Global News Podcast - Russia expels six British diplomats

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

Russia expels six British diplomats on the day the UK's PM is due to hold talks on Ukraine with President Biden at the White House. Also: China raises retirement age, and after 22 years the Grand Tour runs out of road.

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. Life and death were two very realistic co-existing possibilities in my life. I didn't even think I'd make it to like my 16th birthday, to be honest. I grew up being scared of who I was. Any one of us at any time can be affected by mental health and addictions. Just taking that first step makes a big difference.

It's the hardest step. But CAMH was there from the beginning. Everyone deserves better mental health care. To hear more stories of recovery, visit camh.ca. 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. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jalil and at 13 hours GMT on Friday the 13th of September, these are our main stories. Moscow announces it has expelled six British diplomats as President Putin warns the West against allowing Ukraine

to use long-range missiles on Russia. China is to raise its retirement age, one of the lowest for a major economy. Workers at the troubled planemaker Boeing have gone on strike, rejecting a pay offer of 25%. Also in this podcast, we hear about some of science's wackiest ideas, including putting pigeons in missiles to guide their flight paths. We start with high stakes diplomacy. Tensions have risen as the British Prime Minister and the US President prepare to hold talks in Washington about allowing Ukraine to use long range missiles for strikes deep inside Russia, after reports that Iran was now supplying hundreds of missiles for Moscow to use. President Putin warned the West that giving long-range weapons to Ukraine

would mean that NATO countries were at war with Russia. If this decision is made, it will mean nothing other than direct participation of NATO countries, the United States, European countries in the war in Ukraine. It is their direct participation. And this, of course, significantly changes the very essence of the conflict. This will mean that NATO countries, the United States, European countries are fighting with Russia. Then hours after Mr. Putin's warning, Moscow announced that it had expelled six British diplomats, accusing them of spying and sabotage. Here's how Russian state television broadcast the news to viewers. The announcer says British diplomats have been accused of espionage.

How did the British embassy in Moscow turn into a branch of MI6? The photographs of the six diplomats then appear on screen. Britain has dismissed the Russian accusations as completely baseless, saying the six diplomats had left Russia many weeks ago after having their accreditation revoked in separate circumstances. Our Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford, who's in the Polish capital Warsaw, told us more about what the Russians have been saying. They're saying that their actions were found to contain signs of intelligence and subversive work.

That's the kind of bottom line. But more broadly than that, the FSB is also claiming that Britain is responsible for escalating the tensions between Russia and the West, what it calls the military political situation. It claims that Britain is coordinating this escalation and that, in fact, it's saying that the Department of the Foreign Office is specifically responsible for the attempts to defeat Russia strategically. In terms of what evidence it has of any kind of subversion by these six specific individuals, well, the only video that I've seen so far is of embassy officials meeting independent Russian journalists and human rights activists, people who Russia has portrayed and claims are its internal enemies. And so it's talking about those meetings as being subversive. And it seems the timing is like a diplomatic warning shot, because the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in Washington, where he's going to meet President Biden to talk about Ukraine's

long standing request to be allowed to use long range missiles to strike deep into Russia? Yes, and I think the timing is absolutely key. I mean, there are diplomatic expulsions periodically, and you know, the relationship is dire. This does happen. But I think the announcement right now, of this particular group of people being expelled, the timing is no coincidence. It's certainly about this broader narrative of Russia and the West at war, which is, of course, what Vladimir Putin is warning will be the case if the West goes ahead and gives approval for Ukraine to use long range missiles, Western missiles inside Russia. But it is interesting that, of course, Kyrgyzstan, the British Prime Minister, has given a robust response already to that, saying that Ukraine has the right to self-defence. And I've heard also today from the Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, and saying that

