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Global News Podcast
Nearly 30 countries call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza
00:30:06
UN says the territory's last lifelines are collapsing
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- [00:00]
Valerie Sanderson
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.
- [00:04]
James Landale
This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson and in the early hours of Tuesday, the 22nd of July, these are our main stories. Israel is facing heightened international criticism over its actions in Gaza. Nearly 30 countries have issued a joint statement condemning what they called the drip feeding of aid to Palestinians. One of Jeffrey Epstein's victims has called on the Trump administration to release more information on the late sex offender. Bangladesh is mourning at least 20 people, many of them children, who died when an Air Force training plane crashed into a school compound. Also in this podcast, a British woman agrees to return a painting her husband bought in good faith to the Italian museum from where it was stolen decades ago. She gets nothing for giving it back.
- [00:57]
Chris Marinello
But she doesn't have to compensate the people of Boluno for having their painting for half a century. She is a good person. Not everyone will do this.
- [01:11]
James Landale
We begin in Gaza, where an Israeli ground offensive in the center of the territory is reported to have killed several people and destroyed homes and mosques in the city of Deirballa. Tens of thousands of Palestinians fled after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Sunday. The UN Humanitarian Affairs Agency says the offensive will deal a further blow to efforts to keep people alive. Families of Israeli hostages, some of whom are believed to be being held in the area, have said the operation is endangering the lives of their loved ones. Meanwhile, many of those now fleeing Deir al Balah have been displaced multiple times. Laila Ezzat al Shanna and her family, two of whom are disabled, are heading a few kilometers north to a camp in Nusrat. There is no place to go to and the people are so crowded, so there is no place even to buy their tents. There is no transportation. People are losing their minds and they are falling to the ground due to the lack of food. They don't eat. If I want to buy anything by a very expensive amount. So the one packet of flour right now, 25 kilos by around $4,000 for one bag, we can't buy. We don't have any income. I spoke to our chief international correspondent Lise Doucet and asked her what we know about the assault in the area of Deir Albala.
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Lise Doucet
This was a big question being asked this morning, Vavi, because there's been 21 months of war and Deir Al Bala has been seen as a place of relative refuge, I think to a person. Every Palestinian in Gaza, all the aid agencies say nowhere is safe. But Deir Albala because there has been movement from so many other areas, has become a kind of humanitarian hub. It's a place where buildings are still standing, where the water system is working. But now when Israel issued an evacuation order for, you know, one part of their Al Bala, it meant, according to the UN that almost 90% of Gaza has been issued with evacuation orders. Parliament wants Israel to control 70% of the Gaza Strip. That number would be unacceptable to the Gazans, to the partners of Israel, to Hamas, which of course is locked in indirect talks about a ceasefire with. We have heard that they want to try to cut off Deir El Bala from Al Muasi, which is the area where Israel keeps telling Palestinians that's where you have to go to, even though Al Mawasi is not even safe and even though the conditions there are miserable and there's not enough aid there either. And there is a sense in which, if we believe the most right wing supporters of Prime Minister Netanyahu, including those in his cabinet, they want to make life insufferable for Gazans everywhere so that they will end up taking up this offer. With that President Trump has spoken about, the Israelis talk about, about voluntarily leaving the Gaza Strip. And it seems as though it wants to push them as far as possible to the south, kettle them into as small as area as possible to make life absolutely unbearable. And it is unbearable already.
- [04:15]
James Landale
Lyse Doucet. Amir Avivi is a retired Brigadier general in the IDF and founder of the Israel Defense and Security. Tim Franks asked him why he thinks Israel has launched this major offensive on Deir Ella.
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Amir Avivi
So this major offensive is part of an overall offensive that has been going on in the last few months. The Israeli cabinet instructed the army to take over 75% of the Gaza Strip. And this is one of the last strongholds of Hamas inside this 75% perimeter. This is an area that throughout the war the IDF hasn't been operating. And this is why the fight is intensive against this stronghold and the forces are moving forward toward achieving the goal of really controlling this 75% that the cabinet extracted them.
