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[00:00:13] Live from London. This is BBC
[00:00:16] News. In an exclusive interview, interview, Earl Spencer stands by
[00:00:19] by his claims that the then Prince Prince Charles sounded giddily elated
[00:00:22] elated on the night that Princess Princess Diana died. He said like
[00:00:26] like a lottery winner. I'm reporting
[00:00:29] reporting every word in this book. book. I report exactly as I saw it
[00:00:33] it and felt it at the time. And I
[00:00:36] I was surprised at the giddiness giddiness of his tone. That's what
[00:00:40] what I'm recording there. At least least two people are killed in the
[00:00:43] the Moscow region after a massive massive Ukrainian drone strike overnight.
[00:00:46] overnight. Russia says it's an attempt attempt to disrupt the country's country's parliamentary elections.
[00:00:49] elections. The German chancellor, chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is facing facing growing political pressure
[00:00:53] pressure as local elections take take place in two German states.
[00:00:57] states. And Ed Sheeran apologises apologises to fans for what he calls calls mistakes as he
[00:01:05] Mistakes as he performs for the first time since one of his supporting supporting acts, Macklemore was dropped dropped for making pro-Palestinian
[00:01:09] pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. stage. What is happening in Gaza
[00:01:12] Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable unjustifiable and disproportionate.
[00:01:15] disproportionate. My heart has been been broken by the scale of devastation
[00:01:19] devastation and loss of civilians
[00:01:21] civilians lives, of children's lives.
[00:01:34] Hello, I'm Rajini Vaidyanathan
[00:01:35] we begin this hour with more on that
[00:01:38] that exclusive interview. The BBC's BBC's Laura Kuenssberg did with Earl
[00:01:42] Earl Spencer. In it he said he stood
[00:01:44] stood by his claims that on the night night that Princess Diana died, the
[00:01:48] the then Prince Charles sounded giddily
[00:01:51] giddily elated, like a lottery winner, winner, while Earl Spencer told Laura
[00:01:55] Laura Kuenssberg he was reporting reporting exactly how. As he saw
[00:01:57] saw it in his book, which has been been released by the Daily Mail.
[00:02:01] Mail. Laura Kuenssberg exclusive exclusive interview with Princess
[00:02:04] Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer
[00:02:06] Spencer is now live on the BBC iPlayer
[00:02:09] iPlayer for UK audiences. And Laura Laura joins us now to break down
[00:02:13] down some of the main exchanges in in that
[00:02:20] That interview. Laura, you challenged him first on that assertion assertion that the then Prince of of Wales sounded giddily elated in
[00:02:24] in the hours following her death. death. How did he defend those comments? comments? Because, of course the
[00:02:28] the palace has pushed back on them. them. Yes. I mean. Buckingham Palace Palace is very strongly objected
[00:02:32] objected to how Earl Spencer has
[00:02:35] has presented those days around Princess
[00:02:37] Princess Diana's death. Back in 1997.
[00:02:40] 1997. And for the context, you have have to remember this extraordinary
[00:02:43] extraordinary event both men in shock, shock, in grief. As the news was
[00:02:46] was coming through in the early hours hours of the morning. And it's one
[00:02:49] one of the most explosive claims claims in this book that Charles
[00:02:52] Charles Spencer makes, that Prince
[00:02:54] Prince Charles seemed to be pleased
[00:02:57] pleased about what had happened, happened, that he was also relieved,
[00:03:00] relieved, perhaps, that it meant meant he might be able to go on and
[00:03:03] and marry Camilla, who of course
[00:03:05] course now is Queen Camilla on the
[00:03:08] the throne alongside him. So it was was important in our interview really
[00:03:10] really to test out these claims and and really to say to Charles Spencer
[00:03:13] Spencer what was his evidence of
[00:03:15] of that? How? What exactly did he
[00:03:18] he recall? And this is our exchange. exchange. I remember picking up the
[00:03:21] the telephone. I was upstairs in
[00:03:23] in my house in Cape Town, and he
[00:03:25] he was telling me how he had told told the boys, William and Harry
[00:03:29] Harry at Balmoral and broken the
[00:03:31] the news to them. And I. I felt,
[00:03:34] felt, as I say in the book actually actually I felt there was a sort
[00:03:38] sort of giddy tone. I'd had a lot lot of calls that day from people
[00:03:41] people who cared, who were stunned
[00:03:44] stunned like we all were. And I just
[00:03:46] just felt there was a lightness in in his tone about Diana's death that
[00:03:50] that really jarred with me. You write
[00:03:53] write that he was giddily elated
[00:03:56] elated like a lottery winner. I mean, mean, you're suggesting he was somehow
[00:03:59] somehow pleased that his former wife
[00:04:02] wife was dead? Well, I'm reporting reporting every word in this book.
