Lee Jae-myung: South Korea opposition leader stabbed in neck on visit to Busan

South Korea's opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has been stabbed in the neck during a visit to the city of
Busan.

Mr Lee, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, sustained a 1cm laceration on the left side of
his neck, reports said.

He was airlifted to hospital. Doctors say the wound is not life-threatening.

The 66-year-old man who attacked him said he had intended to kill Mr Lee, Yonhap news agency
reported. The motive for the attack is unclear.

The brazen daytime attack shocked the nation and prompted condemnation from political parties and
politicians, including current President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Mr Lee, who leads the Democratic Party of Korea, was addressing reporters at a news conference during
a visit to a construction site in the port of Busan on Tuesday morning when the stabbing happened.

The attacker reportedly approached him to ask for an autograph, before suddenly lunging forward to
stab him. The weapon was an 18cm (7in) knife which the attacker said he bought online, police said at a
media briefing. The attacker was immediately overpowered and arrested.

Prosecutors plan to bring attempted murder charges against the man, Yonhap said.

Videos of the attack posted on social media show Mr Lee first collapsing into the crowd and then onto
the ground, while several people try to restrain the attacker. Photographs after the incident show Mr
Lee lying on the ground with his eyes closed as someone presses a handkerchief to the side of his neck.

spokesman for Mr Lee's party said medical staff suspected injury to his jugular vein, which carries blood
from the head to the heart. Mr Lee would have to undergo surgery as they were concerned about
further bleeding, the spokesman, Kwon Chil-seung, said.
"After being transferred to Seoul National University Hospital, we plan to operate quickly. We strongly
condemn the attack and consider it a clear act of democracy destruction," he said.

Mr Lee, 59, currently holds a seat in Incheon in South Korea's legislature. He is widely expected to run
for a seat in the next general election, which will take place in April.

He narrowly lost the 2022 presidential elections - by a mere 0.73% difference in votes - to Mr Yoon,
making it the closest presidential race in South Korean history. He is widely expected to stand in the next
presidential elections in 2027.

Since losing the vote, he has been indicted on corruption and breach of trust charges, with prosecutors
accusing him of allowing private developers to profit illegally from a property project while he was
mayor of Seongnam, a city of 1 million people to the south of Seoul. Mr Lee has denied those charges,
calling them politically motivated.

In September a court dismissed a request from the prosecution for him to be held in custody while he
awaited trial on the charges. Prosecutors are still investigating him on a number of other cases linked to
corruption while he was in office.

The court's order came three weeks after Mr Lee staged a hunger strike to protest at Mr Yoon's foreign
and domestic policies. Mr Lee required hospital treatment after not eating for 19 days.

South Korea's crime rate is generally low, although the country saw a rise in mass stabbing attacks last
year. The country has strict regulations around possession of guns and other weapons, and most public
figures are not usually under tight security protection.

There have been a number of previous cases of South Korean politicians being physically attacked with
weapons.

In March 2022, Mr Lee's predecessor as Democratic Party leader, Song Young-gil, was attacked with a
blunt object while campaigning for Mr Lee. He sustained a laceration.
In 2006, conservative party leader Park Geun-hye, who later became president, was attacked with a
knife which left a scar on her face.

In 1979, her father Park Chung-hee, who was president for 16 years, was shot and killed by his spy chief
at a private dinner.

Thailand and China to waive visa requirements from March

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Thailand and China to waive visa requirements from March

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The Sanctuary of Truth Museum, Pattaya, Thailand

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,

The Chinese are the second largest group of foreign visitors to Thailand, after the Malaysians

By Kelly Ng & Thanyarat Doksone

in Singapore and Bangkok

Thailand and China will permanently waive visa requirements for each other's citizens from March, Thai
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said.

Thailand waived visas for Chinese nationals in September in a bid to boost tourist arrivals.

The programme saw strong response at a time when Thailand was starting to lose its appeal for Chinese
travellers.
More than 22,000 Chinese entered the Southeast Asian nation in the first two days of the waiver,
authorities said.

"Right now we're ready to open the country and to take good care of tourists in both countries mutually.
This is welcoming news," Mr Srettha said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"This is an upgrade to the relations [between Thailand and China and a boost to the significance of Thai
passports," he said.

The Chinese are the second largest group of foreign visitors to Thailand, after Malaysians.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand said in November that it expected up to 3.5m Chinese visitors for the
whole of 2023 - which is still short of its 4m-target.

This is less than half the nearly 11 million Chinese tourists who went there in 2019, but would still mean
a marked improvement from 2022, when it received just 270,000 of them.

A shortage of low-cost flights post Covid and a slowing Chinese economy are among the reasons why
tourists are reluctant to visit Thailand. But some people have also raised safety concerns, after rumours
that tourists have been kidnapped and sent across the border to work in scam centres in Myanmar or
Cambodia. Tourists were also nervous following a shooting in Bangkok's most famous shopping mall that
killed a Chinese mother of two children in October last year.

The tourism authority has set a target of 8.2m Chinese tourists for 2024.

China too has been waiving visa requirements to entice tourists.

Last November, it announced a visa-free trial for visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
Spain and Malaysia.
The programme, which started in December, will last till the end of November this year

Ukraine hit again after Putin vows intensified strikes

Russian missiles have hit Ukraine's biggest cities, leaving four dead and dozens hurt, after Vladimir Putin
vowed to intensify attacks.

A woman was killed and 41 others were hurt in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, according to local
officials.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said at least one person died and 16 people were wounded when debris
from a downed missile hit a block of flats.

Two more deaths were reported in the broader Kyiv region.

There have been major aerial assaults by both sides in recent days.

Russia launched its biggest aerial bombardment of the war late last week, killing 39 people. Ukrainian
forces responded with an attack on the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday, which killed at least
25 people and injured more than 100.

Russia's Vladimir Putin vowed that attack would not go unpunished.

Ukraine's air force said on Telegram early on Tuesday that it had downed 35 drones launched by Russia
on Monday night. Russian strategic bombers then followed up the drone strikes with further attacks
involving cruise and supersonic missiles, according to Ukrainian reports.

Kyiv officials said debris from Russia's attacks had hit high-rise flats, warehouses and supermarkets, and
that an elderly woman had died of her wounds. Power and water supplies were cut to several areas of
the capital and gas pipelines were damaged in one district.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said the centre of the city was hit and the air force said it
was prepared for further attacks.

The mayor of Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, said air defences had brought down drones in the city, with
debris causing a fire.

On New Year's Day, six civilians were killed by Russian strikes in various Ukrainian cities.

In a separate development, Russian-installed officials in the occupied city of Donetsk said four people
were killed and 13 wounded by Ukrainian shelling on Sunday.

Mr Putin suggested that Western rhetoric towards the war was beginning to change as they started to
realise they could not "destroy" Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered these claims in an interview with The Economist,
saying Mr Putin's suggestion that Russia was winning the war was only a "feeling". He highlighted
Russia's casualty figures in Ukraine, and said the opposing forces had been unable to take a single large
city in 2023.

Mr Zelensky also expressed frustration with Kyiv's Western allies, saying they had lost a sense of
urgency.

The Scottish prisoners making hip-hop behind bars

I'm living my life / It's time to move on / 'Cause there's no guarantees that tomorrow will come." Robert,
29, prisoner.

This is hip-hop made inside Barlinnie, Scotland's largest prison and where the Lockerbie bomber
Abelbaset al-Megrahi was held.
A rather ghostly reminder of his former presence are the satellite dishes, paid for by the Libyan
government so that he could watch sport, which still hang off the side of the building where he was
kept.

Situated in the north east edge of Glasgow and known as The Big Hoose and Bar-L, Barlinnie is more
than 140 years old. The prison is to be closed as soon as a replacement is built, but that date keeps
being put back.

On the bitingly cold day we visit, capacity is running at almost 145%, with 1,418 prisoners inside, when it
was designed for 987.

It was against this background that Barlinnie launched its first ever hip-hop classes for prisoners. Funded
by Creative Scotland, the eight-week course conceived by Jill Brown who runs Conviction Records,
Scotland's first record label for ex-offenders.

She explains: "The workshops are designed to give the guys who take part a voice, because a lot of
people who are actually in jail have never had a voice. It's really about confidence and self-esteem and
dignity and people believing in you.

"But also they give people in prison something to look forward to and I always say that the poverty of
hope is the worst form of destitution."

