Global News Podcast: Israel's Defence Minister sacked by Benjamin Netanyahu

BBC BBC 3/26/23 - Episode Page - 28m - PDF Transcript

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This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Janet Jalil and in the early hours of Monday the 27th of March these are our main stories.

Tens of thousands of Israelis take to the streets again after the Defence Minister is sacked by

Benjamin Netanyahu for opposing his judicial overhaul. NATO allies voice their concerns over

Russia's plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. At least 29 people have

drowned in the latest migrant boat sinkings off the coast of Tunisia.

Also in this podcast we look back on the life of the founder of one of the world's biggest

dumpling empires.

As we record this podcast the political crisis in Israel is intensifying even further.

The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sacked the Defence Minister Joav Galant

after he broke ranks and urged the government to ditch its highly controversial plans to

reform the judicial system. Tens of thousands of Israelis have again taken to the streets

to protest with reports that barriers near Mr Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem had been breached.

Our correspondent there Anna Foster described the scene.

Well what you can hear probably tells you a lot about what I can see right now. We're in

central Jerusalem. This protest started outside the home of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu and it's now broken away and they're heading towards the connective Israeli parliament

because of course this is all about legislation and legislation that these protesters are trying

to stop. The problem is police are out of course soldiers are out as well I've just seen one with

his baton drawn and in fact a water cannon has just come flying down this street drenching

this particular group of protesters as it went. What they're doing now is climbing through some

undergrowth because all of these main roads are closed. They are determined to get to the parliament

and to make their their feelings felt and this is just Jerusalem. These protests are happening

across the country. There are tens of thousands of people out in central Tel Aviv blocking the

aisle on highway. We're hearing about protests right across the country tonight in response

to the sacking of Joav Galant, Israel's Defence Minister.

Yet you mentioned that sacking of Joav Galant. Just to explain how it all came to this his

departure and perhaps most important might other members of this government leave with him?

Well that's a very good question that the key thing is that he is a member of Benjamin Netanyahu's

Likud party and that's why this is particularly galling for Mr Netanyahu because he needs to

try and hold this coalition together if he wants to remain in power and if he wants to push this

legislation through which is something that his far right coalition co-members are very very much

pushing for. Now Joav Galant was originally going to make a statement. I should just say by the way

while I'm talking to you we're climbing through this undergrowth if you're wondering why I sound

a little bit unsteady that is why because we're sticking with this protest as they head the

Knesset and Joav Galant was originally going to make a statement on Thursday evening but he had

a meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu who managed to persuade him not to go public but then last night

he did he made a televised statement and he called for this legislation to be paused and then of

course 24 hours later we see this sacking and a really dangerous moment for this country which

has seen protests like this for 12 weeks now and for Benjamin Netanyahu if he wants to try and

keep a lid on what is happening here now. Yeah Mr Netanyahu seems to have been able to weather

all sorts of political storms throughout his career could this really be the greatest challenge is

his government at risk now. I think what you're seeing here is a prime minister who treasures

power as so many do and of course remember that he has had now a period where he wasn't leading

this country. He came back into power in November of last year at the most recent election and in

order to do that he had to form this coalition with some of the most far right elements of Israeli

politics now he is desperate to try and keep his job that is why he is trying so hard to push this

legislation through to hold this coalition together because that is what his future as prime minister

really depends on. Anna Foster in Jerusalem speaking there to Peter Goffin. Since Russia's

full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year fears that Moscow might use a nuclear weapon have risen

on Saturday those fears were heightened by President Putin's announcement that Russia was

planning to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. That's provoked strong condemnation by

NATO allies of what they call the Kremlin's dangerous and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.

They reject Mr Putin's claim that what he's planning is no different to the U.S. basing

some of its nuclear weapons in European countries. Ukraine said the move would make Belarus a nuclear

hostage. Yuri Sak is an advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence. We have been living with the

hypothetical threat of the possible nuclear strike you know from day one of the large-scale

invasion and we have seen how Russia is employing these tactics of nuclear blackmail you know around

the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in particular now this so nobody can rule out everything okay we

don't have a crystal ball. Our correspondent in Kiev Hugo Bysheger told us more about the

reaction to President Putin's latest announcement. I think what we've seen since the start of the

invasion is that President Putin senior Russian officials have frequently talked about nuclear

weapons and have even raised the possibility of nuclear weapons being used in this conflict

and they know that every time they do it those remarks spark concern in some countries reaction

from some countries and this is exactly what we're seeing here today so NATO has reacted

saying that this Russian rhetoric was irresponsible it said it was following the situation but that

he hadn't seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture. There's been some reaction here in Kiev as

well the foreign ministry said Russia was using nuclear weapons as a tool of threats and intimidation

and called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council and there's been also some

reaction from Washington the US obviously being the key ally of the Ukrainians in this war and

