Family of Israeli hostage accuses Hamas of deliberate starvation

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary Episode: Family of Israeli Hostage Accuses Hamas of Deliberate Starvation
Release Date: August 2, 2025
Host: Oliver Conway | BBC World Service

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1. Israeli Hostage Crisis and Accusations Against Hamas

Timestamp: 01:07 – 04:04

The episode opens with a distressing update on the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza. The family of Eviatar David, an Israeli hostage featured in a Hamas propaganda video, accuses the militant group of deliberately starving him. The hosts discuss the increasing pressure on both Israel and Hamas to cease hostilities due to harrowing images of emaciated Palestinian children and the deteriorating condition of Israeli captives.

Key Insights:

• Steve Wycoff, the US envoy, is actively working on a plan to secure the release of all hostages and achieve a permanent end to the conflict. However, family members like Efrat Machikawa of the released hostage, Gadi Moses, urge the Israeli government to intensify efforts to free the remaining captives.
• Arab Governments are pressing Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, contingent upon the establishment of a Palestinian state.
• Images and Reports: The Israeli Foreign Ministry counters allegations by asserting that only Israeli hostages are being deliberately starved. Concurrently, reports from the Israeli media suggest potential resumption of negotiations, though progress remains uncertain.
• Humanitarian Crisis: According to the Global Hunger Monitor’s IPC, approximately half a million people in Gaza are battling famine-like conditions. The UN notes slight improvements in aid delivery but acknowledges ongoing impediments.
• Tragic Losses: The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported seven additional deaths due to malnutrition, including a 17-year-old boy with no prior health issues.

Notable Quote:

"The thought of his pain, his hunger, his fear in those dark tunnels, it haunts me every waking moment." – Elay David, Brother of Eviatar David (03:31)

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2. Escalation of Nuclear Tensions Between Russia and the US

Timestamp: 04:04 – 09:14

The podcast shifts focus to international tensions as President Trump announces the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to provocative statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. This move has been met with dismissal by Russian politicians, who downplay the significance of the deployment.

Key Insights:

• Will Vernon, Europe Regional Editor, assesses the Russian response, noting a lack of media coverage and minimal reaction from the Kremlin. He suggests that Moscow is not interested in escalating the situation further.
• Analyzing Medvedev’s Role: Vernon discusses Medvedev’s transformation from a reformer to a more hardline figure amidst Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, positioning him as a "chief troll" intent on unsettling the West.
• Trump’s Intentions: Speculation surrounds President Trump's true motives, ranging from applying pressure on Putin, showcasing his leadership, to diverting attention from domestic issues. Vernon remains uncertain about Trump's underlying objectives.

Notable Quotes:

"We will not get our children back unless the Israeli government places a real initiative on the table." – Olive Conway (02:50)
"He [Medvedev] churns out these very provocative statements that cause perhaps concern or perhaps just annoyance in the West." – Will Vernon (07:10)

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3. Japanese Walking: A New Fitness Trend

Timestamp: 09:14 – 12:48

Shifting to health and wellness, the podcast explores the emerging trend of Japanese walking, an exercise method gaining traction on social media. This technique emphasizes alternating between fast-paced walking and a more relaxed pace to optimize health benefits.

Key Insights:

• Katya Lakowski, a reporter, experiments with the method, noting significant improvements in muscle power and aerobic capacity within a short 30-minute session.
• Joanna Hall, a sports scientist, explains that the alternating intensity stimulates the body effectively, enhancing overall fitness and protecting joints.
• Skepticism Remains: While promising, some scientists caution against the hype, pointing out that existing studies are limited in scope and that traditional walking also offers substantial mental health benefits.

Notable Quote:

"Unless the Israeli government places a real initiative on the table, we won't get our children back." – Olive Conway (02:50)

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4. Unprecedented Heat in Northern Europe

Timestamp: 12:48 – 14:27

The podcast highlights the extreme weather conditions gripping Nordic countries like Norway and Finland, attributing the persistent high temperatures to climate change.