We have been allowed behind bars, to speak to some of those taking part, although our visit was almost
cancelled. The night before, Barlinnie makes the Scottish news headlines, as a prisoner managed to
climb onto the roof and throw slates at guards as part of a one-man protest.

By the following morning he is back inside, and we are allowed to proceed.

First up, a visit to B Hall, where 279 prisoners are held in predominantly double cells. Over four levels
with stone staircases and caged balconies, it is not hard to image exactly how Barlinnie looked when it
first opened in the 1880s.
The prisoners are in a red sweatshirt if they have been convicted or a blue one if they are on remand.

Up on the second floor we are taken to the cell of Bernie. If Eminem was 32 and from Govan, this is
what he would look like, and Bernie shares that he did once jump over a fence to sneak into a Slim
Shady gig in Glasgow.

The tiny room is dominated by white-washed brick walls, two desks and a metal bunk bed, which he
shares with his "co-pilot".

"When I first came in, I was stuck in my cell 23 hours a day," Bernie says, shaking his head.

"People obviously want to see people get punished, but we are getting punished. We're in our cells.
We're already living in a prison in our head."

Bernie is now allowed out to work in the kitchens and the hip-hop classes offer another escape, his love
of Snoop Dogg and Tupac demonstrated by small computer printout posters of the rappers on his cell
wall.

He has been in Barlinnie since Boxing Day last year: "I was running about breaking into businesses to
fund my habit. Things that I would never normally do. That isn't me as a person, but that's where taking
hard drugs took me."

Back in his early 20s, Bernie had a bit of a following locally as a rapper, DJing on community radio. Being
allowed to work on a new track with a real producer has given him a boost: "It keeps me good as it's
something I love doing," he explains.

"You can do positive things with music. It's helped bring my confidence back."
It is time for us to head to today's workshop and somewhat surprisingly Bernie suddenly pulls out an
acoustic guitar from under his bunk, before being escorted by guards to the Wellbeing Centre, an area of
the prison which hosts rehabilitation programmes.

Daddy's Girl

Here, the musician Becci Wallace is waiting to work with Bernie on his track, a rather delicate and
heartfelt tribute to his daughter, called Daddy's Girl. He strums the guitar and softly delivers the lines:

"I remember the day you were born, the moment you came out the womb / And there was you, me, and
my gran inside the room."

This kind of lyrical honesty is exactly what Wallace believes the sessions can achieve: "My hope is that,
for some of the guys at least, it might be the first chance they've had to be vulnerable in a safe space.

"And that actually the long-term benefits of that for them is that rather than reacting quickly and
sometimes negatively in difficult situations, that they will remember that they have the ability to work
things out."

And Becci has a message for those who are not in favour of free music classes being given to convicted
criminals: "If they are continuing to make the same mistakes over and over again and coming back here,
then why not try something new?"

One serial reoffender taking part in the workshops is Robert from Kilmarnock who is 29 and currently
serving a sentence of just under three years. He believes that the hip-hop classes can bring about
change in his life.

For the last two months he has been working with Becci on his track Time, with lyrics which share his
fears about the future: "Sometimes I think it is all fate? / Will I die young like half of my mates? / I've
been numbing the pain, but the pain still hurts."

"It's gave me something to look forward to," he says about the workshops.
"And it's something I'm going to follow up on when I'm out. It's came at the right time It's gave me a
chance."

And could it really help him stop reoffending?

"Aye. 100% aye," he nods insisting that he has more hope for when is released this time, than ever
before.

Hip-hop showcase

The culmination of the hip-hop workshops was a small showcase, where recordings of their songs were
played to an audience made up of other prisoners and guards.

On the day, Bernie decided that his track about his daughter was not completed, so instead made a last-
minute recording of some old angrier lyrics he had written, laying them down over a Dr Dre style beat.

The song, called Hate These Streets, is well received and Bernie is a very relieved man. He dreams of
putting his music up on YouTube once he is released: "That will help me stay out of trouble, help me
focus, more positive energy and less negative energy.

"I'm changing my life for the better now and I've got high hopes that I'm going to be alright."

And for Robert having his music played in front of an audience was a big moment.

"It's gave me hope man, so it has. It's gave me a lot of hope. This time in prison I've turned it into a
positive, so I have."

The workshops will be returning in 2024, but with a twist. Before we depart the organiser Jill Brown
explains: "Hip-hop tends to appeal to the younger contingent, and a lot of the guys are singer-
songwriters, so we have decided to give an alternative next year." Yes, in 2024 hip-hop will be having a
rest and the beat of Barlinnie will be folk music.

Israel-Gaza war: Displaced Gazans 'living in the open', UN says

Many displaced Gazans are living "in the open, in the parks," Juliette Touma of the UN relief agency for
Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has told the BBC.

According to the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA), at least 100,000 people have fled to Rafah - which
borders Egypt in Gaza's south - in recent days.

UNRWA's Ms Touma said the UN was being authorised to bring in "limited assistance".

But Gaza's humanitarian needs, she said, "have massively grown".

She said UNRWA continued to face "restrictions to access areas in the Gaza Strip where we should
access".

Israel has said it is not limiting aid and the problem is with its distribution.

It launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas's deadly 7 October attack, in which 1,200 people were
killed and a further 240 taken hostage.

More than 21,672 people have been killed in Gaza since that date, according to the Hamas-run health
ministry. It says a further 56,165 Palestinians have been injured.

Access to humanitarian aid in the 41km (25 miles) long and 10km wide enclave has been tightly
controlled since the start of the war.

At the start of its military campaign, Israeli forces focused on Gaza's north. But more recently, they have
been pounding Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which they see as a stronghold for Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a TV address on Saturday evening that Israel was
"fighting on all fronts".

He echoed remarks by the chief of general staff, saying the war would go on "for many months", until
Israel achieved "the release of all our hostages and the dismantlement of Hamas".

Speaking from Rafah, UNRWA's Gaza director Tom White told the BBC there were "well over a million
people" seeking safety in the city.

Mr White said that for "hundreds of thousands of people" seeking safety in Rafah, "there are no spots
left" in shelters - which included UNRWA schools and other municipal facilities.

He echoed comments made by Ms Touma, explaining that "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of
people are now sleeping in the open under flimsy pieces of plastic" as a result of the overcrowding.

In its latest report, UNRWA said up to 1.9m people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since the
start of the war.

According to OCHA, the most recent wave of displacement into Rafah is due to intense fighting in Khan
Younis and other parts of the territory.

Residents in Khan Younis have reported intense gun battles between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters.

Elsewhere in Gaza on Saturday, fighting was also reported in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Maghazi and in
al-Bureij.

In a statement on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic-language spokesman warned that the main
north-south road in Gaza, the Salah al-Din, was a "battlefield" and "dangerous to reach".
Meanwhile, a third UN body - the World Health Organization (WHO) - has again warned of a spike in the
spread of infectious diseases across Gaza's displaced community.

WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been a rise in the number of diseases across
Gaza between mid-October and mid-December.

He said that across UN shelters there had been some 136,400 cases of diarrhoea, 55,400 cases of lice
and scabies, and 126 cases of meningitis.

Thousands of Palestinians flee central Gaza as Israeli troops advance

Published

An estimated 150,000 Palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central Gaza, the UN has said, as
Israeli forces advance on refugee camps there.

Witnesses and Hamas's armed wing reported that tanks had reached the eastern outskirts of Bureij
camp.

Israel's military recently expanded its ground offensive to target Bureij and nearby Nuseirat and Maghazi
camps.

Israeli bombardment also killed dozens of people across Gaza on Thursday, the Hamas-run health
ministry said.

Egypt has confirmed that it has put forward a three-stage proposal to stop the fighting which ends with
a ceasefire.

A Hamas delegation is said to have arrived in Cairo to give its response to the plan.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel
on 7 October, in which 1,200 people were killed - most of them civilians - and about 240 others taken
hostage.

More than 21,300 people have been killed in Gaza - mostly children and women - during 11 weeks of
fighting, according to the health ministry.

The Israeli military has called for the evacuation of a strip of land stretching across central Gaza that
includes Bureij and Nuseirat camps, and told the almost 90,000 residents and 61,000 displaced people in
the affected areas to move southwards to the town of Deir al-Balah.

However, the UN warned on Thursday that they had nowhere to go because Deir al-Balah was already
overcrowded, with several hundred thousand displaced people sheltering there.

The UN says that Rafah - which had already become the most densely populated town in Gaza - has seen
about 100,000 new arrivals in recent days as Israeli ground forces have pushed into new
neighbourhoods.

