Category: BBC News – World

Published37 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersBy Sean SeddonBBC NewsConspiracy theorist Alex Jones is set to have his account on X – formerly Twitter – reinstated by Elon Musk.Musk asked users to vote in a poll whether or not to lift a Jones ban pre-dating his ownership of the platform, signalling he would honour the result.Around 70% of roughly two million respondents voted to lift the ban.Jones is most notorious for falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, in which 20 children and six adults died, was “staged”.He was ordered to pay $1.5bn (£1.32bn) in damages to family members of the victims, after courts found he had caused them to be subjected to harassment and death threats with his false claims.Jones, who founded the conspiracy theory website Infowars, has been removed from other major platforms, including YouTube and Facebook.He was banned from Twitter in 2018 for breaching the site’s rules on abusive behaviour.After buying the platform in October 2022, tech billionaire Musk rejected calls from some of Jones’s supporters to reinstate his account.In one post, he cited the death of his 10-week old baby in 2002 as motivation for not reversing the ban, writing: “I have no mercy for anyone who would use the death of children for gain, politics or fame.”But on Saturday Musk asked users to vote on whether or not Jones should be allowed to return – a repeat of the move which saw former US President Donald Trump’s account reinstated a month after Musk took over the firm.After Musk posted the poll, Jones shared a video online in which he called on his supporters to vote in favour of his ban being overturned.As of 05:00 GMT, Jones’s old account was still suspended.Responding to one user on Saturday, Musk said he “vehemently” disagreed with Jones’s statements about Sandy Hook, adding: “but are we a platform that believes in freedom of speech or are we not?”He said the move would be “bad for X financially” but “principles matter more than money”.Musk has taken an increasingly bullish line on free speech online during his time at the top of X.Last month he accused major advertisers of trying to “blackmail” him when they boycotted X over concerns about antisemitic content shared on the site – including a post by Musk himself, which he later apologised for.More on this storyCould X go bankrupt under Elon Musk?Published2 DecemberBankrupt Alex Jones spends nearly $100,000 a monthPublished16 FebruaryElon Musk tells Rishi Sunak AI will put an end to workPublished3 November

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Sean SeddonBBC NewsAt least six people died after tornadoes and severe storms tore through parts of Tennessee on Saturday.Buildings were reduced to rubble and communities were plunged into blackouts when extreme weather battered parts of the southern US state.Three of the deaths were reported in a northern suburb of Nashville, the state’s capital.Two adults and a child were killed in the city of Clarksville, around 50 miles (80.4km) to the north-west.Image source, ReutersJoe Pitts, the city’s mayor, has declared a state of emergency, including a 9pm curfew which will remain in place on Sunday.”This is devastating news and our hearts are broken for the families of those who lost loved ones,” he said. “The city stands ready to help them in their time of grief.”Another 23 people in the surrounding area have been hospitalised, the Montgomery County government said. Wes Golding, the county’s mayor, said: “This is a sad day for our community. We are praying for those who are injured, lost loved ones, and lost their homes.”As of 21:30 local time (0330 GMT Sunday), almost 60,000 people were without power, according to tracking site poweroutage.us.Image source, ReutersVideos posted on social media showed overturned cars and uprooted trees littering streets lined by ruined buildings.Footage captured the funnels of large tornadoes making contact with the ground and bright flashes of lightning across the sky.The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings in Tennessee on Saturday.More on this storyHow to survive a tornadoPublished7 AprilDeath toll rises to 32 as storms ravage parts of USPublished3 April

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersBy Sarah RainsfordEastern Europe correspondent in WarsawThey’re calling it “Sejmflix”.The daily livestream from Poland’s parliament, the Sejm, has become an online hit, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers for each session. Some top a million. Soon the latest must-watch series will make the leap to the big screen. Demand to follow key proceedings next week is so high that one of Warsaw’s main cinemas, Kinoteka, is showing the whole thing, offering politics with popcorn. Monday is the deadline for Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to present his cabinet for a vote of confidence by deputies. If he fails to get enough support, as expected, parliament will move to approve a coalition government