Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced). Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:05MUSIC
00:00:14Live from Singapore. This is BBC BBC News. America's central bank
00:00:18bank hikes interest rates for the the first time in three years, despite
00:00:22despite fierce opposition from the the White House. President Trump
00:00:25Trump lashes out at the European European Union over what he called
00:00:27called a laughable proposal to make make Canada the bloc's first ever
00:00:31ever associate member. The Pacific Pacific island of Fiji has declared
00:00:35declared a national HIV emergency, emergency, with one in every 60 adults
00:00:39adults now infected with the incurable incurable virus. And the Asian Games
00:00:42Games kicks off in Japan over the the weekend. But the competition competition is already being hit
00:00:46hit with a series of complaints.
00:01:02We start with news that the US central bank has raised interest
00:01:05interest rates for the first time time in more than three years, in
00:01:08in a bid to slow rising prices, the the Federal Reserve increased the
00:01:11the cost of borrowing by a quarter
00:01:13quarter of a percentage point to
00:01:15to 3.75% and 4%. The Fed also indicated indicated that more rate hikes were
00:01:19were on the table before the end end of the year. Now that decision
00:01:22decision was met by a fierce reaction reaction from President Trump, who
00:01:24who took to social media to say interest interest rates in the United States
00:01:28States should be 1% or less because because we are the best credit in
00:01:31in the world by far. Our business business correspondent Samira Hussain
00:01:35Hussain has more. By raising interest interest rates, a quarter of a percentage
00:01:38percentage point in saying that inflation inflation is the big reason why the
00:01:42the Federal Reserve did what it was was expected to do. Now, The Fed
00:01:46Fed also said that, look, the US
00:01:48US economy is growing at a pretty
00:01:50pretty healthy rate, despite geopolitical
00:01:54geopolitical developments. Presumably Presumably referring to the war with
00:01:57with Iran, which is really driven
00:02:00driven up inflation. In a press conference,
00:02:02conference, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh
00:02:04Warsh admitted look, this rate hike
00:02:06hike won't reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Hormuz. Quarter point rate hike does
00:02:09does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Hormuz. And so I wonder how you think
00:02:13think the smaller rate hikes will will be effective when it can't necessarily
00:02:17necessarily address the energy supply supply side of inflationary pressures.
00:02:20pressures. We cannot affect any individual individual price, whether it be oil
00:02:24oil prices, whether it be foodstuffs foodstuffs at the grocery store.
00:02:27store. But what we can do and will
00:02:29will do is ensure that any change
00:02:32change in relative prices don't broaden broaden out. So how will all of this
00:02:35this make a difference? Well, the the Federal Reserve really made it
00:02:38it clear that this is all about the
00:02:40the American consumer and specifically
00:02:43specifically those that are less less well off, that they really want
00:02:46want to try and get the cost of living living under control. And this is
00:02:50is one way that they can do
00:02:54that. As we mentioned, The Fed decision decision didn't go down well with with President Trump. Our North America
00:02:58America editor Sarah Smith, has more more from the White House. Although
00:03:01Although he did refrain from attacking attacking personally. The new chairman
00:03:04chairman of the Federal Reserve, Reserve, who was his own hand-picked hand-picked candidate for the job,
00:03:07job, who has now defied him by putting
00:03:10putting rates up. Donald Trump wants
00:03:12wants lower interest rates so that
00:03:14that consumers would, with credit credit cards, loans, mortgages would
00:03:18would be paying less and would feel feel better about their money, making
00:03:20making them maybe more likely to to support his Republican candidates
00:03:24candidates in the mid-term elections elections in November. He will think
00:03:26think this rate rise is a blow to to his election prospects, even though