Omar, 60, said he had been forced to flee Bureij along with at least 35 members of his family.

"That moment has come, I wished it would never happen, but it seems displacement is a must," he told
Reuters news agency by phone. "We are now in a tent in Deir al-Balah because of this brutal Israeli war."

Tom White, Gaza director for UN relief agency UNRWA, said more and more people were being pushed
into the southern Gaza town of Rafah, "so more people into a very small strip of land that cannot
support them".

On Thursday evening, Gaza's health ministry reported that 20 people had been killed in an Israeli air
strike on a building in Rafah that was reportedly housing displaced civilians.

On Thursday morning, the ministry's spokesman announced that 50 people had been killed in Israeli
strikes in Maghazi, the northern town of Beit Lahia and in the southern city of Khan Younis.
The deadliest incident was in Beit Lahia, where Palestinian media reported that 30 were killed when a
block of four residential buildings was destroyed.

A local TV journalist, Bassel Kheir al-Din, told the Associated Press news agency that 12 members of his
family were buried beneath the rubble of one of the buildings and presumed dead, and that nine of
their neighbours were missing.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 10 people had been killed when Israeli shellfire hit an apartment near
al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis, a day after a similar incident in front of the facility reportedly left 31
dead.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters on Wednesday
that the city was "a main Hamas terror centre".

He also said troops were fighting in the Bureij area for a third day, adding that they were "eliminating
many terrorists and destroying terrorist infrastructure".

Residents told Reuters that the heavy fighting continued on Thursday, with Israeli tanks advancing on
the densely populated Bureij camp from the north and east. Hamas posted a video showing what it said
was its fighters targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicles.

In a separate development, the IDF said it regretted the "harm caused to uninvolved civilians" resulting
from an air strike in Maghazi on Sunday that killed at least 70 people, according to Gaza's health
ministry.

Its statement said fighter jets had "struck two targets adjacent to which Hamas operatives were
located".

In Israel, thousands of teenagers took part in a march to demand a new deal to return the more than
100 hostages still being held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Many of the demonstrators
were from the communities worst affected by the 7 October attacks.
"I'm from Kibbutz Kfar Aza," Shiri Khiyali told the BBC. "I was there on 7 October. My people were
kidnapped. We want them back. We want them back now."

Separately, there was a new call from UN human rights chief Volker Türk urging Israel to stop what he
called "unlawful" killings in the occupied West Bank.

A report said the UN had verified the killing of 300 Palestinians by Israeli forces and settlers in the West
Bank since 7 October.

A spokeswoman for Israel's prime minister dismissed the report as quite ridiculous and said it belittled
the major security threats to Israelis.

Primrose Hill: 'Harry always stood up for what was right'

The sister of a 16-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed on New Year's Eve has said their family are
"devastated".

Harry Pitman, from Haringey, was stabbed in Primrose Hill, north London, at about 23:40 GMT on
Sunday.

His older sister Tayla, 19, paid tribute to him and said he "always stood up for what was right".

She told the MailOnline: "I keep on expecting him to come through the front door. His dinner is still in
the oven, mum can't bring herself to remove it."

She added: "I'm devastated, he was my baby brother."

Harry's 18-year-old brother Patrick told The Times: "The night before he was killed we were playing
video games and reminiscing because we are getting older, though now he is never getting any older."
Alex Rosen, head of St Thomas More Catholic School said Harry was a "beloved former pupil" who was a
"bright and promising young soul".

"Harry touched the lives of many with his infectious laughter and enthusiasm for life," he said.

He will be remembered for his many qualities, particularly his resilience and the positive impact he had
on those around him.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Harry's family during this heart-breaking time. May he rest in peace.

Detectives probing the fatal stabbing have appealed for photos and videos from the park where he was
attacked.

Supt Danny Hewitt said: "We need to hear from anybody who saw anything that may be significant."

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and held in custody, the force said.

Supt Hewitt said a "large group of people" had gathered at the park to see in the new year and watch
London's fireworks when Harry was killed.

"Although there has been an arrest we do need information from the community," he said.

If you have not yet come forward please make contact now. I know that many people have images and
footage from Primrose Hill, especially around the time of the murder.

"I urge them to share that material with us by the dedicated link in our appeals."

The detective added that officers were "working at pace" to establish what happened.
He said his thoughts were with Harry's family, who are being supported by a dedicated team.

Japan jet crash: Passengers describe chaos inside flight 516

First came the shock, as the Airbus A350 carrying 379 people collided with a second plane while landing
in Tokyo.

Then came heat and smoke as the jet sped along the runway in flames.

Then survival instinct kicked in, as people scrambled to flee a cabin filling with fumes, knowing that lives
depended on the next few seconds.

That all on Japan Airlines flight 516 escaped is extraordinary. Experts say a flawless evacuation and new
technology played a large part in their survival.

Those on board the second plane, a smaller coastguard aircraft due to deliver aid to quake victims, were
not as fortunate. Five were killed and the pilot is seriously injured.

Investigators are piecing together what happened at 17:47 local time (08:47 GMT) at Haneda airport,
and why two planes could have been on the runway at the same time.

For now, videos and statements from passengers paint a picture of a few minutes of terror, then
disbelief at what they had lived through.

Swede Anton Deibe, 17, a passenger, described the chaos after impact as the Airbus A350 lumbered to a
halt on the runway.

"The entire cabin was filled with smoke within minutes," he told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

"The smoke in the cabin stung like hell. It was a hell.

"We had no idea where we were going so we just run out into the field. It was chaos."

He, his parents and his sister managed to escape the wreckage unharmed.

Satoshi Yamake, a 59-year-old passenger, said he felt the airplane had "tilted to the side and felt a big
bump" in the initial collision.

Another unnamed passenger described a "bump, like the aircraft was colliding with something when
touching down. I saw a spark outside the window and the cabin was filled with smoke".

A third reported to Kyodo News he felt "a boom like we had hit something and jerked upward the
moment we landed".

Snippets of those moments were caught on phones.

Some passengers filmed the red glow from a still sparking engine as the plane came to a halt. Another
took footage inside, a miasma of smoke quickly obscuring the camera lens as passengers shouted and
cabin crew tried to direct their next moves.

A female passenger said it had been dark on board as the fire intensified after landing.

"It was getting hot inside the plane, and I thought, to be honest, I wouldn't survive," she told the
Japanese broadcaster NHK.

According to another passenger, the escape plan was made more difficult as only one set of doors were
used. "An announcement said doors in the back and middle could not be opened. So everyone
disembarked from the front," he said.
Images and video show the moment people began to jump down the airliner's inflatable slides - some
tumbling in their effort to get away from a now burning cabin, and running to greater safety.

No one appears to be holding their bulky carry-on luggage - a major factor in how quickly a cabin can be
cleared.

Alex Macheras, an aviation analyst, told the BBC that the crew "were able to initiate a textbook
evacuation" in the crucial first few minutes after impact.

The fire was "isolated to one area" of the Airbus A350 for the initial 90 seconds, allowing them a brief
window to get everyone out.

He said the crew were clearly able to understand which doors were away from the flames, which is why
pictures show not all the exits were opened for people to escape through.

He added that passengers can slow things down in panic - for example by trying to grab their bags from
lockers.

The Airbus A350 is one of the first commercial jets to be made of composite, carbon-fibre materials -
which appear to have stood up well to the initial collision and the resulting fire.

All of this was achieved as the fire was quickly spreading to engulf the plane. Video footage showed
firefighters battling to contain the blaze, as the plane's fuselage began to break in two.

Mr Yamake, the passenger, said for all of the chaos, it took about five minutes for everyone to get out. "I
saw that the fire had spread in about 10, 15 minutes," he added.

Tsubasa Sawada, 28, said he could "only say it was a miracle, we could have died".
It took several hours for the fire to finally be extinguished. Fourteen passengers and crew were treated
for minor injuries.

Passengers were already trying to come to terms with that they had just lived through, telling their
friends and loved ones that they were okay, and preparing for what was to come.

Mr Sawada had one question. "I want to know why this happened," he said, adding that he did not plan
to get on another plane until he got the answer.

Japan earthquake: Fires hit quake zone as rescuers race to reach survivors

Rescue efforts continue in Japan after 55 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that hit the
country on New Year's Day.

Homes collapsed, buildings caught fire and roads were extensively damaged, hindering the work of
rescue services.

