Fighting between the US and Iran flares up again

Summary

Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: Fighting between the US and Iran flares up again
Date: July 29, 2026
Host: Pete Ross

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Overview

This episode delivers a wide-ranging update on headline-grabbing global events, with a focus on the resurgence of military conflict between the United States and Iran. Additional coverage includes Japan’s earthquake disaster, FIFA’s reported plans for private investment in the World Cup, rising settler violence in the West Bank, wildfires in France and Spain, Peru’s historic presidential inauguration, and the viral story of a U.S. museum leveraging a negative online review.

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1. US-Iran Fighting Flares Up Again

Segment: 00:46–07:32

Key Points

• Recent lull in US-Iran hostilities has ended, with new attacks and reprisals across the Middle East.
• Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at a US base in Jordan; CENTCOM reports all were intercepted.
• Iranian proxies in Iraq struck US and Saudi targets with drones—30 aerial drone attacks reported over 72 hours.
• Iran claims to have stopped three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Dialogue between US and Iran remains ambiguous; both sides deny direct talks, but admit to contacts via intermediaries.
• President Trump emphasizes the US goal: Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons; issues renewed threats against Iranian infrastructure if diplomacy fails.

Notable Quotes

• “For the first time since Friday... the Middle East has witnessed renewed violence.”
  — Kashiar Geneidi, BBC Persian (02:52)

• “President Trump was saying that the Iranians directly and indirectly had asked for talks…he renewed his threats that if that doesn’t happen, then the US will attack Iran’s pickaxe mountain as well as bridges and power plants in the country.”
  — Kashiar Geneidi (04:26)

• “The two leaders have different goals. Mr. Netanyahu is in no hurry, of course, to end the conflict with Iran. Donald Trump, for his part, wants to wind it down as quickly as possible ahead of elections...”
  — David Willis, North America Correspondent (06:30)

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2. Earthquake in Japan: Rescue Operations Ongoing

Segment: 07:32–11:37

Key Points

• At least 13 confirmed dead after a powerful earthquake strikes Kyushu island.
• Many still missing, especially in a collapsed shopping centre after an explosion post-tremor.
• Extensive rescue efforts underway; aftershocks expected.
• 10,000 people in shelters, 37,000 homes without electricity amid extreme heat.
• Government scrutinizes nuclear power plant safety—no problems reported.
• Preparedness lauded, but the event highlights that some quakes overwhelm even Japan’s robust systems.

Notable Quotes

• “Japan is now in a race against time to save those trapped under the rubble.”
  — Jake Kwon, reporting from Seoul (07:59)

• “There is a level of devastation, a level of earthquakes so strong that even, you know, no amount of preparation could really prepare for.”
  — Jake Kwon (10:36)

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3. FIFA Eyes Private Investment in World Cups

Segment: 11:37–14:20

Key Points

• FIFA considering selling a stake in both men’s and women’s tournaments for private investment.
• Idea reported to potentially benefit president Gianni Infantino, possibly earning him tens of millions.
• Proposal allows FIFA member associations to access up to $20 million for development, possibly influencing upcoming vote.
• UEFA opposes, warning this could threaten the “soul and governance” of football. Block voting by European nations is possible but not assured.

Notable Quotes

• “It would be private investors coming in, taking a share of the proceeds of future World Cups…with significant influence on how those tournaments were run.”
  — Martin Ziegler, Chief Sports Reporter, The Times (12:13)

• “If those countries block together and say, ‘We’re not going to be part of this,’ I’m not sure what kind of competition FIFA would have to sell, but that feels like a pretty nuclear option.”
  — Martin Ziegler (13:40)

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4. Record Jewish Settler Attacks in the West Bank

Segment: 17:23–22:47

Key Points

• UN reports Jewish settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank reached a record high—average six per day.
• Over 230 illegal outposts established under Israel’s current right-wing government.
• Firsthand account from Al Mughaya village: Settlers and soldiers jointly threaten residents, including teenage attackers.
• Reports of the Israeli army supporting settlers and blocking ambulances from reaching the injured.
• Escalating violence: Death of a 17-year-old footballer during military and settler incursion.

