Plus: UK local election results, and a ban on puppy yoga ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Turkey has announced sweeping restrictions on its trade with Israel in protest at the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. From Myanmar, we hear of the military government's latest move to encourage conscription, and, in India, Geeta Pandey profiles the man credited with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's electoral success. We're also bringing you UK local election results as they trickle in from across the country. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Turkey tightens Israel trade restrictions | | The Turkish leader has been under domestic political pressure to announce measures against Israel. Credit: AFP | Turkey has suspended all trade to Israel, citing the "worsening humanitarian tragedy" in Gaza. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been increasingly critical of the Israeli government's response to the deadly Hamas attack on 7 October, dubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "the butcher of Gaza". Mr Netanyahu has rejected the criticism, accusing Turkey of supporting "the mass murderers" of Hamas. Turkey said the trade restrictions, which expand a measure approved last month affecting 54 products exported to Israel, would last until Tel Aviv allows "uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza". Israel's foreign ministry is now looking to find alternatives for trade with Turkey, worth almost $7bn (£5.6bn) last year.
Changing ties: In 1949, Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognise Israel. Ankara is now one of Tel Aviv's most strident critics.
Gaza aid: The White House has said it expects a pier built by the US military to facilitate the flow of aid into the territory to be open within days.
Student protests: Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have sprung up on several UK university campuses this week. In Ireland, Trinity College Dublin has fined the students' union €214,000 ($230,000; £183,000) over a campus protest. | |
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| Myanmar's new conscription plan | | People desperate to get visas seen outside the Thai embassy in Yangon in February. Credit: Getty Images | Myanmar's military regime is eager to find new army recruits to fight rebel groups across the country. In the latest move to bulk up its forces, the government is no longer allowing conscription-age men to travel out of the country for work. |
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| | Frances Mao and BBC Burmese |
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| | Young people had previously spoken to the BBC of their desperation to get out of the country. Men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 are obliged to enlist. The crackdown on the work abroad possibility is being seen as another massive blow. A 32-year-old man who was preparing to leave the country for Japan said he was devastated. He told BBC Burmese: “There are no job opportunities within the country and now they've also forbidden us from leaving the country. Are we not allowed to do anything?" he said. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | The feared strategist behind Modi’s rise |
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| | | Critics say Mr Shah is the driving force behind some of India's most controversial legislation. Credit: BBC | Amit Shah is often called India's "second most powerful man". The closest confidant of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he is the brains behind his election juggernaut. Friends and colleagues who have known him since his school days and early career - even those who stood by him while he was briefly jailed - offer Geeta Pandey a rare insight into his early life. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | What to watch in May | From Beach Boys to fall guys, 11 films to watch this month. | |
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And finally... | Puppy yoga has fallen foul of the Italian government. The practice doesn't involve young canines pulling intricate poses, rather humans doing so while surrounded by sauntering balls of fur. But Italy has now restricted the practice to adult dogs. Here's why. | |
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