the israeli army at the time said that another hamas commander, rafa'a salemeh, was killed, but said it did not have final confirmation on the fate of deif. hamas said that deif survived the attack, but did not provide proof. deif was one of the hamas leaders that israel said were marked for death after the october the seventh attack. our middle east correspondent yolande knell is injerusalem. just after we've had the news of these guys are targeted killings in these guys are targeted killings in the past couple of days, the israeli military putting out this short statement confirming that in their strike in the south of gaza two weeks ago, it did in fact kill this

man, who was long at the top of israel's most wanted list, mohammed deif, turned as an architect of the october the 7th attacks, the head of the hamas military wing in gaza. he had a leading role in the organisation for something like 13 years and had been very much involved in building up the network of tunnels in which he was believed to continue continued during the war water can command to many of the hamas military activities. who was also very much involved in building up also very much involved in building up its bomb—making capabilities. he was someone who was very much a shadowy figure, he very rarely was seen and didn't appear in public. evenjust his voice seen and didn't appear in public. even just his voice i seen and didn't appear in public. evenjust his voice i know seen and didn't appear in public. even just his voice i know he was in the past subject to several israeli assassination attempts. remember during the 2014 war were standing in

the rubble of his home where his wife and two and children were killed but he survived. let's speak to bbc security correspondent frank gardner. i think it is good news for ceasefire talks and good news for israel. this is something the pinata for some time. mohamed and from and is a significant figure and has been described by the israelis today as the osama bin laden of hamas, so i'm not sure that is an accurate description because he is a military commander rather than necessarily the intellectual brains, which was more yahya sinwar. but this is someone been targeting for a very long time, someone whose been hiding in tunnels, so they would like to have killed right at the beginning of the whole gaza retaliation

operation, the october the 7th raid, and along with yahya sinwar, he is right at the top of the tree they have been trying to cut down, to try to dismantle hamas�* military operation. mohammed deif was born in 1965 in khan younis, the same place he has reportedly been killed in, and he's been leading a brigade which is the military wing of hamas. robodebt hamas is a proscribed terrorist by many governments and therefore, some people and israel certainly didn't make any distinction between its political or military wings, but he was very much at the military commander on the ground in gaza while ismail henna gurney, who was killed in that strike in tehran, was shot in their own doing negotiations.

we return to our top story, regarding the 17—year—old who has appeared at liverpool city and magistrates�* court following the murder of three young girls in southport. he attended the magistrates�* court this morning and we understand that the 17—year—old male has been remanded into youth detention accommodation after that appearance. he�*s been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and the possession of a bladed article that following the attack at the taylor swift—themed dance class in southport on monday. we understand that he will be appearing at liverpool crown court later on thursday. for now he�*s been remanded in youth detention accommodation and

will later be appearing at liverpool crown court. we will hopefully be speaking to our correspondents to take us through what that actually means and the turnaround of that appearance following his early—morning appearance at magistrates�* court. do stay with us for that, we�*ll bring you the latest. in the meantime, we turn our attention to financial matters. the bank of england will reveal its latest decision on interest rates today, with millions of mortgage and loan holders keeping a close eye to see if the base rate will be cut for the first time in more than four years. let�*s speak to our money and work reporter, peter ruddick. what is the feeling leading up to this announcements? it genuinely feels for the _ this announcements? it genuinely feels for the first _

this announcements? it genuinely feels for the first time in - this announcements? it genuinely feels for the first time in a - this announcements? it genuinely feels for the first time in a long i feels for the first time in a long time like today�*s decision could go either way. a reminder, interest rates at the bank of england�*s way of keeping inflation, the rate of price rises, under control. the rate has been held at a 16—year high for the past six years or so. the feeling sick go either way today. one of the factors were looking at, on the one hand, the headline rate of inflation, the right of price increases is at the bank�*s 2% target and has been for the past six months and has been for the past six months and employment is little higher, the number ofjob vacancies a little lower. when you look into the detail of the inflation figures, core inflation, when you strip out volatile things like energy or food or you look at services inflation, price increases in things like restaurants, hotels, hairdressers — pics are proving a little stubborn and today�*s decision is likely to come down to a judgment whether

