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Wimbledon 2023 results: Andy Murray loses to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady beaten - BBC Sport | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | Andy Murray's hopes of a fine Wimbledon victory on the 10th anniversary of his 2013 title win were ended by Stefanos Tsitsipas in round two. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. More coverage details
Andy Murray's hopes of a fine Wimbledon victory on the 10th anniversary of his 2013 title win were ended by fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in round two.
Stalled by Wimbledon's 11pm curfew on Thursday, the Briton lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 on Friday.
Shortly before Murray's loss, British number one Cameron Norrie fell 3-6 6-3 2-6 6-7 (3-7) to Christopher Eubanks.
British number five Liam Broady lost 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5 to Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov in the third round.
Defeats for the trio ended British interest in the men's draw and dampened the spirits of the home fans at the All England Club.
Their exits leave British women's number one Katie Boulter as the only remaining home player in the singles.
On Saturday, Boulter has the chance to reach the fourth round for the first time when she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
• None Murray unsure he has motivation for Wimbledon
Murray pushes one of the best but falls agonisingly short
Murray is a two-time champion at Wimbledon, having also won in 2016, and had talked positively about his chances of going deep in the draw.
A poor performance at Queen's in the build-up to the tournament saw him miss out on a seeding, leaving him vulnerable to a tough test early on.
Even after the draw threw up the possibility of facing 24-year-old Tsitsipas, Murray insisted he had the ability and nous to cause anybody problems on the SW19 grass.
Against one of the top players in the men's game, he was proven correct.
On Thursday, Murray grew into a contest played indoors under the floodlights and moved ahead just before the match was halted at 22:39 BST.
Unlike the other Grand Slams, Wimbledon has a 23:00 curfew which has been imposed by the local council.
The end of the set felt like the natural moment to pause, coming at a time which seemed to suit both players.
When they returned, now playing outdoors on a hot summer afternoon, the pair continued to dominate on serve.
However, at 4-4 15-30, Murray missed a chance to challenge a line call which would have been successfully overturned and could have altered the trajectory of the match.
There was a sense of inevitability that the set would go to the tie-break and, when it did, Tsitsipas kept his composure to clinically level.
Underneath bright skies, the mood further darkened among the home fans at the start of the decider.
Murray's serve came under severe pressure in the third game. A slice into the net by the Scot was followed by a beautifully-judged lob from Tsitsipas, before a double fault created three break opportunities.
Murray was able to save two of them, but a forehand into the net handed over an advantage from which he could not recover.
The level of performance Tsitsipas was forced to find in order to advance - and register by far his best win of the grass-court season on a tricky surface - was testament to Murray's challenge.
Murray waved goodbye as he received a standing ovation from Centre Court and, though he knows there will not be many opportunities to play there again in the future, he showed he is far from done.
Which player would benefit from the overnight break - Murray after a painful looking fall, or Tsitsipas after momentum swung away from him - was debatable.
The delay did provide the opportunity for the romantics to dream.
Murray returned on Friday aiming to earn his biggest win by ranking since the 2013 final, 10 years to the day and at the scene of the defining moment of his career.
The realists felt the pause might suit Tsitsipas better - and were vindicated.
The 2021 French Open finalist and 2023 Australian Open runner-up produced another serving masterclass, like he did in the first two sets on Thursday, and did not face a break point as he turned around the deficit.
Asked if the 18-hour gap benefitted him, Tsitsipas said: "It did not help me that much. You are dealing with a lot of things.
"You are dealing with Andy Murray at the other side of the net. He can make it a marathon and I had to work extra hard.
"My legs are sore - he made me run left and right, up and down for how many hours."
Norrie and Broady out as British men's hopes end
Norrie, 27, reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year but his bid to replicate that run came unstuck against an inspired Eubanks.
On Court One, 12th seed Norrie struggled to make a dent on the American's serve and lost four of the 13 break points he faced.
Eubanks described grass as the "stupidest surface" in a text exchange with former women's world number one Kim Clijsters earlier this summer, but won an ATP title in Mallorca last week after receiving advice from the Belgian.
The world number 43 looked confident from the start against Norrie, who said he could not cope with his opponent hitting "absolute rockets".
"I got outplayed. I couldn't really get into the match how I wanted. He came out and was hitting the ball huge, he didn't miss at all," Norrie added.
Wildcard Broady, 29, was unable to follow up the biggest win of his career as he lost to 2021 semi-finalist Shapovalov.
The world number 142 stunned Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud in the second round, but could not produce another memorable result as his impressive run - which generated a useful payday of £131,000 - ended.
• None Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/66129540 |
BBC presenter faces new allegations over explicit photos - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The presenter was pictured in his underwear "ready for my child to perform for him", their mother told the Sun. | Entertainment & Arts | An unnamed BBC presenter is facing fresh allegations by the Sun newspaper after it claimed he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos.
The star was pictured in his underwear "ready for my child to perform for him", their mother told the paper.
It is unclear how old the young person was at the time, but the paper has claimed they were 17 when payments from the presenter started.
The BBC has said it takes any allegations very seriously.
The allegations, first reported by the Sun on Friday, are that the BBC presenter paid £35,000 for explicit photos over a three-year period.
The young person's mother told the paper her child, now aged 20, had used the money from the presenter to fund a crack cocaine habit.
She said if the alleged payments continued her child would "wind up dead", the paper reported on Saturday.
The Sun said the young person's family complained to the BBC on 19 May.
The family is reported to have become frustrated that the star remained on air and approached the newspaper, but said they wanted no payment for the story.
A BBC spokesperson said on Friday: "We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.
"As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this. That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
"If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.
"If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided - including via newspapers - this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes."
The BBC has not said anything further about the allegations since its statement on Friday.
But serious questions remain for the BBC about what investigations went on since the family says it alerted the corporation.
Caroline Dinenage, senior Conservative MP and chair of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, said: "It's vital that TV companies have in place the right systems and processes to ensure their stars, who have disproportionate power and influence over the lives and careers of others, don't abuse it."
There is pressure on the corporation's HR department to "investigate these latest claims quickly and explain what has happened since this story first came to light back in May", she added.
Earlier, former home secretary Priti Patel said the BBC's response had been "derisory" and called for a "full and transparent investigation", accusing the corporation of becoming a "faceless and unaccountable organisation".
The presenter is not due to be on air in the near future, but BBC News has not been told whether or not there has been a formal suspension.
But the BBC will need to answer if this should have happened sooner, if the investigation should have been more thorough, and if it is fair to its other presenters unconnected to this who are finding themselves facing false rumours.
The Sun says there will be a probe by the head of corporate investigations team who has spoken to the family, but the BBC has not confirmed this.
Following the first Sun report, BBC presenters took to social media to deny they were the star in question, including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine, Nicky Campbell and Gary Lineker.
This is a disconcerting time for them when they have no involvement in the allegations. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66145747 |
UK weather: Heavy rain and thunderstorms spark flood warnings - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A Met Office yellow weather alert is in place across England, Scotland and Wales until midnight. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: After Saturday's storms, what can we expect for the next few days?
Thunderstorms have hit parts of the UK as a hot weather warning remains in place for regions across England.
Heavy showers followed a humid start for many areas on Saturday, with afternoon temperatures approaching 30C in parts of the south-east.
A Met Office yellow thunderstorm alert, which covers most of England and Scotland, has been in place since 09:00 BST and warns of potential flooding.
Rain also disrupted play at both Wimbledon and the men's Ashes.
Earlier this week, the UK government's Health Security Agency and the Met Office issued a yellow heat-health alert for six regions in England: London, the South East, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The alert, which is due to last until 09:00 on Sunday, was soon followed up by warnings of heavy showers, thunderstorms and potential flash flooding.
The Met Office's yellow thunderstorm warning took effect in parts of England, Scotland and Wales at 09:00 on Saturday and lasts until 23:59. A separate warning has been issued for the whole of Northern Ireland for Sunday, from 10:00 until 21:00.
Generally a Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms means there is a small chance homes and businesses could be flooded quickly and communities cut off by floodwater, while public transport risks being cancelled in affected areas.
At-risk areas will most likely be across east Wales, England and into south-east Scotland, according to BBC Weather's Simon King.
The storms will be quite localised but "could be nasty" if you get caught up in one, the forecaster said, with torrential rain, lightning, hail, gusty winds and the risk of some localised flooding all possible.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Lincoln, in the East Midlands, York in the north-east of England and Carlisle, which sits on the border with Scotland, had all experienced thunder and rain by midday on Saturday, according to the Met Office.
In Scotland, those attending the second day of TRNSMT music festival in Glasgow were warned to expect warm spells of 24C alongside high winds and thundery downpours.
On Friday, it was announced the Tiree Music Festival, usually held off the west coast of the country, could not go ahead due to gale force winds.
Further public events have been impacted by the weather in England - two major sporting events in particular.
Showers disrupted play at Wimbledon, south-west London, but they should ease later this afternoon with increasing sunshine expected into this evening, BBC Weather's Simon King said.
As the sixth day of the tennis tournament got under way, some of the early matches - which began at 11:00 - were suspended after heavy rain began to fall on the outside courts.
