hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. france opens an investigation into the russian born founder of the messaging app telegram the kremlin warns against political persecution. dates for those fixtures will be released in the coming days. elsewhere today, england's interim manager, lee carsley, has named four uncapped players in his first england squad. there's a recall for jack grealish who missed out on the euro�*s. here's the list in full — lille winger angel gomes, newcastle defender tino livramento, nottingham forest midfielder morgan gibbs—white and chelsea winger noni madueke all played for carsley during his time as england u21 manager. a lot of these players that we have called in are used to winning. they are used to winning and getting to the later stages of tournaments and doing really well. morgan and angel would have been part of that world cup team and they have obviously done the euros as well. that was the important thing. angel is probably different from what we have seen in the past in terms of the cent

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.ou all about that shortly. time now for sport, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. welcome along to the bbc sport centre, i'm adam wild. in the last couple of hours, the draw for this seasons champions league has been made at a glittering hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. france opens an investigation into the russian born founder of the messaging app telegram the kremlin warns against political persecution.

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. moments ago, the families and i were able to speak to them on the telephone from the oval office. they are out of russia, earlier today they were flown to turkey. and soon they'll be wheels up on their way home to see their families. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it is mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. i think it was very difficult - for germany to agree to accept the idea that they would have to return a convicted assassin to russia in any circumstances. joining me tonight are nathalie tocci, director of the istituto affari internazionali in rome and american journalist brian stelter. i think it is the institute of national affairs. i think it is the institute of nationalaffairs. give i think it is the institute of national affairs. give her her proper title. first — the latest headlines. the largest prisoner swap between russia and th

i'm christian fraser. the context. >> the largest invasion by the israeli military into the west bank since 2002. israeli militants are cutting off the north and limiting access to the north. >> this morning all but one road was closed driving into jenin. word from palestinian taxi drivers that their cars are being shot out -- shot at. israel says it's a counterterrorism operation. >> in my mind is long overdue. over the last 2.5, three years we have seen a steady rise in terrorist attacks emanating from palestinian terrorist organizations in the area you referred to as the west bank. most israelis call it judeo and samaria. --judean samaria. >> israeli incursions in the west bank the biggest in years. the united nations as its fuel in an already explosive situation. tonight the security council meets to discuss another worry and development so bad in gaza that polio is making a comeback. at the united nations says they need a pause in the fighting to begin vaccination. the middleast part of the discussion

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.west bank since the second intifada, since 2002. the israeli forces have invaded the towns ofjenin, tulkarm, cutting off the north and limiting access to the north. just driving intojenin this morning, all but one road was closed and we were told and warned by palestinian taxi drivers that their cars were being shot at. israel for its part, of course, says it's carrying out a counterterrorism operation. the israeli logic is i an operation that is, in my mind, long overdue. over the last two and a half, three years, we've seen- a steady rise in terrorist attacks emanating from j palestinian terrorist - organisations in the area that you refer to as the west bank. most israelis call it| judea and samaria. the israeli incursions in the west bank, the biggest in years. the un says it is "fuelling an already explosive" situation. tonight, the security council will meet to discuss another worrying development. so bad in gaza that polio is making a comeback. the un says they need a pause in t

and christian fraser will have more on newsnight on bbc two later on.nother headache for keir starmer this evening, a decent few weeks, the riots, the crony row, concerns in some quarters that his agenda is a bitjoyless, but mps returned to westminster on monday will, we will discuss what the public are making of the changes on offer. great britain's athletes have won a raft of medals at day two of the paralympics in paris — four golds, three silvers and two bronzes. two of the golds were in the cycling at the velodrome, and the other two were in the pool, with swimmer tully kearney taking her second title of the games. from paris, andy swiss reports. it was a day of elation and emotion — a glorious gold rush for paralympicsgb, and it began in the velodrome and with the remarkable jaco van gass. last week, van gass was hit by a car while training — he thought his hopes were over, but in the pursuit final against his team—mate fin graham, he was utterly unstoppable. here he comes over the line, gold! a one—two for the british pair, and for van gass, a fo

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. russia, earlier today they were flown to turkey. and soon they'll be wheels up on their way home to see their families. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it is mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. i think it was very difficult - for germany to agree to accept the idea that they would have to return a convicted assassin to russia in any circumstances. one of the biggest prisoner swaps since the cold war has taken place

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.omeback concert. but what else? yes, we will be rolling back the years very shortly, but first let's get a check on the sport. here is sarah. thanks very much, christian. tributes have been paid to former england manager sven—goran eriksson, who has died at the age of 76. he was the first non—british manager of the england team and led the three lions to the quarterfinals at three major tournaments during his five—year spell in charge between 2001 and 2006. eriksson managed 12 clubs, winning 18 trophies, with spells at manchester city, leicester, roma and lazio — where the swede delivered the serie a title in 2000, the last time the capital were crowned champions of italy. injanuary, he said he had "at best" a year to live after being diagnosed with cancer. the tributes have been plenty, from all over the world from inside and outside the football sphere. prince william had this to say on x...

