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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 Will Chalk, and in the early hours of Tuesday 16th June, these are our main stories. We've heard so much about this potential US-Iran peace deal, but could violence between Israel and Hezbollah undermine it before it's been officially signed? Also, Iran begin their Football World Cup campaign with a great match against New Zealand in LA.
Also in this podcast, we hear how growing anger in the US against AI data centres has led to voters abandoning the Republican Party.
My entire community is going to break rank. Everybody. All of us. We've had enough.
Could a little-known island off Sierra Leone become the Singapore of West Africa? And we get a glimpse of a new exhibition by the award-winning British sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor. Well, the virtual ink is barely dry on the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, and Israel and Hezbollah are back attacking each other, with skirmishes reported on both sides.
The problem is the ongoing unrest is so deep-rooted that even if this latest deal calls for an immediate and permanent halt to all military operations, including in Lebanon, it's hard to see an end to the fighting there any time soon. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is insisting his country's forces will remain there as long as necessary.
Regarding Lebanon, we've created a buffer zone, a security zone, and we'll remain there as long as necessary. Iran wanted us to withdraw from there, but that did not happen. Do you know why it didn't happen, among other reasons? Because I stood very, very firm. And I believe our American friends respect this determination and stance, this persistence.
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Chapter 2: What are the implications of the US-Iran peace deal amid violence between Israel and Hezbollah?
He was saying, look, vote for me. And another reason why he wants people to vote for him is he's facing corruption charges, which he denies. And if he is no longer leader of Israel, they could very well move through the court. So obviously that is his mind as well. This idea of an immediate and permanent halt to all military operations in Lebanon.
Is that something that Benjamin Netanyahu would ever agree to? I think one of the most important things to say about this is Israel had some really key objectives, which was the ending of the Iranian regime and also the ending of Hezbollah inside Lebanon. Now, the Iranian regime, many people say, is actually stronger than it was before the war. And Hezbollah is still there.
So those objectives were just not achieved.
Chapter 3: How are protests impacting Iran's participation in the Football World Cup?
And no, I don't think there's any chance really of Israel withdrawing from Lebanon while they see Hezbollah as a threat. Charlotte Gallagher there on the Israeli perspective. As for Donald Trump, he's now in France where he's attending the 52nd G7 summit. And as we said, it's later this week that he's expected to go to Switzerland for that formal signing of the memorandum.
Our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams reports. This weekend's news that the US and Iran have agreed to end the war will go some way towards establishing a positive mood among the leaders gathering in France. But they, like all of us, will want to know more. Details of the Memorandum of Understanding have yet to be published.
Chapter 4: What concerns are being raised about AI data centers in the US?
It's not a peace treaty, only the broad outline for a set of difficult negotiations to come. Iran's President, Massoud Pazeshkian, has called it an honourable document. Meeting the summit's host, the French President Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would be fully open by Friday. He said Iran had agreed not to have a nuclear weapon. That's hardly new.
It's made the same pledge in the past. But he paid tribute to the leadership in Iran, which he now describes as pragmatic.
We got along very well with Iran. It's a different set of leaders. As you know, the first set is gone, the second set is gone, and we found the third set to be very smart. The Iran deal that we made is going to bring A lot of success to the world.
It's all a far cry from the call for regime change the president made when he launched the war at the end of February. The deal is due to be signed at a ceremony in Geneva on Friday.
Chapter 5: Could Sherbro Island become the next Singapore?
White House officials say an electronic signing has already taken place and that details may be published in the next 48 hours. When asked if he might stay on in Europe and attend himself, Mr Trump didn't rule it out. Paul Adams there. Safe to say it was a game unlike any other. Iran playing football in the US while the two countries try and put an end to more than 100 days of hostilities.
As we record this podcast, the World Cup fixture between Iran and New Zealand has just ended. It was a 2-2 draw. It was a great match to watch, but the football was overshadowed by politics. Some Iranians boycotted the game, many of those who went protested against the Iranian regime, and FIFA's ban on the pre-revolutionary Lion and Son flag.
