he prince mohammed bin salman.productive. >> i've had good, productive conversations with both prime minister netanyahu and the israeli president, herzog . among israeli president, herzog. among other things, we discussed the importance of this conflict not escalating regionally and the importance of getting humanitarian aid into gaza to help people who need it. i also had the opportunity to meet families of british nationals who have been taken hostage. we're doing absolutely everything we can to get them home. >> the conflict has now killed almost 5000 people on both sides as it enters its 13th day. a warning some viewers may find the following images distressing . the gaza health ministry says over 12,000 palestinians have been injured in israeli airstrikes and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes. hamas media are reporting an israeli airstrike has killed jihad hussein , head of the hamas jihad hussein, head of the hamas led national security forces. two british nationals are still being held hostage by h

minister rishi sunak has been in saudi arabia, where he's held talks with the crown prince, mohammed bin salmanfrom spreading. earlier, the prime minister spoke to his israeli

of iran's interesting, and overnight we had a call between the crown prince of saudi arabia, mohammed bin salmanthe government to iranian president, ebrahim raisi, and if you remember, rosemary, only to saudi arabia, and this is the first call ever between mohammed bin salman, and ebrahim raisi. it is a potential for a bigger conflagration, which raises the question, what is hamas's endgame here? >> now, israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has now formed an emergency government that includes benny gantz, and the opposition party. gantz, of course, is the defense minister, formerly. is a ground incursion inevitable? i think to start the deadly risks involved, on all sides in fact, for palestinian civilians? >> it is having military planning and is the ground incursion it's possible. they need to be preparing for this, and it talks about eliminating hamas from the gaza strip. it imposes several challenges, bombing from the air, no matter how precise your weapons are and they do to civilians. where we saw it in lebanon, and over the last few years, there were forwards between hamas, and is

the prince mohammed bin salman.eekers have returned to the bibby stockholm in portland. a number of people were taken off the barge. more than two months ago after dangerous bacteria was found on board and an evacuation order has been put in place by angus council for all residents in the town of brecon in scotland, around 370 homes have been asked to evacuate due to the unrest dented level of rain expected to fall. it follows a red weather warning as storm babet approaches . and you can babet approaches. and you can get more on all of those stories by visiting our website, gb news.com by visiting our website, gbnews.com . for stunning gold gbnews.com. for stunning gold and silver coins, you'll always value rosalind gold proudly sponsors the gb news financial report . report. >> here's a quick snapshot of today's markets. >> the pound will buy you $1.2148 and ,1.1494. the price of gold is £1,607.44 per ounce, and the ftse 100 is at 7506 points at roslyn , gold proudly points at roslyn, gold proudly sponsors the gb n

it's chaired by crown prince mohammed bin salman.hort time ago my colleague sally bundock spoke to a board member of the future investment initiative, matteo renzi, who was also prime minister of italy. he told her what the initiative is all about. future investment initiative tried to offer a platform of dialogue, particularly in business and correctly you explained the quality... one point, european... 400 ceos from europe as well as china, discussing here the initiative that became one of the most attractive and brilliant possibilities of exchange. last time was in the army the next time will be in hong kong but this is the pillar of the initiative of f at the same time, there are a lot of tensions in the economy so we need a new campus is the new title of this initiative. a new campus to understand what would be best for business and politics. light to what extent is what's happening in israel and gaza are overshadowing this event now? i believe that everything that's happened in the last two years on the border is an unbelievabl

and, you know, with the leadership of mohammed bin salman, really now saudi arabia try to play a very abraham was a goal, particularly important also in this area. so we don't discuss about politics, we discuss about business and geopolitics. but i think fii is more important than ever after the terrorists attack, and after the risk of escalation in the region. that was the former italian prime minister. that was the former italian prime minister. in other news.... the uk's financial regulators have announced they will scrap the cap on banker's bonuses — coming into effect at the end of the month. the cap limited bonuses of employees of banks, building societies and investment firms to twice their base salary. the rule was introduced in 2014 when the uk was part of the eu. spotify has returned to profit after beating estimates on new subscriber gains and reaping the rewards of a cost—cutting drive. the music streaming platform reported an operating profit of 32 million euros for the third quarter of the year. it is the first quarterly operating profit the company has managed since 202

