Ship carrying aid for Gaza bombed by drones - Global News Podcast

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[00:00]
Nick Miles
This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and at 14 hours GMT on Friday 2nd May, these are our main stories. Aid agencies in Gaza say mass starvation is possible and describe scenes of children combing through rubble to look for the remains of their parents. Israel has carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus. We find out why Germany's second largest political party has just been designated. And extremist groups. And the group of strangers who risked their life to save a great white shark also in this podcast.
[00:43]
Helen Dickinson
These are criminals. You just really don't know who you're dealing with.
[00:47]
Rob Watson
I think firm principles tend to fold in the face of reality on stuff like this.
[00:52]
Nick Miles
With cyber attacks on retailers on the rise, we find out whether paying hackers off is the solution. Crew members of a boat carrying aid to Gaza say they've been attacked by Israeli drones in international waters off Malta. It comes as agencies warn of mass starvation as people fight for food there amid a breakdown in public order. Activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accuse Israel of hitting the front of their vessel twice overnight, causing a fire and damaging the hull. A video shared by activists on the social media platform X appears to show the moment the boat was attacked by drones. A nearby container ship recorded the distress call.
[01:47]
Amal Rajan
What is the situation on board?
[01:50]
Helen Dickinson
Ship is firing now?
[01:55]
Nick Miles
Well, there has been no independent confirmation of the allegation and no comments so far from Israel. The activist Greta Thunberg, who was due to board the ship, said the fight for the Palestinian people would continue.
[02:09]
Greta Thunberg
What happens now is uncertain, but what is certain is that US human rights activists will continue to do everything in our power to do our part to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor.
[02:26]
Nick Miles
Meanwhile, the international arm of the Red Cross says humanitarian work in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse two months after after Israel imposed a blockade on aid supplies. The spokesperson for the ICRC in Gaza is Hisham Mana.
[02:40]
Hisham Mana
We are talking about hospitals running out of medical supplies.
[02:43]
Amal Rajan
We're talking about people finding food with nearly luck. But prices of the remaining food supplies in Gaza went massively expensive beyond anyone's capability.
[02:54]
Hisham Mana
If the humanitarian aid is not resumed.
[02:56]
Amal Rajan
Within the following few weeks, the International.
[02:58]
Hisham Mana
Committee of the Red Cross will not.
[03:00]
Amal Rajan
Be able to maintain its humanitarian response. Community kitchens that provide hot meals for.
[03:04]
Hisham Mana
Thousands of families every day. Nearly the only one meal that these.
[03:09]
Amal Rajan
Families and these children have will not be able to continue working.
[03:13]
Nick Miles
Here's our Middle east correspondent, Yolan Nell.
[03:18]
Yolan Nell
A hot meal is hard to come by in Gaza, but these cooks are busy preparing one for some 6,000 displaced people. Today's dish is koshari, made with lentils, rice and a spicy tomato sauce.
[03:32]
Hisham Mana
In the past, we used to cook.
[03:34]
Amal Rajan
Rice with meat with the protein.
[03:36]
Hisham Mana
Now there is no any type of.
[03:38]
Amal Rajan
Meat or vegetables also entered Gaza. The people relay on our meat.
[03:47]
Yolan Nell
Sami Ma, from the humanitarian organization American Near East Refugee Aid, or Anira, oversees this community kitchen in Khan Yunus.
[03:56]
Amal Rajan
We only have 25 tons of rice, 8 tons of lentils and 100 bags of pasta. This is enough to cook the next 10 days.
[04:07]
Hisham Mana
After that, we cannot continue in our kitchens because there is nothing in the market.
[04:14]
Yolan Nell
The vast Anira warehouse is now empty. Israel blocked all goods to Gaza two months ago and then resumed its military offensive, saying this was to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages. Food stockpiled during the ceasefire at the start of this year has all but run out. With little fuel left in Gaza, the Anira team has loaded up a horse and cart to transfer their packages of food to Al Moasi, a sprawling, crowded tent camp on the coast. This elderly man says the kosheri will be enough for his family of seven. A weary looking mother says these handouts are her last lifeline.
[05:02]
Amal Rajan
At this time.
[05:03]
Helen Dickinson
It's excellent because there's no cooking gas, no food.
[05:06]
Amal Rajan
I collect leaves to start a fire just so we can have a cup of tea.
[05:13]
Yolan Nell
Aneera's workers are logging every portion of food they give out in the camp. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, but the UN and humanitarian groups say they closely monitor their supplies.
[05:26]
Amal Rajan
We have a software program with database of hundreds, thousands of people, including IDs.
[05:33]
Hisham Mana
Their names and also the address, the.
[05:36]
Amal Rajan
Coordinates of the camps to ensure the transparency and distribution.
[05:44]
Yolan Nell
With rising cases of acute malnutrition among children, Israel's close allies, including the uk, are pushing it to lift the Gaza blockade. There have been warnings that starving civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime. Back at the food kitchen, the huge cooking pots are washed up at the end of the shift. For now, Gazans have no choice but to take life day by day, hoping that tomorrow will finally bring relief.
[06:17]
Nick Miles
Yolande Nel we're going to stay in the Middle east now Because Israel has struck a target near the Presidential palace in Damascus. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said it was a clear message to the new authorities in Syria that Israel will not allow any threat to the Druze community. In recent days, there have been deadly clashes involving the Druze minority in Syria. I got more on Israel's intervention from Shayna Oppenheimer, who's from BBC monitoring in Tel Aviv.
[06:47]
Greta Thunberg
Well, since the fall of the former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, Israel has made these increasing overtures to various sects in Syria, notably the Druze. And they're really trying to portray themselves as this regional protector of minorities. And they see the Druze among, with several other sects as kind of key potential allies. And the Druze, notably in Syria, are kind of along the border zone. So they are potentially a strategic partner for Israel as it's quite wary of the new government and their interests.
[07:29]
Nick Miles
So it serves Israel's interest to have some kind of buffer zone, if you like, on that border between Syria and the Golan Heights area and Israel properly, certainly.
[07:39]
Greta Thunberg
And it's worth mentioning that there are Druze that live in Israel as well as the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. And some in Israel kind of very much see the Druze quite favorably. Some of them do serve in the Israeli army. Some of them are seen as quite loyal to Israel. Others of course are a little bit more loyal to their Druze communities in Syria. But Israel has made these kind of increasing gestures and statements about how Israel will not allow any harm to the Druze and they refer to them as, you know, the brothers of the Druze community in Israel.
[08:17]
Nick Miles
And Jenna, what about that comment from the Druze leader in Syria saying that the authorities are carrying out a genocide? I imagine it's very difficult to verify that, but what has been going on as far as you can tell?
[08:30]
Greta Thunberg
Well, sectarian violence erupted earlier this week following the circulation of this audio recording which people said kind of was of Assyrian Druze cleric insulting the Prophet Muhammad, which is a quite controversial thing to do as you can imagine. And there was some kind of deadly clashes in suburbs of Damascus, but this idea that there's this genocide, I think it really echoes the way that Israel sees things too. And they've also kind of talked about a massacre of Druze and that they need to be protected. There has been some kind of agreement between the Druze and the Syrian government, but kind of how this plays out is kind of unclear.
[09:16]
Nick Miles
Shayna Oppenheimer, Germany's domestic intelligence service, has decided to classify the right wing AfD political party as an extremist organization. The party's co leaders described the decision as a serious blow to German democracy. The alternative for Germany saw massive support across the east in recent parliamentary elections. Standing on a platform of opposing immigration. Our Europe regional editor Paul Moss told me more about the report.
[09:46]
Paul Moss
