BBC News Briefing

2 August, 2024

Andy McFarlane

Hello. As 24 prisoners freed in a swap deal involving seven countries return home, Gareth Evans has the inside story of an agreement that was two years in the making. From Australia, Hannah Ritchie reports how the disappearance of a woman is fuelling fears of foreign interference. Scroll down for an Olympic tearjerker, fine dining in the Arctic, and lots and lots of guinea pigs.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Hugs and tears on the tarmac

Evan Gershkovich, who is balding and wears a blue checked shirt, smiles as he embraces his mother, who has dark shoulder-length hair and wears a white and blue floral blouse with beige trousers. In the background, a smiling President Joe Biden looks on from the steps of an aeroplane

Evan Gershkovich had been sent to a high-security penal colony for 16 years after being convicted as a spy. Credit: EPA

As the 16 people released from Russian jails as part of a prisoner swap tasted freedom, there were moving scenes at an air base in the US state of Maryland. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, one of three freed Americans, lifted his mother in an embrace, after being greeted on the tarmac by US President Joe Biden. The swap involved 24 prisoners from the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus, and the deal's origins can be traced to 2022. In a fascinating read, Gareth Evans explains how it unfolded: from the first hints of a deal during talks to release US basketball player Brittney Griner, through its near-unravelling over the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, to its conclusion – when US officials "held our breath and crossed our fingers" until the planes touched down.

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In Russia: President Vladimir Putin welcomed released prisoners including security service hitman Vadim Krasikov. The deal was said to hinge on his release from a life sentence for murder in Germany. Read more in our profiles.

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2,043 days: Former US marine Paul Whelan was arrested while in Moscow for a wedding party. Sarah Rainsford recounts what he told her during five years in a Russian jail, including times he felt abandoned by his country.

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'Victory lap': The deal is a feather in the cap for President Biden, but he has unfinished foreign policy business to tie up in the final months of his presidency, writes Anthony Zurcher.

WORLD HEADLINES

Middle East: Hezbollah's leader has said the conflict with Israel has entered a "new phase" after the killing of one of the Lebanese armed movement's most senior commanders. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has said the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh "doesn’t help" talks over a ceasefire in Gaza.

Venezuela election: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said there is "overwhelming evidence" the opposition won Sunday's presidential election. Vanessa Buschschlüter analyses how President Nicolás Maduro is manoeuvring to remain in power.

Sex-assault claims: An Australian senator is suing a former staff member - who says she was raped inside Parliament House - for defamation, over claims the politician helped cover it up.

Cancellation row: Former CNN star presenter Don Lemon has sued multi-billionaire Elon Musk and his social media company X, formerly Twitter, over the scrapping of a talk show deal.

What's in a name? The owner of an English beauty salon has told the BBC she has been left exhausted by a long-running legal battle with global cosmetics giant L'Oréal over the name of her business - nkd.

AT THE GAMES

Paris, France

Waving goodbye to a career at the top

Murray is the only man to win two gold medals in the singles. Credit: Reuters

The Olympics produce many stirring moments - and not always focused on gold medals. At Roland Garros on Thursday, British former world number one Andy Murray ended his career when he and doubles partner Dan Evans lost to Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul of the US.

Jonathan Jurejko, BBC Sport, Roland Garros

Andy Murray cried. Dan Evans cried. Even BBC television presenter Clare Balding cried. In the moments after Murray's illustrious career came to an end at the Paris 2024 Olympics, there was an outpouring of emotion. It was felt at Roland Garros by Murray, by his British team-mates, by the thousands of adoring fans chanting his name. "Obviously, it was emotional," said Murray. "But I am genuinely happy just now. I'm happy with how it finished."

Read the rest

46 seconds: That's how long Italian boxer Angela Carini lasted before quitting her bout with Algeria’s Imane Khelif, saying: "I had to preserve my life." Khelif was cleared to box despite her disqualification from last year's World Championships over elevated testosterone levels.

Coming up: The athletics starts today on a purple track whose makers promise a fast surface. Follow the action on our live page.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

She fled to Melbourne - then disappeared

Lolita is pictured close-up, wearing a headscarf and smiling

Lolita was abducted in broad daylight from her home in Melbourne, her lawyer says. Credit: Supplied

Lolita arrived in Australia in May 2022, saying she had fled an older man she'd been forced to marry as a child in Saudi Arabia. A year later, she vanished. It's not the first mysterious tale of a Saudi woman fleeing her homeland. What makes it compelling, says a solicitor, is there's a witness.

Read the story

Panoramic view of Longyearbyen, a town in the Svalbarg archipelago with brightly coloured homes standing out against the snow-covered landscape

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Fine dining in the Arctic

When ingredients must travel by boat or plane, chefs have to get creative.

Here's how

And finally...

A couple caring for 130 guinea pigs face the prospect of having to rehome some of them after suddenly losing the income they made from Facebook. They manage a page called Masons' Cavies that had racked up 2,000 subscribers who pay to watch live-streams from a custom-built shed. This is what caring for a hundred-plus guinea pigs look like.

Medal Moments

Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games.

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– Andy

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