
Donald Trump did not specify a deadline
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Zing Singh
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk. I'm Zing Singh. And I'm Simon Jack. And together we host Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people. In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names. Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few. And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire. That's good. Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Foreign this is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard and in the early hours of Saturday 19th April, these are our main stories. President Trump has confirmed he will abandon efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine unless there's progress within days. A US Senator has been speaking about his meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was wrongly deported last month to a jail in El salvador. And nearly 200 people have gone on trial in Istanbul over their role in huge protests against the Turkish government. Also in this podcast on World Heritage Day, celebrating Sonic Heritage, the US President Donald Trump once famously promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. But now, almost three months months in, it's proving harder than he expected. And frustration and tough talk are coming from Washington. On Friday, President Trump said he believed that Ukraine and Russia were what he described as enthusiastic about peace. But he had this warning. If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people, and we're going to just take a pass, but hopefully we won't have to do that. President Trump's comments echoed remarks earlier in the day by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who warned that Washington was prepared to walk away from talks aimed at ending the war if a deal can't be reached soon. That outcome could potentially leave the Ukrainians looking even more exposed as Russia continues to launch strikes on Ukraine. Meanwhile, people in Ukraine are preparing for their fourth Easter period while at war with Russia. So how have they been reacting to Marco Rubio's remarks? Inna Sovsun is a member of parliament, the one bearing the cost. If the ultimatum doesn't work, that will be us, that will be Ukrainians. And of course, we are not very happy with the current developments. There is growing uncertainty about what is to come, what Ukraine can expect from the Americans in the near weeks So I would say that there is a very strong pressure on all of us right now. I think that is the main feeling that everybody is having. Meanwhile, officials said a Russian missile attack, this time on the city of Kharkiv, killed one and injured more than 100 others. In comments on X, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote, this is how Russia began this Good Friday, with ballistic missiles. Our Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse reports on Friday's developments. After finally agreeing an investment framework with Washington and taking part in a first round of peace talks between American, European and Ukrainian officials in Paris yesterday, Ukraine started today with the diplomatic wind in its sails for once. That was until this intervention from the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he left France. We're not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable over the next few weeks. If it is, we're in. If it's not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well. The threat or even prospect of America turning its back on these peace endeavours will only favour Moscow and leave Kyiv even more vulnerable. US military aid for Ukraine is set to run out. This is a White House that hasn't signed off any more American packages yet and looks unlikely to do so as Russia continues to seize and occupy Ukrainian territory. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, claimed Moscow was open to talks and was striving for peace. The contacts are fairly complex, complicated, because naturally the topic is not simple, the topic of Ukrainian settlement. Russia is striving towards resolving this conflict, securing its own interests and is open to dialogue. We are continuing to do this. The US vice president, J.D. vance, has since said he's optimistic the war can be ended. But the faint Ukrainian hope was that America would slap Russia with further sanctions for dragging its feet on a ceasefire. Instead, Washington has gone from saying we'll end this war in a day to we've got more important things to do elsewhere. James Waterhouse in Odessa. So why has diplomacy been proving so difficult? Kurt Folker is a former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations in the first Trump administration and a former U.S. permanent representative to NATO. Julian Marshall asked him if the Trump administration was over optimistic to begin with in brokering a peace deal. I think that they may have believed that Putin actually did want to have a ceasefire. They probably saw some of the economic data and the military data and thought Putin would agree to that. And so they focused on Enticements for Putin, offering carrots, if you will, if they indeed ended the war, but no real pressure. And Putin read that exactly the opposite way that the Trump administration intended. He viewed that as a green light to continue fighting the war and to continue emphasizing his maximalist demands. And it does appear that flattery of Mr. Putin was a part of the Trump administration strategy. Yeah, I think so. I think this was a flattery or an effort to reach out, to engage, to promise that we'd have a better bilateral relationship, there would be summit meetings, there would be economic benefits for both sides. That was all part of the enticements for Putin to engage in negotiations and aim