Taliban in Afghanistan ban all medical training for women

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary BBC World Service | Episode: Taliban in Afghanistan ban all medical training for women | Released: December 3, 2024

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1. Taliban Bans Medical Training for Women in Afghanistan

The Taliban has imposed a comprehensive ban on all medical training for women in Afghanistan, a significant escalation in their restrictions on female education. This ban extends to midwifery and nursing programs, previously allowed under the Taliban's narrow exceptions for female-focused healthcare roles.

Key Points:

• Historical Context: Three years ago, the Taliban prohibited girls over the age of 12 from attending school. Subsequently, higher education and degrees, including in medicine, were banned, leaving midwifery as the last avenue for women’s education in healthcare.
• Impact on Healthcare: Afghanistan already grapples with one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally. The cessation of medical training for women is expected to exacerbate these challenges, jeopardizing maternal and child health services.

Notable Quotes:

• Maryam Aman (BBC Afghan):
  “[00:47] 'We have spoken to multiple colleges across Afghanistan who have confirmed this ban and we have had so many reactions from different students from across the country taken to social media and being emotional that that was their last day in those institutions.'”
• Unnamed Afghan Woman:
  “[05:03] 'They are hungry, they are sad, they think they cannot do anything because when they raise their voices, when they say something, Taliban send them to prison.'”

Personal Stories: An Afghan woman shared her experiences of having to shut down her midwifery studies and now teaching English to girls underground. She expressed fear and determination, stating, "'I do it for education, for human rights, for humanity, for myself, for them.'” ([Unnamed Afghan Woman, 05:20])

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2. Joe Biden’s First Visit to Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola

President Joe Biden embarked on his inaugural visit to Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on Angola’s strategic infrastructure projects aimed at bolstering trade and investment.

Key Points:

• Angola's Infrastructure Project: The Lobito Corridor, a 1,300-kilometer railway project, is central to US investments. It spans from the port of Lobito in Angola through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, facilitating the transport of critical minerals essential for electric vehicle batteries.
• US-African Relations: This visit underscores the US's intent to counter China's longstanding influence in the region by investing in essential infrastructure and resource management.

Notable Quotes:

• Angolan President:
  “[06:15] 'I'm proud to be the first American president to visit Angola. I'm deeply proud of everything we have done together to transform our partnership thus far.'”
• Ann Soy (Senior Africa Correspondent):
  “[07:15] 'For the first time, the US is investing in a massive way in an infrastructure project that is the Lobito Corridor.'”

Strategic Implications: The initiative aims to secure the supply chain of critical minerals, reinforcing economic ties and diminishing China’s dominance in the region's mining sectors. Ann Soy highlighted, "'China already had a head start. They control many of the mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo... this is partly to counter that influence.'" ([Ann Soy, 08:12])

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3. Belgian Appeals Court Orders Reparations to Mixed Race Women from Colonial Era

A landmark ruling by a Belgian appeals court mandates the state to compensate five mixed-race women who were forcibly removed from their families and placed in orphanages during the colonial period in Congo.

Key Points:

• Historical Injustice: The women, born to white fathers and black mothers, were taken from their families and placed in Catholic-run orphanages, an act deemed inhumane and racially motivated.
• Court’s Decision: The court recognized the state's actions as persecution, resulting in the ordering of reparations to the victims, all in their 70s.

Notable Quotes:

• Monique Bitterbingy (Plaintiff):
  “[10:23] 'I am very happy with this verdict. We won and it's an important victory.'”
  “[11:26] 'It was for racial reasons. We were mixed race and that was not acceptable. That's why we were uprooted and abandoned.'”

Personal Testimonies: Monique Bitterbingy recounted her traumatic childhood, stating, "'When I arrived, I was placed in a center where there were other girls and I was told to do what the others did... It was trauma, so it's something you don't forget.'" ([Monique Bitterbingy, 11:06])

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4. Vietnamese Property Tycoon Faces Death Sentence for Bank Fraud

Chung Mi Lan, a prominent Vietnamese property developer, has been sentenced to death for orchestrating the world’s largest bank fraud, allegedly embezzling $44 billion from one of Vietnam’s major banks.

