Hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky have been evacuated to Crimea during a temporary ceasefire, with transport planned through Russia and Belarus, raising safety and political concerns. The town remains critically underserved, with severe shortages of food, power, and clean water. Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions escalated at a G20 meeting when European diplomats refused to participate in a joint photo including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, signaling a breakdown in relations. In Britain, police are probing alleged human trafficking links between Andrew Mountbatten-Winzer, Jeffrey Epstein, and Gilane Maxwell at Balmoral, though the latter has been convicted. Pope Leo has made history by voting in the U.S. midterm elections, following his public clashes with the Trump administration over immigration and foreign policy. In the U.S., death row inmate Krista Pike shared her ongoing pain after a failed execution. Internationally, a Swiss court affirmed a 20-year sentence for former Liberian rebel Ali Yu Koshya for war crimes during the 1990s civil war. Additionally, Activision has agreed to remove footage from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 that depicts the 2019 Eton Crush disaster, after public outcry over its use in a game about a fictional South Korean invasion. These events highlight global tensions in humanitarian, political, and cultural spheres.
BBC News with Given DeGil, hundreds of residents of the Russian-held Ukrainian town of Oleshky
are reported to have reached occupied Crimea on the first phase of their evacuation.
Dozens of buses collected them during a temporary local ceasefire.
They're being transferred via Russia and Belarus to northern Ukraine.
Aid was also delivered to the front-line town, which is suffering from a lack of food,
power and running water.
Dan Johnson is in Kiev. Some residents were reluctant to take these buses,
because the route to Ukraine is via Russia and Belarus.
They're not expected to complete the journey until tomorrow.
As also concerned, they'll be used by Russia to earn credit with the White House
for respecting the ceasefire that was broken by the First Lady Melania Trump.
The cramling described this as a one-off isolated situation,
so even if it is successful in saving the people of Oleshky,
it's unlikely to lead to a longer-lasting broad at peace.
U.S. officials hosting a G20 foreign minister's meeting have cancelled a joint photo
after European diplomats refused to stand with Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
Usually all nations attending would participate in such official pictures,
nicknamed "family photos". Our State Department correspondent is Tom Bateman.
Two officials confirmed to the BBC the cancellation of the so-called "family photo"
at the G20 in Atlanta. It's understood European diplomats refused to take part in any official
picture that would include the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
in a sign of the clear tensions behind the scenes over Russia's presence at the gathering,
hosted by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ukraine was not invited.
The country is not a G20 member but has been invited to meetings in recent years.
Police in Britain are looking into the activities of King Charles's brother,
Andrew Mountbatten-Winzer during his time at the Royal Estate of Balmoral in Scotland
with Jeffrey Epstein and Gilane Maxwell. A British newspaper is reporting that the police inquiries
relate to claims that women were trafficked to the estate. Epstein, who was a convicted
sex offender, died in 2019. Gilane Maxwell was jailed in 2022 for sex trafficking.
Andrew Mountbatten-Winzer has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Pope Leo submitted a mail-in vote for the U.S. midterm elections.
It's believed to be the first time a pontiff has voted in any secular poll,
but it it kio reports. The first U.S. citizen to become pontiff and thus the Vatican's head of state,
Pope Leo nonetheless remains registered to vote in Will County, Illinois, under his birth name,
Robert Francis Provost. His ballot will have included the option to vote for a new senator,
as well as congressional representatives and a governor. Since taking office last year,
he's clashed with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement and the U.S.
Israeli war with Iran, prompting President Trump to comment that he didn't think Leo was doing
a very good job. BBC News. The U.S. death row in mate, Krista Pike,
has released her first public statement since her botched execution in September. Pike was
discharged from hospital earlier this month after surviving two lethal injections. She said,
since then, she had not been in a moment where she had not been in physical and mental pain.
According to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as ordered, the dissolution of former President
Joseph Kabila's political party, citing national security concerns. The party had already
been suspended over the former leader's ties with the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group,
which seized the two largest cities in eastern Congo during an offensive last year.
