Where is Israel's operation heading?

7 hours ago Share Save Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent Share Save

BBC

On Friday, after Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Iranians directly. Speaking in English, he told them that the time had come for them to stand up against an "evil and oppressive regime". Israel's military operations were, he announced, "clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom". Now, as the military confrontation between Iran and Israel intensifies, and the range of targets widens, many are asking - what is Israel's real endgame?

Getty Images On Friday Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, including in the capital Tehran

Is it simply to end, as Netanyahu also declared on Friday on the first night of strikes, "the Islamic regime's nuclear and ballistic missile threat"? Was it also to finish off any more talks between the US and Iran, to reach a new negotiated deal to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of painful sanctions? Or could that message to Iranians about clearing a path to achieve freedom nod to an even bigger aim of trying to bring an end to Iran's clerical rule?

From generals to Trump: Who has his ear?

The political career of Israel's longest-serving prime minister has been marked by his personal mission to warn the world of the dangers posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran - from a cartoon of a bomb he's shown at the United Nations, to his repeated refrain during the last 20 months of a burning regional war that Iran was the biggest threat of all. American presidents and Netanyahu's own generals are known to have pulled him back, more than once over the years, from ordering military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump says he didn't give it a green light. But even what seems to have been at least an amber one seems to have been enough. "Now he is in, he is all in," is how one western official described Netanyahu's game. He also underlined the view that Israel's main goal was to cripple Iran's nuclear programme. That decision has been widely condemned by states across the region, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) whose Director-General Rafael Grossi underlined: "I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances." They have also been condemned by legal scholars who argue that the strikes are illegal under international law. But many are now asking whether Israel's prime minister is pursuing the same goals as his top advisors and allies.

AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump says he didn't give Israel's recent attack a green light

"While Netanyahu has personally stacked his fortunes on regime change, the Israeli political and military establishment are committed to profoundly setting back Iran's nuclear program," says Dr Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the Chatham House think tank. "The latter might be difficult but somewhat achievable," she adds. "The former looks harder to deliver in a short and intensifying conflict."

Destroying Iran's nuclear programme

Netanyahu cast Israel's operation as pre-emptive strikes to destroy an existential threat. Iran's advance, he declared, was "at the 90th minute" towards the development of a nuclear bomb. Western allies have echoed his declaration that Tehran must not be allowed to cross this line. But Netanyahu's clock has also been widely queried. Iran has repeatedly denied it has decided to build a bomb. In March, Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, testified that the US intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon". The IAEA said in its latest quarterly report that Iran had amassed enough uranium enriched up to 60% purity - a short, technical step away from weapons grade, or 90% - to potentially make nine nuclear bombs. In these first few days, three key facilities in Iran's vast programme have been targeted - Natanz, Isfahan, Fordow. The IAEA has said that a pilot fuel enrichment plant, above ground, at Natanz was destroyed. The IAEA also reported that four "critical buildings" were damaged at Isfahan. Israel describes the damage to Iran's facilities as "significant"; Iran says it's limited. And Israel is also striking "sources of knowledge" by assassinating, so far, at least nine nuclear scientists and a growing list of top military commanders. Its list of targets, which includes military bases, missile launch pads and factories, is now widening to economic and oil facilities. Iran is also hitting back with its own expanding hit list as civilian casualties mount in both countries.

Maxar Technologies/ Getty Images Fordow is Iran's second-largest and most heavily protected site

But to deal a decisive blow to Iran's vast nuclear programme, Israel would have to do significant damage to Fordow, its second-largest and most heavily protected site. The complex, deep underground in a mountain, is where some experts believe Iran has stockpiled much of its near weapons-grade uranium. Reports in Israeli media say the current aim is to try to cut off access to the facility. Israel doesn't have the bunker-busting bombs it would need to smash through so much rock. But the US Air Force has them. They're known as MOP – the precision-guided 30,000lb Massive Ordnance Penetrator. But it would still take many strikes, over many days, to cause major damage. "I think the most likely scenario is that Netanyahu will call Trump and say 'I've done all this other work, I've made sure there is no threat to the B-2 bombers and to US forces but I can't end the nuclear weapons programme,'" Richard Nephew, former US official and Iran expert at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, told the BBC's Newshour programme. A Western official told me, "It's still not clear which way President Trump will jump."

Timed to derail peace talks?

Trump keeps veering back and forth. At the start of last week, he urged Israel to stop threatening Iran militarily because an attack could "blow it" when it came to the nuclear negotiations with Iran he's always said he much prefers. Once Israel attacked, he praised the strikes as "excellent" and warned "there's more to come, a lot more". But he also mused they could help push Iran towards making a deal. Then in a post on Sunday on his Truth Social platform, he declared "We will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place." Iran's negotiators now suspect that the talks, which were set to resume in the Omani capital Muscat on Sunday, had all been a ploy to convince Tehran an Israeli attack was not imminent, despite mounting tensions. Israel's blistering salvos on Friday morning caught it off guard.

Getty Images At the start of last week, Trump urged Israel to stop threatening Iran militarily

Others also see the timing as significant. "Israel's unprecedented strikes were designed to kill President Trump's chances of striking a deal to contain the Iranian nuclear programme," says Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "While some Israeli officials argue that these attacks aimed to strengthen the US leverage in the diplomatic path, it is clear their timing and large-scale nature was intended to completely derail talks." Officials with knowledge of these negotiations had told me last week that "a deal was within reach". But it all depended on the US moving away from its maximum demand for Iran to end all nuclear enrichment, even from much smaller single-digit percentages commensurate with a civilian programme. Tehran viewed that as a "red line". After President Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal in his first term, partly under repeated urging from Netanyahu, Iran moved away from its obligation to restrict enrichment to 3.67% - a level used to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants - and started stockpiling too. In this second attempt, the US leader had given Iran "60 days" to do a deal – a window viewed by mediators with experience and knowledge of this field as far too small for such a complex issue. Israel attacked on the 61st day. "The Oman channel is dead for the time being," says Dr Vakil. "But regional efforts are underway to de-escalate and find off ramps."

Netanyahu's 'Churchillian mood'

Viewed from Tehran, this escalation is not just about stockpiles, centrifuges, and supersonic missiles. "They see it as Israel wanting to, once and for all, downgrade Iran's capabilities as a state, its military institutions, and change the balance of power between Iran and Israel in a decisive way, and perhaps topple the Islamic Republic as a whole, if it can," argues Vali Nasr, Professor of Middle East studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of the 2025 book Iran's Grand Strategy. It's unclear how the Iranian public might respond.

