Trump aide tells Ukraine to ''tone down'' US criticism

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary BBC World Service | Released February 20, 2025

The latest episode of the Global News Podcast by the BBC World Service, hosted by Janat Jalil, delves into a spectrum of pressing international issues ranging from geopolitical tensions and criminal activities to cultural shifts and scientific discoveries. Below is a comprehensive summary of the episode, structured into clear sections for ease of understanding.

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1. US-Ukraine Relations: Strained Ties and Mineral Deals

The podcast opens with a deep dive into the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Ukraine. Following President Donald Trump's recent remarks labeling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator, tensions have significantly escalated.

• Mineral Rights Deal Pressure: National Security Adviser Mike Waltz urged Ukraine to "tone down its criticism of the US and sign a minerals deal" essential for funding American support in Ukraine's conflict with Russia. Waltz emphasized the deal's potential value of "half a trillion dollars" (01:43).

  Mike Waltz (01:43): "Zelensky needs to tone down his criticism and sign the minerals deal that could be worth as much as half a trillion dollars."

• Canceled US-Ukrainian News Conference: A scheduled news conference between President Zelenskyy and US Envoy Retired General Keith Kellogg was abruptly canceled, highlighting the growing rift. Despite the cancellation, Zelenskyy described the meeting as "productive" and advocated for stronger Washington ties (02:02).

  Vincent Dowd (02:53): "They are treating Ukraine like a colony, focusing on extracting its natural wealth in very one-sided deals."

• Zelenskyy's Defiance: Ukrainian resilience remains unwavering despite US pressures. Vincent Dowd notes Zelenskyy's consistent defiance and strong nationalism as key factors in Ukraine's stance (04:13).

  Vincent Dowd (04:13): "Zelenskyy is good at defiance. He will likely continue this approach."

• Analysis by Jeremy Bowen: Bowen comments on the unprecedented shift in US foreign policy under Trump, including direct communications with Putin excluding Ukraine and Europe, further straining US-Ukraine relations (02:53).

  Jeremy Bowen (02:53): "US-Ukraine relations have plummeted to a new low."

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2. Crackdown on the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico

The podcast transitions to a significant development in Mexico's ongoing battle against drug trafficking.

• Arrest of Jose Angel Canobio: The Mexican army successfully detained Jose Angel Canobio, a senior leader of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, accused of orchestrating fentanyl smuggling into the US (06:19).

  Will Grant (06:19): "This is a significant capture for Mexican security forces."

• US Response and Implications: In response to Mexico's efforts, the US has designated the Sinaloa cartel as a foreign terror organization. Former President Trump threatened imposing hefty tariffs on Mexico if drug trafficking issues persist (07:11).

  Will Grant (08:13): "Claudia Scheinbaum is pushing for a two-way street: addressing fentanyl demand in the US and gun trafficking from the US to Mexico."

• Mexico's Stance: Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum remains firm, threatening legal action against US gun manufacturers and emphasizing mutual responsibilities in combating drug and arms trafficking (08:13).

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3. BBC Sells James Bond Franchise to Amazon

A surprising shift in the entertainment industry is explored next, focusing on the iconic James Bond franchise.

• Amazon Takes Over Creative Control: After decades under the stewardship of the Broccoli family, the BBC discusses Amazon's acquisition of creative control over the James Bond series. This marks a significant transition after Daniel Craig's final portrayal in 2021's No Time to Die (10:40).

  Mark O'Connell (10:40): "They understood that there is a market for Bond—cool casting, music, cars, tailoring."

• Future of the Franchise: Speculation surrounds the future direction of James Bond under Amazon's leadership, including potential spin-offs and the introduction of a new Bond actor. The podcast suggests a possible four-year gap before the next installment and discusses potential candidates for the role (12:17).

  Mark O'Connell (13:03): "It'll be another four years before we see the film. Potential Bonds could include James Norton, Jonathan Bailey, Aaron Taylor Johnson, among others."

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4. Arrest of Algerian Writer Boulem Sansal

The episode highlights concerns over press freedom in Azerbaijan with the detention of prominent writer Boulem Sansal.

• Detention and Charges: Boulem Sansal, a revered French-Algerian novelist known for his criticism of government repression and Islamic fundamentalism, was arrested in Algeria for "breaching state security." Details of the charges remain unclear (08:51).

