BBCNEWS — BBC News
20260920 220000 UTC
511 transcript segments
Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced)
Data courtesy of The GDELT Project (https://www.gdeltproject.org/), from the Internet Archive TV News Archive.
Machine transcription. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a verbatim quotation record.

[00:00:13] Live from Washington. This is
[00:00:15] BBC News. Tehran and Washington exchanged
[00:00:18] exchanged new warnings as their months
[00:00:20] months long stalemate threatens to
[00:00:22] to spiral back into open conflict. conflict. Ukraine attacks Moscow
[00:00:26] Moscow with hundreds of drones hitting
[00:00:28] hitting a major oil facility and
[00:00:30] and apartment blocks. And Germany's Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz
[00:00:33] Merz calls state election results results a disaster, but insists that
[00:00:37] that he'll stay on. Helena Humphrey.
[00:00:48] Humphrey. Good to have you with us. us. Iran says that it's received
[00:00:52] received indications that the United United States is preparing to resume resume military operations against
[00:00:56] against it. Tehran gave no basis basis for that assessment, but said
[00:00:59] said that any American attack would would trigger retaliation on the
[00:01:02] the US side, President Trump told told Fox News that Iran's leader
[00:01:05] leader should make a deal, quote, quote, rot economically or be wiped
[00:01:09] wiped out. It's not the first time time that Trump has threatened severe
[00:01:12] severe action against Iran, but it it does come at a time of heightened
[00:01:16] heightened tension in the wider Middle Middle East. The US State Department
[00:01:20] Department warned that fighting between
[00:01:21] between Saudi Arabia and Iran backed backed Houthis could escalate rapidly
[00:01:25] rapidly after a missile attack targeted targeted Riyadh for the first time
[00:01:28] time since the Yemen conflict resumed. resumed. The Houthis say Saudi Arabia
[00:01:32] Arabia has carried out 28 strikes
[00:01:34] strikes against them in the past
[00:01:37] past 24 hours, the latest exchanges exchanges follow rapid Houthi advances
[00:01:41] advances in southwest Yemen, taking taking the strategic port of Mokha
[00:01:44] Mokha and strengthening their ability
[00:01:46] ability to pressure the Bab al-Mandab al-Mandab Strait. However, the Houthi
[00:01:49] Houthi leadership has looked to reassure reassure the United States that it
[00:01:52] it will not close the waterway and
[00:01:54] and only target Saudi assets. Recently,
[00:01:57] Recently, there was an American communication communication through the Omani mediator.
[00:02:01] mediator. If we would target America America in Bab al-Mandab, we confirm
[00:02:04] confirm that we will not target America America or any other country in the
[00:02:07] the strait with the sole exception exception of the Saudi enemy. Well,
[00:02:11] Well, the threat of renewed hostilities hostilities between Tehran and Washington
[00:02:14] Washington comes as new data reveals reveals the damage that the Iranian
[00:02:18] Iranian economy has suffered since since the war began. Figures from
[00:02:21] from the Statistical Centre of Iran Iran show the country's gross national
[00:02:25] national product dropped by 10.1%
[00:02:28] 10.1% compared to the same period
[00:02:29] period last year amid crippling international international sanctions. Let's get
[00:02:33] get some analysis now from Iranian Iranian journalist and senior fellow
[00:02:35] fellow at the centre for International International Policy, Negar Mortazavi.
[00:02:39] Mortazavi. Always good to have you you on the programme. So let's just
[00:02:42] just begin by taking a look at these these official figures from Iran
[00:02:45] Iran showing that the economy is is in deep recession as the effects
[00:02:48] effects of the war with the US and and Israel take hold. What does that
[00:02:52] that mean for the people in
[00:02:56] Iran? Thank you for having me, Will. Will. The economy has been in a very
[00:02:58] very bad shape. Inflation is high high and it's growing. And when we
[00:03:02] we speak to people on the ground, ground, it's something that's felt
[00:03:06] felt in daily life. But there's also also an understanding that this is
[00:03:09] is war time. So the expectations expectations for the economy are
[00:03:13] are not very high. But nevertheless nevertheless it's average Iranians
[00:03:16] Iranians who are paying the price.