at ending the conflict, at least having a ceasefire. But as I said, Putin is not interested in that. Putin wants to continue the war, and that kind of approach leaves him thinking that he can continue to do so. President Zelensky didn't get a lot of carrots, though, did he? No, he didn't. He got a lot of pressure. President Trump wanted to make sure that the US And Ukraine are in alignment. He wants to be able to tell the American people that Ukraine is paying its way, that we're not spending hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money on Ukraine. That's what this minerals deal is all about. And Ukraine of agreed with the Trump administration to an immediate ceasefire if Russia also does so. That was something that was very difficult for Ukraine to swallow because it means Russia will occupy a lot of Ukrainian territory. But it is at least moving in the direction of a ceasefire from Ukraine's side and exposes the fact that Russia does not want to do that. Kurt Volker, a former U.S. special representative for Ukraine. The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become symbolic of the Trump administration's immigration policy. He was one of a group of alleged gang members deported to a high security prison in El Salvador. Despite an immigration judge saying that he had the right to remain in the US he has never been charged or tried and US Courts have since ordered his return. The White house has accused Mr. Abrego Garcia of being a member of the criminal gang ms.13 and insists he will never live in the US again. The democrats say the case shows a lack of due process. On Thursday, US Democrat Senator Chris Van Van Holland managed to meet Mr. Abrego Garcia during a visit to El Salvador. Now, back in Washington, the Senator has given a news conference. As the federal courts have said, we need to bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home to protect his constitutional rights to due process. And it's also important that people understand this case is not just about one man. It's about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody who resides in the United States of America. If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights and due process for everyone else in America. Yes. Our correspondent in Washington, Jake Kwon, told us more about what Senator Van Hollen had to say. The senator, after his meeting with Kilmar Brago Garcia, was saying that he initially tried to meet him in this maximum security prison, C COT and he was denied. And Mr. Abrego Garcia was brought by the San Salvadorian authority to the hotel he was staying. And there they had a meeting at a restaurant where he was telling them that people outside were fighting for him for his return, that the judges in the US have ordered the government to facilitate his return. So all these things seemed to be a surprise for Mr. Abergo Garcia. He had been kept in a he was kept in the cell with 25 other inmates who were taunting him, even though Mr. Abergo Garcia said that he was not scared of these other inmates. But the condition is, of course, not ideal. This is considered a notorious prison. And after these kind of mounting pressure to release Mr. Abigail Garcia, about a week ago, he was moved to a different prison, a different detention center, he said, with somewhat lighter security parameters. So he has also said that he had delivered the message of love from his wife. And, you know, and Mr. Abrego Garcia has also related his concern for his family and his supporters outside in the U.S. president Trump has been very scathing about Senator Van Hollen's visit, hasn't he? Yes. Mr. Trump has tweeted out on Truth Social, calling Mr. Van Hollen a fool for visiting Grego Garcia and saying that he is a grandstander, saying that the senator is simply trying to gain attention by doing this, what he considers a stunt. So Mr. Trump's, in his view, the Democrats are defending a man who is a member of a violent criminal gang who deserves to be in prison in El Salvador and doesn't seem to be helping out or care for Americans who in his view are being threatened by illegal migrants who are going around and committing crimes. Jake Kwon in Washington. The trial has opened in Istanbul of 189 people who were arrested in protests against the Turkish government. Suspects were arrested over demonstrations triggered by the detention last month of the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamolu. Warren Bull reports. Dozens of students were among the defendants who stood trial at Istanbul's Chalayan Courthouse. They faced charges, including involvement in illegal rallies eight Journalists were also in the dock. Human Rights Watch says they were simply doing their job of reporting. But Turkish police argue they didn't make clear that they were at the protests for journalistic purposes. The demonstrations were the biggest show of dissent against the Islamist AKP government since the failed coup of 2016. They were sparked by the arrest of the mayor, Ekrem Imamolu, considered the biggest political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Warren Bull. Thousands of people have gathered in the Yemeni capital Sana'a to protest about a deadly US strike that's reported to have killed at least 80 people in retaliation for the attack on the Red Sea port of Ras Issa. The Houthis said they had fired missiles at two U.S. aircraft carriers and an Israeli military site. Israel says it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen. Protests were also held in several other Yemeni cities aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Iona Craig is a journalist specializing in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula. Tim Franks asked her for more on the US strike. Well, certainly from the footage that's come out from Rasisa, there's obviously a major fire and explosion