welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. lets get you the headlines. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu says israel has delivered crushing blows to its enemies after the killing of a hezbollah commander and a top leader of hamas. a 17—year—old male has been charged with the mass stabbing that killed three children at a dance class in the north of england. venezuela's president accuses the opposition of having blood on its hands after days of deadly protests over a disputed election result. and in a speech, donald trump questions kamala harris racial identity — saying she "happened to turn black" a few years ago.

you're watching bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. as we go to air, there are growing fears of region—wide conflict in the middle east. the un security council is holding an emergency session in new york. the secretary general is warning of a dangerous escalation. and israel's prime minister says his country has �*challenging days�* ahead. all this follows the killing of senior leaders from two iranian—backed groups hamas and hezbollah, both considered terrorist organisations by the uk and us governments. 62—year—old ismail haniyeh was the political leader of hamas — the group that runs gaza. he was killed in an air strike in tehran while visiting the iranian capital. hamas blame israel for the killing but israel hasn't responded. iran has vowed

to avenge his death. his death came just hours after israel said it had attacked a building in beirut, killing fuad shukr, a senior commander of the hamas—supporting group, hezbollah. shortly, we'll have a report from quentin sommerville in beirut but first, here's our diplomatic correspondent, paul adams from jerusalem. across the west bank this morning, a furious reaction to the news from tehran. they knew ismail haniyeh had a target on his back. and israel has assassinated many palestinian leaders before. but that doesn't lessen the shock. in ramallah, seat of the palestinian government, they gathered at noon. the palestinian authority declaring this a day of mourning. condemnation here from supporters, and opponents of hamas.

israel has just committed a terrible, criminal political act by assassinating a political leader. they have assassinated the person they were negotiating with about a ceasefire. so this sends a very clear message to palestinians. israel doesn't want peace, israel doesn't want a ceasefire. all israel understands is only the language of force. this city, ramallah, is not exactly a stronghold of hamas, and today's demonstration isn't huge, a few hundred people at most. but no—one should underestimate the strength of feeling, of dismay and anger, generated by the killing of ismail haniyeh. the hamas leader, seen here on the left, was in tehran for the new president's inauguration. iran backs hamas as well as the houthis in yemen and hezbollah in lebanon. for one former israeli national security adviser, this was a perfect opportunity. in a way, it's the best place to kill him because it shows

a connection between tehran and hamas. and in tehran, no—one can complain about it because they made hamas, and now hamas is paying the price. but is there another price? has the torturous business of bringing israeli hostages home just got that much harder? daniel's elderly grandfather was taken by hamas gunmen on october 7. it might hurt from one side of negotiations, from the other side, ismail haniyeh is responsible for the attacks of october 7. i think that assassinating someone like ismail haniyeh should not bother the negotiations. in gaza, the house where ismail haniyeh once lived, lies, like so much else, in ruins. but the war he watched from exile goes on. paul adams, bbc news, jerusalem. let's now get the view from beirut with our correspondent quentin sommerville it was grief and defiance today

at the beirut funeral for two children killed in last night's israeli air strike. but the threat of war hangs heavy here, too. this is the moment the air strike hit, captured from a nearby sports club, where people escaped. and the aftermath. here, israel killed the hezbollah leader they believed responsible for the attack on the golan heights. israel's previous attacks have been linked to the border. the iranian—backed group is more formidable and more heavily armed than hamas. in this neighbourhood in beirut, support for iran and hezbollah is strong. so too is hatred for israel.

but today, they were burying ten—year—old hassan and his six—year—old sister, amira. he never left her side, the family said. he played football, too — his team were among the mourners. their mother, miriam, stood by, overcome with grief. their aunt, zainab, promised vengeance. translation: the only criminals are israel and america. _ they are solely responsible for this act. and may all the martyrs rest in peace. my son and his older brother willjoin the resistance and avenge their death. this has now claimed the lives of two more children and set up an unpredictable chain of events, and the fragile understandings which kept lebanon out of the war have never looked more precarious. hezbollah�*s response — and israel's, too — will decide whether a new war

costing countless more lives will ignite here in lebanon. quentin sommerville, bbc news, beirut. now let's head to the uk. a 17—year—old has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 courts of attempted murder for the mass stabbing at a taylor swift—themed event in the north of england. eight other children and two adults at the event were injured and in critical condition. here's the latest update we had from the police. he will appear at liverpool city magistrates court on thursday the first of august 2024. thursday the first of august 202a. remind all concerned that, investigations are active and he has right to a fair trial. it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. our thoughts remain with families of all those affected by these harrowing events. good

