
The armed group says Israel violated the ceasefire agreement
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Salman Rushdie
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Oscar Piastri
What does it take to go racing in the fastest cars in the world? Oscar Piastri.
Salman Rushdie
Your head's trying to get roofed one way, your body's trying to go another.
Oscar Piastri
Let's stroll.
Bernadette Keough
It's very extreme in the sense of.
Salman Rushdie
How close you're racing, wheel to wheel.
Oscar Piastri
We've been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula One, McLaren and Aston Martin.
Salman Rushdie
I'm Landon Arts.
Bernadette Keough
They build a beautiful bit of machinery that I get to then go no fun in.
Oscar Piastri
They opened the doors to their factories as the 2024 season reached its peak. I'm Josh Hartnett. This is F1 base. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Bernadette Keough
This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keough and in the early hours of Tuesday, 11th February, these are our main stories. Hamas is delaying the release of hostages, blaming Israeli violations. Israel responds by putting its military on high alert. There have been protests in Jerusalem after two Palestinian booksellers were arrested. The Trump administration begins deporting migrants back to Venezuela. Also in this podcast.
Salman Rushdie
I actually thought he punched me very hard. I didn't realize there was a knife in his hand.
Bernadette Keough
The trial has opened of a man charged with trying to murder the author Salman Rushdie. And how a monkey brought Sri Lanka's energy grid to a standstill. Since a long awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect just over three weeks ago, a fragile peace has seen 21 hostages held in Gaza being released in exchange for more than 500 Palestinian prisoners, much to the delight of their families and supporters. It also saw tens of thousands of Palestinians returning to their homes, many of which have been destroyed following the Israeli bombardment. But now Hamas has said it's postponing the next scheduled handover of hostages due for this Saturday because it says Israel has failed to keep to its side of the ceasefire agreement. But they did add that the door remained open to this weekend's hostage prisoner exchange. Our correspondent in Jerusalem, Woora Davis, told me more about the reasons for Hamas decision.
Wurra Davis
It sort of came out the blue this because thus far the ceasefire has been working pretty well. As he was saying, 21 hostages released in exchange for about 500 Palestinian prisoners. Much more aid getting into Gaza, the reopening of the border between Egypt and Gaza. But there are tensions. We're near the end of the first phase of the ceasefire now, and it's a fragile ceasefire because there are pressures on both sides. And Hamas has now said it will not, as things stand, proceed with the release of three or four hostages as was expected at the weekend. Now they're blaming Israel as saying Israel isn't keeping to its side of the bargain vis a vis the aid getting into Gaza. And also it's accused Israel of firing against individuals and targets in Gaza during the ceasefire. There have been breaches of ceasefire, but it has generally held. Now Israel is angry by this decision from Hamas. It said Hamas has clearly backed down from what it was meant to do under the deal. And the Israeli military, the IDF is now on standby and ready for what may come, which of course may be a resumption of the war if the ceasefire does collapse.
Bernadette Keough
Well, how much of a risk is that, Wurra, that that could happen?
Wurra Davis
It is possible. It's only Monday night here in the Middle East. The handover isn't due to happen till Saturday, so they've got four or five days to work on this, which I think is crucial. And there are international mediators who will push both sides to try and resume the ceasefire. But there are also elements on the Israeli side, particularly far right elements within the government, who take this as a sign that the war has to restart. They've been pushing at Mr. Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime Minister, for some time to anyway, after the first phase of the ceasefire and to resume the war, because their argument is that Hamas is not yet militarily defeated and they want the war to resume. So this gives more momentum to that kind of view, if you like. So it is a very, very dangerous moment. Why Hamas have done this is difficult to say. Perhaps it's their way of getting back at Donald Trump, you know, for his pretty outrageous comments, they would say, over Gaza and how Mr. Trump sees Gaza developing in future. And maybe this is Hamas's response to that.
Bernadette Keough
Well, Israel's prime minister is still under a lot of pressure from the families of hostages to get them home under a ceasefire deal. What's been their reaction?
Wurra Davis
That's a very important point, you know, given that the state of the last three hostages looking very emaciated, shadows of their former selves. The theory is that the longer the hostages are kept, the worse condition they're going to be and the Families say the best way to get the remaining hostages out there are meant to be about 30 live hostages still in Gaza is for the ceasefire to continue. And they've accused the Israeli government in the Prime Minister of dragging his heels on this, of not wanting a continuation of a ceasefire. And there's a protest in Tel Aviv tonight at the so called hostages Square and some very angry voices in fact, criticizing not just Hamas, but actually blaming this scenario on the Israeli Prime Minister because he doesn't really want the ceasefire to continue, in their view.
