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Trump agrees huge arms deal on Saudi visit
00:34:30
US president also pledged to lift all Syrian sanctions
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Bernard Ecchio
This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernard Ecchio and in the early hours of Wednesday, the 14th of May, these are our main stories. The US and Saudi Arabia say they've signed commercial deals worth $600 billion during Donald Trump's ongoing trip to the Middle East. Medical teams in Gaza are struggling to deal with the casualties after an Israeli airstrike hit the European hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Uruguay's former president Jose Mejica, known as Pepe, has died, aged 89. Also in this podcast, hundreds of photographers and journalists scramble outside a Paris courthouse as the US reality star Kim Kardashian gives emotional testimony at the trial of the gang accused of robbing her foreign. We begin in Saudi Arabia. President Trump has made a raft of significant announcements in the Gulf state on the first day of his tour of the Middle east, speaking after a lavish lunch hosted by the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He said the two had signed commercial agreements worth More than $600 billion. The White House said these included the largest defence sales deal in history. Mr. Trump spoke at an investment forum in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, heaping praise on his hosts. I want to thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for that incredible introduction. He's an incredible man. Known him a long time now. There's nobody like him. I've never forgotten the exceptional hospitality showed to us by King Salman, who's just. We talk about a great man that is a great man that is a great man, a great family. President Trump said Iran was the most destructive force in the Middle east and contrasted its actions with what he deemed as positive developments on the Arabian Peninsula. In his speech, Mr. Trump urged Tehran to make what he called a deal with Washington or. Or face devastating consequences. I'm here today not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran's leaders, but to offer them a new path toward a far better and more hopeful future. I want to make a deal with Iran. If I can make a deal with Iran, I'll be very happy if we're going to make your region and the world a safer place. But if Iran's leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero, and take all action required to stop the regime from ever having a nuclear weapon. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. I spoke to our chief international correspondent Liz Doucet, who's in Riyadh, and put it to her that Mr. Trump was at pains to stress the close relations between the US And Saudi Arabia. The Saudis could not have expected a better trip, both in terms of its heavy symbolism and also substance. Mohammed bin Salman never left President Trump's side from the moment he personally met him on the tarmac, the very first moment he put his foot down on the airfield. What a contrast to when President Biden visited a few years ago. Mohammed bin Salman, who's the de facto ruler of the kingdom, sent a delegation to meet him. And President Trump, of course, said, I like him so much, so much. He says that's why we are giving him so much. And what a lot he gave him, including what the White House describes as the biggest defense agreement in history. And what were the other key takeaways from the speech? Lee's we always knew that this was going to be a trip which emphasized what President Trump says is the need for create jobs to invest in America deals amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars in sectors ranging from artificial intelligence to energy to aerospace, as well, as I mentioned that arms deal. But politics and regional stability also entered President Trump's speech. And there were a number of notable announcements. One, that he has decided to lift sanctions against Syria. That would have been something the Saudi leaders would have wanted because the success of Syria, if it's within grasp after the fall of President Assad's decades old dictatorship, is they need to begin to build economically and they can't do that with their hands tied with sanctions. He spoke briefly about Gaza, saying the people of Gaza needed a better future. But he put the blame for their current predicament on their leaders, he said, who insisted on killing and kidnapping children. There was none of the urging for a ceasefire, including by Israel, which President Trump and his Mideast envoy had been talking about before the trip. And as you also mentioned, mentioned about Iran as well, telling Iran that Iran could have a different future, the kind of future he waxed eloquently about about the Saudi kingdom, but as long as they stopped their kind of activities, including their nuclear program. So a lot in that speech and his visit to the kingdom isn't even half over yet. Well, he also said that he hoped Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords. That's