© Adam Gray for The New York Times
Getty ImagesAt least 32 Palestinians seeking food have been killed by Israeli gunfire near two aid distribution points close to Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Dozens were also injured near the two sites run by the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), it said.
The GHF said there were no incidents "at or near" their sites, but that there had been "Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity" hours before their sites were due to open.
One eyewitness told the Reuters news agency that the Israeli gunfire seemed "targeted to kill".
The Palestinian ministry of health said a number of bodies were taken to nearby Nasser hospital on Saturday morning.
There are almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses say most have been shot by Israeli forces.
The IDF told the BBC that in the latest incident, troops fired warning shots to prevent "suspects" approaching them, saying the incident happened before the aid sites opened.
Mohammed Al-Khalidi, speaking to Reuters, pointed the finger at the Israeli army for the attack.
He said he was part of a group of Palestinians who had been told the GHF aid distribution centre was open, but when they arrived tanks began moving towards them and opened fire.
"It wasn't shots that were to scare us or to organize us, it was shots that were targeted to kill us, if they wanted to organize us they would have, but they meant to kill us."
The GHF uses private security contractors to distribute aid from sites in Israeli military zones. Israel and the US say the system is necessary to stop Hamas from stealing aid. The UN refuses to co-operate with it, describing it as unethical and saying no evidence has been offered of Hamas systematically diverting aid.
On 15 July, the UN human rights office said it had so far recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF's four sites in southern and central Gaza over the past six weeks.
Another 201 killings had been recorded along routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added.
The GHF denies that there have been any deadly incidents in close proximity to its sites and accused the UN of using "false and misleading" figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry's figures are widely seen as a reliable count of bodies seen by Gazan hospitals.
Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, to send journalists into the territory.
The UN also said this week that the number of acutely malnourished children has doubled since Israel began restricting food entering the territory in March. Despite the creation of the GHF significant amounts of aid, including baby formula, is still being blocked at the border.
On Friday, the director of one field hospital said in a statement that they had an unprecedented influx of patients suffering from severe exhaustion, emaciation and acute malnutrition.
So far, 69 children have died from malnutrition during the increasing humanitarian crisis, according to the Hamas government media office.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump once again suggested a ceasefire deal was very near – but a Palestinian official told the BBC that talks remain blocked, with a latest troop withdrawal map proposed by Israel still unacceptable to Hamas.
BBCTwenty-eight people have died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam in bad weather, according to local reports.
At least 14 people are said to be missing following the incident in Halong Bay, a popular tourist destination in the north of the country, the reports say.
Most of the passengers were reportedly Vietnamese visiting from Hanoi.
Heavy rain has been hindering the search for survivors, rescuers say.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Getty ImagesAt least three people have died following another widespread air bombardment by Russia.
Two people were killed in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the regional governor, Sergiy Lysak, said, while a woman died of her injuries after being rescued from a burning apartment in Odesa, according to emergency services.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said 10 regions of Ukraine, including a number of cities, were hit in the overnight assault. Ukraine's military said more than 340 explosive and dummy drones and 35 cruise and ballistic missiles were used.
Although it said 90% of these were shot down, suppressed electronically or lost, more than 30 got through.
One of the strikes hit a residential block in the southern city of Odesa, causing a fire on its upper floors.
Rescuers said five people were rescued from burning apartments - including the woman who later died. At least another six people were wounded.
The eastern city of Pavlohrad was subjected to what Serhiy Lysak called a "hellish night and morning".
He said there had been "explosion after explosion" caused by drone and missile strikes, adding it had been the biggest-scale attack on the city to date.
Targets reportedly included industrial sites, a fire department, a clinic, a school, and a cultural institution.
Zelensky wrote of "important infrastructure" being damaged there. A missile plant is based in Pavlohrad, and the city has been struck in the past by Russia.
Russia's defence ministry said it struck military-industrial enterprises that produce components for missiles and drones overnight, but did not specify where.
The north-eastern city of Sumy was also attacked. Zelensky said critical infrastructure had been damaged, cutting power to several thousand families.
There have also been strikes - including with guided bombs - on another town in the region, Shostka, which lies less than 50km (30 miles) from the Russian border. Officials said a "targeted hit" there had caused a fire. They did not say what had been struck.
Unverified video footage posted online purportedly of the incident shows a fierce fire and billowing clouds of grey smoke.
Zelensky once again stressed the importance of bolstering air defences, both in terms of supplies from allies, but also producing them in Ukraine, including more interceptor drones.
The Trump administration recently moved to free up weapons supplies, even if some of these - including much-needed Patriot air defences - will be paid for by other Nato allies.
EPA/ShutterstockRussia said it shot down more than 70 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday, most of them over the regions of Rostov, Moscow and Bryansk.
The acting governor of Rostov, Yuri Slyusar, said the attack had been massive, affecting areas close to the border with occupied parts of Ukraine. Houses, he said, were damaged by what he said had been falling debris, and several settlements suffered temporary power cuts.
Slyusar said one railway worker had been injured, and rail traffic disrupted. Several supply routes into Ukraine run through the area.
Meanwhile, on the front lines, Russian forces continue to attack one of their key objectives - the town of Pokrovsk in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Late on Friday, Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, acknowledged it faced increasing pressure, but insisted its defence was "steadfast". He said Russia had been trying to get to the city with small groups of soldiers attacking for sabotage and reconnaissance purposes, claiming one such group had been destroyed. Russia has been trying to encircle Pokrovsk for months.
AFP via Getty ImagesThe Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels have signed ceasefire deal in Qatar to end fighting between the warring sides.
Dubbed the Declaration of Principles, Saturday's agreement seen by the BBC, says both sides must refrain from attacks, "hate propaganda" and "any attempt to seize by force new positions on the ground".
The declaration is intended as a roadmap towards a permanent settlement.
The two sides agreed to implement the deal's terms by July 29. A final peace deal is due by 18 August and must align with last month's US-brokered deal between DR Congo and Rwanda, which denies accusations it backs M23.
Decades of conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports.