At the men's Ashes, in Headingley, Leeds, play could only begin at 16:45 after persistent rain hampered proceedings on the third day of the cricket series.
Sunday will be a drier day for most of the UK, however there will still be some showers around with sunny spells in between, BBC Weather's Stav Danaos said.
There is a chance of rain across south-east England and East Anglia in the morning and some of this could be thundery as it pushes north-eastwards, he said.
The forecaster added that the main focus of the heavy showers and thunderstorms on Sunday will be across Northern Ireland.
It is expected to feel cooler and fresher with less humidity across the UK compared to Saturday.
• None How do the new heat-health alerts work? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66132649 |
Steps star Ian 'H' Watkins realises long-held art ambitions - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Years after deferring a place at art school, Ian 'H' Watkins returns to his first love. | Wales | Decades after deferring a place at art school, Steps' Ian 'H' Watkins has rediscovered his love of painting
Almost 30 years ago Ian Watkins, better known to many as H from Steps, was all set to become a painter.
At the age of 18 he was accepted at Cardiff School of Art and Design but decided to defer his place to "dip his toe" into the world of performance. As they say, the rest is history.
Steps' debut single, 5,6,7,8, was released in 1997, kicking off more than 25 years of hits including Tragedy, One for Sorrow and Last Thing On My Mind.
"I packed up my artistic dreams in a box and put it on the top shelf," said Ian.
"I always knew I would open it up one day. And now's that time."
Ian says he is endlessly inspired by the Welsh landscape
This weekend his summer exhibition of landscape oil paintings opens at Cardiff's Adamo Gallery.
Ian traces his love of art back to his childhood in south Wales' Rhondda Valley.
"My gran got me a watercolour set, I must have been about five or six, and I would copy beautiful Turner paintings of sunsets reflecting on water," he said.
"I adored my gran. She was just the best hugger and oh my god she would support me in every way. She was just gorgeous."
His grandmother lived to see the early years of his rise to fame.
Ian's art is currently being shown at Cardiff's Adamo Gallery
"She was super proud of 5, 6, 7, 8 and then she passed just shortly after that, but she got to see," he said.
In later years a painting he had made as a child at his grandmother's dinner table was found, framed and now proudly hangs on his mother's wall.
Steps back in 1998 (from left to right: Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee, Ian 'H' Watkins, Faye Tozer and Claire Richards)
Life in Steps was a whirlwind with seven studio albums, seven compilation albums, thirty singles and five arena tours.
Ian first picked up a paintbrush again about 10 years ago, but in 2016 became a father to twin boys Macsen and Cybi and his painting took a back seat.
"[I was] juggling lots of balls, spinning plates, it was tough and creatively I was drained," said Ian, 47.
"I was having to think about PE kits and swimming lessons and who's fallen today with a bump on their head, who's bitten who, I went through that phase - but now my kids are seven, they can clear up their own breakfast tray, they can dress themselves so I was in the right zone to make decisions that I wanted to kind of be creative again."
Ian is dad to twin boys Macsen and Cybi
The family live near Cowbridge in Vale of Glamorgan, and Ian recently organised the town's first Pride.
"I decided to be the change that I wanted to see. I want my children to grow up in a more diverse place," he said.
Ian is also busy with Steps. Last year saw a string of summer shows to celebrate their 25th anniversary, the release of single Hard 2 Forget and their third greatest hits album Platinum Collection. Next month they headline at Brighton Pride.
Ian says painting allows him the flexibility to spend quality time with his children
Life remains busy, but these days Ian's priority is his children and he has been able to settle into a routine of painting when the boys are at school.
"I'm at a place in my life now where I can juggle balls and manage them whereas before I lived and breathed Steps - now Steps isn't my life, it's my job now, my children are my full-time job and I get to paint around them," he said.
He puts his easel and sketchbook into the back of his car, drop the boys at school and sees where the day takes him.
"I never have anything planned - I could go to Southerndown or Brecon or any beautiful location and I will be inspired," he said.
Ian creates vibrant landscape oil paintings of some of Wales' best-loves beauty spots
He said he was endlessly inspired by the Welsh landscape.
"I'm spoilt for choice," he said.
"It's just so diverse, it's so beautiful, it's incredible. You've got mountains and lakes and hillsides and waterfalls, everything is right on our doorstep.
"I paint from real life, but I also love the spiritual elements to my paintings as well. There's a lot of me in my work."
The world of fine art has at times been accused of being elitist. With his pop fame, has he experienced any snobbery?
Gallery owners Sophie Usher and Richard Blunt had been "very clever" in the way they had put together the exhibition, he said.
"They haven't kind of played on the Steps card so people appreciate and like my work for my work," he said.
Sophie said such was the appetite for Ian's paintings, some had sold even before the official opening.
"People are really captivated by how authentic the landscapes are," she said.
Ian is thrilled with the reception to his work.
"I'm finally where I wanted to be," he said.
"All of the jigsaw pieces have slotted in at exactly the right time. It's beautiful." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66099218 |
Ofsted: New report upgrades Ruth Perry's school to good - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The head teacher ended her life ahead of the publication of a report that downgraded her school. | Berkshire | Head teacher Ruth Perry took her own life in January
The school run by a head teacher who took her own life after a critical Ofsted report has been rated as good after a new inspection.
Ruth Perry died in January after being told Caversham Primary School in Berkshire was being downgraded from outstanding to inadequate.
The school was re-inspected after Ms Perry's death, which prompted an outpouring of anger about the system.
Ofsted has defended its one-word grades, which are not being scrapped.
The head teacher's sister Prof Julia Waters said it was a "very bittersweet moment", but confirmed "what anyone who knew Ruth and the school knew all along".
She said one-word grades do not give an accurate reflection of the strengths and weaknesses "of a complex organisation like a school".
Her sister's case showed how it is "terribly, potentially fatally dangerous to try to sum up everything in one word", she told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight programme.
Her loss has been "absolutely devastating to so many people" she said, adding: "The ripple effect of her death is immeasurable. The harm done by that one word is absolutely immeasurable".
Ofsted inspected the school again in June in line with government guidelines to monitor schools that need to improve - and not as a result of Ms Perry's death.
In their latest report, seen by the BBC, the watchdog said: "The school's work to address previous weaknesses has been swift, thorough and effective."
The primary school was initially inspected in November 2022 and subsequently rated inadequate after concerns were raised over leadership and management.
Ms Perry's family said the inspection process caused her significant distress.
For Caversham Primary school this is a bittersweet moment for staff and parents.
It's just six months since Ruth Perry's suicide left a gaping hole in the school community.
For her colleagues this is recognition of everything they have done.
For her family it raises again the question of whether the stakes of Ofsted inspection have been far too high for headteachers.
MPs are to hold an inquiry in the autumn looking at how the inspection system is working. It won't consider the circumstances around Ruth Perry's death, which will be examined by a coroner.
The new report said useful advice was sought from beyond the school straight after the last inspection.
"In particular, this helped leaders to understand fully the extent of the weaknesses in safeguarding arrangements and prioritise what needed to be done," the report said.
In a statement, the head teacher's sister Ms Waters said staff at the school who had worked with or been trained by Ms Perry had never been anything other than "excellent, caring and professional".
She added: "The reversal of the previous judgement in a matter of a few months illustrates why schools should be given the opportunity to correct any technical weaknesses before the final report is published.
"An inspection should be about helping schools with independent scrutiny, not catching them out and publicly shaming them."
"That Ruth was left feeling suicidal as a result of Ofsted's previous judgement demonstrates, in the most tragic way possible, the intolerably high stakes created by the current inspection system," she added.
An inquest later this year will fully investigate Ms Perry's death, which also prompted a wider debate about whether one-word grades for schools make sense.
In their latest report Ofsted said the arrangements for safeguarding at Caversham Primary School were effective.
"A positive culture of safeguarding now pervades the school," it added.
Last month, Ofsted announced changes to its inspection system.
These included allowing schools that were given an inadequate rating over safeguarding to be re-inspected within three months, giving them a chance to be re-graded if they have addressed concerns.
Ofsted previously said it always strived to make inspections "as positive an experience for school staff as they can be".
MPs have now launched an inquiry into Ofsted's school inspections, looking at how useful they are to parents, governors and schools in England.
Amanda Spielman, the watchdog's chief inspector, previously told the BBC the "whole school accountability system" was built around the one-word judgements.
She acknowledged there were issues around accountability at schools but said scrapping one-word judgements "wouldn't really solve the underlying discomfort".
The Department for Education has also defended one-word inspections.
It said they "succinctly summarise independent evaluations on the quality of education, safeguarding, and leadership which parents greatly rely on to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child".
It said the government used them to "highlight success, identify schools that need support and to trigger intervention where necessary."
Watch the story of head teacher, Ruth Perry, who took her life after her school's rating was downgraded by Ofsted.
Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-66133695 |
Ukraine war: Eight killed in Russian strike in Lyman, say authorities - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Another five people were wounded in the Russian shelling in the Donetsk town, authorities say. | Europe | The attack caused fires in several cars, authorities say
At least eight people have been killed in an attack on a residential area in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, the country's authorities have said.
Ukraine's interior ministry said another 13 people were wounded in the Russian shelling of the town of Lyman.
