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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaJapan same-sex marriage ban ruled unconstitutional again by courtsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Japan’s constitution currently defines marriage as one between “both sexes”By Frances Mao & Sakiko Shiraishiin Singapore and TokyoTwo more rulings in Japanese district courts have added weight to the push for same-sex marriage to be legalised.This week, courts in Tokyo and Sapporo ruled the nation’s current ban was “unconstitutional”, in line with previous landmark verdicts.The rulings in separate cases found that the ban breached citizens’ rights.Even as they welcomed the verdicts, activists warned that the historic step of legalising same-sex unions would still need to come from lawmakers.Currently, Japan remains the only G7 country not to fully recognise same-sex couples or offer them clear legal protection. But it is not an outlier in Asia, where Taiwan is the only place to allow same-sex unions.While several municipalities and prefectures in Japan issue same-sex partnership certificates, which provide some benefits, they do not offer equal legal recognition.Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government has come under increased pressure on the issue in recent years as public support has grown significantly. Polls show up to 70% of the population supports same-sex unions.But Mr Kishida has struggled to pass reforms in his own party in the face of fierce opposition from traditional leadership. Marriage equality eludes Japan’s same-sex couplesWhy is Japan redefining rape?The women fighting Japan’s sexual violence stigmaHis government is yet to disclose any plans to change or review marriage legislation. But it has passed a law criminalising discrimination on the basis of sexuality – but this has been criticised by LGBT+ activists for stopping well short of recognising marriage equality.On Thursday, a Sapporo court ruling said it was “strongly expected” that parliament would at some point “institutionalise an appropriate same-sex marriage law”, noting the broad public support.The court also found that: “Living in accordance with one’s gender identity and sexual orientation is an inalienable right rooted in important person interests.”At least half a dozen legal cases challenging the marriage ban have been waged since since 2019. In 2021, the Sapporo court made a landmark ruling declaring the ban unconstitutional.The cases have been closely watched in a country still largely bound by traditional gender roles and family values.Related TopicsAsiaJapanSame-sex marriageTop StoriesLive. Gove names groups as he outlines new extremism definition in CommonsAbbott hits out at racism in politics after donor rowPublished1 hour agoDua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA to headline GlastonburyPublished4 hours agoFeaturesHow a head teacher saved his pupils from a knifemanPost Office victim’s child: ‘Scandal left me mute’Critics say Morning Show star is magnetic on stageReality TV star Vicky Pattison: Why I’d donate my frozen eggs. VideoReality TV star Vicky Pattison: Why I’d donate my frozen eggs’I was brought to the UK to work as a slave’The story of I Will Always Love You, 50 years onWatch: Incident Room – The Royal Photo Re-touchAttributioniPlayerReturn hostages at any cost, says Israeli freed from GazaThe British Asians who stood with striking minersElsewhere on the BBCHair-pulling, wrestling and kicking!Watch the moment a violent brawl unfolded in the Maldives ParliamentAttributioniPlayerDo you really know when historic events happened?Take the mind-boggling time quiz and find outAttributionBitesizeMeet some adorable hamsters from Wales…This family loves Casualty, News, Sport and the odd murder show!AttributioniPlayerCrazy urban myth or legitimate punk-pop conspiracy?Comedian Joanne McNally investigatesAttributionSoundsMost Read1Need an op? The hospitals with the worst waits2Boy admits killing schoolgirl at London bus stop3Hundreds rescued from Philippines love scam centre4Drakeford surprised at level of anger over 20mph5Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA to headline Glastonbury6London celeb haunt to open in Yorkshire village7John Lewis warns more cuts to come as profit rises8Abbott hits out at racism in politics after donor row9Jailed bankers appeal rate ‘rigging’ convictions10’We can’t sell our flat and can’t afford to live in it’

[ad_1] LGBT+ activists hail the legal win but say real reform is still up to a conservative legislature.

