|
Hello, I'm Chris Barrow with the BBC News.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has failed to secure Tomahawk missiles from the United States following a meeting at the White House with President Trump. Mr. Zelenskyy had travelled to Washington hoping to obtain supplies of these long-range weapons to attack Russia. Nomia Iqbal sent this report. President Trump has made it clear he wants to tackle Russia and Ukraine's ongoing war. President Zelenskyy has adopted a strategy of flattering him over that as he tries to convince the U.S. leader to give him Tomahawk missiles in order to strike Russian oil and energy facilities. But after leaving the White House, he indicated he may not have got what he wanted. President Trump has often said he is prepared to punish Russia with further sanctions if they don't end the war. But so far, he has not delivered on that. A New York court has found that the French bank BNP Paribas helped the Sudanese government under Omar al-Bashir carry out atrocities in Darfur by providing it with financial support. Three people who brought the case were awarded more than $20 million in compensation. Micky Bristow has the details. The plaintiffs said they had been tortured by Sudanese soldiers and militias in Darfur and partly blamed BNP Paribas for enabling the government to fund these atrocities. At the time, the French bank allowed Sudan to use its financial services to conduct international trade in oil, cotton and other commodities. The plaintiffs' lawyer said the bank had rescued, shielded and fed the economy of a dictator. The bank argued that the atrocities 20 years ago would have happened anyway. King Charles's brother Andrew says he's giving up all his titles and honors except that of Prince. It follows new revelations concerning his relationship with the late U.S. convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Rob Watson has more. Prince Andrew says he took the decision in discussion with his brother King Charles. But it seems clear that had he not jumped, the King would have pushed him. In the end, the King appears to have decided, along with his son and heir Prince William, that the reputation and survival of the monarchy trumps all other considerations. Prince Andrew's past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and other now unwise-looking friendships have finally completed his downfall and isolation. The Israeli army says troops have retrieved the remains of another apparent hostage in Gaza. A coffin containing the body was collected by the Red Cross in the southern city of Khan Yunis and will be taken to Tel Aviv for identification. If confirmed, the remains of 18 hostages would still be in the Palestinian territory. Hamas is undergoing pressure to return all the bodies but claims it's struggling to access them buried under the rubble. Reports say an international team set up to locate the bodies has entered Gaza. World News from the BBC. President Trump has commuted the sentence of the disgraced New York congressman George Santos, who was convicted of fraud and identity theft. Writing on social media, Mr. Trump said the Republican politician, who was sentenced to an 87-month jail term in April, would be released from prison immediately. At least eight people have been killed in an alleged Pakistani airstrike in eastern Afghanistan. An Afghan Taliban official accused Pakistan of breaking a two-day ceasefire that was declared after intense fighting in the past week. Our global affairs reporter Anbarasan Ethirajan has more details. The Afghan Cricket Board said three of those killed in Paktika province were local cricket players who were having dinner after returning from a tournament. Residents in the area told the BBC that they had seen jets and drones launching the attacks in two districts. Security sources in Islamabad said they had conducted what it called "precision strikes" against Islamist militants in the border areas of Afghanistan who target Pakistani forces across the frontier. The medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, says two people were killed and almost 200 injured in a crush in the Kenyan capital during the funeral of the former political leader Raila Odinga. It happened as crowds surged forward to view Mr. Odinga's coffin at the main stadium in Nairobi. On Saturday, Mr. Odinga's body will be flown to Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria to be buried the following day. A last-minute intervention by Saudi Arabia has led to a year-long adjournment of talks on a deal to reduce carbon emissions generated by global shipping. More than 100 countries had gathered in London to approve the treaty, which would have imposed fines on ship owners who did not meet emissions standards. After President Trump threatened tariffs against countries supporting the deal, most nations backed the Saudi motion to postpone negotiations. BBC News. |