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Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Janet Jaleel and in the early hours of Tuesday the 9th of January, these are our main stories.

The American Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkin, who's in Israel, has said that it's not in the interests of any country to see the Gaza conflict escalate.

The French Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne has stepped down as President Macron tries to revive his embattled government.

One of the legends of international football, France Beckenbauer, has died at the age of 78.

Also in this podcast,

compact whales are extremely diverse vocalists

and one of the more common call that we see throughout the world is one of these low frequency sort of broad spectrum

for a rope call. We speak to the scientists who say they have been talking to a humpback whale.

As fears rise, the war in Gaza could escalate into a wider Middle East conflict.

The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin has been visiting Arab nations trying to calm the rising tensions.

On Monday the Lebanese group Hezbollah said one of its commanders had been

killed in a suspected Israeli strike. Mr. Blinkin who is now in Israel urged

restraint. It's clearly not in the interest of anyone. Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah

for that matter to see this escalate and to see an actual conflict and the Israelis have been very clear with

us that they want to find a diplomatic way forward.

The Hezbollah commander killed in Lebanon has been named as Wissam Al Tahoeil. While Israel has not confirmed it carried

out the killing, a government spokesman warned Hezbollah to back off.

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