led by Donald Tusk which holds a majority of seats in the Sejm. Barring any major surprise, Poland should have a new cabinet by mid-week. The surge of public enthusiasm for tracking the ins-and-outs of political life follows an election in mid-October that saw a record turnout of over 70%. Democracy is in vogue here, with women and young people particularly engaged.Many were motivated to vote by stark warnings from the opposition that Poland was backsliding on some of the basic principles of democracy, under a right-wing PiS (Law and Justice Party) government.Image source, Getty ImagesThe big one is the rule of law. The EU is still withholding more than €30bn (£26bn; $32bn) in Covid recovery funds because of its concerns about the politicisation of Poland’s courts.Donald Tusk and his coalition partners have promised to make restoring the system’s independence a priority. But their ambitions have been stalled.PiS won more votes than any other party at the election, giving it a first shot at forming a government, and it’s taking the maximum time permitted.But the populist party’s eight years running Poland are drawing to a close.Defending the judges Piotr Gaciarek hopes that might mean he gets his job back.For two decades, the judge ruled on criminal cases, including murder and drug smuggling. For the past two years he’s been stuck in a small back office of the giant Warsaw District Court “working with documents”, as he puts it. He was suspended in late 2021 after issuing a legal assessment that a judge was not competent to rule because he’d been appointed after controversial reforms by the PiS government. As well as being sent to a paperwork purgatory, Judge Gaciarek’s salary was docked by 40%.BBC”They simply wanted to have their own judges, to influence decisions.Piotr GaciarekPolish judgeHis is not a lone case. PiS argues that its reforms – which affect how judges are appointed and how they are disciplined – were about shaking up old elites and improving efficiency.But judges’ groups talk instead of the politicisation of the judiciary and a campaign of harassment against those who speak out.”Most cases are of no interest to the authorities: divorce, theft. But there are those where it’s important how the judge rules: against critical journalists, opposition politicians, protesters,” Judge Gaciarek argues. “They simply wanted to have their own judges, to influence decisions.”He was eventually reinstated, after a fight. But he’s still not back in his old job.A letter he showed me from the court’s president said he was too busy to be released from his current role, although he says he has about 15 minutes’ administrative work a week.”I’m so frustrated. Poland trained me to try the toughest criminal cases. This is a waste of a major resource.”The battle over the judiciary is costing Poland in other ways. Without the EU recovery funds, analysts say the new government will struggle to meet promises on raising teachers’ salaries, maintaining social spending and improving healthcare, as well as other issues important to voters. Tusk’s coalition has promised reforms to release the cash. But there’s no concrete plan and the process is bound to be fraught. At least 2,000 new judges have been appointed since the contentious reforms, and opinion on whether they should stay in post is divided.On top of that, PiS-friendly President Andrzej Duda is in office for another two years, with the power to veto any legislative changes. “But it has to be resolved,” Judge Gaciarek insists. “I compare it to going to the doctor and wondering if the surgeon is authorised to treat me. I have to trust that the judicial system is working legally.”Battle for the airwaves Another headline promise from Team Tusk was a radical overhaul of state media, which it describes as a “factory of lies and hatred”.Talk of a “purge” prompted prominent members of the conservative press to warn of attempts to “completely eliminate free speech”.But under PiS, Poland has slumped in international rankings measuring press freedom. Radio 357 is living proof of the changes. The station was launched in January 2021 by staff who resigned or were sacked from public radio’s Channel 3, or Trojka, in a battle over political interference. The last straw was an attempt to ban a song criticising PiS party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which had surged to the top of the Trojka charts. There were earlier warning signs.Pawel Soltys, now the boss of 357, describes publicly funded media today as a “propaganda machine”. But he says the interference began as soon as PiS were first elected.Pawel was a journalist at Trojka back in 2016 when two news anchors were demoted to work in the archives, after reporting on anti-government protests. He defended them, as their trade union representative, and was then sacked himself. “It was one of the first cases of political interference, but [then] it was getting worse and worse,” Pawel told me, in the station’s studios beneath a public library in a Warsaw suburb.”It