Global News Podcast - US judge rules Palestinian activist can be deported

Episode Date: April 12, 2025

A US judge has ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate, can be deported for his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. Also: how ‘A Minecraft Movie’ has broken box office records.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jalil and in the early hours of Saturday the 12th of April these are our main stories. A US immigration judge has ruled that a student who led pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York last year can be deported. A meeting of Ukraine's allies has pledged billions more in military aid for Kiev as a US envoy visits Russia for talks with President Putin. Also in this podcast, Liverpool fans rejoice after Mo Salah signs a new contract with the club. Oh I felt like, oh my god, get in, get in.

Amazing, made up. Why is he so good? He just is isn't he? He's even better than he had his hair cut. We begin this podcast in the US where an immigration judge has ruled that a pro-Palestinian student protester can be deported, despite being a permanent legal US resident and not being charged with any crime. Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate of Columbia University in New York, was arrested last month by immigration officers. He was then taken to the state of Louisiana, where he's being held at a detention center. The Trump administration has cited a rarely used law declaring his presence in the U.S.

to be adverse to American foreign policy interests. Will Quilley is a legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression which advocates for the protection of free speech on American college campuses. It's deeply troubling. Essentially, the government is arguing that holding a disfavored opinion without any evidence of lawlessness or criminality is enough to get a lawful permanent resident detained and deported. That's shocking.

The chill will be palpable. It already is. Our North American correspondent is Namiya Iqbal. Mamu Khalil's lawyers have said to me after the ruling that it sets a dangerous precedent. I mean, this is by far not over. It doesn't mean that Mamu Khalil is about to be deported. Basically, the judge said that they had no authority to challenge what the Secretary of State, Marco Rubioio had claimed. And in his two-page memo, he said that whilst Mahmoud Khalil's activities were lawful,

it would undermine a US foreign policy goal of combating anti-Semitism around the world. Mr Khalil's lawyers say, what is that policy goal? They have accused the Trump administration of basically going after Mr. Khalil because he's Palestinian, because he spoke out against the war in Gaza, was critical of the Israeli government and the US government. So they see it as a real test case. They see it as a really important one. They have now until April the 23rd, I believe, to submit documents to appeal this ruling. And just to point out, there is another separate case playing out in Federal Court in New Jersey. That's where Mr Khalil was arrested. And it's about whether or not he should have been arrested and detained.

And it's worth stressing that this judge is an immigration judge, so he's an employee of the executive branch, not the judiciary. In some respects, what the judge decided wasn't, I think, too much of a surprise because it's a small court. The judge had said even beforehand, Judge Jamie Comans, that they didn't really have the jurisdiction to decide ultimately what happens to Mr Khalil and the lawyers they were very very concerned when the judge did say that they would decide whether to order Mr Khalil deported or not because their argument is we've got to give us time to challenge the administration on these accusations that they have made against Mr Khalil.

Nomiya Iqbal, despite the United States recent attempts to get Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, remember Donald Trump's campaign pledge that he would end the war in 24 hours, there is still no end in sight. So European nations have taken over the lead from the US in providing weapons to Ukraine. 50 nations took part in a meeting today at NATO's headquarters in Brussels where they pledged a further $24 billion in military aid for Kiev. Announcing the figure, Britain's defence minister, John Healy, said they were sending a clear signal to Moscow that they were standing with Ukraine. From Brussels, here's our defence correspondent, Jonathan Beale.

The Ukraine defence contact group was first set up and led by the US to sustain the flow of weapons to Ukraine. But under President Trump, America's left it to European nations to co-ordinate that task. The UK and German defence ministers chaired this latest meeting and made clear that despite US efforts now focused on brokering a ceasefire, Ukraine still urgently needed Western support. Germany's Boris Pistorius said Russia was in fact stepping up its attacks. These acts of aggression demonstrate Russia is not yet interested in peace.

Ukraine needs a strong military and only then can the negotiation process lead to a just and lasting peace. Britain's defence secretary John Healey said allies agreed to pledge another £18 billion worth of military support for more drones, air defences and armour. Mr Healey's also been leading efforts to provide Ukraine with longer term security guarantees, a reassurance force with European boots on the ground if there's a ceasefire. He says those plans are well developed and substantial. Not everyone agrees. But Mr Healey says it's proof of undiminished resolve.

