Lawmakers in Hong Kong have rejected a controversial bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples, in a blow to the city's gay rights movement.

The law, which would have recognised some rights for couples who were married overseas, was opposed by 71 of the city's 89-member Legislative Council (LegCo).

It was proposed by the government to comply with a 2023 court ruling, following the rejection of an attempt to legalise same-sex marriage.

While the city has in recent years been perceived as becoming gay-friendly, it has limited rights for the estimated 6% of the adult population who identify as LGBTQ. Recent polls suggest there is rising support towards the community.

Human rights group Amnesty International criticised the rejection of the bill, saying that it showed an "alarming disdain" for LGBTQ rights, and urged Hong Kong authorities to introduce a new and revised bill.

Hong Kong LGBTQ rights activist Jimmy Sham said it was "deeply regrettable" that the bill did not pass and that the government's inability to protect same-sex couples rights "would remain an open wound".

He added that he believed the government would not "turn a blind eye to the current illegal and unconstitutional situation".

The bill stemmed from a long-running legal challenge to legalise same-sex marriage initiated by Sham, who had wanted official recognition of his marriage to his husband. The pair were married in New York in 2013.

The Hong Kong's top court shot this down in 2023, but in a partial victory for activists, the Court of Final Appeal said at the time that the Hong Kong government had to formulate an alternative framework within two years to recognise unions between members of the same sex.

The judge said it was necessary as the lack of legal recognition could "disrupt and demean" the private lives of same-sex couples "in ways that constitute arbitrary interference".

This year's bill was an attempt by the Hong Kong government to fulfil this legal obligation.

It proposed a registration system for same-sex couples who were married or had civil unions overseas, and that these couples would have some rights - including the right to hospital visits and to make medical decisions for a spouse.

The city's chief executive John Lee had backed this bill and urged LegCo to pass it, warning that a rejection would violate Hong Kong's rule of law and bring about "serious consequences".

But the bill had been criticised by both LGBTQ activists - who viewed it as insufficient in creating an alternative framework - and by members of the LegCo - who said the proposal went against traditional family values and paved the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Wednesday's rejection means the government will have to go back to the drawing board, with little time to meet its 27 October deadline.

It also marked a rare split between the legislature and the Hong Kong government. Both institutions have been working in political lockstep, particularly since Beijing tightened control over the city in recent years.

Many in the LegCo are known to be pro-Beijing since China passed a law that only "patriots" can be part of the legislature, while the Hong Kong government's chief executive is essentially hand-picked by Beijing.

Polls suggest that there is rising support for same-sex marriages among the Hong Kong public. A survey in 2023 found 60% were in favour of same-sex marriage, compared to 38% a decade ago.

That same year the territory hosted the Gay Games, marking the first time the competition was held in Asia.

Kenya has been left in shock after the killing of a senior lawyer in a drive-by shooting on a busy street in the capital Nairobi.

Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, a respected lawyer and former head of a political parties' dispute tribunal, was driving home on Tuesday evening when a gunman on a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire. Witnesses on the Lang'ata/Magadi road reported hearing multiple gunshots.

The motive for the attack, which resembles the shocking killing of a lawmaker earlier this year, is unknown. Investigations are under way.

The Law Society of Kenya has described the killing as "abhorrent" and said the crime must be "dealt with swiftly and conclusively".

It expressed concern over threats faced by lawyers, adding that the killing had "all markings of a predetermined assassination".

"Too often, advocates have been victimised and targeted for the work that they do," LSK president Faith Odhiambo said in a statement.

A gruesome video shared online shows a car's shattered window with the bloodied, lifeless body of the lawyer slouched over the steering wheel.

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi said the "cold-blooded killing" of Mr Mbobu had "left us all devastated and in deep shock".

"We expect the police to carry out speedy and thorough investigations to unearth the reason and culprits behind this heinous crime and ensure justice is served," he said.

In April, Charles Ong'ondo Were, a member of parliament, was shot dead in similar circumstances in a busy road in the capital in a suspected assassination.

Police then said several suspects had been arrested following what appeared to be a "targeted and predetermined" assassination.

Some of the suspects have since been charged.

More about Kenya from the BBC:

• Kenyan MP shot dead in 'targeted' attack in Nairobi
• 'We live in fear' - forced expulsions taint Kenya's safe haven image
• Kenyan minister alleges intelligence agency behind his son's abduction

Go 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

Nepal's army has deployed patrols on the streets of Kathmandu, as the Himalayan nation reels from the worst unrest it has seen in decades.

Fierce protests against corruption and nepotism spiralled further on Tuesday into arson and violence. The prime minister resigned as politicians' homes were vandalised, government buildings were set ablaze and parliament was stormed and torched.

But the "Gen Z" groups spearheading the protests have distanced themselves from the destruction, saying the movement has been "hijacked by "opportunist" infiltrators.

On Wednesday the streets of the capital Kathmandu appeared calm, but smoke was still rising from burning buildings and charred vehicles lay on roads.

Nationwide curfews are in place until Thursday morning, the army has said, warning of punishment for anyone involved in violence and vandalism.

Twenty seven people have been arrested for their involvement in violence and lootings and 31 firearms have been found, it added.

The military is attempting to control a volatile situation, with PM KP Sharma Oli's resignation leaving a leadership vacuum.

His government's abortive attempt to ban social media triggered the demonstrations that saw 19 protesters killed in clashes with police on Monday.

Those deaths - which have since risen to more than 20 - only fuelled the unrest on Tuesday. Scenes of violence and vandalism have come to illustrate the visceral intensity of the anti-government demonstrations.

But many protesters are worried that the movement has been co-opted by "infiltrators".

Tuesday's protest "organised by Nepal's Generation Z, was conducted with a clear vision: to demand accountability, transparency, and an end to corruption," read a statement issued by protesters.

"Our movement was and remains non-violent and rooted in the principles of peaceful civic engagement."

The authors of the statement said they were actively volunteering on the ground to "responsibly manage" the situation, safeguard citizens and protect public property.

They also said no further protests were scheduled from Wednesday onwards, and called on the military and police to implement curfews as necessary.

"Our intent has never been to disrupt daily life or to allow others to misuse our peaceful initiative," the statement said.

The army too has alleged that various "individuals and anarchist groups" had infiltrated the protests and were damaging private and public property.

"We are mainly in the process of controlling elements who are taking advantage of the situation to loot, set fires and cause various incidents," military spokesman Rajaram Basnet told the BBC.

What led to the protests?

The demonstrations were ostensibly triggered by the government's decision last week to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook - but they have since grown to embody much deeper discontent with Nepal's political elite.

In the weeks before the ban, a "nepo kid" campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians' children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.

And while the social media ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had by that stage gained unstoppable momentum, plunging the nation into chaos.

On Tuesday, protests continued unabated. A crowd in Kathmandu torched the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, which is part of the governing coalition, and the house of its leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, a former PM.

In the capital Kathmandu, several locations have been targeted by anti-corruption protesters since Monday.

Hundreds of protesters broke into and torched the country's parliament building, smashing windows and spray-painting graffiti and anti-corruption messages on the walls.

The Singha Durbar, a large complex in the city that houses Nepal's government offices, was also stormed, and the Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that it had postponed all hearings of pending cases indefinitely due to severe damage.

"Since the case files, servers, and the courtroom were severely damaged in the fire, the hearings scheduled for today have been postponed," said a notice issued by the Supreme Court's chief registrar.

"The hearings scheduled for tomorrow are also postponed until further notice."

On Tuesday afternoon, in a self-proclaimed bid to pave the way for a constitutional solution, Prime Minister Oli stepped down.

"In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution," Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

But it's not clear who will replace him - or what happens next, with seemingly no-one in charge.

"Looking ahead, we believe Nepal's future leadership must be free from entrenched political party affiliations, fully independent, and selected on the basis of competence, integrity, and qualifications," the Gen Z protesters said in their statement on Tuesday.

"We demand a transparent and stable government that works in the interest of the people and not for the benefit of corrupt individuals or political elites," they added.

"Our goal remains firm: a proper government with qualified, non-corrupt leaders."

A South Korean woman has been acquitted after a court revisited her decades-old conviction for biting off the tongue of a man during an alleged sexual attack.

Choi Mal-ja was 18 when she was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 10 months in jail. Her aggressor, who was 21, received a lighter sentence of six months.