[00:03:18] price. But this hasn't translated translated into policy change in
[00:03:21] in Tehran. Iran has been under economic
[00:03:24] economic pressure from severe US US sanctions for years and years,
[00:03:27] years, and it's never led to any any form of policy change. But nevertheless,
[00:03:31] nevertheless, the economic situation situation with the blockade, with
[00:03:34] with the new pressure from sanctions
[00:03:36] sanctions from the US has is gradually
[00:03:39] gradually increasing. And the average
[00:03:40] average Iranian on the ground is
[00:03:43] is really feeling the impact of that
[00:03:45] that in everyday life, in their necessities. necessities. There's now reports
[00:03:48] reports of shortage of some medicine.
[00:03:51] medicine. So it's pretty dire. You
[00:03:53] You say that there is somewhat of
[00:03:55] of an understanding that this is is a wartime economy with economic
[00:03:59] economic pain, but is there a point point at which that that economic
[00:04:02] economic pain perhaps does become become too much and does see the
[00:04:06] the regime back at the negotiating negotiating table, even if they have
[00:04:10] have managed to withstand sanctions? sanctions? Well, since the beginning
[00:04:12] beginning of the Islamic
[00:04:16] Republic. So the economic pain is is felt by the government also indirectly
[00:04:20] indirectly from the population, but but it doesn't produce the kind of
[00:04:23] of surrender or capitulation that that President Trump seems to be
[00:04:26] be expecting right now. It's different different if there's a door open
[00:04:30] open to diplomacy. I'll bring an an example of the Obama era. There
[00:04:32] There was a very clear path to diplomacy
[00:04:35] diplomacy with actual resolution
[00:04:38] resolution and meaningful and serious serious approaches from the US that
[00:04:41] that led to sanctions relief in exchange exchange for the concessions that
[00:04:44] that Iran made back then on the nuclear nuclear programme. Tehran is ready
[00:04:47] ready for that. They've been prepared prepared to end the war since it
[00:04:51] it began. They did that memorandum memorandum of understanding. They
[00:04:53] They signed that memorandum of understanding, understanding, hoping that it would
[00:04:57] would roll back the war and essentially essentially bring economic benefits.
[00:05:00] benefits. But the way President Trump
[00:05:02] Trump is approaching it is is essentially
[00:05:05] essentially producing the opposite opposite more resistance and less
[00:05:08] less of that policy change and willingness. willingness. So the Iranians, I feel
[00:05:12] feel like, are still signalling that that they're ready for meaningful meaningful diplomacy. But if there's
[00:05:16] there's an actual open door and if
[00:05:17] if the US also commits to making making concessions and not just more
[00:05:21] more pressure and more pressure for for the sake of surrender from their
[00:05:25] their side. Well, perhaps would you you say President Trump appears ambiguous
[00:05:29] ambiguous in all of this? I mean, mean, he has spoken on Fox News about
[00:05:33] about striking a deal while at the the same time he's also spoken about
[00:05:36] about wiping Iran out and leaving
[00:05:39] leaving them to rot economically.
[00:05:41] economically. Where do you see this this going? Absolutely, Elena. I
[00:05:45] I mean, ambiguous is putting it mildly.
[00:05:47] mildly. I mean, the other side on on top of everything that's happened
[00:05:50] happened throughout the war is just just very, very confused. I mean,
[00:05:53] mean, for us analysts here in Washington Washington also and some even within
[00:05:56] within the administration or sources,
[00:05:58] sources, it's just very hard to predict predict because there is no prediction.
[00:06:02] prediction. First of all, there seems seems to be no strategy on the US
[00:06:04] US side. So you can't predict something something that doesn't exist. There
[00:06:07] There is no short-term, no long-term long-term strategy. And President
[00:06:09] President Trump seems to be just just moving between wanting to make
[00:06:12] make a deal. He signed the MOU, the the memorandum of understanding, understanding, which the Iranians
[00:06:16] Iranians thought it's very great great for them. And then he immediately
[00:06:20] immediately started it started unravelling unravelling essentially with the
[00:06:23] the US non-compliance. And then he
[00:06:26] he pushes that with combines that that with threats. Sometimes the
[00:06:29] the threats are real, comes with with strikes, sometimes they don't.