took a year, before the whole [public media] machine was running to support the government.”Entirely funded by listener donations, Radio 357 is mainly dedicated to music. But Pawel values the fact its news bulletins and current affairs show are free to cover whatever they want. “On public radio it’s not that you can’t mention an anti-government protest,” he says. “You just have to make sure to say there’s a small crowd.” Promises, promisesAssuming Team Tusk eventually start work, the list of promises to fulfil is long. Women’s groups – and women voters – are among the many who will be watching closely, especially for reform of the abortion laws.Strajk Kobiet has led major protests against a near-total ban on terminations in Poland. The group’s founder, Marta Lempart, told the BBC she expects Donald Tusk to keep his campaign pledge and “do everything possible for legalisation to happen,” allowing abortion on demand up to 12 weeks.Image source, Getty ImagesThe group also wants an end to the harassment and prosecution of people who give advice to women seeking abortion abroad or provide morning-after pills.”Young people and women brought victory to the government,” Marta Lampart says, “so they should not be cheated”. “That would be a clear signal not to engage anymore, ever.”For now, the engagement level is high. Kinoteka says all the free tickets for its screening of parliamentary proceedings on Monday have been snapped up. They are expecting a full house.The audience there, and across Poland, don’t want to be disappointed. More on this storyPoland’s LGBT community hopeful era of hate speech is overPublished13 NovemberWomen and young voters drive Poland’s right from powerPublished21 OctoberPoland’s opposition signs deal and waits to governPublished10 November

Published6 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Sean SeddonBBC NewsA US university president has quit after her comments about antisemitism on campus during a Congressional hearing triggered a major backlash.Elizabeth Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, refused to say whether students who called for the genocide of Jews would be punished.The university said she “voluntarily tendered her resignation” but will stay in post until a replacement is found.Ms Magill has previously apologised for her testimony.She made the controversial comments while appearing in front of a House of Representatives committee on 5 December alongside the presidents of Harvard and MIT, Claudine Gay and Sally Kornbluth. They were asked by Republican New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik: “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [your university’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying and harassment? Yes or no?”Ms Magill and her MIT and Harvard counterparts said repeatedly it would depend on the “context” and have been criticised for not flatly condemning any calls for the genocide of Jews.The Congressional hearing was held amid widespread campus protests sparked by the Israel-Gaza conflict and a rising number of antisemitism incidents.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.In a video statement released after the hearing, Ms Magill apologised for her testimony, but calls for her to step down have continued in recent days.She was criticised by the White House, and a major donor who had planned to give the university $100m (£79.3m) pulled out, saying he was “appalled” at Ms Magill’s comments. On Thursday, two students at the university – both of whom are Jewish – filed a lawsuit, claiming the campus has become “an incubation lab for virulent anti-Jewish hatred, harassment and discrimination.”Ms Magill’s resignation was confirmed by Scott L. Bok, chair of the Penn board of trustees. He said Ms Magill would step down as president but “will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law”.In a statement released via the university after her resignation was confirmed, Ms Magill said: “It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution. “It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.”The University of Pennsylvania – commonly known as UPenn – is among the oldest and most prestigious universities in the US, and is part of the elite Ivy League group alongside institutions such as Harvard and Yale.More on this storyUS college loses $100m donation over House testimonyPublished1 day ago

