it's newsday.— singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsda . ., ., it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. _ we begin in israel, where we begin our programme, as israel continues its mass mobilisation of troops, hundreds of thousands, on the southern border with gaza, the widespread expectation that a ground offensive across the frontier maybe coming. but the un is calling for essential supplies to be allowed into the territory, where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, as israel enforces a complete siege. this follows the unprecedented attack, five days ago, in israel, by militants from hamas, a group committed to the destruction of israel, and designated a terror organisation by many western governments, including the uk. at least 1,200 people in israel are now thought to have been killed in the multiple assaults last saturday. at least a thousand palestinians have been killed in retaliatory israeli air strikes. we'll be inside besieged gaza, with our correspondent, rushdi abu alouf. but we begin with a report from our international editor jeremy bowen on the mass israeli troop build—up. and just a warning, his report contains details and images some viewers may find distressing and upsetting. in the fields and farms on the border wire, israel's combat soldiers are creating jumping—off points to invade gaza. late this afternoon at kibbutz be'eri, regular units, and some of more than 300,000 mobilised reservists, were preparing for the order to move in that most israelis believe will come. the build—up that we're seeing here is certainly the clearest evidence that i've witnessed that israel is preparing for a ground operation in gaza. and if you add this to the formation of a war cabinet, you can see the direction they must be going in. israel's allies are gathering. antony blinken, the us secretary of state, is flying in overnight from washington. american support includes weapons, and moving an aircraft carrier battle group closer, to deter iran's allies in lebanon from joining the war. the united states has israel's back. we have the back of the israeli people. we have their back today. we'll have it tomorrow. we will have it every day. james cleverly, britain's foreign secretary, was already here in israel, at a frontline town near gaza. i'm not going to speculate on what support we might want to give. you're not ruling it out there? i'm here to find out what practical support we can give to israel. the foreign secretary was hustled into a shelter when the sirens went. israel has the full square support of its allies after the massacres perpetrated by hamas. in this safe rooms, millions of israelis are praying, waiting, often frightened now that assumptions they had about their safety have crumbled. their government says what it's doing in gaza is defending them, but only a few miles from this family in ashkelon, israel's onslaught raises questions about whether it's breaking the laws of war. in gaza, israel has caused immense damage in only five days. international humanitarian law obliges belligerents to protect civilian lives. israel says all this is legitimate self—defense against hamas. but it's also cut off supplies of water, food, fuel and power to more than two million people and killed hundreds of civilians. outside the main hospital in gaza city, alaa al—khafaji sits with the bodies of his entire close family. they'd moved twice to escape the air strikes until one hit their borrowed apartment at four this morning. translation: i've lost my father, my brother, | my uncle, two cousins, two otherfamily members and my pregnant wife. i'm the only survivor. he said, "we've done nothing." israel insists hamas is to blame for the suffering of palestinians. but accusations that israel is answering the war crimes of hamas with ones of its own have started. back in israel, videos are still emerging from the hamas attack last saturday. security cameras showed two women trying to escape a hamas gunmen. a hamas gunman. somehow, he misses them. armed israelis arrive, and the man who wanted to murder them either retreats or is killed. and at a hospital near tel aviv, signs of the tension in israel. a visiting government minister gets a furious reception. a nurse yells, they've been helped by every kind of civilian, but the government has given them nothing. the military build—up might steady israeli nerves, and the defense minister said tonight we will wipe hamas off the face of the earth. jeremy bowen, bbc news in southern israel. let's now take a look at the scale of destruction in gaza. 0ur scale of destruction in gaza. our inaudible bbc verify has been investigating some of the main targets which include residential buildings and most. he is our security correspondence frank gaza. shows no let up following the deadly hamas raid on saturday. this is what parts of the city look like before those israeli air strikes. and this is what it looks like now after being pulverised from the air now. lets try to put all of this into context with this map of gaza. it is what of the most densely populated places in the world. 