The cross—border strikes have intensified after a series of exploding device attacks on hezbollah members was blamed on israel. We have on—the—ground reporting from both side of the border — first to our chief international correspondent 0rla guerin, who's in beirut. Explosion. Southern lebanon awoke to this. It looks like all—out war. The israeli army says it hit 1,300 hezbollah sites today. There were gaza—style warnings, telling residents to go, including from the israeli leader. Now, starting this morning the idf has warned you to get out of harm's way. I urge you, take this warning seriously. Don't let hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Don't let hezbollah endanger lebanon. Please get out of harm's way now. But where to find safety in the middle of all this? explosion. Screaming. For one man, too late. My siblings and their children were all killed here, he says. The israeli army insists its air strikes are destroying weapons, some hidden in homes, and it accuses hezbollah of using civilians as human shields. 0n the roads from the south, a mass exodus. So many heading to beirut that the motorway became a one—way system. Ahmed says everyone fled his village because of air strikes and destruction. There's no one left, he says, we took our belongings and went. So many new homeless now in this expanding war. In beirut, too, fear on the streets and a rush to get home. Are you feeling afraid? sure, mohammed tells me. I'm afraid for myself, my wife and my five children. I don't know what to do. How long will we be living through this? we can't keep going. Parents were summoned to schools to pick up their children early. There were threats by phone, he says, that they'll hit beirut. Some in the capital have been getting recorded messages telling them to go, including staff at lebanon's information ministry. For months, there have been fears of a wider war. Now, the waiting is over — it's here. Israel's escalation is a huge risk, and notjust for lebanon, but for the entire middle east. 0rla guerin, bbc news, beirut. Israelis living near the border face the daily threat of rocket attacks by hezbollah. 0ur correspondent paul adams is in northern israel, where some evacuees have been housed for almost a year. The jagged remains of a hezbollah rocket. Nothing that happened in israel today remotely compares with events across the border, but hezbollah is hitting back. David had seconds to get his family into the safe room before the rocket came through his roof. The local rabbi comes to offer support. Israel, david says, did not want this war. We don't have a war with them. They start with no reason. So now we are giving back. And it will, in the end, it will be ok. Do you feel lucky today? yes, very lucky. Israel's defence minister has called on the public to show composure and discipline, and listen to the instructions issued by the local authorities. It's only because the family who live here did precisely that that no—one was hurt. Air raid sirens. Across northern israel, sirens wailed and rockets fell. Plenty of near misses. Explosion. The government says it's determined to restore normal life here to allow displaced civilians to return to their homes. But that's not going to happen while hezbollah is still firing rockets deep into israel. Hezbollah, on the 8th of october, started firing at israeli civilians in the northern border, and has been doing this for over 11 months, with 9,000 rockets. And 60,000 israelis have left their homes. We have to act. People were evacuated to this kibbutz a year ago, leaving vulnerable homes along the border. It's supposed to be safer, but today they were taking cover. So that's the second alarm we've had since we got here, what, just about an hour ago. Again we can hear interceptions overhead, and i look at the app here, i can see there are alerts all the place. This area remains in the firing line. If hezbollah chooses to escalate, it could soon be the whole country. Paul adams, bbc news, northern israel. For more, i spoke to emily harding, formerly middle east analyst at the cia, and now deputy director of the international security program at the center for strategic and international studies in washington. What do you make of what we've been seeing in the region? it's the deadliest day of conflict across israel's northern border in nearly two decades. Many people seeing this as a serious escalation. Absolutely, it seems israel is following through on its threat to send hezbollah a strong message. It's really hard to overstate how little tolerance for risk israel has right now, especially on its northern border. Since it made the declaration that it wants to send families back to the north, it seems committed to making the north safe from hezbollah attacks. Just looking at those casualty numbers, nearly 500 killed, 35 children among that number, 1,600 others injured. We know israel issued warnings for people in lebanon to get out of harm's way, but does it appear to you that israel is doing enough to limit impact on civilians? 0ne civilian casualty is too many, one child killed is too many. But israel do provide warning and hezbollah tend to hide weapons in residential areas forjust this reason. I think it's telling that of 500 casualties and 58 were women, which suggests a lot of hezbollah fighters were the ones targeted. While any casualty is a tragedy, it seems israel is at least attempting to minimise civilian casualties. We know israel wants to return those 60,000 displaced people to the north of the country. Can this campaign of force we are seeing now convince hezbollah to de—escalate and stop firing those rockets over the border? probably not. This is the tragic logic of this conflict. Both sides want to prove they are strong and want to have the last word. While i understand israel is deeply traumatised by what it has been through over the last year, it seems like this kind of escalation may not get them what they want very quickly. We know in a head—to—head fight israel would win, but not without a lot of casualties in lebanon and likely not without some casualties inside israel too, so we may be at the beginning of something that's very tragic. How do you view the role of