- [05:08]
Valerie Sanderson
Yeah, and the question always is at what cost and at what cost, not just to the people of Gaza. But I noticed that there was a strong statement put out by the Hostage and Missing Families forum inside Israel saying that this latest initiative, as they put it, will sacrifice the hostages and the values on which the state of Israel was built because there is a fear from them that this could well be where some of the hostages are being held.
- [05:36]
Amir Avivi
Well, today I participated in the Knesset in a gathering with many, many hostage families who think exactly the opposite. They think, and rightly so, that only military pressure on Hamas can bring Hamas to the point where, where they desperately need a ceasefire and therefore are willing to release hostages. To get them to release hostages, they need to be with their backs against the wall and create the interest for them to really want this deal. The problem we are facing is that the leadership of Hamas that is still functioning, it's in Qatar, they are sitting in five star hotels, they really don't care at all about the Gazan people or what's going on there. They're not under any pressure.
- [06:17]
James Landale
They're not.
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Amir Avivi
And one of the suggestions of my Organization of Israeli Defense Security Forum is to demand the extradition of this criminal leadership that instructed this attack on Israel on the 7th of October and kidnapped so many people into Gaza. So we need to put the pressure on Hamas leadership and the remaining leadership is in Qatar, in Egypt, and some of them even in Turkey.
- [06:43]
Valerie Sanderson
And you'll also be aware that even within Israel, let alone internationally, there are a huge number of people who say that part of the reason why this war is carrying on undoubtedly is because Hamas continues to hold hostages. But it is in large part because Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, does not want to see an end to the war because it is in his own personal political interests. You must be aware of that narrative from within Israel.
- [07:12]
Amir Avivi
Yeah, look, I think it's a false narrative. I think that Israel set very clear goals of war which we didn't achieve yet. And this is why the war is continuing.
- [07:22]
Valerie Sanderson
Yes, but also lots. Forgive me for interrupting, but lots of people who have equal amounts of military experience to you say they are simply unachievable. Those, those goals of the complete destruction.
- [07:32]
Amir Avivi
Of Hamas, close contact with the leadership of the idf. And I can sell you that the leadership believes they can achieve all goals of war. There is a discussion about the tactics, about the strategies, and also about the humanitarian cost. Well, you know the reason why people are being asked to move out of the area where the IDF is operating is to keep them alive, to make sure that they are not in the cross of fire. So every time the IDF operates, they tell the people before, listen, we're going to operate in this area. Now you understand the cost for the soldiers, right? When you tell your enemy where you are going to maneuver. But we do so we ask the people to move to a safety area so there is no collateral damage. And this is why we are managing to save many lives.
- [08:22]
James Landale
The retired IDF Brigadier General Amir Avivi Foreign ministers from nearly 30 countries, including Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Canada say Israel's war in Gaza must end now, warning that the suffering had reached new depths. In a joint statement, they also condemned what they called Israel's drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing of civilians. Our diplomatic correspondent James Landale reports There.
- [08:47]
Valerie Sanderson
Have in recent years been many international statements condemning Israel's tactics in Gaza, but this declaration is notable for its candor. The signature is all European, bar Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. They say the war in Gaza must end now. Israel's aid delivery model is dangerous and fuelling instability. They condemn what the call the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children. Plans to remove hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to a so called humanitarian city are, they say, unacceptable. They call on Israel to lift restrictions on aid and they warn they're prepared to take further action to support a ceasefire and a political pathway to peace that is seen by many as a code for recognizing a state of Palestine, something many countries have done, but not all, including Britain and France. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the state was disconnected from reality and insisted Hamas was deliberately acting to harm civilians seeking humanitarian aid. Hamas, it said, was the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering of both sides. Today's statement reflects Western frustration at Israeli intransigence and the growing impact of domestic political pressure. But the text was not signed by the United States and its opinion is the one that in Israel matters most.
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James Landale
James Landale A victim of the American sex offender the late Jeffrey Epstein has called on the US Government to release more information on the case. Speaking to the BBC, Annie Farmer had a blunt message for President Trump.
