Police say one Bondi attacker was Indian citizen

Summary

Global News Podcast – "Police say one Bondi attacker was Indian citizen"

Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Alex Ritson, BBC World Service

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Overview

This episode centers on breaking news regarding the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Sydney, the attackers’ backgrounds—including new revelations about their travel history—and international reactions. It also covers significant world events such as the Ukraine peace talks, acute hunger in Afghanistan, US military strikes on drug-smuggling boats, violence and displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo, new anti-bride kidnapping laws in Kazakhstan, and a major legal decision for footballer Kylian Mbappé. The episode is packed with eyewitness accounts, analysis, and expert commentary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bondi Beach Attack: New Developments

• Background: An attack at a Jewish Hanukkah party in Sydney left 15 dead, including a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor. (01:16)
• Details on Attackers:
  • Attackers identified as Sajid Akram and his son Navid.
  • The pair spent most of November in the Philippines, possibly for military training (05:13).
  • Homemade Islamic State flags and IEDs found in their vehicle.
  • The father traveled on an Indian passport; the son on an Australian passport.
• Community & Vigil:
  • Vigils at Bondi Beach, strong interfaith support.
  • Moving scene during remembrance; "when one of the names was said, Edith Bootman, we heard a wailing through the crowd." – Katie Silver (03:42)
  • 22 victims in hospital, 9 in critical condition.
  • Ongoing investigation into activities in the Philippines.

Notable Quote

• “There's no one in the community who isn't still stunned. And I think the best reaction that...is that we are shocked, but not entirely surprised.” – Maxim Timchenko (03:33)

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2. Ukraine Peace Efforts & Ongoing War

• Talks in Berlin:
  • US offers “NATO-like security guarantees” for an eventual ceasefire.
  • Zelensky addresses Dutch parliament: “Not a single detail must become a reward for Russia’s aggression.” (05:44)
  • US pressure on Ukraine for territorial concessions met with resistance; debate continues regarding the meaning of “NATO-like deterrent.”
• Ukraine’s Power Crisis:
  • Maxim Timchenko of DTech: Russian attacks escalate, power grid suffers massive damage.
  • “At one of our power stations, five ballistic missiles landed. So we had never experienced such an attack.” (09:05)
  • Civilian resilience highlighted; families shelter regularly.

Notable Quotes

• “Russians started so massive and intense attacks on every power station we operate...we just don't have time to recover.” – Maxim Timchenko (08:44)
• On Donetsk: “What Russians brought to Donetsk, they brought destruction, pain. In my opinion, there is no future for Donetsk under Russian occupation.” – Maxim Timchenko (10:41)

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3. Trump’s Lawsuit Against the BBC

• Context: Trump files $5 billion defamation suit, arguing a BBC documentary misrepresented his speech around January 6th, 2021. (10:54)
• Legal Analysis:
  • Lawsuit filed in Florida, as UK and other US states have tighter deadlines.
  • BBC’s defense: freedom of speech, no malice, no reputational harm, broadcast not accessible in the US.
  • Speculation on broader implications and potential chilling effect on Trump coverage.

Notable Quote

• “The good news for the BBC is that the government is immensely enthusiastic about the BBC and keen that it should be properly funded and continue to play a central role nationally and internationally.” – Rob Watson (13:17)

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4. Acute Hunger Crisis in Afghanistan

• UN’s Dire Warning:
  • 17 million facing acute hunger; aid agencies unable to launch a significant winter response for the first time in decades. (14:48)
  • Influx of refugees from Iran and Pakistan increases demand.
  • Severe budget gaps due to global donor fatigue (only 12-15% of needed funds available).
  • Taliban’s limited capacity to address crisis amidst economic struggles.

Notable Quotes

• “Out of 40, 42 million people in Afghanistan, nearly 17 million people are facing acute hunger.” – Anbarasan Etirajan (15:51)

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5. US Military Strikes on Drugs Smuggling Boats

• Recent Strike:
  • Three boats bombed, eight reported dead in the eastern Pacific. Over 20 such strikes claimed since September. (21:02)
• US Policy:
  • Trump administration labels conflict as a war on terrorist-designated drug cartels.
  • Focus on Venezuela and Colombia; regime change suspected as secondary motive.
  • Growing concern over legality—UN and regional governments protest extrajudicial killings.
  • Reports of follow-up attack killing survivors cited as potential war crime.

