Plus: Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks collapse in Qatar, source says.
| | | | | | | Hello. The US House of Representatives voted today to expel George Santos, thinning a bit more the Republican majority in the lower chamber. Our correspondent in DC Anthony Zurcher tells us what’s next. My Ethiopian colleague Girmay Gebru reports from Aksum, in the northern region of Tigray. The holy city was a focal point of the country’s brutal civil war, and has hosted its first Orthodox Christian pilgrimage since the peace deal was signed last year. But first, some updates from the Middle East and Ukraine. |
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| | | | Get up to speed | | • | A source close to the ceasefire talks in Qatar says negotiations between Israel and Hamas about hostages have collapsed, our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams reports. | | • | Ukraine's security service has blown up a rail connection in eastern Russia, a senior Ukrainian official said. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a quick reinforcement of his country’s front lines. | | • | At COP28 in Dubai, world leaders have for the first time promised to tackle the huge responsibility that food and agriculture have in climate change. |
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| | Questions Answered | | George Santos ousted by US House of Representatives | | | | George Santos leaves the US Capitol after the House voted to expel him. Credit: EPA |
| | Members of the US House of Representatives have voted 311-114 to remove New York Republican George Santos. The ousted congressman is charged with multiple crimes, causing colleagues to declare him unfit to serve. Before the vote, Mr Santos called efforts to expel him "bullying" and allegations against him "slanderous”. | | | | Anthony Zurcher, North America correspondent |
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| | What changed between the first two unsuccessful ouster votes and this one? | | A damning ethics committee report, with extensive details of alleged campaign and personal corruption by Santos, was published. Enough Republicans in the chamber were happy to be rid of the ongoing Santos embarrassment, even if the party’s leadership opted not to support the removal - perhaps fearing the precedent it would set and eying a dwindling House majority. Now Santos is left to defend himself against the multiple criminal charges he faces. | | What happens next? | | A special election will be held sometime in the next three months. Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for what is likely to be a furious and expensive contest. | | Who might take part in that? | | Democrats who had already been lining up to run for the seat in next November’s general election will have to decide if they want to throw their hat into the ring for the earlier contest. Foremost among them is Tom Suozzi, who beat Santos in 2020. Given his name recognition in the district, he is the favourite to get his party’s backing. There is no clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination yet. Whoever does get the nod, however, is sure to have the support of the national Republican Party. Santos' district was won by Joe Biden by approximately 8% in 2020. | | | | • | ‘I hate that I helped George Santos’: Former staff and friends of Mr Santos tell Madeline Halpert they have felt betrayed by his lies. A spokesperson for his office said it did not comment on personal allegations. | | • | A rare event: It’s only the sixth time in American history the House kicks out one of its own elected members. Here’s the history behind the five others. |
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| AT THE SCENE | Aksum, Ethiopia | | A peaceful pilgrimage after a deadly war | | | | Worshippers from across Ethiopia - who had been on different sides of the conflict - came to Aksum in the spirit of peace. Credit: BBC | | As many as half a million Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have descended on the holy city of Aksum for a yearly religious festival, local authorities said. This is the first time the pilgrimage is taking place since the civil war in the northern region of Tigray ended. | | | | Girmay Gebru, BBC Tigrinya |
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| Ethiopian Orthodox Christians say Aksum is home to the Ark of the Covenant, believed to contain the 10 commandments handed down to Moses by God - and later brought to the city from Jerusalem. It is constantly under guard at the city's Our Lady Mary of Zion Church and no-one is allowed to see it. Pilgrims gather near the church to mark the festival of St Mary of Zion, which falls at this time.
Aksum was the focal point of the two-year civil war which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and ended just over a year ago. Medhin Gebre Anenia had travelled more than 1,000km from the federal capital, Addis Ababa. During the conflict she had been worried about her family in Tigray but is now happy that things are relatively peaceful in the region. During the festival, priests prayed and gave thanks to God for the peaceful situation. This is a normal prayer at this gathering, but it has special poignancy in the wake of the conflict. |
| | | | • | The basics: Learn more about Ethiopia’s history thanks to BBC Monitoring’s country profile. | | • | Far from total peace: Accusations of rape over the past year show that the deal ending the civil war hasn’t fully stopped attacks on civilians. |
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| | | | The big picture | | How Buckingham Palace got stuck in a translation row | | | | The Dutch translation of royal book Endgame has been taken off shelves. Credit: Reuters |
| | The Dutch version of a book on the Royal Family has been causing headaches for Buckingham Palace. A few stray lines in the translation of Endgame, by Omid Scobie, named the royals alleged to have discussed the skin colour of Prince Harry and Meghan's first child before his birth. Mr Scobie is adamant he never wrote those words, and the Dutch book has been taken off the shelves. But how can the Royal Family respond to such a speculative story about topic this sensitive? Royal correspondent Sean Coughlan examines the conundrum. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | December’s best | | Critic Nicholas Barber selects 10 must-watch movies hitting the screens this month. | | |
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| | And finally... in Canada | | Two documentary filmmakers who were scouring the bottom of Lake Huron for invasive mussels instead found a 125-year-old shipwreck. Take a look at the footage of what’s believed to be the Africa, a steamboat that had been due to deliver coal from Canada to the US before sinking on 4 October 1895. |
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| | | | | | | | Influential with Katty Kay | | In-depth and unexpected conversations with today’s change makers. | | |
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– Jules |
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