Notable Quotes

• “The army is the settlers, but the clothes of them is green here.”
  — Abu Wahid, member of village council, via Lucy Williamson (19:57)

• “Yesterday they turned off two ambulances and took the the keys from them. If they tell us to stay there, we have to stay there and wait, regardless of the situation.”
  — Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic (21:47)

• “This is what passes for a normal weekend now in villages across the West Bank.”
  — Lucy Williamson (22:47)

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5. Wildfires Seize Parts of France and Spain

Segment: 22:47–26:09

Key Points

• Massive wildfires burning near Bordeaux, France, and across Spain; 60,000 residents allowed to return but others remain displaced.
• Community, firefighters, and even farmers engaging in containment efforts.
• Wildfires in Europe becoming more frequent and longer-lasting, now impacting areas outside the traditional southern zones.
• Frustration with political inaction and underpreparedness.

Notable Quotes

• “What strikes you is just the scale of the thing. We’re seeing thousands of firefighters try to take on the flames. They're being supported by mostly farmers…It’s a huge community effort.”
  — James Waterhouse, BBC Correspondent (24:20)

• “The duration of these wildfires certainly feels new...Scientists are saying they’re only going to become more intense.”
  — James Waterhouse (25:31)

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6. Keiko Fukimori Becomes Peru’s First Elected Female President

Segment: 26:09–29:42

Key Points

• Keiko Fukimori inaugurated as Peru’s first elected female president; stresses military involvement in law-and-order operations against crime, drugs, and illegal mining.
• Her policies mirror those of her father, Alberto Fujimori, raising concerns among critics.
• Strong reactions: Cheering supporters, clashing with opposition protests on the streets.
• Ceremony attended by several prominent right-wing Latin American leaders, signaling a conservative bloc.
• Fukimori pledges to tackle inequality and political instability.

Notable Quotes

• “During states of emergency, the armed forces will temporarily take the lead in security operations…until state authority is fully restored and those territories are returned to the citizens.”
  — Keiko Fukimori (26:46, via Mimi Swaby)

• “Her supporters lapped it up…However, on the flip side…the opposition…have already started taking the streets.”
  — Mimi Swaby, Global Affairs Reporter (28:06)

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7. A Museum Turns a Terrible Review into a Win

Segment: 29:42–32:58

Key Points

• New Bedford Whaling Museum in the US turns a critical online review (“Worst Aquarium Ever!”) into a best-selling T-shirt.
• Discussion with advertising executive Rory Sutherland on why negative reviews—when obviously ridiculous—can become assets if embraced humorously.
• Dangers of relying on aggregate review scores: Individual expectations differ, and negative experiences can be opportunities for positive branding.

Notable Quotes

• “If it’s almost comically bad, you lean into it, and then people feel more on your side than on the reviewer’s side.”
  — Rory Sutherland, Ad Executive (31:00)

• “Don’t look so much at the average stars. Just read a few of the reviews and you’ll very quickly see if there's some feature that everybody hates it. And you can see through all the kind of nonsense to some extent, can’t you?”
  — Rory Sutherland (32:39)

• “Decontextualized scores are actually quite dangerous. Anybody’s allowed to complain about a business, but businesses aren’t really allowed to complain about their customers. And 5% of customers are mad.”
  — Rory Sutherland (32:58)

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Additional Noteworthy Segments

• Other key stories:
  — Earthquake aftermath in Japan (07:32–11:37)
  — Museum PR and review culture (29:42–32:58)

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Episode Highlights & Memorable Moments

• The blunt pragmatism of US-Iran relations as presented by both governments, and the implications for regional stability.
• Stark description of settler-Palestinian violence in the West Bank, including direct interviews with affected villagers.
• The lively, practical humor in the museum’s PR response to bad reviews.
• Clear, human-driven stories illuminating the day’s key headlines across politics, disaster, sport, and society.