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersBy Fiona NimoniBBC NewsA senior UN aid official has warned that half of Gaza’s population is starving, as fighting there continues.Carl Skau, deputy director of the UN World Food Programme, said only a fraction of supplies needed have been able to enter the Strip – and nine out of 10 people cannot eat everyday.Conditions in Gaza have made deliveries “almost impossible”, Mr Skau said. Israel says it must continue air strikes on Gaza to eliminate Hamas and bring Israeli hostages home.Israel Defence Forces spokesman Lt Col Richard Hecht told the BBC on Saturday that “any death and pain to a civilian is painful, but we don’t have an alternative”.”We are doing everything we can to get as much as possible inside the Gaza Strip,” he said.Movement in and out of Gaza has been heavily restricted since 7 October, when Hamas fighters broke through Israel’s heavily-guarded perimeter fence – killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. In response, Israel closed its borders with Gaza and began launching air strikes on the territory, restricting aid deliveries which Gazans heavily relied on.The Hamas-run health ministry says Israel has killed more than 17,700 Gazans in its retaliatory campaign, including more than 7,000 children.Only the Rafah crossing bordering Egypt has been open, allowing limited quantities of aid to reach Gaza. This week Israel agreed to open the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into Gaza in the next few days – but only for the inspection of aid lorries. The trucks would then go to Rafah to cross into Gaza.Mr Skau said nothing had prepared him for the “fear, the chaos, and the despair” he and his WFP team encountered during their trip to Gaza this week. They witnessed “confusion at warehouses, distribution points with thousands of desperate hungry people, supermarkets with bare shelves, and overcrowded shelters with bursting bathrooms,” he said. International pressure and a temporary seven-day ceasefire last month had allowed some badly-needed aid to enter the Gaza Strip, but the WFP insists a second border crossing is now needed to meet demand.Nine out of 10 families in some areas are spending “a full day and night without any food at all”, according to Mr Skau. People in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, a city now surrounded on two fronts by Israeli tanks, say the situation there is dire. Dr Ahmed Moghrabi, head of the plastic surgery and burns unit in the city’s only remaining health facility, Nasser hospital, fought back tears as he spoke to the BBC about the lack of food. “I have a daughter, three years old, always she ask me (for) some sweets, some apple, some fruits. I can’t provide. I feel helpless,” he said.”There is not enough food, there is not enough food, only rice, only rice can you believe? We eat once, once a day, only.”This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Khan Younis has been the focus of heavy air strikes in recent days and the boss of Nasser hospital there said his team had “lost control” over the numbers of dead and wounded arriving at the facility.Israel says Hamas leaders are hiding in Khan Younis, possibly in an underground network of tunnels, and that it is fighting house to house and “shaft to shaft” to destroy the group’s military capabilities. More on Israel-Gaza warFollow live: Latest updatesExplained: Jeremy Bowen: The status quo is smashed Israel: The Israeli woman still helping sick PalestiniansOn the ground: ‘It’s so much harder to watch Gaza from the outside’Gaza: How much damage has been done?History behind the story: The Israel-Palestinian conflictSpeaking on Saturday, the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, accused the United States of being complicit in war crimes, after it vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Out of 15 of the Security Council members, 13 countries voted in favour of the resolution calling for a ceasefire. The UK abstained from the vote and the US was the only country to vote against the resolution.Mr Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, said he held Washington responsible for “the bloodshed of Palestinian children, women, and elderly in Gaza at the hands of [Israeli] occupation forces”. The US ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, defended the veto, and said the resolution was calling for an “unsustainable ceasefire” which “would leave Hamas in place able to repeat what it did on October 7”.Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he appreciated the “correct stance” the US had taken at the security council. A seven-day temporary ceasefire ended just over a week ago. Under the truce, 78 hostages were released by Hamas in exchange for 180 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. There are still more than 100 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. On Saturday, it was confirmed that Israeli hostage Sahar Baruch, 25, had been killed, his kibbutz and a hostages’ group said in a statement.It comes after the armed wing of Hamas released a video on Friday which it said showed the bloody aftermath of a failed IDF operation to free an Israeli hostage.More on this storyBowen: US uses veto but pressure for Gaza ceasefire is buildingPublished1 day agoThe status quo is smashed. The future is messy and dangerousPublished12 hours agoGaza ‘safe zone’ for millions smaller than HeathrowPublished1 day ago

