| | | | | | | Hello. The killing of the deputy head of Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, in Lebanon, has increased fears of the Gaza war spilling into a wider conflict. Diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams looks into the risks for Israel and the region. In Ukraine, Orla Guerin tells the story of two young women who were killed in a Russian strike. We also have the latest from Japan, which is reckoning with the aftermath of a powerful earthquake and the collision between an airliner and a smaller aircraft. Finally, get to know the 16-year-old who has taken the UK by storm with his talent for playing darts. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Calls for restraint after al-Arouri's killing |  | | Saleh al-Arouri helped establish Hamas's military wing. Credit: Getty Images |
| | Saleh al-Arouri, the 57-year-old deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, had long been seen as a top Israeli target. As chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet writes, Israel doesn't usually confirm or deny operations like the explosion in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, that killed the senior official and other Hamas members on Tuesday. Diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams explains that the assassination carries risks for Israel and the wider region. Militant group Hezbollah, which controls the Beirut neighbourhood where the blast occurred, has been exchanging fire with Israel along its border with Lebanon for months, since Israel started bombing Gaza in response to the deadly 7 October Hamas attacks. Hezbollah has vowed to respond to al-Arouri's killing, increasing concerns of more intense fighting, and the potential involvement of Iran, the group's powerful backer. French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the voices calling for restraint, alongside the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. And while attention shifts away from Gaza, Palestinians displaced by the war continue to face hardship and air strikes. Follow our live page for the latest. | | | | |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Japan Airlines: Crew and passengers have been praised for executing a speedy evacuation of the aircraft that burst into flames on a Tokyo runway. Aerial footage shows the burnt out carcass of the plane, as details of the collision with a smaller coastguard aircraft remain unclear. | | • | Ishikawa earthquake: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said emergency services are "in a race against time" to rescue survivors, with at least 64 people confirmed to have died as a result of the powerful quake. | | • | US election: Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has appealed against the decision by Maine's top election official to remove him from the ballot for the 2024 presidential vote. The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court. | | • | Foreign connections: US prosecutors have accused New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez of accepting bribes, including tickets to car races, from Qatar. A lawyer for the senator, who also denies acting as an agent of Egypt, has dismissed the allegations. | | • | Faux pas: A man who tried to claim a 30,000 Australian dollars (£16,100; $20,340) refund for limited-edition sneakers that he then thought to be fake has seen his case thrown out after authorities found he knowingly bought the shoes from a teenager. |
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| AT THE SCENE |  Zaporizhzia, Ukraine | | Requiem for two young Ukrainians | | As Russian missiles continue to strike Ukrainian towns, it can be difficult to properly report on the civilians killed. This is the story of two young women who bonded through a shared love of music, and were killed shortly after performing a a well-known Ukrainian song called Winning The War. |  | | Orla Guerin, Senior international correspondent |
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| | The twin graves are a blaze of colour, stacked with wreaths, and topped with blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags. The graves stand out - as if calling attention to the youth and talent that have been taken. Kristina and Svitlana came together in wartime, bonding over a love of music and a love of Ukraine. On 9 August they were singing outside a supermarket on a busy street in their hometown of Zaporizhzhia - Svitlana, 18, on guitar, and Kristina, 21, on vocals. Their performance was recorded on a phone. It is haunting to watch. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Democracy in chaos in DR Congo |  | | The vote, which was supposed to last just for one day, continued for five days in some places. Credit: Getty Images |
| | Opposition candidates have disputed the result of the Democratic Republic of Congo presidential vote last month. Analyst Jason K Stearns writes that the election was "complex" and deserving of many adjectives, such as "flawed, chaotic, historic, complex, rigged". | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | More than a pretty face | | Science suggests other qualities are more important than looks in finding love. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | Even people with little interest in pub games have been following the remarkable rise of 16-year-old Luke Littler in the world of darts. Not only has he become the youngest player to win a match at the PDC World Championship, he reached the final, after defeating 2018 champion Rob Cross. But, as home video footage shows, he was a sensation with "the arrows" even as a toddler. |
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