We are sending a signal to Putin, but we're also sending a message to Ukraine and we are saying to Ukraine, we stand with you in the fight and we will stand with you in the peace. America's resolve though has come into question. The US defence secretary did not attend this meeting in person, just virtually. In a sign that Europe's now expected to do the heavy lifting, Pete Hegseth told allies via video link, we appreciate all the work you guys are doing. Jonathan Beale. Well, while the US defence secretary may not have been at the meeting in Brussels, Mr Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitcoff, who's been pressing Moscow to accept a 30-day ceasefire, was back in

Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin. The US president has urged his Russian counterpart to get moving on a ceasefire. The Kremlin said the meeting lasted for four hours and was productive. But ahead of the talks it also warned that there was unlikely to be any breakthrough. Our Russia analyst is Vitaly Shevchenko. That's what the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this morning, do not expect a breakthrough. But also the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, he was speaking in Kazakhstan today. And what he said, I think it makes people even less expectant of anything dramatic to come out of these talks. He said that whatever agreement is reached, it should lead to a reliable, lasting, and

strong peace. Those are his words, which suggests a certain degree of reluctance on Russia's part to agree to a quick ceasefire. And also, yet again, Sergei Lavrov said that the underlying causes of this crisis, as he calls it, need to be resolved. And you may remember, Jeanette, that a couple of weeks ago, Lavrov's deputy, he said that, OK, Russia loves the proposals for America, but they do not address the underlying causes. So skepticism is justified.

FF. Donald Trump rarely criticises Vladimir Putin, but are there signs that he's losing patience with him because he has recently said that Russia maybe is dragging its feet? MS. Indeed, over the past weeks we've went from American officials being kind of breathless about this deal, that they said, we've never been so close as now. But Donald Trump, shortly before this meeting between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin began, he posted on his social network, Truth Social, that Russia has to get moving and earlier on the 30th of March Donald Trump said that he was very angry with the Russian president. So in a way time is running out and America's patience is running

out. The big question though is what is Donald Trump willing and able to do to force Vladimir Putin to stop attacking Ukraine? Vitaly Shevchenko. A global agreement has been reached after nearly a decade of negotiations to cut carbon emissions from commercial shipping. Under the deal, shipowners will have to use less carbon intensive fuels or face financial penalties from 2028. Environmental groups and small island nations say this falls short of what's required to tackle climate change. Our climate and science reporter Esme Stallard reports. I am on a very bumpy, very fast-moving water taxi that's taking us through the port of Rotterdam,

which is one of the largest ports in the world. And we're going past some massive container cargo ships, which are loading and unloading their goods here. Now, ports like this are absolutely crucial to the transition because they provide fuel to the tens of thousands of ships that come in here every year, transporting more than 400 million

tons of cargo. This port is 25 miles along so we're barely going to see even a percent of it but it's just absolutely incredible the operation. Shipping is responsible for about 3% of carbon emissions, which is greater than aviation and a figure that is growing. Reske Gunnersverg leads the team working on getting the port and the ships that refuel there to reduce their carbon footprint, a key element of which is getting them to use cleaner, alternative fuels. When looking at shipping, you see that multiple fuels will play a role in the future. So you can think about ammonia, hydrogen, methanol, biofuels."

But there's a problem with these greener fuels. They're much more expensive than oil. Biofuels cost two to three times more, but growing the crops to create them can lead to deforestation, making them no better for the climate in some cases. The other option is synthetic fuels. These are made by using renewable energy to split water atoms. But this can cost ten times more. There's still a huge cost gap between the fossil fuels and the zero emission fuels. And we need to close this cost gap. So you need a carrot or a stick.

And in shipping, the stick is not that big yet to use sustainable fuels. So why would you then use very expensive fuels? How can you still compete then with fossil fuels? After 10 years of negotiations the UN body responsible for shipping, the international maritime organization has voted in a stick. From 2028, large commercial ships will have to meet targets for increasing their mix of greener fuels, or pay a fee of up to $380 per tonne. Though experts say in its current form it's unlikely to be enough to bridge this huge cost gap. Jesse Fannistock is the director for decarbonisation at the Global Maritime Forum, an industry think tank.

You may have incentivised shipowners to prepare a bit for the future fuels, but whether the signal is strong enough to get the billions of dollars of investment into the production facilities for those fuels, that I don't think these regulations are that strong actually, that they will overcome that. So I think more will need to be done. Some were even more critical. The final deal was a weaker measure than a previous proposal for a blanket tax on all dirty fuels, which fell through in late-night talks the day before. Environmental groups worried that emissions will not be reduced quickly enough to meet

the global target for the industry of 20% reduction by 2030. Delaine McCullough is president of the Clean Shipping Coalition. Is it truly better than no deal? When it delays action, undermines ambition, deepens global inequality, we must ask ourselves a deal at what cost. Despite the criticism, this is likely to be seen as a victory for many governments. It now means that shipping is the first industry in the world with internationally mandated targets to reduce emissions.