Notable Quotes

• “This campaign is increasingly controversial. Both coastlines fishing communities are terrified they'll be targeted while at work.” – Mimi Swaby (23:02)

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6. DR Congo: M23 Rebel Withdrawal from Uvira

• Background:
  • M23 rebels seized Uvira despite recent peace deal; US pressures group to withdraw. (23:38)
  • Uvira’s strategic and humanitarian importance; major displacement.
• Human Impact:
  • Reports of atrocities; 500,000 displaced in South Kivu since start of month, 100,000 children.
  • Attacks on schools and students reported by UNICEF.

Notable Quote

• “We fled our village because of the bombs...As we fled, we saw dead people, others who had lost their feet or hands.” – Bernadette Shalulo (24:59)

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7. Kazakhstan: New Law Against Forced Marriages and Kidnapping Brides

• Law Details:

  • Law criminalizes bride kidnapping, with penalties up to 10 years.
  • All participants in forced marriage—including families on both sides—are criminally liable.
  • At least 7 cases underway, 15 people detained since enactment.

• Eyewitness Account:

  • Dinara recounts traumatic kidnapping at age 19, forced to accept marriage to avoid family shame.
  • Detailing of rituals signifying “possession” by the abductor’s family.

Notable Quotes

• “The headscarf was a symbol of possession by the man and his family. It meant that Dinara was as good as married.” – Monica Whitlock (26:15)
• “They act not as a family, but as a gang, as a criminal gang. And they all should be punished, in my view.” – Khalida Azigulova, lawyer/activist (28:40)
• “I think we reached that boiling point, you know, when people started demanding, that's enough, that's enough. We cannot tolerate it any longer.” – Khalida Azigulova (29:49)

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8. Other Global News Highlights

• Kylian Mbappé vs PSG: Paris labor tribunal awards player $71 million in unpaid salary and bonuses after bitter split in 2024. (29:49)
• Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday: Celebratory reading of Pride and Prejudice by Juliet Stevenson (31:34)

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Highlighted Timestamps (MM:SS)

• 01:16 — Main headlines & Bondi attack summary
• 03:42 — Katie Silver reports from Bondi Beach vigil
• 05:44 — Zelensky’s message to the Dutch parliament
• 08:44 — Ukraine's power grid under attack, Maxim Timchenko interview
• 10:54 — Trump sues the BBC, legal context discussed
• 14:48 — Afghanistan’s hunger crisis explained
• 21:02 — US military strike on Pacific drug boats, controversy and analysis
• 23:38 — Update on DR Congo’s M23 rebel group and humanitarian fall-out
• 26:15 — Eyewitness testimony and legal context for Kazakh anti-bride kidnapping law
• 29:49 — Mbappé wins case against PSG
• 31:34 — Jane Austen’s birthday reading

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

“There's no one in the community who isn't still stunned. And I think the best reaction that...is that we are shocked, but not entirely surprised.”
— Maxim Timchenko on the aftermath of the Bondi attack (03:33)

“Not a single detail must become a reward for Russia's aggression.”
— Volodymyr Zelensky (05:44)

“At one of our power stations, five ballistic missiles landed. So we had never experienced such an attack.”
— Maxim Timchenko, DTech (09:05)

“They act not as a family, but as a gang...as a criminal gang. And they all should be punished, in my view.”
— Khalida Azigulova, on forced marriage in Kazakhstan (28:40)

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Tone & Style

The episode combines the BBC’s trademark calm, thorough reporting with moving eyewitness testimony and expert interviews, delivering clarity on complex international developments. Moments of emotional reflection, particularly from those affected by violence or injustice, stand out and add depth to the news stories.

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For in-depth news analysis and eyewitness perspectives on major world events, this episode delivers the essential headlines and compelling stories straight from the front lines.

