Plus: Local vote upset for Erdogan, and Easter celebrations around the world ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Divisions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government were on full display in Jerusalem as thousands of people called for his resignation at a protest on Sunday. Jeremy Bowen speaks to critics and supporters of the political veteran. Local elections in Turkey delivered a resounding defeat for the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that, as Paul Kirby and Cagil Kasapoglu write, could have repercussions for the 2028 presidential run. Finally, we're taking a look at how Christians celebrated Easter around the world. As it's still a bank holiday in the UK, we will resume twice-daily sends of the News Briefing tomorrow. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | A divisive figure in a country at war | | Benjamin Netanyahu's first stint in power came in 1996 on a platform opposing the Oslo peace process. Credit: Getty Images | By the time Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power for an unprecedented sixth term at the end of 2022, Israel had held five elections in less than four years. His new government then sparked mass protests over judicial reform, but tensions were cast aside after Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October. Still, as international editor Jeremy Bowen reports, many in the country hold Mr Netanyahu responsible for the security lapses that allowed the massacre of about 1,200 people and the capture of an estimated 253 hostages, more than 100 of whom are still being held in Gaza. At a protest in Jerusalem, thousands called for Mr Netanyahu's resignation and for early elections.
US weapons: Despite a week of tensions with Israel over its conduct of the Gaza War, Washington is reported to have authorised arms transfers to its ally worth billions of dollars.
Gaza hospitals: Israel's military says it has concluded a two-week military operation in al-Shifa that has destroyed much of the complex. Meanwhile, an Israeli air strike hit a courtyard in al-Aqsa hospital, killing four people and injuring 17 others, including journalists.
'It's not perfect': Correspondent Lucy Williamson reports from a US military plane tasked with parachuting aid parcels over Gaza. | |
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WORLD HEADLINES | | Unifil: The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon is investigating a strike that injured three of its observers and a translator who had been patrolling the Blue Line border between the country and Israel. | | Mexico's Oaxaca state: The bodies of eight Chinese nationals have been found on a beach after their boat capsized along a route used by people trying to enter the US. | | 'Fraud factories': Indian authorities say they have rescued 250 citizens who had been fored to run online scams in Cambodia. | | Partial legalisation: A first set of rules decriminalising cannabis use has taken effect in Germany, where the issue remains controversial. | | Not a souvenir: Journalists travelling on Air Force One have been warned not to steal from the US presidential plane, after items such as branded pillowcases, glasses and gold-rimmed plates allegedly vanished from the jet following a recent trip. | |
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| Key cities deliver blow to Erdogan | | Opposition supporters celebrated as the scale of victory became clear. Credit: Reuters/Umit Bektas] | Turkey's main opposition party has claimed big election victories in the main cities of Istanbul and Ankara, delivering a blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The winning mayors in the country's largest cities are seen as potential candidates to run for the presidency in 2028. |
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| | Paul Kirby and Cagil Kasapoglu, BBC News |
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| | Crowds in Istanbul gathered outside the town hall in Sarachane, one of Istanbul's oldest districts. They waved Turkish flags and banners showing Istanbul's incumbent mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's picture alongside Turkey's founding father Kemal Ataturk. "Everything will be fine," Imamoglu supporters chanted as they danced to drums and clarinets. "They're only local elections but the opposition's victory in big cities is a significant show of force against the ruling party," Imamoglu supporter Yesim Albayrak, 25, told the BBC. |
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| BEYOND THE HEADLINES | The Russian assassin Putin wants to free |
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| | | German prosecutors said Vadim Krasikov belonged to a highly secretive unit of Russia's secret service. Credit: Bellingcat | Russian President Vladimir Putin appears interested in a prisoner exchange for Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany for killing a Chechen separatist in Berlin, under Kremlin orders. But prospects for a deal that would involve the release of a US citizen jailed in Russia are murky. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Fit for a stork | Knepp Castle in southern England has become a base for the migratory birds. | |
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And finally... | King Charles made his first major public appearance since his cancer diagnosis to attend Easter Sunday church service in Windsor. He was one of the millions of people across the world who marked one of the most important events in the Christian calendar. | |
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In History newsletter | The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. | |
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