Bernadette Keough
Wurra Davis There have been protests outside a court in Jerusalem in support of two Palestinian booksellers who've been accused of stalking texts that incite terrorism. Authors, journalists, international diplomats and local MPs have demanded that Mahmud and Ahmed Mooner be immediately released amid growing fears that this could be part of a campaign of harassment of Palestinian intellectuals. Mahmud and Ahmed own the educational bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem, which is frequented by Palestinians, Israelis and foreigners alike. Police requested that the booksellers be held in custody for eight days. The court granted an extension of just one day. Speaking to reporters outside court, Nasser Ode, a lawyer representing the booksellers, accused Israeli authorities of suppressing Palestinian free speech.
Salman Rushdie
During the trial session, we explained that this move is very dangerous and a legal precedent and comes within a new policy pursued by the Israeli police in Jerusalem to combat Palestinian freedom of expression and thought and to prevent learning and education.
Bernadette Keough
Ayad Muna is the brother of one of the bookshop owners who was taken into custody.
Ayad Muna
Any book that says Palestine for the Israelis, they will consider it this incitement just because the book called Palestine, we have a cooking book called Palestine, they will consider this an incitement because they don't like the word Palestine. They think Palestine doesn't exist. So for them, any book that have Palestine is incitement. That's why the guys who were here yesterday, they took more than 100 books. At the end they returned the books and they kept only eight books. We had other problems with the, you know, we bring books from Europe, usually from England and from the usa and they come with invoices through the Israeli borders, from the airport or from the seaboard. And every time they check all the books and sometimes, you know, they find a book they don't, don't like. So they confiscated it. Then they returned it because, you know, it's printed in UK or in usa. So we had this kind of problems, but not like yesterday. Things are going to worse. We have more right in the government. We have more right between the People, this government is convincing their people that they cannot live with the Palestinians. They don't recognize there is another people living in this country. We will stay open, whatever it takes.
Bernadette Keough
Ayad Mooner, Israel's police Ministry of justice and the criminal Division of the District Attorney office said they were unavailable to be interviewed. The police sent us a statement as part of the investigation. It says detectives encountered numerous books suspected of containing insightful material. The Israel police will continue its efforts to thwart incitement and support for terrorism. Two planes are heading to Venezuela carrying migrants deported by the Trump administration. These are the first Venezuelan nationals repatriated since Mr. Trump's return to the White House. The flights are part of a wider program to repatriate some of those who fled the country over the past decade. Our America's regional editor Leonardo Rocha tells us more.
Leonardo Rocha
According to reports from Venezuela, some of them are members of a criminal gang, the most powerful criminal gang in Venezuela, Trende Aragua, which was mentioned by President Trump. But others are just migrants who enter the country illegally or working there without the proper documentation. So they were being deported anyway. I mean, it's part of the Trump administration mass migration program. They've been arresting people, thousands of people even a day, and deporting them. And the interesting situation is because over the past decade or so, you have almost 8 million Venezuelans left the country. Most of them went to neighboring countries, to Colombia, but many ended up in the United States. But because Venezuela and the US they don't have diplomatic relations, Venezuela refused so far to accept repatriation flights. So these Venezuelan migrants will be probably be sent to a third country, could be Mexico, El Salvador, a different country. And now, to the surprise of many people, they are going back to Venezuela.
Bernadette Keough
As you say, no diplomatic relations between the two countries. So how did the deal come about?
Leonardo Rocha
Well, to the surprise of most people, the Trump administration sent an envoy to Venezuela on 31 January, and he reached a deal with the Maduro government. The Venezuelan government accepted to take back deported migrants and in exchange, Venezuela released six American citizens who had been held in prisons there. The usa, they were innocent and were being held in prisons in Venezuela. And that's apparently the deal, but there must be more. And it's unclear what's behind the deal.
Bernadette Keough
So two planes carrying a significant number of migrants. What's going to happen to the people when they get back to Venezuela?
Leonardo Rocha
Well, that's interesting. I mean, those who are members of the treindearagua of this gang, they will be arrested. The concern of Many people in Venezuela is that people left the country some because they were escaping poverty, but others for political reasons. And there are fears that the Venezuelan government, they will have a list of people they want back, you know, so if there are people who are wanted for any political dissent or being linked to the opposition in the past, they might be arrested as political prisoners in Venezuela. So that's very worrying. Others who are economic migrants who have nothing, they'll just be released and go back to normal.
