Israel PM made secret visit to UAE, reports say

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1:08This is a Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jaleel and at 15 hours GMT on Monday the 28th of September, these are our main stories. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to have flown to the UAE on Sunday for a secret meeting with its leader, Mohammed bin Zayed. We hear how unproven rape claims led to violent demonstrations erupting at an Indian university this weekend. And we have the latest on protests in Spain, sparked by the forced eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her flat. Also in this podcast... These bananas, when you cut them, if you slice it for 12 hours, it won't go brown, whereas a regular banana will.

1:55The shelf life is greatly extended. How scientists came up with a solution to help bananas stay yellow, even when they're old or damaged.

2:08We start this podcast with allegations that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled secretly to the United Arab Emirates this weekend. This comes amid an uproar over a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz earlier this month that the leader of the UAE had warned Mr Netanyahu that Hamas was planning to carry out attacks just days before the October 7th massacre that triggered the Gaza war. With elections now just a month away, Mr Netanyahu's rivals have seized on the report as just the latest example of warnings that he ignored. He, for his part, has denied the Haaretz report and threatened legal action against the newspaper.

2:50Israeli media is reporting that his trip to the UAE over the weekend was to ask its leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, to also deny the reports that he had been warned about a looming Hamas threat. I got more on all this with our Middle East correspondent, Yoland Nell, who's in Jerusalem. According to Israel's Channel 12, which broke this report, it says that Mr. Netanyahu and his entourage took a number of different private planes in order to make the journey to the United Arab Emirates, and that they stayed there for some four hours, that the aim of the visit was to have a one-on-one meeting with Mohammed bin Zayed, the Emirati president.

3:29And this has not been confirmed by the Israeli Prime Minister's office, nor by the Emirati Foreign Ministry. But there are several Israeli media that are quoting a senior Israeli official who's told them that indeed this trip did happen. And then there's that intriguing report from the Associated Press, which is quoting two sources who are briefed on this trip, it says, and saying that the trip took place specifically for Mr. Netanyahu to ask MBZ, as the Emirati leader is known by his initials, to deny these reports that continue to circulate in Israel, saying that MBZ gave Mr. Netanyahu a warning in September 2023, so really not very long before the Hamas-led deadly attacks of the 7th of October, saying that the then leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, was indeed planning a major operation.

4:31And Mr. Netanyahu reported to have responded calmly to that. The implication is that he didn't follow up on this warning. Now, he has strenuously denied that that is the case, and he has threatened to sue the Haaretz newspaper for defamation. We're just a month away from elections now in Israel and this is really turning into a key issue for voters. Yes, this is a very tightly run election and it's all happening within that context. Certainly Mr Netanyahu's political rivals, the opposition figures have really seized on these reports and there are others too suggesting that there were Arab world warnings given to Mr Netanyahu.

5:14He calls all of those an absolute lie, but his opponents say that it is more proof that he is unfit for office. Now, this is really leading to more calls for a state commission of inquiry, formal investigations into who knew what and when ahead of the 7th of October attacks. And of course, that just feeds into Israeli social divisions. Society's become very polarised around this issue and it's an extremely sensitive timing as well, just going into the 7th of October, the third anniversary of those deadly, unprecedented attacks on Israel. Yoland Nell in Jerusalem. Next to the Indian state of Punjab.

6:03Where violent protests at a university campus broke out at the weekend over unproven claims that a female student had been raped at a hostel near the private Lovely Professional University in Fagvara. More than 2 ,000 police officers had to be deployed to quell the violence. The Director General of Police of the Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, said officers had exercised restraint and that an investigation has now been launched. A very conscious decision was taken not to use force on the students. And since there were grievances against the university administration, efforts were made to sort out the grievances through discussions.