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaWho is Viktor Orban, Hungary’s PM halting funds for Ukraine?Published2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Viktor Orban has won four consecutive elections as prime ministerBy Paul Kirby & Budapest correspondent Nick ThorpeBBC NewsNo serving leader in the European Union has led their country for as long as Viktor Orban. Since 2010, he has transformed Hungary into what the European Parliament has denounced as a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”. He appears uncertain how to describe his own invention, but has tried “illiberal democracy” and “Christian liberty.”Either way, he has learned to maintain and constantly strengthen his grip on power. He has repeatedly clashed with European Union colleagues on migration and the war in Ukraine, and has prevented €50bn (£43bn; $55bn) of EU funds being handed to Kyiv to help Ukraine survive.Andras Kosa called his 2018 Orban biography Man of Chaos, suggesting he has a skill to present himself as the only solution to the mess created by others. This is also true of natural disasters. When red sludge from a bauxite mine engulfed a Hungarian valley in 2010, and a burst reservoir of toxic sludge threatened the shores of the River Danube, he appeared happiest in rubber boots, with his sleeves rolled up, stacking sandbags alongside firemen and volunteers.Image source, BALINT PORNECZI/AFPImage caption, Viktor Orban joined firefighters in 2010 when a reservoir of toxic sludge burstHis personal charisma is an unquestionable ingredient of his success, alongside an ability to “think on the ball”, as his ex-football trainer once remarked. Viktor Orban’s former political adviser, George Birnbaum, remembers meeting “a very intellectually smart individual”. “Someone who… had a well educated, intellectually deep knowledge of things, which is very rare,” he told the BBC.Viktor Orban first made his mark on Hungary in the late 1980s, as the Soviet Union began to fall apart, setting up a political movement called Fidesz, or Alliance of Young Democrats.He was still a law student at Bibo College in the capital, Budapest, when in 1989 he delivered an audacious, seven-minute speech calling on the Soviet Red Army to go home.”If we believe in our own power, we are able to finish the communist dictatorship,” he declared to an estimated quarter of a million Hungarians gathered in the city’s Heroes’ Square for the reburial of the man behind Hungary’s failed uprising in 1956, Imre Nagy.Reflecting on his words 10 years later, he said he had “exposed everyone’s silent desire for free elections, and an independent and democratic Hungary”.But the democracy that replaced authoritarian rule has changed dramatically during the years of interrupted Orban rule, with widespread complaints of backsliding. Prof Andras Bozoki, a former culture minister, describes Hungary since 2010 as being “the only one former consolidated liberal democracy in the EU that has reached the level of a non-democratic system as a hybrid regime”.For a Central European leader whose political infancy was rooted in the fall of Russia’s hegemony, it seems odd he has become the closest ally in the EU of a Russian president who views the Soviet collapse as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th Century, and one who began the biggest war on European soil since World War II.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Viktor Orban, here in 2013 (L), is seen as Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in the EUSo much about Viktor Orban seems contradictory. After his 1989 speech, he went on to study liberal political philosophy briefly at Oxford, his scholarship funded by Hungarian-born billionaire philanthropist George Soros. He abandoned his studies at Oxford early to campaign in 1990 elections, when Fidesz won 22 seats, with Viktor Orban top of the party list.Veteran Hungarian-born journalist Paul Lendvai sees a staggering reversal – “from one of the most promising defenders of Hungarian democracy into the chief author of its demise”.Sandor Csintalan, both a former ally and critic of Viktor Orban, speaks of “a constant need to radicalise himself”, which places him apart from other European conservatives. George Birnbaum and Arthur Finkelstein, as political consultants, first gave him the idea in 2013 of creating George Soros as an enemy. “Soros was a good target,” said Birnbaum, “because enough people in Hungary didn’t like the idea of this billionaire… like the Wizard of Oz, controlling politics and policy, from behind the curtain”.Orban critics find the idea of George Soros controlling “politics and policy” ridiculous.Mr Soros is Jewish, and posters mocking the financier have been compared to depictions of “the laughing Jew” used in Nazi propaganda. Viktor Orban has used his friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his support for Israel, to dismiss accusations of antisemitism.After Mr Orban accused George Soros’s civil society groups of “trying secretly and with foreign money to influence Hungarian politics”, the Soros-founded Central European University, set up in 1991 as Hungary embraced democracy, was forced to move most of its activity to Vienna in 2019.Read Nick Thorpe on: The man who helped Orban and Netanyahu rise to powerViktor Orban was born in 1963 an hour to the west of Budapest, the eldest of three sons whose father was an agricultural engineer and Communist Party member and whose mother was a special needs teacher. They had no running water at the family home in Felcsut, a village of fewer than 2,000 people where he still owns a house.In an 1989 interview, he recalls being beaten twice a year by his father, Gyozo, whom he describes as a violent man: “When he beat me, he also shouted. I remember all this as a bad experience.”Nothing about his childhood suggested that he would go on to challenge the communist regime. He attended a grammar school and was involved in the Young Communist League.His main interest was football, playing for his local club, FC Felcsut, and he remains highly enthusiastic about his childhood sport. Ten years ago, he inaugurated a controversial new stadium there called the Pancho Arena, where top-flight team Puskas Akademia play to audiences of a few hundred.In the aftermath of Hamas’s attacks on communities in southern Israel last year, he offered the village to Israel’s footballers to play their final home qualifying ties for Euro 2024.Image source, AFPImage caption, The Hungarian leader has long been a football enthusiast – he is seen here playing in 1998In the months before he went to university, he carried out his military service, where he says he turned down an approach from the communist secret services to become an informer. He was 23 when he married fellow student Aniko Levai, whom he met at university. They have five children, four daughters and a son, Gaspar, who was