Israel says Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida killed in Gaza

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This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Janat Jalil, and in the early hours of Monday, the 1st of September, these are our main stories.

Israel says it's killed one of the most prominent figures in Hamas's military wing, its spokesman Abu Ubaidah.

A judge in the United States has blocked plans by the Trump administration to deport hundreds of Guatemalan children who entered the US alone.

The leaders of China and India say they are now partners, not rivals, after years of tension, including a long-running border dispute.

Also in this podcast,

it's quite exciting.

So the fact that the lake recedes and brings again to light all these sites is fantastic.

A drought in Iraq has exposed ancient tombs dating back more than 2,000 years.

Israel says it's killed a key Hamas figure, Abu Ubaidah, the spokesman for its military wing in a strike on a block of flats in Gaza City.

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, congratulated the Israeli Defence Forces and Israel's security agency Shimbet for what he called the flawless execution of the killing.

Hamas has not confirmed the death.

At least thirty people were reported to have been killed by Israeli strikes on Sunday, a dozen of whom were trying to get aid.

At the same time, as people continue to also die of malnutrition, a flotilla carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists has left Spain and is heading towards Gaza after Israel blocked two earlier attempts to deliver aid by ship.

The Spanish Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek spoke to reporters before the flotilla set sail.

sail.

The starvation that we are seeing in Gaza is intentional.

It's man-made.

We talk about the humanitarian aspect.

This is a non-violent mission that is aiming to open a corridor of humanitarian aid, but for a political reason that is happening in Palestine.

What is happening there is not a natural disaster.

I got more on the flotilla with our correspondent in Jerusalem, Emir Nader, but first I asked him to tell us more about Abu Ubaidah and what his killing, if confirmed, means for Hamas.

He was the military spokesperson for Hamas for many years, around nearly two decades, and he was always wrapped in a Palestinian scarf as a mask and really became known throughout the Middle East as a prominent voice of Hamas.

He became an idol to Hamas supporters throughout the Middle East, regularly giving these very long, eloquent, indeed, diatribes against Israel.

And throughout the war, he'd become one of the last well-known figures that had survived.

So, if indeed he is dead, then it is a big symbolic blow to Hamas.

And his is not the only death in Gaza in the past 24 hours.

Just tell us what the latest is there.

Well, we've seen this ongoing beginning of Israel's invasion of Gaza city, around a million people there.

And now we've seen lots of heavy attacks in the northern areas, with over 60,000 people being reported by the UN to have been displaced daily.

We're seeing people from those outer neighbourhoods where the military is attacking moving inwards and also turning up in hospitals.

There's been airstrikes, artillery and indeed this new phenomenon that we're seeing more and more explosive robots as they're being called which are essentially armed personnel vehicles that are going in to destroy particular buildings.

So we're seeing those outer neighbourhoods really becoming flattened in these early stages of Israel's push into Gaza City.

And indeed this strike that killed the spokesperson Abu Obeda was a very heavy strike.

We've heard from eyewitnesses there.

There were numerous airstrikes on this one particular apartment block, and indeed, seven people died, twenty others injured, children among the casualties, and we've seen some of the aftermath videos.

Very distressing children covered in dust and very bloody.

So it does look like Israel's escalating its campaign on Gaza City.

And in this week, we will also see the call-up of tens of thousands of Israeli troops ahead of this planned invasion.

And yet again, a humanitarian flotilla is trying to reach Gaza.

It set sail from Barcelona in Spain as we are hearing more deaths being reported in the territory from malnutrition.

That's right, we've had daily reports of deaths from malnutrition continuing.

Naturally, what's really alarming people is because Gaza City, where famine was declared just last week, this is obviously the focus of this huge military campaign now by Israel.

And they've also announced that they will cease what they call their tactical pauses in airstrikes, which they introduced under very heavy international pressure to allow more aid to get into Gaza.

So, they said during daylight hours, we'll limit our attacks so there could be more movement of aid.

