Sarah Smith (3:04)

well, it's interesting, isn't it, this very rapid turnaround from President Trump, which he is framing as something he did at the request of the Pakistan government. Now, I think he's doing that quite carefully so it doesn't look like a rapid climb down. But remember, just hours before he announced this open ended ceasefire, Donald Trump was speaking to CNBC on television saying that he was ready to start bombing again, that he expected to have to do that, that his military were raring to go, and he was repeating his threats to destroy every bridge and every power plant in Iran. And then hours after that, he has agreed to a ceasefire more extensive than the two week one that was just about to run out. Now, throughout this conflict, Donald Trump has used social media and statements on television and elsewhere to issue very aggressive, bellicose threats against Iran, talking about the destructive power of the US Military and the damage that he could do inside Iran to try and force them to agree to a deal. But now, for the second time in two weeks, he is back, back down from his threats of escalating the conflict, making it look very much as though he wants to wind this down and get out of this war rather than to extend it. And that in itself will send a message to Tehran.

Janak Jalil (4:19)

Sarah Smith well, Mr. Trump's announcement came after Iran repeatedly said it had no plans to send a delegation to Islamabad, with the US Having attacked Iran while earlier rounds of negotiations were going on last year. And earlier this year, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Bagi, said Tehran simply didn't trust Washington.

James Uthmeyer (4:44)

During the course of the past two days, they have attacked Iranian vessels and at the same time they're continuing with their threats of war crimes, threats of genocide, bombing our bridges and power plants. So this is not the behavior of, of a country that is really serious about a diplomatic process.

Janak Jalil (5:10)

So given this lack of trust, what has the response been in Iran to Mr. Trump's latest ceasefire extension? Kash A. Junaidi is BBC Persian's Washington correspondent.

Kash A. Junaidi (5:21)

Immediately after President Trump made this announcement, government loyalists in Tehran and other cities, including Mashad, started celebrating on the streets as a victory. They consider this that the president has backed down because of Iran's upper hand in the Persian Gulf and the Hormuz Strait. So for them, this is a clear win. But of course, the regime itself knows it's in a very delicate and difficult position now with the extension of the ceasefire. One official reaction that we had after the announcement was a statement published by the Central Command of Iran's armed forces which said that Iran's armed forces are 100% ready and, and they have their fingers on the trigger. And if the US Attacks Iran, then they will attack predestined targets that they've already locked on. One problem the Iranian side has here is lack of trust and lack of confidence. They've been attacked by the Americans and Israelis twice in the middle of negotiations. So they are very careful not to be surprised again with another attack when they are not ready. But at the same time, deep inside themselves, they're happy with this extension of the ceasefire because it gives them some time to reorganize and try to rebuild those bombarded military facilities and get ready for the next phase. At the same time, they will try diplomacy to see if they could achieve what they want. Most importantly at this moment, what makes them upset is the continuation of the blockade of Iran's ports. And as one adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker Mohammed Bagar Ghaliboff mentioned, is that the continuation of the blockade itself is a violation of the ceasefire.

Janak Jalil (7:10)

And Kashir, we've heard a lot about tensions between pragmatists and hardliners. How real is that or, or is it more for show?

Kash A. Junaidi (7:18)

Well, there is a good cop and bad cop show, but at the same time there is some tension and fraction. But let's make it clear, this is not between the hardliners and the moderates. It's between different hardline groups. So within the hardliners, we have more pragmatic forces. People like Mohammad Mughal Khaliba, who at one time President Trump considered to be the de facto ruler of Iran, they're willing to talk. For them, diplomacy is a tool to achieve what they want. But the hardliners who wanted to fight till the very end, people who were celebrating the end of this ceasefire tonight before the announcement by the president, and they do not believe in diplomacy, they wanted to fight till the end between these different groups, there is a lot of pressure and a lot of fraction and they're putting the pressure on Galibov himself. That's why there was hesitation on the Iranian side. And President Trump understood that. And you could see that in his statement where he talks about the fragmentation of the Iranian government.