The UN says thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes following since. The M23 disputes the figures, saying fewer than 1,000 people have died.
DR Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the deal took the government's "red line" into account - including the "non-negotiable withdrawal" of the M23 from occupied areas.
But in a video posted on X, M23 negotiator Benjamin Mbonimpa said the deal did not mention such a pull-out.
It is the first direct accord between the two sides since the rebels launched their offensive at the turn of the year.
Qatar said negotiations were set to continue.
The African Union Commission called the declaration a "milestone" in lasting peace efforts and security in the region.
The declaration also outlines a commitment to reinstating state authority in eastern DR Congo.
This is the latest in a long line of failed peace deals in the region.
One of the main players in today's conflict - the M23 rebels - emerged from a failed peace deal 16 years ago that never delivered on demobilisation.
In March, DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Qatar and both called for an immediate ceasefire.
The following month, DR Congo and M23 group agreed to a ceasefire facilitated by Qatar, but fighting continued on the ground.
The Washington deal, which came about in June, has been met with widespread criticism as a key incentive for the US' intervention is access to the DR Congo's vast mineral wealth. President Trump boasted of this feat.
There has been talk of Tshisekedi and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been fixed.
Additional reporting by Emery Makumeno
Getty Images/BBCGo to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
AFP via Getty ImagesA building collapse that killed 34 construction workers and injured dozens more in the Western Cape, town of George last May was "entirely preventable", South Africa's government says.
A newly released report into the 2024 tragedy revealed that serious safety concerns had been raised well before the partially-built five-storey apartment block came crashing down.
Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson said the collapse was the result of multiple failures including the use of substandard materials, structural cracks, and visible gaps.
"There were a number of red flags that were continually raised about this project," said a visibly angry Macpherson.
Some of the defects in the building were detected a year before the building collapsed. The health and safety officer even resigned in protest but work continued the report found.
"The work should have stopped" Macpherson said.
Macpherson added that these signs were a chance to turn back but instead, problems with the building were "covered up".
Workers reported feeling vibrations in the partially built structure, and being told to cover up holes with sand and substandard concrete, the report revealed.
Following what the minister described as an "emotional and painful" private meeting with survivors and families of victims, he called for criminal accountability for those found to have been negligent.
A police investigation is still ongoing but no arrests have been made.
Many survivors are still facing trauma, medical bills and struggling to put food on the table, Macpherson said.
One survivor of the disaster, Elelwani, tearfully told local media, that her life had changed dramatically in the last year.
She lost many of her teeth, struggles to eat and has been the subject of bullying. She appealed for money from well wishers.
Macpherson pledged to introduce regulations to improve oversight in construction and reform outdated legislation.
The probe was conducted by the Council for the Built Environment and a parallel investigation by the Engineering Council of South Africa.
