Trump: “Let all hell break out” if Hamas does not release hostages

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary

Title: Trump: “Let all hell break out” if Hamas does not release hostages
Host/Author: BBC World Service
Release Date: February 11, 2025

The latest episode of the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, hosted by Jackie Leonard, delves into a series of pressing international issues ranging from Middle Eastern conflicts and political trials to technological battles in the AI sector and grassroots movements in sports. Below is a detailed summary of the key discussions, insights, and conclusions presented in this episode.

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1. Donald Trump's Ultimatum on Gaza Ceasefire

Duration: [00:00] – [06:44]

Overview: US President Donald Trump made a provocative statement regarding the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. He suggested that if Hamas does not release all remaining hostages by Saturday at noon, the United States should consider canceling the ceasefire, potentially leading to further conflict.

Key Points:

• Trump's Statement:

  • Quote: “If all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12:00, I think it's an appropriate time. I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out.” ([01:36])
  • Trump emphasized the severity of the hostage situation, calling it a "great human tragedy."

• Mustafa Barghouti's Critique:

  • Quote: “They continue to shoot people in Gaza while we are having ceasefire... Israel did not allow a single tent to get to Gaza.” ([02:13])
  • Barghouti, a Palestinian politician, criticized Israel for violating the ceasefire by continuing military actions and blocking humanitarian aid.

• Diplomatic Tensions:

  • Paul Adams, BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, highlighted how Trump’s intervention complicates the ceasefire negotiations, potentially undermining the efforts for a peaceful resolution.
  • The strain is exacerbated by the appearance of released hostages in deteriorated condition, heightening anxiety within Israeli society.

Conclusion: Trump's intervention introduces significant instability into the already delicate ceasefire, raising questions about the future of diplomatic negotiations and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

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2. Luis Rubiales' Sexual Assault Trial

Duration: [10:30] – [13:22]

Overview: Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, is on trial for sexual assault. He maintains that a kiss shared with player Jenny Hermoso during the Women's World Cup was consensual.

Key Points:

• Rubiales' Defense:

  • Quote: “I was the champion and this was a tremendous moment for her...I asked her whether I could give her a kiss and she said yes.” ([11:05])
  • Rubiales argues that the kiss was a spontaneous gesture born out of the euphoria of winning the World Cup and was consensual.

• Court Proceedings:

  • An expert witness, specializing in lip reading, analyzed video footage of the incident but couldn’t conclusively determine Hermoso’s response to Rubiales' request for a kiss.

• Charges and Penalties:

  • Rubiales faces two primary charges: sexual assault for the kiss and coercion for attempting to compel Hermoso to publically state the kiss was consensual.
  • Quote: “The prosecutor is calling for Mr. Rubialis to be given a jail sentence of two, two and a half years for those two charges.” ([12:35])
  • Three other officials from the federation are also charged with coercion, facing potential jail sentences of up to a year and a half.

Conclusion: The trial against Rubiales centers on whether the gesture was consensual and the subsequent attempts to shape the narrative, highlighting broader issues of power dynamics and accountability in sports administration.

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3. Ghanaians Joining Islamist Insurgency in Burkina Faso

Duration: [14:18] – [17:55]

Overview: The podcast examines the motivations behind three Ghanaians joining the Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso. Contrary to common perceptions, these individuals claim their involvement is to protect local communities from military aggression rather than for religious zeal.

Key Points:

• Motivations for Joining:

  • Quote: “I go because the Burkina Faso military ain't just attacking the militants, they are also attacking innocent people, women and children.” ([16:40])
  • Participants assert that their actions are in response to what they perceive as oppressive tactics by the Burkina Faso military against civilians.

• Impact of Arms Smuggling:

  • Elias Utanko, a defense journalist, explains that the violence in regions like Boku is fueled by arms smuggled by jihadist groups from Burkina Faso into Ghana, exacerbating communal conflicts.

