Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News Now 20240925

Northern israel as hezbollah launches new rocket attacks. There are israeli Air Strikes on hezbollah and continuing through the night after the deadliest day of conflict in decades, more than 500 people reported to have died. Tens of thousands of people On The Road leaving Southern Lebanon after israel wants people to evacuate. Sir Keir Starmer will use the Labour Conference Speech to say there is light at The End of there is light at The End of the tub at The End of the tunnel. Here in the uk, Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to give his first Labour Conference Speech as Prime Minister. He will say there is light at The End of the tunnel in the form of faster economic growth and falling nhs Waiting Lists but hell warn there are no easy answers. Lets cross live to the conference and our political correspondent alex forsyth. The penultimate day of the Labour Party Conference and the big Ticket Item is the speech with the Prime Minister which we are expecting in an hour and a half. We have heard from yvette cooper, Home Secretary, joining us now on Bbc News. You have given your speech this morning and a couple of points, you want to halve Knife Crime in a Decade And Violence against women and girls, is this realistic . Hugely ambitious and radical, for the hugely ambitious and radical, for the whole country. We should for the whole country. We should be trying to halve Knife Crime should be trying to halve Knife Crime over ten years, and halve violence crime over ten years, and halve violence against women and girls. Violence against women and girls. 6 violence against women and girls, a national emergency that girls, a national emergency that has girls, a national emergency that has not been treated as such that has not been treated as such. Setting out practical plans such. Setting out practical plans including strengthening the law, to ban ninja swords, crackdown the law, to ban ninja swords, crackdown on online Knife Sates crackdown on online knife sales. Also to tackle violence against sales. Also to tackle violence against women and girls, making sure we against women and girls, making sure we have domestic abuse experts sure we have domestic abuse experts in control rooms so victims experts in control rooms so victims get the immediate and urgent victims get the immediate and urgent response they need. A huge urgent response they need. A huge amount to do but this is about huge amount to do but this is about safer streets for everyone. Another huge challenge is the small boat crossings, 23,000 People Making The Crossing this year. The Prime Minister was in italy looking at the work they are doing for Tunisia And Libya to stop people leaving, are you looking at similar deals with countries other than france to prevent migrants making the crossing . We need to strengthen Border Security we need to strengthen Border Security and go after criminal Gangs Security and go after criminal gangs undermining security and putting gangs undermining security and putting lives at risk. We have seen putting lives at risk. We have seen tragedies in the chanloung with women and children dying in flimsy with women and children dying in flimsy boats. We have set up a new in flimsy boats. We have set up a new border command, its central a new border command, its central work is with other countries, working with Law Enforcement across europe, with italy enforcement across europe, with Itaiy And Enforcement across europe, with italy and working across North Africa italy and working across North Africa and beyond to prevent these africa and beyond to prevent these dangerous journeys taking place these dangerous journeys taking place in these dangerous journeys taking place in the first place and go after place in the first place and go after criminal gangs exploiting people people. It people. It is the prime people. It is the Prime Minister this afternoon, the first for a labour Prime Minister in 15 years, the first time the party has been in government in ia years. He has been accused of being gloomy, we imagine we will hear a shift in tone. Will there be any detail of what the government will do to make people feel better . The Prime Minister will set his speech the Prime Minister will set his speech at the Prime Minister will set his speech at this afternoon. The Things Speech at this afternoon. The things he speech at this afternoon. The things he has been talking about things he has been talking about is things he has been talking about is how we can raise iiving about is how we can raise living standards in future, see Public Living Standards in future, see public services get better with people public services get better with people no longer let down so britain people no longer let down so britain is people no longer let down so britain is working for people across britain is working for people across the country. We have talked across the country. We have talked about the need to build more talked about the need to build more homes, the need to tackle knife more homes, the need to tackle Knife Crime, town centre crime, we have Knife Crime, town centre crime, we have talked about the need to get we have talked about the need to get gb energy going, the problems on transport networks. A huge problems on transport networks. A huge amount under way. In three a huge amount under way. In three months we have been taking three months we have been taking action. This is about looking taking action. This is about looking forward to the future and the looking forward to the future and the opportunities we want to build and the opportunities we want to build in our country together. This is significant for the Labour Party but not wall to wall celebrations, there has been talk about freebies, the pay of Sue Gray and senior staff, the Winter Fuel payments. It has been bumpier than you expected. Is this a government that has got a grip . We have had three months in government. Already we have taken government. Already we have taken a government. Already we have