Getty Images Iranian people have suffered, for years, the effects of swingeing international sanctions as well as systematic corruption

A nation of 90 million people has suffered, for years, the effects of swingeing international sanctions as well as systematic corruption. Protests have flared, year after year, on issues ranging from high inflation to low employment, shortages of water and electricity to the zeal of morality police restricting women's lives. In 2022, unprecedented waves of protests demanded greater freedoms; they were met by a harsh crackdown. Mr Nasr offers his assessment of the public mood now. "Maybe at the beginning, when four or five very unpopular generals were killed, they may have felt a sense of relief, but now their apartment buildings are being hit, civilians have been killed, and the energy and electrical infrastructure of the country is under attack," he says. "I don't see a scenario in which the majority of Iranians are going to side with an aggressor against their country while it's bombing it, and somehow view that as liberation." But Netanyahu's statements keep hinting at broader targeting.

AFP via Getty Images Only the US can bring this to a timely end-point in the near future, according to Daniel Levy, President of the U.S. Middle East project

On Saturday, he warned his country will strike "every site and every target of the ayatollah regime". On Sunday, when specifically asked by Fox News if regime change was part of Israel's military effort, Israel's premier replied it "could certainly be the result because the Iran regime is very weak". "They want to play to the regime's fears of losing control as part of their psychological warfare," says Anshel Pfeffer, Israel Correspondent at The Economist and author of a biography of Netanyahu. "The consensus within Israeli intelligence is that predicting or engineering the downfall of the Iranian regime is pointless. It could happen soon, or in 20 years."

But Mr Pfeffer believes the prime minister's thinking may be different. "I think there's a good chance that Netanyahu, unlike his spy chiefs, actually believes in the message; he is in a Churchillian mood." By Sunday evening, reports started appearing on US media, each citing their own sources, that President Trump had vetoed in recent days an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The buzz began when Reuters first broke the story quoting two anonymous US officials. Israeli figures questioned on their aims, from the foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar to the National Security Council Chief Tzachi Hanegbi, have emphasised their focus is not on Iran's political leadership. But Hanegbi added a coda – "but the concept of 'at the moment' is valid for a limited time." In the end, the contours of this endgame will be shaped by the course of a perilous and unpredictable confrontation, and an unpredictable US President. "Success or failure is overwhelmingly being defined by whether the US can be dragged in," assesses Daniel Levy, President of the U.S. Middle East project and former Israeli government advisor. "Only the US can bring this to a timely end-point in the near future by determining outcomes and stop points." Top picture credits: Anadolu via Getty, ATEF SAFADI/EPA - EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Ethnicity of grooming gangs 'shied away from', Casey report says

3 hours ago Share Save Anna Lamche BBC News Share Save

Watch: Cooper says "words not enough" for victims of grooming gangs

The ethnicity of people involved in grooming gangs has been "shied away from" by authorities, according to a new report by Baroness Louise Casey. The finding comes after the peer was tasked with producing an audit on the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse in England and Wales. The report said ethnicity data is not recorded for two-thirds of grooming gang perpetrators, meaning it is not robust enough to support conclusions about offenders at a national level. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper apologised to victims as she presented the findings to MPs and announced a new national inquiry into grooming gangs.

In the report, Baroness Casey said: "We as a society owe these women a debt. "They should never have been allowed to have suffered the appalling abuse and violence they went through as children," she added. On the question of ethnicity, the report said: "We found that the ethnicity of perpetrators is shied away from and is still not recorded for two-thirds of perpetrators, so we are unable to provide any accurate assessment from the nationally collected data". However, it added that at a local level for three police forces - Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire - there was enough evidence to show a "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation". Cooper said: "Ignoring the issues, not examining and exposing them to the light, allows the criminality and depravity of a minority of men to be used to marginalise whole communities." In a later interview, Lady Casey said the data should be investigated as it was "only helping the bad people" not to give a full picture of the situation, adding: "You're doing a disservice to two sets of population, the Pakistani and Asian heritage community, and victims." The report concluded that ignorance and a fear of being seen as racist meant organisations tasked with protecting children turned a blind eye to abuse. "We found many examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist, raising community tensions or causing community cohesion problems," the report said. The audit criticised the "failure" of the authorities to "understand" the nature and scale of the problem to date. "If we'd got this right years ago - seeing these girls as children raped rather than 'wayward teenagers' or collaborators in their abuse, collecting ethnicity data, and acknowledging as a system that we did not do a good enough job - then I doubt we'd be in this place now," the report stated. Speaking on BBC Newsnight later on Monday, Baroness Casey said: "I'm raging, actually, on behalf of the victims."

Watch: Grooming gang victim Fiona Goddard reacts to report findings

Cooper told the Commons the government would follow all 12 of the report's recommendations, including suggestions to: Ensure adults who engage in penetrative sex with a child under 16 "face the most serious charge of rape" instead of lesser charges

Launch a new national criminal operation overseen by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to tackle grooming gangs and hold a national inquiry that co-ordinates targeted local investigations into abuse

Review the criminal convictions of victims of child sexual exploitation and quashing any convictions where the government finds victims were criminalised instead of protected

Make the collection of ethnicity and nationality data for all suspects in child sexual abuse and criminal exploitation cases mandatory

Commission research into the drivers for group-based child sexual exploitation, including the role of social media, cultural factors and group dynamics

Bring in more rigorous standards for the licensing and regulation of taxi drivers following cases of them being used to traffic victims Cooper said: "To the victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and grooming gangs, on behalf of this and past governments, and the many public authorities who let you down, I want to reiterate an unequivocal apology for the unimaginable pain and suffering that you have suffered, and the failure of our country's institutions through decades to prevent that harm and keep you safe." She added: "Baroness Casey's first recommendation is we must see children as children. She concludes too many grooming cases have been dropped or downgraded from rape to lesser charges because a 13 to 15-year-old is perceived to have been in love with or had consented to sex with the perpetrator." The report is focused on "group-based child exploitation" by grooming gangs, a crime which is defined as involving "multiple perpetrators coercing, manipulating and deceiving children into sex, to create an illusion of consent".