I think perhaps there was an attempt to downplay concerns that this could suggest that Russia

could be planning to use tactical nuclear weapons and a senior US official said there were no

signs that Russia was preparing to do so. And Russia is dismissing the concerns of NATO saying

actually what it's proposing to do is is no different from the US basing some of its nuclear

arsenal in the territory of European allies but NATO says that's misleading. Yeah well President

Putin is saying that there's nothing unusual in this statement and again he said that the US has

long deployed its own nuclear weapons in European countries and I mean Russia and Belarus have

been talking about the transfer of nuclear weapons for quite some time. President Putin is saying

that this does not violate the nuclear known proliferation deals that Russia has signed but

again the Ukrainians are saying that this is simply not true. We heard from a senior security

official here saying that Moscow has taken Belarus as a nuclear hostage following this

announcement. We don't know when those weapons will be transferred I think it's important to say

the president said that the construction of a facility will be finished by July the first

but he hasn't said when those those weapons will be sent to Belarus. So you've got voices in Ukraine

saying that Belarus is being taken a nuclear hostage. What is Belarus itself saying?

That's very interesting because we haven't heard from the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

He is obviously a key ally of President Putin. Belarus has been used as a base for Russian

forces. Remember back in the early days of the war Russian forces invaded Ukraine from Belarus

and I think what the Ukrainians are saying is that again this decision could destabilize Belarus

and and deprive Belarus of its sovereignty and I think one of the main opposition leaders in

Belarus is saying that well this announcement means that Belarus has become just another

Russian region. Hugo Besheger. Let's stay in Ukraine where for months Russia has thrown its

forces into capturing the city of Bakhmut. Despite thousands of dead on both sides which has left

the city in ruins the Ukrainians are managing to hold on to Bakhmut denying Moscow a much

needed victory even as it runs short of military equipment to maintain the assault.

The International Red Cross estimates that some 2,000 civilians are still in the city despite

the fierce fighting with thousands more living nearby in villages and towns where they've sought

refuge. A Kiri de Praia of the International Red Cross has recently visited the area. We are able to deliver

convoys of humanitarian assistance to localities in the immediate vicinity of Bakhmut. We are

delivering humanitarian aid to Chassiviar that's some 20 kilometers outside of Bakhmut and also

to Konstantinivka which is 40 kilometers outside of Bakhmut. The situation inside the city because

of the hostilities that are going on is just too dangerous it's an active zone of combat therefore

we are not going into the city but we are working closely with the municipalities that are right

outside and we are providing them humanitarian assistance in the form of food or water or

hygiene items for the people that have been displaced from Bakhmut because a lot of the people

from Bakhmut or from localities right outside of it have already evacuated the few thousands that

remain are typically the most vulnerable people including elderly including low mobility people

or people with disabilities so we really have to serve their humanitarian needs where they are.

Many buildings if not all buildings are destroyed civilians that are remaining spend most of their

time in shelter in underground areas because of the intensity of military hostilities going on

and they are lacking basically the essentials we know that the access to drinking water is a

huge issue actually we have brought 6 000 liters of drinking water to a locality right outside Bakhmut

we know that they are lacking also food we know that they are lacking hygiene items so

they're living in very very dire humanitarian conditions and just being even in localities

right outside of it we hear constant explosions exchange of artillery so these are conditions

that are very difficult and a resident of a locality right outside of Bakhmut who I spoke to

told me we are not living here in these conditions we're just surviving.

A kitty de près of the Red Cross. Rescue workers in the United States are continuing

their search for survivors after a devastating tornado in Mississippi killed more than 25 people

and left dozens more injured. The storm carved a path of destruction through the Mississippi Delta

one of the poorest regions of the U.S. flattening not just houses but whole neighborhoods. The

governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves paid tribute to those involved in the aid effort. What we've

seen over the last 36 hours in Mississippi on the one hand has been heartbreaking to see the

loss and devastation of these communities and on the other hand has been inspiring and gives me

great reason for optimism and quite frankly makes me damn proud to be a Mississippian because

Mississippians have done what Mississippians do in times of tragedy in times of crisis they stand up

and they show up. Sophie Long sent this report from one of the hardest hit areas the town of

Rolling Fork in the Mississippi Delta. We got a new scan coming in here as we speak oh man

like north side of Amory this is coming in dear Jesus please help them amen.