the West essentially shouldn't set too much store by these threats and these warnings from Vladimir Putin, saying he's simply trying to discourage the West from providing military aid. And in fact, his words should rather convince the West that this aid is advisable, Donald Tusk said, necessary and should continue. Nevertheless, there will be many people worried about the threat of escalation. If Russia was to retaliate to the West supplying Ukraine with long range missiles, what form could that retaliation take? I think it's important to remember that already and for a very long time, Russia has referred to what's happening in Ukraine as its war with the collective West, as it describes it. So I think that in itself is not an escalation. But if Russia were to retaliate, then I suppose the fear is multifold. I mean, there's everything on the, I suppose,

ranging from some kind of hybrid attack, more sabotage in Europe, more hacking, to something as major as potentially a strike against supply routes for Western missiles into Ukraine. And of course, Poland, where I am now, is a key part of that logistical operation. But of course, escalating to the point where Russia were to strike against a NATO country is massive. And I think the chances of that, as far as Western politicians at this point see it, seem relatively slim. Because of course, when President Biden was here in Poland, not so long ago, he made clear that the US and NATO would defend every inch of NATO territory if it was to come under attack. Sarah Rainsford in the Polish capital Warsaw. In Russia itself, ever since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been widespread cases of Russians

reporting fellow citizens to the police for anti-war views, often leading to prosecution and in some cases prison sentences. This has revived memories of the Soviet past when informing on colleagues and neighbours was actively encouraged. Our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg has been meeting some of those caught up in this new wave of denunciations. Handcuffed, a doctor is led into a Moscow courtroom and locked in a cage. Her name is Nadezhda Bujanova. She's 68, she's a paediatrician,

and she's on trial for spreading false information about the Russian army. She faces up to 10 years in prison. I managed to ask Nadezhda what she makes of this. I've read about this kind of thing happening to others, Nadezhda replies, through the glass. I never imagined it would happen to me. It's happening because of this woman, a patient's mother. She claims that the doctor told her Russian soldiers in Ukraine are legitimate targets. She was furious her ex-husband had been killed fighting in Ukraine. She denounced Nadezhda to the police.

One of Stalin's ministers praises a boy who has denounced his own father as an enemy of the people. Denunciation was actively encouraged under Stalin. The gulag was full of victims who'd been snitched on by fellow citizens. Nina Khrushcheva is professor of international affairs at the New School in New York. She can see that today Russians are having no problem turning the clock back. What I find really remarkable is how quickly Russian genetic memory has come back. How people who didn't live in those times suddenly act as if they did. Suddenly they are squealing on others. It is a Soviet practice, but it's also something about the Russian genetic code, of fear of trying to protect themselves at the expense of others. And it is Russia's war in

Ukraine which is fueling this, not only through repressive new laws aimed at silencing dissent, but by turbocharging here the hunt for internal enemies, for traitors. It's in this atmosphere of us against them that you get students informing on teachers, professors on students, parishioners on priests. Some Russians aren't just writing denunciations, they're taking the law into their own hands. On a Moscow bus, 87-year-old Dmitry Grinchey is attacked by two men who claim they've just heard him make insulting comments about Russian mercenaries fighting in Ukraine. Shocking mobile phone video shows the pensioner having his arms twisted behind his back, then being dragged off the bus and frog-marched to the police. He wasn't charged,

but the incident has left the pensioner shaken and angry. The Russian constitution says that everyone has the right to free speech, Dmitry tells me. Why should others get to say what they think and not me? In his flat, Dmitry shows me old photos of his father, Pavel, who in 1937 was arrested and then executed, one of the many innocent victims of Stalin's terror. History never repeats itself exactly. But what is happening today is reviving ghosts of the past,

with Russia once again searching for enemies and traitors, and Russians being encouraged to join the hunt. Steve Rosenberg. Reports have emerged of a raid by Israeli special forces in Syria to destroy a Hezbollah missile production facility in the country. Israel has not commented on the operation, which according to US media reports, took place at the beginning of the week. With more details, here's our diplomatic correspondent, Paul Adams. American and other officials quoted in the New York Times and elsewhere paint a picture of a daring operation designed to destroy an underground military facility near the Syrian city of Masyaf, around 25 miles north of the Lebanese border.

