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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 & CanadaTB Joshua exposé: YouTube deletes Emmanuel TV channel of disgraced megachurch leaderPublished49 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, TB Joshua, who died in 2021, had a huge global followingBy Charlie Northcott & Yemisi AdegokeBBC Africa EyeYouTube has terminated the official channel of disgraced Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua’s megachurch for violating its hate speech policies. It comes weeks after an investigation by the BBC and openDemocracy uncovered evidence of widespread sexual abuse and torture by the late preacher.Emmanuel TV played a key role in his rise from local pastor to global star. TB Joshua died in 2021, but his Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) is now run by his wife Evelyn Joshua.The church has not commented on the removal, but has said previous allegations of wrongdoing have been “unfounded”.Emmanuel TV had more than half a million followers on YouTube and hundreds of millions of views.This is the second time in three years that its YouTube channel has been suspended, following previous breaches of the platform’s community guidelines.As part of the investigation with the BBC, openDemocracy analysed Emmanuel TV’s online presence, finding at least 50 “abusive” videos on YouTube. Their team reported the videos to YouTube and the account was suspended on 29 January. In a comment to the BBC, the Google-owned video-sharing platform said Emmanuel TV had been “terminated for violating… hate speech policies”. TB Joshua was famed for his “healing” ministries and filmed hundreds of services that claimed to show him curing the physically disabled and chronically ill – which multiple former church members have subsequently debunked. The content openDemocracy reported included Emmanuel TV footage of people with mental health issues being kept in chains, cases of medical misinformation and examples of smear campaigns against women who spoke out about TB Joshua’s sexual abuse. Emmanuel TV’s satellite channel was dropped on 17 January by MultiChoice, a South African company that runs popular satellite services DStv and GOTv. For many years, the channel was one of the most successful Christian networks in the world, broadcasting to millions all over the world. Following the publication of the BBC’s investigation into TB Joshua, a number of contributors have been trolled by church and Emmanuel TV affiliated accounts online. These accounts were also reported to YouTube by openDemocracy, but they have not been removed. YouTube and other social media platforms have come under intense scrutiny in recent years over their online safety policies.The full BBC investigations into TB Joshua:‘Terrible things happened’ – inside TB Joshua’s church of horrorsHow Nigerian preacher covered up fatal building collapseHow TB Joshua’s whistle-blowing daughter took on ‘Daddy’How disgraced preacher TB Joshua faked his miraclesNigeria’s disgraced televangelist TB JoshuaDisciples: The Cover-up on the BBC Africa YouTube channelRelated TopicsNigeriaYouTubeReligionAround the BBCAfrica EyeFocus on Africa podcastsTop StoriesLive. New deal means no routine checks on GB to NI goodsLive. Sturgeon: Part of me wishes I was not first minister during CovidPharmacists to prescribe drugs for minor illnessesPublished27 minutes agoFeaturesRecord Dry January saved people £118 on average’I regret posting online that I was Madeleine McCann’What is the new Northern Ireland trade deal?N Ireland’s new dawn, led by republican first ministerTwo-child benefit cap: ‘Every month is a struggle’Energy bill error saw man pay £244,000 direct debitWhere Biden v Trump will be won and lostA jailed star and former convict: Pakistan’s election, explainedWho is Viktor Orban, Hungary’s PM halting funds for Ukraine?Elsewhere on the BBCWar, negotiations and geopoliticsLearn about Putin’s war in Ukraine in gripping detailAttributioniPlayerIs nature better off without us?Discover the wonder of nature and meet the people determined to keep it wonderfulAttributionSoundsFrom blueprint to the Manhattan skylineJourney to the past and see the remarkable story behind the iconic Empire State BuildingAttributioniPlayerFrom the Fall to Fifty ShadesActor Jamie Dornan shares the soundtrack of his life with Lauren LaverneAttributionSoundsMost Read1Crossbow man shot dead by police was stalker2Elmo responds to ‘world is on fire’ angst3’I regret posting online that I was Madeleine McCann’4Judge annuls Musk’s ‘unfathomable’ $56bn Tesla pay5Raab pay deal for solicitors unlawful, court finds6Pharmacists to prescribe drugs for minor illnesses7First Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap since plane crash8Police officers mock footage of victim’s seizure9Two-child benefit cap: ‘Every month is a struggle’10Three more arrested over Bristol stabbings