Key Points:

• Fraud Mechanics: Cheng Mi Lan manipulated her control over the bank through a network of proxy companies, extracting loans and siphoning funds. Despite possessing technically less than a 5% stake in the bank, she amassed significant control to facilitate her scheme.
• Legal Proceedings: The court's decision upholds the death penalty, emphasizing the severity of the crime. However, there is a legal provision for commutation to life imprisonment if she can repay three-quarters of the embezzled amount.

Notable Quotes:

• Monique Bitterbingy:
  “[10:33] 'I was nearly four years old when I was taken away... It's trauma, so it's something you don't forget.'”
• Chung Mi Lan’s Lawyers:
  “[19:23] 'She is spectacularly wealthy and she owns some of the most spectacular properties in Ho Chi Minh City. Her lawyers are very confident she can raise the sum.'”

Correspondent Insights: Jonathan Head explained, "'She could sell those. She could sell stakes in businesses... but she’s in a race against the clock to raise the money before she's executed.'" ([Jonathan Head, 19:13])

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5. UK Prime Minister on Balancing Ties with US and EU Amid Trump’s Potential Return

British Prime Minister, Sakia Starmer, addressed the delicate balance between strengthening alliances with both the United States and the European Union, countering the notion that Britain must choose sides amidst Donald Trump's anticipated return to the White House.

Key Points:

• Dual Alliances: Starmer emphasized that the UK can maintain robust relationships with both the US and the EU without compromising its interests.
• Strategic Independence: Highlighted historical precedents where the UK managed to navigate complex international relations without forcing allies into mutually exclusive positions.

Notable Quotes:

• Prime Minister Sakia Starmer:
  “[21:06] 'The idea that we must choose between our allies is plain wrong. I reject it utterly.'”
  “[21:14] 'I promised to invest more deeply than ever in the transatlantic bond and to rebuild and renew ties with Europe, which are vital to Britain's security and prosperity.'”

Potential Challenges: Analysts warn of possible US tariffs on European goods and shifts in NATO support, but Starmer remains confident in the UK's ability to uphold relationships without succumbing to external pressures.

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6. Jaguar’s New Luxury Electric Car and Controversial Ad Campaign

Jaguar has unveiled its first all-electric luxury vehicle, marking a significant shift towards sustainable automotive technology. The launch followed a provocative rebranding campaign that featured human models instead of cars, sparking diverse reactions.

Key Points:

• Electric Vehicle Launch: The new model, priced over £100,000, symbolizes Jaguar’s commitment to electrification and repositioning in the luxury car market.
• Controversial Advertising: The initial 30-second ad focused on diversity and human stories without showcasing any cars, aiming to challenge traditional perceptions and stimulate conversation.

Notable Quotes:

• Gerry McGovern (Chief Creative Officer, Jaguar):
  “[13:37] 'Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody. It has already stirred emotions and it will continue to.'”
• Ginny Buckley (Motoring Journalist):
  “[14:40] 'No vehicle has made my jaw drop quite like this. It's very fresh. It's very different.'”
  “[15:03] 'Jaguar is reinventing itself as a luxury car brand... they're going to do that in the same way that Jaguar was recently rebranded.'”

Industry Reception: While some critics find the approach polarizing, the strategy aims to differentiate Jaguar in a competitive market dominated by established German brands. Ginny Buckley noted, "'They've succeeded in getting people talking with this ad campaign.'" ([Ginny Buckley, 15:35])

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7. European Conservation Policies on Wolf Populations

European Union authorities have downgraded the protected status of wolves, allowing member states to establish quotas for annual culls. This decision reflects the growing wolf populations and increasing conflicts with farmers over livestock predation.

Key Points:

• Population Surge: Wolves have proliferated across Europe, leading to tensions with rural communities concerned about livestock safety.
• Conservation Debate: While conservationists argue that wolves play a crucial role in ecosystem balance by controlling deer and wild boar populations, farmers demand measures to protect their livestock from wolf attacks.

Notable Quotes:

• Michal Haring (Slovak Biologist):
  “[25:30] 'Wolves do a lot of good by eating wild animals affected by African swine fever. Shooting wolves could actually increase the number of attacks on livestock.'”

