Iran: Attacks on Lebanon are 'grave violation'

Summary

Global News Podcast — "Iran: Attacks on Lebanon are 'Grave Violation'"
BBC World Service — Hosted by Celia Hatton
Recorded: April 9, 2026, 15:00 GMT

---

Episode Overview

This episode of the Global News Podcast centers on the escalating tensions in the Middle East following Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon in violation of a recently brokered ceasefire. Iran sharply criticizes Israel and the US, warning that ongoing attacks threaten peace negotiations. The episode also explores Argentina’s controversial new glacier mining law, global oil market impacts, India’s pivotal elections, the Artemis 2 lunar mission from the perspective of an astronaut’s family, and scientific revelations about an ancient ‘octopus’ fossil.

---

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Crisis in the Middle East: Israel, Lebanon, and Iran

Tensions over Ceasefire Breach ([01:08]–[09:28])

• Iranian President Masoud Peschkin calls Israeli strikes on Lebanon a violation of ceasefire and a “grave violation.” Negotiations with the US on ending the war will be “meaningless” if attacks continue.
• Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Hatibsadegh to BBC:

  "You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. That was the message that Iran sent quite clearly, crystal clearly to Washington and to the Oval Office last night… then your ally just starts a massacre—actually, it was a sort of genocide by the regime of Israel in Lebanon, just immediately after the ceasefire was accepted." ([02:44])

• Over 200 killed in the strikes; Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, promises continued attacks on Hezbollah, with Netanyahu pledging to pursue Iran-backed militants “wherever necessary.”
• Former US President Donald Trump insists American forces will remain until Iran complies with a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for international oil shipping.

Diplomatic and Strategic Dynamics ([03:56]–[06:19])

• Chief International Correspondent Liz Doucet explains that Israel announced the killing of Hezbollah leader Naim Kassan’s nephew.
• Pressure mounts on the US—Trump wants Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global oil flow.
• JD Vance asserts “Lebanon was never part of the deal,” pointing to communication confusion and emphasizing Iran’s alliance with Hezbollah as central.
• British and UAE officials push Iran to yield control over the Strait; Iran maintains it as a “red line.”

Will Israel Heed US Pressure? ([06:19]–[07:24])

• Liz Doucet: Israel has agreed to stop attacks on Iran, not Hezbollah.

  “Prime Minister Netanyahu… said that Israel agreed to cease its attacks against Iran, but not against Hezbollah. But he also added, we're not done yet with Iran… Israel wants a permanent end to this war.” ([06:35])

On-the-Ground Impact in Lebanon ([07:24]–[09:28])

• Civilian areas heavily bombarded, with over 1,000 injured and 203 confirmed dead; rescue operations ongoing.
• BBC’s Lina Sinjab in Beirut:

  “Many people in Lebanon would argue that this is not an attack on Hezbollah, this is an attack on Lebanon, on the people. This is an attempt by Israel to occupy the south of Lebanon.” ([08:12])

• South Beirut residents ordered to evacuate ahead of further strikes.

---

2. Global Oil Markets and US-Venezuela Energy Ties

Impact of Middle East Conflict on Oil Supplies ([09:28]–[13:14])

• Trump claims US won’t be affected by Strait closure due to domestic production and increased oil imports from Venezuela (after Maduro’s ouster).
• Mississippi refinery director Tim Potter:

  “Prior to a few months ago, running about 30 to 40,000 barrels a day. And we're ramping that up to 100,000 barrels a day here at the Pascagoula refinery.” ([11:27])

• Despite more oil, American consumers see little relief at the pump.

  “It went up… really mostly time to struggle gas prices.” — US Consumer ([12:15]) “I'm driving less and spending less on other things to make up the difference.” — US Consumer ([12:26])

• Potter explains:

  “They've taken about 20% of the world oil supply off the market… demand is still there and it's driving the overall pump prices up.” ([12:47])

• Venezuelan oil could help prices, but global market instability persists.

---

3. Artemis 2 Lunar Mission: Family Perspective

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s Family Awaits Return ([13:14]–[17:09])

• Artemis 2 crew orbits the moon; Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s wife, Dr. Katherine Hansen, shares real-time emotional experiences.

  “A lot of excitement, a lot of anxiety, but we are just so, so happy to see him living his dreams… we're having the time of our lives watching him.” ([14:01]) “It's so remarkable that we can do that. Absolutely. We had our second private family conference last night… Like having a family FaceTime conversation.” ([14:37]) “When Jeremy's back safely, we will absolutely come together first, just the five of us… and then we will absolutely celebrate with the world.” ([16:34])

• Emphasis on family involvement and the unique emotional challenges for astronaut relatives.

