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$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. Speeds lower above 40 gigabytes. See details. You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. This edition is published in the early hours of Wednesday, the 17th of July. Gold bars and banknotes. US Democratic Senator Bob Menendez is found guilty of corruption and acting as a foreign agent.
Police in Bangladesh have raided the headquarters of the main opposition party after another day of violent protests. And the German government bans a right-wing extremist magazine accusing it of whipping up hatred. They've published logos, for example, that said invasion from Africa and with black people on the cover. They have also published things talking about how the elites are planning the end of times.
Also in the podcast, health officials in Gaza say more than 50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes as Prime Minister Netanyahu vows to increase pressure on Hamas. And the American rock duo Tenacious D cancel the rest of their world tour after an onstage joke about the Donald Trump shooting. MUSIC
But we begin in the United States and it is not a good look for the Democrats. One of their most influential senators, Bob Menendez, has been found guilty of corruption after gold bars and large amounts of cash were found at his home. The 70-year-old senator for New Jersey was convicted on all 16 counts, including bribery, acting as a foreign agent and obstructing justice.
US Attorney Damien Williams said Mr Menendez had put his position as an influential senator up for sale. This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in the form of cash, gold bars and Mercedes-Benz. This wasn't politics as usual, this was politics for profit. And now that a jury has convicted Bob Menendez, his years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.
But Senator Menendez said he would fight to clear his name. Obviously, I'm deeply, deeply disappointed by the jury's decision. I have every faith that the law and the facts did not sustain that decision and that we will be successful upon appeal. I have never violated my public oath. I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent.
And the decision rendered by the jury today would put at risk every member of the United States Senate in terms of what they think a foreign agent would be. However, the most senior Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer has called on him to resign. I heard more from Ione Wells in Washington.
This case really centred around accusations that he accepted bribes, including gold bars, cash, even a Mercedes-Benz in exchange for helping foreign governments. Now, his sort of defence had really centred around his argument that these weren't bribes, they were just gifts and that no specific action was taken as a result of receiving them. But a guilty verdict has now been found. The prosecution have said that he was guilty of 16 counts of
of this bribery scheme. His lawyers had kind of also tried to shift the blame a little bit during the trial to his wife, Mrs Menendez, portraying her as what they described as financially troubled, somebody who hoped to get cash and assets any way she could. She is also facing charges as part of this wider case, although her trial was delayed due to her receiving cancer treatment. Yeah, I mean, will he end up in jail? And if so, can he then continue as a senator?
Well, certainly he now faces the prospect of potentially decades in prison, possible expulsion from the Democratic Party as well. He is still at the moment hoping to run as an independent and keep his seat in New Jersey at November's U.S. election after most Democrats in the state walked away from him when the indictment showed those gold bars stashed in his home last year.
Now, since the verdict, though, multiple senators have issued statements calling on him to resign, saying that he shouldn't be standing again now that he's been found guilty on all counts, including, for example, Senator Murray. We've just had a statement through saying they strongly reiterate their call for him to step down. No one is above the law. So I think he's certainly facing a kind of caucus now of people asking him to resign completely.
As you say, the election less than four months away. What will be the impact of this on Democrats in their chances in various races? Well, I think certainly part of the motivation behind a lot of other Democratic senators and politicians coming out asking him to resign is to try and distance themselves from him. There is certainly concern about sort of reputational damage as a result of this verdict. It's been a long trial. It's been very high profile and certainly unethical.
That sort of negative publicity is not what the party needs right now, as it is gearing up for its own convention in August in Chicago, especially given the party has already been battling negative headlines over the last couple of weeks because of President Biden's performance in the presidential debate and serious concerns at high ends of the Democratic Party about his fitness for office. Ione Wells in Washington.
Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, says the former U.S. president told him he was chosen because he could help win key battleground states and help him govern. The Ohio senator has also addressed his past criticism of his new boss, saying his views have changed.
The vice-presidential nominee has also prompted reaction abroad after branding China the biggest threat to America and calling the UK the, quote, first truly Islamist country with a nuclear weapon. James Naughty has met J.D. Vance and sent us this profile. It makes no difference to Donald Trump that his now running mate once called him America's Hitler.
In Trump world, memories hardly matter. It's the here and now, always. And J.D. Vance today brings vigor to the ticket, the loyalty of a convert, and the voice of the angry America where the former president gets all his political energy. Thank you all so much. Oh, man. What a...