Getty Images/BBCGo to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
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© Brendan McDermid/Reuters
中国记者协会终于发声了。
他们义正辞严，措辞恳切，为湖南那台在履职时被当场砸成一地碎片的摄像机鸣不平。
声明稿里的每一个字，都透露出对新闻采访权受到粗暴侵犯的痛心，以及对施暴者必须被严惩的坚定立场。
这份声明，让许多奔波在一线的记者感到了一丝久违的暖意和体面：
组织还在，还在看着我们。
但这股暖意，又让人觉得五味杂陈，甚至有点寒意倒灌。
因为就在一个多月前，2025年6月10日，《北京青年报》深度调查部的记者李东，因为一篇根本就没能发表出来的稿子，被河北石家庄警方跨越数百公里：
从老家带走，一度失联。
那时候，整个行业风平浪静，除了在几个私下的媒体人群里激起过一阵恐慌的涟漪，再无声响。没见到记协发出任何声音，仿佛那个消失的记者，只是数字世界里一个闪烁后熄灭的像素点。
一边是“哐当”一声的粉身碎骨，天下皆知；一边是无声无息的人间蒸发，噤若寒蝉。为何前者能获得官方认证的“心疼”，而后者只能在同行们私下的祈祷中度过危机？
这个问题的答案，或许就藏在那一“响”与一“默”的巨大差异里。
让我们先回到那个有声响的现场。那个声音足够响亮，响亮到足以穿透一切隔阂，直接抵达所有人的耳膜。
2025年7月15日上午，湖南风芒新闻的那台摄像机，正在忠实地履行它的职责。它的CMOS传感器和镜头组，构成了一只冰冷而客观的眼睛，正一动不动地盯着湖南丰旭线缆公司的老板，谢远陪先生。
彼时彼刻，谢老板正襟危坐，在镜头前侃侃而谈，有条不紊地阐述着自己朴素的法治观念。
他对记者们说，你们这些消费者，还有你们这些记者，怀疑我的电缆有问题，没关系：
有异议，可以通过法律途径解决。
这句话说得滴水不漏，充满了对法律程序的尊重。为了进一步让大家放心，他还对着镜头，反复强调了一个他认为的核心事实：
我们所有的产品，都是合格的。
“合格”这两个字，吐字清晰，铿锵有力。它成了这台摄像机生命中录下的最后一句话。
话音刚落，谢老板似乎对刚刚自己提议的“法律途径”瞬间失去了全部的耐心。
他找到了一个他认为更直接、更高效的解决方案。
他突然从办公室里冲了出来：
一把从记者手中夺过了这台摄像机。
整个动作快如闪电，快到操作它的记者根本来不及做出任何反应。
然后，他将这台价值五万块的专业设备高高举过头顶，像举起一柄审判的战斧：
猛地砸在地上。
“哐当”！一声巨响，它的生命和它的外壳一起在水泥地上摔得粉碎。
塑料、金属、镜片和电路板，混杂着一家“高新技术企业”的尊严，铺了一地。
它“死”得非常惨烈。
它的“殉职”，并非偶然。事件的引信，由一位普通的长沙市民刘先生点燃。他觉得从丰旭公司买来的电缆，尺寸总感觉不对劲。他没有选择去跟商家大吵大闹，而是选择了一种更文明的方式——
他把电缆样品，悄悄寄到了西安的国家电线电缆质量监督检验中心：
做了个检测。
检测报告的结果，像一记响亮的耳光，打在了丰旭公司官网那些金光闪闪的认证标志上。报告显示，这批电缆，别说达到国家标准：
就连丰旭自己向外公布的企业标准，都远远没有达到。
于是，刘先生喊上了潇湘晨报和几家电视台的记者，想去丰旭公司讨个说法。这才有了这台摄像机在采访现场的“殉职”。
干掉这台摄像机之后，谢老板的怒火并没熄灭。他又冲向它的同事们，以雷霆之势，掰掉了另一台机器的遮光罩：
砸碎了一个收音麦克风的液晶屏幕。
一名试图阻拦的摄像小哥，在冲突中眼镜被打碎，身上的T恤被撕烂：
牙龈出了血。
警察赶到时，它已经成了一堆无法辨认的零件，静静地躺在地上，等待作为“物证”被收走。
杀死它的谢老板，身份很不一般。
他的湖南丰旭线缆有限公司，官网上写着是“集研发、生产、销售于一体的综合性高科技企业”，年产值过亿，还光荣地通过了CCC、ISO9001、CE、ROHS等一长串令人眼花缭乱的国际国内认证。
头衔也很多：
“高新技术企业”。
在工商系统里，谢老板名下还有一家公司，叫“湖南川普光电线缆制造股份有限公司”。
它的“死亡”，让这位头衔众多的谢老板，陷入了一道法律的多选题。芙蓉律所的陈平凡律师，热心地帮他划了几个重点：
A选项：民事赔偿。它的身价五万块，照价赔。受伤记者的眼镜、衣服、医药费、误工费，一分钱不能少。
B选项：行政处罚。《治安管理处罚法》伺候，拘留罚款套餐正在路上。
C选项：《刑法》第275条，故意毁坏财物罪。相关的司法解释清清楚楚地写着，毁坏公私财物五万元以上，就属于“数额巨大”。
它的“尸检报告”价值正好五万。这意味着，谢老板的刑事责任，几乎是板上钉钉：
最高可以判三年。
事情发酵得很快，因为证据确凿，画面惊心。当天下午，潇湘晨报的电话就响了。
一个自称是“川普光电”法务的人打来电话，没提一句赔偿，没说一句道歉，而是理直气壮地：
要求报社删掉关于摄像机“死亡”的新闻。
理由非常正当：
侵犯了我们公司的名誉权和形象权。
他们似乎认为，只要新闻消失了，这台死去的摄像机就能从水泥地上奇迹般地自己爬起来，自动拼装好，然后假装什么都没发生过。
但它终究是死了。
它用自己的粉身碎骨，完成了一次史无前例的深度报道。它让所有人看到，当一家“高新技术企业”宣称自己的产品“全部合格”时，心里可能并没有那么足的底气。
你看，当暴力足够赤裸和公开时，当施暴者是一个有明确身份、有固定资产的企业主时，当他的行为被高清镜头完整记录下来时，一切都变得简单明了。
摄像机的“哐当”一声，像一声发令枪，启动了一套高效的社会反应和执法程序。有视频，有碎片，有伤者，有清晰的法律条文，有愤怒的公众舆论。这是一个完美的、可以被精准打击的靶子：
所以，中国记协的声明来得及时。
谴责这种行为，是安全的，是站在法治和文明的一边，是在维护整个行业的体面。这是一道送分题。
现在，让我们把时间拨回一个月前，去探寻那场无声的风波。
那里的故事，没有“哐当”的巨响，没有飞溅的碎片，只有一部突然关机的手机，和随之而来的、令人窒息的沉默。
《北京青年报》的记者李东，是一个眼里有光、心里有火的年轻人。他此前揭露冤案的报道，曾直接促成当事人的昭雪。他相信记者这个职业的价值。
他关注的是河北石家庄的一桩旧案。
五年前，2019年10月，一个叫刘东林的40岁男子，在被警方采取“指定居所监视居住”措施期间：
离奇死亡。
监视居住的地点，不是在他家里，而是在石家庄市第一看守所旁边的银河宾馆。对于他的死因，警方仅用了五个字来定性：
“肺栓塞病亡”。
没有尸检，没有深入调查，遗体就被迅速火化。
然而，刘东林的多名工友后来控诉，他们在同一个宾馆被关押期间，遭受了惨无人道的刑讯逼供，包括但不限于殴打、用擀面杖碾压小腿，以及手摇发电机电击等酷刑。
其中一位工友回忆，2019年10月8日清晨，他听见刘东林被带出房间时发出一声凄厉的惨叫，随后便归于寂静。不久，他们就被告知：
刘东林死了。
事后，在一位身兼河北省政法委特聘专家与公安局法律顾问双重身份的李某峰律师的“协调”下，刘东林的家属被迫接受了一份“私了”协议：
公安方面支付45万元“救济款”。
家属则承诺对死亡原因及执法过程不再提出任何异议。
刘东林的父亲刘安忠，一个朴实的河北老人，虽然无奈签下了协议，但丧子之痛和内心的怀疑，让他在此后数年间，持续向石家庄和河北省的有关部门举报控告，要求查明真相。但他的申诉，几乎全部石沉大海。
直到2024年5月，济南时报旗下的媒体“新黄河”，由记者刘成伟刊发了一篇深度报道《命案“私了”：“指居”死亡之谜》，首次将此案的诸多疑点暴露于公众视野。
这篇报道，让刘家看到了希望。2024年5月下旬，最高人民检察院甚至派员约见了刘家的代理律师，并表示最高检检察长应勇对此案：
非常关注。
刘家的核心诉求，是将案件移送管辖至河北省外办理，以避免地方保护。
然而，好景不长。几天后，最高检的态度突然冷却。工作人员开始用“不清楚案情”、“依法依规办理”等套话来搪塞。刘安忠老人感叹，这是压案和平息舆情的套路。
石家庄当局对真相的追问，表现出了异乎寻常的紧张。他们成立了所谓的：
“5·11专案组”。
但其工作重点，并非调查五年前的命案真相，而是绘制了一张：
针对所有追问真相的人的“嫌疑人”名单。
2025年6月10日，这张名单上的人，开始被逐个“点名”。
当天一早，记者李东被当地警方带走，理由是接受石家庄公安机关的：
异地传唤。
李东来不及做任何准备，只匆匆给同事发出一条信息报平安，随后电话关机：
与外界彻底失联。
你看，这事的吊诡之处就来了。
砸摄像机的谢老板，是因为一句“产品合格”心虚，当场诉诸原始暴力。他的行为模式，是“我说不赢你，就砸了你的工具”。
而石家庄的“专案组”呢？他们面对的，是一篇根本不存在于公众视野的报道。他们的行动，不是因为李东“说了什么”，而是因为他“想说什么”，或者说：
“曾经想过要说什么”。
谢老板砸的是一台有形的摄像机。而“专案组”，想砸碎的是一种无形的监督，一种刨根问底的精神。
李东的失联，在记者圈和朋友圈里掀起了短暂的、剧烈的恐慌。因为刘东林本人就死于“指定居所监视居住”期间，人们有理由担心李东也被置于类似的秘密关押环境，处境极其危险。