in the meantime, at the white house today, the saudi defense minister khalid bin salman the brother of mohammedce visiting at the white house. a saudi prince deal isn't dead with war clouds covering the region much is clear saudi arabia having flirted with china and russia realizes the u.s. is the best, only security option. whether that will lead it to recognize the jewish state in the current environment is unclear. but if lawmakers put aside their negative perceptions of saudi arabia to ratify a deal it will be because israel throws its support behind riyadh. well, what about that? wring in harold ford jr. co-host of "the five." pager white house reporter for "the washington post." kimberley strassel a member of the editorial board at the "wall street journal." tyler, the white house has a complicated relationship with saudi arabia. at this moment it seems like they are thinking long-term to whatever happens after this effort on the ground against hamas by israel. >> absolutely, bret. the white house does have a complicated relationship with saudi arabia and we saw that in full display when

but this particular face to face with crown prince mohammed bin salman, which lasted a little less than an hour, it was held at the prince's private farm just outside of the capital is significant because in recent weeks the united states was set to broker a major progress. a major progress toward saudi arabia's normalization of relations with israel. now that progress has been put on hold as tensions rise and efforts continue to stop the israeli hamas war from expanding into a much broader conflict. but state department officials report that during his meeting with mbs as the prince is known, blinken highlighted the united states, quote, unwavering focus on halting terrorist attacks by hamas, securing the release of all hostages and preventing the conflict from spreading. the two affirmed their shared commitment to protecting civilians and advancing stability across the middle east and beyond. blinken has also met with leaders in jordan, the palestinian authority, qatar, bahrain, the united arab emirates and plans to visit egypt. that is later today. sunday egypt controls the rafah bor

but this particular face to face with crown prince mohammed bin salman, which lasted a little less than an hour and was held at the prince's private farm just outside of the capital is significant because, as you mentioned in recent weeks, the united states was set to broker this major progress towards saudi arabia's normalization of relations with israel. that progress has now been put on hold as tensions rise and efforts continue to stop the israeli hamas war from expanding into a much broader conflict. state department officials report that during his meeting with mbs as the prince is known, blinken highlighted the united states quote unwavered focus on halting terrorist attacks by hamas, securing the release of all hostages and preventing the conflict from spreading. the two affirmed their shared commitment to protecting civilians and to advancing stability across the middle east and beyond, reuters reports. it's the crown prince has already spoken with the iranian president in an effort to temper further violence across the region. blinken has also met with leaders in jordan, the p

secretary of state antony blinken wrapping up a meeting with saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman within the last hour. the meeting comes just days after the saudi arabia, saudi arabia put a us backed plan to normalize ties with israel on ice. this is the war between israel and hamas escalates. right now, israeli fighters are preparing to invade gaza after hamas militants launched a deadly attack on israel last week. thousands of israelis and palestinians have been killed since the attacks and the war began in that includes 29 americans, 15 others remain unaccounted for, potentially being held hostage by hamas terrorists. for more on today's meeting between blinken and saudi's crown prince, let's go now to molly line in new york. molly. hi, marianne. when asked by reporters about how his meeting with the crown prince of this very key us ally went. us secretary of state antony blinken said a quick two words, quote, very productive. blinken has been crisscrossing the middle east since the historic and horrific attack perpetrated by hamas and israel. and this particular meeting with crown p

larry: we've got iowa senator joni ernst that met with saudi crowned prince mohammed bin salman and joins to talk about it. welcome, j joni ernst. senator ernst, you got home in one piece so that's a big plus. give me your -- everyone is worried about this and war is hell and we don't know what the future is going to help. you've been through the middle east with the bipartisan group and talking your judgment and you've been in the military and you're an expert on foreign policy. what do you think the saudis will do? how will they play this dreadful war? >> yes, larry, thank you for having me on. it was an honor to go into the middle east and meet with these clearly very important leaders of the the key is the kingdom of saudi arabia and am of us felt this level of energy and optimism however that very next morning wake up and we found and israel by hamas and clearly saudi arabia is doing a very delicate ball languaging act and they may undue state support for the palestinian people. that's a far cry from saying they agree with what hamas is doing to the israeli people and hamas is backed