Well, it has Something very specific to say. It says the AfD does not consider German citizens with a migrant background, particularly from countries with a large Muslim population, to be equal members of the German people. And what it says, therefore the party it claims would exclude people based on their ethnicity from the democratic process. And that it says is incompatible with the German constitution. Now I should say you may be getting a sense of deja vu here when you hear this designation as extremist because individual regional areas, the AfD party there has been designated as extremist. But now it's the entire party that's been given this designation and by the country's official domestic intelligence agency.
[10:28]
Nick Miles
And Paul, what's this going to mean in practice for the party?
[10:32]
Paul Moss
It does have a practical meaning. It's not just a name. What it means is the authorities in Germany now have the right to monitor the AfD with greater scrutiny. They'll have more right to, for example, intercept its communications. It can recruit informants from within the AfD. Now bear in mind we are talking about Germany's official opposition party and yet the country's spy agency has the right to invasively spy on them as extremists and a threat to democracy. This really is an unprecedented step.
[11:03]
Nick Miles
And how has the AfD responded?
[11:05]
Paul Moss
Well, you won't be surprised to hear that they are not happy at all. First was Anton Baron, a regional lawmaker who said the old parties are now using the most political, politically questionable means. We then had an official statement from the ASD which said the party was being publicly discredited and criminalized. It said that the decision that had been made by these by the domestic agency was clearly politically motivated and they insist they will appeal. Now I should say the Interior Minister, the Germany and German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser has already replied to the suggestion of political influence. She says not at all. It was an independent investigation taken on by the domestic intelligence agency. I should say though that whatever the criticism that the AfD makes of this decision, in some senses you could argue that actually this is going to be very good from them. They have always insisted they are the outsiders, the insurgents, that the establishment is trying to crush them and silence them. And now they can look and say look, you see it is happening.
[12:07]
Nick Miles
Paul Moss, the populist right of Centre Party Reform UK has won a significant election in England overturning a huge governing Labour Party majority. It is the anti immigration party's first ever by election win and appears to confirm that the UK is entering an era of multi party politics. Its leader Nigel Farage said The results so far showed his party was a major player.
[12:33]
Paul Moss
I think we've supplanted the Conservative Party now as the main opposition party to the Labour government. I think the messages we're getting in many places where we didn't quite win was that if you vote Conservative, you actually get Labour. And we've bitten very hard into the Labour heartland.
[12:50]
Nick Miles
There were also elections for six mayors, as well as elections for local authorities. I asked our political correspondent Rob Watson if these results are as impressive as reform says.
[13:01]
Rob Watson
Very short answer to that question, Nick, is yes. I mean, I could almost just stop there. But they are truly impressive because it's not just winning the by election mp, they've also won one of their first local government elections. They also have won one of the mayoralities. So absolutely they're doing well. Although, of course, with that, having styled themselves as the party of disruption, the party of change, we're not the others. We think the system is broken now, of course, they will have to deliver to some extent.
[13:31]
Nick Miles
So this is very much beyond the normal sort of midterm. Well, not even midterm. It's only, what, seven, eight months since the last general election. But local elections usually give the incumbents a bloody nose and they've certainly given the Labour Party bloody nose. Do you think it goes beyond that, though?
[13:50]
Rob Watson
Well, that sort of depends on what happens next, Nick. But I mean, yes, to the extent that it's not just the Labour Party that's got a bloody nose here, it's the Conservatives who were in power before Labour. And of course, really what you're seeing, and this is what is so fascinating and presumably very worrying for the two main parties, is you're seeing reform benefiting from just the intense unpopularity of the relatively new Labour government and of the course, the Conservative who went before it. I mean, what you find when you go out in Britain is just a vast amount of anger at the system, the politicians, and funnily enough, by the way, that also includes reform.
[14:31]
Nick Miles
The extraordinary thing about British politics is that even though they've made these gains, they still only have five members of parliament out of 650, don't they? And they will be saying, look, this is a representation of what is wrong with the British political system.
[14:48]
Rob Watson
They will. But. But I think that they'll also be saying, look, if you just give us a few more votes, we can be there. We can be the party that ends 100 years of dominance by Labour and Conservative. And I think that is the big question that this, that these set of elections are raising Nick. And that is, you know, is this somehow a temporary phenomenon? The idea that, that the Conservatives and Labour won't be ruling this country as they have for the last hundred years, or is there something more permanent? And of course, we won't know that until the next elections, the next elections. But you can see that there is a state of flux out there. This is an unhappy, sour, sour mood country. And the beneficiary is Mr. Farage.
[15:32]
Nick Miles
Rob Watson. Still to come in this podcast, Thomas.
[15:38]
Helen Dickinson
Was based on a small wooden engine that my father had made. I think one term that I've heard used is Thomas unites the world in friendship. You sort of think, that's amazing, that's wonderful.
[15:52]
Nick Miles
It is 80 years since one man's attempt to amuse his sick child with the story of a tank engine turned into a global phenomenon. Now to the cyber attacks that have been targeting online retailers, including heritage brands like Harrods in the uk. The hackers paralyze web operations, steal customer data and hold companies to ransom. How should they respond? Well, the boss of the British chain Marks and Spencer is urging customers to come into its stores to shop in person as the retailer works day and night to tackle an attack that has crippled its online operation. Nick Stower is the CEO of Monsoon and Accessorize and sells on Ms. Marketplace. They've been impacted by this week's attack. My colleague Amal Rajan spoke to him about the extent of the issue.
[16:53]
Rob Watson
We're targeted constantly and I think just along with most of the other retailers, there are attacks that go on in, in various shapes and, and forms all the time. I think people don't realize that, but it's, it's a constant issue for us.
[17:06]
Amal Rajan
What do you think these cyber criminals actually want?
[17:09]
Rob Watson
I think they generally want money and that's, that's why they're going after the bigger retailers. I don't think it's, you know, they might have some core celebra, but I think this is about money.
[17:22]
Paul Moss
And do you have a firm principle.
[17:23]
Rob Watson
That you'll always refuse to give them that money?
[17:26]
Amal Rajan
Or, you know, speaking frankly, have you.
[17:28]
Rob Watson
In the past considered whether or not payments may be necessary in order to.
[17:31]
Paul Moss
Protect your customers data?
[17:33]
Rob Watson
Well, I think I, you know, look, I think firm principles tend to fold in the face of reality on stuff like this. So we've got a business to run and, you know, the challenge with some of these attacks is it can completely sink the business. I mean, I think our going in principle is we wouldn't pay a ransom. And I think most people would be in the same boat. I think how you navigate that when it's actually happening is probably another matter. We haven't had to cross that bridge yet.
[18:09]
Nick Miles
Helen Dickinson is the head of the British retail consortium. Amal Rajan. Asked her what the sector globally can do.
[18:17]
Helen Dickinson
This is concerning for customers and concerning for all businesses. These attackers are becoming more sophisticated. Often they're organized groups or people and they are very good at finding a weakness in any system. And every business needs to be aware that this is a threat that exists.
[18:40]
Rob Watson
If cybercriminals demand money, ransom, should bosses pay?
[18:46]
Helen Dickinson
