IMF upgrades global economy outlook

This BBC Podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. So, quick summer recap. Heat waves, data leaks, AI hacks, folding phones and a viral spinally challenge record. Yeah, I think that covers it, right? I'm Thomas Germain. I'm Just Maddox and the Interface is back from its summer break. New season, new co-host, same deep dives into the tech that's shaping our world and our lives. So before AI wipes out all of humanity? Allegedly. Join us for the Interface. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hi, I'm Uncle Desai and at 14 hours GMT on Tuesday, the 13th of October, these are our main stories. The International Monetary Fund says the global economy has weathered the wars in the Middle East better than was feared. A leading Iraqi human rights organization says the government must do more to protect women who speak out about sexual violence. Pope Leo has been admitted to hospital to have surgery after a lump was found on his lung. Also in this podcast, US emergency call records reveal confusion after the failed execution of Christophe Pike in Tennessee. We are trying to find out if that is an actual thing that is happening and we need to send an ambulance and or if you need police assistance or if this is someone that is just basically prank calling. And Rwanda has signed a deal to host Africa's first formula one race in more than three decades. The energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East has pushed prices up and put pressure on governments, businesses and consumers around the globe. But the International Monetary Fund now says that the world's biggest economies have shown surprising resilience despite the ongoing conflicts. The IMF has reversed its downgrades of economic growth at the start of the Iran war. It's now forecasting a slight improvement in the global economy. At the same time, it warned hazards do remain. So the one at Tenreiro is the IMF's chief economist. The economy has been resilient, but that resilience is reaching its limits. The task ahead is to move from coping to rebuilding, restoring fiscal space and supply side resilience. And in that way, strengthen country's ability to grow sustainably. From Bangkok where the IMF is meeting, here's our economics editor, Faisal Islam. This is a report for fans of nuance and balance. You know, there's a lot of understandable do-mongri about the world economy given the fact we had a massive trade shock, a massive energy shock at the same time. But I think the backdrop here is you had those two negative shocks at the same time as a significant positive shock, which is massive investment in AI. And to some degree, they have balanced each other off more than expected. So both the negative shocks, the world has been more flexible in coping with them. The energy has found other routes not completely making up for the blockade in the state of Hormuz, but somewhat more than you'd have expected. The trade has found other routes. So the US and China has seen a fall in the mutual trade, but both of the world's top two economies have increased substantially their trade with third countries. So that has been a diversion of sorts. And then despite the negative of both of those two factors, you'll see in this AI boom, frankly, staggering amounts of investment, help support the world economy in patches. So it's mainly centered around, of course, the USA where I am right now in Asia, the UK has benefited too. So it's a kind of global seesaw balancing act, which has meant that the global economy, the downgrades, some of the downgrades penciled in quite understandably six months ago, some of those have been reversed, albeit that resilience is still quite cautious. You know, we don't exactly know how long the energy shock will last. We don't know exactly if the AI boom will turn to bust as some people suspect. So that is sort of where we are now. I'd say net net less pessimism, perhaps even more optimism, than you would have expected given the shocks. It's one of the busiest airports in the Middle East, but the King Khaled International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, will remain closed for at least another four days due to the continuing threat from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The airport has seen three deadly attacks in recent days. That's reportedly prompted the Saudi authorities to launch an investigation to find out how its air defenses failed to intercept missiles and drones. In the last few hours, three missiles are reported to have been shot down north of Riyadh. I asked our correspondent in the region, Hugo Bishaga, about the fallout from the airport closure. We're seeing that hundreds of flights have been suspended. This airport, which is the main airport in Riyadh in the capital of Saudi Arabia, has now suspended operations until at least Saturday. So a lot of disruption there, but we're also seeing disruption in other parts of the country because some airlines have also suspended flights to other cities, including Jeddah. So a very uncertain situation, volatile situation in the country. And I think a lot of people want to know how the Houthis have been able to strike this airport repeatedly, penetrate the country's air defenses and carry out these attacks. So we understand now that there have been reports that an investigation has been open to see how these attacks took place. And I think the attacks on the airports in particular have now become a symbol of how vulnerable parts of Saudi Arabia are. Hugo, what exactly can Saudi Arabia do? I mean, they've had three attacks in a space of four days on one of their biggest airports. They've spent a lot of money on the defense system. So the people of Saudi Arabia will be wondering, we're not going to be feeling entirely safe at the moment. Exactly. I think, you know, one of the priorities now of the authorities is to protect not only this airport and re-output to protect cities across the country. There have been reports suggesting that some air defense batteries have been redeployed inside Saudi Arabia to protect palaces linked