刘东林的父亲刘安忠，在当天发布的公开求救信中，发出了悲愤的呐喊：一篇没能发出来的报道，最终把记者自己送进了本该被报道揭露的地方。
这被舆论形容为2025年中国新闻界最黑色的幽默。
幸运的是，在被带走数小时后，李东并未遭到长期关押。当晚，他已经安全返回北京。
但他不是空手而归的。他成了一个不情愿的信使，带回了一句来自“专案组”的口信威胁，要他转达给刘东林案的代理律师刘佳佳，以及刊发报道的新黄河记者刘成伟：
下一个，就是你；再下一个是新黄河调查记者刘成伟。
现在，我们可以把这两件事放在一起，重新审视中国记协的那份声明了。
砸摄像机的谢老板，被刑事拘留了。而让记者失联、并捎回赤裸裸威胁的“专案组”，却毫发无伤，继续运作。他们的“围猎式”行动，还在继续。
这张由“5·11专案组”织就的大网，正以令人不寒而栗的效率悄然收紧，目标明确地罩向每一个敢于触碰刘东林案的人。
这绝非孤立的点对点打击，而是一场精心策划的围猎。首当其冲的，是为刘家提供法律支撑的支点——代理律师刘佳佳：
一顶“妨害作证”的帽子不由分说地扣了上来。
在原案尚未正式立案的情况下，这个罪名显得尤为刺眼，而那只无形的、监听的耳朵，也从此贴近了她的生活。
紧接着，舆论的传声筒也被列入打击范围，一份内部的嫌疑人名单上，赫然写着包括李东和刘成伟在内的四名记者的名字，他们手中的笔，随时可能被定义为“犯罪集团”的凶器。
这场围猎甚至下沉到了最草根的层面，那对曾热心帮助刘家搜集证据的石家庄本地父子，也未能幸免，他们先后被以“寻衅滋事”和“妨害作证”这两个熟悉的口袋罪名秘密关押。
整个行动的脉络清晰得令人发指——就是要将律师、记者、民间声援者全部打成一个“犯罪团伙”。
通过这种打包构陷的方式，让追问真相的人：
自己先变成需要被解决的“问题”。
你看，这就是区别。
砸摄像机的谢老板，是一个可以被法律精准打击的个体。他的行为，是对新闻采访权的外部物理攻击。他的动机，是为了掩盖自己企业产品不合格的商业问题。整个事件的性质，清晰明了，黑白分明。
而李东的遭遇，是来自一个强大的、可以跨省执法的内部系统的精准打击。这不是攻击，这是“传唤”，是“调查”，是“依法办案”。它的动机，是为了：
掩盖一桩可能涉及公职人员刑讯逼供致人死亡的命案。
中国记协可以义正辞严地谴责谢老板，因为这是站在法治的高地上，谴责一个违反了明文法规的公民：
这是在履行职责，而且没有任何风险。
当施暴者是一个满身贴满认证的假冒“高科技”老板时，他是脆弱的。
当施暴者是一个手握执法权、以“专案”为名的机构时，它是坚硬的，甚至是不可言说的。
一台摄像机被摔碎，损失的是五万块钱和一个新闻现场。它的声音很响，但它的问题很好解决：
它的死亡，反而成就了它的使命。
一个记者被失联，损失的是什么？是一个家庭几个小时的煎熬，是一个行业信心的动摇：
是一个社会本应拥有的、知道真相的权利被悄然剥夺。
它的声音很轻，轻到你若不仔细去听，就仿佛从未发生过。
这种沉默，远比一万台摄像机被砸碎的声音，更让人心惊。
它告诉我们，真正的恐惧，往往不是来自那些声嘶力竭的叫嚣，而是来自那些面无表情的、程序化的、让你无处申诉的压制。
李宇琛
写于2025年7月18日
BBCAt least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Up to five people have been critically injured and up to 10 are in a serious condition, the emergency services said.
The incident happened at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) in East Hollywood.
Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Getty ImagesParts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.
It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.
The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.
This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.
The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.
Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.
It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.
Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.
Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.
Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.
The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.
After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.
Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.
Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.
One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.
A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.
Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.
Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.
The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.
Getty ImagesAt least 32 Palestinians seeking food have been killed by Israeli gunfire near two aid distribution points close to Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Dozens were also injured near the two sites run by the controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), it said.
The GHF said there were no incidents "at or near" their sites, but that there had been "Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity" hours before their sites were due to open.
One eyewitness told the Reuters news agency that the Israeli gunfire seemed "targeted to kill".
The Palestinian ministry of health said a number of bodies were taken to nearby Nasser hospital on Saturday morning.
There are almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses say most have been shot by Israeli forces.
The IDF told the BBC that in the latest incident, troops fired warning shots to prevent "suspects" approaching them, saying the incident happened before the aid sites opened.
Mohammed Al-Khalidi, speaking to Reuters, pointed the finger at the Israeli army for the attack.