Baroness Louise Casey led the audit, which has prompted a national inquiry into grooming gangs

The "grooming gangs model" of abuse is outlined in Casey's audit, which typically involves "a man targeting a vulnerable adolescent child - often those in care, or children with learning or physical disabilities" and "grooming them into thinking they are their 'boyfriend'. "Subsequently, they pass them to other men for sex, using drugs and alcohol to make children compliant, often turning to violence and coercion to control them," the report said. Taxis were often used by grooming gangs to transport vulnerable children around, it said. "Girls went missing frequently... for days at a time", Casey noted, adding: "Several victims had children by the perpetrators of their abuse." The audit is "the latest in a long line" of initiatives and measures looking into child sexual exploitation, Casey's report said. While many children did not report their abuse at the time, the report stated, many children who did report have been "ignored, treated like criminals and often arrested themselves."

Fiona Goddard, a survivor of a grooming gang that operated in the Bradford area, told BBC News the "vast majority" of those who abused her "were Pakistani men". She said: "I do not believe it was just a misunderstanding and not understanding the crime or the victims. "I think that the crime was allowed to happen, one, because of the race of the perpetrators, and two, because of who the victims were."

Woman who died in skydive was 'caring and giving'

5 hours ago Share Save Elliot Ball, Eve Watson and Jonathan Morris BBC News, South West Share Save

PA Media Belinda Taylor was a wonderful mother, said her sister, who took this photograph of her

A woman who died in a skydiving accident in Devon was a "caring, giving person" who "loved adventure". Belinda Taylor, 48, from Totnes, was one of two people who died in a tandem jump at Dunkeswell Aerodrome, near Honiton, on Friday, police confirmed. Her partner Scott Armstrong said: "She was a lovely person, she was my best friend. She was an absolute nutcase who just loved adventures." Skydiving instructor Adam Harrison, 30, from Bournemouth, also died in the incident at the weekend.

Scott Armstrong Belinda Taylor from Totnes, died while skydiving in Devon

A tandem jump is when an instructor is attached by a harness to a participant, with the instructor controlling the jump, the freefall and the parachute deployment. Mother-of-four Ms Taylor, who worked as a massage therapist and volunteered at a food bank, had been in a relationship with Mr Armstrong for three years. "If she had £10 in her purse and you needed £10, you got it. She would put her own needs out of the way," said Mr Armstrong. "Somebody had sent me the nicest message last night. "They said they were on the plane with her and she was laughing and joking and really excited of going up to the last minute. And I needed to hear that."

Mr Armstrong said his partner had an adventurous spirit and it was "anything for a laugh" and her death had left him "lost". "She was my only friend. I don't even know where home is now," he said. "She was what I had down here, now I don't have her here, I'm speechless. We lost our world... I just miss her like crazy."

Scott Armstrong: "I miss her like crazy"

Ms Taylor's son Elias Baaklini, 20, a business student from Acton, west London, said it was "just a tragedy that she went off to have fun, do something she'd never done before, experience something new and we lost her". "I think when you go on these types of things, it's not what you're expecting, especially now with the safety measures they have. It's such an unlucky thing to happen," he said. "We just want to know what happened, the cause of it." Restaurant owner Bachir Baaklini, 46, who has two children with Ms Taylor, including Elias, said his family wanted "justice". "We need to find out what caused this so no-one else dies the same way as she died," he said. "It's a shock. Friday and Saturday we were just constantly in tears, you don't think it's a true story."

Scott Armstrong Ms Taylor worked as a massage therapist and also volunteered at a food bank

Ms Taylor's sister Michelle Gaffney, 41, from London, said: "My big sister was such a kind soul and would do anything for anyone. "She was such a fun-loving woman, with a heart of gold and a brilliant sense of humour. She was a wonderful mother and raised four beautiful children." She also sent "condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family of Adam Harrison". "He and they are also in our hearts," she said.

Ms Taylor's friend Chloe Grantham said she would be "missed so much". "She was amazing, she cared about everybody," she said. "She always put others before herself and she was a wonderful mother. "I'll always take her with me in my heart. I love her to bits."

The accident happened at Dunkeswell Aerodrome

Devon and Cornwall Police said the skydivers died at the scene and their families had been informed. It said inquiries were ongoing by police, British Skydiving and East Devon District Council Environmental Health and Safety Office. British Skydiving said on Saturday it had been "notified of a tragic accident in which two jumpers lost their lives". "Our deepest condolences go to their families, friends and the entire skydiving community," it said.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it was aware of the incident but could not comment any further due to it being an active investigation. A spokesperson added: "We will work closely with the relevant authorities to understand what happened and are awaiting the report into the incident." SkyDiveBuzz Dunkeswell said the deaths were "devastating" and it was fully co-operating with the investigation. "We are heartbroken to confirm that an incident occurred on Friday, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives," it said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and everyone affected by this devastating event."

The site was originally built to be an American naval base during World War Two

The Dunkeswell Aerodrome is a former RAF site located in the Blackdown Hills area of Devon, close to the county's border with Somerset. According to the aerodrome's website, the site was originally built to be an American naval base during World War Two. It is also claimed to be the highest licensed airfield in the UK at 839ft (256m) above sea level. Along with skydiving, other activities on offer include Spitfire flight tours, wing-walking and flight training for aircraft.

Family of Air India crash victims feel 'abandoned'

5 hours ago Share Save Leigh Boobyer BBC News, Gloucestershire Charlotte Scarr Reporting from Reporting from Ahmedabad Share Save

Family Handout Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara died in the crash

The family of three Britons who died in the Air India plane crash are calling on the UK government to provide more support in India. Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and Sara Nanabawa, aged four, were returning home to Gloucester when their plane ploughed into a residential area in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Akeel's brother, Hamzah, said they have not received his body despite giving DNA and waiting three days. A family spokesperson added: "We're not asking for miracles – we're asking for presence, for compassion, for action. Right now, we feel utterly abandoned." A Foreign Office spokesperson said there is an advice helpline and a support centre has been set up near the airport.

The plane was carrying 242 people when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, in western India, including 53 Britons. The sole surviving passenger was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Mr Nanabawa said: "I need the UK government to come out by themselves, if they've given up all this big talk over in the UK, come out here and help." He added there is no UK leadership in India, no medical team and no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital.

Hamzah Nanabawa has been waiting days to receive the bodies of his relatives

"No one from UK has even reached out to me, my family, to my sister in law's family. Nobody has. So you're saying no one from the foreign office in the UK or here reached out to us at all, nobody," Mr Nanabawa said. "They haven't done anything for us [or] what we wanted. You have to understand, this is the highest, highest incident in the UK's history of 53 lives, and we are now on day four." He added: "All I want is you guys to come and help and help my brother, my sister in law, my niece and all the other 53 people that were on that plane. "Come and help them, please. Because they are grieving. They are hurt. They haven't got anybody. They [haven't got any] structure, no structure at all." UK air accident investigators are already in India and are assisting the Indian authorities, and UK forensic experts are there to support, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said. She added: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash. "We have set up a Reception Centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals."

