this is bbc news. the headlines: nato condemns russia for its dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric a day after president putin said that moscow would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in belarus. nato says that it remains vigilant but hasn t seen changes in russia s nuclear posture would make them a leader to adjust its own. president biden has ordered the federal aid be sent to mississippi as emergency services work to help hundreds of people who have been left homeless by a tornado. at least 20 25 people died in mississippi and one was killed in alabama. people are voting to decide whether berlin should be carbon neutral by 2030. critics say that the timeframe is unrealistic. donald trump has launched his campaign to return to the white house with a rally for supporters in the state of texas. he used the platform to attack those who are seeking to put him behind bars. you are watching bbc news. now it is time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, from prague, i m stephen sac
so, is europe still ready and willing to do whatever it takes to back kyiv? president petr pavel, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. i must start, mr president, by congratulating you on your recent inauguration. but i must admit, it doesn t really make sense that you are sitting here with me as president of the czech republic, becausejust a few short years ago, you said, i am a soldier at heart. i do not intend to transform into the role of a politician. so what happened 7 every soldier is used to serve his country, and wherever one sees that his country is in danger, it s like a call, a call of duty. so, i saw my own country being threatened by populism, and there was a quite serious risk that our future president will be very similar to what is viktor orban for hungary. and i simply didn t want something like that to happen to my country. the ukraine war was also a big factor in the election campaign. mr babis accused you of being, and i use his own word, a warmon
officials say they d have an unfair advantage due to increased strength and muscle mass. now on bbc news, it s hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, from prague, i m stephen sackur. vladimir putin hoped that europe s determination to stand with ukraine after russia s invasion would not last. he counted on a winter energy crisis and economic disruption to weaken european resolve. has that happened 7 well, my guest today is the newly elected president of the czech republic, petr pavel. now, he is a former nato general and a staunch ally of ukraine. so, is europe still ready and willing to do whatever it takes to back kyiv? president petr pavel, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. i must start, mr president, by congratulating you on your recent inauguration. but i must admit, it doesn t really make sense that you are sitting here with me as president of the czech republic, because just a few short years ago, you said, i am a soldier at heart. i do not intend
takeaways, restaurants and cafes in england will have to stop using plastic cutlery, plates and bowls from october, as part of a new government plan to tackle plastic pollution. we begin in ukraine, where russia has launched missile strikes across the country hitting residential areas, as well as energy infrastructure, plunging much of ukraine into an emergency blackout. this is the city of dnipro, where at least five people were killed and dozens injured when an apartment building was struck on saturday. according to the regional governor, several children were among those hurt. rescue workers are still combing the rubble for survivors. ukraine s president zelensky spoke earlier. translation: in the city of dnipro, a residential. building was destroyed as a result of this russian strike. dozens of injured and traumatised people were rescued and being treated. clearing operations are ongoing and will continue throughout the night. how many people are under the rubble is sti
the us and the uk have condemned iran after it executed a british iranian citizen accused of spying. washington says it s horrified by the execution, while british prime minister rishi sunak said the hanging of alireza akbari was callous and cowardly and would not go unpunished. the uk has imposed sanctions on iran s prosecutor general because according to the government he s at the heart of iran s use of the death penalty. our diplomatic correspondent, caroline hawley, reports. news of the execution came on state run television early this morning, despite repeated last minute appeals from the uk. alireza akbari is thought to have acquired british citizenship after investing here and to have lived in the country for several years. his brother told bbc persia he had been enticed back to iran by his former boss, under whom he once served as deputy defence minister. the government responded swiftly, the prime minister saying he was appalled by a callous act carried out by