UK expected to recognise Palestinian state

Summary

Global News Podcast – “UK Expected to Recognise Palestinian State”

BBC World Service | September 21, 2025 | Host: Alex Ritson

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Episode Overview

In this edition of the Global News Podcast, the BBC World Service covers Britain's impending recognition of a Palestinian state—a major shift in UK foreign policy. The episode explores the on-the-ground reality in the West Bank, reactions from various stakeholders to the UK's decision, growing concerns over press freedom in the US, a BBC investigation into Russian interference in Moldova's elections, the relaunch of Russia's Intervision song contest, new US limits on H1B visas, and the controversy surrounding Rwanda hosting the World Road Cycling Championships.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. UK Poised to Recognise Palestinian State

[01:08–07:25, 07:40–08:40]

• Main Theme: Britain is expected to take the unprecedented step of recognising a Palestinian state later today, marking a shift from the country’s longstanding policy that recognition would follow a peace deal with Israel.

• On-the-Ground Reporting (West Bank):

  • Escalating Israeli settlement expansion and military actions have eroded the prospects for Palestinian sovereignty.
  • Abdulaziz Madjame, who lost his 13-year-old son Islam to Israeli gunfire, voices frustration:

    “Why did that soldier pick on a 13 year old boy? I'm standing right next to him. Shoot me instead. Why are you shooting at children?”
    — [03:05]

  • The refugee camp in Jenin remains under occupation, with significant restrictions on Palestinian residents.
  • Local governance is described as powerless, with real authority lying with Israel:

    “They control everything and the Palestinian Authority just implements the decisions of the Jews.”
    — [03:36]

• Analysis & Political Impact:

  • The recognition “may harm us on the ground”—referring to possible retaliation or increased hardships—but is “very significant” strategically.
    — [04:51–04:55]
  • Israel’s official position reinforced by Prime Minister Netanyahu:

    “We said that there will not be a Palestinian state, and indeed there will be no Palestinian state. This place is ours.”
    — [05:18–05:23]

• Daily Life and Settlements:

  • Interviews with Palestinians highlight daily harassment and lack of protection, both from the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli military.

    “My security is in the hands of the people who occupy me.” — Ayman Soufan, Palestinian resident [06:50]

  • According to Peace Now, settler and military violence has driven at least 2,500 Palestinians from their homes since the Gaza war began. [07:01]

• UK Political Reaction:

  • Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to justify the move as a moral imperative to “keep the hope of a peace deal alive.” Critics, including the Conservative leader and families of Israeli hostages, argue it rewards Hamas and complicates hostage negotiations. [07:40–08:40]

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2. Press Freedom Curtailed at the US Pentagon

[08:40–12:19]

• Overview:
  The US Pentagon has imposed sweeping new restrictions on journalists, including mandatory non-disclosure pledges and limited movement within facilities. Non-compliance risks loss of credentials.

• Reactions:

  • Strong backlash from media organizations:

    “This has basically violated the main tenant of what maketh a free press right now.”
    — Saraschke Rai, journalist, The Hill [09:22–09:49]

  • The tradition of “off-the-record” briefings is now ended.
  • Previous changes under Trump’s administration highlighted, including rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War and restricting reporter movement. [10:38–11:27]

• Concerns Raised:

  • Saraschke Rai:

    “You want a free press 100%. ... This goes against what the press stands for.” [11:36]

  • Press Club condemns moves as antithetical to democracy and transparency.

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3. US H1B Visa Fee Increases

[12:19–16:59]

• Policy Details:

  • The Trump administration has raised the fee for new H1B skilled worker visas to $100,000 per application, aiming to limit use by tech companies and incentivize domestic hiring.
  • Applies to new applications only; existing visa holders and renewals are excluded.

• Impact on India:

  • Over 70% of H1B visa holders are Indian nationals; remittances from US-based tech workers are vital to India’s economy.
  • Indian families and companies experience panic and confusion, with advisories against travel until clarification is received.
  • Increase seen as a strain on US-India relations, especially following tariff hikes and accusations of India’s role in the Ukraine conflict.