Transcript

[Alex Ritson]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

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[Alex Ritson]

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 gunmen 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 program 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 these talks on the war with Russia take place in Berlin. Russia behaves like a career criminal who's.

[Maxim Timchenko]

Convinced he will never be caught.

[Alex Ritson]

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 and remember the victims. They include a 10 year old girl and a Holocaust survivor. These people explain why they were there. We pray that those who are in power do the appropriate things to ensure that justice is sought and that everyone is free in Australia to practice their religion and go about their life in a free way.

[Advertisement Voice]

There were significant people in our community.

[Alex Ritson]

Who meant a lot and there were.

[Katie Silver]

You know, huge figures.

[Maxim Timchenko]

There's no one in the community who isn't still stunned. And I think the best reaction that.

[Alex Ritson]

A lot of us have discussed today.

[Maxim Timchenko]

Is that we are shocked, but not entirely surprised.

[Alex Ritson]

The BBC's Katie Silver gave us this update from Bondi Beach.

[Katie Silver]

You might be able to hear behind me at the moment there is a group that are still here. They are engaged in singing. Earlier they were praying together. It really is very powerful down here. It was an only a short time ago we saw a 90 minute service was held in commemoration of those that lost their lives. We heard the people's names being said out loud. And when one of the names was said, Edith Bootman, we heard a wailing through the crowd. There's also a smoking ceremony, an indigenous smoking ceremony. We also heard as well from an Anglican pastor who all signs and symbols of the solidarity between the various religions here down in Bondi to support the Jewish community that has been absolutely rocked through this. Now we also have just recently had an update as well. We now Understand there are 22 victims currently in hospital, nine in a critical condition here. As I say, it's only a couple of hours ago that we have seen the conclusion of the ceremony this evening and we are expecting people to continue to gather here. One of the major issues that they're looking at at the moment is that of their trip to the Philippines, the PA went, the father and son duo, it's understood, went to the Philippines in early November. We have also reached out to authorities in the Philippines who have confirmed that they flew there. The father on a Indian passport, the son on an Australian passport. The question now is what did they engage in in the Philippines? They were there the best part of three weeks, according to the Philippines authorities. Flying out on the 28th of November. So that is part of the inquiries now, many local media here alleging that they were there for military training.

[Alex Ritson]

Katie Silva. Now to Berlin where peace talks continue, all with the aim of ending the Russia Ukraine war. The US has offered Ukraine what it calls NATO like security guarantees to safeguard an eventual ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the Dutch parliament in the Hague. Every single detail matters.

[Martha Stewart]

Why?

[Alex Ritson]

Because not a single detail must become a reward for Russia's aggression. If the aggressor receives a reward, he.

[Anbarasan Etirajan]

Starts to believe that war pays off.

[Alex Ritson]

I heard more from our correspondent James Waterhouse.

[James Waterhouse]

It is progress for Ukraine in that you have the senior US envoy Steve Witkoff, now appearing happy to pose in photos of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. You know, he is claimed to be handling these negotiations in an even handed manner. But the fact is he's visited Moscow six times and until now Ukrainian delegations have had to travel to Florida for discussions on the future of their own country. So it is clear and what reports are suggesting that is, is that America is still trying to pressure Ukraine to give up territory and Zelenskyy is still saying he won't budge. And then we're talking about security guarantees. Ukraine has now is now saying explicitly we'll give up our NATO ambitions and yet they talk about a NATO like deterrent, some kind of military presence. 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 Zelenskyy 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 Kyiv 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.

[Alex Ritson]

Yeah, the wording's interesting, isn't it? NATO like security guarantees. What does that mean?

[James Waterhouse]

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.

[Alex Ritson]

James Waterhouse, 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 Dtech, which provides power for more than five million Ukrainians, told the BBC's Defence Correspond Jonathan Beale. The intensity of Russian attacks means it's proving very hard to recover.

[Maxim Timchenko]

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 frontline.

[Alex Ritson]

More recently, as it become more intense.