2.5 3 million people is crammed into a narrow coastal strips measuring 25 miles long. currently, the borders are closed meaning that nobody can get or out. here are some of the neighbourhoods which have been hit according palestinian and israeli media reports. 0ur it air strikes and in my 25 years of working i was in 20 families. the whole building was shaking all night. kids calling for help. when looking at some buildings targeted in recent days. that include cis woman — the islamic university of gaza. we were able to locate it using the shapes of nearby building. we compare that with what it looked like before and then after last night's air strikes. the israel defence forces said they targeted it because it was camp for prominent building struck is this one — the palestine tower. the idf - this one — the palestine tower. the idf — the israel defence forces — said it housed hamas radio stations and they warned occupants to evacuate before their attack. occupants to evacuate before theirattack. it. occupants to evacuate before their attack. it. the moment of impact was caught on camera by bbc next, let's take a look at this — it is a northern part — the sands. as you can see the housing hit by an israeli air strikes. again, we are able to locate dog location of the pattern. that is what it it is said it was a terrorist attack being used to launch attack. places of worship has this is a mosque before. the israelis have targeted a number of mosques because they say hamas has been using them to hide weapons. this gives you some idea of of the destruction we hundreds of presses on with its plan to destroy the hamas leadership, which in turn seeks given what you just saw, diplomatic corridor to gaza after five days of his rally bombardment. the us says it is having active out as well. for more on the humanitarian situation unfolding in gaza let's bring an 0xfam's associate director of peace and security and is joining associate director of peace and security and isjoining us associate director of peace and security and is joining us live from washington. thank you very much, scott, for your time on bbc news. your teams on the ground? how worrying it really unfortunately hearing less and less from our teams on the ground because electricity is in such short supply but what we are hearing is nothing short of terrifying. you have already heard 260,000 people have been forced from their homes, thou shalt bring in schools in unacceptable conditions. a number of our own staff had homes destroyed. it is difficult to account for everyone's well being. i speaking to a colleague this morning who that humanitarian staff go to to ask and our staff, what can we do, how can we say stave, how can we protect ourselves? and for the first time he said, i do not have any good answers for you. there was nowhere to go that is safe and there is nothing you can do to protect yourself are on the ground. in the circumstances, how confident are you of being created as the thing to bear in mind about humanitarian corridors is we need full and unimpeded. there is a concern if you corridor might become insecure and may be choked. humanitarians will work with what we have got. if there is a corridor open to bring in life—saving aid people will try to make it work but the thing thatis to make it work but the thing that is important to bear in mind is that there is no justification for cutting off, of that powers all of the service sectors in gaza city and throughout the gaza strip. there is no justification and throughout the gaza strip. there is nojustification for that and that is what we will when you say will be pushing for that, when you say will be pushing forthat, however when you say will be pushing for that, however elastic do you feel that scenario is and do you see this happening the signs are not good right now. but already we have seen the impacts and our hope is that the voices of people who are affected and images of will be seen and. already, with the power supply gone, every facet of life is being effected. clean water cannot be properly pumped. remove so diseases spreading. hospital beds are full. medicalsupplies spreading. hospital beds are full. medical supplies are running out on more than 500,000 people have had their primary food source interrupted already. this is the but we are going for the kinds of assistance that people really need as israel stepped up the offensive with the possibility offensive with the possibility of a ground invasion as we are looking at, what is your key concern for the civilian population going forward, very it will become, if it is not already, the situation will become a humanitarian calamity and i need to stay, the situation in israel is a humanitarian calamity. the way people have suffered from attacks over the past we do not work stands in affected by these gaza we will stand with people affected by the violence and we are calling, we are asking all of the parties to the conflict to take a step back, we consider that approaches and the fact that 2.5 million people do not deserve to enjoy this kind thank you for those impacts and that perspective as there have been concerns for several foreign nationals on the ground who were there. 