Plus: Steve Bannon pleads guilty to border wall fraud ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Israel has ordered Hamas to release its hostages or face a return to war in Gaza from Saturday. Steve Bannon, an ally of US President Donald Trump, has admitted defrauding donors in a $25m Mexico border wall campaign. And in Ecuador, BBC foreign correspondent Ione Wells meets victims of a drug war that has dominated its presidential election. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Israel threatens 'intense fighting' in Gaza if Hamas refuses to release hostages |
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|  | Netanyahu said he was ready to 'terminate' the ceasefire deal in Gaza. Credit: Reuters | Benjamin Netanyahu has told Hamas he had massed forces in and around Gaza and threatened "intense fighting" from Saturday if the militant group refused to release more hostages. In reply, Hamas said it was "committed" to the current ceasefire deal. The Israeli prime minister's ultimatum came while President Trump met King Abdullah of Jordan to discuss his plan to "take over" Gaza and expel its people. Trump said that he did not believe Hamas would heed Israel's warning, and that "all bets are off" from Saturday. Abdullah said Arab nations were preparing an alternative plan for Gaza. |
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| US teacher Marc Fogel released from Russian jail | US national security adviser Mike Waltz said Mr Fogel's freedom had been negotiated as part of an exchange deal. | Full story > |
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| Bannon admits defrauding 'We Build The Wall' donors | Trump ally avoided jail in a case where he and three others were accused of fraud in a border wall campaign that raised $25m. | What it means > |
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| 'It occurred to me I was dying,' Rushdie tells court | Author Sir Salman Rushdie told a trial in New York state of the moments after stabbing attack that cost him an eye. | The latest > |
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| Scores arrested in bid to halt Sicilian mafia revival | More than 1,000 officers were deployed in huge operation targeting the governing council of the Cosa Nostra in Palermo. | Read more > |
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| Ecuador's fight against the drug lords |  | Noboa has given the military sweeping powers since being elected in 2023. Credit: Getty | From Our Own Correspondent: Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa has made the fight against drug gangs the focus of his 18 months in power. But in an election last weekend, which many saw as a referendum on his crackdown, he failed to win outright and faces a run-off in April against his left-wing rival Luisa González. |
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| | Ione Wells, BBC foreign correspondent |
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| | The man I’m here to meet shows me a text from a notorious drug gang: “I have your dad. How much will you pay for your family's life?”
He tells me they sent a video of his father tied up while they cut off one of his fingers and demanded $100,000. Despite scraping together $5,000, it wasn't enough. "They left my father's body as a mockery with his finger in a bottle tied to his hand."
His experience is common. Most of the world's cocaine passes through Ecuador, and gangs kidnap ordinary people to extort money and finance their activities as they battle for control of the route – around seven people are reported kidnapped every day.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has responded with an iron fist since he took over in 2023 – deploying the military with sweeping powers to crush the gangs. But what happens when this force is used indiscriminately? As he seeks re-election, Noboa has faced protests over the deaths of innocents caught up in his crackdown. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Online dating origins | In 1965, thousands of New Yorkers signed up to be matched by computer. | |
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And finally... | If you enjoy watching water flow out of a bathtub's plughole, you will enjoy the spectacle offered by the Monticello Dam spillway in Northern California, which was turned on for the first time since 2019 last week. The release system creates a mesmerising sight. | |
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