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This is the BBC News with Fiona Macdonald.
Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies say they've uncovered large-scale bribery in the buying of drones and electronic warfare systems used by the military. In a statement, the agencies announced the arrest of four suspects, one of them a member of parliament from President Zelenskyy's party. In his nightly address, President Zelenskyy described such acts as "absolutely immoral." Grant Ferrett reports. The scheme allegedly involved state contracts with suppliers being signed at prices which were inflated by up to 30 percent. As well as an MP who hasn't been named, those detained include local officials and a member of the military. The anti-corruption agencies said their work had been made possible by the restoration of their independence after a swift U-turn in recent days by President Zelenskyy. He backed a new law after his attempt a week earlier to impose political control on the agencies prompted nationwide protests. Residents of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv have been warned to take cover because of incoming Russian missile fire. The authorities in the northeastern region of Kharkiv also reported coming under drone attack. Earlier, the governor of the Kherson region, further south, said a Russian airstrike had caused damage to a bridge and a gas pipeline. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's spoken at length with the families of two Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza following the release of harrowing videos in recent days showing the men in an emaciated condition. Mr. Netanyahu said he had expressed his shock to the families of Eviatar David and Ron Braslavsky. Ilai David, the brother of one of the hostages, spoke at the weekly rally in Tel Aviv. "The humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza, meant to alleviate suffering, must reach Eviatar, guy and all the other hostages immediately. We cannot, we must not allow Hamas to wield life and death with such unchecked barbarity. To remain silent now is to be complicit in their slow, agonizing death." Rescuers in central Chile, who've been racing to reach five trapped workers at a copper mine, say one of the men is now known to have died. The fate of the other four remains unclear. The incident happened at El Teniente, the flagship mine of the state-owned company Codelco. Here's Tom Bailey. The cause of Thursday's tremor, which prompted a series of underground tunnels to collapse, is currently under investigation. It's unclear whether it was a naturally occurring earthquake or as a result of mining activity. Rescue teams have been using heavy machinery to clear the blocked passageways to try to reach the trapped men, in what's been described as a race against time. BBC News. U.S. officials say they've opened an investigation into the former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led two federal criminal cases against President Donald Trump before last year's presidential election. The Office of (the) Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, is reported to be looking into allegations that Mr. Smith broke a law that prohibits political activities by government officials. Protests in Britain have taken place in London, Manchester and Newcastle, outside hotels used to house asylum seekers. Local people say the migrants, mostly single young men, should not be housed in communities near schools. Counter-protests were organized by the activist group Stand Up to Racism. Police say they arrested a total of 15 people who breached protest conditions. Simon Jones reports. Police tried to keep pro- and anti-immigration protesters apart outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Islington in London. Inside the hotel, some of the migrants looked on bemused. The government has promised to end the use of hotels by the end of this parliament, partly by reducing the time it takes to process asylum appeals, fifty-four weeks on average with a backlog of more than 50,000 cases, according to the Refugee Council. Nurses in Nigeria have suspended a nationwide strike which started on Wednesday after online talks between the union and the government. The nurses and midwives' long-standing demands include a pay review, uniform allowance and the creation of a nursing department within the Ministry of Health. They also called for mass recruitment as tens of thousands have left Nigeria over the last three years. Germany's oldest and biggest gay nightclub, SchwuZ, has declared itself bankrupt. Its managing director said an ailing economy, an ageing clientele and a deepening crisis in the Berlin club scene had all taken their toll. SchwuZ has been in business for 50 years. BBC News. |