Plus: Israel-Hamas hostage deal hits delay, and a remote community of Pakistan faces Taliban threat
| | | | | | | Hello. Today I'm taking you to the Hague, where the face of Dutch anti-Islam politics has scored a historic general election win. Meanwhile, fighting goes on in Gaza, where the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas has been delayed. Further down, read Jonathan Head's story on the downfall of Chinese organized crime in a Burmese casino town. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Anti-Islam populist win shakes Dutch politics | | | | "The PVV can no longer be ignored," Geert Wilders said in a fiery speech. Credit: EPA |
| | Geert Wilders, a veteran Dutch anti-Islam leader, has won a dramatic victory in his country's general election. His Freedom party (PVV) won the biggest share of votes and is set to win 37 seats out of 150. This is far from a majority, but in the fragmented landscape of Dutch politics, it is an achievement that will allow him to lead coalition talks. It also came as something of a surprise after a contest in which many voters were undecided. In the run-up to the vote, Mr Wilders tempered his anti-Islam rhetoric - which earned him a conviction over his "insulting" of people with Moroccan ancestry in 2014. The strategy proved successful. "His win has shaken Dutch politics and it will send a shock across Europe too," write Paul Kirby and Anna Holligan, reporting from The Hague. Mr Wilders wants to hold a referendum to leave the EU, although he recognises there is no national mood to do so. | | • | Victory speech: "We want to govern and... we will govern," Geert Wilders said in a combative address. Here's a clip. | | • | How it started: This election was called following a government collapse in July, when Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition split over asylum policies. | | • | Fact sheet: Before delving into the intricacies of Dutch party politics, you might need a refresher on the low-lying kingdom. Take a quick look at our Netherlands country profile. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Israel-Gaza war: There's been a delay to the planned pause in fighting aimed at allowing the release of 50 hostages by Hamas and 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israel. Sources expect the deal to go ahead on Friday - get the latest. Meanwhile, hostage relatives tell us of their agonising wait. | | • | US-Canada border: The spectacular crash that killed the two occupants of the car on a border bridge was not terror related, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said. Security camera footage shows the car going airborne at high speed. | | • | Driven away: A key political ally of Vladimir Putin has adopted a child seized from a Ukrainian children's home, according to documents uncovered by a BBC investigation. | | • | Flu-like illness: The World Health Organization has asked China for more information on "clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia" reportedly spreading among children in the north of the country. | | • | Whale done: Blue whales - the largest known animals on Earth - seem to be settling in a part of the Indian Ocean where they were wiped out by whaling decades ago. Watch the impressive drone footage. | |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Kalash Valley, Pakistan | | The remote community under Taliban attack | | Nestled in Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains, the remote Kalash valley is a popular tourist destination. But a recent attack by Taliban militants has left people living there afraid for their future. It took Pakistani forces two days to fight off the assault. | | | | "There was an unusual stillness. Everyone was worried and scared. It felt like a war zone," says Shaira, a mother of two, as she recalls hundreds of troops, military vehicles, drones and attack helicopters hovering over the valley. They now fear the latest attack represents a new wave of threats that could spell the end of their community. Many, like Shaira, are wondering what their options are. Where should they go if the Taliban attack again? "Everyone said the Taliban had come for us Kalashis. They'll kill us or force us to change our religion," she says. "We don't have any resources to leave, so we have to stay in Kalash, dead or alive." |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Chinese mafia falls in Myanmar casino town | | | | Chinese people accused of running scam centres in Myanmar have been arrested by the Chinese police. Credit: Chinese ministry of public security. |
| | Casinos, scam centres and red-light alleys: such is the scenery in Laukkaing, a Burmese border town a few kilometres from China. But a sudden escalation of the conflict in Myanmar has spelled the end of the Chinese mafia that ruled the city. Our South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head recounts the saga of the "four families" of Laukkaing. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | A painting with gusto | | How John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Ena Wertheimer pushed sexual boundaries. | | |
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– Jules |
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