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For more content and in-depth analysis, tune in to the full podcast or visit the BBC Global News Podcast page.

Transcript

[Pete Ross]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

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[Pete Ross]

your portfolio every day. But what policy changes should investors be watching? Washington Wise is an original podcast from Charles Schwab that unpacks the stories making news in Washington right now and and how they may affect your finances and portfolio. [e-mail] WashingtonWise that's schwab.com WashingtonWise this is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Pete Ross and in the early hours of Wednesday, 29th July, these are our main stories. There's renewed fighting between the United States and Iran. Thirteen people are now known to have died and many are still feared trapped following an earthquake in Japan. Keiko Fuyomori, the latest conservative leader to come to power in Latin America, has been sworn in as president of Peru. Also in this podcast, it would be

[Rory Sutherland]

private investors coming in, taking a share of the proceeds of future World Cups and you would imagine having a significant influence on how those tournaments were run.

[Pete Ross]

FIFA comes up with a plan to allow private investment in World cup tournaments. At the weekend. President Trump had ordered US Forces to stop attacking Iran as talks continued with Tehran, but it appears this was a lull in the fighting, which has now resumed. US Central Command said that Iran had launched multiple ballistic missiles in an attack on American forces, but that all were intercepted. Iran's Revolutionary Guards later said that they had targeted a US Military base in Jordan. The US Military also said that together with Saudi Arabia, militant groups in eastern Iraq aligned with Iran had been hit. And Iranian media is reporting that the Revolutionary Guards have struck and halted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. BBC Persian's Kashiar Geneidi is monitoring developments.

[Kashiar Geneidi]

For the first time since Friday, where we witnessed a pause in attacks between Iran and the US it seems again that the Middle east has witnessed renewed violence. On Tuesday night, IRGC issued a statement announcing attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan with several ballistic missiles, saying that threats by American officials and illegal interventions against our interests must stop. The CentCom, the US Central Command, also issued a statement in which it says at 5:45pm Eastern Time Tuesday, which is 1:15am Iran Time, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp. Forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US Forces in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. And of course, this is not the only instance of violence. Reporting on Tuesday night, the CENTCOM again announced that American and Saudi planes had conducted precision strikes against Iranian proxies in eastern Iraq, accusing them of attacking US Forces and Saudi energy facilities with drones. They said that in the past 72 hours, 30 IRGC directed aerial drone attacks have been conducted against these targets in Saudi Arabia.

[Rory Sutherland]

Yeah, Kishay, you mentioned that these strikes come at a time when there had been sort of a pause in fighting so talks could continue. Any update on where those talks are from the Iranian side?

[Kashiar Geneidi]

Well, we heard from the US President that there are deep talks between Iran and the U.S. the Iranians say that they had not approached the Americans to ask them for continuation of talks. That's what the Americans were saying. But Iranians are not denying that there have been contacts with the intermediaries. So there is some sort of talks, although the Iranians do say that they have had no direct contact with the Americans. President Trump was saying that the Iranians directly and indirectly had asked for talks. And actually yesterday on Tuesday, when he was talking about this in an interview with Fox News, he hoped that the talks will lead to an arrangement that Iran will have no nuclear weapons. Otherwise, he renewed his threats that if that doesn't happen, then the US Will attack Iran's pickaxe mountain as well as bridges and power plants in the country.

[Pete Ross]

Kashiar Geneidi in Washington speaking to Steve Lai Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu had been the closest of allies with Israel's prime minister, once describing the US President as the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. But their war against Iran and Israel's war in Lebanon has put a huge strain on the relationship. Mr. Trump has admitted to swearing at Mr. Netanyahu and calling him crazy. On Tuesday, they met for the first time since the conflict with Iran began and just hours before an escalation in the fighting in the Middle East. Photos of the two leaders in the White House showed them smiling. Afterwards, Israel's prime minister had this to say.