These are criminals. You just really don't know who you're dealing with. Make sure that as a business that you're dealing with, you have some support from some expertise. There's a lot available in the market and obviously the National Cyber Security Centre is there as well.
[19:02]
Nick Miles
Helen Dickinson Africa to Yemen is one of the busiest but overlooked migration routes in the world. The Mixed Migration Centre estimates that 100,000 migrants arrive in Yemen annually, most from the Horn of Africa. And now migrants are getting caught up in Yemen's conflict as well. Earlier this week, 68 African migrants were killed in a U.S. airstrike on a detention center in the northwest of the country. The BBC's Priya Sipi takes a look now at this migration route and asks why so many are making this journey.
[19:39]
Helen Dickinson
In Hoden district in northwest Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, 35 year old Mohammed Abdullahi Mahmoud speaks to me on a video call via a local translator. Mohammed says he is now working as a rickshaw driver since he returned four years ago after he was deported from Saudi Arabia. He had been living there for five years. Like hundreds and thousands of others, Mohammed arrived in Saudi Arabia via Yemen, crossing the Gulf of Aden by boat. The Mixed Migration center estimates that 100,000 people a year take this journey, most of them coming from the Horn of Africa. It's one of the busiest migration routes in the world, and it's also one of the most dangerous.
[20:26]
Hisham Mana
30 minutes into our journey out at sea is when I realized that the boat was teetering. They forced seven Ethiopian men off the boat into the sea.
[20:37]
Helen Dickinson
The migration route takes two branches. Migrants either leave from Obec in Djibouti to arrive in Lodj in southeast Yemen, or they leave from Basaso in Somalia to arrive on the Shabwa coast in southwest Yemen. Many boats have capsized over the past decade.
[20:57]
Hisham Mana
It was a very distressful ride. Water kept flowing into the boat. All the migrants on the boat were Putting their palms together and taking the water out of the boat so the boat wouldn't sink.
[21:09]
Helen Dickinson
Migrants are also vulnerable to exploitation and abuse along the journey. Ayla Bonfiglio is the regional head at the Mixed Migration Centre, a global research network.
[21:20]
Amal Rajan
In the research that we carried out last year, which was with approximately 350 refugees and migrants that we interviewed, a majority also said that they perceived their smuggler as a perpetrator of a number of abuses which included physical violence, theft, extortion, robbery, sexual violence, kidnapping. It's really important to stress how blurry the line can be at times between smuggling and trafficking.
[21:47]
Helen Dickinson
Despite Yemen being embroiled in a civil war since 2014, Eila says the authorities don't deter the significant numbers moving through the country. Most migrants actually want to go to Saudi Arabia, where there is a high demand for migrant labour.
[22:02]
Amal Rajan
In 2019, we had a number of reports that year in Libya, where migrant detention centers had been targeted by airstrikes. It underscores the importance of really making sure that migrant detention centers are not in locations of active conflict.
[22:25]
Helen Dickinson
Back in Mogadishu, Mohammed is about to start his shift. He says that he has faced difficulties and challenges being back in Somalia, but he still warns other people about taking the migrant route.
[22:39]
Nick Miles
Priya Sippi. Now, when a car breaks down, it's not uncommon for a group of people to help the stranded motorist by giving them a push. But what about helping out a stranded 3 meter long great white shark? That is exactly what a group of total strangers did in southern Australia recently. As Stephanie Prentice explains.
[23:01]
Helen Dickinson
For tourist Nash Kaur, his day at the beach with his family took a dramatic turn. After seeing a dark shape in the.
[23:08]
Hisham Mana
Water, we thought, what's going on here? So had a bit of a look ourselves and we're seeing a shark in the shallow waters, you know, not too far off the, off the land. And I thought, oh, better go back and get me drone. So I ran back, got up close and yeah, it was, there's a shark stranded on the beach.
[23:23]
Helen Dickinson
The shark was stuck on a shallow shelf next to deep water, appearing to be ill or exhausted and not moving. Great white sharks rely on moving to breathe properly and can suffocate if trapped. After some debate, the men decided to take action.
[23:39]
Hisham Mana
To be honest, I sort of did have some thoughts about, oh, why am I going out here? But as we were going out, my young son, he turned to me and said, dad, my heart's pounding. I said, yeah, mine's beating pretty fast too.
[23:50]
Helen Dickinson
Along with some locals, he used crab rakes a tool to dig crabs out of sand to move the shark into deeper waters. And thankfully, it swam away without turning back towards them.
[24:02]
Hisham Mana
I was talking to him on the way back in and I said, is that something you've seen before? They're like, nah. I said, why did you guys go out? And they're like, oh, we just wanted to help it. So, yeah, it was just, I guess, one of those things you just do when you see something in distress.
[24:15]
Helen Dickinson
Marine biologists watching the drone footage have said while shark strandings are not common, they advise contacting environmental authorities instead of stepping in saying human safety has to come first.
[24:28]
Nick Miles
Stephanie Prentice and we end this pod with.
[24:38]
Rob Watson
Thomas is a tank engine who.
[24:40]
Nick Miles
Lives at a big well that music will have trouble transported some of you, at least to the fabled island of Sodor, home to one of the world's most famous fictional trains. Or should I say tank engine Thomas. This month marks 80 years since the Reverend Wilbert Audrey published the book that began a global phenomenon. With the TV series based on the book airing in more than 100 countries and being translated into dozens of languages. My colleague Rajini Vaijanathan has been speaking to Wilbert Audrey's his daughter, Veronica Chambers.
[25:15]
Helen Dickinson
My brother had measles in 1943, and to entertain him, my father started to tell him stories because railways were in my father's blood. And eventually father decided that he would try and illustrate a song which was down at the station early in the morning. And he did the front parts of locomotives. That's the easiest thing to draw. He put faces on them to make them more interesting. And there was a sad face and a happy face and a tired face and so on. And my brother, he didn't like the sad one because it was a bit like he was feeling because he wasn't very well with measles. And he said, why is this one sad, Daddy? Father had to make up something to explain why, which was he hasn't gone out of the shed for a long time and why hasn't he been out? Because all the other engines are bigger and stronger and they get chosen first. And between them they made this story of Edward's day out when he had to go and rescue a bigger engine that had broken down. That was the beginning and Edward was the first one. And then Henry and Gordon were introduced in other stories. So Thomas didn't appear in the very first book.
[26:24]
Amal Rajan
And so how did Thomas then end up becoming the main character? The number one?
[26:30]
Helen Dickinson
Thomas was based on a small wooden engine that my father had made for Christopher out of bits and pieces. And this was a little tank engine and he was painted blue and he had a coach and a truck as well. And on his side was painted nw, which actually then stood for Nowhere Railway. So father also decided he'd paint a number on the side, and the number one is the easiest number to paint.
[26:56]
Amal Rajan
Oh, so it's as simple as that?
[26:58]
Helen Dickinson
As simple as that.
[26:59]
Amal Rajan
What do you think is the enduring legacy of what your father's done with Thomas and his friends?
[27:06]
Helen Dickinson
I think one term that I've heard used is Thomas unites the world in friendship. And frankly, we could do with that now, couldn't we? Because we have seen children in foreign countries with models talking in their own language and suddenly the word Thomas comes out and you sort of think, that's amazing. That's wonderful.
[27:28]
Nick Miles
Veronica Chambers, daughter of Reverend Wilbert Awdrey, creator of Thomas the Tank Engineer. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global's news podcast later. Quick request from us, though, before we go, we want to hear where you're listening from so we can update our shiny new map in the office. You can email globalpodcastbc.co.uk with your town or city. And whilst you're about it, feel free to leave us a voice note because we do love to hear from you. You can also find us on x at. @ BBC World Service. Use the hashtag @global Newspod. This edition was mixed by Derek Clark and the producer was Stephanie Prentiss. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles and until next time, goodbye.