Field Reports: In Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, shepherds like Jozhef Ratz recount loss of livestock to wolves, highlighting the ongoing conflict between conservation efforts and agricultural interests. Christy Popp from the Worldwide Fund for Nature emphasized the cultural significance of wolves, stating, "'In Romania, the wolf is a national symbol.'" ([Christy Popp, 23:08])

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8. Harry Potter Sword Replica Recall in Japan

Japanese authorities have recalled over 350 replica Gryffindor swords sold at the Harry Potter theme park in Tokyo due to safety concerns. The replicas were deemed too sharp, violating strict Japanese weapon laws.

Key Points:

• Safety Violation: The swords, nearly a meter long and made of stainless steel, were considered potentially dangerous, prompting regulatory action.
• Consumer Impact: Fans and collectors are urged to return the replicas, viewed as a regulatory victory over the entertainment depiction of magical weaponry.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Interviewer:
  “[22:22] 'In what some might see as a victory for bureaucracy over magic, they want those already sold returned.'”

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9. Listener Email: Orcas and Dead Salmon

A listener named John Holloway from Brittany shared his fascination with orcas balancing dead salmon on their heads, seeking an explanation for this intriguing behavior.

Key Points:

• Orca Behavior: Orcas can balance objects like dead salmon on their heads due to the rubbery texture of their skin, which provides grip similar to a suction surface.
• Intelligent Adaptations: These marine mammals exhibit remarkable intelligence, enabling them to maintain balance while swimming and engaging in such behaviors.

Notable Quotes:

• Lucy Baby (Orca Conservation Charity):
  “[28:13] 'Orca skin is rubbery to the touch... items such as salmon can be held on their heads due to the texture of the orca's skin.'”
  “[28:17] 'These animals are so highly intelligent, they're able to swim whilst balancing items on the head.'”

Additional Insights: Lucy Baby elaborated on orcas’ ability to adjust their swimming techniques to keep objects balanced and even create makeshift “hats” using natural materials like kelp. She expressed her passion, "'They're some of the most intelligent animals on the planet... it just brings so much joy.'" ([Lucy Baby, 29:33])

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Additional Stories Covered:

• European Wolf Population Dynamics: Discussion on the ecological roles of wolves versus the economic interests of farmers.
• Oxford Scholars Recall Harry Potter Props: Examination of cultural versus regulatory priorities in Japan.

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Conclusion: This episode of the Global News Podcast presented a multifaceted view of global issues, from the suppression of women's education in Afghanistan to high-stakes political and economic maneuvers in Africa and Europe. It also delved into cultural controversies, environmental conservation debates, and engaging scientific explanations, ensuring listeners remain informed on a broad spectrum of current events.

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Produced by Judy Frankel, mixed by Martin Williams, and edited by Karen Martin.

Transcript

[Andrew Peach]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Andrew Pietchin at 14 hours GMT on Tuesday 3rd December. These are our main stories. The Taliban have banned all medical training for women in Afghanistan. Joe Biden is in Angola on his first trip to Africa as US President. The Vietnamese property tycoon behind the world's largest ever bank fraud loses her appeal against a death sentence. Also in this podcast, the British Prime Minister says the UK doesn't need to choose between the UK and the EU when Donald Trump returns to the White House. And Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody. It has already stirred emotions and it will continue to after a controversial ad. Jaguar unveils its luxury electric car. It was three years ago that the Taliban stopped girls from going to school over the age of 12. Later, they also banned women from studying for degrees, including medicine. But they did allow some paramedical students to continue, particularly in female focused roles like midwifery, because they said women should be cared for by other women. Now there are reports across Afghanistan that midwifery and nursing students are being told not to go to classes until further notice. This in a country where the number of mothers who die in childbirth is already among the highest in the world. Maryam Aman from BBC Afghan. Tell me more.

[Maryam Aman]

It seems yesterday some sort of order or decree, we don't know which one, has been released from Kandahar, which is the place where Taliban's supreme leader lives, and the order has come down. We do not have an official confirmation saying whether it's an order or a decree. But what we know so far is that there has been some sort of a ban on further education on midwifery institutions across Afghanistan. We have spoken to multiple colleges across Afghanistan who have confirmed this ban and we have had so many reactions from different students from across the country taken to social media and being emotional that that was their last day in those institutions.

[Andrew Peach]

It seems so odd, perhaps looking through a Western lens, to want to ban women from midwifery. This is because it's seen as education, though, which of course women have been banned from in so many other spheres.