After a years-long campaign to clear her name, a retrial began in the southern city of Busan in July. In its first hearing, prosecutors apologised to her and, in an unusual move, asked the court to quash the conviction.

"I could not let this case go unanswered... I [wanted] to stand up for other victims who share the same fate as mine," Ms Choi said after the acquittal.

As a teenager back then, the incident changed her fate by "turning [me] from a victim to an accused".

"People around me warned me that it would be like throwing eggs at a rock, but I could not let this case go," said Ms Choi, now 79.

She thanked her supporters, and called out those in power whom she said "abused their authority to trample the weak and manipulate the law".

Ms Choi's case has been cited in legal textbooks in South Korea as a classic example of a court failing to recognise self-defence during sexual violence.

According to court records, the attacker had pinned Ms Choi to the ground somewhere in the southern town of Gimhae. She only managed to break free after biting off about 1.5cm (0.59in) of his tongue.

The man continually demanded compensation for his injury and even broke into Ms Choi's home with a knife on one occasion, South Korean media reported.

In one of South Korea's most contentious rulings on sexual violence, the man was given a six-month suspended sentence, for trespassing and intimidation. He was never charged for attempted rape.

Ms Choi received the harsher sentence for causing him grievous bodily harm, with the court saying at the time that her actions exceeded the "reasonable bounds" of self-defence.

She was detained for six months during the investigation, and was later given a ten-month sentence, which was suspended for two years.

In 2018, inspired by the global #MeToo movement, which has also taken hold in South Korea, Ms Choi reached out to advocacy groups and spent about two years gathering evidence before filing a petition for a retrial.

Her path to exoneration has been challenging. Lower courts rejected her petition saying there is no evidence to support her claims of self-defence.

Ms Choi fought on, saying she did not want to see other victims of sexual violence go through what she did. "[They] should not have to bear the pain alone," she told The Korea Herald in an earlier interview.

Finally, in December 2024, the Supreme Court granted her application to reopen the case.

Outside the court on Wednesday, Ms Choi and her supporters were all smiles, with some of them holding placards that said, "Choi Mal-ja did it!" and "Choi Mal-ja succeeded".

Ms Choi's lawyer, Kim Soo-jung, described the earlier conviction as a "misjudgement due to gender bias and societal perceptions".

"Thanks to Choi Mal-ja's relentless fight without ever giving up, the prosecution and judiciary had the opportunity to correct that error today," said Ms Kim.

She added that Ms Choi plans to file a civil lawsuit against the state to seek compensation.

The Korea Women's Hotline, one of the groups that had supported Ms Choi in her campaign, believes Wednesday's verdict will pave the way to justice for victims of sexual violence.

"Going forward, women's defensive acts will be understood as legitimate. I expect this will mean fewer women will face unjust suffering," says Song Ran-hee, who leads the group.

"At the very least, it will send a message to victims. Even if the process you are going through now is painful and unjust, it says: 'Your voice matters. Speak out,'" Ms Song tells the BBC.

There have been at least two other cases in South Korea of women biting off the tongues of sexual assailants – one in 1988 in the city of Andong, and another in 2020 in Busan. In both cases, the courts ruled recognised what the women did as legitimate acts of self-defence, and ruled in favour of them.

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
• Hamas discussing US 'ideas' for Gaza ceasefire after Trump's 'last warning'

UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The first of five Supreme Court justices who will decide the fate of the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has found the ex-leader guilty of plotting a coup.

But Bolsonaro will only be convicted if at least three out of the five justices find him guilty.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said there was "no doubt" that there had been a coup attempt after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 presidential election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Moraes also said that Bolsonaro had led the "criminal organisation" which he alleged was behind the attempted coup. Bolsonaro has denied all the charges.

If convicted, Bolsonaro - who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022 - could face a lengthy sentence of more than 40 years in prison.

Read: What you need to know about Bolsonaro's coup plot trial

The charges against Bolsonaro are extremely serious and Justice Moraes - who had been widely expected to convict Bolsonaro - did not hold back in the summary of his decision.

The former president and his seven co-defendants - some of whom are top military officers - stand accused of trying to prevent President-elect Lula from taking up office.

The seven co-defendants have also denied the charges.

Speaking in court on Tuesday, Justice Moraes said there was plenty of evidence of a plot to kill Lula, his vice-presidential running mate, and Justice Moraes himself.

Moraes showed a document detailing the plan, codenamed Operation Green and Yellow Dagger, with key sections highlighted.

"This was written in the Brazilian government headquarters, at the same time that President Jair Bolsonaro was there," he said. He added that part of the plan had been printed out in the presidential palace.

According to investigators, the defendants failed to enlist enough support from the military for the plan to go ahead.

But Moraes argued that the defendants' efforts culminated in the storming of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters on 8 January 2023 - one week after Lula was sworn into office.

Order was quickly restored and more than 1,500 people were arrested.

But, according to Moraes, Brazil had come close to descending into authoritarianism: "We are slowly forgetting that Brazil almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship because a criminal organisation, comprised of a political group, doesn't know how to lose elections."

"There is no doubt that the defendant, Jair Bolsonaro, held meetings with Armed Forces commanders to discuss the breach of constitutional norms," Moraes said.

The ex-president was not in court when Justice Moraes announced his guilty vote.

Bolsonaro's lawyers said their client was suffering from health problems. The 70-year-old was stabbed in the stomach while on the campaign trail in 2018 and has been having recurrent health issues resulting from the incident ever since.

His lawyers said that he followed the proceedings from his home in Brasília, where he is being kept under house arrest.

Because he is currently banned from using social media, we have not heard from him during the verdict stage of this trial but he has in the past said that the trial was politically motivated.

The former president alleges that it is designed to prevent him from standing in the 2026 presidential election.

However, he is already banned from running for public office until 2030 for spreading unfounded rumours about Brazil's voting system.

The trial has deepened divisions in Brazil, with supporters of Bolsonaro alleging that the five-member panel tasked with the case is biased.

They point to the fact that one of the justices was President Lula's personal lawyer while another served as Lula's justice minister.

Critics of Bolsonaro, on the other hand, say that Brazil's institutions need to act decisively when under attack. They point to the fact that democracy was only restored in 1985 after two decades of military rule to underpin their argument.

An Israeli-Russian researcher has been released after "being tortured for many months" by her Iraqi militia abductors, US President Donald Trump has announced.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: "I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, whose sister is an American citizen, was just released by Kataib Hezbollah, and is now safely in the American embassy in Iraq".

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed Ms Tsurkov's release shortly afterwards.

She had gone missing in Iraq during a research trip in March 2023 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several months later that she was being held by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah.

In a post on X, Sudani said Ms Tsurkov's release was "a culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services over the course of many months".

He added that the security services on Tuesday were able to "uncover" the place the student had been held, before handing her over to the US embassy.

Ms Tsurkov entered Iraq on her Russian passport, Netanyahu's office said at the time.

According to Ms Tsurkov's website, her research focuses on the Levant - a historical term that refers to a large geographical region including present-day Israel, Syria and other areas - and "the Syrian uprising and civil war".

Kataib Hezbollah (Brigades of the Party of God) is a powerful Iraqi Shia militia that gets financial and military support from Iran. It was designated by the US as a terrorist organisation in 2009.

In Tuesday's post on Truth Social, Trump also said: "I will always fight for justice and never give up.

"Hamas, release the hostages, now!" he added, in a reference to those people seized by the Palestinian group during its deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
• Hamas discussing US 'ideas' for Gaza ceasefire after Trump's 'last warning'

UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Almost exactly a year ago I interviewed the Hamas leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya in Doha. I met him in a house not far from the building that Israel attacked on Tuesday afternoon.

From the beginning of the war in Gaza, al-Hayya had been the chief Hamas negotiator, sending and receiving messages to the Israelis and Americans via Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries.

At moments where ceasefires were thought likely, al-Hayya, along with the men who were also targeted this afternoon, were only a short distance from the Israeli and American delegations. When they were attacked, al-Hayya and the other top Hamas leaders were discussing the latest American diplomatic proposals to end the war in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel's swift declaration of what it had done immediately fuelled speculation on social media that the latest American proposals were simply a ruse to get the Hamas leadership in one place where they could be targeted.