trained by the British Army at Sandhurst and serves as an officer in the Hungarian army in Chad.Friends from his student days became key members of Fidesz, and his college director Istvan Stumpf went on to take up the role of his chief of staff during the first Orban premiership from 1998-2002.Image source, TIBOR ILLYES/MTI/AFPImage caption, Viktor Orban led Fidesz from 1993 and his first election as leader in 1994 was not a successAs a young MP, Viktor Orban and his party joined the global Liberal International movement in 1992.Political scientist Zoltan Lakner believes Viktor Orban shifted ideology during the second half of the 1990s. As Hungary was governed by a liberal-socialist coalition, he realised “to gain political success he had to turn his back on liberalism and transform his party into a nationalist, anti-liberal political force”.Perhaps the seeds of his reversal were already sown at Oxford. In his few months at Pembroke College, he befriended the conservative philosopher Roger Scruton. Or perhaps it was more political opportunism.Viktor Orban became Fidesz leader in 1993, and was already pushing it to the centre right by the time the conservative MDF lost power in 1994. Fidesz filled the gap left by the weakened conservatives.Peter Rona, an Oxford-based economist and former candidate for president of Hungary, describes a meeting with Viktor Orban in the early 1990s, at which Mr Orban said he wanted to create a “modern Conservative party”.When Peter Rona warned him that earlier politicians who had attempted the same thing had quickly dropped the “modern” when circumstances demanded, Viktor Orban replied: “Then so be it.”Image source, AFPImage caption, Viktor Orban was Europe’s youngest prime minister when he met US President Bill Clinton at the Oval Office in 1998In 1998, Viktor Orban led Fidesz to election victory, and at 35 became Europe’s youngest prime minister, taking Hungary into Nato in 1999.Two Orban governments were defeated at the ballot box, in 2002 and 2006, and on both occasions the Fidesz leader learned his lessons.The defeat in 2002 changed him. “The nation cannot be defeated,” he told his supporters, as he tried to digest what had just happened.Back in 1993, he had led his MPs out of parliament when the then Foreign Minister, Geza Jeszensky, suggested that his Hungarian Democratic Forum party had a unique claim to representing the nation.After 2002, Viktor Orban befriended Arpad Habony, a martial arts instructor and businessman, as his personal guru. Habony remains a trusted ally and component in the business empire which underpins Fidesz, but is rarely spotted in public. Orban was swept back into office in the turbulence of the global economic crisis in 2010 and has not lost since.In the past 14 years, he has transformed Hungary with a host of changes to its laws and constitution, winning four consecutive elections with four straight “super-majorities”, controlling two-thirds of parliament.Image source, AFPImage caption, Viktor Orban’s last electoral defeat was in 2006Since 2010, Fidesz and its supporters have gradually taken control of Hungary’s media landscape, replacing foreign investors, says Hungarian media monitor Mertek.In 2018, almost all “Orban-friendly media” transferred ownership rights to a foundation called Kesma, whose board was made up of Fidesz MPs and the head of a Fidesz-friendly think tank, said Mertek.A leaked recording ahead of European elections in 2019 revealed how a senior editor at broadcaster MTVA instructed those in charge to follow “the appropriate narrative, method, and direction, mostly about migrants and Brussels”.Migration, the EU and more recently the war in Ukraine have become bread and butter issues for Viktor Orban.In July 2015, as refugees and irregular migrants entered the EU over Hungary’s borders in increasing numbers, he drew a “clear link between illegal immigrants coming to Europe and the spread of terrorism”. The solution was clear, he said: “We would like to keep Europe for Europeans… also we want… to preserve Hungary for Hungarians.”Read Nick Thorpe on: The man who thinks Europe has been invadedA fence was built on the Serbian border and new laws were introduced criminalising migrants. A “Stop Soros” law in 2018 criminalised those who helped irregular migrants.The EU’s top court ruled Budapest had failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law. It was one of many rulings against Hungary in recent years, culminating in a decision that allowed EU funding for Budapest to be suspended for breaking EU laws.Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockImage caption, Viktor Orban sometimes carves a lonely figure at EU summits but he is not without alliesThe European Parliament has accused Hungary of backsliding on the rule of law, corruption and LGBT rights.Viktor Orban argues that the EU is going in the wrong direction on Ukraine, because he believes Kyiv can never win the war. Pragmatic, he may be, but he is closer to Russia’s president than any other EU leader.Read Nick Thorpe on: What has Hungary’s Orban got against Ukraine?Hungary also finds itself the only Nato member country not to have approved Swedish membership, even though its prime minister claims to be in favour. It is a strange position to take and these days Viktor Orban is often cast as a solitary figure, especially at EU summits.But he is not without allies in the EU and with European elections in June he believes change may be on the way, and on his terms.Related TopicsBudapestViktor OrbanHungaryMore on this storyIs Hungary’s Viktor Orban blackmailing the EU?Published16 December 2023The man who helped Orban and Netanyahu rise to powerPublished2 July 2023Top StoriesAt least half of Gaza buildings damaged or destroyed, new analysis showsPublished10 hours agoPolice officers mock bodycam video of semi-naked womanPublished6 hours ago’Unfathomable’: Judge blocks Musk’s $56bn Tesla pay dealPublished4 minutes agoFeaturesSir Lenny Henry to make Comic Relief farewellCyborgs among us and Robbie Williams’ Port Vale bidN Ireland’s new dawn, lead by republican first ministerRecord Dry January saved the average person £118Energy bill error saw man pay £244,000 direct debitTwo-child benefit cap: ‘Every month is a struggle’Who is Viktor Orban, Hungary’s PM halting funds for Ukraine?A jailed star and former convict: Pakistan’s election, explainedAll you need to know about Wednesday’s train strikesElsewhere on the BBCThe bizarre origins of a world-altering act of violenceJon Ronson returns with more unexpected, human stories from the culture warsAttributionSoundsThe mysterious deaths of Nazi fugitivesThree brothers investigate whether a family connection may explain the truthAttributioniPlayer’Songwriting is easy. 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[ad_1] He has led Hungary since 2010 and critics denounce his “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”.