According to The Times, Israeli special forces descended from helicopters, placed explosives inside the Iranian-built facility and removed sensitive information. Airstrikes were used to neutralise Syria's defences and prevent reinforcements from reaching the site. The Israeli government has not commented, but the raid seems to have been designed to prevent Iran from supplying precision missiles to its Lebanese ally and proxy Hezbollah. Israel attacked the facility six years ago and has mounted dozens of airstrikes against Syria since the war in Gaza began almost a year ago. But putting Israeli troops on the ground inside Syria is highly unusual.

This would be one of the most sophisticated operations of its kind in years. Paul Adams, as you may have heard in our last global podcast, workers at the US airplane giant Boeing were voting on a new contract. Well, they've now downed tools and gone on strike after overwhelmingly rejecting the deal that included a 25% pay rise. More than 30,000 employees who produce planes, including the 737 MAX, are taking part in the walkout. Speaking at a news conference, John Holden, who led the negotiations for the IAM union, explained why members had rejected the proposed contract and voted for strike action instead. While there were many important things that were in this offer, it didn't make up, it didn't bridge the gap for 16 years from 2008

and going through two extensions and the threats of job loss, stagnated wages, cost shift on health care, and many other issues and especially relocation of thousands of jobs for other programs leaving the state. Well, the walkout is yet another setback for Boeing, which is facing deepening financial losses as it struggles to repair its reputation after a series of safety issues, including two fatal crashes. Our business correspondent Theo Leggett told us why the overwhelming majority of Boeing workers had rejected a pay offer that on the face of it seemed quite generous. The margin by which this offer was rejected, 96% of those polled, was

enormous and it does really illustrate that there's been a very serious breakdown of trust between Boeing's management and the workers in the Pacific Northwest. So we're talking the Seattle region and also Portland and Oregon. And the reason for this, as that IAM representative was suggesting, goes back years. So during past contract renegotiations, Boeing was in a position of some strength, and it went into negotiations threatening the unions that if concessions weren't made, then production might be moved to other states where labour laws would be different, and it could enforce cutbacks whichever way it wanted to. So for example,

in the past, Boeing workers had to give up quite nice pension plans and pay demands were kept to a minimum. And as a result of that, there is this inbuilt resentment within Boeing's workforce. Put on top of that, what's been happening over the past few years when Boeing's been trying to ramp up production, particularly of the 737 MAX and production rates at the factories until recently were going up and up. And there were protests on the production line that people were simply being overworked. So take all of that together and you have this offer, which on the face of it seemed quite generous, which union leaders said was one of the best contract offers they'd ever come up with. But it's still not good enough.

Theo Leggett. Butterfly thieves in Sri Lanka have been hit with a massive fine of $200,000. Two men, a father and son from Italy, were caught trying to smuggle hundreds of dead insects, including 92 species of butterflies, out of a safari park and handed the country's highest ever fine for wildlife crime. But as David Lewis reports, if they can't pay it, it could get even worse for them. It's a family holiday that ended with mass insect death, convictions of smuggling and possible prison time. Luigi Ferrari and his 28-year-old son Mattia were arrested back in May after they were found with hundreds of dead butterflies in the boot of their hire car. According to investigators, the pair had reportedly lured the animals at Yala

National Park using specialist bait and were planning on chemically preserving them. But their strategy did not go to plan. Park ranger Kei Sujiwa Nishanta told BBC that a suspicious car was spotted in the park on the day of the incident and the driver and passenger in it had crept into the forest with insect nets. Local workers found hundreds of jars containing the insects in bags in the back. All the insects were dead when we found them, Mr Nshanta said. They put a chemical in the bottles, he alleged. Yala National Park in the southeast of the island is one of Sri Lanka's most popular wildlife spots.

