Polls open in first Bangladesh election since uprising

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

0:30Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

1:00Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:30President Trump tells Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu that he'd prefer to do a deal on Iran's nuclear program than take further military action. Meanwhile, in Iran, the president apologizes for government failings on the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Also in this podcast...

1:58Bird watchers are flocking to the Canadian city of Montreal after what's believed to be the first recorded sighting of a European robin in Canada.

2:11We start in Bangladesh where voting is underway in what's perhaps the most important election to take place there for many years. This is the first national poll since the country's former Premier, Sheikh Asina, was deposed in 2024 after several months of violent unrest. Since then, Bangladesh has been run by a caretaker government headed by the Nobel Prize winner Mohamed Yunus. He says he'll step down after the vote. More than 50 political parties are hoping to win a share of the 350 parliamentary seats being contested. The party of Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League, has been banned from contesting the election.

2:52So who are the main contenders? Our correspondent in Dhaka is Azadeh Mishiri. There are several main parties that are contesting here. One of them is the Bangladesh Nationalist Party or the BNP. I'm actually at a polling booth in Dhaka where Tariq Rahman, the leader of the BNP, is expected to turn up and vote here, perhaps even say a few words. So there are a lot of BNP supporters around me with red and green caps. And there's also a lot of media as well as security forces, evidence that the interim government is trying to make sure that the day goes by smoothly. The BNP, having been in government before, they are an older established party, as is Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist party that is also contesting the elections today.

3:37Both of these parties, while being older, established parties, have faced politically motivated arrests in the past, have had a very difficult time during Sheikh Hasina's rule, with the BNP in fact boycotting the last elections because of that. Right now there's a lot of excitement and a lot of optimism from the people at this particular polling booth. Yeah, it is the first election since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina. Give us a sense of how important that is. For many people we've spoken to in the past few weeks, they feel this is a day they never thought they'd see. These are people who say they either have never voted or haven't voted in nearly a decade.

4:19Even the ones who have been to polling booths in the last few years say it's the first time that they feel their vote will count. But that feeling that they have is very different to what other parts of the country feel. We've been to areas that are Awami League strongholds, where supporters of the party of the former government are based. They do not feel that these are free and fair elections, certainly not inclusive ones, given that their party has been banned from even contesting. And so the Awami League banned, what other constitutional reformers are being voted on? That's a good point, because not only are people voting for a new government.

4:57There is also a referendum on the July National Charter constitutional amendment that would, if voted yes, put through various reforms. And those are ones that are designed to essentially put in place different checks and balances in Bangladesh. Remember, this is a country that has just emerged from years of authoritarian rule. And so some of the powers that they're trying to reform. Some of the different constitutional aspects of Bangladesh include checks on term limits for the Prime Minister. They want to empower the presidency and other institutions, for example, to make sure that there's a check on power.

5:36They also want to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, essentially put a lot of different reforms in place that can ensure the past isn't repeated. Azadeh Mishiri in Dhaka. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has held talks with Donald Trump at the White House as the US continues to seek a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme. Israel wants any agreement to include curbs on Iran's missiles and other security threats. Iran has suggested it is ready to limit its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, but has rejected other demands. Our correspondent in Washington, Tom Bateman, spoke to Oliver Conway.

6:16This was a very long meeting and a very short statement at the end of it, And unusually, there hasn't been the kind of photo opportunity moments and the cameras allowed into the Oval Office. This was all kept pretty low profile, which is rare for meetings between these two leaders. And Mr. Trump's saying at the end of the meeting that he says, quote, there was nothing definitive reached other than that I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated, he says. and then basically goes on to say he'd rather have a deal, but if not, we'll have to see what happens.

