| | | | | | | Hello. The deaths of three hostages, shot on Friday by Israeli forces in Gaza, has intensified the focus on efforts to free those held by Hamas. Our security correspondent Frank Gardner runs through the dangers of rescue missions. We’ve a heartwarming report from the Netherlands, where various groups are tackling loneliness. And the Future Planet team charts the remarkable journey of endangered birds, led to winter breeding grounds by scientists flying ahead of them. |
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| | | | | | Questions Answered | | The perils of hostage rescue | | | | To date, only one of the Israelis taken captive by Hamas on 7 October has been liberated by force. Credit: EPA |
| | The Israeli military’s fatal shooting of three hostages, having mistaken them for Hamas fighters, is a graphic illustration of the risks involved in armed rescue attempts. One had been waving a white cloth. Israel said the men had used food to write “SOS” banners. | | | | Frank Gardner, Security correspondent |
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| | What’s the success rate of armed raids? | | In nearly every case of kidnap in history, those abducted stand a far better chance of emerging alive and unscathed through mediation and a deal. One of the first hostage cases I covered was when Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Yemen abducted 16 Western tourists in 1998. The British ambassador went to see the interior minister to press for a negotiated release of the hostages. Too late, he was told, the Yemeni army has already gone in. A quarter of those kidnapped were killed in the ensuing firefight. | | What about the successes? | | Western and Israeli special forces have spent decades perfecting the art of hostage rescue, but even then it doesn't always go to plan. Israel's Operation Thunderbolt, in Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976, rescued 102 of 106 hostages, but the commander of the Israeli commandos was killed. Today his brother, Benjamin Netanyahu, is prime minister. | | And the alternative? | | Doing a deal with kidnappers, especially those considered by many governments to be terrorists, can be a bitter pill to swallow. Hostage-takers will demand something in return. In the case of Hamas, that has meant releasing large numbers of prisoners from Israeli jails, pausing the fighting and significantly increasing the amount of aid getting into Gaza. | | | | • | Fresh hostage talks?: Israeli intelligence has a mandate to sound out the Qatari prime minister about another round of negotiations - but this time will be harder, says Frank Gardner. | | • | ‘Fear-saturated conversation’: Why US-Palestinian families are having "the talk". | | • | The latest: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he’s spoken to Israel about making the war more “surgical” and reducing civilian deaths. Follow live. |
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| AT THE SCENE | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | | How tragedy led a nation to fight loneliness | | | | Theo Nienhuijs, 74, says walking Bickel the dog means people now recognise him, and say hello. Credit: BBC | | In 2013, the body of a 74-year-old woman was found at her home in Rotterdam. She had been dead for 10 years. The discovery inspired a national campaign to combat loneliness and, a decade on, schemes range from “chatty checkouts” to student-pensioner cooking groups. | | | | Claire Bates, People Fixing the World |
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| Oopoeh runs a matchmaking website that pairs older adults who would like to look after a pet with busy dog owners. It's free for seniors, with a small charge for dog owners. "Some of our clients worry that a dog may outlive them. Or they don't have the money to pay vet bills," says director Ellen Groneman. "This allows them to have a dog part-time. It helps their physical and mental health and to meet people in their neighbourhood." Oopoeh has created 4,500 matches to date. Theo Nienhuijs, 74, is matched with Jeanette and her dog Bickel.
"When you get to your mid-70s, you can lose your connections," he tells me as we walk Bickel in a local park. "Bickel is the sweetest little dog and draws people in. People recognise me now and say hello. I've also formed a strong bond with Jeanette. If I had a problem she'd be on top of my list to telephone." An independent survey reflects Theo's experience more widely. It found three-quarters of Oopoeh users said their physical health and social contact had improved. |
| | | | • | Listen up: Catch the full podcast to hear Claire’s full report, taking in a youth club helping teenagers overcome shyness, and a soup-making session bringing the generations together. | | • | A death unnoticed: The BBC spent a week examining the story of a 58-year-old medical secretary whose death went undiscovered for two-and-a-half years. Here’s what we learned. |
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| | The big picture | | A daredevil flight to save rare birds | | | | Climate change meant scientists had to show the birds a new route from Austria and Germany to Spain. Credit: Waldrappteam |
| | The northern bald ibis was hunted to extinction in Europe 400 years ago. But, over two decades, conservationists reintroduced them, helping the wild population grow to 200. This year, they led a flock of 35 by ultralight aircraft to a new winter sanctuary, surviving storms, an eagle attack and emergency landings in the process. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | The birth of gaming | | Fifty years ago, the BBC showcased the world's first home video game console. | | |
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| | And finally... in Ireland | | You probably haven’t heard of Maureen Sweeney, a retired Irish postmistress who died recently aged 100. But in 1944, Mrs Sweeney and her husband worked as coast guards on Ireland’s west coast. Their weather reports played a crucial role in the Allies’ success during D-Day. Here’s her story. |
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| | | | | | | | Tech Decoded Newsletter | | Decode the biggest developments in global technology with a twice-weekly email. | | |
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