6:41I asked our South Asia correspondent, Azadeh Mishiri, what was known about the claims that sparked the protests. Most of the information that's been circulating has been on social media. And I spoke to police earlier and there's still a lot that has been unproven. Right now, they are still waiting to identify who the alleged victim would be. Students are the ones who have come to the police urging for a criminal complaint, a police report to be filed. but they weren't able to provide a name for the alleged victim. Police have also reviewed CCTV footage throughout the week and so far haven't been able to identify any non-students entering the hostel.

7:18And so there's a lot that is very unclear. What is obvious, though, is that this is an issue that has ignited so much anger in Punjab, in Faghwara. And not just there, there have been a string of sexual assaults in Delhi, here in the capital, as well as across India, that have made headlines. And it is why this has tapped into a sentiment here where women and students broadly feel that it isn't always safe on their campuses and they want the authorities to do more. It is also worth saying that the university itself is insisting that these are misleading rumors, false allegations, and they believe, they're alleging, that it's part of a campaign to tarnish their reputation.

7:58The police have told us that they have formed this special investigation team to look into these matters, given students are demanding some action here. The police had to deploy a huge number of officers, some 2 ,000 officers, to try to calm the situation down. Just tell us about what happened over the weekend, because it did get very violent. It was days after the allegations had surfaced that these protests erupted. Students and student representatives at LPU were saying that this is because the university wasn't taking any action. What happened, though, is that university property was damaged, vandalised.

8:35They lit fires. They even blocked a major highway in Punjab, in Faghwara. And so, yes, police at that point had held several meetings with student representatives to try and calm the situation down. The university has now suspended classes for 10 days. Many students have gone home, according to police. And that's why the situation is very much under control. And police haven't been deployed because they're not expecting any further protests today. But separately, you have seen multiple protests here in the capital because, again, there has been a string of cases like this, and it's not new to India, but the fact that they're making headlines and the fact that students are now saying enough is enough means that people are coming out on the streets to demand more action here.

9:15Azadeh Mishiri in Delhi. Images of a frail elderly woman in Madrid being evicted from an apartment that she'd lived in for decades on a stretcher have sparked widespread indignation across Spain. Tens of thousands of people marched through Spain's capital on Saturday, rattling keys as they called for measures to curb housing costs. Some of them brought tents and sleeping bags and have now set up a protest camp in the city centre. 87-year-old Marie Carmen Abascal had benefited from a very low rent, thanks to rent control, but couldn't afford a higher rate when her home was bought by an investment fund.

9:55Her case has highlighted the growing problem of soaring rents and housing shortages, partly because of investors and the popularity of short-term holiday rental businesses like Airbnb. Our correspondent Guy Hedgeco was at the camp. He told Krupa Padi about the protest. I am in Puerto del Sol in central Madrid, right next to the protest camp. There are, I suppose, around two or three hundred tents right in front of me where people have been spending the last few nights. As part of this protest, they've got banners hanging up demanding measures from politicians to try and deal with this crisis. And they are here, they say, because they want to pressure the government, the central government, the local government and the political class in general to take drastic measures to try and deal with this crisis, this housing crisis, which has seen rentals soar over the last few years.

10:50Most of these people, the vast majority are young people, and it's young people above all who are affected by this crisis. You spoke about rental prices there. I imagine that's one of many concerns when it comes to the housing challenge there in Spain. Yes, I mean, the main one is rentals and the fact that it's so difficult to find an affordable home to rent, certainly in the big cities, whether it's Madrid or Barcelona or Valencia, but really across the country, rentals have increased so much, it's very difficult to find an affordable place to live. That affects young people, but it affects people across the board as well.

11:24The big concern is that not enough homes are being built. That's what many people see as the cause. But a lot of these protesters as well believe that there is housing that should be available, but it's being used for other things, whether it's Airbnb accommodation for tourists, or it's property which has been bought by investment companies, and it's being used as an investment rather than being made available to rent out to ordinary people. You mentioned that this is particularly impacting young people, but of course it was the case of Marie-Carmen Abascal that brought us to this point where people decided to take to the streets.