Juror dismissed in Diddy trial over 'inconsistencies'

The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, pictured in a court sketch last week, is now in its sixth week

Lawyers for Combs had opposed the decision, saying that Combs would be "substantially prejudiced by the dismissal" of a black male from the jury.

On Friday, Judge Arun Subramanian said he had found "several inconsistencies" between the juror's answers in court transcripts, which he said could suggest a desire to "be deceptive" in an effort to get on the jury.

During jury selection, the juror indicated on a questionnaire that he lived in the Bronx area of New York. But more recently, he told a court staffer he had moved in with his girlfriend in New Jersey.

A juror in the sex trafficking trial of rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs has been removed after giving inconsistent answers about where he lives.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The juror has been replaced by an alternative juror, a 57-year-old white father from Westchester.

The possible dismissal of the juror has been discussed by lawyers for the past week.

Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey had asked that a juror be dismissed for what she described as "a lack of candour".

The prosecution said the juror had disclosed that he recently moved to New Jersey with his girlfriend and had been staying there for most of the trial.

When he was questioned behind closed doors, the juror said he was staying in an apartment in the Bronx, New York, during the week, for four to five nights, when he was working and doing jury duty.

But the juror had said at an earlier stage, in a prospective juror interview several weeks ago, that he lived in the Bronx with his fiancé and daughter.

At one point, the juror had also mentioned living with an aunt, but later omitted her.

The judge said he had found "several inconsistencies" between the juror's answers in the court transcripts.

The inconsistencies, the judge said, could point to a desire to "shade answers" and raised serious question about the juror's "candour" and his "ability to follow instructions".

The judge noted that there were six alternative jurors to preserve the "integrity" of the court. "Removal of the juror is required, in this court's view," the judge said.

One of Combs' lawyers, Xavier Donaldson, objected to the judge's inclination, saying it is "very, very common" for New Yorkers to move between the city and New Jersey.

He said he believed the court is "equating inconsistencies with lying."

"I do believe he will be able to follow instructions," Donaldson said, adding that Juror No. 6 has been "awake - I can't say they all have been awake".

The defence's main objection related to the juror's race, with Donaldson noting that the trial's jury was the most diverse he had seen in his three-decade career.

"That part is important to me and my client," Donaldson said, adding that if the court were to dismiss the juror, it would be "a step backward."

"I don't generally play the race card unless I have it in my hand," Donaldson said.

Combs's legal team had requested a mistrial should the juror be dismissed.

Dozens killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid sites, Hamas-run ministry says

A mourner during the funeral of one of those killed while attempting to get food aid in Rafah

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said: "Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza."

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to get food from the GHF sites, opened by Israel after it partially lifted a three-month blockade that the UN said had pushed the Gazan population to the brink of starvation.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that its troops fired warning shots at suspects approaching them and posing a threat.

At least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, he accused Israel of weaponising food and repeated his call for a full investigation into the attacks near the sites. UN agencies have refused to work with the GHF.

On several previous occasions the IDF has acknowledged that its troops opened fire near aid sites.

The GHF begun re-opening its distribution sites on Sunday after closing them briefly due to security concerns.

The health ministry said 28 were killed on Monday at the GHF centre at al-Alam in the southern city of Rafah, while rescuers reported two killed at a GHF site in the central Netzarim corridor.

Many of those killed and injured at al-Alam were taken to Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis, where relatives gathered. Many were buried in the hours after their arrival, in line with Islamic tradition.

Ahmed Alfara, a doctor at the hospital, told the Reuters news agency that the distribution system had failed "100%".

"No one can get that distribution, that aid, no one can get it," he said.

"We have to recognise that [UN humanitarian agency] Unrwa and NGOs must again get that distribution and try to redistribute it for the Palestinian people."

He reported that many of the casualties on Monday had suffered gunshot wounds, including to the head.

Ahmed Fayad, who attempted to get food from the GHF site on Monday, described the GHF operation as a "trap".

"We went there thinking we would get aid to feed our children, but it turned out to be a trap, a killing. I advise everyone: don't go there," he told Reuters.

Al-Alam has been the scene of several similar deadly incidents since the new Israeli-backed food distribution system began operating.

Before Monday's incident, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said that at least 300 people had been killed and more than 2,600 wounded near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in Gaza on 26 May.

The IDF has contested the death toll and said Hamas had caused much of the violence.

Israel does not allow international news organisations including the BBC into Gaza, making verifying what is happening in the territory difficult.

It has been 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 55,297 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

Nursery worker convicted of abusing 21 babies

4 hours ago Share Save Share Save

Roksana Lecka answered "no comment" when pressed on the footage seen by police

A 22-year-old nursery worker has been convicted of abusing 21 babies, including kicking one little boy in the face and stepping on his shoulder. Roksana Lecka, from Hounslow, west London, admitted seven counts of cruelty to a person under the age of 16 and was found guilty of another 14 by a jury at Kingston Crown Court, the Metropolitan Police said. Her crimes were discovered in June last year after she was sent home for pinching a number of children and appearing "flustered" at the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, south-west London, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Solicitor Jemma Till from Irwin Mitchell said the families involved had been "traumatised".

Detectives from the Met Police went through CCTV from the nursery that showed her pinching and scratching children under their clothes on their arms, legs and stomachs.

Metropolitan Police Lecka admitted seven counts of cruelty and was found guilty of another 14

She pinched several children dozens of times in the course of one day, causing them to cry and flinch away from her, the CPS said. In one incident she kicked a little boy in the face several times. She was also seen to push babies headfirst over cots and cover a toddler's mouth when he started to cry. The Metropolitan Police said she had abused children at two nurseries between October 2023 and June 2024 - one of the counts related to Little Munchkins in Hounslow, with the remainder linked to the Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, which has since closed. Det Sgt Geoff Boye said: "Footage showed Lecka carrying out multiple assaults on the children in her care which included repeatedly pinching and grabbing children, dropping babies into their cots and on one occasion, she delivered several kicks to a young boy to the face and stepped on his shoulder."