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Lise Doucet
Prove everyone wrong. If you have nothing to hide, then please release this information that people are asking for. Please make sure that Ghislaine Maxwell stays behind bars where she deserves to be. If you are truly not implicated, then this should not be a problem. To release more information about this case.
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James Landale
Ms. Farmer also said she'd never expected Mr. Trump to support justice for victims because she said he was himself a sexual predator with close links to Epstein. Mr. Trump has always denied any sexual misconduct. The White House called her comments recycled fake news. Jeffrey Epstein died in prison six years ago. The authorities declared he'd committed suicide while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges. The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's one time girlfriend and assistant, was convicted in 2021 in New York of sex trafficking of minors on his behalf. Annie Farmer spoke to our correspondent in New York Neda Tofik, who told us what she'd said.
- [11:25]
Neda Tofik
I have known Annie Farmer for quite some time. I first interviewed her when she was going to be testifying in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. She was one of the key witnesses that secured a conviction in that case, saying she was just 16 years old when she was abused by Epstein and Maxwell. And we've talked a lot about the politics of this Donald Trump and the rift with his base over the release of more information in the Epstein case. But Annie feels that while there is this benefit of transparency out there, that there's also people who have used this to their advantage. They've tried to sensationalize parts of this to benefit themselves. And she says that's really taking away from the fact that there were real crimes committed, that there are victims who are dealing with this every day still. And she says that's left her feeling used. And as we heard there in the clip, she is saying to Donald Trump, look, release what people are asking for if you have nothing to hide. But at the same time, she told me she doesn't have much hope and never really did, that the president was truly interested in justice for the victims. So she isn't holding her breath. But she says there is a real benefit to preventing further crimes against children by getting this information out there to see what went wrong. The White House, they said that this is just recycled old fake news. They, you know, compared this to, they say, claims over Russian interference in the election. They believe this is all just a hoax against President Trump. And they say that Donald Trump has kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep in the past, that they didn't have the type of connection that people are alleging. So Donald Trump very much speaking to his supporters, as we've seen in the last few days as well, trying to say, case closed, don't look at this anymore. Move on.
- [13:13]
James Landale
Neda Tofic in New York, a Renaissance painting that was stolen from a museum in Italy back in 1973 has been returned to the institution. Antonio Salario's Madonna and Child was discovered after being put up for sale by Barbara De Doza. She's the widow of a man who bought it in good faith and had kept it at their manor house in the English county of Norfolk. The painting was one of several that were stolen from the Civic Museum of Boluno, north of Venice. Chris Marinello from Art Recovery International, who was involved in the negotiations to have the painting returned, spoke to James Menendez.
- [13:49]
Chris Marinello
The painting allegedly was bought by Mrs. Dozer's husband right after the theft in 1973. She said that he did not know it was stolen. He bought it from a dealer. They were living in Austria at the time. They hung it in their substantial home in Norfolk. Eventually, she decided to sell it. And when she tried to sell it at an auction house, a provincial auction house in the uk, it was flagged up as being on the Cabinieri stolen Art database. Of course, she did not want to accept the fact that she couldn't sell something that her husband had and they had for 52 years and paid money for her, which is very typical of. Of people, when I confront them with stolen artwork, they always say, well, I bought this, I've had it, it's my money. Why can't I keep it? And they have to look at the other side. They have to look that it was stolen from a museum, stolen from the people of Bulluno. You know, there are two sides to every story. And, of course, she didn't know me, and, And I stepped in. And, you know, most people distrust lawyers for a good reason, but she did. She. She. She didn't know me, and she thought that I was looking to profit, and she just didn't believe me. And, you know, in today's world, I respect that. You know, you can't believe people who are negotiating with senior citizens today. You have to question everything. And I don't mind her for doing that, but eventually she came around and accepted the fact that I was working pro bono and that I was trying to do the right thing for her, and she eventually relented and agreed to return the piece to the people of Balloona.
- [15:36]
Valerie Sanderson
So she gets nothing at all. I mean, her husband obviously paid money for this painting all those years ago, but she. She's not legally entitled to anything.