The epicentre of the 7.6 quake was the Noto peninsula, in central Japan.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said emergency services were locked in a "race against
time" to rescue survivors.

On Tuesday, Mr Kishida also said some 3,000 rescuers were trying to reach parts of the Noto peninsula.
Helicopter surveys showed many fires and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. The city
of Wajima, on the northern tip of Noto, has been cut off from land routes.

The Japanese military has been handing out supplies including food, water and blankets for those who
have had to vacate their homes. The country's government has said that 57,360 people had to be
evacuated.

Tens of thousands of meals are being delivered across the affected region.
Aftershocks continued throughout Monday and Tuesday. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa
Hayashi warned people to "be alert" for more earthquakes "of an intensity of up to 7" in the coming
week.

Ishikawa, 155km (96.3 miles) south of the Noto peninsula, experienced a 4.9 quake on Tuesday
afternoon.

The major tsunami warnings put out by the Japanese government on Monday were later downgraded.
By Tuesday, all tsunami advisories were lifted along the Sea of Japan, meaning there was no longer a risk
of such an event.

Residents of the affected area of Japan have been sharing their experiences of the quake, which lasted
several minutes.

An 82-year-old resident of Nanao, Toshio Iwahama, told the BBC that his wooden home had partially
collapsed. He said that despite living through multiple earthquakes, he had never experienced tremors
of this magnitude.

Briton Emma Ward, 41, who was on a skiing holiday in the resort village of Hakuba, said the quake had
hit "without warning", prompting her group to take shelter under a table in a café. She told the BBC that
the intensity of the tremors caused people to flee the building entirely, she said. "The worst part during
the earthquake was not knowing how intense it was going to become. It's a very frightening
experience," Ms Ward said.

Many also said the quake reminded them of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed
18,000 people and triggered an accident at a nuclear plant in Fukushima.

In an incident unrelated to the earthquake, a Japan Airlines plane caught fire on Tuesday as it collided
with a coastguard aircraft on its way to provide earthquake relief at Tokyo's Haneda airport.
Five people on board the coastguard plane are known to have died, but the Japan Airlines plane's 379
passengers and crew managed to escape.

Japan is one of the most seismically active nations on Earth, owing to its location on the so-called Pacific
Ring of Fire, where many tectonic plates meet.

The constant threat of earthquakes has led Japan to develop one of the world's most sophisticated
tsunami warning systems.

Japan jet crash: How crew pulled off flawless evacuation from plane inferno

Passengers dashed to the emergency exits of a burning Japan Airlines jet without their hand luggage, in
compliance with the flight crew's instructions.

Leaving their valuables behind was a "major factor" behind the swift evacuation of all 379 people on
board, right before the aircraft was engulfed in flames on the runway of Haneda Airport in Tokyo last
Tuesday, aviation experts say.

Japan Airlines Flight 516 turned into a fireball after it collided with a coastguard plane as it landed. Five
of the six people on board the smaller aircraft died.

The flawless evacuation on the Japan Airlines jet has astounded the world and won praise from many.
Aviation experts and flight crew tell the BBC it boiled down to the flight crew putting their rigorous
training in place and "well-behaved" passengers who obeyed safety protocols.

don't see a single passenger on the ground, in any of the videos I've seen, that has got their luggage with
them… If people tried to take their cabin luggage, that's really dangerous because they would slow down
the evacuation," said Prof Ed Galea, director of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at the University of
Greenwich.

The state of the aircraft, an Airbus A350, made the evacuation difficult, Prof Galea said.

"This accident was far from ideal. The aircraft was nose down, which meant it was difficult for
passengers to move," he said.
Only three inflatable slides could be used to evacuate passengers but they were not properly deployed
because of how the jet landed. The slide was very steep, which could have been dangerous.

The aircraft's announcement system also malfunctioned during the evacuation, so the flight crew had to
convey instructions using a megaphone and by shouting, Japan Airlines said.

One passenger sustained bruises and 13 others requested medical consultations due to physical
discomfort, the airline said.

The Japan Airlines jet departed from Sapporo's New Chitose airport at 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT) and
landed at Haneda shortly before 18:00. The smaller coastguard aircraft was due to deliver aid to victims
of a powerful New Year's Day earthquake. An investigation into the collision is under way.

Safety training kicked in

A former Japan Airlines flight attendant told the BBC that passengers on the commercial flight were
"incredibly fortunate".

"I felt relieved to find out that all the passengers were safe. But when I started thinking about the
emergency evacuation procedure, I suddenly felt nervous and fearful," she said. "Depending on how the
two planes collided and how the fire spread, it could have been a lot worse."

In real-life situations, it could be difficult to ensure that passengers do not panic, said the former flight
attendant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"But what they achieved is harder than one can imagine. The fact that they managed to get everyone to
escape is a result of good co-ordination among crew and passengers following instructions," she said.

She said new crew members undergo stringent evacuation and rescue training for up to three weeks
before they are allowed to serve in commercial flights. The training is repeated every year.
"We go through a written exam, case study discussions and practical training using different scenarios,
such as when the plane has to make a water landing or if there is fire on board. Maintenance staff are
also involved in such training," said the former flight attendant, who left the company 10 years ago.

A pilot for a South East Asian airline, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the rigorous
training that the flight crew had undergone helped with the speedy evacuation.

"I must say it was amazing. I think what happened in this case was that the training kicked in. You really
don't have time to think in a situation like this, so you just do what you were trained to do," he said.

In order for any passenger aircraft to be internationally certified, aircraft manufacturers must show that
everyone aboard can leave the plane within 90 seconds. Evacuation tests sometimes involve actual
passengers, he added.

The pilot added that aviation safety regulations had been significantly strengthened after past mishaps.

For instance, the collision of two Boeing 747 jets at Los Rodeos Airport in Spain in 1977 - which killed
583 people and remains the deadliest accident in aviation history - led to a review of cockpit procedures
and radio communications. The crash was found to be due to miscommunication between flight crew
and air traffic controllers.

Japan Airlines experienced its own catastrophe in August 1985, when Osaka-bound Flight 123 crashed
into a mountain shortly after take-off from Tokyo Haneda. It was later attributed to faulty repair work by
Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer. Only four out of 524 people on board initially survived the crash, but
one of them eventually succumbed to their injuries.

In 2006, Japan Airlines opened a museum-like facility near Haneda displaying wreckage from the
incident, aimed at promoting safety awareness among its employees.
"In face of the pain and grief of the bereaved families and public distrust in airline safety [after the 1985
crash], we pledged that we would never again allow such a tragic accident to occur," Japan Airlines
wrote on the facility's webpage.

"Every staff is reminded that valuable lives and property are entrusted to us in our work.

Gautam Adani: India court declines new inquiry against billionaire

India's top court has rejected pleas to set up a new panel to investigate a US firm's allegations of fraud
against billionaire Gautam Adani's companies.

In January, Hindenburg Research had accused the firm of "brazen" stock manipulation and accounting
fraud.

The court set up a committee in March to oversee an investigation by India's market regulator into the
allegations.

In May, the panel said the regulator had so far "drawn a blank" in the inquiry.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the regulator to finish its investigation within three months.

Mr Adani, who has always denied any wrongdoing, said "truth had prevailed" after the court's ruling.

Petitioners had alleged that India's market watchdog - the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)
- which had been directed by the court to investigate the allegations, was not doing a proper job.

They also claimed that there was a "conflict of interest" among some members in the court-appointed
panel.

Rejecting their plea, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said there were "no grounds" for the investigation to
be transferred to a special team and directed Sebi to complete its investigation in a timely manner.
"The power to transfer investigation must be exercised in exceptional circumstances. Such powers
cannot be exercised in the absence of cogent justifications," he said.

He also rejected the argument that there was a conflict of interest among members of the court-
appointed panel and added that newspaper reports and investigations by third-party organisations
cannot be held as conclusive evidence to question Sebi's findings.

In its report, Hindenburg - which specialises in "short-selling", or betting against a company's share price
in the expectation that it will fall - accused Mr Adani of "pulling the largest con in corporate history".

The report questioned the Adani Group's ownership of companies in offshore tax havens such as
Mauritius and the Caribbean.

It also claimed Adani companies had "substantial debt" which put the entire group on a "precarious
financial footing".

The Adani Group denied the allegations, calling the report "malicious" and said that it had always been
"in compliance with all laws".

The allegations triggered a meltdown in Indian markets as the Adani Group's companies saw more than
$100bn (£82bn) wiped off their market value in the weeks after the report was made public.