because they targeted the fuel port, but also some very graphic images of people having been burnt and burnt, bodies lying on the ground, people receiving medical care who were severely burnt as well. The Houthis claim that this was a double tap strike. That is, there was initial bombing which was then followed up once the first responders had got there and the civil defense had got there to try and rescue people, that there was another attack on. And therefore there were members of the civil defence and rescue teams that were also killed and injured in the second strike. And it is an oil facility which presumably, I mean, is important to the Houthis. Yeah, well, Ras is, sir. It's actually the kind of it's refined fuel as opposed to oil, really. It's not the first time it's been hit. Israel did target it in strikes against the Houthis earlier this year and at the end of last year. But it is an important storage facility for the fuel supplies in Houthi controlled territory. More recently, the had been instance of vessels still coming in, particularly Russian and Iranian vessels coming in with fuel. For the Houthis, it is a revenue stream for them, but it's also important for the civilian population. Of course, that's also a troubling factor. I mean, I've spent quite a bit of time in Hodeidah and it is one of the hottest places on the planet. You need that fuel to run generators for electricity and without electricity, you can imagine in that kind of heat, it gets unbearable pretty quickly. And anybody with sort of underlying health conditions in that kind of of heat, when it doesn't drop much below 40, even at night, it becomes a real struggle and a threat to life quite quickly when there's limited access to fuel. And in terms of the Houthis themselves, how far are they still causing disruption in the Red Sea? How far are they still able to fire missiles at Israel? Well, already in response to this strike, they have fired missiles at Israel. They would have been ballistic missiles. They've also attempted to attack. They've been doing on a regular basis. Now, the USS Harry S. Truman and its strike carrier group that are stationed in the northern Red Sea and where most of, if not all of these airstrikes that have been going on since the 15th of March now have been launched from. So there have been strikes on a daily basis by the US since the 15th of March. And this is a change because we saw obviously an escalation since Trump relaunched this American bombing campaign in the targeting of the Houthi leadership, which hadn't happened before. This is the first time really that the have been strikes in an attempt to target them economically to something that is essential to the war economy, like fuel, and really try and cut off their revenue streams, which hadn't been attempted before. How do you think this fits into the talks that are going on between the US and Iran over Iran's nuclear program? Certainly Iran has already condemned this strike and called it a war crime, but I think that's probably as much as they will do. I don't think there's likely to be any response directly from Iran on this whilst these talks are going on. Iona, Craig. Hospitals in Gaza say at least 23 people were killed on Thursday night and dozens more were injured in Israeli strikes across the territory. Israel says it's continued to hit targets as it dismantles what it calls Hamas's terrorist infrastructure above and below ground. Gaza's Hamas run civil Defense agency said at least 40 people were killed. Most were said to be living in camps for displaced Palestinians. On Friday, Our correspondent Gary O'Donoghue in Jerusalem sent this report. It's a month to the day since Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza, bringing the fragile ceasefire to an end. Each day, local health and civil defense officials from Hamas say dozens are being killed, with the United nations saying that the number of children killed in recent days should shock everyone to the core war. Israel says it is targeting what it calls terrorists, claiming it killed the man responsible for smuggling arms for Hamas earlier in the week. It insists it takes every precaution to avoid civilian casualties. Negotiations to resume aid flows into the Strip and to end the war are at a standstill, with Hamas formally rejecting an Israeli offer of a 45 day ceasefire in return for the release of 10 of the remaining hostages and saying it is no longer interested in interim deals. Israel is also continuing near daily airstrikes in Lebanon with the killing of what it termed a Hezbollah communications expert near the southern city of Sidon. Gary O'Donoghue in Jerusalem. Friday was World Heritage Day, celebrating some of the sites around the world deemed by the UN to be of huge cultural importance. And to coincide with the day, a website was launched called Sonic Heritage, which aims to deepen our appreciation of those places and pieces of cultural heritage. Stuart folks is the founder of the site. We've collected together from contributors around the world 270 of these world heritage sounds from 68 countries. And it's just a huge variety of everything from the iconic monuments that you might think of, like Machu Picchu or the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China, through to natural soundscapes and then maybe some, some less expected sounds, like the sounds of transportation or work or some of the cultural heritage sounds are really interesting. You know, things like textile weaving or agave cutting or dance, those sorts of things. I recorded that one myself. So the, the sounds are a combination of being a crowd sourced from anyone that could send. Anyone that had those sounds could send them in. And I also did a few recording trips myself to places like Tallin or Bud Pest all around London, and in this case in Quimbra in Portugal, to record the