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Chris Marinello
Well, listen, under the law in the uk, there's a limitations act, which is what she said about. She was arguing. She said, oh, I should be able to keep this. But even under the UK law, even if she were to prevail, this painting was still listed on the Italian Catabinieri database. It was still listed on Interpol. She couldn't sell it, she couldn't travel with it, she couldn't bring it into the eu, she couldn't exhibit it without a possibility of it being seized. So, you know, there had to be some sort of compromise. And, yes, she didn't get anything other than, you know, we agreed to pay for the costs in getting the painting from Norfolk back to London over to Italy, and that those funds were donated by Generali insurance company.
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Valerie Sanderson
So I guess her only recourse would be to go back to the dealer that sold it to her husband. I mean, does that dealer still exist?
- [16:39]
Chris Marinello
But she had no receipt. She didn't remember the dealer. She didn't even know the name. But you know, look at it this way. She's rented that painting that belonged to the people of Belluno for 52 years. She doesn't have to compensate the people of Bulluno for having their painting for half a century. So, you know, it took a little bit of work, took a little bit of arm twisting, but eventually we got there and, you know, she is a good person. Not everyone will do this.
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James Landale
Chris Marinello from Art Recovery International. Still to come, could a cheap camera powered by artificial intelligence provide a way to quickly diagnose skin cancer?
- [17:21]
Tessa Watts
It's providing you with a preliminary diagnosis. However, because it's an AI, it doesn't have the final say whatsoever. We're not trying to replace doctors by any means.
- [17:38]
James Landale
Next to Ukraine, President Zelensky has announced in his nightly address that a new set of peace talks with Russia will be held on Wednesday in Turkey. As we record this podcast, the Kremlin hasn't yet commented on the proposed negotiations and previous meetings have made little progress on ending the war. Earlier in London, the British Defence Minister, John Healey suggested there's now maximum opportunity to force Russia to the negotiations table over its war with Ukraine. Mr. Healey was addressing a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in London. Alongside other Western allies, Germany promised to provide Ukraine with five Patriot air defence systems as soon as possible and Mr. Healey had this to say.
- [18:22]
Valerie Sanderson
Last week, President Trump announced a new.
- [18:25]
John Healey
Plan for large scale NATO weapons transfers and committed to getting these, he said.
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Valerie Sanderson
Quickly distributed to the battlefield.
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John Healey
The UK Backs this policy. We will play our full part in its success.
- [18:42]
James Landale
Ukraine's Defence Minister, Denis Shmyhal appealed for more financial help.
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Amir Avivi
We are grateful to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in this joint efforts. Ukraine Defense Contact Group remains the key platform for coordinating international military assistance to Ukraine.
- [18:59]
Valerie Sanderson
Today.
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Amir Avivi
I want to use this opportunity to appeal to you, our partners and allies.
- [19:05]
James Landale
For further support, our Ukraine correspondent James.
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John Healey
Waterhouse told us more Germany promising not two as previously reported, but five of these Patriot missile systems, these sophisticated air defenses which are seen as crucial to Ukraine's ability to defend its cities from constant Russian missile attacks. That is something and it's a direct consequence of Donald Trump saying, think I will provide American weapons to Ukraine via NATO countries. Because then you have the likes of Germany saying, okay, we'll part with ours, Ukraine can have them and we'll get the rest. We'll buy new ones from the US So that is something. But to give you an idea, you know, today's meeting was fully remote before Donald Trump returned to the White House. It was chaired by the US that kind of took the leading role here. Of course, those days are gone. John Healey chaired it. He's chaired it before. There was no input certainly in the, in the public part of the meeting from the US The UK Is trying to step up support for Ukraine where it can. It's spending more than ever. It's looking to increase drone production. But there is still no detail as to what US Weapons are coming in, how they're being paid for. And with these five patriot systems, we still don't yet know how they will be delivered to Ukraine. But they all find themselves working to this 50 day deadline set by Donald Trump for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or a peace deal by early September. So as far as John Healey was concerned, he said this was a massive opportunity to arm Ukraine.