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIs Canada vulnerable to foreign interference?Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Toronto Star via Getty ImageImage caption, Canadian member of parliament Michael Chong learned through media reports that China allegedly targeted himBy Nadine YousifBBC News, TorontoThe allegations kept mounting in Canada: Election-meddling by China, an Indian-backed assassination on home soil, and a campaign to harass Iranian dissidents. Is Canada especially vulnerable to foreign interference?Michael Chong said it did not take long for him to become a target of Beijing.In testimony before US lawmakers on Capitol Hill last year, the Canadian Conservative politician described how an alleged intimidation campaign against him was born after he spoke out against China’s human rights record in parliament.He said that a Chinese official in Canada began gathering details about his relatives living in Hong Kong shortly after, and that a smear campaign against him was launched on China’s most-popular social media platform, WeChat.”My experience is but one case of Beijing’s interference in Canada,” he said. “Many, many other cases go unreported and unnoticed, and the victims suffer in silence.”Canada launches inquiry into foreign interferenceThe alleged targeting of Mr Chong, which first became public when intelligence reports were leaked to Canadian media, unleashed a fierce debate in the country around its vulnerability to foreign interference and the safety of its citizens.On Monday, he and others will begin testifying before a public inquiry that will look into Beijing’s meddling in Canada, especially its alleged efforts to sway the country’s last two federal elections by backing certain candidates.China has denied any interference and the allegations have soured relations between Beijing and Ottawa. While the inquiry will focus on claims of election interference by China, Russia, India “and other foreign actors”, experts say the problem of foreign meddling in Canada is much more complex and widespread. Solving it, they say, demands a restructuring of the political and social DNA of the country, which has long-failed to prioritise matters of national security. “Generally speaking, we have been neglecting national security, intelligence, law enforcement, defence, and so on,” Thomas Juneau, a political analyst and professor at the University of Ottawa, told the BBC.While it is tough to determine whether Canada is uniquely vulnerable compared to its allies, Mr Juneau argued that other countries have done a far better job in addressing the issue.An outdated system that is slow to adaptOne glaring problem, Mr Juneau said, is the out-of-date act governing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (csis). It is almost 40 years old, designed with the Cold War in mind, “when the fax machine was the new thing”, he said. Because of this, he said, the nation’s primary intelligence agency has been limited in its operations, focused on sharing information solely with the federal government.This means possible targets are often left in the dark. That was spotlighted by Mr Chong’s story. He only discovered that he had been an alleged target of Beijing through the media, despite csis having monitored threats against him for at least two years.Canada has since launched public consultations into how the law governing csis can be amended to better inform and protect individuals who could be a target.The source of Canada’s security complacency, argued Richard Fadden, a former csis director and national security advisor to two prime ministers, is that Canada has lived in relative safety, largely protected from foreign threats by its geography: the US to the south, and surrounded by three oceans.”I mean, nobody is going to invade Canada,” he said. Canada’s allies – like the US and Australia – have been quicker to adopt certain tools to help catch bad actors, such as establishing a registry of foreign agents and criminalising acts that can be classified as interference.In December, Australia convicted a Vietnamese refugee who was found to be working for the Chinese Communist Party, thanks to a law it passed in 2018 that made industrial espionage for a foreign power a crime.Such laws are not only important for charging and convicting culprits, but can also help educate the public and deter other nations from interfering, said Wesley Wark, a leading Canadian historian with expertise in national security.Diaspora groups are especially vulnerableMr Wark said the country’s diverse population has also made it a convenient target for foreign states.”We are a multicultural society and we have gone to great lengths over decades to preserve and protect that,” he said.But diaspora groups, especially those vocally opposed to the government of their country of origin, have naturally become a target.British Columbia lawyer Ram Joubin has had a first-hand look at the threats facing dissidents in Canada, particularly those from Iran. While investigating people with ties to the Iranian regime who call Canada home, Mr Joubin said he has heard from Iranian-Canadians who say they have been followed and harassed by regime agents in their own communities.”We’ve had death threats, knock-on-the-door type of death threats,” he said. “And then we have a lot of people with their families in Iran being threatened because they engaged in some sort of activism.”Csis has previously said it is aware of alleged intimidation attempts. The Iranian government has not commented publicly on these allegations. In Mr Joubin’s experience, reporting these incidents to officials like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been a challenge, especially when additional work is needed to establish a credible criminal or civil case.Both the RCMP and csis were criticised after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist that was killed in June in British Columbia, which Canada has alleged was done with the involvement of Indian government agents – something India denies. Prior to his death, Mr Nijjar had said that police were aware he was a target of an assassination plot. Questions were raised about whether something could have been done to stop his killing after the FBI said it was able to foil a similar assassination plot in November against another Sikh separatist leader in New York City. Image source, Bloomberg via Getty ImagesImage caption, Richard Fadden says Canada is only now coming to terms with its vulnerability to foreign meddlingMr Fadden said the events of 2023 represented a seismic shift in Canada’s psyche, forcing the country to finally confront the issue of foreign interference.”Despite a deep reluctance on the part of the government to hold a foreign inquiry, they were compelled to do it,” Mr Fadden said. “I think if there hadn’t been that shift, we wouldn’t have an inquiry.”The inquiry, led by Quebec appellate judge Marie-Josée Hogue, will be conducted in two phases, ending with a final report in December that will include recommendations on what Canada can do to deter future interference.Some have expressed concern about the inquiry’s short mandate, and whether its recommendations will be wide-ranging enough and implemented as Canada inches closer to an election year that could see a change in government.But in the meantime, Mr Fadden and others said they believe urgent action is needed.”There are two big issues: there’s interference in our elections,” Mr Fadden said. “But there’s also interfering and scaring members of the diaspora in this country, which is a very serious matter.””We have a responsibility to protect people who are in Canada, and I don’t think we’re doing as good of a job on this as we could be.”Related TopicsChinaCanadaMore on this storyCanada launches inquiry into foreign interferencePublished7 September 2023US must work with Canada to stop China meddling – MPPublished13 September 2023The long fight for justice over downed plane in IranPublished8 January 2023Top StoriesThree US troops killed in Middle East drone attackPublished4 hours agoDisposable vapes to be banned over fears for children’s healthPublished8 minutes agoPost Office chairman had to go – BadenochPublished3 hours agoFeaturesBBC confronts man who abused boy in secretive Christian churchKey UN Gaza aid agency runs into diplomatic stormWho invented butter chicken? 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Not a lotWould it bother you if you only got mail three days a week?Net closes in on vigilante destroyer of Italy’s speed camerasCould the UK’s ‘pre-war generation’ become a citizen army?Elsewhere on the BBCHow are jelly beans made?Gregg Wallace visits a factory in Dublin that makes over ten million of the sweets per day!AttributioniPlayerIs this the greatest Jurassic predator that ever lived?Sir David Attenborough investigates a unique discovery: the skull of a giant, prehistoric sea monsterAttributioniPlayer’I smashed all my trophies’Bradley Wiggins opens up about his mental health and imposter syndromeAttributioniPlayerA Royle Family reunion and the best of the North!Ricky Tomlinson and Ralf Little set off on an epic camper van adventure across Northern EnglandAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Disposable vapes to be banned for child health2British base jumper dies after parachute fails3Boys aged 15 and 16 killed in stabbing attack4Record UK January temperature in Scottish Highlands5Protesters throw soup at Mona Lisa painting6Three US troops killed in Middle East drone attack7When Louis Vuitton tries to make you change your brand name8I’ll repay mistaken £17K exit payout, says Dorries9UK navy ship shoots down Houthi drone in Red Sea10Post Office chairman had to go – Badenoch

