 billion. So the United States has invested in.

[Jonathan Beale]

Stabilizing those front lines after the aggression of Russia.

[Pete Hegseth]

There is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace.

[Jackie Leonard]

So what does all this mean for NATO and its position on Ukraine? Our correspondent, Jonathan Beale is in Brussels at the N meeting.

[Jonathan Beale]

Really what's changed is that, you know, NATO here had been presenting a united front, that it supported Ukraine, it was providing military support in concert with the former U.S. administration. And, and it was going to let Ukraine decide how this war would end, essentially that if there were going to be talks, that Ukraine had to be involved in those discussions and those decisions. And what we're getting now with the new administration is that the us, The White House, Donald Trump is in the driving seat. He's calling the shots, not NATO as a whole. So that unity has been frayed somewhat. And we know that while the US administration has set preconditions on Ukraine that it can't, for example, join NATO, they don't believe that they should not expect a return of all the territory they've lost to Russia, that there will not be US boots on the ground, if there is some kind of ceasefire in which it needs to be policed, that that will not involve the U.S. no security guarantees on that, that, that front. We haven't heard any same preconditions given to Moscow. And you know, what's happened here over the last few years, as far as NATO is concerned, is most NATO countries have isolated President Putin and Donald Trump has in effect rehabilitated to some extent President Putin by this phone call and by this meeting. And the question, still the insistence here from NATO headquarters is that it must involve Ukraine. But at the moment, both NATO and Ukraine are on the sidelines.

[Jackie Leonard]

And just briefly, what else can we be expecting to see from this meeting?

[Jonathan Beale]

You know, Mark Rutter has a difficult job trying to hold this, this 32 member alliance together. And he knows that to build bridges with the Trump administration, he is going to have to persuade allies to increase defense spending, particularly European allies. Now they have actually increased defense spending overall with more countries, the majority now spending at least 2%. But Donald Trump wants him to spend 5%. That's going to be a much harder task. But he, he needs to build bridges and he sees that as a way of doing it. But to expect countries to come up with 5%, I think is, is unrealistic. That is not going to happen. But he is trying to push them further in how much they spend on defence and also how much support they give to Ukraine. But they are not at the moment NATO in the driving seat.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Jonathan Beale in Brussels. So how is Ukraine reacting to the discussions about its future? Here's the view of Timofy Milovanov, who's a former economy minister, before even the Negotiations start.

[Jonathan Beale]

President Trump, without consulting with Ukraine, without consulting with the eu, makes decisions and.

[Timofy Milovanov]

Accepts, gives out already to the demands of President Putin.

[James Waterhouse]

So, you know, this puts everyone in.

[Jonathan Beale]

A very actually vulnerable position.

[Jackie Leonard]

Our correspondent in Kyiv, James Waterhouse, is following developments.

[Timofy Milovanov]

I think it's only been Ukraine, really, that has felt the pressure in what's been a bruising opening salvo from America in terms of how it sees lasting peace in this war. And I think privately, the long held fears that Ukraine wouldn't be involved in the negotiations sufficiently are being realized. When you look at the warm language between Washington and Moscow, when you look at the proposed meeting in Saudi Arabia, when you hear Donald Trump say, it's interesting on whether Ukraine, on the question of whether Ukraine is an equal partner, because we are ultimately talking about the future of a country. That said, the missing detail on Ukraine being free with Russia within its borders, the very question of how a conflict line would be policed by foreign troops, there is missing detail. America said it's not nothing to do with us, but Ukraine will still, you know, I think politically still has plenty to play for.

[Jackie Leonard]

What can President Zelenskyy do now to make sure that he stays in the conversation?