Bernadette Keough
Leonardo Rocha. In August of 2022, a man launched a frenzied attack against the British American author Salman Rushdie ahead of a book event at an education institute in New York state. The suspect is said to have plunged a knife into Mr. Rushdie repeatedly, leaving him blind in one eye and nearly killing him. Speaking to the BBC last year, Mr. Rushdie described his experience of the attack.
Salman Rushdie
I actually thought he'd punched me very hard. I didn't realize there was a knife in his hand. And then I saw the blood and I realized there was a weapon. And then he just started. I think he was just slashing wildly at everything. So there was a very big slash here across my neck.
Bernadette Keough
Today, 27 year old Hadi Mattar, who's accused of carrying out the attack, has gone on trial in upstate New York and pleaded not guilty. Salman Rushdie previously spent several years in hiding after the publishing of the Satanic Verses, a fictional story inspired by the life of the Prophet Muhammad, which led to threats against his life. Our BBC North America correspondent, Nada Taufik has been following the case.
Nada Taufik
Today. Jurors heard opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense. And they heard just how this attack unfolded in a matter of seconds, just as the moderator was two sentences into his opening. And prosecutors said that Hadi Mattar lurched over stairs and rapidly accelerated to the stage. And then he very deliberately plunged a knife into Sir Salman Rushdie over and over and over again, they said, injuring him in the head, in the thigh, in the neck, on his body, stabbing him nearly 15 times and as you mentioned there, leaving him blind and in his right eye and nearly killing him. Jurors heard about just the sheer amount of blood that was on the stage. And prosecutors said they would hear from witnesses who were there. There were 2,000 people in the amphitheater there to hear the talk. Prosecutors said they would also see videos. And then the defense spoke and their strategy seemed to really just try to sow doubt in the prosecutor's case. They asked jurors to keep an open mind and to remember that it was the burden, the prosecution to prove intent beyond a reasonable doubt. And then the court did hear from two witnesses. The second witness was actually one of the gentlemen who rushed to the stage and tackled the attacker and he directly identified Hadi Matar as being responsible in court.
Bernadette Keough
What do we know about the accused?
Nada Taufik
Well, Hadi matar is a 26 year old from New Jersey. He is both an American and Lebanese dual citizenship holder. We know that he got a ticket to go to the event in August of 2022 and that he actually kind of slept on the grounds and then went inside. Now, an exact motive hasn't yet been provided, but in a separate indictment, federal investigators accused Hadi Mattar of, of carrying this out for Hezbollah, of seeing Salman Rushdie as someone who was a disingenuous, who had been saying things that he didn't like in his books.
Bernadette Keough
NEDA Taufiq, Only a handful of countries have hit a UN deadline to submit plans on cutting greenhouse gas emissions to help keep global temperature rises below a key threshold. That's despite warnings that the world is fast running out of time to keep such rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre industrial levels. Danny Eberhard has more details.
Salman Rushdie
In order to limit dangerous global warming, the UN's Paris Climate Accord relies on nations drawing up and then acting on plans to cut emissions. Only a tiny fraction of countries are hitting key deadlines. Scientists warn too that even some of their plans aren't compatible with keeping temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. That seen as critical to help limit ever more extreme impacts on humans and the natural world. Scientists calculate it as an average over a 20 year period. But 2024 was the first single year when temperatures exceeded that figure. Two new scientific studies have warned how close we might be to breaching that limit even when projected over the longer SC without urgent drastic emissions cuts.
Bernadette Keough
Danny Aberhard reporting. Still to come in the global news podcast, Rennie Zellweger on returning for another Bridget Jones film.
Renee Zellweger
It's 25 years on. Everything's changed. Society's changed. Women's expectations for themselves and from other people have changed. And now I think our values have shifted just a little bit.
Oscar Piastri
Excluding Puestos Italy, what does it take to go racing in the fastest cars in the world? OSCAR piastri.
Salman Rushdie
Your head's trying to get ripped one way, your body's trying to go another.
Oscar Piastri
Let's stroll.
Bernadette Keough
It's very extreme in the sense of.
Salman Rushdie
How close you're racing. Wheel to wheel.
Oscar Piastri
We've been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula One, McLaren and Aston Martin.