[00:06:31] don't. It just seems like a negotiation negotiation negotiating tactic. The
[00:06:35] The days of the week are important.
[00:06:37] important. He has a certain way of of threatening on Sunday nights,
[00:06:41] nights, just before the markets open open on Monday. And then there's
[00:06:43] there's a different approach in midweek midweek to try to affect the market.
[00:06:47] market. So it's just been very, very very not just ambiguous and confusing.
[00:06:49] confusing. It's also been very unpredictable
[00:06:54] unpredictable and unprecedented for for the US to be run like this. And
[00:06:57] And so this is just made that path path to diplomacy very, very difficult. difficult. I want to touch on what
[00:07:01] what you anticipate from Iran as as well. Do you see them looking
[00:07:04] looking to pressure the Houthis, Houthis, for example, to broaden
[00:07:08] broaden attacks on Red Sea shipping
[00:07:10] shipping and to escalate the war
[00:07:12] war regionally? Absolutely. I mean,
[00:07:14] mean, Tehran has launched a asymmetric asymmetric defence and they have
[00:07:18] have been able to open new fronts, fronts, different fronts in this
[00:07:21] this war, together with their allies. allies. So it's not it's an alliance,
[00:07:24] alliance, right, which shared interests. interests. It happened in Lebanon Lebanon with Hezbollah joining in
[00:07:28] in the war and then Tehran trying trying to fold in Hezbollah, that
[00:07:32] that ally in the peace process which which unravelled. And now with the
[00:07:35] the Houthis, the Houthis also saw saw an opportunity. Their fight is
[00:07:38] is with the with Saudi Arabia. But But they saw an opportunity to work work in alliance with Tehran and
[00:07:42] and for Tehran. This is a new front front to put more indirect pressure
[00:07:45] pressure on Washington. And we see see that they're publicly saying saying that this could be part of
[00:07:49] of that peace process. If there's there's a deal to be made. So two
[00:07:52] two major points that Tehran is signalling signalling they want an end to the
[00:07:55] the war across all fronts for all all of their allies, and they want
[00:07:58] want economic gains from this war.
[00:08:01] war. So it doesn't end for them in
[00:08:03] in worse shape economically than
[00:08:05] than they started before the war.
[00:08:07] war. OK. Negar Mortazavi, they're they're the Iranian journalist and
[00:08:11] and senior fellow at the centre for
[00:08:14] for International Policy. Thank you you very much indeed for being with
[00:08:17] with us. With the latest on that.
[00:08:21] that. Thank you. Now coming up, we'll
[00:08:24] we'll be talking about the very latest
[00:08:27] latest happening in the Russian parliamentary parliamentary elections because Ukraine
[00:08:30] Ukraine carried out large-scale drone drone attacks on Moscow and its surrounding
[00:08:34] surrounding region. The capital's capital's mayor called it the largest
[00:08:36] largest such attack on Moscow yet
[00:08:39] yet saying that 450 drones had been been directed at the city since Saturday.
[00:08:43] Saturday. He said that the city's city's oil refinery had been damaged.
[00:08:46] damaged. Video
[00:08:51] Damaged. Video online appears to show the facility on fire. The The regional governor said two people
[00:08:54] people had been killed and at least least six others injured, and the the attacks coincided with the last last day of Russia's parliamentary
[00:08:58] parliamentary election, in which which only pro-Kremlin parties have
[00:09:01] have been allowed to stand. Critics Critics dismissed the vote as neither
[00:09:05] neither free nor transparent, but but the Kremlin is expected to use
[00:09:08] use it to claim that the country country is united behind the policies
[00:09:11] policies of President Putin and his
[00:09:13] his United Russia party. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official said
[00:09:16] said that eight people, including including three children, were killed
[00:09:19] killed in Russian attacks in the
[00:09:21] the Kyiv and Sumy regions on Saturday.
[00:09:25] Saturday. Here's Caroline Hawley. Hawley. This is the dramatic moment
[00:09:29] moment when a drone flies towards
[00:09:33] towards and then strikes a warehouse.