---

4. Argentina’s Glacier Protection Law Repeal

Controversial New Law Opens Glaciers to Mining ([21:37]–[25:07])

• Argentina passes law allowing provinces to approve mining on glacier land, reversing a key 15-year-old environmental protection.
• Protesters voice fears:

  “How much is the water that we want to drink going to cost so that it doesn't poison us? Not to mention the water that we need for cooking. This is why we say no no, Honestly, it really hurts me a lot…” ([22:20])

• Mimi Swaby, Latin America specialist:

  “Glaciers are thought to contain about 70% of Argentina's water… as well as being magnificent and beautiful, they're also incredibly valuable assets to the country.” ([23:24])

• New law lets provinces decide which glaciers are ‘essential’ and eligible for protection; risk of water contamination rises.

---

5. India’s State Elections: Stakes and Controversy

Elections as a Test for Modi’s BJP ([25:07]–[27:58])

• Five regions voting; results key for national political momentum.
• Ambar Senrajan explains:

  “What happens in the outcome of these elections is not going to have an impact on the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the federal level… For them, for the survival. Winning these elections are very crucial for these opposition alliance.” ([25:36])

• Controversy over removed names from voting rolls; opposition alleges Muslim voter disenfranchisement.

  “People living in border areas… if they don't have this voter ID they won't be considered as a national. They will be treated as an illegal immigrant.” ([26:45])

---

6. Science: “Octopus” Fossil Is Really a Nautilus

Paleontological Revelation in Chicago ([27:58]–[30:58])

• 300-million-year-old fossil once thought to be world’s oldest octopus is revealed, via powerful X-ray scans, to be a shell-less nautilus.
• Dr. Thomas Clements:

  “We were able to identify these tiny little teeth, and these teeth tell us that it isn't an octopus, but it's actually a nautilus.” ([29:26])

• Insight into fossilization of soft-bodied creatures and the evolving nature of scientific discovery.

---

7. Culture: Queen Elizabeth II Centenary Exhibit

Exhibition of the Late Monarch’s Outfits ([30:58]–[33:06])

• Queen Elizabeth II would have turned 100; exhibition at Buckingham Palace displays iconic garments—including her wedding and coronation dresses, her Olympic opening ceremony outfit, and everyday tartans.
• Daniela Rel, BBC Royal Correspondent:

  “Vivid color featured strongly… The exhibition includes accessories and raincoats too. Each item tells a story. Many mark significant events in British history. Others show the more private dressed down moments of a monarch who was an early fashion influencer.” ([31:37]/[32:45])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (Timestamps)

• Iran’s Criticism:
  "You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time... then your ally just starts a massacre—actually, it was a sort of genocide by the regime of Israel in Lebanon..." — Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Hatibsadegh ([02:44])

• On Family and Artemis 2:
  “We’re having the time of our lives watching him… in zero gravity, batting shrimp into his mouth.” — Dr. Katherine Hansen ([14:01])

• US Oil Markets:
  “I'm driving less and spending less on other things to make up the difference.” — American gas consumer ([12:26])

• Argentina’s Eco Protest:
  “How much is the water that we want to drink going to cost so that it doesn't poison us?... It really hurts me a lot…” — Argentinian protester ([22:20])

• Fossil Science:
  “We were able to identify these tiny little teeth, and these teeth tell us that it isn't an octopus, but it's actually a nautilus.” — Dr. Thomas Clements ([29:26])

---

Segment Timestamps

• [01:08] — Opening / Overview
• [02:44] — Iran's Stance & Quote
• [03:56] — Israeli, US, and International Policy
• [06:19] — Will Israel heed US?: Discussion
• [07:47] — Beirut Resident on Normalization of Violence
• [08:12] — Lina Sinjab’s Report from Lebanon
• [09:28] — Oil Market Impact of Conflict
• [10:36] — Venezuelan Oil & US Energy Supplies
• [13:14] — Artemis 2 Mission: Family Story
• [14:01–16:34] — Dr. Katherine Hansen Interview
• [21:37] — Argentina Glacier Law Change
• [22:20] — Protester Voices & Explainer
• [25:07] — India Elections Stakes
• [27:58] — Ancient ‘Octopus’ Fossil Revealed as Nautilus
• [31:37] — Queen Elizabeth II Centenary Exhibit

---

Tone and Language

The episode maintains the clear, authoritative, and measured journalistic tone characteristic of the BBC, interweaving urgent breaking news with human-centered reporting and expert analysis.

