Global News Podcast - US gives Israel 30 days to boost Gaza aid or risk cut to military support

Episode Date: October 16, 2024

The letter amounts to the strongest known written warning from the US to its ally. Also: fake vintage wine gang busted in France and Italy.

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 Nick Miles, and in the early hours of Wednesday the 16th of October these are our main stories. The United States has written to Israel's government giving it 30 days to boost humanitarian aid access in Gaza or face cuts in US military support. The European Union Energy Commissioner has criticised EU countries that continue to rely on Russian gas after the bloc saw a recent rise in imports.

Uganda says it's signed a $3 billion deal with a Turkish company to build a railway linking the landlocked country to neighbouring Kenya. Also in this podcast... The pace at which this has happened, I think, will be seen by many as something of a surprise. There's been a sense, I think, that the FA were in no rush to decide who should replace Gareth Southgate. In football, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss, Thomas Tuchel, is to become the third non-British manager

of the England men's team. The US government has given Israel 30 days to urgently boost humanitarian access to Gaza or risk cuts in military assistance from Washington. The message came in a leaked letter which has been verified by the BBC. Signed by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the American Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, Blinken, and the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin. It's the strongest known written warning to Israel from its biggest ally. Matthew Miller is a State Department spokesperson. What we have seen over the past few months is that the level of humanitarian assistance has not been sustained.

In fact, it has fallen by over 50% from where it was at its peak. So the Secretary, along with Secretary Austin, thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of Israel that there are changes that they need to make again to see that the level of assistance making it into Gaza comes back up from the very, very low levels that it is at today. Our correspondent Tom Bateman was at the press conference in Washington and asked Matthew Miller more about the letter to Israel from the US. And just to challenge a bit on the point that you said, you know, you were asked repeatedly about the timing of the letter and you said, well, you know, because the situation's changed. But in a lot of ways, it hasn't. I mean, you talked about the letter talks about one point seven million Palestinians in Al-Mawassi who you say are at risk of lethal contagion. That has been a situation

that has just been building up. I mean, it hasn't, you know, it hasn't just happened overnight. And so there will be those who say you've had a year to write this letter to issue such a stark warning to the Israelis. Why is it taking so long? So it hasn't taken so long. I completely reject the premise of the question, as I think you said. Well, you didn't say, but when you said you're going to push on me, I totally reject the premise of the question. We have intervened on numerous occasions. In the days right after October 7th, the Secretary was in Israel having very difficult conversations with the Prime Minister about the need to let the first trucks come in across the border. And he was successful and got Rafah opened up for trucks to come across the border.

We then had very difficult conversations with Israel about the need to open Karim Shalom. And those conversations included the president, the secretary, the national security advisor, others across our government. And we saw Karim Shalom open. We saw over the course of months repeated examples of the U.S., not any other country, but the United States intervening and getting results. Now what we have seen is a significant degradation in the amount of humanitarian assistance that's coming in. The BBC's international editor, Jeremy Bowen, gave us his thoughts on the

developing story regarding the letter. It was leaked to two Israeli journalists, but the BBC has verified that it is a genuine letter. It wasn't intended, I think, for public consumption because the language used in it is much stronger than anything the Americans have used in public. You talk about the deep concern about deteriorating the human situation. They're pointing out that Israel impeded or denied 90 percent of north-south movements of humanitarian aid. That's between the two halves of Gaza. Israel's cut the territory in two. It also talks about, it cites U.S. laws that prohibit military assistance to countries that are blocking the use of U.S. aid. So it also does go on to actually

criticize almost every aspect and raise concerns about every aspect of Israel's policy in Gaza towards the civilians, including the fact that 1.7 million people have been pushed into a coastal area. They're saying they should be allowed out of there before the winter because of things like the spread of diseases. They've even said that Israel's campaign against UNRWA, the UN organization that deals with Palestinian refugees, would be disastrous if it went through because of the key role that UNRWA plays in relief efforts there. Now, one thing I would say is that while the military push has been going on very strongly for the Israelis in Gaza. And while the Americans have this concern, they are at this point continuing to send military aid. The latest has been a

sophisticated anti-missile system, which has just been delivered because of the impending Israeli strikes against Iran, which a lot of people here expect to come in perhaps even the next few days. And they're in case of an Iranian response. And one thing I would say, one of the key things in this letter is that they say that Israel needs to improve what it's doing radically within 30 days. And don't forget that within that 30 days is the U.S. presidential election. So there could be a sense here in which the Israelis could run down the clock, that they could more or less continue with what they're doing despite U.S. criticism, because up to now they haven't really followed through too much on their concerns, the Americans,

until the other side of the election. And if Donald Trump does win that election, I think the Israelis will feel that they're into a much more permissive environment about what they are able to do. And at the moment, they seem very determined to push ahead very hard. Jeremy Bowen, as we record this podcast, there's been no official response from the Israeli government. Simcha Rothman is an Israeli politician whose religious Zionism party is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition. He said the letter sent by the United