    “Despite being a strategic partner, the Indians are feeling that they were being let down.” — Anbarasan Etirajan [16:26]

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4. Duchess of York’s Controversial Epstein Email

[16:59–18:13]

• Incident:
  Two UK newspapers reveal an email from Sarah Ferguson to Jeffrey Epstein, referred to as a “supreme friend,” sent after her previous public disavowal of him.
  • Duchess’s spokesman claims it was written under legal threat, reiterates her condemnation of Epstein.

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5. Russian Disinformation in Moldova’s Election

[21:24–25:41]

• BBC Investigation:
  • Undercover reporting reveals a Moscow-backed digital network using fake profiles, social media, and payments (including crypto) to sway Moldova’s election against the pro-EU government.
  • Fake news and anti-LGBT narratives being spread; over 90 TikTok accounts involved, reaching 23 million views in a country of less than three million people.

    “Many people see me as the person who works hard for Moldova to become part of the EU, and when they attack me, they attack the EU.” — President Maia Sandu [24:48]

  • Russian authorities deny involvement.

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6. Intervision Song Contest Relaunched by Russia

[25:41–29:53]

• Event summary:

  • Russia revives Intervision, its alternative to Eurovision, with over 20 participating countries; Vietnam wins the first new edition.
  • Politics and power play a key role. The event starts with a video message from President Putin and an interview with Sergey Lavrov, presenting the contest as both an entertainment event and a challenge to Western cultural dominance.
  • A notable moment: the Russian entrant, Shaman, removes himself from competition:

    “Russian hospitality does not permit me from winning this competition.” — Shaman [28:04]

• Analysis:
  Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russia Editor, notes:

  “It is a political project, Intervision of the Kremlin… At the end, the singers on the stage together, almost as if the message is to the West: Look, Russia has lots of friends...” [28:21, 29:15]

  • Next year’s contest announced for Saudi Arabia.

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7. Cyberattack Paralyzes European Airports

[29:53–31:28]

• Incident:
  • Cyberattack causes cancellations and severe delays across multiple European airports by paralyzing the Collins Aerospace Muse check-in system.
  • Airlines forced to check in passengers manually; passengers report chaos and lack of support.

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8. Rwanda Accused of Sportswashing at World Cycling Championships

[31:28–33:48]

• Event:
  • Rwanda hosts Africa’s first World Road Cycling Championships.
  • Human Rights Watch accuses Rwanda of using the event to gloss over human rights abuses, including involvement in summary executions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Some Rwandans express excitement at hosting the event; cyclists avoid commenting on politics.

    “There's a real gap between the rhetoric on the international stage and then what's actually happening on the ground.”
    — Clementine de Monjois, Human Rights Watch [32:56]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Why did that soldier pick on a 13 year old boy? I'm standing right next to him. Shoot me instead. Why are you shooting at children?”
  — Abdulaziz Madjame, Palestinian father [03:05]

• “They control everything and the Palestinian Authority just implements the decisions of the Jews.”
  — Jenin resident [03:36]

• “This has basically violated the main tenant of what maketh a free press right now.”
  — Saraschke Rai [09:49]

• “You want a free press 100% ... This goes against what the press stands for.”
  — Saraschke Rai [11:36]

• “Despite being a strategic partner, the Indians are feeling that they were being let down.”
  — Anbarasan Etirajan [16:26]

• “Many people see me as the person who works hard for Moldova to become part of the EU, and when they attack me, they attack the EU.”
  — President Maia Sandu [24:48]

• “It is a political project, Intervision of the Kremlin… At the end, the singers on the stage together, almost as if the message is to the West: Look, Russia has lots of friends...”
  — Steve Rosenberg [29:15]

