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BBC News with Fiona McDonald.
Police in France have made nearly 2,000 arrests during a day of student protests and blockades of hundreds of schools across the country. More than 300 police officers and several high school principals were injured. The government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed party of encouraging the protests. Hugh Schofield has the details. More money for schools, more teachers, better buildings. That's the outward cause behind the protest. Part of the lycée burned out in Nantes, a fire engine sent to put out flames in Marseille, itself destroyed by fire. In the north, a headteacher hit by a firework. What's worrying is the context. Elections are approaching in which hard-right and hard-left both feel very confident and are poised for a showdown. This feels very much like a foretaste of troubles that could be to come. President Putin has reiterated that Russia is prepared to use all its weapons, including nuclear, if Baltic territory of Kaliningrad is attacked. He was speaking at a foreign policy forum in Moscow that touched on the war with Ukraine and relations with the West. Our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg was at the forum. President Putin warned that in the event of a direct attack on Russia, for example on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, the issue of use, he said, of all weapons at Russia's disposal will inevitably and immediately be on the agenda. Referring to European states that supply weapons to Ukraine, Mr. Putin commented, "I'm not saying that we intend to launch strikes tomorrow against the territory or the facilities of countries supplying arms to Ukraine. However, it is a threat we must clearly understand, assess and keep in mind." The lawyer for an American woman who survived two attempted lethal injections in the U.S. state of Tennessee says she's critically ill and receiving life-saving medical care. Christa Pike, who was sentenced to death for a murder 30 years ago, was taken to hospital after surviving the failed doses. Her lawyer, Randy Spivey, called the process "inefficient, cruel and tortuous." "The execution team attempted to establish an IV line for an hour. I counted at least seven needles used in her left arm alone, one of which appeared to be bent when it was pulled from her arm after an unsuccessful attempt. The state continued its efforts despite the very complications that we had warned about in court months earlier." President Trump has said he may ask European countries to release their reserves of diesel to help lower global prices. The price of diesel has soared since the start of the U.S. war on Iran. The U.S. Treasury secretary urged European countries to accelerate delivery on their existing commitments and make additional supplies available. World news from the BBC. Eritrea says it's severing all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia after its diplomats were expelled from Addis Ababa. Eritrea's foreign ministry said it had no option but to reciprocate in kind. Temesghen Debesai reports. Ethiopia has ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours as tensions between the two countries continue to rise. Addis Ababa has closed its embassy in Asmara, accusing Eritrea of hostile activities. It said Eritrea was supporting an opposition alliance led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front that launched attacks on troops loyal to the federal government. Eritrea denies the accusations and has in turn blamed Ethiopia of pursuing expansionist ambitions, particularly over access to the Red Sea. Relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia have deteriorated since the end of the Tigray war in 2022 despite the two countries having fought alongside each other during the conflict. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says its forces have intercepted two ballistic missiles and four drones fired by the Houthis towards the kingdom. The coalition said they were destroyed over the cities of Jazan and Khamis Mushait. In the meantime, large explosions have been heard in the Yemeni capital Sana'a, controlled by the Houthi movement. A Houthi-run news agency said Saudis carried out the attack. The Saudi authorities say that the captain and the co-pilot on the flight from Dubai to Israel that made an emergency landing in the kingdom on Wednesday are now in the UAE. The Saudi interior ministry said the initial Saudi investigation had confirmed that the co-pilot assaulted the captain of the Fly Dubai plane. A second U.S. federal judge has blocked an unprecedented $100,000 fee that President Trump has imposed on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. The judge in California ruled that the authorities had failed to follow necessary rule-making processes. BBC News. |