. >> reporter: bret baer had that exclusive interview with mohamed bin salman who said saudi arabia and israel are close, getting closer to a peace deal but also sat down a few days later with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. here are some clips. >> are you close? >> every day we get closer. for the first time. >> we just got back from riyadh. you heard those words from the saudi crown prince. what was your response? >> i was delighted to hear what he had to say. to borrow a phrase, i think we are getting closer to peace every day that passes. >> reporter: some lawmakers including tom on, say that is why hamas launched this attack on israel, the greatest attack in 50 years saying in a quote, this war is a transparent attempt by iran to derail the peace talks, the united states should provide israel the military and informatics support it needs to destroy hamas. the biden administration should cease all engagement with iran. there was no mention of destroying hamas. this is the former defense secretary mark esper speaking with neil cavuto. as - this is an intelligence failure,

and the americans as well— mohamed bin salman and the americans as well as _ mohamed bin salman row space including the uae which is why the statements we have heard today are not the _ statements we have heard today are not the statements we have heard in the past _ not the statements we have heard in the past and have been all too many conflicts— the past and have been all too many conflicts between israel and gaza, much _ conflicts between israel and gaza, much more muted saying that they are following _ much more muted saying that they are following it _ much more muted saying that they are following it closely, and they are wanting — following it closely, and they are wanting to be seen as the ones who can resolve — wanting to be seen as the ones who can resolve this but the united states— can resolve this but the united states is— can resolve this but the united states is behind the older dark play a role _ states is behind the older dark play a role as— states is behind the older dark play a role as well.— a role as well. lina, give us some background _ a role as well. li

mohammed bin salman, important discussions were held about palestine and the need to stop war crimes, and in this 45-minute conversation, both sides emphasized the unity of the islamic world, the crimes of the zionist regime and the green light. the us foreign minister considered the us to be an insecurity and destroyer for the regime and its supporters. the united states firmly emphasized the zionist regime. blinken traveled to the occupied territories of palestine last night. ignoring the recent crimes committed by the zionist regime and the massacre of hundreds of women, children and civilians in the gaza strip, he said: he considers himself the representative of the american people and, pointing to the inevitability of the united states and the zionist regime , emphasized his country's support for the fake israeli regime. kurds: the us secretary of state will leave the occupied palestinian territory for jordan tomorrow, friday, after meeting with the officials of the zionist regime. with the increase in the crimes of the zionist regime in the occupied territories of the circle sup

mohammed bin salman did a phone call with the president of iran just a couple days ago. that's a very, very unusual occurrence. so i think it's not just the united states messaging to try to keep this from escalating, it's probably other regional and global leaders. >> ben rhodes, you've been in all of these rooms. there's so much to discuss, thank you for being with us this morning. we're keeping a close eye on the cairo airport what we're expecting remarks from anthony blinken. we'll bring those reports live for you as soon as they began. for you as soon as they began. this is american infrastructure, a prime target for cyberattacks. but the same ai-powered security that protects all of google also defends these services for everyone who lives here. ♪ listen, your deodorant just has to work. i use secret aluminum free. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. and hours later, i still smell fresh. secret works! ohhh yesss. ♪♪ new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you

to me, hamas could have been looking at that and thinking, mohammed bin salman, the leader of saudi arabia, it looks like he's on the precipice of signing a normalization deal with israel with all manner of u.s. security guarantees for saudi arabia. that effectively formally sidelines palestinian political aspirations in favor of a broader process of normalization in the region. there is a lot of talk of whether or not there would be anything for the palestinians -- most analysts looking at this believe the kinds of things on offer didn't have anything to do with political aspirations of palestinians, but china buildup in the west bank, or trying to build up the palestinian authority. what hamas is doing, tragically, is calling attention to the palestinian cause again. and making it hard for mohammad bin salman to sign that normalization deal with israel in this context. if, as we all expect, there is an overwhelming israeli military response. perhaps a massive ground inversion into gaza because of the hostages. there could be violence in the west bank as well. perhaps even just violence b

i've just traveled to saudi arabia with a couple times, the whole reason mohamed bin salman is makinglogue with with israel is because saudi arabia has's choosed --'s i chewed that ideology. iran wants to reignite that. and iran does want that to spill beyond. iran has essentially colonized syria. lebanon is captive to hezbollah which is a terrorist, very, very ferocious, battle-hardened military. iran has irgc missile bases that operate auto9 of -- out of iraq with impunity. iraq is under the yoke of iran, and a terrible humanitarian catastrophe and entrenched conflict which is in a fragile state that could also be a place from where to launch operations. we saw i saudi aramco attacked. oil futures are already ruing for tomorrow morning. -- rising. and on the background of russia and ukraine, the united states has been incredibly depleted with soldiers, armaments, psychological energy. there has been tremendous suffering on the ukrainians, there's people dying on the russian side. the world is drained by that conflict. now we're looking at something that could be much, much bigger. >