  Hugh Schofield (13:59): "Sansal is caught up in a bigger crisis, the recent breakdown in relations between France and Algeria."

• International Response: His arrest is part of a broader crackdown on independent media, with over 20 Azerbaijani journalists jailed since intensified government crackdowns in 2023 (09:17).

  Hugh Schofield (15:35): "He trusts in human brotherhood, love for history, and different cultures—qualities that have likely angered the authorities."

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5. Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Amid Aid Worker Arrests

The podcast sheds light on the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, exacerbated by recent actions against aid workers.

• UN Operations Halted: Ongoing civil war has left millions dependent on aid. Recently, the UN paused operations due to the Houthi fighters' crackdown on aid workers, including over 24 UN staff members detained with unknown fates (18:16).

  Reyhan Dmitry (18:16): "Their whereabouts are unknown. One World Food Program employee died in detention recently."

• Impact of US Aid Freezes: With the Trump administration freezing USAID funds, the humanitarian crisis worsens as nearly one-third of Yemen's needs were met by this aid, leaving families like Amal's struggling to survive (19:40).

  Amal (Graphic Voice) (20:44): "If assistance is to be stopped, my children and I will die."

• Lack of Peace Prospects: Ongoing hostilities with no viable peace talks, as both Houthi rebels backed by Iran and the Saudi-led coalition remain entrenched, leave millions in uncertainty (20:47).

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6. Scrap Metal Theft Devastates Cemeteries in Tanzania

The episode also covers a disturbing trend affecting cemeteries in Tanzania, where metal crosses are being stolen for recycling.

• Vandalism in Morogoro: In Morogoro, central Tanzania, over 100 graves have had their metal crosses removed, causing distress among grieving families (21:39).

  Alfred Lastek (21:39): "Many crosses have been taken or even broken. It's a problem recognized by the local council."

• Efforts to Curb Theft: The local council is planning to enhance security measures, including fencing and hiring guards. Additionally, educating scrap metal dealers about regulations is underway, although challenges persist (22:11).

  Ezire Ramadan (22:40): "We took one of the crosses to the police and later saw a reduction in theft, but the problem has resurfaced."

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7. Fish Display Unexpected Intelligence in the Wild

Challenging the notion of fish having poor memories, recent scientific discoveries suggest higher intelligence levels among certain species.

• Study Findings: Underwater scientists found that wild sea breams could distinguish between individual divers, associating specific humans with rewards (24:37).

  Katinka Sola (25:00): "The sea breams learned to tell the difference between me and my colleague who provided them with food."

• Implications for Understanding Fish Cognition: Researchers like Katinka Sola advocate for a reassessment of fish intelligence, emphasizing that human bias may underestimate their cognitive abilities (25:55).

  Katinka Sola (25:54): "Humans tend to think from our perspective, but fish are definitely brighter than we think."

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8. Chaos at the Tour of the Algarve Cycling Race

The podcast concludes with an unusual incident at the Tour of the Algarve, where a mix-up led to significant confusion among participants and viewers.

• Race Run-Away Scenario: During the first stage, leading cyclists mistakenly followed camera motorbikes instead of the race route, causing them to race down the wrong path and finish among crowds, leading to the cancellation of the stage with no official winner (26:38).

  Jeremy Bowen (26:38): "It was the race that never was... Almost all of his rival cyclists were forced to return to the correct route."

• Organizers' Response: Race officials confirmed the stage's cancellation, leaving riders without any rewards despite their strenuous efforts (27:35).

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Conclusion

The episode of the Global News Podcast provides a nuanced exploration of complex international issues, highlighting geopolitical tensions, criminal justice efforts, cultural transformations, and scientific breakthroughs. By incorporating firsthand accounts, expert analyses, and on-the-ground reporting, the podcast delivers an engaging and informative narrative for listeners worldwide.

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Notable Quotes:

• Mike Waltz (01:43): "Zelensky needs to tone down his criticism and sign the minerals deal that could be worth as much as half a trillion dollars."
• Vincent Dowd (02:53): "They are treating Ukraine like a colony, focusing on extracting its natural wealth in very one-sided deals."
• Katinka Sola (25:00): "The sea breams learned to tell the difference between me and my colleague who provided them with food."

For more detailed insights, listeners are encouraged to tune into the full episode of the Global News Podcast.