The strike caused fires in a house, a printing shop and three cars which have now been put out by rescuers, the ministry said.
It comes as the country marks the 500th day of the invasion.
Ukraine's counter-offensive, which began last month, continues to grind on in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
Its advances have been slow, as Russia continues its missile and drone attacks.
The small city of Lyman is a key railway hub in the Donetsk, and was initially captured by Russia but then retaken by Ukraine's army in October.
Russia had been "concentrating quite powerful forces" there, the spokesman of Ukraine's eastern group of forces, Serhiy Cherevatyy, told Ukrainian television on Friday.
"At around 10:00, the Russians struck the town with multiple rocket launchers," the regional governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said on social media on Saturday. He said a house and a shop were damaged.
The BBC has not been able to verify the claims.
Authorities shared photos of the aftermath of the attack on social media
On Thursday, 10 people, including a woman aged 95, were killed after a Russian rocket hit an apartment building in Lviv, western Ukraine.
Another 40 people were injured in what the mayor of Lviv described as "one of the biggest attacks" on the city's civilian infrastructure.
And the previous week 13 people were killed - including children - when a restaurant and shopping centre were struck in Kramatorsk, an eastern city close to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
For months, Russia has been carrying out deadly missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, often hitting civilian targets and causing widespread blackouts.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Snake Island - a place that has became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after being retaken by Ukrainian forces - to mark the 500th day of the invasion.
"I want to thank from here, from this place of victory, each of our soldiers for these 500 days," Mr Zelensky said.
One month into its long-awaited counter-offensive, Ukraine says its forces are making gains - although Mr Zelensky previously admitted progress was slow.
And earlier this week, the US's highest-ranking military officer, Gen Mark Milley, said although Ukraine was advancing steadily, its counter-offensive against Russia would be difficult and "very bloody".
The Ukrainian General Staff has reported that Ukrainian forces have conducted offensive operations south and north of what is left of the eastern city of Bakhmut - most of which has been under Russian control.
Last week, Ukraine's military commander-in-chief said its campaign had been hampered by a lack of adequate firepower and expressed frustration with the slow deliveries of weapons promised by the West.
But on Friday, the US announced it would be giving Ukraine cluster bombs - a controversial type of weapon that is banned in more than 120 countries, including the UK, because they have a record of killing civilians.
The US has faced criticism for its decision, but Mr Zelensky thanked the US for the "timely, broad and much-needed" aid. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66142752 |
France riots: Can Paris prevent tensions igniting again? - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The riots in the country's suburban estates have subsided, for now, but deep divisions remain. | Europe | The Pablo Picasso housing estate in Nanterre, west of Paris, where 17-year-old Nahel lived with his mother
Calm has returned to La Grande Borne. Local mafia again exercise lazy control from the doorways of this vast housing estate south of Paris; their guns on show, their faces hidden.
After days of riots, there is no sign of the police.
"In some banlieues (suburban estates), they are better equipped than us; they have better weapons," one police officer told us, on condition we keep his identity hidden.
The officer we spoke to spent last week facing rioters in several estates around Paris, as towns and cities across France erupted in rage at the killing of Nahel M, who was 17.
He was shot dead at a police traffic stop in Nanterre, west of Paris, and the policeman who fired through the car window is in detention accused of "voluntary homicide".
The riots were "super-violent", the officer said. But the problem between French suburbs and French police goes much deeper than occasional eruptions of fireworks and Molotov cocktails.
Distrust and resentment smoulder beneath the surface in places like La Grande Borne, less visible than the weapons carried by gangs here, but just as likely to explode.
"When we intervene in an estate, there is fear on both sides," the officer said. "But the police should not be afraid. Fear doesn't help in making the right choices."
The question now being asked, from the estates to the Élysée Palace, is how to prevent these tensions igniting again.
Djigui Diarra is a film-maker who grew up in La Grande Borne, which is one of the poorest housing estates in France.
Djigui Diarra has explored racial divisions between the community and police in his work
"My first encounter with police was when I was 10 years old," he explained, as we sat in the simple concrete playground he used to visit as a child, surrounded by low-rise apartment blocks.
It was a police identification check on an older member of his group, someone he saw as a "big brother".
"They were really rude, so my big brother responded and they put him down [on the ground]," the 27-year-old said. "This was my first encounter with police and as a kid I said to myself, 'this will be my natural enemy'".
That was around the time that France scrapped community policing, known in the country as the "police of proximity" - something Djigui believes was a big mistake.
"With the police of proximity, there was a lack of violence, a lack of criminality," he said. "The language [was] great; they respected people. You have to put people together to feel each other."
Now they only come when there's trouble, he added.
Djigui - whose name means "hope" in Mali's Bambara language - said he had been called "gorilla" and "monkey" by police officers during ID checks.
Four years ago, he made a film called Malgré Eux (In Spite of Them) which explored the racial divisions between residents and police in his community.
It's something other community leaders, in other banlieues, bring up too.
Hassan Ben M'Barak says local police forces need to be more ethnically diverse
In Gennevilliers, on the other side of Paris, Hassan Ben M'Barak leads a network of local associations that was created during weeks of rioting back in 2005.
"We need at least 20% or 25% of the police who patrol the neighbourhood to come from minority ethnic backgrounds [or] to come from the neighbourhood," he said. "That's a really important aspect."
Since 2005, he explained, the situation has got harder to control - not only because of changes in policing, but changes in funding policy too, with money directed towards urban regeneration and away from local associations on the ground.
What's striking this time, he said, was that "no one - no association - has called for calm" because they no longer have the authority to influence the situation.
This week, French media reported that the police officer charged with Nahel's homicide told investigators that he pulled the trigger because he was afraid the 17-year-old would drive off and "drag" his police colleague with him.
The traffic policeman, named as Florian M, also denied threatening to shoot the teenager in the head.
The shooting, and the riots that followed, dominated French media for days. But many believe media coverage here is just as important as policing and policy in fuelling divisions between the banlieues and the rest of France.
The riots started in the Pablo Picasso housing estate, not far from where Nahel M was fatally shot by a police officer
"They have to talk about great histories [stories] in the suburbs, not only when there are riots," Djigui said. "That will reduce the racism and fear in others.
"And we in the suburbs have to consider every little brother, every little sister, as ours. We have to consider every member of this [estate] as our family."
Djigui is now working on a new series about policing in France's suburbs, and said he believes that those beyond the banlieues are starting to wake up to his message.
"When the yellow vest strikes happened, they understood why we in the suburbs were, like, police brutality is abominable. I said to them, 'better late [than never]'."
The yellow vest protests, which broke out across France in 2017, sparked a national debate about police brutality after a number of protesters were seriously injured by police.
For now, though, the fires have subsided in the banlieues and so has the attention they brought. And the towering apartment blocks that ring France's prosperous cities are sinking out of sight again. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66133676 |
Sam Fender leaves TRNSMT on high despite Glasgow Green downpours - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The headliner closed the second night of the festival with pyrotechnics and confetti. | Glasgow & West Scotland | Crowds belted out tracks as Sam Fender headlined the main stage on Saturday
The second night of Scotland's biggest festival closed on a high despite heavy rain and the threat of thunderstorms.
Acts including Brooke Combe and Maisie Peters kicked off Saturday's line-up before Kasabian and Sam Fender took to the main stage.
Up to 50,000 people are expected at Glasgow Green for each day of TRNSMT.
Pulp closed the show on Friday - their first performance in Scotland for over 10 years.
Royal Blood and Becky Hill will headline on Sunday, with The 1975 scheduled to close the festival.
ScotRail has put on extra train services to cope with demand, including more late-night trains running to Inverclyde, Ayr, Edinburgh, and East Kilbride.
Thousands headed to the main stage on Saturday for Mimi Webb
Newcastle rocker Sam Fender closed the festival's second night with pyrotechnics, fireworks and confetti as he remarked on the journey he had taken from the festival's beginning.
He said: "We've played every stage in this festival, from a little stage over there to the main stage.
"It's just really surreal."
Sam Fender closed the second night of the festival
Festival organisers had urged fans to "prepare for all weather" on Saturday with the majority of Scotland covered by a yellow Met Office alert for thunderstorms.
Glasgow Green turned to mud following heavy showers, though it did little to dampen spirits.
Conditions are expected to improve on Sunday but more rain has been forecast.
It came after Tiree Music Festival was cancelled on Thursday, just a day before it was due to begin, because of gale force winds.
Fans arrived at Glasgow Green in high spirits on Saturday
Brooke Combe from Midlothian gave it her all as the first act on the main stage
Maisie Peters also performed on the main stage a few weeks after the release of her new album The Good Witch
Elijah Hewson from Irish rockers Inhaler had crowds singing along
Kasabian frontman took to the stage on Saturday
Britpop legends Pulp brought the first night of the festival to a colourful close on Friday, following acts including George Ezra, Niall Horan, the Beautiful South's Paul Heaton and The View.
The band, fronted by Jarvis Cocker, surprised fans at the end of 2022 by announcing a run of shows this summer at festivals and outdoor gigs across the UK.
Cocker told crowds: "We are Pulp, you are Glasgow. We are going to spend some time together this evening.
"This is the furthest north we've ever been."