[00:09:39] warehouse. And this the moment an
[00:09:40] an apartment building is hit for
[00:09:43] for Muscovites nearby. Another terrifying
[00:09:46] terrifying night with a wave of hundreds hundreds of drones and some missiles,
[00:09:50] missiles, a message delivered to
[00:09:52] to Moscow with fire. This oil refinery,
[00:09:55] refinery, just ten miles from the the Kremlin, is the capital's biggest
[00:09:59] biggest supplying fuel for the city
[00:10:01] city and Ukraine says for the Russian
[00:10:04] Russian military to. Ukrainian officials officials say the aim is to bring
[00:10:07] bring Vladimir Putin's war home.
[00:10:10] home. Moscow's mayor has called it it an unprecedented attack aimed
[00:10:13] aimed at disrupting voting in parliamentary parliamentary elections, the first
[00:10:16] first to be held since Russia's full-scale full-scale invasion of Ukraine in
[00:10:20] in 2022 and always a tightly controlled
[00:10:22] controlled affair. Two people were were killed in this block of flats
[00:10:26] flats on the outskirts of
[00:10:31] Moscow. I just left the building building when the explosion happened. happened. Glass went flying. People
[00:10:35] People started screaming and shouting.
[00:10:38] shouting. Both sides have been hitting hitting each other's infrastructure. infrastructure. There's been a spate
[00:10:42] spate of Russian attacks on Ukrainian Ukrainian petrol stations, frightening
[00:10:46] frightening for anyone filling up.
[00:10:50] up. And of course I'm scared. Everyone's Everyone's scared. We're all human
[00:10:53] human beings but we have to carry
[00:10:55] carry on living because we have nowhere
[00:10:58] nowhere else to go. Here in the eastern
[00:11:01] eastern city of Kramatorsk, a strike strike on a centre housing people
[00:11:05] people evacuated from the front line. line. This is a brutal war being
[00:11:08] being fought on different fronts.
[00:11:10] fronts. The human cost mounting all
[00:11:12] all the time. Both sides hurting
[00:11:15] hurting near Kyiv this afternoon, afternoon, another warehouse up in
[00:11:18] in flames after a Russian drone strike strike and four and a half years
[00:11:22] years in no end in prospect to any
[00:11:25] any of this Caroline Hawley, BBC
[00:11:27] BBC News. Ukrainian President Volodymyr
[00:11:30] Volodymyr Zelensky says that he and and US President Trump agreed to
[00:11:33] to meet in New York at the United United Nations General Assembly following
[00:11:36] following a phone call on Sunday. Sunday. Zelensky said that he's working
[00:11:40] working with the Americans on, quote, quote, serious steps for de-escalation
[00:11:43] de-escalation in Russia's war on on Ukraine and believes that there's
[00:11:47] there's diplomatic momentum. Well, Well, the high level UN general debate debate with world leaders will begin
[00:11:50] begin on Tuesday. We'll have special special coverage here on BBC News
[00:11:53] News with our chief presenter Sumi Sumi Somaskanda live in New York.
[00:11:57] York. Turning to Germany now, where where the country's governing party
[00:12:00] party suffered bruising results in in state elections, Chancellor Friedrich
[00:12:04] Friedrich Merz called the outcome outcome a disaster for his centre
[00:12:08] centre right CDU party after it lost
[00:12:10] lost ground in both states in northeastern northeastern Mecklenburg. Western
[00:12:14] Western Pomerania projections show show that the far right Alternative
[00:12:17] Alternative for Germany party is is on track to win the most votes
[00:12:21] votes and the CDU, with its worst worst ever result. Now it's still
[00:12:24] still unclear whether the party has has met the threshold needed to enter
[00:12:28] enter the state's parliament. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, in Berlin, the CDU also
[00:12:32] also fell behind, coming second to
[00:12:34] to Die Linke translated to the Left
[00:12:37] Left Party. It's the latest electoral
[00:12:40] electoral challenge to Mertz's leadership leadership after the AfD won a major
[00:12:43] major victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, where
[00:12:47] where the CDU saw its vote halved. halved. Well, despite all of this,
[00:12:51] this, on Sunday night, Merz vowed
[00:12:52] vowed to stay in office and enact
[00:12:55] enact economic reforms. Our Berlin Berlin correspondent Jess Parker
[00:12:58] Parker sent this report. A nervous
[00:13:01] nervous wait. Then, as the exit polls
[00:13:04] polls pop up, a shake of the head
[00:13:06] head that says it all the projected
[00:13:10] projected results just dropped here here at the election night gathering
[00:13:14] gathering for Friedrich Merz, conservative conservative CDU party. There were
[00:13:18] were no cheers. There's no celebration.
