Global News Podcast - Strait of Hormuz will reopen says Trump

Episode Date: June 15, 2026

Countries across the world have welcomed the announcement of a peace deal between the US and Iran. Donald Trump has said on social media that the Strait of Hormuz will soon be open "toll free". But Iranian state media are reporting that Tehran added the imposition of "maritime service fees" in the Strait in the final moments of negotiations. Oil prices have fallen sharply, and shares have surged following the announcement of a deal. Also in this podcast: A brutal night of strikes in Ukraine kills 11 people and damages a thousand-year-old monastery in Kyiv. The UK announces a social media ban for children under 16. The step-son of Norway's Crown Prince, Marius Borg Høiby, has been found guilty of rape and sentenced to four years in prison. And Starbucks in South Korea is to close for a staff history lesson after a backlash over an advertising campaign that evoked a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.Get in touch: [e-mail]: President Donald Trump stands in the octagon during UFC Freedom 250 Credit: IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters Connect

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This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Ankara Desai and at 14 hours GMT on Monday the 16th of June, these are our main stories. We've got the latest from the Middle East as both the US and Iran try to portray a newly announced framework deal to end the war as a victory for their side. A Russian airstrike has caused major damage to a thousand-year-old monastery in Kiev. And Britain has announced plans to ban under 16s from using social media, and it's expected to come into force by spring of next year. The devil's going to be in the detail of how this actually happens, but I think, yeah, well done, thank you.

Also in this podcast, the stepson of Norway's crown prince has been found guilty of rape and sentenced to four years in prison. And Starbucks staff in South Korea will attend a history lesson and shut stores following a public outcry over a marketing stunt. After nearly four months of on and off again fighting, the US and Iran say they've reached a deal to halt their war. Both sides say they've agreed a framework for peace, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

and the ceasing of all military activities, including in Lebanon. Countries across the world have welcomed the news. The UK, France, Germany and Italy released a joint statement, praising the end to hostilities. but stressed that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and Egypt will welcome the agreement. I spoke to our correspondent in Jerusalem, John Donison, about the contents of the peace deal which is due to be signed on Friday.

It has very little detail other than to say the key issue, I think, for the Americans, is the reopening of the streets of Hormuz. They will lift their blockade of Iranian ports. and Iran will allow shipping to pass. But that in itself could take 30 days to really start flowing because, of course, you've got to clear mines that have been laid in the streets. And then what we're going to have is over the next 60 days, there is then this two-month period to really get into the nitty-gritty

of the difficult issues, in particular Iran's nuclear program, what's going to happen to Iran's enrich, uranium. So we haven't really thrashed that out yet. So while this is a sort of positive step, we're not there yet, I don't think. It could be described that Israel is a wild card in this deal. Can they be trusted to abide by the rules of the agreement, particularly with the clause that say that their military operations must cease in Lebanon? Israel is going along with this, but reluctantly, it's been dragged, kicking and screaming, really, to go along with this deal under pressure from its main ally, the United States. We had

President Trump in an interview with the New York Times overnight saying that Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister here, was, as he called him, a very difficult guy. So I don't think U.S.-Israel relations are great at the moment. And I think crucially, we're going to have to see what happens in Lebanon. Will the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon, will that stop? Because Israel is giving no signs that it's ready to pull. out its forces which are occupying a large chunk of southern Lebanon. It is saying it's going to maintain its operations there. And because it's been such an uncertain time for so many weeks and months, it's going to be difficult to forecast whether this deal will hold. So it feels as

as though this can still change in the coming days before that agreement is signed on Friday. It could do. I mean, I don't think Israel is going to go against what President Trump clearly wants in the next five days. But you're right, over the next two months, it isn't a done deal yet. And the truth is that we are basically back to the status quo before this war started. And when you think back to the initial war aims, we had President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that one of the aims was regime change in Iran. Well, that hasn't happened. We haven't got rid of Iran's ballistic missile program. There's no mention of that in this memorandum of understanding. So then you get to the point where you say, well, look, if nothing really

significant has changed. Billions and billions of dollars have been spent on this war. It's caused huge damage to the global economy. Thousands of lives have been lost, but if nothing, those war aims haven't been achieved, you do have to ask, well, you know, what was the point of the war in the first place? John Donison reporting from Jerusalem. Donald Trump has said on social media that the strait of Hormuz would be open toll-free. But Iranian state media are reporting that Tehran added the imposition of so-called maritime service fees in the strait in the final moments of negotiations. Oil prices fell sharply and shares searched after the announcement of the peace deal. I asked our business reporter Nick Marsh whether an end to the war will ease cost pressures.