• Follow live: Israel strikes Qatar's capital
• What do we know about Israel's attack in Doha?

On 3rd October last year, as Khalil al-Hayya walked into the venue for our meeting in a modest, low-rise villa, I was surprised that he had so little security. We had to give up our phones, and a couple of bodyguards came with him into the house.

Outside plain clothes Qatari police sat smoking in an SUV. That was it. A hundred bodyguards could not have stopped an air strike, but al-Hayya and his people were relaxed and confident.

The point was that Qatar was supposed to be safe, and they felt secure enough to move around relatively openly.

A few months earlier, on 31 July 2024, Israel had assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader in Tehran, where he was attending the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian.

With the war in Gaza raging, I had wondered whether it might be dangerous to sit in the same room as Khalil al-Hayya. But like him, I thought Qatar was off limits.

In the last few decades Qatar has tried to carve itself a position as the Switzerland of the Middle East, a place where even enemies could make deals.

The Americans negotiated with the Afghan Taliban in Doha. And in the almost two years since the attacks on 7th October 2023, Qatar has been the centre of the diplomatic efforts to negotiate ceasefires and perhaps even an end to the war.

The peace efforts, driven by President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, were faltering badly. But now they are in ruins. In the words of one senior western diplomat "there is no diplomacy."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis that their enemies will never be able to sleep easy and are paying the price for ordering the 7th October attacks.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza is gathering pace. A few hours before the attack on Doha, the Israeli military, the IDF, told all Palestinians in Gaza City to leave and move south. It's thought something like one million civilians could be affected.

In his televised comments Netanyahu told Palestinians in Gaza "don't be derailed by these killers. Stand up for your rights and your future. Make peace with us. Accept President Trump's proposal. Don't worry, you can do it, and we can promise you a different future, but you've got to take these people out of the way. If you do, there is no limit to our common future."

If Palestinians in Gaza are able to hear his words, they will ring very hollow. Israel has destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands of them, as well as hospitals, universities and schools.

With Gaza already gripped by starvation, famine in Gaza City itself and a humanitarian catastrophe across the territory the forced movement of many more people will only increase Israel's lethal pressure on civilians.

Israel has already killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of whom were civilians. Netanyahu himself faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for war crimes, and Israel is being investigated by the International Court of Justice for genocide.

The attack in Doha is a sign that Netanyahu and his government will press forward as hard as they can all fronts, not just Gaza. They are confident that with American support, their military can enforce their will.

The Doha attack earned a rare rebuke from the White House. Qatar is a valuable ally, that hosts a huge US military base and is a major investor in the US.

But Netanyahu appears to be calculating that Donald Trump, the only leader he feels he must listen to, will content himself with the diplomatic equivalent of a rap over the knuckles.

Israel's offensive in Gaza continues. And as the planned recognition of Palestinian independence at the UN later this month by the UK, France, Canada, Australia and other western countries approaches, Netanyahu's ultra nationalist cabinet allies will redouble calls to respond with the annexation of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

Ukraine has shown reporters fragments of the missile it says hit a key government building in Kyiv this weekend, identifying it as a Russian Iskander cruise missile.

Officials here now believe the building was struck deliberately in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Vladimir Putin's response to Donald Trump's peace efforts has been a clear escalation in Russian attacks.

But they don't only target the Ukrainian capital.

In the eastern Donbas region, more than 20 civilians were killed by a Russian glide bomb on Tuesday as they queued to collect their pensions.

Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike on the village of Yarova as "savage" and called once again on Ukraine's allies to increase the pressure on Moscow through sanctions.

His office said some US and European weapons components are still reaching Russia, including for the Iskander missile. Moscow has already substituted the rest with its own production.

"Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death," Ukraine's president wrote.

Our team was filming on Sunday morning during the air raid on central Kyiv and captured the moment the cabinet of ministers was hit. The images appear to show a direct strike: a missile suddenly arcs downwards, right before the explosion.

There is no indication of it being intercepted by air defences.

When we were allowed into the vast, Soviet-era building to see the damage, the smell of burning intensified as we climbed towards the top floor.

The roof and part of the walls in the damaged area have been blown apart and there's a gaping hole in the floor.

All around, severed cables dangle from what remains of any ceiling.

The missile - packed with more than 100kg (220lb) of explosives - did not detonate, so the damage is limited to three floors. But it's still significant.

We saw fragments of that missile, now being collected as evidence: mangled metal pieces, some with Cyrillic lettering on them, gathered in a heap.

Weapons experts we've consulted agree that it looks like a Russian cruise missile and say the damage is consistent with an Iskander striking but not exploding.

"Sometimes fuses do not work and missiles just don't detonate. [It] can happen with a lot of different systems," Fabian Hinz, a missile and drone expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin, told me.

"I think it hit the building," military analyst Oleksandr Musiienko confirmed here in Kyiv.

"This missile has a high speed and low altitude. It's really hard to see on the radar. And of course, we do not have still enough air defence systems like the [American] Patriots, for example, which we can use to shoot them down."

In Kyiv, the increase in early morning attacks is obvious: they've grown more frequent - but most importantly they're bigger in scale. Russia now launches hundreds of drones at a time, deliberately draining Ukraine's resources.

That's why Zelensky is constantly calling for more missiles: to someone far from Kyiv it might sound like he's stuck on repeat. But for people here it might be the difference between life and death.

Russia's strikes are not only symbolic, on empty government buildings. They regularly hit people's homes, too, as we saw again this week.

"Sometimes a lot of these drones are decoys - without explosives - just to weaken our air defence systems," Mr Musiienko explained.

"We have never seen such attacks ever in our history. Of course, it's a threat."

Closer to the front line, the tactics are different: deadly glide bombs arrive almost without warning.

In Yarova, those killed this time were elderly. They're the people who are most reluctant or least able to leave their homes, even as the fighting moves close again. The village was occupied by the Russians at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, then liberated later by Ukrainian troops.

At least 24 people who survived all that are now dead.

Images from the scene show their bodies sprawled on the ground and a smashed-up post office van that had been delivering the pensions. It parked under a tree for cover, hoping not to be seen - but the bomb hit anyway.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it a "barbaric" strike by Russia and a "heinous crime" against the very people and region Putin claimed needed saving when he ordered the invasion.

"We urge the world to speak out and act immediately," Sybiha said.

But Ukraine wants more than condemnation. It's still calling for action against the Russian economy and the defence sector there.

Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelensky's adviser, told me the sanctions imposed so far were making a difference.

Ukrainian teams have been examining the remains of the missiles and drones launched by Russia since 2022, he said, and the percentage of Western-made components has shrunk.

But it still hasn't been eliminated.

"There are less Western parts, that is good," Mr Vlasiuk explained. "But the bad thing is that the number of Russian parts has increased which means Russia is producing things they couldn't do before, including microchips."

Increased co-operation with China in producing the drones was also making them far harder to jam, he said.

That may be what enabled Russia to hit the main government building in Kyiv for the first time - in the most tightly-guarded quarter of this city.

"It's scary that they're hitting the centre," Alyona said on Tuesday, pushing her baby in a pram not far from the cabinet of ministers.

"There have always been drones here," her husband added. "It's just they used to fly overhead, and now they can hit."

Ivory Coast's former First Lady Simone Gbagbo, 76, is the surprise inclusion in a list of five candidates who have been officially cleared to contest next month's presidential election.

She will run against President Alassane Ouattara, 83, who took power after she and her former husband, Laurent Gbagbo, were captured in a presidential bunker during the conflict that hit the country after the 2010 election.

But the ex-president has been barred from contesting the poll, along with ex-Prime Minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan and ex-Credit Suisse bank CEO Tidjane Thiam.

Their disqualification has raised concerns about the legitimacy of the 25 October vote and has sparked fears of instability.

Thiam, who was disqualified by the Constitutional Council due to his previous French citizenship, called the decision "an act of democratic vandalism" and accused the Ouattara administration of orchestrating a "sham election" to cling to power.

Ouattara assumed the presidency in 2011, following Laurent Gbagbo's arrest after his refusal to accept defeat in the 2010 election.

Ouattara was originally restricted to serving two terms, but a 2016 constitutional overhaul allowed him to seek re-election in 2020, in a vote that was boycotted by the opposition.

He won that election in a landslide, with at least 85 people killed in ensuing unrest. He later declared that he would run for a fourth term.