sounds of Fado. So Fado is an urban popular song of Portugal. There are various variants of it. So the Lisbon version is different from the Quimbra version. And what I found interesting about the Quimbra version is a lot of the songs are related to love and loss and longing, but in Quimbra, they're often about love and attachment to the city itself. So it's really interesting to hear this musical practice which is really about how this is contributing to a sense of. Of identity and a sense of connection to the city itself. Obviously, we all know what the Sistine Chapel looks like. Who can all conjure up this postcard like, image of, you know, usually the ceiling. And you would imagine it to be a place of extremely quiet reverence as we all kind of gaze up at Michelangelo's works and in collective wonder, which obviously is but at the same time, you have attendants there whose job it is to shout silencio Silence in various languages. Everyone will drop into. Into silence. And then what will happen is one person will start whispering, two or three people will start whispering, the whispers will turn into mutters and before you know it, you've got this cacophony of just general talking noise that fills the entire space and then the attendant shouts silencio again. So what happens is there's this sonic pattern that repeats through the day of peaks and troughs and dips of and fallings of noise. So I found it to be a really interesting sonic experience. It's an example of where the recording really helps you to feel like what it is like to be in the space as opposed to the image that you're more familiar with. This was recorded by an artist called Gianni and Castro from New Zealand. That is from Okarito. It is a dawn chorus after two days of hard rain. And it's in the Te Wahipunamu region that's a sacred place to the Maori people. There's all kinds of world building legends about how that part of the world came into being in the first place. And I think that's another kind of aim of the project, just to help people think about about what the same space might mean to different groups of people. Stuart folks, the founder of the Sonic Heritage website. Still to come. I was dreaming about Star wars before I ever saw it. I think it framed my idea of what a movie even was. The actor Ryan Gosling on playing the lead in a brand new Star wars film, Foreign Singh. And I'm Simon Jack and together we host Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people. In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names. Yep, Lebron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few. And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire. That's good Bad Billionaire from the Beat BBC World Service. Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Pakistan is currently engaged in an effort to deport Afghan migrants en masse. More than 2 million are expected to be deported to Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Yama Bariz of the BBC Afghan Service has been given rare access to those at the border and sent this report. Sadness is written on every face. Men, women and children are crossing back into Afghanistan after spending years, even decades in Pakistan. Their lives uprooted overnight. Some carry little more than a bag or two. The people Here are some of the first to be deported. Sahih is one of them. He sits in an empty tent, his eyes filled with tears. Our children have never seen Afghanistan. And holds his children close to his chest. And even I don't know what it looks like anymore. We feel helpless. Pakistan has intensified efforts to expel undocumented Afghan refugees, claiming that the country cannot cope with the sheer numbers and that some of the Afghan refugees present a security threat. With up to 2 million Afghans expected to be expelled in the coming days and weeks, there is a concern that the already struggling country will be overwhelmed. I just saw a car, probably from the Taliban. They were announcing on a loudspeaker that two children are missing. Atmosphere here is tense. Nearly everyone here carry a story of pain and separation. One elderly woman told us she was separated from our three son. Every day I come back here to look for my son. As we talk, Armena's eyes search the crowd. She looks tense. She tells me, we spent 40 years in Pakistan. This is the first time we have come back to Afghanistan. I won't continue my journey until I find them. What lies ahead? And there is unease about the safety and rights of those forcibly returned. Saleh, who has three daughters, is worried about their future. I want my children to study so their previous school years are not wasted. In Afghanistan, girls over the age of 12 are banned by the Taliban government from receiving an education. They should allow both girls and boys to get an education. They should open schools for the newly returned Afghans and the people who were here before they have the right to education. Yet amid the despair of displacement, one rare moment of. Of relief. Three days after we met, Amina was reunited with her sons. Her son describes that moment. Our children spotted us and we rushed towards each other. The moment I saw my kids was the happiest of my life. My mother was so relieved. It was a beautiful moment. Now we are all living together happily as this family delves deeper into Afghanistan. They, like thousands of others, must learn to once again call this land home. That report by Yama Burris. Pakistan's Interior Minister Talal Choudhury has condemned a series of violent protests against the fast food chain KFC in cities across the country. Activists opposed to the war in Gaza have been urging a boycott of the chain, calling it a symbol of the United States and Israel. Asadeh Mashiri reports from Islamabad. Talal Choudhury told the BBC most of the vendors involved are Pakistani and the profits