the deals he brokered between Israel and other Gulf countries during his first administration. How likely is it that Saudi Arabia will do so? Yes, that was something even President Biden pushed hard in his last months in office, this grand bargain of normalization. And the prize is, of course, Israel normalizing with the Saudi Kingdom, which is not just a pivotal political and economic player, it's the custodian of the two holy mosques. But that simply is not on the agenda now. It was noticeable there was hardly any applause when President Trump discussed that Mohammed bin Salman has been among the bluntest of Arab leaders in describing Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide and making it absolutely clear there could be no normalization until there was a clear pathway to a Palestinian state. And that's not on the political horizon under Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership. Please Doucet. In Saudi Arabia, officials in Gaza say at least 28 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the European hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Dr. Tomo Potokar is a plastic surgeon working with the IDEALS charity in Gaza. He was in the hospital on Tuesday when it was hit. We've been treating patients and everything was reasonably stable, shall we say, until earlier this evening when there was six enormous explosions, one after the other, directly hitting the inside of the hospital compound. I came straight out. My colleague was working in the intensive care unit, so I wanted to make sure she was okay. And going through the hospital to get there, down the main corridor, there was a lot of structural damage. Cracks in the walls, parts of the ceiling come down, masonry on the floor. And then outside again, there's a bus that has been completely upended with a huge crater as well. Normally you hear either a drone or an aircraft passing overhead, but this time there was nothing. There was no warning whatsoever. Reports from the area say the apparent target of the massive attack was Mohammed Sinwar, who's believed to become the leader of Hamas in Gaza after his brother Yahya was killed in an Israeli strike last October. I asked our Middle east regional editor, Mike Thompson, what Israel has said about the attack. Israelis have said that they were targeting a Hamas command and control center that was buried near deep underneath the hospital. And they've often made the claim that Hamas hides in places like hospitals with the COVID of knowing that you're not supposed to bomb such places and therefore Hamas would think they could get away with being there. But so far, we haven't seen what evidence there is for that, but that's certainly what they're saying. And have we heard things from the hospital itself, what's being said? No, so far we haven't. We know they're struggling to deal with all the casualties, and many are being transferred to the Nasser hospital, also in Khan Younis, which itself was hit by a strike overnight. So it's been struggling to. Two people Killed there, two wounded. So it's already got a lot to deal with, but it's dealing with the casualties. Now, this comes as Israel is threatening to go into Gaza with full force. Yes, that's right. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli forces will go in with full force within a couple of days unless there is some deal over hostages with Hamas. But he said that even if there is, it's not going to stop ultimately an offensive because he wants to see, he said, Hamas completely destroyed. So all of that, of course, happening while we've got President Trump in Saudi Arabia on his Middle east tour and part of his attention has been on trying to work out some sort of deal in Gaza, some sort of ceasefire that could last. But of course, Israel has said repeatedly, that's Benjamin Netanyahu, that there can be no peace and no end to the war until Hamas has been destroyed. And Hamas have said, look, we will not release all the hostages, we will not have another ceasefire unless there is a guarantee that that is part of a deal to end the war. So, as you see, it's intractable. It's total opposites here, not finding a way through with each other. Mike Thompson Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council has been meeting to discuss how to get aid into the Gaza Strip amid warnings that many Palestinians are facing starvation. The UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, strongly criticised Israel, which has been blocking aid for civilians for more than two months. Israel is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory. For more than 10 weeks, nothing has entered Gaza, no food, medicine, water or tents. