And this attack came with no warning. We went to inspect the damage. A residential building near the lebanese parliament. Beirut appears increasingly under threat. This is where an emergency response group linked to hezbollah operated, now gone. There were just emergency service workers. This is the truth. We only saw them helping people out, says mustafa, who lives on the tenth floor of the building hit. The damage in this building gives you a sense of the power of this attack. And they've been cleaning up the rubble here, but we can still see some surgical masks and gloves and bandages as well. And you can probably hear the sound of drones flying overhead. This is a densely populated district here in central beirut. Hasan, who's a teacher, has lived in this neighbourhood for 2h years. There was no hezbollah presence here, military or civilian, he tells me. Hezbollah wasn't present here. These are some of the victims of the attack. They include one rescue officer and two paramedics. The recent israeli air strikes have killed 97 medical workers across lebanon, according to the health minister. The israeli military hasn't commented about this attack, but this hezbollah mp remains defiant. Translation: things i are clear and our position has remained unchanged. We've not deviated an inch from it and we should continue down this path. The cemetery across the street wasn't spared the damage. These days in beirut, there's no peace for the living, or the dead. Hugo bachega, bbc news, beirut. Us presidentjoe biden said thursday that he does not believe an israeli attack on iran is imminent but in an off—the—cuff remark, mr biden also said the us was discussing possible israeli strikes on iranian oil facilities. The cost of brent crude oil jumped 5% after he made that comment. Meanwhile, next monday will mark one year since hamas and other palestinian armed groups attacked israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 200 people hostage. The attack sparked israel's ongoing military campaign in gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 palestinians. One of the most senior leaders of hamas — which is classified a terrorist organistaion by the uk, us and other governments — sat down with the bbc in a rare interview. He said the october 7 attack was justified on the grounds that it brought the palestinian struggle back on to the international agenda. Khalil al—hayya, the deputy chairman of the hamas political bureau, also blamed israeli prime minister netanyahu for the failure to reach a peace deal in gaza. Khalil al—hayya spoke with the bbc�*s international editor, jeremy bowen. Let us go back to the 7th of october last year. Why did hamas attack israel? translation: we had to sound an alarm to the world to tell them that we are a people with a cause and demands. It was a blow to israel, the zionist enemy, and a wake—up call to the international community. We had to do something that would tell the world that there is a people who have been under occupation for decades. Why did your men kill so many civilians — children as well? we ordered our resistance fighters on the 7th of october not to target civilians, women and children. The objective was the occupation soldiers who were always killing, bombing and destroying in gaza. We don't endorse harming civilians. 0n the ground, there were certainly personal mistakes and actions. The fighters may have felt that their lives were in danger. Your men, who weren't in danger — they were standing with terrified civilians who were sitting on the ground and they were standing over them with weapons. That is not a battle. We've all seen how the fighters went into the houses. They spoke to the families. They ate and drank. Sorry, they were shooting them. There are videos. When they went into some of the houses, none of the women and children they dealt with were terrified. Those videos were published by the israeli occupation. They weren't published by us. Almost a year later, gaza is in ruins. There are more than 40,000 dead. Many, many of them are civilians. Your capacity to fight israel has been massively diminished. Was it worth all of that? who's responsible for this? it was the occupation and its army. Who destroyed gaza ? who killed its people? who is now killing civilians in shelters, schools and hospitals? ask the world and those who created international law. We are defending ourselves. If 1,200 people from the occupation are killed, how does thatjustify israel killing 50,000 people and destroying all of gaza? isn't that enough for them? but they are motivated by the lust to kill, to occupy, and the lust to destroy. The israelis say very clearly that they respect the laws of war and they also say that the reason why so many civilians have died is because you and hamas fight from within the civilian population and you use them as human shields. That is not true. They destroyed mosques on top of the heads of their owners when there were no fighters. They destroyed houses and high—rise buildings when no—one was in them. They bombed houses when there was not a single fighter in them. It is all israeli propaganda. Why was it necessary to take more than 250 people hostage in gaza, very many of them civilians, including women and children? one of the goals of the october 7 was to kidnap a small group of israeli soldiers to exchange