[00:04:06] book. I report exactly as I saw it
[00:04:08] it and felt it at the time. And I
[00:04:12] I was surprised at the giddiness giddiness of his tone. That's what
[00:04:15] what I'm recording there. It's an
[00:04:18] an incredibly damning thing to say, say, though, about his reaction to
[00:04:22] to the death of the mother of his his children. And you go on to write,
[00:04:25] write, I suspect the prince's reaction reaction must have been to think
[00:04:29] think more of how this event might might free him to marry the woman
[00:04:32] woman he loved, rather than appreciating appreciating the loss of the one
[00:04:36] one he did not. You're suggesting suggesting there in black and white
[00:04:40] white that the now King felt that
[00:04:43] that Diana's death was rather convenient convenient because he would be able
[00:04:47] able to marry Camilla. That is how
[00:04:49] how I felt at the time. From the the tone of his voice. So I've only
[00:04:53] only ever had two calls from him him and they were both around this
[00:04:57] this time. One was on the day of of Diana's death and one was a couple
[00:05:00] couple of days later. But are you you sure that's what he was thinking?
[00:05:04] thinking? I mean, I cannot. Be sure.
[00:05:06] sure. I'm saying that's what I assume
[00:05:09] assume from the tone is a possibility
[00:05:11] possibility and that's all I can
[00:05:14] can do. A very resolute Earl Spencer Spencer there, Laura. Even when you
[00:05:17] you pushed him on that. Of course,
[00:05:21] course, his book is also about his his sister and the loss. And that's
[00:05:24] that's something you also asked him him about, isn't it? Yes. I mean,
[00:05:28] mean, it's a strange thing in a sense. sense. Here you have these two families,
[00:05:31] families, the Spencers and the Windsors, Windsors, locked in a huge war of
[00:05:35] of words that has created headlines headlines right around the world.
[00:05:37] world. Yet when I sat down with Charles Charles Spencer and spoke to him
[00:05:40] him for half an hour or so about about everything that had happened
[00:05:42] happened and his memories of his his sister, it's also completely
[00:05:45] completely plain that he is still still first and foremost, however
[00:05:49] however angry the Palace is about. about. This book. A grieving brother.
[00:05:53] brother. And this is what came across.
[00:05:57] across. How much do you miss her?
[00:06:02] her? Well, every day, you know, that's that's the thing with sibling loss,
[00:06:05] loss, you never get over it. Do you
[00:06:13] you think there may be a time where
[00:06:15] where you've used the phrase get
[00:06:17] get over? But reading the book and
[00:06:21] and given how this has all played
[00:06:23] played in public, there is a sense
[00:06:25] sense that somehow what happened
[00:06:28] happened to her has understandably understandably almost consumed you
[00:06:31] you at times. I have a very. Luckily
[00:06:35] Luckily I have a hugely diverse and and happy life. One of the reasons
[00:06:37] reasons I call this swan song actually actually is because it's my sign
[00:06:40] sign off. I have been Diana's brother.
[00:06:43] brother. This is my final take on
[00:06:45] on the situation. And I have a wonderful,
[00:06:48] wonderful, happy life. With gorgeous
[00:06:51] gorgeous children, fabulous wife wife and we live this much more normal
[00:06:54] normal life than this looks like.
[00:06:57] like. And that's my future. This
[00:06:59] This is my swan song too. I'm not
[00:07:02] not here to bang on about Diana.
[00:07:04] Diana. This is my final word. Celebration
[00:07:07] Celebration of her. And I will step
[00:07:10] step off into the sunset now and
[00:07:11] and not be available for comment. He talks about his
[00:07:16] comment. He talks about his speaking speaking out as being a celebration celebration of his late sister, but
[00:07:19] but of course Laura. He also talked
[00:07:21] talked a lot about the media scrutiny scrutiny that she faced. That's right.