mohammed bin salman, important discussions were held about palestine and the need to stop war crimes. in this 45-minute long conversation, while emphasizing the unity of the islamic world, the crimes of the zionist regime and the green light of the united states are considered to be a devastating threat to the regime. ayatollah sistani called on the international community to take immediate action to stop the brutality and attacks of the zionist regime on gaza. in a statement, this religious authority criticized the actions of the occupying regime and supported western countries for these criminal actions against the oppressed palestinian nation condemned ayatollah sistani noted that in order to end the painful lives of the palestinian people, achieving their legitimate rights and eliminating the occupation and usurpation of their land is the only way to establish security and peace in this region, and without that, the resistance against the aggressors will continue. sunni scholars, like other compatriots and freedom-loving nations of the world , supported the al-aqsa storm and the r

is known that you have personal, very good relations with the crown prince of saudi arabia, mohammed bin salman we are just business people, that’s the way it is, and of course, the hereditary principle, the principle... is primarily guided by the interests of saudi arabia, this is understandable, it would be strange if this it was different, but still, when such personal trusting relationships are established, it matters, because when making decisions of this kind, which we are talking about now, mutual trust is still very important, here is our deputy prime minister, mr. novak, who in practical terms is constantly involved, he sits there in the negotiation process, so... he won’t let you lie, there have been several times when, well, it’s difficult even to predict, we are not the pace of development of the world economy, the needs of asia, other markets, well, logistics and so on and so forth, and there were several times when he said, well, it’s difficult to predict, but the saudis believe that such and such a solution will be optimal, i say, come on, let’s agree, because well, there is no d

even though mohammed bin salman is looking for a defense alliance with the united states, building a nuclear power plant and obtaining advanced weapons, these issues will come with restrictions and conditions. it is not possible to normalize relations with saudi arabia saudi considered the share regime as a strategic achievement for saudi arabia in front of its losses. we are with you in the final part of this round table. gentlemen, in the end, what is your conclusion? we have reached the point that the main cost of this compromise will be borne by saudi arabia itself, precisely because saudi arabia has been growing economically in the region and the world for several years. and now he is investing in people like america, which has not shown mercy to many islamic and arab countries, such as iraq, syria, libya, yemen, and afghanistan, and now he is using them as intermediaries for normalization. his relations with the zionist regime and from that side he also knows that the region should be calm, without conflicts, without riots, so that the likes of the zionist regime understand thi

there was a very rare phone call recently between mohammed bin salman, the saudi leader, the crown prince that doesn't happen very often. 0ne iranians president mr raisi. that doesn't happen very often. one thing the americans want to gather is what kind of messages were going on, what were the iranians saying? hezbollah is funded and backed by the iranians and they will tell them whether to dial down or dial up any activity against israel so that is a key relationship, to between the israelis and the saudis. it is complicated in the middle east. that's why antony blinken is going around these capitals trying to work out where things stand, to try and avoid a wider conflagration, to try and stop this spilling out further into the region. qm. and stop this spilling out further into the region.— into the region. ok, thanks very much. the united nations says nearly a million palestinians — that's nearly half the population — have left their homes in the gaza strip in the week since israel launched its military response to the wave of killings by hamas. the entire enclave is being hit by isra

a completely different story, yes, they still declare, condemn , yesterday the crown prince mohammed bin salmanelephone conversation with joseph biden, the president of america, in which he condemned the actions of israel, that yes, of course the hamas attacks are terrible, but cannot be used in response and that there is an urgent need to cease fire and come to a solution to the conflict, which was voiced in the resolution of the un general assembly, and it was also said that the un security council urgently needs to make a decision to de-escalate this conflict. the visit of abdalakhyan, the minister of foreign affairs, is largely connected with these processes, because neither side is ready for this, but on the other hand, as sergei correctly noted, netanyahu said that the operation will take place, so they are making it clear to him, what if she is, maybe proxy wars, hezbollah is very much involved in this now , although hezbollah is also not quite ready for this war, that is, none of the actors is essentially ready for war, but for netanyahu, as i have repeatedly said to you, his internal p