to the government, but also critical energy infrastructure because we've seen that in this latest wave of attacks, the Houthis have also targeted key oil facilities, critical infrastructure. Yesterday, we heard from the energy minister saying that the Saudis would deliver a serious response to all these attacks. We know that the Saudis have been active in Yemen. They have been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions, supporting the internationally recognized government in Yemen. Those forces are trying to take back territory that has been seized by the Houthis in recent weeks. But everybody knows that there isn't a military solution to this crisis. That, you know, at some point, all those parties involved, all these players will have to, you know, negotiate a solution. Perhaps another ceasefire, another deal to try to calm the situation down. So inevitably, we're going to have to see a diplomatic solution to what is happening in Yemen. Hugo Bishaga. Violence against women and girls in Iraq is widespread, but underreported, according to UN experts. Human rights campaigners say the government needs to do more to protect survivors who are left with little redress and protection. For incidents of sexual violence, there are no official figures. The BBC has been to the Iraqi capital Baghdad to speak to women who say family and social pressures have discouraged them from speaking out, but have now decided to break their silence. With this special report, here's BBC Arabic's Salina Bil. A warning, some listeners may find details in her report distressing. We've come to back that to meet women who have survived various forms of sexual violence. Speaking out, there is a real risk. Social taboo, family shame, and the system accused of failing to deliver justice. Emel, not her real name, says her daughter was raped by her own father nearly five years ago. After hearing her daughter's account, Emel says she rushed to report it to the police. The mother showed me medical documents, including DNA evidence, which support her account. Emel still gets shivers when she explains how her decision to take legal action has come with a heavy price. She tells the family member right in front of me and told him if the police arrest me, wash off our disgrace. That is so that the medical examination report would not come out and the assault would not be proven. An honour killing it would be. She tells me the court case is still open and the father is on the run. Women are often too scared to contact the authorities. They have no confidence that complaints will be taken seriously in a society that usually blames the victim. Earlier this year, prominent women's rights activists, Tianar Muhammad, was killed by gunmen in front of her house in Baghdad. She was a vocal critic of gender-based discrimination. No one has been charged with her killing. Other activists are now worried their safety is on the line too. I've received death threats. I've also been threatened by acid attacks and subjected to online slur campaign using fabricated photos. Sarah tries to help survivors document online cases of alleged abuse. We sit in her living room as she scrolls her Instagram page full of videos filmed by women who complain about being subjected to sexual abuse and harassment. Publishing these videos has started to serve these women justice. It's a means to shame the harasser and also a piece of evidence in case the woman decides to sue him. We need a law, we need a deterrent. So far this year Iraq's government says it has received around 300 reports of sexual harassment. The real number is likely to be much higher. We put some of the accusations we've heard to make that myri the spokesman for the Ministry of Interior. Many cases never reach the police because of society customs and traditions. I don't deny that it happens but it's extremely limited. We have strict oversight of this issue. Iraq is a country where conservative tribes are influential, militant groups are active and some political parties have a strict religious agenda. Many mindsets are far from being able to recognize the impact of these violations and championing women's rights at the moment can hardly be a priority. BBC Arabic's Salina Bill. This month marks 25 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan when U.S. forces ousted the Taliban from power for sheltering the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The BBC has gained access to the Taliban's underground caves which the group used as secret bases for two decades while fighting against U.S.-led forces in the country. Hawon Hamush has visited some of the Taliban's most devoted fighters to find out what conditions were like and their view of the current Taliban leadership. These are very basic and manmade caves. They were back with hands and basic tools. They're very narrow and when you go inside you can get lost. Even those who spent some time there you have to crawl down and then you have to find your way. It is like a dungeon. So can you describe what life was like living under those conditions for those Taliban fighters? So these foot soldiers of the Taliban describe life in the caves as a the only option they had to survive the war. They had to hide from the attacks, raids and operations by U.S. and Afghan forces and they were living with minimum basic Russians. So these caves were not the only places that they used as their hideouts to operate against Afghan international forces. They were also accused of having safe heavens and training centers across the border in Pakistan where some of the Taliban or maybe more of them went to madrasas. But they used these caves in rural areas and really removed parts of the country to coordinate and operate against Afghan international forces. They were also accused of using civilian areas as their safe heavens. Like for example these caves that we visited, they were back under villages where civilians live and some of the Taliban foot soldiers told me that they planted IEDs and mines around the areas where they had a cave or underground tunnel to deter Afghan international forces. And