Transcript

[Janat Jalil]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janat Jalil and in the early hours of Friday, 21st February, these are our main stories. The White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz tells Ukraine to tone down its criticism of the US and sign a minerals deal being pushed by President Trump. A planned news conference between President Zelensky and a visiting US Envoy is abruptly canceled as the rift between the two countries deepens. The Mexican army arrests a senior leader of the notorious Sinaloa drugs cartel. Also in this podcast, Amazon takes over creative control of the James Bond franchise after agreeing a deal with the Broccoli family.

[Mark O'Connell]

They have had their hands on that wheel for a long time, but we are here still talking about bond 64 years later. And I think they will still be looking over the back seat at who's driving.

[Janat Jalil]

We look at what this means for the future of the world's most famous fictional spy and how a wrong turn saw a cycling race descend into chaos. A day after Donald Trump called the Ukrainian leader a dictator for daring to say that the US President lived in a Russian disinformation space. An aide to Mr. Trump has said that Volodymyr Zelensky needs to to tone down his criticism of the US and sign a deal for mineral rights to pay for American support in Ukraine's war against Russia. Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, told Mr. Zelensky to get over his reluctance to sign the deal, which it thought could be worth as much as half a trillion dollars to the US President.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky. The fact that he hasn't come to the table, that he hasn't been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered, I think he eventually will get to that point and I hope so very quickly.

[Janat Jalil]

Meanwhile, a US envoy, retired General Keith Kellogg, has been holding talks with Mr. Zelenskyy in Kyiv. He said he'd come to listen, but a planned joint news conference on Thursday afternoon was cancelled at the last minute, the Ukrainians say, at the request of the American side. However, afterwards, the Ukrainian president described meeting with the US Envoy as productive and called for stronger ties with Washington. In just over a week, President Trump has dramatically upended US Foreign policy, speaking to Vladimir Putin on the phone, allowing high level face to face talks between Russia and the US that excluded Ukraine and Europe, and suggesting that it was Ukraine that started the war. Our international editor, Jeremy Bowen is in Kiev and he told me US Ukrainian relations have plummeted to a new low.

[Vincent Dowd]

I think the Fact that the news conference was cancelled, guesswork on my part. But the indications, I'd say are that they had nothing good to say about each other, so best not to say it in public. And also General Kellogg, the US Envoy, would have been asked all sorts of awkward questions about does he agree that Zelenskyy, who presumably would have been standing next to him, is a dictator, as President Trump has said. As for Waltz, the national security adviser, and one of the criticisms of the American approach has been is that they are treating Ukraine potentially like a colony where they can extract its mineral wealth, its natural wealth and just walk off with it in a very, very one sided deal. And Waltz was saying, you've got to get that contract signed and tone down the nasty comments about our leadership, even though the Americans of course, have license to say President Trump particularly, but what he wants about the Ukrainians. So I think they are saying, look, it is an unequal relationship, we are stronger than you, and you know what bad luck. We're going to do what we want and you better go along with us.

[Janat Jalil]

President Zelensky clearly feels he's got nothing to gain by biting his tongue. What do Ukrainians make of the Trump administration lashing out at their president in this way and the way that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is responding to that?

[Vincent Dowd]

The one thing Ukrainians are not short of after three years of war is nationalism. And one thing that Zelenskyy is good at is defiance. He showed that from the outset three years ago. I mean, you remember he did a video late at night with his chief advisors around him saying, we are all here, we're not leaving. And I think that that will quite likely be the approach he takes to all of this.

[Janat Jalil]

Meanwhile, the Kremlin is saying that it would be unacceptable for NATO countries to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. But many would say, how can you have a peace deal?

[Vincent Dowd]

Well, answer, you can't. I think that it wouldn't work otherwise. There are various formulations being discussed. But the thing about it is if there is going to be some kind of a peace agreement, and it's a misnomer to talk about what's going on really between the Americans and the Russians peace talks, because while the Americans had been backing Ukraine, they're not direct belligerence in the war. And you can't really do a deal just by talking to one side. And there now seems to be very little daylight between the things that Trump and his people are saying about the war and the things that Putin and his people have been saying about the war for many years now, since before the full scale invasion. So I think that Trump does not like defiance and he pushes back when he gets it. I don't think these bullying tactics are going to work in international relations and particularly not dealing with a country that believes it's fighting for its life the way that they might work if you're around the negotiating table talking about a hotel project in New Jersey.

