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BBC News with Fiona MacDonald.
Colombia's new right-wing leader, Abelardo de la Espriella, has been sworn in as president. He took the oath of office not in the capital, as is the tradition, but in the volatile southwestern city of Cali. It's meant to signal his self-declared tough approach to illegal armed groups operating in the region. Having been sworn in, he flew by helicopter to address soldiers, as Luis Fajardo reports. In his inaugural speech, the new leader announced big changes in the way Colombia confronts its decades-long problem with violence. After four years in which his left-wing predecessor, Gustavo Petro, tried and failed to reach a peace deal with drug trafficking gangs and leftist insurgents, the new president said that the option of dialogue is entirely spent. Instead, he promises a military crackdown, which critics say may lead to abuses. He gave his address at an army base to an audience of soldiers. The rest of the country will be waiting to see if he can deliver on his promise of restoring order and authority. Donald Trump has given a furious response to a U.S. appeals court ruling ordering him to stop the construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House. Mr. Trump called the ruling a "national disgrace." But the court said such a massive overhaul should have had the explicit consent of Congress. Sarah Smith reports. He can carry on with the construction of the ballroom for another two weeks while he appeals to the Supreme Court. That's what the ruling said. And he is allowed to continue building a large, secure military bunker that is underground and to go underneath the ballroom. He says that's essential for national security and he hasn't been stopped building that. But to carry on with the ballroom, this ruling says he would need to win a vote in Congress to approve his plans. As the ballroom is pretty unpopular with the voting public, it is not guaranteed that he would win that congressional vote. Spain has brought in border controls for all travelers arriving in Italy amid a rare row between the two EU and NATO member states over the issue of immigration. Madrid's month-long suspension applies not just to citizens of third countries arriving from Italy but also to Italians themselves. The International Criminal Court has expressed concern over the decision by Chad and Venezuela to withdraw from the body and called on them to reconsider. Both accused the court of bias against their respective continents. But the presidency said their departure risked undermining the collective pursuit of global justice. Hunter Biden, the son of the former U.S. President Joe Biden, has acknowledged his father's decision to pardon him just before leaving the White House two years ago had been controversial. Speaking to the BBC, he said Joe Biden had acted out of concern that Hunter would become a target under Donald Trump's administration. The clemency covered Hunter Biden's federal gun conviction. BBC News. The U.S. Senate has passed a sanctions bill [against Russia's long championed] against Russia long championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The legislation targets major buyers of Russian oil and imposes additional sanctions on Russian leaders and oligarchs. It also includes expanded sanctions on Iran sought by President Trump. President Zelenskyy said the legislation would hit Russia's ability to finance the war. A court in Senegal has jailed three social media influencers for insulting the president. Judges ruled a TikTok video in which the men prayed for the country's "greatest traitor" to suffer paralysis or death was aimed at President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Richard Kagoe reports. The judges sentenced the three influencers for what they described as speech contrary to public decency and Senegal's democratic standards. Mandoumbe Diop, known as Lamignou Darou, who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, was given three months in prison and fined $880. The other two received two-month sentences and similar fines. The lawyers, who say no criminal offence was committed, have vowed to appeal. The three are linked on online platforms seen as supporting the PASTF party, which is a associated with former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko sacked in May after falling out with President Faye. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have sharply rebuked Nigeria's president over his comments blaming worsening insecurity in Nigeria, partly on the collapse of security in neighboring Sahel states. Burkina Faso's foreign minister called Bola Tinubu's remarks a "rapid, very simplistic and surprising analysis" that ignored the sacrifices of their soldiers and civilians. Tributes have been paid to the acclaimed British music producer William Orbit, whose death was announced at the age of 69. He is best known for his work with acts including Blur and Madonna. BBC News. |