• Government Response:

  • Ghana’s President John Mahama has initiated peace efforts in Boku and enhanced diplomatic ties with Sahel states.
  • Despite these efforts, the allure of armed struggle combined with economic incentives continues to destabilize local communities.

Conclusion: The involvement of Ghanaians in Burkina Faso’s insurgency is driven by a complex interplay of protection against military abuses and socio-economic factors, posing significant challenges to regional stability.

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4. Elon Musk vs. OpenAI: The $100 Billion Bid

Duration: [17:55] – [20:12]

Overview: A consortium led by Elon Musk has offered nearly $100 billion to purchase OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, has declined the offer and instead proposed acquiring Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), for a tenth of the asking price.

Key Points:

• Musk’s Offer and Response:

  • The bid to buy OpenAI was outright rejected by Sam Altman.
  • Quote: “Sam Altman ... no, thank you, but he offered to buy Twitter for almost $10 billion.” ([18:32])

• Escalating Tensions:

  • Musk criticized Altman as a “swindler” following the rejection, indicating ongoing animosity.
  • Quote: “Elon Musk responding to that tweet by calling Altman a swindler.” ([19:17])

• Underlying Conflict:

  • The dispute traces back to Musk’s departure from OpenAI three years prior, citing the organization's deviation from its humanitarian mission.
  • Musk is currently engaged in a legal battle to prevent OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.

• Strategic Implications:

  • Donald Trump has announced a $500 billion investment in AI technology, intensifying the competition for AI dominance.
  • This rivalry underscores the broader geopolitical stakes in artificial intelligence development.

Conclusion: The clash between Elon Musk and OpenAI epitomizes the fierce competition for control and influence in the burgeoning AI landscape, with significant implications for technological advancement and international power dynamics.

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5. Central African Republic’s National Meme Coin

Duration: [21:07] – [24:01]

Overview: The Central African Republic (CAR) has launched its own meme coin as an experiment to stimulate national development and enhance its global presence. This move follows CAR’s precedent of adopting Bitcoin as legal tender three years earlier.

Key Points:

• Purpose and Vision:

  • Quote: “It is a branding exercise that's been carried out by the country of CAR to promote their innovative nature in terms of adopting digital assets.” ([21:49])
  • President Faustin Arcange Toadera views the meme coin as a means to position CAR as a forward-thinking nation embracing digital financial solutions.

• Market Volatility:

  • The meme coin experienced extreme volatility, with its total value skyrocketing from approximately $60 million to $600 million.
  • Quote: “High volatility, speculative nature of these crypto tokens.” ([22:16])

• Risks and Challenges:

  • The legitimacy of the coin was questioned, leading to scams and uncertainty within the market.
  • Experts caution that while innovative, the high-risk nature of meme coins could undermine the intended developmental benefits.

Conclusion: CAR’s venture into national cryptocurrency reflects a bold attempt to harness digital assets for development, though it faces significant challenges related to market stability and investor confidence.

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6. Afghan Women Cricketers’ Fight for Recognition

Duration: [24:01] – [28:08]

Overview: Afghan women cricketers, now refugees in Australia, are striving for recognition and support from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after fleeing Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Their journey underscores the intersection of sports, gender rights, and refugee challenges.

Key Points:

• Escape from Afghanistan:

  • The women fled in 2021 due to the Taliban’s oppressive regime, which banned women from participating in sports and other public spheres.
  • Quote: “They were forbidden from having their voices heard outside of their homes.” ([24:25])

• Journey to Australia:

  • Thanks to the efforts of three Australian women—Emma Staples, Dr. Catherine Ordway, and former captain Mel Jones—the team was able to escape and resettle in Australia.
  • Quote: “We eventually helped over 130 people, including 19 players, backroom staff and their families, escape.” ([25:38])

• Struggle for ICC Support:

  • Upon resettling, the team encountered obstacles with the ICC, which has not provided the anticipated support or recognition for their contracts and development funds.
  • Quote: “They felt as if the game at the top level has washed their hands off them.” ([26:33])

• Continued Resilience:

  • Despite the lack of official support, the Afghanistan Women's Eleven played their first official match in Australia, symbolizing their determination to continue their sport and advocate for Afghan women’s rights.
  • Quote: “Women belong on the field.” ([27:12])

Conclusion: The Afghan women cricketers exemplify resilience and the ongoing struggle for gender equality in sports, highlighting the broader challenges faced by refugees in seeking recognition and support from international governing bodies.