'Exceptional cruelty'

Lecka told police she smoked cannabis before her shifts, and at one point was seen vaping a metre away from a young baby. Det Insp Sian Hutchings said: "These families left their children in Lecka's care, trusting her to protect their children as well as the other staff at the nurseries clearly did. "The footage of her offences against defenceless children was disturbing. "I would like to praise the strength of the victims' families who have had to sit in court and watch footage of the abuse which Lecka inflicted on their children." Lecka worked at Riverside Nursery between January and June 2024, with a number of parents reporting unusual injuries and bruising in March and May that year. Senior crown prosecutor Gemma Burns said Lecka had "shown exceptional cruelty" to the babies. "No parent should have to fear leaving their child in the care of professionals, but the sheer scale of her abuse is staggering," she added.

'Urgent reforms'

Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham, said it was "incredibly important that families see justice done and the children get all the support they need to recover from this trauma". She claimed there was a need for "urgent reforms to make nurseries and early years settings safe for our children". "Nurseries must be subject to no-notice Ofsted inspections where safeguarding concerns can be raised and CCTV footage is reviewed. I will be working with colleagues to make sure these tragedies never happen again - every parent should know their child is safe when left at nursery," the MP added.

Lecka will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on 26 September.

Russia and Ukraine fulfil deal to repatriate dead soldiers

Red Cross members in protective suits walk towards refrigerator lorries with the bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko accused Russia of "deliberately complicating" the identification process. "Bodies are returned in an extremely mutilated state, parts of [the same] bodies are in different bags," he said.

Russia put 6,060 the overall number of bodies transferred to Ukraine. It also said 78 bodies of Russian soldiers had been repatriated.

Kyiv said Moscow handed over 1,245 bodies on Monday, bringing the total to 6,057 in the past few days. It said it was now verifying whether all the bodies were indeed of Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine and Russia have completed an exchange of dead bodies - the final stage of a deal to bring home fallen soldiers.

The first trial of its kind: A Russian soldier takes the stand for an execution

The latest exchange took place at an undisclosed location on Monday. The bodies in white bags were brought in refrigerator lorries.

Red Cross members monitored the process.

In a statement, Ukraine's government agency co-ordinating the repatriation said that "another 1,245 bodies were returned to Ukraine".

It said the identification process and "all the necessary examinations" would be carried out by Ukrainian law enforcement experts.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement that 1,248 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers had been handed over to Kyiv.

That figure was questioned by Klymenko, who said that Ukraine had "received bodies of Russian soldiers mixed with those of Ukrainians" during the earlier exchanges.

In its statement, the Russian defence ministry also said it had received the bodies of 51 killed Russian soldiers on Monday, taking the total to 78.

The ministry added it was ready to hand over another 2,239 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers.

The overall disparity between the two sides may be due to the fact that, of late, Russia has been making territorial gains, so would have been able to recover many of its own soldiers killed in fighting.

Trust between the two sides is extremely low, even when it comes to the dead.

The Red Cross declined to say how many bodies had been handed over by each side.

"It's been up to them really to figure out the details, to discuss directly and determine where this takes place, when, and which human remains to be part of that process," ICRC spokesman Pat Griffiths told the BBC.

The deal to repatriate the bodies and also exchange prisoners of war was agreed at peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Turkey, earlier this month.

Israel's smaller, sophisticated military opposes larger Iran

6 hours ago Share Save Jonathan Beale Defence correspondent Share Save

Getty Images Israel attacked a building used by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network in Tehran on Monday, after days of strikes on Iran

Israel's conflict with Iran may look like a mismatch on paper - a nation of nine million people taking on a giant of the Middle East, home to 88 million. But Israel's formidable and sophisticated military forces - with an arsenal largely, but not exclusively, provided by the United States - are enabling it to overpower a much larger enemy. The BBC looks at the military balance in the latest war in the Middle East.

What has Israel achieved so far?

Israel already says it has gained control over the skies over Tehran. It has been a complete mismatch in the air - with no sign of Iran's few ageing fighter jets even getting off the ground. Israel's fleet of modern, US-made fighters have been able to drop guided bombs from short range - with apparently little concern of being shot down. Much of the threat from Iran's air defences was destroyed in an earlier Israeli strike in October - using longer range "stand-off" weapons to target Iran's S300 missile systems. In recent days Israel's air force has continued to target ground-based radar and launchers. Even before the attack got under way, Israel had intelligence operatives inside Iran preparing to disrupt its response. Mossad agents used drones smuggled into the country to target Iran's remaining air defence systems. Israeli attacks also wiped out many in Iran's top level of command, which would have also undermined Iran's response.

Is Iran still able to strike back?

Before Israel began its attacks, Iran had what the US described as the "largest ballistic missile arsenal" in the Middle East. Estimates vary from between 2,000 to 3,000. Some of those, and the factories in which they were produced, have already been hit by Israel. The IDF also says it has destroyed a third of Iran's surface-to-surface launchers. Nevertheless, Tehran has still been able to fire wave after wave of missiles into Israel, and some have penetrated its sophisticated air defences. The Israeli military says it has now destroyed a third of Iran's surface to surface launchers. But while Iran's missile programme will have been degraded, it has not been destroyed. It remains the greatest direct threat to Israel. And despite Israel's attacks, Iran still has many short range air defence missiles. Justin Bronk, of the defence think tank Rusi, said that while Israel may now be able to claim air superiority over Tehran, it has still not achieved air dominance and the threat of short range missiles remain.

EPA The US said Iran had the biggest missile stockpile in the Middle East.

Does Iran have allies - and what could they do?

Iran has for years invested in Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon with military advice, weapons and technology. But their ability to threaten Israel on its frontiers has been greatly diminished by Israeli action over the last two years: Hamas has been all but destroyed in Gaza, and Hezbollah's potency reduced to the point where it has not responded to Israel's attack on its paymaster. The Houthis, while more distant in Yemen, have still been able to fire the occasional salvo of missiles into Israel. They survived a sustained US bombing campaign earlier this year, and were able to bring down several US Reaper drones with short range ground-to-air missiles.

Could other countries be dragged in?

Iran has the ability to strike western interests in the region. Iranian-backed militant groups in Iraq have targeted western military bases in the region. The US and the UK have been preparing for the worst. There are still around 100 UK personnel based in Baghdad alongside the US military. Their safety is one reason why Kier Starmer, the British prime minister, recently ordered additional RAF Typhoon jets to Cyprus. US and UK military naval personnel and ships are also stationed in Bahrain. The longer this war goes on the greater the risk for western forces in the region. Iran still has the ability to disrupt or choke one of the world's main shipping lanes in the Straight of Hormuz. It may not currently seem wise for Tehran to widen the conflict, but it could do so if it chooses.