Summary8 min read

Global News Podcast Summary BBC World Service – Episode Released on May 2, 2025

1. Ship Carrying Aid for Gaza Bombed by Drones

Incident Overview: Crew members of a vessel transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza reported being attacked by Israeli drones in international waters near Malta. The attack has intensified concerns about the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid blockades have led to fears of mass starvation.

Key Details:

Activist Account: Activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of targeting their ship twice overnight, resulting in a fire and hull damage. A distress call captured by a nearby container ship corroborates these allegations.
Video Evidence: A video shared on social media platform X appears to depict the moment the boat is struck by drones.
Unverified Claims: As of the podcast's release, there has been no independent confirmation of the attack, nor any official comment from the Israeli government.

Notable Quotes:

Greta Thunberg (02:08): “What is certain is that US human rights activists will continue to do everything in our power to do our part to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor.”
Amal Rajan (02:25): "We're talking about people finding food with nearly luck. But prices of the remaining food supplies in Gaza went massively expensive beyond anyone's capability."

2. Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza on the Brink

Current Situation: Two months into Israel's blockade, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warns that humanitarian operations in Gaza are nearing collapse. Critical shortages in medical supplies and skyrocketing food prices are pushing the population toward starvation.

Community Impact:

Food Shortages: Community kitchens, such as those managed by American Near East Refugee Aid (Anira), are struggling to provide for thousands daily. Limited supplies of rice, lentils, and pasta are expected to last only ten more days.
Healthcare Decline: Hospitals are running out of essential medical supplies, exacerbating the crisis.

Notable Quotes:

Hisham Mana, ICRC Gaza Spokesperson (02:40): “We are talking about hospitals running out of medical supplies.”
Yolan Nell, Middle East Correspondent (03:17): “Today's dish is koshari, made with lentils, rice and a spicy tomato sauce.”

Visual Coverage: Footage from Anira’s warehouse shows empty shelves and the dire conditions migrants face in crowded tent camps, emphasizing the urgent need for renewed humanitarian access.

3. Israel's Airstrike Near Damascus and Druze Protection

Strategic Motives: Israel conducted an airstrike near Damascus's presidential palace, signaling a strong stance against potential threats to the Druze community in Syria. This move underscores Israel's intent to establish a buffer zone to safeguard its interests in the region.

Druze Community Dynamics:

Historical Context: The Druze, a minority group in Syria, have complex loyalties, with some members serving in the Israeli army while others remain loyal to their communities in Syria.
Sectarian Tensions: Recent clashes in Damascus involving the Druze have prompted Israeli intervention, aiming to protect the community amidst allegations of a genocide by Syrian authorities.

Notable Quotes:

Greta Thunberg (06:46): “Israel has made these increasing overtures to various sects in Syria, notably the Druze. And they're really trying to portray themselves as this regional protector of minorities.”
Greta Thunberg (08:29): “Sectarian violence erupted earlier this week following the circulation of this audio recording which people said kind of was of Assyrian Druze cleric insulting the Prophet Muhammad.”

Expert Insights: Shayna Oppenheimer from BBC Monitoring in Tel Aviv highlighted the strategic importance of the Druze in maintaining regional stability and Israel’s broader geopolitical aims.

4. Germany's AfD Party Designated as Extremist

Government Action: Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as an extremist organization. This unprecedented move subjects the party to heightened surveillance and restricts its political activities.

Political Fallout:

AfD's Response: Party leaders condemned the designation as a "serious blow to German democracy," arguing the decision is politically motivated. They have announced intentions to appeal the classification.
Government Stance: Interior Minister Nancy Faeser defended the decision, affirming it resulted from an independent investigation.

Key Observations:

Impact on Democracy: The designation intensifies scrutiny on AfD, potentially limiting its influence despite being the country's official opposition.
Political Realignment: Reform UK’s significant electoral gains in England, particularly their anti-immigration stance, suggest a shift towards multi-party dynamics in the UK, reflecting broader European political trends.

Notable Quotes:

Paul Moss, Europe Regional Editor (09:46): “The AfD does not consider German citizens with a migrant background, particularly from countries with a large Muslim population, to be equal members of the German people.”
Angus Baron, AfD Regional Lawmaker (11:05): “The old parties are now using the most political, politically questionable means.”

5. Reform UK's Electoral Surge in the UK

Election Results: Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, achieved a historic by-election victory in England, dismantling the Labour Party's majority and signaling a potential era of multi-party politics in the UK.

Strategic Insights:

Vote Shifts: Reform UK's success is attributed to voter dissatisfaction with both the Labour government and the preceding Conservative administration, positioning the party as a major political player.
Future Implications: While the party currently holds five out of 650 parliamentary seats, ongoing electoral performances will determine whether this trend signifies a permanent political realignment.

Notable Quotes:

Nigel Farage, Leader of Reform UK (12:32): “The results so far showed his party was a major player.”
Rob Watson, Political Correspondent (13:01): “They will have to deliver to some extent... There is a state of flux out there. This is an unhappy, sour mood country.”