the united states? yesterday, the president said the us doing everything it can to try to de—escalate the situation. Today, we are hearing the us is sending more troops to the region. The us has a short—term role that is limited and a long—term role that is very significant. Short—term, it's getting both sides to say enough is enough, it's time to calm down and maybe stop this round of fighting. The long—term role is trying to help lebanon get back on its feet as a whole. The stronger lebanon is, the central government, the weaker hezbollah will be. They want hezbollah to move back north, so lebanon can be a wonderful and prosperous country in the middle east. It's a beautiful place and it's a shame to see this kind of fighting going on. And foreign ministers from the g7, the world's wealthiest nations, are warning against escalation in the middle east. After meeting on the sidelines of the un's general assembly on monday, they said actions and counter—reactions risk magnifying this dangerous spiral of violence and dragging the entire middle east into a broader regional conflict with unimaginable consequences. The war in ukraine will also likely dominate discussions at the un general asssembly this week. Ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky said that he believes ukraine's two—year—long war with russia is closer to an end. Speaking to abc news on monday, he also pushed for the continued support of allies. It comes before expected meetings this week with us presidentjoe biden, kamala harris and donald trump to present his victory plan to end the conflict. The man accused of a second assassination plot against donald trump wrote a note months earlier stating that he planned to kill the former president. Court documents show the suspect dropped the letter off at the home of an unnamed witness months before the incident. Us federal prosecutors say they'll be charging the suspect with attempting to assassinate a major political candidate. He is already facing two federal gun charges, and was ordered to remain injail ahead of a trial. And on monday, former president trump announced he plans to return to butler, pennsylvania on october 5th, where the first assassination attempt took place injuly. He'll hold a rally at the same location. This comes as we are just six weeks out from election day here in the us, and a new poll from the new york times and siena college shows republican donald trump leading his democratic opponent kamala harris in three key battleground states. Mr trump leads by 5% in arizona, 4% in georgia, and byjust 2% in the state of north carolina, which is within the margin of error. The three states are among seven critical swing states that could decide the 2024 presidential election. Mr trump lost both georgia and arizona to president biden in 2020, but won north carolina, which hasn't voted democratic since barack 0bama in 2008. I've been speaking with molly ball, senior political correspondent at the wall streetjournal. I at the wall streetjournal. Just want to start with ti new i just want to start with that new polling data coming out, still a tight race but what do you make of what we are seeing in the sunbelt states, and a potential lead for donald trump? potential lead for donald trum ? �* , potential lead for donald trum? h. , potential lead for donald trum? �*,. , , , trump? it's not too surprising. We saw before _ trump? it's not too surprising. We saw before he _ trump? it's not too surprising. We saw before he dropped trump? it's not too surprising. We saw before he dropped out| trump? it's not too surprising. I we saw before he dropped out of the race, joe biden was looking to rely much more on the swing states of the upper midwest, michigan, wisconsin and pennsylvania, rather than those southern swing states, whether the south—eastern swing states north carolina and georgia or the south western swing states arizona and nevada. Joe biden was weaker there than the midwest and we see the same pattern with harris. She has looked stronger in the midwestern states. When she first got in the race, there was some sense she might have better ability to do well in those sunbelt states, and she still is within striking distance of trump, but it is looking like a tall order for her. Fora looking like a tall order for her. For a variety of reasons, all of these states are less white, have larger numbers of minority voters, particularly in the south—west, latino voters. That group particularly among minority voters without ology degrees, harris and other democrats struggling in recent years. I5 democrats struggling in recent ears. , democrats struggling in recent ears, ,. ,. , years. Is it looking like kamala _ years. Is it looking like kamala harris years. Is it looking like kamala harris got years. Is it looking like kamala harris got any | years. Is it looking like kamala harris got any bump years. Is it looking like _ kamala harris got any bump from the debate performance? many people felt she won the debate. In our polarised politics, nothing is going to cause a hugejump in the needle unless it is a debate performance like joe biden turned in early in the summer. Incrementally, it did help her. We saw most voters thought she did win the debate, anecdotally many undecided voters that i and my colleagues have spoken to thought she performed well but didn't necessarily close the deal. A lot of voters still say they want more information about her, want to feel like they know her better. Of course she is up against one of the most well known quantities in american politics, if not one of the biggest celebrities in the entire world, donald trump, so it is perhaps natural that people feel like they didn't know her quite as well, particularly given the short duration of her campaign. She certainly didn't hurt herself, and for that reason we see she has continued to call for more debates, because her camp feels it is an advantageous format for her. When she has a chance to speak to voters and contrast herself directly with trump in that way, that she does benefit from the contrast. It that way, that she does benefit from the contrast. — from the contrast. It seems donald trump _ from the contrast. It seems