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BBC News with David Harper.
The former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has arrived at a hospital in Islamabad after the Supreme Court ruled that he be allowed out of jail for medical check-ups. There was a significant police presence in Rawalpindi where Mr. Khan has been held since August, 2023 ahead of the move. Our Pakistan correspondent Caroline Davies reports. This represents the most significant relief Mr. Khan has been given by the courts since he was imprisoned three years ago. On charges he says are politically motivated. The judges made their decision after considering a medical report that highlighted his fluctuating blood pressure, anxiety and palpitations. The court also allowed him a family visit for the first time in months. The sudden court order has led to speculation that there are political maneuvres behind the scenes between the former prime minister's PTI party and Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence services. This is not something either side has commented on. The president of Cameroon, Paul Biya, has returned home after more than two months abroad. His prolonged stay in Switzerland led to speculation about the 93-year-old's health, prompting the government to deny that he had been in hospital. The world's oldest serving head of state's arrival in the capital Yaoundé was broadcast live across Cameroon. His long absence also prompted opposition calls for Mr. Biya's seat to be declared vacant as the situation had created a vacuum of power. The Panama Canal Authority has announced new measures to manage the transit of vessels as a severe El Niño weather pattern threatens the critical trade waterway. Meteorologists warn that this year's El Niño could be the largest in living memory. With more detail, here's David Bamford. The Panama Canal Authority needs huge amounts of fresh water to raise and lower ships through its locks. Ships are currently waiting about 10 days to pass through the canal, which links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Because of the El Niño effect, there's been insufficient rain to replenish the water supply, so the authority says it's cutting the number of daily transit slots. And shipping companies are being told to reduce vessel hull depths by carrying less cargo. The Trump administration has imposed more economic sanctions on state-run entities and individuals in Cuba. The Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the targets were part of what he called "the regime's raison d'etre of exporting Marxism, radical resentment and Communist violence." Will Grant reports. Secretary Rubio said fresh sanctions were being imposed on a group called the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, or ECAP. Founded in 1960 by the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, it has traditionally been used by the Cuban government to foster ties with like-minded organizations around the world. Mr. Rubio, however, accuses the group of misleading and corrupting American citizens with lies, spy tradecraft and malfeasance. Among those to be targeted is the group's president, Fernando González Llort, a member of a spy ring called the Cuban Five, who were part of a prisoner exchange during the Obama-era thaw with Havana. BBC News. Chinese researchers have found that areas with large amounts of solar panels have fewer birds. The study published in the journal Science says this is because of the impact of farms and grasslands being rapidly cleared for renewable energy centers. Jessica McCallan reports. The scientists looked at 2,000 counties across China and concluded that areas with the most solar investment had seen a fall in the number and variety of birds. Both resident and migratory birds were affected. The researchers said the finding posed a "green dilemma," pitting carbon reduction measures against conservation ones. They're calling for solar farms to be built in places like deserts on less green, habitat-rich land to try and address the problem. China has been undergoing a renewables revolution in recent years as part of the government's plan to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. The battalion of the U.S. Army is offering soldiers who re-enlist four days of extra leave so they can play the latest version of the Grand Theft Auto video game when it comes out in November. So far, 20 of the 130 eligible troops from the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion have taken up the offer. In exchange for their extra holiday, they will have to commit to at least two more years in the army. Donald Trump has signed a memo proposing firm government support for a drastic increase in the number of commercial space launches. It envisages [at least 100] at least 1,000 rocket launches and re-entries per year by 2030 - more than five times the current rate. A Swiss tourist has been sentenced to one year in prison on the Indonesian island of Bali for insulting a sacred Hindu observance. Luzian Andrin Zgraggen was found guilty of violating the criminal code by posting videos of himself outdoors, making profane comments on what is traditionally known as the Day of Silence. For one day each year, Bali's world-famous beaches and streets are empty of people, mixed with special patrols who ensure silence is observed. And that's the latest BBC News. |