Key Insights:

• Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of Britain’s Royal Meteorological Society, details the record-breaking temperatures, with Finland experiencing over 21 days above 30°C—far exceeding previous records.
• Climate Change Impact: The sustained heatwaves are exacerbated by higher ocean temperatures and persistent high-pressure systems, disrupting local ecosystems and daily life.
• Adaptation Measures: Nations are repurposing facilities like ice rinks into cooling centers and grappling with challenges faced by wildlife, such as reindeer struggling with the heat.

Notable Quote:

"Temperatures have been over 30 degrees on consecutive days... it's not pleasant to kind of cool off there either." – Liz Bentley (13:13)

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5. Historic Conviction of an Influential Indian Politician

Timestamp: 14:27 – 17:59

In a landmark case, the Indian judiciary has sentenced Prujwal Ravener, a prominent politician from Karnataka, to life imprisonment for the rape of a domestic worker. This verdict is significant given Ravener's influential family background, including his grandfather, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, and his uncle, the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

Key Insights:

• Case Acceleration: Unlike typical Indian legal cases that drag on for years, Ravener’s trial proceeded swiftly—from charges framed in March to a verdict by Friday, culminating in the life sentence.
• Social Impact: The conviction has been lauded on social media as a triumph of justice against political influence, inspiring hope in a country grappling with high rates of sexual violence.
• Future Implications: While Ravener retains the right to appeal, the case sets a precedent for holding influential individuals accountable, potentially signaling the end of impunity for the powerful.

Notable Quotes:

"This will be seen as a very important case in India's legal history." – Anbarasan Achif Rajan, South Asia Regional Editor (17:38)
"The prosecutors have been saying it is real justice for the victim." – Anbarasan Achif Rajan (17:38)

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6. Italy’s Migration Policies Blocked by European Court

Timestamp: 17:59 – 21:26

The episode covers Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to curb illegal migration by implementing a fast-track asylum system that directs migrants intercepted at sea to Albania. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled against Italy's designation of 'safe' countries, complicating the policy.

Key Insights:

• Court Ruling: The European Court mandates that a country must be deemed safe for the entire population, not just based on Italy's criteria, rendering the fast-track system unlawful.
• Government Reaction: Prime Minister Meloni expresses frustration, accusing the judiciary of politicization and obstruction by left-leaning courts.
• Broader Implications: The ruling underscores the complexities of externalizing asylum processes and highlights the tension between national policies and EU regulations.

Notable Quote:

"The way Italy is doing that at the moment is unlawful according to current EU law." – Justin Webb (20:15)

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7. Rediscovery of Nazi-Era Farewell Letters

Timestamp: 21:26 – 23:57

In a poignant segment, the podcast reveals the discovery of over 50 farewell letters written by prisoners at the infamous Stutthof prison in Nazi Germany. These letters, long silenced, offer a haunting glimpse into the final moments of young lives.

Key Insights:

• Preservation Efforts: Floriane Azoulay, Director of the Aralson Archive, emphasizes the importance of delivering these letters to surviving family members, fulfilling the last wishes of those who perished.
• Historical Contrast: The emotional content of the letters starkly contrasts with the cold, bureaucratic language of Nazi judicial documents, highlighting the human cost behind historical atrocities.
• Legacy and Memory: The project seeks not only to reconnect letters with families but also to preserve the personal narratives lost in the annals of history.

Notable Quote:

"This is really about fulfilling the last wishes of these people." – Floriane Azoulay, Aralson Archive Director (22:27)

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8. Discovery of a Rare Interstellar Comet

Timestamp: 23:57 – 26:31

The podcast celebrates a groundbreaking astronomical discovery where scientists at the Vera Rubin Observatory accidentally captured hundreds of images of the interstellar comet 3i Atlas before its official identification by NASA.

Key Insights:

• Comet Characteristics: 3i Atlas, estimated to be between seven to thirteen billion years old, is potentially the oldest comet ever identified. Its trajectory indicates an origin outside our solar system.
• Scientific Significance: The comet’s material provides insights into the chemical complexity of the early universe, offering clues about the formation of elements crucial for life.
• Technological Achievement: The Vera Rubin Telescope’s advanced digital capabilities enable comprehensive sky monitoring, facilitating such rare discoveries.