He said he was part of a group of Palestinians who had been told the GHF aid distribution centre was open, but when they arrived tanks began moving towards them and opened fire.
"It wasn't shots that were to scare us or to organize us, it was shots that were targeted to kill us, if they wanted to organize us they would have, but they meant to kill us."
The GHF uses private security contractors to distribute aid from sites in Israeli military zones. Israel and the US say the system is necessary to stop Hamas from stealing aid. The UN refuses to co-operate with it, describing it as unethical and saying no evidence has been offered of Hamas systematically diverting aid.
On 15 July, the UN human rights office said it had so far recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF's four sites in southern and central Gaza over the past six weeks.
Another 201 killings had been recorded along routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added.
The GHF denies that there have been any deadly incidents in close proximity to its sites and accused the UN of using "false and misleading" figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry's figures are widely seen as a reliable count of bodies seen by Gazan hospitals.
Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, to send journalists into the territory.
The UN also said this week that the number of acutely malnourished children has doubled since Israel began restricting food entering the territory in March. Despite the creation of the GHF significant amounts of aid, including baby formula, is still being blocked at the border.
On Friday, the director of one field hospital said in a statement that they had an unprecedented influx of patients suffering from severe exhaustion, emaciation and acute malnutrition.
So far, 69 children have died from malnutrition during the increasing humanitarian crisis, according to the Hamas government media office.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump once again suggested a ceasefire deal was very near – but a Palestinian official told the BBC that talks remain blocked, with a latest troop withdrawal map proposed by Israel still unacceptable to Hamas.
© Illustration by The New York Times; photograph by Ronaldo Schemidt/Getty
“最后一突开啊…”
Getty ImagesParts of the UK are braced for potentially dangerous flash flooding as thunderstorms and torrential rain are set arrive over the weekend.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for south-east England as more than a month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in a matter of hours on Saturday morning.
It says fast-flowing and deep floodwaters are likely, leading to road and transport disruption, as well as power cuts.
The torrential downpours come days after a third UK heatwave of the year that parched swathes of the UK and led to several hosepipe bans being declared.
This will make flooding more likely and severe as the dry ground will not be able to absorb as much water.
The amber warning covers a stretch of the south coast, London and Cambridge, and is in force from 04:00 BST to 11:00 on Saturday.
Between 20 and 40mm of rain could fall within an hour in this area, the Met Office has warned, which could accumulate to 70-100mm in just a few hours.
It said homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, which will happen "quickly", while this amount of surface water will make driving difficult and may lead to road closures.
Lightning strikes, hail and strong winds may also cause train and bus cancellations.
Yellow weather warnings will cover the rest of eastern, central and northern England and a portion of eastern Scotland. A yellow warning is already in force for parts of eastern England.
Amber warnings indicated there is an increased chance severe weather could affect people's day-to-day lives, including a potential danger to life. Yellow warnings are less severe.
The last amber warning over London was in January 2024, when Storm Henk hit parts of central England and Wales, according to the Met Office.
After arriving on Friday night, the storm is forecast to move inland, pushing northwards across England on Saturday morning before arriving in Scotland by midday.
Yellow warnings for rain cover parts of England and Scotland on Sunday and Monday as residual parts of the storm linger.
Last weeks heatwave brought travel disruption, a number of water-related deaths and hosepipe bans being declared for millions living in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex.
One might think a heavy dose of rainfall would help reduce these drought conditions - but because the rain will be very heavy in localised areas, it will run off the dry, baked earth rapidly, perhaps overwhelming local sewers and waterways.
A substantial recovery in reservoir and groundwater aquifer levels would require a more sustained spell of wet weather.
Yorkshire's hosepipe ban is expected to last until winter.
Thunderstorms following a heatwave in the summer of 2022 brought flash flooding to London and the surrounding areas, flooding roads and Tube stations.
The rainfall also caused cancellations and delays at Gatwick Airport.
BBCAt least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Up to five people have been critically injured and up to 10 are in a serious condition, the emergency services said.
The incident happened at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) in East Hollywood.
Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
BBCWho is in charge? You might think the answer should be obvious.
"This government should be walking on water, there should be nothing it can't do," a Whitehall insider suggests, given the rows and rows and rows - and yes, rows - of Labour MPs who line up behind the prime minister every Wednesday.
But, by booting out a small band of backbenchers this week, Sir Keir Starmer's put the question of his authority back on the table.
Answering the question of who is in charge isn't so simple after all.
This government has a "backbench they - and we - are surprised to discover they can't control," says one senior official.
The financial markets are breathing down its neck, with the country's debts sky high, and for good measure, what a No 10 source describes as a "deep current of instability" around the world.
Sir Keir's next one-to-one meeting with President Donald Trump is a case in point – who knows what he will or won't say alongside the prime minister on Scottish soil next week?
No-one in government can be sure how that is going to shake down, although I was very definitively told we will not be seeing Sir Keir swinging a club with his transatlantic pal.
It is, of course, impossible for any administration to be the master of all it surveys. But convincingly displaying authority, inhabiting its power, is a different task.
And neither all of Sir Keir's MPs, nor all of the people inside the government are sure it's being met.
Leon Neal/PA WireLet's start with the prime minister kicking out four MPs this week after they had objected to various Labour plans and proposals.
But if Sir Keir really felt in control of his party, why did he need to bother about a group of MPs that wouldn't even fill a family saloon? And why did he do it, just days before accepting some of the logic of one of those he kicked out, Chris Hinchcliff, over tweaks to proposed planning laws?
Bemused? You wouldn't be the only one.
Sir Keir's allies say he always believed there would have to be repercussions for MPs who plot against the government repeatedly, in part because others are asked to defend decisions that might be unpopular or difficult.
So after the welfare fiasco, the whips were asked to make a list of those who had been actively trying to organise resistance to government plans, rather than just expressing objections.
After gathering evidence about MPs' behaviour, those four were then shown the door, at least for now, to exert discipline over the backbenches.
A senior government figure said: "You can have as big a majority as you want, but if you have no discipline whatsoever it can get chaotic. You can't get chaotic at a time when the country desperately needs its government to get on with things."