It's home to leopards, elephants and buffaloes, as well as a variety of insects. For their roles, dad and son face hundreds of charges. Initially slapped with 801 citations, this has now been reduced to 304. They're facing two years in a local prison if the 60 million rupee or $200,000 fine isn't met by the end of this month. Friends of the pair back home have pleaded for leniency, suggesting the butterflies had no commercial value. Mr Ferrari Sr is an orthopaedic surgeon. He's been described by pals as an insect enthusiast and is a member of the Entomology Association in the city of Modena, entomology being the study of insects. David Lewis reporting. Now, science can be about making people think, but it can also be about making them laugh while thinking. And that's what this

year's Ig Nobel Prizes in the US are all about. Among the scientific achievements being celebrated are research on the possibility of placing pigeons inside missiles to better guide them and the discovery that dead fish can swim. Alfie Habershon reports. Many of us are keen to hear how scientists plan to fix the world's growing list of problems. And there was a sense of anticipation at MIT University on Thursday night. Bummed, shuffled onto seats to the tune of a harmonica player at the front of the stage. But this time, the solutions were a little unusual.

The winner is the late B.F. Skinner for experiments to see the feasibility of housing live pigeons inside missiles to guide the flight paths of the missiles. That's because the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony invites scientists to do something they don't normally do, use discoveries to make us laugh. For example, by explaining that people famous for living a long time often come from places with very bad death-keeping records, or that dead trouts are quite good at swimming. Using its body like a sailboat to tack upwind, its torso undulating, acting as a lift-producing sail and a stabilizing keel at the same time. Fluids flap flexible fish forward from forces

and feedback. The water swims the fish. And many of them seem to relish the opportunity to strip off the lab coat and loosen up a bit, at times performing strange dances as they accepted their prizes. It might show the scientists are not as serious as we think, but just like the eye-watering graphs and complex data, their sense of humour can leave us with a similar sense of confusion. That report by Alfie Habersham. Still to come, the end of the road for the Grand Tour with no more pub banter. What do people talk about when they don't drink?

I don't know, actually. That's a good point. Brexit. We hear from one of the petrolhead trio who have dominated car shows for the past two decades. Any one of us at any time can be affected by mental health and addictions. Just taking that first step makes a big difference. It's the hardest step. But CAMH was there from the beginning. Everyone deserves better mental health care.

To hear more stories of recovery, visit CAMH.ca. 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 You're listening to the Global News Podcast. Now, it may surprise you to hear that China has one of the world's lowest retirement ages for a major economy, especially if you're a woman.

Currently, some women can retire at 50, the rest at 55, and men can retire at 60. But in a country where the birth rate has plummeted in large part because of Beijing's draconian one-child policy and where life expectancy has risen substantially as China has become wealthier, the government is now looking at following the example of countries like France in raising the retirement age to 63 for men and up to 58 for women. Our Asia-Pacific editor, Mickey Bristow, told us more. The retirement age is going to increase mostly by three years from 60 to 63 for men, the white collar women 55 to 58. For women involved in manual labour, the range is going to go up a little bit more from 50 to 55. It's going to be introduced

starting next year, over 15 years, so gradual introduction. And essentially, the reason China's doing this is because of the massive democratic shift which is taking place in the country. Fewer babies, that means fewer working people in the next decade or so, in the few decades ahead, paying less taxes, and also an aging population. It's estimated that in about a decade's time, there are going to be 400 million people in China over 60. If this change hadn't have come in, then all of those people would have been able to claim retirement benefits. What have people been saying about this plan to raise the retirement age?