them for palestinian prisoners. But when the gaza division completely collapsed in the face of the resistance fighters, we took a lot of prisoners. It was not our plan to capture civilians, including women and children. Some of those women who came out said that they were safely assaulted. The orders and ethics of all palestinians and resistance fighters were humanitarian. We are put up according to the islamic religion, culture and national civilisation. We protect them as we protect ourselves. Sexual or non—sexual assault has never been proved. There are numbers of testimonies from women who say they were sexually assaulted — some of the young woman who were taken out of the nova music festival, women saying they were sexually assaulted on the 7th and later on. The evidence is piling up. I told you, the instructions were clear. There may have been abnormal acts by irresponsible people, but these were just allegations. Israel says that under the right circumstances, they would have a ceasefire. What about a ceasefire, for example, where you simply give back the hostages and the war ends? would you accept something like that? that's been talked about, i know. The question is when will netanyahu decide to stop the war? when will the world compel him to stop the war? it is the decision of netanyahu and the israeli occupation to continue the war. You could do it. You could surrender. How can we surrender? people who resist the occupation do not give up. If we surrender, which is impossible, our children, our people won't give up. Why should we surrender? the occupation should stop killing. Reaching a ceasefire deal was within reach on the 2nd ofjuly. Who came up with new conditions? netanyahu. That's why there was no agreement. Gaza is in ruins, tens of thousands of people are dead, israel is now hitting into lebanon and they're feeling strong. You're not winning this, are you? my family, my children, my family, my relatives and my neighbours are in gaza. We see with their eyes. We feel their pain. We cry for their wounds. What hurts them hurts us. If the world gave us our legitimate rights, this cycle of violence would stop. But israel does not want that — the return of refugees and self—determination. The region would not calm down, no matter how much death and killing take place. For you, is the israeli state part of the future? the hamas charter said that the zionist state had to be destroyed. We say that israel wants to eliminate hamas and the palestinian people. Israel is crying and claiming that hamas and the palestinian people want to destroy it. Let's ask what israel thinks of the palestinian people. Give us our rights. Give us a fully sovereign palestinian state. The israelis say that the reason why they don't accept a two—state solution is because they fear that people like you want to destroy their state and kill their people. So far, israel does not recognise a one—state solution or a two—state solution. Israel rejects it all — international resolutions, international law and our rights. Do you think of yourself as a terrorist? that's what israel calls you. I'm seeking freedom and defending my people. To the occupation, we are all terrorists — the leaders, the women and the children. You heard what israeli leaders called us — they said we were animals. That was the deputy chairman of the hamas political bureau speaking tojeremy bowen. Meanwhile, there's a developing story in the occupied west bank. An israeli air strike on a refugee camp on thursday is reported to have killed at least 18 people. The idf confirmed in a statement that it had carried out a strike in the tulkarm region, without providing further details. Video shows a chaotic scene with people gathered outside a hospital and bodies being carried into the facility. Violence has surged in the west bank since the start of the war in gaza. Much of the violence has involved gunbattles between israeli security forces and palestinian fighters. This was an air strike on what palestinian oficials said was a refugee camp. —— officials. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Let's look at some other stories making news. A woman has been found guilty of the manslaughter of her four sons who died in a house fire while she was out shopping. Deveca rose, who is 30, had left her two sets of twins alone when a fire ripped through her home in south—west london in 2021. A 35—year—old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm in connection with a suspected acid attack outside a school in west london. Police say teagan mcfarlane, who's 14, has potentially life—changing injuries as a result of the incident near westminster academy on monday. Two other people were also hurt. A proposal to change the law to allow some terminally ill people in england and wales to end their own lives will be introduced to parliament later this month. Mps last voted on assisted dying ten years ago and rejected calls to legalise it. Prime minister sir keir starmer has previously promised to give his own mps a free vote on the subject, meaning they will not have to stick to party lines. You're live with bbc news. Presidentjoe biden has been visiting states in the southeastern us, where hurricane helene killed at least 200 people and caused historic damage. During his first stop in florida on thursday morning, the president received