[Maxim Timchenko]

Yeah, absolutely, it became more intense. You can imagine that at one of our power stations, five ballistic missiles landed. So we had 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 Ukrainian people, bring more suffering to our people, more fear to our people.

[Alex Ritson]

Can you carry on?

[Maxim Timchenko]

Do we have any choice? So if you ask, either you want to lose your motherland or you want to stay and fight. And of course, most of the people say yes, we are staying in fighting mother with kids going to bomb shelter every second night. They also fighting because they're staying in Ukraine and they supporting their husbands on the front line. And they understand that every night we have air raid and it's better to go to bomb shelter. So it's the same for me and for my colleagues at the company. So we have full responsibility for this mother and millions of mothers so that they have power. And he we need peace and security guarantees so that we can recover our country. We can bring more companies, more investors, we can rebuild energy sector, we can rebuild Ukraine. I mean, you grew up in Donetsk, so are you prepared to when Russia.

[Alex Ritson]

Says it wants the whole of the.

[Maxim Timchenko]

Donbas region, what do you say? What Russians brought to Donetsk, they brought destruction, pain. In my opinion, there is no future for Donetsk under Russian occupation.

[Alex Ritson]

Maxim timochenko from Ukraine's Dtech Power Co. President Trump has filed a multi billion dollar lawsuit for defamation against the BBC. It concerns a documentary that spliced together two separate parts of a speech he gave on 6 January 2021. The edit gave the mistaken impression that he'd made a direct call for violent action before rioters attacked the US Capitol. The BBC has already apologized to Mr. Trump, but has rejected his demand for compensation, reiterating its intention to contest the claim. Our British affairs correspondent Rob Watson told us more.

[Rob Watson]

It is a vast amount of money. I mean, we're talking $5 billion as the claim and the BBC's annual revenues about $7.9 billion. So it is absolutely astronomical. What the BBC has said so far, Alex, is that it will defend the suit. Now, what's not clear to me is whether that actually means that the BBC is saying see you in court or whether that still includes the possibility of some kind of legal arrangement, some kind of deal between the Trump, Trump administration or President Trump personally and the BBC.

[Alex Ritson]

And Mr. Trump has chosen to launch this in a Florida court. And yet the BBC, of course, is based in the uk.

[Rob Watson]

Yes, but you couldn't sue the BBC in the UK because it's more than a year since the program went out. And Britain's libel laws, and indeed the libel laws, defamation laws in most of the US mean that you have to file within a year of a program going out, but in Florida, they allow it up to two years. So that's why Florida has been chosen.

[Alex Ritson]

What's the BBC's legal defence likely to be?

[Rob Watson]

So we already know what the league, the BBC's legal defense 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 it was just the program 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 program 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.

[Alex Ritson]

Elected comes at about time for the.

[Rob Watson]

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 enthusiastic about the BBC and keen that it should be properly funded and continue to play a central role nationally and internationally. But, but of course, the idea that the BBC might have to hand over taxpayers money, people who paid 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.

[Alex Ritson]

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.

[Rob Watson]

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, 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.

[Alex Ritson]

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.

[Anbarasan Etirajan]

The World Food Programme says this is the first time in decades they were not able to launch a significant winter response in Afghanistan. You know, 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. And what the UN agency says is that they are not getting enough funds to meet the target or meet the needs of the Afghan people.

[Alex Ritson]

Yeah, because organizations like the World Food Programme have been hit by huge budget cuts.

[Anbarasan Etirajan]

They are like many other agencies and in fact, what people call as donor fatigue. You have so many crises around the world, like in Gaza, the Rohingya crisis and also in Ukraine. So there is a demand for more international money. And also, you know, big powers like the us, the UK and Germany, they've also cut down substantially on development aid. That is having a huge impact. For example, the World Food Program talks about requirement of $468 million, whereas for this year's budget they've got only 12 to 15%. So that means they are releasing some emergency funds. So at the year end, they usually warn about the shortages and that's why they need more money. It is also appealing to the international. It is time to step up. So that in fact, out of 40, 42 million people in Afghanistan, nearly 17 million people are facing acute hunger. They have been depending on UN aid for food. And that is why this warning has come. And the request and appeal has also come.