Laurent Gbagbo has been barred by the Constitutional Council from running for president because of a 2018 criminal conviction.

He was sentenced in absentia for looting the central bank during the political crisis that hit Ivory Coast after the 2010 election.

Although he received a presidential pardon in 2020, it did not restore his right to vote or run for office.

He also faced separate charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC), but he was acquitted.

For Simone Gbagbo, her candidacy is not only politically significant but symbolically powerful in a country where women remain largely underrepresented in national leadership.

Only 30% of Ivorian parliamentarians are women, and few have held senior roles in government.

Once nicknamed "The Iron Lady", Simone Gbagbo is now poised to become the strongest female contender for the presidency in Ivory Coast's history.

She and ex-minister Henriette Lagou Adjoua, representing the Political Partners for Peace coalition, are the two women whose candidacy was approved by the Constitutional Council.

Simone Gbagbo has had a long and active career in Ivorian politics, including as an MP - which was later overshadowed by her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections in which more than 3,000 people died.

It led to her being sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2015 by a court in Ivory Coast.

She was however granted amnesty three years later by President Ouattara to foster reconciliation. Unlike her former husband, the conviction did not lead to her removal from the voter register.

The ICC had also pursued charges against her in 2012, but they were dropped about nine years later.

Since then, she has been quietly and methodically rebuilding her political base, following her break from the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) - the party she co-founded with her former husband, ex-President Gbagbo.

Her campaign slogan is a call to "build a new nation" within "a sovereign, dignified, and prosperous Africa."

"Her approval legitimises the idea that Ivorian women can aspire to the highest office, regardless of their past, age, or gender. She's not just a candidate - she's a symbol," said local political analyst Severin Yao Kouamés.

It is unclear if Laurent Gbagbo, now disqualified from the election, will support his ex-wife.

The two were married for more than 30 years, sharing a life of political militancy, imprisonment, and governance. They divorced in 2023.

The official election campaign begins on 10 October.

The country has 8.7 million registered voters and there are fears that the exclusion of some of the other candidates could erode public trust and trigger renewed unrest.

Still all eyes will be on whether Simone Gbagbo can reshape the leadership narrative, and become the president.

You may also be interested in:

• Ivory Coast president, 83, says he will run for fourth term
• Is Ivory Coast's red card politics an own goal for democracy?
• 'I was born Ivorian' - bank boss barred from running for president tells BBC
• A love letter to attiéké, Ivory Coast's timeless culinary treasure

Go 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

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
• Hamas discussing US 'ideas' for Gaza ceasefire after Trump's 'last warning'

UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned amid Nepal's worst unrest in decades, as public anger mounts over the deaths of 19 anti-corruption protesters in clashes with police on Monday.

On Tuesday, crowds set fire to parliament in the capital Kathmandu, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Government buildings and the houses of political leaders were attacked around the country.

Three more deaths were reported on Tuesday. Amid the chaos, jail officials said 900 inmates managed to escape from two prisons in Nepal's western districts.

The demonstrations were triggered by a ban on social media platforms. It was lifted on Monday - but by then protests had swelled into a mass movement.

Nepal's army chief issued a statement late on Tuesday accusing demonstrators of taking advantage of the current crisis by damaging, looting and setting fire to public and private property.

It said if unrest continued, "all security institutions, including the Nepal Army, are committed to taking control of the situation," effective from 22:00 local time (16:15 GMT; 17:15 BST), without detailing what this might entail.

While the prime minister has stepped down, it's not clear who will replace him - or what happens next, with seemingly no-one in charge. Some leaders, including ministers, have reportedly taken refuge with the security forces.

So far, the protesters have not spelt out their demands apart from rallying under the broader anti-corruption call. The protests appear spontaneous, with no organised leadership.

Inside parliament, there were jubilant scenes as hundreds of protesters danced and chanted slogans around a fire at the entrance to the building, many holding Nepal's flag.

Some entered inside the building, where all the windows have been smashed. Graffiti and anti-government messages have been spray painted on the exterior.

Kathmandu resident Muna Shreshta, 20, was among the large crowd outside parliament.

Corruption has been a long-term issue, she told the BBC, adding that it is "high time our nation, our prime minister, and anyone in power changes, because we need to change".

"It has happened now and we are more than happy to witness this and fight for this. I hope this change will bring something that is positive to us."

Ms Shreshta thinks taxes paid by working people need to be used in ways that will help the country grow.

Last week, Nepal's government ordered authorities to block 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register.

Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

The government justified its ban in the name of tackling fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But young people criticised the move as an attack on free speech.

Although the ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had already gained unstoppable momentum, targeting the political elite and plunging the nation into chaos.

A government minister said they lifted the ban after an emergency meeting late on Monday night to "address the demands of Gen Z".

In the weeks before the ban, a "nepo kid" campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians' children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.

Thousands of young people first attempted to storm the parliament building on Monday. Several districts were put under curfew. Most of the deaths occurred around parliament and government buildings on that day.

On Tuesday, protests continued unabated. A crowd in Kathmandu torched the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, which is part of the governing coalition, and the house of its leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The house of KP Oli - a 73-year-old four-time prime minister who leads the Communist Party - was also set on fire.

He said he had resigned to pave the way for a constitutional solution to the current crisis.

"In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution," Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

An aide to Paudel told Reuters news agency the president had accepted the resignation and begun the "process and discussions for a new leader".

President Emmanuel Macron has named close ally Sébastien Lecornu as new French prime minister, 24 hours after a vote of confidence ousted François Bayrou as head of his government.

Lecornu was among the favourites to take over the job, and in a statement the Elysée Palace said he had been given the task of consulting political parties with the aim of adopting France's next budget.

Bayrou had visited the president hours earlier to hand in his resignation, paving the way for Lecornu to become the fifth prime minister of Macron's second term as president.

Lecornu will face the same challenges as his predecessor, including getting a cost-cutting budget past parliament without a majority.

France has a spiralling public debt, which hit €3.3tn (£2.8tn) earlier this year and represents 114% of the country's economic output or GDP.

Bayrou had proposed €44bn in budget cuts, and his decision to put his plans to a vote of confidence was always going to fail. In the end France's National Assembly decided to oust his government by 364 votes to 194.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Lawyers for Epstein's estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month.

Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday.

It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it.

"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time.

The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

The committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer.

The newspaper's publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had "full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting".

The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment, as well as Trump's personal attorneys.

On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on Monday.

"Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003.

It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend.

Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution.

Israel has warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

The military's Arabic spokesman told as many as one million Palestinians living in Gaza's biggest urban centre to evacuate southwards. "Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous," he said.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said air strikes that had destroyed high-rise buildings in Gaza City in recent days were "only the beginning of the main, intensive operation" to capture what he has described as Hamas's last important stronghold.

Hamas said his remarks amounted to a "public demonstration of a fully-fledged crime of forced displacement".

Israel's plan to conquer Gaza City has also brought international criticism.

The UN has warned an intensification of the offensive on an area where a famine has already been declared will push civilians into an "even deeper catastrophe".

The message from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) - both in leaflets dropped over Gaza City, and posted on social media by its Arabic spokesman Col Avichay Adraee - was unequivocal.

"To all residents and those present in Gaza City and all its areas, from the Old City and the Tuffah area in the east to the sea in the west: The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in Gaza City with great determination, as it has throughout the Gaza Strip," it said.

"For your safety, evacuate immediately," it added.

Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

The IDF has been told to defeat Hamas after 23 months of war and return the 48 hostages still held by the armed group, of whom 20 are still believed to be alive.

In recent weeks, Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza City have been intensifying.

Overnight, there were further air strikes on buildings the IDF said were being used by Hamas to launch attacks against its troops.

Netanyahu said in a video on Monday afternoon that 50 high-rises had been destroyed in Gaza over the previous two days.

"Now, all of this is only the introduction, only the beginning of the main intensive operation - the ground incursion of our forces," he added.

"Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to say to the residents of Gaza, listen to me carefully: You have been warned: get out of there!"

Hamas said Netanyahu's remarks were "a public demonstration of a fully-fledged crime of forced displacement, carried out under the weight of bombing, massacres, starvation, and death threats".

Photographs showed a stream of people moving south along the coastal road from Gaza City on foot, on donkey carts and in vehicles on Tuesday, but there was no sign of a mass exodus.