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Final Thoughts

This episode of the Global News Podcast encapsulates a range of global issues—from geopolitical tensions and legal battles to technological competitions and the fight for human rights in sports. Through in-depth discussions and firsthand accounts, the podcast provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of these complex and interconnected topics.

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Notable Speakers and Contributors:

• Jackie Leonard: Host
• Luis Rubiales: Former President of Spanish Football Federation
• Mustafa Barghouti: Palestinian Politician
• Paul Adams: Diplomatic Correspondent
• Lucy Williamson: Middle East Correspondent
• Guy Hodgko: Madrid Correspondent
• Lily Jamali: Technology Correspondent
• Ed Butler: Reporter from Ghana
• Jo Currie: Cricket Journalist
• Victoria Uwang Hunda & Nzwisi sa Chidembo: Cryptocurrency Analysts

Production Credits:

• Mixed by: Gabriel O'Regan
• Producer: Ella Bicknell
• Editor: Karen Martin

For more information or to comment on this episode, listeners are encouraged to contact the podcast via email at globalpodcastbc.co.uk or through social media using the hashtag #globalnewspod on XBCWorldService.

Transcript

[Jackie Leonard]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard and at 14 hours GMT on Tuesday 11th February, these are our main stories. US President Donald Trump says he thinks Israel should cancel the ceasefire and let hell break out in Gaza if Hamas does not release all remaining hostages by Saturday. Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation on trial for sexual assault, maintains when he kissed the player Jenny Hermoso at at the Women's World cup, it was consensual. And we'll hear from three Ghanaians who say their involvement in the Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso was to protect communities from the army, not for religious reasons. Also in this podcast, a consortium led by Elon Musk offers to buy the artificial intelligence firm OpenAI for almost $100 billion. The boss of OpenAI says no thanks.

[Lily Jamali]

Elon Musk responding to that tweet by calling Altman. So I don't think the temperature is going to be cooling off anytime soon.

[Jackie Leonard]

The Gaza ceasefire, which brought a halt to more than 15 months of war, is under increasing strain. As we reported in the last edition of the podcast, Hamas has postponed the next planned release of Israeli hostages, saying Israel was not in compliance with the deal. Israel called the move a complete violation and said its military was being put on the highest level of alert. President Trump, a key ally of Israel, had this to say.

[Donald Trump]

Well, I would say this, and I'm going to let that because that's Israel's decision. But as far as I'm concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned By Saturday at 12:00, I think it's an appropriate time. I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. I think a lot of them are dead. I think it's a great human tragedy. What's, what's happened, how people can be that mean to do.

[Jackie Leonard]

Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian politician in the occupied west bank, says Israel has to address its own violations of the agreement.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

First of all, they continue to shoot people in Gaza while we are having ceasefire. Up till now, 25 people have been killed, which is a serious violation of a ceasefire agreement. Second, they blocked, and that's most important, they blocked the humanitarian aid to Gaza. The agreement says there should be 200,000 tents and at least 60,000 fabricated houses. Israel did not allow a single tent to get to Gaza. Third, the Israelis should have initiated, agreed to start negotiations about this next phase. This should have happened two days ago. And finally, and in that, I would hold President Trump responsible. As much as Israel, is this talk about ethnic cleansing of all Palestinians from Gaza. How could you continue to have ceasefire when you are threatening to people to be evicted completely from their homeland?

[Jackie Leonard]

Hamas says Mr. Trump's comments have further complicated the increasingly fragile ceasefire. Paul Adams is our diplomatic correspondent.