Notable Quote:

"We can learn some new details about the way that chemical complexity... history of how those were generated in previous generations of stars." – Carol Haswell, Professor of Astrophysics (24:32)

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9. Innovative Wedding Concept: Opening Celebrations to Strangers

Timestamp: 26:31 – 29:47

Concluding with a lighter topic, the podcast delves into Invite In, a novel company founded by Katya Lakowski. Invite In allows couples to invite strangers to share in their wedding celebrations by purchasing tickets, thus offsetting wedding costs and fostering new social connections.

Key Insights:

• Personalization and Safety: Couples like Jennifer and Paolo can specify preferences for the strangers attending, such as seeking single men to enhance the social dynamic.
• Regulatory Measures: To ensure respectful behavior, Invite In employs thorough screening processes and requires attendees to adhere to a code of conduct, mitigating risks associated with opening personal events to the public.
• Cultural Exchange: Beyond financial benefits, the concept promotes cultural immersion and offers a unique social experience for both the couple and the attendees.

Notable Quote:

"It's a way to travel and to experience different cultures within every country." – Lise Doucet, Representative of Invite In (29:31)

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Closing Remarks

The episode wraps up with acknowledgments to the production team, ensuring listeners of the quality and dedication behind the Global News Podcast.

Production Credits:

• Mixed by: Jack Graysmark
• Produced by: Alfie Habershan and Paul Day
• Editor: Karen Martin

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Transcript

[Oliver Conway]

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[Justin Webb]

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[Alfie Habersham]

Youm'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 Sunday 3rd August. The family of an Israeli hostage shown in a propaganda video accuse Hamas of starving him. Russian politicians dismiss President Trump's announcement that he's sending two nuclear submarines to the region, and a prominent politician in India is given a life sentence for raping one of his domestic workers. Also in the Global News Podcast Ever.

[Oliver Conway]

Heard of Japanese walking? A few of you have been asking me about the Japanese walking method.

[Alfie Habersham]

All movement is medicine, but if you're.

[Joanna Hall]

Short on time and you want to.

[Oliver Conway]

Get the most bang for your buck.

[Alfie Habersham]

This is for you. The new exercise taking social media by storm, we give it a try. Images of emaciated Palestinian children and now Israeli hostages are increasing the pressure on both Israel and Hamas to stop the fighting in Gaza. At a meeting in Tel Aviv on Saturday, the US envoy Steve Wycoff, told hostage families he was working on a plan to get all the captives released and end the war permanently. Afterwards, Efrat Machikawa, a relative of the released hostage, Gadi Moses, called on the Israeli government to do more to bring the other captives home.

[Justin Webb]

In recent days, we were closer than.

[Alfie Habersham]

Ever to bringing our sons and daughter home.

[Justin Webb]

Negotiations were active and intense and now.

[Oliver Conway]

They have been derailed.

[Justin Webb]

We will not get our children back.

[Oliver Conway]

Unless the Israeli government places a real initiative of on the table.

[Alfie Habersham]

There are some reports in the Israeli media that negotiations could resume in the coming days. Arab governments have urged Hamas to disarm and surrender control of Gaza, something it says it will only do if a Palestinian state is established. The family of the latest hostage shown in a Hamas video, Eviatar David, have issued a statement saying that he is being deliberately starved. And as part of a cynical propaganda campaign, his brother Elay spoke at a rally in Tel Aviv.

[Oliver Conway]

The thought of his pain, his hunger, his fear in those dark tunnels, it haunts me every walking moment.

[Anbarasan Achif Rajan]

It invades my dreams.

[Oliver Conway]

We are begging the government of Israel.

[Anbarasan Achif Rajan]

The people of Israel, every nation of.

[Oliver Conway]

This world, and especially President Trump.

[Joanna Hall]

You have the power, you must do.

[Oliver Conway]

Everything in your power by any means necessary to save. And the rest of the captives.

[Alfie Habersham]

We heard more from our correspondent in Jerusalem, Emir Nada.