---

Summary

• The Middle East crisis dominates headlines as Israel’s attacks on Lebanon threaten a fragile Iran-brokered ceasefire, with high civilian casualties and regional stakes—including oil supply disruptions—raising global concerns.
• Argentina’s rollback of environmental protections to enable glacier mining ignites widespread protests, spotlighting water security and climate risks.
• Stories from the Artemis 2 lunar mission offer a personal lens on space exploration achievements.
• Election controversy in India and a scientific correction about a famous fossil round out a rich episode spanning geopolitics, environment, science, and culture.

For more in-depth coverage and personal stories, listeners are encouraged to visit the BBC News website and search the podcast section for related visual and expanded content.

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Take care of yourself this spring with great savings on all your favorite wellness brands. Now through April 28th. Save $5 when you buy three or more participating wellness items. Shop in store or online for products like centrum silver nexium, 24 hour, Tums ultra strength or Smoothies tablets and Flonase spray. And save $5 when you buy three or more. Get these deals before they're gone. Also offer ends April 28. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Lowe's Advertiser]

Introducing Home Care Plus, a new subscription service from Lowe's that helps make life easier by giving members a hand with home maintenance. Let Lowe's tackle the tasks you keep meaning to do, like electric dryer, vent cleaning, replacing hard to reach light bulbs and more. Subscribe to Home Care plus for just 99 a year and consider your to do list done. Members get more at Lowe's. Available on select zip codes only. Cancel anytime. Non refundable fee. Product purchase required. Terms and service restrictions apply. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change

[Celia Hatton]

this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatton and we're recording this edition at 15 GMT on Thursday 9 April. Iran's president accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire deal with its deadly bombardment of Lebanon and warns negotiations with the United States on ending the war will be meaningless if attacks continue, but Israel pledges to keep striking Hezbollah targets. Also in this podcast, Argentina approves a law making it easier to mine in glacier regions, but campaigners say it threatens crucial water sources and what's it like to watch your husband blast off into space?

[Dr. Katherine Hansen]

A lot of excitement, a lot of anxiety, but we are just so, so happy to see him living his dreams. So we're having the time of our lives watching him.

[Celia Hatton]

We'll hear from Dr. Katherine Hansen, wife of the Artemis 2 Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Starting in the Middle east, the world takes a collective inhale of breath as we wait to see if the US ceasefire with Iran will collapse. The Iranian president, Masoud Peschkin has said negotiations with the United States on ending the war will be meaningless if Israel maintains its attacks on Lebanon. He vowed that Tehran would not abandon the Lebanese people. Iran's deputy foreign Minister Saeed Hatibsadegh told the BBC the strikes on Lebanon were a grave violation.

[Iranian Official]

You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time. That was the message that Iran Sent quite clearly, crystal clearly to Washington and to the Oval Office last night. And our foreign minister also said that you cannot ask for a ceasefire and then accept the areas that ceasefire is applied to and name Lebanon. Exactly. Lebanon in that. And then your ally just start a massacre. Actually, it was a sort of genocide by the regime of Israel in Lebanon. Just immediately after the ceasefire was accepted.

[Celia Hatton]

More than 200 were killed in Wednesday's strikes. And the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep attacking the Iran backed group Hezbollah wherever necessary. Meanwhile, Donald Trump says US Forces will remain in the region until Tehran complies with what he described as the real agreement. He's pushing for Iran to allow ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a move which would allow a significant portion of the world's oil to flow again. At this rate, will the US And Iran make it to Saturday when they're scheduled to sit down for talks in Pakistan? Let's hear from our chief international correspondent, Liz Doucet.

[Liz Doucet]

Israel now says it has killed the nephew of Naim Kassan. He's the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon. He's the personal secretary as well in the organization to Iran. This will again emphasize that this ceasefire is being violated and it will again just how committed it is to at least keeping the pretense of a ceasefire alive, that it can continue with what are expected to be talks with the United States at a high level in Islamabad over the weekend.

[Celia Hatton]

How much pressure are the Americans is Donald Trump under at the moment to open the Strait of Hormuz and to bring down the global price of oil to keep this ceasefire in place?