[Maryam Aman]

This was the last modern education pathway for the Afghan women. Everything else was already banned in the last two years. The ban kept coming gradually. So we had the first ban we had for the secondary education. Girls from age 11 onwards were banned and then later on we had universities banned and the only pathway for further education that had left was midwifery. But why? What goes on in the head of Taliban leader?

[Andrew Peach]

Who knows Afghanistan is already a country where the number of mothers who die in childbirth is among the highest in the world. One imagines that situation is going to get worse as the effects of this ban work their way through the system.

[Maryam Aman]

Absolutely. The implications in five years time, in 10 years time is unimaginable. So in the last 20 years, access to health care across Afghanistan was already bad, despite the millions and billions of dollars pouring in during the Allied forces presence in Afghanistan. But after 2021 US withdrawal, things had already gone to worse. But now with this ban five years on, we don't know what would happen to all those women who were already having issues accessing healthcare. Basic healthcare access is not due to the presence of these healthcare. It's also whether they have male and female midwives around. So if you are banning female midwives, we don't know what a pregnant woman in 10 years time would do.

[Andrew Peach]

Maryam Aman from the BBC Afghan Service. My colleague Sarah Montagu has been talking to a young woman in the west of Afghanistan who was stopped from going to university two years ago and now secretly teaches English to girls.

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

I have a friend, actually two friends. One was studying midwifery and she was at her last semester. She took her exams and she was near to graduate.

[Andrew Peach]

Has she been told that she cannot graduate as a midwife?

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

The institutes that teach girls nursing and other medicine courses, they close them, Right?

[Andrew Peach]

Has that just happened now?

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

Yes, today morning. And I have another friend, she started to study mental health and it has been one semester that she was studying and now it has been closed.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

How have your friends reacted to this news?

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

You know, they are hungry, they are sad, they think they cannot do anything because when they raise their voices, when they say something, Taliban send them to prison.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Right, because women aren't allowed to be heard outside the home.

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

Yeah.

[Ginny Buckley]

How does that affect you now? Do you go out?

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

Yes, I'm a teacher, you know, when I see them, I think they want to arrest me. Seriously, I think they came to arrest me. And I see they go and I breath deeply and I tell myself they didn't come to arrest me.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So you're doing it underground?

[Unnamed Afghan Woman]

Yeah, I teach the girls. I teach them voluntarily and you know, they don't want me to teach girls. They don't want girls to be educated. I know it is dangerous, but I do it for education, for human rights, for humanity, for myself, for them. Because I myself have sisters. I am a girl and I know that this situation is hard, but it is dangerous and I just live in fear.

[Andrew Peach]

Joe Biden is in Angola for his first visit to Sub Saharan Africa as US President, he was welcomed at the presidential palace by a military band during talks with his counterpart. While Lorenko, he praised the relationship between the two countries. I'm proud, very proud, to be the first American president to visit Angola. And I'm deeply proud of everything we have done together to transform our partnership thus far. We don't think because we're bigger and we're more powerful that we're smarter. We don't think we have all the.

[Jonathan Head]

Answers, but we're prepared to hear your answers to the needs you have, particularly answers to international debt financing and a.

[Andrew Peach]

Whole range of other things. On Wednesday, President Biden will travel to the port city of Libito, and that's the main focus of his visit, trade and investment. As I've been hearing from Ann Sawyer, senior Africa correspondent, it is a reset.

[Ann Soy]

Of US engagement with Africa. For the first time, the US is investing in a massive way in an infrastructure project that is the Lobito corporation corridor, about 1300 kilometers, or just over 800 miles, that stretches from the port of Ulubito on the Atlantic in Angola, across the country and into the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Why these two countries? Because they are rich in resources, critical minerals that are essential in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles, Essentially minerals that are very valuable at the moment. And the focus are that they will continue to be even more valuable. So they will be transporting through this railway those critical minerals to the port and onto the US and Europe.

[Andrew Peach]

And you and I have spoken many times on the BBC World Service about China's interest in Sub Saharan Africa. Is that why we suddenly see interest in that part of the world from the US as well?

[Ann Soy]

Partly, yes, because China already had a head start. They control many of the mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, up to 80% of cobalt mines, we are told they participated actually in the rehabilitation of part of this railway that the US and other G7 members are investing in. So this is partly to counter that influence, the growing influence of China on the continent. But on this project, it looks like they're going to exist side by side with the United States.