However, their stocks have since bounced back and saw a jump in price in the hours before
Wednesday's verdict.

Mr Adani is among the richest people in the world and is perceived as being close to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. He has long faced allegations from opposition politicians that he has benefited from his
political ties, which he and Mr Modi's party deny.

BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers
and features.
Japan earthquake: Fires hit quake zone as rescuers race to reach survivors

Rescue efforts continue in Japan after at least 64 people were killed in a powerful earthquake that hit
the country on New Year's Day.

Homes collapsed, buildings caught fire and roads were extensively damaged, hindering the work of
rescue services.

The epicentre of the 7.6 quake was the Noto peninsula, in central Japan.

The Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, said that emergency services were locked in a "race against time" to
rescue survivors.

"More than 40 hours have passed since the disaster. We have received a lot of information about people
in need of rescue and there are people waiting for help," Mr Kishida said Wednesday after an
emergency task force meeting.

He also said some 3,000 rescuers were trying to reach parts of the Noto peninsula. Helicopter surveys
showed many fires and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. The city of Wajima, on the
northern tip of Noto, has been cut off from land routes.

In the coastal city of Suzu in Ishikawa prefecture, some 90% of homes in the city had been "completely
or nearly completely destroyed", mayor Masushiro Izumiya told news outlet Kyodo.

The Japanese military has been handing out supplies including food, water and blankets for those who
have had to vacate their homes. The country's government has said that 57,360 people had to be
evacuated.

Tens of thousands of meals are being delivered across the affected region.
Aftershocks continued into Wednesday. The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, warned people
to "be alert" for more earthquakes "of an intensity of up to 7" in the coming week.

Ishikawa, 155km (96.3 miles) south of the Noto peninsula, experienced a 5.5 quake on Wednesday
morning.

The major tsunami warnings put out by the Japanese government on Monday were later downgraded.
By Tuesday, all tsunami advisories were lifted along the Sea of Japan, meaning there was no longer a risk
of giant waves.

Residents of the affected area of Japan have been sharing their experiences of the quake, which lasted
several minutes.

An 82-year-old resident of Nanao, Toshio Iwahama, told the BBC that his wooden home had partially
collapsed. He said that despite living through multiple earthquakes, he had never experienced tremors
of this magnitude.

Briton Emma Ward, 41, who was on a skiing holiday in the resort village of Hakuba, said the quake had
hit "without warning", prompting her group to take shelter under a table in a cafe. She told the BBC that
the intensity of the tremors had caused people to flee the building entirely. "The worst part during the
earthquake was not knowing how intense it was going to become. It's a very frightening experience," Ms
Ward said.

Many also said the quake had reminded them of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that
killed 18,000 people and triggered an accident at a nuclear plant in Fukushima.

In an incident unrelated to the earthquake, a Japan Airlines plane caught fire on Tuesday as it collided
with a coastguard aircraft on its way to provide earthquake relief at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

Five people on board the coastguard plane are known to have died, but the Japan Airlines plane's 379
passengers and crew managed to escape.
Japan is one of the most seismically active nations on Earth, owing to its location on the so-called Pacific
Ring of Fire, where many tectonic plates meet.

The constant threat of earthquakes has led Japan to develop one of the world's most sophisticated
tsunami warning systems.

Trump challenges his 'arbitrary' removal from Maine's ballot

Donald Trump has appealed against the decision by Maine's top election official to remove him from the
ballot in the 2024 presidential election.

Mr Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, asked that a state court overturn the move by Maine
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

Ms Bellows has previously defended her decision by saying she has a "sacred obligation" to uphold the
law.

The former US president has also been removed from the ballot in Colorado.

Mr Trump was removed from the Maine and Colorado ballots by challenges that cited the US
constitution's insurrection clause and his alleged incitement of the 2021 US Capitol riot.

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution bans anyone whom has "engaged in insurrection or
rebellion" from holding federal office.

In Monday's court filing regarding the Maine decision, Mr Trump's attorneys write that Ms Bellows - a
Democrat - was a "biased decision maker" without the legal authority to remove him from the ballot.

Additionally, the filing accuses Ms Bellows of making "multiple errors of law" and acting "in an arbitrary
and capricious manner".
"President Trump will be illegally excluded from the ballot as a result of the Secretary's actions," the
filing says.

Ms Bellows, a former state senator and executive director of Maine's American Civil Liberties Union, was
elected to serve as Maine's Secretary of State in December 2020. A group of current and former state
lawmakers challenged Mr Trump's place on the ballot, which Maine law required Ms Bellows to rule on.

Several lawsuits in other states - such as Michigan and Minnesota - that are similar to the Maine
objection have been rejected in court.

The US Supreme Court is expected to take up the issue raised in Maine and Colorado, which will not take
effect until the legal challenges are settled. A ruling by the court on Mr Trump's eligibility would be
applied nationwide.

David Janovksy, a senior policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, an independent
watchdog, said that "whichever way the Supreme Court rules is the best outcome".

"The fact that we now have two states in Colorado and Maine that have made this determination
against the backdrop of other states that have declined to go that far means that if there was ever a
case for the Supreme Court to resolve, this would be it," he said.

"Time is of the essence now that we're in an election year," Mr Janovsky added

In an interview with the BBC last week, Ms Bellows defended her actions and said she hoped that the
matter would ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court.

She said that she was "mindful" that no other secretary of state in US history had removed a presidential
candidate due to the insurrection clause.
"But I'm also mindful that no presidential candidate has, ever before, engaged in insurrection," Ms
Bellows said.

She also denied that her decision was in any way politically motivated, instead arguing that it was
"thorough and based on the rule of law".

Both Mr Trump and his campaign have repeatedly decried the rulings from Maine and Colorado as
politically motivated and intended to harm his chances of winning the 2024 election.

In addition to the legal wrangling over his eligibility in the election, Mr Trump is facing trials in federal
court and in Georgia stemming from his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe
Biden.

He has not been charged with inciting insurrection in either of the two cases.

In a separate case on Tuesday, a federal judge in Washington DC ruled that part of a lawsuit against Mr
Trump stemming from the death of a police officer at the 6 January riot can go ahead.

In the lawsuit, Sandra Garza - the wife of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick - sued Mr Trump and two
participants in the riot over his death.

Bob Menendez: US senator accused of accepting gifts from Qatar

US Senator Bob Menendez has been accused in a new federal indictment of accepting bribes from Qatar
- the second foreign country he is alleged to have improperly aided.

The latest allegations accuse him of a corruption scheme from 2021-23.

A lawyer for the New Jersey senator said the justice department claims were "baseless" and "bizarre
conjectures".
Mr Menendez, a Democrat, pleaded not guilty in October to charges alleging he acted as an illegal agent
of Egypt.

He has faced growing calls to resign, including from his own party, but has so far refused to step aside.

The indictment unveiled on Tuesday alleges that Mr Menendez accepted gifts, including tickets to see
car races, in exchange for comments praising the Qatari government.

The document does not contain any new charges, but includes new details of his and the alleged crimes
of his wife - Nadine Menendez.

Mrs Menendez, who is also charged in the same alleged bribery and extortion scheme, has also pleaded
not guilty.

Three New Jersey businessman named in the case have denied charges as well.

The latest allegation extends the alleged plot by one year, and it includes his time as the chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee - a post he quit after the initial charges were filed in September.

Mr Menendez, 70, has denied any wrongdoing.

The new indictment claims he assisted one of the accused businessman - Fred Daibes - by making public
comments in favour of Qatar in order to help him secure an investment.

An attorney for Mr Daibes, Tim Donohue, told BBC News his client had no immediate comment.

After introducing Mr Daibes to an investor who is a member of the Qatari royal family, prosecutors say
Mr Menendez "made multiple public statements supporting the Government of Qatar".
He then supplied the statements to Mr Daibes to use as a tool to convince the unnamed Qatari royal to
invest in his New Jersey real estate project.

"You might want to send to them. I am just about to release," Mr Menendez allegedly texted Mr Daibes
in August 2021, referring to a press release that contained favourable comments about Qatar.

About a month later, the senator and Mr Daibes attended an event in New York hosted by the Qatari
government.

Days later, the indictment says, Mr Daibes sent the senator photographs of watches ranging in price
from $9,990 to $23,990 (£7,900 to £19,000), asking Menendez: "How about one of these?"