What a night. I love you guys too. Wow. I met him at the end of last year in the company of Steve Bannon, hero of what he calls the Christian nationalism movement, who's currently in jail for contempt of Congress. And I watched a love-in on Bannon's twice-daily Trump-supporting radio show, The War Room, reaching millions and broadcasting for nearly 24 hours each week from a book-stuffed study in Bannon's home on Capitol Hill.
We're honoured to have Senator J.D. Vance. The reason we've asked Senator Vance has been so gracious to actually come into the studio. On that particular morning, they shared their on-air contempt, it is the only appropriate word, for Volodymyr Zelensky. And outside, I spoke to Senator Vance for the Radio 4 documentary, America on the Edge.
and wondered why he wanted Vladimir Putin to win in Ukraine. If he takes 20% of Ukrainian territory, is that a victory for him? I think probably yes, but if you still preserve Ukrainian independence, that's probably something that we can deal with. Looking out at the world, he's relaxed about authoritarians. Viktor Orban in Hungary is by far his favorite European. He professes to share Trump's view that NATO is obsolete.
And as far as Britain is concerned, he sees decline. What is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon? And we were like, maybe it's Iran. You know, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts. And then we sort of finally decided maybe it's actually the UK since labor just took over. Decline is his stock in trade.
His 2016 book Hillbilly Elegy, a powerful and eloquent story of his life as a child of the so-called Rust Belt, expressed the sentiments that, put much more crudely, won Trump the White House. Anger about immigration, a world trading system that seemed to suck jobs away from the Midwest, and a distant elite that just didn't understand.
He is a Yale-educated success story who made millions in Silicon Valley, where the multi-billionaire and dedicated libertarian Peter Thiel is his patron. The American people, again, they need people who put the interests of their own citizens first, of our own citizens first, and that's what this entire movement is all about. Ambitious and clever. And those who know him well don't accuse him of being in an ideological straitjacket. He
He's changed before and could do so again. It may be, for example, that some of his arguments in the Senate on abortion and even contraception will be toned down in this campaign. His bigger interest is power. What are Republicans running on? Delivering the peace and prosperity that Donald Trump already delivered in his four years. What are Democrats running on? Lies and complete distortions of people's records.
James David Vance, age 39, of Middletown, Ohio, that could be no more appropriate hometown, has been picked to galvanise the states where this election may be decided. Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. And he's got the right equipment. A feeling for the territory. Eloquence. Youth. And ruthlessness.
The office of vice president has propelled six people since 1945 to the Oval Office, not a bad precedent for young Senator Vance, serving a candidate who will enter his 80th year next summer in the White House if he wins in November. Other VPs have served their time and slipped into obscurity. If the Republican ticket does win, you can bet that J.D. Vance is unlikely to be one of those. That report by James Naughty.
Bangladesh has seen another day of angry protests as tens of thousands of students took to the streets over a lack of jobs.
If I don't get a job after completing my studies, after six years of study, will the government take responsibility for the hardship I'm going through, my family's going through? Footage showed demonstrators brandishing wooden poles. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas. And the protesters were also attacked by rival students from the youth wing of the governing Awami League.
Following the unrest, the government ordered all schools and colleges to shut, and there was a late-night raid on the headquarters of the main opposition party. More than 30 million young Bangladeshis are out of work and not in education, and the students are angry that 56% of state jobs are reserved for certain groups, which they say allows the government to reward supporters. I heard more about the protests from our South Asia regional editor, Anbarasan Etirajan.
There have been violent clashes between groups of students in various parts of Bangladesh. The situation is really tense with rival groups protesting, holding rallies in the capital Dhaka as well as in the other cities like in Chittagong. Police also were firing tear gas grenades.
to disperse the protesters and then both groups of students, one, the university students who have been protesting against this, what you call a quota system, affirmative action for a select group of people. And I
Again, they accused the student wing of the governing Awami League of attacking them in several places, which they denied that they were deliberately targeting these students. Now, we are getting reports of a number of students killed in the clashes.
We don't know what was the reason for the death, but the doctors are talking about bullet injuries and head injuries. So this is likely to trigger more anger among university students. And it is also can spread to other educational institutions. And that's why we see the government is taking this action of closing down schools for the moment now indefinitely. Yeah, but not universities. So will it be enough?