[ad_1] A public inquiry launching on Monday could be a reckoning in the country on national security matters.

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January 25, 2024
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaJohanesburg’s Usindiso fire survivors living in unsafe shacks in South AfricaPublished6 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The building was home to some of South Africa’s poorest peopleBy Daniel De SimoneBBC News, JohannesburgThe man was thought to be a witness, not a suspect.But when he appeared this week at the public inquiry into South Africa’s deadliest building fire, he announced he had started it.The 29-year-old man, who cannot yet be publicly identified, said he started the fire in the Usindiso building last August unintentionally.He described himself as working for a violent drug dealer who demanded rent from residents.The man said the fire began after he used fuel to set light to the body of a man he had strangled while high on drugs, in a ground floor room used to beat people targeted by the dealer.Police arrested him at the inquiry. They say he is due in court on Thursday accused of arson, 77 murders and 120 attempted murders.Johannesburg, known as the city of gold, is Africa’s wealthiest city.The fire has highlighted the profound housing crisis here.Many people live in appalling conditions, without water or electricity, in deeply unsafe buildings.Image source, Ed Habershon/ BBCImage caption, Over 500 people were left homeless by the fireThe plight of the fire’s survivors demonstrates the crisis still further.More than 500 people were left homeless by the fire. The residents are some of the poorest people in South African society.In the immediate aftermath, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the scene and declared “our hearts go out to every person affected by this event”.He said the disaster called on everyone, from the government down, to help restore the wellbeing of those affected and “offer all material help residents may need”.But, five months on, many survivors are suffering.We visited 39 families who have been placed by the authorities in a newly built camp of metal shacks, which have no water or power, and which flood when it rains.Sthembiso Ndebele lives in one of the shacks with her three children, including her disabled 10-year-old son, who she said is not coping with the conditions.She asked President Ramaphosa to “please give us housing not these shacks – these shacks are too dangerous for us”.Image source, Daniel De Simone/ BBCImage caption, Sthembiso Ndebele was placed by authorities in a camp of metal shacks and has no water or powerHundreds of people living in the shacks have access to only two communal taps, a few chemical toilets which residents say are deeply unhygienic, and no showers or bathing facilities.We saw men cooking on open fires, with elderly women shovelling sand around the bottom of their shacks to stop water getting in.The Denver area of the city where the shacks have been placed is dangerous, and one girl has been raped, the residents said.At first, multiple security guards were provided to keep watch, but these were withdrawn, leaving a single guard on a daytime shift by the time we visited. Andy Chinnah, a human rights activist who is helping the residents, said: “We want dignity and this is not dignity”.When I challenged Johannesburg’s Mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda, on the camp’s conditions, he said there was not “sufficient budget for us to be responding efficiently or in the manner in which we want to”, especially when “unplanned” emergencies occur. He said that, in the past, the city had decent alternative accommodation, but those properties “got hijacked”.This was a reference to the city’s so-called “hijacked buildings”.Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon, author of The Blinded City, says the term emerged in the early 2000s and referred to criminal gangs taking over some properties. He says it was subsequently applied by the media and politicians to an array of buildings, even though many did not have gangs taking over and illegally renting them.Wilhelm-Solomon says that what was essentially a crisis about affordable inner city rental properties began to be viewed “through the lens of criminality”, which ended up criminalising people who were just looking for accommodation.Many buildings in the city have been abandoned or neglected by owners and left without basic services or safety measures.The law gives people evicted from such buildings the right to emergency temporary accommodation. But the profound lack of affordable housing means this is rarely offered.The camp of metal shacks is the authorities’ current offer of such temporary accommodation, but those living there wonder how long “temporary” will turn out to be.Image source, Chris Parkinson/ BBCImage caption, Authorities say the shacks are temporary accomodationAn estimated 15,000 people are believed to be homeless in Johannesburg. The mayor says there are now 188 “bad buildings” under investigation, with 134 of them in the inner city, and that the city authorities are pursuing multiple court cases to evict people, approaching them as places from which they need to be rescued.Courtrooms are a battle ground in the struggle for decent housing.After the Usindiso building fire, there were 248 people at the scene who agreed to be relocated to various shelters, according to court documents, with some foreign nationals refusing to be relocated to shelters due to fear of deportation.Thirty-two foreign nationals were arrested and placed in a repatriation centre, but human rights groups went to the high court and obtained an order preventing the state from deporting them for now as they are witnesses in the ongoing public inquiry.At one stage, the Department of Home Affairs claimed the main support groups for the fire’s victims did not exist and that residents should have brought a court case in their individual names, but the court rejected the government’s arguments.In the meantime, the danger remains in Johannesburg’s “bad buildings”.One property that has been a focus of attention is Vannin Court, long without water or power, and which is falling into deep disrepair.The broken lift shaft is dangerously open, with children walking past in the darkness, and the fire escape lacks stairs as thieves have stolen them for scrap metal.Some residents have been living in the property for decades and say they feel abandoned.Vannin Court has been subjected to high-profile police raids, with politicians and media in tow, and five years ago the local authorities received publicity after claiming the property would be totally redeveloped – a pledge that was never followed through.Image source, Daniel De Simone/ BBCImage caption, Residents of Vannin Court say they feel abandonedMukelwa Mdunge, who lives in Vannin Court with her family, told us that facilities in the building once worked but had fallen into tragic dereliction, with the darkness and a lack of security creating constant danger for residents.But she says the residents have no other option, and do not want to be evicted into even more uncertain conditions.”This one is our home, where can we go?”At the inquiry into the fire, where the confession came this week, damning evidence is now being heard about an entire culture of safety and security for the poorest in society.Last week, fire safety expert Wynand Engelbrecht said the condition of the Usindiso building was not unlike that of hundreds other similar buildings in South Africa. “It is clear both privately-owned and public sector-owned structures are far too often left to deteriorate to the point of no-return. “Life safety is not a priority in this country, not even by a long shot.”The current reckoning is barely beginning, let alone near an end.The suffering behind Johannesburg’s neglected walls will not be contained.You may also be interested in:Hijacks and death traps in crumbling inner JohannesburgSouth Africa fire: What is a hijacked building?Johannesburg fire: ‘Others jumped too, but didn’t make it’ Related TopicsSouth AfricaJohannesburgMore on this storyMan held for murder over South Africa building firePublished1 day agoSouth Africa fire: What is a hijacked building?Published1 September 2023Top StoriesTax cut promises may need to be rolled back – think tankPublished24 minutes agoUK to loan back Ghana’s looted ‘crown jewels’Published9 hours agoStop the boats policy a ‘fake response’ – UN officialPublished1 hour agoFeaturesChris Mason: Has Sunak seen off latest Tory wobbles?The Papers: UK ‘should have citizen army’ and Royal Mail cutbacksThe secrets of Claudia Winkleman’s Traitors styleSouth Africa fire survivors living in unsafe shacksRecords broken but Barbie snubbed – 6 Oscars talking pointsOscars 2024: List of nominations in fullMichael Owen: I’d pay anything for my son to see againSkepta: I’m bored of the black James Bond narrativeHeartache and betrayal behind ‘secret’ policeElsewhere on the BBCTracing the historical origins of British comedy tropesIan Hislop’s on the hunt tracks for the earliest examples of enduring British jokesAttributionSoundsBailiffs behaving badly…With councils increasingly using bailiffs, File on 4 examines the industry’s tacticsAttributionSoundsThe sound effect that became the ultimate movie in-jokeIt’s used in everything from Toy Story to Reservoir Dogs, but what is the Wilhelm Scream?AttributioniPlayerSamantha Harvey’s critically acclaimed new novelA thoughtful tale of space and the human experience, through the eyes of six astronautsAttributionSoundsMost Read1Captain Cook statue sawn off ahead of Australia Day2UK ‘should have citizen army’ and Royal Mail cutbacks3US inmate hours away from first nitrogen execution4Tax cut promises may need to be rolled back – IFS5Downed Russian plane leaves unanswered questions6UK to loan back Ghana’s looted ‘crown jewels’7Stop the boats policy a ‘fake response’ – 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[ad_1] Months after South Africa’s deadliest fire, families are living in shacks with no power or water.

