Global News Podcast - Kamala Harris officially accepts Democrats' nomination for US presidency

Episode Date: August 23, 2024

Kamala Harris has officially accepted the Democrats' nomination for the US presidency. Also: India's prime minister has embraced Ukraine's president on a visit to Kyiv, and an Australian transgender woman wins a landmark discrimination case.

Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Thank you. Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Andrew Peach and at 13 Hours GMT on Friday the 23rd of August, these are our main stories.

Kamala Harris officially accepts the Democrats' nomination for the US presidency. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraces Ukraine's president on a trip to Kiev just weeks after he sparked anger by hugging Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The UN says the military and political situation has deteriorated in Libya in recent months with reports of paramilitary forces mobilising in the capital Tripoli. Also in this podcast, a transgender woman from Australia wins a discrimination case after being denied access to a women-only social media app. And a new discovery about how mosquitoes use infrared to detect the presence of humans. It heats up some neurons at the end of the antenna on the mosquitoes and that is what's

being said. Kamala Harris has promised a new way forward in American politics as she accepted the Democratic nomination for president. Addressing cheering supporters at her party's national convention in Chicago, the vice president said there was a fleeting chance to move past division and bitterness. She'll take on Donald Trump in what's likely to be a bitter fight for the White House in November. Our correspondent Emma Vardy was at the Democratic National Convention to see her set out her vision for the nation she hopes to lead.

A month ago, many people did not envisage this moment. America's lesser known second in command propelled into the starring role. Now Kamala Harris is the woman Democrats believe can make history by becoming the first female president of the United States. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination. She offered Americans a chance to move beyond the highly polarized politics that have defined recent years. I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations, a president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical, and has common sense, and always fights for the American people.

From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life's work. And she took the fight to her opponent with a warning. Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences, but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. Women's bodies, she said, would be policed when it comes to America's most divisive issue. He plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women's miscarriages and abortions. Simply put, they are out of their minds.

With the fourth day of protests outside the convention centre, Kamala Harris finally addressed the war in Gaza. Anger over Joe Biden's handling of the conflict threatens to cost the Democrats support. She reiterated her support of Israel. The people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organisation called Hamas caused on October 7. But emphasised calls for the end of suffering in Gaza. And the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.

What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answer? A string of celebrities have thrown their support behind the current vice president. Though the convention finale wasn't the Beyonce or Taylor Swift concert some had been hoping for. But it didn't stop delegates dancing on the floor as balloons rained down from above. Polls suggest Kamala Harris has taken the lead in this race, but Republicans have attacked her as too liberal and there are fears about the economy and the US border that play to Donald Trump's strengths. There is still a lot to overcome if her dream of a new era for America

is to be realised. Our North America editor Sarah Smith was also watching proceedings in Chicago and told my colleague Justin Webb what she made of it. I think what she was trying to do very much was to look and sound presidential and she came across a little bit differently than she has been doing on the campaign trail. There was less of the joyful, sunny optimism that we've had from her that was such a contrast with the way Joe Biden was running his election campaign before he stepped aside. And this was more controlled, more serious, and probably deliberately so in order to introduce herself to the country, not only just who she is and telling us a little bit more of her backstory, but very much trying to present herself as somebody that they can see as their president, as their commander-in-chief,

and whom they can trust, really, with the nation. And if that's what she was trying to do, I think it was probably reasonably effective, but it just didn't have the uplifting mood that some of the other speakers at this convention have had and that she's been able to bring to some of her rallies. Did it get us any closer to knowing what she would do if she became president? It set the tone I think. She gave us some broad brush. She says she wants to cut taxes for lower paid people, that she wants to build

more homes to make the cost of housing more affordable. There's a big focus on bringing down the cost of prescription drugs and making access to medicine cheaper and easier for people and a big focus as well on moving the country forward. I think there's quite an effective phrase that they're using a lot in this campaign, and that you heard chanted around the hall again and again and again, which is, we are not going back. That sounds fairly superficial, but it can mean quite a number of things. It means we're not going back to the guy you've had as president before.