It was a separate decision to suspend Diane Abbott - again, a choice made by Labour HQ who felt it had no choice but to act, interpreting her comments as repeating a claim that Jewish people don't experience racism in the same way as black people.
So, "behave - or else", is the message to the rest of the backbenches, just when they are about to leave Westminster.
But have the moves this week made a difference? One senior MP said: "A lot of people keep wondering, 'Is Keir beholden to his back benches?' I don't think people are like, 'Oh we're going to rebel if we're unhappy all the time'. But there has to be more respect for MPs who are actually out talking to their constituents."
Another senior Labour figure told me, "No 10 was completely spooked by what happened over welfare – I don't think backbenchers are running it, but they do have a taste for power."
Who then, is really in charge, I ask a member of the government. They laugh, and say, "I don't have an answer".
The same question posed to another Whitehall figure: "There is no way of knowing," they respond, suggesting sometimes government, even 12 months in, feels chaotic, with contradictory instructions to officials being given, even on the same day.
It's no secret, and it's not surprising, that working out how to run a country when you haven't done it before is hard.
There are plenty of ministers and staffers who will of course say loyally that No 10 is now firmly in control after understandable teething troubles, who are also somewhat fed up with the noises off.
As one government source reckons, "a bit of loyalty wouldn't go amiss". Another insider believes Whitehall is working much better than before. "In the first six months they were disappointed in us, and we were disappointed with them".
The Spending Review process occupied huge amounts of time and effort across government. Now that is over, it's not just the government's purse strings that have been set, but the political priorities alongside. In theory, as that source suggests, "they are now starting to get on with the doing".
Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesBut that optimism is not springing from every source.
One experienced senior official told me: "A government is in charge if it has a plan, but if it doesn't, it cedes that. They still don't really have a governing plan, so it feels like the PM is in charge, but it is hard for his writ to be made to work."
In other words, it's clearer now, particularly after the big review of spending, what the government wants to do, but not how they plan to do it.
Another senior figure said: "They're busy and exhausted going to meetings with each other, and producing documents that no-one ever reads, and conversations that don't lead to anything and telling each other how difficult it is – they don't inhabit their power."
And there's obvious frustration among the government's own members too, one warning of a passive attitude among some colleagues, who could get to the next election and think only, "Well, I enjoyed driving around in my ministerial car and having my red box". There is a feeling, like, "Oh, we are here just to manage, not to lead and drive, and that's not good enough".
Not surprisingly, one cabinet minister defended the operation, "It's only been a year, people focus on the problems, if you look at it in the round we have been very, very effective," they told me.
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Governments are, of course, never short on helpful advice. As well as No 10's own learning on the job, and plans to improve its operations, like a review of communications across government that is under way, there will be other more formal suggestions in the coming months.
Later in the summer a set of proposals will be published by a think-tank with close links to No 10 and Labour, the Future Governance Forum, that's chaired by the former senior civil servant, Helen MacNamara.
The review will recommend a new government department, called "Downing Street", to give this and future prime ministers a more powerful centre of government so that No 10 can make decisions more quickly, and execute its plans more effectively.
Government insiders may not have appetite for any big bang changes, although they have pledged themselves on many occasions to "rewire" the government.
The respected Institute for Government already warned this week that big changes were needed if "ministers were serious" about their promise to rewire the state, concluding in its own research that Sir Keir's notion of "mission driven government" looks "shaky", and that government departments had reverted to old habits.
Moving desks and chairs around Whitehall, whether creating new departments or axing the old, wouldn't exactly make the pulse of the public quicken, but perhaps it ought to be on the agenda for a government that has struggled sometimes to exert its will.
If ministers' grip isn't as tight as it might be, and backbenchers aren't calling the shots, there is no doubt there's another huge controlling factor.
A senior Labour source tells me, "People like to boil this down to palace politics," the jockeying for power between politicians, or the competing beliefs inside the party.
Surely not, Westminster enjoying a soap opera about the battle for the party's soul?
But instead they argue, "The markets are fundamentally a really major part of it – the government isn't making challenging decisions because it enjoys annoying people, or making life hard".
It's true the fights inside and outside the government are so often driven by cash sloshing around or falling down the back of the sofa.
Spoiler, overall spending is enormous but Rachel Reeves keeps a very tight grip on her wallet.
By instinct, Labour politicians normally want public spending to be generous.
Since returning to power they have hiked taxes in order to increase the amount of money going into the NHS particularly a lot.
But the country's debts are historically massive, and keeping up with the interest payments alone costs more than a hundred billion every year, around double what the UK spends on defence.
Yui Mok/PA WireThe government needs the financial markets to have faith in the UK so that businesses see the UK as a good place to spend cash, but crucially so they don't increase the costs of borrowing even more.
"The market is the biggest influence on them," a senior Labour figure tells me. "It is uncomfortable for a Labour government, but none of them want to end up in the Truss situation," where the City freaked out after promises of huge tax cuts without a plan to pay for them, borrowing costs went through the roof, and she had to say goodbye to her job in less than two months.
At the top of the Labour Party it's common to find frustration that the rank and file don't all appreciate what they see as the cold facts.
A senior government source summed up: "The markets are more in charge the more we borrow, so people who want more parliamentary sovereignty shouldn't be advocating for things that require more borrowing – markets aren't in charge, but people who lend you money expect it to be paid back."
No government, at any time, has been able to do exactly what it pleases.
For as long as governments borrow, the entities that lend to them will retain influence.
But having to be careful with cash to keep the markets on side is an acute pressure for Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.
Jacob King/PA WireAs one senior official says "it is the binding constraint".
And unless and until the economy improves convincingly, or indeed the chancellor or the prime minister have a personality transplant, the markets will exert a mighty force over what they do.
With the markets, ministers and MPs, all jostling, who then really is in charge?
A senior government figure has the ultimate answer – "the voters of course".
It was the public's response to the winter fuel allowance decision that led No 10 in the end to drop it.
And when opposition parties zone in on public attitudes to some issues they can in turn force ministers to act.