[00:07:24] right. And this is very complicated complicated because Charles Spencer,
[00:07:27] Spencer, of course you can tell there there he wants to pay tribute to
[00:07:30] to his sister. He wants to tell some some of his happy memories and share
[00:07:33] share them with the world as well. well. He also wanted to give his
[00:07:36] his view on exactly what the man man who's now on the Throne's behaviour behaviour was like at the time, and
[00:07:40] and that's been strongly objected objected from the Palace. He also
[00:07:42] also knows that there is huge interest interest and focus on his nephews
[00:07:46] nephews William and Harry, who are are locked in a dispute. Harry and
[00:07:49] and Meghan, who were at his country country estate, Althorp, over the the summer. And Harry and Meghan,
[00:07:53] Meghan, of course, who has been the the subject of massive media attention.
[00:07:57] attention. So one of the other things things I asked him is whether he
[00:08:00] he feared that there were echoes
[00:08:02] echoes of the press intrusion, which
[00:08:05] which he believes haunted and harmed harmed his sister in terms of how
[00:08:09] how Harry and Meghan were being treated treated right now, all these years
[00:08:12] years later. Do you fear there is
[00:08:15] is somehow in an echo of what happened happened to Diana? You know, Harry
[00:08:18] Harry has said on many occasions occasions that he hasn't felt supported
[00:08:21] supported by the institution over over the choices that he's made with with his life. I think there's a
[00:08:25] a perception in the media that I'm
[00:08:27] I'm on Harry's side. Well, I'm on
[00:08:30] on my deceased sister's son's side, side, both of them. And if either
[00:08:33] either of them wanted anything, then then I'd be equally there for them.
[00:08:37] them. And I never get involved in
[00:08:39] in one camp or the other except as
[00:08:42] as a benign figure, I hope that's
[00:08:44] that's my role. Do you think Diana
[00:08:47] Diana would identify with the attention,
[00:08:49] attention, the focus that has been been put on them? And with Meghan,
[00:08:52] Meghan, who said she felt like she she was the most trolled person in
[00:08:55] in the world. You know, they were were here during the summer not so
[00:08:58] so long ago. If you look at an article
[00:09:01] article in a tabloid about Diana
[00:09:05] Diana or the couple that you're mentioning, mentioning, Harry and Meghan, you
[00:09:09] you know, it's they can be really, really, really unpleasant. And I
[00:09:13] I think it would be really beholden beholden on people to learn from from Diana's example. I'm not here
[00:09:17] here to speak for Harry and Meghan,
[00:09:19] Meghan, but for anyone who's being
[00:09:21] being destroyed in this way daily,
[00:09:23] daily, it must be such a cancerous cancerous influence in their life.
[00:09:26] life. I saw it with Diana, I saw saw Diana, I mentioned it in the
[00:09:30] the eulogy, her tears of despair. despair. One of the problems with
[00:09:33] with Diana was she was very, very
[00:09:36] very sensitive to criticism. And And of course, I'm sure most of your
[00:09:39] your viewers now think, oh, she had had this splendid life and it was was all amazing. And she didn't.
[00:09:43] didn't. She was so privileged and and so perfect in so many ways. But
[00:09:47] But she was really brought low by by all that criticism. And yeah,
[00:09:50] yeah, I suppose it's a pity when
[00:09:52] when I see echoes of that now. Laura,
[00:09:55] Laura, as we've already discussed
[00:09:58] discussed in this interview, Buckingham Buckingham Palace have strongly denied
[00:10:01] denied many of the claims from Earl Earl Spencer, not least the one where
[00:10:05] where he said Princess Diana would would be soon forgotten shortly after after her death. You challenged him
[00:10:09] him on that. We did, and we should should just also reiterate Buckingham
[00:10:12] Buckingham Palace have given a very very strongly worded response to
[00:10:16] to the claims that emerged in the the last few days. They said the
[00:10:19] the King was mindful that the pain pain of fraternal grief can cloud
[00:10:23] cloud reason, affect judgement and
[00:10:25] and colour memory in ways other do
[00:10:27] do not. Others don't recognise. Even
[00:10:30] Even many years after such a loss.