00:03:30though it is partly his own fault fault because the rise in the oil
00:03:33oil price caused by the war in Iran Iran is one of the reasons why The
00:03:36The Fed has put rates up. And don't
00:03:38don't forget how he used to try and and bully the previous chairman of
00:03:42of The Fed into lowering rates, Jerome
00:03:44Jerome Powell. He called a total total loser and a moron. He even
00:03:48even launched a criminal investigation investigation into him. And then
00:03:51then in May, when Powell stood down, down, Donald Trump got to choose
00:03:54choose his successor, Kevin Warsh. Warsh. And now the guy that he's
00:03:57he's put into that job has not only only raised rates today, he's indicated
00:04:01indicated he might well do it again again before the end of the year. year. We'll bring you more reaction
00:04:05reaction to The Fed decision in about about half an hour's time on Business
00:04:07Business Today. In the meantime, meantime, in the last couple of hours,
00:04:10hours, President Trump said the Iran Iran war is, in his words, hopefully
00:04:13hopefully nearing its end, adding adding that Tehran wants to make
00:04:16make a deal. Well, hopefully we're
00:04:19we're toward the end of the war. war. They want to make a deal and
00:04:23and we'll see how that works out. out. They're very much wanting to to make. Iran is very much wanting
00:04:26wanting to make a deal. We'll see
00:04:28see how that works. Mr Trump's comments
00:04:31comments come as US media reports
00:04:33reports that he will be meeting Gulf Gulf leaders on the sidelines of
00:04:36of the UN General Assembly in New New York next week. The meeting is
00:04:39is expected to focus on ideas for
00:04:42for a post-war strategy. Meanwhile, Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran backed Houthi
00:04:45Houthi movement has denied claims claims by Saudi Arabia that it launched
00:04:48launched a drone attack on Mecca,
00:04:51Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. Islam. The Houthis have, however,
00:04:54however, claimed to have shot down down a Saudi fighter jet over Yemen.
00:04:57Yemen. It comes after the rebel group group seized control of large swathes
00:05:00swathes of Yemen's Red Sea coast coast from Saudi backed pro-government
00:05:03pro-government forces. Our security security correspondent, Frank Gardner
00:05:06Gardner has more. On. Downed in the
00:05:13the desert, Yemen's Houthi rebels rebels displaying a Saudi Air Force
00:05:16Force F-15 fighter jet they brought brought down with a missile. They
00:05:19They may not look. The most professional professional of armies, but their
00:05:23their actions reach far beyond their
00:05:25their borders. The Houthis in this
00:05:28this shaded area here can now threaten
00:05:30threaten almost any shipping passing passing Yemen's Red Sea coast. Now
00:05:34Now remember that on the other side side of the Arabian Peninsula, the
00:05:38the Strait of Hormuz is largely blocked
00:05:40blocked due to the US-Iran war. To To get around this, Saudi Arabia
00:05:44Arabia has been pumping around 6 6 million barrels of oil a day through
00:05:48through this east west pipeline to to their export terminal at Yanbu
00:05:52Yanbu on the Red Sea. From there,
00:05:54there, Saudi tankers have been taking taking the oil south, heading for
00:05:58for the Asian markets via the Bab Bab al-Mandab Strait. But the Houthis
00:06:02Houthis are at war with the Saudis,
00:06:04Saudis, and they vowed to target
00:06:06target all Saudi shipping. The Saudi
00:06:09Saudi Houthi conflict has recently
00:06:11recently escalated dramatically, dramatically, and that helps Iran.
00:06:14Iran. Iran now can go to the Trump
00:06:16Trump administration and actually actually negotiate on better terms.
00:06:20terms. Now they don't just control control the Strait of Hormuz, but
00:06:22but actually very two important choke
00:06:24choke points and control over almost
00:06:28almost 35% of the global oil
00:06:33economy. The Houthis seen here firing firing on Yemeni government forces forces are tough tribal fighters
00:06:37fighters from the highlands. But But they've also been armed and trained
00:06:40trained by Iran. That's allowed them
00:06:42them to strike targets in Saudi Arabia
00:06:45Arabia like airports, oil depots
00:06:48depots and pipelines. All this is
00:06:50is a counterbalance to the US Navy's
00:06:52Navy's blockade of Iran's Gulf ports.