12:02So I imagine the elderly are equally as impacted, or somewhat. But, you know, what does that say more broadly about the extent of the crisis? Well, it's something which has been brewing for some years now. People have been complaining about the housing crisis. Last year, we saw some big demonstrations out in the streets of cities like Madrid, other cities across the country. But it seems to be coming to a head now. There does seem to be the Marie Carmen Abascal eviction seems to become a sort of symbol. There are photos of Mari Carmen pinned up here at the protest camp because these people here see her as a symbol which they hope is going to bring about this broader change and is going to pressure politicians.

12:46So it affects everyone, and there is a feeling that this could be a crucial moment when it comes to bringing about some kind of change when it comes to the housing market in Spain. How is Mari Carmen doing? Do we have any insights? The last we heard was that she had been taken to hospital after she was evicted. She does have a disability. When she left hospital, she was in a wheelchair and then taken on a stretcher straight to hospital here in Madrid. And then we're told that from hospital, we believe that her health is OK. Once she leaves hospital, she will go and stay with relatives. There has been some talk of the investment company that evicted her, backtracking and trying to see if it can allow her to go back into the property.

13:29That looks like it's unlikely. What we know at the moment is she's probably going to go and stay with relatives, at least in the short term. Guy Hedgcoe in Madrid. Now, if you love bananas, we have some good news for you. Scientists here in England have developed a gene-edited version of bananas that will stay nice and yellow, even if they get old or damaged. It's now had the final approval to be sold on British supermarket shelves. Professor Jonathan Jones from the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich is involved in the development. It's been done by a company in Norwich called Tropic Biosciences.

14:03And what they've done is to work based on the knowledge of many scores of years of thousands of researchers, which tell us a lot about what the genes in plants do. Every plant has 25 ,000 to 40 ,000 genes or more. And they know the genes that make bananas or potatoes or apples go brown when they've been cut. And there's a particular gene called polyphenol oxidase. and what they've done is to reduce the expression of that one gene without affecting any other genes with the result that the browning process either is completely abolished or is much, much slower. So I don't think it'll actually necessarily change the flavour.

14:41It will be softer. I mean, of course, the unripe banana is much firmer. The wider point in all of this is to try and reduce food waste, which remains a huge, huge issue. That's exactly right. Food waste is between 10 % and 30 % in the world of bananas. These bananas, when you cut them, if you slice it for 12 hours, it won't go brown, whereas a regular banana will. The shelf life is greatly extended. And also it opens up new food service products. So you can make concoctions of many different sliced fruits. And if you put the bananas in, normally they'll go brown and you'll have to discard it because people won't want to buy it.

15:18But it'll actually persist in an edible-looking state for much longer. Professor Jonathan Jones speaking to Anna Foster. Still to come in this podcast, 20 years after they burst onto the music scene and helped turn K-pop into a global phenomenon. I'm not going to say the kings of K-pop because I think they're beyond that. I think they're like the emperors of K-pop. They are anything that you think of for K-pop, they did it first. The South Korean boy band Big Bang return to London.

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19:05Listen to the full episode of Health vs. Hype with the American Medical Association on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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19:49This is the Global News Podcast. The whole of Bangkok has been declared a flood disaster zone after two days of torrential rain inundated much of the Thai capital, blocking roads and submerging vehicles. People have been urged to stay at home and those living close to the city's network of canals have been advised to move their belongings to upper floors. Jonathan Head gave us this update from Bangkok. The good news is that the rain has stopped. I mean, we had more or less three days of almost uninterrupted rain. That's exceptional. It's in the monsoon season. You expect heavy thunderstorms at this time of year, but they normally last an hour or two.

20:25Having persistent rain over such a long period of time has simply put too much water onto the roads for the city's canals and its pumps to deal with. Now, Bangkok's a very low-lying city. It's only mostly on average about a metre and a half above sea level. It's quite close to the sea. And when you get that much water, it just can't get pushed out to sea fast enough. And because there hasn't been rain over the last 12 hours or so, water levels have gone down in the city centre. It's actually most of the water that covered the roads has gone. But in outlying areas of Bangkok, there are still areas with at least half a metre of water.

