Global News Podcast - Le Pen vows to fight political ban

Episode Date: April 6, 2025

French far-right leader calls embezzlement conviction a 'witch hunt' at Paris rally. Also: mobile number mix-up blamed for White House security breach, Pope surprises crowds at the Vatican and Soccer Grannies World Cup.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Hello, it's Claudia here on this week's slow newscast from Tortoise. For every person of colour, for every LGBTQ person in this country, they ought to be very, very afraid. The Trump administration seems to have it in for diversity, equity and inclusion. So what, or rather who, is behind it all? Is the architect, quote unquote, purifying our national DNA. It's beyond absurd. To listen, just search for the Slow Newscast.

You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. This edition is published in the early hours of Monday, the 7th of April. The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told supporters she won't give up fighting the criminal conviction that means she's barred from running for president. Details have emerged about how the US National Security Advisor mistakenly included a journalist in a group chat planning an attack on Yemen. And Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since leaving hospital, waving to crowds in St. Peter's Square. Also in the podcast, preparing for possible war in the Netherlands and...

It was my dream to have the World Cup. FIFA started with four teams. We were better. We started with 12 and we're growing almost every day." The football grannies competing in their own World Cup. Despite being barred from standing for president, the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen remains favourite to win the first round in two years, at least according to one opinion poll over the weekend. She has been banned from running for political office for five years after being found guilty last week of embezzling European Union funds.

The decision outraged supporters of her national rally and many turned out in Paris on Sunday to see her speak and lead them in a rendition of the French national anthem. Her deputy, Jordan Bardella, told the rally the court ruling was aimed at eliminating her from the 2027 presidential race. Ms Le Pen herself said she would fight to overturn the verdict. Like you, my friends, we are of those who do not give up, who do not bow down, who do not abdicate. We know that behind the rights and the freedoms that we invoke, we are defending the rights and the freedoms of the French people, of all French people. However, the head of President Macron's party, Gabrielle Attal, defended the court ruling saying you steal, you pay and accusing the far right of attacking judges.

So what is Marine Le Pen's political future, Rebecca Kesby asked French journalist Christine Ockrent. The sentence that she has to face has been very harsh indeed. There are quite a few lawyers who would have preferred ineligibility not to be immediate. But in any case, she's fully entitled to an appeal. And so it is likely that new trial will take place sometime next spring. OK, so that would be in the run-up to the election then. Doesn't it set a backdrop to the upcoming presidential elections, which may push voters towards the far right? And if it's not her, maybe in favour of her colleague Jordan Bardella. I've been struck by the fact that most polls show that the French on the whole

believe that the sentence was the right one. So there's a majority of French people who think well they stole the money. There was a demonstration in Paris as you know which probably was quite disappointing to Marine Le Pen because it was not a full crowd. This ruling has been made by an independent judge. Marine Le Pen's side has been quick to try to politicise this, to say it's a witch hunt, to say it's all politically motivated. What do French people think about that? Do they trust the judiciary? We're entitled to say, oh, we can't trust the judges. They're too politicised. But of

course, there's so much mistrust with the social media and a lot of disinformation. It's very striking that Marine Le Pen suddenly talks like Donald Trump. And I think it also has to do with the way public opinion today is forged by social media, even more so than by traditional media. But given the French system, the fact that we don't yet know who else might want to run for the presidency, do those polls actually tell us very much at the moment? They do tell us that the populist wave is indeed gaining power. And Marine Le Pen has been a very effective politician in trying to soften both the history

and the rather sort of angry side of her political party compared to her father. For the past few days, she very much went back to that very aggressive vocabulary. But again, we don't know yet who will be the other candidates in 2027. What is certain is that it's a new political ballgame altogether. And we heard her, didn't we? Today she was all smiles, she was laughing, she was quoting Martin Luther King. Isn't that going to appeal to the centre-right people even? I don't think so. I think Martin Luther King was particularly bad taste. I don't think at all that it is the kind of argument which may appeal to the centre-right. On the contrary,