00:06:54ports. A blockade that Iran and its
00:06:58its murals say America cannot win.
00:07:01win. Frank Gardner, BBC News. I asked asked Jennifer Parker, the former
00:07:04former director of operations in in Bahrain of the Combined Maritime
00:07:07Maritime Forces, what she made of of the Houthis strategy in this conflict.
00:07:11conflict. Well, I think, you know, know, the Houthis have made significant significant progress in the last
00:07:14last week. Many people have said said that this is quite a surprise
00:07:18surprise in terms of how easily they've they've defeated the government forces,
00:07:21forces, especially along the Red Red Sea coast. I think primarily
00:07:24primarily their objectives are domestic. domestic. Of course, we know that
00:07:26that there has been a civil war in
00:07:29in Yemen since 2014. Clearly, the
00:07:31the ceasefire agreed in 2022 isn't isn't holding. But as much as it's
00:07:35it's domestic, I also think the holding holding of the Red Sea coast very
00:07:38very much assists Iran. And when when we think back to early in July
00:07:42July with the flare up with Saudi Saudi Arabia started to occur, a
00:07:45a lot of that came from Saudi Arabia
00:07:48Arabia attacking Sanaa airport because because a aircraft coming from Iran
00:07:51Iran was trying to land. And that that was a delegation that had gone
00:07:55gone to Al Khomeinis funeral. But But also, clearly, Houthi delegation
00:07:58delegation had had discussions with with Iran. So I think this is part
00:08:00part of a broader, wider Middle East East strategy as well as the domestic
00:08:04domestic issues. Yeah. It's been been reported that the Saudis actually
00:08:07actually asked President Trump to to help with the Houthi situation,
00:08:10situation, but he said no. Does the the US have the resources in the
00:08:13the region to be able to get involved
00:08:15involved in that part of the
00:08:20conflict? The US does have the resources. resources. I know there's been a a lot made about us current capability.
00:08:22capability. They still have a significant significant amount of air capability
00:08:25capability in the region to get involved. involved. But remember the US did
00:08:29did actually attack the Houthis both both in 2023 and in 2025. And those
00:08:33those air campaigns seem to be largely largely unsuccessful because Houthis
00:08:36Houthis seem to have a still a significant significant amount of capability.
00:08:39capability. That said, if the Houthis Houthis continue to attack Saudi Saudi Arabia, I think the US will
00:08:43will have no choice but to become become involved. Yeah, and coming coming back to those reports of US
00:08:47US bases being hit in the region, region, does it surprise you that
00:08:49that they seem so vulnerable? No
00:08:53No it doesn't, and that's probably probably the shocking element I've I've served there at at Bahrain.
00:08:57Bahrain. There's been a lot of us us think tank work in the last couple
00:09:00couple of years saying that the bases bases across the Middle East needed
00:09:04needed to be hardened and needed needed to be protected better. It
00:09:06It looks like much of that didn't didn't occur, which is why they were
00:09:10were so easily targeted. Staying
00:09:13Staying in the Middle East to Gaza Gaza next, where 21 people were killed
00:09:15killed in an apartment building collapse collapse overnight, officials say
00:09:18say rescue efforts have ended after after search teams found 45 injured.
00:09:22injured. Survivors, with others thought thought missing now accounted for. for. The United Nations has warned
00:09:26warned that hundreds of other war war damaged buildings in Gaza are
00:09:30are at imminent risk of collapse. collapse. The BBC, like other international
00:09:33international organisations, can't can't report from inside Gaza from
00:09:36from Jerusalem. Our international international correspondent Yogita
00:09:38Yogita Limaye sent this report. The
00:09:41The flimsy shelter of a war ravaged
00:09:44ravaged building one of hundreds
00:09:46hundreds in Gaza suddenly gave way
00:09:48way last night, killing families
00:09:51families sleeping inside. Is anyone
00:09:52anyone there? Rescuers shouted using
00:09:56using hammers, drills and their bare
00:09:58bare hands to pull people out. Heavy
00:10:01Heavy machines are in short supply. supply. There are restrictions on
00:10:05on what can be brought into Gaza.