20:58That means vehicles can't get in. There are still thousands of residents, particularly in certain housing estates, completely cut off. Their power is out as well. And the priority today for the Bangkok authorities is to find ways to get more assistance, food and water basically, into them to bring out anybody with acute medical needs and just keep pumping that water. because this low-pressure system, which produced such huge volumes of rain, has now moved on. They're hopeful, the meteorological department saying they're not expecting this kind of heavy rain for the rest of this week, and that should give enough time for the water that's been covering these low-lying areas to be moved out.

21:37But it is a warning for Bangkok and people living here about how vulnerable they are to heavy rain. And, of course, I mean, we don't know what caused this particular bout of rain, but weather has become a lot more unpredictable, and so it's something the authorities are going to have to factor in the future. Jonathan Head. South Korea is demanding that Ukraine apologises after President Zelensky's surprise announcement at the UN that he had sent two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Seoul says the transfer was supposed to remain a secret to protect the soldiers' families who are still in the North from possible punishment.

22:14Our Seoul correspondent Jake Kwon explains. The two North Korean soldiers were told by Pyongyang to kill themselves when facing capture. Their survival meant they can no longer go home. Last week, after a lengthy negotiation between Seoul and Kyiv, the two soldiers were finally transferred in secret. When it was revealed by Mr. Zelensky, South Korea cried foul, saying Ukraine broke the promise of secrecy, seriously damaging trust and friendship. Ukraine disputes there was any agreement. South Korea has been a quiet supporter of Ukraine, earlier pledging$100 million worth of assistance. At the same time, it has been trying to reopen peace negotiation with Pyongyang.

22:56Jake Kwon in Seoul. Uganda's Chief of Defense Forces, General Muhusi Kaineru-Gaber, who is also the son of President Yoweri Museveni, has said all government ministers must obtain his permission before traveling abroad. He made the announcement after questioning the country's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Haruna Kasolo, over an official diplomatic visit to Turkey. It's been seen by some in Uganda as the latest example of the general's growing political influence. So what's the reaction been? Political and security analyst Angelo Izama has been speaking to Krupa Padi. I would say there's a muted reaction, mainly because the Chief of Defence Forces, General Mohorzi, these kinds of interventions is making our own brand.

23:49He has in the past intervened in ways that many people are unorthodox. And the latest intervention is one in a long list of certainly out of the box interventions in the political character of Uganda. And when you say muted, is that because his statement isn't being taken seriously and that it will have no impact, that government ministers will not seek his permission before travelling abroad? Not at all. It will certainly have impact. And the reasons for that is his status as chief of defense forces. But outside of the administration of government, he is now considered, perhaps unofficially, as one of the main political forces in the country.

24:35His Patriotic League of Uganda, which is a loose political movement, is consolidating, at least in the minds of the public. They certainly seem to have the upper hand in terms of initiating widespread popular political activities, such as public war on corruption, which is very popular right now. One of his main supporters is the local government minister, who has been in the countryside running a very popular anti-corruption campaign. I think the political moment is in his favour. And so in many ways, it sounds like he's already acting like a de facto president there. Yes. And, you know, to be fair to this issue of ministerial travel, it has been lingering around for a long time.

25:19I think there was an order by his father, President Yuram Seveni, asking ministers to reduce their travel around COVID. Trouble by government ministers and department heads has been generally frowned upon because it's a sense that it's not very, you know, a good way to spend very scarce resources. So I think the muted reaction could be, well, you know, the cabinet is very big. Coastal public administration is equally large. The General Mahosy has been online arguing against wasteful spending and corruption. And so many people might just shrug their shoulders and say, well, why should ministers ban scarce resources in the air?