That was a television weather forecaster in the moments before the tornado struck

but many didn't get any warning of what was to come. Shantaya Howard was in one of the few houses

that's damaged but still standing. It was just a regular Friday night you know friends at the

house you know over we playing with the kids and the lights flickered out and everyone is in separate

rooms and when the wind had came through and actually pulled down the roof and pulled down

the insulation and broke the window the only thing we could do was just run for cover in the

bathroom so we were basically holding each other and praying for everyone's safety. There are so

many homes here in Rolling Fork that have been completely leveled to the ground you can see

washing machines that have been tossed from one property to another there are cars that started

off on one side of the street here and they're hundreds of meters away now. Francisco McKnight

told me the only warning he had was the terrifying sound of the wind it's a noise he says will haunt

him forever. You were in the front room. This is the front door right there yeah I was on the couch

first. And then you heard the sound coming. I went to the door and peed at the door and

seen how the street was blowing and ran the bathroom close to the door and jumping into it.

So you were in that bathtub? Yep. And that's basically the only part of your house that could

have protected you. Yep yep and that part right there so it's like it's like a blessing.

But I made it through there but it was scary. There is some long-term resentment here. Mississippi

is the poorest state in America and some feel forgotten by leaders in the nation's capital.

Here's Chantere again. Excuse my language. Damn you forgot about us. Just because we are the last

in everything you forgot about us that's not right. That is very heart wrenching other than we

lost everything and we feel that we don't have support from the superior people also. President

Biden has described what's happened here as heartbreaking and said he and the first lady

are praying for those who've lost loved ones. But people here are asking for more than prayers

and emergency relief. They want long term support. So be long. Still to come. Quickly words spread

around about these dumplings and the business just took off from there. The rags to riches

life story of the man who founded a dumpling empire. Inspiring the next generation of dreamers

and doers. I've never been the one to overthink things. It was only after my first day at work

where I realized I'm working in a field where it's normal to be the only woman in the office.

Welcome back to the global news podcast. Recent days have seen a string of shipwrecks as people try

to get to Italy from Tunisia. In the latest fatal crossings at least 29 people drowned after at

least two boats sank within hours of each other. Many of those who've died are sub-Saharan Africans

who've been desperately trying to leave Tunisia after the president, Caius Said, whipped up racist

anger against them by accusing them of causing a crime wave. Journalist Alicia Volkman is in the

Tunisian capital Tunis. There's a very established trafficking route. It's highly exploitative.

People save up thousands of denials to cross. A lot of the people who were evicted in the recent

racial violence, they reported that as well as being evicted they had their savings taken away

from them. So they had been working clandestinely to earn the money to pay for the crossing.

And particularly now in the spring weather with the gales and the choppy sea, it's a very dangerous

time to cross. But people are doing it because they no longer feel safe in Tunisia, particularly the

sub-Saharan population who suffered from this sort of wave of violence that erupted in late February.

You talk about racial violence. So that does seem to be, does there's some

concerted campaign against sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia? And is that linked to remarks made

by the president? Very much so. Very much so. I mean, there's a series of events that are such

that it started with the sort of annual mass round-ups by police. They tend to sort of pick on

black people to see if they have what, which is a residency permit. And it's a very negative cycle

because people apply, particularly students, they apply in September for their residency permit.

And the administration doesn't give the permit. So January, February, there are these mass arrests.

And this year, same as last year, there are 300 arrests. And then there was this highly publicised

transcription of a meeting between the president and his security council, where he said that Tunisia

needs urgent measures to push back these hordes of migrants and was accusing them of criminality

and violence, and very much echoing a narrative that's been building over the last year, that's

been pushed by the Nationalist Party. Their agenda is to get rid of black people from Tunisia.

And then what happened was that he also passed a decree law about the issue of the carte-sageur

imposing higher penalties for people who didn't have one, but also cracking down on people who

employed people without carte-sageur in formal employment, like cafes in construction.

Alicia Volkman speaking to Julian Marshall. Lebanon has seen crisis after crisis in recent

years, its economy going into freefall, the pandemic, and the massive Beirut port explosion three years

ago. Now it has a new problem to contend with, two time zones. The government has decided to delay

putting the clocks forward until the end of Ramadan, putting it out of sync with most of Europe

and some parts of the Middle East. It's thought this is to allow Muslims to break their daily

fast earlier, but the move is opposed by Christians and some Muslims who say it goes against the

spirit of Ramadan. Karine Torbe in Beirut told us more. It's a total mess. People are completely

lost to what time to follow, which appointments falls under which time zone or which time reading,

because what we have currently in Lebanon is two different timings for exactly the same

moment, which actually you can imagine creates massive, massive confusion. But it isn't only

both confusion. It would have been manageable if it was just that for the three coming weeks,

because then we'll move back to summertime. It's basically that this has created a whole

kind of sectarian rift and it seems that it was not just ill-prepared and it seems kind of impulsive

and it didn't take into consideration all the consequences to such a decision taken at such

a short notice. It triggered a lot of reactions and these reactions seem to come from Christian

entities. TV stations that have Christian identity and then the head of the Maronite Church, the

biggest church in the country, decided that it will not comply and it's switching to summertime.