[Janat Jalil]

Jeremy Bowen. In Ukraine, the Mexican army says it has arrested a key player in the Sinaloa drugs cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful criminal groups. Jose Angel Canobio is accused of organizing the smuggling of fentanyl into the US an issue Donald Trump has addressed by threatening to impose hefty tariffs on Mexico if it doesn't stop the drugs coming across the border. For more on the arrest, I spoke to our Mexico correspondent, Will Grant.

[Will Grant]

He is a significant capture for the Mexican security forces. There's no doubt about it. This is Jose Angel Canobio, commonly known as El Guerrito, meaning the blonde one. He is ostensibly the head of security for one of the sons of the jail drug lord, El Chapo Guzman, his son, Ivan Achivaldo Guzman. And just that alone tells you that he's a significant figure in the Sinaloa Gardel drug war. Experts in Mexico say he was also influential in in the organization's recent push to make fentanyl trafficking such a large part of its criminal empire.

[Janat Jalil]

So this comes just hours after the US Added the Sinaloa cartel to its list of foreign terror organizations, along with several other Latin American crime groups. This is all part of the efforts to combat fentanyl. So a big blow for this particular cartel.

[Will Grant]

It is, I think it's always important to take any single arrest. In its context, of course, all of these figures from El Chapo Guzman himself down are important when they are detained. But the criminal organization is much bigger and much stronger than any single individual. I think what is significant is that this shows there's a sort of more concerted effort by the Mexican government to try and focus on the issue of fentanyl trafficking, something that clearly Donald Trump has been pushing for to secure, as he saw it, a greater commitment by the government of Claudia Scheinbaum, the Mexican president, towards strengthening the U.S. border and having troops focus on fentanyl trafficking, trafficking and undocumented immigration.

[Janat Jalil]

So she'll be hoping that those threatened tariffs won't be imposed. But at the same time, she's also saying that she'll press ahead with legal action against US Gun manufacturers Because she says a large proportion of the weapons used by criminal groups in Mexico actually come from north of the border, from.

[Will Grant]

The U.S. on the U.S. side, there's the belief that there is no way that US Gun manufacturers can be held responsible for the ultimate destination of those guns. But I think what Claudia Scheinbaum is doing, doing is pushing the elements that matter to her in this relationship with Donald Trump in its early days. She's saying, look, this is a two way street. You're obviously worried about fentanyl trafficking. So are we. But in return, you have to acknowledge two things. One is that the demand for fentanyl on illegal drugs is in the US and two, as you mentioned, the guns are coming illegally smuggled from the United States.

[Janat Jalil]

Will Grant in Mexico. The authorities in Azerbaijan have ordered the suspension of the BBC's Azeri service service, a source of impartial news and information in the country since 1994. It comes a week after the country's oldest independent news agency, Turan, was also shut down. Reyhan Dmitry has the details. The BBC's Azeri service and Turan news agency were the last two independent news.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Sources in the oil rich country of 10 million people.

[Janat Jalil]

The BBC Azeri website had up to 1 million readers per week, providing impartial news in a country where information is tightly controlled. More than 20 independent Azerbaijani journalists have.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Been jailed since the government intensified its.

[Janat Jalil]

Crackdown on independent media in 2023. Journalists are often accused of currency smuggling, a charge that human rights groups have described as dubious. Last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which promotes press freedom around the globe.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Named Azerbaijan among the world's top 10.

[Janat Jalil]

Countries for jailing journalists. Rehan Dimitri now to one of the most recognizable theme tunes in the history of cinema. The much loved James Bond films have graced our screens for more than six decades. But Bond fans may have been shaken and possibly even stirred by the news that the Broccoli family, which has tightly guarded creative control of the franchise, is handing it over to the streaming giant Amazon. This comes four years after Daniel Craig last played the role of the world famous spy. James bond. Superfan Mark O'Connell says the success of the franchise is largely down to the Broccoli dynasty.

[Mark O'Connell]

They understood that there is a market.

[Will Grant]

For this and you can add cool.

[Mark O'Connell]

Casting, cool music, cool cars, cool tailoring. They have had their hands on that wheel for a long time. People will say they've been dogmatic or overprotective, but we are here still talking about Bond 64 years later, and I think they will still be looking over the back seat at who's Driving.