2a thai labourers working near the gaza border were transported... the thai workers say they waited in their homes without electricity for days and with food running out fast, until a volunteer group came to help them. this man says that he has never seen anything like the attack he saw on saturday. anything like the attack he saw on saturday-— anything like the attack he saw on saturda . �* ,, �* on saturday. translation: there was heavy fighting _ on saturday. translation: there was heavy fighting round - on saturday. translation: there was heavy fighting round where i was heavy fighting round where we stayed. we was heavy fighting round where we stayed-— we stayed. we were hiding in a home. we stayed. we were hiding in a home- our _ we stayed. we were hiding in a home. our employers - we stayed. we were hiding in a home. our employers told - we stayed. we were hiding in a home. our employers told us | we stayed. we were hiding in a | home. our employers told us to hunker down, to give our windows and doors shut. bombs fell in our vicinity. the merchants came so close, really close to us but we are lucky to escape. it close to us but we are lucky to esca e. , ., close to us but we are lucky to escae. , ., , . escape. it is not such good news for — escape. it is not such good news for some _ escape. it is not such good news for some other - escape. it is not such good news for some other time | escape. it is not such good - news for some other time thai workers caught up as israel. 39—year—old man died in the attack on saturday and his relatives and neighbours in the tightknit village community in thai province where he came from gathered at his parents's fails to offer condolences. is inconsolable parents say it is the greatest loss of his their lives. translation: i did not want my son to go because i thought it would be dangerous. i feared for his life but he did not listen. he was forced to go because he had a car loan to go because he had a car loan to repay. he wanted to take care of the family and to make them happy. care of the family and to make them happy-— care of the family and to make them happy. translation: he went to israel _ them happy. translation: he went to israel for _ them happy. translation: he went to israel for only - them happy. translation: he went to israel for only three - went to israel for only three months. . ., , months. earlier he told us there were _ months. earlier he told us there were explosions - months. earlier he told us| there were explosions near months. earlier he told us - there were explosions near the banana — there were explosions near the banana plantation there he worked _ banana plantation there he worked but things settled then. but now— worked but things settled then. but now we have lost him. in a short while _ but now we have lost him. in a short while ago _ but now we have lost him. in a short while ago the _ but now we have lost him. in a short while ago the us - short while ago the us secretary of state confirmed that 22 american citizens have been killed in israel. a number of others have been taken hostage by hamas and earlier president biden gave an update on what his administration is doing to secure their release. we want to make it real clear. we're working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts. now the press is going to shout to me and many of you are that what are you doing to bring these get these folks home? if i told you, i wouldn't be able to get them home. folks. there's a lot we're doing. a lot we're doing. i have not given up hope. i'm bringing these folks home. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. looking at some other stories making headlines now and republicans in the us house of representatives nominated steve scalise to be the next speaker of the chamber. this comes after hard—line republicans after ha rd—line republicans forced after hard—line republicans forced out kevin mccarthy. scalise still has a difficult road ahead. he will need the support of the majority of the gop controlled house that has been divided by party infighting. the pentagon announced a new to hundred million dollar aid project that make programme to ukraine including artillery rounds, anti—tank weapons, armour and other equipment. it comes as the ukrainian president told a meeting of nato defence ministers in brussels on wednesday that his forces need more security assistance to get through another wartime winter. new video of how bad a drought has hit an amazon tributary in brazil. low water whether the levels have stranded a barge. —— low water levels have stranded a barge. you're live with bbc news. more now on the israel gaza war. violence is not confined to gaza it has now expanded to the israeli border with lebanon as well. israel says it is reinforced the northern area with thousands of extra troops after the powerful group has beloved fired sales at an army post in retaliation for the death of three of its members in skirmishes this week. a correspondent has the latest from near the border. 