[Rory Sutherland]

I just finished an excellent meeting with President Trump.

[Pete Ross]

A conversation with full partnership and mutual

[Rory Sutherland]

support with an understanding of a shared goal to ensure that Iran does not

[Pete Ross]

have nuclear weapons and and other goals as well.

[Rory Sutherland]

One of the best conversations I've had with the President of the United States.

[Pete Ross]

The meeting lasted just over an hour. For more on the talks with Mr. Netanyahu, here's our North America correspondent, David Willis.

[Rory Sutherland]

The White House said that the meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump had gone well, and Mr. Netanyahu went further than that. Certainly the Israeli leader seemed to leave the Oval Office convinced that he does continue to enjoy the the support of Israel's closest ally, despite those strains that you mentioned, the strains that have arisen in that relationship in the five or so months since the war with Iran got underway. But whilst Benjamin Netanyahu came here keen to reset, if you like, his relationship with Donald Trump and boost his popularity ahead of national elections in Israel later this year, the two leaders have different goals. Mr. Netanyahu is in no hurry, of course, to end the conflict with Iran. Donald Trump, for his part, wants to wind it down as quickly as possible ahead of elections that are due here in November.

[Pete Ross]

David Willis, Japan's Prime Minister Sanay Takeichi says at least 13 people are now confirmed to have died in Tuesday's powerful earthquake that struck Kyushu island in the south south of the country. At least three of the fatalities were at a shopping center that was rocked by the quake and a subsequent explosion. And there are fears that more people remain trapped inside the partially collapsed building. Jake Kwon gave me the latest.

[Jake Kwon]

We have just heard from the Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, and she said that Japan is now in a race against time to save those trapped under the rubble. And she said in the latest briefing that, yes, the death toll is now 13. Many are still missing, especially inside the shopping center where we have heard from the eyewitness saying that a strong explosion happened just after the tremor and then the entire second floor had collapsed. Now, rescue workers had been working overnight, digging through the rubble, and they brought out eight people. Three of them were declared dead and the others were injured. And they're still making a tally of those who are unaccounted for. Now, about a little further south of that, in the town of Yasushiro, a paper factory, the chimney over there had fel trapping workers beneath. So the rescue workers are also digging through the rubble trying to save these people. Now, this earthquake, it is still, you know, about 10,000 people in the area are still in the shelter and they have been experiencing these aftershocks, the tremors. And almost 37,000 homes have still lost electricity and Right now, Japan, as you can imagine, it is very humid, searing heat, and these people don't have the air conditioning. It's very difficult situation for them. But what the Prime Minister is saying that, you know, she has deployed 3,600 troops to help with the search and rescue and the recovery.

[Pete Ross]

And what about the residents of some of the areas which have been particularly badly affected? Has anyone been evacuated? And we've heard about some aftershocks. Are authorities warning that there could possibly be more on the way?

[Jake Kwon]

Exactly. I think this is the reason why a lot of people are still in shelter, because what the authorities are warning is that, you know, this powerful earthquakes are usually followed by even more powerful one in the days following. And this is exactly what happened in 2016. You know, many people in Kumamoto area are probably thinking of that devastating earthquake which killed 278 people. And at that time, the first earthquake was actually the smaller one. And in the next three to four days there was even more powerful ones that, you know, struck these already weakened structures and more devastation happened following. So what the authorities are saying is that these people, the citizens, they need to keep their eyes and ears close to the radio and for any other evacuation orders.

[Pete Ross]

And earthquakes are not uncommon in Japan. Jake, do we know how prepared authorities were or if there's been any reaction to the response from authorities so far?

