Plus: Nigeria's 'miracle' pregnancy scam ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Hezbollah has fired a barrage of rockets at Israel after Beirut came under heavy bombardment over the weekend. Hugo Bachega explains how ceasefire talks are developing against a backdrop of intensifying fighting. From Laos, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes speaks to backpackers about their concerns following the deaths of six tourists in suspected methanol poisoning. In Nigeria, BBC Africa Eye investigates a "cryptic pregnancy" scam. And finally, Dutch police discover an unusual way to smuggle drugs. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Air strikes add pressure for ceasefire deal | | Authorities said several people were injured and buildings damaged in the northern and central part of Israel. Credit: Reuters | Israel's military has said around 250 rockets were fired by Hezbollah across the border from Lebanon on Sunday, with some landing near Tel Aviv, in one of the heaviest bombardments of Israel since fighting intensified in September. The attacks followed an Israeli air strike on central Beirut on Saturday, in which the Lebanese health ministry said 29 people were killed. Over the past fortnight, Israel has intensified its campaign against Hezbollah amid international efforts for a ceasefire. This, writes Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega from Beirut, appears to be a strategy to pressure the Iran-backed group to accept a deal. The talks to end more than one year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah showed initial signs of progress, with the proposal understood to feature a 60-day ceasefire, but disagreements remain.
Watch: Hugo reports from the scene of Saturday's attack, which destroyed an eight-storey residential building in the densely populated Basta district.
Combat zone: The Lebanese border town of Rmeish is home to 7,000 Maronite Christians. Despite being surrounded by firing on all sides, residents are determined to stay.
Zvi Kogan: Israel has vowed to track down the killers of a rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates. His body was recovered after his abandoned car was found an hour's drive away from his home. | |
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| Backpackers wary after suspected poisonings | | Late November is peak tourist season for Vang Vieng. Credit: BBC | A town transformed by tourism, the popular backpacking destination of Vang Vieng is bustling with activity. But after six people died in the past fortnight in a suspected mass methanol poisoning, tourists are reconsidering their drinks order. |
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| | Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Asia correspondent |
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| | For the throngs of young western travellers on South East Asia’s backpacker trail, Vang Vieng has become famous for what is called “tubing.” One described it to me as a water borne pub crawl. “I think we’re going to give the tubing a miss,” two 27-year-old women from Hertfordshire in the UK tell me (they didn’t want to give their names). “The vodka shots are part of the package, but no one wants to drink the local vodka right now.” |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Inside the 'miracle' pregnancy scam |
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| | | The initial “treatment” usually costs hundreds of dollars. Credit: BBC | Scammers in Nigeria are posing as doctors or nurses to convince women that a "miracle fertility treatment" is guaranteed to get them pregnant. Accounts of how the “delivery” happens vary, but all are disturbing. The women end up with babies they are supposed to have given birth to – but did they? BBC Africa Eye investigates. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Save as metaverse | Tuvalu is building a digital copy of itself as rising sea levels drown the island nation. | |
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And finally... | Police officers in the Netherlands found an unusual item among suspected narcotics during a large drug search - a garden gnome weighting nearly 2kg (4lb). Upon further inspection, it turned out it was made of the drug MDMA. Then again, the gnome itself hinted it was holding a secret. | |
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Six Steps to Calm | Discover a calmer future with this course of six science-backed techniques, weekly to your inbox. | |
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