Plus: US Republican debate verdict, and Japan releases Fukushima waters
| | | Our main news is that the mercenary leader who criticised Vladimir Putin and led his troops on an aborted march to Moscow is presumed dead in a plane crash - with defence sources suggesting Russian authorities were involved. In the US, after skipping last night's first presidential debate, Donald Trump is set to turn himself in over an alleged election plot. And scroll down for a special honour for Paddington Bear. |
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| | Top of the agenda | Wagner boss 'killed in plane crash' | | Yevgeny Prigozhin had criticised Russia's military leaders. Credit: Shutterstock |
| He was the former convict, chef and hot-dog salesman who rose to become a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin - with his 25,000 strong mercenary Wagner Group fighting in Ukraine, Syria and west Africa. But Yevgeny Prigozhin is presumed dead after a jet crashed in western Russia - its descent captured in distressing footage. Authorities say all 10 people on board were killed, with the Wagner leader and right-hand man Dmitry Utkin on the passenger list. Social media linked to the Wagner mercenary group claims Prigozhin’s private plane was shot down by Russian air defences. The Kremlin has remained silent but UK defence sources say it’s likely the FSB targeted the plane. And our security correspondent Frank Gardner says many had considered Prigozhin a "dead man walking" since Wagner’s abandoned "justice march" towards Moscow, in June. Here’s what we know so far. | | |
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| | | World headlines | • | Republicans clash: It proved a rowdy first US presidential debate, with eight candidates clashing over issues from Ukraine to abortion. North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher judges his winners and losers. | • | Meanwhile, Donald Trump: He skipped the debate but today the former president could be back on TV, facing charges over an alleged election plot. Here's why it could be different from previous arrests - with analysis from Barbara Plett Usher, at the Georgia jail where he’ll turn himself in. | • | Fukushima water: Japan has begun releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, 12 years after a meltdown at the nuclear plant. The move has prompted local protests and a ban on Japanese seafood - Tessa Wong runs through the concerns. | • | Mission success: "India took a walk on the Moon,” its space agency declared, after deploying the Pragyaan rover, having become the first nation to land a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole. Watch how correspondent Samira Hussain got caught up in the excitement at Bangalore's space centre. | • | Mission failure: North Korea wants a spy satellite to monitor potential incoming attacks and plot its own more accurately. Its first effort crashed into the sea, in May, and now a second attempt has failed, according to state media. |
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| | | Nepal's first gay marriage hits legal block | An interim Supreme Court order had directed the government to register same-sex marriages but a lower court deemed it was not bound by the ruling. | Shreejana Shrestha & Rama Parajuli, BBC Nepali |
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| Maya Gurung is a transgender woman but has not changed her gender on official documents. Her partner Surendra Pandey is a gay man. The couple had a temple wedding ceremony in 2017 but wanted their union to be legally recognised. The Supreme Court order was hailed by progressives as a historic one that would bring relief to same-sex couples in the Himalayan nation. But the couple's dreams were not to be. The district court in Nepal's capital Kathmandu refused to register their marriage… "We had many dreams, but they are now shattered," Ms Gurung said. |
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| Beyond the headlines | The gaslighting and shaming of Ireland's 'fallen women' | | Wilson says she was horrified to learn women had children taken away. Credit: BBC |
| The Magdalene Laundries, which once housed unmarried mothers and delinquent teens, are notorious in Ireland and were brought to wider attention by obituaries of Sinead O'Connor, who likened them to prisons. Now, a BBC drama The Woman in the Wall - to be screened internationally - examines the impact of abuse at the church-run institutions. Star Ruth Wilson tells entertainment reporter Steven McIntosh she was shocked to learn how women suffered. | | |
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| | Something different | One win, 17,000 defeats | Former Washington Generals on life with sport's most famous losers. | |
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| | And finally... | He's known to millions as the young bear finding his feet in London. And he looked pretty sprightly when taking tea at Buckingham Palace, during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. But Paddington turns 65 this year. And to mark the anniversary, the UK's Royal Mail is releasing stamps featuring images from cartoonist Ivor Wood's 1970s comic strip and TV programme. And, of course, there are marmalade sandwiches. Take a look. |
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| | | Football Extra Newsletter | Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League. | |
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