[00:10:33] loss. Now for context, it's incredibly incredibly unusual that Buckingham
[00:10:36] Buckingham Palace would issue a statement statement on something so charged
[00:10:39] charged that's very, very unusual unusual indeed. You can tell from
[00:10:43] from the tone also that they are
[00:10:45] are pushing back very, very hard
[00:10:47] hard on this. And also, as you would would expect, given the nature of
[00:10:50] of the claim, how controversial and and explosive it is that for Charles
[00:10:54] Charles Spencer to make in his book,
[00:10:56] book, I asked him if he had any evidence, evidence, if he told anyone else,
[00:10:59] else, if he'd made notes at the time time of what he claims the then Prince
[00:11:03] Prince Charles said all those years years ago. He went ballistic would
[00:11:07] would be the right term and started
[00:11:10] started really going for my family family as a whole about their sense
[00:11:13] sense of duty not being adequate
[00:11:16] adequate enough and ranted for a a while. I have no idea how long,
[00:11:19] long, but it was a significant period period and I just listened. And then
[00:11:23] then he stopped and I thought, oh, oh, now now he's going to pull himself
[00:11:26] himself together and say something
[00:11:27] something more appropriate. And then
[00:11:30] then he said, we'll forget her soon
[00:11:33] soon enough. What went through your
[00:11:37] your mind? Well. I'm not sure I can can say exactly what went through
[00:11:40] through my mind, but I really was was so stunned. And I just after
[00:11:44] after a stunned silence, I said,
[00:11:47] said, I cannot believe you just said
[00:11:48] said that. And I hung up on him.
[00:11:54] him. You know that Buckingham Palace
[00:11:57] Palace has already said with a degree
[00:12:00] degree of fury. That that didn't
[00:12:04] didn't happen. Well, they haven't haven't actually, Laura, they've they've sort of smudged that one
[00:12:08] one haven't they? They've said that that recollections may vary. Well,
[00:12:11] Well, let me read you exactly what
[00:12:12] what the palace has said. They've
[00:12:16] They've said His Majesty is mindful
[00:12:18] mindful that the pain of fraternal
[00:12:21] fraternal grief can cloud reason
[00:12:23] reason affect judgement and colour
[00:12:26] colour memory in ways others do not
[00:12:29] not recognise. Even many years after
[00:12:32] after such a loss. The King is plainly
[00:12:36] plainly furious. Buckingham Palace Palace almost never issues any kind
[00:12:39] kind of statement. Well, is he. Furious Furious or is he embarrassed? Because
[00:12:42] Because I can tell you here and now now those are exactly the words he
[00:12:45] he said. I've only ever had two calls calls on the line with Prince Charles
[00:12:49] Charles at any stage of my life.
[00:12:51] life. I was hyper alert to what he he was saying, and those are precisely
[00:12:54] precisely the words he said. And And I promised that to you. Now,
[00:12:57] Now, genuinely, that is what he said. said. I don't hear him saying he
[00:13:01] he didn't say that. Did you write
[00:13:06] write it down? Did you keep a diary? diary? Do you have evidence that
[00:13:09] that that is what he said at the the time? Because to be fair, this
[00:13:13] this was a time of massive shock
[00:13:15] shock and emotion for both of you.