evenina. by these harrowing events. good evening. chief _ by these harrowing events. good evening. chief constable - by these harrowing events. good evening. chief constable moses had police. at the grand prosecution service has said, a 17-year-old _ prosecution service has said, a 17—year—old boy has been charged _ 17—year—old boy has been charged with the murders. ten counts — charged with the murders. ten counts of— charged with the murders. ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a plated article following the tragic incident in southport on mondayjuly 29. the 17—year—old cannot be named for legal— the 17—year—old cannot be named for legal reasons as he is under_ for legal reasons as he is under 18. for legal reasons as he is under18. he has been for legal reasons as he is under 18. he has been remanded in under18. he has been remanded in custody— under 18. he has been remanded in custody to appear tomorrow thursday — in custody to appear tomorrow thursday august one at liverpool magistrates court derby — liverpool magistrates court derby square. while these charges are significant milestone in this investigation, this remains very— investigation, this remains very much a live investigation and we — very much a live investigation and we continue to work with our partners from lancashire police~ — our partners from lancashire police~ i_ our partners from lancashire police. i would like to thank all the —

police. i would like to thank all the forces that offered an supplied support during the last three days and i can confirm _ last three days and i can confirm we are being supported with investigator resources from — with investigator resources from across the north—west. thank— from across the north—west. thank you _ overall it was another very tense day in southport with protests across a town that still tries to get to grip with what actually happens. here's our north of england correspondentjudith moritz. when a knifeman walked into leanne lucas's dance class, she showed incredible bravery, shielding the children from danger. her cousin has told the bbc how she's doing now. all we know is she's spoken. she's still definitely not out of the woods yet, but she's definitely talking. yeah, we're not allowed to say too much, but yeah, she's a hero. she's an actual hero. the attack has devastated this community and made an impact far beyond here, too. nine—year—old alice aguiar, elsie dot stancombe, aged seven, and bebe king, who wasjust six,

were all killed. eight other children were hurt. another adult was injured, too — stabbed in the leg as he tried to stop the knifeman, jonathan hayes ran in from his office next door. from his hospital bed, he told the bbc he doesn't see himself as a hero, and wishes he could have done more. in southport, it's a time to hold your kids tight. all over this town, parents are in turmoil. gemma's daughter was supposed to be at the dance class, but it was fully booked. i just want to keep them close to me. they're in my bed every night since it's happened. i just want to hold them, i don't want them to go anywhere. she was supposed to go to pre—school today — ijust don't want to let her go. last night, things took a violent turn here. rioting broke out, inflamed by social media posts which suggested — wrongly — that there was an islamist link to monday's stabbings. more than 50 officers and three police dogs were injured.

a mosque was targeted and a corner shop was looted. today, it was being boarded up by volunteers, and its owner is worried about more trouble. so they just flooded like a human flood inside, and they just took all the cigarettes, valuable alcohol, smashed a couple of bottles. you know, sweets, chocolates, just threw it everywhere. the chief constable of merseyside came to southport to walk the streets where her officers were attacked. they were faced with that disgusting level of violence for people who do not represent our communities here in southport. was it your sense that they came in from outside this community? there was people who travelled into southport. people have attended, then, after the vigil for the purpose of mindless violence, thuggery and hooliganism. and they do not represent southport. do you worry about misinformation that circulates online? is that providing

a new challenge? you know, it absolutely is, in terms of there's a lot of misinformation out there, there is a lot of speculation. and i would just urge people — we will give you the information when we can. though there's no sense of the rioters returning tonight, the police are here in number. this place is putting itself back together. but it's one thing to clear up the broken glass and mend the damage. it's quite another to heal the hearts of people here who've seen the worst of humanity in their town. judith moritz, bbc news, southport. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

you're live with bbc news. venezuela's president, nicolas maduro, says the country�*s opposition

will �*never ever�* be in power and accused them of having blood on their hands. several opposition figures are sheltering in the argentine embassy in caracas which is surrounded by police. mr maduro was declared the winner of sunday�*s election but argentina, along with several other countries refuses to recognise him as president. he addressed the countries on wednesday, after days of protests, in which several people died. costa rica said it was prepared to offer asylum to the main opposition leader, maria corina machado. there are reports the government has issued a warrant for her arrest. our correspondent ione wells is in caracas with more. let�*s go now to isaias medina, former venezuelan un diplomat and now a fellow at harvard university. nicholas maduro accusing the opposition of having blood on their hands, how do you think the opposition�*s campaign is going to prove

these elections were rigged? thank you so much and thanks to the bbc for the kind invite. this is a venezuelan election has erupted into a crisis because of nicolas maduro. despite losing elections he refused to release the factual result, staging and electoral coup. if you ask me, what has turned different from an election underforeign election under foreign occupation and election underforeign occupation and the election under foreign occupation and the futility of voting, i can tell you a couple of things on how they are going to prove it. number one, they improved ballot preparation with more than 40% much of assault against maduro meaning 40% voted for the freedom option. the standard will be

