A total of 107 weightlifters have been sanctioned as part of Operation Lims, the highest number of athletes from any sport

More than 300 sanctions have been handed to Russian athletes following the seizure of Moscow laboratory data in 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) says.

The body has now concluded its investigation, dubbed Operation Lims, with 291 athletes sanctioned – and 302 sanctions imposed.

Competitors from 22 sports have been punished by 23 different anti-doping organisations, with weightlifting (107 athletes) and athletics (93) the most frequently sanctioned.

Eleven athletes have received sanctions for multiple violations, while four further cases have been charged but not resolved, with the final judgement still awaited.

"Put simply, Operation Lims is the most successful investigation in anti-doping history," said Wada president Witold Banka.

Wada revealed details of a state-sponsored doping programme in 2015, and declared the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code.

But Wada's executive committee voted to reinstate Rusada in September 2018, subject to a number of strict conditions.

The move was condemned in some circles at the time with one critic calling it "the greatest treachery against clean athletes in Olympic history".

However Wada said that move directly led to their retrieval of 24 terabytes of data from the Moscow lab in January and April 2019.

"The decision taken in 2018 to reinstate Rusada under strict conditions – despite opposition from a vocal minority of critics – was made precisely in order to get to the truth and formed part of a sophisticated investigative strategy," Banka added, external.

"Without that decision, we would never have been able to obtain the critical evidence from the Moscow laboratory needed to prosecute these cases.

"I am pleased to say that history has shown this approach to be effective and that the entire process has been a remarkable success in ensuring fairness for athletes around the world."

While investigating the retrieved material, it was established that some of the data had been manipulated, which ultimately led to Russia being handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events in 2019.

Russia's doping ban ended in 2023, though its teams and competitors were banned by multiple international sporting bodies following the invasion of Ukraine.

Some organisations have begun to allow Russia's athletes to compete under their flag in recent months.

A total of 22 sports were involved in the Operation Lims investigation, with the number of cases per sport as follows:

*Decimal refers to joint biathlon/cross-country skiing case

Russian swimmers permitted to compete under flag

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Pro-Palestinian activists say 22 boats from a flotilla carrying aid for Gaza have been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near the Greek island of Crete.

The organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) denounced the action as "piracy", saying those on board were seized unlawfully more than 965km (600 miles) from Gaza, which is under an Israeli naval blockade.

Israel's foreign ministry said about 175 activists were detained and dismissed the flotilla as a "PR stunt". Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said they would be "disembarked on a Greek beach" later on Thursday.

The GSF's data showed most of the remaining 36 boats in the flotilla were currently close to Crete's south coast.

The flotilla set sail two weeks ago, with a total of 58 vessels joining from Spain, France and Italy, aiming to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

On Thursday, the GSF said Israeli naval forces had "intercepted, boarded, and systematically disabled and destroyed various boats" in the flotilla during a "violent raid in international waters" north-west of Crete overnight.

"Over 180 civilians from around the world have been directly attacked," it added.

"After detaining participants, smashing an engine and jamming communications, the [Israeli forces] retreated, kidnapping participants or intentionally leaving civilians stranded on powerless, broken vessels directly in the path of a massive approaching storm."

Israel insists its actions comply with international law.

The Israeli foreign ministry said that "due to the large numbers of vessels participating in the flotilla and the risk of escalation, and the need to prevent the breach of a lawful blockade, an early action was required".

"The operation was carried out in international waters peacefully and without any casualties. An initial inspection of the vessels revealed materials that appear to be drugs and contraceptives," it added.

The ministry accused the flotilla's organisers of "joining hands" with the Palestinian armed group Hamas "with the aim of sabotaging President Trump's [Gaza] peace plan transition to its second phase and intended to divert attention from Hamas's refusal to disarm".

Later, it said the flotilla had also actively tried to block an Israeli merchant vessel.

Israel's foreign minister then announced that "in co-ordination with the Greek government, the individuals transferred from the flotilla vessels to the Israeli vessel will be disembarked on a Greek beach in the coming hours".

There was no immediate comment from the Greek government.

Its spokesman, Pavlos Marinakis, earlier told a news conference the Israeli naval vessels were outside Greece's territorial waters when the interception happened, and that there was no prior consultation between Israeli and Greek authorities.

"Greek authorities do not have the right to intervene in international waters except in a search and rescue operation. If needed, they are on high alert," he said.