[Paul Adams]

It was always likely that as negotiations began to turn towards phase two of this three stage ceasefire, that things would get complicated. And if you think about the structure of even phase one, with this gradual release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, there was always the scope for things to go wrong. And what you've had on the Hamas side is what they say is a growing list of Israeli violations, including the withholding of certain types of aid, in particular shelter that's badly needed for people who are trying to return home. But of course, also the effect of Donald Trump's intervention, because effectively, what Donald Trump is saying is that he wants to take over the Gaza Strip, own it, and that all Palestinians should leave. Faced with that kind of rhetoric, there may be those in Hamas who are wondering, what exactly are we negotiating about?

[Jackie Leonard]

And tell us a bit more about what the differing strategies driving Israel and Hamas are at this stage in negotiations.

[Paul Adams]

Well, I think from Hamas's point of view, you know, they control a small dwindling number of what they would regard cruelly as assets, those Israeli hostages alive and dead, still in their hands. And so they are deploying those assets in the way they can, which is to kind of dangle the prospect of further releases. And then, of course, to dash hopes with warnings that they will not release them. And they know that this is having an enormous impact on Israeli society and on Israeli politics. And so they are going to continue to wield that weapon, you know, in a way that most Israelis find deeply cynical and just engenders a kind of despair. As for Israel's position, well, Donald Trump has obviously thrown this proposition into the mix, which has given Benjamin Netanyahu perhaps some breathing room. It's got his hardline right wing colleagues off his back and gives him a certain amount of room for maneuver. But he still wants to pursue this idea of total victory against Hamas. And the spectacle of Hamas fighters parading their weapons along with the hostages on a regular basis is clearly causing anger in Israeli circles.

[Jackie Leonard]

What about the impact of the appearance of those hostages that were released at the weekend? There's been quite a reaction, hasn't there?

[Paul Adams]

Well, yes, I think this is clearly something that is causing deep anxiety in Israel, that as we have seen these successive phases, at first, the hostages who were released early on in this deal all seem to be in relatively good physical shape. That was clearly not the case last weekend with the three men who were released then. And there is a fear that we are going to see more of that kind of scene of emaciated, terribly damaged hostages. And of course, everyone knows that at some point the handover is going to involve dead hostages. This is an awful, grim business, which is just calculated to cause and spread despair. This is a hideous process, full of pain for everyone concerned. And Hamas is both using that, but also perhaps embarrassed by it.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Paul Adams. President Trump has also said that displaced people from Gaza should be taken in by neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, threatening to withhold aid if they didn't cooperate. Both countries have rejected the proposal. Mr. Trump has also said that they would not have the right to return, apparently in breach of international law. On Tuesday, he's due to meet Jordan's King Abdullah in the White House, their first meeting since his re election. Jordan, already home to millions of Palestinian refugees, has fiercely rejected the US plan. But as our Middle east correspondent Lucy Williamson reports from the Jordanian capital, Amman, it presents the country with a critical challenge.

[Lucy Williamson]

Some of the fiercest opponents to moving Gazans to Jordan are the Gazans who moved here before. We're being tailed by a crowd of children as we walk through the Gaza camp in northern Jordan. It's one of several Palestinian refugee camps here. All the families here trace their routes back to Gaza. Most of them left in 1967 during the war with Israel. And they say that those living in Gaza now have learned that lesson, that once you leave, you can't return.

[Jackie Leonard]

When our grandfathers left, it's because there.

[Guy Hodgko]

Was no resistance movement back then.

[Jackie Leonard]

They had no weapons, like Hamas has these days. That was before.

[Guy Hodgko]

Now the new generation is more aware and we won't make the same mistakes of the past.

[Jackie Leonard]

They will fight to stay.

[Lucy Williamson]

No one here would have been surprised to watch Donald Trump's latest interview with Fox News, repeating his demand that Gaza's population relocate to Jordan and saying they would not have the right to return home.