I'm pretty sure that you have politicians from the centre-right who see this new ballgame as an opportunity for them to actually grasp some of Marine Le Pen's electorate. French journalist Christine Ockrent. Israel often argues that Hamas lies about events in Gaza, but the Israeli military is now in the spotlight after admitting giving false information about its killing of 15 emergency workers near Rafa two weeks ago. Israel blamed its soldiers for the inaccuracies after a video emerged contradicting their claim that a convoy of emergency vehicles had been driving suspiciously without lights on before the Israelis opened fire. Paramedic

Refat Radwan managed to record the attack on his mobile phone. We heard part of the footage in our last edition. Here's another extract in which Refat can be heard desperately saying his last prayers before being shot and killed. And a warning it may be upsetting to hear. The Palestinian Red Crescent is now calling for an independent investigation. Its spokeswoman is Nebel Fassak. We need accountability and we need justice for the victims. We have lost too many colleagues and none of previous internal investigations led anywhere. Now there is a time for the international community to take action.

I asked our correspondent in Jerusalem, Gary O'Donoghue, if any more was known about why the Israeli account got key details wrong. What the military is saying is that the initial accounts, which involved the vehicles not having their lights on, not displaying any of their sort of emergency signaling information, being unmarked, not moving in a kind of coordinated way, what they're saying about all that is that they were given false information by the soldiers on the ground effectively. But they're not giving an awful lot of ground on other things. So for example, they are maintaining that at least six of those who died who were posthumously,

and that's important, posthumously identified as having links with Hamas. So not that they necessarily knew that when they opened fire on them. Secondly, they're also denying that there was any kind of execution style killing of these people, which has been alleged by some. And they're also saying that the way they disposed of the bodies by partially burying them and moving the vehicles to the side was in line with the way they normally do things. So while they're saying there's going to be further inquiries and a further sort of examination of the facts, they're only really giving ground on that initial

description of what happened. Will there be any implications from this for Israel's international standing, or is it just another dispute over an incident that happened in the war? I think the scale of this one is important. I mean the death, if you like, of so many kind of medics and civil defence members, which is what the Red Crescent Society say they were, disputed by Israel of course to some degree, but the deaths of so many in one incident like this is reasonably rare. They say this is the biggest incident of its kind since something like 2017 in terms of medics and paramedics.

So the scale is important. I think the accusations of a cover-up is something that will resonate among those who criticize Israel often around the world. So I think they will feel pressure to explain this further. But as for going for an independent inquiry, there's no sign at this stage that they're going to agree to anything like that. Now the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to get a warm welcome when he arrives in Washington on Monday. What should we look out for in the meetings that he'll be having there? The agenda is very broad for his visits, but clearly one of the big focuses will be the

trade tariffs. He will be the first leader to visit the White House and talk face to face with Donald Trump about tariffs imposed on his country, 17% in the case of Israel, which is not the worst, but it's not the lowest either. And of course, it came after Israel did drop all its tariffs on US goods to zero just before the announcement last week by Donald Trump's administration. So he will hope to see some progress on that. And also, I think, just to get a reinforcement of Donald Trump's support on the question

of what happens in Gaza, what happens to the return of the hostages, because at the moment there's not a lot of pressure from the US on the Israelis to start negotiating for a renewal of the ceasefire, which of course ended three weeks ago or so. Gary O'Donoghue in Jerusalem. By any measure it was a bad mistake, but details have now emerged about exactly how the US National Security Advisor managed to include a journalist in a chat group that was planning an attack on Yemen.

Senior White House officials, including the Secretary of Defense, were using the Signal messaging app to discuss bombing Houthi rebels when reporter Jeff Goldberg was added by Mike Waltz. Here's our North America correspondent, Peter Beaus. The Signal group chat between several senior Trump administration officials included details of imminent plans for airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

After being invited to participate, the Atlantic's Jeff Goldberg later published a story for the magazine based on the conversation. Initially, it was a mystery how the journalist's number came to be on Mr Walsh's phone. According to details confirmed by CBS News, it was the result of an unlikely sequence of events stemming from an email that Mr Goldberg sent to the Trump campaign last year. At the time, Mr Walsh was assisting the campaign on security matters. At some point, his phone wrongly attached the journalist's number to the contact details of Brian Hughes, who also worked on the campaign, but is now the spokesman for the National Security Council. When Mr Walsh tried to add Mr Hughes to the recent chat, he inadvertently included Mr Goldberg.