[Liz Doucet]

Well, first of all, on JD Vance, he said that this is a misunderstanding of Iran. Lebanon was never part of the deal. But yet if you go back to that post on social media of the Pakistani Prime Minister Shabazz Sharif, and it has emerged that the United States played a role, it seems, in drafting a tweet which was very much in the style of President Trump. It talked about an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including Lebanon and elsewhere, and in capital letters, effective immediately. So it wasn't the original announcement. Secondly, JD Ban says, well, why is Iran making such a fuss about Lebanon? That has nothing to do with Iran. But of course, it has everything to do with Iran. It cannot be seen to be abandoning a key ally which it drew into this war to help it in the war against Israel and the United States. It's said to be one of the points in that plan, that 10 point plan that President Trump says is a good basis for negotiations and yes, the Strait of Hormu, as you heard and our listeners may have heard parts of that interview with Saeeb Khatib Zadeh, the deputy Foreign minister. Iran is making it absolutely clear this is a red line for them. This is not just an issue for the United States. Yvette Cooper, the British Secretary of State, will now call for on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. I spoke to the diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, Dr. Anwar Gargas yesterday. He said this was totally unacceptable for Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz. So Celia just underlines that if and when those talks do take place, there is an ocean to swim before they get anywhere close to an agreement.

[Celia Hatton]

Now, listening to you talk, Liz, just underlines the fact for me how many players we have involved in this conflict. I mean, just to focus on Israel for a moment, will Israel listen to the Americans if the US Wants the Israelis to stop airstrikes on Lebanon?

[Liz Doucet]

Well, Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his first response to the ceasefire announcement, said that Israel agreed to cease its attacks against Iran, but not against Hezbollah. But he also added, we're not done yet with Iran. And this is the point that Iran keeps making and why initially it didn't agree to a ceasefire because it doesn't want to keep going back and forth. It doesn't want the kind of ceasefire that was in Lebanon, which was then immediately violated, the ceasefire in Gaza, which was then immediately violated. It wants a perman end to this war and whether or not President Trump will do as he did to ending the 12 day war against Iran in 2025. He said to Prime Minister Netanyahu, stop. This war has now ended. Will he do it again? He hasn't yet, but he could.

[Celia Hatton]

Lise Doucet, let's get a better sense of what's happening inside Lebanon after yesterday's bombardment. Many of the Israeli strikes hit residential areas that were packed with people. Some there say they had no war. The BBC spoke to one man helping with the search and recovery operations in Beirut who said this was becoming the new normal for Lebanon.

[Beirut Resident]

For us, this is something like normal, a civil difference. But for other people, it's not abnormal. I'm sad. Like everybody, we are here to do this job and we hope that we find like peace all over the world, not only in Lebanon.

[Celia Hatton]

We got this Update from the BBC's Lina Sinjab in Beirut.

[Lina Sinjab]

People are still counting the dead, looking for the missing and hoping that some would still appear. There are calls for, you know, children missing, families missing, and the Government has announced that, you know, over 1,000 injured and 203 killed so far. But we understand that rescue operation are still trying to find people on the rubbles. The health system is completely strained with all the influx of injured people to hospitals across Lebanon. The people have not started to bury their dead yet as they are still looking for who is missing. For many people here in Lebanon, when you talk to them, they say that Hezbollah is taking the country as a hostage to serve Iranian interests. But if you look at the scale of the attacks, the wide range of attacks on civilian areas, you know, 100 airstrikes within the course of 10 minutes in residential areas. Many people in Lebanon would argue that this is not an attack on Hezbollah, this is an attack on Lebanon, on the people. This is an attempt by Israel to occupy south of Lebanon. They see Israel as the power in the region that no one is able to see stop whether or not they are on the right side or wrong side.

[Celia Hatton]

Lena Sinjab and as we're recording this podcast, the residents of southern Beirut have been told to evacuate as Israel says it's preparing to strike more Hezbollah targets. We have more on how Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is responding to the ceasefire on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube and you'll find the Global News podcast in the podcast section. There's a new story available every weekday. As the world reels from the impact on energy supplies caused by the conflict in the Middle east and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump has said the US doesn't need to worry. His rationale? The US Is a net exporter of energy. It has enough for its own huge domestic supply and then some. It also now has a steadily increasing supply of oil from Venezuela after ousting its leader, Nicolas Maduro, four months ago. But Americans are angry that gas prices continue to climb. So how helpful is that extra energy supply now? Samira Hussein has been to the Mississippi refinery, which is receiving most of the new Venezuelan oil.