[Joanna Hall]

Well, the family have said that they accept that we broadcast these images. They're images of eviatar David, a 24 year old. He is in a very cramped, narrow tunnel. He looks extremely emaciated. In the video he talks about not eating for days. The family have said that the release of this video is part of a vile propaganda campaign by Hamas. We've also seen comments from the Israeli Foreign Ministry who said that the only people being deliberately starved in Gaza are Israeli hostages. They're obviously saying that in response to the fierce criticism that Israel has had now for a number of weeks around the starvation crisis in hunger with humanitarian organizations, many Western leaders calling on Israel to allow more aid to get into the Gaza Strip, where we now know, according to the Global Hunger Monitor, the ipc, that famine is indeed playing out, that around half a million people are suffering from famine like conditions. The UN said last night that they are seeing fewer outright denials by Israel when they're trying to get aid into the Gaza Strip, but they are still facing impediments. And we've been hearing from the Hamas run Ministry of Health in Gaza today that seven more deaths from malnutrition have happened in the Gaza Strip. Our freelance team on the ground has filmed with one case, a 17 year old boy who died from malnutrition. According to his parents, he was never ill before and we've been seeing pictures of his extremely emaciated body in a hospital in Gaza. So unless humanitarian agencies are saying that unless Gaza is now flooded with aid, that the restrictions are lifted by Israel on aid getting into the Gaza Strip, that they won't see a reversal of this hunger crisis that is gripping Gaza.

[Alfie Habersham]

Emir Nada in Jerusalem Even before it began its full scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was keen to invoke the threat of nuclear war to try to put pressure on the west not to intervene. Its latest saber rattling prompted President Trump to announce he was deploying two nuclear submarines in response to what he called highly provocative statements from from the former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev. Russian politicians are now trying to play down the row with one MP saying the submarines are being monitored and there's no reason for them to respond. I asked our Europe regional editor, Will Vernon, if ordinary Russians would be worried.

[Will Vernon]

Ordinary Russians? Maybe a little bit, although some might not be aware. It's happening because there's been very little coverage in official Russian media and there hasn't been any reaction yet from the Kremlin. And we often see this when the Kremlin perhaps hasn't yet decided how to react. They keep quiet, you know, state media does, too. Now, a few MPs, as you said, have been giving the odd comment and they've been playing it down. That suggests they're not too concerned. Either way, though, I think Moscow doesn't want an escalation on anything like the scale of, you know, nuclear submarines being deployed.

[Alfie Habersham]

Yeah. I mean, will the Kremlin be slightly taken aback? Has Dmitry Medvedev overreached? He, of course, was a bit of a reformer when he was president, but now he's become a hard man since the full scale invasion began.

[Will Vernon]

Yeah, I don't know whether he's overreached as such because, you know, he's such an insignificant figure in Russia. He's not close to Putin. And since the full scale war broke out, he's taken on a role of kind of chief troll.

[Oliver Conway]

Right.

[Will Vernon]

He churns out these very provocative statements that cause perhaps concern or perhaps just annoyance in the West. I mean, I've lost count of the number of times he's hinted or perhaps even threatened nuclear strikes against London, against Washington. We don't really know why he's taken on this mantle of a bit of a troll. Some people said that his, you know, his previous reputation, as you said, as a liberal, became kind of dangerous after repression was really, you know, ratcheted up after the full scale invasion started. And he's trying to perhaps convince the security services or Mr. Putin that he's signed up to the new political reality in Russia. Or perhaps he does fulfill a kind of useful role at keeping people nervous and guessing about the threat that Russia poses to the West.

[Alfie Habersham]

I mean, the Trump administration must know then that he's relatively insignificant within The Kremlin? Could this be something else then, from the US this deployment of submarines? Perhaps some pressure on President Putin to move towards a ceasefire in Ukraine?

[Will Vernon]

Well, Oliver, I gave up trying to decipher Donald Trump's true intentions a long time ago. I mean, it may be he's trying to put more pressure on Vladimir Putin. We already know that. Mr. Trump is incredibly frustrated, isn't he, with the Russian president? He reduced this deadline by which Russia has to come to the negotiating table. Otherwise there'll be, you know, sweeping tariffs on Moscow and its allies. He's pushing India, isn't he, to stop buying Russian oil. So perhaps this is another way of kind of trying to bring the Russians to the negotiating table. Or perhaps it's Mr. Trump wanting to perhaps portray himself as a strong, decisive leader, you know, the commander in chief. Some might say this is a good way of diverting attention away from some questions at home, perhaps about the Jeffrey Epstein case, although I'm sure the White House would deny that. Or perhaps Mr. Trump is genuinely concerned that these statements by Mr. Miz Verdev do present a threat. Who knows?