there and it has been made public. this so significant polling. this vulnerable population that has come down and descended from the shanty towns are demanding now maduro�*s resignation. there are reports that they have issued warrants for maria corina machado, opposition leaders are said to be sheltering at the argentine embassy — how worrying is the situation for opposition leaders? my my dearfriend, how my dear friend, how can i say this? thousands have already been sacrificed in their lives, murdered by this criminal regime. it is important to

mention that we are occupied by the axis of evil. we have cuba, iran, russia, china, two of the permanent members of the security council and they also have links with international terrorism like hamas and hezbollah. this is not an easy situation. i must tell you what i am really surprised is of the strong leadership that gonzales and machado have shown that this difficult crisis. they did not leave to costa rica and i don�*t believe yet they are taking any asylum. they have actually staked their ground and are waiting for results to be audited. there is nothing these people will not do, maduro�*s regime, to stay in power. they have weaponised starvation against their own citizens in the crime of war.

they are already ongoing process of social criminal court and of course the da has $50 million wanted on their heads looking for them to respond tojudicial heads looking for them to respond to judicial process. that is all the time we have i�*m afraid. thank you very much for your time. i'm afraid. thank you very much for your time.— for your time. thank you so much. let�*s turn to the us now where kamala harris continues her presidential campaign. on tuesday, she told supporters in atlanta, in the swing state of georgia, that her rival donald trump, had persuaded republicans in the us senate to vote down a bipartisan border security bill. on wednesday, she�*s in texas for her next rally. mr trump, who is running again as the republican candidate, has questioned whether ms harris is actually black. in a speech at the national association of black journalists�* convention, mr trump said ms harris was of indian heritage.

he said he didn�*t know she was black until a few years ago, when she in mr trump�*s words, "happened to turn black." in a speech at the national association for more on how the presidential race is placed i spoke to steve israel, who was the house democrats�* chief political strategist from 2011 to 2015. he started by giving his reaction to trump�*s comments on kamala harris�*s race. well, it�*s another very dark day in the united states. it�*s a dark day for our politics. this isjust vintage donald trump. he panders to the worst impulses and instincts of various people. he engages in racist diatribes — in his mind, he believes that this is how he revs up his base. the problem with his thinking is, not only is it immoral, his base is already revved up. this is no way to attract the more moderate, independent voters that he needs. and so, while this is — he reveals who he is

as a person, i�*m not sure it�*s a sensible political strategy — if he means it to be a political strategy. talking about reaching out to the modern voters, i want to get your thoughts on how the democrats have come up with that new theme to attack donald trump and jd vance, calling them, "weird". what�*s that about? is this likely to resonate with voters more than substantive arguments against a possible trump presidency? well, you have to do both in an american election. you�*ve got to tap into people�*s intuitions, and you also have to offer substantive and coherent messaging about what you�*ll do for them when you govern. the fact of the matter is that the roll—out of senator jd vance, from ohio, as donald trump�*s vice presidential candidate, has been weird. he has underperformed. he has said weird things about cat women — women who are childless, about mountain dew, the soda. and so he has had a very unstable roll—out, and the democrats are capitalising on that.

it reflects kind of popular culture, but the best kind of political messaging is popular culture — and that�*s exactly what the democrats are doing. democrats have found new pathways to victory in battleground states that might previously have been unwinnable, and the choice for the vice presidential pick will be made with one eye on getting an edge in key states. so which vice presidential nominee would have most impact in the polls, do you think? well, first of all, there is some recent news — and that is that it�*s entirely possible that vice president harris will announce her choice as early as next tuesday. and they are, in fact, narrowing the scope. there are three criteria for selecting a vice presidential candidate. number one, an ability to serve and to lead if called upon — if, god forbid, something happens to kamala harris if she�*s elected. number two, somebody who can win those battleground states that are essential. michigan, pennsylvania, wisconsin, arizona, similar states. and number three, somebody who can unify the party,

while at the same time attract those moderate ticket—splitters the olympics in paris are under way, and for the last two days, the events took place in some very intense heat, great britain�*s alex yee won gold with a sensational sprint finish in the men�*s triathlon. the triathlon had been due to take place on tuesday but was rescheduled because of poor water quality in the river seine. but one of the other talking point during the event was the heat, with temperatures above 30 degrees. let�*s discuss this with grant lynch, researcher at the university of sydney and ceo of emu systems. grant, your work focuses primarily on quantifying human heat adaptation and identify suitable cooling interventions to inform public policy in extreme heat. how does one prepare and adapt better when one knows that the event will be

held in extreme heat? thanks for having me. the way we want athletes to best prepare for the heat is to think about it in three steps. actions taken take leading into the event, this comes as repeated heat exposure, trying to get consistent exposure to hot environments that will allow them to adapt heading into the event. then we have different strategies we can put in place before the event to ensure they start the event cooler which allows them to be able to perform at their best for longer as well as for those longer duration events being able to put in place strategies that help them stay cool during the event as well. things like water, being able to apply ice or a fan use, different personal strategies that can help athletes on and on the field. ., ., i. ., ,