To a certain extent, the economic damage has actually already been done. You know, nearly a billion barrels of oil have been taken out of the world's supply, major oil producers, you know, Saudi Arabia, UAE, QA, QA, they've stopped producing oil because it's got nowhere to go. Not entirely stop producing oil, but they've really, really cut down. Restarting those refineries, you know, it's not like flicking a switch. So that's going to take some time repairing all the damages as well. You know, catars or gas facilities, other oil refineries that have been hit.

Repairing that's going to take years and not months. For people who go to the petrol pump, will they start seeing those prices drop now? Is there hope for everyday people? I don't think straight away, no, given all of the, the caveats that I've mentioned, basically what needs to happen is that world oil supplies need to be in a place that they were before the war. And that is going to take a long, long time. There might be an easing of the pressure ultimately going into 2027. Yeah, ordinary people might see things are a little bit kinder on them. But like I say, unfortunately, a lot of the damage has been done.

Nick Marsh in Singapore. And we have more on this on our YouTube channel. Just search for BBC News. find global news podcast in the podcast section. There's a new story available every weekday. To Ukraine now, where 11 people were killed overnight in waves of Russian missile and drone attacks. The strikes came just before the first phase of negotiations about Ukraine, joining the European Union get underway in Luxembourg. The country asked for membership following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. But opposition from Hungary had been holding up the process. Our Europe correspondent in Kiev, Nick Beek, spoke to us from the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was attacked. We have actually come to this site. It is the Kiev-Pochesk Lavra Monastery. It's a series of buildings. It dates back a thousand years.

UNESCO heritage, as you say. And I'm looking at the cathedral, which is gold domed. But this morning is a place where emergency services are all around. The firefighters have been here overnight because there was a fire that took hold here, very dramatic video. And just in front of me, you can see burnt out debris that's fallen down from the golden roof. Some pieces of gold still evidence. And Ukrainians have really spoken out about this, saying that this is a completely unacceptable attack on their history,

their culture, on Christianity. And we just heard from one official who said that a Russian drone had hit very near to the altar. The Russians are claiming that this was a defensive missile that ignited a fire. So this came, as you say, on a night where many, many missiles were fired, more than 70, 600 drones, the latest attack by the Russians. I mentioned earlier as well, Ukraine wanting to join the European Union, so there will be talks today. How long could they go on for, though? Speculation, it could go on for some time?

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it could go on years, because if you... you look at other countries that have joined recently. It's taken a decade in some cases. Some people want Ukraine to be fast-tracked, to be part of the bloc as soon as possible. But what's happening today is that these talks are beginning. And the first phase that Ukraine has to do is prove that democratically is able to join the European Union. So they need to show that they've rooted out corruption. And the rule of law applies here, that the judges, the courts, the parliament, all adheres to rules.

Brussels and all the other capital cities agree with. So that starts today. They can move on to other discussions after that, but it is a long, long process. And as this diplomacy starts, it's clear that Vladimir Putin is sending his own message. We know that the G7 leaders are also meeting today. So he's not at the table during those talks,

but certainly he's sending his missiles to this city. And in front of us, we can see and hear the damage from what he's done overnight. Nick Beek reporting from Kiev. Children's use of social media has been a divisive issue in many households between parents and their offspring around the world. Today, the British government has taken a firm approach by announcing that the country's under 16s will be banned from using social media. Britain's Prime Minister, Kirstama, said the new restrictions were the right choice, which would be welcomed by most parents. Social media is making children unhappy. It's making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them.