No-one noticed the error, even though Signal identified this number as JG. There's been no comment from the White House. Peter Bows. Pope Francis has made a surprise public appearance in the Vatican just two weeks after leaving hospital. He's recovering from pneumonia but on Sunday joined a special mass for the sick in his wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask. He briefly addressed worshippers in St Peter's Square, much to their delight.

I was very happy for me. It was like a very, very important moment in my life. We were not expecting him until I saw it on the screen. I couldn't believe it. When I was coming I was thinking, oh, I wish the Pope could just come out and just give us the last blessing. Gerard O'Connell is Vatican correspondent for Catholic publication America magazine. He welcomed the Pontiff's appearance. He is the Pope of surprises and he took everybody by surprise today because when he was discharged from hospital two weeks ago exactly, When he was discharged from the hospital two weeks ago exactly, the doctors prescribed that he have at least two months of a protected convalescence and without meeting big crowds. And here he was absolutely contradicting that instruction from the doctors. And he looked really well. I was at the Gemelli Hospital two weeks ago when the Pope appeared at the window for two

minutes and he looked not in very good shape that day and he could hardly say anything. He came today for 10 minutes, sparking enormous enthusiasm and excitement among the crowd. And then he said, Happy Sunday, thank you all. And then there was a message read on his behalf thanking people, encouraging the sick people and saying I'm a sick person like you and I'm sharing that same fragility that sick people do and then thanking all the medical staff and then here he is in person even shaking hands with some of the people present. It was quite extraordinary and it shows that this man has real determination to get over his illness and he is clearly recovering in a remarkable way.

Vatican correspondent Gerardo Connell. With Russia continuing to wage war in Europe, some nations have been urging their citizens to stockpile food, water and other essentials. The continent is feeling less secure after the US signalled it was no longer willing to guarantee security. The Dutch Justice and Security Minister, David van Veil, issued a recommendation last month for all citizens in the Netherlands to prepare emergency kits in case of a natural disaster, cyber attack or war. Anna Holligan sent us this report.

If I don't have anything, can I still survive? Can I still take care of myself? Like all these vegetables, we are not taking them because after a couple of days they will be expired. Nicole van Battenberg is from the Red Cross in the Netherlands, which has put together a survival kit checklist to help regular citizens prepare in case of disaster. You have to make sure that you take the canned ones because these ones you have to cook them. And if there's no electricity,

make sure that you can eat it immediately. Three litres of water per person per day, perfect. Scanning across Europe, countries are telling people to beef up their war readiness. Germany has released a 68-page document detailing what civilians should do in case of floods, fires or nuclear emergencies, including recommendations to stockpile 10 days' worth of food and other essentials. The French government is reportedly planning

to send out a survival manual. Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia, published online advice urging people to be ready to survive on their own for a week. The Dutch Justice Minister has urged people in the Netherlands to act now. We live in challenging times and we all know that there's a full-scale war going on in Ukraine just 1,500 kilometers to the east of here. We are not at risk of being invaded tomorrow. But full-scale military invasions are not the only threats that we're facing. He highlights hybrid attacks such as the cable cutting or the cyber hacking into our critical

infrastructure. Those attacks are already happening. So there NATO is not so much a deterrent. And what we need to do is prepare ourselves and make ourselves more resilient. That becomes a deterrent against these kind of attacks. A push to increase military defence budgets needs to be accompanied by a civilian readiness plan. That's according to Carsten Nicol, who is a political risk advisor. I don't think that this is purely a question of engineering a certain message that is suitable to politicians. So to enable greater military spending by raising fear levels in society

