Plus: Rioting after the child stabbings in England, and how Simone Biles vaulted back to the top ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. There have been major developments in the Middle East, where the political leader of Hamas has been killed - hours after Israel said it had killed the military commander of another of its enemies, Hezbollah. In Europe, Sarah Rainsford explains what's behind rumours of a high-profile prisoner swap involving Russia and Germany. And scroll down for news of a lavish feast, the queen and superman of gymnastics, and a spectacular/scary dragonfly display. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Hamas leader Haniyeh killed in Iran | | Haniyeh had been key to talks over a ceasefire with Israel. Credit: Getty Images | Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has been killed in an Israeli air strike in the Iranian capital, the group has said. Haniyeh - who was from Gaza but had lived in Qatar for several years - had been a target since his group's attack killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on 7 October last year. He had been filmed smiling and waving at the inauguration of Iran's president in Tehran, where the building he was staying in was later hit by an air strike, reports suggest. It came hours after Israel said it had killed the top military commander of Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based group that, like Hamas, is backed by Iran. Fuad Shukr was killed in an air strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut, in retaliation for the weekend rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel said. The developments will fuel fears of further escalation of war in the Middle East, writes Hugo Bachega, from Lebanon.
Ceasefire talks: Ismael Haniyeh had been critical to talks over halting the war in Gaza. Our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams assesses how his death will affect negotiations.
Haniyeh's role: He was widely considered the overall leader of Hamas. But several others play prominent roles. Here's our explainer.
Reaction and analysis: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed retaliation for the killing. Our live page has the latest. | |
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WORLD HEADLINES | | UK stabbings: More than 50 police officers have been injured in rioting in Southport, where several children were stabbed - three fatally - at a dance class on Monday. The town's MP has blamed "out-of-town thugs" for the violence. | | India landslides: Rescue operations in the southern state of Kerala have resumed, with at least 158 people reported killed. Officials say 187 people are still missing. | | Counter-terrorism: Police are battling a diversity of threats - including from a worrying number of people who don't support an underlying ideology, but are simply drawn to violence, senior US and UK officers have told the BBC. | | Microsoft outage: Preliminary investigations suggest an outage affecting products including email service Outlook and video game Minecraft on Tuesday was caused by a cyber-attack, the company has said. | | Royal feast: A lavish lobster dinner thrown for King Charles III during his state visit last September cost the French president's office €475,000 (£400,000), according to the country's audit office. | |
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| Vaulting back to glory | | Simone Biles was all smiles, unlike in Tokyo when she had suffered a dangerous mental block. Credit: Getty Images | It has been a long road back to the top for Simone Biles. Having exploded into the public consciousness at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she felt the full glare of the spotlight when suffering mental health problems in Tokyo last time around. On Tuesday night she starred as USA won team gold. |
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| | | It was the moment she lay to rest the Olympic ghosts of three years ago. The American took in a deep breath as she stood at the end of a 25-metre runway, preparing to help her USA team-mates reclaim the team title they had lost in Tokyo in a final that Biles started but was unable to complete when the "twisties" struck during her vault. In front of a packed Bercy Arena, where Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and Bill Gates were among those watching, she powered on to the table and twisted off to land firmly on her feet, breaking into a huge smile as the crowd roared. |
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| | | 'Pommel horse guy': Another US gymnast delighting fans is Stephen Nedoroscik. He's been likened to Clark Kent for transforming from quiet, bespectacled, Rubik's Cube-solving onlooker to super-athlete. | | Drag sequence: A French DJ who performed during the opening ceremony has filed a legal complaint after receiving "antisemitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic" abuse online. | | Get the latest: For updates from Paris, where water quality in the Seine improved sufficiently to allow the triathlon events to go ahead, see our live page. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Pardon prompts talk of prisoner swap |
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| | | Rico Krieger had made a heavily choreographed TV confession on Belarusian state television on Friday. Credit: ATN Belarus | The authoritarian leader of Belarus has pardoned a German citizen who had been sentenced to death. Rico Krieger had been arrested in October, accused of acting as a mercenary and planting explosives. It has prompted speculation about a prisoner swap involving both Germany and Russia. Our Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford explains. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | TV dinners | Is dining in front of a screen really that bad for us? It's complicated. | |
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Medal Moments | Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | The Essential List: The week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox twice a week. Subscribe. | | In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe. | | US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday. Subscribe. | |
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