• “There's a real gap between the rhetoric on the international stage and then what's actually happening on the ground.”
  — Clementine de Monjois [32:56]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:08] Headlines & lead up to UK recognition of Palestinian state
• [02:50–07:25] Reporting from the West Bank, Palestinian perspectives
• [07:40–08:40] UK political reactions to recognition of Palestine
• [08:40–12:19] Pentagon curtails press freedom in the US
• [12:19–16:59] US H1B visa policy changes and Indian impact
• [21:24–25:41] BBC undercover exposé on Russian disinformation in Moldova
• [25:41–29:53] Russia’s Intervision Song Contest relaunch (& political implications)
• [29:53–31:28] Cyberattack at European airports
• [31:28–33:48] Rwanda’s cycling event and sportswashing allegations

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Tone and Style

This episode combines on-the-ground human stories, political analysis, and global investigative journalism in the neutral, authoritative, and empathic style typical of the BBC World Service. Voices of those affected—whether in conflict zones, tech workers abroad, or passengers at airports—are foregrounded, alongside insights from policy experts and journalists.

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For more information or to listen to the episode, subscribe to the Global News Podcast by BBC World Service.

Transcript

[Alex Ritson]

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[Alex Ritson]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Alex ritson and at 0500 GMT on Sunday 21st September, these are our main stories. Britain is poised to take the unprecedented step of recognizing a Palestinian state today. The Pentagon imposes new restrictions on journalists covering the US military, fueling fe about press freedom, and a BBC investigation finds evidence of a covert Russian backed disinformation campaign to swing Moldova's election. The Kremlin denies meddling. Also in this podcast, President Putin reboots the Soviet era Inter Vision song contest, described as a mix of performance, politics and power. Britain is expected to take the unprecedented step of recognizing a Palestinian state later today Sunday. This would be a major shift in foreign policy for the uk which has for decades stuck to the position that any such recognition should only happen as part of a peace deal with Israel. More on that in a moment. But first, since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Palestinians living in the occupied west bank have witness record growth of illegal Israeli settlements and an aggressive erosion of Palestinian territory, as well as official government and military policies that threaten the sovereignty of a Palestinian state. Our Middle east correspondent Lucy Williamson reports from the West Bank.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

States are there to protect, but so are fathers When Abdulaziz Madjame buried his teenage son Islam in Jenin this month, he had one question for the Israeli soldier who shot him.

[Interviewee]

Why did that soldier pick on a 13 year old boy I'm standing right next to him.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

Shoot me instead. Why are you shooting at children?

[Interviewee]

I'm here. Shoot at me.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Islam was shot beside his father at the entrance to Jenin's emptied refugee camp, occupied by Israeli forces since January. One of a group of displaced residents who'd been trying to reach their homes there.

[Interviewee]

There's no investigation, no one for me to complain to.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

They control everything and the Palestinian Authority just implements the decisions of the Jews.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Israel's army said it fired at suspects who posed a threat and was examining the incident. It declined to clarify what threat Islam had posed. Cities Jenin, under the control of the Palestinian Authority were meant to be the seeds of a new Palestinian state. But it's Israel that wields real military and financial control. The entrance to the camp near where Islam was shot is now blocked by an earth berm. The refugee camp is a five minute drive from the office of Jenin's mayor, Mohammed Jarrah. Inside. Israel has been using methods honed in Gaza to demolish what it says is terrorist infrastructure. Part of an Israeli plan. The mayor told me to deal with armed opposition groups before annexing the West Bank.

[Alex Ritson]

Israel is clearly moving towards greater occupation.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

Of the west bank, but that won't change the fact that it is already an occupying power. The recognition of a Palestinian state is.

[Alex Ritson]

Very important for us.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

It may harm us on the ground.

[Alex Ritson]

But on the political and strategic levels.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

It will have a very significant impact.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Israel's prime minister has built a career on promises to block a Palestinian state. He echoed claims made by far right ministers this month that the west bank belongs to them.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We said that there will not be.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

A Palestinian state, and indeed there will.

[Alex Ritson]

Be no Palestinian state. This place is ours.

[Narrator/Reporter]

We will see to our heritage, our.