those stubborn inflation figures, in the details, whether they are short term or the worry is that could hang around a little bit longer. the mooted music, the economists who make bets and pay attention to which way the bank could go, for the first time, the major and suggesting could get a cut with potentially the bank deciding there are one of, short—term inflationary factors here and now is the time for a cut. reality is, until midday, we won�*t know for sure. reality is, until midday, we won't know for sure.— know for sure. and were likely to see reaction _ know for sure. and were likely to see reaction from _ know for sure. and were likely to see reaction from the _ know for sure. and were likely to see reaction from the markets? l know for sure. and were likely to | see reaction from the markets? is everything fairly stable? the exeectation _ everything fairly stable? the expectation is _ everything fairly stable? tue: expectation is that everything fairly stable? tte: expectation is that we everything fairly stable? tt2 expectation is that we will get a rate cut so if we potentially don�*t there may be disappointment but because everything is so finely balanced, it is really a 50/50 call, so that unless the banks of prices massively we are likely to see a stable reaction from the markets. of

course, if we do get a cut that could be an immediate impact not on the market but people who�*ve got those mortgage rates that track the standard rate and we could have an impact on savers. always remembering whenever we talk about interest rates that plenty of people rent and own it outright so are not impacted directly by interest rate but it could have an impact on the government�*s growth figures. they will be hoping for a bit of a cut in interest rates that they could push forward with plans to grow the economy. forward with plans to grow the econom . . ~' forward with plans to grow the econom . ., ~ , ., forward with plans to grow the economy-— forward with plans to grow the econom . ., ~ ~ , . economy. thank you. were expecting that announcement _ economy. thank you. were expecting that announcement around _ economy. thank you. were expecting that announcement around midday. l that announcement around midday. we�*ll bring that to you. industrial action by gps in england over funding could start today, which may see doctors limiting patient appointments. the result of a ballot by the bma on the action will be announced later. the doctors�* union says some practices are having to close because government funding has not

kept up with rising costs. it comes as the department of health announces plans to recruit more newly qualified gps this year. five more medals on the fifth day of the olympics for team gb, with two golds won in the space of 15 minutes. triathlete alex yee and the women�*s quad sculls rowers won gold. there was a silver in the bmx, and bronze medals in women�*s triathlon and women�*s synchronised diving. our sports reporter patrick geary looks back at the day�*s highlights. what a run from alex yee! until the last strides... it�*s gold! until the last stroke, until the end. two british golds with one message, never give up. alex yee and all the triathletes had been held up. their race had been delayed 24 hours by pollution in the river seine.

once in the water, yee struggled. he was 18th by the time he got out. he�*d need to give chase, but with only one and a half miles of the run remaining, he seemed to be struggling. still, he found something, enough to throw all he had at one last attack on leader hayden wilde, to pass him just around the corner from the finish and to become the olympic champion. i have never seen anything like that. yee in paris exhausted, his friends in london exhilarated. it had seemed impossible. i think there was a point where, you know, i wasn�*t sure what was going to happen. i think i was riding definitely a bad patch between 5k, but, you know, i said to myself, you know, i�*m going to give myself one more chance of this. and, you know, i�*ve worked so hard. i really wanted to, you know, cross the finish line with no regrets. there was more british success in the women�*s race where beth potter picked up a bronze. further east, on the rowing lake, four women set out to win the first british rowing gold in eight years. they were chasing

the dutch all the way. a race of 2000m would come down to centimetres. it is neck and neck and has been given to great britain, the olympic champion. in hannah scott�*s hometown of coleraine, they acclaimed the third champion from northern ireland at these games, while for lola anderson, there was the delivery of a goal she wrote down as a child, rediscovered by her father, who has since passed away. 13 years ago, i�*d forgotten about it, obviously, but a couple of years ago, my dad reminded me. and i know that he�*d be so, so proud. i�*m just thinking a lot about him right now, and it�*s really lovely. on a day of remarkable turnarounds, there were a few in kieran reilly�*s bmx freestyle routine. it landed him a silver medal. in the diving arena, fred sirieix, the famous maitre�*d, had to be a master waiter, patiently anticipating the final dive of his daughter

