1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Hello, I'm Celia Hatton, and welcome to our weekly roundup 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: of what's happening around the world, brought to you by 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: the BBC World Service. Each week, we're joined by one 4 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: of the BBC's Global Affairs reporters as we explore the 5 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: biggest international stories making headlines, along with a few insights 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: that reveal what life looks like in different corners of 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: the globe. It could be politics, climate crises, global culture, 8 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: or even the everyday moments that connect us all. With 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: me today is Richard KODGOI coming to us from Nairobi. Richard, 10 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: let's start with the US Israel war in Iran. 11 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 2: Well, that's been top of the agenda in terms of 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 2: a news coverage for the past couple of weeks and 13 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 2: now entering into the second month, tensions do continue to escalate. 14 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 2: We have seen US and Israeli air strikes targeting infrastructure 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 2: or the Uranian regime in Tehran and also in surrounding areas. 16 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 2: This includes a civilian nucleus, sites of factories and are 17 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:07,479 Speaker 2: also universities. And Iran has continued also in retaliation its 18 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 2: attacks and targeting neighboring countries, you know, just across the Gulf, 19 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 2: in Bahrain, in Kuwait, in the UAE, and are also 20 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 2: in Kata well. Tehran says that it's carrying out those 21 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: retaliatory attacks because of the attacks that have been conducted 22 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 2: by Israel and the US. It's a father threatening actually 23 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 2: to carry out more attacks on US interests in the region, 24 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 2: including American universities, because of the attacks that did happen 25 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 2: in Tehrana early on Saturday. So ANALYSTA saying that it 26 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 2: could be perhaps maybe a strategy by Iran tudita, you know, 27 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 2: father attacks. But the situation really looks like it's a 28 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 2: gream at the moment, despite you know, indications and hopes 29 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 2: during the week that possibly there might be some negotiations 30 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: underway at some point, but the situation remains to be 31 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 2: very fluid. 32 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: Indeed, there are some peace efforts happening as well. 33 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 2: Or precisely as you speak, then, talks that are taking 34 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 2: place in Islamabad in Pakistan. It's being hosted by the 35 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,679 Speaker 2: Pakistani Foreign Minister and the deputy Prime minister. So they've 36 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 2: invited the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, of Attaki and Egypt. 37 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 2: So top of the agenda is figuring out how possibly 38 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 2: to end the war. The reason why Pakistan has been 39 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 2: sort of like selected. It acts as a sort of 40 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 2: intermediary between Iranian officials and Washington. The Pakistan deputy Prime 41 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: Minister seems to have a rappo with President Trump. They 42 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 2: have a closer contacts with the countries in the Gulf 43 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 2: and also very good relations with Tehran, and so there 44 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 2: seem to be a neutral party because also they don't 45 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 2: host a US military basis, and so this Sunday and 46 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 2: into Monday there would be doing a talks and possibly 47 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 2: exploring opportunities on how to de escalate the tensions are 48 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 2: in the region. 49 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: And Richard moving on. This week also saw a major 50 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: court decision regarding the use of social media in the 51 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: US state of California. 52 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 2: Yes, this is considered in many lego circles as a 53 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 2: landmarker decision by a jury there where twenty year old 54 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 2: victims is suffer the mental health problems because of usage 55 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 2: of Instagram and YouTube. So I went to court to 56 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 2: seek compensation and the damages that has been cast by 57 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 2: this because they've been using this as since when they 58 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 2: were nine years old. And so the court did make 59 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: a decision issued a verdict which includes ordering the tech 60 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 2: giants that's a Google, the owner of the YouTube platform, 61 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 2: and Meta, the owner of the Instagram platform, to pay 62 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 2: six million dollars in terms of compensation and damages at 63 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 2: the same time. But if you look at the verdict itself, 64 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 2: what really stands out is the fact that the judges 65 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 2: really focused on not just the content on the platforms themselves, 66 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 2: but how they have been designed. Because there has been 67 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 2: the opinion that social media has been designed in a 68 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 2: way to hook people and to make them addictive. And 69 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 2: so this twenty year old said that as a result 70 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 2: of using the platforms, sulfur depression, hard suicideal thoughts, and 71 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 2: dysmophia as a result. And so this is what the 72 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 2: judges were saying, that they really wanted to bring accountability 73 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 2: to the social media jants. And so the vardict is 74 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 2: seen as are very consequential because, you know, the judges 75 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 2: are saying that the social media platforms are defective and 76 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 2: that they have been designed to exploit you know, kids 77 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 2: and teenagers. But if you listen to the defense team 78 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 2: that was representing the two social media companies, they're saying 79 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:01,799 Speaker 2: that the problems of the twenty years old did originate 80 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:06,600 Speaker 2: from other factors which include you know, family difficulties and 81 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 2: you know landing disabilities, and so it does not specifically 82 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 2: to the upper loon. And so even YouTube are saying 83 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 2: that they're not necessarily actually a social media platform, and 84 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 2: so they might have been misunderstood in this case because 85 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 2: they're saying that they are just a responsible, you know, 86 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 2: streaming our platform. So it's largely one case that has 87 00:05:25,040 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 2: really been followed widely. It's really cast a spotlight on 88 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 2: social media companies and their services and how also they 89 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,479 Speaker 2: are designed these Also they're thinking that it's going to 90 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 2: provide maybe a precedence and also references for future cases 91 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 2: across out the world. 92 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: A very complex and developing story there. And last you've 93 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 1: been tracking a story involving mountain gorillas born in the 94 00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 1: Democratic Republic of Congo, the DRC. 95 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 2: Yes, Celia, I've extensively covered this part of you know, Africa, 96 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 2: and this is really on the eastern part of the 97 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 2: DARC where we've largely been reporting about the insurgency by 98 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 2: the twenty three and clashes by the Congolese forces. But 99 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,159 Speaker 2: of course there is a nice story, you know, a 100 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 2: bright spark amidst all the doom and gloom, and this 101 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 2: is the bath of a set of twins of a 102 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:23,160 Speaker 2: mountain gorillas. Conservationist that we're really involved in protecting the 103 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 2: population of mountain gorilla say that this is just an 104 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 2: extraordinary because if you look even at the statistics, they 105 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 2: say it's very rare to have twins, because they just 106 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 2: accounfort about one percent for all mountain gorilla baths. So 107 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 2: it was really really good news. And it's a baby boy, 108 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 2: a baby gal and they belong to a family called 109 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 2: barakas so Barakanzahili means a blessing. And so this is 110 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: a group of nineteen gorillas that leave within the rainforest 111 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 2: are part of the Varunga National Park. I should say 112 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 2: this that about in the early seventies are the populations 113 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 2: over the mountain gorillas drops significantly because of poaching and 114 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 2: the insecurity in that part of the world. And they're 115 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 2: just about two hundred and fifty that were left in 116 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 2: the world. But since twenty eighteen we've seen a gradual increase. 117 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: In fact, even in terms of its categorization, they were 118 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 2: lowered from being critically endangered to just endangered. So it 119 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 2: was really a moment of celebration for conservationist and for 120 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 2: animal lovers, not just in the eastern part of darc 121 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 2: and Uganda in Bwindi National Park, where they're also found 122 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 2: the only two places around the world where the mountain 123 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 2: gorillas are found. So it was really a moment of 124 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 2: joy and I guess something positive just out of a 125 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 2: region that has really been overshadowed by you know, very 126 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 2: sad news of war. 127 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: Okay, well that's a nice way to end. Thanks, thank 128 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: you Richard, and that's it for this week on the 129 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: BBC World Service.