[Samira Hussein]

I'm standing on a wharf. To the left of me is the Gulf of Mexico. And in front of me is an enormous ship. It's about 250, 50 meters long. It's called the Minerva Gloria. On this ship is more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil. Where is it coming from? Venezuela. Now that the Trump administration has lifted their own sanctions, companies like Chevron are bringing in that oil from Venezuela by the shipload. Tim Potter is the refinery directly director here for the Pascagoula site in Mississippi. We just saw A big ship that was carrying Venezuelan oil. How significant are those shipments right now for Chevron and what are you expecting in the future?

[Tim Potter]

It's a big deal for not only Chevron, but also the entire Gulf region prior to a few months ago, running about 30 to 40,000 barrels a day. And we're ramping that up to 100,000 barrels a day here at the Pascagoula refinery.

[Donald Trump]

Under my leadership, we are number one producer of oil and gas on the planet. Without even discussing the millions of barrels that we're getting from Venezuela, President Trump

[Samira Hussein]

in his address to the nation last week talked about America's energy independence.

[Donald Trump]

We're in great shape for the future. The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormo Strait.

[Samira Hussein]

The US has more oil at its fingertips, even being just down the road from Chevron's massive refinery. Well, it makes no difference to the prices that people pay at the pump.

[American Gas Consumer 1]

It went up. I know they can put 10 and then they fill it up. Now they don't do that now. They ain't put it on half a tank, really mostly time to struggle gas prices.

[American Gas Consumer 2]

I'm driving less and spending less on other things to make up the difference.

[Celia Hatton]

I hate it.

[Indian Election Reporter]

Somebody needs to do something before I step in there because the price has got to go down because I'm going down with it.

[Samira Hussein]

Here's Tim Potter again from Chevron. People on the ground are still paying really high prices at the gas pump. Why?

[Tim Potter]

In the current situation that's happening in the Persian Gulf, they've taken about 20% of the world oil supply off the market. And so the demand is still there and it's driving the overall pump prices up. The overall pricing of that crude has gone up because it's based off of world markets.

[Samira Hussein]

Chevron believes Venezuelan oil will eventually make it cheaper for American consumers, but it has no control of what happens on global oil markets.

[Celia Hatton]

Samira Hussein, an update on NASA's lunar journey. Now, as the Artemis 2 mission enters its final stage, the astronauts on the Orion spacecraft have been reflecting on their extraordinary path around the moon. The the crew have traveled deeper into space than any humans have before. Astronaut Christina Koch said she would miss the camaraderie, adding that they'd become like brothers and sisters. And the team say they have many more pictures and stories to share with the world as they prepare to return to Earth on Friday evening, local time. And few will be happier to see them than their families. Dr. Katherine Hansen is the wife of the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. My colleague Emilio Criccio asked Her how she was feeling as her husband hurtles home.

[Dr. Katherine Hansen]

Thoughts and feelings are all over the place. There has been a lot of excitement, a lot of, I would say, anxiety and fear. But in addition to that, we are just so, so happy to see him living his dreams. We're so happy to see him in zero gravity, batting shrimp into his mouth, talking about all the things that he does on Earth that he gets to do in space that are a lot more fun. He says he feels like a kid, so we're having the time of our lives watching him.

[Podcast Host]

So tell me a bit about that communication. Do you get to communicate with your husband? Do his colleagues?

[Dr. Katherine Hansen]

It's so remarkable that we can do that. Absolutely. We had our second private family conference last night, and we have two girls in Canada. My son was here in Houston with me and all of us around, just like having a family FaceTime conversation. It was absolutely remarkable to see him, to watch him. Of course, they're in a very small space, so he got to show us his crewmates, and we got to wave at Victor Reed and Christina as well. And we've even had some emails back and forth. They get email syncs a couple times a day. And he's asked for us to send him some messages from Earth.

[Podcast Host]

You mentioned three kids. What do the kids say about all this?

[Dr. Katherine Hansen]

Yeah, the kids are so, so excited to see their dad living his dream. So we've been waiting for this a long time. They were really little when he was first recruited, and now they're young adults off at university. They couldn't be happier. They're really managing this very well, all things considered.

[Podcast Host]

This has been years in the making. Is it fair to say the families of the astronauts have also been heavily involved in this mission?