They've now said for Gaza City, they will no longer observe that.

And indeed, there is reporting in the Israeli military that they intend to limit the amount of aid getting into Gaza City.

So, there is real fear that the famine situation will deteriorate as the military campaign by Israel unfolds.

More details from Eletra Naismith.

The migrants range in age from 10 to 17 and cross the border into the US alone.

They're currently in the custody of the Health Department's Refugee Resettlement Office, which is supposed to house them until they're 18 or can be placed with a suitable sponsor.

Immigration advocacy groups say plans were instead underway to repatriate them, some in a matter of hours.

Lawyers say they were given no chance to contest the deportations.

The Trump administration has reportedly agreed a pilot programme with Guatemala to allow for the removals.

Lawyers say it's simply an effort to skirt round protections established by Congress.

Electra Naismith.

China and India have been at loggerheads for years, partly because of a history of deadly clashes along their Himalayan border.

But Donald Trump's trade war has led to a thaw in relations between the world's two most populous nations.

Beijing and Delhi have reassured each other that they are partners, not rivals, as they try to repair ties.

Their leaders, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi, were speaking at a regional summit hosted by China in the port city of Tianjin.

Here's our China correspondent, Laura Bicker.

President Xi said that China and India should be partners, not rivals.

Mr Modi added that there was now an atmosphere of peace and stability between them.

They met on the sidelines of an annual summit organised by Beijing, which is being attended by more than twenty other world leaders, including Russia's President Putin.

This year, the event is overshadowed by trade wars with the United States.

President Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods last week, which appears to be pushing Mr.

Modi closer to China, something that President Xi welcomes.

As the world undergoes accelerated changes unseen in a century, with intertwined turbulence in the international landscape, China and India, two ancient eastern civilizations and key members of the global south, bear an important responsibility to benefit their peoples, promote unity and revitalization among developing countries and advance human progress.

President Putin arrived to a red carpet welcome and according to Kremlin AIDS, he's been disclosing the details of his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska during talks with the Chinese leader.

He will also meet Mr.

Modi.

For President Xi, playing the host and presiding over this gathering will help further his image as the leader of a new world order.

Norabika.

Indonesia's President Prabao Subianto has declared sweeping measures to address violent nationwide protests that have rocked the country in recent days and left at least four people dead.

Protesters were angered at extra allowances being dished out to parliamentarians.

Palosa Yashinya Yoshi Veda is a student president of the Yassi University in Jakarta.

While citizens are struggling with rising costs of living and economic hardship, members of parliament or the politicians appear to live comfortably, enjoying high allowance and privileges.

Actually, this has created a deep sense of injustice.

President Prabao now says some of those state-funded perks for politicians will be reversed.

He's also ordered the security forces to take action against those who acted illegally.

To the police and the Indonesian National Armed Forces, I order them to take the strictest actions against those who have committed acts of damage to public facilities, looting of individual homes or public places, or economic centers.

A correspondent in Jakarta, Astudeshra Ajengrashtri, told us more about what he said.

So, Prabo, basically, when he announced the discussions with the cabinet members and also the head of the political parties, he was accompanied by these politicians and also former president Megawatesukarna Putri, showing that you know all of these politicians backed him up on this decision.

So what he said was first he apologized again for what happened, the victims that has died in this chain of protests.

He said that the police have initiated now a criminal investigation to the seven police officers who is inside the tactical vehicle when he run over Afan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old

motorbike taxi driver who is in the protest.

And then he said the second one is

he revoked the membership of the parliament members who may have been made incorrect statements.

That's what he said.

So previously, before the protest happened some of the parliament members were saying statements that is insensitive to the protesters so they are now revoked the membership of the parliament he also said that the parliament will now revise the allowance and now he say they would put a moratorium on overseas working visit.

Not only that, but he also addresses the protesters Because the last two days, the protests in Indonesia ended with chaos, and the protesters torch some parliament buildings, both in Jakarta and other cities.

