Transatlantic relations under spotlight at Munich conference
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 February 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A crucial security conference in Munich has heard the German chancellor stating that the rules- based world order no longer exists and Europeans must be ready to make sacrifices for their freedom in an era of big power politics. Friedrich Merz acknowledged that a rift had opened between Europe and Donald Trump's America. It's the first major global event since President Trump threatened Denmark's sovereignty with a pledge to annex Greenland. Also: a landslide victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist party in the first election since a mass student uprising in 2024. Britain's High Court rules that a Government decision to ban the protest group, Palestine Action, under anti-terrorism legislation was unlawful. Mozambique is bracing itself as cyclone Gezani heads its way; heavy rain has been reported in some coastal areas. And the designer behind the global brand, Hello Kitty - one of Japan's most famous cultural exports - is stepping down.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.5 | This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.5 | I'm Charlotte Gallagher, and in the afternoon of the 13th of February, these are our main stories. |
| 0:16.9 | The German Chancellor opens a global security conference by saying that the rules-based world order no longer exists. |
| 0:25.1 | Bangladesh's election commissioner says the nation has emerged victorious after a landslide win for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. |
| 0:34.1 | A British court rules the government's ban on a pro-Palestinian campaign group under terrorism legislation is unlawful. |
| 0:43.7 | Also in this podcast, we'll get the latest on the hunt for the missing mother of a US news anchor as the FBI increases the reward money. |
| 0:52.5 | They are absolutely convinced that within those leads, within leads from the public, |
| 0:56.9 | they will be able to solve this case. |
| 1:05.3 | The Munich Security Conference in Germany, bringing together more than 50 international leaders, |
| 1:10.6 | has got underway, with |
| 1:12.0 | Europe's relationship with the US under the spotlight. It's the first such meeting since President |
| 1:17.1 | Trump threatened to take control of Greenland, a move widely condemned by Washington's European allies. |
| 1:23.8 | Last year, the US Vice President J.D. Vance caused uproar with his speech in Munich, slamming Europe for its policies on migration and free speech. |
| 1:32.7 | This year, the American delegation is being led by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. |
| 1:38.1 | Speaking on the tarmac before leaving Washington, Mr. Rubio said he would be direct in his discussions with America's European and NATO allies. I think they want to honesty. They want to know where we're going, where we'd like to go with them. And I think it's at a defining moment. The world is changing very fast right in front of us. The old world is gone. And we live in a new era in geopolitics. And it's going to require all of us to sort of re-examine what our role is going to be. |
| 2:01.9 | We've had many of these conversations in private with many of our allies, and they are our allies, |
| 2:06.2 | and we need to continue to have those conversations. |
| 2:09.2 | While the German Chancellor, Friedrich Mertz, has opened the conference. |
| 2:12.8 | His address emphasized just how much the international order has changed. |
| 2:17.1 | Over this conference, there's a dis- emphasized just how much the international order has changed. |
| 2:27.0 | You've chosen a grim motto for this conference, under destruction. |
... |
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