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have again been forcibly displaced and confined into ever shrinking spaces. The US has been pressing for a new system to provide aid to Gaza through private companies. Our correspondent Will Grant told me more. Well, the idea was set out by the US ambassador, the acting US Ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, who said that she called on the UN and the international community to work, work with a group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Now, that's a private charity essentially, that was set up in February, a group that will in essence rely on US based private contractors to distribute the aid. Now, that has been supported by the Israeli government. They said their troops would secure the perimeter, as they put it in essence back these private contractors. It would break, as it were long held convictions by aid agents, agencies and UN bodies working in Gaza, that anyone other than them distribute the aid because they say that has kept them safe, that has ensured the aid gets to the right people. But of course, the Israeli government say it ends up in the hands of Hamas. So it is a very, very difficult situation because for as long as there is no agreement over the use of something like the Gaza Humanitarian foundation or US Private contractors, which is clearly the Trump administration's preferred position on this, it looks that the blockade, the Israeli blockade on any aid making it into the devastated territory will continue. And of course, there are thousands of tons of much, much needed blankets, tents, food and medicines stockpiled in Egypt. And we've heard very, very dire warnings about the imminent threat of starvation for the entire population of the Gaza Strip. Well, despite the dire situation on the ground, what can the Security Council do? Well, what was striking to me were the words of the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher. And of course, we've heard a clip from him. But I really felt that he was sort of trying to push the Security Council to feel the weight of history, to say to them that future generations will hold them to account and that they must act. He specifically urged Israel to lift what he called this brutal blockade and Hamas to release the hostages. There is, of course, a limit. I mean, critics would say that it amounted to a talking shop, that none of it matters unless there are meaningful actions taken on the ground and unless the Trump administration, among others, can actually bring pressure to bear on the Israeli government, will grant. In Washington, Ukraine's President Zelensky is traveling to the Turkish capital, Ankara, to meet President Erdogan ahead of a proposed peace summit with Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader suggested direct talks this Thursday in Istanbul between his country and Ukraine, but has not yet said if he will attend in person. Speaking in Kyiv earlier, President Zelensky reiterated his willingness to take part in the talks, but only if Mr. Putin was also there for face to face discussions. Our security correspondent Frank Gardner reports from Kyiv. Dressed in his trademark black and standing before a row of Ukrainian flags, President Zelenskyy laid out his country's position on what could be historic talks aimed at ending this bitter war. That's if they actually happen. The Ukrainian leader told the assembled media he thought President Putin's surprise offer of direct talks was a ruse that he never expected Ukraine to accept. But Mr. Zelensky knows that to refuse such an offer would incur the wrath of President Trump. So he's accepted. But he once more insisted that Russia must agree to a 30 day ceasefire. The most important outcome would be for an unconditional ceasefire. And an unconditional ceasefire, judging by the experience of the past days and months, can only be secured by Putin. Russia sent a signal for direct talks. The United States supported that idea of direct talks between the leaders. I support the proposal. Today, President Trump said his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, would attend the talks in Turkey. But the big unknown is whether Mr. Putin will be there or not. Frank Gardner in Ukraine, Kim Kardashian, the US Reality TV star and entrepreneur, has been giving evidence in the trial of a group of men accused of robbing her in a Paris hotel suite. Photographers and members of the public were waiting outside the Palais de Justice in the French city as she arrived. Kim Kardashian told the court how she was bound and gagged as she was robbed at gunpoint in a hotel room in the city in 2016. Millions of dollars worth of jewelry was stolen. Our correspondent in Paris, Hugh Schofield, is following the case. It was her day or certainly her afternoon, and she arrived in great pomp and ceremony with a massive escort of police. Fit really for a kind of visiting dignitary. She arrived at the back entrance of the Palais de Justice here on the E de la Cite, whisked up the stairs, and then began a long, long four or five hours of giving evidence. There was, you know, a tough, tough time for her in which she went back over that night, the night in October 2016, where she was held at gunpoint by these two men who burst into her hotel suite and quite clearly put her through a really terrifying ordeal. At times she was close to tears, wiping her eyes, recalling the detail of it all, how they came in and shouted for the ring, the ring, which was the famous ring that she'd been given by Kanye West. They found that the other jewels gagged her, bound her, put her in the bathtub and that, you know, and she was genuinely fearful, as she said, that she might either be killed or raped or kidnapped and that, you know, that, that, that, that it all could come to an end. It was terrifying and life changing, she said at one point. And I don't wouldn't wish that kind of terror on anyone to think you could be killed or raped. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. So, quite an emotional tone today, Hugh. It was, I mean, it was not the first time we've heard this. She's given interviews telling the events of the night before. But, you know, she does say it every time, that this changed her life. She has not been able to live in the same way ever since because she's afraid. She has much tougher security now. She won't post online in the same way Anymore. So all this stuff she says has changed her life. And I think that was very much what the, certainly what the prosecution in this trial wanted to bring out from her, the sense this was a real crime and that these old men, bandits who've been dubbed, you know, the grandpa Bandits, are not some cuddly old gentleman criminals who, you know, obey a code of honor. They. They did something which is deeply, deeply traumatic to this woman. Well, tell us more about the defendants. They are all, you know, in their 70s, or mainly all in their 70s, even 80s. Some of them are very, very ill. And one, the alleged ringleader, is so ill that he's now talk and he can't hear, so could only communicate through text written on a printed screen. And it was this alleged ringleader who had a very weird encounter in the afternoon when, when the president read out a letter that he had written a long time ago now to Kim Kardashian saying that he was sorry for the trauma that she'd suffered and how he regretted it all. And in court, she said to him, well, you know, I'm now studying to be a lawyer, which she is, and I appreciate the role of rehabilitation in the whole process of justice. So I appreciate the letter you've written me and I forgive you. To which he communicated back to her again by writing on the screen, your forgiveness is a sun which will light up the rest of my days. Hugh Scofield in Paris. Still to come, I'm fit and well and cancer free. It's amazing. And also future families that have actually got this BRCA gene, you know, it's a new hope, really. Researchers in the UK say a new treatment approach can significantly improve survival rates for patients with aggressive inherited breast cancer. The former President of Uruguay, Jose Mejica, has died from cancer at the age of 89. He's been described as the world's humblest president due to his austere lifestyle and giving away most of his salary. The former left wing guerrilla fighter became president in 2010. He famously drove a Volkswagen Beetle and retired to a simple rural property at the end of his term in 2015. Candace Piet looks back at the life of a politician who many argued broke the status quo. An old man when he came to power, Jose Mujica will be remembered for his simple way of life, his political bravery, and for his extraordinary appeal to young people. In the 60s and 70s, he led the armed Tupamaros guerrillas against military rule. He escaped twice from prison and withstood inhuman treatment in jail for 14 years. Two of them at the bottom of a well. In a BBC interview, he explained the impact of that time. I thought about this a lot the night I was given a mattress. I felt comfortable and I learnt that if you can't be happy with a few things, then you'll never be happy with a lot of things. The loneliness of the prison made me think about a lot of issues. So what I try to tell the new generations is that you can be defeated in every aspect of life. Love, work, but it is always worth starting again and finding new ways because at the end of the day, life is beautiful. He never forgot what it felt like to be deprived of liberty. Years later, in 2014, he gave sanctuary to six Guantanamo prisoners when no other state would. Above all, Jose Mujica was a political pragmatist and despite his left wing roots, had no trouble talking to foreign investors. At the age of 79, he surprised many by adopting progressive social policies, pushing for the liberalization of the laws on marijuana, gay rights and abortion. Famous for his austere lifestyle, he lived in a small farmhouse outside the capital Montevideo all his life. Even as president, his anti materialist speeches gained much appeal amongst young supporters at home and abroad and in social networks. Jose Mujico will be remembered as saying no to the trappings of power and for putting tiny Uruguay on the map by starting a fresh global conversation about compassion, justice and what makes life beautiful. Kante's Piet Cassandra Ventura, the prosecution's key witness in the sex trafficking trial of Sean Diddy Combs in New York, has told the court she suffered years of abuse at his hands. The rapper denies all the charges but could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted. A North America