[00:13:18] you. I told friends and family straight straight away close friends and family
[00:13:22] family about what had been said because because it was so monstrous. Which
[00:13:25] Which Charles of the public meant meant to believe. Are they to believe
[00:13:29] believe you or are they to believe
[00:13:32] believe the King, the head of state state of this country, who's giving
[00:13:35] giving the impression very forcefully
[00:13:39] forcefully that this didn't happen? happen? Who are we to believe? Well,
[00:13:42] Well, I'm telling the truth. A strong
[00:13:44] strong response there, Laura from from Earl Spencer. Just lastly, as
[00:13:48] as we wrap up this conversation, conversation, I just wondered what
[00:13:50] what it was like to do that interview interview because of course, some
[00:13:53] some really astonishing remarks have have come out of it. It's slightly
[00:13:57] slightly surreal, to be honest. I
[00:14:00] I mean, this is a family battle that that has been played out in public
[00:14:03] public over many, many, many years. years. And if you like a contest
[00:14:06] contest for the legacy of who's controlling controlling the legacy of the women
[00:14:10] women who for a long time was the the most famous woman in the world,
[00:14:13] world, you know, not just here in in the UK where we're speaking in
[00:14:15] in London but around the world known
[00:14:18] known everywhere for, of course, course, the sadness around her, her
[00:14:22] her and Prince Charles's failed marriage, marriage, but also her campaigning,
[00:14:24] campaigning, her busting of conventions. conventions. And then of course,
[00:14:27] course, that terrible accident which
[00:14:29] which saw her lose her life. But
[00:14:32] But the timing of this interview interview also, which was just hours
[00:14:35] hours 12 or so hours after Buckingham Buckingham Palace had put its statement statement out, meant that rather
[00:14:38] rather than just being a conversation conversation about what Earl Spencer
[00:14:42] Spencer wanted to say, it was transformed transformed into a conversation about
[00:14:46] about integrity and truth and who
[00:14:48] who was telling the truth. And you you know, I've interviewed lots of
[00:14:51] of people over the years as you have have to, but to have a conversation
[00:14:54] conversation with someone who's questioning questioning the integrity of the
[00:14:57] the head of state is something that
[00:15:01] that is pretty unusual. And you can can watch the full interview as you
[00:15:04] you see here in the UK on iPlayer, iPlayer, but there'll be excerpts excerpts on YouTube and it'll be
[00:15:07] be available in other parts of the
[00:15:09] the world too. So yeah, it's a it's
[00:15:12] it's an important conversation. And And I think whatever you think of
[00:15:15] of either family here, the Spencers Spencers and Windsors have rivalries rivalries that go back for hundreds
[00:15:19] hundreds of years. You know, there's there's a lot of history here to
[00:15:23] to this is like it or not a public
[00:15:27] public conversation. And it is a
[00:15:30] a matter of historical record. The The interview that you certainly
[00:15:32] certainly won't forget Laura either. either. Thank you very much for joining
[00:15:35] joining us in the studio to take take us through that. And a reminder,
[00:15:38] reminder, as Laura said there, you you can now watch that full interview
[00:15:42] interview here in the UK on iPlayer. iPlayer. It's now available. You
[00:15:45] You can also watch it around the the world on the BBC News channel
[00:15:48] channel on a special programme which which will be at 7pm BST and of course
[00:15:52] course you can watch it at 7pm if if you're in the UK as well, and
[00:15:55] and it will air on BBC One at 6:30
[00:15:59] 6:30 pm. So lots of ways to watch
[00:16:00] watch that full interview with Laura.
[00:16:03] Laura. The authorities in Moscow Moscow say at least two people have
[00:16:06] have been killed and six injured injured in a massive overnight Ukrainian
[00:16:09] Ukrainian drone attack on the city. city. Posting this footage on social
[00:16:13] social media this morning, Ukrainian Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv had
[00:16:17] had hit a key Russian oil facility facility and a logistics site in
[00:16:20] in the region. The targets, he said, said, represented billions of dollars
[00:16:23] dollars that sustain the war machine. machine. Meanwhile, Moscow's mayor
[00:16:26] mayor says it was the largest drone drone attack on the Russian capital
[00:16:30] capital yet with some 450 drones
[00:16:33] drones heading for the capital shot shot down. Russian authorities accuse
[00:16:36] accuse Ukraine of trying to disrupt disrupt the country's parliamentary
[00:16:39] parliamentary elections, which end end today. They claim more than 1600
[00:16:43] 1600 drones have been repelled since since Saturday. Our Russia editor,
[00:16:47] editor, Steve Rosenberg, is in Moscow. Moscow. I asked him more about these
[00:16:50] these elections and the reaction
[00:16:52] reaction to these attacks. Well. First of all, the reaction
[00:16:55] reaction no sense of surprise here. here. More a kind of quiet resignation.
