Kamala Harris names Tim Walz as running mate, Yahya Sinwar leads Hamas. Yesterday's news overview

It happened while you were sleeping. Here’s what global agencies reported on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

• Kamala Harris, whom the delegates at the Democratic Party Convention officially selected as the party's presidential candidate on Monday, introduced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential candidate during a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday. After President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for the White House, Harris, running for the highest office in the land, declared to the cheering crowds that she was seeking a "a leader who will help unite our nation and move us forward, a fighter for the middle class, a patriot, who believes as I do in the extraordinary promise of America."

• Palestinian Hamas announced on Tuesday that Yahya Sinwar has become the new political leader of the movement, replacing Ismail Haniyeh, who died on Wednesday in Tehran in an attack attributed to Israel. Sinwar was previously the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He is considered one of the architects of the attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

• Record rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Debby led to rescue operations involving hundreds of people trapped in flooded homes. At least five people have died so far, four in Florida – including two children – and one in Georgia. President Joe Biden authorised the governors of both states and South Carolina to declare a state of emergency.

• The USA basketball team, vying for its fifth consecutive gold at the Olympics in Paris, defeated Brazil 122:87 in the quarter-finals and was the last to advance to the semi-finals. On Thursday, they will face the world runners-up, Serbia. In the other semi-final matchup, the Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo, France, will play against Germany.