6. Rising Cyber Attacks on Online Retailers

Current Threat Landscape: Online retailers, including heritage brands like Harrods and Marks & Spencer, are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals who aim to steal customer data, disrupt operations, and hold companies ransom.

Industry Response:

Operational Impact: Companies like Marks & Spencer are urging customers to shift to in-store shopping to mitigate the effects of cyber attacks on their online platforms.
Business Strategies: CEOs like Nick Stower of Monsoon and Accessorize express the constant threat and financial motivations behind these attacks. While some advocate for refusing to pay ransoms, others acknowledge the complexity of maintaining firm principles under pressure.

Notable Quotes:

Rob Watson, CEO of Monsoon and Accessorize (17:05): “Firm principles tend to fold in the face of reality on stuff like this.”
Helen Dickinson, Head of British Retail Consortium (18:16): “These attackers are becoming more sophisticated... Every business needs to be aware that this is a threat that exists.”

Expert Recommendations: Businesses are advised to seek expert support and utilize resources like the National Cyber Security Centre to bolster defenses against evolving cyber threats.

7. Dangerous Migration Routes Through Yemen

Migration Patterns: Yemen serves as a critical yet perilous transit point for approximately 100,000 migrants annually, primarily from the Horn of Africa, aiming to reach Saudi Arabia. The route is notorious for high fatalities due to shipwrecks and conflicts.

Human Stories:

Personal Accounts: Mohammed Abdullahi Mahmoud, a rickshaw driver from Mogadishu, recounts his harrowing journey through Yemen, emphasizing the desperate conditions and dangers migrants face.
Exploitation Risks: Migrants often fall victim to abuses such as physical violence, theft, and extortion by smugglers, blurring the lines between smuggling and trafficking.

Conflict Interference: Yemen’s ongoing civil war exacerbates the migration crisis, with airstrikes targeting detention centers and creating additional hazards for migrants en route.

Notable Quotes:

Hisham Mana (20:25): “They forced seven Ethiopian men off the boat into the sea.”
Ayla Bonfiglio, Regional Head at Mixed Migration Centre (21:19): “It's really important to stress how blurry the line can be at times between smuggling and trafficking.”

Humanitarian Concerns: Despite the conflict, authorities have not significantly deterred migration flows, driven by high demand for migrant labor in destination countries like Saudi Arabia.

8. Community Efforts to Save a Stranded Great White Shark

Incident Summary: In southern Australia, a group of strangers collaborated to free a stranded great white shark, ensuring its safe return to the deeper waters. The community's swift action prevented the shark from suffocating due to lack of movement.

Local Involvement:

Immediate Response: Tourists Nash Kaur and local residents used crab rakes to carefully move the shark. The collective effort highlighted the community's commitment to marine life conservation.
Expert Advice: Marine biologists advised against direct intervention, emphasizing human safety and recommending contacting environmental authorities instead.

Emotional Impact: The incident showcased the altruistic nature of individuals coming together to protect wildlife, reflecting a broader societal value placed on preserving marine ecosystems.

Notable Quotes:

Nash Kaur (23:07): “We thought, oh better go back and get me drone... it was just, I guess, one of those things you just do when you see something in distress.”
Marine Biologists (23:50): "Human safety has to come first."

9. 80 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine

Celebrating a Legacy: Commemorating eight decades since the creation of Thomas the Tank Engine by Reverend Wilbert Awdry, the podcast reflects on the character's global impact and enduring popularity among children worldwide.

Origins and Evolution:

Creative Beginnings: Awdry initially created engine characters to entertain his sick son, gradually developing them into complex personalities with distinct faces and stories.
Thomas’s Rise: Based on a small wooden engine Awdry made for his son, Thomas was chosen as the main character for his appealing simplicity and relatability, eventually becoming the cornerstone of a beloved franchise.

Cultural Impact: Thomas the Tank Engine has transcended its origins, becoming a universal symbol of friendship and cooperation, enjoyed by children in over 100 countries and translated into numerous languages.

Notable Quotes:

Veronica Chambers, Daughter of Wilbert Awdry (26:58): “Thomas unites the world in friendship. And frankly, we could do with that now, couldn't we?”
Wilbert Awdry's Daughter (26:24): “My father started to tell him stories because railways were in my father's blood... He put faces on them to make them more interesting.”

Conclusion

This episode of the Global News Podcast delivered a comprehensive overview of pressing global issues, from the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the turbulent political landscape in Germany and the UK, to the persistent threats of cyber attacks on retailers and the perilous migration routes through Yemen. Additionally, the podcast highlighted a heartwarming community effort to save marine life and celebrated the enduring legacy of Thomas the Tank Engine. Each segment provided in-depth analysis, personal narratives, and expert insights, underscored by poignant quotes that encapsulate the gravity and complexity of the topics discussed.

For more detailed coverage and the latest updates, subscribe to the Global News Podcast by BBC World Service.