A Swiss court has upheld a 20-year prison sentence for the former Liberian rebel commander,
Ali Yu Koshya, in the country's first war crimes trial. Koshya was found guilty of
rape and murder during one of Liberia's civil wars between 1993 and 1995. He fled to Switzerland,
where he was arrested 12 years ago. The company behind the Call of Duty video game series
will remove footage of a Halloween crowd crushing soul, which killed 159 people. The latest edition
of the game depicts the sudden invasion of South Korea by the North. Tom Giusebri has this report.
The story of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 focuses on a fictional invasion of South Korea
by the North. To illustrate that, the game uses footage of the deadly
Etoon Crush, including paramedics giving CPR and body bags lining the street.
Relieved families call that appalling, especially as the game was released so close to the
anniversary of the disaster. Call of Duty's publisher Activision says it hadn't intended to
trivialize the Etoon Crush, and the footage will be removed when the game's updated on 12th November.
That's the latest BBC News.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
Hundreds of residents from the Russian-held Ukrainian town of Oleshky have been evacuated to occupied Crimea during a temporary ceasefire, with transport via Russia and Belarus.
The evacuation route raises concerns due to the passage through Russia and Belarus, with some residents hesitant about safety and political risks.
Aid delivery to Oleshky includes essential supplies as the town faces severe shortages of food, power, and running water.
U.S. officials canceled a G20 foreign minister photo session after European diplomats refused to include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, signaling deep diplomatic tensions.
British police are investigating King Charles’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Winzer’s activities at Balmoral linked to Jeffrey Epstein and Gilane Maxwell, amid allegations of human trafficking.
Pope Leo has submitted a mail-in vote in the U.S. midterm election, marking the first time a pontiff has participated in a secular poll.
Krista Pike, a U.S. death row inmate, released a statement detailing ongoing physical and mental pain after her botched execution.
A Swiss court upheld a 20-year sentence for former Liberian rebel commander Ali Yu Koshya for war crimes committed during Liberia’s civil war, with the case being the country’s first war crimes trial.
Summary:
Hundreds of residents from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky have been evacuated to Crimea during a temporary ceasefire, with transport planned through Russia and Belarus, raising safety and political concerns. The town remains critically underserved, with severe shortages of food, power, and clean water. Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions escalated at a G20 meeting when European diplomats refused to participate in a joint photo including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, signaling a breakdown in relations.
In Britain, police are probing alleged human trafficking links between Andrew Mountbatten-Winzer, Jeffrey Epstein, and Gilane Maxwell at Balmoral, though the latter has been convicted. S. midterm elections, following his public clashes with the Trump administration over immigration and foreign policy.
, death row inmate Krista Pike shared her ongoing pain after a failed execution. Internationally, a Swiss court affirmed a 20-year sentence for former Liberian rebel Ali Yu Koshya for war crimes during the 1990s civil war. Additionally, Activision has agreed to remove footage from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 that depicts the 2019 Eton Crush disaster, after public outcry over its use in a game about a fictional South Korean invasion.
These events highlight global tensions in humanitarian, political, and cultural spheres.
FAQs
Hundreds of residents from the Russian-held town of Oleshky are being evacuated due to safety concerns. They are being transported via Russia and Belarus to northern Ukraine, with aid also being delivered to the town.
The routes through Russia and Belarus are currently being used, but residents are reluctant due to the risks involved. The journey is not expected to be completed until tomorrow.
European diplomats refused to participate in a photo with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, signaling strong diplomatic tensions over Russia's presence at the meeting.
British police are investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Winzer's activities at Balmoral with Jeffrey Epstein and Gilane Maxwell, following claims of trafficking, though he has denied any wrongdoing.
Yes, Pope Leo submitted a mail-in vote under his birth name, Robert Francis Provost, making it the first time a pontiff has voted in a U.S. election.
The game includes footage from the 1999 Etoon Crush disaster, which killed 159 people. Activision has confirmed it will be removed from the game before its November 12 update.
Chat with AI
Loading...
Pro features
Go deeper with this episode
Unlock creator-grade tools that turn any transcript into show notes and subtitle files.
PodcastTranscript AI