States was a mistake. I have to say, I think there is a big problem of moral clarity. It ignores that it's a known fact that humanitarian aid, and by the is that humanitarian aid that gets to Gaza is directly serving Hamas to take over Gaza, to use it as a pressure on the population. Many trucks of humanitarian aid

goes directly to Hamas, helping them build and recruit more terrorists, use the money, they're selling it and they use the money. Is it the moral thing for the population in Gaza to give more power to Hamas? How is it a moral thing to do? Simcha Rothman. The Pentagon says a team of US military personnel has arrived in Israel to help operate a missile defence system. Washington has announced the equipment will be fully working in the near future. Our security correspondent Frank Gardner considers when the system could be called into

action. This is a significant move by the US and it comes in response to Iran's attack on Israel two weeks ago when it launched 180 ballistic missiles, many of which successfully penetrated Israeli air defences. The system the US is sending is called THAAD, standing for Terminal High Altitude Area Defence. It is specifically designed to intercept and destroy incoming ballistic missiles as they begin their descent to Earth. We often hear about Israel's iron dome

system, but this is only effective against short-range missiles and drones, not something hurtling down at Mach 5 from beyond the Earth's atmosphere. The timing of this deployment is significant. Israel is still discussing with its U.S. partners how to carry out its promise to punish Iran for that attack on October 1st. Washington has made it clear it does not want Israel to target either Iran's nuclear facilities or its oil installations. But even if Israel opts to hit purely military sites, such as bases belonging to the Revolutionary Guards, there's still the possibility Iran will hit back with more ballistic missiles, weapons which this US unit would expect to shoot down.

Frank Gardner, let's move on now to the conflict in Lebanon. The UN Human Rights Office has called for an investigation into an Israeli airstrike that killed 22 people, most of them women and children, in a Christian-majority village in northern Lebanon on Monday. Jeremy Lawrence is a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office. What we're hearing is that amongst the 22 people who were killed were 12 women and two children.

We understand it was a four-storey residential building that was struck. With these factors in mind, we have real concerns with respect to the laws of war. In this case, we would, our office, call for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into this incident. The deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qasem, has said the solution to the conflict with Israel is a ceasefire. But in a defiant video address, he said if attacks on Lebanon continue, Hezbollah is prepared to target all areas of Israel. But residents of the village struck in northern Lebanon say it's Hezbollah is prepared to target all areas of Israel. But residents of the village

struck in northern Lebanon say it's Hezbollah they blame for turning them into a target. We entered a war which is not for us. We are all bearing its consequences. No one is hiding from that. May God not grant them success. They dragged us into this war and it is never ending. It's unfair. We have children who are living this war. Who do I blame? Who will I blame except Hezbollah? Against that background, I spoke to our correspondent in Beirut, Jonathan Head, and asked him whether Hezbollah's deputy leader is trying to unify people by suggesting what could happen if Israel defeats the group. It's a complicated relationship. Hezbollah is one of the players in a complicated political

entity in Lebanon. It's the most powerful one. The resentment of its role and the way that it ultimately is tied to a lot of Iran's interests has upset many Lebanese for a very long time. And, of course, this war has been catastrophic for them. Having said that, you know, many Lebanese are even more angry with Israel. It is Israel that's dropping the bombs. I don't think it'll be that successful. The power of Hezbollah is a reality in Lebanon, and it will always be there. The message was really saying to the Lebanese,

we're your defenders. This country will remain divided over whether that's really the case or not. It did also, of course, this statement, remind people that Hezbollah is there. And he said we can still fight back despite the losses we've taken. I was going to ask you about that. He said we're perhaps going to ramp up this conflict by targeting all areas of Israel.

How capable is Hezbollah of doing that now? Well, we saw over the weekend that it is capable of getting lethal drones past Israel's defences. The Israeli defence minister reckons they've knocked down their missile arsenal to about one third of what it was, but that was about 150,000 rockets and missiles. There's still a lot there. Whether it can really cause enormous damage to Israel, I think it's questionable, but that it can still cause significant damage, I think that's a real possibility. And remember, Israel's goal in this operation is to stop Hezbollah from being able to launch anything that threatens its citizens over the border,

which means the Israeli airstrike operation that's been so destructive for Lebanon is clearly going to carry on and possibly escalate. Jonathan Haidt in Lebanon. Five months ago, Vladimir Putin travelled to North Korea, where the Russian president signed a mutual defence pact with his Korean counterpart, receiving a warm welcome from Pyongyang. Well, since then, America and many other nations say there's been a big increase in the flow of weapons from Pyongyang to Moscow to help it in the war in Ukraine. Now, though, there are also reports from Ukraine that King Jong-un is helping the man he's called his closest