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[00:00]
Nick Miles
This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and at 14 hours GMT on Friday 2nd May, these are our main stories. Aid agencies in Gaza say mass starvation is possible and describe scenes of children combing through rubble to look for the remains of their parents. Israel has carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus. We find out why Germany's second largest political party has just been designated. And extremist groups. And the group of strangers who risked their life to save a great white shark also in this podcast.
[00:43]
Helen Dickinson
These are criminals. You just really don't know who you're dealing with.
[00:47]
Rob Watson
I think firm principles tend to fold in the face of reality on stuff like this.
[00:52]
Nick Miles
With cyber attacks on retailers on the rise, we find out whether paying hackers off is the solution. Crew members of a boat carrying aid to Gaza say they've been attacked by Israeli drones in international waters off Malta. It comes as agencies warn of mass starvation as people fight for food there amid a breakdown in public order. Activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accuse Israel of hitting the front of their vessel twice overnight, causing a fire and damaging the hull. A video shared by activists on the social media platform X appears to show the moment the boat was attacked by drones. A nearby container ship recorded the distress call.
[01:47]
Amal Rajan
What is the situation on board?
[01:50]
Helen Dickinson
Ship is firing now?
[01:55]
Nick Miles
Well, there has been no independent confirmation of the allegation and no comments so far from Israel. The activist Greta Thunberg, who was due to board the ship, said the fight for the Palestinian people would continue.
[02:09]
Greta Thunberg
What happens now is uncertain, but what is certain is that US human rights activists will continue to do everything in our power to do our part to demand a free Palestine and demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor.
[02:26]
Nick Miles
Meanwhile, the international arm of the Red Cross says humanitarian work in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse two months after after Israel imposed a blockade on aid supplies. The spokesperson for the ICRC in Gaza is Hisham Mana.
[02:40]
Hisham Mana
We are talking about hospitals running out of medical supplies.
[02:43]
Amal Rajan
We're talking about people finding food with nearly luck. But prices of the remaining food supplies in Gaza went massively expensive beyond anyone's capability.
[02:54]
Hisham Mana
If the humanitarian aid is not resumed.
[02:56]
Amal Rajan
Within the following few weeks, the International.
[02:58]
Hisham Mana
Committee of the Red Cross will not.
[03:00]
Amal Rajan
Be able to maintain its humanitarian response. Community kitchens that provide hot meals for.
[03:04]
Hisham Mana
Thousands of families every day. Nearly the only one meal that these.
[03:09]
Amal Rajan
Families and these children have will not be able to continue working.
[03:13]
Nick Miles
Here's our Middle east correspondent, Yolan Nell.
[03:18]
Yolan Nell
A hot meal is hard to come by in Gaza, but these cooks are busy preparing one for some 6,000 displaced people. Today's dish is koshari, made with lentils, rice and a spicy tomato sauce.
[03:32]
Hisham Mana
In the past, we used to cook.
[03:34]
Amal Rajan
Rice with meat with the protein.
[03:36]
Hisham Mana
Now there is no any type of.
[03:38]
Amal Rajan
Meat or vegetables also entered Gaza. The people relay on our meat.
[03:47]
Yolan Nell
Sami Ma, from the humanitarian organization American Near East Refugee Aid, or Anira, oversees this community kitchen in Khan Yunus.
[03:56]
Amal Rajan
We only have 25 tons of rice, 8 tons of lentils and 100 bags of pasta. This is enough to cook the next 10 days.
[04:07]
Hisham Mana
After that, we cannot continue in our kitchens because there is nothing in the market.
[04:14]
Yolan Nell
The vast Anira warehouse is now empty. Israel blocked all goods to Gaza two months ago and then resumed its military offensive, saying this was to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages. Food stockpiled during the ceasefire at the start of this year has all but run out. With little fuel left in Gaza, the Anira team has loaded up a horse and cart to transfer their packages of food to Al Moasi, a sprawling, crowded tent camp on the coast. This elderly man says the kosheri will be enough for his family of seven. A weary looking mother says these handouts are her last lifeline.
[05:02]
Amal Rajan
At this time.
[05:03]
Helen Dickinson
It's excellent because there's no cooking gas, no food.
[05:06]
Amal Rajan
I collect leaves to start a fire just so we can have a cup of tea.
[05:13]
Yolan Nell
Aneera's workers are logging every portion of food they give out in the camp. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, but the UN and humanitarian groups say they closely monitor their supplies.
[05:26]
Amal Rajan
We have a software program with database of hundreds, thousands of people, including IDs.
[05:33]
Hisham Mana
Their names and also the address, the.
[05:36]
Amal Rajan
Coordinates of the camps to ensure the transparency and distribution.
[05:44]
Yolan Nell
With rising cases of acute malnutrition among children, Israel's close allies, including the uk, are pushing it to lift the Gaza blockade. There have been warnings that starving civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime. Back at the food kitchen, the huge cooking pots are washed up at the end of the shift. For now, Gazans have no choice but to take life day by day, hoping that tomorrow will finally bring relief.
[06:17]
Nick Miles
Yolande Nel we're going to stay in the Middle east now Because Israel has struck a target near the Presidential palace in Damascus. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said it was a clear message to the new authorities in Syria that Israel will not allow any threat to the Druze community. In recent days, there have been deadly clashes involving the Druze minority in Syria. I got more on Israel's intervention from Shayna Oppenheimer, who's from BBC monitoring in Tel Aviv.
[06:47]
Greta Thunberg
Well, since the fall of the former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, Israel has made these increasing overtures to various sects in Syria, notably the Druze. And they're really trying to portray themselves as this regional protector of minorities. And they see the Druze among, with several other sects as kind of key potential allies. And the Druze, notably in Syria, are kind of along the border zone. So they are potentially a strategic partner for Israel as it's quite wary of the new government and their interests.
[07:29]
Nick Miles
So it serves Israel's interest to have some kind of buffer zone, if you like, on that border between Syria and the Golan Heights area and Israel properly, certainly.
[07:39]
Greta Thunberg
And it's worth mentioning that there are Druze that live in Israel as well as the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. And some in Israel kind of very much see the Druze quite favorably. Some of them do serve in the Israeli army. Some of them are seen as quite loyal to Israel. Others of course are a little bit more loyal to their Druze communities in Syria. But Israel has made these kind of increasing gestures and statements about how Israel will not allow any harm to the Druze and they refer to them as, you know, the brothers of the Druze community in Israel.
[08:17]
Nick Miles
And Jenna, what about that comment from the Druze leader in Syria saying that the authorities are carrying out a genocide? I imagine it's very difficult to verify that, but what has been going on as far as you can tell?
[08:30]
Greta Thunberg
Well, sectarian violence erupted earlier this week following the circulation of this audio recording which people said kind of was of Assyrian Druze cleric insulting the Prophet Muhammad, which is a quite controversial thing to do as you can imagine. And there was some kind of deadly clashes in suburbs of Damascus, but this idea that there's this genocide, I think it really echoes the way that Israel sees things too. And they've also kind of talked about a massacre of Druze and that they need to be protected. There has been some kind of agreement between the Druze and the Syrian government, but kind of how this plays out is kind of unclear.
[09:16]
Nick Miles
Shayna Oppenheimer, Germany's domestic intelligence service, has decided to classify the right wing AfD political party as an extremist organization. The party's co leaders described the decision as a serious blow to German democracy. The alternative for Germany saw massive support across the east in recent parliamentary elections. Standing on a platform of opposing immigration. Our Europe regional editor Paul Moss told me more about the report.
[09:46]
Paul Moss