correspondent, John Sudworth, reports. Cassie Ventura told the court how as a young singer she was taken under the wing of Sean Diddy Combs, a man who could make or break careers. They began a relationship which over the course of the next 10 years became violent, she said. Ms. Ventura's evidence is key to the prosecution case because of a video taken in a Hotel in 2016 in which Mr. Combs can be seen assaulting her. The incident, she said, took place during a so called freak off, one of the organized sex parties in which the prosecution allege women like Cassie Ventura were forced to take part against their will. John Sudsworth, now to Germany, a self declared king of the country, and three of his senior subjects have been arrested and their group banned for attempting to overthrow the state. The authorities carried out raids against an extremist far right organisation called the Reichsburger, or Citizens of the Reich which has about 6,000 followers and which wants to re establish the territory of the German Empire of 1871. Paul Henley heard more about this so called king from Dr. Claudia Hillebrand of the University of Cardiff. Peter Fitzek is one of those arrested in today's morning's race. The other ones are currently only known as Matthias B, Benjamin M. And Martin S. So the raid involved about 800 security personnel and took place in seven of the German states. And the raid was obviously the consequence of the German government banning the Kingdom of Germany, which is the biggest grouping within the Reichsberger movement. And they've banned them on the basis that it is an extremist far right organization. And Peter Fitzek is the self declared king of this movement which seeks to establish the Kingdom of Germany. Germany. So he crowned himself in 2012 while dressed in robes and brandishing a sword. And in a previous court case against him he referred to himself as Peter I. So as the king of this fantasy kingdom, he has announced laws and describes his followers as his subjects. These Reichsburger have a familiar anti Semitic narrative, don't they? The Reichsburger movement is rather diverse, but across the Reichsburger movement members do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany as a state. They either deny or ignore the country's democratic and constitutional structures. And most of the members claim that the historical German Reich still exists. The group certainly relate to ethno nationalism as a concept. So where the nation is very much defined by ethnicity. But really at the core of this rather diverse group of the Reichsburger movement, there is an anti state and conspiracy related argument which is usually embedded in some anti Semitic myths and ideas. Claudia Hillebrand of Cardiff University researchers in the UK say a new treatment approach can significantly improve survival rates for patients with aggressive inherited breast cancer. A trial led by adambrookes Hospital in Cambridge, part of the National Health Service, or nhs, found that using a targeted drug before surgery greatly reduced the chances of the disease coming back by blocking a key protein in cancer cells. All 39 of the patients given the drug prior to surgery in the trial survived at least three years, compared to six deaths among the 45 patients who didn't get the drug. Our medical editor Fergus Walsh, met a patient who took part in the trial. It's nice to have you all here. Going for a nice walk on a day like this. Jackie van Bokoven, who's 59, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. It was the result of a faulty inherited gene called BRCA1, which runs in her family. My mum had ovarian cancer and sadly died after a breast cancer. My sister had a breast cancer in her early 30s. Jackie was part of a trial led by Adenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge using a targeted drug called Olaparib. Nice to be all together. No, no, sit down. She was one of 39 women with aggressive early stage breast cancer who were given Olaparib tablets along with chemotherapy prior to surgery. The findings, published in Nature Communications, show that at three years, all had survived, compared to six deaths out of 45 women in a group who did not get Olaparib. It's good that you've recovered so well as well. I know. Very lucky. Jackie has three daughters, one of whom also carries the faulty BRCA gene. So she was relieved and delighted to be part of such an important study, and not just for herself. I'm fit and well and cancer free. It's amazing, absolutely amazing. And also for my future generations, future families that have actually got this BRCA gene. It's a new hope, really. Olaparib is the first targeted drug treatment for mutations in the BRCA genes and works by stopping cancer cells from being able to repair their DNA. If these impressive trial results are confirmed in a bigger study, it will lead to a change in clinical practice and save money for the NHS, as patients will switch to taking olaparib for 12 weeks before surgery, rather than the current protocol of taking it for a year afterwards at double the dose. The trial was led by Dr. Jean Abraham, a consultant at Attenbrookes Hospital and professor of precision cancer medicine at the University of Cambridge. This is really exciting. It's not often that you see 100% survival at 36 months for this subtype of breast cancer. From a cost perspective, it would save the NHS a considerable amount of money because it's a fraction of the time and dose of drug. 1 in 400 people carry mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. 