Hanaa, a mother of three, told the BBC she did not know where to take her family so she was holding out until they were in "real danger".

"If I knew [somewhere to go], I would have left [by now] and taken my family and my children," she said.

Hanaa lost her own home in Israeli bombing at the beginning of the war and has since been displaced with relatives.

She said "nothing can describe" how she and her loved ones were feeling now.

Razan Salha, a student, said she had fled Gaza City two days ago due to the bombardment and was now sharing a room with about 20 relatives in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

"We moved by car at a price of $375 (£276). Not everyone was displaced - there are still people in Gaza City because they haven't got any place to go or there is no transportation at a suitable price," she told the BBC in a voice note.

Razan said the "instability and homelessness" had left her "very, very tired", adding: "I've lost my hope."

Last week, UN agencies and their humanitarian partners said the announcement of intensified Israeli military operations in Gaza City on 7 August was "having horrific humanitarian consequences for people in displacement sites".

They warned many households were unable to move due to high costs and logistical challenges, as well as a lack of safe space. And they said ordering hundreds of thousands to move south could amount to forcible transfer under international law.

On Sunday, they reported that more than 97,000 people had been newly displaced since 14 August. But only 50,000 had been observed crossing from northern to southern Gaza, as the Israeli military has instructed.

The IDF has told them to go to a newly designated "humanitarian area" in al-Mawasi.

It has said the area includes essential infrastructure, including field hospitals and water pipelines, and that supplies of food, tents and medicines will be delivered there in co-ordination with international organisations.

However, al-Mawasi has been repeatedly bombed by Israeli forces during the war and the UN says nowhere in Gaza can be considered "safe".

The UN has also warned that the tent camps there are already overcrowded and local hospitals are operating at several times their capacity.

It has said a limited number of tents have been delivered in recent weeks, but many more are needed for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

The UN has said Israel - which controls Gaza's border crossings - must also allow in enough food and other supplies to halt the spread of famine.

On Sunday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned there was a narrow window until the end of September to prevent famine from expanding to the central city or Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis, and the window was "closing fast".

Since UN-backed global food security experts confirmed a famine in Gaza City on 22 August, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has reported that at least 121 people have died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory.

Israel has said it is expanding its efforts to facilitate aid deliveries and has disputed the health ministry's figures on malnutrition-related deaths.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

At least 21 have been killed in a Russian air strike on a village in eastern Ukraine, say local Ukrainian officials.

The victims were ordinary people collecting their pensions in the Donetsk settlement of Yarova, said President Volodymr Zelensky. Donetsk regional leader Vadym Filkashkin said emergency services were at the scene, and that as many people wounded as killed.

Yarova is to the north of Sloviansk, one of the big cities in the region, and not far from the front line as Russian forces advance slowly in the east.

If confirmed, the death toll would be among the heaviest attacks on Ukrainian civilians in recent weeks, 42 months into Russia's full-scale invasion.

At least 23 people were killed in overnight air strikes on Ukraine's capital Kyiv at the end of August.

At the weekend Russia launched its biggest air assault of the war on Kyiv so far, hitting the main government building in the capital, in what Zelensky said was a "ruthless" attack aimed at prolonging the war.

Posting graphic footage of the attack on Yarova online, Zelensky said there were "no words" to describe the latest Russian strikes. There was no immediate response from Russia's military.

Vadym Filashkin said the attack took place at 12:30 on Tuesday as pensions were being handed out.

Yarova sites on a key railway line in Donetsk, between Lyman and Izium. It is also only 6km (3.6 miles) away from the next village of Novoselivka, where Russian forces are closing in on the outskirts.

Ukraine's state emergency service said another three people had died in earlier Russian shelling of settlements in Donetsk.

"The world must not remain silent," Zelensky said, calling for a response from both the US, Europe and the G20 group of nations.

The first of five Supreme Court justices who will decide the fate of the former Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has found the ex-leader guilty of plotting a coup.

But Bolsonaro will only be convicted if at least three out of the five justices find him guilty.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes said there was "no doubt" that there had been a coup attempt after Bolsonaro lost the 2022 presidential election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Moraes also said that Bolsonaro had led the "criminal organisation" which he alleged was behind the attempted coup. Bolsonaro has denied all the charges.

If convicted, Bolsonaro - who governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022 - could face a lengthy sentence of more than 40 years in prison.

Read: What you need to know about Bolsonaro's coup plot trial

The charges against Bolsonaro are extremely serious and Justice Moraes - who had been widely expected to convict Bolsonaro - did not hold back in the summary of his decision.

The former president and his seven co-defendants - some of whom are top military officers - stand accused of trying to prevent President-elect Lula from taking up office.

The seven co-defendants have also denied the charges.

Speaking in court on Tuesday, Justice Moraes said there was plenty of evidence of a plot to kill Lula, his vice-presidential running mate, and Justice Moraes himself.

Moraes showed a document detailing the plan, codenamed Operation Green and Yellow Dagger, with key sections highlighted.

"This was written in the Brazilian government headquarters, at the same time that President Jair Bolsonaro was there," he said. He added that part of the plan had been printed out in the presidential palace.

According to investigators, the defendants failed to enlist enough support from the military for the plan to go ahead.

But Moraes argued that the defendants' efforts culminated in the storming of Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters on 8 January 2023 - one week after Lula was sworn into office.

Order was quickly restored and more than 1,500 people were arrested.

But, according to Moraes, Brazil had come close to descending into authoritarianism: "We are slowly forgetting that Brazil almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship because a criminal organisation, comprised of a political group, doesn't know how to lose elections."

"There is no doubt that the defendant, Jair Bolsonaro, held meetings with Armed Forces commanders to discuss the breach of constitutional norms," Moraes said.

The ex-president was not in court when Justice Moraes announced his guilty vote.

Bolsonaro's lawyers said their client was suffering from health problems. The 70-year-old was stabbed in the stomach while on the campaign trail in 2018 and has been having recurrent health issues resulting from the incident ever since.

His lawyers said that he followed the proceedings from his home in Brasília, where he is being kept under house arrest.

Because he is currently banned from using social media, we have not heard from him during the verdict stage of this trial but he has in the past said that the trial was politically motivated.

The former president alleges that it is designed to prevent him from standing in the 2026 presidential election.

However, he is already banned from running for public office until 2030 for spreading unfounded rumours about Brazil's voting system.

The trial has deepened divisions in Brazil, with supporters of Bolsonaro alleging that the five-member panel tasked with the case is biased.

They point to the fact that one of the justices was President Lula's personal lawyer while another served as Lula's justice minister.

Critics of Bolsonaro, on the other hand, say that Brazil's institutions need to act decisively when under attack. They point to the fact that democracy was only restored in 1985 after two decades of military rule to underpin their argument.

Rebels linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have killed more than 50 people at a funeral ceremony in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials have said.

Most of the victims were hacked with machetes in the night-time assault by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on a village in North Kivu province, officials added.

This is the latest in a string of attacks linked to the ADF, raising fears that its insurgency is growing in strength.

The ADF emerged in Uganda in the 1990s, accusing the government there of persecuting Muslims. It is now based across the border in DR Congo and carries out attacks in both countries.

"I can confirm a provisional death toll of 50. The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony in the village of Ntoyo," Macaire Sivikunula, a local administrator, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

DR Congo army spokesman Lieutenant Marc Elongo said the ADF fighters had "already committed the massacre" by the time soldiers intervened during Monday night's attack, Reuters reported.

A local broadcaster, Radio Mishapi Voice, quoted witnesses as saying there was "utter carnage" in the village, and some people were also burnt in their homes.

The ADF has not yet commented.

The group is affiliated to the Islamic State's Central African Province.

More than 40 people, including nine children, were killed in an attack by its fighters in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July, the UN and the military said at the time.

Most of them were worshippers taking part in a night vigil at a church in the town of Komanda when they were attacked.

According to research by BBC Monitoring, nearly 90% of IS operations are now carried out by affiliates in Africa.

You may also be interested in:

• ADF: The Ugandan rebels working with IS in DR Congo
• Inside view of the IS-linked ADF rebels
• How Islamic State has expanded into Central Africa

Go 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

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened its war crimes case against fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony in its first-ever confirmation of charges hearing without the accused present.