[Alfie Habersham]

Our Europe regional editor, Will Vernon. 10,000 steps a day has long been considered the holy grail for physical health, despite recent claims that 7,000 is good enough. But is it actually a question of how fast rather than how far you go? That seems to be the rationale behind a new exercise trend on social media.

[Oliver Conway]

Ever heard of Japanese walking? A few of you have been asking me about the Japanese walking method.

[Alfie Habersham]

All movement is medicine.

[Joanna Hall]

But if you're short on time and you want to get the most bang.

[Oliver Conway]

For your buck, this is for you.

[Alfie Habersham]

Researchers found that Japanese walking has significant health benefits, especially for middle aged and older people, who are compared to a steady paced 10,000 steps. We sent our reporter Alfie Haberson out to try it for himself.

[Katya Lakowski]

Okay, so it's a busy summer's day here in central London, and it's pretty hot. I'm walking slowly at the moment because I don't want to sweat. And I'm just having a look at my step count over the last few days. Let's have a look. So 12,000. I've got 15,000 as well here as well, and then 13,000 the day before that. So pretty solid. Pretty solid. But apparently this is just not what matters anymore, so I'm gonna give Japanese walking a go. Okay, so here we go. And what this means is that I'm walking pretty fast now for about three minutes. And pretty fast means moving at a speed where it is difficult to talk to somebody. And the fact that I'm running out of breath now is a pretty good sign that I'm probably doing it right. Then after three minutes, you slow down, as I'm doing now, which is a bit of a relief, to a more relaxed speed. And then you walk at this pace for another three minutes and you keep alternating between the two, three minutes each for about half an hour. Apparently, it means better muscle power, aerobic capacity and a lower risk of dementia. So what is it about this that's so good for me? Joanna hall is a sports scientist here in the uk.

[Oliver Conway]

Those changes inside our body, such as producing more enzymes and our capillaries, around our lungs and around our working muscles, actually happen at slightly different intensities. So when we alternate between a more gradual, comfortable pace and then picking up the pace so we're slightly out of breath, it means that we're giving our body the right stimulus so that we actually feel fitter.

[Katya Lakowski]

I must say, it's also pretty convenient. 30 minutes is much better than a whole day spent trying to reach 10,000 steps. And scientists in Japan have been trying to get us to take notice of this since 2007. Their aim was to replicate some of the benefits athletes get from high intensity interval training by then adapting it for older people. But was I actually doing it correctly?

[Oliver Conway]

Possibly. Where people may be missing out on optimising this is just thinking that walking faster is just a case of speeding up your legs. And I would encourage people to think about your technique as a way of improving your walking pace just as much as actually how quickly you move your legs. And this will protect your joints, improve your posture and importantly eases your breath.

[Katya Lakowski]

Long confidence strides are apparently key rather than panicked scurrying. But however you do it, there are still scientists who say, don't believe the hype. The studies on Japanese walking so far are promising, but pretty small. And even if this is the new way forward, they still point to some of the mental health benefits from simply just walking for longer, like reduced anxiety and depression.

[Alfie Habersham]

Alfie Habersham, who's now planning to walk home from work. And now to northern Europe, where normally temperate Nordic countries are sweltering through what's been called an unprecedented period of high temperatures. And while it's partly down to unseasonably warm weather, climate change is also likely to blame. The chief executive of Britain's Royal Meteorological Society, Liz Bentley, explains.