6:49And there is this sort of explicitly stated threat, but of military action. So it seems to me that what we had here was Mr. Trump pursuing his desire to try and do a deal with the Iranians and Mr. Netanyahu pressing hard for that to be a much more expansive deal that is not just about ending nuclear enrichment, but is around restricting Iran's ballistic missile capabilities, stopping its support for proxy militias in the region. And Mr. Trump appearing to want to press ahead with the diplomatic track at the moment, albeit one that holds a gun to the heads of the Iranians because he has this aircraft carrier strike group currently in the Arabian Sea close to Iran.

7:28The word I insisted sounds like there might have been a bit of an argument over that. I mean, will Israel be able to get what it wants ultimately? You know, they have a bumpy relationship, these two, but ultimately this is a deep military relationship between the US and Israel. It's not unhelpful to President Trump, you know, this is coercive diplomacy to try and get what he wants from the Iranians, that America's key ally in the region is being very belligerent and that the threat of military action remains there. I think the question is whether or not, after the conflict between Israel and Iran last year, which President Trump ultimately joined, The Israelis would be prepared to go ahead once again on their own without American blessing if the Americans were still pursuing some kind of diplomatic action.

8:14I think that's extremely unlikely. But I think, you know, differences between these two ultimately over whether diplomacy can work has the potential to escalate tensions more in the region in what is a very unstable and unpredictable moment. Tom Bateman. Rallies have taken place across Iran to mark the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. In a speech to crowds, President Masoud Pazeshkian denounced Iran's enemies but also apologised for the government failings. Our chief international correspondent Lise Doucette is in Tehran and reporting on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian service.

8:54This is a restriction that applies to all international media organisations operating inside the country. Death to America. It's long been the signature slogan of Iran's Islamic revolution. Its most loyal backers surge through the main artery in the heart of Tehran, along a route nearly three miles long. The same scene played out across the country. It's a political reply to the protesters who filled streets and squares nationwide last month calling for change. This young woman told me what the Islamic revolution means to her. To me and all Iranians, the revolution means a revival of life. I mean, the Islamic revolution revived us.

9:44A new life was blown into our society and country and the rest of the world. At Azadi, or Freedom Square, Iran's president, Masoud Pezishian, accused the U.S. and Europe of inciting the recent protests he called riots. But he had conciliatory words for Iranians who had gone on strike or taken to the streets, calling for an end to an economic crisis, causing huge suffering. I apologize to our noble people for our shortcomings. We in the government are making every effort with all our strength to resolve all these problems. A public holiday was also a moment for families to forget their daily woes for a while.

10:30But a revolution nearly a half century old now faces its biggest test. Multiple crises at home and the risk of military confrontation with America if a surge in diplomacy fails. Lise Doucette. Birdwatchers are flocking to the Canadian city of Montreal after what's believed to be the first recorded sighting of a European robin in Canada. This is the sound of the European robin.

11:04This is not to be confused with the sound of an American robin, a totally different bird with an orange breast, not a red one. Here's the American one.

11:19But how did this European robin end up in Canada? Maggie McPherson is an evolutionary ecologist at Trent University in Ontario. She spoke to Evan Davis. This European robin was discovered by a birder who heard a slightly different call in her neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, and then was able to eventually see the bird and identify it as the European robin. And it's doing great. It's eating. It's chirping. And lots of people are getting to see it. Are these meant to be social birds? Is that bird OK on its own? Oh, that's a good question. I think it is OK on its own. European robins can be a little aggressive against other European robins.

11:58And so it does seem to be doing all right. Yeah. Now you've got your own robins. Tell us about the difference between yours and the European robins. Our American robins are much larger and they are a thrush and they are closely related to your black birds. And the European robin is actually a type of fly catcher. They're from two different families of birds. So now we need to work out how did this robin get from Europe to the North American continent? How did it? Indeed. So there's no way of knowing for sure. But because this is an adult bird based on its plumage, we think that when it was migrating, it got close to the coast in the UK and got swept up in a storm and then was lost at sea and found refuge, this resourceful robin, on a ship that was heading across the Atlantic and then made port in Montreal.