Published9 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesTurkey has issued an international arrest warrant for the son of Somalia’s president, after he allegedly ran over a motorcycle courier, who later died.A police report said Mohammed Hassan Cheikh Mohamud collided with the courier in broad daylight in Istanbul. Police say he was driving a car which reportedly belonged to the Somali consulate there.Turkey imposed a travel ban on Mr Mohamud but officials believe he has already fled the country.In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu shared grainy CCTV footage of the 30 November incident.A car can be seen appearing to hit the back of a motorcycle at a junction on a busy multi-lane road.The motorcyclist, father-of-two Yunus Emre Göçer, 38, was taken to hospital but died from his injuries six days later on Wednesday.An initial police report had said that Mr Göçer had been at fault and therefore Mr Mohamud was released, according to Mr Göçer’s lawyer quoted by Turkish media outlets.But a review of the security footage suggested there may have been another explanation.Mr Mohamud, who is the son of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has not commented.An international arrest warrant for Mr Mohamud was issued by the Turkish prosecutor on Friday. This was after police had visited his home to find that he had not been there for almost a week, the AFP news agency says, citing local reports.Turkey and Somalia have enjoyed growing diplomatic relations over the past decade, with Turkey providing infrastructure investment, military training and humanitarian aid.More on this storyThe unlikely love affair between two countriesPublished15 December 2014Turkey and Africa: Drones, deals and dramasPublished25 May

Published12 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Nigeria presidencyBy Nkechi OgbonnaBBC News, LagosThe delivery of a million barrels of crude oil to huge new refinery in Nigeria marks a major milestone in the process towards the country being able to produce fuel itself.For years, the oil-rich nation has not been able to refine the product.Importing refined oil has imposed some extra costs on the country.It is not clear when the mammoth Dangote refinery will start working but once running, it will be a big step in reaching energy self-sufficiency.The delivery of the first one million barrels of crude will be followed by five million more, which should then allow the plant to begin producing fuel.When fully operational, the $19bn (£15bn) facility in Nigeria’s commercial hub, Lagos, is predicted to produce about 650,000 barrels per day.It will begin by making diesel, aviation fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) before progressing to the production of petrol.Africa’s richest man and president of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said on Friday that the “focus over the coming months is to ramp up the refinery to its full capacity. I look forward to the next significant milestone when we deliver the first batch of products to the Nigerian market.”The company boasts it will be eventually able to provide for 100% of Nigeria’s requirements of all refined product and also have surplus for export.The continent’s largest economy, and one of its largest oil producers, has faced challenges in the supply of fuel, including foreign currency shortages, which have contributed to the frequent bouts of scarcity in the country.The cost of fuel has also become a major political issue.For years, the price had been subsidised – one of the few perks that many Nigerians had felt that they got from the state.But the subsidy cost the government a lot of money and this year the newly elected President, Bola Tinubu, removed it. This led to an increase in fuel prices of over 400%.Although labour unions have pressured the government to reverse its decision and alleviate the plight of most Nigerians, President Tinubu has maintained that it was a move that had long-term benefits.In November, the government said it had saved over $1.8bn between June and September this year through the removal of the subsidy which will be channelled into social development projects.More on this storyNigeria’s oil theft: Dirty, dangerous, lucrativePublished27 April 2022Nigeria country profilePublished28 JulyAfrica’s largest oil refinery launched in NigeriaPublished22 May

Published13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By George WrightBBC NewsThe Philippines has accused China of using water cannons to obstruct three of its vessels, in the latest territorial dispute between the two countries in the South China Sea.Video footage shows Chinese ships firing powerful blasts of water towards the Philippine government vessels.The Philippines called China’s actions “illegal and aggressive”. The South China Sea is at the centre of a territorial dispute between China, the Philippines and other countries.The incident happened near Scarborough Shoal, a flashpoint between the two countries. Beijing seized the shoal in 2012 and Chinese boats have since harassed Philippine fishermen in the area.The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said that “Chinese Coast Guard ships utilised water cannons to