Pulp, fronted by Jarvis Cocker, were the headline act on Friday
Former One Direction singer Niall Horan entertained the crowd on Friday
Festival-goers enjoyed The View perform on the main stage
You can watch coverage of TRNSMT festival on BBC iplayer. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-66142745 |
Evan Gershkovich: US confirms Russia contact over prisoner swap for reporter - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The White House says it is prepared to do "hard things" to free the American journalist from Russia. | US & Canada | The US says it has held discussions with Russia aimed at bringing jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich home - but that there is no "clear pathway" to his release.
Asked about a prisoner swap, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US was "prepared to do hard things" to get Mr Gershkovich back.
The Wall Street Journal reporter, accused of espionage, was arrested on 29 March.
The US says the case is baseless.
It accuses Russia of holding Mr Gershkovich for "leverage".
Mr Sullivan's comments on Friday confirmed an earlier Kremlin statement about "contacts" over the case.
He said that "there have been discussions, but those discussions have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution".
"We are prepared to do hard things in order to get our citizens home, including getting Evan home. I do not want to give false hope," he said. "We have a clear commitment and conviction that we will do everything possible to bring him home."
On 22 June a Moscow court rejected an appeal to free Mr Gershkovich, 31, who is being held at Lefortovo, where the Soviet KGB formerly held dissidents.
On Tuesday the Kremlin said there had been "certain contacts" with the US over Mr Gershkovich's case, suggesting the possibility of a prisoner exchange.
The previous day US ambassador Lynne Tracy was allowed to visit Mr Gershkovich in a Moscow prison for only the second time. He is the first Western journalist to be jailed in Russia since the Soviet era.
Russian embassy staff also recently visited Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian national detained in the US on cybercrime charges. He was extradited to the US from South Korea in 2021.
There is speculation that a new prisoner swap may be arranged.
The US has also been pressing for the release of Paul Whelan, a former US Marine who has been in jail for more than four years.
Mr Whelan is in Mordovia, an area far south east of Moscow known for harsh conditions in its prison camps.
And after being jailed for 10 months, basketball star Brittney Griner was released in December after the US brokered a prison swap and released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was imprisoned in the US over weapons smuggling. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66140719 |
England U21 1-0 Spain U21: England win Under-21 Euros for first time in 39 years - BBC Sport | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | England win the European Under-21 Championship for the first time in almost 40 years as they beat Spain in a dramatic final in Georgia. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
England won the European Under-21 Championship for the first time in nearly 40 years after a dramatic last-minute penalty save by James Trafford ensured the Young Lions held on to beat Spain.
Trafford, who is set to join Burnley from Manchester City in a deal that could be worth up to £19m, kept out Abel Ruiz's low spot-kick in the 99th minute after a lengthy VAR check.
The 20-year-old then produced another brilliant stop on the follow-up before being mobbed by his team-mates.
The winning goal came with virtually the last kick of the first half when a Cole Palmer free-kick deflected off team-mate Curtis Jones and wrong-footed goalkeeper Arnau Tenas to find the bottom corner.
Spain, who had scored 13 goals in the tournament, had a Ruiz goal ruled out for offside after half-time, before Trafford's late heroics sealed England's victory.
The win meant Lee Carsley's talented side are the third England team to win the competition after previously picking up the trophy in 1982 and 1984.
They are also the first team to record six successive clean sheets in the tournament's history.
• None Which of England's Euro U21 winners could step up?
• None Best action and reaction from England's triumph
• None How did England's 1984 winners do afterwards?
The Young Lions have played an exciting brand of football in Georgia, with a side packed with attacking talent.
England started the final positively, with Newcastle's Anthony Gordon having the first meaningful chance when his shot was pushed wide by Spain keeper Tenas.
Gordon was then involved again as he looked to tee up Morgan Gibbs-White before an interception from Jon Pacheco prevented the Nottingham Forest player from having a tap in.
Spain soon came into the match, with Alex Baena curling an effort past Trafford's post before scuffing another effort wide after he had picked up a loose pass by Gibbs-White.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill headed against the crossbar from an excellent delivery from Palmer, before the Manchester City man gave England the lead when his free-kick was deflected in by Liverpool's Jones.
The half ended with bad blood as Palmer's celebration led to a melee between both benches, which resulted in England coach Ashley Cole and Spanish fitness coach Carlos Rivera being sent to the stands.
England were under immense pressure during the second period, and it looked to have paid off for Spain when Ruiz headed in from a Baena cross, only for the offside flag to go up. Ruiz had another chance to equalise, but headed wide from inside the six-yard box.
The match ended in dramatic style when Colwill - so highly rated by England's staff following his week training with the senior team - was judged to have fouled Ruiz in the box.
Trafford got down well to save the resulting penalty and an immediate follow-up to give England victory and spark scenes of jubilation.
The bad blood continued, however, with nine yellow and four red cards handed out by the final whistle, as Gibbs-White and Antonio Blanco were both sent off in the final throes.
Now that England have won the trophy, the discussions will start about which of these young stars will be knocking on the door of the senior squad and be in with a chance of playing in the senior European Championships next summer.
Trafford, who is on the brink of becoming the third-most expensive English goalkeeper ever, will rightly take the headlines for his heroic double save in the last minute of added time of the final.
However, that moment just capped off what had already been a superb tournament, having been a standout player in this team from the very first game.
Trafford has shown he is the very definition of a modern-day goalkeeper - comfortable with the ball at his feet, dominant when coming for crosses and making eye-catching saves when called upon.
He also has immense self belief, telling people that he would one day play for England while he was on loan at Accrington Stanley.
During this competition he has spoken about his desire to play at the highest level and he will now get the chance next season when he becomes a Premier League number one at Turf Moor.
• None Attempt missed. Sergio Camello (Spain U21) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high following a set piece situation.
• None Attempt saved. Aimar Oroz (Spain U21) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
• None Penalty saved! Abel Ruiz (Spain U21) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.
• None Penalty conceded by Levi Colwill (England U21) after a foul in the penalty area.
• None Attempt missed. Abel Ruiz (Spain U21) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Aimar Oroz with a cross.
• None Offside, England U21. James Garner tries a through ball, but Cameron Archer is caught offside.
• None Attempt saved. Noni Madueke (England U21) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the centre of the goal.
• None Attempt saved. Harvey Elliott (England U21) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Cameron Archer.
• None Attempt missed. Sergio Gómez (Spain U21) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Ander Barrenetxea. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page
• None Is hydrogen the solution to our energy needs? The Inquiry explores the potential of replacing our fossil-fuel usage with hydrogen
• None How did Mitchell Johnson rise from the ashes? The former Australia bowler talks about restoring his reputation following his public ridicule in 2010 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66127349 |
Aerial view of Wimbledon school car crash - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | A girl has died after a Land Rover crashed into a primary school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on Thursday morning. | null | A girl has died after a Land Rover crashed into a primary school in Wimbledon, south-west London, on Thursday morning.
The driver, a woman in her 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Police say they are not treating the crash as terror-related. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66124859 |
Dublin hotel dig unearths 1,000-year-old burial site - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Skeletal remains dating back 1,000 years have been discovered during the Bullitt development. | Northern Ireland | A member of the archaeology team examines skeletal remains discovered during preparatory works for a new hotel in central Dublin
About 100 skeletal remains from the Middle Ages have been unearthed during excavations for a Northern Ireland firm's new hotel in Dublin.
Burial sites dating back more than 1,000 years were found at Capel Street where an abbey, St Mary's, once stood.
At least two of the remains are believed to date back to the early 11th Century.
The excavations have been commissioned by Beannchor, which is building its new Bullitt Dublin hotel on the site.
The abbey used by the Savigniac and Cistercian orders opened in the 12th Century.
Carbon dating of one of the discovered graves predates that by 100 years, indicating the presence of a Christian settlement on the site prior to St Mary's being built.
The archaeological investigations at the site, which formerly housed Boland's Bakery, also unearthed the foundations of buildings dating back to the 1600s.
Edmond O'Donovan, director of excavations for Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy (CDHC), at the Capel Street site
The finds were discovered close to a former Presbyterian meeting house dating from 1667.
Parts of a domestic house known as the 'Dutch Billies' have also been found.
It was constructed in about 1700 by settlers who came to Dublin after William of Orange ascended to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1689.
While the skeletal remains will be painstakingly excavated, cleaned and sent for further analysis, before ultimately being given to the National Monuments Services, the other structures found during the examination of the site are set to be incorporated into the design of the new hotel complex.
Beannchor Group, which runs high-profile hotels and bars in Northern Ireland, has undertaken similar restoration of historic buildings in the past, including Belfast's Merchant Hotel, which was a former bank.
It said the Dublin project is by far its biggest and most complex project to date.
The 17th Century Presbyterian meeting house will be central to the development of a new bar and restaurant concept.
The 'Dutch Billies' house will also be preserved while a building with surviving ovens from the Boland's Bakery dating from 1890 will be renovated and repurposed.
Edmond O'Donovan, director of excavations for Courtney Deery Heritage Consultancy (CDHC, said St Mary's Abbey was Ireland's largest and most wealthy medieval abbey in its day.
