BBC News Briefing

4 April, 2024

Jules Darmanin

Hello. Today we're hearing from Nick Beake, in Estonia. He reports on some Nato members' efforts to spur military service in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Israel is bracing for a response from Tehran after two Iranian generals were killed in Syria. I have other stories on Alzheimer's, fictional seas, and Italian goats.

GET UP TO SPEED

Thieves stole tens of millions of dollars from a Los Angeles cash storage facility on Easter Sunday, with their crime only discovered the next day.

Russia is running a disinformation campaign to undermine the Paris Olympics, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Christianity's oldest religious book, according to auction house Christie's, is going on sale in June. Take a look.

AT THE SCENE

Estonian-Russian border

Russia’s neighbours ready themselves

Two Estonian soldiers in full combat gear are chatting in a forest.

Russia would face defeat if it attacked Estonia, believes Captain Mikk Haabma (R). Credit: BBC

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, conscription is being rebooted in Latvia and Sweden and expanded elsewhere. Those living on Russia's doorstep are urging their Nato allies further afield, including the UK, to follow suit. In Estonia, military service is seen as integral to defence.

Nick Beake, Europe correspondent

Rain drips from the glasses of new recruit Toivo Saabas, tracing the contours of the green and black face paint that completes his camouflage. Lying on the saturated ground, and peering through the sight of his gun, the only frailty that threatens to give away his position is the plume of air he breathes out silently into the icy Estonian forest. Then comes the deafening call to attack.

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The 25-year-old springs to his feet. Forming a line with his brothers in arms, he bounds through the trees towards the Russian border. As he advances to the clatter of enemy fire, the Southampton University mechanical engineering graduate knows that one day this could all be for real. "We're practising for any threat," he says. "We're ready for anything that comes to Estonia and we're ready to defend the country." Toivo, from the capital Tallinn, is among the current crop of young Estonians undergoing their military service - a duty all men over 18 must to carry out. For women, it's voluntary.

Read the rest

'Stronger together': Nato was celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. "I don't believe in America alone just as I don't believe in Europe alone", its secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said.

View from London: Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has ruled out Western troops being sent into Ukraine.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Israel on high alert over Iranian response

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi sits at a meeting table with two other officials in the background.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) says Israel "will pay a heavy price". Credit: Reuters

Israel is bracing for a response from Tehran after two Iranian generals were killed in Syria by a strike widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

Hugo Bachega, Middle East correspondent

What has been happening?

The Israeli authorities seem to believe an Iranian response is imminent following the strike on an Iranian diplomatic consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack killed two Iranian generals and five others. It sparked an angry reaction from Tehran and threats of revenge.

What is Iran saying?

President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel "will pay a heavy price" for its "criminal actions". Friday is considered to be a particularly sensitive day as it marks Quds Day - or Jerusalem Day - the last Friday in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

How has Israel reacted?

On Wednesday, the Israeli military announced it had drafted reservists to boost air defences. This morning, it said it had halted home leave for combat units. Meanwhile, GPS systems were being disrupted in central parts of the country, including areas of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in an apparent attempt to fend off guided missiles that use those systems. A BBC producer said her GPS had located her in Cairo when she was in Jerusalem. Separately, the Israeli army told the population that there was no need for them to buy generators, gather food or withdraw money, which is likely to be an indication of the mood across the country.

What Iran can do

Israel readies itself: Here's more from Hugo on the GPS scrambling as authorities urge Israelis not to panic-buy.

Biden-Netanyahu call: Israel must make changes in Gaza in "the coming hours and days", US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, after a phone conversation between the US president and the Israeli Prime Minister. It is the most "strident US statement" so far, writes Tom Bateman.

THE BIG PICTURE

The answers on Alzheimer's

Illustration showing neurons affected by Alzheimer's.

Brains with Alzheimer's are known to feature proteins called amyloid and tau. Credit: Getty Images

Thousands of people in the UK will be offered a blood test for dementia as part of a trial by memory clincs. Researchers hope to improve early diagnosis of the disease. But what are the early symptoms of the condition, and can it be treated? Our health correspondents James Gallagher and Philippa Roxby get to the most pressing questions.

Read their story

Bioluminescent plankton makes the sea shore looks fluorescent in the night

FOR YOUR DOWNTIME

Chasing the Sea of Stars

One of the Maldives' top tourist attractions is part fact, part fiction.

Find out more

And finally... in Italy

The mayor of a remote Sicilian island where there are six times more goats than humans is trying to get rid of the horned ruminants. Applications to "adopt a goat" are now open, and must be received by 10 April.

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– Jules

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