You know all about him, you know what it was like when he was president, let's not going back to the guy you've had as president before. You know all about him. You know what it was like when he was president. Let's not move back to that. But also it's supposed to represent the idea that if Donald Trump was re-elected, he would remove some rights from Americans. And really interesting, Hillary Clinton used to talk a lot when she was running for the presidency about the importance of it being the first woman potentially in the

White House. Kamala Harris didn't mention it. Not one word about the fact that she is only ever the second female candidate for a major political party running for president, that if elected, she would be the first woman president. Never mentioned at all in this speech, very, very rarely mentioned actually at all by her on the campaign. She doesn't have to. I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that she is a female candidate and would be the first woman president, but it's not something that she makes a big deal about. Our North America editor, Sarah Smith, and we'll have more from the Democrat convention in Chicago later in the podcast. I come to Ukraine with a message of peace, the words of the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who's on a landmark visit to the country.

Mr Modi was greeted in Kiev by President Vladimir Zelensky. The two leaders stood side by side honouring a memorial for children killed in the conflict with Russia. Mr Modi wrapped his arm around Mr Zelensky's shoulder and he was greeted warmly by members of the Indian business community in Kyiv. Now, the two men's talks could have tense moments. Weeks ago, Mr Zelensky said it had been a devastating blow to see Mr Modi warmly welcomed by Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Previously, he's refused to condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two and a half years ago.

In fact, since then, India has increased imports of Russian oil, throwing a financial lifeline to Moscow. Suhasini Haider is the diplomatic affairs editor of the Hindu newspaper. She spoke to Anitia McVey. It's quite possible that that embrace is what led to this embrace in a sense, because there was a very sharp response from Kiev, from President Zelensky when Prime Minister Modi had gone to Moscow on July the 9th, met with President Putin. Now, of course, India and Russia have very close ties, very strong ties, traditional ties. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Moscow was a two-day visit full of bilateral agreements between the two.

In contrast, India's ties with the Ukraine are not as long and deep. But Prime Minister Modi has made this a priority after his visit to Russia. I think, firstly, to show that India may not have a balance when it comes to ties with Russia and Ukraine, but it certainly wishes to maintain the semblance of a balance on the Russia-Ukraine war. You will recall that India has so far really not come out on one side or the other, saying consistently it's on the side of peace. Prime Minister Modi saying there are no victors on the battlefield, wanting dialogue and diplomacy, but not specifically criticizing Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. And nor has it really sort of said much about Ukraine either in the last few years.

You know, Ukraine had made special requests, for example, to come for the G20 to India, and India had not responded very favorably. So there's no question that the two leaders have a lot to talk about. But the symbolism, as you pointed out, of the hug between the two leaders seems to indicate that both Kiev and Delhi are willing to put maybe the recriminations of the past month behind them and discuss how they can work together. Yeah. And Ukraine has been asking India for a number of pieces of practical help, telecoms, construction, medical equipment. Is there likely to be any movement on those? And secondly, and more significantly, if not now, in the slightly longer term, does India have a role, do you think, in facilitating any sort of peace agreement, any sort of ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia?

Requests from Ukraine have come over the last couple of years because India has, of course, sent about 15 consignments of tents and blankets, medicines, clothes, that kind of thing. And Ukraine has consistently said it wants low-cost reconstruction support, having Indian companies supply things like telecom towers that have been taken out by Russian strikes, things like medical equipment for the hospitals, construction equipment, digging for reconstruction efforts. That's something Delhi has so far dragged its feet on. And the hope is that when Prime Minister Modi goes there, this request has been made at different levels, including when Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba came to Delhi earlier this year. But the hope is that when Prime Minister Modi is actually in Kiev, that he will

agree to some kind of movement on those specific requests. The larger request, of course, that India somehow get involved in the peace process is, again, something India has not done so far. Suhasini Haider from the Hindu newspaper. A transgender woman in Australia has won a case against a women-only social media app for alleged gender discrimination. It's the first time Australia's federal court has ruled on such an issue since changes were made to the country's Sex Discrimination Act in 2013. Here's our Australia correspondent Katie Watson. Roxanne Tickle was born male but changed her gender and since 2017 has been living as a woman. She downloaded the social media app Giggle for Girls in 2021.