effectively. There's a broader push going on to make voters and citizens understand that we have entered a new time in geopolitical terms in Europe. And the best historical comparison for the time that we're moving into is probably the Cold War. So I think that what is really going on here is a change in strategy back towards peace through strength. Similar messages were sent out before the Cold War. The idea is that increased resilience and readiness can be a form of deterrent. But that was when there was no full-scale war in Europe. So how does the relationship with the US affect all of this? This is exactly the trigger that sends off the weakening or the increasing unpredictability

of the transatlantic relationship. Europe increasingly feels that it might be in a situation where it is left on its own. The European Commission also calls for preparedness lessons in schools, including giving pupils the skills to fight disinformation and information manipulation. A quick scroll on social media can send you tumbling down a doomsday rabbit hole. According to NATO's chief, Mark Rutte, Europeans do need to switch to a wartime mindset. While there's no cause for alarm, normal families in the Netherlands are heeding the advice. Hello.

Hello. So this is your cupboard under the stairs, a kind of pantry. And this is all like beans and also dried. Okay. And then downstairs we have some more... Katharijn is a doctor. She says she isn't influenced by conspiracy theories, but rather a desire for peace of mind.

For me this is like an insurance. And now that there's this threat that they say you need to be prepared for war, I also get a bit nervous. I never watch TikTok and I'm not influenced by some doom stories. To feel secure that you have food and you have some medication and clean water and that's it. Oh my radio I didn't mention. That's an important one. Cashew nuts, matches. Europe is changing and Europe's cupboards are changing to reflect this new reality. That report by Anna Holligan. Still to come on the Global News podcast.

People come in just for them so they bring customers in. Like they have a lot of fans, they come in to pet them so they bring customers in like they have a lot of fans they come in to pet them to play with them. Why the beloved bodega cats of New York City are on the wrong side of the law. Hello it's Claudia here on this week's slow newscast from Tortoise. For every person of color for every LGBTQ person in this country, they ought to be very, very afraid. The Trump administration seems to have it in for diversity, equity and inclusion. So what, or rather who, is behind it all?

He's the architect, quote unquote, purifying our national DNA. It's beyond absurd. To listen, just search for the slow newscast. The American Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the US is immediately revoking all visas held by passport holders from South Sudan. He said the African nation had failed to accept the return of repatriated citizens. South Sudan is the first nation to be singled out since Donald Trump returned to the White House pledging to overhaul immigration.

The BBC's Akisa Wanderer is in the South Sudanese capital, Juba. She spoke to Valerie Sanderson. Marco Rubio says that they feel the South Sudanese transitional government is not honoring its international agreements, especially when it comes to supporting their nationals through reintegration. And in this case, we're talking about nationals who have been deported from the United States. So by revoking their visas, Marco Rubio signals that the United States will not tolerate any disregard for such legal or humanitarian norms and perhaps maybe even sounding an alarm in other countries as it

continues with its recent immigration crackdown. Do you think anything specific has provoked this now? Of course, this action comes against the backdrop of recent US policies in fact tightening immigration enforcement and ensuring accountability from foreign governments and, of course, South Sudan being one of them. And it's the first time that we are actually seeing the U.S. singling out all passport holders from a particular country since Trump returned to the White House. So, of course, the South Sudanese transitional government has not said anything on this, but we know that there's hundreds of South

Sudanese nationals who have been living under temporary protected status, which then means this shields them from deportation because South Sudan is a country that has been going through waves of conflict. And perhaps this is why the Biden administration puts them under their TPS, but this is set to expire on May 3rd. So likely this announcement will then set the ball rolling for these hundreds or thousands of South Sudanese who are in the US. Akisa Wandera in South Sudan. It is now five days since President Trump redrew the global trade map by announcing huge tariffs on many of America's allies and some rivals. A 10% baseline import tax

is already in place and on Wednesday around 60 trading partners including the EU, Japan and China are set to face even higher rates tailored to each economy. Parts of the list caused confusion and there was mockery that the US had included a 29% tariff on Norfolk Island, a tiny Australian territory in the Pacific Ocean. George Plant is the administrator there. We were completely confused. We're a long way from anywhere and we don't follow international politics very much at all and then to hear that our name had cropped up on the list in Washington was a surprise for us. This is a very, very small island. We're only eight by five kilometres and there's only just over 2,000 people living here. I was born and bred. I know almost everybody.