0ver correspondent has the latest from near the border. over the last several days there is real anxiety and concern here on the border over another group that, like hamas, has been designated a terrorist organisation by the uk, the us and others and that is hezbollah. even this morning and anti—tank missile was fired across the border and is rarely fighterjets responded by fighter jets responded by targeting fighterjets responded by targeting hamas infrastructure in lebanon. in the last few hours we spent time in a shelter as the sirens went off along the border. a suggestion that there had been a new infiltration from hezbollah across into israel, perhaps drones or fighters but it was met with a sense of nervousness and fear. the problem is if a new front opens up in this war here in the north of israel it risks feeding some of the deep fishes that already exist in this region. hezbollah is supported by iran and anything that starts in the middle east ultimately reverberates around the world. and here is our bbc arabic correspondent.- arabic correspondent. some dama . e arabic correspondent. some damage caused _ arabic correspondent. some damage caused by _ arabic correspondent. some damage caused by israeli. damage caused by israeli shelling on this lebanese border town, several civilian homes were hit. the local mosque was also struck by israeli shelling and a water tank in a nearby village. it supplies the entire village and was it. three civilians were injured however thankfully not severely. this comes after hezbollah claimed the cross—border attack against an israeli mission. hezbollah said that this caused casualties among israeli soldiers and that was in response to an israeli attack two days ago that killed three hezbollah fighters. up until this point this remains a sideshow to what is going on in gaza but hezbollah wants to make it clear that this could change at any moment. they said that attacks on israeli positions are an act of solidarity with the factions fighting israel and an attempt to liberate what remains of occupied lebanese territory from israelis. it is one of the top priorities of western leaders, to make sure that no—one comes to the aid of the palestinian factions fighting israel. and it is hezbollah�*s priority to make sure everybody knows that this remains a possibility. in knows that this remains a possibility-— knows that this remains a ossibili . ., , ., possibility. in more news that we are tracking _ the australian journalist cheng lei has been released, three years after she was detained by china on opaque spying charges. she was working for chinese state television at the time, and the charges against her were never made public, until now. courtney bembridge has more. cheng lei worked as an anchor for china's state run tv station cgtn. here she is speaking in a profile piece filmed inside the cgtn headquarters in beijing. my name is cheng lei. i'm a tv anchor based in beijing, china. but in august 2020, she was arrested. for the first six months, she was held without charge in solitary confinement. but eventually, she was accused of spying and she was charged with illegally supplying state secrets overseas. her plight gained a lot of attention in australia and she was allowed some contact with australian diplomats. it was through one of those conversations that in august this year, she dictated an open letter to the australian public in which she said, i miss the sun in my cell, the sunlight shines through the window, but i can stand in it for only ten hours a year. most of all, i miss my children. well, her release was announced by the australian prime minister, anthony albanese, who said it came after a series of meetings with chinese leaders. this is an outcome that the australian government has been seeking for a long period of time and her return will be warmly welcomed notjust by her family and friends, but by all australians. cheng lei was met at the airport by australia's foreign minister penny wong and a short time later a statement was released on her behalf in which she said. "tight hugs, teary screams. holding my kids in the spring. sunshine. trees shimmy from the breeze. i can see the entirety of sky now. thank you, aussies." well, we also know that chinese authorities have spoken about this. this is china's foreign ministry spokesperson, wang wenbin. and here's a little of what he said. translation: iwould like to emphasise here that the chinese judicial organs heard the relevant cases and handed down their sentences in accordance with the law. the rights enjoyed by the person concerned in accordance with the law have been fully guaranteed. chinese authorities say cheng lei pleaded guilty to the charges, but her supporters maintain her innocence. we know that the trial was held in secret in a chinese court and that australia's ambassador to china was not allowed to witness those proceedings. we also know that china has a conviction rate of more than 99.8%. also important background to this case is that her arrest came at a time of frosty relations between beijing and canberra during the pandemic and those have just started to thaw. this year when a ban on australian exports to china was lifted. well, now australian prime minister anthony albanese has suggested he could very well visit china before the end of the year. scientists from around the world have been waiting for this moment for years. what did nasa manage to bring back to earth last month after a long mission to collect space dust