Well, all across the world, if you give people the option to retire earlier or later, then most people are going to choose earlier. And that's certainly some of the responses that we've had in China. But also, there's a recognition, I think, in China that the demographics have changed and the country's facing a more complex economic situation than it has done in the past. And this is what a few people in Beijing had to say about that. My first reaction is, so when can I get my pension? My biggest concern is not retirement, but rather the fact I'm about to turn 35 and will face a difficult employment situation. I may feel a bit reluctant to work for such a long time, but I also understand this decision. The government may have to consider

the issue of an ageing population. This being China, the government's going to control the narrative. Already some online comments have been censored. There are probably not going to be the protests that we saw in France, the raising of retirement age we saw last year. Simply Chinese people are just going to have to accept these changes handed down to them. Mickey Bristow. Well, not only is the world population getting older, it's getting fatter. Around the world, more and more people are becoming obese, making them more likely to suffer serious health issues. Now, the British government, two months after it was elected, has announced that from next year, all online adverts for food that is high in fat, sugar or salt will be banned.

Junk food TV adverts will also be blocked at times when children are likely to be watching. Ministers say it's part of a campaign to lower child obesity and reduce pressure on the National Health Service. The British broadcaster and chef Hugh Fernley-Whittenstall told us that more needed to be done. We can't really have a coherent conversation about the future of the NHS unless tackling obesity is at the heart of it, because it's the single biggest cause of preventable illness, of early death, and it's the single biggest expense of any disease, and living with obesity is a disease, for the NHS. So this is just one step among many that need to be taken, but it's extremely welcome. Well, our business correspondent, Mariko Oi, told us more. Obesity is a big problem, especially among young children, and that's what the government wants to

tackle. So according to the health minister, more than one in five children in England are currently overweight or obese by the time they start primary school. And that figure goes up to one third by the time they leave primary school. So in order to tackle this, the government has announced or rather confirmed that this new rules will kick in next October. So any junk food adverts will be banned on TV before 9 p.m. or after 5.30 a.m. So that's basically when children are likely to be watching. And also all the paid for online adverts will also be totally banned. So it's something that the previous administration has floated as well, but it didn't get executed. And this time around, the government has confirmed that it is definitely

going to start next October. And obesity is a problem not just for the UK, but for many, many other countries. What are other countries doing to tackle this growing issue? Yeah, I was looking up which other countries may actually treat junk food, I guess, in the same category as, you know, sexual content or, you know, swearing. Australia has been, you know, there are rights groups saying that this is something that they should consider. But it doesn't look like many other governments has actually done this. And, you know, where I grew up in Japan, you can see junk food as throughout the day, and there's no rules or regulations. I mean, of course, the obesity issue is less of a problem

here in Asia, but it is a very, I guess, significant and, you know, different approach by the UK government this time. That's interesting, isn't it? Because I don't think Japan has anywhere near the obesity problem that the UK does. So it does seem to indicate perhaps that there are other issues that need to be tackled. And that's what health campaigners would say. Yeah, because I think it's one thing to just not show it on TV at certain times. But in this day and age, children could be watching it online or streaming, and they're probably watching it on their devices in their room. So it's not obviously the only thing that they can do.

And there are other things like, obviously, education. All those measures also need to be addressed. Mariko Oi. North Korea has for the first time released photographs showing the machines used to make fuel for its nuclear bombs. The images show North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un visiting a uranium enrichment facility. Jean McKenzie reports. Just earlier this week, Mr Kim said his country was on course to exponentially increase its stash of nuclear weapons. It's not known how many nuclear weapons North Korea has, but one recent estimate puts the number at 50, with enough material for another 40.

This is the first time North Korea has published photos of one of its uranium enrichment facilities. Pyongyang may well be doing this to try and put pressure on the US ahead of its presidential election. Jean McKenzie. Scientists have solved the mystery of what made a seismic signal reverberate around the Earth for nine days last September. A global team of researchers say a massive landslide caused a tsunami in a remote fjord in Greenland. Here's our science correspondent Victoria Gill. When seismic sensors around the planet picked up the unusual signal emanating from Greenland, a group of geologists set out to

solve the mystery of what was causing it. They eventually worked out that this vibration that lasted an unprecedented nine days came from a massive landslide that triggered a tsunami in a remote fjord in the east of the country. Before and after images revealed that a whole mountaintop had collapsed there, sending a volume of rock equivalent to 25 Empire State Buildings slamming into the water. The depth and narrow shape of this 124 mile long fjord in effect trapped the wave so it sloshed back and forth, creating the vibrations. Scientists say the landslide was caused by rising temperatures in Greenland melting the glacier that was supporting this mountain. As temperatures in the Arctic rise, the risk of these landslides is increasing, a destructive side effect of climate change.

