| | | | | | | Hello. Iran has reported nine deaths after missiles from Pakistan hit the Sistan-Baluchestan border province. Diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams explains how these attacks fit within the context of tensions across the Middle East. In Bulgaria, two former people smugglers share their experiences with correspondent Nick Thorpe to dissuade others from following that path. From Kochi, Meryl Sebastian looks at why an Indian island chain isn't rejoicing at the prospect of mass tourism. Scroll to the bottom to marvel at the oddities and the spectacle of sub-zero temperatures. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Pakistan and Iran's complicated relations |  | | Analysts said Pakistan's response was not surprising and matched Iran's. Credit: BBC |
| | Pakistan has hit targets in Iran's south-eastern Sistan-Baluchestan province. According to Tehran, nine people were killed, none of them Iranian nationals. Iranian state media said missiles struck near the city of Saravan, close to the border with Pakistan and its Balochistan province. Iran had targeted that area on Tuesday in an attack that, according to Islamabad, killed two children. Pakistan and Iran have long accused each other of harbouring militant groups that carry out attacks from regions along their shared border. Iran's recent missile strikes send a message to its enemies – especially Israel and the United States – that it’s more than capable of hitting targets well beyond its border, writes diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams. According to retired Lt Gen Asif Yaseen, a former Pakistani defence secretary, Islamabad would have been under pressure to respond. And, as Adams puts it, each has "perhaps, met the demands of public opinion". | | • | Iran's missile capabilities: The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps are showing that Tehran has become a major regional military power, writes BBC Persian's Jiyar Gol in his analysis of the country's arsenal. | | • | Meanwhile, in Yemen: The US said it had carried out a fourth round of strikes against Houthi targets, after the Iran-backed group attacked a US-owned and operated vessel for the second time this week. | | • | Get the latest: Pakistan's careful language in describing the strikes mirrors Iran's, writes correspondent Carrie Davies. Follow our live page for up-to-date news and analysis. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | North Korea: Rare footage obtained by BBC Korean shows the public sentencing of two teenage boys to 12 years of hard labour for watching K-dramas. | | • | 'Suitcase killer': An American woman who helped kill her mother and stuff her body in a suitcase during a 2014 holiday in Bali has been sentenced to 26 years in prison. | | • | Ecuador violence: A prosecutor investigating the storming of a TV studio by masked gunmen last week has been shot dead, officials say. | | • | El Salvador: A 28-year-old woman who was convicted under the country's strict anti-abortion laws has been freed from prison after seven years. | | • | 'A very funny police film': Arnold Schwarzenegger was held at a German airport for allegedly failing to declare a luxury watch. The actor, politician and campaigner was eventually able to pay the tax, but only after overcoming a number of problems. |
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| AT THE SCENE |  Septemvrytsi, Bulgaria | | Turning their backs on people smuggling | | The Balkan migration route has overtaken the Central Mediterranean route for numbers of irregular border crossings. People smugglers get paid handsomely to take migrants to the border but, for some, the risks are not worth the rewards. |  | | Nick Thorpe, East and Central Europe correspondent |
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| | Romania is on the far shore, Serbia across the land border to the west. Smugglers further up the chain come here to recruit drivers, to take migrants across Bulgaria, from the Turkish border to the Serbian frontier. Slavi was paid €50 (£43) per migrant, for the runs from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to the border. "It was good for the migrants who were escaping and it was good for me too. I don't see it like that now, but that's how it was then." he said. "We gave them something to eat. I think we were helping those people. They were looking for a new life, a better life." But Slavi remembers vividly the day he and his fellow smugglers were caught. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | The Indian islands bracing for mass tourism |  | | Experts say any development in Lakshadweep will need to balance livelihood concerns with climate change fears. Credit: PMO |
| | India's diplomatic spat with neighbouring Maldives has put the spotlight on Lakshadweep, a territory in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kerala. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked a surge of interest in Lakshadweep when he visited earlier this month, promising a slew of development projects to turn the island chain known for its silver beaches into a mass tourist destination to rival Maldives. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Many ways to travel | | Destinations are realising disabled tourists are a major, underserved market. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | Extremely cold temperatures like those experienced this past week in much of North America and northern Europe offer an opportunity to explore the weird and sometimes wonderful things that can happen in frigid weather. One thing I learned from this video is that sound travels further in cold weather, but take your pick. |
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– Sofia |
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