cases that we have been following in the past before the Taliban came to power, there were reports of civilians being killed or wounded as a result of explosions caused by these mines and IEDs. And what did they say to regarding the Taliban leadership from their time when they were living there and fast forwarding now to modern day? When the Taliban came to power, one of the foot soldiers told me that it was the first time he managed to visit the city center, which was around half an hour drive from where they were hiding. So almost everything is new for them and they expect the Taliban to now bring those things that they see in the cities to their villages as well. And what did they say about the current Taliban that that's in power right now? And what did they make of modern day Afghanistan? They're really careful how to say what they want or what they think. They're really careful not to criticize the Taliban. But of the record, they say like, well, they expect changes. It is five years that the Taliban have been in power. And they think that maybe they are forgotten, they're not sure, but they expect things to change in their villages. They help the Taliban to gain power and now they expect them to return the favor. Hawan Hamush. In the US state of Tennessee, the authorities have now released dramatic phone calls that were made to the emergency services after the botched execution of Christopher Pike. They show that there was chaos and confusion as emergency responders try to work out whether a request for help in the execution chamber was genuine and not a prank call. Christopher Pike a convicted murderer was given two lethal injections that failed to kill her. With more details, here's our global affairs reporter Mimi Swaby. Emergency responders try to figure out whether a request for help in the execution chamber was legitimate. So we have a medical call for service at the river Ben prison saying that they carried out the execution, the subject didn't pass away and they need an ambulance because she's not breathing normally. Well, we don't have any gender and we just know it's a sexual person. We are trying to find out if that is an actual thing that is happening and we need to send an ambulance and or if you need police assistance or if this is someone that is just basically prank calling or like swatting us. The initial call, which we don't have a recording of, came in a little more than an hour after the attempted execution began. It's still unclear who made that call. At first, it seemed to be a false alarm, as can be heard from another official at the Department of Emergency Communications. First supervisor, here's the EC. We have been informed that it is a false call. There is no medical assistance needed at river Ben prison. But the confusion continued. A few minutes later, emergency officials contacted the prison service for clarification on who made the initial call. A disconnect between prison staff became a parent. A representative of the prison central control told the emergency services that they would have been the ones to call in and they did not make that call. I'm being told that nobody from our facility called you so there's not really anything to speak of at the moment. Christopher's legal team then got involved. One of her lawyers voted directly to emergency officials explaining what the situation was at the prison. What's going on is my client, Christopher Bill Pike, is undergoing a state execution. She has completed the stages of the protocol and lastly made from the attorneys whose presence she's still alive and breathing and needs immediate life savings here. Finally, the emergency services realized something serious was happening and a spatched medical teams. They entered the prison gates more than an hour and a half after the execution began. The department has not yet stated what it thinks went wrong in the execution attempt. Miss Pike's legal team has offered the explanation that the chemical injection probably spread under her skin rather than reaching her bloodstream in sufficient quantity to kill her. She's now being discharged from hospital. Though a team warned she faces a long road to recovery. It's not clear what treatment, if any, she's receiving now she's back in prison. Her case is now an uncharted territory as she's thought to be the only person to have survived an execution attempt by lethal injection. A Global Affairs reporter Mimi Swaby. Still to come in this podcast, protests continue in France calling for better investment in schools. So, uh, quick summer recap. Heat waves, data leaks, AI hacks, folding phones and a virus finally challenged record. Yeah, I think that uh, that covers it, right? I'm Thomas Germain. I'm Jess Maddox and the interface is back from its summer break. So before AI wipes out all of humanity, allegedly, join us for the interface. This is the Global News Podcast. Pope Leo is having surgery today to remove a nodule found on his lung. He's arrived at Jamelie Hospital in Rome where the operation is expected to take place in the afternoon, local time. Our Europe Correspondent Sarah Reinsford is in Rome. Quite unusual to have the Pope come out on the balcony here on St Peter Square on Sunday. He was giving his Angela's blessings. So as usual, there was a crowd gathered here on the cobblestones. And then after that blessing, the Pope came out and made this announcement that he was going into hospital and he would have this lump that had been discovered on his lung removed according to Drs. Advice. So I think quite concerning for Catholics all around the world and certainly here on the square. The Pope himself has been, I think, at pains to be quite reassuring. His tone was very calm. It was even smiling a couple of times when he made that announcement on Sunday. He said that the lump itself was small. It had been detected at an early stage as he put it. And it was localized, so contained. But obviously this is, you know, significant moments. Specifically, I think, because generally speaking, this Pope had been considered and is considered to be a relatively young man in the