[Jake Kwon]

Well, the authorities have suspended the rail connection and they have, of course, looked into the nuclear power plant and, you know, thankfully the nuclear power plant says everything is operating normally now. Japan is one of the most earthquake prone country in the world and they have taken decades to really prepare, make sure all their buildings are earthquake resistant. And if this were in any other country, we would be seeing, you know, huge amount of casualties, as we've seen in Venezuela, where a similar magnitude and similar depth earthquake have struck recently. But, you know, there is a level of devastation, a level of earthquakes so strong that even, you know, no amount of preparation could really be prepare for. And this is something that Japan does experience quite regularly. You know, two years ago on the Noto Peninsula, you know, we were there on the ground where more than 200 people were killed. And eventually they were saying that, you know, with everything, you know, hundreds of people, more killed afterwards. But this is something that the government is always preparing for.

[Pete Ross]

Jake Kwon reporting from Seoul. Many football fans already dislike FIFA and its boss, Gianni Infantino, not least over the handling of the Men's World Cups in North America, Qatar and Russia. Now it seems the men's and women's tournaments could get even more commercialized after it was revealed that world football's governing body wants to sell a slice of them to private investors. The idea was first reported in the Financial Times and the Times of London, which claims it could potentially earn Mr. Infantino himself tens of millions of dollars. Martin Ziegler is the Times chief sports reporter.

[Martin Ziegler]

It would be private investors coming in,

[Rory Sutherland]

taking a share of the proceeds of future World Cups, and you would imagine having a significant influence on how those tournaments were run.

[Pete Ross]

FIFA says it wants to grow the game. Our chief football news reporter, Simon Stone told my colleague Oliver Conway more about the plan.

[Martin Ziegler]

Infantino says that on behalf of FIFA, he has an obligation to look at any proposal that is put to FIFA that he feels the FIFA executive field will benefit the game globally. And in this long statement that FIFA released, they kept referring to the riches that come into football and the fact that everybody should be able to share in this. As part of the pitch, FIFA said all member associations will be able to access up to $20 million to fund development. Skeptics will say that if there's 211 member nation, $20 million is enough to effectively make sure that the vote when it's eventually held in March at the next FIFA congress in Morocco will go. Gianni Infantino. I'm FIFA's way now.

[Pete Ross]

UEFA, European football's governing body, says this threatens the soul and governance of the game.

[Rory Sutherland]

Can it do anything to stop it?

[Martin Ziegler]

UEFA has 55 votes within FIFA, so it doesn't have a majority. But what it does have is the current world champions. They also have the countries who, in most cases, broadcasters, commercial operations want to be associated with England, Germany, France, all of the European countries as a bloc. That is quite a formidable force. And if those countries block together and say, we're not going to be part of this, I'm not sure what kind of competition FIFA would have to sell, but that feels like a pretty nuclear option.

[Pete Ross]

Simon Stone still to come in this

[Rory Sutherland]

podcast, decontextualized scores are actually quite dangerous. Anybody is allowed to complain about a business, but businesses aren't really allowed to complain about their customers. And 5% of customers are mad.

[Pete Ross]

How a museum made the most of a terrible online review.

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[Pete Ross]

This is the Global News podcast the UN's Office of Humanitarian affairs has said that last month the number of Jewish settler attacks on Palestinians in the west bank, which has been occupied by Israel for almost 60 years, was the highest on record. The office said there were an average of six attacks per day causing casualties or damage to property. These have risen along with an increase in settler outposts, which are illegal under both Israeli and international law. But Israelis who monitor these say that more than 230 outposts have appeared across the west bank under the current government in Israel, which is the most right wing in the country's history. Our Middle east correspondent, Lucy Williamson sent this report from the West Bank.

[Lucy Williamson]

It's Saturday morning in the Palestinian village of Al Mughaya in the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers have entered the village and surrounded the Abu Aliyah family home, bashing at their gate with sticks. The Israeli army is in the streets. Residents are blocking roads and running from their jeeps. We've just heard two shots fired from down below in this village. The army and the settlers are both down near the Abu Aliyah house. The mosque is calling on people to come and protect the families. From inside the Abu Aliyah compound, family members film scowling teenagers smashing the metal gate again and again with large sticks. Israeli soldiers stroll up and gently move the settlers away, but there's no attempt to question or detain them or even to confiscate their clubs. Rafiq Abu Aliyah was inside the house during the attack. He told me settlers had come in the morning, some of them armed, and that Israeli soldiers accompanying them had entered the family house and beaten people inside. Israel's army said it had entered a house to arrest suspects throwing stones and was investigating claims of violence against Palestinians. Many Palestinians here say Israeli soldiers often support settlers during attacks.