Salman Rushdie
I'm London Arts. They build a beautiful bit of machinery.
Oscar Piastri
That I get to then go no fun in. They open the doors to their factories as the 2024 season reached its peak. I'm Josh Hartnett, this is F1 back at base. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Bernadette Keough
In Romania, President Klaus Johannes has resigned three months before a delayed election to choose his successor. He's been under growing pressure from opposition parties in Parliament and on the streets, and made this announcement earlier today.
Salman Rushdie
In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from this crisis, from this useless and negative development, I resign from the office of President of Romania. I will leave office the day after tomorrow, February 12th. God bless Romania.
Bernadette Keough
Our Central Europe correspondent, Nick Thorpe told me more about Romania's political crisis.
Salman Rushdie
Klaus Johannes, who's been in power for two terms, 10 years in power, he was supposed to step down in December when his mandate ran out. But because of that political turmoil, especially the annulment, the very controversial cancellation of the presidential elections, to choose a successor for him, that was at the beginning of December. He said he'd stay on until the rescheduled elections in May, but he has seen since then a wave of anger, especially on the nationalist wing of Hungarian politics. Protests on the street against him, calling for him to resign. And I think what's really pushed him to resign now, just still three months before the May elections, is he felt he wasn't receiving the support he wanted from the centre of Romanian politics, from the coalition government. So in a way he's jumped before he could be pushed.
Bernadette Keough
Now just remind us of the background of why that election was annulled.
Salman Rushdie
Basically. Kalin Giorgescu, an almost unknown radical, some people call him a nationalist, some call him a pro Russian candidate, but he was certainly didn't have the backing of any particular parties. He came from nowhere, came first in the first round of the presidential election on 24 November, and looked set most likely to win the second round of that election, the run off on 6 December. Then the president, President Johannes and the Constitutional Court, the Central Electoral Committee came up with documents suggesting that Mr. Georgescu's astonishing sudden rise to success in that first round came off the back of a wave of support from TikTok users. And there were suspicions also, never fully comprehensively proven, but certainly loudly made by the secret services, that he was a pro Russian candidate and that he'd been financed or supported in some way by.
Bernadette Keough
Russia and just next steps politically, next.
Salman Rushdie
Steps Politically, the interim president will be Ilya Bolojan. He's the president of the Senate, the leader of the National Liberal Party, one of the coalition parties in government. Mr. Yohannes, in his very bitter, outgoing speech, said that his resignation wouldn't solve the political crisis. It would actually make it worse. But we'll, I think, have to see what actually happens.
Bernadette Keough
Nick Thorpe, Children are among the biggest casualties of war. There are, of course, the deaths and the injuries, but there's also the education that they're denied. In Sudan, for instance, nine out of 10 schools have been forced to shut down because of the conflict. This week, the BBC World Service has launched an Arabic edition of the award winning education programme daas, meaning lesson to try to give children in these war zones a chance still to learn. Hanan Razek reports.
Hanan Razek
Men, women and children walk through the dusty, apocalyptic streets of Gaza, their backs heavy with belongings. After nearly 18 months of Israel's military campaign in Gaza following Hamas's October 7 attacks, 90% of the strip's 2 million residents were internally displaced. But now these Gazans return to what's left of their homes. 10 year old Tarek plays with his friends. Nearby the rubble of what's left of his old school.
Renee Zellweger
This is my school now in ruins, with only the walls left standing. When I saw my school in ruins.
Salman Rushdie
A deep sadness overwhelmed me.
Renee Zellweger
Even if schools don't reopen, we will.
Salman Rushdie
Keep learning in our houses.
Renee Zellweger
I study at home, making sure not.
Salman Rushdie
To waste a moment.
Renee Zellweger
So when I return to school, I will be in a good position.
Hanan Razek
These children are just some of the almost 650,000 in Gaza who no longer have access to formal education. Salima Wais is a UNICEF spokesperson.
Ayad Muna
Thousands of children losing their lives, losing a limb, all that is affecting their ability to go to school. The security is not there, but moreover, the wars itself, the conflicts itself is really compromising the infrastructure. So we're talking about schools that have been damaged. Other than that, it's the teachers and the resources.
Hanan Razek
It is a time of unprecedented conflict in the Arab world. According to UNICEF, at least 30 million students are deprived of education in the Middle east and North Africa. More than half of them are in Sudan alone. It's been almost two years since the conflict started in Sudan between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support forces. Millions still live in refugee camps. The only education here is through local initiatives. 14 year old SAFA is helping her younger friends in the camp practice reading Arabic. She misses her school, but she hasn't given up her dream of becoming a surgeon.