Janak Jalil (8:23)

Kashaya Joinedi of BBC Persian well, the conflict in Iran has also had devastating consequences for Lebanon. After the Iranian backed Lebanese group Hezbollah firing into Israel in solidarity with Iran, the Israeli military, after weeks of intense bombing, is still occupying a belt of Lebanese territory on its border. And now the fragile ceasefire imposed by President Trump on the two sides last week is under threat. Hezbollah said it fired rockets at Israel in response to what it described as Israeli violations of that truce. This comes two days before a second round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon is due to take place in Washington, Iran. Hugo Beshega reports from Beirut.

Hugo Beshega (9:08)

This is the first attack by Hezbollah since a ceasefire came into effect last week. The Israeli military said it had responded by striking the launcher from which the rockets were fired. Israel continues to occupy around 5% of Lebanon's territory with officials saying the aim is to create a so called security buffer zone along the border. Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military has been carrying out demolitions in the area saying it is destroying Hezbollah infrastructure. He has also accused the group of violating the deal. Thousands of Lebanese who were forced to flee because of the war remain displaced.

Janak Jalil (9:44)

Hugo Beshega well, two Israeli soldiers have been removed from combat duty and jailed over the destruction of a statue of Jesus in south Lebanon after a picture emerged over the weekend showing one of them using a sledgehammer on the icon in the latest deadly violence in the Israeli occupied West Bank. Two Palestinians, one of them a child, have been killed, killed in an attack on a village involving Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli military says it's looking into the incident. John Donison sent this report from Jerusalem.

John Donison (10:25)

Gunfire in the Palestinian village of Al Mugaya in the Israeli occupied West Bank. The mayor told the BBC around 10 Jewish settlers approached the village along with Israeli soldiers and started shooting towards the local school. There was panic outside the school gates as medics tried to get to the dead and injured. The Palestinian Red crescent says a 13 year old boy and a man in his 30s were shot and died. The mayor said they were killed by Israeli soldiers. Four other people were injured by gunfire and taken to hospital. In a statement, the Israeli military said soldiers had been dispatched to the area after reports of a violent confrontation and of Palestinian youths throwing rocks at an Israeli car. The military said an army reservist was in the car who got out and started shooting. It said the incident was under review. It is the latest attack in what the United nations has called a surge in settler violence. At the end of last month, the UN said on average there were six attacks happening every day and that more than 1500 Palestinians had been displaced by the violence.

Janak Jalil (11:37)

John Donison We've all heard about how AI has helped people write essays, deal with projects at work and even get therapy. But now OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT is being investigated in the US over shocking claims that that it advised a man on the Best way to carry out a mass shooting. The Attorney General in Florida has opened a criminal inquiry after reviewing messages between ChatGPT and the man who went on to kill two people at Florida State University last year and wound several others. James Uthmeyer said his prosecutors had told him if the messages had come from a person, they would have been charged with murder. The chatbot advised the shooter on what

James Uthmeyer (12:22)

type of gun to use, on which ammo went with which gun, on whether or not a gun would be useful in short range. Chatgpt advised the shooter on what time of day would be appropriate for the

James Uthmeyer (12:37)

shooting to interact with more people, and

James Uthmeyer (12:40)

where on campus would be the place

James Uthmeyer (12:42)

to encounter a higher population.

Janak Jalil (12:46)

OpenAI has described the killings as a tragedy, but said that ChatGPT was not responsible, as it only gave out information that was readily available online. So in what could be a potentially groundbreaking case, I asked our North America technology correspondent, Lily Jamali, if a chatbot could be found guilty of murder.

Lily Jamali (13:07)

I think we are going to find out as a result of this criminal probe that's been undertaken by Attorney General Uthmeyer. You know, he acknowledged that his probe is straying into unchartered legal waters. There's just not a lot of precedent for holding an AI chatbot liable for a crime. And that's why I think there's so much attention on what he is doing. The Attorney General of Florida saying ChatGPT offered guidance, which you just laid out a moment ago, on how this person could have maximal impact. And you also heard him say, you know, a person doing that would be charged with murder. So we're gonna find out, can a company that makes a technology that's counseling someone be charged with something like, stakes are very high here.