He said that to the police and the army to take strong measures to the protesters who

are caught up destroying public facilities and creating unrest.

Astu Desra Ajen Ajengrastri in Indonesia.

The drought gripping Iraq has cracked the earth, withered its crops, and dried up its rivers.

But in the parched north, it has also peeled back layers of history.

Archaeologists have discovered 40 ancient tombs after water levels in the country's largest reservoir fell to their lowest this year.

Here's our Middle East Regional Editor, Mike Thompson.

Around five years of consecutive droughts have blighted Iraq's agricultural land and caused numerous power cuts during the sweltering summer months, but now they've actually been a help to archaeologists.

A team working in the northern Dahook province had spotted parts of the tombs two years ago, but couldn't access the site because much of it was underwater.

Now, in one of the driest years since 1933, with water reserves down to just 8% of capacity, the burial site is both fully exposed and accessible.

Mike Thompson, while Cruper Pari spoke to Paola Sconzo, Associate Professor of Archaeology of Western Asia at the University of Palermo in Italy, who monitors sites across the Mosul Reservoir and was part of that team which discovered the ancient tombs.

For us archaeologists, yes, it's quite exciting.

I mean, not just the discovery of the cemetery, but I mean, the discoveries, the fact that

so many many archaeological sites, features and also villages which we thought that disappeared for good in 1988 when the Mosul Dam was built are actually reappearing sometimes cyclically, sometimes also periodically because of the changing level of the lake.

Yes.

You talked about the water levels rising again and the the risks that come with that.

Just explain to us both the opportunities and challenges which are created when drought opens up windows like this for archaeologists.

Actually, for the people of Iraq and for people of the Kurdistan region, these droughts which bring the lake to recede are very difficult because I mean they are leaving of the water of the lake.

But of course for for us for archaeologists it's incredible because

Tigris and Euphrates is where is the the area of the Fertile Crescent is an area which was fully and levellingly populated from the Neolithic to I mean present time and the construction of dams which is not just the Mosul Dam but also the dams on in Turkey the Liso Dam and also the the dams which were constructed in Syria have inundated and destroyed thousands and thousands of archaeological sites, features, and also modern villages.

So, the fact that sometimes the lake recedes and brings again to light all these sites is fantastic, as very challenging and important for us.

Archaeologist Paola Sconzo.

Still to come.

Are these seagulls or humans mimicking the birds in the latest seagull screeching competition?

We'll tell you shortly.

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As Europe faces the threat of increasing Russian aggression, Norway has agreed a $13 billion deal for anti-submarine warships that will be built in the UK and will see the two countries carrying out joint patrols.

In its largest ever military procurement, Norway will buy at least five British frigates that will primarily be built in Scotland by BAE systems.

Under the agreement, the UK and Norway will operate a combined fleet of eight British anti-submarine frigates and five Norwegian ones.

The British Prime Minister Keir Stahmer welcomed the deal, which will be a major boost for the British defence industry.

Our world news correspondent Joe Inward reports.

It's not only the UK that views Russian submarines in the North Sea as a major strategic threat.

Norway's purchase of five British-built frigates, specifically designed to detect, track, and, if necessary, defeat hostile submarines, is a mark of not only how seriously both countries take the issue, but also of the closeness of their alliance.

Luke Pollard is the Armed Forces Minister and welcomed the deal.

This is the biggest British warship deal in history.

It's a huge vote of confidence in British workers and the British defence industry, securing 4,000 jobs for the next 15 years and beyond.

Once they're all on the water, sometime in the 2030s, the combined fleet will have 13 frigates: eight British and five Norwegian.

In winning the contract to build the ships, the UK beat rival bids from Germany, France, and the United States.

Norway's Prime Minister, Junus Garstura, said there were two reasons for the choice.

We have asked two fundamental questions: who is the best strategic partner for Norway when purchasing new frigates?