[00:13:21] celebration. But the embattled leader
[00:13:22] leader vowed to carry on with his
[00:13:25] his reform agenda. IST what we have
[00:13:28] have to do now needs a strong spine,
[00:13:32] spine, steadfastness and patience. patience. I will offer that as the
[00:13:34] the head of the CDU and as the Chancellor.
[00:13:37] Chancellor. But in Berlin his party party faces losing regional power
[00:13:40] power while they're set for a record
[00:13:42] record low result in the northeastern
[00:13:45] northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where fishermen. fishermen. UVA says the Chancellor's
[00:13:49] Chancellor's thrown away people's
[00:13:52] people's trust. Basically, he did did not solve one thing properly,
[00:13:55] properly, not one, he said. We'll
[00:13:57] We'll solve it. But he didn't. He
[00:14:00] He promised it, but nothing. Germany
[00:14:04] Germany feels gloomy. Many are anxious anxious about immigration, the economy
[00:14:07] economy and the cost of living. Friedrich
[00:14:10] Friedrich Merz's backers may argue argue that the Chancellor has had
[00:14:13] had a tough time with global events events and that a lot of the problems
[00:14:16] problems this country's facing are are ones that he's inherited. But
[00:14:19] But whatever faith people had in in the Chancellor's ability to fix
[00:14:23] fix them is fading fast. And there's
[00:14:26] there's another brutal truth it's it's pretty hard to find anyone who
[00:14:30] who likes the guy down the road to
[00:14:32] to a rally in Neubrandenburg, a party
[00:14:35] party that Friedrich Merz wanted
[00:14:36] wanted to curb and fiercely Polarises
[00:14:40] Polarises opinion keeps getting more more popular. The anti-immigration,
[00:14:44] anti-immigration, Russia friendly
[00:14:45] friendly AfD. But on either side
[00:14:48] side of this divide we find little
[00:14:50] little love for Mr Merz. He's arrogant,
[00:14:54] arrogant, out of touch, not on the the same level as the general public.
[00:14:57] public. Yeah, he's not getting through. through. He's not reaching them.
[00:15:00] them. So that's why. Yeah, it's down
[00:15:01] down the drain for him. The Chancellor's
[00:15:05] Chancellor's supporters say Germany
[00:15:07] Germany must stay steady in an increasingly increasingly insecure world. But
[00:15:10] But the danger for Friedrich Merz
[00:15:13] Merz is he already running out of
[00:15:16] of time. Jessica Parker, BBC News
[00:15:18] News in Berlin. I'm joined live to
[00:15:21] to discuss all of this by Hans-Jakob
[00:15:23] Hans-Jakob Schindler senior director director of the Counter Extremism Extremism Project. Always good to
[00:15:27] to have you on the programme to unpick
[00:15:30] unpick these kinds of results and
[00:15:32] and what they mean. So do you see
[00:15:34] see these results more of as a rebuke
[00:15:37] rebuke to the CDU and Chancellor
[00:15:39] Chancellor Merz, or are we also seeing seeing voters increasingly attracted
[00:15:43] attracted by what the AfD itself itself represents? Well, I mean,
[00:15:47] mean, first of all, it is a historic historic event. The preliminary final
[00:15:51] final result just came in a couple couple of seconds ago. And the CDU,
[00:15:54] CDU, for the first time in its history
[00:15:57] history after 1949, has missed the
[00:15:58] the voting threshold of 5% for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. That is,
[00:16:02] is, of course, as the Chancellor Chancellor said, a disaster. However,
[00:16:05] However, it is also clear that once once again, the AfD has more than
[00:16:09] than doubled its result in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
[00:16:12] Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The SPD candidate candidate Schlesinger really performed
[00:16:15] performed better than in a couple couple of weeks ago. The CDU candidate
[00:16:19] candidate in Saxony-Anhalt. But it's
[00:16:21] it's clear the AfD is gaining votes
[00:16:24] votes because there has been too
[00:16:27] too much neglect of policy areas
[00:16:29] areas that the AfD is gathering votes
[00:16:33] votes on immigration, internal security.