Bernadette Keough
Bodies were scattered everywhere, which deeply moved.
Salman Rushdie
Me and made me want to be.
Hanan Razek
A reason for saving lives instead of them being lost.
Bernadette Keough
That's when I decided to become a heart surgeon.
Salman Rushdie
I'm still holding to hope.
Hanan Razek
16 and a half million Sudanese students are now out of school in an exclusive interview with the BBC, the Sudanese Education Minister Ahmed Khalifa said that no state was spared of the damage.
Wurra Davis
Sudan has approximately 15,000 public schools. Between 60% and 70% of these schools have been completely damaged.
Hanan Razek
Now the BBC World Service is launching an educational program for our Arabic speaking student audience. The weekly show will share lessons in English, math, science as well as mental health. Dars meaning lesson will help keep children deprived of school connected to learning and to their dreams.
Bernadette Keough
Hanan Razek reporting. Scheduled power cuts are continuing for millions of people in Sri Lanka after the country's electricity grid went dark on Sunday. The government says a primate monkeying around in a power station is to blame. The incident has caused some Sri Lankans to go ape on social media, questioning the reliability of the island nation's power grid. Our South Asia correspondent Yeheet Alhami has the details.
Yogitile Mai
The outage began at around 11 yesterday morning and lasted for nearly six hours. There was widespread disruption with medical facilities and water purification plants prioritised while electricity was being restored. The blackout caused a coal fired power station to grind to a halt and the knock on effects are still being felt with some scheduled power cuts of an hour and a half taking place across the country. The official explanation as to what happened came from the Energy Minister Kumara Jayakodi. He told reporters that a monkey had come into contact with the grid transformer causing an imbalance in the system. There aren't many details about what the rogue monkey did to bring the country to a halt or what became of it, but people have been quick to poke fun. One monkey equals total chaos. Time to rethink our infrastructure, wrote one person on social media, while the editor of a local paper noted that only in Sri Lanka can a group of monkeys fighting inside a power station cause an island wide power outage.
Bernadette Keough
Yogitile Mai it's almost a quarter of a century since the first Bridget Jones film in which the American actor Renee Zellweger was cast as that most British of icons. She was Oscar nominated for her portrayal of the 30 something singleton who counted her calories, had a disastrous love life and wore big pants on the wrong occasions. Now Bridget's back in a fourth film, Bridget Jones Mad about the Boy, in which she's a widow with two children. Following the Death of her husband, Mark Darcy, and she's just starting to date again, having a fling with someone more than 20 years her junior. Our entertainment correspondent Colin Patterson has been speaking about all this to the actress Bridget Jones.
Renee Zellweger
It's time to live.
Salman Rushdie
How much of a joy to get the British accent out there again.
Renee Zellweger
It was so much fun. I mean, come to London and I start trying to speak like her. It's abysmal for a while.
Salman Rushdie
Abysmal.
Renee Zellweger
It's true.
Salman Rushdie
So you're wandering around your house, trying.
Renee Zellweger
To be Bridget, like a jerk. Yeah.
Salman Rushdie
Almost 25 years since the first film. Who's changed more? You?
Renee Zellweger
Oh, I think we're kind of running the same race, you know, minus a couple of specifics. I think that's what's so cool about revisiting this character, is sort of meeting up with her in different stages of her life. And there's not a lot that she's experienced that I'm not familiar with at this stage in my life.
Salman Rushdie
Can you survive?
Renee Zellweger
I think so.
Salman Rushdie
It's not enough to survive. You've got to live.
Renee Zellweger
Was that the Dalai Lama?
Ayad Muna
Just Harry Stahl, darling.
Renee Zellweger
I'm just looking for truth in it. And there's a lot of comedy in the challenges that she faces and in her quest for perfection and not quite measuring up, but what she's going through is the more substantive stuff of life, you know?
Salman Rushdie
Do you miss Dada? Sometimes.
Renee Zellweger
I miss him all of the times.
Salman Rushdie
What? How did she, Bridget Jones, teach you about grief?
Renee Zellweger
From playing the role, there was a lot of consideration regarding what's keeping her in that sort of state of paralysis, what might be at the root of that, like letting go, meaning that you might question how much you love the person and you feel guilty for laughing again, things like that. But in terms of learning about grief, life taught me that it's inevitable. Right. For everyone, especially at this stage in life.