andrea spendolini—sirieix and partner lois toulson. a medal on the line. that plunge lifted them from fourth to third. the bronze medal and a reward for years of work. this was a day of saving the best till last, and no—one who was poolside yesterday evening will ever forget it. this is frenchman leon marchand taking on and beating the best butterfly swimmers in the world. i cannot believe he�*s just done that. that is absolutely extraordinary. and there was barely time to get himself dry before he was back out again. no—one has ever won olympic titles in butterfly and breaststroke, but it sounded like all of france was screaming marchand into history. leon marchand is an absolute sensation. he�*s done the unthinkable! two golds in a night, three in these games. and the paris olympics has its star. patrick geary, bbc news.

let�*s just remind you of the latest medals that have just been won at the olympics. this is in the women�*s double sculls, to remind you that new zealand took gold but britain taking bronze. we take you back to the moment they crossed the line. great britain, at 37 strokes per minute, what they take it up now? ow much more have they got? they went out like champions, can they finish like champions? it�*s less than 100 out from the line. 50m. new zealand are half a length up. romania closing up towards the line. can great britain halt on? new zealand take gold, romania silver. a remarkable bronze for great britain! bronze for matilda hodgkin�*s and

rebecca wilde is in the double sculls women. we will have more later but you can keep updated on the bbc news website and the sport page carrying all the latest news. the uk has some of the highest dementia rates in the world, and now high cholesterol and poor eyesight have been identified as two issues which can increase the chance of developing the disease. experts say that by tackling these two factors along with 12 others relating to health and lifestyle nearly half of all dementia cases could be delayed or prevented. our health correspondent dominic hughes explains. dementia has hit andy�*s family hard. his dad lived with the disease for years before it claimed his life. andy also knows that high cholesterol levels run in his family, and that�*s now been identified as a risk factor for dementia. so he�*s taking steps to reduce that risk. we can�*t worry about the things that we can�*t control. they�*rejust, you know, beyond our ability.

but i think if you can kind of look at those things, you know, we as a family thinking, make sure we get some exercise, make sure we�*re connected with our social circles. you know, that we�*re alert and we stay active, we look after our heart and our cardiovascular. these are all good things to have a healthy, long life anyway, so it�*s not as if we�*re doing anything that�*s counterproductive. and as a consequence of all that, we�*re also minimising the chance of us, any one of us, you know, getting dementia or alzheimer�*s. you know, that�*s a good thing for us to chase after. age and genetics are two of the biggest risk factors for dementia, but there are things we can control such as smoking, putting on weight or drinking too much. now, researchers have found two more. high cholesterol and uncorrected vision loss, like glaucoma or cataracts. it�*s thought that nearly half of all dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by tackling health and lifestyle factors

throughout our lives. experts say the uk has some of the highest dementia rates in the world. the latest data shows that in england alone, more than 480,000 people are living with the disease. but as our understanding of dementia grows, so too do the measures we can take to reduce the risk. this research really makes a difference. it shows us that there are things within our control that we can do to reduce our dementia risk. it gives us hope and there are so many opportunities for us to take simple, everyday actions that can reduce our dementia risk and reduce the harm and heartbreak of dementia in the future. dementia was once seen as a disease that was just part and parcel of old age. we now know that�*s not the case, and there are things we can all do to reduce the risk of this terrible illness having an impact on our own families. david thomas is head of policy and public affairs at alzheimer�*s research. he explained why this new research is so important. i think it�*s really important.