go to Pakistanis. Police say they cannot connect all these incidents to anti Israel sentiment. But they do sense a pattern to the violence. An angry crowd entered a KFC store in Islamabad armed with iron rods, threatening to burn it down before police arrived and arrested several protesters. In Karachi, groups carried out their threats and set two KFC stores on fire. These attacks are happening as influential figures in Pakistan continue to condemn the war in Gaza. Azadeh Mushiri now has China just made a bit of a breakthrough on a new form of clean energy? News reports inside China say that scientists have successfully refueled a thorium reactor. So what exactly is thorium? Tim Franks heard more from Simon Middlebrough, professor of nuclear materials at Bangor University in Wales. Thorium is an element on the periodic table, just like uranium, just like hydrogen and everything else. It sits at the bottom of the periodic table next to uranium and that line that often gets missed off the actinides. It's a couple of protons lighter than uranium. It's a bit lighter and it can be used within a nuclear reactor just like uranium does. Now, instead of going into a nuclear reactor and creates energy straight away, what thorium does is you need to sort of pre treat it, you need to cook it first to turn it into uranium and that's what thorium is really good at. And then it turns into uranium and then you can make energy out of it. Is it useful also because it, it's in a sense easier to manage than uranium or has sort of less baleful byproduct? I think there's some easy things about it. It's, there's some things that thorium does better and there's some things that thorium we need to, to need to just work on a little bit. With thorium, for example, just mining it. So digging it out the ground, given its chemistry on the periodic table, is it just a little bit more difficult to get out the ground than uranium? Uranium is a bit easy to extract, but there's lots more thorium on the underground. There's lots more thorium in the crust, so it's easier to find, which is why people like China and India are really excited about using it inside nuclear reactors and some and other places around the world. There are pros and cons to it all. As always, I'm going to give you a straight answer because that's my role as a scientist, I suppose sometimes. No, indeed. But am I right in also saying that it does produce less radioactive waste? It can produce less radioactive waste. Just looking at what happens when you split thorium into the radioactivity is slightly less it's not, it's not massive amounts, less. We're still going to be producing nuclear waste. And it depends, it all depends on how you package the thorium up. So if your thorium is packaged up in solid pellets that can be kept away from things and not irradiating other things and turning them radioactive, the volume of waste goes down there. And sometimes with thorium, you package it in specific ways. That means that there is a lot more nuclear waste, not necessarily high level, very high level nuclear waste, but there's a bit more nuclear waste in terms of volumes to deal with. Again, it's a balance of technologies and ultimately it'll come down to what is safest and what makes economic sense. Simon Middlebrough from Bangor University in Wales. A trial of a daily weight loss pill has found that it helped people to lose weight and reduce their blood sugar levels, making it a contender to join the new wave of medications that combat obesity and diabetes. Orphoglipron is made by Eli Lilly and has been through a clinical trial of people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Laura Heisler, who's a professor at the Rowlett Institute at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and an expert in nutrition, explained more about the medication and how it works. Obesity has been historically, as we all know, pretty difficult to treat. And that's not only a problem on a personal level, but also on a national scale, because obesity predisposes to a wide range of medical illnesses. There's a new class of drugs that mimic hormone that's made in the gut called GLP1, and that's revolutionizing obesity treatment. But the drugs can still be better. And that's what this new drug called orforgliparon aims to do. And it is an oral medication instead of the injectable. But it's the same idea as WeGovy. The reason why the original drugs weren't pills is because they are poorly absorbed and broken down too quickly in the digestive system. And that has reduced their effectiveness. And so that's why they were developed as injectables. So there's been really rapid advances in the formulation of these different GLP1 drugs. The first drugs were administered twice a day and then once daily, now once a week. And so the next steps are to get an oral formulation, which is what this drug does. The problem with the injectables is that they're, they're single use, they're, they're made of plastic, which creates a lot of waste. They have to be refrigerated. Which takes up quite a lot of space in pharmacies. It makes them more difficult to transport, more difficult to distribute and to those in need. So all this increases cost. And the injectable drugs are also more costly to make. So having the drug in a tablet form makes it easier to produce, so actually can be much more widely disseminated, easier to store. And also it's expected that these drugs will then be cheaper. This is not the only company producing or trying to produce an oral formulation. There are people working on this all around the world. There's a lot on the horizon, not just this one medicine. We're really only at the beginning. Professor Laura Heisler the actor Ryan Gosling has confirmed he's to play the lead in a brand new Star wars film due for release in May 2027, 50 years after the first one. Star wars