Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire

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1:07You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 1500 GMT on Friday the 19th of June. Israel and Hezbollah agree a ceasefire after intense fighting in Lebanon. Talks between the US and Iran about a longer-term deal are currently on hold. And does a meeting between the government and opposition in Venezuela mean democracy is moving closer? Also in the podcast, the row between the US and Italy after Donald Trump is accused of insulting Georgia Maloney. The statements by Donald Trump are totally made up. I'm frankly appalled.

1:50One thing I must remind him of. I and Italy never beg. And the film about forbidden love that's captured the hearts of people in India.

2:04The deal signed by the US and Iranian presidents on Wednesday declared an immediate end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. Fighting there has been going on since just after the start of the Iran conflict and has actually been more deadly. There have been more deaths there today, with Lebanese health officials saying Israeli strikes since midnight killed 47 people and wounded nearly 100 others. Israel said it was retaliating for the killing of four soldiers by Hezbollah. A far-right Israeli cabinet minister, Itamar Ben-Gavir, even declared that all of Lebanon must burn. The US, which has been expressing its frustration with Israeli aggression in Lebanon recently, has now stepped in and both Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire.

2:54We'll hear about that from our correspondent in Jerusalem in just a moment. But first to Lebanon itself and Dr Ahmad Zraik, an emergency care doctor in Nabatea Government Hospital. Last night it was like a disaster. The amount of bombs that were thrown on us, the amount of rockets, the amount of ancient warriors that were wounded, the amount of dead bodies that came to us. It feels like the first days of the war. The BBC's Karin Torbay in southern Lebanon told us more about how the Israeli attacks are affecting people there. When we came yesterday to the south of Lebanon, we saw people who were trying to come back, who were a bit cautious, but still with some kind of optimism that the deal or the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran could bring some peace to this area.

3:44But this morning, everything changed completely. And there has been a number of strikes without any warning. Israel pounded the area, the sector of Nabotsi in South Lebanon. And this triggered another wave of displacement from people who just came back to check on their houses. Of course, what they saw is massive destruction all over. Lots of houses, shops, cars, everything is completely destroyed. But some people were still wanting to come back. And today, they had to once more pack their stuff and leave. And do we know what triggered this particular escalation? Obviously, Hezbollah and Israel are not parties to the US-Iran deal and both have been trading attacks for months and even years.

4:34They are not direct parties to this deal. But the way this deal worked is basically that the United States said it will put pressure on Israel to convince Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon. And Iran, which is seen as the main sponsor of Hezbollah, would ask Hezbollah to commit to the ceasefire and to stop attacking Israel as well. And that was the understanding that both parties, Iran is a very important regional power, America with all its clout, can force the parties on the ground to stop even if this is happening in a third country. But this didn't actually materialize. Well, the Israelis say that they are doing all of this because Hezbollah has violated the agreement, which Hezbollah denies completely, because Hezbollah considers that since it hasn't attacked the Israelis inside Israel, it hasn't done anything that is contrary to the deal or to the understanding.

5:29And that all the attacks that happened were either while Hezbollah was defending Lebanese territory and stopping the Israelis from advancing further and occupying further territory inside Lebanon, or was basically attacking Israeli troops in Lebanon in what Hezbollah sees as a legitimate right to resist Israeli occupation. Karin Torbay in the Lebanese city of Tyre. Well, that new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is supposed to have come into effect. But will it hold? Here's Charlotte Gallagher in Jerusalem. We've had multiple ceasefires. We've been here before and they have collapsed. I think this is maybe a pause, a reprieve.

6:12I think the pressure definitely has come from the United States. Benjamin Netanyahu, internally, politically for him, this does not play well. A lot of people inside Israel, not just politicians, but also members of the public, wanted this offensive in southern Lebanon to continue and essentially for Hezbollah to be eliminated. They are now in a ceasefire period. However, Israeli troops are not going to withdraw from Lebanon. There are thousands of troops inside southern Lebanon and Israel have said they will stay there inside what they call the security strip as long as that is necessary for the safety of people in Israel's northern communities.

6:50Both sides saying at this point, Israel and Hezbollah, that they will respect the ceasefire as long as the other side does. Charlotte Gallagher in Jerusalem. And as we record this podcast, there are reports in the Lebanese media of renewed Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Well, all this fighting has cast a cloud over planned negotiations for a longer term agreement between the US and Iran. Talks were due to start in Switzerland today, but have now been postponed with the US Vice President J.D. Vance cancelling his travel plans. Yesterday, he hit out at Israel's actions, warning you can't kill your way out of every national security problem.