[Liz Bentley]

Temperatures quite widely have been over 30 degrees on consecutive days. So in Norway during July, they had two weeks of consecutive daytime temperatures going over 30 degrees. That's about 8 to 10 degrees above where it should be for July. And in finland, they've had three weeks, so their previous long term record was 13 days. They've now seen 21 days where the temperature is above 30 degrees. So really unusual not only to see the heat, but the persistent heat that they've had there. There is an area of high pressure that's led to settled weather, but really it is down to climate change. We're seeing more frequent heat waves when they happen. They're more persistent and more intense. And the ocean temperatures around these countries as well are a lot higher, about 6 degrees higher than they would normally be. It's a challenge for them. They're opening up some of the ice rinks that are obviously used a lot in winter as cooling centres at the moment. But, you know, species like reindeer really struggle with the heat there. So they really do have to think about how they're going to adapt to it, changing climate as we go forward. Even in Finland, some of the lakes where people would normally go for a dip to cool off, the temperature of the lake is about 25 degrees. So that's like stepping into a hot bath. It's really not pleasant to kind of cool off there either.

[Alfie Habersham]

Meteorologist Liz Bentley, still to come on the Global News podcast, she knew that.

[Lise Doucet]

She has a lot of single friends, women, and she had a request which was, we would like, if possible, to have maybe some single men.

[Alfie Habersham]

The company that lets people open up their weddings to strangers. What could possibly go wrong? As the grandson of a former Indian Prime Minister and a prominent politician in his own right, Prujwal Ravener might have been hoping to use his influence to avoid punishment after being charged with rape. But Ravenna, who's from an influential family in Karnataka State, has been given a life sentence for the attack on a federal 48 year old former employee. Our South Asia regional editor, Anbarasan ETI Rajan has the details of the case.

[Anbarasan Achif Rajan]

Hundreds of explicit videos allegedly filmed by him. They started appearing on social media a couple of years ago. That created shock waves and outrage across the country. And he was an MP at that time. His grandfather was the Prime Minister in the 90s, HD Devagauda, and his uncle was chief Minister of Karnataka State. Some USB sticks started appearing across the state just before the elections and then police arrested him. And what is interesting is usually in India, the court cases take many years for victims to get justice. This one, the charges were framed in March this year and the trial started in May. So you get a Guilty verdict on Friday and today he was sentenced to life in prison. So it is very rare a person from an influential political family getting convicted in a case like this. It is also sending out a message because if you go by the government figures, every 20 minutes, rape case is reported in India. Some even describe India as one of the rape capitals of the world. Whether this will send what kind of a message to other people to across the country. That is what is interesting in this verdict.

[Alfie Habersham]

Yeah. Tell us more about how political influence can affect justice in India. And do you think this marks the end of impunity for prominent people?

[Anbarasan Achif Rajan]

Mr. Ravenna has the chance to appeal in the High Court as well as he can go all the way to the Supreme Court. Now, if you talk about political influence, you had seen over the decades in India how the rich, the powerful, politically influential were using the power to escape from the law or how to manipulate the court process itself. And also because of the money, people were at the receiving end. They won't dare to take this case all the way to the court or even to complain against them because of the repercussions. So that has been several cases. Well, in some cases, politicians have been found guilty, especially in rape cases. But then because of the long, complicated appeal processes, they were staying outside prison for a long time. It's a very important, significant trend in a way, in such a political family. And the justices come pretty fast. If you go by India's court and.

[Alfie Habersham]

Legal standards, has it gone down in India?

[Anbarasan Achif Rajan]

People have been welcoming this on social media and then the prosecutors have been saying it is a real justice for the victim. She was a domestic worker in the family, and no one would have imagined that she would have had the courage and the ability to go to the court and get a verdict like this. So this will be seen as in a very important case in India's legal history.

[Alfie Habersham]

Anbarasan Achif Rajan. Reducing illegal migration is a key pledge from the Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni. One strategy has been to create a new fast track asylum system that would send migrants intercepted at sea straight to Albania to be processed. But the policy has been complicated by a ruling from the European Court of Justice. Our Rome correspondent, Sarah Rainsford has been speaking to Justin Webb.

[Justin Webb]

This is a ruling which concerns the accelerated processing of asylum applications for people who are deemed to come in principle from countries that have been designated safe by a nation. So, for example, the Italian government back in 2024 came out with the list of 19 countries it said were safe in principle, which included Egypt and Bangladesh and said that people coming and claiming asylum from those countries would be dealt with in a fast track proceeding because they would be considered to be unfounded claims and most of them would be rejected. So that's the kind of thing at stake. And that's important in terms of the Albania deal, because Italy is trying to move people from supposedly safe countries to Albania for processing offshore. So kind of exporting its migration problem, if you like. The European Court, though, has said that whilst Italy can fast track asylum processing for people from safe countries, it has taken issue with how a country is designated as safe. And it says the way Italy is doing that at the moment is unlawful according to current EU law. So they say the European Court has said a country has to be safe for the entire population. And that's a big blow for the Albania plan, which is really predicated on this idea of fast tracking people from supposedly safe countries.