[Timofy Milovanov]

This is now the, the diplomatic challenge, because at the moment it's hard to see how, if you have a summit in Saudi Arabia, where you see Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin, who will be delighted that he is able to bypass Ukraine in these negotiations, a country he has denies the existence of, it'll be very hard for President Zelenskyy to then get his elbows up and get to the table and start asserting his wants and needs for a ceasefire. And I think it is a reflection of geopolitics where you, where superpowers wield the influence they do because of Ukraine's reliance on American aid, notably because of the scale and speed it can be provided America is therefore able to impose its terms on Ukraine more easily. The US Is still going after Ukraine's natural resources in a deal in exchange for continued military aid. So it's really quite difficult. I guess the only positive from yesterday for Ukraine is that this is the start of a very complicated path to peace. And when you've been in a full scale invasion, when you're on the tail end of 11 years of war, people do want peace. Of course they do. People are tired of worrying whether their sons and husbands will come home. They're tired of wondering whether they'll survive the night under artillery. So, of course peace is desired. But it's the terms of that peace which is so crucial for Ukraine.

[Jackie Leonard]

Well, meanwhile, James, we have seen some reports that the Ukrainian military is saying that there were 140 Russian drone attacks last night. What can you tell us?

[Timofy Milovanov]

Little more than that, other than that this is in the scale of things. It's a larger attack than normal, but it's still something that Russia sustains. The night before, there are ballistic missiles landing here in Kyiv. The week before, 14 people were killed on a missile strike. This missile and drone strike on the central region of Poltava. This is what happens. And so it is true that there is a heightening talk of peace, but Russia, you know, you cannot see it from within Ukraine as Russia continues to act out its invasion.

[Jackie Leonard]

James Waterhouse in Kyiv as we record this podcast, details have been coming in of an incident in the southern German city of Munich where a car has been driven into a group of people at a trade union rally. Officials say 28 people were injured, some very seriously. Speaking at the scene, Bavaria's State Premier, Marcus Soder said it was most likely an attack.

[Jonathan Beale]

It is simply terrible, ladies and gentlemen, when you get the news that someone has once again driven a car into a crowd of people, the fact that there are many injured is a slap in the face. We feel for the victims, we pray for the victims. We very much hope that everyone will make it.

[Jackie Leonard]

Our Correspondent, Damien McGuinness is monitoring events from Berlin.

[Damien McGuinness]

What appears to have happened is that this was indeed committed on purpose. What the motivation is of, of the, the perpetrator, we don't know. But what appears to have happened, according to police, is that a beige Mini Cooper was driving behind this trade union demonstration which was surrounded by police cars. So there was security around the demonstration. Then the car, the Mini, started speeding up as if to overtake the police car, and then as it did, it rammed at high speed into the crowd of demonstrators. And so we now know that at least 28 people are injured, many of them seriously and some critically. And we're finding out more information about the suspect as well, who appears to be a 24 year old Afghan asylum seeker whose application for asylum had been rejected. But he was legally in Germany. He had a legal status here, but quite a temporary one, so which meant his situation here was rather precarious. And now police are really talking to him to try and find out why he carried out such attempts. Terrible act.

[Jackie Leonard]

There are elections in Germany in what, 10 days from now and immigration is a key issue, isn't it?

[Damien McGuinness]

Yeah, that's right. Because over the last few months have been a number of attacks involving asylum seekers, most notably in January in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg, where a kindergarten child was stabbed and a passerby also was killed by an asylum seeker. And that sparked a huge debate around migration connected to criminality. Hadn't really been the case before then because I think mainstream parties had tried to calm, you know, this quite controversial debate and the polarized atmosphere around migration. But after that attack in Aschaffenburg, the conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who wants to be Germany's next chancellor, went very hardline because his argument is he wants to undermine the poll numbers of the far right AfD, which appear to be gaining traction on the back of these terrible attacks. And since then we've seen a ferocious debate around migration. A lot of people have criticized it, saying it's very one sided. This idea of connecting migration to criminality so obviously stigmatizes people with migration background. But either way, it's certainly a big, big debate in the political run up right now. And the fact that we've now had another terrible incident will certainly play into the debate and could well have an impact in the election results in 10 days time.

[Jackie Leonard]

Damian McGuinness China is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for around 30% of the global total. But new research shows that the country's coal plant construction surged last year to its highest level in almost a decade. This appears to conflict with President Xi Jinping's promise that carbon emissions would peak before 2030. Here's our China correspondent, Laura Becker.