[Alex Ritson]

Land and our security.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Some Israelis say the occupied west bank is like the Wild West, a place where statehood and sovereignty is decided not by laws and declarations, but by facts on the ground, sometimes with weapons in hand. Under the last peace accords signed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders 30 years ago, Israel was meant to hand over the land it occupied in 1967 to Palestinian control. Instead, human rights groups say more than 100 new settlement outposts have appeared across the west bank in the last two years alone. From his house in the hills south of Nablus, Ayman Soufan watched an outpost appear on the next door hill a few months ago.

[Interviewee]

Every day a settler comes bangs on.

[Steve Rosenberg]

The house, shouting, leave, leave.

[Interviewee]

I call the authorities. They tell me, I'll send the army. But the army never comes.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Ayman's grandchildren stare through the window at the corrugated iron shed up the hill.

[Interviewee]

Who is supposed to protect me? The Palestinian police. They can't even protect the cities here. My security is in the hands of the people who occupy me.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

The Israeli organization peacenow says violence by settlers and soldiers has forced two and a half thousand Palestinians from their homes since the Gaza war began. Recognition is a signal from Israel's allies that Palestinian rights don't change even if Palestinian territory is taken and Palestinian control is gone.

[Alex Ritson]

Lucy Williamson well, the decision by the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to recognize a Palestinian state has been strongly criticized by the families of the Israeli hostages who have accused him of rewarding Hamas. Harry Farley reports.

[Harry Farley]

Under mounting pressure from his own cabinet and MPs, in July, the prime minister announced his plan to recognize a state of Palestine unless the situation on the ground improved. The government's view is that it has not improved, but worsened significantly. In a video statement, Sikhir Starmer is expected to say, the international community has a moral responsibility to act to keep the hope of a peace deal alive. But critics argue this is a symbolic gesture that will not do that. The conservative leader Kemi Badenoch echoed the views of Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in claiming that recognizing a Palestinian state before all the hostages are released would reward terror. Families of some of the hostages have written to Saqir, warning the announcement has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home their loved ones. Government sources insist their demands on Hamas have not changed and say they will set out their next steps on sanctioning the group in the coming weeks.

[Alex Ritson]

Harry Farley as fears grow over press freedom in the United States, the Pentagon has placed restrictions on journalists accredited to cover the work of the US Military. The new rules rules include making reporters sign a pledge not to disclose unauthorized information and limit their movement. 90 journalists will be affected. If they don't comply, they risk losing their media credentials. Politicians from both sides have criticised the move, with the Republican congressman Don Bacon saying it's so dumb he had a hard time believing it was true. I asked Saraschke Rai, a journalist at the US Political website the how the press is reacting to this has really.

[Saraschke Rai]

Struck a deep chord with a lot of journalists that cover the Pentagon. There's been a lot of pushback already on social media from journalists who've been covering the Pentagon for years. And it's also drawn very, very sharp criticism from news organizations, saying that this has basically violated the main tenant of what maketh a free press right now. Essentially, journalists must sign a pledge not to gather any information, including unclassified reports that haven't been authorized for release. Now, the whole point of journalists covering the Pentagon right now, especially in Washington, D.C. has always been unnamed sources, because military sources do not like going on the record. They know they have high level security clearance. They know their job's on the line. And essentially a lot of journalists that covered the Pentagon and cover the Department of Defense, now rebranded the Department of War, have always relied on unnamed military sources for their reporting.

[Alex Ritson]

But the people who run the Pentagon.

[Harry Farley]

Know how it works.

[Alex Ritson]

I mean, you have the official briefing and then you have the briefing on the side where you, you can't say where you got it. But we trust the reporter. We know where it came from. That means that whole system is over, doesn't it?