In order to gain access, she had to upload a photo to prove she was a woman. Seven months after joining, her membership was revoked. Giggle's legal team maintained that sex is a biological concept, that Ms Tickle was male. The federal court found that she had not been directly discriminated against, but was a victim of indirect discrimination, and Giggle was ordered to pay her US$6,700, as well as her costs. This is a landmark decision by the federal court here in Australia, and one that will have huge implications for many other countries in how they resolve conflicts between gender identity and sex-based rights.

Now to a discovery that mosquitoes have an extra weapon in their ability to find humans, infrared detection of body heat. Scientists in the US have found that heat imaging is part of their armoury. Professor Craig Montell, molecular biologist from the University of California, Santa Barbara, told my colleague James Kopnell the infrared detection happens in the antennae. So our surface body temperature is about 34 degrees centigrade and that is then converted into electromagnetic radiation. That radiation is then converted back into heat. It heats up some neurons at the end of the antenna on the mosquitoes, and that is what's being sensed.

And the result, presumably, is that wherever the human attempts to hide, the mosquito's got a pretty good chance of finding you. Well, that's one of the really fascinating things about mosquitoes that are driven to find humans in particular. They use lots of different sensory cues. They have an arsenal that is really big. They first detect the CO2 coming out of our breath that makes them really active. And then they start paying attention to our silhouettes, our images, the human odors that come from our skin. And now they're also sensing at some distance the infrared signature.

And then when they get close, they can even really close, just a few centimeters away, they can detect the humidity from our skin and even the convection heat from our skin. And then when they land, they can taste chemicals on our skin. So they need lots of different ways of finding us because under some conditions, some senses are more salient than others. It almost sounds as though these mosquitoes are perfectly designed to hunt down humans. They are. They absolutely have to find us because they need the blood meals for egg development. And even before humans were around, they were able to hunt down other warm-blooded animals. And because their life depends on it,

you can imagine what strong selection there was to enable these mosquitoes to find us. And the discovery here was that the infrared signatures from coming from our bodies, the heat, which is then converted into infrared, they can detect our body heat at a distance. Professor Craig Montel from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with James Cotnell. Still to come in this podcast... You could walk, but it's quite a trek, and almost all of it uphill. Or you could try cycling. I said try. Cars are banned at an environmentally friendly music festival in the UK. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts.

But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, Get current affairs podcasts like Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime, all ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts. The military situation in Libya has deteriorated in the last two months. That's the assessment by the UN mission to the North African country.

The UN has also expressed concern about reports of paramilitary forces mobilising in the capital Tripoli. Here's our Middle East regional editor, Sebastian Usher. The security situation in Libya has been a byword for instability for more than a decade, but the threat of all-out conflict in and around Tripoli has appeared to diminish in recent years. Concern has been rising, though, in the past couple of months that armed factions may be preparing for battle in the capital once again. The immediate trigger focuses on the central bank and its head, Sadiq al-Kabir. One of the authorities in the divided country, the Presidency Council, issued a decision to remove him and his board. But the parliament,

which is based in the east of the country, has rejected this. The crisis comes as the son of a veteran military commander in the east, Khalifa Haftar, has been moving forces down in the southwest after blockading Libya's biggest oil field. The move violates the 2020 ceasefire agreement that brought a halt to major combat. As these events unfold, diplomats and analysts have been sounding the alarm. The latest to do so is the UN mission to Libya, which says that the display of military power and armed confrontations is threatening the lives and the security of civilians. Despite a relative respite from violence in the past four years, Libya still remains mired in political division, with no viable route toward the stable,