[ad_1] Following the publication of the BBC’s investigation into TB Joshua, a number of contributors have been trolled by church and Emmanuel TV affiliated accounts online. These accounts were also…

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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. Getting it played is not easy’Boy George talks to John Wilson about his formative cultural influencesAttributionSoundsBig laughs, big stars and big surprises!Michael McIntyre is back, with guests Dermot O’Leary, Tony Hadley, Jess Glynne and Tom KerridgeAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Judge blocks Musk’s ‘unfathomable’ $56bn Tesla pay2Police officers mock footage of victim’s seizure3Cyborgs among us and Robbie Williams’ Port Vale bid4Sir Lenny Henry to make Comic Relief farewell5Pharmacists to prescribe drugs for minor illnesses6Iraqi militant group suspends attacks against US7’I regret posting online that I was Madeleine McCann’8Energy bill error saw man pay £244,000 direct debit9Bashir blamed Diana scandal on colleagues’ jealousy10Two-child benefit cap: ‘Every month is a struggle’

[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 & CanadaThabi Leoka PhD: South Africa President Ramaphosa axes adviserPublished19 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Thabi Leoka, pictured here in 2019, has become a well-known economist and commentatorBy Damian ZaneBBC NewsSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa has dropped a high-profile economist from an advisory panel as questions are being raised about her PhD.Thabi Leoka said that the London School of Economics (LSE) awarded it but Business Day and Daily Maverick journalists said they have not been able to find a record of the degree.Last week, Ms Leoka denied misrepresenting her qualification.On Monday, she resigned from the boards of two prominent companies.Mining firm Anglo American Platinum Limited said Ms Leoka stepped down from her position as a non-executive director “in order to attend to her health and the questions she has been facing in relation to her academic qualifications”.Mobile phone company MTN SA released a similar statement.On the same day, she was informed about “the immediate termination of her membership in the Presidential Economic Advisory Council”, Mr Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told the BBC.Membership of the body “does not require formal vetting”, he said.The council advises on “economic policies that spur inclusive growth”, according to the presidency’s website. In earlier comments to South Africa’s Daily Maverick news site, which had asked for evidence of her qualification, Ms Leoka had said that she had been busy and not had the time to get hold of her degree certificate.”I’m not based in [South Africa] full time… I have been at the Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Hospital as I have glaucoma and have since lost sight in my right eye,” she said to the online publication. “You also don’t have my names as reflected on my degrees,” she added. Last week, she said she was about to undergo surgery.When the BBC asked the LSE whether it had a record of Ms Leoka’s doctorate it said: “We have checked our files and can find no record of ‘Thabi’ or ‘Bathabile’ Leoka being awarded a PhD from LSE.” She had changed her name from Bathabile in 2018, according to South Africa’s News24 website.Ms Leoka agreed to appear on local station Radio 702 after the story was published in the Business Day newspaper last week.When asked “have you misrepresented your qualifications?”, she responded: “The answer is a straight no.”Ms Leoka has become a well-known commentator and economist in South Africa, serving on several boards as well as advising the government.Top StoriesStudent killed in Nottingham trying to save a friendPublished26 minutes agoUK not seeking confrontation with Houthis – SunakPublished55 minutes agoFour family members found dead at house are namedPublished6 minutes agoFeaturesUS man to be executed by untested nitrogen gas tells of ‘panic’Bills and border crisis drive Trump voters to pollsMysterious killings in Yemen create climate of fearOscars 2024: List of nominations in fullMay horrified by diabetes disordered eating’Send back our husbands’ – Russian women in rare protestWatch shocking moment car crashes into café in