Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Paul Moss, and in the early hours of Wednesday, the 31st of December, these are our main stories. Iran's government says it will listen to protesters' complaints as demonstrations spread across the country. The US lays sanctions on Iranians and Venezuelans allegedly involved in trading weapons parts and technology.
What do we know about the ties between Tehran and Caracas? And Poland considers a bill which would for the first time give official recognition to same-sex couples. Also in this podcast... It's a catastrophe.
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Chapter 2: What are the reasons behind the recent protests in Iran?
The crux of what the United States is claiming is that there is a trade not just in drones and drone technology, but conventional weaponry and parts needed for for drones and conventional missiles in Venezuela. What that apparently looks like from the non-specific release that the U.S.
government has put out is that drones that are either developed or developed and built in Iran are being used in Venezuela. And the United States says it's concerned about the threat that poses in the Red Sea and the Middle East as a result. But it's probably no coincidence that President Maduro is under a great deal of pressure from President Trump at the moment on a number of fronts.
And the trade in oil as well links between Iran and Venezuela.
Chapter 3: What sanctions has the US imposed on Iran and Venezuela?
So these two countries are very firmly in President Trump's targets.
They are, as you say, his targets. Venezuela and Iran have for a while been perhaps Donald Trump's main enemies in his own eyes. Are they really working together? Because it is remarkable to see these two linked in the way that they have been.
Yeah. I mean, part of President Trump's issue with President Maduro is how close they are to regimes that might not necessarily be in cahoots with the United States in the same way. And Iran's a big part of that. Again, pointing to the US claims that some of the illicit oil trade and the sanctionships are travelling to and from Iran. That is significant.
It's not the case that Iran and Venezuela have suddenly started trading with each other or being close as a result of
Chapter 4: What is the significance of Poland's proposed civil union bill?
The recent troubles outside on the coast of Venezuela, the two countries and the two regimes have been very close for an incredibly long time, not least of which because of the very strong shipping connections between the two and the fact that both would be historically quite suspicious of the United States.
And again, people looking at this story, they'd be forgiven for thinking, is this a Donald Trump, President Maduro story? issue. But it was the case that oil, including that that traded with Iran, was sanctioned under Joe Biden's regime.
And for many years, those tensions have been very difficult with Iran, not just because of its relationships in Venezuela, but because of its proximity to Israel, the Middle East and the risk of destabilising the region.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, was meeting with Donald Trump on Monday at Donald Trump's residence, Mar-a-Lago. Presumably this is something that emerged from their discussions. It hardly seems a coincidence that the sanctions have been issued now.
It absolutely is the case that Benjamin Netanyahu was concerned about the issue of Iran's capabilities. That issue was absolutely brought up. There was concern from Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran building up a nuclear programme and Donald Trump said that if they did that, that threat would be eradicated.
For Venezuela, sanctions may not exactly sound like the biggest threat it faces from the US right now. The country has seen tankers boarded off its coast and boats have been targeted by airstrikes as part of what the US claims is an effort to stop drug smuggling. Then on Monday, Donald Trump said the US had hit a Venezuelan port. which he claimed was used to load drug-smuggling boats.
That would certainly mark an escalation of hostilities. And yet, as our Latin America correspondent Will Grant explains, the new measures announced on Tuesday will still be seen as significant.
In essence, from the Venezuelan perspective, these latest sanctions simply complicate what is already a very, very complicated situation, an increasingly escalating situation. There are already major sanctions in place against individuals from Nicolas Maduro down, throughout his government, throughout his inner circle and his military.
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Chapter 5: How are aid organizations affected by new Israeli rules in Gaza?
These latest steps send out another message to Nicolas Maduro's administration. that the Trump administration intends to squeeze the government in Caracas on every single front, whether or not that be direct sanctions against individuals, confiscating sanctioned oil vessels, which has been taking place,
and of course, militarily through the attack on go-fast boats, speed boats, which are alleged to be carrying drugs through Venezuelan waters. The main question that many have in Caracas is really the apparent explosion at what President Trump called a dock area in Venezuela, if that is going to usher in further
further attacks on land targets in Venezuela and that this conflict is about to escalate even further. That, I think, is the real question far more than the impact of any set of sanctions against individuals or companies.
Will Grant. Poland is, in many ways, you'll have to excuse the near pun, a deeply polarised society. Many among its younger, urban-based population have values which would be considered progressive by any European standards. But in rural areas, the country's more conservative Catholic tradition still holds sway. One issue which has proved particularly polarising is LGBT relationships.
And now the government in Warsaw has sent a bill to Parliament to legalise civil unions for couples living together. And that would include same-sex relationships. Anna Aslam reports. This bill would allow any two people, regardless of gender, to sign a cohabitation contract, which would let them access each other's medical information, inherit assets and jointly file taxes, among other benefits.
However, it would not allow couples to share surnames or adopt children. And for many LGBT campaigners fighting for equality, the bill is a disappointing half-measure. Ahead of the last election, Prime Minister Donald Tusk had promised to introduce a bill legalizing civil partnerships within 100 days.
but he struggled to deliver reforms because of his coalition government's more conservative wing. Poland is mostly Catholic, and many religious conservatives have criticized measures advocating for LGBT rights as gender ideology backed by destructive foreign powers.
The president, Karol Nowrocki, has said he'll veto any bill that, as he puts it, undermines the constitutionally protected status of marriage. Prime Minister Tusk acknowledged this bill's limited scope is the result of a compromise.
No one will be entirely satisfied.
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Chapter 6: What innovative approaches are researchers exploring to tackle homelessness?
I realise this, but this is the minimum of civilisation that Poland must be able to afford. Our task is to make life easier and to ensure that those who choose partnership and therefore who benefit from the status of next of kin will be able to be treated by the Polish state as all citizens deserve.
Chapter 7: What impact does direct cash assistance have on homeless individuals?
The first reading of the bill is scheduled for next month. If it gets through both houses of parliament, it'll then need to be signed into law by the president. So, still a long way to go. But Warsaw has described the cabinet's adoption of the bill as a historic moment in itself. the LGBT community's reaction has been more reserved.
Some say it's a necessary compromise in the right direction, but others have voiced frustration. One campaigner described the bill as a paradox. He said the government finally acknowledges our existence, but remains too afraid to grant us dignity.
A recent survey found only about a third of polls support the introduction of same-sex marriage, but nearly two-thirds back some form of legal recognition for same-sex unions. Poland remains one of the most restrictive European Union states on LGBT rights, alongside Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia. Anna Aslam.
Still to come in this podcast... We provide a kind of lump sum of cash to people who are experiencing homelessness and it recognises that actually they're probably the best people to make decisions for themselves. Giving straightforward money donations to homeless people, does it solve their problems?
Chapter 8: How is the Iranian government responding to the protests?
A scam exploiting vulnerable families with sick children.
I would have done anything to get the medicine for Khalil.
The child is directed on camera to plead for help.
I want to be a normal kid. I want to go to school. They were going to upload it to social media.
Millions of dollars pour in, but the families never receive the money. He told us it wasn't successful. As I understood it, the video just didn't make any money.
They used to raise funds for their own benefit.
World of Secrets, the child cancer scam, from the BBC World Service. Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
You have to check out. SƤƤrebori, lomia joiden et soisi loppuvan.
There's less than 24 hours to go until some of the world's biggest aid organisations will be banned from operating in the Gaza Strip. Oxfam, Care International, MĆ©decins Sans FrontiĆØres, all of these, according to Israel, have failed to comply with new rules which require them to give extensive details about everyone they employ.
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