12:47That's a common way that lost birds out at sea get to make it. They find some kind of man-made structure they can take a rest on. And that's how we think it must have gotten to our side of the Atlantic. I've heard that it possibly could have been a cargo ship, not a people ship. Not a cruise ship, yeah. That's right, yeah, not a cruise ship. What's going to happen to that robin? It'll just live its days out in Montreal now? It's not going to get back to Europe, presumably. That's right. It's really unlikely for the bird to make it back to Europe. And so what happens with vagrant birds like the European robin that we have in Montreal is they just tend to disappear at some point.

13:23So these birds can live up to eight years, and we hope we get to keep seeing it for a lot longer. Evolutionary ecologist Maggie McPherson. Still to come in this podcast, the ultimate, I haven't done my homework excuse. Sorry, I'm competing in the Olympics. I'm always kind of mostly focused on my skating when I'm away, but there's that little like 10 % that's making sure I don't miss something. And this time, this time I dropped the ball a bit.

13:59I want to put all the issues on the table that keep me up at night. The interview brings you conversations with the people shaping our world. From global leaders. I've much more than fulfilled the promises that I've made. To cultural icons. I'm just interested in how it feels to be playing songs that are 50 odd years old. Songs are like children. They're with you forever. The interview from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

14:53Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

15:23Kennedy and Khrushchev. All episodes available now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

15:53where I answer listener questions on how to make those markets work for you. Follow Merrin Talks Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

16:04This is the Global News Podcast. Less than a year after 11 people died in a car ramming attack in the city of Vancouver, Canadians are dealing with another mass killing, which also happened in the western province of British Columbia. Most of those who died on Tuesday were at a school in the remote mountain community of Tumblr Ridge. Police have named the person suspected of killing eight people as 18-year-old Jesse von Rootzella. The shootings not only happened at a school but also at the suspect's family home. Vanessa Munn from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP, have spoken about the victims.

16:43So for the deceased victims, the school included a 39-year-old female educator, three 12-year-old female students, two male students ages 12 and 13, and then the two additional victims were a 39 -year-old female and an 11-year-old male that were located deceased at the local residence. The police said that Jesse von Rootseller was a student at the school but left four years ago and the suspect, on more than one occasion, had been apprehended under mental health laws for an assessment. Dwayne MacDonald, also from the RCMP, gave further details. I will say this. We identified the suspect as they chose to be identified in public and in social media.

17:26I can say that Jesse was born as a biological male who approximately, the information that I have, approximately six years ago began to transition to female and identified as female both socially and publicly. Shrusti Gangdev, a reporter with 1130 News Radio in Vancouver, has been covering the story. The first crime scene happened at the house where the suspect's mother and stepbrother apparently killed there and then the scene moved over to the school which is where police were called over. And apparently RCMP officers responded within two minutes of receiving that call. And the suspect actually opened fire at the officers as they approached.

18:11They then found the suspect dead at the scene from apparently self-inflicted wounds. We do know now the type of firearms that police believe was involved in this. There were two guns involved, a long gun and a modified handgun. And I think the other really important piece of information that we learned here was that the suspect had a history of mental health concerns, a history of interactions with police related to mental health concerns. Police have been called to the family home a number of times in the past. The suspect had been apprehended under BC's Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for assessment under that act.

18:50And another time, police actually seized firearms under the criminal code from the house. And I believe they were later returned to the home. And the suspect went to school in this area? Well, yes, elementary school and I think one or two years of high school. And then apparently dropped out of school four years ago. So I guess at the age of 13 or 14. So they hadn't actually had any connection to the high school in several years. School shootings, of course, sadly all too common in the United States, but this is one of the worst events of its kind ever in Canada. It is. I think by my count, it's one of the deadliest ever in Canadian history, both for school shootings and mass shootings in general.