donald trump is _ from the contrast. It seems donald trump is not from the contrast. It seemsj donald trump is not exactly jumping at that invitation right now. We are also hearing the trump campaign has been lobbying lawmakers in nebraska. This is a red state, but it allocates its electoral vote differently. It will split them by district. The trump campaign is wanting winner take all there, how important is it and does it look like it might actually change? it does it look like it might actually change? does it look like it might actually change? it is looking like it probably _ actually change? it is looking like it probably won't actually change? it is looking| like it probably won't change, because one of the legislators in nebraska has declined to give into the pressure to change state system, which it has had for a long time and which many in the state cherish, because it does give them a role that they otherwise wouldn't have it in a presidential election, being overall a solidly red state. This is such a close election, such a close campaign, it could be determined with that single electoral vote. Some of this is just the parlour games that election nerds love to play every four years, but there actually is a nonzero possibility that donald trump and kamala harris could each win 269 electoral votes, and to get to 270, that last single electoral vote in omaha, nebraska could then be decisive. So a lot potentially riding, again in a fairly obscure scenario, but possible simply because this campaign is so close in so many states. It's a cliche, but every vote really does count. 30 seconds left, we want to touch on the house, mikejohnson trying to avoid another shutdown. What is the latest with that? this avoid another shutdown. What is the latest with that?— the latest with that? this has become another _ the latest with that? this has become another groundhog l the latest with that? this has i become another groundhog day experience for us congressional reporters in washington. Perennially, the republicans fighting among themselves, and this threatens the ability of the government to simply remain functioning and operational. They tiptoe up to the deadline and, most of the time, they reach agreement in the end. That has happened here over the weekend. The republicans' opening gambit was a trump endorsed attempt to attach what he called election integrity provisions to the government funding. That failed, and over the weekend a bipartisan agreement was reached between the democrat —controlled senate and the republican—controlled house, which looks like it will keep the covenant open through the end of december and then there will be an unpleasant present waiting to lawmakers after the election. —— keep the government open. Let's look at some other stories making news. Rachel reeves has used her first labour conference speech as chancellor to rule out a return to austerity. She stood by her cuts to winter fuel payments for many pensioners, insisting tough decisions were needed, but she would make fair choices. Ms reeves also outlined the government's plans for a covid corruption minister, to review disupted contracts from the pandemic. Nurses in england have said a pay rise of 5. 5% awarded by the government is not enough. Two thirds of royal college of nursing members who voted online said that the rise was not fair. But the union says it's not planning to ballot its members to see if they want to take strike action. Heavy rain and flash flooding has hit parts of england and wales, causing widespread disruption, including this flood closing the a421 between bedford and milton keynes. Roads and houses across central and southern england were affected, as some areas saw a month's worth of rain in just a few hours. It's thought the worst of the bad weather is now over. You're live with bbc news. The state of california is suing exxonmobil over its alleged role in global plastic waste pollution. In the first lawsuit of its kind, california's attorney general has accused the oil giant of misleading the public about the effectiveness of plastics recycling. The lawsuit seeks to hold exxon accountable for allegedly falsely promoting all plastics as recycleable. Of the a0 million tons of plastic waste generated in the us in 2021, only 5—6% was recycled. In a statement responding to the lawsuit, exxonmobil said that its advanced recycling process is effective and the company has kept more than 60 million pounds of plastic waste out of landfills using the method. The company also blamed california officials for failing to act on a flawed recycling system. I spoke to california's attorney general, rob bonta. Why did you decide to bring this lawsuit against exxonmobil? california brought this lawsuit today because exxonmobil has been involved in a decades—long campaign of deception, in which it has tried to convince the world, including california, that recycling of plastics including single—use plastics is sustainable, it's good for the environment. It is not, they have lied, they have deceived. And it is wrong, so we are suing to hold them accountable for those lies and the damage those lies have caused. They have been involved in pushing sham solutions, manipulating the public, lying to consumers, and it needs to come to an end. They have perpetuated this myth of recycling to help boost their profits, making consumers believe that they can endlessly use plastics because if you put it in the blue bin, it will be recycled and reused and it's good for the environment, you are being a good steward. . . How exactly did exxon do it, you are alleging that they lied, what specifically do you think the company actually did? we have a number of examples, here are three. One, in 1989, they submitted a 12 page layout to time magazine calling for an urgent need for recycling, talking about the fact that plastics are recyclable and they are being recycled and it is a green solution, and people must be more urgent in their need and behaviour to recycle. Placing the burden on everyday people, consumers, when it didn't matter what consumers did for the most part. Only 5% of plastic waste is actually recycled in america. 