Because the universities come under different departments, different management, probably they are waiting to see how the situation pans out. Anyway, it's going to be a public holiday for the religious festival of Muharram. But what angered the students was the comment made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina because she was describing those who are protesting against this reservation system as
Razakars, meaning those who collaborated with the Pakistani authorities when Bangladesh was fighting for its independence in 1971. So those people always were looked down upon, criticized in the Bangladeshi society for not supporting the Bangladesh independence movement.
The Prime Minister's comments really triggered anger among students, according to their representatives. So quite an aggressive response from the government and its supporters. Is it doing anything to try to address the problem of unemployment? At the moment, no, because people on the streets would say it is really difficult to find jobs.
Now, why they are against this quota system is that nearly around 50% reserved for various categories. But what they're saying is that the governing Awami League is misusing. There is a chance that they could misuse this quota system to bring in their own people, an allegation denied by the Awami League.
The French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted the resignation of his Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, after the recent elections resulted in a hung parliament split between the left, the centre and the far right. As Hugh Schofield now explains, Mr Attal will stay on as caretaker Prime Minister until a new government is agreed, but that could take some time.
Gabrielle Attal offered his resignation in the immediate aftermath of the snap elections in recognition of his failure to win them. Initially, President Macron turned him down, but now he's accepted the resignation, which means the Attal government becomes from today a purely managerial one, running only essential business like, for example, the Olympics.
As soon as one or some of the political parties can agree on a potential new prime minister likely to command a majority in the National Assembly, then that person should receive the appointment from President Macron to take over. But France is nowhere near that point. The left-wing alliance, which came together successfully to block the far right at the election, is now deeply divided and unable to agree on a candidate.
and the prospect of a centre-led coalition comprising some Conservatives and Socialists, as well as the Macronites, is also a distant prospect. Mr O'Toole may end up running the show in a purely technical capacity for some time to come. Hugh Schofield in Paris.
The German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, has banned a magazine called Compact, describing it as a mouthpiece for the right-wing extremist scene. The organisation's offices, as well as properties linked to its management, employees and shareholders in four German states, have been raided by the authorities.
The minister said Compact incited hatred against Jews, migrants and parliamentary democracy in an unspeakable manner. Rebecca Kesby has been talking to Julia Ebner, author of the book Going Mainstream, How Extremists Are Taking Over. She first asked about the legality of the raid and Germany's freedom of speech laws.
The German context is, of course, different from other countries for historical reasons that are obvious, which means that in Germany we have much stricter anti-hate speech laws. And the priority is usually given to shutting down any kind of voices that might be inciting violence or hatred against minorities, for example.
rather than freedom of speech. For example, in the US, we have the opposite case where freedom of speech is prioritized over anything else. So I think we have these two very clear kind of contrasting examples in the debate around free speech. Holocaust denial or any kind of symbols or logos relating to, for example, antisemitism or far-right extremism are banned.
I think they send it out to subscribers in an envelope so that its headlines can't be read by people in the post, which kind of does give a sense that they know that they're, you know, incendiary headlines. What are some of the things that you've seen in this magazine? They've published logos, for example, that said invasion from Africa and with
black people on the cover. They have also published things talking about how the elites are planning the end of times. So they are spreading some really violent inciting views and also conspiracy myths. For example, the Great Reset, this idea that the so-called global elites are trying to impose a dictatorship, a world dictatorship and completely destroy
completely change the international dynamics in a way that entire populations would be controlled by them. And they've also spread the conspiracy myth of the Great Replacement. So this idea that
white Europeans are gradually being replaced by non-whites. And that, of course, plays very much into both anti-migrant and anti-Muslim views. But it also sometimes gives rise to anti-Semitic ideas because there's then an added notion of the global Jewish elites are behind this and also anti-LGBTQ ideas.
So the government has banned this magazine. Of course, people that like to read it will say that that's censorship, that it's unfair. Other people may actually say that, you know, this is going to force the people that write for that magazine or want to read it further underground.
It's a really tricky question, but of course, the ban will definitely limit the reach that the magazine can have, because right now it is the most powerful and the most wide-reaching far-right extremist media outlet in Germany. Nonetheless, there is a wider ecosystem of alternative far-right media outlets around
where I imagine that the attention will shift to other media outlets. And if they don't also get banned, I think there will be new audiences for these other magazines and these other outlets. It is, of course, also possible that this will create a massive backlash and can be counterproductive because people will feel that they are becoming victims and being silenced. So I think there is, of course, that dynamic. I'm not sure if
Banning media outlets is the most productive way and the most effective way in countering these kinds of hate speech. Julia Ebner talking to Rebecca Kesby about the German government banning the magazine Kompakt. Still to come on the Global News Podcast, more clashes in Kenya as young demonstrators call on the president to resign.
protests are different to any other protests we've seen in this country before. The young protesters pride themselves in being leaderless. Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. Recently, I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two-year contracts, they said, what the f*** are you talking about, you insane Hollywood a**hole?