Archaeologists examine remains at the site of the medieval St Mary's Abbey
"It was demolished after 1540 when the monastery was disbanded by Henry VIII and was later the site of a 17th Century Presbyterian meeting house.
"One of the things that was intriguing and exciting about the excavation is that we found an early burial or at least a number of burials that we suspect to be quite early.
"We have one that's carbon dated to the 11th Century and we have a second burial that was found with a diagnostic stick pin from the 11th Century.
"And that suggests that there was an earlier Christian and potentially monastic foundation here which predates the Savigniac and Cistercian Abbey."
Bill Wolsey, managing director of Beannchor, said it was impossible to have foreseen what the project would entail at its outset in 2017.
"As time went on, we began to understand just how complex this project may be," he said.
Skeletal remains unearthed at the site of a new hotel being developed by Belfast-based Beannchor Group in Dublin
"Great care has been taken to preserve and incorporate elements of these early surviving buildings into the new development, on what we now know is one of the most significant heritage sites in the city."
The new Bullitt Dublin hotel is expected to open in 2025. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66137475 |
Cluster bombs: Biden defends decision to send Ukraine controversial weapons - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | But the UK says it "discourages" the use of the weapon while Spain criticises the US decision. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
US President Joe Biden has defended his "very difficult decision" to give Ukraine cluster bombs, which have a record of killing civilians.
The president said it had taken him "a while to be convinced to do it", but he had acted because "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition".
But the UK's PM suggested the country "discourages" the use of cluster bombs, while Spain criticised the decision.
When asked about his position on the US decision, Rishi Sunak highlighted the UK was one of 123 countries that had signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use.
Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles told reporters her country had a "firm commitment" that certain weapons and bombs could not be sent to Ukraine.
"No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defence of Ukraine, which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs," she said.
But Germany, which is a signatory of the treaty, said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine it understood the American position.
"We're certain that our US friends didn't take the decision about supplying such ammunition lightly," German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin.
Mr Biden told CNN in an interview on Friday that he had spoken to allies about the decision, which was announced ahead of a Nato summit in Lithuania next week.
The US, Ukraine and Russia have not signed up to the convention, and both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster bombs during the war.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Friday's daily White House briefing that officials "recognise the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm" from unexploded bombs.
But he said Ukraine was running out of artillery and needed "a bridge of supplies" while the US ramps up domestic production.
"We will not leave Ukraine defenceless at any point in this conflict period," he said.
Ukraine's defence minister has given assurances the cluster bombs would not be used in urban areas and only to break through enemy defence lines.
The munitions have caused controversy over their failure - or dud - rate, meaning unexploded small bombs can linger on the ground for years and indiscriminately detonate later on.
Mr Sullivan told reporters the American cluster bombs being sent to Ukraine were far safer than those he said were already being used by Russia in the conflict.
He told reporters the US ones have a dud rate of less than 2.5%, while Russia's have a dud rate of between 30-40%, he said.
Mr Biden's move will bypass US law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1%.
Early on in the war, when the White House was asked about allegations that Russia was using cluster and vacuum bombs, the then-press secretary said it would be a potential "war crime" if true.
There has been a mixed reaction among the US president's Democratic Party, more than a dozen of whom have spoken out against the plan.
Human rights groups also criticised the decision, with Amnesty International saying cluster munitions pose "a grave threat to civilian lives, even long after the conflict has ended".
The US Cluster Munition Coalition, which is part of an international civil society campaign working to eradicate the weapons, said they would cause "greater suffering, today and for decades to come".
The UN human rights office has also been critical, with a representative saying "the use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
A spokesperson for Russia's defence ministry described the move as an "act of desperation" and "evidence of impotence in the face of the failure of the much publicised Ukrainian 'counteroffensive'."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously accused the US and its allies of fighting an expanding proxy war in Ukraine.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US president for "a timely, broad and much-needed" military aid package worth $800m (£626m).
He tweeted that it would "bring Ukraine closer to victory over the enemy, and democracy to victory over dictatorship".
Ukraine's counter-offensive, which began last month, is grinding on in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
Last week, Ukraine's military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said the campaign had been hampered by a lack of adequate firepower, and expressed frustration with the slow deliveries of weapons promised by the West. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66140460 |
Ukraine war: Pressure builds on South Korea to send arms to Kyiv - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Seoul is sitting on one of the world's biggest ammunition stockpiles but is reluctant to give it away. | Asia | Sgt Kim is carrying out a one-man protest outside embassies in Seoul
Sgt Kim Jae-kyung stands, unflinching, outside the Colombian embassy in Seoul, dressed in full military gear. The day before, he was in front of the Dutch embassy. The day before that, it was the Greek.
This one-man demonstration by the former special forces soldier is his way of showing gratitude to all 22 countries who sent troops or medics to support South Korea after it was invaded by its neighbour North Korea in 1950. Now he wants his country to help Ukraine, following its invasion by Russia in February 2022.
"We are lucky enough to now be the 10th most prosperous country in the world, because of the foreign soldiers who shed their blood and sweat for our country," the 33-year-old says.
It is this rationale which led him to the battlefield in Ukraine, where he served on the front line for four months alongside the Ukrainian army, as an anti-drone gunner and combat medic for the 3rd Battalion of the International Legion.
Kim is one of just a handful of Koreans known to have defied his government's orders, by heading to Ukraine to fight. As he entered the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, shortly after the region was reclaimed from the Russians, he witnessed first-hand what he describes as "horrendous, evil, war crimes".
This is why - in his mind - South Korea must now do more to help the Ukrainian war effort.
Sgt Kim travelled to Ukraine to fight, against the wishes of the South Korean government
Weeks into its counter-offensive, Ukraine is burning through ammunition faster than its allies can produce it.
Meanwhile South Korea is cautiously sitting on one of the biggest stockpiles in the world. With its own conflict with the North still unresolved, it doesn't know when it might need the bullets.
Not only this, but with its flourishing defence industry, it is turning out tanks and other weapons at a speed that countries in Europe can only dream of.
Ever since the start of the Ukraine war, pressure has been building on Seoul to send its arms to Kyiv, from the US, UK and EU member states. They have invited the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to next week's Nato summit in Vilnius.
Ukraine's Ambassador to South Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, told me ahead of the summit that he believed South Korea's weapons could "change the course of the war".
"Please remember that 70 years ago, Korea was in desperate need of help. The whole world reached out to Korea in defence of justice and freedom. Ukraine today is like Korea 70 years ago," the leader said.
But, despite signing up to all international sanctions on Russia, and providing Ukraine with more than $200m of humanitarian aid, the government has drawn the line at sending lethal weapons.
Publicly politicians have been able to hide behind a long-standing policy of not arming countries in conflict, but privately many worry about antagonising Russia. Before the war, in 2021, the two countries conducted $27bn worth of annual trade. Seoul also hopes, somewhat wishfully, that Russia might be able to keep North Korea in check.
"The Russians have made it very clear to us that weapons are their red line, and that if we cross it, they will retaliate," a South Korean diplomat told me recently.
South Korea has sold arms including tanks such as this to Poland
This retaliation may come in the form of economic sanctions, or, more concerningly for Seoul, support for North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. The Russian politician and former president Dmitry Medvedev hinted in April that Moscow could supply Pyongyang with the latest technology for its nuclear weapons if Seoul were to support Ukraine militarily.
Instead, South Korea has taken the more comfortable approach of selling weapons to those who are already arming Ukraine, to help replenish their depleted stocks. Last year it sold $13.7bn worth of tanks, jets and other arms to Poland, followed this year by a huge haul of ammunition - more than 4 million rounds.
And after agonising over whether to provide the US with hundreds of thousands of Nato-standard 155mm shells, a private sale of the artillery has now been agreed. There is little to stop Poland and the US sending these weapons on to Ukraine. Indeed, there are reports (in Korean) that some of the ammunition is in the process of being transferred.
Ramon Pacheco Pardo, the Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance, believes Seoul is aware its shells are being redirected.
"It is difficult for the South Korean government to argue that the country's lethal weapons are being used in Ukraine without its knowledge," he said. Though the South Korean government is refusing to be drawn on the deals, citing "national security concerns", and says its policy on weapons supply has not changed.
Olena Zelenska travelled to Seoul to meet President Yoon in May
But when Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska visited Seoul in May, followed by EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, lethal weapons were mysteriously absent from their list of requests. The feeling among Western diplomats in Seoul is this indirect supply is working well enough, for now.
But Ambassador Ponomarenko is urging the government to do more by sending weapons to Ukraine directly. "We understand this is not easy, so as a first step we are asking South Korea to supply us with defensive rather than offensive weapons, like anti-missile and anti-drone systems," he said.
Some question the difference South Korean weapons would make to the war.
"South Korea's strength is in the post-war recovery phase rather than military support," said Prof Kim Youngjun from Korea National Defence University, who advises the government. "Korea's experience and expertise in building roads, hospitals, schools, telecommunications, will be more useful," he said.
Ambassador Ponomarenko disagrees. "We know that South Korea would like to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, but to start the renovation, we must end the war. And to end the war, we need its lethal weapons," he said.
Kwon Ki-chang, who served as South Korea's ambassador in Ukraine until 2021, thinks his country should agree to Kyiv's request.