[Andrew Peach]

And it sounds like no one in Angola is offended that Joe Biden has left it to his last six weeks to come.

[Ann Soy]

Oh, no, it's a big boost for them. This is the first sitting US President to visit the country. And many of the people that we have been speaking to are hoping that it will have a positive impact on the economy. It will draw the world's attention to Angola and it will bring positive outcomes. So they do not mind that it is coming at the tail end of his presidency. And, you know, it's not a usual thing for a US President to visit many African countries. President Obama left it to the tail end of his second term in 2015 when he visited Kenya. And you know, there were family reasons as well there. And Ethiopia. President Trump never visited, so it is a big deal in Angola.

[Andrew Peach]

Ann Soy with me from Nairobi. An appeals court in Belgium has ordered the state to pay reparations to five mixed race women who were forcibly removed from their mothers and placed in orphanages in Congo during the colonial era. The women were born in what was then the Belgian Congo. Each had a white father and a black mother and were taken away from their mothers and put in orphanages usually run by the Catholic Church. The court ordered Belgium to compensate the women, all now in their 70s, for what it called an inhumane act of persecution. Monique Bitterbingy is one of the five plaintiffs who sued Belgium for compensation and won. She's been talking to our reporter, Christophe Ponce.

[Monique Bitterbingy]

I am very happy with this verdict. We won and it's an important victory. We fought for this for more than six years and now it's over.

[Andrew Peach]

How old were you when you were taken out from your parents custody?

[Monique Bitterbingy]

I was nearly four years old when I was taken away. But for me these memories are just as if it was yesterday. I kept everything in my head. It is trauma, so it's something you don't forget.

[Andrew Peach]

Did you have any idea then, when you were a four year old kid, as to why you were taken away from your mum and from your dad?

[Monique Bitterbingy]

When I was small, I did not understand at all. Now, long after the events, I understand why we were literally uprooted from our families. It's because we were seen as a threat. We had been abducted because in the eyes of the state, we were a threat.

[Andrew Peach]

In what way were you a threat?

[Monique Bitterbingy]

It was for racial reasons. We were mixed race and that was not acceptable. That's why we were uprooted and abandoned. That was to suppress us.

[Andrew Peach]

Tell us a little bit what life was for you in this orphanage where you were taken.

[Monique Bitterbingy]

When I arrived, I was placed in a center where there were other girls and I was told to do what the others did, follow these girls who were about 12 or 14. But the Daily life was awful. We just had fufu to eat with vegetables. Whereas at home, at my mom's, I had everything I wanted. I was pampered. But when I arrived in that center, all that was gone. I had to conform and do as I was told. And that was my life for years.

[Andrew Peach]

Did you ever get to see your parents after being taken away from them?

[Monique Bitterbingy]

I saw my mom once, three years after being taken to that place. She was with my grandmother and my uncle. They stayed for about two days and that was it.

[Andrew Peach]

And what did she tell you then? You were a bit older. Did she explain what had happened to you?

[Monique Bitterbingy]

It's only much later that she explained to me that Belgium forced my family to take me to that center and failing to do so would have led to my uncle being taken to jail even further away. He was the head of the family, so they had no choice, really. Years later, when I had my own family, I met my mother again. She had started a new life. She had remarried and had more children. But my mom was only 15 when she was forced to leave me. So I couldn't bear a grudge against her really, because she was not responsible for all this. The state of Belgium abducted me and she suffered too. She had cried and grieved over losing me, but I could not possibly criticise her.

[Andrew Peach]

Monique Bitterbingi Jaguar has officially revealed the first car of its much vaunted new full electric era. Art Miami. It follows a widely talked about rebrand which began with a 30 second ad for the car brand which featured no cars at all, just a diverse group of eight human models and the tagline copy, nothing. This was Chief creative officer Gerry McGovern at that launch. Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody. It has already stirred emotions and it will continue to. Some may love it now, some may love it later and some may never love it. And that's okay because that's what fearless creativity does. This is the original essence of Jaguar and for me it's been an honor to lead the creative reimagining of this great British brand. Ginny Buckley was among a small group of journalists who got a private viewing of the car. She's been talking to my colleague Tim Franks.