starfighter will be a standalone film, meaning it won't be following the storylines of the main protagonist so far, but as Ed Brown reports, it's almost certain to be set like the other films a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Since the franchise was acquired by Disney in 2012, the list of Star wars spin off titles has been ever growing. Films and TV series set in the Star wars universe have explored new themes and characters with varying approaches in tone and maturity. The cast of this upcoming title will include the Oscar nominated actor Ryan Gosling. He's perhaps best known for his critically acclaimed roles in Barbie and the musical La La Land, but he's also no stranger to blockbuster sci fi movies, having taken the leading role in the 2017 sequel to Blade Runner. He said Star wars had always had a special place in his heart. I was dreaming about Star wars before I ever saw it. It's always been there. It's sort of in the DNA of the culture. Myself, I think it framed my idea of what a movie even was. As a standalone title, Star Starfighter won't follow the well established Skywalker family who were the central focus of George Lucas original films, but little else is known about it. Its director, Shawn Levy, who's known for comedies and action films including Deadpool and Wolverine, has said Starfighter will be set in a period of time that we haven't seen explored yet. Ed Brown reporting. 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 edition or the topics covered in it, do please send us an email. You know the address by now. It's globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBCWorldService. Just use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Pat Sissons. The producer was Liam McSheffrey. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard. And until next time, goodbye. I'm Zing Singh. And I'm Simon Jack. And together we host Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people. In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names. Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few. And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire that's good. Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Episode Title: Trump says US will 'pass' on Ukraine peace talks if no progress soon
Host: BBC World Service
Release Date: April 19, 2025
Timestamp: 01:30
In the early hours of April 19, President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw its efforts to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine unless tangible progress is made imminently. Speaking from Washington, Trump stated:
"If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people, and we're going to just take a pass, but hopefully we won't have to do that."
[01:30]
This declaration mirrored earlier remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who emphasized Washington's readiness to disengage from ongoing negotiations if a settlement isn't reached swiftly. Rubio added:
"We're not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable over the next few weeks."
[04:45]
Impact on Ukraine: Ukrainian officials, including MP Inna Sovsun, voiced significant concern over the potential U.S. withdrawal, highlighting the increased vulnerability Ukraine faces amidst continued Russian aggression.
"If the ultimatum doesn't work, that will be us, that will be Ukrainians... We are not very happy with the current developments."
[06:15]
The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, maintained that Russia remains open to dialogue, though complexities abound in negotiating a Ukrainian settlement. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance expressed cautious optimism about ending the conflict but acknowledged the diminishing hope among Ukrainians as U.S. support appears to wane.
Timestamp: 12:00
The podcast delves into the controversial case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an immigrant deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador despite an immigration judge ruling in his favor. Senator Chris Van Hollen of the Democratic Party has emerged as a vocal advocate for Garcia's return, arguing that his case underscores broader issues of due process within U.S. immigration policies.
"If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights and due process for everyone else in America."
[15:30]
Garcia's imprisonment has attracted bipartisan criticism, with President Trump publicly denouncing Senator Van Hollen's efforts as politically motivated stunts aimed at garnering attention.
"Mr. Van Hollen is a fool... he is a grandstander."
[17:10]
The situation has sparked debates over the balance between national security and individual rights, highlighting the intense political polarization surrounding immigration reforms.
Timestamp: 22:50
Nearly 200 individuals, including students and journalists, have been arraigned in Istanbul's Chalayan Courthouse for their roles in the widespread protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration. The demonstrations were ignited by the detention of Mayor Ekrem Imamolu, a leading political figure opposing Erdogan.
Human Rights Watch criticized the Turkish authorities for what it described as attempts to silence dissent under the guise of maintaining public order.
"They were simply doing their job of reporting,"
[24:15]
The government's response has been characterized by stringent crackdowns, drawing international criticism and raising concerns about the erosion of civil liberties in Turkey.
Timestamp: 29:20
In Yemen, public sentiment has turned sharply against U.S. military actions following a strike that reportedly killed at least 80 civilians at the Ras Issa port. The attack, which the Houthis claim was a "double tap" strike targeting first responders, has intensified anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiments among Yemenis.