7:29Our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucette, is in the Swiss city of Lucerne, near where the talks were due to take place. So how damaging is this delay? This is day two of the 60 days in which they are supposed to engage in intense negotiations to solve the outstanding issues, including the fate of Iran's nuclear programme. Although we haven't had an official statement from Iran, it's clear that they are again insisting and making it clear that there will be no progress, at least. Backsliding is another thing, but no progress on this front if the Lebanese front is not included as part of this deal.

8:07But both the United States and Iran would want to continue with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Both of them benefit from that. Iranian vessels are already moving through the strait. But the problems in Lebanon, and I think problems is an understatement, will continue to jeopardise the course of this critical agreement. Yeah, and the Americans are clearly worried about that. What do you make of this row between the US vice president and some of those hardliners in the Israeli cabinet? Well, the Americans are now fighting verbal wars on every front. J.D. Vance's press conference yesterday, where he was sent out to respond to the media's questions about these huge criticisms in the United States among not just the Democrats, but the Republican hawks that the Americans had basically sold out in this deal.

8:53And the kind of language used by J.D. Vance, by President Trump against Israel, against Prime Minister Netanyahu personally, are really being seen as unprecedented in the history of this relationship between two, who would have been rock-solid strategic partners. So J.D. Vance is making it clear that the priority is a deal that will be good not just for Iran and the United States, but he says good for the region. We'll wait and see what President Trump says when he really focuses on the fact that the talks today have not gone ahead. Will there be another tirade against Prime Minister Netanyahu Israel?

9:30The way he has spoken about him, saying that he gets too excited about what happens in Lebanon, that he has to blow up a whole building when he's going after one or two people. He referred to him as a junior partner. All of these things, President Trump wants this deal to succeed. Heading to midterms, but so does Prime Minister of Israel. He's also got an electorate to face this year. Our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucette. It's nearly six months since the US seized the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, and whisked him out of the country. But the daring raid didn't usher in a new democratic government.

10:03Instead, Mr Maduro's former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, took over with America's blessing. Now, however, members of her government have met the opposition to discuss what the US State Department calls a roadmap for a dialogue on a democratic transition. I heard more from our global affairs reporter, Mimi Swaby. These talks are incredibly significant. Firstly, because opposition historically in Venezuela have been really quashed. Any kind of uprising against the government, which was led by President Nicolás Maduro, now led by his former vice president, Desarriquez, the Chavista regime, has very much pushed down any kind of distance, resistance or challenge for leadership.

10:45And we saw that come to light in the 2024 elections when there were many political prisoners detained, some who are still detained, and any kind of rallies and people speaking badly against the government were imprisoned or threatened against. However, this goes back decades. So this meeting now, the first known talks between a member of the government and a opposition figure is incredibly significant. What was discussed in the meeting, those details are still yet to be ironed out. But the fact that it happened and so openly, seemingly, is a large step of progress. It happened, but it didn't involve the Nobel Peace Prize winner and high profile opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

11:25So is she being sidelined? Well, the individual, the former opposition lawmaker, Donora Figuera, she was the person in the seat. And this has come as a surprise to many people, as María Corina Machado has long been the dominant face of the opposition movement. However, Figuera, who just returned to Caracas after eight years in exile with the support of President Trump, as well as approval by Miss Orriquez's government, she has said that she's distanced herself from the other opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, and she wants to kind of have a different path towards democracy. Sidelining perhaps is kind of too concrete a term at the moment, but it does definitely show that there is a political transition potentially in the mix, but it's no longer centered around a singular opposition leader.

12:18This is a new figure, a surprising one, which is backed by the US. Unlike Marina Grimochalo, she was snubbed by the Trump administration when Nicolas Maduro was ousted in January. Many thought she would swoop in and take that opposition position that hasn't happened. So now it seems to be a bit of a tussle and more voices have been thrown into the ring. Yeah. So what does all this mean for Venezuelan democracy and indeed life for ordinary people? Venezuelans have been calling for elections to happen. Many thought they would happen or would happen by now since Maduro was ousted earlier this year.