[Donald Trump]

It would be a beautiful piece of land. Would the Palestinians have the right to return? No, they wouldn't. Because they're going to have much better housing. Much better, in other words. I'm talking about building a permanent place for them, because if they have to return now, it'll be years before you could ever. It's not habitable.

[Lucy Williamson]

Jordan is under pressure from its key military ally, but there are growing pressures at home too. Many native Jordanians blame waves of refugees from the region's conflicts for high unemployment. At home, waiting for work outside the mosque, we met Hassan and Imad, both day labourers who haven't worked in months.

[Jackie Leonard]

The situation in Jordan used to be great, but when there was the war in Iraq, things got worse. When there was the war in Syria, it got worse. Now there is a war in Gaza, it's gotten a lot worse.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

The foreigners take our job. The battle of Syria, Jerusalem, Baghdad, take our jobs. Now I without job, four months without any job. I have no money, no Eid, no food.

[Lucy Williamson]

So what happens if the Gazans come here too? What happens then?

[Mustafa Barghouti]

We will die.

[Lucy Williamson]

From Hungary, Jordan is treading a tightrope between its military and diplomatic ties, popular support for the Palestinians and resistance to another wave of refugees at home. For decades, Jordan has been a superpower of stability, surrounded by conflicts. Last Friday, thousands protested here against Donald Trump's plan. Jordan is home to US military bases and millions of refugees, its security cooperation crucial. For Israel worried about smuggling routes into the occupied West Bank. Any risks to Jordan's stability mean risks for its allies, too.

[Jackie Leonard]

Lucy Williamson in Jordan, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, has told a court in Madrid that he was absolutely certain that the player, Jenny Hermoso, had given him permission to kiss her following Spain's victory in the 2023 Women's World cup final. Mr. Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and then attempting, along with three co defendants, to coerce Hermoso into publicly saying the kiss had been consensual. Here's some of what he had to say in court on Tuesday, because she.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

Was the champion and this was a.

[Jackie Leonard]

Tremendous moment for her. We were champions and so on.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

We were thanking each other and she pressed me very hard around the waist.

[Jackie Leonard]

And then I asked her whether I could give her a kiss and she said yes. Guy Hedgco is our Madrid correspondent.

[Guy Hodgko]

He said it was a spontaneous gesture. He said it was something that was caused by the euphoria of having just won the Women's World cup moments earlier. And he also talked about his relationship with Jenny Edmonsaur. He said that he had a particularly close relationship with four or five players in that team and Jenny Edmonson was one of them. And he said at times he let the. The occasion get to him and he got caught up in the euphoria of the moment and that was why he behaved as he did. But he said that's a long way from committing a crime. His team called an expert witness, someone who is an expert at lip reading and they interpreted a video which was shown to the court, the video of Mr. Rubialis kissing Jenny Edmonson. According to this expert, Mr. Rubialis had said, can I give you a kiss in the video? Although we don't know what her answer was because of the angle of the camera.

[Jackie Leonard]

And just remind us about the background to the charges and the penalty if he is convicted.

[Guy Hodgko]

Well, he's facing two sets of charges. One is sexual assault for the kiss itself. And he's also facing a charge of coercion for the fallout from the kiss. The allegation is that in the hours and days after the World cup final, he and people close to him in the football federation tried to persuade Jenny, and in a very forceful manner, to come out and play down the kiss and say that it had been consensual. Obviously, that was something that she didn't do. The prosecutor, therefore, is calling for Mr. Rubialis to be given a jail sentence of two, two and a half years for those two charges. There are also three other people from the federation facing the coercion charges. They could face jail sentences of up to a year and a half.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Guy Hodgko. Still to come in this podcast, we hope to push up the ICC to support our team. We're doing this especially for Afghan women.

[Lily Jamali]

And I would just say, just don't give up.

[Jackie Leonard]

The Afghan women cricketers living as refugees and fighting their sport's world governing body for recognition. The Islamist insurgency in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, in which thousands have been killed and millions displaced, has been described by the UN as the epicentre of global jihadist extremism. In Burkina Faso, violence between militant groups and the army seems to be intensifying and spreading into what has long been regarded as one of West Africa's most stable democracies. Ghana. Ed Butler sent this report from the border region.