Italy. VideoWatch shocking moment car crashes into café in ItalyIs North Korea’s leader actually considering war?Watch: Live outside the sweary parrots’ enclosure. VideoWatch: Live outside the sweary parrots’ enclosureElsewhere on the BBCMore quizzing on the week’s news with Andy ZaltzmanLucy Porter, Robin Morgan, Tadiwa Mahlunge, and Ayesha Hazarika provide all the answers!AttributionSounds’She’s here for the music. She loves what she does’The events, people and sounds that inspired Annie Nightingale’s careerAttributioniPlayerDid the Isle of Rum miraculously escape the Ice Age?Dr Tori Herridge investigates…AttributionSoundsA political thriller of cover-ups and complex charactersCan Kate escape her Rwandan past? Unmissable drama with Michaela Coel and John GoodmanAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Student died protecting her friend from killer2Warnings of 80mph gusts as Storm Jocelyn lands in UK3Woman arrested for stealing $2,500 of Stanley cups4Oscars 2024: List of nominations in full5Boney M founder Frank Farian dies aged 826Barbie misses key Oscar nods for Gerwig and Robbie7Alarming 30-fold rise in measles in Europe – WHO8Amazon fined for ‘excessive’ surveillance of workers9May horrified by diabetes disordered eating10US man says wait for nitrogen execution like ‘torture’

[ad_1] Thabi Leoka denies misrepresenting her qualification as journalists investigate her London doctorate.

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January 23, 2024
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaKim Jong Un: Is North Korea’s leader actually considering war?Published28 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, KCNAImage caption, Kim Jong Un’s new tone should not be ignored, say expertsBy Frances MaoBBC NewsNorth Korea experts – by nature, a cautious group who seek to avoid sowing panic – have been left reeling by two of their own.Last week, the two eminent analysts dropped a bomb – so to speak – in stating their belief that the pariah state’s leader is preparing for war.Kim Jong Un has scrapped the bedrock goal of reconciling and re-uniting with South Korea, they said. Instead, he’s presenting the North and South as two independent states at war with each other.”We believe, that like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong Un has made a strategic decision to go to war,” wrote Robert L Carlin, a former CIA analyst and Siegfried S Hecker, a nuclear scientist who’s visited the North several times, in an article on specialist site 38 North.Such a pronouncement set off alarm bells in Washington and Seoul, and a massive debate in North Korea watching circles.Most analysts, however, disagree with the war theory; the BBC spoke to seven experts across Asia, Europe and North America – none of whom supported the idea.”Risking his entire regime on a potentially cataclysmic conflict is not on-brand for the North Koreans. They have proven to be ruthlessly Machiavellian,” says Christopher Green, a Korea watcher from Crisis Group based in the Netherlands.He and others note the North often acts out to bring Western powers to the table for dialogue; and there are political pressures at home too.But they do agree that Mr Kim’s increased bluster can’t be ignored and his regime has grown more dangerous.While most argue war may still be unlikely, some fear a more limited attack could yet be on the cards.What has led to this?Close watchers of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are used to his nuclear threats, but some say the latest messages from Pyongyang are of a different nature.Image source, KCNAImage caption, Kim set a new path at the Supreme People’s Assembly session on 15 JanuarySix days on from his New Year’s Eve declaration that “it is fait accompli that a war can break out anytime on the Korean peninsula”, his military blasted artillery across the border.North Korea has also claimed a test of a new solid-fuelled missile, and its underwater attack drones, which can supposedly carry a nuclear weapon, since the start of January.They follow on from two years of near-monthly missile launches and weapons development in blatant contravention of UN sanctions.However, it was his announcement of formally abandoning the goal of unification that last week furrowed brows. Reuniting with the South had always been a key – if increasingly unrealistic – part of the North’s ideology since the inception of the state.”This is a big deal. It fundamentally alters one of the regime’s core ideological precepts,” says Peter Ward, a senior researcher at Kookmin University in Seoul.Kim Jong Un would now be tearing down that legacy – literally. Along with shutting diplomacy channels and cross-border radio broadcasts, he has announced he will demolish the Reunification Arch, a nine-storey monument on the outskirts of Pyongyang.The arch, showing two women in traditional Korean dress reaching towards each other, had been built in 2001 to mark his father’s and grandfather’s efforts towards the goal of reunification. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Kim Jong Un said he plans to destroy this unification symbol to show his disgust with the SouthSatellite pictures released by Planet Labs on Tuesday appear to show the arch may already have been destroyed, although there’s no official confirmation of this.Kim Il Sung had been the one who went to war in 1950, but he was also the one who set the idea that at some point North Koreans would be united with their southern kin again. But his grandson has now chosen to define South Koreans as different people altogether – perhaps to justify them as a military target.A limited strike on the cards?Mr Carlin and Dr Hecker, the analysts who predicted war, have interpreted all of this as signs that Kim Jong Un has settled on actually pursuing a fight.But most analysts disagree. Seong-Hyon Lee, from the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China relations, points out the country is due to reopen to foreign tourists next month, and it has also sold its own shells to Russia for war – something it could ill afford if it were preparing for the battlefields.The ultimate deterrent, however, is that were the North to launch an attack, the US and South Korea armies are just so much more advanced.”A general war could kill a lot of people in the South, but it would be the end of Kim Jong Un and his regime,” says Kookmin University’s Mr Ward. Instead, he and others warn the conditions are building for a smaller action.”I’m much more concerned, in general, about a limited attack on South Korea… an attack of that sort would take aim at South Korean territory or military forces but be limited in scope,” says analyst Ankit Panda, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.This could even be in the form of shelling or attempted occupation of contested islands west of the Korean peninsula.In 2010, the North struck the island of Yeonpyeong killing four South Korean soldiers, infuriating the South.A similar provocation again could be done to test the South Korea’s limits, analysts suggest, and to push the buttons of President Yoon Suk Yeol, a defiantly hawkish leader who has vowed to respond to a North Korean attack with punishment “multiple times more severe”.”North Korea may expect to draw out a disproportionate retaliatory attack from Seoul,” says Mr Panda, something that might spark a broader escalation in fighting.Playbook move for leverageOthers say war fears should also be put in the context of Kim’s operating patterns.”Looking at the history of North Korea, it has often used provocation to attract the attention of other countries when it wants to negotiate,” says Seong-Hyon Lee.The regime continues to suffer from economic sanctions and 2024 is an election year for its enemies – with the US presidential vote and South Korean legislature poll.”This presents a good opportunity for Kim Jong Un to provoke,” explains Dr Lee.The current US administration under President Joe Biden – tied up with Ukraine and Gaza – hasn’t paid North Korea much heed and Pyongyang has also typically had most engagement with Republican administrations.Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump famously had a bromance in 2019 before the denuclearisation talks soured – and the North Korean leader may be waiting for the former US president to return to the White House, where he might weaken the alliance with South Korea and be open to dialogue again.North Korea’s closer friendship with Russia and continued economic support from China in the past year may have also boosted its audacity, analysts suggest. It’s received technical help from Russia to achieve a long-term goal of launching its spy satellites and the two states had several high-profile meetings including a leaders summit last year.