Janak Jalil (13:51)

And, Lily, it really does seem incredible that ChatGPT doesn't have safeguards or didn't have safeguards to prevent something as horrific as this happening.

Lily Jamali (14:01)

Well, they will argue that they have put safeguards in place. So the major AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic and Google, they are constantly adjusting their chatbots and how they work and how they interact with us. And OpenAI notably made something called GPT5 that came out towards the end of last year. They made it less sycophantic than the previous version. And actually, it was interesting because a lot of users didn't like that very much. But I think the thinking was they were being confronted with the reality that people were having these parasocial relationships that felt very real with these platforms and that they had to do something but the concern is that these changes are happening after you hear about someone being coached in a mass shooting situation, like what happened in Florida, or young people being coached to kill themselves. That's why a lot of people argue we need regulation, that these companies shouldn't be just doing this on their own, making these adjustments as they go.

Janak Jalil (14:58)

And briefly, even on a lower level, people's mental health is being affected.

Lily Jamali (15:03)

It is. And you know, I was actually just at a news conference yesterday of a mom speaking about her son who died of suicide, who killed himself. She says he was coached by ChatGPT. There are so many efforts to regulate these chatbots at the state level. California is one of those places leading, leading the way.

Janak Jalil (15:21)

Lili Jamali still to come in this podcast.

Dr. Matthew Donoghue (15:27)

She may want those items to be in a Madonna museum or at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. For any artist and really for any person to have their belongings come up missing, stolen or otherwise can be very stressful.

Janak Jalil (15:43)

Madonna offers a reward for the return of the purple corset and other vintage vintage items she wore at the Coachella festival last weekend, which have since disappeared.

James Uthmeyer (16:00)

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Janak Jalil (18:34)

This is the Global News Podcast A new study led by University College London suggests microbes in the gut can reveal whether a person faces an elevated risk of Parkinson's disease before they have any symptoms. Scientists found that people with Parkinson's have a distinctive makeup of gut microbes, as do healthy individuals who are genetically at risk of the disease. Paul Henley asked Professor Tony Shapira, who led the research at ucl, why his team focused on the gut.

Professor Tony Shapira (19:07)

This GBA gene, which is the commonest cause of Parkinson's disease, we see it in 10 to 12% of people in the UK with Parkinson's, doesn't always cause a disease. Only about one in five people get the disease, so it must be something else that's going on. And the microbiome has recently been shown to influence some brain disorders, including Parkinson's, to some degree, but definitive work hadn't been done on it. So we wondered, is there a particular microbiome signature in the gut that causes the Parkinson's in people that have the gene?

Interviewer (19:49)

And just to be clear, at the moment you're at an early stage of establishing a correlation your many steps away from a cure?

Professor Tony Shapira (19:57)

Oh yes, yeah. But I think the finding of this very distinctive microbiome signature I think is providing some useful information into the cause as well as an early potential diagnostic test. And ultimately, of course, we'd like to investigate it for trying to reduce the risk or slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Interviewer (20:24)

Gut health is talked about more and more. Are we talking about a link between bad gut health, if you can say that, and the disease or just a certain type of gut flora.

Professor Tony Shapira (20:35)

We found that those with, as you put it, bad gut health are much more likely to have this distinctive Parkinson's signature. And those with the signature with Parkinson's disease had more severe disease. So, yes, there's a clear link here between the onset and, and severity of the disease and the quality, if you will, of the microbiome and the diet.

Interviewer (21:01)

And you can't shake the, the gene from your system, but you can control how it develops within your gut, is that what you're saying?

Professor Tony Shapira (21:10)

Exactly right.

Interviewer (21:11)

Just explain that a bit more.

Professor Tony Shapira (21:13)

So you carry the gene, but you won't always get a Parkinson disease. And if you have a healthy diet, at least from the data that we have here, you will reduce your risk of getting the Parkinson's disease. But that same message may apply to everybody.

Interviewer (21:30)

And the healthy diet message is just a general one. I mean, give some basic examples.