- [20:45]
James Landale
James Waterhouse, Bangladesh is observing a day of mourning on Tuesday for the 20 people, mainly children, killed when an Air Force training jet crashed into a school in the capital Dhaka. More than 170 others were injured in the accident. Relatives of pupils at the school have searched desperately for their children. Masood Tarek is one of the teachers there.
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Amir Avivi
I was picking up my children from.
- [21:12]
Valerie Sanderson
The school gate when I realized something coming from behind. Then I heard an explosion.
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Amir Avivi
I looked back and only saw fire and smoke. I just rushed my kids away on a rickshaw and saw more smoke and fire.
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Valerie Sanderson
So many parents and children were here too.
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James Landale
The aircraft was reportedly on a training exercise when it crashed. As I heard from our South Asia correspondent, Yogethe Lemai, we've heard from a.
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Yogethe Lemai
Spokesman for the Bangladeshi military and they have said that it was a mechanical failure, but they've said that they will have more details only after an investigation is carried out. They have said that the pilot who was also killed in the crash did try to steer the jet away from a densely populated area, but wasn't able to do so in time. And then it crashed into this school campus. But it was also when lessons were just ending. So what we know from eyewitnesses is that it wasn't just children and students who were there and teachers. There were also parents and people who had come to pick up these school students after school was over.
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James Landale
And we understand most of the dead are children, is that right?
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Yogethe Lemai
That's right. Most of the dead are children. We are still waiting to hear more details in terms of how the year young they were. We have heard eyewitnesses recount, you know, a 15 year old boy recounting how he was just outside the building and his best friend who was inside died in the air crash. And he said the plane just came and crashed on, on top of all of them in a really distraught, so really unimaginable scenes because these are parents who had just come to pick up their children after a, you know, it was a regular school pickup on a day and then they were faced with these unimaginable scenes in front of them.
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James Landale
And what about the history of the military in Bangladesh and these jets? Has anything like this happened before?
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Yogethe Lemai
What's happened now that's almost beyond belief? A jet actually crashing into a school and then causing mass casualties on the ground. But whether it's military or civilian aircraft, we haven't had any big aviation disasters in Bangladesh in the past couple of decades. So this is, you know, this is pretty shocking. And we have heard from the interim leader of the Bangladesh government, Mohammad Yunus today as well, and a really emotional message that he sent out where he's saying, what reply will we give to parents? What would we say to them? I have no words, how could I start? He said, the unknown faces of the children are appearing before our eyes and the whole nation is in shock.
- [23:41]
James Landale
Yogurt. A breakthrough in AI technology could transform how skin cancer is diagnosed, especially for those in remote parts of the world. Researchers have invented a diagnostic system powered by artificial intelligence, a small offline device and a camera costing roughly $40, which analyzes skin lesions without the need for access to the Internet. Tess Watts from Heriot Watt University in Scotland developed the camera and explains how the technology would benefit patients.
- [24:14]
Tessa Watts
Right now what they can do is use a service where they take a picture of their skin lesion and it's sent to a dermatologist. But obviously this unhelpful for people who don't have Internet access to be able to send pictures in the first place. So what our system does is it has a very small portable device with a camera attached. We're using quite a powerful camera, but it's quite cheap, so cheaper than, you know, having a smartphone camera per se. Currently our system is up to 85% accurate and we're currently in talk to begin the ethical approval process to start clinical trials. So the goal is to distribute it to people's homes, to rural clinics and for a low cost it's providing you with a preliminary diagnosis. However, because it's an AI, it doesn't have the final say whatsoever. We're not trying to replace doctors by any means. A real use case for this system is to sort of provide a better queuing system for being on wait lists. So if you were to scan yourself and the prediction comes up with something that may be very serious, like a melanoma, skin cancer, we could then propose to bump you up the wait list and be seen sooner. A lot of research in healthcare is being done on analyzing MRI and CT scans, but very little work was being done on looking at skin lesion images. So I saw a real opportunity there. We have our prototype made and so I'm hoping in the next few years to have a project running in collaboration with the NHS and some other medical partners so we can start running some trials and getting some real results for this.