00:10:08Gaza. Don't be scared my child. Rescuers
00:10:11Rescuers comforted six-year-old Aboud, Aboud, who was trapped next to the
00:10:14the bodies of some of his family.
00:10:16family. It took hours to lift him
00:10:18him out. A bit earlier, his sister
00:10:21sister Farial, who suffered a head
00:10:23head injury, was rescued carried carried here by her father after
00:10:27after being bandaged in hospital.
00:10:28hospital. She spoke to the BBC when
00:10:32when the building collapsed. I was
00:10:34was trapped under a wall. My grandparents grandparents died and we still can't
00:10:38can't find my mother. Farial said
00:10:41said later she found out her mother
00:10:43mother had also died. Most of the
00:10:46the victims are women and children.
00:10:48children. A rescuer carried out the the body of a little girl and cried.
00:10:52cried. She had the right to live live in a humane way. Mansoor Bakrum
00:10:56Bakrum stent was right next to the
00:10:58the collapsed building. They didn't didn't have anywhere else to live.
00:11:02live. People are living in the streets
00:11:04streets and there is no space. There's There's no decent shelter for most
00:11:08most of Gaza's people. The destruction
00:11:11destruction caused by Israeli bombing bombing is staggering. And nearly
00:11:14nearly a year since the ceasefire
00:11:16ceasefire rebuilding has not begun.
00:11:19begun. Today that's taken the lives
00:11:21lives of at least 20. They said that
00:11:23that reconstruction material will will enter Gaza and there will be
00:11:27be rebuilding. But unfortunately, unfortunately, my uncle and his whole
00:11:30whole family were killed without without getting a safe place to live.
00:11:34live. These are families who fled fled from one place to another to
00:11:38to survive. But safety remains out
00:11:41out of reach. Yogita Limaye, BBC BBC News in Jerusalem. Let's take
00:11:45take a look at some other stories stories in the headlines. The US
00:11:48US has denied Palestinian President President Mahmoud Abbas an entry entry visa to attend the UN General
00:11:52General Assembly in New York next next week. It is the second straight
00:11:55straight year the US has denied a a visa to Abbas, who gave a speech
00:11:59speech virtually last year. The State State Department has accused the
00:12:02the Palestinian Authority and other other organisations of failure to
00:12:05to reform. An official report into into a fire at a hospital in Pakistan
00:12:08Pakistan last month that killed 14
00:12:1114 newborn babies has pointed out out Systemiq failures, it said the
00:12:14the ten bed unit was overcrowded overcrowded with 15 babies and there
00:12:17there were only two doctors and two two nurses in attendance. When the
00:12:20the fire broke out. There was also also no functional smoke alarm or
00:12:24or sprinkler system in the unit, unit, and emergency services were
00:12:26were only alerted about 20 minutes
00:12:28minutes after the fire was, was noticed.
00:12:32noticed. President Trump has threatened threatened to cut trade with the
00:12:36the European Union if it pursues pursues a proposal to make Canada
00:12:39Canada the bloc's first ever associate associate member. He described it
00:12:42it as laughable and said he would would view it as a hostile act. The
00:12:46The proposal was announced by the the President of the European Commission,
00:12:49Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Leyen, and she at her EU state of
00:12:52of the Union address on Tuesday.
00:12:54Tuesday. We want to bring the relationship
00:12:57relationship with Canada to the highest
00:13:00highest level possible and dear Mark,
00:13:02Mark, I said, we must urgently reimagine
00:13:06reimagine our partnerships. So I
00:13:08I would like to work with you on
00:13:11on opening the door for Canada to
00:13:14to being the first associate member
00:13:17member of the European Union. Comments
00:13:22Comments by the EU Commissioner come come as Canada's Prime Minister Mark
00:13:26Mark Carney says Ottawa is seeking seeking a unique alliance with the
00:13:29the US as Canada's relationship with with the United States continues
00:13:32continues to deteriorate, with trade trade talks falling through and both
00:13:35both countries imposing sanctions sanctions on one another. Our Europe
00:13:39Europe correspondent Nick Beake explained explained what associate membership membership could look like for Canada.