Professor Tony Shapira (21:34)

It is so diversity is the key. So all eating lots of different things and particularly things like high fiber from plants and vegetables and fruits, things like garlic, asparagus, eating yogurt, berries, olive oil and oily fish like mackerel and sardines, those are the real key to a good healthy diet. And on the other side, keeping away from lots of processed foods, high sugar, excess alcohol.

Interviewer (22:04)

Is dairy the big key here?

Professor Tony Shapira (22:07)

No, I don't think dairy is the big key. I think the big key is fiber, high fiber diet from diverse sources because that's what the bacteria in the gut thrive off.

Interviewer (22:17)

And to be clear, the advice to eat healthily gets much more urgent if you're already displaying symptoms of Parkinson's.

Professor Tony Shapira (22:25)

Absolutely. And you know, from the research, it seems that even those with the disease, maybe early on in the onset of the disease, who switch that diet to a really healthy one might find their disease progresses more slowly. But we need more research to confirm that.

Janak Jalil (22:43)

Professor Tony Shapira on yet another reason to eat healthily. A diplomatic row has broken out between Italy and Russia after a well known Russian television host made a offensive remarks about the Italian Prime Minister. Giorgio Meloni, the Russian ambassador was summoned to Italy's Foreign Ministry in Rome in the latest sign of tensions between the two countries over the war in Ukraine. Carla Conti reports.

Carla Conti (23:09)

Vladimir Solovyov is one of Russia's most recognizable TV personalities. Famously sharp tongued and ruthless, Solovyov frequently launches vulgar and offensive attacks against the west and Europe, often threatening countries that offer military support to Ukraine with nuclear action. Mr. Solovyov's latest target was the Italian prime minister, Giorgio Meloni. Speaking during an episode of one of his programs, he began insulting Ms. Meloni

Interviewer (23:36)

in Italian, vergogni della razzo mana besti

Carla Conti (23:41)

naturali diotta patentata, calling her a disgrace to the human race, a beast, a certified idiot and an ugly little woman. He then proceeded to switch back into Russian, describing her as a fascist creature who had betrayed her voters and, he claimed, had even betray President Donald Trump. The remarks have now triggered a formal diplomatic dispute. Italy has summoned the Russian ambassador in Rome, with Foreign Minister Antonio Taglani describing Solovyov's outburst as extremely serious and offensive. Giorgia Meloni herself later hit back on social media, saying that a regime propagandist was in no position to offer her lessons in either freedom or consistency. Across Italy's political spectrum, both government allies and opposition figures have rallied behind Ms. Melon. This latest outburst is another sign of how far relations between Rome and Moscow have deteriorated. Ms. Meloni has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv, and the insults came just days after she again reaffirmed her support for Ukraine. Solovyov also seized on another vulnerability, her worsening relationship with Donald Trump. Once seen as one of his closest ideological allies in Europe, Ms. Meloni has recently distanced herself from him, including by publicly backing Pope Leo after Mr. Trump lashed out at the pontiff.

Janak Jalil (25:02)

Carla Conti A criminal investigation is underway after a tiger leapt into the audience at a circus in Russia. A video has emerged of the animal climbing over a barrier. Joanna Keane takes up the story.

Joanna Keane (25:17)

The terrifying incident at the circus in the southern city of Rostov on Don has been circulating on social media. Several tigers can be seen sitting on individual platforms on the stage. They're performing to music when suddenly the circular barrier separating them from the crowd collapses. People can be heard screaming as one of the tigers calmly climbs over the metal barrier and into the audience. Fortunately, it heads for an empty row of seats at the back of the tent. Some people grab their belongings and leave, while others look on as a trainer follows the tiger. He's reported to have managed to steer it through an exit and into a secure container. No injuries have been reported, but an investigation into safety violations is underway. This isn't an isolated incident. Two years ago, a bear riding a hoverboard at a circus in Russia suddenly attacked its trainer as children and parents watched the show. And 11 years ago in southwest Germany, a man taking his regular morning walk was killed by an elephant, which had escaped from its enclosure. Stricter welfare laws mean that wild animals are now banned from circuses in a growing list of countries, including Britain, but others, including Russia, still allow them to be used for performances on a regular basis.