12:51One thing we have seen is that opposition candidates, leaders and supporters have been able to be more vocal and show their support inside the country. And that is something which was, like I said, not able to happen before Nicolas Maduro was captured. So we've seen rallies occurring and people speaking more openly. However, life, broadly speaking, hasn't changed that much. And that is something that many Venezuelans are now saying. The US has had this big intervention promising great things, but they're still waiting for these great things to come. Oil is supposedly now flowing. However, the benefits and the great consequences of that aren't reaching the pockets of your average Venezuelan.

13:31Mimi Suabi. The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cancelled a trip to the United States this weekend, accusing President Trump of making grave and offensive remarks about Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgio Maloney. Mr Trump is said to have told an Italian TV network that she had begged to have her photo taken with him at the G7 summit in France this week. This was her side of the story.

13:59The statements by Donald Trump are totally made up. I'm frankly appalled. I don't know why the President of the United States treats its own allies this way. It's not the first time it happens. It's unfortunate he doesn't have the same determination towards the enemies of the West, with whom he's often more accommodating. But one thing I must remind him of, I and Italy never beg. The BBC's Sylvia Costolo spoke to Regine Vaidyanathan about the row. This came up because President Trump was interviewed from Lassetti, an Italian media company, and he apparently said that Meloni was begging him for a photo and he felt sorry for her.

14:38And this was the recent G7 in France. And so he said he took the photo because of that. Maloney is angry about this. She's posted very seriously, making all sorts of allegations about President Trump and how he treats his allies. And this is just a few days after the G7, where they were stood together trying to get a closer relationship. And she's always seen as someone who has a decent relationship with the president. Absolutely. Maloney's always thought of as a Trump whisperer. She was the first, the only European leader to be at his second inauguration. So they have this relationship. Obviously, she comes from the right.

15:13But her right is quite different. She's very pro-Ukraine. She's very anti-Russia. And although she's had this role recently, they've had a spat over the Pope. When the Pope was criticised heavily by President Trump, she came out and said that that was completely unacceptable. So that was the first kind of big spat. And now this one will be a harder one. I mean, this is quite a big deal, isn't it? because although some world leaders have differences of opinion with President Trump, they don't always stand up to him. But now Italy's foreign minister cancelling a trip. Absolutely. So this is having diplomatic repercussions already.

15:51And the Italian government is absolutely standing by the prime minister, who will not be mocked by President Trump. It's like this is a sudden line that he has drawn and that she will not be taking. And it will be really interesting to watch how this go forwards. will Trump, like he did last time, kind of do a bit of rapprochement and say something full of praise about her again? Or last time, like after the Pope's incident, he said, oh, you know, Italy's just not the same as it used to be. So what will he decide to do now? Will he try and come closer to her or will he stand his ground and mock her again?

16:21And that was Sylvia Costolo. Carlos Acosta is one of the most influential figures in contemporary ballet, having danced with some of the world's best companies. Three years ago, the Cuban star created a training programme for young dancers as part of his academy in Havana. The aim is to promote the next generation of Cuban performers. Despite the increasing economic and political turmoil on the communist island, the youth group is currently touring a new showcase in the UK which touches on some of those themes. Isabella Jewell went to meet them.

16:57There has been throughout the recent history a lot of exodus from the island and even recently as well we have experienced exodus, massive exodus from Cuba. So I think Susana Ponce, the choreography, wanted to tackle that theme that always has been at the heart of the Cuban diaspora. Carlos Acosta's young dancers are putting in some last-minute practice before for a week of dance performances at Sadlers Wells East in London.

17:29This dance is called Fua and touches upon a difficult reality for many Cubans, emigration. While official figures on this haven't been released by the government, Cuban economist Juan Carlos Albuzu Campos estimates that the island's population fell by 18 % between 2022 and 2023. And the situation on the island is getting worse. A fuel crisis due to the US blockade is causing regular blackouts and the collapse of Cuba's tourism industry. So how does Acosta Dancer keep going? That's a major operation, but we try to do absolutely the best we can so that still these dancers can carry on having a future in dance in general and don't be distracted by what's going on in Cuba at the moment.

18:23I think we are very resilient and we also see our artistry as a refuge. So long as there is a place to dance and there is a sort of like a family vibe where we protect each other, we keep them motivated and keep their careers going. Heidi Nunes is one of the principal dancers in the Next Generation Showcase. In between rehearsals, she tells me why she connects so deeply with the choreography of the performance. I imagine the outside of the island as opportunities or dreams or maybe just someone that I miss so much. I have a duet, which is like a goodbye. so I tried to picture someone that I miss and remember that specific time when I had to let that person go.