Getty Images Israel has US-made jets, like the F-35, but are they enough to achieve its goals in Iran?

Can Israel achieve its goals?

'Don't let beautiful Tehran become Gaza': Iranians tell of shock and confusion

4 hours ago Share Save Caroline Hawley • @carolinehawley Diplomatic correspondent Share Save

Getty Images Israel continued to strike Iran's capital Tehran on Sunday night

Long queues at petrol stations and bakeries. Long lines of cars trying to escape the capital. And long, frightening nights. Residents of Tehran - still shocked by Israel's sudden attack on Iran in the early hours of Friday morning - speak of fear and confusion, a feeling of helplessness and conflicting emotions. "We haven't slept for nights," a 21-year-old music student told me over an encrypted social media app. "Everyone is leaving but I'm not. My dad says it's more honourable to die in your own house than to run away." 'Donya' - she doesn't want to reveal her real name - is one of many Iranians now caught in a war between a regime she loathes and Israel, whose destructive power in Gaza she has witnessed on screen from afar. "I really don't want my beautiful Tehran to turn into Gaza," she said.

As for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call on Iranians to rise up against their clerical leadership, she has a firm response. "We don't want Israel to save us. No foreign country ever cared for Iran," she said. "We also don't want the Islamic Republic." Another woman said that at first she had felt a "strange excitement" to see Israel kill Iranian military officials so powerful that she thought they would live for ever. "Suddenly that image of power was shattered," she told BBC Persian. "But from the second day, when I heard that regular people - people I didn't know, people like me - had also been killed, I started to feel sorrow, fear and sadness." And she said her sadness turned to anger when she heard that the South Pars gas field had been hit, fearing that Israel was trying to turn Iran "into ruins". For the first time in her life, she said, she has started to prepare for the idea of dying. More than 220 people - many of them women and children - have been killed since Friday, according to the Iranian authorities. Israeli authorities say Iranian missiles have killed at least 24 people in Israel over the same period.

Getty Images Long queues of traffic stretched along Tehran's roads as people tried to leave the city

Unlike in Israel, there are no warnings of imminent attacks in Iran, and no shelters to run to. Missiles fall from the sky but a campaign of car bombs in Tehran - as reported by both Israeli and Iranian media - has sewn further panic and confusion. Even some supporters of the regime are reported to be upset that its much-vaunted defences have been so thoroughly exposed. And, among many Iranians, distrust in the authorities runs deep. Donya used to defy the regime and its strict dress code by going out with her hair uncovered. Now, with her university exams postponed until next week, she's staying at home. "I get so terrified at night," she said. "I take some pills to help me relax and try to sleep." The Iranian government has suggested that people shelter in mosques and metro stations. But that is hard, when the explosions seem to come out of nowhere. "Tehran is a big city and yet every neighbourhood has been somehow affected by the damage," another young woman told BBC Persian. "For now, all we do is check the news every hour and call the friends and relatives whose neighbourhood has been hit to make sure they are still alive." She and her family have now left their home to stay in an area where there are no known government buildings. But you never know, in a country like Iran, who may be living next to you.

Casey report pulls no punches - but will it lead to meaningful change?

The government accepted all Baroness Casey's recommendations, but the grooming gangs report itself made the point that many of the problems highlighted have been known about for years – yet there was a failure to act over decades.

Certainly, for survivors of abuse, who have often had to fight hard to get their voices heard, practical, on-the-ground change will be vital.

Now the question many will be asking is will her report bring about meaningful change?

Baroness Louise Casey's report into group-based sexual exploitation pulls no punches in its description of the failures at all levels to tackle what it calls one of the most horrendous crimes in our society.

The report said too often the children being abused were blamed, not helped.

"If we'd got this right years ago – seeing these girls as children raped rather than 'wayward teenagers' or collaborators in their abuse, collecting ethnicity data, and acknowledging as a system that we did not do a good enough job - then I doubt we'd be in this place now," Baroness Casey said in her foreword to the report.

In fact, if you were to read many past reports, including Baroness Casey's own 2015 investigation into the failure to tackle grooming gangs by Rotherham Council, you would find many of the same issues being raised.

For instance, ten years ago she recommended tighter checks on Rotherham taxis because of their use by grooming gangs. In Monday's audit she called for legal loopholes to be closed nationally so cab drivers can't simply move to another area to get a licence.

Overall, she described the lack of action by the authorities over the years as "denial" or a collective "blindness", particularly when it comes to the ethnicity of perpetrators.

The government has accepted her call for better data collection on the ethnicity of grooming gang suspects and has promised research into what that tells us about the factors driving exploitation.

Without reliable information, Baroness Casey argues there is a vacuum which different sides can use to "suit the ends of those presenting it."

And at a briefing she rejected the idea that further investigation of the ethnicity of grooming gangs could cause unrest, responding that "if good people don't grip difficult issues, bad people do."

The national inquiry will be watched closely to again see if its recommendations are put into practice.

As one experienced lawyer put it, this can't be another exercise in simply gathering evidence and producing recommendations that are quietly shelved.

Kate makes Order of the Garter service return

6 hours ago Share Save Share Save

PA Media The Prince and Princess of Wales took part in the Order of the Garter ceremony

The Princess of Wales was seen smiling and joking with other royals during the Order of the Garter service a year after missing the event while receiving cancer treatment. Catherine appeared to be in good spirits as the sun shone and she watched the procession of Ladies and Knights of the Garter through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George's Chapel. The princess was joined by the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at the chapel's Galilee porch, a traditional vantage point to see the spectacle. The King and Queen followed convention and were at the back of the procession dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes, as were the other members of the order.

PA Media Catherine missed last year's event during the period she was receiving cancer treatment

Reuters King Charles and Queen Camilla followed tradition and were at the back of the procession

The Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, Duke of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were also in attendance at what is considered one of the highlights of the royal calendar. The route was lined by troopers on foot from the Household Cavalry's Life Guards and Blues and Royals. They wore plumed helmets and carried swords. Hundreds of spectators lined the procession route, with many bringing hampers and camping chairs. Before the service King Charles hosted a lunch for the order.

PA Media The Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh also attended the event

Reuters The King and Queen were dressed in white plumed hats and dark blue velvet robes

The Duke of York was among the guests, though he did not join the others for the service. Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and Lord Lloyd-Webber are also Garter knights and were part of the procession. The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior orders of chivalry in Britain, with knights chosen in recognition of their public service. The ceremony is part of a busy period for the royals. The King and Queen are expected at Royal Ascot in the coming days.