[Alex Ritson]

Taliban, of course, are in charge of the country. Are they planning to do anything?

[Anbarasan Etirajan]

Well, the Taliban, they have been talking about the Western countries have frozen funds from, from the previous government, but in reality, how much they control the economy, how much in terms of providing aid to people They've already barred women and girls from most workplaces, educational institutions and the economy has not grown really well. They also have border disputes with Pakistan. So the Taliban in reality, how much they control in terms of economy and addressing the needs of the people is a big question.

[Alex Ritson]

Ambarajan Coming up in this podcast I.

[Juliet Stevenson]

Never saw this man before. They forced me into the car and just took me away from the street.

[Alex Ritson]

We hear about the trade in kidnapping brides in Kazakhstan.

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[Alex Ritson]

The US military says it's carried out more strikes on boats it has accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean. This time, three ships were hit. Eight people are reported to have been killed. Donald Trump has ordered attacks on more than 20 vessels at different locations connected to smuggling in recent months, killing dozens. Our reporter Mimi Swaby told me more about the latest strike.

[Mimi Swaby]

So according to the US Military, they say their intelligence services had confirmed that these three boats in the eastern Pacific were carrying narcotics. But just like all the previous strikes, we've seen more than 20 now, they didn't provide any evidence of this, only a video of the explosions posted online on X. And this is now the latest attack since September. We've seen more than 90 people killed in strikes in both the Caribbean and also now the East Pacific. Now, the East Pacific is more of a common trade route for drugs, traveling from South America to the US and we're seeing increasingly strikes happening there as well.

[Alex Ritson]

Why is Donald Trump seemingly scaling up these strikes in recent weeks?

[Mimi Swaby]

So these attacks are part of what the Trump administration has described as an armed conflict against drug cartels it has designated as terrorist organizations. And it's part of its combating drug trafficking in the region. But it does come at a time we're seeing a very large military buildup in the South Caribbean Sea with several vessels, including the world's largest warship, alongside thousands, about 15,000 soldiers, all kind of sitting just off the Venezuelan coast. And this is heaping pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro, who the Trump administration accused of heading Cartel de los Soles, which again, they say fuels drugs from Venezuela into the U.S. it's also argued that Colombia has failed to crack down on drug trafficking. Now, both countries, Venezuela and Colombia, have criticized these both strikes immensely. The UN has also called them extrajudicial killings. And the Venezuelan government say that this is just a guise this, you know, combating drugs isn't actually the aim of this huge operation. But the Trump administration's actually seeking regime change as well as trying to access Venezuela's very large oil reserves.

[Alex Ritson]

Yeah, briefly, as you say, there are real concerns about the legality of these strikes.

[Mimi Swaby]

Indeed, this campaign is increasingly controversial. Both coastlines fishing communities are terrified they'll be targeted while at work. But in Washington, Democrats and now some Republicans are arguing these strikes are illegal and are demanding evidence. There been even more scrutiny after reports emerged that a shipwreck dating back to early September, when these strikes first started, there were survivors after the initial strike and a follow up strike was conducted, killing the survivors on board. Now, many critics saying this basically constitutes a war crime. So, yeah, there is a lot of criticism surrounding this campaign.

[Alex Ritson]

Mimi swaby, the M23 rebel group, which is fighting government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, says it's agreed to withdraw from the key city of Uvira in South Kivu province. The M23 seized the city last week, just days after the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal. In Washington, the Newsroom's Richard Hamilton reports. When the peace deal was signed on 10 December, President Trump hailed it as a great day for Africa, a great day for the world. But those words seemed premature because fighting continued. And just three days later, the M23 said it had taken control of Uvira. Now it seems that under pressure from the U.S. the group is backing down and will withdraw. Uvira lies near the border with Burundi and is of strategic importance because of the presence of at least 10,000 Burundian troops in South Kivu who've been supporting the Congolese government. Analysts say Uvira is therefore Burundi's gateway into eastern Dr. Congo to send troops and supplies. It's also important from a humanitarian point of view, as hundreds of people had already sought refuge in Uvira, such as this woman, Bernadette Shalulo.