briefings from local and state officials on the response efforts. Since the category 4 storm hit florida one week ago, nearly 8,000 military personnel have been deployed to the region to help find those still missing and relocate displaced people. The federal emergency management agency says it's given more than $20 million in immediate assistance directly to civilians. The president was surveying the aftermath of the storm. Officials are expecting a long road to recovery. In some areas, first responders are still waiting for floodwaters to drain before they can proceed with recovery efforts. Prsident biden gave an update from georgia on what the government is doing to help affected communities. Yesterday, i approve the governor's request for a federal government to cover 100%, 100% of federal government to cover 100%,100% of the federal government to cover 100%, 100% of the cost for debris removal, emergency protective measures for three months, 100%. I must tell you, your senator had a little bit to do with it who called me beforehand. All kidding aside, we are doing the same for florida as well, as well as north carolina. Adam keehn is the director of complex emergencies at the relief and development charity americares. He told me what he and his team are seeing on the ground across the southeast us. It's really a devastating situation where we have extreme amounts of rainfall that fell, especially in mountainous areas of north carolina and eastern tennessee. I'm here in south carolina, which was also hit. You mentioned florida and georgia have also been affected. Communities, some of them are quite isolated in mountains at the best of times and when bruce and bridges have been swept away, i saw carl piled up against bridges, bridges washed away back of cars. Blood devastated and the needs stretched across the spectrum of anything you could imagine. We spectrum of anything you could imauine. ~ , ~ imagine. We saw president biden visitin: imagine. We saw president biden visiting affected _ imagine. We saw president biden visiting affected areas _ imagine. We saw president biden visiting affected areas and imagine. We saw president biden visiting affected areas and you i visiting affected areas and you talk about people's needs so what do they need most of the moment? we what do they need most of the moment? ~. What do they need most of the moment?— what do they need most of the moment? ~. . , , moment? we are health focused organisation _ moment? we are health focused organisation and _ moment? we are health focused organisation and americares organisation and americares working with health clinics serving underserved populations, people who don't have health insurance or other access to healthca re have health insurance or other access to healthcare and so, we are seeing first and foremost is water, asheville north carolina which is sort of the epicentre of the crisis has a city of almost 100,000 people and there is no running water there and hasn't been for a week, electricity is spotting, there is no internet, telecommunications are very problematic, so medicines, medical supplies, all kinds of supplies, food, clothing, people ask for anything but as i say we are focused organisation and so, clinics that we are talking to emphasise first and foremost water and then the medicine supplies, including mental health medications and services to people who've been displaced and just have lost everything. Fema and other government organisations, have they been able to provide the resources needed to help people? well, fema and _ needed to help people? well, fema and all— needed to help people? well, fema and all kinds _ needed to help people? well, fema and all kinds of needed to help people? well, | fema and all kinds of agencies are definitely mobilising resources and the american public has been poured out a great deal of generosity as well but locally as well the counties, city government, state of north carolina, south carolina, all of the states impacted and, of course, the federal government have been pouring resources in. In a crisis like this, those affected feel like the resources mobilised are never enough but we know that it's coming. In the meantime, yesterday for example, i saw a helicopter that had to be lowering equipment so that workers could free up electric power lines that had been crashed down by the storm in mountainous areas just where health clinic that we had just visited was providing medicines and health services to people who had made their way, some of them on foot and on bicycle, to get the health that they need. Adam keehn from americares. Let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. At least 60 people are dead after a boat capsized in north central nigeria. The boat was carrying more than 300 people — mostly women and children — returning from a religious festival in nigeria's norther niger state. Authorities say about 160 people have been rescued. Incidents of boats overturning on the river are common, especially during the rainy season. In september of last year, at least 2a people died when a boat overturned in the same area. The world health organization approved the first mpox diagnostics test for emergency use. The test can determine if a person is infected with the virus that causes mpox. The who says the tests will be, quote, pivotal in expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing mpox outbreaks. An surge of mpox cases in the democratic republic of congo and neighbouring countries was declared a public health emergency in august of 202a. Scientists confirmed that the asteroid that hit the earth and wiped out the dinosaurs was not alone. A second, smaller rock smashed into the sea off the coast of west africa, creating a large crater in the same era 66 million years ago. Scientists from heriot—watt university say it would have been a catastrophic event. An extremely loud air blast and a magnitude 7 earthquake would have followed its landing. Researchers are yet to discover why the two hit earth close together. The us says it welcomes an agreement for the uk to hand over sovereignty of the chagos islands to mauritius. The chagos archipelago is located in the indian ocean, about 1,000 miles south of the indian subcontinent. Under the agreement, the key island of diego garcia will remain home to a joint uk—us military base. 0ur correspondent andrew harding has more. A scattering of tiny islands deep in the indian ocean. British for now but, after today's agreement, not for much longer. The chagos islands are all uninhabited save for one — an important one, diego garcia. It is home to a big and secretive american military base. Today, britain agreed to hand the whole archipelago over to mauritius but, crucially, the americans will remain in place. This is a very, very important agreement between our countries. Crucially protects the national security interests of the united kingdom and our allies, and this has been reached in full agreement with the united states, retaining the crucial base on diego garcia. It also closes down a potential route for migrants. But some have warned that china could exploit the deal to extend its influence. It is over half a century since the inhabitants of the island were deported forcibly by the colonial power, britain. This deal will now give them the right to return home at last, perhaps even to resettle there. It's about a sense of belonging. It's something that was robbed from me. A place that we can call home. We will be free and we will be able to participate and get back what really belongs to us. That's happiness. Mauritius has been campaigning for this dealfor years, recently planting their flag on one of the atolls and winning growing international support. . . . . 11 of the charter. . . . . Not least at the united nations and its top court, which called on the uk to end its illegal occupation. Finally, negotiations began and today, reluctantly but peacefully, the government agreed to hand over one of the very last scraps of britain's old empire. Andrew harding, bbc news. Mark cancian, senior adviser at the think tank the center for strategic and international studiesjoins me now from arlington, virginia. Thanks forjoining me to talk more about this story. Does everybody win in this agreement? it everybody win in this agreement? everybody win in this aureement? , ,. , agreement? it seems to be a aood agreement? it seems to be a good way — agreement? it seems to be a good way forward. _ agreement? it seems to be a good way forward. There agreement? it seems to be a good way forward. There has | good way forward. There has been a lot of pressure on the uk to do something about this position and do something about the dispossessed peoples. It seems to safeguard the use of this facility. The united states has some concerns, those have not been stated publicly. 0f have not been stated publicly. Of course, we heard about the concerns about the chinese who have a pattern of making agreements with poor countries to use their facilities and the united states is worried they may do something like this around diego garcia, there are two other considerations. 0ne two other considerations. One is for the united states, it has a great deal. The uk has been taking all the legal flak and the united states has been able to use the base. The united states has been insulated from any of the pressure is the uk feels. But fairly, things change. This is a 99 year lease and the united states is worried that at some point in the future, some government in mauritius may decide it wants to forcibly take the islands back. They may well defeat the united states. But it could try to land people there and take the islands back and it may not be as many tools to deal with that under the agreement. To deal with that under the agreement— to deal with that under the aureement. ~. ,. , agreement. Market, elaborate if ou could agreement. Market, elaborate if you could about _ agreement. Market, elaborate if you could about the _ agreement. Market, elaborate if you could about the strategic you could about the strategic importance of having this joint usuk importance of having this joint us—uk military base on the chagos islands, in particular with regards to china. The base, with regards to china. The base. The _ with regards to china. The base, the island, with regards to china. The base, the island, is with regards to china. The base, the island, is like having a permanent aircraft carrier stationed in the indian ocean. The united states and uk don't need to get into —— permission to use it, they can use it whenever they want. There are no combat forces permanently stationed there but in times of crisis, the