[Ed Butler]

We're being pulled over by the police here. It's another of these checkpoints on a major northern road In Ghana, military roadblocks like this have become an occupational hazard. Shall I open my door?

[Mustafa Barghouti]

Let me see that outside.

[Ed Butler]

And this is why. The nightly soundtrack facing many people in Boku, a small market town in northern Ghana close to the Burkina Faso border, where in the last few months, dozens, maybe hundreds have been killed in growing communal violence.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

The evenings in Boku is always gunshots and fierce exchanges.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

We are losing the young ones. Those are the people that are dying.

[Ed Butler]

The voices there of Boku residents reached by phone. It was just too dangerous for me to enter the town rival Tribes are embroiled in a decades old argument there over who controls Boku's chieftaincy. And Elias Utanko, a defence journalist based in northern Ghana, says the violence is being fueled by guns and ammunition smuggled across the border by Burkina Faso militants.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

JNIM is a jihadist group that have agents in Ghana selling the firearms, some of the firearms that they have been able to take over from the military forces in Burkina Faso.

[Ed Butler]

In cattle markets like this, we've met people who said they traded livestock with the jihadist groups and some here have even gone to fight with them.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

The military in Burkina Faso are killing.

[Jackie Leonard]

People just like dogs.

[Ed Butler]

This is one of three Ghanaian men who told us they'd gone to join the insurgency. All were about 40 years old and said that they'd travelled multiple times to fight in Burkina Faso. We've had to conceal their voices and their identities. And whilst we can't independently confirm their stories, they did share photos of weapons they said were being used and described details including locations and known individuals. This may be the first time that Ghanaians have spoken to the media about their involvement in the insurgency. How do you justify this? I mean, you're joining a group that's been involved in well documented atrocities targeting unarmed civilians.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

I go because the Burkina Faso military ain't just attacking the militants, they are also attacking innocent people, women and children.

[Ed Butler]

Are you personally involved in attacks on women and children?

[Mustafa Barghouti]

Some of the local people support the.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

Military in attacking us, so we have.

[Jackie Leonard]

To kill them too.

[Mustafa Barghouti]

I'm not happy to fight like this, but this fight has entered our blood.

[Ed Butler]

Three years ago it was estimated that some two to three hundred Ghanaians had joined the insurgency. These accounts suggest that it may now be more. One man was unashamed about the profit to be made there.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

I joined because I will get more animals from the fighting to settle on and take care of my family. At the beginning, some were fighting for religion, but not anymore. Now even some of the Burkina military have switched sides.

[Ed Butler]

The recently elected president in Ghana, John Mahama, has acknowledged the Islamist threat. He's launched a new peace initiative for Boku and sent an envoy to Sahel states to improve ties. But experts are still warning that the combined call of armed struggle and economic opportunity could yet tip some Ghanaian communities beyond the government's control.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Ed Butler in northern Ghana. It's the latest twist in a long standing battle between Elon Musk, the world's richest man and confidant of Donald Trump, and the chief executive of OpenAI, Sam Altman, a consortium of investors led by Mr. Musk, has offered nearly $100 billion to buy OpenAI, which developed the popular AI tool ChatGPT. But that bid has been met with a no, thank you. Instead, Mr. Altman offered to buy X for a tenth of the price. Janat Jalil heard more from our technology correspondent Lily Jamali.

[Lily Jamali]

The backstory here is that Elon Musk helped Co found OpenAI way back in 20 and then left three years later. He says it was because OpenAI strayed from its mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity is the phrase that he and his lawyers use. His critics say he was just upset because he wanted control of the company, didn't get it, and that's why he left. And so Elon Musk and Sam Altman are now embroiled in a legal fight. Musk is trying to stop OpenAI from transitioning from a non profit the way it was founded to a for profit corporation, which is the direction that Sam Altman wants to take the company.