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaCould you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Could you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersCloseJury selection is under way in Donald Trump’s New York City hush-money trial, with hundreds of people selected as potential jurors.They must answer a questionnaire to determine, among other things, if they can be impartial about the former president.The BBC asked some of those questions to Manhattan residents.SubsectionUS & CanadaPublished50 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionExplore moreCould you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New Yorkers. Video, 00:02:16Could you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished50 minutes ago2:16Up Next. A view from inside court for Trump’s blockbuster trial. Video, 00:01:15A view from inside court for Trump’s blockbuster trialSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished19 hours agoUp Next1:15Press, police and protesters: Outside Trump courthouse. Video, 00:01:12Press, police and protesters: Outside Trump courthouseSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished1 day ago1:12Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 seconds. Video, 00:01:00Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 secondsSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished31 March 20231:00Editor’s recommendationsCopenhagen stock exchange engulfed by huge fire. Video, 00:01:03Copenhagen stock exchange engulfed by huge fireSubsectionEuropePublished12 hours ago1:03Moment spire collapses at Copenhagen stock exchange. Video, 00:00:43Moment spire collapses at Copenhagen stock exchangeSubsectionEuropePublished11 hours ago0:43Dormice ladders built in the Forest of Dean. Video, 00:00:51Dormice ladders built in the Forest of DeanSubsectionGloucestershirePublished1 day ago0:51Liz Truss: The world was safer under Trump. Video, 00:00:35Liz Truss: The world was safer under TrumpSubsectionUK PoliticsPublished22 hours ago0:35Huge fires blaze along Miami highway. Video, 00:00:33Huge fires blaze along Miami highwaySubsectionUS & CanadaPublished12 hours ago0:33Watch: Georgia opposition leader punches MP during debate. Video, 00:00:34Watch: Georgia opposition leader punches MP during debateSubsectionEuropePublished21 hours ago0:34Wheelie bins fly and a caravan overturns in strong wind. Video, 00:00:24Wheelie bins fly and a caravan overturns in strong windSubsectionStoke & StaffordshirePublished1 day ago0:24Hannah Waddingham calls out demanding paparazzi. Video, 00:00:28Hannah Waddingham calls out demanding paparazziSubsectionEntertainment & ArtsPublished1 day ago0:28Endangered California condor chicks hatched in LA. Video, 00:01:28Endangered California condor chicks hatched in LASubsectionUS & CanadaPublished1 day ago1:28

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April 16, 2024

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityUKEnglandN. IrelandScotlandAlbaWalesCymruIsle of ManGuernseyJerseyLocal NewsFirst product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealedPublished11 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Meghan pictured at a polo match in Florida last weekBy Sean CoughlanRoyal correspondentA first glimpse of the new business venture from the Duchess of Sussex has been teased on social media, with pictures of a jar of strawberry jam.In a bid to preserve a sense of mystery, the jam from the new American Riviera Orchard brand seemed to be spread among friends and influencers.Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted a picture of the jam on Instagram.It was numbered “17 of 50”, suggesting the number of recipients of this first fruit of the new business.The arrival of Meghan’s new California-based lifestyle brand had been signalled on social media last month and this suggests that it will be selling food products.What do we know about Meghan’s new brand?Five things about Harry and Meghan’s brand revampWhy did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?There seemed to be have been something of a re-launch for Meghan and husband Prince Harry’s brands and businesses this year, beginning with the overhaul of their regal-looking website under the sussex.com label.Their latest projects seem to be moving away from a previous focus on their time as working royals, such as their Netflix film Harry and Meghan and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.The hint about the strawberry jam from Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand seems to fit with the couple’s latest Netflix plans.Meghan is going to launch a Netflix show which will “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining, and friendship”.Prince Harry will be involved in another Netflix venture showing the inside track on the world of polo. That’s the equestrian sport, not the mints.Delfina Blaquier, married to Prince Harry’s polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras, also posted a picture of the new jam, with hers labelled “10 of 50”.The social media trail for American Riviera Orchard evokes a sense of the couple’s home in California – and this soft launch for the jam show pictures of the jars in a sunny basket of lemons.It’s not known how much items from the new lifestyle brand will cost. Although there are already plenty of other royals getting into jams. Visitors to the gift shops in royal palaces can get a Buckingham Palace Strawberry Preserve for £3.95 or Windsor Castle Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade, also for £3.95.On both sides of the Atlantic they seem to be conserving their finances.Related TopicsUK Royal FamilyMeghan, Duchess of SussexMore on this storyWhat we know about Meghan’s regal lifestyle brandPublished16 MarchMeghan launches surprise new lifestyle brandPublished14 MarchTop StoriesMPs back smoking ban for those born after 2009Published8 minutes agoMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished2 hours agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished7 hours agoFeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlinePlaying Coachella after cancer emotional, says DJHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Nursery boss ‘killed baby she strapped to beanbag’2Birmingham Airport flights disrupted by incident3Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge4First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed5MPs back smoking ban for those born after 20096Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference7Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames8Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline9Marten a ‘lioness’ who ‘loved her cubs’, court told10Sons of McCartney and Lennon release joint single