- [25:55]
James Landale
Tessa Watts. Wimbledon is arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Plans to almost triple the size of its site in West London are set to proceed after a campaign group's legal challenge was dismissed by a High Court judge. The proposals from the private members club that operates the world's oldest Grand Slam tennis tournament include the construction of 38 new courts and an 8,000 seat stadium on a grade two listed heritage site. It was originally partly designed by the renowned 18th century landscape architect Lancelot Capability Brown. Jo Linsky reports.
- [26:34]
Valerie Sanderson
For the All England Lawn Tennis Club. This is the latest step in their efforts to make Wimbledon much bigger. They want to expand onto the neighbourhood neighboring Wimbledon Park Golf Course so they can hold qualifying on site, as well as build a new show court and community facilities. Last year they received local government approval, but that was challenged by a group of local residents whose case was dismissed today. But the Save Wimbledon Park Group says it's been advised to appeal the decision. And there are still separate legal challenges for the All England Club to overcome. A hearing about whether the land is legally protected from development is due to take place at the High Court in January.
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James Landale
Zurlinski and finally, have a listen to this. That is the sound of an accordion from what's thought to be one of the world's largest private collections of the instrument. And on Monday, the auction began in Belfast in Northern Ireland of 750 of the them. They all belong to Ken Hopkins, the man you just heard playing that accordion who died last year. The BBC's Tim Frank spoke to Lisa Allen, Ken's daughter, and asked her why she's selling her father's prize collection.
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Lisa Allen
To be honest, There was just so many pieces. We have 750 accordions, we have 939 lots. And actually the mammoth task of managing that or selling that, you know, as an individual in is, was just too great. So we spoke to Ross's auctions and, you know, they were able to help us. It took five lorry loads to actually take them from the property. So it wasn't really a task that somebody could do by themselves. We really did need help for that. You know, music is such a big part of everybody's lives and birthday parties, celebrations, and to have them just sitting, stored, not being played, I think isn't probably the right thing for them to do. So, you know, for them to go off to new homes, to new people and breathe new life, I think is the perfect sort of legacy for him.
- [28:45]
Valerie Sanderson
Did your dad talk to you about sort of why he started off collecting on such an enormous scale? I mean, presumably the accordions were always around you as you were growing up.
- [28:56]
Lisa Allen
Yeah, very much so. But like, you know, four or five, you know, as a child, not sort of to that scale. But my dad was an engineer by trade, so he really wanted to know how they worked, you know, everything about them. And then once he sort of got involved in that side, he was service them, repair them. Then he wanted to know where did they come from, you know, the different genres. Then he was more interested in, you know, the rare accordions, the museum pieces. And it really sort of just ran from there and he just started to collect them and, you know, we ended up with so many of them.
- [29:32]
James Landale
Lisa Allen. And that's it from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on the this podcast or the topics covered in it, send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global newspod. This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll. The producers were Liam McSheffrey and Stephanie Zacharison. The editor, as ever, is Karen Martin. I'm Valerie Sanderson. Until next time, Bye bye. The laws were changing in our country. Women could no longer be discriminated against. It was the dawn of a new era of space flight.
- [30:20]
Lise Doucet
NASA started accepting applications from women to be astronauts.
- [30:24]
James Landale
That door that had been barred shut for all these years before now actually was open to you.
- [30:29]
Valerie Sanderson
13 minutes presents the space Shuttle.
- [30:32]
James Landale
The inside story of the space shuttle.
- [30:34]
Valerie Sanderson
Program told by the men and women who made it happen.
- [30:38]
James Landale
That was pretty monumental as far as the public was concerned, the first woman astronaut from the United States. You believe in yourself and you think you can do it. Listen now. Search for 13 minutes presents the Space Shuttle. Wherever you get your BBC podcasts and liftoff.
- [30:56]
Chris Marinello
Liftoff of SES7 and America first woman astronaut.