[00:16:36] security. With this issue of what's what's called the firewall, the Brandmauer,
[00:16:39] Brandmauer, which was meant to me me only to keep the AfD away from
[00:16:42] from power but had been extended extended in the political discussion
[00:16:45] discussion to not even addressing addressing issues that the AfD is
[00:16:48] is raising. And that makes it very very easy for the AfD, which called
[00:16:52] called the alternative to present present itself as the alternative
[00:16:56] alternative to whatever all of the the other Democratic parties are are actually presenting. I mean,
[00:16:59] mean, that's the question, isn't isn't there? There's being the alternative. alternative. And then there's having
[00:17:02] having your policies and having to to put them into action. So just
[00:17:06] just talk us through some of those those keynote policies from the AfD.
[00:17:09] AfD. And if they can actually work.
[00:17:11] work. Well. And that's the sad news
[00:17:14] news because these policy areas have have not really been tackled by the
[00:17:18] the democratic spectrum of the party. party. What the AfD is offering is
[00:17:22] is wholly realistic. They want to to end the war in Ukraine. They want
[00:17:26] want to end sanctions on Ukraine, Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and
[00:17:29] and buy again oil. They want to extradite.
[00:17:33] extradite. It varies up to 25 million million people from Germany that
[00:17:37] that are not born German or hail
[00:17:39] hail from German parents. These are
[00:17:41] are all very realistic policies.
[00:17:44] policies. However, they promise a a better future going back to the
[00:17:48] the past. So they really famous infamous
[00:17:51] infamous by now slogan of the party party in Saxony-Anhalt was let's
[00:17:54] let's go back to the good 90s where
[00:17:58] where in Saxony-Anhalt unemployment unemployment was 18%. So their version
[00:18:01] version of the past is of course course a glorified past that never
[00:18:04] never existed in that way. But because because this policy issues are not
[00:18:08] not discussed in a serious manner manner and because we have an economic
[00:18:11] economic crisis, the AfD is faring faring very well. But you can also
[00:18:15] also see in the election in Berlin,
[00:18:17] Berlin, where the other end of the the political spectrum, the extreme
[00:18:21] extreme left, has gained a major
[00:18:22] major victory. Today, one of the
[00:18:25] the candidates of the link in Berlin Berlin today called the election
[00:18:29] election day an election intifada. intifada. As major problems with
[00:18:33] with antisemitism in the party. There There is major problems in co-operation
[00:18:36] co-operation with Israeli actors actors in Berlin, and this is the
[00:18:38] the other end of the political spectrum
[00:18:42] spectrum showing the democratic parties parties in the middle need to develop
[00:18:45] develop various different offers offers and visions of what Germany
[00:18:48] Germany should look like in the next
[00:18:50] next 15 years and stop fighting by by management issues by presenting
[00:18:54] presenting the same vision. I mean,
[00:18:57] mean, clearly the political centre
[00:18:59] centre is facing issues right now.
[00:19:02] now. Briefly, does Chancellor Merkel's Merkel's position look to be in peril?