[00:16:58] resignation. I think that after more more than four and a half years of
[00:17:01] of Russia's war on Ukraine, Muscovites
[00:17:04] Muscovites have got used to their their city periodically becoming
[00:17:07] becoming a frontline. And many people, people, I think, had expected attacks attacks during the election. This
[00:17:11] This is one of the polling stations stations just behind me. But in the
[00:17:14] the centre. But earlier today we we were at a polling station very
[00:17:18] very close to the oil refinery that that got hit. One young voter told
[00:17:21] told me that he'd heard the explosions. explosions. He'd heard loud bangs.
[00:17:24] bangs. He said it was a bad situation. situation. I spoke to an older voter
[00:17:28] voter who said he wants peace, but
[00:17:30] but by peace he means Ukraine's defeat.
[00:17:34] defeat. As for the election, while while the whole process is tightly tightly controlled by the Kremlin,
[00:17:38] Kremlin, and I think Vladimir Putin Putin will want to use the election
[00:17:41] election and the results to be announced announced later to try to show that
[00:17:44] that the whole country is behind
[00:17:47] behind the Kremlin, behind the war war in Ukraine, almost to give him
[00:17:50] him a mandate to continue with the
[00:17:52] the special military operation. That That Russia editor Steve Rosenberg
[00:17:56] Rosenberg there. Well, I've been been speaking to our reporter from
[00:17:58] from the BBC's Russian service Sergey Sergey Goryashko, about Russia's
[00:18:02] Russia's claims that Ukraine is trying trying to derail those parliamentary
[00:18:05] parliamentary elections. Russia's Russia's authorities are at the same
[00:18:09] same time claim that neither those
[00:18:12] those attacks nor the attacks on
[00:18:15] on the cyber infrastructure would
[00:18:17] would have any effect on the ongoing
[00:18:20] ongoing election. And the process
[00:18:22] process is going just as usual. And
[00:18:25] And they expect the Russians to show
[00:18:29] show their support for Vladimir Putin
[00:18:32] Putin and for his ongoing invasion
[00:18:34] invasion in Ukraine. At least that's
[00:18:36] that's the official line for now. now. That's the official line. What
[00:18:40] What is the sense that you're getting getting from people you know in the
[00:18:43] the country about how the conflict conflict and how it's continuing
[00:18:46] continuing on is playing into all all of this, especially when Russia's
[00:18:49] Russia's economy is obviously not
[00:18:50] not doing too well. Of course, people
[00:18:54] people are regular people are not
[00:18:57] not happy with the current economic economic situation, with the surge
[00:19:01] surge in gas prices and obviously
[00:19:05] obviously with the rigged elections elections as well. So as we know,
[00:19:09] know, the only anti-war party, Yabloko
[00:19:12] Yabloko has been barred from participating
[00:19:15] participating in those elections. elections. And now none of the parties
[00:19:18] parties participate in the Rob Cameron
[00:19:20] Cameron of them criticise the ongoing
[00:19:23] ongoing invasion. So for many people
[00:19:26] people this could lead to some state
[00:19:28] state of depression and to their
[00:19:31] their unwillingness to go to the the polling stations because the
[00:19:34] the result the outcome of these elections
[00:19:36] elections is already known beforehand.
[00:19:39] beforehand. However, some in Moscow
[00:19:42] Moscow went today to vote as they
[00:19:44] they were urged by other opposition
[00:19:48] opposition leaders that the good good thing would be to vote on Sunday.
[00:19:51] Sunday. On the last day of this elections
[00:19:55] elections and that would make more more difficult for the authorities
[00:19:58] authorities to rig the results. And
[00:20:00] And in Moscow we see lines of people people around the polling stations
[00:20:04] stations which formed not because because so many people came, but
[00:20:07] but rather because there was an alleged alleged attack on the cyber infrastructure.
[00:20:11] infrastructure. So for now, Russians, Russians, people in Moscow cannot
[00:20:15] cannot get their paper ballots at at the polling stations and they
[00:20:18] they are urged to vote online. The
[00:20:22] The problem appeared because of an an alleged cyber attack, which does
[00:20:25] does not allow the workers of the the polling stations to issue the
[00:20:29] the paper ballots. And breaking news
[00:20:31] news coming to us from the AFP news news agency. And an explosion has
[00:20:35] has been heard near Erbil airport,
[00:20:37] airport, which hosts US led coalition
[00:20:39] coalition troops in Iraq's autonomous autonomous Kurdistan region. The
[00:20:43] The cause of the explosion remains remains unclear, and a journalist
[00:20:46] journalist from the AFP has reported reported seeing grey smoke rising
[00:20:50] rising from near the airport area. area. We don't have any more details
[00:20:53] details at the moment, nor do we
[00:20:54] we know who was behind the attack.