The proceedings mark a historic moment for the court and could serve as a test case for future prosecutions of high-profile suspects who currently appear to be beyond its reach.

Despite an arrest warrant issued 20 years ago, Kony, the founder and leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), has managed to evade arrest.

He faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual enslavement, abduction and forcing thousands of children to fight as soldiers in the LRA.

Kony said he wanted to install a government based on the biblical 10 commandments, and he was fighting for the rights of the Acholi people in northern Uganda.

But his rebel group was notorious for hacking off their victims' limbs or parts of their faces.

Kony's notoriety increased in 2012 because of a social media campaign to highlight the LRA's alleged atrocities.

Despite those efforts, and years of manhunts, he remains a fugitive.

• Joseph Kony - child kidnapper, warlord, 'prophet'

There was silence in the courtroom as the catalogue of charges against him were read out.

They also cover gender-based crimes linked to the treatment of thousands of women and girls, including their enslavement, rape, forced marriage and pregnancy.

The atrocities were allegedly committed in northern Uganda between 2003 and 2004.

"Unfortunately the tentacles of international justice, even though they are lengthy, have not been sufficient to ensure the efficient arrest of fugitives," said the ICC's deputy prosecutor, Mame Mandiaye Niang, at the opening of the case.

"Many victims who had the strength to survive the horrors of civil war have not survived this lengthy wait, others have lost patience, but there are some who have waited for this moment," she added.

According to the prosecution, children were regularly kidnapped on their way to school, from the fields, deprived of their fundamental rights, and forced to kill for Kony's rebel group.

For the first time, the ICC is exercising its power under the Rome Statute, its founding treaty, to move forward without a suspect in custody.

Judges will hear the arguments of the prosecution, defence and representatives of victims. Kony will be represented in absentia by a court-appointed lawyer, before judges decide whether to confirm the charges.

A trial itself, however, cannot begin unless Kony is arrested, and present in court in The Hague.

Legal experts say the hearing could set a precedent for how the ICC handles other fugitives unlikely to be detained.

For survivors of the LRA's violence, the hearing is being watched closely, albeit remotely, on a big screen set up by ICC teams in northern Uganda.

Rights advocates say it validates the suffering of thousands of people who endured the rebel group's reign of terror.

"This is about recognition," said one survivor. "Even if Kony is not in custody, the world is hearing what happened to our communities."

In the case of the LRA, the deputy prosecutor pointed out the scars cut through communities in which "the victim became the perpetrator", but Kony, he said, "remained the main perpetrator until the end."

The LRA was forced out of Uganda by the army in 2005, and the rebels went into what was then Sudan (now South Sudan) and eventually set up camp in the border area with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

They later moved to the Central African Republic, where it is understood they engaged in poaching and illegal mining.

There were attempts by the Ugandan government to strike a peace deal with Kony, but talks fell apart in 2008 because the LRA leader wanted assurances that he and his allies would not be prosecuted.

The ICC's decision to press forward without him present underscores its determination to pursue accountability, even when arrests are difficult to achieve.

The move also highlights the fact that with few other trials in progress, this presents an opportunity to demonstrate that the embattled court is still able to function.

The ICC's top prosecutor is currently on leave while sexual misconduct allegations are investigated, and a series of crippling sanctions have been imposed by the US in response to the ICC issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister.

More BBC stories on Uganda:

• Why Uganda might have the world's most passionate Arsenal fans
• Why Uganda's iconic crested crane faces extinction
• 'My best friend went to work - and was crushed to death by rubbish'

Go 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

The chair of Ferrari and Stellantis has agreed to do one year of community service and jointly pay millions of euros to settle a dispute over inheritance tax in Italy.

John Elkann and his siblings Lapo and Ginerva will pay €183m (£159m) to Italian tax authorities, Italian prosecutors said, according to multiple media reports.

Mr Elkann's lawyer said the agreement did not include an admission of liability from the Ferrari chair and his siblings.

He said the prosecutors' decisions were an opportunity to bring "this painful affair to a swift and definitive close".

Mr Elkann, a member of one of the most powerful families in Italy, is the grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former boss of Fiat.

The tax dispute relates to the estate of Mr Elkann's grandmother, Marella Caracciolo, who died in 2019.

Mr Elkann will need to suggest where he could do his community service, which Reuters reported could include helping at a centre for the elderly or a centre helping people with drug addiction.

Paolo Siniscalchi, the Elkanns' attorney, said in a statement to the BBC: "John Elkann's request for probation must be viewed in this context and does not entail, just as the settlement with the tax authorities does not, any admission of responsibility.

"If this request is granted, the proceedings against him will be suspended, and upon the successful completion of the probationary period, will conclude with a ruling extinguishing all the charges for which John Elkann is currently under investigation.

"This outcome would mirror that of his siblings Ginevra and Lapo, for whom dismissal of charges has been requested."

Prosecutors had alleged the Elkann siblings failed to declare roughly €1bn in assets and €248.5m in income, on the basis their grandmother was a Swiss resident.

Prosecutors on Monday accepted the agreement to pay millions, and have asked the judge to drop a criminal case against Mr Elkann's brother and sister, which was dismissed.

The case stems from a wider dispute between the Elkann siblings and their mother, Margherita Agnelli over the estate of Gianni Agnelli. A civil case is ongoing.

Mr Agnelli died more than 20 years ago after building Fiat up from a small car manufacturer into a major conglomerate.

Ms Agnelli, who inherited €1.2bn euros, has been fighting to overturn agreements she signed in 2004 after her father's death in an attempt to ensure that money goes to her five children from a second marriage and not to her three eldest.

Ms Agnelli's lawyers said in a statement that they welcomed the outcome of these tax and criminal proceedings.

Mr Elkann is the oldest of Ms Agnelli's children. He has been chair of Stellantis since 2021, and became chair of Ferrari in 2018, according to Stellantis.

He first joined Fiat's board in 1997 and was previously the company's chair.

Rebels linked to the Islamic State (IS) group have killed more than 50 people at a funeral ceremony in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials have said.

Most of the victims were hacked with machetes in the night-time assault by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on a village in North Kivu province, officials added.

This is the latest in a string of attacks linked to the ADF, raising fears that its insurgency is growing in strength.

The ADF emerged in Uganda in the 1990s, accusing the government there of persecuting Muslims. It is now based across the border in DR Congo and carries out attacks in both countries.

"I can confirm a provisional death toll of 50. The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony in the village of Ntoyo," Macaire Sivikunula, a local administrator, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

DR Congo army spokesman Lieutenant Marc Elongo said the ADF fighters had "already committed the massacre" by the time soldiers intervened during Monday night's attack, Reuters reported.

A local broadcaster, Radio Mishapi Voice, quoted witnesses as saying there was "utter carnage" in the village, and some people were also burnt in their homes.

The ADF has not yet commented.

The group is affiliated to the Islamic State's Central African Province.

More than 40 people, including nine children, were killed in an attack by its fighters in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July, the UN and the military said at the time.

Most of them were worshippers taking part in a night vigil at a church in the town of Komanda when they were attacked.

According to research by BBC Monitoring, nearly 90% of IS operations are now carried out by affiliates in Africa.

You may also be interested in:

• ADF: The Ugandan rebels working with IS in DR Congo
• Inside view of the IS-linked ADF rebels
• How Islamic State has expanded into Central Africa

Go 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

Israel has carried out a strike targeting the senior leadership of Hamas in Qatar's capital, Doha.

A Hamas official told the BBC that members of the Palestinian armed group's negotiating team were targeted during a meeting. It was not clear whether any of them were killed, but photos showed a badly damaged building in the northern Katara district.

The Israeli military accused the Hamas leaders of being directly responsible for the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and of orchestrating the ensuing war in Gaza.

Qatar strongly condemned what it called the "cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas".

"This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar," a foreign ministry statement said.

The Gulf state - a key US ally in the region that is the location of a major American air base - has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012 and has served as a mediator in indirect negotiations between the group and Israel.

• Latest updates on Doha strike
• Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of ground assault
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UN Secretary General António Guterres also condemned the strike, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stressed that what it called the "action against the top terrorist chiefs" of Hamas was a "a wholly independent Israeli operation".

"Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility," a statement said.

A senior Israeli official told Israeli media that the Hamas members targeted included Khalil al-Hayya, the chief negotiator and exiled Gaza leader, and Zaher Jabarin, the exiled West Bank leader.