[00:19:05] peril? I mean, it certainly didn't didn't improve with this result in
[00:19:09] in both in Berlin as well as in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
[00:19:13] Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the the CDU underperformed even the worst
[00:19:15] worst of expectations. Tonight, however, however, he had just gotten the gotten
[00:19:19] gotten the support a couple of days days ago from all the CDU ministers
[00:19:22] ministers presents. The problem is,
[00:19:24] is, of course, that Mr Merz has made
[00:19:27] made some major political mistakes mistakes in the last over a year
[00:19:31] year that he's in power now. But
[00:19:33] But changing him won't change. The
[00:19:36] The core issue here is that there
[00:19:39] there is not a vision of Germany Germany that the democratic spectrum
[00:19:42] spectrum of the parties are presenting
[00:19:43] presenting clearly enough as alternative
[00:19:47] alternative policies for their voters, voters, and therefore the extreme
[00:19:50] extreme right and to a much lesser lesser extent, the extreme left is
[00:19:53] is benefiting from this. Hans-Jakob Hans-Jakob Schindler senior director
[00:19:56] director of the Counter Extremism Extremism Project. Thanks for your
[00:19:59] your time. Thank you so. Much, Princess
[00:20:02] Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer, Spencer, has told the BBC that some
[00:20:05] some of his claims about the King King in his controversial new book
[00:20:08] book will not come as a surprise surprise to his nephews, William
[00:20:11] William and Harry. Earl Spencer described described an explosive phone call
[00:20:14] call which he said took place after after Diana's death, which ended
[00:20:17] ended with the then Prince of Wales Wales saying we'll forget her soon
[00:20:20] soon enough. A claim disputed by by the palace. The earl was speaking
[00:20:24] speaking to Laura Kuenssberg, a warning warning that her report contains
[00:20:28] contains flash photography. Diana.
[00:20:31] Diana. A phenomenon the most famous
[00:20:33] famous woman in the world. Now, nearly
[00:20:36] nearly 30 years after her death, death, her brother wants to tell
[00:20:39] tell you his version of her story. story. I'm only trying to highlight
[00:20:43] highlight a problem that's going going on all around the world. That's
[00:20:46] That's all. Earl Spencer made explosive
[00:20:50] explosive claims about the now king's king's attitude in the days after
[00:20:54] after her death. His suggestion disputed disputed by the palace that Prince
[00:20:58] Prince Charles claimed she would
[00:20:59] would be quickly forgotten. But what
[00:21:02] what would her sons, his nephews
[00:21:05] nephews make of Spencer's allegations? allegations? I don't like to talk
[00:21:08] talk about what I've been speaking speaking about to William and Harry,
[00:21:11] Harry, but this will not be a surprise surprise to them. I will tell you
[00:21:14] you that. These words will not be
[00:21:16] be a surprise to them. But what are
[00:21:20] are they to make of that? As human
[00:21:23] human beings, you're telling the
[00:21:25] the world their father said, don't
[00:21:27] don't worry, everyone will forget
[00:21:31] forget your dead mother. I think think you'll want. So when I wrote
[00:21:34] wrote this book, it was a. It's a a historical record and it's also
[00:21:37] also a personal memoir. His claims
[00:21:39] claims have caused anger at the Palace
[00:21:42] Palace upset and frustration. But
[00:21:45] But Earl Spencer even suggested he'd
[00:21:47] he'd kept some memories back. I know. know. This is not a threat. It's
[00:21:51] It's a fact. I know lots of things
[00:21:55] things about the King which I chose chose not to include in the book
[00:21:59] book because they were not relevant. relevant. Sounds a bit like a threat threat if you're saying you know
[00:22:02] know other things about the King King that could be damaging to him.
[00:22:05] him. No. Not at all a threat. It's It's just the reality. I want to
[00:22:08] to give the context of what I said said and what I didn't say. I'm not
[00:22:12] not threatening. I just the point
[00:22:14] point being that if I was a salacious
[00:22:16] salacious writer and wanted to write write that sort of thing, I have
[00:22:20] have plenty of other things I could could have said and really have no
[00:22:22] no interest in doing so. Do you believe
[00:22:25] believe in the monarchy? Well, I
[00:22:28] I believe it exists and I believe
[00:22:29] believe it will continue to exist
[00:22:34] exist and I think monarchies are are generally a when they work, they
[00:22:37] they work really well. I find some some of the flummery around monarchy
[00:22:41] monarchy quite jarring. You know,
[00:22:44] know, you mentioned the statement
[00:22:48] statement earlier, His Majesty says, says, I just don't think it's healthy
[00:22:50] healthy for a human being to be seen
[00:22:54] seen in such archaic servile terms.
[00:22:56] terms. So I'm a bit more I'm all
[00:22:59] all for monarchy, but I like a modern
[00:23:01] modern monarchy. Do you support this
[00:23:06] this monarchy and this monarch? Because Because some of the claims in your
[00:23:09] your book are incredibly damning
[00:23:12] damning of the monarch of this country, country, who also people watching
[00:23:16] watching will remember has been seriously
[00:23:19] seriously ill in this last year.