democratic future. As the conflict rages in Sudan, millions of people are trying to leave and find shelter in neighbouring countries like Chad or South Sudan. But South Sudan is already facing a humanitarian crisis of its own, with over 75% of the population in desperate need and many struggling to feed themselves and their families. The British government has just announced a package of around $100 million in aid for these three countries. James Cotnell spoke to the British Minister for Development and Women and Equalities, Anneliese Dodds. She's been to a camp for displaced people in South Sudan.

The desperation has not diminished. In fact, if anything, it's increased. For those who are listening to this, to provide a really quick picture of that camp, it's essentially an island in the past, an island against floodwater with flooding that would happen perhaps every once every few years. Unfortunately, now the floodwaters are not receding. And so you see very large numbers of people, 100,000 people who are pretty much marooned with floodwater, which is still there. So ultimately, that camp, I think, shows how conflict can combine now with the climate crisis

to exacerbate extreme poverty. And that is a situation faced by South Sudan. I think most of the people in that camp are displaced by South Sudan's own civil war. But the country also faces an influx of people from Sudan as well, problem after problem after problem. Well, that's right. And of course, many people from South Sudan had moved into Sudan because it was safer. Now those so-called returnees are having to come back to South Sudan or some of them have never lived there. They've lived all of their lives in Sudan and I did meet some of those returnees. They're in a truly dreadful state. Some of them had to leave children on the way. Children died on the way as they were trying to escape Sudan. Brothers, sisters, parents dying from diarrhoea, from measles,

just dying because of the rain, because they were not able to escape together. Clearly, there's a desperate situation in Sudan. The UK government will continue to push for the warring parties to ultimately hold the Jeddah agreement, to de-escalate, to have the permanent ceasefire that's needed, because the humanitarian situation in Sudan is intolerable. Are you optimistic about those talks? I mean, there was a difficulty even getting the Sudanese armed forces, one of the main belligerents, even to show up. Is there a case for stronger action from Britain, from other interested

countries, more sanctions, for example, on those who might be dragging their feet in this peace process? Well, we're very clear that the warring parties must engage in the peace process. There must be a meaningful ceasefire. And of course, the UK is the penholder on Sudan in the UN Security Council. We've been doing all that we can to really push very hard on this, particularly as a new government. We're very concerned about the situation in Sudan. Of course, we've been very clear about the need for humanitarian access. Unfortunately, we have not seen the access that's needed. And we've been pressing both parties to really prevent any blockages on access because we're not seeing aid getting to those who desperately need it at the moment in Sudan. The British government minister,

Annelies Dodds. Back to our main story now, the climax of the Democratic National Convention with a speech by the party's presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. Rachel Palermo already knows her pretty well, having been on the vice president's communications team for the past three years. She is very kind. She's very empathetic. She is strategic. She's a brilliant legal mind. And she's a person of great character who cares about this country, and she's going to make an incredible president.

My experience while working with her is there was a lot of attention and a lot of interest in her because every single thing that the vice president has done while being vice president has made history. And I think you need to look no further than the fight for reproductive rights and abortion access. The vice president jumped on that issue with such force and clarity of purpose because she knew how problematic this was to the fundamental freedoms in the United States. And as a part of that, she traveled the country. In the midterms, she was traveling three to four days a week, galvanizing crowds of thousands of people even then. And she was the single most effective communicator on an issue that had a huge impact on the midterm elections. And it's why the Democrats did so well in such an unexpected way. The vice president

has been intentional about this joy and optimism that's been surrounding her campaign. We call her a joyful warrior. And that's something where I think the American people are seeing it and they're catching on and they like the fact that she's running this happy, forward-looking campaign. And that's why it's felt so electric and exciting here in Chicago this week. So if she's elected to the presidency, Kamala Harris will be the first woman to hold that office. But she didn't mention that not once in her speech, a firm contrast with Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016. This report from Justin Webb begins with Hillary Clinton's campaign strategist at that time, Amanda Renterra. At the time, it just felt like you were kind of watching a movie that you could see happening. Tonight, we've reached a milestone in our nation's march toward a more perfect union.