[Rory Sutherland]

The army is the settlers, but the

[Pete Ross]

clothes of them is green here.

[Lucy Williamson]

You're saying that the soldiers and the settlers are the same?

[Pete Ross]

Look at the same.

[Lucy Williamson]

Abu Wahid is a member of the village council. How often do the settlers come here to Al Muhayya?

[Martin Ziegler]

Every day.

[Pete Ross]

Every day.

[Rory Sutherland]

Here and here and here and here

[Martin Ziegler]

and with the army and with the cars of the army.

[Lucy Williamson]

One Israeli soldier who served in the west bank recently said extremist settlers saw him as the enemy for not supporting their attacks. He's asked us to hide his identity.

[Pete Ross]

There are teenagers there.

[Jake Kwon]

Look at you with hate.

[Pete Ross]

There was one who told us, I will put a bullet in your head. It's clear that it's not just few radical teenagers in the Palestinian faces. I saw only fear, and I never

[James Waterhouse]

saw any fear on any Jew that lived there.

[Lucy Williamson]

Witnessing settler attacks firsthand can be difficult. As we approach the Abu Aliyah house that day, soldiers appear in the road meters ahead. One raises a weapon. Israel's army said it was responding to reports of a confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli civilians in Al Mariah that day and that masked Palestinians had left later used slings to hurl stones at soldiers. It said forces fired at a suspect and that a hit was identified. Should we just check with the ambulance? What's going on? Arriving to reports of an attack here. The previous day, we met a paramedic with the Palestinian Red Crescent who said Israeli forces had blocked his ambulance from reaching the scene.

[Pete Ross]

Yesterday they turned off two ambulances and took the the keys from them. If they tell us to stay there, we have to stay there and wait, regardless of the situation.

[Lucy Williamson]

How often does that happen?

[Pete Ross]

I mean, daily. This something that we face all the time. The ambulance.

[James Waterhouse]

Yeah.

[Lucy Williamson]

How often do you come here to Al Maria?

[Pete Ross]

I mean, we can say every Friday, maybe something.

[Rory Sutherland]

Yeah, Something weekly.

[Lucy Williamson]

The Israeli military didn't respond to our question about this. A week after we left Al Mughaya, the body of a 17 year old footballer, Fadi Hamdullah Al Nassan, was carried through the village for burial, shot with a fragmenting bullet, doctors said during the confrontation at the Abu Aliyah house. This is what passes for a normal weekend now in villages across the West Bank.

[Pete Ross]

That report from Lucy Williamson and you can watch her full documentary on the BBC News YouTube channel. It's become a familiar theme across France and Spain in recent days. Firefighters working through the night to try to tackle wildfires which continue to burn across big areas. In both countries, there has been progress in containing some of the fires. But with another heat wave expected on Wednesday, there are fears that further outbreaks will put the authorities in both countries under even more pressure. In France, emergency workers are still trying to bring under control a huge blaze close to the city of Bordeaux in the southwest. Many businesses and schools are closed. Our correspondent James Waterhouse is there and gave me this update.

[James Waterhouse]

We're on the outskirts of Bordeaux. We travelled around 10 km from here towards the wildfires themselves, themselves. And that journey sees the roads gradually drain of traffic and the air filled with smoke. I mean, we could see emergency teams driving at speed. We had our IDs checked because the police are trying to make sure people stay away. 4,000 more people were evacuated along the coastline and we've met people on the fringes of Bordeaux who are anxious about being forced to do the same. Now some good news. 60,000 people have been told they can go back, but that's only really around the city. The area outside is still very much unsafe.