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Kim travelled to Russia’s leading space facility last November after which his regime was able to launch their satellite”Much of what we’re seeing is a result of broader North Korean confidence in its own capabilities and its geopolitical position given Russian, and to a lesser degree, Chinese support,” says Mr Panda.Domestic goalsAnd others say Kim Jong Un’s behaviour is all aimed at stabilising his own regime.”This appears to be an ideological adjustment for regime survival,” argues Professor Leif-Eric Easley from Ewha University in Seoul. “North Koreans are increasingly aware of their Communist country’s failings compared to the South.”He suggests a policy focused on defining the enemy is intended to justify Mr Kim’s missile spending during a difficult time. There are reports of starvation across the country.North Koreans tell of neighbours starving to deathA family’s escape from North Korea through a minefield and stormy seasPresenting the South as the enemy also makes it easier to resolve “cognitive dissonance at the heart” of the North’s view on South Korea, points out Mr Ward.”Previously it was an indelibly evil state that was supposed to be the object of unification with a hopelessly corrupting culture that should not be consumed under any circumstances but with people who need to be liberated from their evil government,” says Mr Ward.”Now the country and its culture can just be branded evil and that justifies the continued crackdown on South Korean culture.” The BBC last week published rare footage showing two North Korean teenagers sentenced to 12 years hard labour for watching K-dramas.”He doesn’t actually want a war – a huge gamble where he would have nothing to gain and everything to lose”, says Sokeel Park, from Liberty in North Korea, an NGO helping North Korean refugees.His threats are instead aimed at cementing his new North and South policy, designed ultimately to shore up his power at home, he says.While it’s important for South Korea, the US and allies to prepare for the worst-case scenario, it is also worth a thorough examination of the internal situation in North Korea and the wider geopolitics, analysts say.At the end of the day, the best way to find out what the North’s leader is thinking is to engage with him, argues Dr Lee.”The international community does not see the US talking to Kim Jong Un as surrendering to Kim Jong Un’s threats. It is seen as a necessary means to achieve a goal,” he says.”If necessary, one should consider meeting with the leader of an enemy nation to reduce misjudgements and prevent war.”With reporting by Kelly NgRelated TopicsKim Jong UnAsiaNorth Korea–South Korea relationsNorth KoreaMore on this storyRare N Korea footage shows teens sentenced over K-dramaPublished5 days agoNorth Korea says it will launch new spy satellites in 2024Published31 December 2023North Korea fires most powerful long-range missilePublished18 December 2023North Korea says it’s got eyes on the White House – so what?Published29 November 2023Top StoriesLive. Latest US-UK strikes on Houthis in Yemen were self-defence – SunakIsrael says 24 soldiers killed in Gaza in one dayPublished1 hour agoCourt accepts triple killer’s guilty pleaPublished22 minutes agoFeaturesUS man to be executed by untested nitrogen gas tells of ‘panic’Bills and border crisis drive Trump voters to pollsWar in Yemen: UAE funded political assassinations’Frozen eyes, frozen toes’ – the brutal race that may never returnAttributionSportWatch shocking moment car crashes into café in Italy. VideoWatch shocking moment car crashes into café in Italy’Send back our husbands’ – Russian women in rare protestIs North Korea’s leader actually considering war?May horrified by diabetes disordered eatingWatch: Live outside the sweary parrots’ enclosure. VideoWatch: Live outside the sweary parrots’ enclosureElsewhere on the BBCThe bizarre origins of a world-altering act of violenceJon Ronson returns with more unexpected, human stories from the culture warsAttributionSounds’A soothing and calming message of love’Stories about the Burt Bacharach classic, I Say a Little Prayer for YouAttributionSoundsHow can we make a decision and stick to it?Dr Lucy Maddox shares practical, life-changing insights and tools for navigating lifeAttributionSoundsHow much do you know about huge and tiny measurements?If you’re not familiar with gigaseconds and hectometres, this is the quiz for youAttributionBitesizeMost Read1Court accepts triple killer’s guilty plea2Amazon fined for ‘excessive’ surveillance of workers3Scottish trains to halt as Storm Jocelyn sweeps UK4US man says wait for untested execution like ‘torture’5Is North Korea’s leader actually considering war?6Israel says 24 soldiers killed in Gaza in one day7Trump and Haley to go head-to-head in New Hampshire8May horrified by diabetes disordered eating9Hundreds flee cartel battles in southern Mexico10’Send back our husbands’ – Russian women in rare protest

[ad_1] Kim Jong Un’s recent military actions and a significant departure in ideology has worried watchers.