00:13:42Canada. Well, there are a lot of of unknowns here because at the moment
00:13:45moment there's no such thing as associate associate membership for any country
00:13:48country that wants to join the European European Union. So this would be
00:13:51be something that's completely new. new. I mean, the context here is is that the Europeans have a real
00:13:55real ally in Mark Carney. He's been been side-by-side as they face pretty
00:13:59pretty similar challenges actually. actually. You mentioned President
00:14:02President Trump and his tariff wars, wars, but also both the Canadians
00:14:06Canadians have had the threat that that America would take Canada and
00:14:09and make it a 51st state. And also, also, President Trump has been talking
00:14:13talking about Greenland, hasn't he? he? Saying that he'd like to get get his hands on that that of course,
00:14:16course, being a sovereign territory territory of Denmark, which is an
00:14:19an EU member. So we don't quite know know what this would look like. This
00:14:22This associate membership, it would would probably take years for it
00:14:25it to come into existence. There's There's no such provision in EU law
00:14:28law at the moment, and all the countries
00:14:30countries currently in the club would would probably have to approve this.
00:14:33this. And all the while you've got got a waiting list of other countries,
00:14:37countries, particularly in the Western Western Balkans, who want to get
00:14:39get in. So it is certainly a striking striking political message today
00:14:42today from Ursula von der Leyen. Leyen. And a bilateral meeting between
00:14:46between Andy Burnham and Canada's Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney,
00:14:48Carney, has taken place at the Hill Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.
00:14:51Liverpool. The two leaders were attending attending the Everton Wolverhampton
00:14:55Wolverhampton match, which Everton Everton won 1-0, and Burnham says says he's been a lifelong Everton
00:14:59Everton fan, while Carney says his his fandom for the club grew while
00:15:02while living in Britain during his his seven year stint as Bank of England
00:15:06England governor. More to come here here on Newsday we'll look into why
00:15:09why cases of HIV are rapidly growing
00:15:12growing or increasing in Fiji, where
00:15:15where 1 in 60 adults is now living
00:15:17living with
00:16:17Dales to the Scottish Highlands meeting meeting people proven adventure is
00:16:20is far from offline. The Travel Show
00:16:22Show on BBC iPlayer. You're live
00:16:27live with BBC News. Fiji has declared
00:16:31declared a national emergency following following an alarming surge in HIV
00:16:34HIV cases. The Pacific island nation, nation, with fewer than a million
00:16:37million people, recorded more than
00:16:38than 2000 new HIV cases in 2025.
00:16:412025. That's a 16 fold increase from from 2019. The United Nations says
00:16:45says it's one of the sharpest increases increases of the virus globally. globally. Well, for more on this,
00:16:49this, I'm joined in studio by our our reporter Vandhna Bhan Vandhna. Vandhna. Tell us how it's gotten
00:16:52gotten this bad and gotten this bad bad so quickly. Yeah. The numbers
00:16:56numbers coming out of Suva are staggering. staggering. And health officials
00:16:58officials are saying that it's reached reached a critical tipping point.
00:17:01point. And it's like nothing that that the country has ever seen before.
00:17:04before. The driver behind it is predominantly
00:17:07predominantly an increased use of of injectable drugs. Now Fiji has
00:17:11has been caught in the middle of
00:17:13of illicit drug trafficking routes routes that are going on their way
00:17:17way to Australia, and the likes of of New Zealand. So drugs like methamphetamine
00:17:20methamphetamine and cocaine are now
00:17:22now regularly passing through Fiji Fiji waterways that weren't before
00:17:26before many years ago. You know,
00:17:30know, aside from just the shared shared use of needles, there's also
00:17:32also quite a dangerous trend in Fiji Fiji called blue Toothing, where
00:17:36where people are injecting themselves themselves with the blood of other
00:17:39other drug users to get quite a cheap
00:17:41cheap and quick high. So all of this
00:17:43this is really leading to an increased increased hike in these HIV cases
00:17:47cases like you mentioned, 1 in 60 60 adults are now living with HIV.