[Pete Ross]

And those tens of thousands of people that haven't been allowed to return to their homes, what's happening to them?

[James Waterhouse]

There are evacuation centres in the centre of Bordeaux. There are bunk beds, there are people with packed suitcases, belongings, pets in cases. It's an incredibly anxious time. The messaging today from the officials that is that they have the fires under control. I mean, it's very smoky today, and it's at the mercy of the unpredictable Atlantic winds. But if the wind was to blow in the wrong direction, of course, that would have further implications for Bordeaux and its residents. What strikes you is just the scale of the thing. We're seeing thousands of firefighters try to take on the flames. They're being supported by mostly farmers who are trying to refill water tanks and load up fire trucks before they make their way back to the fiery front line. I mean, it's a huge community effort here, and I think people are gradually processing that. This is a battle with fires that are expected to last months. And, you know, France, Spain, after everything it's gone through its European neighbors, they now know that more moments like this lie ahead.

[Pete Ross]

And these wildfires are something that people in this part of France and Spain and other parts of southern Europe have become more frequent. But you say yourself that this is something that they're going to be battling not just for weeks, but for months, and that's pretty unprecedented.

[James Waterhouse]

The duration of these wildfires certainly feels new. I think there's been a direction of travel for some time, with wildfires happening earlier in the year. And scientists are saying they're only going to become more intense. I mean, many in Bordeaux remember an intense fire in 2022. There are a lot of political frustrations where they say, you know, lessons haven't been learned. And I think a lot of people are frustrated that more defensive measures weren't put in place. This is part and parcel of a European summer, and, you know, we're seeing wildfires closer to the French capital, Paris. You know, they're not just limited to southern France anymore. So they're no less devastating, they're no less disruptive, but they are going to become more common.

[Pete Ross]

James Waterhouse near Bordeaux. And now to Peru. That's music from a ceremony as Keiko Fuyumori arrived at the government palace after being sworn in as Peru's first elected female president. She's the latest conservative leader to be elected in Latin America. A number of them were at the ceremony in Lima. In her speech, Keiko Fuyomore said the military would be deployed in areas where crime, drug trafficking and illegal mining are rife.

[Mimi Swaby]

During states of emergency, the armed forces will temporarily take the lead in security operations and internal control in close coordination with the national police until state authority is fully restored and those territories are returned to the citizens.

[Pete Ross]

I heard more from our global affairs reporter, Mimi Swaby.

[Mimi Swaby]

So, in her first address as president, Keiko Fukimori said she'd received Peru in a catastrophic condition. But she did say the country had infinite potential and undo all the damage that she said had been done by an unorganized government. Government. Heavily emphasizing her hard campaign against insecurity, especially in organized crime, she announced that the military would take charge of maintaining order in areas with high crime. Now that is a statement that echoed back to the role of the military under her father, Alberto Fujimori, who's actually jailed for corruption and crimes against humanity in the fight in what he called was against rebel groups in the 1990s. Now that will worry quite a few people, but it does kind of outline what a strong start she's taking and she's promised this one all the way through her campaign. She said that she's going to fight crime, she's going to tackle the weak economic growth that Peru is suffering and the political instability that has been an ongoing thing for Peru now for a decade.

[Pete Ross]

Has there been any reaction yet to this pretty strong opening statements from the president?

[Mimi Swaby]