[Ginny Buckley]

In over 25 years as a motoring journalist, during which time I have seen many, many car reveals, I can tell you that no vehicle has made my jaw drop quite like this. 100,000 pound plus all electric new Jaguar.

[Andrew Peach]

Jaw drop in a good way or a bad way?

[Ginny Buckley]

Initially it was both. It's quite an extraordinary thing to see. I actually think the car is very fresh. It's very different. It was interesting because Jaguar Chief Creative Officer Jerry McGovern said to me that he believed the car will make people feel uncomfortable. It will Polarize. And actually it's going to do that in the same way that Jaguar was recent rebranded. But goodness me, if the aim is to get people talking, they've succeeded with it.

[Andrew Peach]

Yeah, I mean, it's one of those things about, you know, that old cliche of all publicity is good publicity. But I mean, that ad campaign really did set some people's teeth on edge, didn't it?

[Ginny Buckley]

Look, it was quite an extraordinary reaction. You know, Jaguar is reinventing itself as a luxury car brand and they've done it in different stages. And first of all, they wanted to set the story for the brand and what they were going to stand for and going forward in this new future and then all would follow. I mean, Jaguar had to do a rebrand and it had to be extraordinary and different because it's clear that what they've been doing wasn't working. You know, they've been trying to set themselves up as a rival to large premium German carmakers like BMW and Audi, yet they're not selling cars. You know, they only sold 64,000 cars globally in 2023. Jaguar Land Rover's total was 432,000. So their volume is similar to really small niche carmakers. It's simply unsustainable. Their MD told me that with this reinvention, they're betting the house on electric. It's the road they're going down and they have to try something different.

[Andrew Peach]

Motoring journalist Ginny Buckley. Still to come, the European conservation officials downgrade the protected status of wolves after a surge in the population in Vietnam. A court has upheld the death penalty for a businesswoman who masterminded the world's biggest bank fraud. The property developer Chung Mi Lan stole a staggering $44 billion from one of Vietnam's largest banks. Images online show the 68 year old sitting calmly in court, dressed in a blue shirt, flanked by police officers. She's now in a bizarre race against time to return billions of dollars or face death. Our Southeast Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head told me more about her.

[Jonathan Head]

She was well known as a property developer, although she tended to keep out of the public eye. She started life as a market vendor in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, and really started to expand her property portfolio as Vietnam's economy sort of broke free of its one time state led socialist underpinnings when it was a very poor economy and embraced the world market and started this spectacular economic growth for which it's known. Saigon was the heart of this boom and she started speculating on property and something over a decade Ago, she got control of this bank. Now, technically, you're not allowed to have more than 5% control of a bank as an individual in Vietnam. But she got around that by having an incredible network of proxy companies that she controlled that had stakes in the bank and then used it essentially, according to prosecutors, as her own personal piggy bank, simply demanding loans, sometimes even sacks of cash that were taken out and often then siphoned out through this network of other companies that she had to the tune of. Well, you mentioned a figure of $44 billion. That's what she took out of the bank. I mean, it's a staggering sum. It's about 10% of Vietnam's GDP. Of that 27 billion, the authorities say has not been able to be recovered. They regard that as being misappropriated. And she's now facing execution. And it's quite rare for white collar crime for this to be, especially for a woman. The court upheld the death penalty in April. The prosecutors said the crime was so serious they had to do that. That's the sentence. As it stands, she does have an out. The law says is if she can pay back three quarters of what she's stolen under this charge, the one she got the death penalty for, then she will have her sentence commuted to life imprisonment. But of course, that means, in effect, she's now in a race against the clock to raise the money before she's executed.

[Andrew Peach]

That must be a most unusual legal situation. Has she got any chance of coming up with tens of billions of dollars to return in order to spare her own life?

[Jonathan Head]

Well, she does, according to her lawyers. I mean, she is spectacularly wealthy and she owns some of the most spectacular properties in Ho Chi Minh City. I mean, really, you know, great tower blocks, really impressive projects. And she could sell those. She could sell the property, she could sell stakes in businesses. Her lawyers are very confident she can raise the sum. The death penalty covers $12 billion of the money that went missing. So she's only going to raise 9 billion. A mere 9 billion. The other thing that she has on her side is time. Vietnam is incredibly secretive about the death penalty. It's one of the world's top executioners. There are more than 1,000 on death row. But usually people wait many years on death row before executions are carried out. And so for that reason, she probably has enough time to raise the funds. But it must be a pretty nerve wracking time for her because as things stand, the clock is ticking.