Janak Jalil (26:31)

Joanna Keane, Pope Leo, on the fourth and final leg of his tour of Africa, has been addressing adoring crowds in Equatorial Guinea. He denounced the colonization of the continent's minerals and the lust for power in a country whose leader has been in office for 47 years. Our correspondent in neighboring Cameroon, Paul Engier, told Ankadisai more about why the pope had chosen to go there.

Paul Engier (26:58)

Equatorial guinea is very symbolic and significant because it has a very huge Catholic population. And so the pope is there to also reassure the church, especially because they had been waiting for a papal visit for over 40 years and also because the country is currently what some analysts have described as authoritarianism. And so the pope was there to address some of the social issues which he felt that, you know, bringing down the country. He did speak about the exclusion and social inequality and the need for the government there to address it. He also spoke to the local authorities there about, you know, the need to ensure that the country's resources are equitably distributed and that those are also felt and relished by the population. As it stands now, the country is very rich in oil since it was discovered in the mid-1990s, but some observers have said that it has not gone down to the people who do not also benefit from that. As a matter of fact, the World bank says that nearly half of the country's population is living in poverty. So you can imagine why the pope today put out a very strong message in the presence of the country's president, Teodoro Obiangima Bassogo, saying that there is need for justice, for social equality.

Professor Tony Shapira (28:10)

You're right. The pope has been quite outspoken throughout the tour. What do you think that he's achieved during his visit to Africa?

Paul Engier (28:17)

Well, I think that the pope's visit to Africa sends a message across to governments that despite the fact that he is a religious figure, he has that moral voice to correct the wrongs and the ills of society. And he demonstrated that without blinking when he was in Cameroon. He did speak outrightly against corruption, against lack of transparency, and the need for the government to look into the challenges or problems facing young people, women and the civil society. And he did repeat that today in Equatorial Guinea. And we also know that he's been involved in some sort of a spat with US President Donald Trump, just essentially trying to say that they are a moral voice and they have that obligation to correct what's going wrong in society. So Pope Leo, I think what he believes is in the course of this trip, he's going to be ensuring the international community that Africa, which is a promising terrain for the Catholic Church, would be seeing some sort of development going forward, and especially because he has, has preached peace, reconciliation, dialogue and, of course, interfaith dialogue, of course.

Janak Jalil (29:15)

Paul Ngier Madonna is offering a reward for the return of the costume she wore when she joined Sabrina Carpenter on stage at the Coachella Festival in California on Friday. The vintage purple corset, purple stockings and lavender gloves were also worn for her first appearance at the festival 20 years ago. In a post on social media, Madonna revealed that other memorabilia also went missing after the show, and she's desperate to get her stuff back. Dr. Matthew Donoghue, who's a musician and a professor at the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, says Madonna's outfits are as famous as she is.

Dr. Matthew Donoghue (29:57)

Her wardrobe is such a big part of her performance space and style, and for any artist to lose a part of their history, it can be very stressful, very traumatic. She may want those items to be in a Madonna museum, perhaps in the future, or at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. For any artist and really for any person to have their belongings come up missing, stolen or otherwise can be very stressful. And of course, she's well known for her wardrobe in reference to her theatrical performances live and so on. This performance with Sabrina Carpenter, in many ways it's sort of like a continuing of her passing the torch, like she really passed the torch also to artists like Britney Spears and then, of course, to Lady Gaga. You could certainly say Taylor Swift has taken a page out of Madonna's handbook. And now Sabrina Carpenter, Madonna still working it. And you have to give her credit, she's a living legend, the queen of not only pop music, but also of pop culture. And she has shown longevity in her career and she'll be remembered for a very, very, very long time.

Janak Jalil (31:12)

Dr. Matthew Donoghue. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us@globalpodcastbc.co.uk. this edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Charlotte Hatoy Tozimska. It was produced by Ariane Kochi and Wendy Urquhart. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janat Jalil. Until next time. Goodbye.

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