[Alfie Habersham]

What's the Italian government saying?

[Justin Webb]

Very, very frustrated. Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister, has called it surprising. She's accused the judiciary of overstepping the mark. She's always had this point in Italy of claiming that the courts here are politicized and basically against her right wing or hard right government. She believes they're on the left and they're just stepping in the way. But the courts are clearly saying that they're dealing with facts and not politics. And they're saying that the European Court has now backed up their principle, which is that they must decide safe countries in a different manner. It has to be safe for an entire population.

[Alfie Habersham]

So given the wider debate that there is, and the business of the extent to which it is right that these policies are interfered with, to put it mildly, by judges. Does this have a bearing on all of that? In other words, a bearing on issues outside it?

[Justin Webb]

I think it shows that the externalization of asylum proceedings is extremely complicated. And I think it shows there's a big divergence between political ambitions when it comes to dealing with migration, irregular migration and asylum applications. And the law, and the law is clear. And there are judges, of course, who will make sure that the law, international law is implemented. And I think that does have implications. We saw it with the Rwanda deal in the uk. We've seen it now here with the Albania pact that the Italian government has trumpeted as you know, a centerpiece of its tough policy on migration. But it has met legal obstacles at every step of the way. So basically, the Albania centers that were set up for processing asylum applications offshore in Albania, outside the eu, they have never been used for purpose. They're essentially now being used as removal hubs for people who've had their asylum applications rejected.

[Alfie Habersham]

Sarah Rainsford talking to Justin Webb Munich. Stuttleheim was one of the most notorious prisons in Nazi Germany. White Rose resistance activists Hans and Sophie Scholl were among those executed there. Now more than 50 farewell letters written by prisoners about to die could finally be delivered. Here's an extract from one written by a 19 year old Polish man, read by a BBC producer.

[Joanna Hall]

Dear Aunt and Godmother, I am writing you one last letter because today, on 2nd December 1942, at five in the afternoon, my life will come to an end. As you know, I will meet death and innocent man because this is just.

[Oliver Conway]

The way we Poles are punished. I would therefore ask first of all.

[Joanna Hall]

That you pray for me. My life has come full circle after just 19 and a half years. I am young, I want to live and work, but this is just the.

[Oliver Conway]

Way things have turned out.

[Joanna Hall]

There's nothing that anyone can do.

[Alfie Habersham]

The documents were discovered by the Bavarian State Archive and a search is underway to try to get them to surviving family members. Floriane Azoulay is director of the Aralson Archive, which documents Nazi persecution.

[Liz Bentley]

Our aim is really to find surviving relatives and finally give them back these last words which were silenced for more than 80 years. So it's really about fulfilling, fulfilling the last wishes of these people. The letters were addressed to families and we have a first starting point as the address of the families during the war. So this is actually much more than we usually have. So we are quite hopeful that we will find families. If I can say another word, I think what is really interesting for us is that the letters are part of a case file from the judicial system, from the Nazi judicial system. And the contrast could not be bigger between this incredible human and emotional and powerful individual letters and the bureaucratic language that is being used in the documents. And enter the pretense of legality condemning these people to death. And then this exchange between the different administrations on how to decide what to do with their remaining clothes and belongings, for example. And there are last wishes. These are being relayed to the prosecutor's office and the prosecutor's office always responds, well, we will give the belongings to the German welfare system. It's absolutely, it's chilling. It's horrible.

[Alfie Habersham]

Florian Azoulay of the Arolson Archive in Germany. Astronomers say they've accidentally captured hundreds of images of a rare interstellar comet while testing a powerful new telescope in Chile. Scientists at the Vera Rubin Observatory say about 100 images of a study space rock called 3i Atlas, believed to be the oldest comet ever identified, were recorded by the telescope 10 days before the object was officially identified by NASA's alert system. Carol Haswell, a professor of astrophysics at Britain's Open University, told us more about the finding.