There's me, Stalart, reporting. It was the news that Liverpool football fans had long been hoping and praying for. Their star player, Mohamed Salah, nicknamed the Egyptian King, has finally renewed his contract even though the 32-year-old could have received even more lucrative offers elsewhere, including in Saudi Arabia. With Salah's 27 Premier League goals this season putting Liverpool on the brink of a 20th top flight title, fans have been celebrating. I felt like, oh my god, get in, get in.

A big relief, we wanted him to stay. He has been the best player for a couple of years here in Liverpool, so it's great news. It's like a new player staying here. It's a great news for us, so very, very happy. Amazing, made up. Why is he so good? He just is, isn't he? He's even better than he had his hair cut. The BBC's chief football writer, Phil McNulty, says the fans' joy and relief will be all the sweeter given that the contract negotiations have been a long drawn-out saga.

It's dragged on all season really there were a couple of moments when I think Liverpool fans might have really worried when Liverpool played Manchester United and won early in the season. Salah said that just threw into conversation and of course it's my last season at the club which opened up the debate and then a couple of months later he scored a couple of goals and won at Southampton and then went across to journalists to speak to them, literally only the third time in seven years he's done that unprompted. The first time was when he was fulfilling a promise, he said he'd speak to them if he'd scored 40 goals which he did in his first season, then he spoke to them after Liverpool won the Champions League. This time he came out with a quote that carried a lot of significance

at the time when he said he felt that he was quote more out than in close quotes with contract negotiations so that built up a lot of concern to Liverpool fans but today having flagged up a couple of days ago he signed and all their worries are over for now. So given all that why did he decide to stay? I think as you mentioned I think Saudi Arabia would have been very lucrative for them. I think in global terms he would be the most prized acquisition of all if they could get him. But I think he thinks that Liverpool under Arnaz Slot, they're going to win the league

this season, barring something completely unforeseen. And I think he feels with further strengthening in the summer that Liverpool are in a position to really challenge for the big prizes. He's got a lot of ambition, he's the club's third record goalscorer now and of course Harry Kane might still be a bit far away from him and also people like Alan Shear when it comes to the Premier League records but he will go for them, he will try to get further up that list and most of all I think he wants more trophies and Liverpool are in a position to give him that. Phil McNulty.

Still to come... It's not a cinematic masterpiece. It's just something you go and watch just for fun and just to reminisce of all the days that you're playing Minecraft. How one of the world's best selling video games has turned into a box office hit. Unless you've been hiding under a very large pixelated rock, you've probably heard of Minecraft. It's the best-selling video game of all time and the franchise's first feature film is in cinemas now. But how much do you know about the game's creator, software developer Marcus Person? Find out about the man behind Minecraft on Good Bad Billionaire, the podcast exploring the minds, motives and money of some of the

world's richest individuals. Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts. You're listening to the Global News Podcast. It's been a turbulent week for global financial markets triggered by President Trump's imposition of at times hefty tariffs and then the temporary reduction, except in the case of China. Mr. Trump remains bullish over potential benefits to the United States, but investors are not convinced. U.S. financial markets came under renewed strain on Friday with a dollar falling to its lowest level in three years against the euro. At the same time,

there was another sell-off of U.S. government debt or bonds. Robert Armstrong is US financial commentator for the Financial Times in New York. He gave Julian Marshall his analysis of the latest stock market movements. Well, it's been a strange sort of day. We've seen a weird combination of bond prices fall, the dollar fall, and stock prices rise. And usually when bonds, US Treasury bonds and the dollar are falling, you would expect the opposite behavior from stocks. So the turbulence you're seeing in the Trump administration is expressing itself as some very unusual behavior in US markets.