[00:23:20] year. The family has had illness
[00:23:23] illness and strife and upset and
[00:23:26] and division. Do you support this
[00:23:29] this monarchy? I do. Have a funny
[00:23:32] funny way of showing it. Well, I'm
[00:23:36] I'm not dealing with King Charles Charles as monarch in this book.
[00:23:39] book. This is all 30 odd years ago. ago. And what was said and done then.
[00:23:43] then. How much do you miss her? Well,
[00:23:48] Well, every day, you know, that's that's the thing with sibling loss.
[00:23:51] loss. You never get over it. Luckily, Luckily, I have a hugely diverse
[00:23:55] diverse and happy life. One of the the reasons I call this swansong
[00:23:57] swansong actually is because it's it's my sign off. I have been Diana's
[00:24:01] Diana's brother. This is my final
[00:24:04] final take on the situation and I
[00:24:06] I have a wonderful, happy life. Gorgeous
[00:24:09] Gorgeous children, fabulous wife wife and we live this much more normal
[00:24:13] normal life than this looks like.
[00:24:16] like. And that's my future. This
[00:24:18] This is my swan song too. I'm not
[00:24:20] not here to bang on about Diana.
[00:24:23] Diana. This is my final word. Celebration
[00:24:26] Celebration of her. And I will step step off into the sunset now and
[00:24:30] and not be available for comment.
[00:24:34] comment. This is the temple and I've I've dedicated it to Diana and there's
[00:24:37] there's a wonderful silhouette, very very modern. It captures her energy
[00:24:41] energy in the middle. Yet this will
[00:24:43] will not be the last word on Princess
[00:24:46] Princess Diana controversial in life,
[00:24:49] life, controversial in death. Still,
[00:24:50] Still, there's a fight for her legacy
[00:24:54] legacy rather than a restful peace.
[00:24:56] peace. Laura Kuenssberg. BBC News.
[00:24:59] News. Now to a round-up of stories stories making headlines across the
[00:25:02] the globe. The US says it has struck struck an alleged drug trafficking
[00:25:05] trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, Caribbean, killing four people. A A video posted on social media showed
[00:25:09] showed a huge explosion after a boat boat was hit by what appeared to
[00:25:13] to be a missile. The US military military did not provide evidence
[00:25:15] evidence that those on board were were transporting drugs. More than
[00:25:19] than 200 people have been killed killed in such operations since they
[00:25:22] they began last year. Aleema Khan,
[00:25:24] Khan, the sister of Pakistan's jailed jailed former Prime Minister Imran
[00:25:27] Imran Khan, has been arrested in in Lahore. His political party PTI
[00:25:31] PTI said the detention of Elinor
[00:25:34] Elinor Khan was illegal and called called for her immediate release. release. An official in Lahore confirmed
[00:25:37] confirmed the arrest to BBC Urdu
[00:25:39] Urdu but gave no further details. details. The PTI party is planning
[00:25:43] planning a demonstration next Sunday Sunday to demand that Imran Khan
[00:25:47] Khan be freed. He's been in detention detention for three years and was
[00:25:50] was sentenced last year to 14 years years in prison for corruption in
[00:25:54] in a case that his supporters say
[00:25:57] say was politically motivated. We'll We'll have more coming up at the
[00:26:00] the top of the hour, so do stay with
[00:26:02] with us here on BBC News.
[00:27:35] of the week.
[00:29:55] online at bbc.com/business to get get the latest news wherever you
[00:29:57] you are. Business on BBC News. Make
[00:30:01] Make the connection.
[00:30:35] Streets of Gold, Mumbai. Discover Discover the world on BBC News in
[00:30:39] in association with Turkish Airlines.
[00:30:47] Airlines. India 1.4 billion people
[00:30:48] people and counting. Its growth.
[00:30:53] growth. Seems unstoppable. I can't
[00:30:54] can't say no to you. Ram. I'm a businessman,
[00:30:58] businessman, so they may say. What What the hell are you