taken a series of decisions and make taken a series of decisions and make sure taken a series of decisions and make sure we have got work under make sure we have got work under way across the board. Some under way across the board. Some decisions end up being hard some decisions end up being hard which reflects the ia years hard which reflects the Ia Years Of Hard which reflects the ia years of damage the conservatives have done to our country conservatives have done to our country. Things need to be repaired country. Things need to be repaired Step By step. All governments get affected by issues governments get affected by issues that go along the way. We have issues that go along the way. We have these missions we are setting we have these missions we are setting out for the future about setting out for the future about getting the economy growing more strongly, cutting waiting growing more strongly, cutting Waiting Lists, improving the nhs, Waiting Lists, improving the nhs, safer streets for communities across the country. In communities across the country. In Each Communities across the country. In each of communities across the country. In each of those areas we have a government really focused on those a government really focused on those missions. We have to work with communities to make that happen with communities to make that happen. But we should be really proud happen. But we should be really proud of happen. But we should be really proud of our country and optimistic for the future to et optimistic for the future to get those decisions right. Thank get those decisions right. Thank you forjoining us on Bbc News. The Home Secretary at the Labour Party Conference. You heard a sense of optimism and i suspect that is what we will hear from Sir Suspect that is what we will hearfrom Sir Keir Starmer suspect that is what we will hear from Sir Keir Starmer when hear from Sir Keir Starmer when he takes to the stage in an hour and 20 minutes. A shift in tone, still warnings about tough decisions but he is trying to inject a sense of hope and explain to people why the government is doing what it is doing. Join us with reaction to that speech all day on Bbc News. Thank you. Back now to the middle east. We have heard how attacks on hezbollah there will be accelerated, military saying there are strikes on hezbollah growth targets. These are like pictures. His Brother Macro Striking Targets in Northern Israel as well. As we keep an eye on that, let us hear what people in Southern Lebanon, especially those desperate to escape to find safety. Lets speak to nafiseh kohnavard, our correspondent who is in beirut. You are a school where many people are heading, hoping it is said, are they set up for this influx of people . We were here Last Night as well and we can see now more and more people are arriving. The roads were blocked, many of them, it took 12 hours on a road that in normal days should take not more than two hours to arrive. So many had to wait On The Road for 12 hours, 13 hours, to arrive here. Right now, more than 1000 people have been accommodated in this school and it is way more than its capacity. Last night we saw they brought mattresses and blankets and things like that and today they brought Water And Today they brought water and bread. But the doctor we spoke to who is in charge of accommodating these people in this particular school he said that they are short of a lot of food and they cant really cook. They are expecting more waves of displaced people arriving. Just a few minutes ago, we saw a couple of families had to leave, they were instructed to leave to another school. There are several schools and also churches and other places that are now accommodating displaced people. And still more are coming. I have talked to some people, they are On The Road travelling in Southern Lebanon, coming to beirut, but it is not clear if beirut has the capacity to accommodate this many people. What are people saying to you about how long they think they might have to stay for . Is that the real possibility for some they might never be able to return . That is the main concern they have. A few months ago, when the clashes between Hezbollah And Israel started on the 8th of october, right after that, there were displaced people coming from villages on the border, ten kilometres away from the border. They are still stuck in schools there. And now they probably need to leave those schools to come to beirut. It has been 11 months. Some people are displaced already. These people, many of them, when you talk to them, they say they had to leave immediately. They do not know if there is a home to return to any more because the bombardment continued, they dont know if their houses have been bombed or not. More than 3100 houses were bombed, according to idf and also lebanese government, only yesterday in a few hours of strikes. So you can imagine how many, how much destruction has been left by this bombardment. These people are all angry with the international community as they say, with the arab countries they say. They are hopeful that hezbollah can protect them but yesterday when the first wave arrived, the time they first arrived, israel bombed a southern suburb of beirut not far from this school. So there is no feeling of safety. Tha nk you of safety. Thank you forjoining us from beirut. I am looking down at a lot of different live pictures from across the region and i want to show you this one. This is Khan Yunis In Gaza, we must remember is israel is escalating strikes along the northern border, it is continuing with its offensive In Gaza. According to un humanitarian officials israeli Air Attacks have been targeting more areas. Unrwa has warned there will be Health Risk due to lack of Sewage Systems and rainwater systems. The Head Air Vaccination programme is under way after cases of polio. The situation remains incredibly severe. We have a guessjoining me in the incredibly severe. We have a guess joining me in the studio. With me is sam rose, senior Deputy Director of unrwa affairs In Gaza. It must be surreal to be away from gaza at the moment after what you have been through but good to have you in london. 