00:17:51HIV. Compare that to five years ago.
00:17:52ago. That was around 1 in 170 adults.
00:17:55adults. Now what's really worrying worrying is the number of babies
00:17:58babies that are now being born with
00:18:00with HIV. It was around 59 in 2025.
00:18:042025. 18 of them died just before before their first birthday. Fiji
00:18:08Fiji is also quite a culturally conservative conservative country, and there's
00:18:11there's a huge stigma around having
00:18:14having HIV, and that is just making making it all the more difficult
00:18:17difficult to contain this virus. virus. Yeah, it seems like quite quite startling. The numbers as you've
00:18:20you've laid them out for us. Is there there a risk then to the wider region?
00:18:24region? You mentioned that Fiji is is quite a transit point. Yeah. There's
00:18:27There's a concern right now that
00:18:29that this epidemic is not contained contained to a specific area or to
00:18:33to a specific population, and this this Pacific island nation is a regional
00:18:36regional hub for business, for transport, transport, for tourism, the likes
00:18:40likes of countries like Samoa and and Tonga, they often send people
00:18:44people for education, for business. business. And those countries have
00:18:47have a much poorer health infrastructure. infrastructure. Now if we're talking
00:18:50talking about tourism, New Zealand Zealand government has already issued
00:18:53issued a travel advisory going into into the school holidays for people
00:18:56people to just avoid certain activities activities that could increase their
00:19:00their risk of infection. Tourism
00:19:02Tourism is Fiji's backbone around
00:19:05around 40% of their GDP is due to to tourism, so really they would
00:19:08would be wanting to stamp this out out very quickly. And that's the
00:19:11the reason for this national emergency
00:19:13emergency to declare this so that that they can get some international
00:19:16international assistance as well. It really is quite an incredible incredible story and see how this
00:19:19this is all played out. Thanks for for coming in and talking us through
00:19:22through it. Vandhna Bhan, our reporter. reporter. Now we're just days away
00:19:26away from the opening of the Asian Asian Games in Japan, where around
00:19:29around 17,000 athletes will take take part in the competition. But
00:19:32But leading up to the games controversy
00:19:34controversy is swirling over athletes athletes accommodations, and many
00:19:37many of them are staying in wooden wooden container huts, which have
00:19:40have become the subject of heated heated criticism. Members of the
00:19:43the South Korean basketball team team have complained the beds are
00:19:46are unreasonably small, but they've they've also posted videos showing
00:19:48showing leaking pipes and soaked soaked floors. Our Tokyo correspondent
00:19:51correspondent Kurumi Mori has more. more. These Asian Games, just to
00:19:55to put it into context, are even
00:19:58even bigger than the Summer Olympics. Olympics. So this is a huge a massive
00:20:02massive event happening in Japan. Japan. Some of the athletes are saying
00:20:05saying that the accommodation just just isn't big enough. Quite literally
00:20:08literally they're saying that, you you know, the beds are not big enough, enough, especially the basketball
00:20:12basketball players. As you can imagine.
00:20:14imagine. They're also facing leaking
00:20:16leaking roofs and some flooding in in some of the areas. Japan right
00:20:20right now September to October is
00:20:22is our rainy season. It's our typhoon typhoon season in the fall. So there's
00:20:26there's also this weather. There There have been complaints about
00:20:29about the condition of the rooms
00:20:32rooms as well as the shortages we we had last week. Several hundred
00:20:35hundred athletes and officials briefly
00:20:36briefly being evacuated from their
00:20:39their accommodation after some heavy heavy torrential rain in Nagoya.