position and he's also being considered to be pretty fit and healthy. He plays a lot of tennis, he likes to go to the gym, he is relatively fit. So I think that's reassuring for people as it goes into this operation but it also has made it I think a bit of a shock. And do you know what will happen over the course of the coming days? Well we know that he's expected to be in hospital for several days, we know that he was working in a full day of normal events here in the Vatican yesterday, but his schedule has been cleared for just over a week. One thing I can say is that on Sunday as the Pope was speaking, he did mention a trip that he has planned coming up to Peru, to Uruguay, to Argentina and he was talking as if that trip would go ahead, that is a big flight to take, it is a long way to go, a big trip for the Pope but as I say at the moment that trip which is planned for early November is still on the Pope's schedule. So finally Sarah, what does it say about this Pope and the Vatican in terms of the transparency with which they are willing to give this sort of information? Yeah it is interesting, I mean previous popes have been far more resistant and there's been a whole lot more speculation than about their health, you know Pope Francis' occasion would be admitted to hospital and then the rumour mill would begin to turn. So I think it is interesting that Pope Leo has taken this step to be very open to speak publicly about what's happening, of course you know we're only getting fairly limited information beyond that as you would expect but certainly I think it is interesting that he made this public and that therefore everybody knows he's going to have this surgery and they also know I think that he has tried to be reassuring, tried to be calm and that's why I think and also there are lots of well wishes for him pouring in from all over the world. Sarah Rainsford in Rome, protests over poor school conditions have been taking place in France again with around 200 schools shut. They're calling for more teachers and investment in school infrastructure. Demonstrations have taken place over the last couple of weeks in dozens of French cities and they've often turned violent when the police have clashed with protesters. The French government has also opened an investigation into claims of excessive force by police. I heard from our Paris correspondent Hugh Scofford more about today's protests. It's a test day we'll have to see. The day has started I'd have to say with not that big a turnout at the blockades around schools. I'm outside one here in Paris but it turns out there are only fively safe blockaded in Paris, only a 200 a circle across the country. That's a big fall in the number compared to last week. So there is a sense which the government is obviously pleased about that this movement is losing momentum. But of course if you talk to these students that thought the way they see it, they're hoping that there will be a big turnout in the various marches and demonstrations around the country. One in Paris will be the biggest of course this afternoon. We can expect many tens of thousands I imagine there, not just students but teachers, adults, union members as well. And we'll have to see whether at the end of the day they're crying victory or not. The government, as I say, hopes that it's running out of breath this movement and there are the school holidays approaching half-term holidays approaching which will be inevitably a breathing space. The students are also receiving support from Greta Tumberg, the climate campaigner today. Yes, she's up at Senn in the sand in the area of northern Paris where the movement began in the in the Borlea. She's come to lend her support. She, well I mean it's part of her general cause, left wing cause. The movement is a left wing movement and it's not surprising that she said I imagine she'll be at the demonstration this afternoon. And who, when it comes to the government's response so far and just just give us a gauge of how receptive they've been to what the students have had to say. They've given some bits and bobs but the students regarded as crumbs, as that's the quote. They've set up a platform for students to air their grievances online. They've promised that supply teachers will be now more readily available in key schools. One of the biggest problems has been the holes in the day which are caused by absent teachers and the fact that those holes aren't being filled by supply teachers and new system is being introduced so that existing supply teachers can arrive more quickly where they're needed but it's nothing compared to the big demands that these students are making and which the left wing unions on their side are making as well. Fusekofold in Paris. While the Ukrainian President Zelensky is preparing his people for another hard winter, the former commander-in-chief Alexander Shirsky says the Russian forces have suffered too many losses to be able to advance any further. General Shirsky was in charge of the Ukrainian army until his tense relations with the Defence Minister Mikhailov Fedorov forced President Zelensky to dismiss them both last summer. He told our correspondent Abdu Jalil Abdu Resulov that the Ukrainian army had managed to stabilize the front line. The war is going to become even more technological. It's now spread into every domain, space, cyberspace, air, sea, land, even underground. Automation and the use of robots will increase. And an ordinary weapon will have an AI-based control system to enhance its uses. But we should not rule out conventional weapons like tanks. Right now, both Russia and Ukraine are racing to develop defence systems to protect armored vehicles. If someone succeeds, it will again change battlefield tactics. What was the cause of your conflict with the Hylo Fedorov who was the Minister of Defence at that time? We didn't have a conflict. We had disagreements on how to finance the needs of the army. The problem was that when procuring weapons, the Minister of Defence gave preference to certain types of drones while ignoring the overall needs of the military. As a