And it could even be harming their mental health, exposing them to content that is dangerous. Because that's what grabs the attention. It's designed to be addictive. Of course it is. Features like the Infinite Scroll. They're designed to lock you in for hours. Our cyber correspondent Joe Tidy told us more about the new rules. It's going to include all the big apps.

So if you think about the big social media apps out there, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, they're all going to go. Even the sort of slightly smaller one, like X, for example, they're being called as sort of described as including. So there will be other apps included in this. Oh, and also YouTube as well, that's one. But it won't include WhatsApp and signal. So messaging will continue. But the full ban will come into effect.

He is saying at some time in the spring next year, apparently he's saying the legislation is already there because of the Online Safety Act. So it will be sort of regulations written out and then enforced in the spring. There's also a couple of other extra bits as well. They're calling this kind of like an Australia Plus because Australia became the first country to do this in December. So as well as a full ban for under 16s,

there will be no live streaming for children. There'll also be potentially a curfew they're talking about on scrolling for people who are 16 and 17 at nighttime. And they're going to somehow bring in some laws to stop children talking to strangers. on gaming platforms as well. So it goes further than previous sort of countries have done. The social media companies are saying, you know,

we can fix this. They've been saying this for a couple of years, of course. They don't want this ban to come in place. YouTube has already said that our platform is a vital place for children to go for news and entertainment. But there are so many parents, of course, who have been very, very loud in campaigning. And they're bereaved as well as some of these parents who have had children that have died in the last couple of years

because of taking their lives, for example, from seeing harmful content on social media, or things like cyberbullying or sex distortion, those kind of harms. They have been very important and pivotal in this kind of movement to get this ban brought into effect. But certainly the UK joining an absolutely enormous growing list of countries that are bringing in these kind of policies, the OECD put out a report in April,

saying that 25 countries are either thinking about it or in the process of bringing in a ban. So certainly the UK, not the first here, and won't be the last. These teenagers at a school in Manchester and England gave their reaction to the announcement. I think the issue is right now is the lack of guidance and parents. So I really think it should be the parents' responsibility to guide us children through the website. I think that social media really affects the mental health of children.

You see things that you don't have on social media, and that's why you don't appreciate the blessings that you already have. The only way it's really going to affect my life is I lose my snap streaks. While a lot of people will be upset about it, I think in the long run it will have positive impact. Our political correspondent, Rob Watson, is looking at the difficulties that the UK government faces bringing in the new restrictions. The obvious one is, you know, how do you identify who's under 16? I mean, that sounds pretty straightforward, but it isn't. And that is why what the government says it will do is it'll get the regulator,

the organisation that regulates media in this country called off-com. It's going to look at how best will age verification work. it's also important to stress that it's not going to be, you know, the kids you get done if they try and access this, that the legal responsibility will rest with the social media companies. Has there been wider reaction from the political spectrum in the UK? Absolutely. I guess the first thing to talk about is sort of, I don't know, popular reaction. And polling suggests that this is massively popular with adults, of course. I mean, there's broad, if not universal, political support.

The only, the criticism comes from perhaps those are what you might describe on the right of the political spectrum, saying this is all a liberal and nanny state. And the other form of criticism is that if well-intentioned, a social media ban might not deal with the real issue, which is young people spending so much time online and the kind of content that they can see. As for the social media companies themselves, they say, look, we want the internet to be safe, we want social media to be self, but we don't think this is going to work. It will force kids to unregulated sites. Our UK political correspondent Rob Watson. Now, there's one story that is dominating all news media outlets today in Norway. Following a seven-week trial that has

gripped the nation, the Crown Prince of Norway's stepson, Marius Berg-Huyber, has been sentenced to four years in prison for rape and a host of other offences. Our Europe digital editor, Paul Kirby, is following the case. So this is a case that began in February, and because it's such an enormous case in Norway, there were 40 charges that he was accused of. And he was, and he, he He's been found guilty of more than 30 of those. Now, the most significant trial charges were of rape. There were four counts of rape, and he was convicted of two of those counts. He was found guilty of two and acquitted of the other two.