in the uk at the moment, we have more than a million people living with dementia. it has a devastating impact on people�*s lives, on their loved ones and on society and the economy more widely. i think there�*s long been an assumption that there is nothing we can do about dementia, that it is an inevitable part of ageing. what this research shows is that it is not an inevitable part of ageing and that there are actions that we can all collectively take as individuals to lower our risk of dementia and to minimise the impact it is having on society at the moment. we go back to our top story on the three murders in southport. we cross to liverpool magistrates�* court and speak to our north of england reporter. what�*s the latest? this reporter. what's the latest? this 17-year-old _ reporter. what's the latest? this 17-year-old arrived _ reporter. what's the latest? this 17-year-old arrived in _ reporter. what's the latest? tt 3 17—year—old arrived in court this

morning at around 10:20am for what was a relatively short hearing, lasting around five minutes in front of a districtjudge. the 17—year—old was dressed in a grey tracksuit top and bottom and had buried his head in his tracksuit top as the charges were read out to him. he is accused of three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder. he was told the case will go to liverpool crown court and it would appear there later today. the authorities have asked people not to speculate about the case, saying they do not want anyone to publish anything on line which could prove prejudicial in what is now a live legal case. this is an ongoing investigation and resources have been called called in from across the northwest of england to help police with their investigation today.

to help police with their investiuation toda . 2, ~' , ., g , investigation today. thank you. just to brin: investigation today. thank you. just to bring you — investigation today. thank you. just to bring you some _ investigation today. thank you. just to bring you some very _ investigation today. thank you. just to bring you some very quick- to bring you some very quick breaking news, the british medical association say that family doctors in england have voted overwhelmingly in england have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking collective action. this is coming to us via the reuters news agency. a short time ago, approach you the news of a likely strike action at being taken by gps. we are now hearing confirmation via reuters that the british medical association is confirming that gps in england have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking collective action. the implications of this, of course, is that delays in getting access to your gp and those of vital appointments, those will be limited. all of this among plans to recruit more fully qualified gps later this year. we will come back to the story later. in the meantime,

there are new signs of life at the sycamore gap tree stump, where the iconic landmark once stood next to hadrian�*s wall in northumberland for nearly 200 years. there was an outpouring of anger when the tree was vandalised and cut down last year, but now there�*s new hope, as shoots have been spotted growing from its stump. our reporter harriet bradshaw has more. dramatic, cherished and of hollywood fame, its destruction led to a national outpouring of shock. two men charged with criminal damage deny the offence. but it would seem nature has found a way, bringing with it some hope. park ranger gary pickles discovered these shoots at the sycamore gap stump as part of routine checks, and now work is being done to protect these signs of life, with new fencing and a call to the public to be careful in the area. the appearance of that tree in that setting was just so perfect. and to have lost that has been devastating.

so to start seeing that regrowth happen so that hopefully, we�*ll have something again in the future at some point for future generations is really great news. in the spring, i was given rare access to a secret greenhouse to see how the tree�*s seeds and salvaged twigs were showing signs of promise. decisions are still being made over where these shoots, once mature, will end up. as for the stump, so late in the summer, what�*s popped up has come as quite a surprise. personally, for myself, i think we#d got this far through the growing season and nothing had appeared to happen, so i think i was beginning to lose heart that we were actually going to see anything happen this year anyway. and perhaps i think others may have felt like that as well. but, yeah, this was a real surprise. over the years, this has been a place to celebrate proposals, anniversaries, farewells.

this tree has seen them all. perhaps if these shoots develop into something bigger, there�*ll be more to come. animal rescue charities are warning that they�*re at breaking point with spiralling costs and unprecedented demand as the rspca has launched an urgent appeal to encourage more people to adopt instead of buying a pet. fiona lamdinjoins us now from woodlands animal sanctuary in lancashire. over 300 animals — kittens, chinchillas, shetland ponies and dogs — all living side by side at ferne animal rescue centre, in somerset,

set up in 1939 by lady nina, who started rehoming pets when their owners had gone off to war. we are anxious to have the names and addresses of people who can offer free accommodation for other people�*s animals. there must be large numbers among those who are likely to leave london and provincial centres in an emergency. thank you so much for your kind support. they saved 6,000 animals during world war ii and have gone on to rescue 40,000 in the sanctuary�*s history. we have saved all their lives. in orderfor us to be here for the rest of their lives, which could be some 30 odd years, we need to be able to keep going. wotsit is a 14—year—old shetland pony who came here when he was two. he had been purchased for a two—year—old child and he was only two himself and he had been branded dangerous by the owner and they literally called in the off chance that we would take him because they were en route to the slaughterhouse.