And can the country that is the best partner for us deliver a competitive frigate?

The answer to the first question is the United Kingdom, and the answer to the second is yes.

Overall, this is the best frigate for Norway.

Kierstama said it was an historic moment for European security, one that showed the extent to which Russia's invasion of Ukraine had led to the rearming of the continent.

Joe Inward.

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused the largely public-funded broadcaster, Voice of America, of being radical and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Now it's moving to fire most of its remaining journalists.

More than 500 employees have been told they'll lose their jobs.

The decision is being challenged in the courts.

Patsy Wida Cuswara has until now been the Voice of America's White House bureau chief and told us that she believes it's part of an erosion of press freedom in the United States.

I think it's quite clear that press freedom in the United States is under attack, not just what's happening with us, with Voice of America, but also our colleagues, you know, public broadcasters such as public radio, NPR, and then PBS,

as well as private stations.

They're also under attack from the White House.

And if you just look at any White House briefing, you see a lot of very right-wing influencers and outlets that it would be a stretch to call them journalists who are being given the opportunity to be there rather than AP and Reuters and other wires who are being pushed aside.

There's a lot of our colleagues who are in the U.S.

They're on what's called a J-1 visa, right?

And so now that they're no longer employed with us, they have to go back to their home countries and they are at risk of being harmed.

We're also concerned about our stringers

who work in various places around the world who are anti-US.

And these people can no longer find jobs because they have worked for VOA.

So it's just really sad to think about how these journalists in the past, they have been targeted by authoritarian regimes and we have been the ones, like the United States have been the ones standing up for them.

And now the United States is the one targeting them.

Patsy Wooda Kuswara.

For decades, millions of people with heart disease have been advised by their doctors to take a low dose of aspirin every day to reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes.

But a study due to be presented on Monday to a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology and the World Congress of Cardiology Madrid suggests that another blood thinner could be more effective.

Peter Goffin reports.

Thinning the blood was always the goal.

Coronary heart disease, which affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide, is caused by a buildup of fatty material along a person's artery walls.

That can cause blood clots and slow or even stop the flow of blood to the heart, which can lead to a heart attack.

Aspirin is a common, relatively inexpensive over-the-counter pain reliever, but it also thins the blood, helping it pass through the arteries and prevent clotting.

But a new study, co-authored by medical researchers from universities and hospitals across the US, Europe, and Asia, found that daily use of the blood thinner clopidogrel could be even more effective.

They tracked nearly 29,000 heart disease patients and found that over an average of five and a half years, people who took clopidogrel were 14% less likely than those taking aspirin to suffer a heart attack, stroke, or death from a heart-related condition.

They also found that the risk of major bleeding, one of the most severe possible side effects of long-term aspirin use, was no greater with clopidogrel.

The chief scientific officer of the British Heart Foundation, Professor Brian Williams, who was not affiliated with the study, has said the findings are likely to affect which medications doctors prescribe to their patients.

Peter Goffin, climate change is having an increasing impact on the number and the range of pests and diseases which trees and plants are exposed to.

Rising temperatures are also allowing them to spread to new habitats.

But there are signs of success in the fight against an eight-toothed beetle which eats growing Christmas trees.

The spruce bark beetle has been devastating commercial forests around Europe and is increasingly found here in the UK.

The pest is seen in the industry as enemy number one, as our climate editor Justin Rowlatt reports.

Two tree experts from the UK's Forest Research Agency, armed with binoculars, are scanning the spruce trees in a wood in Hampshire for the telltale signs of a rapacious predator.

The Ips Typographus beetle is tiny, the size of a large grain of rice, but they can destroy entire forests.

This is what we've called our remote ips trap.

The idea is that it captures insects over a set period of time.

We're on the country's first line of defence, a network of elaborate traps that stretch across southern England, an early warning system to alert the researchers to the beetle's presence in the UK.

So you could show us now what you were looking for out in the forest.