00:20:42Nagoya. So there's been a whole host
00:20:45host of complaints, some people even
00:20:47even being stranded, like the Indian
00:20:49Indian team at the airport for up
00:20:51up to 14 hours waiting for their
00:20:54their accommodation. Organisers say say they're aware of these problems
00:20:57problems and these complaints and and they are taking steps to try
00:21:00try and improve the living conditions
00:21:03conditions ahead of the opening ceremony ceremony that happens on Saturday. Saturday. Let's take a look at some
00:21:07some other stories in the headlines. headlines. The former president of
00:21:11of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, Duterte, has for the first time appeared
00:21:13appeared in person at a court in in The Hague. He's facing charges
00:21:16charges of crimes against humanity. humanity. The 81-year-old is accused
00:21:19accused of being responsible for for thousands of deaths as part of
00:21:22of what he claimed was a war against
00:21:24against drug dealers. Japan's Prime Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is
00:21:28is set to retain her market savvy savvy Finance Minister in a cabinet
00:21:32cabinet reshuffle, to be announced announced later today. This is the the first reshuffle since Takaichi
00:21:35Takaichi came into power last year, year, and she is expected to prioritise
00:21:39prioritise continuity ahead of pushing pushing through ambitious budget
00:21:42budget spending plans amidst Japan's
00:21:43Japan's unstable financial markets.
00:21:47markets. And Buckingham Palace has
00:21:49has responded to Earl Spencer, the the brother of Diana, Princess of
00:21:52of Wales, who claimed that King Charles Charles said will forget her soon
00:21:56soon enough. Days after her death. death. And the claim was made in
00:22:00in an extract from his upcoming memoir,
00:22:03memoir, which was published by the the Daily Mail. Our senior royal royal correspondent Daniela Relph
00:22:06Relph has more. Next week, Earl Spencer
00:22:09Spencer releases his new book about about his sister called Swan Song.
00:22:13Song. It's being serialised in the the Daily Mail over the coming days,
00:22:16days, and we've had the first extract extract from that book tonight. Now,
00:22:19Now, in it, Earl Spencer recounts recounts what he says was a row with
00:22:22with the King when he was Prince
00:22:24Prince of Wales in 1997 after the
00:22:27the death of Princess Diana. He says says that he told the King that he
00:22:30he didn't approve of the decision decision to have Princes William William and Harry walking behind
00:22:34behind their mother's coffin at her her funeral. He writes that the King
00:22:38King responded showing his contempt
00:22:40contempt for Diana, saying rest assured
00:22:42assured we'll forget her soon enough. enough. Now Buckingham Palace has
00:22:46has pushed back on this with real real bite to this evening. It is
00:22:50is unusual for them to respond so so forcefully. In a statement, a
00:22:53a Palace spokesperson said while while we do not comment on books
00:22:56books as a matter of principle, His
00:22:59His Majesty is mindful that the pain pain of fraternal grief can cloud
00:23:03cloud reason affect judgement and
00:23:05and colour memory in ways others
00:23:07others do not recognise. Even many
00:23:09many years after such a loss. It It is carefully worded and robust.
00:23:13robust. Sophie. And the fact that that the Palace released that kind
00:23:16kind of statement tonight is a sign sign of just how angry they are about
00:23:19about Earl Spencer's claims. Ed Sheeran Sheeran looks set to continue his
00:23:23his US tour on his own after all all of his support acts quit following
00:23:27following the decision to remove remove the rapper Macklemore from
00:23:29from the show over his pro-Palestinian pro-Palestinian comments on Gaza. Gaza. Sheeran stressed that it was
00:23:33was the concert promoters decision decision to drop Macklemore, not
00:23:37not his David Sillito has more. I
00:23:38I don't need a camera to capture
00:23:41capture this moment. Ed Sheeran and
00:23:44and a stadium sized row over his
00:23:46his ongoing stadium tour, which began began when his friend and support
00:23:49support act Macklemore said this this on stage. One of the reasons
00:23:53reasons why I wanted to come on this this tour was because I wanted to
00:23:57to stand up here on stages in stadiums
00:24:02stadiums across America and say two
00:24:04two words that are very near and
00:24:07and dear to my heart free Palestine.