obstruct” government vessels from delivering fuel and food supplies to fishing boats.The agency said it “vehemently condemns the illegal and aggressive actions”.Beijing said it had used what it called “control measures” on ships that had intruded into its waters.Earlier this week, the Philippines accused China of “swarming” a reef off its coast after more than 135 military boats were spotted in the South China Sea.On Sunday, the Philippines plans to send a Christmas convoy of around 40 boats to distribute gifts and other provisions to people on Thitu island, the Philippines’ largest occupied island in the South China Sea.Why the Philippines and China are on a collision courseFriction between the two countries over competing sovereignty claims has increased since Ferdinand Marcos Jr became Philippine president last year.Last month, the Philippines carried out two separate joint air and sea patrols with the US, and with Australia a few days earlier.An international tribunal invalidated China’s claim to 90% of the South China Sea in 2016, but Beijing does not recognise the ruling and has been building islands in the disputed waters in recent years.The contested waters have also become a naval flashpoint for China-US relations, and in October, US President Joe Biden warned that the US will defend the Philippines in case of any attack.President Biden’s comments were made days after two collisions between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the waters.Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei also claim parts of the sea.More on this storyWhy the Philippines and China are on a collision coursePublished23 OctoberWhat is the South China Sea dispute?Published7 JulyUS will defend Philippines if China attacks: BidenPublished26 October

Published17 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Rabbi Mendel Samama/@EURORabbiBy Hugh SchofieldBBC News, ParísEmmanuel Macron has been accused of betraying the French Republic after he took part in a Jewish ceremony inside his official residence, the Elysée Palace.In a country where the separation of religion is itself a religion, the lighting of a Hanukkah candle inside the historic Salle des Fêtes on Thursday was immediately denounced by politicians of both right and left.The president had invited France’s Chief Rabbi Haïm Korsia to light the first of eight candles on a Hanukkiah, or candelabra, marking the start of the Jewish festival of lights. The occasion was the award to President Macron of a prize for his efforts against antisemitism. But when video of the ceremony appeared shortly afterwards on social media, there was furore.For French opinion-formers of all stripes, the president had committed an enormous faux-pas by allowing religion into the secular hallows of the presidency.”As far as I know this is the first time this has ever happened. It is a breach of secularism,” said David Lisnard, a prominent right-wing opposition figure who is also mayor of Cannes.”The Elysée is not a place of religion. You cannot compromise with secularism,” said the Socialist president of the Occitania region, Carole Delga.”Will Macron now do the same for other religions? Some yes, some no? It’s a dangerous spiral,” said Alexis Corbière of the far-left France Unbowed.Even some French Jews were perplexed. “This is something that shouldn’t be allowed to happen again,” said Yonathan Arfi who heads the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (Crif).”French Jews have always considered secularism as a law of protection and of freedom. Anything that weakens secularism weakens Jews,” he said. The idea of “secularism” was put into a French law of 1905, after years of struggle between the state and the Roman Catholic Church. It enshrined freedom of belief, but ended state involvement in the Church and removed all signs of religion from public buildings.The law has since come to be regarded as a cornerstone of modern France, ensuring strict neutrality between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and guaranteeing that citizens are seen as individuals-in-a-state and not as members-in-a-community. Image source, CHRISTOPHE ENA/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockFor Emmanuel Macron to have breached a century-old Republican doctrine will be seen by critics as confirmation of his overweening self-belief and “Jupiterian” entitlement.Speaking on Friday as he viewed renovation work at Notre-Dame cathedral, the president said he had no regrets, and that his invitation to the chief rabbi had been made “in the spirit of the Republic and of concord”.”If the president had actually carried out a religious act, or taken part in a ceremony, that would indeed have been a breach of secularism. But that is not what happened,” he said.In pictures: German chancellor lights first candle for HanukkahMacron condemns rising antisemitism and Israeli bombing of civiliansThe gesture comes at the end of a long political sequence over Gaza in which President Macron has been under attack for improvising