[Dr. Katherine Hansen]

Oh, without question. And I think one of the most heartwarming things that I am noticing out of this mission and this live feed is the way the crew is bringing their families into the conversation. The way every chance they get, they're talking about how much they. They miss their families, how much they love it up there. And we've seen some very heartwarming conversations around different crew members. Family. I think it's been for us as family on the ground, we truly feel like we're along for this ride. We've supported the training in many, many ways, and we are there in the hearts and minds of our loved ones that are on their way back from the moon as we speak.

[Podcast Host]

And finally, Dr. Hansen, when the family is all back together, all reunited, will there be a sort of celebration?

[Dr. Katherine Hansen]

Almost yes, we certainly had a celebration after the launch was successful, and that was a beautiful experience for us to really get excited about the fact that they were going to the moon. We were together for TLI and we watched that successful translunar injection. And when Jeremy's back safely, we will absolutely come together first, just the five of us, you know, in a very quiet environment to see how he's doing and to hear some of those more intimate, private stories. And then we will absolutely celebrate with the world.

[Celia Hatton]

Dr. Kathryn Hansen, the wife of the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Still to come in this podcast, what happened when scientists took a closer look at the world's oldest octopus fossil.

[Dr. Thomas Clements]

We were able to identify these tiny little teeth, and these teeth tell us that it isn't an octopus.

[Celia Hatton]

So what is it? We'll have the answer for you in a few minutes time.

[Martha Stewart]

When Kohler, the global design leader in luxurious kitchen and bath products, came to me and said, martha, we need an ambassador for our timeless, elegant, durable cast iron products. I said, I'm in. Now let me see the factory. Weeks later, I was suited up in coveralls and work boots, walking through their Kohler, Wisconsin cast iron foundry. I stood next to the molten iron furnace, saw the hand applying enamel, and touched the gorgeous finished products waiting to be sent out into the world. Since 1883, Kohler cast iron products have been forged and finished by the incredible craftspeople right in Kohler, Wisconsin. I'll tell you, I gained a newfound respect and appreciation for Kohler's cast iron craftsmanship. So now I'm lending my discerning stamp of approval to my most beloved Kohler cast iron products for their durability, beauty and timelessness. Shop my Kohler cast iron favorites curated on Kohler.com bring the warmth, character and enduring style of these timeless products into your kitchens and bathrooms. As the Kohler Cast Iron Ambassador, I say long live cast iron with Verbocare.

[Celia Hatton]

Help is always ready before, during, and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind.

[TurboTax Advertiser]

Doing taxes the old way meant handing everything off and just hoping things were moving. But now you can feel confident your taxes are being handled right with Intuit TurboTax. Now you match with a TurboTax full service expert. Just upload your documents right in the app and boom, they take it from there, start to finish. You've got a dedicated expert working your return. They check every deduction and credit to help you get the best possible outcome so you can feel confident you're getting every dollar you deserve. And now you're not guessing what's happening. You're seeing it happen. TurboTax gives you real time updates on your expert's progress while you go about your day, run errands, grab a coffee, live your life. You're always in the loop and if a question pops up, you get unlimited expert help at no extra cost, even on nights and weekends during tax season, taxes are finally transparent, easier and handled. Visit turbotax.com Only available with TurboTax Full Service Experts Real time updates only in

[Bethenny Frankel]

iOS mobile app Bethenny Frankel Here from Just Be with Bethenny Frankel and I am just going to say it. The drinks aisle needs an intervention. Too many bottles of cans, all promising health and wellness. But after a glug you just shrug and you still feel out of sync. Then there's Synergy Kombucha. The real Kombucha. The real deal made the right way for real benefits and real results you can see and feel. I love it. Synergy supports your mind and body through your gut with 9 billion living probiotics in refreshing flavors you will live for. Synergy makes Kombucha with a superior craft fermentation process that delivers delicious taste. And all those probiotics, they're the good bacteria that support your body, mind and even your skin. You're welcome because when your microbiome is imbalanced, you're back in sync and back in charge. That is what you get when your Kombucha is made the right way. Don't chase fads. Don't fall for modern soda hype. Choose standards. DM@Synergy Kombucha on Instagram with the code Thereal Kombucha to get a free bottle while supplies last Synergy the Kombucha with standards

[Celia Hatton]

this is the global news podcast. When Argentina introduced a law 15 years ago to protect glaciers from the effects of the mining industry, environmentalists celebrated it as a landmark achievement. But lawmakers there have just voted to basically rip up that law and allow local provinces to decide whether mining can go ahead in ecologically sensitive areas. This is the latest action by the country's president, Javier Milei, to undo environmental protections. Speaking ahead of the debate, these people outside the parliament in Buenos Aires said they were worried any change to the law would threaten Argentina's water.