19:35This just doesn't, it doesn't happen here. We don't have the same kind of really, I would say, inflammatory environment that I think you see south of the border sometimes. And also you have to consider how small this community is. It's 2 ,400 people. That was the only high school in the entire town. And it's just not the kind of place where you could ever expect something like this to happen. Here in BC, we're utterly shocked. We just, we're not used to this. And same across Canada. We've been hearing kind of an outpouring of condolences and support from across the country and indeed from across the world as well.

20:14And in terms of firearms rules, events like this always cause an outcry in the United States. In Canada, is this a talking point? It's not in the same way that it is south of the border. We have gun laws that are quite a bit stricter than in the United States. Guns are allowed with licenses, but they are usually just hunting rifles. We do know that the victim actually had a firearm license a few years ago. Not clear whether that firearm license was active at this point. Again, whether those were lawfully owned. And in that part of BC where we're talking about very, very north and very rural, I want to be clear that hunting is quite a commonplace hobby.

21:00It's a part of life. And hunting rifles are something that are quite common in that part of Canada. Shusti Gangdova, reporter in Vancouver. There have been some fiery exchanges in the United States Congress where members of the House Judiciary Committee put a series of questions to the Attorney General Pam Bondi about the release of documents relating to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There's a suspicion that the details of rich and powerful men who were associated with the dead financier were redacted in the latest batch of Epstein material and concern because names, addresses and photographs of some of his victims were published.

21:40In one exchange, Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic congresswoman, wanted Ms Bondi to apologise to Epstein's survivors who were in the room listening to the debate. Attorney General Bondi, you apologise to the survivors in your opening statement for what they went through at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. Will you turn to them now and apologise for what your Department of Justice has put them through with the absolutely unacceptable release of the Epstein files and their information? information. Congresswoman Jaya Powell didn't like the sound of the Attorney General's answer, so she again asked for an apology, leading to an intervention from the committee chairman, an argument, and finally, a searing comment for Ms.

22:31Bondi. Turn to them and apologize for what your Department of Justice is. Members get to ask the questions, the witness gets to answer in the way they want to answer. That's not accurate, Mr. Chairman. Because she doesn't like the answer. So, Mr Chairman, why didn't she ask Merrick Garland this? Twice. I'm reclaiming my time and when I reclaim my time, it is my time. I'm not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics. The BBC's Helena Humphrey was listening to the heated back and forth. Did we learn anything new? I think overall what we saw from the Attorney General was that she was either evasive in answering questions or those exchanges became explosive.

23:16So, for example, frequently you would see the Attorney General try to pivot to speak about what she sees as success from the Trump administration and the Department of Justice with a record on cracking down on immigration, driving down crime rates, or those conversations would simply become explosive. You heard some of those exchanges there. We did start the hearing by seeing what was a potentially powerful moment from the Democratic Congresswoman Jayapal. She asked the survivors who were in the chamber to stand up, to stand up behind the Attorney General, and then she called on Miss Bondi to apologise to them for not having met with them in person.

23:56And essentially what we saw is it descended into a fiery exchange and Miss Bondi didn't apologise and she dismissed this all as theatrics. That said, she did say sorry and apologise for what they had endured at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. A similar tone, I think it's fair to say, with Jeffrey Nadler, the Democratic congressman. He had asked that very pointed question with the release of these Epstein files. Had there been alleged co-conspirators indicted, she refused to answer the question. They ended up shouting at each other. And then we saw one Democratic congresswoman, Becca Ballin, actually storm out of the chamber.

24:33Now, she had been repeatedly asking the Attorney General about the Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, if they had followed up with further questioning of him since he had admitted that he had met with Jeffrey Epstein on several occasions, including after the conviction of Epstein for soliciting a minor for sex. And ultimately, that became so heated that she stormed out of the chamber. One thing that we did hear from the Attorney General was that the names of survivors who were included in the latest tranche of those documents would be retroactively redacted. But I think for many of the survivors who came to the Hill today, for many of the survivors around the world, that will be cold comfort because they know that their names, addresses, identities, the trauma that they went through.