[Saraschke Rai]

It really does. Because, you know, we know that the Department of Defense under the Trump administration has been slowly walking back a lot of the freedoms that the media enjoyed or was allowed to have while covering the Pentagon. He has basically said that on social media. He basically said that the press does not run the Pentagon, the people do. Earlier this year, Pete Hegsett, who is now the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of War, as the Trump administration has renamed it, he limited reporters ability to freely move through without an approved escort, which is basically a change from something that has always allowed reporters to walk freely through the halls of the Pentagon in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

[Alex Ritson]

You do sound extremely worried about this from the perspective of, in a democracy.

[Saraschke Rai]

You want a free press 100%. And we heard from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. it's an organization that has had, you know, thousands of members. And he essentially said that this goes against what the press stands for. Look, reporters are still going to get scoops. They're still gonna get information out because it's part of their job. They have a deep network. If they've been covering the Pentagon for years, they're still gonna get those stories. We just won't have access to the officials that we've always had access to. And in a way that limits freedom of speech, but also limits the ability of, of journalists in D.C. to do their jobs.

[Alex Ritson]

Sorak Shi Rai in Washington D.C. staying in the US and just hours before the fee for H1B visas for highly skilled workers was due to rise dramatically, the Trump administration clarified exactly who will be affected. It will be a one off, $100,000 fee and will only apply to new requests. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the move was essential to protect American jobs.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The whole idea is no more. Will these big tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers? They have to pay the government $100,000, then they have to pay the employee. So it's just not economic. If you're going to train somebody, you're.

[Commercial Announcer]

Going to train one of the recent.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans, stop bringing in people to take our jobs.

[Alex Ritson]

Our reporter Anbarasan etirajan told Julia McFarlane about the changes on Friday evening.

[Interviewee]

When President Trump signed this executive order, it talked about this massive hike from about $1,500 to $100,000 for these highly skilled workers, most of them coming from India. It triggered a lot of panic and confusion because there was not enough information whether it will apply to all those people already in the US with the existing visa or those who are in the process of renewing this visa. As a result of that, some of the companies then started sending out messages to their workforce. Big companies like Microsoft and Amazon saying those who want to travel outside the US should not travel now because there is a chance that you may be denied entry unless you pay the fees. And also told people already outside the US to come back immediately. So this triggered a lot of panic among people we see on social media people saying I'm canceling everything thing and returning back to the U.S. also at the same time, people from the U.S. not wanting to travel. Now it says that it is applicable only to those going to apply from next year, but even then it is a massive fees for companies. If you have to pay $100,000 a year for a worker, that means you can as well imagine how much they have to pay them so that they can also add on to this visa fee hike as well.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

There is a wide impact, particularly on Indian nationals working for US companies. Why is it such a big deal for India and Indians?

[Interviewee]

It's American dream. If you look at the H1B visa numbers, more than 71% last year were given to Indian nationals. And if you go back for the last 20 years, you can as well imagine hundreds of thousands of people would have gone to the US for any technical graduate coming out of the university, his only dream in India is to go to the US and settle down, send money back home, build a house. So this is a generational change. When I was in the university in the 80s, it used to be only the high tech graduates from the IITs or the business management schools used to go to the US This IT industry opened the gate. Whereas people from rural areas who had a computer qualification they were able to go to the US and they were sending money back home. For example, India gets about $125 billion, the highest money received by a country as remittances from the workers abroad and nearly a of them coming from the US. So the US India connection improved dramatically in the last 25 to 30 years because of this growth of tech industry. That's why this H1B visa is a household name in some cities in Hyderabad or Chennai and Bangalore. That's why it is so important, because for anyone joining any Indian university, his next stop would be in the Silicon Valley or somewhere else in the us.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

It's so interesting you say that the US India relationship improved massively as a result of this important aspect of their trading relationship because this policy has come out quite soon after we've started seeing little hints that there might be tensions between the modi Trump relationship. Is there any chance that this sudden change in policy might be a factor in that?