turns out he actually has bilateral cataracts and he was just a bit frightened of things going on around him. you saved his life. we saved his life, yes. good boy. and it is a similar story forjessie who was rescued last week. she has just arrived with us recently after her owner sadly passed away very suddenly. she was actually booked to be put to sleep at 3pm on the day she arrived. we saved her life, she actually had minutes to go. in fact, the people who got her here got a speeding ticket in an effort to get her here and safe. but with spiralling costs there is a real risk their finds will run out in the next few months. ferne has been in existence for 85 years and it has never been this tough. in the last six to 12 months, our increasing costs has been something like 50% year on year, an example of that being vet and medical by 60% alone. so that, for a charity like ours, is about £350,000

to £400,000 increase year on year. it is really tough. it�*s notjust unwanted pets. cruelty to animals is also on the up. here at this centre in somerset the rspca say they have seen a 10% increase since the start of this year, that�*s 2% nationally. coupled with the fact adoptions are down, they have just got many more animals to look after. this is a real challenge for us. our centres are full and we are spending half a million a month on private boarding facilities, so as a charity the rspca doesn�*t put healthy, rehomeable animals to sleep, so we are really fighting for space. so here at our rspca centre, the guys have got more than 100 animals in their care here and we are full to bursting point at our centres. hello.

back at ferne, there is good news. it looks as ifjackson, this ten—month—old border collie, is getting a new family and a new home. the message from charities is to adopt rather than buy a pet. so, do you like him then? yee — we re were awaiting the results of a race at the olympics at the moment. the coxless women�*s. team gb are closing in on the finishing line, just under 100m now. they were in second position, the silver position earlier, and we�*rejust position, the silver position earlier, and we�*re just waiting position, the silver position earlier, and we�*rejust waiting i don�*t know if we�*ll have time to bring you that...? yes, they have got it! the women�*s coxless four final have got silver at the olympics. more on that as we get it. i wonder if we have not time to go

to the weather with carol it? hello again. as we go through today, many of us will have a dry day with some warm sunshine, still feeling humid in the south. for some of us, thundery downpours. we�*ve seen quite a few of those this morning and into the afternoon, although there will be a lull as temperatures rise in the sunshine and they further develop. this morning�*s thundery downpours pushing into the north sea. some showers across parts of eastern scotland and northern england and then further thundery downpours which will be slow moving, heavy and also with hail and gusty winds around them, especially across parts of east wales, the midlands, central southern england and the south east. but we won�*t all catch one by any stretch. into this evening, we start to loose those thunderstorms, many fading away, clear skies and mist and fog patches forming. out towards the west, a new front will introduce thicker cloud, showery rain and stronger winds. humid tonight as well, and in places that have not been humid in the last few nights, like northern ireland

and western scotland. tomorrow, here�*s our first front but low pressure dominating the weather in the west, bringing in thicker cloud, some rain and strengthening winds. it�*s only slowly pushing eastwards. ahead of that, the cloud will build. a lot of dry weather and sunshine around, some showers into the south east and highs of 27 degrees here. behind the cold front, things are freshening up a bit in the west. that will continue even more so as the fronts push across us through saturday. on saturday itself, we start with cloud and showery outbreaks of rain in the south east. a lot of dry weather, further showers and windy conditions coming in from the northwest but in between some sunshine and variable cloud. but a difference in the temperature, 15 to 21 from the north to the west but still about 24 towards the south east. into sunday, wehang onto that fresher air across the board,

temperatures returning to closer to the seasonal average. on sunday, a dry day, cloud building through the day with the front from the west introducing rain across western areas with gusty winds in the western isles.

live from london. this is bbc news. the suspect in the southport stabbings appears in court after being charged with the murder of three girls and of the attempted murder of three other people. sir keir starmer is set to meet police leaders after more rioting overnight. more than 100 people were arrested after disturbances in central london yesterday. questions for the bbc over its handling of the huw edwards case as the corporation confirms police warned them its investigation did concern child abuse images. israel says it has confirmed the senior hamas leader in gaza was killed in a strike in khan younis last month. and in the olympics, two more medals for team

gb in the rowing with the