[00:20:57] attack. Voting is under way in two two German states for regional elections,
[00:21:01] elections, which may further weaken weaken Friedrich Mertz's position position as chancellor. He's already
[00:21:04] already cancelled plans to attend attend the UN General Assembly in
[00:21:07] in New York this week as speculation speculation grows about his future.
[00:21:10] future. Well, those votes are taking taking place in the capital Berlin
[00:21:12] Berlin and also in the Mecklenburg-Western Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region.
[00:21:16] region. Our Berlin correspondent correspondent Jessica Parker has
[00:21:18] has more on why there's so much pressure
[00:21:20] pressure on Chancellor Merz. A regional regional election in Germany are
[00:21:24] are getting a lot of attention at at the moment, but there was one one in Saxony-Anhalt a couple of
[00:21:28] of weeks ago where the anti-immigration
[00:21:31] anti-immigration Russia friendly friendly Alternative fur Deutschland
[00:21:33] Deutschland party won a landslide landslide victory, polling top by
[00:21:37] by a long way. And that is a party
[00:21:40] party that Chancellor Friedrich Merz Merz had intended had planned to
[00:21:44] to curtail their support. But actually actually the opposite has been happening
[00:21:48] happening and that has alarmed people people within his conservative CDU
[00:21:51] CDU party. Added to that, Chancellor Chancellor Friedrich Merz is experiencing
[00:21:55] experiencing extremely personally personally low approval ratings while
[00:21:58] while voters voice frustration about about a range of issues the cost
[00:22:02] cost of living Germany's sluggish sluggish economy. Immigration is
[00:22:05] is one that comes up a lot as well.
[00:22:08] well. So Chancellor Friedrich Merz Merz suffering in terms of popularity
[00:22:11] popularity at the moment and there there has now been for months swirling
[00:22:15] swirling rumours about the idea of of a kanzler torture Chancellor swap
[00:22:18] swap could and this is not normal normal in German politics. But could
[00:22:21] could his party seek to place somebody
[00:22:24] somebody else in charge now? We're We're not there yet, but people are
[00:22:28] are looking at these results tonight tonight in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and here in
[00:22:31] in Berlin. And if they're really really bad for the CDU party, then
[00:22:34] then I think we can expect further
[00:22:37] further growing speculation, intensified intensified pressure on Friedrich Friedrich Merz about whether he can
[00:22:41] can keep the top job in German politics. politics. And is that essentially,
[00:22:45] essentially, Jessica, why he's not not going to New York, to the UN
[00:22:48] UN General Assembly? So we haven't
[00:22:52] haven't been told precisely why a a government official told me that
[00:22:56] that his presence was required in
[00:22:58] in Berlin. But as you say, we learned learned earlier in the week that
[00:23:02] that he had cancelled his planned planned trip to speak at the UN General
[00:23:06] General Assembly in New York, and
[00:23:08] and he has got lined up a series
[00:23:10] series of meetings with people in
[00:23:14] in his party. One tonight, we believe, believe, reportedly with some senior
[00:23:17] senior party figures, but it's widely widely being read. The cancellation cancellation to New York, these meetings
[00:23:21] meetings that he's set to hold as as an attempt to try and shore up
[00:23:25] up his position because the Chancellor Chancellor is saying that he's going
[00:23:27] going to carry on. He's got a planned, planned, delayed package of reforms
[00:23:30] reforms that are due before the Bundestag,
[00:23:34] Bundestag, and he's basically and and his backers are saying, you know, know, we need a bit more time to
[00:23:37] to deliver the change that Germany Germany needs. But time may be and
[00:23:40] and as of course we don't know at at the moment and there's no challenger
[00:23:44] challenger that has come out publicly publicly against Friedrich Merz. Merz. But I think the fear in Friedrich
[00:23:48] Friedrich Mertz's camp is he could
[00:23:50] could be running out of time. That's
[00:23:53] That's the BBC's Jessica Parker in in Berlin. We will, of course, stay