In 2022, ahead of the meeting with Mr Daibes and the Qatari investor in London, Mr Menendez
allegedly texted both of them: "Greetings, I understand my friend is going to visit with you on the 15th
of the month.

"I hope that this will result in the favorable and mutually beneficial agreement that you have both
engaged in discussing."

Among the benefits Mr Menendez received from the Qataris, the indictment alleges, were tickets to a
Formula One Grand Prix race in Miami, Florida.

It also claims that one day after returning from a trip to Qatar and Egypt and being picked up at the
airport by Mr Daibes driver, the senator performed a web search for "how much is one kilo of gold
worth".

A search of the Menendez house in June 2022 discovered, among other things, two one-kilo gold bars
that the government says were provided as part of the bribery plot.
Agents also discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash that bore Mr Daibes' fingerprints and
DNA.

Adam Fee, a lawyer for Mr Menendez said in a statement, "the government's new allegations stink of
desperation".

He said the prosecutors' claims are all "based on routine, lawful contacts between a Senator and his
constituents or foreign officials".

"At all times, Senator Menendez acted entirely appropriately with respect to Qatar, Egypt, and the many
other countries he routinely interacts with," the lawyer added.

Ukraine war: Missiles fired at Russian city Belgorod and occupied Crimea

Russian officials say they have foiled a Ukrainian attack on a border city as the aerial war between the
two nations continues to intensify.

The officials said a dozen missiles were downed before they could reach Belgorod, where 25 people
were killed on Saturday. Ukraine has not commented.

The attacks come after Russia launched its biggest aerial bombardment yet.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has used some 300 missiles and 200 drones over
five days.

Russia's renewed aerial bombardment on Ukraine began late last week. Ukrainian forces responded
with Saturday's attack on Belgorod in which more than 100 people were also injured.

In his nightly address, he said Russia had fired "almost one hundred missiles of various types" on
Tuesday. They had, he said, been "specifically calculated by the enemy to cause as much damage as
possible".
According to Mr Zelensky, 10 hypersonic ballistic missiles had been shot down on Tuesday alone.

Ukrainian officials said early Wednesday that Tuesday's attacks - including on Ukraine's biggest cities
including Kharkiv and Kyiv - had killed or injured more than 130 people across the country.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and five were injured across the border in Belgorod on Tuesday,
according to the region's governor. However, the 12 missiles fired at the area overnight were destroyed
by Russia's air defence system, the defence ministry said,

Blasts were also heard overnight in Sevastopol - the biggest city in Russian-occupied Crimea - where a
missile was shot down over the port, the Moscow-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on
Telegram. No casualties or damage were reported.

Speaking to the BBC, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, said Russia's recent
bombardment was "not something that came as a surprise" - but that for Ukraine to win the war they
needed more weapons to respond and "just clearly send a message to Russia that they should stop".

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already vowed to step up strikes in response to recent attacks on
Belgorod by Ukraine.

Ninety-five killed in bomb blasts near Iran general Qasem Soleimani's tomb - state TV

At least 95 people have been killed by two bomb explosions near the tomb of Iranian general Qasem
Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his assassination by the US, Iran's state media report.

Scores of others were wounded when the blasts hit a procession near the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in
the city of Kerman.

Videos showed bodies on a road and ambulances rushing to the scene.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed the "terrorist attack" would be met with a "harsh
response".
There were no immediate claims from any groups for what is believed to have been the deadliest such
attack in Iran in 42 years

The number of dead had initially been reported as 103, but Iran's health minister said some names were
accidentally registered twice.

Suspicion may fall on Arab separatists and Sunni jihadist groups like Islamic State (IS), who have carried
out attacks on civilians and security forces in the country in recent years.

Soleimani was seen as the most powerful figure in Iran after the supreme leader before he was killed in
a US drone strike in neighbouring Iraq in 2020.

Wednesday's attack comes amid heightened tensions in the region after the deputy leader of the Iran-
backed Palestinian group, Hamas, was killed in an apparent Israeli drone strike in Lebanon.

Footage broadcast by Iranian state TV showed large crowds were taking part in a procession along a
road lined with banners featuring Qasem Soleimani when the explosions happened.

People could be heard screaming and then seen running away in panic after one of the blasts.

Iranian media reported the first bomb was detonated around 15:00 local time (11:30 GMT), about 700m
(2,300ft) from the Garden of Martyrs cemetery around the Saheb al-Zaman mosque, in the eastern
outskirts of Kerman.

The second bombing took place about 15 minutes later, around 1km away from the cemetery, targeting
people who had fled the first, they said.

Kerman province's governor told state news agency Irna that both blasts happened outside security
checkpoints and that authorities were sure they were caused by bombs. But he said it was not yet clear
whether they were detonated remotely or by suicide attackers.
The hard-line Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, earlier cited
sources as saying that "two bags carrying bomb" were apparently detonated "by remote control".

"We were walking towards the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us and a waste bin
containing a bomb exploded," a witness was quoted by Isna news agency as saying.

"We only heard the sound of the explosion and saw people falling."

Iran's health minister, Bahram Eynollahi, said as well as the 95 killed, 211 people were wounded by the
blasts, with 27 in a critical condition.

The Iranian Red Crescent said the dead included at least one paramedic who was sent to the scene of
the first explosion and was hit by the second.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahid said the second blast killed and wounded the most people, and that an
investigation had been launched to determine who was behind the attack.

On Wednesday evening, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a statement expressing his condolences to the
families of those killed.

"The evil and criminal enemies of the Iranian nation once again created a disaster and martyred a large
number of dear people in Kerman," he said.

"Be it those with innocents' blood on their hands or those corrupt minds that led to this atrocity, they
will be met with firm crackdown and fair punishment, commencing immediately," he added. "They
should know that this disaster will have a harsh response, God willing."

President Ebrahim Raisi called the bombings a "cowardly act" carried out by "Iran-hating criminals and
the henchmen of terror and darkness".
The former British ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, told the BBC that it was not clear who was behind
the bombings.

"There are clearly opposition groups who have the ability, albeit quite constrained, to carry out violent
attacks," he said. "I don't think they are regime-threatening attacks, but it will certainly raise the
temperature."

UN Secretary General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack and expressed his "deep
condolences to the bereaved families and the people and the government" of Iran, his spokesman said.

The EU said it condemned the bombing "in the strongest terms" and expressed its "solidarity with the
Iranian people", while Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack "shocking in its cruelty and
cynicism".

The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement - a powerful armed group that like Hamas is backed by
Iran - said the victims were "martyrs who died on the same road, cause and battle that was led by"
Soleimani.

As commander of the Revolutionary Guards' overseas operations arm, the Quds Force, Soleimani was an
architect of Iranian policy across the region.

He was in charge of the Quds Force's clandestine missions and its provision of guidance, funding,
weapons, intelligence, and logistical support to allied governments and armed groups, including
Hezbollah and Hamas.

Then-US President Donald Trump, who ordered the 2020 drone strike, described Soleimani as "the
number-one terrorist anywhere in the world" and alleged that troops under his command had murdered
hundreds of American civilians and servicemen over the previous two decades.

Iran's government accused the US of an act of international terrorism and issued arrest warrants for Mr
Trump and other officials.
Saleh al-Arouri: Hamas leader's death 'won't go unpunished', says Hezbollah chief

Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, says the killing of Hamas's powerful deputy leader will "not go
unpunished".

Saleh al-Arouri died in a drone attack in Beirut on Tuesday. Israel has not confirmed it was responsible.

Mr Nasrallah described Arouri's death as a "major, dangerous crime about which we cannot be silent".

He added that if Israel wages war on Lebanon "there will be no ceilings, no rules" to Hezbollah's
response.

"We are not afraid of war," said Mr Nasrallah in a televised address.

"Those who think of going to war with us will regret it. War with us will come at a very high cost."

He previously said that any killings in Lebanon would be a red line.

Hezbollah - like its ally, Hamas - is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK and others. It is
the largest political and military force in Lebanon and has ministers in the country's government.

The attack that killed Arouri was the first in Beirut following months of exchanges of fire between
Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israel, in response to the war in Gaza. These had largely been confined to
Lebanon's southern border.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday it was "defending its borders" from a number of
missiles launched from Lebanon.
That was after its military was reported to have increased the number of its air defence batteries near
the border.

Arouri was a key figure in the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, and a close ally of
Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader. He had been in Lebanon acting as a connection between his group
and Hezbollah.

He was known to be on Israel's hit list and the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu had
previously vowed to eliminate Hamas's leaders - wherever they are.