[Andrew Peach]

Our correspondent, Jonathan Head. With me, the British Prime Minister, Sakiah Starmer. Has rejected suggestions that the UK will have to choose between closer ties with the US or the European Union when Donald Trump returns to the White House next month. In a speech setting out his foreign policy aims at the Lord Mayor's banquet in London on Monday, Sakhir said the world faced dangerous times and pledged to strengthen links with both allies. Our diplomatic correspondent James Landale was listening. There's long been speculation Donald Trump may launch a trade war against Europe and reduce support for Ukraine, even NATO. In such circumstances, analysts suggest Britain would come under pressure from both sides to take sides. In his speech, the Prime Minister said he would do no such thing. The idea that we must choose between our allies is plain wrong. I reject it utterly. Attlee did not choose between allies.

[Jonathan Head]

Churchill did not choose the national interest.

[Andrew Peach]

Demands that we work with both. So he praised Mr. Trump as gracious and promised to invest more deeply than ever in the transatlantic bond. And he promised to rebuild and renew ties with Europe, which he said were vital to Britain's security and prosperity. Such words may be tested come January if the US imposes tariffs on European goods and demands the continent trades less with China, all while forcing Ukraine to cede territory. Replicas of a sword from the Harry Potter films are being recalled in Japan because they break strict laws on weapons. Apparently, the tip is too sharp. The story from our Asia Pacific editor, Mickey Bristow.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

In the Harry Potter films, the magical Gryffindor sword was made a thousand years ago by goblins. The replicas, nearly a metre long, are made of stainless steel and come in a wooden display case. More than 350have been sold at the Harry Potter theme park in Tokyo. Japanese regulators say this recreation is a little too authentic and potentially dangerous.

[Andrew Peach]

So in what some might see as.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

A victory for bureaucracy over magic, they want those already sold returned.

[Andrew Peach]

European conservation officials have approved a proposal to downgrade the protected status of wolves. The decision means European Union countries will be able to draw up quotas for an annual cull of the creatures. The number of wolves has increased in Europe in recent decades, and farmers are complaining they're a risk to livestock and pets. Conservationists are against the downgrading, saying wolves do relatively little harm and play an important role in keeping down the number of deer and wild boar. Nick Thorpe reports from the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

It's midnight in Transylvania, an almost full moon outside, and the first frost of autumn stiffening the grass on the high mountain meadows. Christy Popp, the head of the Large Carnivore program of the Worldwide Fund for Nature in Romania is playing me one of his wolf recordings.

[Andrew Peach]

In Romania, the wolf is a national symbol, actually, because it used to be on the flag of the Dacians, the.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Indigenous tribe which fought and was eventually overcome by the Romans. Christie contrasts the public image of the wolf with that of the bear, which has a bad reputation at the moment because of bears, which raid bins in towns and villages in the mountains. But some farmers in Romania, too, as increasingly across Europe, believe wolves should be less protected.

[Andrew Peach]

We always feed the dogs at midday.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Before the milking, and we checked to see they're all there. And that's when we noticed Moody was missing. So we knew for sure that was the end of him. Jozhef Ratz is a shepherd in the village of Csikszentmaton who cares for 500 ewes. From April to November, he spends days and nights with his flock on the upland Meadows, milking them three times a day. He has 17 dogs in all. But the loss of his best herding dog to the wolves last year was a heavy blow.

[Andrew Peach]

The trouble with wolves is they're very.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Clever animals compared to a bear, which.

[Andrew Peach]

Comes through the forest and crunches branches.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Underfoot, giving a warning to the dogs. If a bear gets into the enclosure, he might take one sheep, but if.

[Andrew Peach]

A wolf gets in there, he might kill dozens.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Wolf numbers are growing because they're strictly protected. Slovakia is home to about 300, and the government wants to reintroduce an annual cull. But Michal Haring, a Slovak biologist, says wolves do a lot of good by eating wild animals affected by African swine fever. Shooting wolves could actually increase the number of attacks on livestock.

[Andrew Peach]

He believes if you fragment the wolf.

[Jonathan Head]

Pack, if it's fragmented to the smaller.