PA Media Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke of Edinburgh also joined the celebrations

Reuters Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and Lord Lloyd-Webber are also Garter knights

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More on this story King and Queen appear in Order of Garter ceremony

Tributes to uni students who died in national park

7 hours ago Share Save Oscar Edwards BBC News Share Save

BBC Hajra Zahid and Haleema Zahid were studying for a masters degree at the time of their deaths

Tributes have been paid to two women who died after being pulled from the water at one of Wales' national parks. Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, were found in pools on the Watkin Path - which leads to the summit of Yr Wyddfa - also known as Snowdon - on 11 June. University of Chester said the women "touched the lives of many" since starting masters degrees in international business earlier this year. An inquest into their deaths is due to be opened on Wednesday by the coroner for north-west Wales.

"The University of Chester community is in mourning for the tragic loss," said the vice-chancellor, Prof Eunice Simmons. "They touched the lives of many here at Chester – their friends, the cohort on their course and the staff who taught them – and they will be deeply missed.

Minnesota suspect attempted to kill two other state lawmakers, officials say

4 hours ago Share Save Ana Faguy BBC News Share Save

Watch: 'To lose her is tragic' - Minnesotans pay respects to Melissa Hortman

A man who is accused of killing a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband, and injuring another state lawmaker and his wife, allegedly attempted to kill two other state lawmakers, Minnesota officials said on Monday. Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who is charged with fatally shooting Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota Democrat, and her husband, Mark, visited the homes of three other state lawmakers in "truly chilling" attacks, US Attorney Joseph H Thompson said. Mr Boelter, who police said researched the victims and their families beforehand, allegedly had planned for a larger scale attack, which police thwarted. He appeared in court on Monday afternoon to face six federal charges, and possibly the death penalty, if he is found guilty.

Mr Boelter was wearing an orange jumpsuit when he arrived in court in St. Paul on Monday afternoon. He said he cannot afford a lawyer and will have a federal defence lawyer. At the brief hearing, Mr Boelter said he has seven cars, $20,000-30,000 in savings and makes about $540 per week. At a press conference on Monday officials walked through the early hours of Saturday morning in the suburbs of Minneapolis when the Hortmans were killed, and John Hoffman, a Minnesota state senator, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot multiple times. They also announced that Mr Boelter faces six federal charges, some of which make him eligible for the death penalty. At the federal level, he faces two counts of stalking, two counts of murder, and two firearms-related charges.

FBI and acting US Attorney General of Minnesota

Separately, at the state level Mr Boelter is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder at the state level. Thompson said that Mr Boelter arrived at the Hoffman home disguised as a police officer in a large black car with emergency lights on the vehicle. Mr Boelter was wearing a "hyper realistic silicon mask" when he rang the doorbell and shouted "this is the police, open the door". Thompson said authorities have a clear picture of what happened because the Hoffmans have a security camera outside their front door.

When the Hoffmans opened the door, Mr Boelter shined a flashlight at the couple. Mr Boelter told the couple there was a shooting reported in the house and lowered his flashlight, Thompson said. The couple then realized he was not a police officer. After they attempted to push him out, he allegedly fired at the couple multiple times, Thompson said, then fled the scene and the couple's daughter Hope called 911. Yvette Hoffman was shot eight times and John Hoffman was shot nine times. Both remain in hospital, though Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has said they are expected to make a full recovery. After allegedly shooting the Hoffmans, Mr Boelter drove to another state representative's home and rang the doorbell there, Thompson said. That state representative was not home, Thompson said, noting that she and her family were on vacation. Authorities did not reveal her name. He then drove to a third lawmaker's home, allegedly targeting them, Thompson said. Officials did not reveal the name of that state lawmaker, either. Thompson said an officer pulled up next to Mr Boelter in his vehicle and assumed he was a police officer, dispatched to the scene to perform a wellness check on that lawmaker. When the officer asked Mr Boelter what he was doing, he simply stared straight ahead, Thompson said, and Mr Boelter went on to the Hortman residence. What we know about the Minnesota shootings

Minnesota assassination survivor and husband shot 17 times

Watch: Minnesota governor Tim Walz confirms Vance Luther Boelter’s arrest

He is accused of arriving at the Hortman home, and allegedly shooting and killing Melissa and Mark Hortman. Police said they found him at that residence and engaged fire before Mr Boelter fled. After he fled, police embarked on a two-day search for Mr Boelter before finding him late Sunday night in a wooded rural area west of Minneapolis, where he surrendered peacefully, eventually crawling towards officers, police said. Thompson said Mr Boelter had "planned his attack carefully". "He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes," he said of Boelter. Upon finding his car, officials discovered five more firearms including assault-style rifles, large quantities of ammunition and a list of more than 45 Minnesota state and federal elected officials, including Melissa Hortman.

FBI and acting US Attorney General of Minnesota

Contains graphic violent scenes and scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

Chelsea kicked off their Fifa Club World Cup campaign against Los Angeles FC to tens of thousands of empty seats in Atlanta.

The game started at 3pm local time on a working Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The attendance for Chelsea's 2-0 win was announced as 22,137, in a ground which can hold 71,000 spectators - though the entire top tier was closed.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, said: "I think the environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full.

"We are professional and we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment. You have to adapt when you play with a full stadium. You have to adapt when the stadium is not full but it doesn't matter."

Sources had told the BBC that Fifa was expecting a crowd of about 26,000.

A small middle tier seemed to be mostly full, but a larger bottom tier was more than half empty.

The cheapest ticket was about £37 immediately before kick-off, although seats were significantly more expensive in the build up. During the game tickets were still on sale online for £26 - with many available in nearly every section.

Los Angeles is more than 2,000 miles away from Atlanta, across the southern United States.

LAFC were late replacements for disqualified Leon in the tournament and their 150 ultras dominated the atmosphere - despite Chelsea having many more fans.

The Blues supporters mainly got animated for the goals, Liam Delap's introduction for his debut and booing major decisions.

The newly expanded Club World Cup is being treated as a dress rehearsal for the international World Cup next summer, which will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The CWC is just being played in the US.

The proposal was presented at a shareholders' meeting on Monday by WSL Football - the company that assumed control of the top two tiers from the Football Association (FA) in August 2024.

The FA will now meet to formally sign off the changes, which must be implemented before 31 July. This is seen as a formality following the clubs' votes.

Currently, only the WSL 2 winners earn promotion, with the bottom club in the WSL relegated - essentially one up and one down.