He believes South Korea is facing a critical choice, about what it wants to stand for - whether it continues to define its national interest based on economic interests, or whether it wants to champion democracy and freedom.
"We must escape our small country mentality and not be afraid to stand up to Russia, to defend democracy and freedom. We may suffer some short-term economic losses, but we can overcome them. This is the right thing to do."
These K9 howitzers were also delivered to the Polish army from South Korea recently
With Moscow surely aware of Seoul's strategy of indirect supply, one South Korean official suggested it to me, it was not the Russians the government is worried about any more.
A recent poll suggested that 56% of South Koreans oppose such assistance, with 42% in support. With elections next year, the government does not want to give the opposition any metaphorical ammunition.
Though events in Ukraine may force its hand.
Softening his stance, the South Korean president suggested in April that if Ukraine were to come under a large-scale civilian attack, he would consider sending arms. It is said he also sees similarities between the Korean and Ukraine wars.
When the war in Ukraine broke out, some South Korean politicians viewed it as a faraway war. Now they argue it has come too close to home. Few doubt that what happens in Ukraine will change the world, with the impact felt here.
What the South Korean president must decide, as he heads to the Nato summit, is does he want to try to influence the outcome or merely deal with the consequences.
The atrocities witnessed by former soldier Kim Jae-kyung have left him struggling with PTSD, he says, and prone to bursts of anger. He is waiting to find out whether he will be fined for breaking the law, to take part in the war, while his passport has been frozen.
"We must do what we can to end this as soon as possible, and prevent further war crimes," he says. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66043946 |
Public sector pay rises should be affordable - PM - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Rishi Sunak said it would be "short-sighted" to do something now that made inflation worse later. | UK Politics | Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers have been taking part in strikes over pay
Rishi Sunak has said any pay offer to public sector workers had to be "fair, affordable and responsible" in order to control rising prices.
The PM said it would be "short-sighted" to do something now that made inflation worse in the longer term.
Tackling inflation meant taking "difficult decisions" that would benefit the country, he added.
It comes as he reportedly faces pressure from ministers to accept the recommendations of pay review bodies.
The Times reported that five Cabinet ministers were lobbying the prime minister to accept pay recommendations believed to centre on around 6%.
Speaking to reporters in Selby, Yorkshire, on Saturday, Mr Sunak said "no decisions have been made" on whether to abide by the proposals.
"It would be incredibly short-sighted of the government to do something that might sound great today but ultimately just made the inflation problem worse for everybody in the long run," he said.
"So that's what we'll be guided by. We want to be fair, we want things that are affordable and responsible."
He said the government was "working incredibly hard, night and day, to bring inflation down", but warned it required "difficult decisions".
"Ultimately if we don't do that it will just make the situation worse and it will last for longer, that's not going to do anyone any good," Mr Sunak said.
"I wouldn't be the right kind of prime minister if I took the easy course. I'm going to do the right long-term thing for the country and that means bringing inflation down."
Hundreds of thousands of workers have been taking part in strikes over pay, including teachers, junior doctors, nurses, civil servants and rail workers.
Some agreements have been reached, including a pay settlement for more than a million NHS staff in England.
Almost half of public sector workers are covered by pay review bodies, including police and prison officers, the armed forces, doctors, dentists and teachers.
The pay review bodies are made up of economists and experts on human resources, with experience in both the public and private sector and are appointed by the relevant government department.
Their recommendations are not legally binding, meaning the government can choose to reject or partially ignore the advice, but it is usually accepted.
Mr Sunak has pledged to halve inflation this year to about 5%, as part of his top five priorities since becoming prime minister.
The rate at which prices are rising remained unchanged at 8.7% in May, despite predictions it would fall. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66143660 |
Wimbledon 2023 results: Katie Boulter loses to Elena Rybakina - BBC Sport | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | Katie Boulter's bid to reach the Wimbledon last 16 for the first time ends quickly as she is outclassed by defending champion Elena Rybakina. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. More coverage details Katie Boulter's bid to reach the Wimbledon last 16 for the first time ended quickly as she was outclassed by defending champion Elena Rybakina. The British number one was the final home player left in the singles draws, but lost 6-1 6-1 in just 57 minutes. Kazakhstan's Rybakina, seeded third, showed why she is heavily tipped to retain her title in a powerful display. The 24-year-old dominated with her first serve and broke Boulter five times to move into the fourth round. Rybakina, who had faced question marks about her level after recently being debilitated by a virus, will face Brazilian 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the quarter-finals. It was a difficult defeat for 26-year-old Boulter to digest and she looked dejected as she gave a muted thanks to the Centre Court crowd for their support when she departed. When the dust settles, she will reflect on an encouraging British grass-court season which she hopes will be the springboard to greater consistency across the tour. "I have to pick myself up and look at the positives," said Boulter, who was aiming to reach the last 16 of a major for the first time. "I'm sure it's going to be a tough night but I'm going to sit here tomorrow morning and tell you that I'm at a career-high ranking, I've had some seriously positive weeks. "I've come off the back of five long weeks with no injuries, no issues. "They're the things I'm going to be focusing on and really pushing forward on the rest of the year." With her aggressive and flat groundstrokes suiting the grass courts, Boulter has thrived on the surface this year with a first WTA title at the Nottingham Open last month that lifted her to a career-high ranking of 77th in the world. The Briton was able to replicate that level in her first two matches at the All England Club, hitting winners and serving strongly to beat Australia's Daria Saville and Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova. Stepping up in class against an opponent of Rybakina's calibre was always likely to be difficult. Rybakina quickly found her rhythm and that spelt trouble for Boulter, who was unable to make a dent on her opponent's serve before being broken herself in the fourth game. Boulter's style suits playing on the slicker grass courts. But Rybakina was able to soak up the pressure and quickly impose herself. That sapped Boulter's confidence and quietened the home crowd, who were primed to create a boisterous atmosphere under the Centre Court lights. The players only walked on to court at 20:48 BST after slow progress on Saturday, leading to thoughts they might not beat the 23:00 curfew set to stop the day's play at the All England Club. When Rybakina sealed the opening set after 26 minutes with a second-serve ace, there seemed little threat of that being an issue. The British fans tried their best to raise Boulter's spirits at the start of the second set, but it quickly followed the same pattern as the first. Rybakina's pace of ball continued to take time away from the world number 89, who was unable to stem the flow of errors as she valiantly tried to stop the rot. There was no mercy from Rybakina. She won the final four games to earn a 13th successive win at Wimbledon and underline why she is one of the women to beat. "She's clearly the defending champion for a reason," Boulter added. "Her ball is a lot quicker and the majority of girls don't hit the ball like that, it's quite flat. You don't really see where she's going. She disguises it very well. "I struggled with it a lot. She was relentless, at the end of the day. She was the much better player."
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Mark Rutte: Dutch coalition government collapses in migration row - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | PM Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party had been trying to limit the flow of asylum seekers. | Europe | Mr Rutte has been holding three days of talks to try to save his coalition
The Dutch government has collapsed because of a disagreement between coalition parties over asylum policies, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said.
The four parties were split in crisis talks chaired by Mr Rutte on Friday.
Mr Rutte then met King Willem-Alexander in The Hague on Saturday and agreed to lead a caretaker government until fresh elections, expected in mid-November.
Coalition partners had objected to his proposal to restrict the scope for immigrant families to reunite.
The government was set up a year and a half ago but the parties have been opposed on migration for some time.
Mr Rutte gave no details of his talks with the king, which lasted about an hour and a half. "It was a good discussion, but I'm not saying anything else because these discussions are confidential," he told reporters.
His conservative VVD party had been trying to limit the flow of asylum seekers, following a row last year about overcrowded migration centres. His plans were opposed by his junior coalition partners.
Mark Rutte said he would hand his resignation to King Willem-Alexander on Saturday
Asylum applications in the Netherlands jumped by over a third last year to more than 47,000 and government figures said earlier this year that they expected roughly 70,000 applications in 2023.
This week, Mr Rutte tried to force through a plan which included a cap on the number of relatives of war refugees allowed into the Netherlands at just 200 people per month.
But junior coalition partners the Christian Union, a pro-family party, and the socially-liberal D66 were strongly opposed.
"The decision was very difficult for us," Mr Rutte told journalists as he announced his cabinet's resignation. The differences in views between the coalition partners were "irreconcilable", he added.
"All parties went to great lengths to find a solution, but the differences on migration are unfortunately impossible to bridge."
A media scrum welcomed Mark Rutte as he arrived at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague to meet Dutch King Willem-Alexander
A compromise proposal, known as the "emergency brake", which would only trigger the restrictions in the event of an excessively high influx of migrants, was not enough to save the government.
"The four parties decided that they cannot reach an agreement on migration," the Christian Union's spokesman Tim Kuijsten said. "Therefore they decided to end this government."
Mr Rutte, 56, is the country's longest serving prime minister and has been in office since 2010. The current government - which took office in January 2022 - is his fourth coalition.
He said he still had the energy for a fifth term, but a final decision would have to await consultations with his party.
He has been under pressure on migration because of the rise of far-right parties such as Geert Wilders' PVV.