[Ed Butler]

And despite the huge amount of money.

[Lucy Williamson]

He'S offering, he's getting short shrift from Mr. Altman.

[Lily Jamali]

That's right, yes. They had a little bit of a spat on what was once Twitter and is now Elon Musk owned X. So Sam Altman pretty much immediately responding and as you, as you said, you know, no, thank you, but he offered to buy Twitter for almost $10 billion, which is really throwing shade at Elon Musk, who bought the platform for quite a bit more than that, for $44 billion. So I think that that's, you know, very, very much part of par for the course in their relationship. And Elon Musk responding to that tweet by calling Altman a swindler. So I don't think the temperature is going to be cooling off anytime soon.

[Jackie Leonard]

Absolutely not.

[Lucy Williamson]

Because you've got Donald Trump also announcing 500 billion billion of investment in AI tech.

[Jackie Leonard]

So there really is huge competition now.

[Lucy Williamson]

To win this race for artificial intelligence dominance.

[Lily Jamali]

That's right. And that was a really remarkable moment when you saw Sam Altman on stage or really at a press conference at the White House standing next to Donald Trump the first week that Donald Trump took office. I mean, the reason that was so remarkable is because of Altman's relationship with Musk and the fact that Donald Trump invited Altman into the inner sanctum, really, despite what Musk had done to help get Trump elected. And so that project that you're referring to is a massive investment in the infrastructure that will help Power OpenAI build a bunch of data centers starting in Texas. The promise was a hundred thousand jobs. We'll see if anything near that actually materializes. But you know, that's all going to be private money. There's no US Taxpayer money that is slated for that. But at least, you know, in Trump's view, he got to be a part of the reveal there and get a little bit of the PR halo, if you will.

[Jackie Leonard]

Lily Jamali in San Francisco. While meme coins are often created as a fun alternative to other cryptocurrencies, taking inspiration from Internet trends and popular culture references, they have become hugely popular among crypto traders. One African country, the Central African Republic, has embraced them too, creating its own meme coin. President Faustin Arcange Toadera says it's an experiment aimed at boosting national development and putting the country in the global spotlight. Victoria Uwang Hunda has been speaking to Nzwisi sa Chidembo, who runs RiskBlock, an online platform that assesses the risks of cryptocurrency investments.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

It is a branding exercise that's been carried out by the country of CAR to promote their innovative nature in terms of adopting digital assets. This is not the first time they've done this. Three years ago, they were one of the first nation to actually adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. It's quite revolutionary to see a country embracing such a crypto token this early stage.

[Jackie Leonard]

They were the first African country, but they were second in the world after El Salvador. So in Sweden, what do they cost?

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

What we have seen when the meme coin was actually launched is that the total value has changed shape in quite a drastic way, starting from up about 60 something million right up to 600 million. This is the total value of all the meme coins in circulation, which really bodes down to the high volatility of meme coins and the speculative nature of these crypto tokens.

[Jackie Leonard]

So that high volatility that you speak of and the uncertainty around the meme coin, how does then that work with what President Wadera said, that this decision was part in support of national development. Development, there is quite a lot of risk there.

[Unnamed Ghanaian Insurgent]

Yes, indeed. And I think the high volatility, exceptional, let me say high volatility nature of this specific meme coin was bound to the fact that firstly, it is the first of its kind where it's backed by an actual nation. But also the doubts that came into the market when everyone was asking the question if this is actually legit or not, there were quite a number of different players that jumped on the bandwagon and started trying to roll out different scams on the backdrop of this release. So that created a lot of concern, a lot of uncertainty, which really, really fueled the incredible volatility that we witnessed.

[Jackie Leonard]

Afghanistan's women cricketers, who had to flee their country when the Taliban took over in 2021, say they will keep fighting their sport's world governing body for rec after playing their first ever official match. The group of players now living as refugees in Australia say they've received no support from the ICC since escaping their home country. Jo Currie spent time with them in Melbourne.