even the de facto ruler of saudi arabia, mohammed bin salman, the crown prince, has been talking to thehe measure of the new rapprochement before this all erupted again. everyone is talking to everyone else. but the iranians have said, "look, if this gets worse, "this will be something that we simply cannot control" and hence, the shuttling of the american envoy, of the europeans, of so many — the phone lines are burning — to stop this possible contagion. explosions. there's a constant fear that the fighting could spread, that iran, which calls the shots with hamas in gaza, might decide to urge its other client, hezbollah in lebanon, to join in the attack on israel. lina sinjab is the bbc�*s middle east correspondent, speaking from beirut. you know, john, this is a region of the unpredictable. anything could happen at any minute and it's hard to predict what could ignite the moment where things could go out of control. in lebanon, the mood — although the street is very angry with what's happening against the palestinian civilians in gaza, lots of hezbollah supporters roving the streets,

now after his meeting in particular with mohammed bin salman, the saudi crown prince, he said it hadrobably quite a positive sign at this stage, given there is a line of communication between the saudis and their arch—rivals the iranians. iran has the power to sort of direct hezbollah in lebanon to dial up or dial down its activities. but this remains an extremely dangerous situation. i think the return of mr blinken to israel suggests that some talking is still happening. we can talk now to mara rudman — a former middle east envoy and senior national security official in the 0bama and clinton administrations. she's now a senior counselor at the us think—tank american progress. thank you for being with us. what is your assessment may of what comes next? i your assessment may of what comes next? ~ , ., , ., your assessment may of what comes next? ~ , ., ,., . ., , next? i think your reporting clearly ca tured next? i think your reporting clearly captured the _ next? i think your reporting clearly captured the edge _ next? i think your reporting clearly captured the edge of _ next? i t

it's chaired by crown prince mohammed bin salman.

and saudi arabia's crown prince mohammed bin salman after making blinken wait many hours before meetingt first stop the siege in gaza. administration officials have said that there are no plans to deploy u.s. troops to rescue american hostages in gaza or to join the fight. the 2,000 now with heightened alert would provide communication support and others would beef up security at u.s. installations across the region. norah. >> norah: weijia jiang at the white house, we can hear some of the protests out there, thank you. the fbi is warning attacks in israel are leading to more threats of violence right here in the u.s. the news comes as the justice department is investigating an alleged hate crime in illinois over the weekend. a 6-year-old palestinian american boy was killed and his mother was wounded in a stabbing attack that authorities say was motivated by the war. cbs's jeff pegues has the disturbing details. >> reporter: today at this mosque near chicago, surveyors on the pavement outside. standing room only inside as hundreds of mourners remember 6-year-old wadea al-fayoume, the li

sunok went to saudi arabia to meet with crown prince mohammed bin salman. so international efforts to stop the conflict from expanding continue. iran talks about the possibility of escalation if israel begins its ground operation in gas the second front may be opened by the lebanese group hezbollah. iran is another factor why israel's ground operation has not yet begun. while diplomacy continues, on the streets. anti-israel protests continue in major cities of the middle east. more in the next article. demonstrations on the streets of beirut and istanbul. scene. is repeated in the capitals of the countries of the middle east and north africa. anger against israel spreads far and wide. but it was not always like that. in recent years, some arab leaders have signed us-brokered agreements with israel, establishing diplomatic relations, in exchange for economic ties, while ignoring the palestinians, perhaps at a price. the region is in a state of tension and seeks to avoid a wider one. in an attempt to reduce the temperature, there are many secret negotiations,

even the de facto ruler of saudi arabia, mohammed bin salman, the crown prince, has been talking to theeasure of the new rapprochement before this all erupted again. everyone is talking to everyone else. but the iranians have said, "look, if this gets worse, "this will be something that we simply cannot control" and hence, the shuttling of the american envoy, of the europeans, of so many — the phone lines are burning — to stop this possible contagion. there's a constant fear that the fighting could spread, that iran, which calls the shots with hamas in gaza, might decide to urge its other client, hezbollah in lebanon, to join in the attack on israel. lina sinjab is the bbc�*s middle east correspondent, speaking from beirut. you know, john, this is a region of the unpredictable. anything could happen at any minute and it's hard to predict what could ignite the moment where things could go out of control. in lebanon, the mood — although the street is very angry with what's happening against the palestinian civilians in gaza, lots of hezbollah supporters roving the streets, celebrating any