Well, it has Something very specific to say. It says the AfD does not consider German citizens with a migrant background, particularly from countries with a large Muslim population, to be equal members of the German people. And what it says, therefore the party it claims would exclude people based on their ethnicity from the democratic process. And that it says is incompatible with the German constitution. Now I should say you may be getting a sense of deja vu here when you hear this designation as extremist because individual regional areas, the AfD party there has been designated as extremist. But now it's the entire party that's been given this designation and by the country's official domestic intelligence agency.
[10:28]
Nick Miles
And Paul, what's this going to mean in practice for the party?
[10:32]
Paul Moss
It does have a practical meaning. It's not just a name. What it means is the authorities in Germany now have the right to monitor the AfD with greater scrutiny. They'll have more right to, for example, intercept its communications. It can recruit informants from within the AfD. Now bear in mind we are talking about Germany's official opposition party and yet the country's spy agency has the right to invasively spy on them as extremists and a threat to democracy. This really is an unprecedented step.
[11:03]
Nick Miles
And how has the AfD responded?
[11:05]
Paul Moss
Well, you won't be surprised to hear that they are not happy at all. First was Anton Baron, a regional lawmaker who said the old parties are now using the most political, politically questionable means. We then had an official statement from the ASD which said the party was being publicly discredited and criminalized. It said that the decision that had been made by these by the domestic agency was clearly politically motivated and they insist they will appeal. Now I should say the Interior Minister, the Germany and German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser has already replied to the suggestion of political influence. She says not at all. It was an independent investigation taken on by the domestic intelligence agency. I should say though that whatever the criticism that the AfD makes of this decision, in some senses you could argue that actually this is going to be very good from them. They have always insisted they are the outsiders, the insurgents, that the establishment is trying to crush them and silence them. And now they can look and say look, you see it is happening.
[12:07]
Nick Miles
Paul Moss, the populist right of Centre Party Reform UK has won a significant election in England overturning a huge governing Labour Party majority. It is the anti immigration party's first ever by election win and appears to confirm that the UK is entering an era of multi party politics. Its leader Nigel Farage said The results so far showed his party was a major player.
[12:33]
Paul Moss
I think we've supplanted the Conservative Party now as the main opposition party to the Labour government. I think the messages we're getting in many places where we didn't quite win was that if you vote Conservative, you actually get Labour. And we've bitten very hard into the Labour heartland.
[12:50]
Nick Miles
There were also elections for six mayors, as well as elections for local authorities. I asked our political correspondent Rob Watson if these results are as impressive as reform says.
[13:01]
Rob Watson
Very short answer to that question, Nick, is yes. I mean, I could almost just stop there. But they are truly impressive because it's not just winning the by election mp, they've also won one of their first local government elections. They also have won one of the mayoralities. So absolutely they're doing well. Although, of course, with that, having styled themselves as the party of disruption, the party of change, we're not the others. We think the system is broken now, of course, they will have to deliver to some extent.
[13:31]
Nick Miles
So this is very much beyond the normal sort of midterm. Well, not even midterm. It's only, what, seven, eight months since the last general election. But local elections usually give the incumbents a bloody nose and they've certainly given the Labour Party bloody nose. Do you think it goes beyond that, though?
[13:50]
Rob Watson
Well, that sort of depends on what happens next, Nick. But I mean, yes, to the extent that it's not just the Labour Party that's got a bloody nose here, it's the Conservatives who were in power before Labour. And of course, really what you're seeing, and this is what is so fascinating and presumably very worrying for the two main parties, is you're seeing reform benefiting from just the intense unpopularity of the relatively new Labour government and of the course, the Conservative who went before it. I mean, what you find when you go out in Britain is just a vast amount of anger at the system, the politicians, and funnily enough, by the way, that also includes reform.
[14:31]
Nick Miles
The extraordinary thing about British politics is that even though they've made these gains, they still only have five members of parliament out of 650, don't they? And they will be saying, look, this is a representation of what is wrong with the British political system.
[14:48]
Rob Watson
They will. But. But I think that they'll also be saying, look, if you just give us a few more votes, we can be there. We can be the party that ends 100 years of dominance by Labour and Conservative. And I think that is the big question that this, that these set of elections are raising Nick. And that is, you know, is this somehow a temporary phenomenon? The idea that, that the Conservatives and Labour won't be ruling this country as they have for the last hundred years, or is there something more permanent? And of course, we won't know that until the next elections, the next elections. But you can see that there is a state of flux out there. This is an unhappy, sour, sour mood country. And the beneficiary is Mr. Farage.
[15:32]
Nick Miles
Rob Watson. Still to come in this podcast, Thomas.
[15:38]
Helen Dickinson
Was based on a small wooden engine that my father had made. I think one term that I've heard used is Thomas unites the world in friendship. You sort of think, that's amazing, that's wonderful.
[15:52]
Nick Miles
It is 80 years since one man's attempt to amuse his sick child with the story of a tank engine turned into a global phenomenon. Now to the cyber attacks that have been targeting online retailers, including heritage brands like Harrods in the uk. The hackers paralyze web operations, steal customer data and hold companies to ransom. How should they respond? Well, the boss of the British chain Marks and Spencer is urging customers to come into its stores to shop in person as the retailer works day and night to tackle an attack that has crippled its online operation. Nick Stower is the CEO of Monsoon and Accessorize and sells on Ms. Marketplace. They've been impacted by this week's attack. My colleague Amal Rajan spoke to him about the extent of the issue.
[16:53]
Rob Watson
We're targeted constantly and I think just along with most of the other retailers, there are attacks that go on in, in various shapes and, and forms all the time. I think people don't realize that, but it's, it's a constant issue for us.
[17:06]
Amal Rajan
What do you think these cyber criminals actually want?
[17:09]
Rob Watson
I think they generally want money and that's, that's why they're going after the bigger retailers. I don't think it's, you know, they might have some core celebra, but I think this is about money.
[17:22]
Paul Moss
And do you have a firm principle.
[17:23]
Rob Watson
That you'll always refuse to give them that money?
[17:26]
Amal Rajan
Or, you know, speaking frankly, have you.
[17:28]
Rob Watson
In the past considered whether or not payments may be necessary in order to.
[17:31]
Paul Moss
Protect your customers data?
[17:33]
Rob Watson
Well, I think I, you know, look, I think firm principles tend to fold in the face of reality on stuff like this. So we've got a business to run and, you know, the challenge with some of these attacks is it can completely sink the business. I mean, I think our going in principle is we wouldn't pay a ransom. And I think most people would be in the same boat. I think how you navigate that when it's actually happening is probably another matter. We haven't had to cross that bridge yet.
[18:09]
Nick Miles
Helen Dickinson is the head of the British retail consortium. Amal Rajan. Asked her what the sector globally can do.
[18:17]
Helen Dickinson
This is concerning for customers and concerning for all businesses. These attackers are becoming more sophisticated. Often they're organized groups or people and they are very good at finding a weakness in any system. And every business needs to be aware that this is a threat that exists.
[18:40]
Rob Watson
If cybercriminals demand money, ransom, should bosses pay?
[18:46]
Helen Dickinson