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April 16, 2024

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaSupreme Court hears 6 Jan case that may hit Trump trialPublished2 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS Capitol riotsImage source, Brent StirtonImage caption, Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after holding a “Stop the Steal” rally on 6 January, 2021By Nadine YousifBBC NewsThe US Supreme Court have begun hearing a case that could undo charges for those who stormed the Capitol in 2021. It focuses on whether a 2002 federal law created to prevent corporate misconduct could apply to individuals involved in the 6 January riots. More than 350 people have been charged in the incident under that law, which carries a 20-year prison penalty.Donald Trump faces the same charge in the pending federal case accusing him of election interference. The law makes it a crime to “corruptly” obstruct or impede an official proceeding. On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justices heard two hours of arguments over the law’s interpretation. However, it remained unclear how they would rule. A lawyer for a man who stormed the Capitol and was prosecuted under the law argued before the Justices that “a host of felony and misdemeanour” crimes already exist to prosecute his clients actions.The 2002 law passed in the wake of the Enron accounting scandal, Jeffrey Green said, was not one of them. US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar counterargued that rioters deliberately attempted “to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the election,” therefore obstructing an official proceeding. Both fielded sceptical questions from the Justices. At one point, Mr Green argued that there is no historical precedent in which the law was used to prosecute demonstrators.Justice Sonia Sotomayor replied: “We’ve never had a situation before where (there was an attempt) to stop a proceeding violently, so I am not sure what a lack of history proves.”On the other hand, Ms Prelogar fielded questions from Justice Neil Gorusch on whether the law could then be stretched to apply to a “sit-in that disrupts a trial” or “a heckler” at the State of the Union Address. “Would pulling a fire alarm before a vote qualify for 20 years in federal prison?” he asked, appearing to reference an incident in which Jamaal Bowman, Democrat House representative, pressed a fire alarm in the Capitol.How the top court rules could have wide-ranging effects on the hundreds of people charged, convicted or sentenced under the law, as well as the prosecution of Mr Trump. Here is a breakdown of the key players and the law being argued: What is the 2002 federal law at the centre of the trial?The law is called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It was passed in response to the Enron scandal in the early 2000s, after it was exposed that those involved had engaged in massive fraud and shredding documents. It criminalizes the destruction of evidence – like records or documents. But it also penalises anyone who “otherwise obstructs, influences or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.” How has it been used in response to the 6 January riots?Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has brought obstruction charges against those who participated in the storming of the Capitol. Federal prosecutors argue they did so to impede Congress’ certification of the presidential electoral vote count to cement Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Therefore, the latter portion of the law that deals with obstructing an “official proceeding” would apply, the DoJ says. Who is challenging the law’s use in this case, and why? The Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the law’s application brought forward by a former Pennsylvania police officer.Joseph Fischer was charged under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with obstruction of a congressional proceeding on 6 January, as well as assaulting a police officer and disorderly conduct. His lawyers argue that prosecutors overreached with applying the Act, which they say deals explicitly with destroying or tampering with evidence integral to an investigation. Those who challenge the law’s application in 6 January cases also argue that a broad interpretation of the law would allow the prosecution of lobbyists or protestors who disrupt matters in Congress.How could the Supreme Court ruling impact Trump?The former president is charged under the very same law in a federal case accusing him of working to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Mr Biden.If Supreme Court justices rule that the law does not apply to the 6 January rioters, Mr Trump could seek dismissal of half the charges he faces in that case.It also could be seen as a political win for the former president, who is seeking re-election in November, as he repeatedly has accused prosecutors of overreach. A final ruling is not expected until June. Related TopicsUS Capitol riotsDonald TrumpMore on this storySupreme Court to hear appeal over Capitol riot chargePublished13 December 2023A very simple guide to Trump’s indictmentsPublished25 August 2023Supreme Court asked to rule on Trump’s immunityPublished12 December 2023Top StoriesMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished1 hour agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished5 hours agoNo liberty in addiction, says health secretary on smoking banPublished4 minutes agoFeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlineMeteorite ‘repeatedly transformed’ on space journeyHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge2Birmingham Airport suspends flights over incident3First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed4Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference5Marten a ‘lioness’ who ‘loved her cubs’, court told6Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline7Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames8No liberty in addiction, says minister on smoking ban9Sons of McCartney and Lennon release joint single10Boy, 4, dies after fire at family home in Wigan

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April 16, 2024

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaNational Conservatism Conference: Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels eventPublished4 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Nigel Farage said the decision to shut the conference down was as an attempt to stifle free speechBy Nick Beake in Brussels and Laura GozziBBC NewsBrussels police have been ordered to shut down a conference attended by right-wing politicians across Europe, including Nigel Farage and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.Organisers say the National Conservatism Conference in the Belgian capital is continuing, but guests are no longer allowed to enter. Local authorities had raised concerns over public safety.A UK spokeswoman called reports of police action “extremely disturbing”. She said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was a “strong supporter and advocator for free speech” and that he was “very clear that cancelling events or preventing attendance and no-platforming speakers is damaging to free speech and to democracy as a result”.Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, said that the shutting down of the conference was “unacceptable”.Referring to the fact that it was the local mayor, Emir Kir, who opposed the conference, Mr De Croo added that while municipal autonomy was a cornerstone of Belgium’s democracy it could “never overrule the Belgian constitution guaranteeing the freedom of speech”. “Banning political meetings is unconstitutional. Full stop,” Mr De Croo wrote on X.In a message to organisers, Mr Kir had said some of the attendees of Tuesday’s conference held anti-gay and anti-abortion views. “Among these personalities there are several particularly from the right-conservative, religious right and European extreme right,” his statement said.Mr Kir also wrote on X: “The far right is not welcome.”Nigel Farage, who took to the stage this morning, told the BBC the decision to close down the conference because there were homophobes in the audience was “cobblers”, and that he condemned the decision as an attempt to stifle free speech. “Thank God For Brexit”, he said.Organised by a think-tank called the Edmund Burke Foundation, the National Conservatism Conference is a global movement which espouses what it describes as traditional values, which it claims are being “undermined and overthrown”. It also opposes further European integration.The conference said it aimed to bring together “public figures, journalists, scholars and students” who understood the connection between conservatism and the idea of nationhood and national traditions. French far-right politician Eric Zemmour, arriving for the conference after police had blocked the entrance, told journalists that Mr Kir was “using the police as a private militia to prevent… Europeans from taking part freely”.Organisers said Mr Zemmour was not allowed into the venue and that his address would be postponed.Former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman and far-right French politician Eric Zemmour were listed as keynote speakers. The National Conservatism Conference reportedly started around 08:00 (06:00 GMT) on Tuesday and carried on for three hours until police showed up and asked the organisers to make attendees leave.Later, organisers wrote on X: “The police are not letting anyone in. People can leave, but they cannot return. Delegates have limited access to food and water, which are being prevented from delivery. Is this what city mayor Emir Kir is aiming for?”Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki were due to speak tomorrow. Earlier, the organisers said on X that they would challenge the order to shut the conference down. “The police entered the venue on our invitation, saw the proceedings and the press corps, and quickly withdrew. Is it possible they witnessed how peaceful the event is?,” they wrote on X.The Claridge event space – located near Brussels’s European Quarter – can host up to 850 people. Around 250 people were in attendance on Tuesday afternoon.Mohamed Nemri, the owner of Claridge, told the BBC he had decided to host the event because “we don’t reject any party…. even if we don’t have the same opinion. That’s normal”.”I am Muslim and people have different opinion and that’s it. We are living in a freedom country. I’d like to people to talk freely,” he added.It is the third venue that was supposed to hold the event, after the previous two fell through. Belgian media reported that one venue pulled out after pressure by a group called the “Antifascist coordination of Belgium”.Related TopicsBelgiumTop StoriesMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished43 minutes agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished5 hours agoLive. US expects to impose further sanctions on Iran ‘in the coming days’FeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlineMeteorite ‘repeatedly transformed’ on space journeyHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge2First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed3Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference4Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline5Superdry boss hits back at ‘not cool’ criticism6Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames7MPs to vote on smoking ban for those born after 20098Stabbed TV presenter ‘feeling much better’9Sons of McCartney and Lennon release joint single10Baby hurt in Sydney stabbing out of intensive care