There were six women who gave evidence in this case, so really it was a trial involving six women, and, as you say, the son of the Crown Princess, Metamarit, who is not a member of the royal family. He was born four years before she married the Crown Prince, but he is nevertheless very much part of the Crown Princess's circle, not a member of the Royal Family, but part of the family circle. So it has cast a very large shadow over the family itself.

What more do we know about him? And regarding court today, I gather that he wasn't there, but some of the victims were. That's right. So he was not in court today for health reasons, unspecified. health reasons. He was sitting behind a desk, a video link from Ila prison near Norway, but he was not in the courtroom itself. He was in court during the trial, but not today. And we don't know exactly why. His lawyers did go there after the verdict was announced and they've been speaking to him and they've

decided he will appeal against the judgment. But yes, you're right that one of the six women was in court. She was one of the two women involved in the two rapes that he was found guilty of. Now, that case goes back to 2024. The other case goes back to 2018. So they very much, six years apart, when he was a much younger man, this was eight years ago that this happened. So a lot of the accusations go back many, many years. Just very briefly then, how is this being perceived by citizens in Norway as well and how are the Royal Family handling this? So the Royal Family have decided not to comment on this and they've said they will not comment on this, nor will they consider commenting on Metamarit's illness. She is facing a lung transplant. She's very, very ill and Marius Borghleby wants to be

out of jail because she is so badly ill. That is a request that's been given to the court. Paul Kirby reporting. Still to come in this podcast, our correspondent reports from the epicentre of Ebola-stricken areas of the DRC. It's a frustration, you know, losing health workers. Every outbreak, you know, you have to lose elf workers. That is really very, it's a frustration for me. This is the Global News Podcast. To South Korea now, and an advertising campaign that went badly wrong for the coffee chain Starbucks.

All stores there will be shut for half a day next week for staff to attend a history lesson following a public backlash over a promotion that evoked a brutal military crackdown in 1980 on pro-democracy protesters. A global affairs correspondent Ambrassan Etirajan is following the story. An iniquis coffee tumbler can create a national outrage. That's what happened in South Korea last month. When Starbucks Korea, which is the local unit of the Starbucks company, So they launched an advertising campaign promoting the product, and they came out with a tank a special series of tumblers reusable, basically. So the cups are bigger where you will have spacious volume.

You can drink more coffee. Now it sounds very fine. But they launched this campaign on the anniversary of one of the worst days for many Korean families, because more than 180 people were killed in a pro-democracy protest in not. 1980 in the city of Guangzhou. And it is still in the, you know, it's vividly remembered and every year it is being honored because of the families, they suffered so much of a grief and loss. So it was an important day.

So this tank motive, the tumblers, so that was seen as an insult. That was lacking sensitivity. So that created an uproar, public backlash. How can you do this? It was called a tank day. So that was the, you know, campaign. theme. So that really angered many people. In fact, even South Korean president, Lee J. M. Jung, strongly condemned how you can be so insensitive when you're doing this. And the social media also

called for a boycott of Starbucks Korea. So now finally, so the company apologized and they sacked the CEO and they also withdrew that campaign. Now they're coming out with this lesson for its staff members for the first time since the company started in 1999. They're going going to close it for half a day to give the historical lesson as well as social sensitivity. And it also includes the company's chief executives and they also apologized. The Starbucks main office in the US also apologized. So it is again a big lesson when you launch an advertising campaign. What are the factors you need to take into account?

Ambrassan Athirajan reporting. Now to the Football World Cup, Iran's men are playing their first game on Monday evening US time in Los Angeles against New Zealand. Their preparations, though, have been overshadowed by the war with disputes over visas and security concerns. Iran's team had to move their base from Arizona to Mexico and will have to fly out of the U.S. after their matches. Afshin Gottby is a former coach. Everyone has sympathy for any athlete that has to be put under such a logistical and psychological challenge before maybe a dream tournament for most of these players, as they were born to play the game and they'd live to be in the World Cup.

Our North America correspondent, Shama Khalil, is in Los Angeles and has more on the problems for the Iranian team. The deal to end fighting between the U.S. and Iran has come just a day before the Iranian team's opening World Cup match here in Los Angeles, easing fears of further escalation, but doing little to remove the controversy surrounding the team. Iran's striker, Mehdi Tarimi, told me that this ongoing tension has overshadowed the tournament from the moment the squad arrived. Preparations have also been disrupted.