hello, i'm christian fraser. hello, i'm sarah campbell. you're watching the context on bbc news.s that the longer this continues, the greater the pressure will be on russia's leadership and potentially the greater the damage to his image. it's becoming more clear day by day, and that is for ukrainians to, through military means which will, you know, evolve into political means, to push mr putin back to the negotiating table. joining me tonight are former republican turned democratic strategist, kurt bardella — and leon emirali — pr adviser and former ministerial aid. first — the latest headlines. ukraine says it will set up humanitarian corridors in the russian region of kursk to let civilians leave the area where its troops are currently on the offensive. kyiv says its forces have moved further into russia — caputuring over one hundred russian soldiers over the course of wednesday. it's the deepest and most significant incursion into russia since moscow's full scale invasion began. the world health organization has declared mpox a global health emergency. the highly infectious d

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. moments ago, the families and i were able to speak to them on the telephone from the oval office. they are out of russia, earlier today they were flown to turkey. and soon they'll be wheels up on their way home to see their families. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it is mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. i think it was very difficult - for germany to agree to accept the idea that they would have to return a convicted assassin to russia in any circumstances. one of the biggest prisoner swaps since the cold war has taken place between russia and the west. 26 people have been traded, some after spending years behind bars. also tonight... the bbc director general has defended the decision not to sack huw edwards despite knowinghe had been arrested while in possession of the most serious images of child sexual abuse. and we will bring you the

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.te in this race who can make this promise. i will prevent, this is for the spouses, i will prevent world war iii. nobody else is going to prevent it. translation: this was one of the largest strikes, - a combined one, more than 100 missiles of various types, and about 100 shahed drones. and like most previous russian strikes, this one is just as vile. the us has said that, key to calming things down in the north on israel's northern border with lebanon, is getting a cease—fire deal in gaza. plenty to discuss on foreign policy tonight. joining me tonight — stefanie bolzen, die welt�*s correspondent in washington dc and brian taylor, political commentator at the herald first, the latest headlines. the head of the airforce in ukraine says russia's air assault on the country on monday was its biggest so far. power infrastructure was hit, and at least six deaths were reported.

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.ey'll be wheels up on their way home to see their families. for the families and friends of evan gershkovich, paul whelan and dissidents like vladimir kara—murza, this is a moment to celebrate. but keep in mind — for the kremlin, it is mission accomplished. it got what it wanted. i think it was very difficult i for germany to agree to accept the idea that they would have to return a convicted assassin to russia in any circumstances. joining me tonight are nathalie tocci, director of the istituto affari internazionali in rome and american journalist brian stelter.

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. idf and the idsa for another _ successful rescue operation. we are working tirelessly to bring back all our hostages. _ he's a bedouin arab who is an israeli citizen. the doctors who were looking after him at a hospital in southern israel say he's in pretty good health. translation: we think god and we think everyone- _ translation: we think god and we think everyone. we _ translation: we think god and we think everyone. we hope _ translation: we think god and we think everyone. we hope to - translation: we think god and we think everyone. we hope to see - translation: we think god and we | think everyone. we hope to see them healthy _ think everyone. we hope to see them healthy we _ think everyone. we hope to see them healthy. we are very happy, very happy _ joining me tonight are annabel denham, comment editor at the telegraph — and robert creamer, democratic strategist, and partner at democracy partners political consultancy. first, the latest headlines. the israeli military says i

hello, i'm christian fraser. hello again, i am ben brown. you're watching the context on bbc news. joe biden and kamala harris have appeared together for the first time since the president ended his re—election campaign, speaking at a campaign event in maryland. and we are going to stay with that story now. joe biden and kamala harris have appeared together at a campaign event in maryland for the first time since the president stepped aside and the vice president stepped up to become the democratic nominee for president. the pair were announcing a big cut in the prices of some key medicines used by americans with conditions including diabetes and heart failure. but it was clear this was just as much about president biden and ms harris being on stage together as it was about policy. there's a lot of love in this room for our president. cheering and i think it's for many, many reasons, including... few leaders have done more on so many issues — —— few leaders in our nation have done more on so many issues — including to expand access to affordable health care — than joe biden. cheeri

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.government will announce in the coming months to stabilise the public finances — among them tax rises and cuts to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners. the prime minister will use the riots we have been talking about as a metaphor for the scale of the challenge, blaming it all on the the "rubble and ruin" left by the conservatives. there is some of this in the political debate in the united states. former president trump is talking down the us economy as if his election depends on it. the risk for starmer — and perhaps for donald trump is that this doom—and—gloom approach to the economy becomes a self—fulfilling prophecy. so let's discuss that. do you buy into this, stefanie was met focus on the economy and you