[Laura Bicker]

There has been a lot of coal construction, in fact about 95 gigawatts of power within the early half of 2024. Now that's the most coal fired power plants that China has built since 2015. However, this report also notes that there has been an unprecedented surge in renewables in wind and solar in particular. In fact, the report notes that China has installed more in wind and solar in almost one year than the United States has done in total since records began. And what this analysis seems to suggest is that they are concerned that the solar and wind capacity is being layered on top of coal production. It's not being installed instead of. And they fear that the net zero target. President Xi has pledged that China will be net zero by 2060 might slip away from China unless that changes.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Laura Bicker. Still to come, a warning from the former chief executive of Google about artificial intelligence models being misused by terrorists and rogue states.

[Eric Schmidt]

An example would be the ability for the system to fool us. Another one if it developed A desire to get access to weapons, especially nuclear weapons.

[Jackie Leonard]

Hamas has said it will now release three Israeli hostages on Saturday and is committed to the ceasefire deal with Israel. The announcement follows mediated talks in Cairo. The group had said it would postpone the release, accusing Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire. Israel has said it will resume the war against Hamas if the hostages aren't released. Our correspondent here, Nel, is in Jerusalem and has been following the story through the day.

[James Waterhouse]

We've had various positive signs that this latest crisis in the Israel Hamas ceasefire deal can be overcome. We know that Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been working on the areas Hamas has complained about the amount of fuel going into Gaza. Numbers of shelters, Egyptian sources indicating more heavy lifting equipment to move rubble is to go in. Hamas did put out a statement saying it didn't want the deal to collapse. It reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the agreement as signed, including the exchange of prisoners. That's what it's calling Israel's hostages being exchanged for Palestinian detainees according to the specified timeline, the statement says. So under that we'd expect there to be these three hostages released on Saturday. And Israeli media was signaling earlier that the message that gone from Israel is that it would accept three hostages being handed over and not stop the ceasefire. Despite of course President Trump having propose that high stakes ultimatum, bring back all the hostages or the fighting starts.

[Jackie Leonard]

So we've heard from Israeli media. Are we getting anything from the Israeli government about what's been coming out of Cairo?

[James Waterhouse]

I mean, nothing officially from the Israeli government at this stage. I think it's still a bit wait and see. And you know, it may be that we find ourselves at the same stage tomorrow waiting to see, you know, if Hamas does publish this list of three names as we're expecting. I mean, it's worth pointing out as well. At the moment, negotiations on the more sensitive second stage of the ceasefire deal are supposed to be fully underway in Doha. That's supposed to see a permanent end to hostilities, the return of remaining hostages. Instead, mediators have been really sort of tied up with just trying to shore up this part of the ceasefire, the initial part of the deal. The Israeli negotiating team returned from Doha on Monday after just two days. You know, negotiators also envisaged there would be a third stage to the ceasefire reconstruction of Gaza. But now what you've got is so much uncertainty about the future that's just increased under President Trump with his post war plan for Gaza that envisages emptying of its 2 million residents, building a Kind of seaside travel destination there, of course, totally rejected by Arab countries and many others around the world.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Yolande Nell. Just how concerned should we be about the advent of artificial intelligence? Very, says the former chief executive of Google, Eric Schmidt. He's been speaking on the subject at the AI conference in Paris. He told my colleague Amol Rajan, why the rapid development of the new tech is so groundbreaking and challenging for humanity.

[Eric Schmidt]

I actually think, and I know you'll think I'm insane, and maybe I am, that AI is underhyped. We don't know yet if I can build, you know, an AI Einstein, but we think that the computer can get pretty close to it, and that means that each and every one of us would have literally Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci, or pretty close in your pocket, on your phone. It's a pretty big deal.

[Pete Hegseth]

Well, I'm very, very struck by the fact that anyone who's followed your career will know that as boss of Google going back to nearly 25 years ago, you've generally been an advocate of technology, an optimist, someone who tries to use technology to advance human goals, human ends, to satisfy human demands. And yet, in your recent remarks, Eric, I'm very struck by the fears that you have about the potential of AI. For instance, you said in December 2024, the AI systems might need a kill switch. What did you mean?