He added that early on Thursday, the Greek coast guard "was informed by its Israeli counterpart that 17 vessels of the flotilla are abandoned and unruly in international waters, and that the people on board are on Israeli warships and are in good health".

Greek centre-left opposition politician Dimitris Mantzos called on the government to explain how it would respond to "this illegal act".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the seizure and demanded Israel immediately release "all the unlawfully detained Italians". Italian media reported that 24 Italians had been detained.

Meloni also called for the "full respect of international law and guarantees on the physical safety of the people on board".

European Union foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni told reporters: "We reiterate our call on Israeli authorities to respect international law, including international humanitarian law and international maritime law."

Tariq Ra'ouf, a Palestinian-American writer and activist, told BBC News Arabic he was on one of the flotilla's support vessels in Greek waters.

"The spirits on board are high, we are determined to keep doing what we can to support the ending of Israel's illegal siege on Gaza," he said.

"I am feeling shocked and dismayed at the impunity of Israel's actions, and how they have managed to break international law repeatedly but most especially this far away from Gaza."

Israel stopped the previous flotilla set up by the GSF from reaching Gaza last October, arresting and then deporting more than 470 people who were on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.

According to the GSF, the latest flotilla's objectives are to "challenge Israel's illegal blockade, advance the opening of a permanent humanitarian corridor, and intensify coordinated international pressure on governments and corporations complicit in its enforcement".

Cogat, the Israeli defence body that controls Gaza's land crossings, said Israel was facilitating the entry of aid into Gaza and that there was "no limit on the amount of aid that can enter".

Earlier this week, a senior UN official warned that the situation in Gaza was steadily worsening, with the territory's 2.1 million population "facing ongoing and deadly Israeli strikes and dire humanitarian conditions".

"While some improvements in access and aid delivery have been observed in recent weeks, unpredictable access, limited operational crossings, and restrictions on critical humanitarian items termed as 'dual use' by Israel continue to constrain UN response," UN Assistant Secretary General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council.

"Food security remains a challenge, while essential services, particularly water, sanitation, and health, are again on the brink of collapse," he added.

Last August, experts from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed there was a famine in Gaza City.

In December, they said there had been improvements in nutrition and food supplies following a ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas in October as part of Trump's Gaza peace plan, but that 100,000 people were still experiencing catastrophic conditions. That figure was projected to decrease to 1,900 by mid-April.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, during which more than 72,600 people have been killed, including 824 since the start of the ceasefire, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

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Higgins wins last frame of session to level

John Higgins produced a battling display to fight back from 3-1 down to draw level at 4-4 against Shaun Murphy in the opening session of their World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

It was far from fluent from the four-time world champion, whose highest break of 50 gave him the eighth frame of the contest.

Indeed, for most of Thursday afternoon he appeared to still be feeling the effects of his late-night quarter-final victory over Neil Robertson.

Higgins, who turns 51 in May and is the oldest semi-finalist since Ray Reardon back in 1985, was still at the Crucible after midnight on Wednesday and it told as failed to make a number of easy pots in an error-strewn showing.

However, not for the first time in the tournament, he exhibited all his resolve and granite matchplay qualities that makes him such a dangerous opponent.

Their best-of-33 encounter resumes on Friday at 10:00 BST, with the remaining last-four match, between China's Wu Yize and Northern Ireland's Mark Allen, starting at 19:00 on Thursday.

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England's Murphy, who won the world title in 2005, looked in total control when he enjoyed runs of 68, 69 and 100 to move 3-1 ahead at the mid-session interval.

At that stage the world number eight appeared to be on the way to constructing a significant overnight advantage, but he too was guilty of several loose shots that allowed Higgins a route back in his 100th match at snooker's most prestigious venue.

The Scot took two scrappy frames to get back to 3-3 and then responded again, with a 40 and a half-century in the final frame, to ensure he was not behind at the end of an opening session for the first time in this year's tournament.

Murphy misses 'the easiest of pots' to allow Higgins back in

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry on BBC Two

In a funny way, Shaun will be not too disappointed, because he's not played well and he's still not behind.

John might have played better, and then Shaun might have been punished for his mistakes, but he's not been punished severely and it's honours even.

It has to get better than it was today, it wasn't a great session. John's cue ball was pretty loose for him and Shaun missed too many easy balls.

Both players will definitely improve. We have seen throughout the championship John Higgins gets better as the match goes on, and it is something he has done his whole career.

Shaun Murphy will be disappointed after the heights he hit against Zhao Xintong.

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