"We are awaiting the results of the strike. There is a consensus among the political and security leadership," the official added.

On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas leaders living abroad that they faced "annihilation" and Gaza would be destroyed if the group did not release its hostages and lay down its arms.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

French President Emmanuel Macron has come under pressure to name a new prime minister quickly after François Bayrou lost a vote of no confidence and on Tuesday handed him his resignation.

The fall of Bayrou's government came as no surprise, because a majority in France's hung parliament staunchly opposed Bayrou's bid to bring down France's spiralling debt with €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

But Macron is still faced with one of the highest budget deficits in the eurozone and mounting criticism from political opponents.

France is also facing a day of protests on Wednesday from a nebulous grassroots movement called Bloquons Tout - "Let's Block Everything", and authorities are planning to deploy 80,000 police.

As Monday's confidence vote was called by Bayrou himself, Macron has had weeks to prepare his next step. He has already made clear he will choose a new prime minister in the coming days - the fifth since he won a second term as president in 2022.

Whoever the president ends up choosing will be in the unenviable position of having to face a hung parliament split into three factions deeply at odds with one another.

None has a majority and several are clamouring for fresh elections instead of a new prime minister.

Speculation over potential frontrunners began swirling even before Bayrou's government fell, with names from Assembly speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet to current defence minister Sébastien Lecornu being floated.

However, commentators believe Macron will need support from the left or centre-left camp to ensure support from the Socialists and the centrists and give the new prime minister a fighting chance of passing a much-needed budget tackling France's debt.

Read more: France in fresh political crisis after MPs oust prime minister

Macron ally and ex-prime minister Gabriel Attal has deplored the "state of permanent instability" plaguing France and urged Macron to find a technocrat "negotiator" to find common ground between political leaders together before naming a prime minister.

Attal's suggestion was immediately rubbished as "total nonsense" by Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally who is among those calling for fresh parliamentary elections.

But a new vote at this stage was implicitly rejected by Macron promising a new prime minister would be announced "in a matter of days".

His statement reflected an urgent need for France to regain some stability as the country faces market jitters, protests and large-scale industrial action.

Authorities are bracing for nationwide disruption on Wednesday, with the Bloquons Tout movement urging citizens to bring the country to a standstill through protest and acts of civil disobedience against "austerity, contempt and humiliation".

Although it is unclear how many people will heed the group's call, on Tuesday right-wing interior minister Bruno Retailleau acknowledged 100,000 could take part across France and promised to mobilise police to face "organised and seasoned groups who seek violence".

More co-ordinated action is expected next week. Trade unions have called a strike to protest the government's "brutal" budget plans, lamenting that France "has been sinking into a profound social and democratic crisis".

Blaming the radical left headed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon for creating an "insurrectionist mood", Bruno Retailleau warned that September "could lead to all kinds of excesses".

France is also bracing for a decision on Friday from credit agency Fitch, which could see its rating demoted and make it more costly to borrow money. France's public debt rose to €3.3tn earlier this year, which is 114% of its economic output or GDP.

"We need a prime minister to embody power – and very quickly," said Retailleau. "It's crucial, including in terms of maintaining order."

On Tuesday morning Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez said pig heads had been found outside nine mosques in the region. Pigs are considered by Muslims to be impure, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo denounced the incidents as "racist acts".

Nuñez said he "couldn't help but make a link" with previous incidents which were later proven to have been "acts of foreign interference".

"An action of such magnitude, carried out simultaneously by several people, raises questions," he said.

The chair of Ferrari and Stellantis has agreed to do one year of community service and jointly pay millions of euros to settle a dispute over inheritance tax in Italy.

John Elkann and his siblings Lapo and Ginerva will pay €183m (£159m) to Italian tax authorities, Italian prosecutors said, according to multiple media reports.

Mr Elkann's lawyer said the agreement did not include an admission of liability from the Ferrari chair and his siblings.

He said the prosecutors' decisions were an opportunity to bring "this painful affair to a swift and definitive close".

Mr Elkann, a member of one of the most powerful families in Italy, is the grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former boss of Fiat.

The tax dispute relates to the estate of Mr Elkann's grandmother, Marella Caracciolo, who died in 2019.

Mr Elkann will need to suggest where he could do his community service, which Reuters reported could include helping at a centre for the elderly or a centre helping people with drug addiction.

Paolo Siniscalchi, the Elkanns' attorney, said in a statement to the BBC: "John Elkann's request for probation must be viewed in this context and does not entail, just as the settlement with the tax authorities does not, any admission of responsibility.

"If this request is granted, the proceedings against him will be suspended, and upon the successful completion of the probationary period, will conclude with a ruling extinguishing all the charges for which John Elkann is currently under investigation.

"This outcome would mirror that of his siblings Ginevra and Lapo, for whom dismissal of charges has been requested."

Prosecutors had alleged the Elkann siblings failed to declare roughly €1bn in assets and €248.5m in income, on the basis their grandmother was a Swiss resident.

Prosecutors on Monday accepted the agreement to pay millions, and have asked the judge to drop a criminal case against Mr Elkann's brother and sister, which was dismissed.

The case stems from a wider dispute between the Elkann siblings and their mother, Margherita Agnelli over the estate of Gianni Agnelli. A civil case is ongoing.

Mr Agnelli died more than 20 years ago after building Fiat up from a small car manufacturer into a major conglomerate.

Ms Agnelli, who inherited €1.2bn euros, has been fighting to overturn agreements she signed in 2004 after her father's death in an attempt to ensure that money goes to her five children from a second marriage and not to her three eldest.

Ms Agnelli's lawyers said in a statement that they welcomed the outcome of these tax and criminal proceedings.

Mr Elkann is the oldest of Ms Agnelli's children. He has been chair of Stellantis since 2021, and became chair of Ferrari in 2018, according to Stellantis.

He first joined Fiat's board in 1997 and was previously the company's chair.

Democrats in Congress have released a note they say US President Donald Trump sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Lawyers for Epstein's estate sent documents to the House Oversight Committee after they were subpoenaed last month.

Democratic members of the committee then posted the letter on X on Monday.

It comes after the Wall Street Journal published details of the note in July. Trump said it was "a fake thing" and denied writing it.

"These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures," he said at the time.

The signed note says: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

The committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Trump filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's reporters, publisher and executives, including News Corp's owner Rupert Murdoch, after the newspaper published its story in the summer.

The newspaper's publisher Dow Jones said at the time it had "full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting".

The BBC has reached out to the White House for comment, as well as Trump's personal attorneys.

On X, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted several images of Trump's signature on Monday.

"Time for @newscorp to open that checkbook, it's not his signature. DEFAMATION!" Budowich wrote.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell created the birthday book for the financier in 2003.

It contained submissions from various Epstein acquaintances, including a note allegedly bearing the name of Trump, who was then his friend.

Trump and Epstein were friendly for years, but the president has said he fell out with him in the early 2000s after the financier poached employees from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Epstein was first criminally indicted in 2006 in Florida on a state felony charge of solicitation of prostitution.

A US congressional panel has released a redacted copy of an alleged "birthday book" given to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 celebrating his fiftieth birthday.

The book was released with a trove of documents that include the late convicted paedophile financier's will and his personal address book - with contacts that include royalty, politicians across the globe, celebrities and models.

The 238-page book contains messages and photos sent by many of Epstein's friends, including a letter carrying a signature resembling US President Donald Trump's. Trump has denied ever writing the birthday note.

Epstein, a well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, was found dead by suicide in 2019 while awaiting a trial for sex trafficking.

What was released and why now?

The House Oversight Committee last month issued a legal summons for the executors of Epstein's estate to produce a number of documents, including a birthday book which contains the note purportedly from Trump.

Lawyers for the estate sent documents to the committee afterwards.

On Monday, the committee released the alleged birthday book as well as Epstein's will, entries from his contact books containing addresses from 1990 to 2019, and a non-prosecution agreement signed by him.

The release came with a note from the committee's chairman James Comer, which criticised Democratic members of the committee who earlier on Monday released pages of the book that purportedly contained Trump's signature. The White House denied Trump was involved with the note and said the signature on the note did not match that of the president.

Comer said the Democracts were "cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate".

Who wrote in the alleged birthday book?

