Plus: Surprisingly youthful Amazonian tribe, and Edinburgh Fringe's top jokes ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to Israel to push for a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. Tom Bateman and James Gregory report on what's at stake. In Bolivia, Alejandro Millán Valencia meets members of an Amazonian indigenous community who seem to age more slowly than the rest of us. We're also taking a closer look at the rise of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Finally, we hear the 15 best jokes from this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | 'Decisive moment' in Gaza ceasefire talks | | The Israeli military said it had destroyed rocket launchers used to hit Israel from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Credit: EPA | Antony Blinken said this latest round of negotiations is "a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last opportunity" to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. The US secretary of state spoke as he returned to Israel for the ninth time since the start of the conflict in Gaza that followed Hamas's deadly attack in southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. A ceasefire deal agreed in November saw Hamas release 105 of the hostages in return for a week-long ceasefire and the freeing of some 240 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Israel says 111 hostages are still being held, 39 of whom are presumed dead. The terms of a new ceasefire deal were presented in May, and recent talks brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt focus on "narrowing the gap" between Israel and Hamas.
In the West Bank: A Palestinian man was shot dead as dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a village, setting fire to houses and cars, Palestinian officials say.
Cross-border fire: Lebanon said an Israeli air strike on a building housing Syrian refugee in the city of Nabatieh has killed 10 people. Israel said it had targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot, a claim denied by the owner of the facility.
US politics: Internal party debate over the war in Gaza could undercut Democrats' harmony during the convention that is starting today in Chicago. | |
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WORLD HEADLINES | | Seym river: Ukraine said it has destroyed a second strategic bridge in a week as part of its ongoing incursion into Russia's Kursk region. | | Sunken yacht: One man has died and six other people are missing after a vessel carrying a group of international citizens sank off the coast of Sicily, according to the Italian fire and rescue service. | | High-profile abduction: Libya's central bank has announced the suspension of all its operations after its information technology director Musab Msallem was kidnapped in the capital Tripoli. | | Patrick Delaney: The boss of Foxtel - a majority News Corp-owned cable television company in Australia - has "unreservedly" apologised after an image surfaced of him performing a Nazi salute. | | Under pressure: Social media platform X has closed its office in Brazil after a Supreme Court judge threatened its legal representative in the country with arrest if it did not comply with his order to block certain accounts. | |
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| How Amazonian tribe stays youthful | | Martina Canchi Nate's ID shows she's 84. Credit: BBC | The Tsimanes are a semi-nomadic indigenous community living deep in the Amazon rainforest, 600km (375 miles) north of Bolivia’s largest city, La Paz. Scientists have found they display remarkable signs of health. |
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| | Alejandro Millán Valencia, BBC News Mundo |
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| | As Martina Canchi Nate walks through the Bolivian jungle, red butterflies fluttering around her, we have to ask her to pause - our team can’t keep up. Her vigour is not unusual for Tsimanes of her age. Scientists have concluded the group has the healthiest arteries ever studied, and that their brains age more slowly than those of people in North America, Europe and elsewhere. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Inside the rise of Mohammed bin Salman |
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| | | The crown prince grew up in a palace in which bad behaviour had few, if any, consequences. Credit: BBC | Saudi Arabia's ruler, King Salman, is now aged 88. When he dies, his 38-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman could rule the country for the next 50 years. In fact, the crown prince is already considered by some as Saudi Arabia's de facto leader. Jonathan Rugman traces the rise of a young man with much to prove and a refusal to obey anybody’s rules other than his own. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Best beach reads | If you're not sure which book(s) to bring on holiday, here are some suggestions. | |
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And finally... | A witty pun about a sailing trip has been named the funniest joke at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, an annual comedy event. The award is chosen by members of the public from a shortlist drawn up by judges, and comedian Mark Simmons's joke was ranked among the best by 40% of those surveyed. Take a look at the top 15 jokes and pick your favourite. | |
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Football Extra | Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. | |
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