[Interviewee]

This has taken everyone by surprise. What happened in the last six months you have seen tariff hike for Indian goods for about 25%. Then Trump administration officials were accusing India of aiding the war in Ukraine by buying oil from Russia. And also during the brief India Pakistan conflict, President Trump repeatedly said that he stopped the war, whereas India hates the word third party mediation. Many people thought US was projecting India as a counterbalance to China and all of a sudden, despite being a strategic partner, the Indians are feeling that they were being let down.

[Alex Ritson]

Anbarasan Etarajan Here in the uk, two newspapers have published an email said to have been sent by the Duchess of York to Jeffrey Epst. In the message, Sarah Ferguson calls the late pedophile financier a supreme friend despite his conviction for sex offences. A spokesperson for the Duchess, the former wife of Prince Andrew, said the email was to counter a threat. Simon Jones has the details.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

In an interview in 2011, Sarah Ferguson said her involvement with the financier Jeffrey Epstein had been a gigantic error of judgment. She promised she would never have anything to do with him again, saying, I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children. Epstein had been jailed three years earlier for soliciting prostitution from a minor. But the Sun, a male, on Sunday says shortly after giving the interview, she emailed Epstein saying she had not used the word paedophilia about him, writing, I know you feel hellaciously let down by me. You have always been a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family. A spokesman for the Duchess said the email was sent after Epstein had threatened to sue her for defamation in an effort to assuage him. The spokesman added that she stood by her public condemnation of him.

[Alex Ritson]

Simon Jones still to come, the World Road Cycling Championships start in Rwanda to accusations of sports.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Washington Human Rights Watch documented summary executions of over 140 civilians.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The US electric grid is approaching a breaking point as demand soars from data centers and home energy use. Our aging infrastructure can't keep up and the Department of Energy warns that without action, blackouts could surge 100 fold by 2030. The good news? One solution is already here. Propane. It's American made, stored on site and always ready, powering homes and businesses with cleaner, reliable energy that doesn't depend on the grid or the weather. Learn [e-mail] Now I'd like to introduce.

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[Alex Ritson]

Ahead of next Sunday's Moldovan election, a BBC investigation has exposed a covert Russian backed campaign of disinformation aimed at preventing a pro EU party from winning. The World Service had an undercover reporter infiltrate and secretly film the network that one of the leaders said was being funded by Moscow. Moldova, formerly part of the USSR and bordering Ukraine, is still important to Russia as a zone of influence. BBCI's Seamus Miradan reports.

[Seamus Mirodan]

Moldova, a country of 2.4 million on the edge of Europe. Now the ruling party are facing a coalition of pro Russian parties who want Moldova to stay out of the EU in the general election. A Moldovan oligarch called Ilan Shoring, who can be heard here in a political broadcast on Telegram, is offering payments to people who protest against the pro EU government. He is currently in Russia having fled house arrest just before he was convicted of playing a key role in Moldova's biggest ever bank fraud. Moldova's most senior police officer, Villarrell Chernozianu, says this illegal election interference is set to get worse.

[Alex Ritson]

This year. I think we're going to see even more money to corrupt voters. If we talk about the entire spectrum of this criminal organization. We are talking about hundreds of millions.

[Seamus Mirodan]

Throughout the campaign, BBCI reporter Anna was undercover inside a fake news network. She managed to gain access to a private Telegram channel called Electoral Hackathon where she linked up with someone related to Elan Shaw's banned campaign group. There, Anna attended a meeting led by a speaker with a Russian voice.

[Alex Ritson]

I'm glad to welcome you all.

[Harry Farley]

My name is Luca and I'm one.

[Alex Ritson]

Of those who will help us in this big campaign.

[Harry Farley]

Its goal is to increase the Moldova Mare party's visibility.

[Seamus Mirodan]

Moldova Mare is a pro Russian political party.

[Harry Farley]

As the faces of the party, you.

[Alex Ritson]

Will be the ones to meet strangers in the street. This is a campaign where ordinary people are for normal values, like for a.

[Harry Farley]

Traditional family and against lgbt.

[Seamus Mirodan]

Igor Holopeci is from the Moldova Mare party and rejects the links to shore.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The narratives about an alleged link with.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

The Landshore are fabricated.