Entries from 40 people, divided into several categories such as "friends", "business", "science" and "Brooklyn", were published, though the names under "family" and "girl friends" were redacted.

These people are not accused of any legal wrongdoing in connection with Epstein's case.

The alleged Donald Trump entry which appears on page 165, contains a signed note, with the final line reading: "Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret."

A woman's body was drawn around the text. This matches descriptions by the Wall Street Journal which first reported the letter in July.

The White House said the president "did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it."

The document also contained a message which appears to have been written by former US President Bill Clinton. The author wrote about Epstein's "childlike curiosity" and a "drive to make a difference".

Clinton's office has not responded to a BBC request for comment.

The entry by Lord Peter Mandelson, currently the UK ambassador to the US, calls Epstein "my best pal" and includes several photographs.

Alongside one picture of Lord Mandelson with two women, whose faces are obscured, he writes about meeting Epstein's interesting – in inverted commas – friends.

An official spokesperson for Lord Mandelson has told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein," adding: "This connection has been a matter of public record for some time."

There isn't a letter from Prince Andrew. But an entry from an unidentified woman says that thanks to Epstein she had met the Prince, Bill Clinton and Trump. The woman goes on to say she has "seen the private quarters of Buckingham Palace" and "sat on the Queen of England's throne." Prince Andrew has previously denied any wrongdoing.

What are the other entries about?

There's a wide range of content from people from all walks of life - from occupants of the White House to women working as masseuses.

An unidentified woman recalled how she was a 22-year-old restaurant hostess until she met Epstein, after which she travelled the world and met many notable people including royals.

There were also photos of Epstein throughout the years - from his private jet to a random Asian medicine shop, and him embracing women whose faces were redacted.

Others sent him photos, some containing lewd scenes featuring wild animals from a safari including zebras and lions.

Israel has warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

The military's Arabic spokesman told as many as one million Palestinians living in Gaza's biggest urban centre to evacuate southwards. "Remaining in the area is extremely dangerous," he said.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said air strikes that had destroyed high-rise buildings in Gaza City in recent days were "only the beginning of the main, intensive operation" to capture what he has described as Hamas's last important stronghold.

Hamas said his remarks amounted to a "public demonstration of a fully-fledged crime of forced displacement".

Israel's plan to conquer Gaza City has also brought international criticism.

The UN has warned an intensification of the offensive on an area where a famine has already been declared will push civilians into an "even deeper catastrophe".

The message from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) - both in leaflets dropped over Gaza City, and posted on social media by its Arabic spokesman Col Avichay Adraee - was unequivocal.

"To all residents and those present in Gaza City and all its areas, from the Old City and the Tuffah area in the east to the sea in the west: The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas and will operate in Gaza City with great determination, as it has throughout the Gaza Strip," it said.

"For your safety, evacuate immediately," it added.

Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.

The IDF has been told to defeat Hamas after 23 months of war and return the 48 hostages still held by the armed group, of whom 20 are still believed to be alive.

In recent weeks, Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza City have been intensifying.

Overnight, there were further air strikes on buildings the IDF said were being used by Hamas to launch attacks against its troops.

Netanyahu said in a video on Monday afternoon that 50 high-rises had been destroyed in Gaza over the previous two days.

"Now, all of this is only the introduction, only the beginning of the main intensive operation - the ground incursion of our forces," he added.

"Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to say to the residents of Gaza, listen to me carefully: You have been warned: get out of there!"

Hamas said Netanyahu's remarks were "a public demonstration of a fully-fledged crime of forced displacement, carried out under the weight of bombing, massacres, starvation, and death threats".

Photographs showed a stream of people moving south along the coastal road from Gaza City on foot, on donkey carts and in vehicles on Tuesday, but there was no sign of a mass exodus.

Hanaa, a mother of three, told the BBC she did not know where to take her family so she was holding out until they were in "real danger".

"If I knew [somewhere to go], I would have left [by now] and taken my family and my children," she said.

Hanaa lost her own home in Israeli bombing at the beginning of the war and has since been displaced with relatives.

She said "nothing can describe" how she and her loved ones were feeling now.

Razan Salha, a student, said she had fled Gaza City two days ago due to the bombardment and was now sharing a room with about 20 relatives in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

"We moved by car at a price of $375 (£276). Not everyone was displaced - there are still people in Gaza City because they haven't got any place to go or there is no transportation at a suitable price," she told the BBC in a voice note.

Razan said the "instability and homelessness" had left her "very, very tired", adding: "I've lost my hope."

Last week, UN agencies and their humanitarian partners said the announcement of intensified Israeli military operations in Gaza City on 7 August was "having horrific humanitarian consequences for people in displacement sites".

They warned many households were unable to move due to high costs and logistical challenges, as well as a lack of safe space. And they said ordering hundreds of thousands to move south could amount to forcible transfer under international law.

On Sunday, they reported that more than 97,000 people had been newly displaced since 14 August. But only 50,000 had been observed crossing from northern to southern Gaza, as the Israeli military has instructed.

The IDF has told them to go to a newly designated "humanitarian area" in al-Mawasi.

It has said the area includes essential infrastructure, including field hospitals and water pipelines, and that supplies of food, tents and medicines will be delivered there in co-ordination with international organisations.

However, al-Mawasi has been repeatedly bombed by Israeli forces during the war and the UN says nowhere in Gaza can be considered "safe".

The UN has also warned that the tent camps there are already overcrowded and local hospitals are operating at several times their capacity.

It has said a limited number of tents have been delivered in recent weeks, but many more are needed for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

The UN has said Israel - which controls Gaza's border crossings - must also allow in enough food and other supplies to halt the spread of famine.

On Sunday, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned there was a narrow window until the end of September to prevent famine from expanding to the central city or Deir al-Balah and southern city of Khan Younis, and the window was "closing fast".

Since UN-backed global food security experts confirmed a famine in Gaza City on 22 August, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has reported that at least 121 people have died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory.

Israel has said it is expanding its efforts to facilitate aid deliveries and has disputed the health ministry's figures on malnutrition-related deaths.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

Police have released the first images of what they believe is one of many campsites where a New Zealand father on the run hid with his three children for years.

Two of Tom Phillips' children were found at the site in the Waikato region on Monday, hours after he was killed in a shootout with the police.

Police found them with the help of the third child, who was with Phillips when he died. They said the children are "doing well", but will take time to recover from the ordeal.

Shortly before Christmas in 2021, Phillips disappeared with his children – Jayda, Maverick, and Ember, then aged eight, seven and five respectively. Police believe he did so after losing legal custody of them.

Phillips had "no regard" for the children's safety and "quite literally put [them] in harm's way", Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told the media on Tuesday, adding that they are now in the care of authorities.

A stash of firearms and ammunition were also found at the campsite, which is surrounded by dense vegetation. Two quad bikes are pictured parked among trees.

By the time authorities arrived at the site, the search for the two children had been under way for nearly 12 hours.

In the early hours of Monday, police responded to a report of an attempted burglary at a rural farm supply shop in the small town of Piopio. And that is where they entered into a shootout with Mr Phillips. An officer was seriously injured after Phillips fired at him with a high-powered rifle. Mr Chambers said police have "absolutely no doubt" it was intended to kill the officer.

The injured officer has undergone a series of surgeries but still has a long road to recovery ahead of him, Mr Chambers said.

Phillips' case has gripped New Zealand since the day he became a fugitive nearly four years ago, and although Monday's events suggest the mystery has drawn to a close, police are still looking for answers.

They are trying to find out how Phillips, believed to be in his late 30s this year, evaded capture despite a nationwide search and multiple sightings - and, crucially, how he was able to access firearms.

Authorities did not address reporters' questions on Tuesday about whether the children's mother, known in news reports only as Cat, and members of Phillips' extended family are in touch with the children.

"Our priority is to make sure these children are looked after and that there is a careful plan, with everyone becoming involved at the right time," Police Minister Mark Mitchell said.

"They have seen and been exposed to things that children in our country should not be."

Warwick Morehu from New Zealand's Ministry for Children added, "These children will be provided with whatever help or assistance they need, for however long they may need it".

On Monday, the children's mother was quoted by local media outlet RNZ as saying she was "deeply relieved" that "this ordeal has come to an end" after missing her children dearly "every day for nearly four years".

But, she continued: "We are saddened by how events unfolded today."