The first time that a major party has dominated a woman for president. We said it often. The Supreme Court is on the ballot, right? Women's rights aren't just guaranteed. You really have to fight for them. And so I felt during that period of time that we were giving so many warnings about why it was so important, particularly for young girls to get involved and engaged. And what was odd for me at the time was people just didn't believe things would go back. I mean, if you think about it at the moment, right? Women were on the rise. People were getting onto boardrooms and CEOs, and you would see pictures of that going into management.

So it didn't seem like it could reverse. And unfortunately, it did reverse. But at the time, people were so certain they would see a woman in their lifetime that there's no way Roe v. Wade would ever get turned back around. You know, it was just a different time. What now, then? Different times, a different woman. And according to Amy Parnes, who wrote a book about the Clinton disaster

and works now for The Hill newspaper, a different approach from Kamala Harris. Everyone knows that she's the first of many things, but she's not leaning into it. She's kind of taking the opposite approach as Clinton. Wisely. Wisely, because I think when you looked at the autopsy of Hillary Clinton's campaign, I think a lot of people felt like that was the wrong play

and the wrong tack, and I think she was advised not to do that. And you're not hearing her talk, and you're not hearing her surrogates talk so much about this moment and how she can do it. They're saying it's for the people instead of for her. Because however much you might, you know, not appreciate toxic masculinity and all the rest of it, there are a lot of men in America, aren't there?

And it's kind of, it feels like a problem almost for the Democratic Party that it's quite easy for them to put them off. And indeed, if you look at the polls, there is a gap that people sort of talk about, whoa, there's a huge gender gap when it comes to men and women supporting the Democratic Party. Almost as if it's a good thing, but it's not, is it? No, and especially when you see, we're at the convention, Kamala Harris has been able to lock down and excite the base. But when you look at who she needs still to win this election, it's really white men, white, blue-collar, non-educated, non-college-educated men. And I think that they're a little bit turned off by that.

And so I don't think she wants to do that. And that's intentional. But there is a pushback to the soft peddling of the historic nature of the Kamala Harris campaign. There are women in the Democratic Party who are not going to be muted in their joy for the sake of politics. It's a debate that has been very live, as I heard from Holly Vidula and Kate Ahern, two young Democrats excited by the moment. Kate spoke first. I think that would be a tremendous mistake. America constantly views itself as being, you know, a leader of the free world.

And when you compare us to our Democratic peers, other nation states, we are so far behind when it comes to the equality we see between the two sexes, right? Having office, having this highest office, we've seen such rampant sexism with our female candidates and the way that people talk about them. There's this idea that it does not matter what her qualifications are. It does not matter how capable, how intelligent, how much of a strong, good leader she is. But the fact that she is a woman would somehow make her a weaker candidate. And to not take a firm, hard stance and come out positively and strongly

as America's first female president, which is long overdue, is going to alienate young female voters like us. Okay, I'll put the same thing to you then, Holly. You know, end of the day, policy is what really matters. And we're not just voting for her because she's a woman, but we're voting for her because she's a good leader that will represent the best interests of American values and people on the national stage and in the White House.