These are criminals. You just really don't know who you're dealing with. Make sure that as a business that you're dealing with, you have some support from some expertise. There's a lot available in the market and obviously the National Cyber Security Centre is there as well.
[19:02]
Nick Miles
Helen Dickinson Africa to Yemen is one of the busiest but overlooked migration routes in the world. The Mixed Migration Centre estimates that 100,000 migrants arrive in Yemen annually, most from the Horn of Africa. And now migrants are getting caught up in Yemen's conflict as well. Earlier this week, 68 African migrants were killed in a U.S. airstrike on a detention center in the northwest of the country. The BBC's Priya Sipi takes a look now at this migration route and asks why so many are making this journey.
[19:39]
Helen Dickinson
In Hoden district in northwest Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, 35 year old Mohammed Abdullahi Mahmoud speaks to me on a video call via a local translator. Mohammed says he is now working as a rickshaw driver since he returned four years ago after he was deported from Saudi Arabia. He had been living there for five years. Like hundreds and thousands of others, Mohammed arrived in Saudi Arabia via Yemen, crossing the Gulf of Aden by boat. The Mixed Migration center estimates that 100,000 people a year take this journey, most of them coming from the Horn of Africa. It's one of the busiest migration routes in the world, and it's also one of the most dangerous.
[20:26]
Hisham Mana
30 minutes into our journey out at sea is when I realized that the boat was teetering. They forced seven Ethiopian men off the boat into the sea.
[20:37]
Helen Dickinson
The migration route takes two branches. Migrants either leave from Obec in Djibouti to arrive in Lodj in southeast Yemen, or they leave from Basaso in Somalia to arrive on the Shabwa coast in southwest Yemen. Many boats have capsized over the past decade.
[20:57]
Hisham Mana
It was a very distressful ride. Water kept flowing into the boat. All the migrants on the boat were Putting their palms together and taking the water out of the boat so the boat wouldn't sink.
[21:09]
Helen Dickinson
Migrants are also vulnerable to exploitation and abuse along the journey. Ayla Bonfiglio is the regional head at the Mixed Migration Centre, a global research network.
[21:20]
Amal Rajan
In the research that we carried out last year, which was with approximately 350 refugees and migrants that we interviewed, a majority also said that they perceived their smuggler as a perpetrator of a number of abuses which included physical violence, theft, extortion, robbery, sexual violence, kidnapping. It's really important to stress how blurry the line can be at times between smuggling and trafficking.
[21:47]
Helen Dickinson
Despite Yemen being embroiled in a civil war since 2014, Eila says the authorities don't deter the significant numbers moving through the country. Most migrants actually want to go to Saudi Arabia, where there is a high demand for migrant labour.
[22:02]
Amal Rajan
In 2019, we had a number of reports that year in Libya, where migrant detention centers had been targeted by airstrikes. It underscores the importance of really making sure that migrant detention centers are not in locations of active conflict.
[22:25]
Helen Dickinson
Back in Mogadishu, Mohammed is about to start his shift. He says that he has faced difficulties and challenges being back in Somalia, but he still warns other people about taking the migrant route.
[22:39]
Nick Miles
Priya Sippi. Now, when a car breaks down, it's not uncommon for a group of people to help the stranded motorist by giving them a push. But what about helping out a stranded 3 meter long great white shark? That is exactly what a group of total strangers did in southern Australia recently. As Stephanie Prentice explains.
[23:01]
Helen Dickinson
For tourist Nash Kaur, his day at the beach with his family took a dramatic turn. After seeing a dark shape in the.
[23:08]
Hisham Mana
Water, we thought, what's going on here? So had a bit of a look ourselves and we're seeing a shark in the shallow waters, you know, not too far off the, off the land. And I thought, oh, better go back and get me drone. So I ran back, got up close and yeah, it was, there's a shark stranded on the beach.
[23:23]
Helen Dickinson
The shark was stuck on a shallow shelf next to deep water, appearing to be ill or exhausted and not moving. Great white sharks rely on moving to breathe properly and can suffocate if trapped. After some debate, the men decided to take action.
[23:39]
Hisham Mana
To be honest, I sort of did have some thoughts about, oh, why am I going out here? But as we were going out, my young son, he turned to me and said, dad, my heart's pounding. I said, yeah, mine's beating pretty fast too.
[23:50]
Helen Dickinson
Along with some locals, he used crab rakes a tool to dig crabs out of sand to move the shark into deeper waters. And thankfully, it swam away without turning back towards them.
[24:02]
Hisham Mana
I was talking to him on the way back in and I said, is that something you've seen before? They're like, nah. I said, why did you guys go out? And they're like, oh, we just wanted to help it. So, yeah, it was just, I guess, one of those things you just do when you see something in distress.
[24:15]
Helen Dickinson
Marine biologists watching the drone footage have said while shark strandings are not common, they advise contacting environmental authorities instead of stepping in saying human safety has to come first.
[24:28]
Nick Miles
Stephanie Prentice and we end this pod with.
[24:38]
Rob Watson
Thomas is a tank engine who.
[24:40]
Nick Miles
Lives at a big well that music will have trouble transported some of you, at least to the fabled island of Sodor, home to one of the world's most famous fictional trains. Or should I say tank engine Thomas. This month marks 80 years since the Reverend Wilbert Audrey published the book that began a global phenomenon. With the TV series based on the book airing in more than 100 countries and being translated into dozens of languages. My colleague Rajini Vaijanathan has been speaking to Wilbert Audrey's his daughter, Veronica Chambers.
[25:15]
Helen Dickinson
My brother had measles in 1943, and to entertain him, my father started to tell him stories because railways were in my father's blood. And eventually father decided that he would try and illustrate a song which was down at the station early in the morning. And he did the front parts of locomotives. That's the easiest thing to draw. He put faces on them to make them more interesting. And there was a sad face and a happy face and a tired face and so on. And my brother, he didn't like the sad one because it was a bit like he was feeling because he wasn't very well with measles. And he said, why is this one sad, Daddy? Father had to make up something to explain why, which was he hasn't gone out of the shed for a long time and why hasn't he been out? Because all the other engines are bigger and stronger and they get chosen first. And between them they made this story of Edward's day out when he had to go and rescue a bigger engine that had broken down. That was the beginning and Edward was the first one. And then Henry and Gordon were introduced in other stories. So Thomas didn't appear in the very first book.
[26:24]
Amal Rajan
And so how did Thomas then end up becoming the main character? The number one?
[26:30]
Helen Dickinson
Thomas was based on a small wooden engine that my father had made for Christopher out of bits and pieces. And this was a little tank engine and he was painted blue and he had a coach and a truck as well. And on his side was painted nw, which actually then stood for Nowhere Railway. So father also decided he'd paint a number on the side, and the number one is the easiest number to paint.
[26:56]
Amal Rajan
Oh, so it's as simple as that?
[26:58]
Helen Dickinson
As simple as that.
[26:59]
Amal Rajan
What do you think is the enduring legacy of what your father's done with Thomas and his friends?
[27:06]
Helen Dickinson
I think one term that I've heard used is Thomas unites the world in friendship. And frankly, we could do with that now, couldn't we? Because we have seen children in foreign countries with models talking in their own language and suddenly the word Thomas comes out and you sort of think, that's amazing. That's wonderful.
[27:28]
Nick Miles
Veronica Chambers, daughter of Reverend Wilbert Awdrey, creator of Thomas the Tank Engineer. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global's news podcast later. Quick request from us, though, before we go, we want to hear where you're listening from so we can update our shiny new map in the office. You can email globalpodcastbc.co.uk with your town or city. And whilst you're about it, feel free to leave us a voice note because we do love to hear from you. You can also find us on x at. @ BBC World Service. Use the hashtag @global Newspod. This edition was mixed by Derek Clark and the producer was Stephanie Prentiss. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles and until next time, goodbye.