00:24:11Palestine. Those words for many a a statement of political solidarity
00:24:15solidarity but considered by some some to be anti-Semitic. But free
00:24:19free Palestine means is get rid of of the state of Israel. It's very
00:24:22very clear and this is an anti-Israel anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statement.
00:24:26statement. Now again, people have have a right to say it. Don't get get me wrong, people have a right
00:24:30right to say free Palestine, but but they don't have a right to say
00:24:32say free Palestine on a stage in in front of 80,000 concert goers
00:24:35goers who, by the way, didn't pay pay for a political rally. They paid
00:24:39paid for a concert. And to hear Ed Ed Sheeran. The decision to drop
00:24:43drop Macklemore from the tour was, was, Ed Sheeran says, made by the
00:24:46the concert promoter. But it's led led to the tour's other support acts
00:24:49acts pulling out in protest, among among them Finneas, the brother of
00:24:52of Billie Eilish, who says artists artists must not be silenced when
00:24:55when they speak up for the oppressed. oppressed. And there are those who
00:24:58who feel Ed Sheeran should follow follow suit. I think. The answer
00:25:01answer is for Ed Sheeran to cancel
00:25:03cancel his tour and to say that billionaire
00:25:06billionaire owners of football stadiums stadiums in the United States of of America shouldn't be able to decide
00:25:10decide what people can and can't can't say on stage. But the tour
00:25:13tour will continue. Ed Sheeran says says he has a duty to fans and the
00:25:17the many people whose livelihoods livelihoods depend on the concerts.
00:25:20concerts. But he says it's a decision decision that doesn't mean he doesn't
00:25:23doesn't care. In a statement, he he said I am appalled by the conflict
00:25:26conflict between Israel and Palestine. Palestine. The suffering and pain
00:25:29pain caused on both sides is a human
00:25:31human tragedy. I do feel for Ed Sheeran. Sheeran. I think he's been left in
00:25:34in a really difficult decision, stuck stuck between his supporting artists
00:25:37artists who he wants to promote and and support and the promoters, and
00:25:41and I hope that people will still still go and see his show. I've got got nothing left to lose. For Ed
00:25:45Ed Sheeran. A difficult moment when when even the backing band has walked
00:25:49walked out. Pop's Mr Nice Guy is
00:25:51is trying to avoid having to pick
00:25:53pick a side in order to keep the
00:25:55the show on the road. David Sillito, Sillito, BBC News. Business Today
00:25:58Today is coming your way next.
00:27:34with highs of 36 or 37.
00:29:39and Democrats and for the American American people. For the latest,
00:29:43latest, follow us on The President's
00:29:44President's Path here on. BBC News.
00:29:48News. MUSIC
00:29:56MUSIC
00:30:06Live from Singapore now on BBC
00:30:10News, Business Today. MUSIC
00:30:17MUSIC The The US Federal Reserve has raised raised interest rates for the first
00:30:20first time in three years as it tries
00:30:21tries to combat rising prices and
00:30:25and snap launches new augmented reality reality glasses as it targets the
00:30:28the next generation of wearable technology.
00:30:36technology. Hello and welcome to to Business Today with me Steve Lai.
00:30:39Lai. US interest rates have been been raised for the first time in
00:30:42in more than three years, with the the Federal Reserve lifting its benchmark
00:30:45benchmark rate to between 3.75 and
00:30:48and 4%. The decision was unanimous, unanimous, despite President Donald
00:30:51Donald Trump calling for rates to
00:30:52to be cut to 1 or 1% or less. Fed
00:30:56Fed Chair Kevin Walsh says inflation inflation remains too high and has has not improved enough.