So basically at the moment everyone in the country has two different times to observe.

There has been a lot of confusion at the airport and just because the decision was taken just two

days ago, the airport in Beirut sent messages to all the passengers who have any trips for the

next three weeks alerting them to a change of the time. Basically what they're trying to do is to

abide by the Lebanese time when it comes to take off time. Well, I say Lebanese time, I'm not sure

which one I'm referring to. I would say the official Lebanese time. But this is really,

really chaotic. You've got students in different schools starting at different times tomorrow.

You've got workers at the moment all going about whether we should start at eight or nine,

which time are we following? And every single institution in the country is

issuing some sort of clarification about which time zone it is at the moment going by.

Karin Torbe in Beirut. In Colombia, the chief of police has said he and other officers have been

using several unusual techniques, including exorcism, to track down some of the country's

most wanted criminals. General Henry Sanabria, who is a devout Catholic, was speaking in a

newspaper interview. James Reid has more details. General Sanabria is well known in Colombia for

his hardline religious views. But his comments about the use of exorcism by the security forces

have come as a surprise. He said the rituals had been used in operations that led to the

killing of the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar, as well as top FARC rebel commanders. The general

said exorcism was necessary to overcome the witchcraft he claimed many criminals used to

protect themselves. Asked about the remarks, President Gustavo Petro said General Sanabria's

religious beliefs had to be respected as long as they didn't interfere with his work. But he

would have a word with him. James Reid. The founder of one of the world's biggest dumpling

empires has died. Yang Bingyi opened a small business with his wife in Taiwan, which took off

and expanded into the global franchise Din Tai Fung. Its Hong Kong branch even won a Michelin

star. The dumplings became so famous that Hollywood star Tom Cruise even tried his hand at making

some on a visit to the Taipei branch. Our Asia Pacific editor Michael Bristow told us more

about Yang Bingyi and how his dumplings conquered the world. It's one of these rags to riches stories.

Yang Bingyi was born in Shanxi province, an inland province in China. At a time of civil war

across the country, he ended up leaving China and going to Taiwan in 1948. Just as a civil war

there was at its height and he got a job in a company selling cooking oil. He then started his

own business. When the business started to fail, he then decided with his wife to open a small

restaurant selling what became and what's become the signature dish of his restaurants

called Din Tai Fung, the restaurant's name. These are a little pork dumplings called Shaolong Bao,

exquisite. They're delicious. I've had them myself and quickly word spread around about these

dumplings and the business just took off from there. Now there are 170 branches mostly across

South-East Asia but some as far away as New York and London and Sydney.

You say you've had them yourself. What was so special about them?

These Shaolong Bao, they've got very thin, delicate skin. Now they're folded these skins 18

times. A very precise figure but the restaurant has decided that's the perfect symmetry for these

little buns. They're then steamed in bamboo baskets and they're quite soupy so when you bite into them

all this kind of juice comes spurting out and can be quite hot but they're absolutely delicious.

They do sound quite mouthwatering. I mean he gets a lot of credit for this. How much credit

should go to his wife? Well of course his wife helped with the business and helped run the business

and in fact it's still a family business now because his eldest son has taken over it and his

eldest son really has transformed this restaurant into a global brand and expanded across and into

many different other countries. The restaurant's also famous for its service. People who go and

work there, they're taught how to greet customers, how to smile. There are even reports that the

management tell their workers how to brush their teeth so they present the best smile to their

customers. Michael Bresto and apologies if that report left you feeling hungry.

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 with topics covered you can send us an email.

The address is globalpodcastatbbc.co.uk. You can also find us on Twitter at globalnewspod.

This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll, the producer was Eleanor Sly, the editor is Karen

Martin. I'm Jeanette Jalil. Until next time, goodbye. Inspiring the next generation of dreamers and doers,

APX and Portia present Yvonne Liao. I want people to discover their own relationship to nature

because it's a humbling and awe-inspiring place and when we learn to navigate it we'll remember

that we belong here too. The Founders Initiative by APX and Portia.

Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.

Yoav Gallant had called for plans to overhaul the judiciary to be scrapped. Also: NATO allies condemn Moscow's plans to station nuclear weapons in Belarus, Lebanon gains an extra time zone, and we look back at the life of the founder of one of the world's biggest dumpling empires.