from an asteroid. let's find out from science editor. the moment of truth for nasa, a chance to finally see what they hope will be a treasure trove — the fragments of an asteroid called bennu, and it is exceeding all expectations. this stuff is an astrobiologist�*s dream. just can't wait to get at it, it will be around for generations and generations. we will learn so much about the origin of the solar system, the evolution, and potentially how even life started here on earth. a close—up look at it tiny asteroid green. but what we can learn from it is immense. if we look closer in, the picture on the top left shows water locked up inside hydrated clay minerals. and there's carbon too — the white specks in this blue image. they make up nearly 5% of the space rock. in fact, it is the most carbon ever seen in extraterrestrial material. nasa travelled billions of miles to grab the sample, packing it into a capsule. it landed in the utah desert just over two weeks ago. bennu can tell us about the very beginnings of our solar system. about 4.5 billion years ago all that existed was a swirling cloud of gas and dust. asteroids formed as this material clumped together. some grew bigger, into the planets of our solar system. some asteroids, though, were left over, like bennu, and because it has remained largely unchanged for billions of years, it is like a perfectly preserved time capsule. in this turbulent early period, one idea is asteroids like bennu bombarded the earth, delivering water and and carbon—rich molecules, the building blocks of life. some of the sample will be sent around the world, including to london's natural history museum. how can these samples help us understand how life got started here on earth? we have found they contain a high amount of carbon, so that's really exciting. that's kind of what we were hoping we were going to see. the next step is how much water is locked up within those minerals, what is the composition of that water, does it match what we see here on earth? that is kind of the smoking gun for us. to look for water reservoirs in the solar system that kind of match what we have here on earth. hello. some fresh autumn weather on the way. chilly even for some of us in northern parts of the uk, but certainly nothing out of the ordinary. it's been so mild across many parts of the country so far this month. so we're back to really where we should be this time of the year. so this is what's happening on thursday. this is the air mass, the temperature of the atmosphere. so still some warmth and humidity across the south. in fact, temporarily thursday into friday, we'll see a resurgence of that warmth as the wind direction changes temporarily from the southwest. but then come saturday and sunday, it's a northerly and that autumn chill arrives touch of frost across northern areas by night, even a little bit of wintry ness across the scottish hills. so let's have a look at the forecast then through the early hours, really quite cloudy and wet across some southern parts of the uk. but to the north of that it's generally clear and chilly. in the glens of scotland, temperatures barely above freezing, but most of our northern towns and cities around three to four degrees celsius in the south, on the south coast, it's still really quite mild sort of remnants of that warmth leftover, but a lot of cloud during the day, little dribs and drabs of rain. and then i think across much of yorkshire, northern ireland, the bulk of scotland, a bright if not sunny day, just scattered fairweather clouds, i3, ia, still 18 in the south. but then come the evening, widespread heavy rain sweeps into many parts of england and wales, a really wet thursday night into friday. really complicated weather map here. 0n the one hand, we have a weather front coming in, a low pressure from the south and we've got a cold front coming in from the north. you can just about see it here. so i think for a time wet in the morning on friday, temporarily, that warmth, it literally clips the southeast with temperatures up to 20 in london, 19 in norwich. but the colder autumn air arrives in scotland, northern ireland and northern england as well. so it's a northerly temporarily or northern, but northerly, but then into next week, high pressure builds and we're right in the middle in the centre of this area of high pressure. so that means the winds will be generally light, there'll be a lot of sunshine around. so it's going to feel very, very pleasant indeed. i think a lot of crisp autumn sunshine on the way. that's it for me. bye bye. the federal reserve strikes a cautious tone as it navigates an uncertain path for the world's biggest economy. an indian officials arrested chinese employee of the smart phone maker vivo in delhi as tensions flare between the two countries. hello and welcome to asia business report. we start with global markets because despite uncertainty caused by the israel hamas crisis, the mood on trading floors across asia, europe as well as the united states has improved, compared to the beginning of the trading week. 0il compared to the beginning of the trading week. oil prices for one have fallen more than 2%, as fears of disruption to supplies due to conflict calmed