[Janat Jalil]

I asked our arts correspondent Vincent Dowd if this development had come as a surprise.

[Mark O'Connell]

It's a massive surprise. If you'd asked any well informed arts journalist yesterday, oh, what's happening with 007? Everyone would have said, oh well. It's mired in this terrible, painful slow row between EON Productions based in London, who own the franchise, and Amazon, who are now the distributors, as you say, Basic facts. The most recent Bond film was in no Time to die in 2021. The next year the distributors then MGM were bought out by Amazon. And that's the origin of the tension there's been since, which has taken a very surprising turn today.

[Janat Jalil]

And why do we think this is happening now?

[Mark O'Connell]

Partly age Aeon is basically Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli who are half siblings. Michael is now 83. Barbara is rather younger, in her mid-60s. She's reported very recently as having been very unimpressed with execs at Amazon and what they might want to do with the franchise. They sort of co own it in a funny sort of way. Well, what might have changed their minds? I think basically they may have been made an offer they can't refuse financially. As I say, Barbara Broccoli is in her 60s. She said she wants to devote more of her life and her time to working with the arts and working with charities. She's still very active.

[Janat Jalil]

So what does this mean now for the Bond films?

[Mark O'Connell]

Well, it's not that no Time to Die was a financial flop. It's made $775 million worldwide. I suspect, however, that Amazon want to make more of that. Think of what Disney did with the Star wars wars franchise since they in effect took over from George Lucas. Spin offs films, all that kind of thing. In the Amazon era already you had been very possibly ignorant of the fact that there was one non movie spin off, a game show on Amazon prime called 007 Road to a Million. Nine pairs of contestants attempt to win a million pounds by competing in James Bond inspired challenges around the globe. It sounded pretty dire. It was pretty dire. Widely considered, deeply forgettable.

[Janat Jalil]

And now the big question on many people's lips will be who will be the next James Bond and when will we see the next film?

[Mark O'Connell]

I think it'll be another four years before we see the film. In terms of who it might be. I don't think it any longer could be Idris Elba or Tom Hardy who used to be the front runners. The years go by and they're just a bit Too old now. So James Norton, Jonathan Bailey, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Paul Mescal, Daniel Kaluuya, all kinds of people. I would guess it's going to be at least a year before we find out.

[Janat Jalil]

Vincent Doubt 3 months ago the award winning French Algerian writer Boulem Sansal was detained in Algeria after arriving there to visit his family. The 75 year old novelist is being held for breaching state security, but details of the charges against him are not known. Son Sal, a major figure in francophone modern literature, has long been a critic of government repression and Islamic fundamentalism. His French lawyer has still not been granted a visa to see him. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.

[Hugh Schofield]

With his long grey ponytail. Boylem San Sal was a familiar face in the French media. This was him on a popular chat show a few years ago when he'd released a new novel. He was a kind of go to guy on Algeria, not least because he was very critical of the government there. So it was a shock when in November it was announced that on a visit to Algiers Sansal had been arrested at the airport under state security laws. I am the publisher of the last book of Boualem Sensal. Paris publisher Jean Francois Colossimo knows Boalem Sansal well. He describes him as a humane and gentle person and a genuine free thinker. Above all he is a man who trusts in human brotherhood. He is a man who trusts, trust in a kind of love for the cosmos, love for the earth, love for history, love for the different people and their cultures. History, a man of peace. So what has angered the Algerian government.

[Vincent Dowd]

So much about him?

[Hugh Schofield]

Well, he's a writer of the size of the Solzhenitsyn. If you want to compare the, you have to go Solzhenitsyn. He says the truth about the official history. He puts it down for a kind of regime like the one that unfortunately the Algerian people have today on their back.

[Vincent Dowd]

Truth is unbearable.