And how do you explain that, that discrepancy? I think what we're seeing is some very strong pressure on US assets, particularly US Treasury bonds, and that is being driven by the great uncertainty that investors have about the direction of US policy. I think there is unique pressure, especially on treasuries, because of that. Investors simply don't know which way policy and therefore interest rates in the United States are going to go. And they're just trying to get out of treasuries as a result. And that, of course, pressures the dollar. So it's not just the imposition of tariffs by Mr. Trump,

but the unpredictability of what he might do next? Indeed, the unpredictability might be more important than the tariffs themselves. The tariffs have important inflationary implications. They have important implications for US growth. But what investors really want to know is what the rules of the road are. And right now, in the case of the United States, they simply don't know. I mean, when the markets were plunging earlier this week, Mr. Trump announced a 90-day kind

of moratorium on the imposition of tariffs. What can you do now for the markets to regain some sort of confidence? Well I think the irony is that as relieved as everyone was about the pause on the highest of the so-called reciprocal tariffs, the actual average tariff rate of the United States did not go down with that announcement because of the increase in rates on China, which is, of course, one of our largest bilateral trade partners. So I think what the market needs to hear is moderation in the stance towards China, which is not something that the Trump administration is going to want to provide.

Robert Armstrong of the Financial Times newspaper. Gaza has become hell on earth, the words of the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljarevic. Her comments came on the same day that the UN Human Rights Office warned that Israel's military assault and its tactics were threatening the viability of Palestinians continuing to live in Gaza at all. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, since Israel renewed its bombardment last month, ending the ceasefire, more than 1,500 people have been killed. Israel has also issued evacuation orders that have forced nearly 400,000 people to move. And it's imposed a complete blockade on Gaza since the beginning of March, not allowing in food, medical supplies and all other goods. Israel

says it's following international law. Imogen Folks reports from Geneva. Under the Geneva Conventions, Israel is required to ensure civilians have the essentials to live. Food, water, medicine. But no aid has entered Gaza for six weeks and the bombing continues. Among 36 recent airstrikes verified by the UN Human Rights Office, all those killed were women and children. The ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric warned there could be no justification for violating the rules of war.

No state, no party to a conflict can be exempt from the obligation not to commit war crimes, not to commit genocide, not to commit ethnic cleansing. These rules apply, they are universal and it's not transactional. You have to comply with these rules no matter what the other side does. The Red Cross says it sees a growing dehumanization in today's conflicts, that any suffering is acceptable to achieve military victory. The Geneva Conventions, protecting civilians, were created after the Second World War to make sure such dehumanization never happened again. 196 states have ratified the conventions, but 80 years later the ICRC fears many, even though they know war crimes are taking place, are simply looking the other way.

Imogen folks, meanwhile in Israel the families and friends of the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza are keeping up pressure on the government to do a deal which will finally bring their loved ones back home. For the second year in a row, the plight of the hostages is casting a long shadow over preparations for the Jewish festival of Passover, which begins on Saturday. But Friday also marked the birthday of one of the hostages, 48-year-old Omri Miran. Our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams has been to Tel Aviv to meet Omri's wife Liche. Here on the edge of Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, a long table has been prepared for the Passover Seder, the feast that marks the start of this week-long Jewish holiday.

It's a table for the missing, for those still held hostage in Gaza. And here at the end of the table is a seat bearing the name of Omri Miran. You know, Pesach is the holiday of freedom. Lishai is Omri's wife, a tireless campaigner for her husband and all those still being held in Gaza. I'm not feel free. I don't think anyone in Israel can feel free this year also. It's been more than 18 months since Hamas gunmen attacked Kibbutz Nahal Oz, since Omri

was violently abducted in front of his family and dragged away to nearby Gaza, just a few hundred meters from their home. Despite the trauma of that day, Lashai says she often goes back. I go to be over there and to speak with Omri. It's the closest place that I can to be close to him. Our home is really near to Gaza, and I can feel him over there. One, two, three. willing near to Gaza, and I can feel him over there. Omri's daughters, Roni and Alma, were tiny when he last saw them.

A few weeks after his abduction, Lishai started a WhatsApp group with her husband. She calls it Notes to Omri. It is, of course, a one-way conversation. Every week, once or twice in a week, I send him a message with a picture. And it's good to me to do it. But it's also really, really hard because, you know, when you send a message to a person, normally you get feedback. Back in Hostages Square, Omri's father, Danny, is here with Glishai and the girls for a special occasion. The posters once listed Omri's age as 46, then 47. But it's his birthday today, his second in captivity. Danny crosses both out and writes 48. In a Passover message, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

says the hostages will return and Israel's enemies will be defeated. But it's been a month since the fragile ceasefire ended in Gaza and the hostages stopped coming out. This talk of another deal, but it doesn't feel imminent. Until about a month ago, you must have been thinking, okay, now I can see the end coming. And then the war began again. I was really angry because the last time that it's happened, we wait more than a year to another agreement.