12 people we understand have been killed in the last 2a hours In Gaza. People are describing it as a frozen conflict. Attention is moving to lebanon and the northern border. What is happening In Gaza . Thank you for having me on. The conditions In Gaza remain as desperate as ever. 0ver a1,000 people killed. Close to 100,000 people killed. Close to 100,000 people reported injured. Many Tens Of Thousands with lifelong injuries. The majority of those killed and injured are women, children and the elderly. Nine out of ten people In Gaza are displaced, living in the most awful of conditions. With every day the conflict goes on, conditions get worse, that is the nature of these things. If youre living in The Open for one month is one thing, but for 11 months, you are displaced 12 times, only when the belongings you have on your back. 0ver that period, loved ones have been killed, injured. Your possessions have been destroyed. It becomes more difficult with every passing day. People think it is hot and sunny in the middle east, this is Khan Yunis. It can be bitterly cold and wet in winter. What are your worries with Autumn Drawing in . The rain started if you weeks ago, winter In Gaza is relatively short. But it can be heavy rain showers, it can be cold, people are living in The Open, Hundreds Of Thousands living within metres of the beach, the tides turn, the storm is coming. We have already seen over the past few weeks hundreds of families made homeless, tents and tarpaulins have broken away. Basic living conditions. The water must be contaminated . Absolutely, in the summer months we had concerns about infectious disease because of the heat and pests. Now we are facing a different problem, the Sewage And Garbage piles, 15 metres high, they get washed away. Sewage washes into living areas, into the water table, the aquifers. Essentially everyone is at risk of getting sick. We have seen a Polio Outbreak In Gaza, have managed through a joint effort with the Ministry Of Health and international community, to combat that through the first phase of a Vaccination Campaign. But it will be something next week and will continue until continue. The situation remains difficult, since the 7th of october. Unrwa is the largest 0ctober. Unrwa is the largest humanitarian organisation inside the palestinian territories. There is no way this Vaccination Campaign which protects palestinians and israelis, that campaign would have been able to take place without unrwa. We had over 1000 staff working on that campaign. We run Health Clinics, schools, we are managing hundreds of shelters in which people are. The relationship remains very difficult. Every time we speak with you In Gaza, one question we ask is what do you need . Some days there will be an urgency for something. The answer has always been a ceasefire. I wonder In Gaza whether that conversation is being had now, how close it feels or if it is feasible or if people feel trapped . People feel trapped, a desperate sense of loss, destruction, of emptiness. It feels as if this could go on forever regardless what is happening on the northern border in lebanon. People desperately want it to come to an end. They are losing hope. If you months ago people would say they needed food and water. Now people tell us theyjust need safety. Hopes are becoming increasingly forlorn particularly as we reach the one year anniversary. Looking at the un general assembly, with diplomats talking about prospects for peace. What do people think, they have given up on the international community . They are increasingly losing hope. I would they are increasingly losing hope. Iwould not they are increasingly losing hope. I would not say they have given up completely. What they struggle to comprehend is how the world can see this playing out on tv screens, mobile phones, every single day, to every household in the world, see that people know what is going on. People talk every minute, myself included, about the need for international humanitarian law to be respected, for the rules of war to be adhered to by both sides. But they see no take up for that. They wonder what is left. The majority of the population In Gaza have grown up knowing nothing but the united nations, two thirds are palestinian refugees who go to Health Clinics for vaccinations, education. They asked me what can the un do for us . Refugees on the ground. And staff increasingly asking what is the international community doing to protect them . Thank you forjoining and giving us more time under difficult circumstances. Stay with us, we will have more from the middle east. This is Bbc News. Welcome back. We will keep you up to date with the middle east. If you other stories today. The new study showing the worlds biggest rainforest has lost an area the size of germany and france combined. A new study shows that the worlds biggest rainforest, the amazon, has lost an area the size of germany and france combined to deforestation in four decades. Look at this image a map showing the scale of the brazilian rainforest in 1985. The Dark Green Section is the amazon. Now, look at this the same country in 2023. See how much of the forest has disappeared. Lets speak to Professor Michael sweet, head of the Nature Based Solutions Research Centre at the university of derby. Good to have you with us. It almost needs repeating that the amazon has lost an area the size of germany and france combined. Infour size of germany and france combined. In four decades. Size of germany and france combined. Infour decades. Take us through what is happening to one of the most precious resources . 12. 5 of the amazons cover. Previously people have been talking about deforestation of 17 . It is not unsurprising this value but the first time it has been catalogued in such a reliable method. 