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All right.
More than 50 people are reported to have been killed in airstrikes in Gaza, including in a designated safe zone. Israel says it was attacking Hamas fighters who hid among civilians.
The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 38,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the massacre of 7 October. Our special correspondent Fergal Keane reports now on one of those deaths, a young man with Down syndrome who lived in the embattled district of Shujaya. And a warning that you may find parts of Fergal's report distressing.
Mohamed Bahar, a 24-year-old man with Down syndrome, lived with his family near Gaza City. Here his sister Noor offers him some grapes. He smiles. Mohamed was also autistic and had suffered bullying at school. His widowed mother Nabila, his brothers, sister, nieces and nephews were his comfort and security.
Nabila explains how the war magnified his fear. He would say, hey, hey, thinking someone wanted to hit him. He was always scared, fearful. We would gather around him and comfort him, though he didn't understand much. He was very scared.
Intense fighting returned to the family's district of Shejaya a fortnight ago. On June 27th, Israel ordered residents to evacuate.
But Mohamed's family stayed, exhausted by constant moving. We evacuated 15 times. We would go to Jibril's place, but then there would be bombing. We would go to Haidar Square, but then there would be bombing. We would go to the Rimal, but then there would be bombing. We would go to Shawa Square, but there would also be bombing. We would go to Shawa Square, but then there would be bombing.
This is the sound of troops searching houses in Gaza. They move carefully, fearful of ambush. Often dogs are sent ahead into rooms and tunnels, like this German shepherd attacking a Hamas fighter last December.
When the army raided Mohammed's house on July 3rd, his family says a dog immediately attacked the disabled young man. I constantly see the dog tearing at him and his hand and the blood pouring from it. This scene I will never forget. It stays in front of my eyes the whole time. It never leaves me. We couldn't save him, neither from the dog nor from them. I didn't know what to do with them.
Two brothers were arrested. The wounded Mohammed was taken into another room. He was given some medical care, though it's not clear what.
Nabila Bahar says the troops eventually told the family to leave the building. I asked them to let me take Mohammed with me. How could I leave him alone? Who would take care of him? They told me Mohammed is gone. I asked what does gone mean? Is he dead? They did not respond and they told us all to get out.
About a week later, the family was able to return. You're hearing the voice of Jibreel Bahar as he shows a BBC colleague a video of his brother Mohammed lying dead on the floor. There's a tourniquet on his arm.
gauze used to try and stop bleeding from a wound. Mohamed was lying here with his hand restrained with plastic and gauze. They were trying to stop the bleeding. Then they left him without stitches or care, just these basic first aid measures. There was no autopsy and no certificate of death, no medical conclusion as to what exactly caused the death.
In response to our queries, the Israel Defence Forces said they were checking on the report. Mohamed was buried in an alley between houses because it was too dangerous to take the corpse to a mortuary or a graveyard. Fergal Keane reporting. The BBC approached the IDF for a comment and is waiting for a response. Despite a series of concessions from the Kenyan president, young protesters there have once again taken to the streets demanding his resignation.
Police opened fire on demonstrators, some of who were throwing rocks. At least one person was killed in a town on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, bringing the total to 50 since the protests began a month ago. The worst of the violence occurred three weeks ago when police opened fire on demonstrators who'd entered the parliamentary grounds. President Ruto was then forced to withdraw planned tax increases and sack his cabinet, while the police chief eventually resigned.
Our correspondent Anne Soy witnessed the latest protests in Nairobi. She told me what they were like.
Chaotic. There were confrontations between the protesters and police, and it appears the strategy by the police was to ensure that they do not gather in large groups, and therefore the groups were much smaller and scattered. In the Central Business District in Nairobi, where I was, I have seen pictures from different parts of the country. There were also small crowds in different towns, confrontations with police using tear gas, water cannons. There was also a person who
just outside Nairobi to the south, a place called Kitengela, and that fuelled a lot of anger among the crowds against the government. Yeah, I mean, why are the protests continuing, given that the president withdrew the legislation that sparked them in the first place? Well, these protests are different to any other protests we've seen in this country before. The young protesters pride themselves in being leaderless,
And by speaking to different people, either on social media or in the protests, they have different reasons for protesting. It has evolved to protests against government excesses, against corruption. They have multiple reasons for going out to protest. Is there anything the government can do to end this unrest?