So now we are going to wait one year more. They can't survive over there. Released hostages say Omri was last seen alive in July. Lishai's faith in her husband's survival seems unshakable. But as birthdays and holidays slide past the war still holds everyone in its grip. No one is truly free. That report by Paul Adams. Now if you're picturing life with a new puppy probably the last thing on your mind is getting

antidepressants but a study in the UK suggests that they're being prescribed more and more often for dogs and it's being blamed partly on the legacy of the Covid lockdowns. Will Chalk has the story. If you're a dog owner a sunny day when you're off work is probably ideal and for lots of people the Covid pandemic was full of them. But a study by the UK's Royal Veterinary College suggests our pets have struggled to adapt to life returning to normal. Researchers say there's been a tenfold increase over the past decade in dogs being prescribed fluoxetine, known, when it's taken by humans, as the anti-depressant Prozac. Dr Dan O'Neill is behind the study.

Now that people are back to work and life is starting off again and people are going on holidays, dogs are having to spend a lot more time alone and the dogs are struggling because of that because in essence they were trained to one form of life and now they're being exposed to another. He studied data on 2.3 million dogs in the UK and found around one in 500 are now taking fluoxetine. Often it will be prescribed for things like excessive barking or scratching furniture. And some owners and vets say it's worked wonders on pets. But Dr O'Neill says it shouldn't be seen as a solution on its own.

It's often there's not something wrong with the dog per se. The dog has just been a natural dog. It's just, it's not meeting our expectations. But if we choose the right sort of dog in the first place, we choose the right environment, then you know we can deal with a lot of these problems. Vets have also warned this is as much about human expectations as anything else and wanting dogs not to run bark play or chew is often unrealistic whether they're a pandemic puppy or not. We'll talk. Now what was your last trip to the cinema like? Was it a quiet, relaxing experience? That might not be the case if you went to see the new Minecraft movie. Since its 2009 release the video game on which the film is

based has become one of the most popular ever, selling over 300 million copies worldwide. Now adapted into a hit film, the Minecraft movie has been grabbing attention for more than just its storyline, as Eleanor Doyle reports. It's been a week since a Minecraft movie came out. The cinema going experience was probably one of the best I've ever had. Absolutely smashing it at the box office, making an estimated £233 million globally in its opening weekend. I am Steve.

As a child I yearned for the mines. The film's based on a best-selling world-building game. A wonderland where anything you can imagine is possible. Big names like Jason Momoa, Jack Black and Jennifer Coolidge are in it and fans have been ready and waiting. I'm Jack. And I'm Tom. And I'm Charlotte and we're part of Sussex Minecraft Society.

On the opening night we were all dressed in our Minecraft outfits and it was really nice because a lot of people asked to take pictures with us. So it's had the best start ever for a video game adaptation. It's a nod to the game as opposed to being true to the game. It's not a cinematic masterpiece, it's just something you go and watch just for fun and just to reminisce of all the days that you're playing Minecraft. And we've seen quite the reaction online to one character. Chicken Jockey! Fans have been getting so excited because the character is so rare and they've been causing a bit of mischief in the cinemas. People bringing too much popcorn in and throwing it everywhere.

I think these people are people jumping on the bandwagon of this being a film that encourages audience participation and taking it one step too far. Who's your favourite character? For me, definitely Jack Black as Steve. Jennifer Coolidge playing the Vice Principal. Oh, that was my impression. Someone else doing an impression from the film of Jason Momoa's character, Garrett the Garbage Man. My name is Ian Richard Wills.

By day, I'm a postman. By night, I'm a Jason Momoa lookalike. Have you seen an increase in work since Minecraft came out? Obviously with Jason being in the movie, it's very popular, it's had a positive effect on me. Can you give us your best impression of Jason Momoa in the film that you've seen so far? I am Garret the garbage man, Garrison. Handing back to you, the players, viewers or fancy dresses to end this one. I think it really sort of represents what kind of community is actually behind Minecraft,

even if it's not as, you know, out in the open world, it still exists and it's been really like well encapsulated in this movie. That report was by Eleanor Doyle. 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. This edition was mixed by Mark Pickett, the producer was Carla Conti, the editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janette Julio. Until next time, goodbye. In the fall of 2001, while Americans were still grappling with the horror of September 11th, envelopes started showing up at media outlets and government buildings filled with a white lethal powder, anthrax.

But what's strange is if you ask people now what happened with that story, almost no one knows. It's like the whole thing just disappeared. Who mailed those letters? Do you know? From Wolf Entertainment, USG Audio, and CBC podcasts, this is Aftermath, the hunt for the anthrax killer. Available now.