The public's current interest in Reform UK occupies and terrifies Labour as well as the Conservatives.
Opposition politicians might not have the power to make decisions, but the issues they campaign on along with their fellow travellers and supporters can shape what happens at the top.
As this political season draws to a close, Nigel Farage will join us live in the studio tomorrow.
But in the end, of course, it is always you that has the say, you who can determine whether Labour prospers, whether in a few years time you give them another chance.
But to persuade you of that, the government will want to look more convincingly in control than in its first twelve months.
BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
BBC/Disney/Marvel/GettyThis week, another new Marvel movie arrives in the form of Fantastic Four: First Steps.
But that's not all the next seven days have in store.
Pokémon Presents appears to place Pikachu in the DJ booth, while Ray of Light-era Madonna gets the remix treatment, and Happy Gilmore returns to the greens after almost 30 years.
Read on for what's coming up this week...
The 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - the first of phase six - lands in UK cinemas from Thursday, so we hope you've been keeping up.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing - complete with his catchphrase: "It's clobberin' time!"
Set in the 1960s, the films sees the heroes forced to defend Earth from a hungry space god named Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson, and the Silver Surfer, played by Julia Garner.
But don't worry if you haven't seen all or any of the previous 36 MCU films, as director Matt Shakman says his latest attempt to bring comic book heroes to the big screen exists in its "own universe".
"There's really no [other] superheroes," he told Empire. "There's no Easter eggs. There's no running into Iron Man or whatever. They're it, in this universe. I love the interconnected Marvel Universe, but we get to do something so new and so different. Eventually, this world will meet up with other worlds - but for now this is our own little corner."
John Malkovich was due to appear in the film as Red Ghost, however Shakman told Variety it was "heart-breaking" to ultimately have to leave his scenes on the cutting room floor.
BBC/GettyAdam Sandler's much-loved goofball golfer Happy Gilmore is back on the greens for the first time in nearly three decades, so watch your heads.
The original 1996 movie saw the aspiring hockey player switch sports to comedic effect, and now Sandler, 58, will reprise his role on Netflix from Friday.
Happy Gilmore 2 will see the main character dusting off his clubs in order to raise money to put his daughter Vienna, played by the actor's real life daughter Sunny Sandler, through ballet school.
Other stars of the original including Julie Bowen, Dennis Dugan, Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller all return.
New faces also join such as Lavell Crawford - who plays the son of Gilmore's late, great caddy Chubbs Peterson (Carl Weathers) - and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, as well as Kym Whitley.
By Andrew Rogers, Newsbeat reporter
Here's a question for you. What do you get when you cross Pikachu with a set of DJ decks? We have no idea either but we're set to find out on Tuesday during the Pokémon Company's latest announcement round-up for the months ahead.
Known as Pokémon Presents, these livestreams reveal everything coming up for the fictional creatures: from their trading card game to collaborations with big fashion houses.
This time, it's been teased with a picture of its main mascot Pikachu with DJ equipment, leading some to speculate there could be a new rhythm game on the way.
More certain is that we'll hear more about the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A game, as well as updates on Pokémon's growing number of mobile games.
If that wasn't enough Pokémon, we may also see more from the next series of Netflix spin-off show Pokémon Concierge launching in September too.
BBC/GettyPerhaps like DJ Pikachu, the Queen of Pop, Madonna, is set to drop her long rumoured and superbly named Veronica Electronica project on Friday.
The album features rare and unreleased remixes from her dancefloor-filling, Grammy-winning electronic 1998 album Ray of Light, which, at the time, put her back at the very top of the pop game once again in her 40th year.
It's being released digitally and on vinyl - for all you crate diggers - as part of her Silver Collection of ongoing career-spanning special releases.
Last month, the US singer, now 66, released Peter & Victor's Collaboration Remix Edit of her song Skin as the first offering, followed by a previously-unreleased original demo from the classic album sessions entitled Gone Gone Gone.
Tom Curry justified his selection with a dominant performance
Australia (5) 19
Tries: Jorgensen, Tizzano, McDermott Cons: Donaldson 2
British and Irish Lions (17) 27
Tries: Tuipulotu, Curry, Sheehan Cons: Russell 3 Pens: Russell, M Smith
The British and Irish Lions beat the Wallabies 27-19 in the opening Test at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Dominant for 50 minutes, the Lions threatened to inflict a significant defeat on their hosts after a Finn Russell penalty and tries for Sione Tuipulotu and Tom Curry put them 17-5 ahead at the break.
Max Jorgensen replied for the hosts, who were outplayed in pretty much every facet. The Lions struck again early in the second half when Dan Sheehan finished in the corner to make it 24-5 after Russell converted for a third time.
The Lions then lost their way badly and the Wallabies came back into it, winning a ton of possession and territory and finally doing something with it when Carlo Tizzano blasted his way over after a sustained bout of pressure.
Ben Donaldson's conversion narrowed the gap to 12 with a dozen minutes left. Marcus Smith eased whatever nerves the Lions might have been feeling when he popped over a penalty but the Wallabies struck again late on through Tate McDermott.
Victory for the Lions and a 1-0 lead in the series - but the mood in the aftermath was odd to say the least. No huge celebrations from the Lions, just some confusion as to how a game they should have won extremely comfortably turned into such a grind.
This should have been a whole lot more comfortable for the Lions. They'll take the win, and played brilliantly in establishing their lead, but the way they fell off the pace in the final half an hour was worrying.
They lost their fury, their discipline and their decision-making and accuracy went south. They have much to work on before the second Test in Melbourne, but they'll take comfort from the fact that when they were good, they were very good and really should have blown the Wallabies away.
There was a power coming from the Lions in that first 50 that the Wallabies were utterly incapable of handling. Tom Curry typified the ferocity up front with Russell pulling the strings with ease.
If the Lions were looking to lay down an early marker then they did so not once, not twice but three times in the opening minute or so.
Curry buried James Slipper in the tackle, Tadhg Beirne won a breakdown penalty in the next wave and Russell lashed it between the posts. A dream beginning for the tourists. And it got better.