The team faced visa problems and was forced to move its World Cup base camp to Mexico. And when Iran takes to the pitch here in L.A., many in the city's large Iranian community won't be there to watch. Some are planning protests against FIFA's ban on the pre-revolutionary line and sunflag, while others see the team as representing a regime they want gone. The players insist they're here to unite Iranians. and focus on football. But for this squad, politics has been impossible to escape. Shama Khalil reporting from Los Angeles.

The Ebola outbreak in the DRC has reached 782 confirmed cases and 181 deaths. The outbreak has continued to expand into new areas, despite intensified surveillance and treatment efforts. Our Africa correspondent, Ansoi, has been to one clinic in Ituri province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, and where she met a patient who's going home after recovering from the disease. About a dozen healthcare workers are singing and dancing

as they escort a newly recovered patient from the Ebola treatment center in Mungualu. Daniel Kitambala walks in front of them holding a black plastic bag that has his disinfected belongings. You're now going home. What message do you have for those people you're going back to? The message for the people in the village is that they should come here for treatment. What will you tell them about how you've been treated here?

They should just come. They should not be afraid. There are those in the community who have not accepted the message about Ebola. They should not listen to people. They should seek treatment. People are recovery. See, I have recovered. Walking beside him is Dr. Risha Lukodu, the hospital director in Mongbuulu. I ask him what this recovery means for them. We have faced many challenges and witnessed many deaths. However, seeing the situation improve makes us very happy. Dr. Lukodu is optimistic that the recoveries will help build trust in the healthcare system,

and boost the morale of hospital staff. At the beginning, we face significant resistance because many people did not believe Ebola was real. This made the situation very difficult to manage. Many residents were reluctant to visit health facilities. Today we are seeing positive changes. People now understand the disease better and know the importance of seeking treatment.

We saw the reports of the young people who came and burned down the facility that was treating Ebola patients. What happened? This happened at the beginning of the outbreak when Ebola had just been announced. Many people did not understand how the disease spread and reacted out of fear and misinformation. That was in May.

Two days earlier, a similar facility in Rompara was burned down. It was very complicated for the staff here. It was very complicated for the staff. That's Dr. Risha Kojaojao. He's the lead clinician at the facility managed by the medical charity Alima in Rampara. He has been at the front line in previous outbreaks of Ebola and says the challenges is encountered here are huge. At the beginning of this outbreak, I lost some doctors here.

I have a nurse, I have anesthesiologist, I have a lab take here. They are confirmed cases, you know. So it's a frustration, you know, losing health workers. Every outwork, you know, you have to lose the focus. That is a really very, it's a frustration for me. One of the medics recovering from Ebola is Marel Gahindo. She's receiving treatment together with her 11-month-old child. I spoke to her through a glass screen separating patients from the green area

where visitors are allowed to access. Now I'm feeling better. My baby is feeling better. No more fever, no more diarrhea. no more bleeding, better. She looks forward to going back home to her husband and two other children. But first, they must test negative for Ebola twice. Her doctor is optimistic, she will.

That would be reason for a little cheer where death and mourning have become all too frequent. Our Africa correspondent Anne Sawyer reporting. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at Global Podcast. at BBC.com.uk. And you can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global NewsPod. And don't forget our sister podcast,

The Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Tom Bartlett and the producer was Vanessa Heaney. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm uncritus time. Until next time, goodbye.

What do Beatles member, Sir Paul McCartney, YouTube megastar, Mr Beast, and former Facebook executive Cheryl Sandberg all have in common. They're all being discussed in the new season of Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast which explores the lives and fortunes of the world's super rich. That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now, search for Good Bad Billionaire wherever you get your BBC podcasts. What do Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney?

YouTube megastar, Mr Beast. And former Facebook executive Cheryl Sandberg all have in common. They're all being discussed in the new season of Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast which explores the lives and fortunes of the world's super rich. That's Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now, search for Good Bad Billionaire, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.