Arouri was on a US blacklist too, with a bounty of $5m ($3.9m) on his head since 2018.

Miri Eisin, a retired colonel from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that the Hamas deputy was
"living in the heart of the Dahiya, in the heart of the Hezbollah area of Beirut" and that he was the
"direct connection between Hamas and Hezbollah".

She added that while she felt bad for the Lebanese people about the risk of a full-blown conflict with
Israel, it was important to deal with "terror operatives".

The US said it remained incredibly concerned about the risk of the conflict in Gaza spreading to the
wider region after Arouri's death - a fear shared by Lebanese Foreign Minister, who said his government
had appealed to Hezbollah not to retaliate.

"We are very concerned, [the] Lebanese don't want to be dragged, even Hezbollah does not want to be
dragged into a regional war," Abdallah Bou Habib told the BBC.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that Washington was not given
advance notice of the strike in Beirut that killed Arouri.

The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force in Lebanon says it is also deeply worried about a potential
escalation of violence.
A spokesperson for the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has urged all parties to show restraint,
saying that a wider conflict would have devastating consequences for both Israel and Lebanon.

Iran has condemned the killing of Arouri, with the country's foreign minister criticising Israel for its
"cowardly terrorist operations" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Hamas has reportedly told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that it is suspending talks over the possible
release of more Israeli hostages in response to Arouri's killing.

There are also reports in Arab media that a scheduled visit by an Israeli delegation to the Egyptian
capital has been postponed.

Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza continues. The UN said five people were killed in an attack on the
Palestinian Red Crescent building in the southern city of Khan Younis on Tuesday, as Israel urged people
to evacuate.

A five-day old baby was among the dead, according to a spokeswoman for the United Nations Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"This was a space where babies were living. This is a space where children were living," said Gemma
Connell.

"You can see on the floor the blood. The world should be absolutely horrified. The world should be
absolutely outraged."

Leaflets have been dropped in Khan Younis, warning residents to leave specified areas designated a
"combat zone" by the IDF.

The message said it was an "urgent warning" to evacuate several blocks in numerous neighbourhoods.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 22,000 people have been killed in the territory
since Israel started its retaliatory campaign.

At least 1,200 people were killed when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October and about 240 others were
taken hostage.

Some 105 hostages were later released during a six-day ceasefire at the end of November.

Philippines: Bone diggers seek justice for dead in Duterte's drug war

At Manila North Cemetery, Father Flavie Villanueva - Bible in one hand, and a plastic bottle of holy water
in his pocket - prays with a bereaved mother beside her son's grave.

They watch as the front of the vault to the grave is hammered off. Inside are the remains of Felizardo
Virgo, shot dead on 18 August, 2019, aged 27.

His corpse is carefully removed and placed inside a black body bag. Before it's zipped shut, Father Flavie
checks the tomb to ensure every bit of the skeletonised remains has been removed - even a tiny piece of
bone might reveal something more about the shooting.

Erlinda hopes her son's bones will speak; that they will deliver justice for families like hers - thousands of
them - who have lost their loved ones to a ruthless "war on drugs" in the Philippines.

At the forefront of this effort are Father Flavie and a forensic pathologist, Dr Raquel Fortun, who have
joined forces to collect evidence that may one day be used in a judicial inquiry into these deaths.

There have been few investigations, and the Philippine government has refused access to investigators
from the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose prosecutor first expressed concern about drug-
related killings in 2016.

But that has not deterred Father Flavie or Dr Fortun, who hope that what they have found can make it
to the ICC. Since July 2021, Dr Fortun has autopsied the remains of more than 90 victims, and discovered
multiple inconsistencies. These include gunshot victims whose death certificates said they died of
"natural causes", and "copy-pasted" reports that have little to do with the cause of death.

Short presentational grey line

The Philippine government estimates that more than 6,252 people have been gunned down by the
police and "unknown assailants" since former President Rodrigo Duterte declared a "war on drugs" in
2016, when he won the election. Rights groups say the numbers could actually run into the tens of
thousands.

Police say the victims were drug lords or peddlers, who they often killed in "self defence" during shoot-
outs. But many families claim their sons, brothers or husbands were simply in the wrong place at the
wrong time.

The campaign was controversial and drew huge international criticism, but it had its supporters in a
country where millions use drugs, mostly methamphetamine, known locally as "shabu".

Mr Duterte's successor Ferdinand Marcos Jr promised a different, less violent approach when he took
office in 2022.

"We've been catching the large-scale pushers instead of going after every user, because the way the
president sees it - this is a health problem, an addiction problem," says assistant secretary at the Justice
Department, Jose Dominic Clavano.

But the Dahas Project at the University of the Philippines recorded 342 drug-related killings in Mr
Marcos' first year - 40 more than in the last year of Mr Duterte's rule. And they say around 40% of those
killed were small-time users and dealers.

"That's not something this government condones," Mr Calvano says.

What he does recognise, though, is that abuses have been committed by the police.
Back at the cemetery, two more bodies are exhumed under Father Flavie's watchful eye. Like Felizardo,
both men were shot dead in 2019. Overcome, one of their family members sinks to the ground, her legs
buckling beneath her.

"It's very traumatic," says Fr Flavie, his voice low. "This isn't a normal kind of death, so it's painful. It's
heavy, and it makes you angry."

Mr Duterte's government had said they were going after peddlers, drug lords and those who protected
them. But critics say the victims, mostly male, were from the poorest communities.

Many are buried in rented graves. If their families can't afford to renew the lease, the remains are
removed and disposed of in a common grave. Father Flavie has determined this will not happen to the
loved ones of his parishioners.

So as part of his on-going support to victims of the drug war, he arranges exhumation, cremation and
then the return of ashes to families during a church blessing.

The funeral van carrying the three bodies weaves its way out of the huge cemetery, dodging small
children and chickens. But first, those remains have another appointment.

Short presentational grey line

Dr Fortun is waiting in the morgue at the Philippine General Hospital, to take delivery of the newly-
exhumed bodies.

In a population of some 100 million people, the Philippines has only two forensic pathologists - she is
one of them.

She met Fr Flavie when the drug war killings started.

"I heard about the plan that they would exhume. I stepped in - show me the body. So, he started
bringing the bodies over," she says.
"My primary concern would be: are there bullets? The bullets are evidence that can link a victim to a
gun, and the shooter

She has kept all the bullets she has recovered so far. If these cases don't come before a Filipino court of
law, Dr Fortun hopes the ICC will ask for her meticulously-kept autopsy reports - and the bullets.

"I'm really hoping that at some point we can get justice," she says.

Further inside the hospital's morgue, Dr Fortun begins her examination of another young man's remains
recently delivered by Fr Flavie.

She unzips the bag, revealing a jumble of bones - some still with soft tissue attached - and begins taking
photos.

"I'm already seeing fractures in the head," she says, removing some long, black hair. "This one looks like
a bullet hole - on the right side of this young man's head."

She pulls out disintegrating clothing from the body bag - a white shirt and black trousers.

There's an attempt by the family to send them off in a special way… So, they wear a formal shirt -
something they probably didn't wear when they were alive.

"You see, the teeth are very badly maintained. That means they killed the poorest of the poor. You don't
forget these were people, and they were loved."

Dr Fortun aims to return personal effects to the families. Some of those are unexpected.

"Irony of ironies, I've had two cases where there were remnants of a plastic band [bracelet] from the
Duterte campaign. One of the men's wives said her husband thought wearing it would make him safe,
because he was a Duterte supporter."
Next, Dr Fortun lifts out the bones - legs, arms, ribs, skull - and places them in large, silver trays.
Mortuary workers will wash them and lay them out on a wooden table in the correct anatomical
position for further study.

In the Philippines, autopsy isn't automatic in cases of violent death, although Dr Fortun has lobbied for a
change in the law.

"Forensic science searches for the truth, and maybe that's the problem - a lot of Filipinos don't want the
truth to come out."

It's the police who are in charge.

"They do the crime scene investigation, they do the medico-legal examination of the body, the crime lab
is theirs. So, what kind of results come out? The police do the killing and they do the investigating. That's
how you get away with murder."

Defenders of Mr Duterte's campaign, including General Ronald dela Rosa, who was chief of the National
Police until 2018, said drug suspects would not have died had they not resisted arrest. He also claimed
the anti-narcotics campaign had succeeded in reducing the number of drug dependents in the country.

