|
BBC News, I'm John Shea.
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has arrived in Washington ahead of planned talks with President Trump on Tuesday. Their meeting could be tense, following repeated suggestions by the U.S. President that Canada should become the 51st American state. Mr. Trump said the purpose of the visit wasn't clear. "I'm not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal. Everybody does. They all wanna make a deal because we have something that they all want. We have something that they all want. China wants to make a deal very badly. You see what's happening to China. China's being decimated and I don't want that to happen. But they have to make a fair deal." The U.S. secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has ordered sweeping cuts to its top military leadership. It's the latest shakeup at the Pentagon under the Trump administration, which has already fired a series of senior officers this year. Carl Nasman reports from Washington. Pete Hegseth said he wanted fewer generals and more GIs, an informal term for soldiers. The move would cut 20% of the country's most senior generals and admirals. He said it was intended to maximize the readiness and effectiveness of the U.S. military. Mr. Hegseth, who previously served in the army, has long argued the Pentagon's bureaucracy is too top-heavy and in need of cuts. But the Democrats have raised concerns about potentially politicizing the armed forces. Russian officials say an attack by Ukraine inside Russia's Kursk region late on Monday has damaged a power substation. The attack in the town of Rylsk has damaged two transformers and cut off power. Ukraine's military has insisted that some of its forces are still active inside the region despite Russian claims last month that they'd all been driven out. It follows reports by Russian bloggers that Ukrainian troops had used a mine clearance vehicle to smash through the border and that fighting had resumed. Peru's government has imposed a curfew in the central province of Patas where 13 miners were kidnapped and killed by a criminal group a week ago. Our South America correspondent Ione Wells reports. Peru is one of the biggest gold producers in Latin America and mining plays a huge role in the country's economy. But illegal miners working with criminal gangs have contributed to escalating violence in the country. The president has announced several measures to try to get a grip on the situation, including a curfew and the establishment of a military base in Patas. Dina Boloate said the army would take control of the mine operated by Poderosa where the recent kidnapping of company employees took place. The firm has been targeted in recent months by armed groups linked to illegal mining. The head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, says the company behind ChatGPT will continue to be run as a non-profit entity. The artificial intelligence trailblazer had said it would change to be a for-profit company to please investors who were pumping billions of dollars into it. World News from the BBC. Police in northern England have launched an investigation after two superbike riders died in a collision involving 11 motorcycles during a championship race. Another rider was seriously injured in the accident at the British Superbikes race in Cheshire. Some of the biggest names in fashion and entertainment have arrived at the Met Gala in New York. This year's theme for the fundraising event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." It's the first gala since 2003 to focus exclusively on menswear. The host of the event, Vogue magazine, says the subject of the exhibition is the Black dandy and that it examines the importance of clothing and style in the formation of Black identities in the Atlantic diaspora. The former French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, has apologized for the first time to Liverpool football supporters for the policing operation at the chaotic Champions League final in Paris in 2022. Mr. Darmanin initially blamed Liverpool supporters for the disorder, claiming they'd arrived late with fake tickets. French police fired tear gas towards fans locked behind metal fences. Speaking in an interview on YouTube, Mr. Darmanin, who's now the French justice minister, said the security operation got the measures wrong and that the problems had been caused by local petty criminals. "Yes, there weren't enough of them. In fact, we made a mistake with our security. I was guilty of having a preconceived idea of what's happened. It's easy to see where the mistakes were made and so I apologize to the Liverpool supporters." Zhao Xintong has become the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship. He beat Mark Williams by 18 frames to 12 to clinch victory at the Crucible Theatre in England. The two finalists shared a warm embrace after his win. The result is a remarkable turnaround for Zhao, who served a lengthy ban for match-fixing two years ago. He'll take home a prize of more than $600,000. BBC News. |