[Juliet Stevenson]

We fled our village because of the bombs, because there were more of them than bullets. As we fled, we saw dead people, others who had lost their feet or hands. Some had their legs cut off all along the road until we arrived here.

[Alex Ritson]

The United nations children's agency UNICEF says that since the beginning of this month, more than 500,000 people have been displaced in South Kivu because of the intense fighting. More than 100,000 of these are children. It said it was gravely concerned for their safety as serious violations had been reported, including killings of students and attacks on at least seven schools with classrooms damaged or destroyed. Richard Hamilton, A law has come into force in Kazakhstan making it illegal to force women into marriage, including by kidnapping them. Human rights activists say that thousands of women are coerced into marriage each year, some of them by total strangers, though exact figures are hard to judge. Monica Whitlock has been to Kazakhstan to meet some of the women.

[Juliet Stevenson]

They stole me in my own village. I was 19 almost 20. And I was going to the shop. And after the shop, I was going to my relative. So I noticed the car going around without plate, without any numbers. On the way to my relative, I realized that this car was following me. It was the place where there were no houses and no one was around, nobody. So that was a place where they snatched me. I never saw this man before. They forced me into their car and just took me away from the street. Dinara was a student visiting relatives in southern Kazakhstan when she was kidnapped in broad daylight in 2019. She's in her mid-20s now, with two lively toddlers and a baby, all girls. Her kidnapper and his friends drove her to his home, where his whole family was ready, waiting. First of all, they told me to change my clothes, all of it. They gave me robes with leggings and the headscarf and underwear. And for some time, I was refusing to change my clothes. But then at the end, I did it. I've changed my clothes. The headscarf was a symbol of possession by the man and his family. It meant that Dinara was as good as married. To leave, she says, would have brought shame on her and her family. It must have been a just terrible shock. I was crying. I was in shock. I was terrified. I still have this trauma inside of me. But at the end, I've decided to stay because of this shame. Khalidaje Gulava is a lawyer in Kazakhstan. She's been instrumental in pushing the new law through parliament. So this is a very progressive law. Human rights lawyers and human rights activists in Kazakhstan, they have been advocating and fighting for criminalization of this violation of human rights for more than 20 years. We're not just talking about the actions of a lone individual man, are we? We're talking about a whole community of relationships. Forced marriage. It includes punishment for any person, including the parents and relatives of a girl, of a woman who forced her to get married. And also forced marriage includes the family of a kidnapper. They are forcing her to agree, you know, to this kidnapping, to agree to her fate, to agree to marry her kidnapper. And in my view, they're equally responsible. They're equally liable, criminally liable, because they act not as a family, but as a gang, as a criminal gang. And they all should be punished, in my view. According to the Ministry of the Interior, seven cases are already underway in different parts of Kazakhstan, and 15 people have been detained for investigation. Under the new law, the minimum penalty for kidnap will be two years, with a maximum of 10. I think we reached that boiling Point, you know, when people started demanding, that's enough, that's enough. We cannot tolerate it any longer.

[Alex Ritson]

Khalida Azigulova ending that report by Monica Whitlock. A French industrial tribunal has ordered the Parisian football club to pay more than $70 million to its former star, Kylian Mbappe, who's now at Real Madrid. The two angrily parted company in 2024 and were engaged in a bitter legal battle against each other. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris. The Labour Tribunal is more used to settling complaints for unfair dismissal from shop assistants and office staff. But this is an affair in which phantasmagorical sums of money have been at stake. Kylian Mbappe, who left the club in such bitter circumstances in June 2024, wanted 260 million euros from PSG. PSG countersued for 440 million euros. In the end, the Tribunal has found four Mbappe, but awarded him a smaller sum than what his lawyers were demanding. Essentially, the 60 million euros, or $71 million amount 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. Hugh Schofield. 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.

[Juliet Stevenson]

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.

[Alex Ritson]

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 globalpodcastbc.co.uk you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. 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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