0ne Fifth of the entire amazon now gone. It gets worse than that because more and more hectares are at threat. It is thought to be 38 of the forest, on top of that, actually in a degraded state. This is the fault of humankind . Yes, sadly, mostly deforestation associated with agriculture for the most part. Also entwined and linked with aspects of Climate Change which again are human derived, causing the forests to dry out a lot more, with less rain. The amazon on top of losing the trees and biodiversity with that, their rivers are starting to dry out. The amazon is famous for its river, as well as the lungs of our planet. We are now starting to see devastating effects with 120 of The Endangered River Dolphins being found dead as the river subsides. Thank you very much forjoining us. Another report we wanted to bring you up to date is research about the octopus. They have eight legs and they live under the sea. But beyond that, what do you know about octopuses . Well, new research has unveiled some interesting facts about these mysterious sea creatures. Chief among them, they may go hunting with fish. The study shows that some octopuses will organise the aquatic hunting party, and decide what prey theyre going to pursue. Lets speak to Eduardo Sampaio from the Max Planck Institute of animal behaviour, whos Lead Author of the research. There is a lot of love for this research and the octopus it seems. Tell us all about the work you have done. We went to the Red Sea to find these Octopus Hunting with fish and we found these groups move in a stop and go mission, from one place, then the fish will explore around the habitat and look for prey, once they find prey, the octopus joins them and when it does, it does this web over, uses its arms and deploys its web around the rocks or coral that the prey is in. This creates a dire situation for the pay, either it stays in the same place and eventually the octopus gets it, or it tries to flee and one of the fish gets it. The octopus are not afraid to get physical take physical persuasion to keep the fish in line. There is also some exploiters, some fish try to be cheeky and take food without working for it. In this case, the other fish can displace them. Most often it is the octopus that regulates the group and punches the fish. We see the ones that are the biggest free riders get punched the most. When the group is to stab around the octopus and it is relying on the octopus to find food, the octopus will start Punching Fish so the group can move and look for Food Fish so the group can move and look Forfood And Fish so the group can move and look for food and be cooperative. I am afraid we have to meed it there but there are details of your research on the Bbc News website, i encourage you to take a look. Stay with us here on Bbc News. Hello again. Where it was so wet yesterday across parts of england in particular, it is a lot drier today. Mind you, it is fairly cloudy. What we have as we go through the rest of the week is of further rain as we go through the middle part, and it is going to turn colder, especially so by friday, when we will be adding in some Wind Chill to the lower temperatures. So today we have yesterdays low pressure pushing away, another Weather Front moving south across scotland, introducing some rain that will turn showerier as we go through the day, but we could get the Odd Heavy Burst across fife and lothian. Eventually that will get into northern england, and for Northern Ireland, the rest of england and wales it is a mixture of bright spells, sunny intervals and some scattered showers. It is also going to feel fresher than yesterday, especially in the north, because we are starting to pull in a northerly wind behind our Weather Front. That Weather Front is going to continue to sink southwards tonight, with it showers. There will be clear skies around, showers across south West England, drifting into central southern england, and it will be cold enough in sheltered glens and rural parts of Northern Ireland for a touch of frost, as temperatures slip just below freezing. But again, a Cooler Night across the board than recent nights. As we head from wednesday into thursday, you can see how we have got the next low pressure pushing steadily northwards and eastwards, Cooler Air comes in right behind it, across the country, so you will feel the draught literally during the course of friday. But back to wednesday, we have Rain Coming in from the south west. Some of this will be heavy as it pushes into south West England and wales, getting into central, southern england by The End of the day. Moving north, it is bright spells and showers, with temperatures 10 to about 17, so temperatures dipping once again. Into thursday, The Rain continues to push northwards, into northern england, scotland and Northern Ireland. There will be heavy showers following on behind. To the west, some brighter skies, but also, quite blustery winds, especially along the east coast, and these temperatures 11 to about 17 degrees. Moving on, then, into the latter part of the week, it is friday that you will notice the Wind Chill. It will feel cold, and it is going to turn colder as we go through the weekend, with the chance of wet and windy weather coming our way, sunday into monday. Today at one the Death Toll in lebanon rises after this weeks israeli airstrikes on hezbollah. The lebanese government now say 558 people have been killed, 50 of them children. Israels bombardment has seen an exodus of civilians from Southern Lebanon as people flee from their homes. Also on the programme this lunchtime Sir Keir Starmer is about to deliver his first speech as Prime Minister to the Labour Party Conference. He will promise light at The End of the tunnel. The mothers of two young people killed by a riptide off bournemouth Beach Pay Tribute to them at the start of an inquest into their deaths. A Succession Style Struggle within the family of rupert murdoch, as they fight out a Court Case in the us state of nevada. And the Love Boat how a couple who met on a three Year Cruise hit by technical problems are now getting married. And coming up on sportsday later in the hour on Bbc News Bad News for the Manchester City and spain midfielder rodri. He could be out for the rest of the season after picking up a Knee Injury over the weekend