So it wasn't hard for me to ring around and find out from the few people who do sell things where they've ever sold anything to the United States. And I got a resounding no. I read a report after Wednesday in The Guardian where they'd worked out that they'd been mislabeling of exports, some of it coming out of Norfolk in England and some of it going into ports in Norfolk, Baltimore, and they've accredited all of that trade to us. So I think that's where the mistake originated. George Plant, the administrator of Norfolk Island. The Trump administration has defended

the tariff rollout. The US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said certain islands, some inhabited only by penguins, had been included to prevent them being used as a loophole by other nations. Meanwhile the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there was no reason to anticipate a recession and called the fall in share prices a short-term correction. More from our business correspondent Mark Ashdown. The White House says 50 countries have been on the phone. The phone's been ringing red-hot with people trying to broker deals but I can tell you world leaders have been talking to each other as well. In broad terms, governments around the world have three ways of responding. They can either retaliate, put their own tariffs on US goods,

so match them. They can try and negotiate, as it sounds like many are trying to do, pick up the phone and see if they can get those tariffs lowered, or invest in their own countries. So invest in businesses, help them in the face of these tariffs. The Asian market is open in a few short hours. Already there are predictions, fears of a potential black Monday. You could get situations where hedge funds face what we call margin calls, so banks telling them they need to if they put money in a closed position. If they feel the squeeze, will they start to unravel those, to balance the books? Could that result in another downward spiral? I mean, it was an awful day, well, Thursday and Friday last week, wasn't it? And interestingly, interclosed in the US just

before the markets closed, there was quite a big sell-off there. So, I think, reflectively unease traders felt with holding positions over the weekend, unsure what was coming on Monday. Also, there's this thing called the VIX index, the fear index, as people call it, that's shot up at the end of last week. So, a lot of jitters, I think, fair to say in the financial world about all of this. The big fear is this could precipitate some kind of global slowdown. JPMorgan, America's biggest bank, has raised the percentage of a recession from 40% to 60% now so the states couldn't be higher.

Business correspondent Mark Ashdown. Heavy rain is complicating relief efforts in Myanmar, worsening the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake last month. State media says around 3,500 people died. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher called for more support in a video posted on X while visiting Mandalay. I'm meeting many of those communities who've been most devastated by the impact of the shock. And the shocks continue. We had another earthquake of 4.9 just last night so people are living with that trauma the whole time and remember that this is a community that was already devastated was already in great

great need almost 20 million people in need even before this earthquake so it's a compounding crisis, it's earthquake on top of conflict on top of huge existing need. And now you have another 17 million people swept up, homes destroyed by this devastation. Our Asia Pacific regional editor Celia Hatton gave us this update. The video that's coming out of Mandalay, which is the city of one and a half million, really close to the quakes epicenter, it's pretty I mean it shows torrential rain pounding down on quite flimsy shelters that people are using to exist in because they're too scared to

go either back into their homes they're scared they're damaged or their homes have simply collapsed so they're existing in these quite flimsy tents at the moment so you can imagine heavy rain pounding down on top of these tents and very, very strong winds. It really does make the situation even more miserable. There's even some flooding. And to add to that, aid really is being very slow to trickle in. Some countries have pledged aid, but it's taking time to get onto the ground. Communications are still down in many areas, transports down.