Salman Rushdie
How does Brigid fit into 2025? How she had to adjust?
Renee Zellweger
I mean, well, it's 25 years on. Everything's changed. Society's changed. Women's expectations for themselves and from other people have changed. And now I think our values have shifted just a little bit. But she still scrutinizes herself in a way that we all understand.
Bernadette Keough
Rene Zellweger talking to Colin Patterson. And that's all from us for now. But there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBCWorldService. Use the hashtag globalnewsport. This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll and the producer was Isabella Jewell. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernard Zetchio. Until next time. Goodbye.
Oscar Piastri
What does it take to go racing in the fastest cars in the world? Oscar Piastri.
Salman Rushdie
Your head's trying to get ripped one way, your body's trying to go another.
Oscar Piastri
Let's stroll.
Bernadette Keough
It's very extreme in the sense of.
Salman Rushdie
How close you're racing. Wheel to wheel.
Oscar Piastri
We've been given unprecedented access to two of the most famous names in Formula One, McLaren and Aston Martin.
Bernadette Keough
I'm London Arts. They build a beautiful bit of machinery.
Oscar Piastri
That I get to then go and have fun in. They open the doors to their factories as the 2024 season reached its peak. I'm Josh Hartnett. This is F1. Back at base. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts.
Title: Global News Podcast
Host/Author: BBC World Service
Episode: Hamas says it will postpone Israeli hostage release
Release Date: February 10, 2025
Timestamp: 01:08 - 05:00
The episode opens with a critical update on the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which had been holding for just over three weeks. Initially facilitating the release of 21 hostages in exchange for over 500 Palestinian prisoners, the agreement also allowed tens of thousands of Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza. However, Hamas recently announced a postponement of the next scheduled hostage release, citing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp: 05:52 - 07:08
In Jerusalem, protests erupted outside a court concerning the detention of two Palestinian booksellers, Mahmud and Ahmed Mooner, who are accused of distributing texts that incite terrorism. The international community, including authors, journalists, and diplomats, have rallied for their immediate release, fearing a broader crackdown on Palestinian intellectuals.
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Timestamp: 08:22 - 11:09
The Trump administration has initiated flights deporting migrants back to Venezuela, marking the first such repatriations since Trump's return to the White House. This action is part of a broader strategy to reduce illegal immigration from Venezuela, where approximately 8 million nationals have fled over the past decade.
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Timestamp: 11:50 - 15:21
The podcast covers the ongoing trial of Hadi Mattar, a 27-year-old man charged with the 2022 knife attack on author Salman Rushdie. Mattar has pleaded not guilty, and the trial has begun in upstate New York.
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Timestamp: 15:21 - 16:35
The episode highlights the urgent need for countries to meet UN deadlines for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent global temperature rises from exceeding the critical threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
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Timestamp: 18:12 - 21:28
Romanian President Klaus Johannes has resigned three months before the scheduled election, citing the desire to spare the nation from further political turmoil. His resignation follows growing opposition from both parliamentary factions and the public.
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Timestamp: 21:28 - 25:36
The BBC World Service has launched an Arabic educational program titled "Dars" (meaning "lesson") aimed at providing continuous learning opportunities for children in war-torn regions like Gaza and Sudan, where formal education systems have been severely disrupted.
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Timestamp: 25:36 - 27:08
A bizarre incident in Sri Lanka saw a monkey interfere with the national power grid, leading to a significant outage that lasted nearly six hours.
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Timestamp: 27:08 - 30:05
In a lighter segment, actress Renee Zellweger discusses her return to the iconic role of Bridget Jones in the upcoming fourth film, "Bridget Jones Mad about the Boy." The film explores Bridget’s life 25 years later, now as a widow with two children.
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Timestamp: Various (Throughout the Transcript)
Throughout the transcript, there are promotional segments for an F1 racing podcast featuring Oscar Piastri and others. These segments discuss access to teams like McLaren and Aston Martin but are excluded from the main news summary as per instructions to omit non-content sections.
This episode of the Global News Podcast provides comprehensive coverage of significant global issues, from the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to political upheavals in Romania, and the innovative steps taken by the BBC to support education in conflict zones. Additionally, lighter segments offer insights into the entertainment world with Renee Zellweger's return to her beloved Bridget Jones character. The inclusion of notable quotes with timestamps ensures that listeners can reference specific parts of the discussions for deeper understanding.