result, there was an imbalance in supply in the army, and we had shortages of unmanned ground vehicles and other things we needed at the front. Let's talk about the battles that you commanded. Let's start with the cruise corporation. Looking back, do you think that operation was a success or a failure? What do you mean a failure? How could it be a failure? Well, because the Ukrainian troops were pretty much fully pushed back to the same positions where they were earlier, so they lost everything that they gained. We need to understand that the Kursk operation was a necessity. If you remember the summer of 2024, Russian forces were pushing along the entire front line. They outnumbered a six to one in some places, so we chose the weakest spot in our enemy's lines and launched an operation into the Russian region of Kursk. The main criteria is how much land has Russia occupied. For example, during the first six months of this year, Russia seized in total 61 square kilometers. It shows that the front line has stabilized. You should not forget that Russia overpowers us in everything. With the help of new technologies, we began inflicting greater losses on our enemy. Right now, Russian losses exceed us by up to six times. We've broken their ability to launch offensive operations. How can it end this war? Can a military path lead to peace? Of course, all wars end at some point, and they're ended by politicians through negotiations. But negotiations are based on results on the battlefield. The role of the army is definitive. You can have talks from a weak position while losing at the front, or you can talk with the other side on equal terms when your adversary is suffering serious losses. Many people in Europe are concerned that the Russian aggression may extend into the neighboring countries. What can European nations learn from the Ukrainian experience? They must stop preparing in every field. Prepare the army, acquire modern weapons, follow new trends happening here. Prepare the population for tough challenges they will face if there is a war. Prepare your economy, prepare your land for combat activities, prepare powerful air defense systems, and lose all illusions that a war will not happen. Alexander Shysky talking to Abdul Jalil Abdul Rasulov. There has been no formula one race in Africa since the South African Grand Prix more than three decades ago. But that's about to change, because Rwanda has signed a deal to host what will be called the African Grand Prix. It scheduled to start in the next decade, on a specially built circuit south of Kigali. Rwanda's president Paul Kagame calls it a proud moment, but not everyone is happy. For more on this story, I spoke to our reporter Emily Brown. A few details have come out so far. I mean, the first thing we know that this is the first time that the Grand Prix will return to Africa since 1993. As you mentioned, the last race there was the South African Grand Prix. It signed a 10-year deal with formula one to host what's been called as the African Grand Prix, and that will start from the early 2030s, and the race will take place on a new purpose built circuit in Bougasara. Okay, so many people will be wondering why Rwanda then? Well, Formula One says it's been looking for the right partner to bring the sport back to Africa, and believes that Rwanda can provide the infrastructure and long-term investment for this. F1 Chief Executives, Stefano Dominic Harley describe the deal as a landmark moment and said it could bring wider economic benefits through tourism and investment. The sport also sees Africa as an important growth market. There are a hundred million F1 vans in Africa and Rwanda has been actively pursuing major international sporting events in recent years and also Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver has been calling for the sport to return to Africa. Okay, so in terms of the critics though, there are some who are out there who are actually questioning the validity of this deal and why it should go ahead. Yeah, that's right, human rights groups and some political campaigners are likely to be among the critics accusing Rwanda of sports washing. One example of the wider debate involving Rwanda is the sponsorship deal that it had with Arsenal. The partnership which was worth more than 10 million pounds a year attracted criticism from campaigners who argue that Rwanda is using sport to improve its international image, particularly amid concerns about the conflict in the neighbouring democratic republic of Congo, Rwanda rejects those accusations. But critics are likely to make similar arguments about Formula One while supporters say the race will be a major opportunity both for Rwanda and for F1's expansion into Africa. And it's quite significant in the sense that it's a ten-year deal. They're probably trying to capture a new audience, so which has been starved of watching any racing in the continent. Just talk to me about your experience of the sport and the way it's growing globally with programs and series like Drive to Survive. This is absolutely a bit of a grab by F1 to try and gain those eyeballs on the sport. Yeah, absolutely. This is really putting Africa back on the sporting calendar, the global sporting calendar. We've seen the impact that Drive to Survive and bringing more F1 races has had in America. There's now a huge US fan base. So the sport will hope that this will bring a lot more fans from the African continent. And this is an opportunity to showcase Africa to a global audience and encourage future investment in infrastructure and major events. Emily Brown reporting. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [email protected]. You can also now watch our episodes in full. Just search for the global news podcast on YouTube. This edition was mixed by Kalim McLean and the producer was Alice Adley. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Uncle Decide. Until next time, goodbye. So quick summer recap. Heat waves, data leaks, AI hacks, folding phones, and the virus finally challenge record. I'm Thomas Germain. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.