As you probably can imagine, there have been two very different reactions on kind of the scale of extremities. Her supporters lapped it up. They were cheering, clapping, kind of saying this is what Peru needs. And as Fukimori said, Peru has the highest inequality rate in Latin America currently. So her supporters on one hand were very excited by this really kind of getting behind the new leader as she made the speech. However, on the flip side, the opposition and people who aren't in agreement with these very strong policies have already started taking the streets. Hundreds of protesters marched through Lima protesting against their new leader. So as you probably can imagine, there two very different reactions. Also she has a lot of regional alliances as well. It was very interesting to see that many familiar faces, right wing leaders were present at the ceremony. There was Argentinas Jaimelei, Chile's recently elected president Jose Antonio cast along with a whole other kind of array of faces, the Spanish king as well. He also was quite a prominent feature in it. But that kind of support from day one is really publicly emphasizing that there is a lot of effort going with Peru, Bolivia, all these right wing countries in Latin America to strengthen that conservative collaboration in the region and really form a pact where all these countries will have similar policies kind of uniting together and create one kind of mega policy, so to speak. Many of whom, like I said earlier, are inspired or kind of based off or featured around the US policies implemented by Donald Trump.

[Pete Ross]

Mimi Swaby these days, online reviews can be crucial for a business. Receiving too many dreaded one star reviews can spell disaster. Putting off potential Customers. But a museum in the US has made the most of a terrible review. Instead of simply ignoring the criticism, staff at the New Bedford Whaling Museum printed it on a T shirt, and sales are now booming. Evan Davis spoke to the advertising executive Rory Sutherland, as to what this about public relations and branding.

[Rory Sutherland]

In some ways, you can benefit enormously from negative reviews from ridiculous people. It's difficult to tell in this case whether that was meant ironically or whether it was serious.

[Pete Ross]

I actually think the worst aquarium ever is a joke.

[Rory Sutherland]

I'm sure that I think it's a deliberate joke.

[Pete Ross]

I think it's a joke.

[Rory Sutherland]

My favorite and maddest review of all time, which I discovered myself by accident, was a three star review of an extremely eminent Los Angeles oncologist, which simply. 3 stars. Parking very difficult. The idea that someone who might be helping cure you of cancer gets marked down for the poor parking facilities seems ridiculous. The message is, you can lean into those reviews.

[Pete Ross]

If you get one of those bad

[Rory Sutherland]

reviews, if it's almost comically bad, you

[Pete Ross]

lean into it, and then people feel

[Rory Sutherland]

more on your side than on the reviewer's side.

[Lucy Williamson]

Oh, no.

[Rory Sutherland]

There are cases of pubs which leave negative reviews on a kind of sandwich board outside, simply because, you know, if it's completely ridiculous or if the person's obviously got the wrong end of the story. There are, of course, famous reviews of the, you know, the Great Pyramid of Cheops, which just say, it's just a pile of old stones, I don't understand what all the fuss is about, and so on. And so I once chose a hotel in Italy on the grounds that it had quite a lot of negative reviews from ridiculous people. And it struck me that this was making the hotel considerably cheaper than the hotels nearby because it only scored a 3.8. And when I looked at the reviews, they were reviews from Americans saying things like, you opened your room door with a big brass key, not with a card. And I'm going, it's a 17th century Tuscan farmhouse. This seems only appropriate. And there's a famous collection online of these. It's difficult, by the way, because in a way, the act of aggregation of scores loses quite a lot of the data. And I once stayed in a hotel in East Berlin, where it was a former police station in East Berlin. The rooms were in the cells, they were tiny, and there was one black and white television in the room which only showed the big Lebowski on continuous loop. Now, I love this place. Now, in fairness, if you'd turned up expecting the Marriott, you would have been incandescent so one of the things to remember is that people's enjoyment of things is often a product of their expectation as much as it is of any objective reality.

[Pete Ross]

But actually what it tells you is

[Rory Sutherland]

don't look so much at the average stars.

[Pete Ross]

Just read a few of the reviews

[Rory Sutherland]

and you'll very quickly see if there's some feature that everybody hates it. And you can see through all the kind of nonsense to some extent, can't you? I agree that decontextualized scores are actually quite dangerous. Anybody's allowed to complain about a business, but businesses aren't really allowed to complain about their customers. And 5% of customers are mad.

[Pete Ross]

Advertising executive Rory Sutherland. 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 XBC 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 Mark Pickett and the producer was Muzaffer Shakir. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Pete Ross. Until next time. Goodbye.

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