[Alex Ritson]

Those in power are afraid of losing their positions and privileges, and for this reason, our political opponents promote such narratives.

[Seamus Mirodan]

Anna was asked by one of the handlers to create burner social media profiles and to post daily many of the suggested requests, talk down the current government or contain outright lies. For this, she was offered $170 a month.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Regarding bonuses, we send them through the PSB debit card or we can make you a PSB card or send the bonuses to you via crypto if you have it.

[Seamus Mirodan]

It's an ordinary advert for a bank, but PSB is Russian state owned, under sanctions and linked to fugitive oligarch Ilan Shaw. Moldovan President Maya Sandu spoke to the Eye.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

The foreign financing is illegal when it comes to political parties and when it comes to campaigns, election campaign campaigns. But what we have seen recently is unprecedented. Many people see me as the person who works hard for Moldova to become part of the eu, and when they attack me, they attack the eu.

[Seamus Mirodan]

There is no doubt the posts are being seen. The BBC identified 90 TikTok accounts that appeared to be part of the same digital network as the one Anna was undercover in. There were 23 million views and over 860,000 likes in a country of less than 3 million. Shaw has not commented on the BBC's findings and the Russian authorities deny meddling in this campaign. The election is next Sunday and whoever wins, the results will be heavily disputed.

[Alex Ritson]

Seamus Mirodan well, because of its invasion of Ukraine, Russia was banned from the Eurovision Song Contest by the European Broadcasting Union. Moscow's response was to take matters into its own hands and to reboot Intervision, a song contest conceived in the Soviet era. More than 20 countries from Madagascar to Venezuela signed up to take part in this year's competition. And on Saturday night, the winner was Vietnam. The relaunch of Intervision was the brainchild of one Vladimir Putin. In a televised address, President Putin said Intervision would become the most beloved such competition in the world. More now from our Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, who watched all four hours of it. Exactly what then did he think of the competition?

[Steve Rosenberg]

It was fascinating sitting here. I'd say that one of the similarities between Intervision and Eurovision, they both go on and on and on. One of the interesting things was how similar the two things are the two contests are. Intervision, in many ways is a Eurovision clone from the staging, the set, the video postcards between the songs, the whole structure of the thing. And of course, there's voting at the end, but in other ways it's very different. So the thing kind of began with a video message from Vladimir Putin, quite a long video message. And that was followed by an interview in the hall with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign minister. So that sets it up immediately as quite a political event. And it is a political project, Intervision of the Kremlin. It was. It was Vladimir Putin who signed an executive order to revive what had been a Soviet era song contest. There are a couple of other things that I didn't expect at all. The singer who was supposed to be singing for the United States, actually an Australian singer, Vassi, pulled out at the very last moment, just a few days after the original US election entrant had also pulled out. So There was no U.S. song, although the U.S. jury member remained and took part. And then the Russian singer, a chap called Shaman, who was one of the favorites to win tonight, he sang his song, he belted it out, cheers in the hall. Then he took the microphone and said, I call on the members not to judge my song because Russian hospitality does not permit me from winning this competition. And so he took himself out of the contest.

[Alex Ritson]

Why?

[Steve Rosenberg]

He said, it wouldn't be right if I won the contest because Russian hospitality doesn't allow that. So it was very, very kind of unexpected and a little bit odd.

[Alex Ritson]

But then this is Intervision and Vietnam was the winner. Was it a deserving winner?

[Steve Rosenberg]

If we pushed the politics aside for one moment. The Vietnamese song was very good, actually. The staging was good, the singer was good. So objective. I think, yes, this is an opportunity to show that Russia is not isolated. At the end of Intervision, you had all the, the singers on the, on the stage together singing a song, almost as if the message is to the West. Look, Russia has lots of friends from China to India to Qatar to Saudi Arabia. And finally, I think Intervision was a tool or an instrument to try to challenge Western domination. You hear a lot about a need for a new world order. And in a sense, Intervision was an attempt to kind of challenge Western dominated culture. The interesting thing is it looked just like Eurovision, so I'm not sure how successful that will be, but next year. They've already announced where it's going to take place next year, apparently in Saudi Arabia, so not in Vietnam. It'll be interesting to see if Intervision 2026 takes place.