95% is not. That 95% goes into the environment, our rivers and beaches and oceans, or incinerators and goes to landfill. That is number one. They knew, and we have examples of internal communications where they say, we have a problem, people are seeing plastics pollution, we need a makeover and a new image. Their makeover was recycling. And here is another example of their lying. They started designating the types of plastic that were in their products with what is called a resin number — one, two, three, four, whatever. . . You often see those numbers on plastic packaging with the arrows going around. That's exactly it. The number is the important designation. But they deliberately used the chasing arrow symbols around it. They co—opted the symbol from the recycled paper world. They knew the impact it would have, and it had the impact they wanted — to make the consumer believe that the product is recyclable, when most are not, but it gave comfort to the consumers. Consumers turn over the package in the store, they look at the number, they see the chasing arrows, they conclude in their mind that the product is recyclable, they purchase it because of that, then they conscientiously after they are done using it, put it in the blue bin. Thinking the product will be recycled, and it won't be, 95% of the time. So that is another lie. Just tojump in, we should say exxonmobil have responded and said that california's recycling system itself is ineffective — it said as well, instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfill. I just want to get your response to that. They have had 50 years to stop lying and they haven't done it. To now claim someone else could have done something, to deflect and deny their own responsibility is disappointing though not surprising. It's what they do — they lie, they deceive, today they are engaged in another lie, a new version of an old lie about the myth of recycling, advanced recycling. I'm sure they gave you a statement about that too. They think it actually recycles when it doesn't. We can talk about that if you wish. To talk about other people's conduct is a deflection. This lawsuit is about exxonmobil, what they have done, the lies they have knowingly, intentionally, deliberately continue to perpetuate, year after year. So that they could profit to the tune of $36 billion last year. If people believe they can endlessly use plastic, they would buy more. Exxonmobil would profit more. And that's exactly what has happened so far. More on that story on our website. California's lawsuit against exxon mobil. Mexico's is warning residents along its southern coast to seek shelter after hurricanejohn strengthened into a category 3 storm on monday. The us national hurricane center says it could bring damaging hurricane—force winds, life—threatening storm surge and flash flooding as it threatens to make landfall in the coming hours near the tourist city of puerto escondido. The mexican government is warning of floods and mudslides. Stay with us here on bbc news. Hello. We have seen a lot of extreme rainfall over the last couple of days. Woburn in bedfordshire had 102mm of rain recorded on sunday. Had 102mm of rain but on monday, it was really 0xfordshire's turn to see some absolutely horrendous conditions, widespread flooding and some severe disruption. In south newington in 0xfordshire, we recorded about 98mm through the day — that's about a month and a half's worth of rain. And you can see the rain on the radar picture here. It is gradually easing, and over the next few hours, it will tend to become a lot lighter, a lot patchier, before becoming confined to east anglia and south—east england. So it is an improving — very gradually — kind of weather situation. Bit of rain coming into the far north of scotland. That's a cold front that will be bringing some colder air with it, but these are the kind of temperatures you'll have as you start off your tuesday morning. Tuesday, still some dribs and drabs of rain left over for east anglia and south—east england, but clearing away quite quickly. This area of more substantial rain moves southwards across scotland through the day — that's our cold front. Much colder air spreading to the far north of scotland, where there will be a few afternoon showers. Temperatures just around 10 degrees in aberdeen. 10 as well for stornoway. Further southwards, we're around 1a to 18 celsius. Now, the middle part of the week sees an area of low pressure move in off the atlantic, bringing more heavy rain, particularly targeted on england and wales. 0nce that's cleared through, well, then we start to get some colder air moving right the way across the country. And so for wednesday, it's kind of a day where we will see rain developing from the west, so turning wet across wales, southern and western areas of england through the day. Probably a fair amount of dry weatherfurther northwards with some sunshine, a few showers in the forecast for northern areas of scotland, but it will continue to get colder across those northern areas. And then as we head into wednesday night and thursday, the rain continues to drive its way northwards and eastwards, covering most parts of england and wales with some heavy downpours. The colder air continues to flow in across scotland and northern ireland. So temperatures in belfast, 12. 13 for edinburgh — average at this time of year is 17 degrees, so quite a long way below average. And that colder air is going to move its way southwards across all parts of the country before the end of the week. Welcome to hardtalk. I'm mishal husain. It's nearly 80 years since the founding of the united nations, with cooperation to solve international problems a key purpose. Today, though, we have multiple international crises, with the limitations of the un system laid bare. My guest is martin griffiths, who worked for decades within the un and the wider world of humanitarian aid, shuttling between powerful people, trying to find common ground, seeing for himself the worst of our inhumanity to each other. From cambodia to afghanistan, sudan to gaza, he has seen it all. How does he make sense of the inequalities and the suffering? and how does he think the aid system can survive with funding ever more squeezed?