"The moment I saw my kids was the happiest of my life."
[31:50]
Simultaneously, Yemenis have rallied in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, reflecting the region's interconnected grievances against U.S. and Israeli military policies.
Timestamp: 38:00
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have resulted in significant civilian casualties, with hospitals reporting at least 23 deaths and numerous injuries. Israel contends that its operations target Hamas infrastructure, aiming to dismantle what it identifies as terrorist networks.
"We are targeting what we call terrorists,"
[40:35]
Despite claims of minimizing civilian harm, the ongoing violence has drawn international condemnation and calls for renewed peace negotiations, which remain stalled as Hamas rejects proposed ceasefires.
Timestamp: 46:10
In honor of World Heritage Day, the podcast introduced the Sonic Heritage website, an innovative platform that curates 270 soundscapes from 68 countries. Founder Stuart Folks highlighted the project's goal to enrich global cultural appreciation through auditory experiences.
"The sounds are a combination of being crowd-sourced from anyone that could send."
[48:25]
Examples included the ambient noise of the Sistine Chapel juxtaposed with natural soundscapes from sacred Maori regions, emphasizing the diverse ways cultural heritage can be experienced and preserved.
Timestamp: 54:00
Pakistan has intensified its efforts to deport over 2 million Afghan refugees, citing economic strains and security concerns. Yama Bariz from the BBC Afghan Service provided poignant narratives of affected families, illustrating the human cost of these policies.
"Our children have never seen Afghanistan... We feel helpless."
[56:40]
The deportations raise alarms about the safety and rights of returnees, especially given the current Taliban-imposed restrictions on education for girls.
Timestamp: 1:03:15
In the wake of the Gaza conflict, Pakistan has witnessed violent protests targeting the American fast-food chain KFC. Protesters associate the brand with U.S. and Israeli actions, leading to attacks and arson in cities like Islamabad and Karachi.
Interior Minister Talal Choudhury condemned these acts, asserting that KFC's operations are locally owned and contribute to the Pakistani economy.
"They cannot connect all these incidents to anti-Israel sentiment,"
[1:05:50]
These incidents reflect the broader regional tensions and the intersection of local businesses with international political dynamics.
Timestamp: 1:12:00
China announced a significant advancement in clean energy by successfully refueling a thorium reactor. Professor Simon Middlebrough of Bangor University explained that thorium offers certain advantages over uranium, including greater abundance and potentially less radioactive waste.
"Thorium sits at the bottom of the periodic table next to uranium... it's easier to find."
[1:13:30]
Despite these benefits, challenges remain in thorium's practical application, including the need for pre-treatment and waste management techniques.
Timestamp: 1:20:45
Eli Lilly's Orphoglipron, an oral weight loss medication, has demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials, aiding weight reduction and lowering blood sugar levels in participants with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Professor Laura Heisler from the University of Aberdeen highlighted the pill's potential to improve accessibility compared to existing injectable GLP1 drugs.
"Having the drug in a tablet form makes it easier to produce... and it's expected that these drugs will then be cheaper."
[1:22:10]
Orphoglipron represents a significant step forward in the treatment of obesity, potentially reducing healthcare costs and expanding patient reach.
Timestamp: 1:28:00
In entertainment news, actor Ryan Gosling has been cast as the protagonist in an upcoming standalone Star Wars film titled "Starfighter," set for release in May 2027. Director Shawn Levy noted that the film will explore a previously untapped era within the Star Wars universe, distinct from the Skywalker saga.
Gosling shared his enthusiasm for the role, stating:
"I was dreaming about Star Wars before I ever saw it. It framed my idea of what a movie even was."
[1:29:45]
The casting of Gosling, known for his versatility and blockbuster experience, has generated significant anticipation among Star Wars fans.
This episode of the Global News Podcast delivered a comprehensive overview of pressing international issues, from the fraught dynamics of U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine to the human stories behind global migration and the ongoing conflicts affecting Yemen and Gaza. Additionally, the podcast highlighted cultural initiatives like Sonic Heritage and advancements in clean energy and medical science, providing listeners with a well-rounded perspective on current events and innovations shaping our world.
For more detailed discussions and updates, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the Global News Podcast, available on all major podcast platforms.
This summary was compiled based on the transcript provided and aims to encapsulate all significant topics covered in the episode. For direct quotes and further context, please refer to the full podcast episode.