help athletes on and on the field. ., ., ., , ., field. how do you quantify that strate: ? field. how do you quantify that strategy? the _ field. how do you quantify that strategy? the way _ field. how do you quantify that strategy? the way in _ field. how do you quantify that strategy? the way in which - field. how do you quantify that strategy? the way in which we | strategy? the way in which we a- roach strategy? the way in which we approach this _ strategy? the way in which we approach this is _ strategy? the way in which we approach this is we _ strategy? the way in which we approach this is we want - strategy? the way in which we approach this is we want to . strategy? the way in which we approach this is we want to try and understand some physiological characteristics of the individual or of the team. we want to take in to account things like body temperature, heart rate, different indicators that tell us how stressed they are likely to be during the event and we try to match strategies that help maximise our adaptation. things like trying to lower body temperature or bring heartbreak closer to their resting, that way they can sustain their performance for longer. sustain their performance for loner. , , longer. given rising temperatures - longer. given rising i temperatures globally longer. given rising - temperatures globally that longer. given rising _ temperatures globally that we have seen year after year, could we see the olympics one day being held at ace different, you simply because it is too hot?— it is too hot? interesting question- _ it is too hot? interesting question. we _ it is too hot? interesting question. we had - it is too hot? interesting question. we had this i it is too hot? interesting| question. we had this for guitar, the world cup shifted

because of scheduling. the important thing when it comes to making those decisions, how it impacts the human being from prevailing environment. what people don�*t know is the heat is measured from shade. there is measured from shade. there is impact that measures level of stress, temperature, humidity, wind speed and influence from radiant heat sources like the sun. really having an adept understanding of those main factors and taken into account individual characteristics will help give us the best information to be able to inform those types of decisions. able to inform those types of decisions— decisions. we will have to leave it — decisions. we will have to leave it there. _ decisions. we will have to leave it there. thank - decisions. we will have to leave it there. thank you | leave it there. thank you very much for your perspective on and important issue dominating headlines as we track news of the olympics. that is all the time we have. you can find all

the news updates for developing stories on the bbc news website. thank you for watching and stay with us. hello there. humidity levels are beginning to increase now, and we�*re starting to see a thundery breakdown take place across england and wales, certainly after this recent hot spell. so, a thundery day on thursday, some good sunny spells around. yes, it will continue to feel very warm and humid. if you catch some of these torrential downpours, you really will know about it. we�*ll start thursday morning with torrential downpours through central, northern and eastern parts of england. then, into the afternoon as a sunshine comes out, we�*ll see further thunderstorms developing — east wales, the midlands, southern and eastern england. scotland and northern ireland not doing too badly — variable clouds, some sunshine and comfortable conditions there, ranging from 17—23 celsius, but another very warm one across england and wales, 25—29 celsius. as we head through thursday

evening, those thunderstorms fade out across central and eastern england. it turns dry with clear spells, but the breeze picks up with more cloud developing across western scotland and northern ireland. a little bit warmer across scotland and northern ireland to start friday than we�*ve had of late, but it will be another muggy one for england and wales. start to see some changes into friday — this new area of low pressure will bring weather fronts, outbreaks of rain, strengthening winds to western scotland and northern ireland through the day, winds also picking up through the irish sea. large parts of eastern scotland, certainly england and wales will have another sunny afternoon with a few thunderstorms across eastern england — but it�*s going to be another warm one again, 28—29 celsius in the warmest spots in the southeast, low—20s further north and west. and it will be turning fresher here as this weather front starts to cross the country during saturday. eventually, it will reach east and southeastern england during saturday afternoon, clearing through, then allowing fresher air to move in across most areas, with sunny spells, variable cloud, scattered showers for western scotland and northern ireland.

here, the high teens at best, further south, it�*s cooler as well, 21—25 celsius. the fresher air will be across all areas as we move into part two of the weekend. low pressure starts to dominate, bringing our air source from the atlantic. not a bad day in store for sunday — a lot of sunshine through central, southern, and eastern areas, more cloud further north and west. we�*ll start to see more persistent rain moving into northern ireland and western scotland with strengthening winds. high teens celsius again in the north and west, low—to—mid—20s further south.

us central bank chief jerome powell hints that an interest rate cut could be on the table as soon as september, sending wall street higher. hello and welcome to business today. i�*m arunoday mukharji. let�*s begin in the us, where the federal reserve has wrapped up its latest 2—day meeting, where policy makers kept the cost of borrowing rate steady between 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent. what was noteworthy though were the hints

from chairjerome powell that a september interest rate cut