policy on the hoof.Critics say he has failed to present a consistent line on the war, instead zigzagging from overclose proximity to the Israeli side at one moment, to intense courting of Arab opinion at the next: always with the aim of appeasing the large Jewish and Muslim populations in France.Shortly after 7 October, Mr Macron visited Israel and proposed an international coalition against Hamas, much like the one that defeated so-called Islamic State (IS). Image source, ReutersAccused of abandoning France’s traditional backing for Palestinians, he then organised an international aid conference on Gaza to which Israel was not invited. He then further angered some Jews by refusing to attend a march against antisemitism, and in a BBC interview he spoke of “babies” being bombed by the Israeli air force.Some have detected in this latest gesture at the Elysée a new, single-handed touch to the tiller of state.In France’s foreign ministry, which has been largely sidelined by President Macron, off-the-record interviews make clear the frustration among professional diplomats.”One day Macron is on the verge of announcing that he’s going to help the Israeli army wipe out Gaza. Two weeks later he’s on the BBC calling Israel a baby-killer,” one former diplomat told Libération newspaper.”OK, we know it is all about internal politics. But here, he’s alienating first the Muslims, then the Jews.”More on this storyMacron urges Israel to stop bombing babies in GazaPublished11 NovemberIn pictures: German chancellor lights first candle for HanukkahPublished2 days ago

Published18 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Anton KulakowskiyBy Laura KuenssbergBBC News in KyivOlena Zelenska has warned that Ukrainians are in “mortal danger” of being left to die if Western countries don’t continue their financial support.Ukraine’s first lady spoke to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg a day after Republican senators in the US blocked a key aid bill.It would have provided more than $60bn (£47.8bn) worth of support to Ukraine.Speaking hours after a Russian missile attack, she said: “If the world gets tired, they will simply let us die.”The White House has warned that US funds for Ukraine could soon run out, but Republicans have held up a deal to authorise more assistance. They are seeking to secure compromises from President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress on funding for US border measures, in exchange for their support. President Biden said the failure to agree Ukraine aid would be a “gift” for President Vladimir Putin, warning history would “judge harshly those who turned their back on freedom’s cause”. Image source, Anton KulakowskiyNearly two years since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the first lady expressed grave concern over delays in funding. In an exclusive interview to be broadcast on Sunday, Olena Zelenska told the BBC the slowdown in aid represented a “mortal danger” for her country.She said: “We really need the help. In simple words, we cannot get tired of this situation, because if we do, we die. “And if the world gets tired, they will simply let us die.”The first lady continued: “It hurts us greatly to see the signs that the passionate willingness to help may fade. “It is a matter of life for us. Therefore, it hurts to see that.”Ukraine still hopeful for US aid package after Senate setbackZelensky speaks out as US stand-off imperils war effortThe UK has also been urging politicians in Washington DC to agree a deal for Ukraine.UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said on a visit to Washington this week that the US was the “lynchpin” of the Western coalition backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia.He urged the US not to give Mr Putin a “Christmas present” by blocking the billions of dollars of financial support required to continue the war against Russian forces. There is little doubt that the international community’s attitude towards Ukraine has shifted.Full-throated support in Washington DC cannot be guaranteed – and yet the fundamentals of the conflict have not budged. A country on Europe’s eastern flank is still fighting to repel Russian forces after the Kremlin launched an illegal invasion.Ukraine surprised the world when its armed forces prevented the country being overrun in February 2022.Many Western countries surprised them in return with the enthusiasm of their support.However, Ukraine cannot keep going in the same vein without the wealth and backing of other countries. The first lady’s warnings seem designed to make that crystal clear. See the full interview on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg at 9am on 10 December on BBC One.More on this storyBiden on Ukraine aid: No time for ‘petty politics’Published3 days agoRussia luring migrants from Finnish border for war in UkrainePublished2 days agoPutin to stand for fifth term as Russian presidentPublished1 day agoWar in maps: Ukraine claims foothold across key riverPublished16 November