[Andrew Peach]

Ones, it's not able to hunt the.

[Jonathan Head]

Big prey like red deers and wild boars, and then it's going for the easier prey, which is the livestock, sheep and the cows.

[Andrew Peach]

So also this is not helping to prevent the damage.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Luxembourg is possibly the only European country where no wolves have been sighted yet, but the authorities are preparing for them. Loren Schlei is head of the government department for Wildlife Management, especially Western Europe.

[Jonathan Head]

We have very high densities of deer.

[Andrew Peach]

Wild boar, so the conditions for the wolf are there. Of course, there is some behavior that.

[Jonathan Head]

Cannot be tolerated, let's say, if individual.

[Andrew Peach]

Wolves start killing too much livestock, if individual wolves or individual packs were to show aggression towards humans, of course, human safety always comes first.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Back on Jozef Rat, his farm in Romania, he's already brought his pigs into the stable for the winter, and the Sheep will soon follow across Europe. The wolf has become a bone of contention between rural communities who want more protection from it, and activists who welcome the rewilding of the continent.

[Andrew Peach]

Mick Thorpe in Romania Now. If you're a regular listener to the Global News Podcast, you'll know we love it when you get in touch with an email or a voice note.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

My name's John Holloway and I live on my sailing yacht in Brittany. I listen to the Global News Podcast every day to keep up with world events and I particularly look forward to the happy pod on Saturday afternoons. I was fascinated to hear the report on orca whales wearing dead salmon on their heads. This morning, however, there was one burning question which wasn't asked or answered. Namely, how does an orca wear a dead salmon?

[Andrew Peach]

Balancing a slippery dead salmon on its.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Head is quite an achievement in itself.

[Andrew Peach]

But how on earth does the orca keep it there whilst moving through the water?

[Unnamed Interviewer]

I'm sure they don't have chin straps.

[Andrew Peach]

I can't be the only one wondering.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

This, so please put us out of our misery and tell us.

[Andrew Peach]

We will. Let's talk to Lucy baby from Orca, who originally appeared on the Global News Podcast when we covered this story. Hi, Lucy.

[Lucy Baby]

Hello.

[Andrew Peach]

How does the orca wear the salmon on its head?

[Lucy Baby]

This is a really good question and one I'm really pleased has been asked. So you would think that the skin of whales and dolphins is slippery, but in fact, orca skin is rubbery to the touch. So this means that items such as salmon can be held on their heads due to the texture of the orca's skin.

[Andrew Peach]

So they stick on as though they've got sort of suckers on them.

[Ann Soy]

Yeah.

[Lucy Baby]

So if you think of like a rubber mat, if you put something slippery on that mat, it would sort of stick to it, it would hold some grip and some texture. But in addition to that, it's the fact that these animals are so highly intelligent, they're able to swim whilst balancing items on the head. They're able to work out that sweet spot on their rounded head where items can remain in place. And that's what makes them so fascinating. And we do see this in other whale and dolphin species. Some balance sponges on their head and there's even some that create hats out of kelp.

[Andrew Peach]

Wow. And I suppose if the waves were of sufficient ferocity, then it would knock them off. Like in any climate, you know, there could be conditions that would prevent this, but not in normal situations. On a normal day. This works just fine.

[Lucy Baby]

It does. And you'll See, if you look at the footage, the orcas do actually swim with their heads out of the water to keep that salmon on their head. But when items do fall off, they just swim under the water, balance them back on their head, push it back up to the surface and carry on swimming with their head out of the water.

[Andrew Peach]

Where does your love of orcas come from, Lucy?

[Lucy Baby]

They're just so fascinating. I think the marine environment is incredible. There's so much we've still got left to learn and these are some of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They're mammals just like us, but there's so much we can learn about them and every time I get to see them out at sea, it just brings so much joy.

[Andrew Peach]

Lucy Baby, head of science and conservation at orca, which is a marine conservation charity. Thanks to John for his question. And if you'd like to comment on something you hear, if you have a question you'd like to ask about something that comes up in the Global News podcast. The email address globalpodcastbc.co.uk and that's all from us for now. There'll be a new edition of Global News to download later. This edition was produced by Judy Frankel and mixed by Martin Williams. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Andrew Peach. Thanks for listening. Till next time. Goodbye.