The Lions were so much better than the Wallabies it was almost indecent. Their first try was a peach, starting with the irresistible Russell putting Sheehan away. The home side never recovered. Power and precision did for them in the first instance and then Russell's audaciousness finished them off.
When he flung a floated pass beyond helpless Wallabies it landed in the grateful mitts of Tuipulotu, who went over at the posts. Gorgeous. Incredibly, Tuipulotu became the first Scot in 28 years to score a Lions Test try. The conversion was good and the Lions had a 10-point lead.
They were fluid and dominant in all areas. The wonderful Beirne and Curry were like hunters looking for prey. The Wallabies were in survival mode.
The Lions thought they'd scored again midway through the half when Tuipulotu's midfield partner, Huw Jones, went over, but it was chalked off for not releasing.
That was the only negative for the Lions at that point because they should have been further ahead - and then came the sucker punch from the Wallabies, a box-kick from Jake Gordon with Jorgensen beating Hugo Keenan in the air and running away to score.
The respite was brief. More creative stuff from the Lions saw Russell cross-kick to Joe McCarthy who wasn't far off scoring. Never mind, the score would come. The Wallabies, mistakes coming in droves now, gave away penalty after penalty in their own 22. At the last one, the Lions tapped and Curry drove over. Russell converted and the scoreline now bore some kind of reflection to the flow of the game.
There was a gulf as wide as the Brisbane River. Mere minutes into the new half, a Wallaby line-out overthrow was jumped on by Curry. Trouble ahead. Jones, basking in the open space, went hammering through a gap to take the Lions deep into Australia territory. The score was almost inevitable.
Jamison Gibson-Park found Jones while too much of the Wallaby defence bought the dummy run from Tommy Freeman. The Scot moved it on to Curry who put Sheehan over in the corner. High-class players making brilliant decisions in the face of an opponent that was dramatically out-matched.
Russell added two more and it was 24-5 - and embarrassing for the hosts. The sophistication and accompanying power of the Lions was way too much for them.
But then it all got very strange. The Lions lost it and the Wallabies grew. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was denied a try by the TMO, but his team stayed camped in the Lions 22. Tizzano fired himself over with 12 minutes left to make it 24-12.
Slightly anxious, Smith calmed things with a close-range penalty. Even then, the Wallabies had the final say when McDermott went over a little too easily for Lions comfort.
A mere consolation, of course. The Lions took the win and the spoils but that final 30 minutes was barren and weird. The last whistle was greeted in somewhat surreal fashion by the Lions. Relief, joy, but also a touch of confusion, too.
Onwards to Melbourne, though. One-nil, just as they'd hoped it would be.
Australia: Wright, Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Potter, Lynagh, Gordon; Slipper, Faessler, Alaalatoa, Frost, Williams, Champion de Crespigny, McReight, Wilson
Replacements: Pollard, Bell, Robertson, Hooper, Tizzano, McDermott, Donaldson, Kellaway
British and Irish Lions: Keenan, Freeman, Jones, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, McCarthy, Beirne, Curry, Conan
Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Earl, Mitchell, Smith, Aki
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ)
Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Piardi (Ita)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZ)
Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Eric Gauzins (Fra)
BBCAt least 20 people have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
Up to five people have been critically injured and up to 10 are in a serious condition, the emergency services said.
The incident happened at 02:00 local time (09:00 GMT) in East Hollywood.
Pictures from the scene show a grey car on a pavement with debris strewn on the ground, and a large police presence.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
© Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
（德国之声中文网）美国叙利亚问题特使托马斯·巴拉克（Thomas Barrack）在社交平台X上表示，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡与叙利亚临时总统艾哈迈德·沙拉（Ahmed al-Scharaa）在美国支持下同意达成停火。
巴拉克称此举是“一个突破”：“我们呼吁德鲁兹人、贝都因人和逊尼派放下武器，与其他少数民族一起，与邻国一起建立一个和平、繁荣、统一的新叙利亚。” 他强调，土耳其和约旦等地区国家也支持此次停火。
巴拉克除担任美国叙利亚问题特使外，目前还担任美国驻土耳其大使。
叙利亚总统府也正式宣布停火。叙利亚总统府在一份声明中呼吁南部苏韦达省冲突各方立即停火。
叙派遣政府军 以色列空军随后介入
在苏韦达省，逊尼派贝都因人与宗教少数群体德鲁兹人之间爆发冲突后，叙利亚政府于周一（7月14日）向该地区派遣了军队，德鲁兹民兵与政府军之间也爆发了激烈交火。
周三（7月16日），以色列空军介入邻国叙利亚的冲突，轰炸了首都大马士革的政府大楼，据目击者称，还袭击了开往苏韦达的军队车队。
以色列一直自诩为叙利亚德鲁兹少数群体的保护者，该族群在以色列境内亦有一定分布。自2024年12月叙利亚长期执政者巴沙尔·阿萨德（Baschar al-Assad）被推翻下台以来，以色列政府不再容忍叙利亚南部、靠近以色列边境地区有任何军事力量存在。
据媒体报道，以色列政府于周五（7月18日）表示，将容忍叙利亚安全部队在苏韦达驻扎48小时。以色列对大马士革临时政府不抱持信任，因为其是由伊斯兰民兵武装组织衍变而来。
超过700人死亡，8万人流离失所
据“叙利亚人权观察组织”透露，德鲁兹派重镇苏韦达的战斗已造成700多人丧生。驻扎在英国的人权活动人士通过当地活动人士网络收集信息，其数据通常被认为可靠。据联合国称，这场暴力冲突已经导致将近8万人被迫离开家园。
法新社一名记者周五报道称，当地贝都因人与德鲁兹人之间再次发生交火。约200名持自动武器的贝都因人与德鲁兹武装分子在苏韦达市入口处交火。叙利亚人权观察组织的活动人士也证实该地发生交火，并提到“苏韦达城区遭到炮击”。此前，一名贝都因领导人曾宣布将对德鲁兹人发动新一轮攻势。
（德新社，法新社，路透社）
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