[Eric Schmidt]

Basically, there's a set of things that we shouldn't really allow. An example would be the ability for the system to fool us, to deceive us. Another one would. It would if it developed a desire to get access to weapons, especially nuclear weapons. Imagine that it starts to make copies of itself. It decides that it wants to propagate itself. Even if we plug it off, there's. There's a set of such things that we need to watch for in this technology. It's not capable of doing it right now, but there are signs that it might be capable in the future.

[Pete Hegseth]

There are people, Eric, who fear that actually the whole dynamic that we've got for AI is the wrong one. It's a race, it's a competition. It's one that pits the US against China, against Europe. It's one where we don't have a system of global regulation. And it's also one where the most of the innovation is being driven by companies rather than by states. What's your concern, if you do have one, about the current dynamic?

[Eric Schmidt]

The truth is that AI and the future is largely going to be built by private companies. It has to do with the incentives and the money and where the talent is and how the world works. They're not going to be built in the equivalent of a Manhattan Project. So it's really important that governments understand what we're doing and keep their eye on us. We're not arguing that we should unilaterally be able to do these things without oversight. We think it should be regulated. The real fears that I have are not the ones that most people talk about AI, I talk about extreme risk. There's evidence that the models have knowledge that could allow, for example, a bad biological attack from some evil person. And I'm sure no one listening is evil, but there must be at least one evil person in the world who could take advantage of that in a really bad way. We want to make sure that doesn't happen. Part of the reason that we're all alive today is because people in the 1950s developed a whole strategy around nuclear containment. The same is not true in computers. The current best idea we have for controlling this proliferation is to make it hard for other countries and evil people in general, to get access to the most powerful hardware. That's why the US Export controls are so important.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive of Google. Researchers in Australia say a warming planet is changing the behaviour of crocodiles. A study of 200 wild crocodiles found that as temperatures have risen, so too have the reptiles average body temperatures. Simon Atkinson reports from Cairns.

[Simon Atkinson]

Unlike birds and mammals, crocodiles can't regulate their own body temperatures. So when they get hotter, they need to change their behaviour. Scientists have been analyzing data from sensors on wild crocodiles in Far north Queensland since 2008. In that time, peak temperatures locally have jumped by 0.5 degrees Celsius and the body temperatures of the animals has risen by more than 0.1 degrees. Previous studies suggest hotter crocs don't dive for so long, giving them less time underwater to ambush prey, and that devoting extra time to keeping cool means activity for reproducing and staying safe from predators is reduced. The researchers from the University of Queensland and the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve at Australia Zoo will now focus on how a hotter planet is impacting the overall health of the region's crocodile population.

[Jackie Leonard]

Simon Atkinson in Cairns. Let's return now to US Politics. Well, sort of. President Trump has made no secret of his desire to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. And since his re election, he's also said he wouldn't rule out using military force to seize it. Now a satirical petition has appeared online, offering to buy the US State of California for Denmark. Harry Bligh reports.

[Boris Pistorius]

The petition on the website denmarkification.com promises to bring some Scandinavian charm to America's Golden State. It offers to introduce bike lanes and smerbur, which are traditional Danish sandwiches, as well as changing the name of Disneyland to Hans Christian Andersenland, a nod to the famous Danish fairy tale author. It also claims to have reciprocal benefits for Denmark, too, boasting California's 300 days of sunshine per year, its tech sector, Silicon Valley and the state's plentiful crop of avocados. Already, the petition has attracted more than 230,000 signatures. Its creator claims to have the cast of Borgon, the Danish political drama, ready to lead negotiations. California already has a connection to Denmark. The city of Solvang, which means sunny Fields, was founded by three Danish immigrants in 1911 and promotes itself as the Danish capital of America.

[Jackie Leonard]

And that was Harry Bly. Now, before we go, in our last edition, our science editor, Rebecca Morel was reporting on a major archaeological discovery, a 2000 year old Roman basilica found beneath an office block in the heart of London. And we were so excited, excited about it, we completely forgot to mention that the person showing her around was the marvellous Sophie Jackson from the Museum of London Archaeology team. Sorry, Sophie, and thanks. And that's it from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you'd like to comment on this edition or the topics covered in it, do please send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Charlotte Hadroy Tozimska. The producer was Vanessa Heaney. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard and until next time, goodbye.