[Jo Currie]

The Afghanistan Women's 11 may not have won their first ever game, but the true victory was the match itself. Three years after they fled their home country, the moment marked a new chapter in their remarkable story. The players are now living safely in Australia and are out of the clutches of the Taliban. But batswoman Firouza Amiri admits the day they return to power still haunts her.

[Jackie Leonard]

In that moment, I was shocked and I felt that I lose everything.

[Jo Currie]

Did you know in that moment, on that day, that them coming back into power would mean that you would have to leave?

[Jackie Leonard]

Absolutely, yes. I didn't know that there was going to be a chance for me and family to get out of Afghanistan. Are we gonna be alive or die? I burn everything, all my certificates, all my medals.

[Jo Currie]

Under Taliban law, women are banned from sport, universities and parks. They were also forbidden from having their voices heard outside of their homes. The players knew they were in immediate danger, but it was only thanks to three women in Australia that they were able to Flee. Emma Staples, Dr. Catherine Ordway, and the former Australia captain Mel Jones heard about the player's plight and knew they had to help. It all started when a cricket journalist asked Mel to reach out to one of the players to make sure she was okay.

[Guy Hodgko]

It was then panic stations when she said, all the team, all the contracted players and some administration support staff as well, very keen to look at any way possible of getting out. So it was the three of us that sort of got our heads together and started to figure out how you set up a backyard sort of immigration system to try and connect with government, connect with the players, and then try and fight the system a little bit. And everyone kept saying it's impossible, but.

[Jo Currie]

It wasn't impossible, as they eventually helped over 130 people, including 19 players, backroom staff and their families, escape. But once the team had reached Australia, they had a new battle to fight, this time against the International Cricket Council. Back home. They had had contracts with the Afghanistan Cricket Board, who no longer engage with them. So they asked the ICC what happened to those contracts and the funds that were meant to be for their development. Cricket journalist Alison Mitchell picks up their story.

[Jackie Leonard]

They got a reply to say, well, contracts are an issue for the Afghanistan Cricket Board, which is the very board that the women have been ostracized from and that also funds that are given to the Afghan Cricket Board is for them to decide how it is spent. At that point, the girls were thoroughly dispirited and they felt as if the game at the top level has washed their hands off them.

[Jo Currie]

The players wrote a second letter, this time requesting permission to set up an international refugee team. They never received a response. We asked the ICC why it hadn't communicated with the women's team more or supported them. In a statement, ICC chair Jay Shah.

[Jackie Leonard]

Told us, although we continue to support the Afghanistan Cricket Board, we acknowledge the absence of a women's programme and are actively addressing this through the Afghanistan Cricket Task Force.

[Jo Currie]

Despite having no official support, the Afghanistan Women's Eleven took to the field at the Junction Oval on January 30 in their first official match, a 20 overs exhibition game against a Cricket Without Borders team. They lost with four balls remaining, but the moment sent a big message to those in Afghanistan, women belong on the field. Here are players Safiyeh Yossifazi, Nilab Stanikazi and Shahzia Zazai.

[Jackie Leonard]

Unbelievable. I can't believe that. Still.

[Jo Currie]

I'm feeling like I'm dreaming right now.

[Jackie Leonard]

We are so happy to play together.

[Jo Currie]

Like with our own team and hope to push up the ICC to support our team.

[Jackie Leonard]

We're doing this especially for Afghan women.

[Lily Jamali]

And I would just say, just don't give up.

[Jo Currie]

These players still have big dreams of playing on the international stage, but the reality is, whilst the ICC refuses to engage with them, they'll need to keep fighting that battle. However, one thing is certain. At a time when women in Afghanistan feel like they have no voice, this is a team that refuses to be silenced.

[Jackie Leonard]

That report from Jo Curry and that's it from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you would like to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, do please send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBCWorldService and use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Gabriel O'Regan. The producer was Ella Bicknell. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard and until next time. Goodbye.