BBC Persian's Sam Farzaneh was watching the match in LA. I asked if the atmosphere was what he expected.
No, I was not expecting people cheering for Iran's national team. I was expecting more booing, which they actually started with booing the national anthem. And all of a sudden, as soon as the game started, all I was hearing whenever the ball was on the Iranian side, whenever they had the ball, It was cheers. And it was interesting for me.
Chapter 6: What challenges does Israel face regarding military operations in Lebanon?
Even some of those people who were carrying the Lion and Sun flag that was for the pre-revolutionary in Iran, even those people, I was seeing them, they were cheering for the national team. Where I was sitting, there were a couple of women who constantly, they were cheering the New Zealand team and they were cheering them in Persian, which was interesting.
I think none of the other fans of Kiwis could understand that they were doing that.
Yeah, that's an unusual moment, isn't it? Look, it's so conflicting, isn't it, for Iranians, as you've touched on there. You know, we've heard from supporters who say, we want to cheer on our team because, you know, they're our countrymen, but they feel that conflict that by doing so they are endorsing the regime.
Exactly. And other than that, some of them were considering this team not as Iran's national team. They are thinking about them as more like the Islamic Republic's team. Some of the protesters outside of the stadium were saying that this is not even the Islamic Republic's team. It's the IRGC's team. And they were saying, OK, if you are going to that stadium, you are going to watch IRGC playing.
So the temperature is hot and it was amazing that I saw some people are still cheering for the team.
Yeah, well, I mean, given all the build up and all the drama, I mean, it should be pointed out, we've had it on here in the newsroom. It was, in my view, the game of the tournament so far, I think. So nice for fans who've had a turbulent few months to be able to enjoy something like that. And for you as well, I imagine.
Yeah.
Definitely. And it's interesting, just a few moments ago, Iran's head coach, he said that I'm really happy about the game. He said this was one of the best games of this tournament, but I'm not happy about the result.
BBC Persian's Sam Farzaneh speaking to me from LA. Still to come in this podcast.
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Chapter 7: How is Donald Trump's relationship with Israel affecting US foreign policy?
They are concerned about the rapid expansion of these data centers, the amount of electricity that they are using, the amount of water that they are sucking up, the possible environmental consequences of these large buildings being dropped in their local communities.
hear from that as well, that this isn't a partisan issue, a very rare case where there are conservatives and liberals who are speaking out. There was a poll the other day that upwards of 70 percent of Americans don't want data centers near where they live.
Yes, Sam Altman, they're defending these AI data centres, but also a big concern for him that the stock price of companies like his depend on building these huge centres in order to be able to generate enough power for AI to be used.
Exactly. They are looking at the bottom line and they're trying to figure out how to continue to keep up with the demand from American companies and global companies for these AI services. And they need to find ways of being able to meet that demand. And that requires these massive centers.
The one in Utah, I believe, is proposed to use as much electricity as the rest of the state of Utah put together, which is an eye-watering number. So they have to try to find ways
ways to generate electricity they have to find an abundant water supply and they have to find a way to get around these attempts on a local level to impose moratoriums on data centers and to make it more difficult for them to be built in their communities i think you heard from that one one voter in in texas who's a conservative in texas is a typically a republican state being open to voting for democrats for the opposition party because of this they're becoming
one-issue voters. So I think both parties see peril if they don't acknowledge the concerns of voters. But it's part of a larger concern about AI technology and its disruptive effects, its ability to replace humans with AI agents, and it will cost people their jobs. And that all kind of bundled together is what makes this such a potent issue.
Anthony Zerka there. We've just heard about one of the downsides to the rapid rise of AI, but it can also have its plus sides. Because while a new report is warning that the world's plants are disappearing faster than scientists can keep up, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew here in London say the digital world and AI is offering hope. Here's Helen Briggs.
So this is the Brugmansia and it's got these huge kind of peach-coloured trumpet flowers. They're about the size of your forearm.
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