[Argentinian Protester]

How much is the water that we want to drink going to cost so that it doesn't poison us? Not to mention the water that we need for cooking. This is why we say no no, Honestly, it really hurts me a lot because it's unconstitutional to even be debating this when we have a constitution, a law that protects our glaciers, that protects

[Celia Hatton]

our land, our Latin America. Specialist Mimi Swaby told me more about the importance of these glaciers.

[American Gas Consumer 2]

There are a lot of glaciers in Argentina. According to an inventory in 2018, there are about 17,000 bodies of ice. And that's the equivalent roughly, to about 41 times the size of the city of Buenos Aires. So put it into perspective. There are many glaciers running along the Andes mountain region along the spine of Argentina, and they're incredibly rich in minerals and metals such as gold, copper, silver and lithium. And these are huge, huge structures. You stand in front of them and all you can see is kind of blue and white.

[Celia Hatton]

You've been to them, right?

[Daniela Rel]

I have.

[American Gas Consumer 2]

I've been to a couple. One in El Calafate in Patagonia called Parito Moreno. It's a very famous one. And you stand there and you can hear these oars and creaking of the ice really slowly moving. It's really magical. But they are also very important from a water perspective. Glaciers are thought to contain about 70% of Argentina's water, and it releases, or they release water throughout the year from the Andes regions into areas which can often be arid and very dry. So as well as being magnificent and beautiful, they're also incredibly valuable assets to the country.

[Celia Hatton]

Okay, so what will change under this new law, and why are environmentalists so upset?

[American Gas Consumer 2]

So changes to the glacier law basically allow provinces to decide how they're going to use their own resources. So they will now determine which ice bodies should be protected and which shouldn't. And this new criteria, which is basically opened up, there's very little criteria now essentially will grant mining companies access to areas previously off limits, specifically in the Andes region, if a glacier is deemed effective hydrological function. So basically, if it has a key water function, it will remain protected. Otherwise, it will be exposed to mining activities to extract copper and silver and gold. And that along with it comes risk of water kind of pollution and those chemicals used in the mining process seeping into the wider region. So activists and environmentalists are very concerned about the water security as well as it affecting especially fresh reservoirs. So there is lots of concern here. There have been many protests across the country, and there's been a lot of people concerned that this is not just a matter for now, but also will affect climate change going forward.

[Celia Hatton]

Mimi Swaby now to India, where millions of people are voting in state elections, seen as a test for The Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party. According to India's election commission, the five regions where polls are taking place have a combined 174 million voters or about 18% of the country's electorate. Our global affairs reporter Ambar Senrajan told me what's at stake in these elections?

[Indian Election Reporter]

Elections are quite huge in India, both conducted at federal level and the state level. Now these elections are to four states, state assemblies and one federally administered territory. So what happens in the outcome of these elections is not going to have an impact on the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the federal level. So what is at stake here is for the regional political parties. So three of the states now are ruled by regional parties and they are opposed to the BJP and for them, for the survival. Winning these elections are very crucial for these opposition alliance and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. Whether they can extend their influence in these different states like in West Bengal, in Tamil Nadu and in Kerala or they can retain power in the state of Assam. So that's why it becomes like a staging post for the next federal level elections. Now if you win this one, then you are in power. It becomes easier for you. You have the advantage when you go for the national elections.

[Celia Hatton]

Okay, that explanation makes sense. But it's not just what's happening during this election. There's been controversy around who's allowed to vote.

[Indian Election Reporter]

Now the Election Commission of India announced what they call special intensive revision. The whole idea was to remove the names of those who have migrated from the state, from one state to another. And second, those who passed away, who died and some names are duplicated. So that intention looks very good on paper. But what the opposition parties are saying is that for example, in the state of West Bengal, 9 million voters have been left out of the list. And what they say accused the election commission of dropping names of especially Muslim, the minority Muslim community. Now they say because mostly Muslim tend to vote for against the BJP because of the Hindu nationalist policy and they support the regional party. So this is in a way it is affecting the democratic process. However, the election commission and the BJP deny these charges. What they say we want to remove those duplication. But this has caused a huge amount of controversy. Now why the voter ID is important, why your name should be there? Because people living in border areas, for example, like in West Bengal and Assam, they think if they don't have this voter ID they won't be considered as a national. They will be treated as an illegal immigrant. And they will be deprived of many government welfare projects.