[Carol Haswell]

It's very exciting. We can tell that it came from outside our own solar system by tracing the path that it's following. So the new observatory, the Vera Rubin Telescope, is an 8.4 meter telescope, and it has the largest digital camera ever built hooked up to it. And it can cover the entire southern sky every few nights. So what it's doing is making a movie of the entire sky. So when you do that, you can see anything that moves. So they've been able to trace back this comet, which is zipping through our solar system at a speed of 36 miles per second. But what's exciting about it is it's already at about five times the distance of the Earth from the Sun. It's already basically evaporating its surface layers off. So this is what astronomers call cometary activity. This forms the tails that we see of the conventional comets in our own solar system. And when that happens, we can actually use that, study the composition of the material that the body is made of. So this is a lump of stuff. It's about 7km across. It's come from outer space. And we know that it's older than our solar system. So it's at least seven billion years old, where our sun is four and a half billion years old, and it could be as old as 13 billion years. So it could be coming from very early in the history of the universe. So by studying the material that's evaporating off it, we can learn some new details about the way that chemical complexity, all of the chemical elements that our bodies and our planet are made of, the history of how those were generated in previous generations of stars. So this is a very significant object and a very significant finding, and we're very excited about it.

[Alfie Habersham]

Carol Haswell there. Finally, weddings bring together friends and family to celebrate what's often described as the best day of the couple's lives. But Katya Lakarski is putting a twist on the old formula. Her new company, Invite in, offers people the chance to open up their weddings to strangers who pay to attend. Katya has been talking to Lise Doucet.

[Lise Doucet]

It just really popped to my mind, you know, I mean, most of my friends are already married. I haven't been to many weddings. In my life. And I kind of watch them from the side and they're so beautiful always. It's just like if I only I could pay maybe myself entry to a wedding in this way I could also help out the future wedded in their budget. That would be a solution, maybe.

[Oliver Conway]

So the first one I understand is on the 16th of August.

[Lise Doucet]

Correct.

[Oliver Conway]

And who, who are the couple and tell us a bit about them and why they made this decision and who's going to be the strangers.

[Lise Doucet]

Yes, yes. So Jennifer and Paolo, I met at the fair, they were coming to see, you know, what's available for their wedding and had about six months to plan. And they called me up and they said, we want to do this. So they open up five seats, knowing that we would of course have a look at who they are, to be able to screen, you know, who wants. And she had a little bit of a request, because in her mind she's thinking about the guests that are there and who is her family and friends. And she knew that she has a lot of single friends, women, and she had a request which was, we would like, if possible, to have maybe some single men that will be keen to come. So we managed to, with a dating app that we worked with to find this man. And they were very keen to come and complete the wedding.

[Oliver Conway]

But it's a bit risky too. It's supposed to be the most. The happiest day of your life. And what if you get someone who either comes and gets drunk, who starts making passes at your other guest? Are you prepared to deal with that possibility?

[Lise Doucet]

Well, we make sure it won't happen. I mean, we really lowered the risk, you know, already a seat is about €150. So if you come and you pay €150, you're not here to really disturb something. Also, we screen the profiles, we make sure that the correct people, they have good intentions, we verify the profile. And also we do have a chart of conduct for them to sign, to agree on, which is based, basically, I won't do any commercial steps for the wedding, or I won't put forward products, or I won't abuse alcohol. I will behave, I will be on time, I will be proper. Just things that are like, more just to let them know that they have to respect the couple.

[Carol Haswell]

But it also has to be like.

[Oliver Conway]

A really nice wedding. I mean, if you're going to pay 150, you don't want to have something which starts at the city hall and ends up with a plate of chicken and mashed potatoes.

[Lise Doucet]

Yes, I understand what you're saying, although I think every wedding could be interesting in terms of a social interaction. And it's a way to travel and to experience different cultures within every country. And why not also visit a wedding? It's part of a culture.

[Alfie Habersham]

Katya Lakowski and that is all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back at the same time tomorrow. This edition was mixed by Jack Graysmark and produced by Alfie Habershan and Paul Day. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.

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