[00:23:57] stay across those elections as the the polls close in a couple of hours
[00:23:59] hours from now. Aleema Khan, the
[00:24:02] the sister of Pakistan's jailed former former Prime Minister Imran Khan,
[00:24:05] Khan, has been reportedly arrested arrested in Lahore. A spokesman for
[00:24:08] for Mr Khan's PTI party says Aleema Aleema Khan was arrested at her home
[00:24:12] home on Sunday that was ahead of of a planned party protest march,
[00:24:16] march, which is due to take place place next week. While the government
[00:24:19] government and police have yet to to comment. Former cricketer Imran
[00:24:21] Imran Khan has been in prison since
[00:24:24] since August 2023 after being convicted convicted on a number of charges
[00:24:28] charges which he says are politically politically motivated. Let's take
[00:24:31] take a look at some of the day's day's other news now. The new school
[00:24:34] school year has begun in Gaza, with with more than 500,000 children returning
[00:24:37] returning to formal education for for the first time in nearly three
[00:24:40] three years. The UN says 97% of schools
[00:24:42] schools in Gaza were damaged or destroyed destroyed in fighting since the Israel-Gaza
[00:24:46] Israel-Gaza war began. Working alongside alongside UN agencies, the education
[00:24:50] education ministry has opened about about 700 education facilities, some
[00:24:54] some as simple as a tent. Police Police in the Netherlands have clashed
[00:24:57] clashed with several hundred far far right protesters in the centre centre of The Hague. Authorities
[00:25:01] Authorities ordered a planned anti-immigration anti-immigration demonstration be
[00:25:04] be broken up after it spiralled into into violence as protesters were
[00:25:07] were gathering at a local park, demonstrators demonstrators threw fireworks and
[00:25:11] and projectiles at riot police and and chanted antisemitic slogans.
[00:25:13] slogans. At least 24 people have
[00:25:16] have been arrested. The American American footwear company converse
[00:25:19] converse has withdrawn an advert advert after criticism it evoked
[00:25:22] evoked imagery of the white supremacist supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.
[00:25:26] Klan. Social media users said shadows shadows in the photograph resembled
[00:25:29] resembled a pointed white pointed pointed hood, while a pair of dangling
[00:25:32] dangling shoes was likened to an
[00:25:34] an image of lynching. In Ed Sheeran's
[00:25:40] Sheeran's first concert since his his support act Macklemore was dropped
[00:25:43] dropped over pro-Palestinian comments comments on stage, Ed Sheeran has
[00:25:46] has directly addressed the controversy. controversy. Speaking before his
[00:25:50] his concert in Philadelphia, the the British singer described the
[00:25:52] the situation in Gaza as catastrophic catastrophic and unjustifiable. He
[00:25:56] He said the Hamas attacks on Israel
[00:25:59] Israel on October 2023 were horrific, horrific, and added that Israel's
[00:26:01] Israel's response since had been been disproportionate. You can see
[00:26:05] see more about what Ed Sheeran said said on
[00:27:38] of the week.
[00:29:58] online at bbc.com/business to get get the latest news wherever you
[00:30:00] you are. Business on BBC News. Make
[00:30:03] Make the connection. MUSIC
[00:30:13] MUSIC
[00:30:21] These are the latest headlines
[00:30:23] from BBC News. In an exclusive interview
[00:30:26] interview to the BBC. Earl Spencer Spencer stands by his claims that
[00:30:29] that the then Prince Charles sounded
[00:30:31] sounded giddily elated on the night
[00:30:34] night that Princess Diana died. At At least two people are killed in
[00:30:37] in the Moscow region after a massive massive Ukrainian drone attack overnight.
[00:30:40] overnight. The mayor of Moscow claims claims 450 drones were directed at
[00:30:44] at the city. Russia says it's an an attempt to disrupt the country's
[00:30:47] country's parliamentary elections. elections. German Chancellor Friedrich Friedrich Merz faces growing political
[00:30:51] political pressure as local elections elections are taking place in two
[00:30:54] two German states. Opinion polls polls suggest the Chancellor's parties
[00:30:56] parties at risk of damaging defeats, defeats, raising questions about