[Alex Ritson]

Steve, we talked about this when it was first announced and it seemed at the time a bit of a joke. It's not though, is it? It's actually become quite huge.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Clearly the Russians have put a lot of effort into making this a success. The show's over now. So we're back to the reality. When Russians turn on their television sets, they're going to see the war again and there's no end in sight of that. And the thing is that more and more Russians are being affected. The so called special military operation in Ukraine, it's becoming more real for more and more Russians and, and a song contest in Moscow is welcome relief for some people here, but doesn't move the world closer to peace.

[Alex Ritson]

Steve Rosenberg, Russia has been blamed by a number of sources after several European airports saw cancellations and severe delays following a cyber attack which paralyzed electronic check in and boarding systems on Saturday. The U.S. company that develops the software said they were hacked late on Friday night and were working to resolve the issue, but did not comment on reports the hackers were demanding money to unlock the systems. From London Heathrow, here's Ben King.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

Problems with an electronic check in and bag drop system meant some airlines had to check people in by hand. One passenger was hoping to catch a flight to South Africa via Amsterdam.

[Saraschke Rai]

No information given then.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

People only just I got like emails.

[Saraschke Rai]

That they've been rebooked on some sort of like random flights. We haven't been given any food vouchers. People who are here returning for example to the US they have not been offered any hotel, accommodation, anything. So it's been a great chaos and.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

It'S been quite, I would say frustrating for decades.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

Collins Aerospace the affected systems are made by a company called Collins Aerospace. It said cyber related disruption was affecting a software system called Muse which lets multiple airlines share the same check in systems. At Brussels airport, airlines have been asked to cancel half their flights until Monday morning. It called the incident a cyber attack. Dublin and Berlin were also affected. Authorities are looking into how such an important system was taken offline a year after problems with a different IT system disrupted flights across Europe.

[Alex Ritson]

Ben King, Ahead of today's launch of the first World Road Cycling Championships ever held in Africa, human rights activists have accused the hosts, Rwanda of sports washing. As Richard Hamilton reports.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

Hundreds of the world's elite cyclists have been training on the streets of the capital Kigali. The sport's governing body, the UCI, is hailing the event as an historic moment. Rwanda has gone to great lengths to prepare for this prestigious race. With new infrastructure and road improvements, many people see the potential benefits as well as the chance to see the athletes up close. One of those who will be watching Sunday's race is Annie Nyama, who's a student.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

I'm so excited for this tournament. The famous players are going to come and it will be my first time seeing them. I will be so excited seeing those people, which is very nice. It's a good, good experience to see them here.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

But the event comes amid increasing scrutiny of Rwanda's human rights record and its alleged role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Activists say the UCI should not have allowed Rwanda to host the event, saying it gives the government an undeserved legitimacy. Clementine de Monjois is a researcher for Human Rights Watch.

[Field Reporter/Interviewee]

Organizing big sporting events as part of a development strategy to promote tourism, to promote investment. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. The issue is what kind of association this sporting event will have by being held in Rwanda. Specifically, Human Rights Watch documented throughout the month of July how M23 fighters, with the support of Rwandan forces, carried out summary executions of over 140 civilians. So there's a real gap between the rhetoric on the international stage and then what's actually happening on the ground.

[Interviewee/Commentator]

As for the cyclists themselves, they are diplomatically steering away from politics, focusing only on the road ahead as it weaves its way through the rolling hills of Kigali.

[Alex Ritson]

Richard Hamilton. And that's all from us for now. But there'll be a new addition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Ricardo McCarthy and the producers were Alison Davis and Anna Aslam. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Alex Ritz. And until next time. Goodbye.

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