rishi sunak flies from israel to saudi arabia, where he had talks with crown prince mohammed bin salman by hamas. developments in the middle east are our top focus, but also looking at another big story developing. a woman's body has been recovered from a river in scotland, as a major storm batters the country. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to the programme. there are indications this hour that israel's expected ground invasion of gaza could be nearing. the israeli defence minister has told troops on the border that they will soon see the palestinian enclave from inside. meanwhile in gaza, there continues to be a critical shortage of supplies as hundreds of vehicles carrying aid still wait

journalists, waited until the morning for an audience with the crown prince of saudi arabia, mohammed bin salmany planned that they would meet in the evening, but the prince appeared only in the morning. efforts to persuade riyadh to condemn hamas have so far failed, and saudi arabia has condemned the massive bombing. gases, calling it an attack on defenseless civilians. from such details one can judge blinken's trip to the middle east, during which the united states tried to convince the state of the region to prevent the expansion of the conflict around the gas sector. washington is also asking middle eastern countries to use their influence over hamas to secure the release of the hostages. in this regard , biden is forced to maneuver in interviews, despite his declared support for israel. would you support? israeli occupation of gases at this stage? i think it would be a big mistake, look, in my opinion, hamas does not represent the entire palestinian people, and i think it would be a mistake for israel to reoccupy gaza. at the same time, washington is simultaneously threatening iran and othe

the king of jordan and saudi arabia's second crown prince, mohammed bin salman al-saud, discussed byephone joint efforts to prevent further escalation of violence between palestinians and israel. this is stated in a statement from the royal office transmitted by peter's agency. stanislav, news: aman jordan. and just at these a minute a message comes that the israeli air force is bombing the rafah checkpoint, which is located. on the border of the gas sector and egypt, the ministry of internal affairs reports about this. let me remind you that the rafah checkpoint was opened in 2005 and at the moment it is the only checkpoint through which you can leave the territory of the gas sector. who calls for the opening of a humanitarian corridor in gaza and says it is already working on this issue. iraqi prime minister mohammed al-sudani arrived in moscow for a visit. his plane landed at vnukov-2 airport. and as expected, today in the kremlin he will have negotiations will take place with vladimir putin. this will be their first personal meeting. they will discuss both bilateral cooperation a

the prime minister has held talks with crown prince mohammed bin salman in the saudi capital, riyadh.latest stop in series of diplomatic in a series of diplomatic meetings the middle east. meetings in the middle east. rishi encouraged saudi rishi sunak encouraged saudi arabia to use its influence to support stability in the region . support stability in the region. the pair agreed about the importance of avoiding any further escalation of the israel—hamas conflict , further escalation of the israel—hamas conflict, but further escalation of the israel—hamas conflict , but the israel—hamas conflict, but the prime minister will make further stops in the middle east. they are yet to be announced . well, are yet to be announced. well, earlier in jerusalem, the prime minister told his israeli counterpart, benjamin netanyahu , counterpart, benjamin netanyahu, that he welcomed the decision to allow humanitarian aid into gaza from egypt and said the uk stood in solidarity with israel and mr netanyahu thanked him for visiting the country, calling it a strong statement of support. in a time of d

annmarie: overnight there was a phone call between mohammed bin salman and the iranian leader.sured the saudis to tell the iranians to stay out of this as well as make sure hezbollah stays out of this as well? elliot: that is the message the u.s. is sending to include the deployment of the gerald ford aircraft carrier to the mediterranean. i think that call is a positive development. any time you have a crisis like this the more communication you are seeing between sides is a tool to de-escalate the crisis. i am glad to see that as a development. jonathan: i do not think we know or appreciate how bad things could be in the coming days and weeks. there is talk of a potential full ground inflation on one of them at -- full ground invasion on one of most densely populated parts of the planet. you have the experience on the type of urban combat that might be coming. can you describe what we could see play out in the coming weeks and months? elliot: i fought in the fully should battle in iraq in 2004 and that was house to house, very intense urban combat. i think that is what we wil