[Hugh Schofield]

San Sal had been getting up the nose of the Algerian government for many years. From semi exile in France. He wrote about corruption, about what he saw as the carve up of power between the Algerian military and Islamists, about the threat to France of Islamists. And in this interview on a website close to France's hard right National Rally Party not long before his arrest, he may have overstepped the mark, calling into question aspects of Algeria's official account of its own history on the Internet. The reaction from pro Algerian influencers in France has been vitriolic, accusing San Sal of being a stooge for Marine Le Pen. The President of Algeria Abdelmajid Taboun gave an interview saying that the whole affair was a concoction intended to mobilize opinion against Algeria. The truth is that Boarrem San Sal is caught up in a bigger crisis, which is the recent breakdown in relations between France and Algeria, possibly the worst. Algerian independence 60 years ago. San Sal is a victim and a kind of hostage. He's never written a word that is seditious or inflammatory, merely described the world around him as he sees it. His lawyer still waiting for the chance to visit him in prison is Francois Zimoret. He's a free thinker, and as all free thinkers and free minds, his thoughts and beliefs might have shocked or irritated. This is incumbent to freedom of speech, in fact, but at the end of.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

The day, I still don't see how.

[Hugh Schofield]

His words could have endangered a state of 45 million habitants.

[Janat Jalil]

Francois Zimouray ending that report by Hugh Scofield still to come, it was super.

[Katinka Sola]

Insane to see how fast they could learn to tell the difference between my colleague and me.

[Janat Jalil]

Underwater scientists discover that wild fish can tell humans apart welcome back to the Global News Podcast. As the civil war continues to rage in Yemen more than a decade after it erupted, tens of millions of people remain utterly reliant on aid there. And yet the UN has paused operations this month in parts of the country after a wave of arrests arrests of aid workers by Houthi fighters. This comes on top of cuts in aid funding. Our Cairo correspondent, Sally Nabil has been.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Investigating over the past few months. We have more than 24 UN staff arrested, as well as others from local and international aid agencies. They have been behind bars for months. Their whereabouts are unknown. One employee for the World Food Program died in detention a few days ago. It took us a while to be able to find someone, an aid worker, who agrees to talk to us. Hannah, who works for a US funded aid agency, and Hannah is not her real name. She spoke to us on condition of anonymity and she told us how she had to flee the capital, Sana'a after the Houthis raided her office.

[Janat Jalil]

I didn't realize how shocking it was.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Until I walked into the office and saw my manager sitting in the meeting.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Room, his phone and laptop confiscated and.

[Janat Jalil]

Surrounded by security personnel. Outside, two armored vehicles were parked near.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Our building and a group of masked armed men stood nearby.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

What Hannah told me during our conversation is that she believes this heavy crackdown on aid workers is meant to spread fear among the public. They just want to make an example of these aid Workers who are accused of being potential traitors. So now any person who works for a foreign funded agency is very scared.

[Janat Jalil]

And Yemen has been a big beneficiary of usaid, that's the world's biggest donor agency, which has now been frozen by the Trump administration. What impact has that had on the many people that were dependent on the aid it gave?

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Huge, I mean, according to Human Rights Watch, usaid, it supplies nearly one third of the needs of the Yemeni people. We have talked to families who have been displaced for over a decade and they are living in camps in very miserable conditions. This one lady called Amal, and again, this is not her real name, she is a mother of nine and she depends on a monthly food basket that she receives from the World Food Program. And she tells us that these supplies, they run out after two weeks. And I asked her, what if these supplies are to be cut? If assistance is to be stopped, me and my children will die. It's painful and shameful to go begging, but this is my destiny.

[Janat Jalil]

And Sali meanwhile, no end in sight to the war.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

No talks have been coming and going with no end in sight. We have the Houthis on one hand. They are backed by Iran. We have the Saudi led coalition that supports the internationally recognized government. They have been talking, but there is nothing inside. And these people, they are waiting for the unknown.

[Janat Jalil]

Sally Nabil Millions of people in developing countries make a living from waste picking salvaging materials that can be reused or sold for recycling. Scrap metal in particular is valuable because it can be recycled repeatedly. But this means it's also become a target for thieves. And that's caused great distress to some people who've discovered that the metal crosses they placed on the graves of their loved ones have disappeared. Alfred Lastek went to one cemetery to find out more.

[Alfred Lastek]

By the green hilltops of Morogoro in central Tanzania is one of the city's biggest graveyards. Each bears a different cross. But over the last few years, several of these graves have been damaged. While passing this area, I have seen over 100 graves with their crosses removed. Many people claim that scrap metal business is the cause of the damage.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

If you place a metal cross, it will be removed. Now you need to use cement or marble made grave marker, but metal ones are removed and sold to scrap dealers.