The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), which became the biggest party in the upper house of parliament after a shock election win in March, said they will not serve in any future government led by Mr Rutte. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66139789 |
Tour de France: Sadness and tears as Mark Cavendish breaks collarbone in Tour-ending crash - BBC Sport | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | Race director Christian Prudhomme says "the Tour de France is sad" after Mark Cavendish crashes out on stage eight. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cycling
Race director Christian Prudhomme said "the Tour de France is sad" after Mark Cavendish crashed out of what is set to be his final appearance in the event.
Manxman Cavendish, 38, broke a collarbone in an innocuous-looking crash about 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges.
That means he is set to retire on a record-equalling 34 stage victories - the same as Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.
"It is an emotional day, he was so sad just after the fall," said Prudhomme.
Cavendish announced in May he would retire at the end of the season.
"He is the best sprinter in the history of the Tour de France and he wanted to try to win the 35th stage," added Prudhomme.
"He is sad, we are sad, the Tour de France is sad."
After missing last year's Tour, Cavendish entered this year's race looking to take sole ownership of the record for stage victories.
The Astana Qazaqstan rider was agonisingly close to doing just that on Friday, but an issue with his gears allowed Jasper Philipsen to pip him.
Cavendish was "bitterly disappointed" by that - and within 24 hours his race was over.
He hit the deck after touching wheels with Pello Bilbao and was helped into the back of an ambulance and taken to hospital in Perigueux.
"Everyone in the team is hurting," said Mark Renshaw, who was Cavendish's lead-out man from 2009-2011 and in 2016, and joined Astana as a sprint adviser prior to the Tour.
Cavendish made his Tour debut in 2007 and has failed to finish seven of his 14 appearances.
Mads Pedersen, who won Saturday's stage, said it had been a "pleasure" to ride against him.
"I always had a good relationship with him in the peloton," said the Dane. "It's so sad for a legend to finish the Tour like this."
Two-time winner Tadej Pogacar said: "I think everybody here wanted him to win one stage, and yesterday he was super close. It's a bad moment.
"He was one of my favourites when we were kids. Him sprinting on the Champs-Elysees.... we just wanted to have his style and his legs."
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Theatre investigate indecent image shown at Super Mario Bros screening - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A theatre apologises after indecent image appears during a screening of the children's film. | Northern Ireland | Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a report that an indecent image appeared briefly during a children's screening of the Super Mario Bros Movie.
The incident happened at Londonderry's Waterside Theatre on Friday.
It is understood the children, believed to be of primary-school age, were at the event as part of a summer scheme.
It is believed an image of a partially undressed woman appeared on screen for several seconds before being removed.
The theatre has described what happened as "unfortunate but serious" and apologised.
In a post on Facebook on Friday night, staff said they would be "working with the relevant authorities".
BBC News NI has asked Waterside Theatre and Arts Centre for a statement.
Parents of the children who attended the screening were informed of the incident by organisers soon after it occurred, BBC News NI understands.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was later informed.
The incident happened at the Waterside Theatre and Arts Centre in Derry
A PSNI spokesperson said they had received a report of an indecent image appearing briefly on the screen and had begun an investigation.
"Enquiries remain ongoing and anyone with information that could help with this investigation is asked to contact police," they added.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the theatre said it was "aware of an unfortunate but serious incident happening today".
"The welfare of our visitors is always our main concern and we will be working with the relevant authorities," the statement goes on.
"We offer or sincere apologies to all those affected."
DUP assembly member Gary Middleton called for enquiries to establish what had happened.
"There needs to be an investigation into how this happened and particularly the equipment used," he said.
"It's important that parents and those involved are kept informed."
Sean Mooney, an SDLP councillor for Derry and Strabane District Council, said it was "an unfortunate matter and unfortunate it happened".
"It would be concerning for the children seeing something that's inappropriate," he said.
"But this is pending investigation." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66141339 |
Cluster bombs: Unease grows over US sending cluster bombs to Ukraine - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Washington is supplying the weapons to Kyiv, but they are outlawed in more than 100 countries. | US & Canada | The remnants of a cluster bomb found in a field in Ukraine in April 2023
Several allies of the US have expressed unease at Washington's decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs.
On Friday, the US confirmed it was sending the controversial weapons to Ukraine, with President Joe Biden calling it a "very difficult decision".
In response, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Spain all said they were opposed to the use of the weapons.
Cluster bombs have been banned by more than 100 countries because of the danger they pose to civilians.
They typically release lots of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area.
The munitions have also caused controversy over their failure - or dud - rate. Unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years and then indiscriminately detonate.
Mr Biden told CNN in an interview on Friday that he had spoken to allies about the decision, which was part of a military aid package worth $800m (£626m).
The president said it had taken him "a while to be convinced to do it", but he had acted because "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition".
The decision was quickly criticised by human rights groups, with Amnesty International saying cluster munitions pose "a grave threat to civilian lives, even long after the conflict has ended".
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters the American cluster bombs being sent to Ukraine failed far less frequently than ones already being used by Russia in the conflict.
But on Saturday, some Western allies of the US refused to endorse its decision.
When asked about his position on the US decision, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak highlighted that the UK was one of 123 countries that had signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the production or use of the weapons and discourages their use.
His comments came ahead of a meeting with President Biden, who is due to arrive in the UK on Sunday before a Nato summit in Lithuania.
The prime minister of New Zealand - one of the countries that pushed for the convention's creation - went further than Mr Sunak, according to comments published by local media.
Chris Hipkins said the weapons were "indiscriminate, they cause huge damage to innocent people, potentially, and they can have a long-lasting effect as well". The White House had been made aware of New Zealand's opposition to the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine, he said.
Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles told reporters her country had a "firm commitment" that certain weapons and bombs could not be sent to Ukraine.
"No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defence of Ukraine, which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs," she said.
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The Canadian government said it was particularly concerned about the potential impact of the bombs - which sometimes lie undetonated for many years - on children.
Canada also said it was against the use of the cluster bombs and remained fully compliant with the Convention on Cluster Munitions. "We take seriously our obligation under the convention to encourage its universal adoption," it said in a statement.
The US, Ukraine and Russia have not signed up to the convention, while both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster bombs during the war.
Meanwhile, Germany, a signatory of the treaty, said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the American position.
"We're certain that our US friends didn't take the decision about supplying such ammunition lightly," German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin.
Ukraine's defence minister has given assurances the cluster bombs would only be used to break through enemy defence lines, and not in urban areas.
Mr Biden's move will bypass US law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1%.
Mr Sullivan, the US national security advisers, told reporters the US cluster bombs have a dud rate of less than 2.5%, while Russia's have a dud rate of between 30-40%, he said.
The US Cluster Munition Coalition, which is part of an international civil society campaign working to eradicate the weapons, said they would cause "greater suffering, today and for decades to come".
The UN human rights office has also been critical, with a representative saying "the use of such munitions should stop immediately and not be used in any place".
A spokesperson for Russia's defence ministry described the move as an "act of desperation" and "evidence of impotence in the face of the failure of the much-publicised Ukrainian 'counter-offensive'".
Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also said Ukraine's assurances it would use the cluster munitions responsibly were "not worth anything".
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously accused the US and its allies of fighting an expanding proxy war in Ukraine.
Ukraine's counter-offensive, which began last month, is grinding on in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
Last week, Ukraine's military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said the campaign had been hampered by a lack of adequate firepower. He expressed frustration with the slow deliveries of weapons promised by the West.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US president for "a timely, broad and much-needed" military aid package.
One by one, America's Nato allies have been lining up to distance themselves from its decision to supply Ukraine with controversial cluster bombs.
Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made clear, is a signatory to the 2008 convention that prohibits their production and use - and discourages their use by others.
Canada went further, with a government statement saying it was committed to putting an end to the effects of cluster munitions have on civilians, particularly children.
Spain said these weapons should not be sent to Ukraine, while Germany said it was also against the decision, although it understood the reasoning behind it.
Even Russia condemned it, despite having made extensive use of cluster munitions itself against Ukraine, saying it would litter the land for generations.
But Gen Sir Richard Shirreff, a former deputy commander of Nato in Europe, defended the decision, saying their deployment should make it easier for Ukraine to break through Russian lines.
If the West had provided more arms sooner, he said, then there would not have been a need to provide this weapon now. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66144153 |
West End play poster banned by TfL over 'unhealthy' cake - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Transport for London said the poster promoted "foods high in fat, salt and sugar". | London | A poster for a West End play featuring a wedding cake was banned by Transport for London (TfL) because it was seen to promote "foods high in fat, salt and sugar".
The ad for Tony n' Tina's Wedding, a dinner show at Wonderville, Haymarket, featured a three-tier sponge cake.
The team spent £20,000 on the posters to go on London's transport network.
A TfL spokesperson said: "We are always happy to work with brands to help them follow our advertising policy."
The interactive show is set at an Italian-American wedding, with a three-course meal, live music and dancing.
Producer Paul Gregg told BBC London they could not run the posters after they delivered them to TfL.
The revised poster, right, depicted wedding guests instead
"They said 'you can't put these up, they've got cake on'," he said. "It was a bit of a surprise... the poster was designed at great expense to begin with."
His team spent a week creating the new design, costing an additional £5,000.