But additionally, it is really important for us to take a moment to pause and celebrate this moment because the fact that we have a woman of color on the presidential ticket is huge. I actually see myself and Kamala Harris a lot because she has the South Asian heritage that I do too. And I think seeing that representation is going to really resonate with a lot of young women, especially girls like me and even younger girls, when they look up and see that they're being represented on the biggest stage on international politics. Kate, you're nodding at that. Absolutely. To have a female candidate for young Gen Z voters, especially women, is going to be

finally some sort of positive history that's happening within our lifetimes. It's monumental. If you'd like more reaction, go to the latest episode of the Global Story podcast, which comes from Chicago. They'll be looking at the key moments from the Kamala Harris speech and asking if the Democrats can maintain the momentum they have now going into Election Day. Just search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Now, this weekend, there are hundreds of music festivals across the UK.

They are a much-loved part of the British summertime. But these big outdoor events can be bad news for the environment. And that's why one festival in the west of England, headlined by the 90s band Massive Attack, is doing things differently. Our arts correspondent David Sillitoe has been to Bristol to find out more. Massive Attack, Bristol's superstars of trip-hop.

Five years after they last played their hometown, Rob Del Nair and Daddy G are back with something that's more than a concert, but a whole new approach to festivals. No cars, no diesel, no rubbish. It's a first. It's an experiment and we're just quite excited. It's a big deal for us. You're making it special. I think the nature of this production makes it special, yeah.

And it begins with transport. We and the fans were asked to come by train. But the train only gets you so far. Then you have to get to the gig. You could walk, but it's quite a trek, and almost all of it uphill. Or you could try cycling. I said try.

However, there is an alternative that's rather easier on your legs than the long walk or cycle up the hill. A bus. An electric bus. OK if I sit anywhere? I've got the bus to myself. On site, it's like a green laboratory, a battery-powered green laboratory.

Dale Vince knows festivals well. In the 80s, he was what used to be called a new-age traveller. He's now a renewable energy tycoon. It is a first. An event this size with this many people being entirely powered by batteries without a drop of diesel. But why can't you just plug it into the mains? Great question, because there's no mains here.

There's no mains. And that's the fundamental problem of outdoor events. They run on diesel. 12 million litres of diesel burnt annually in our country to power outdoor events. 12 million litres. But this is about more than just cars and power, as I found out in the tea tent. Where are the cups? There aren't any cups here. You need to bring your own.

I haven't got a cup. I haven't brought a cup. It's a waste-free zone. You're supposed to bring your own cup. Most festivals end up being a sea of rubbish. Here, Claire and Eloise are leading the war on waste. This is going to be composted. So this stuff that was normally thrown on the ground, you can just put in the compost heap? You can. Are you monitoring everything that comes onto the site then? Yeah, yeah. Every part of the site has to be. You're like, I'm commandant here,

making sure everything is green. Even the liquid waste is being recycled and collecting it from the female fans is, they say say going to bring about a bit of gender justice what are we looking at here they are squatting urinals for for women and non-binary people why to rebalance the urinal cues this is social justice absolutely we're trying to collect all of the urine to use as a trial for phosphate in farming in the southwest. And it also just reduces the toilet queues and makes everyone much happier. For the band, this is a passion project. This is just something that we love doing. It's our bit to help, really.

Are you worried? No. I mean, to be honest, this experiment's been five years in the making and the technical sort of work that's gone into it, it's phenomenal, really. And after that, it's time for me to saggle back. Our arts correspondent, David Sillitoe. And that's all from us for now. There'll be a new edition of Global News to download later. If you'd like to comment on this edition and the stories we included,

drop us an email, globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk, or you'll find us on X, where we are at globalnewspod. This edition was produced by Alice Adderley. It was mixed by James Piper. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Andrew Peach. Thanks for listening. And until next time, goodbye. If you're hearing this, you're probably already listening to BBC's award-winning news podcasts. But did you know that you can listen to them without ads? Get current affairs podcasts like

Global News, AmeriCast and The Global Story, plus other great BBC podcasts from history to comedy to true crime. All ad-free. Simply subscribe to BBC Podcast Premium on Apple Podcasts or listen to Amazon Music with a Prime membership. Spend less time on ads and more time with BBC Podcasts.