And so it really is a quite serious situation. And that's why you have people like the UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher appealing not just to countries to donate, but also to individuals to submit donations. And there's charities like Oxfam and the Red Cross that are saying, please give us your donations. We really need to get help to those on the ground. Celia Hatton. They are an unlikely staple of New York life. Bodega cats, feline companions of shopkeepers are adored by locals but technically break the law. And now they're at the centre of a debate over hygiene rules, culture and what really gives a neighbourhood its character

as Carla Conti reports. New York's bodegas are small and tightly packed convenience stores, selling anything from snacks to cigarettes to freshly prepared sandwiches. To the city's residents, though, the bodega is a neighbourhood institution, one which is often run by humans as well as their felines. Bodega cats, as they've come to be known, are a common fixture in these local shops. You can find them perching on shelves or piles of magazines, quietly observing as customers come in and out. While they are no good behind a cash register,

these furry shop assistants can attract customers by simply existing. I think it's like a cultural thing. People come in just for them, so they bring customers in. They have a lot of fans, they come in to pet them, to play with them. And some of them have even become internet celebrities. One TikTok account called shopcats offers an up-close view into the lives of bodega cats, as the host Michelle Adonna attempts to interview them. We're going to see if Tutu can hunt or if she's a gatherer.

So you see a mouse, what do you do? What do you do? Tutu's hunting is explained by this. Meow! I like how Tutu hisses. Very real, very scary. Despite their widespread fame, bodega cats are technically outlawed. In fact, owners risk fines ranging from $300 to $2,000 for keeping them among the groceries, as the city's

health code prohibits animals in places where edible goods are sold. Now, an online petition calling on the city to protect bodega cat owners from fines has gathered over 10,000 signatures, sparking a debate about whether health codes should make room for what many see as a beloved part of New York culture. It's a classic case of red tape clashing with real life and real cats. Carla Conti reporting. While the FIFA Men's World Cup is due to take place next year in the US, Mexico and Canada, another football world cup has been taking place in Africa, this time for grannies. 20 teams took part from seven countries.

The women say football has given them a new lease of life, as the BBC's Priya Sippy reports. Foo-loo-zellers and people cheering at a stadium in Limpopo, South Africa. Common sounds for a football match, but this is no ordinary tournament. This is the Soccer Grannies World Cup, where ladies aged between 55 and 85 are competing for the title. For 60-year-old Anani, football is much more than just a game. It keeps us healthy. When I came here I was drinking chronic tablets, but now these days, no, I'm fit. I have a favourite player, Lionel Messi. When always I watch Sao Cane while he was playing, I said, if I was younger and if I was a man, I was going to do what he's doing.

Five teams from Africa, the USA and France are taking part in this three-day tournament. Aged 56 and playing for Kenya, Gertrude is one of the youngest players in the tournament. We are kicking this ball because of our health. This medicine without injection. I'm a stress-free woman. I have interacted with a lot of people. this ball because of our health. This medicine without injection. I'm a stress-free woman. I have interacted with a lot of people. When you go to the field, you get ideas from other mothers. It will help you develop your home.

As well as improving their mental and physical health, these soccer grannies are also dispelling stereotypes around older women. Sinja Lim is 72 years old from Togo. Football is for everyone, including women who want to play for health. That's why we chose to play together. Ahead of the opening match, the organizer of the tournament, 57-year-old Rebecca Nsamwisi invited the participating teams at her house in Limpopo.

She started the first soccer granny's team in South Africa, after her doctor advised her to start exercising more. She then travelled across the continent to encourage more older women to take up the sport. I'm so overwhelmed because I didn't expect this. It was my dream to have the World Cup. I remember that FIFA started with four teams and were better. We started with 12 and we are growing almost every day.

It means I'm better than FIFA. These women want to see more grannies across Africa getting involved in football. For them, age is just a number. Start exercising. And when you exercise, your muscles are becoming new. You are becoming younger and younger. I'm 16 years old now. When I'm in the ground, I feel like I'm 16 years old. And that report by Priya Sippy.

That is all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Louis Griffin and produced by Nikki Virico, our editor's Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye. Hello, it's Claudia here on this week's slow newscast from Tortoise. For every person of colour, for every LGBTQ person in this country, they ought to be very, very afraid. The Trump administration seems to have it in for diversity, equity and inclusion. So what, or rather who, is behind it all? He's the architect, quote unquote, purifying our national DNA. It's beyond absurd.

To listen, just search for the Slow Newscast.