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.that chocolate, some sport. here's the sarah mulkerrins. iam very i am very intrigued to hear about that chocolate news! we will review the support first, though. —— give you the sport first. let's start with the us open tennis, where the world number one iga swiatek had to battle hard to beat kamilla rakhimova in the first round. it was an unconvincing display from the 2022 champion. she committed 41 unforced errors and had to fight off three set points before taking a 6—4, 7—6 win to progress to the second round. and in the last few minutes naomi osaka has won her match against 10th seed jelena ostapenko, dropping just five games on the way to victory — her first over a top—10 opponent in overfour years. not so good, though, in the men's draw for the 2021semifinalist. felix auger—aliassime was knocked out in the first round. he lost in straight—sets to the 18—year—old czech jakub mensik — 6—2, 6—4, 6—2. the number 11 seed stefanos tsitsipas has also been knocked out in four sets by a

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.ion kicks off, kamala harris�*s running mate tim walz has an importantjob to do. as well as accepting the nomination for vice president he will need to introduce himself to the those americans who had never heard of the him until harris plucked him from relative obscurity tojoin her ticket. the minnesota governor brings with him a folksy, plain—spoken approach to taking on the republican opposition. in fact it was one, very viral comment — "these guys are just weird" that vaulted him into contention for the job of kamala harris�*s running mate. he also comes with a compelling resume —

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.lans to encourage flexible working. it wouldn't mean less work or less pay because staff would be expected to work longer days to reach their total number of weekly hours. the government insists any changes won't be imposed on employers, but how do businesses feel about the idea? here's emma simpson. it's all quiet today on the factory floor of this small packaging firm in wigan. most of the workers are on a day off because they've worked four longer days instead of five. the office staff do them, too. when you're a busy working mum, to have that extra day when your children are all in school or college or uni, it's fantastic. it's a game—changer for me. not every employer can do compressed hours, but it works for this one. factory work doesn't... you know, we don't have the ability for those in the factory to work from home. so, just to be able to give a benefit and a different working pattern, such as the four—day week, is just an amazing thing that we've been able to do, and we're a

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. following accurate intelligence. translation: i congratulate the idf and the idsa for another _ successful rescue operation. we are working tirelessly to bring back all our hostages. _ he's a bedouin arab who's an israeli citizen, and he was captured yarmouk —— the doctors who are looking after him at a yarmouk -- the doctors who are looking after hin— yarmouk -- the doctors who are looking after him at a hospital in southern israel _ looking after him at a hospital in southern israel say _ looking after him at a hospital in southern israel say he's - looking after him at a hospital in southern israel say he's in - looking after him at a hospital in i southern israel say he's in pretty good health. also tonight — the british prime minister warns the tough choices are coming. not so much the new dawn, as all pain and blame. the labour government says it is all the fault of the tories. we'll get a view on what we might expect at the upcoming budget. israel's defence minister says the co

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. the uk government considers banning smoking in pub gardens and outdoor restaurants, as part of a drive to phase out tobacco. welcome back. in whichever country you live, there is always a debate about debt and how much government departments are spending. it seems to be all we talk about here in the uk. the times reports this morning that the treasury has instructed several departments to find more than £1 billion in savings — that includes the departments for education and health. one government source told the paper: "we're being asked "to scrape the bone 7 it is properly grim." in another paper, a story not entirely unconnected. the guardian reports on the false accounting at the home office. figures from the institute for fiscal studies suggest the budget they set for asylum, border control, visa and passport spending was £110 million — and what they actually spent was £2.6 billion a year. the paper says that is down to a "bad habit of submitting "initial budgets 7 that department

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.ry has instructed several departments to find more than £1

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news. here in the uk, more than 3,500 shop workers from next have won a six—year battle for equal pay. the amount of back—pay owed could amount to more than £30 million. we speak to an employment and discrimination lawyer. welcome back. the relationship between the united states and china has been severely tested during president biden�*s term in office. but since may last year, the us national security adviser jake sullivan has developed something of a connection with wang yi, the senior foreign policy official in beijing who answers directly to xi jinping. they met four times in the last year, a channel of communication that has served as something of a shock absorber when tensions arise over taiwan, ukraine, the south china sea. today, sullivan arrived in beijing to continue that conversation, with some suggestion that the two presidents might be laying the ground for another meeting beforejoe biden leaves office. it's really interesting, this, annabel, because it seems jake sullivan is

hello, i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news.

hello, i'm christian fraser. terror attacks and two of his accomplices have agreed a plea deal. and two of his co—defendants, have reached a plea deal with the us government. khalid sheikh mohammed and the other two men — walid bin attash and mustafa al—hawsawi — will plead guilty to all of the charged offences, including the murder of the 2,976 people who died that day, in return for a life sentence. they will be spared the death penalty. all three have been held since their arrest, without trial, at the us military detention facility in guantanamo bay, cuba. the process was complicated by a law passed by congress in 2015 that prevented the us government from moving the detainees to the continental united states, even for criminal trial. it has been well documented that the men had been moved through black sites, and had been interrogated using methods like waterboarding, which is a form of torture. last night donald trump's running mate, jd vance condemned the deal that has been done. now, as someone who enlisted in the marines to serve after 9/11, that is ridiculous but it's not surp