Victoria Gill. Finally, it's the big finale, the end of an era for petrolheads. After 22 years, the three presenters who first worked together on the hugely successful Top Gear and then on the Grand Tour have reached the end of the road. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are releasing their last episode of the Grand Tour today. Over the years, there have been high-speed stunts, explosions, crashes, smashes. But at the heart of it all, there's been a relationship between three men.

What do people talk about when they don't drink? I don't know, actually. That's a good point. Brexit. We've worked together now for many years, but we've never struggled to think of anything to say before. But I think that's partly because we can never remember what we said last time, so we just do it again. Yeah, that's a fact. Well, James May, one of the presenters of the Grand Tour, told us why the episode entitled One for the Road will be the last. We are getting on a bit and everything does have to end. And I think, to be honest, well, two things.

We wanted to end it on our own terms, as we always used to say. We want to land it safely, not fly it into a cliff. And I think we've largely exhausted our take on the subject, not the subject itself. There's space, I think, for a new approach to it, but it can't come from us. We're a bit too stuck in our way of doing it. But is the subject cars, or is the subject the friendship between three men?

I sometimes wonder if it is friendship. We wind each other up so badly. But, I mean, it definitely started off as cars, and it's rooted in our enthusiasm for them, and even, dare I say it, our knowledge of them. But it is also about, yes, it's rooted in our enthusiasm for them and even dare i say it our knowledge of them but it is also about yes it's about human relationships and without wishing to sound too pretentious also the human condition it's a view of what life means through well from the perspective of people who are a bit overly obsessed about cars and of course it also turned into a travel show a pantomime a, all these other things as well.

And lots of crashes and stuff along the way, as we were hearing. But in this kind of grand finale, I mean, certainly from the tone of that clip, what a more relaxed approach. Yes, we decided before we set off that, as we knew it was the last one, we'd managed to decide that for ourselves before we were formally cancelled, that we would take a more relaxed approach to it and a more, I suppose in a way, a more real and yes, a more gentle approach,

that we chose cars that we'd liked as kids and that we knew we were on the last one and it would be slightly melancholic, slightly reflective. And that informs the whole show, I think. Will you miss the others, working with the others or being with the others? What's your relationship like with them? Yes, I mean, I did say somewhere else recently,

it would be hard to settle down to two modest holidays a year after 22 years of global adventuring. And I will miss it, but I'm glad we've brought it to a satisfactory conclusion. I'm noting that's not an answer to whether you'll miss the other two. Well, I don't think it's the last I've seen of them, to be brutally honest. I think there is now no escape. I mean, this job has occupied over a third of my life. And the longest I managed to hold down any other job in my life was about a year and a half. So, you know, I think the subject of cars, everything about them, the cars themselves. So, you know, I think the subject of cars,

everything about them, the cars themselves, how we use them, what they represent, has never been more interesting. But it needs a reformatting and a rethinking of the car show, which, you know, as you've observed, ours hardly was anymore. And it will need younger people, I think people currently unknown, to come and readdress the subject and find a new way of thinking about it

and articulating what it is that a younger generation thinks about it. That was James May talking to Justin Webb and Michelle Hussain. The Grand Tour, One for the Road, is available to watch on Amazon. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Martin Baker. The producer was Tracy Gordon. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janette Jalil.

Until next time, goodbye. my 16th birthday, to be honest. I grew up being scared of who I was. Any one of us at any time can be affected by mental health and addictions. Just taking that first step makes a big difference. It's the hardest step. But CAMH was there from the beginning. Everyone deserves better mental health care. To hear more stories of recovery, visit CAMH.ca. 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.