after his meeting with mohammed bin salman, the saudi crown prince, he said it had been very productiven at this stage, given that there is a line of communication between the saudis and their arch rivals the iranians. iran has the power to direct hezbollah in lebanon to dial up or dial down its activities. this remains an extremely dangerous situation. the return of mr blinken to israel suggests that some talking is still happening. suggests that some talking is still ha eninu. . , suggests that some talking is still haueninu. . , . ., happening. thanks very much. tom touched on — happening. thanks very much. tom touched on the _ happening. thanks very much. tom touched on the humanitarian - touched on the humanitarian situation that is deteriorating and gaza. today the heads of the arab league and african union have been meeting to discuss what is going on. in a joint statement, the delegates said that israel's planned ground invasion of gaza could lead to a genocide of unprecedented proportions. let's get more on this with gamal roshdy in cairo. he is the spokesperson for the arab le

the crown prince, mohammed bin salman, dates denied any involvement, but it did have a lot of reputationalsaudi arabia said it executed 81 men convicted of what they called multiple heinous crimes, including terrorism. that does tally up including terrorism. that does tally up with these figures from amnesty international that showed that saudi arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. it is difficult to get numbers from china is the one caveat that amnesty international does make. these concerns relate to the rights of women, the criminalisation of homosexuality, as well as restrictions are in free speech. saudi arabia rejects these criticisms and when asked about sports watching previously, the crown prince said if sports watching is going to increase my gdp by 1%, then we'll continue doing sports watching. we have plenty more on all of the day's use of the bbc news website and we are running a live page of the uk's covid inquiry and the developments in the middle east. i will be back after the short break. to stay with us. —— do stay with us. hello there. the rain in n

so far, the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman�*s, been trying to calm the conflict.hasized the kingdom's support for what he described as a just peace that ensured the rights of palestinians. is there a point whereby if israel inflicts too much damage in trying to eliminate hamas, that it could jeopardize a deal like that? look, i think that again, israel is is being careful and is going to be increasingly careful to make sure that the palestinians are as unaffected as possible in this and that we literally just deal with the hamas, you know, evil that has afflicted us. and on the other hand, there's no guarantee that that, you know, can happen. it's not, you know, impossible that there will be mistakes made or people too many civilians hurt. and so therefore, there will be, you know, a correlation between how that plays out and, you know, how quickly we can recover and get back on the on the process of building these ties. i am very optimistic that we will resume, if not already, going on at the moment, discussions with the saudis. joe medved, thank you very much. m

it's chaired by crown prince mohammed bin salman.t's go live to riyadh and talk to a board member of the future investment initiative, matteo renzi, who was prime minister of italy. i won welcome to the programme. —— a warm welcome. what does this initiative look to achieve?— this initiative look to achieve? , achieve? future investment initiative tries _ achieve? future investment initiative tries to _ achieve? future investment initiative tries to offer - achieve? future investment initiative tries to offer to . initiative tries to offer to give a platform of dialogue, particularly in business. and rightly you explained the number, the quality here, thinking only about one point. europe but also a lot of delegates from china, to the usa, to discuss here because in the last year the future investment initiative became one of the most attractive and brilliant possibilities of exchange. last time it was in miami, the next in hong kong, but this edition in riyadh is the pillar of the fii. a lot of tensions in geopolitics at the moment

minister rishi sunak has been in saudi arabia, where he's held talks with the crown prince, mohammed bin salman, to try to prevent the crisis in the middle east from spreading. earlier, the prime minister spoke to his israeli counterpart in jerusalem, benjamin netanyahu, where he stressed that britain would stand by the country as it prepares for a possible ground offensive into gaza. for more on that ground offensive, dr ahron bregman — a professor at the department of war studies at kings college who served with the israeli defence force in 1982 as an artillery officer in lebanon — joins me now. in 1982 as an artillery officer thank in 1982 as an artillery officer you very much forjoin here thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. let'sjust thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news. let's just first ask you about your first—hand experience, away from being an academic, perhaps, and what people must be thinking, those who are signed up, ready to fight right now, as they wait to hear from prime minister benjamin netanyahu in israel. minister ben'amin netanyahu in israel. , .