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April 16, 2024

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaNasa says part of International Space Station crashed into Florida homePublished40 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, NASAImage caption, The recovered object was part of a stanchion used to mount batteries to a cargo palletBy Max MatzaBBC NewsUS space agency Nasa confirmed that an object that crashed into a home in Florida earlier this month was part of the International Space Station (ISS). The metal object was jettisoned from the orbiting outpost in March 2021, Nasa said on Monday after analysing the sample at the Kennedy Space Center.The 1.6lb (0.7kg) metal object tore through two layers of ceiling after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Homeowner Alejandro Otero said his son was nearly injured by the impact. Nasa said the object was part of some 5,800lbs of hardware that was dumped by the station after it had new lithium-ion batteries installed. “The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024. However, a piece of hardware survived and impacted a home in Naples, Florida,” the agency said.The debris was determined to be part of a stanchion used to mount batteries on a cargo pallet. The object, made from metal alloy Inconel, has dimensions of 4in by 1.6in (10.1cm by 4cm).Mr Otero told CBS affiliate Wink-TV that the device created a “tremendous sound” as it blasted into his home.”It almost hit my son. He was two rooms over and heard it all,” he said.”I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage,” Mr Otero continued.”I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt.”According to Nasa, the ISS will “perform a detailed investigation” on how the debris survived burn-up.What’s the risk of being hit by falling space debris?Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s more space junkSpace junk has been a growing a problem. Earlier this month, sky watchers in California watched mysterious golden streaks moving through the night sky.US officials later determined that the light show was caused by burning debris from a Chinese rocket re-entering earth’s orbit.In February, a Chinese satellite known as “Object K” burned up as it re-entered the atmosphere over Hawaii.Last year, a barnacle-covered giant metal dome found on a Western Australian beach was identified as a component of an Indian rocket. There are plans to display it alongside chunks of Nasa’s Skylab, which crashed in Australia in 1979. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Object thought to be a satellite burns up on re-entering Earth’s atmosphereRelated TopicsSpace debrisNasaFloridaUnited StatesMore on this storyIs it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s more space junkPublished3 AprilRobot dog trains to walk on Moon in Oregon trialsPublished3 days agoTop StoriesMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished50 minutes agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished4 hours agoLive. US expects to impose further sanctions on Iran ‘in the coming days’FeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlineMeteorite ‘repeatedly transformed’ on space journeyHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge2First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed3Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference4Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline5Superdry boss hits back at ‘not cool’ criticism6Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames7MPs to vote on smoking ban for those born after 20098Stabbed TV presenter ‘feeling much better’9Baby hurt in Sydney stabbing out of intensive care10Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice forever

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April 16, 2024

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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaFormer Marine jailed for nine years for bombing abortion clinicPublished7 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS abortion debateImage source, CBSBy Max MatzaBBC NewsA former US Marine has been jailed for nine years for firebombing a California Planned Parenthood clinic and plotting other attacks to spark a “race war”.Chance Brannon, 24, pleaded guilty to the March 2022 attack on the healthcare clinic, which provides abortions in some of its locations.He also plotted to attack Jewish people and an LGBT pride event taking place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. At the time of his arrest, he was an active duty member of the US Marines. Prosecutors said Brannon was a neo-Nazi who frequently spoke of “cleansing” the US of “particular ethnic groups”. In November, Brannon pleaded guilty to conspiracy, destruction of property, possession of an explosive and intentionally damaging a reproductive health services facility.Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, said the attack “was designed to terrorise patients seeking reproductive healthcare and the people who provide it”.The explosion damaged the front entrance to the clinic in Costa Mesa, Orange County. No one was injured.However, Mehtab Syed, of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said Brannon’s “deep-rooted hatred and extremist views… could have killed innocent people”. Mr Syed added that Brannon plotted to rob Jewish residents in the Hollywood Hills, and had also discussed plans to attack the power grid. Further to this, in 2022, Mr Syed said Brannon, of San Juan Capistrano, placed calls to two US “adversaries” hoping to offer himself as a “mole” providing US intelligence.Two co-defendants, Tibet Ergul and Xavier Batten, have pleaded guilty to similar charges and will be sentenced next month.According to the National Abortion Federation, a group representing US abortion providers, there was a “sharp increase” in violence against clinics in 2022. Related TopicsAbortionUS abortion debateUnited StatesCaliforniaMore on this storyWhat is Planned Parenthood?Published25 September 2015Top StoriesMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished53 minutes agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished3 hours agoLive. Israel demands sanctions on Iranian missile projectFeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlineMeteorite ‘repeatedly transformed’ on space journeyHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge2Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference3Superdry boss hits back at ‘not cool’ criticism4First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed5Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline6Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames7MPs to vote on smoking ban for those born after 20098Stabbed TV presenter ‘feeling much better’9William to return to duties after Kate diagnosis10Baby hurt in Sydney stabbing out of intensive care

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April 16, 2024

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