TfL said it refused to run 20 adverts displaying foods and non alcoholic drinks that were high in fat, sugar or salt, in the year 2021/22.
A TfL spokesperson added: "We welcome all advertising on our network that complies with our published guidance."
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66119218 |
Rishi Sunak says the UK discourages use of cluster bombs in Ukraine - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The UK is one the countries which bans the weapons but will continue to support Ukraine, PM says. | UK | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Rishi Sunak on US providing cluster bombs to Ukraine
Rishi Sunak has reiterated that the UK "discourages" the use of cluster bombs after the US agreed to supply them to Ukraine.
The UK is one the countries to have banned the weapons, which have a record of killing civilians, under an existing convention.
The PM emphasised the government's continued support for Ukraine.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden said he had made a "very difficult decision" to supply them to Kyiv.
Spain and Canada, two of 123 nations to ban cluster bombs, have criticised the decision to send them, which has also been condemned by human rights groups.
Cluster munitions are a method of dispersing large numbers of tiny bomblets from a rocket, missile or artillery shell that scatters them in mid-flight over a wide area.
They are meant to detonate on impact, but a significant proportion of them fail to explode initially - often when they land on wet or soft ground. This means they can explode at a later date, killing or injuring people.
Neither the US, Ukraine or Russia are signatories of the international treaty - the Convention on Cluster Munitions - banning the use or stockpiling of them over the indiscriminate damage they can inflict on civilian populations.
Speaking to reporters in Selby, Yorkshire, on Saturday, Mr Sunak said the UK is "signatory to a convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use".
"We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion, but we've done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine," he added.
"Russia's act of barbarism is causing untold suffering to millions of people."
Mr Sunak is due to meet with Mr Biden in London on Monday, ahead of a Nato summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday.
Rishi Sunak spoke carefully when asked for his response to the US now giving cluster munition to Ukraine.
He didn't criticise the US's decision but did point out that the Convention discourages use of the bombs.
The UK is the second largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine - only behind the US.
As the conflict in Ukraine evolves, so too are the responses of Kyiv's allies - on this issue the US and UK have gone in different directions.
Mr Biden justified supplying the weapons by saying the "Ukrainians are running out of ammunition".
Speaking to CNN in an interview due to air on Sunday, he said it had taken "a while to be convinced" to make the "very difficult decision" to send them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the "timely" move to deliver the bombs.
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said his troops would not use them in urban areas to avoid risking civilian lives, adding "these are our people, they are Ukrainians we have a duty to protect".
But Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles has said her government's position is that cluster bombs should not be used for the "legitimate defence of Ukraine".
Germany, which has also signed the convention, said it would not provide them to Ukraine but that it understands the American position.
In a statement, the Canadian government said it does not support the use of the weapons and emphasised its commitment to "putting an end to the effects cluster munitions have on civilians - particularly children".
Human Rights Watch said both sides had used the weapons in the war, causing "numerous deaths and serious injuries to civilians".
These comments were echoed by Amnesty International, who said cluster munitions pose "a grave threat to civilian lives, even long after the conflict has ended".
The UN human rights office has also been critical, calling for their use to "stop immediately".
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the military alliance takes no position on cluster munitions.
Tobias Ellwood, the chairman of the UK's defence select committee, urged the US to "reconsider" its decision - which he said was the "wrong call and will alienate international goodwill".
"Their use leaves deadly unexploded ordnance over the battlefield, killing and injuring civilians long after the war is over," the Conservative MP added.
Russia described the US decision as an "act of desperation" in the face of the "failure of the much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66142554 |
Wimbledon 2023: Katie Boulter faces Elena Rybakina for fourth-round place - BBC Sport | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | Britain's Katie Boulter faces the biggest challenge of her Wimbledon so far when she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. More coverage details
Britain's Katie Boulter will face the biggest challenge of her Wimbledon so far when she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday.
Boulter faces the Kazakh third seed on Centre Court - the same stage where she stunned 2021 finalist Karolina Pliskova last year - for a place in the last 16.
"I think this is a good time for Katie to play against her," she said.
"Rybakina hasn't really come into this year's Championships playing lots of tennis.
"She has looked vulnerable at times and, if you were in Rybakina's shoes, you're up against a British number one who is popular and will have the majority of that crowd supporting her.
"It is a situation I don't think Rybakina has found herself in too often."
Men's top seed Carlos Alcaraz opens the sixth day's play on Centre Court against Chile's Nicolas Jarry at 13:30 BST.
Women's second seed Aryna Sabalenka and last year's finalist Ons Jabeur are also in action.
• None Couple Boulter and De Minaur through in mixed doubles
Boulter has enjoyed a fine grass-court season, winning her maiden WTA Tour title at Nottingham in the build-up to Wimbledon and showing superb focus to reach the third round here.
A big hitter, with an aggressive game built around her forehand, Boulter is a popular player with the home fans and is the only Briton left in either singles draw following the exits of Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady on Friday.
Boulter claimed an emotional victory over former world number one Pliskova on Centre Court last year and is aiming to channel those memories against Rybakina.
"I think I've got the whole thing in my memory, to be honest with you," Boulter said.
"I still think about the time that I served it out. That's something that I draw on.
"I'm already excited to play against a top player and have a go. I think they're the moments I get excited for."
Rybakina has had a shaky start to her title defence, having to fight back from a set down in her opener and looking unsure at times in her second-round win over Alize Cornet.
A more subdued figure on court than Boulter, the Australian Open runner-up is not worried about the home-crowd support her opponent will receive.
"The crowd won't be supporting me that much. I'm sure it's going to be good," she added.
"She's a tough player and her game is aggressive. It's going to be tough one."
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Hail batters Spain creating icy urban scenes - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | null | Storms in the country are battering areas in the north and south, with hail days after a heatwave. | null | Hail storms, heavy rain and flash flooding have battered towns across Spain, days after a heatwave.
Video recorded in the north of Spain shows icy water running through the streets, past chairs outside a cafe. The south east also saw heavy rain and strong winds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66140574 |
US plans to send controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine - BBC News | 2023-07-08T00:00:00 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The White House defends the move, while acknowledging that such unexploded ordnance can harm civilians. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
The US will send Ukraine a cluster munitions package to help in its counteroffensive against Russia.
The White House said it had postponed the decision for as long as it could because of the risk of civilian harm from such unexploded ordnance.
Ukraine has been asking for the weapons for months amid an ammunition shortage.
Cluster munitions - which are banned by more than 100 countries - are a class of weapon that contain multiple explosive bomblets called submunitions.
US President Joe Biden said in a cable TV interview that it was "a very difficult decision on my part" to send the bombs.
"I discussed this with our allies," he told CNN, "I discussed this with our friends up on the [Capitol] Hill."
He said he had decided to send the munitions because "the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition".
Mr Biden could face questions from allies about the matter at a Nato summit in Lithuania next week.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told Friday's daily White House briefing: "We recognise the cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance.
"This is why we've deferred the decision for as long as we could."
He added: "Ukraine would not be using these munitions in some foreign land. This is their country they're defending."
Mr Sullivan said Ukraine was running out of artillery and needed "a bridge of supplies" while the US ramps up domestic production.
"We will not leave Ukraine defenceless at any point in this conflict period," he said.
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The munitions are controversial because of their failure, or dud, rate, meaning unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years and detonate later on.
Mr Sullivan told reporters that the cluster munitions America will send to Ukraine have a dud rate of less than 2.5%, describing that as far below Russia's cluster munition dud rate, which US officials say is between 30-40%.
In a separate news briefing, the Pentagon did not specify how many cluster munitions the US will send to Ukraine, but spokesman Colin Kahl said they had "hundreds of thousands available".
US law prohibits the transfer of cluster munitions with bomblet failure rates higher than 1% - meaning more than 1% of the bomblets in the weapon do not explode - but President Biden is able to bypass this rule.
A United Nations investigation found Ukraine has probably already used cluster bombs, though the country has denied doing so.
Early on in the war, the White House was asked about allegations that Russia was using cluster bombs, and then-press secretary Jen Psaki said it would be a "war crime" if true.
Officials are planning to send artillery shells to Ukraine, with each containing 88 separate bomblets, according to US media reports. They would be fired from Howitzer artillery weapons already deployed by the Ukrainian army.
The Biden administration's latest weapons package for Ukraine is worth $800m (£626m). It includes Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, air defence missiles and anti-mine equipment.
Human rights groups have urged Russia and Ukraine not to use cluster munitions and have asked the US not to supply them.
In a statement on Friday, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights once again called on the countries not to use cluster bombs, arguing they were dangerous.
"Cluster munitions scatter small bomblets over a wide area, many of which fail to explode immediately," said office spokesperson Marta Hurtado. "They can kill and maim years later. That's why use should stop immediately."
Some US lawmakers have also asked the Biden administration not to send the weapons, arguing their humanitarian costs outweigh their benefits in the battlefield.
Defence Department official Laura Cooper told Congress last month that military analysts had found that cluster bombs would be "useful, especially against dug-in Russian positions".
More than 120 countries have committed to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, agreeing not to use, produce, transfer or store such devices.
The US, Ukraine and Russia are not party to the agreement. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66134663 |
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