Plus: A look inside the gang-controlled gold mines of South Africa ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today we're covering reports that Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile towards Ukraine - a first in this war and a further escalation in the conflict. In South Africa, an illegal gold miner tells Nomsa Maseko why he spends months underground with a pick axe and a gun. Plus, read on to learn the eye-watering amount that a banana duct-taped to wall has been sold for. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Kyiv says Russia fired intercontinental ballistic missile | | It's the first time Moscow has used such a weapon in the war. Credit: Reuters | Ukraine's air force has said that Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) towards the country during an attack early this morning. This marks the first time that Russia - which has refused to comment on the reports - has launched this type of long-range missile during the conflict. The air force says the attack targeted Dnipro, where our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams reports from. "It's not clear what it hit," he writes, "although four explosions were heard in the area of a large industrial complex not far from the city centre." ICBMs can travel at least 5,500 km (3,418 miles), meaning they can strike targets virtually anywhere in the world. They can also carry nuclear warheads - our weapons analyst Chris Partridge has more. The launch follow intensifying rhetoric from the Kremlin this week, which analysts say is driven by a desire to show Russia has the upper hand before Donald Trump enters the White House. Political scientist Tatiana Stanovaya, of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, argues that Vladimir Putin "believes he must scare the Western elites to show they are playing with fire".
Follow live: Details are still emerging on the strike. Our live page has all the updates.
Analysis: Trump's return to the White House in two months is looming large over the latest escalations, writes Paul Kirby.
BBC investigation: High-tech war equipment made by a UK firm has been sold to companies in Russia connected to the military, shipped by a Kyrgyzstan-based company seemingly run by a swimwear model, customs documents suggest. | |
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| | | Johannesburg, South Africa |
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| Inside 'ruthless' gang-controlled gold mines | | People who have surfaced from the mine in Stilfontein are reportedly frail and sickly. Credit: Reuters | A mine in the small South African town of Stilfontein, south-west of Johannesburg, is at the centre of global attention after a government minister promised to "smoke out" the hundreds of illegal miners working underground to extract gold. Ndumiso, a 52-year-old man using a pseudonym to avoid reprisals from mining gangs, is one of them. |
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| | | Ndumiso told the BBC that after being laid off by a big mining firm, he decided to join the gang in its underground world to become what is known as a "zama zama", an illegal miner. He digs for the precious metal and surfaces every three months or so to sell it on the black market for a huge profit, earning more than he ever did before - though the risks now are far higher. "The underground life is ruthless. Many do not make it out alive," he said. "In one level of the shaft there are bodies and skeletons. We call that the zama-zama graveyard." But for those who survive, like Ndumiso, the job can be lucrative. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Will Australia's teen social media ban work? |
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| | | There are no details on how the social media ban would be implemented. Credit: Getty Images | The Australian government is proposing to ban social media for children under 16 to protect them from the "harms" of online platforms. While many parents have applauded the move, online safety experts have questioned whether kids should - or even can - be barred from accessing social media. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Independent streak | A history of radicalism is core to the quaint English town where US Founding Father Thomas Paine lived. | |
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And finally... | Maurizio Cattelan's provocative artwork of a banana duct-taped to a wall has fetched $6.2m (£4.9m) at Sotheby's in New York - four times higher than pre-sale estimates. You might have already seen it. And, who knows, you might want to see it again. | |
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Six Steps to Calm | Discover a calmer future with this course of six science-backed techniques, weekly to your inbox. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | US Election Unspun: Cut through the noise in the US presidential election and its global impact, every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe. | | World of Business: Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday. Subscribe. | | The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe. | |
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