7 in 10 women with changes in these genes will develop breast cancer, compared to around one in seven women without these mutations. For men with the genes, the increased risk of breast cancer is much lower. I've been very happy just to see the discussion about women's health expanded and that means the world to me. And after losing my mom to these issues, I'm very grateful for it and I've been very moved by the kind support from people. The Hollywood star Angelina Jolie raised awareness of inherited breast cancer genes in 2013 when she had a double mastectomy to cut her risk of getting the disease. So once we've been to Glencoe, we're going to get in the campervan and we're going to drive along this coast here. Jackie and her husband can now focus on planning holidays in their campervan rather than worrying about cancer. BRCA mutations also increase the risk of ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer. And it's thought the trial could also have implications for how Olaparib is used to treat some patients with these conditions. The BBC's medical editor, Fergus Walsh to Switzerland, where the first of two Eurovision Song Contest semi finals have taken place in the city of Basel. Fifteen countries performed on Tuesday night, including Sweden, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Norway and Croatia. Among the favourites was Sweden, with a catchy tribute to sauna culture. And Dutch singer Claude with his emotional ballad C' Est la vie. In total, 37 countries will compete for a place in Saturday's Grand Final. I heard more about the first semi final from our correspondent Charlotte Gallagher, who's in Basel. She began by telling us how the Swedish band got on. Well, they did really well. They are a huge favorite here in Basel. They're also currently the bookie's favorite as well, which is no surprise, really, because if there's one thing that Sweden does really well, it's writing a Eurovision banger. They have won it so many times. We were in Malmo last year because they won it the year before. Switzerland obviously won it last year, so that's why we're in Basel. But it could well be going back to Sweden next year. It's a hugely popular song. It's got this great staging. They're sat in a sauna, so it really catches the eye. It's really funny. I met a lady from Stockholm earlier, Karen. She was really excited and I said, but what will it mean for the song, you know, Eurovision to come to Sweden again? She went, it'll probably mean higher taxes for us, but I'm still excited. So lots of Swedish fans in the city cheering on their contestants. Other popular songs to go through include Estonia. They've got a song called Espresso Macchiato. Their contestant is called Tommy Cash. He's hugely popular. He went through Ukraine, went through some real surprises, though. Cyprus people had big hopes for them. They failed to qualify, as did Belgium as well. They were hugely popular. And then some surprises went through Portugal and San Marino. People weren't perhaps expecting them to go through to the final, but they did. But that's always the way with Eurovision. You don't know what people at home are enjoying and what they're voting for. And what's the atmosphere been like there in Basel? It's very different, I'd say, from Malmo last year. It does seem a bit more relaxed. Malmo was quite tense at times because of the conflict in Gaza and Israel and you felt that as soon as you got into the city. We haven't seen that yet in Basel. There is a protest, though tomorrow against Israel's inclusion in Eurovision. And also when Israel perform in the second semi final on Thursday, the contestant says she expects to be booed, essentially, and people will be allowed to bring Palestinian flags into the arena. They weren't necessarily allowed to do that in Sweden last year. People had those flags taken off them. This year, they will be allowed to bring them in. So I think we'll probably see the mood towards Israel and the Israeli contestant here in Eurovision on Thursday. But at the moment, in town, in the city center, people seem pretty happy that Eurovision's here. There's lots of turquoise flags hanging off lampposts. And of course, this is where Eurovision started 69 years ago. The first Eurovision ever was held in Switzerland in 1956. Charlotte Gallagher in Eurovision mode in Switzerland. And that's all from us for now. But there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk you can also find us on XBCWorldService. Use the hashtag Global Newspod. This edition was mixed by Nick Randall. The producer was Liam McSheffrey. Approved by Stephen Jensen. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernard Ecchio. Until next time. Goodbye.