19:20All of the dancers are between 18 and 21 years old. There are several dancers on the bill, all exploring different themes and styles. Carlos Acosta explains his vision behind the performance. The style evening, it has so many pathways And so it offers what Acosta Danza is all about, which is a melting pot of dances, a fusion, a syncretism, as the symbol of the Cuban race, which, as we all know, is a sort of a melting pot of races.

19:59Acosta Danza and Junior are bringing the energy of youth and the colour of Cuba to the stage, a far cry from recent headlines about their island. that report by Isabella Jewell still to come on the podcast it's been absolutely fantastic the city of Providence has welcomed the tartan army with open arms and I hope that all of the folks are having as much fun as we are how Scotland football fans won over the locals in America

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22:54You're listening to the Global News Podcast. Can certain activities at work during early pregnancy contribute to the risk of miscarriage? A new study from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark Mark suggests that walking, standing and bending forward may increase the risk. However, they didn't prove a cause and effect. So what should we make of these findings? Here's BBC health reporter Michelle Roberts. This type of research is really useful for people who are trying to set policies in the workplace or look at overall safety. But for the individual woman, it can be quite scary to see a headline like this talking about increased risk.

23:34What they did, the researchers, they looked at a register of what jobs people were doing and also which of these pregnant women had a miscarriage. So we're talking about 800 ,000 pregnancies in this Danish group and then looking at about half a million women. and they found that the chance of a miscarriage was about one in ten which is similar to what you see in a population a little bit lower but when they started to try and tie together what women were doing as an occupation they said that they found this sort of link they're not fully sure what's going on but a link with if there was a lot of work involving bending over and we're not talking about just a little bit we're talking if you're doing an eight-hour shift if a whole hour of that shift is intensive bending over then there was this slightly increased risk we do know from other pieces of research as well that obviously in pregnancy you've got to adapt slightly what you're doing but certainly this goes against other advice which you should keep exercising it's important that women don't feel that they should stop moving around in pregnancy and just sit still in bubble wrap.

24:51It's nuanced. In terms of work, workplaces should be able to offer tweaks to employment if needed. You know, sort of heavy lifting, that kind of thing is something that's already recognised as something to bear in mind. But this new study doesn't really change what the current advice is. Michelle Roberts. Jeff Bezos has predicted that AI will lead to more demand for workers rather than make people redundant. The Amazon founder was speaking at a big tech conference in Paris. The VivaTech event features AI-powered humanoid robots from China, while robotic dogs roam the exhibition halls. Our reporter Shona McCallum has been there.

25:37This is Europe's biggest tech gathering, and with 180 ,000 people expected through the doors over the next few days, the geopolitical significance of the tech sector is not being lost here. Earlier I saw Jeff Bezos, the Amazon and Blue Origin founder, take to the stage. He spoke about the space race, but of course he also mentioned artificial intelligence. And he said that he thought that AI could unlock opportunities for humans and create more jobs, which was definitely a more positive case for AI than I've heard for a long time. Now, of course, the big players are here at Viva Tech. You've got Samsung, you've got Microsoft, L 'Oreal, but it's also a place for innovators to get together and startups to discuss what's next for the tech sector.

26:24Germany has been chosen as the country for VivaTech 2026, and every year a different country is chosen. This is the first time that a European country has been chosen. I spoke to a couple of German startups, and one was a doctor who had created an app which was basically an eye test in your pocket carrying around an optometrist that you can do and check your eye health I was able to do it in less than a minute and get a full scan of my eyes it's that kind of innovation that we're seeing here at Viva Tech of course the big crowd was for UDT and their humanoid robot which has been front and center of many of these big tech conferences over the last few years.

27:05They have partnered with a French neurotech company called HABS and I was able to put their headband on and control a robot just using my thoughts. There's the weird and the wonderful here at Viva Tech. The question is, can you get round it all? Shona McCallum. Before the World Cup began, there were fears over the treatment of visitors to the United States. Some fans and even a FIFA referee were indeed turned away. But many of the supporters who did make it to America were given a warm welcome. The city of Lawrence in Kansas is hosting Algeria, and residents have been wearing the team's kit while shopfronts are adorned in their colours.