Dr Fortun's work is painstaking - and in addition to her duties as professor in the College of Medicine
and chair of the Department of Pathology at the University of the Philippines. It will be weeks before she
completes her reports of the three newly-exhumed victims - including Felizardo.

He was shot dead on an August evening in 2019 after leaving home on an errand. Erlinda went out to
see her son lying bloody on the ground. One of the witnesses told her the shooter was familiar - he
looked like a policeman.

"I asked that witness - are you willing to testify? But, of course, the witness said no, they weren't. If
people see something wrong, they want to turn a blind eye, and stay away from potential trouble."
Felizardo lived in Parola Tondo, sometimes described as Manila's worst slum. Close to the port, it's a
maze of concrete pathways and makeshift homes. Felizardo was also a drug user. But his mother says he
had begun to mature, and recently got a job with a trucking company.

"He'd turned his life around," Erlinda says, through tears. "This was Felizardo's time to prove himself to
those who didn't believe in him."

Mr Duterte, she says, "has no right to live."

"The police were left alone in the field - that's how all these abuses have happened," Mr Clavano says.

He adds that ongoing reform means prosecutors will work more closely with the police in future, visiting
crime scenes. "This is our way of doing a check and balance with the police."

But he sees no reason for the ICC to visit: "The ICC would only be able to come in if there's no working
judicial system in the Philippines. But there is a working judicial system."

The ICC, however, has said it isn't satisfied the Philippines is making a genuine effort to carry out
investigations and criminal prosecutions, and that its own investigation will continue.

Short presentational grey line

There have been a tiny handful of cases, where police officers have been arrested.

Six were taken into custody and face murder charges in the death of Jerhode "Jemboy" Baltazar, a 17-
year-old fisherman who was gunned down in broad daylight in the neighbourhood of Navotas in Metro
Manila last August.
Mistaking him for a murder suspect they were chasing, the police shot Jemboy as he was cleaning his
fishing boat. He fell into the water. But police made no attempt to pull him out. It was Jemboy's uncle
who retrieved his corpse hours later.

When Father Flavie heard the story, he arranged the removal of Jemboy's body from the funeral home
to Dr Fortun's morgue.

She concluded the gunshot to Jemboy's head hadn't caused death outright. And that if the police had
pulled him out of the water, "potentially he could have survived".

"So, he drowned because he fell in the water, because he was shot in the head. We classify this as
homicide," she says.

Then Dr Fortun got some unwelcome visitors. Firstly, from the Navotas police - the precinct responsible
for the shooting. And secondly, from the state prosecutor. Both wanted the autopsy report.

"This is enough - I'm being harassed," thought Dr Fortun. In the Philippines, the assassination of public
figures isn't unheard of. She took to X, formerly Twitter, telling her 170,000 followers about the visits,
adding she was putting the information out there for whatever protection it may afford her.

Father Flavie is still managing the fallout from the shooting. Jemboy's relatives were allegedly being
watched. Now the family is living in a secret location paid for by funds raised by the priest.

With no sign of Mr Duterte being held accountable, "everyone is hoping the ICC will step in," Dr Fortun
says. She is ready.

Father Flavie, too, is optimistic the victims of Mr Duterte's drug war will see justice.

Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn Colorado poll ban

Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to reverse a Colorado ruling that barred him from
running for president in the state.
In December, Colorado's top court said it had found "convincing evidence" Mr Trump was involved in
insurrection at the time of the 2021 US Capitol riot.

The Republican has been facing several legal challenges to his eligibility for the November 2024 election.

The former US president has also been removed from the ballot in Maine.

In both states, Mr Trump - the current Republican frontrunner - was removed from the ballot by
challenges that cited his alleged incitement of the 2021 US Capitol riot.

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution bans anyone who has "engaged in insurrection or
rebellion" from holding federal office.

In a statement, the Trump campaign accused the Colorado Supreme Court and President Joe Biden of
"doing all they can to disenfranchise all American voters by attempting to remove President Trump".

"This is an un-American, unconstitutional act of election interference which cannot stand," campaign
spokesman Steven Cheung added.

"We urge a clear, summary rejection of the Colorado Supreme Court's wrongful ruling and the execution
of a free and fair election in November."

Mr Trump's appeal to the Supreme Court was widely expected. The decisions to strike Mr Trump from
the ballot in Colorado and Maine are on hold until the legal challenges can be resolved.

The Supreme Court's ruling on the issue of Mr Trump's eligibility would be applied nationwide.
The Colorado case marks the first time in US history that the 14th Amendment has been used to
disqualify a presidential candidate from the ballot.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump also asked that a state court overturn the move by Maine Secretary of State
Shenna Bellows.

Courts in several other US states, including Minnesota and Michigan, have dismissed similar efforts to
remove Mr Trump from the ballot.

In other states, such as Oregon, cases revolving around his eligibility are still pending.

Bomb threats cause evacuations at multiple US statehouses

State capitol buildings in at least six states were evacuated on Wednesday after being targeted by bomb
threats.

A Kentucky secretary of state spokeswoman said the threat came in "a mass email sent to several" state
offices across the US.

BBC has reviewed the email, which targeted at least 24 statehouses and appears to have caused many
to close at the start of new legislative sessions.

No bombs have been discovered, and the FBI is investigating.

The threatening email claims that "multiple explosives" had been "well hidden" inside the statehouses.
It says the bombs would detonate "in a few hours". The sender promises that many will be killed.

The FBI said that it was investigating the bomb threats, but it had "no information to indicate a specific
and credible threat".
"The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk," the law enforcement
agency said.

The threat was delivered at the start or just ahead of new legislative sessions, which brought many state
lawmakers back to their statehouse offices.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Kentucky State Police had
evacuated the state capitol after the threat was sent to the secretary of state's office.

He added that everyone was safe, and that his office is "aware of similar threats made to other offices
across the country".

Police cleared the building in less than three hours before declaring that it was safe for personnel to
return. Kentucky lawmakers just started their 60-day legislative session on Tuesday.

Gabriel Sterling, a spokesman for Georgia's secretary of state, wrote on X was aware of the threats
made to statehouses across the US.

"Do not jump to conclusions as to who is responsible," he said.

"There will be chaos agents sowing discord for 2024. They want to increase tensions. Don't let them,"
Mr Sterling added.

Other states - including Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri and Maryland - also received threats
on Wednesday but did not close, according to the Associated Press.

These are not the only threats the US public has contended with recently, however.
Over the holidays, multiple officials were targeted by so-called "swatting" calls at their homes. The prank
calls to emergency services allege crises, such as an active shooter or hostage situation, to force a Swat
team to be deployed.

Members of Congress faced swatting calls just before Christmas. Billionaire George Soros and Texas
Attorney General Ken Paxton were targeted in recent days. Maine's secretary of state, Shenna Bellows,
dealt with a swatting incident one day after she ruled that Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the
state's election ballot.

Multiple states recently increased penalties for creating this kind of disruption, and lawmakers in other
states are considering legislation that would do the same.

Ukraine and Russia in 'biggest prisoner swap' so far

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in what is being described by officials
in Kyiv as the biggest swap of the war.

Ukraine said 230 prisoners, including serving members of the armed forces and border guard, had been
freed from Russian captivity.

In exchange, 248 Russians were released by Ukraine in the deal, mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

It is the first major prisoner exchange since last August.

"Our people are home," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media. "Today, we
brought back over 200 warriors and civilians from Russian captivity."

In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defence said negotiations had been "difficult".

The two countries have exchanged prisoners on a number of occasions since the start of Russia's full-
scale war in February 2022, but the Ukrainian leader said last month that the process had slowed down
for Russia's own "very specific reasons".

Images showing the prisoner releases were posted separately by Russian and by Ukrainian officials. A
video released by Moscow showed some of the freed Russians smiling on a bus.

Ukraine said their freed soldiers included seven defenders of Snake Island, a rocky outcrop in the Black
Sea.
Snake Island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance hours into Russia's full-scale invasion, when a
border guard posted there refused to surrender to the Russian warship Mosvka.

Others released included National Guardsmen captured at the Chernobyl exclusion zone and soldiers
detained during the battle for the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Six of those released were civilians,
according to Kyiv.

Both sides thanked the United Arab Emirates for mediating the deal.

Last month, Ukraine said it had freed some 2,598 people from Russian captivity during a process of 48
swaps.

Some Ukrainian prisoners of war previously freed from Russian captivity have said they were subject to
torture, including beatings and electric shocks.