in riyadh, then cairo i met individually with crown prince mohammed bin salman from saudi arabia by thestinian authority. these were further to my meetings with the king ofjordan last week and calls with other leaders and my right honourable friend the foreign secretary must make extensive travel in the region. mr speaker, there are three abiding messages from all of these conversations. the first is that we must continue working together to get more humanitarian support into gaza. the whole house will welcome the limited opening of the rafah crossing. it is important progress and testament of the power of diplomacy, but it isn't enough. we need a constant stream of aid pouring into bringing the water, food, medicine and fuel that, so we will keep up the diplomatic pressure. we have already committed £10 million of extra support to help civilians in gaza. and mr speaker, i can announce today that we are going further. we are providing an additional £20 million of humanitarian aid to civilians in gaza, more than doubling our previous support to the palestinian people. there are major log

rishi sunak has met crown prince mohammed bin salman in the saudi capital, riyadh. meetings to prevent the conflict in the middle east from escalating. the saudi state news agency spa posted a video on of the pair shaking hands. posted a video on of the pair shaking hands . well, earlier in shaking hands. well, earlier in jerusalem , the prime minister jerusalem, the prime minister told the israeli counterpart, benjamin netanya , who he benjamin netanya, who he welcomed the decision to allow humanitarian aid into gaza from egypt and said the uk stood in solidarity with israel . and mr solidarity with israel. and mr netanyahu thanked him for visiting the country, calling it

think it is interesting that on it trip, secretary blinken has been twice to see crown prince mohammed bin salmannd trying to play a diplomatic role in the region and he will be appreciating the egyptian president to take a softer role about the possibility of opening that raffa border crossing to allow palestinian out of gaza into there. yes, it is a contentious issue and there is a lot of historical baggage with palestinians but i think there will be a lot of -- and let's not forget, the hostages behind-the-scenes efforts will be made, a lot of efforts to get the hostages released. and we could believe that some leaders like crown prince in saudi arabia and others in the region will be making their best efforts to help that happen. so i think secretary blinken being in the region it signals not ome to iran or hezbollah that the united states is here, it is behind israel, but it tries to sort of keep that diplomatic behind the scenes movement on all fronts, on broader stability and on the long-term goals and the possibility of hostages and trying to keep those alive. but as you and i both know,

rishi sunak flies from israel to saudi arabia, where he had talks with crown prince mohammed bin salmanfrom the bbc sport centre. european football's governing body — uefa — has confirmed the euro 2024 qualifier between belgium and sweden won't be replayed. the match was halted for security reasons after two people were shot dead in brussels on monday. a third swedish citizen was seriously injured in the attack, which took place three miles from the stadium. the result at half time, 1—1, will stand. belgium had already qualified, and sweden were unable to make it through to the tournament next summer. in england, the football association says they "recognise the hurt" caused by their decision not to light the wembley arch in the colours of israel in response to the ongoing conflict there. chief executive mark bullingham called the decision "one of the hardest" he has had to make at the organisation. they faced criticism from some for not lighting up the arch in the colours of the israeli flag for england's friendly with australia, a period of silence was held instead.

arab world's leaders, including egypt's president el sisi and the saudi arabian crown prince, mohammed bin salmansit to riyadh, we are told the saudis kept blinken waiting several hours for a meeting that was supposed to happen in the evening but to which the crown prince only showed up for the next morning. perhaps that is why twice in several days secretary blinken has been underlining the same message. we democracies distinguish ourselves from terrorist by striving for a different standard. even when it is difficult. and holding ourselves to account when we fall short. our humanity, the value that we place on human life and human dignity, that's what makes us who we are. and we count them among our greatest strength. that is why it is so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians. the way that israel does this matters. it needs to do it in a way that affirms the shared values that we have for human life and human dignity. taking every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians. is there anything the american�*s could offer the egyptians to persuade them to open

company ellison said bankman-fried was trying to raise money from saudi arabian investors, prince mohammed bin salmanlion bribe to the chinese government in order to unlock some accounts on a chinese crypto exchange. before they did that, one of the options was to use fake accounts to withdraw funds. they were thai prostitutes, that is according to ellison. that failed so they transferred $150 million to the chinese government through cryptocurrency. they wrote about it calling it just the thing, the $150 million thing, to cover it up. there was an employee that pushed back around all of this allegedly in a meeting he told her to shut the eff up, was known for these outbursts in stressful situations. ellison said they used what they called "the new york times" test, so anything that could have been written on the cover of "the new york times" you wouldn't want in writing, that was a mantra internally. everything was done on encrypted messaging apps. conversations with her were set to a one-woke auto auto delete to make sure nothing got out. she also talked about their relationship. she said they brok