comrade by sending him several thousand comrades in arms, North Koreans who are being trained to fight alongside Russian soldiers on the battlefield in Ukraine. James Waterhouse is the BBC correspondent in Kyiv. He looked at what's known about North Korea's military ties with Russia. The relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang is only deepening. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un clink wine glasses earlier this year. They signed an agreement to help each other out. There is mounting evidence that North Korean missiles and artillery shells have been used by invading forces here in Ukraine. And now we have a source at the country's intelligence agency telling us that

they suspect Russia is gathering around 3,000 North Korean soldiers close to its border with Mongolia, thousands of miles from here, and they are expecting them to be deployed into Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine staged this extraordinary incursion back in August. Now, no evidence has accompanied this claim, but clearly this would mark a real development in how Russia is supported by North Korea. And there were real concerns here in Kiev that that number, albeit small in a battlefield sense, could grow. In this confrontational war, in its crudest sense,

this is about Russia trying to make its size count. And this is something that plays to Ukraine's weakness. The reports are suggesting that these North Korean soldiers have been provided with small arms. And if they are sent in, you wonder what their role will be or how effective they can be. But nevertheless, we're talking about an area where Russia is looking to repel Ukraine from its own territory. And they'll certainly be used in that endeavour. But we must emphasise that we are talking about a relatively small number for now.

James Waterhouse in Ukraine. The European Union's Energy Commissioner has just criticised member states still relying on Russian gas. Kadri Simpson said there was no excuse for increasing energy imports from Moscow more than two and a half years after its invasion of Ukraine. Grant Ferrett reports. The EU has sharply reduced its imports of Russian gas since 2022. About 8% of pipeline supplies still come from Moscow via Ukraine,

under a deal which is expected to expire at the end of the year. But the EU Energy Commissioner said she was concerned that there'd been a recent rise in such imports. Kadri Simpson said it was a dangerous political choice. Slovakia, Austria and Hungary are the most reliant on Russian gas. All are landlocked, ruling out the option of importing liquefied gas by sea adopted by many others. Grant Ferrett. Still to come, we speak to the actor Al Pacino about life and death. I thought I died because there was something, then there was nothing. Nothing. It's like Shakespeare says, in to be or not to be, no more. Life and death were two very realistic coexisting 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. Uganda has signed a $3 billion agreement with a Turkish company to build an electric railway line that will link the landlocked country to neighbouring Kenya. The track will run from the capital Kampala to the border town of Malaba. Our Africa regional editor Will Ross reports. Uganda's transport minister Katumba Wemala says the railway line to Kenya will take four years to build and should help overcome some of the long delays

transporting goods via the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. The fact that a Turkish company is building it is significant. Like China and Russia, Turkey sees Africa as a foreign policy priority. Over the last two decades, the number of embassies has more than tripled to over 40. It's supplied military equipment, including drones, to several African countries. The National Airline is flying all over the continent. Mosques have been built and the state broadcaster has invested heavily. Will Ross.

The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, recently spent close to $3 million on his new clifftop mansion on the coast of New South Wales. Floor-to-ceiling windows give ocean views from practically every room. It is certainly an enviable house, but it's created a storm. The affordability of houses is a big political issue in Australia, and the size of Mr Albanese's took centre stage in the most awkward of places, when he was at an event to promote affordable housing. Mickey Bristow reports.

Mr Albanese was in Queensland to promote hundreds of new homes, many for the poorest in society. His government says it plans to build 1.2 million by 2030 to ease Australia's housing crisis, not enough properties and high prices. But the Prime Minister ended up deflecting questions about his own new house. He's buying a US$3 million property with ocean views with his fiancée. Mr Albanese acknowledged that he was privileged to be able to buy the house.

I am much better off. As Prime Minister, I earn a good income. I understand that. I understand that I've been fortunate. But I also know what it's like to struggle. My mum lived in the one public housing that she was born in for all of her 65 years. As Prime Minister, Mr Albanese makes the equivalent of around US$400,000 a year, so his new home is within his financial reach.

No-one's suggesting he's done anything wrong by buying it, but some commentators thought it was a bad luck, purchasing such a luxurious property while others battle to secure a roof over their heads. Mr Albanese said he knows what it's like to struggle when it comes to finding a home. Many Australians know that feeling too. Mickey Bristow. French police say they've broken up an international fraud ring that's alleged to have labelled poor quality wine as bottles of the most expensive vintages. Six people, including a Russian national who's the suspected ringleader, have been arrested in France and Italy. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.

