Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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I'm Krasivanova Twig from the Global Jigsaw podcast from the BBC, where we are talking Persian poetry in politics.
With its abundance of lovers and wine, Persian poetry sits uneasily with Iran's theocratic rulers. Yet occasionally, even they turn to verse. We ask why. The Global Jigsaw looks at the world through the lens of its media. Find us wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Alex Ritson, and at 16 Hours GMT on Tuesday 16th December, these are our main stories. It's emerged that the gunman who carried out the deadly Bondi beach attack in Australia spent most of last month in the Philippines. Days after capturing the Congolese city of Uvira, M23 rebels say they will withdraw.
And the World Food Programme says 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing acute hunger. Also in this podcast, Ukraine's President Zelensky speaks to the Dutch parliament as peace talks on the war with Russia take place in Berlin. Russia behaves like a career criminal who's convinced he will never be caught. Tears, flowers and silent reflection on Bondi Beach and prayers.
Two days after the gun attack that killed 15 people at a Jewish Hanukkah party, more details have been emerging about the gunman. Australian police are investigating a trip taken by Sajid Akram and his son Navid to the Philippines before Sunday's deadly shooting.
Authorities say homemade Islamic State Group flags and improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, have been found in a vehicle used by the pair. Meanwhile, in Sydney, mourners have been coming to a vigil near the site of the attack to lay flowers and remember the victims. They include a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor. These people explained why they were there.
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Chapter 2: Who was involved in the Bondi beach attack?
It's very hard to see Russia going for that. It said previously that it won't. And so if you're not going to have US troops on Ukrainian soil, then you can imagine Zelensky will perhaps seek to get guarantees on the improvement, the continued improvement of his own military to prevent Russia launching an invasion after the fighting pauses. But, you know, for Kiev and
It is keeping America engaged. But as for progress, no matter how much positive spin or deadline Donald Trump imposes on things, we don't seem to be moving still. Yeah, the wording's interesting, isn't it? NATO-like security guarantees. What does that mean? In essence, it's the idea that Ukraine's allies, if Ukraine was attacked again, would come to its aid.
What Ukraine wants is our foreign boots on the ground. They want a multinational force, which has been pledged by certainly European allies, but there has yet been any kind of strategic clarity as to what that means.
What he really wants is continued American involvement.
He wants America to share its intelligence, its sophisticated long-range missiles, and to dangle the threat that it would directly intervene if Vladimir Putin replenished and had another go down the line. But clearly, and has been the case throughout, the US has been very reluctant to do that.
Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine's largest energy provider says his company is living in permanent crisis mode as Russia continues its attacks on the energy grid. Most of the country regularly suffers lengthy power cuts as winter temperatures fall below zero.
Maxim Timchenko, the head of DTEK, which provides power for more than five million Ukrainians, told the BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale the intensity of Russian attacks means it's proving very hard to recover. Russians started so massive and intense attacks on every power station we operate. Then we just don't have time to recover.
Waves of attacks by drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, all types of weapons, especially for the power station close to military front line. More recently, has it become more intense? Yeah, absolutely. It become more intense. You can imagine that at one of our power stations, five ballistic missiles landed. So we have never experienced such an attack.
How often are they targeting your power plants? Recently, for the last weeks, every third, fourth day. And are you able to repair those facilities? Of course we do our best, but we cannot repair it 100%. It's just impossible. What do you think the Russians' goal here is? They want to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people, bring more suffering to our people, more fear to our people.
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Chapter 3: What details emerged about the gunman Sajid Akram?
But in Florida, they allow it up to two years, so that's why Florida has been chosen. What's the BBC's legal defence likely to be? So we already know what the BBC's legal defence is because they said it when President Trump first threatened the lawsuit. And it is essentially four elements. One is you're covered by freedom of speech. Number two, that there was no malicious intent.
Number three, that there was no harm done to President Trump's reputation. In other words, his central claim of damages for defamation just wouldn't hold up. And then four, that the programme wasn't broadcast in the US. It wasn't aired online. And while Trump's lawyers have said that You could possibly have accessed the BBC programme if you had a VPN, one of those virtual private network things.
The BBC says, come on. If you look at it, not many people could have seen it. And in any case, President Trump was elected. Comes at about time for the BBC, though. Not a great time. I mean, the government has just published a paper looking at the future of the BBC, what its role should be, how it's funded. And I think the good news for the BBC is that the government is immensely concerned
enthusiastic about the BBC and keen that it should be properly funded and continue to play a central role nationally and internationally. But of course, the idea that the BBC might have to hand over taxpayers money, people who pay to watch the BBC here in the UK to a man who's immensely unpopular in the United States is a horrible, horrible thing for the BBC to have to contemplate.
And it's been widely suggested that this could have a pretty chilling effect on anyone else who wants to run articles about Donald Trump. Yes, and that, of course, is why there are plenty of people, including sort of senior ex-BBC managers, saying, you know, the BBC should see you in court. You know, we don't think, yes, we made a mistake with the edit, but we don't think there was defamation.
So, yeah, see you in court. Rob Watson. And for more on this story, you can go to YouTube, search for BBC News, click on the logo and then choose Podcasts and Global News Podcast. There's a news story available in vision. You can see us every weekday. 17 million people are facing acute hunger in Afghanistan this winter. That's the dire warning from the UN's World Food Programme.
Childhood malnutrition is of particular concern. Our global affairs reporter, Anbarasan Etirajan, told me more about the report.
The World Food Programme says this is the first time in decades they were not able to launch a significant winter response in Afghanistan. Since 2021, the country is under Taliban rule, where the economy has weakened, job opportunities are few. And in addition to that, the UN agency says that more than 2.5 million people Afghans were forced out of Iran and Pakistan.
So that basically increased the number by 3 million who are depending on this food aid by UN agencies. And that is why it has issued a severe warning. It's not only about the 17 million people, particularly children facing malnutrition. And in winter, there are fewer job opportunities. Your demand for basic amenities are more.
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Chapter 4: How are peace talks progressing in the Russia-Ukraine conflict?
In the end, the tribunal has found for Mbappe, but awarded him a smaller sum than what his lawyers were demanding. Essentially, the ā¬60 million, or $71 million, amounts to the salary and bonuses that he says PSG failed to pay him at the end of his time there when the club was furious at his refusal to extend his contract.
Hughes, Go Field. And finally, today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain's greatest novelists, Jane Austen, a moment of celebration that's been marked across the world. We thought, what better way to honour the author than to hear some of her prose?
The actress Juliet Stevenson, the voice of many Austen audiobooks, sent us this reading from Pride and Prejudice, where Mrs Bennet learns that her daughter Elizabeth... has just rejected a marriage proposal from the obsequious Mr Collins. Mrs Bennet rang the bell and Miss Elizabeth was summoned to the library. Come here, child, cried her father as she appeared.
I have sent for you on an affair of importance. I understand that Mr Collins has made you an offer of marriage. Is it true? Elizabeth replied that it was. Very well. And this offer of marriage you have refused? I have, sir. Very well. We now come to the point. Your mother insists upon your accepting it. Is it not so, Mrs. Bennet? Yes. Oh, I will never see her again.
An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day, you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins, and I will never see you again if you do. One of the most famous scenes created by Jane Austen, read by Juliet Stevenson. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later.
If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Kai Perry. And the producer was Richard Hamilton. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Alex Ritson. Until next time, goodbye.
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