Given how divergent the opinions are, it is not clear. And, you know, this is the question that is being discussed now, debated in different fora on the local media. There are those who say that the president must resign. But then what? There's no electoral commission in place to conduct elections. Some protesters say that they want the MPs gone. There's a process to that. Some have attempted to collect signatures to recall their MPs. So it's a mix of so many things. Absolutely.
And soy in Kenya. Next to Thailand, where there's been a mysterious but deadly incident at a luxury hotel. Housekeepers found six guests dead in a room after they failed to check out. Police say poisoning is a possible explanation. One person on the booking is still unaccounted for. Our reporter Jay Sung Lee gave us this update.
The Thai Prime Minister, Sreta Thasin, and the Thai police chief held a press conference in this hotel. Now, this is a luxury hotel in central Bangkok. Six bodies were found inside this hotel room. Two were Vietnamese Americans, four were Vietnamese nationals. Three of them were men, three of them were women. So far, what we do know is that no bodily harm was found on these bodies. But an autopsy is needed to really establish the exact causes of the death.
Police say they suspect that they had been dead for around 24 hours. The bodies were discovered earlier today at 4 p.m. local time, but there was a room service order that came from this room on Monday around 1.55 p.m., so it shows that there were signs of life until at least then. They were supposed to check...
out today. So it's unclear what has happened since then. The food that was ordered by room service haven't been touched at all. And the authorities were able to find six glasses in the room, which matched the DNA of those who died. Now, six bodies were found. And now the five of those people who were found dead today matched the hotel records, but the sixth body did not.
It says the door was locked from the inside, so police, you know, it's very unclear right now. They're not ruling out anything. The comedy rock duo Tenacious D have cancelled the rest of their tour of Australia, New Zealand and the United States and apologised after a comment on stage about the shooting of the former US President Donald Trump. Rachel Wright has the story, which includes views that some may find offensive.
Actors Jack Black and Carl Gass formed the comedy rock duo Tenacious D in Los Angeles in 1994. Their music won a Grammy in 2015 with what's been described as mock music, a mixture of heavy metal and grunge and comedy.
With Jack Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Kyle Gass' acoustic guitar playing, they've sold many records, played at festivals and supported huge bands like Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. Jack Black is one of Hollywood's biggest stars with parts in films such as School of Rock, King Kong and Kung Fu Panda. The band was on a tour of Australia and New Zealand when this happened. I'll be right there, Kyle
On Sunday, while on stage at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Australia, a man dressed as a massive robot marched onto the stage holding a birthday cake with lighted candles to present to Kyle Gass, who was 64. Then Jack Black, with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, said this. Don't miss Trump next time. LAUGHTER
Kyle Gass appears to have said, don't miss Trump next time, a clear reference to the assassination attempt on the former president the previous day. The crowd laughed and jeered and the band finished the concert, but the video was widely circulated on social media, with comments ranging from people saying they were sickened to others saying the band had a right to freedom of speech. Tuesday's sellout gig in Newcastle was then cancelled by the concert promoter.
Both of the band have made their political views very clear in the past, especially of the former President Trump. Jack Black has also appeared at recent fundraisers for Joe Biden, saying democracy is at stake.
But then Jack Black put out a statement on Instagram saying, Tenacious D was due to play another 11 dates of their Spicy Meatball tour, but in his statement, Jack Black said this would be cancelled and that the rest of the group's creative plans are on hold.
Kyle Gass also apologised for what he called a terrible mistake and a severe lack of judgement. But their apology wasn't enough for some. A senator for the United Australia Party, Ralph Babbitt, said the band should be immediately deported.
And that is all from us for now, but the Global News Podcast will be back very soon. This edition was produced by Alice Adderley and mixed by Dafydd Evans. Our editors, Karen Martin, I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye. There was no proper killer, even if you see him in the town, everybody will say he's the killer. This is the story of a man who killed so many people, he lost count. But despite his shocking death toll,
He only served 12 years in jail. It's astounding that anybody could get away with it. And the families of his victims want justice. That justice system ultimately ignored all of those bodies and all of the families. From the BBC World Service, World of Secrets, Season 3, The Apartheid Killer. Search for World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