[Celia Hatton]

Ambar Senator a 300 million year old fossil, long described as the remains of the world's oldest octopus, has been on display in a museum in the American city of Chicago for more than two decades. The fossil was also featured in the Guinness Book of Records. But it turns out the octopus preserved in the fossilized remains is not an octopus. Paleontologists, including Dr. Thomas Clements from the University of Reading, had long doubted the original scientific classification. He told the BBC's Rich Clark what the fossil looks like.

[Dr. Thomas Clements]

This is a tiny fossil. It's about the size of your palm. And it was found in North America, just south of Chicago. And it was described in the year 2000 by a team of researchers based in the US and it was described as the world's oldest octopus. It's sort of a selection of arms. At the bottom, it has two eyes. It also has a pair of fins on top of its head which look very similar to modern deep water octopuses. So that's why the authors originally described it as that. So what actually was it? When most people think of fossils, they think of the hard parts of animals. So bones, teeth and shells. And that's because when an organism dies, it decays. And the hard parts of what remain, and over millions of years, those turn to stone. And, and in some very exceptional environments in the past, decay gets disrupted and soft tissues can actually turn into rock. Okay, so in this example, an animal that has no hard parts, very few hard parts, in fact, just sort of a few, like a beak and a few little hooks and things like that, the soft tissues themselves turn to stone and then basically preserved in the rock for 300 million years, which is what we identified. You can forgive the original assessment that it was an octopus. Can you, you can see. Yeah, okay, totally get it. So, so what is it? So basically working on this organism is really, really hard because the soft parts are quite ambiguous. And in fact we had to use a very fancy piece of equipment the size of a football field. And basically it's a large tube and it fires electrons around it at nearly the speed of light. And then eventually the electrons travel so fast and then they deviate the electron path and that generates a very bright light. And that light generates X rays which are very, very powerful and can be used to scan things like fossils, to look at the chemistry. It' complicated, isn't it? Complicated. So what is it? So basically these X rays are so powerful that we were able to look just under the surface of the rock and we were able to identify these tiny little teeth. And these teeth tell us that it isn't an octopus, but it's actually a nautilus. A modern nautilus is a cephalopod that has an external shell. They live in fairly deep water. You can find them around Mauritius. They're very, very rare and they're very threatened at the moment. But these animals have been around for 400 million years. And Falsepia, this ancient 300 million year old potential octopus is actually one of these animals that's lost its shell because it decayed before it turned into a fossil.

[Celia Hatton]

Dr. Thomas Clemens and if you want to see an artist's impression of what the ancient nautilus would have looked like, have a look at the BBC news website. And last the late British monarch Queen Elizabeth II would have been a hundred years old later this month, to mark the occasion, the some of her most recognizable outfits are going on public display at the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace. The exhibition includes everything from her wedding and coronation gowns in her early years to the favorite tartans and tweeds she wore in more recent decades. Our royal correspondent Daniela Rel has been taking a look across the gallery.

[Daniela Rel]

Mannequin after mannequin is dressed in some of the most memorable outfits of the Queen's Life. Throughout nearly 10 decades, most of her clothes were bespoke. Her wedding dress has been painstakingly restored. Also on display, her peach colored dress from the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Alongside it is a replica created for the stuntman who was her body double to parachute into the stadium. This black velvet evening dress is from 1956, but the next star the Queen meets Marilyn Monroe. It was for when two of the most famous women in the world first met. The red wool dress and coat were the cut and look of many of the Queen's choices. In the later part of her life, vivid color featured strongly. She wore the outfit on one of the most public days of the year, Christmas at Sandringham in 2015.

[Dr. Thomas Clements]

A lot of them would have been double wool crepe.

[Daniela Rel]

It was created by Stuart Parvin, a favored designer.

[Dr. Thomas Clements]

You always knew that she would love any shade of bright green and bright yellow. Any shade of yellow would be a popular choice.

[Daniela Rel]

The late Queen had a distinct style. Comfortable, practical, British designed and often colorful. The exhibition includes accessories and raincoats too. Each item tells a story. Many mark significant events in British history. Others show the more private dressed down moments of a monarch who was an early fashion influencer.

[Celia Hatton]

Daniela Ralph and that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global Newspod. 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 Jack Wilfin and the producers were Stephanie Zacharison and Chantelle Hartle. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Celia Hatton. Until next time. Goodbye.

[Grainger Advertiser]

If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place from H Vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more, and all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.