[Alfred Lastek]

Poudenciana, 65 years old from Morogoro often visits the grave where her daughter Veronika is buried. She died at the age of 15. But Veronica's grave was recently vandalized and the metal cross was taken we don't.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Know if it's the scrap dealers themselves sending these guys, or it's other people stealing and taking them to the scrap metal dealers.

[Alfred Lastek]

Prudenciana and her family have now repaired Veronika's grave. Peter Mataba is one of the grave diggers working at the cemetery. What we know is that once we leave, there are people who come and break into graves. Many crosses have been taken or even broken. It's a problem recognized by the local council. Dr. Ndemile Kilatu is the health officer of Morogoro Municipal Council. We are in the planning phase to strengthen security, but it cannot be today or tomorrow. But we do need to have a fence and also hire guards. The efforts we are making include educating scrap metal dealers on what type of.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

Metal they should buy and which they.

[Alfred Lastek]

Are not allowed to take. For some scrap dealers, that education is hitting home. Ezire Ramadan is a local trader who has had his business for 20 years. He regularly checks the metal brought to him to make sure it isn't stolen. In the past they used to bring us crosses, but now we took one of them to the police and later he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. After that, the theft reduced, but now it has returned. I feel bad because they are destroying the memory of our beloved ones. In the graveyard in Morogoro, Prudenciana walks around the graves. Like many family members who come to visit their loved ones at this resting place, she remains hopeful that this area can be protected.

[Janat Jalil]

Alfred Lastek reporting from Tanzania. Now fish have a reputation for poor memories. But are they being unfairly maligned? Scientists have found that fish may be more intelligent than we think. While carrying out research, they accidentally discovered that wild fish could tell two divers apart. The co author of the study, Katinka Sola, spoke to Evan Davis.

[Katinka Sola]

The sea breams, they did learn to tell the difference between me as a diver who would provide them with food, reward. I feel like the most surprising outcome of this research was the setup that we were fully in the wild, that the researchers, they themselves went into the wild like it was super insane to see how fast they could learn to tell the difference between my colleague and me underwater.

[Mark O'Connell]

They were not the original study. You were studying other fish and they were kind of getting in the way.

[Katinka Sola]

Yes, in the previous year, our lab, and especially Alex Jordan, he observed that this was happening. So we were doing other studies and fish, especially sea breams, but also other species, they were participating in the experiment while they shouldn't. So they just followed humans.

[Mark O'Connell]

They're quite bright.

[Janat Jalil]

So what is your view on the.

[Mark O'Connell]

Kind of cognitive powers of fish? Because I tend to think of them.

[Janat Jalil]

As a bit dim. But have you come around to the.

[Mark O'Connell]

Idea that they're brighter than we think?

[Katinka Sola]

Definitely. I think from the perspective of our lab, who has been researching in that field for a long time now, it is not very surprising. It's more surprising that we as humans are surprised in general, and it is more the fact that we as humans tend to think from our perspective. But maybe that needs to change.

[Janat Jalil]

Katinka Soller Elite cycling is a brutal, unforgiving sport that demands those involved give it everything they have. So it's not often riders race for almost 200km only to be told that they've wasted their time. But that's exactly what happened in Portugal during the first stage of the Tour of the Algarve, which ended in chaotic scenes. Our sports reporter Joe Curry takes up the story.

[Jeremy Bowen]

It was the race that never was when viewers of Eurosport watched Italy's Filippo Ganna raise his arms in celebration as he crossed the finishing line first. In yesterday's opening stage of the Tour of Algarve, a separate race appeared to be playing out on a road running parallel to the correct route. That's because in the closing moments of the race, the majority of the leading riders in the peloton mistakenly followed the camera motorbikes and headed down the wrong side of the finishing straight, ending up on the other side of the barriers and among the crowds. It left a bemused Ganna, who had been well behind the leading group and out of contention, to claim a lucky victory. Almost all of his rival cyclists were then forced to find a way to get back on the right route, including by climbing back over the barriers with their bikes. The bizarre scenes led to race organisers later saying the 120 mile stage would be cancelled with no winner declared. A long day in the saddle with no rewards.

[Janat Jalil]

Jokhari and that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk this edition was mixed by Rohan Madison, the producer of Chantal Hartle. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janak Jalil. Until next time. Goodbye.