And these are the galleries that the adults and the larvae produce.

And eventually lots of these can join, we'll girdle that tree and eventually kill it.

But you've got to imagine this will be, this could be all up and down that tree.

It's incredibly extensive.

Dr.

Max Blake of the Forest Research Agency is showing me a piece of bark from an infested spruce tree.

Tiny tunnels dug by the beetle larvae scour the inside of the bark.

The actual insects themselves are in here.

So when we get one of those trap samples that we looked at earlier on, this is what the clean version of that looks like.

So they're actually tiny, aren't they?

They're really, really small.

You can put a massive things can do so much damage.

There's thousands and thousands of them, potentially millions, on these individual trees.

So that many of them can easily, easily kill them.

The beetles are blown across the channel and can quickly take hold in the UK, especially as climate change drives up temperatures, allowing them to breed more than once in a year.

Having two generations of beetles massively increases the potential for damage to healthy trees in the UK.

So typically, each generation of beetles is going to produce about 60 larvae.

So hold on, two could have 60 and then they could all have another 60.

So we're talking 3,600 from two in a single year.

Yes.

So this is explosive population growth.

Yeah it can be.

It can be enormous and if and year on year you can get this very very rapid buildup in the natural environment.

Droves are used to detect infested trees.

Spruce trees are Ips' favourite.

They're often used as Christmas trees, but they also make up over half of the UK's commercial timber.

If IPS spreads, it will change how our forests look, as well as costing up to £3 billion a year, the government warns.

And it's just one of many threats that need to be tracked, says Andrea Deal of the Forest Research Agency.

Climate change is an important consideration in terms of expanding pests and diseases' natural range and so forth.

So we can see different types of pests and diseases more able to establish in different places than they might have done in the past.

Hello, show me where.

And the team have some new recruits.

Dogs.

They've been trained to slip out the beetles in cut wood.

Once infestations have been identified, the trees and the beetles within them can be destroyed.

And the effort appears to be working.

The researchers are finding increasing numbers of beetles in the UK, but they are not taking hold.

That report by Justin Rowlatt.

An 11-year-old boy who gained worldwide fame for his seagull mimicking skills has been back in the spotlight this weekend.

Cooper Wallace was the guest of honour at the first ever Western Supermare Seagull Screeching Championship in the southwest of England.

Judith Ecot has the story.

Seagull Boy became an overnight sensation, aged just nine, when he won the European Gull Screeching Contest in 2024.

Today, the Seagull enthusiast became head judge for two competitions in Western Super Mayor, one for under-12s and the other for teenagers and adults.

Speaking to the BBC, he was clear what he'd be looking for.

The pitch, the volume of it, and then like how they act like a seagull, basically.

People in the seaside town flocked to the event at a shopping centre near the pier.

One local could barely contain his excitement.

It's not very often we get an event as prestigious as the Seagull Championships in Western.

Couldn't miss it.

In the end, only four people entered the main events, although the standard was high.

With local Scott Milton taking the title.

Next up were the children.

with three-year-old Miles awarded top spot.

Dressed for the occasion, as he often is in a white fluffy seagull costume, Cooper Wallace said he'd had an absolute whale of a time.

Something to crow about.

That report by Judith Ecot.

And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later.

If you want to comment on this podcast, you can send us an email.

The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.

This edition was mixed by Graham Wright.

The producers William McSheffery and Becky Wood.

The editor is Karen Martin.

I'm Jeannette Jalil.

Until next time, goodbye.

Sucks!

The new musical has made Tony award-winning history on Broadway.

We the man to be home!

Winner, best score!

We the man to be seen!

Winner, best book!

We demand to be qualified.

It's a theatrical masterpiece that's thrilling, inspiring, dazzlingly entertaining, and unquestionably the most emotionally stirring musical this season.

Suffs!

Playing the Orpheum Theater October 22nd through November 9th.

Tickets at BroadwaySF.com