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January 23, 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 & CanadaScott Morrison: Former Australian prime minister to quit politicsPublished14 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, European Photo Press AgencyImage caption, Scott Morrison oversaw Australia’s pandemic responseBy Hannah RitchieBBC News, SydneyAustralia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced he will quit parliament to join the private sector.Mr Morrison, a conservative who was first elected in 2007, was the country’s leader from 2018 to 2022.He oversaw Australia’s pandemic response, the Aukus defence pact, and was embroiled in a historic scandal for secretly appointing himself to several ministerial positions while PM.”The time has come for me to return to private life,” he said on Tuesday.”After having served in the parliament for more than sixteen years, including almost four as Prime Minister during a very challenging time for our country, now is the time to move on,” he added in a statement.Mr Morrison said he would now take on “strategic advisory roles” across Asia to focus on security matters in the Indo-Pacific.A devout Christian, he said he was “looking forward to being more active” in his church and spending time with his family. Mr Morrison’s retirement has long been expected following a shattering election loss to Labor’s Anthony Albanese in 2022, during which his party dropped 18 seats. Australia’s reputation as a climate laggard was a major factor in his government’s demise – with voters favouring candidates committed to more ambitious emissions cuts. Later in 2022, he became the first former prime minister to be censured by Australia’s parliament – over secret powers he had given himself during the pandemic.Mr Morrison said his decision to make himself the joint minister for health, finance, treasury, and home affairs had been in keeping with the “extraordinary times” the country was facing.An investigation found his appointments were legal, and that he used his extra powers only once. During his time in office, Mr Morrison had a particularly rocky relationship with China, Australia’s largest trading partner. His government led calls for an international investigation into the origins of Covid, prompting a tit-for-tat trade dispute and a years-long diplomatic freeze. In a strategic pivot, Mr Morrison instead focused on bolstering Australia’s security alliances, helping to set up the Quad partnership with India, Japan and the US, and signing the Aukus nuclear submarine deal with the UK and US. The 55-year-old first garnered national attention in 2013 when he was appointed to cabinet as immigration minister and oversaw Operation Sovereign Borders – which hardened Australia’s controversial asylum seeker policies.He then served as social services minister and treasurer, before succeeding Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal Party leader and prime minister. Mr Morrison famously defied polls to win the 2019 federal election.After a decade of political leadership challenges in both major parties which upended governments, he became the first prime minister to serve a full term since John Howard in 2007. Related TopicsScott MorrisonAustraliaMore on this storyEx-Australia PM’s secrecy prompts historic censurePublished30 November 2022What went wrong for Australia’s defeated PM?Published21 May 2022Top StoriesUS and UK launch fresh strikes on HouthisPublished4 hours ago UK officials probe Iran generals’ antisemitic talks to studentsPublished6 hours agoManhunt after eight shot dead in Illinois cityPublished51 minutes agoFeaturesWar in Yemen: UAE funded political assassinationsThe Papers: ‘Weight-loss horror’ and Elon Musk visits AuschwitzUS man says wait for untested execution like ‘torture’Is North Korea’s leader actually considering war?’Frozen eyes, frozen toes’ – the brutal race that may never returnAttributionSportHow Storms Isha and Jocelyn get their namesRankin: I’m trying to change the whole idea of what beauty isWhere have all the UK tech ‘unicorns’ gone?No bail, no trial: Freedom on hold for Indian activistElsewhere on the BBCThe bizarre origins of a world-altering act of violenceJon Ronson returns with more unexpected, human stories from the culture warsAttributionSoundsThe alternative sounds of 1994Dermot takes you back in time with Weezer, The Beastie Boys, The Prodigy and moreAttributionSoundsHow can we make a decision and stick to it?Dr Lucy Maddox shares practical, life-changing insights and tools for navigating lifeAttributionSoundsHow much do you know about huge and tiny measurements?If you’re not familiar with gigaseconds and hectometres, this is the quiz for youAttributionBitesizeMost Read1’Weight-loss horror’ and Elon Musk visits Auschwitz2US and UK launch fresh strikes on Houthis3Manhunt after eight shot dead in Illinois city4Storm Jocelyn to bring strong winds and heavy rain5Iran’s antisemitic speeches to UK students probed6MrBeast reveals he made $250,000 from X video7Two million ‘could see energy cut off this winter’8Oscar nominations to reflect Barbenheimer success9Is North Korea’s leader actually considering war?10Russian sanctioned for Australia’s worst data hack

[ad_1] His legacy includes Australia’s pandemic response, the Aukus security pact, and several controversies.

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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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