These are the changes that will take place next season to achieve expansion of the league:

WSL 2 champion - automatic promotion

WSL 2 runners-up - automatic promotion

WSL 2 third-place - play-off match

WSL bottom club - play-off match

However, that will change as the WSL expands from 12 teams to 14 teams for the 26-27 season. From then onwards, there will be one automatic promotion spot for the winner of WSL 2, with the bottom team in the WSL relegated.

In addition, there will be a play-off between second bottom of the WSL and runners up in WSL 2.

The FA will decide the next steps for the lower tiers.

It is expected the winners from the National League Premier Division North and the National League Premier Division South will gain automatic promotion into the WSL 2 next season.

The runners-up from those third-tier divisions would then take part in a play-off match for the final promotion spot in the second tier.

It is expected there will be two teams relegated from WSL 2 from 2026-27 onwards, and two automatic promotions from the third tiers.

All clubs must meet the licence criteria to play in the WSL 2 and the WSL.

The tours, though, would struggle to impose mandatory interviews because they are organisations effectively run by the players themselves.

Not so the majors. Augusta National, the PGA of America, USGA and R&A - who are responsible for the Masters, US PGA, US Open and The Open respectively - might, and probably should, consider making such a regime a condition of entry.

This is especially the case while there is an increasing perception of a growing distance between top players and a mainstream media that can do so much to oil the PR machine that helps feed such gargantuan bank balances.

And it seems in many cases, the more money they get, the less approachable these players become. They are also seemingly more prone to temper tantrums.

In the past two majors there have been foul-mouthed, club-throwing outbursts from several players - including the usually mild-mannered world number one Scheffler, who tossed his putter on the 15th green after a missed putt. Courses and locker rooms have felt the full force of fury from some of the best remunerated athletes on the planet.

McIlroy, by no means the main offender, lobbed a club and smashed a tee marker during this US Open, which was uncharacteristic from someone who in the injury-induced absence of Tiger Woods is the sport's greatest ambassador and most popular player.

While not a great look, he had clearly, and understandably, reached boiling point last week. Reporting of 'driver-gate' and his perceived lack of respect for Jack Nicklaus, for not telling the legendary American he would not be playing in his recent Memorial tournament - which had never been on his intended schedule - had irked him.

His game was in decline. He was struggling to find a new driver that fitted his feels and the drive to fix such problems on the range. Despite super-human achievement, he is only human.

McIlroy had reached a breaking point. It can happen to anyone, even someone who is usually so giving and interesting in his interviews.

He did not want to speak after Saturday's round, but he did and in so doing broke his silent treatment of the media.

What emerged from that huddle did not show him in his best light, but it might prove a reset point.

And by the end of the week his driver was starting to behave. It is the key attribute to his golfing prowess.

On Sunday night he was much more his old self, speaking of his desire to get back to Europe, where a new house at Wentworth awaits as well as an Open at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland.

He plays the Travellers in Connecticut this week and then he is done with America for a while. He will take a break before July's Scottish Open and then a potentially tumultuous end to the men's major season on the Antrim coast a week later.

Expect his mojo to be back there. As he says, if it is not then we know he has a problem.

Great Britain's Dan Evans claimed one of the biggest wins of his career when he upset world number 13 Frances Tiafoe to progress to the last 16 at Queen's but compatriot Cameron Norrie was knocked out on the opening day.

British number two Jacob Fearnley also advanced, making light work of qualifier Alex Bolt in a 6-2 6-4 victory.

Evans won 7-5 6-2 for his first win against a top-20 player since he defeated world number 12 Alex de Minaur at the 2023 Davis Cup.

It was only a second career win over a top-20 opponent on grass for Evans following his victory over 16th-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili at Wimbledon six years ago.

But Norrie's hopes of replicating his run to the final at Queen's in 2021 were ended by 19-year-old Jakub Mensik, who won 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 6-1 in the baking heat in west London.

The win means Mensik becomes just the second teenager to win a main draw match at Queen's in the last decade, after British number one Jack Draper in 2021.

Evans will next play either American Brandon Nakashima or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, while Fearnley could be handed a tough test against third seed Taylor Fritz, who plays Corentin Moutet in his first-round match.

Meanwhile, Mensik will next face Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals.

Former Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale is part of a US-based consortium's attempt to take over League One club Plymouth Argyle.

Talks with the private equity firm are said to be at an early stage.

Plymouth owner Simon Hallett said last month that a previous agreement to sell a stake in the club had fallen through.

Bale would be following the lead of former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric, who has become part of the group that acquired control of Swansea in November 2024.

The Croatia midfielder took on a minority stake in April this year with the stated aim of generating worldwide attention on the Welsh club.

Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady previously became part of the new Birmingham City's ownership group, while Wrexham have generated huge amounts of revenue from publicity attached to their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Plymouth were relegated to the third tier last season after an ill-fated return to the Championship.

The ambitious pre-season appointment of Wayne Rooney as manager did not work and his replacement Miron Muslic resigned at the end of the season and joined German club Schalke.

Former Manchester United midfielder and Watford boss Tom Cleverley was appointed as manager on 13 June.

It is not known what role, if any, five-time Champions League winner Bale will have at Plymouth should the planned takeover succeed.

The former Southampton and Tottenham man, 35, retired from playing in 2023.

An historic T20 saw the Netherlands beat Nepal after an incredible three super overs in Glasgow.

It is the first time that any men's professional match - either List A or T20 - has gone to a third super over with Michael Levitt's six eventually giving the Netherlands victory.

Having posted 152-7, the Dutch looked set for victory with Nepal needing 16 from the 20th over.

However, tailender Nandan Yadav hit two boundaries, including one from the last ball, to level the scores.

Kushal Bhurtel proceeded to smash 18 from five balls to take Nepal to 19 in the first super over only for opener Max O'Dowd to hit the fifth and sixth balls of the Netherlands' reply for a six and a four respectively to force a second.

This time the Netherlands batted first and posted 17 with a maximum apiece from O'Dowd and skipper Scott Edwards.

But again it was not enough and the drama continued as Dipendra Singh Airee hit Kyle Klein's last ball over the ropes to take the match to an unprecedented third one-over shootout.

The Netherlands' off-spinning all-rounder Zach Lion-Cachet ensured it would go no further, though, as he finished Nepal's over early with two wickets in four balls, without conceding a run.

Just a single was required but Levitt finished a remarkable contest in style as he thumped the first ball of Sandeep Lamichhane's over for six.

While the Netherlands have a day to enjoy their most memorable of wins, Nepal are back in action against Scotland on Tuesday as the T20 tri-series continues.