Wine fraud has existed since wine was invented. Until a few years ago here in France, it was at a fairly manageable level. A few dedicated experts counterfeiting labels and wax seals in order to pass basic plonk offers, chateau this or that. Over the last decade or so, though, things have changed. The prices fetched by the best-grown crew on the world market are now so high, thousands of dollars a bottle, that it's become profitable to conduct the fraud in a much more organised way. According to experts in the matter, the centre of this kind of fraud is Italy. That's because they have the wine know-how there, artisans who understand labelling and old bottles and corks,

and also a criminal underworld that's prepared to invest. Today, one wine auctioneer told me the counterfeiting of old bottles and labels is so skilful that even the vineyards themselves are often unable to spot a fake. With international buyers, especially in China, willing to spend $20,000 or more on a bottle of, say, Romane Conti, the criminal temptation to create the perfect bottle, then fill it with rubbish, is for some too big to resist. Hugh Schofield in Paris. In football, Thomas Tuchel is to become the new England manager. Tuchel, who's German, led the English Premier League club Chelsea

to victory in the Champions League final in 2021. He's also managed Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Here's our sports editor, Dan Rowan. The pace at which this has happened, I think, will be seen by many as something of a surprise. There's been a sense, I think, that the FA were in no rush to decide who should replace Gareth Southgate.

And yet, I think this also makes some sense. The FA always said that they would look beyond English candidates. Tuchel will become the third non-British permanent manager of the England men's team. But nonetheless, though, the prospect of appointing a foreign manager to succeed Southgate will cause some debate. But Tuchel is very well respected. He knows the English game and he fits that bill of a world-class coach who has won trophies. Dan Rowan. Since the start of the 1970s the US actor Al Pacino has been on the big screen with roles in groundbreaking films like The Godfather, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Scarface. In 1993 he finally

won an Oscar after eight nominations for playing a blind veteran in Scent of a Woman. Now, belatedly, he has brought out his first autobiography. It's called Sunny Boy, the name his mum called him. And it takes his story right up to date, tackling a near-death experience he had during the Covid pandemic and what it was like to become a father again last year at the age of 83. Our entertainment correspondent Colin Patterson went to Los Angeles to meet him. Autobiographies.

The actress Drew Barrymore wrote hers at 15. The singer Miley Cyrus was 16. Al Pacino, 84. Why the wait? I don't know why. You know, I'm here, I'm still here. Enough has happened to me that it could possibly be interesting for someone to read, I thought. The autobiography deals a lot with family and fatherhood. And you became a father again last year. How have you reacted to that? Well, it's extraordinary. Wonderful. You know,

I have this little person. We talk. I play the harmonica with him on the video thing. And we have made this kind of contact. So it's fun. It's fun to have that. I've got four kids now. There is a certain fascination with you being a dad at 83. Did you have any reservations? Of course I did. I'd want to be around for this child. And I hope I am. And he know who his dad is.

But things happen. I hope I stay healthy. But one shocking revelation in the memoir is that Al Pacino had a near-death experience when he collapsed during the pandemic. When I opened my eyes, there were five paramedics in my living room. There were two doctors who looked like spacemen. And there was an ambulance in front of my house.

I thought I died because there was something, then there was nothing. There was no white tunnels? No white tunnels, no, nothing. It's like Shakespeare says, in to be or not to be, no more. No more. Any way you want to say it.

In the book, you don't hold back. You're very honest. 2011, you basically go, I'm running out of money. I was out of money, I was gone. And my accountant was in prison because of it. You go into the amount of money you were spending every month. Oh, my God.

$400,000 a month. And didn't know about it. And didn't know about it. How does that happen? You've got to be dumb enough, first of all. But a lot was gone if I knew how to work. And he admits that he has taken roles simply for the money, although one thing he won't do, voices for children's cartoons.

I've tried. I just can't. As in you can't bring yourself to do it or you're not good at it? I just don't do that thing. I don't know how. One of the great method actors, but you cannot do cartoon voices. I think I can. I seriously don't want to. The US actor Al Pacino talking to Colin Paterson. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later.

But before I go, I just wanted to ask a favour. We're recording a special edition of the podcast ahead of this year's UN Climate Change Conference, which starts on November the 11th. It comes in a year that's seen record-breaking hurricanes in America, droughts and floods in China, and the highest average land and sea temperatures on record. I'll be hosting the programme, and we want you to send us your questions, preferably as a voice note, about anything climate change related. I'll put them to two of the BBC's top climate experts,

so please send them to us at the usual address, globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. Thanks. This edition was mixed by Holly Palmer. The producer was Liam McSheffrey. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles. And until next time, goodbye. Life and death were two very realistic coexisting 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