united states and uk have moved forces in there. It's also used as a transit base. It's really aimed more in the indian ocean at the middle east, rather than at china, but it has been very useful over the last 50 years. Do you think then, given the focus is perhaps more towards the middle east, as you say, that china may not have much of a reaction to this development at all?. ,. , , , a reaction to this development at all?. . , , ,. , at all? china has been moving into the indian _ at all? china has been moving into the indian ocean. At all? china has been moving into the indian ocean. It's into the indian ocean. It's been expanding its, certainly, is economic interest and its military interests, moving its forces and fleets further abroad, so we might see them there. Also, it's not a threat to china itself but i think that it may bump into chinese expansion. That it may bump into chinese mansion— that it may bump into chinese exansion. . , ~ ~ expansion. Thank you, mark, we appreciate _ expansion. Thank you, mark, we appreciate your _ expansion. Thank you, mark, we appreciate your time _ expansion. Thank you, mark, we appreciate your time in appreciate your time in speaking to us. Mark cancian. That brings us to a close for this hour. I will be up next with business today and we will have a focus on those port strikes across the us which seems to have come to an end. We will see you again shortly. Hello there. It's a dry, chilly, bright start to the day on friday for much of the country. However, we have been seeing some changes taking place overnight with a weather front pushing into northern ireland and western scotland. That's brought more cloud, breeze with outbreaks of rain. But elsewhere, it stays dry all day, thanks to this area of high pressure. This is the weather front that's been working its way in off the atlantic — the first of a series of fronts tied in with low pressure there. So, a cloudy start, breezy. Outbreaks of rain for northern ireland, western and northern scotland but southern and eastern scotland, england and wales, it's a chilly start, bright, some early mist and fog, and it stays dry with sunshine into the afternoon. Light winds, as you can see, but breezier further north and west. Temperature—wise, well, after that chilly start, we could be up to 17 or 18 degrees in the warmest spots in the south. Closer to the mid—teens further north. And where we have the breeze, the cloud and the rain, it will actually feel quite cool. As we head through friday night, it stays cloudy, breezy across northern and western areas. But large parts of england and wales will see lighter winds, clearskies so, again, it will turn quite cool. Perhaps a bit of mist and fog here and there. Temperatures in low single digits out of town but a recovery in temperatures for scotland, northern ireland — we're into double digits there throughout the night. Into saturday, our area of high pressure holds on for at least one more day for central and eastern areas but these weather fronts are really ganging up on us out west, so it looks like england, wales, parts of eastern scotland should see another fine day with some sunshine around after that cool start. The breeze picking up. The rain out west turns heavier later on — certainly for northern ireland. Again, those temperatures mid—teens in the north, 17 or 18 in the south. But it is all change for part two of the weekend. That area of high pressure eventually breaks down, low pressure takes over and sends weather fronts across the country. There are more isobars on the chart. So, it's a cloudy day on sunday, more of a breeze coming up from the south, outbreaks of rain — most of the rain towards southern and western hills, the odd heavier downpour there. Brightness will be limited. Could see a little bit for north east scotland at times. Temperatures could be up to 18 or 19 degrees in any brightness, the mid—teens further north. But nights will start to get milder as we import this milder air off the atlantic on a southwesterly wind. The upcoming week stays unsettled with low pressure always nearby. There's a chance around the middle part of the week we could see the remnants of hurricane kirk bring some rain and gales, so stay tuned. Us port workers reach a tentative deal with employers, ending a strike that could cost the american economy billions of dollars. Plus, oil prices surge on fears of a possible israeli strike on iran's facilities. I'm steve lai. Welcome to business today. Let's begin in the us where tens of thousands of striking port workers will return to theirjobs after a tentative agreement on wages was reached with port owners along american�*s eastern seaboard. The union representing workers will now give itself until the 15th of january next year to negotiate other terms of the labor contract. The strike has lasted for three days, affecting dozens of ports from texas to maine. The bbc�*s michelle fleury gave us a sense of what lies ahead. If you look back two days ago when the strike began, there was a lot of talk about wages. Now, on that issue, there seems to have been some progress. Reading the statement from the union that represents those dock workers, they said a tentative agreement had been reached on wages. It appears that the employer is represented by the united states maritime alliance increased and boosted their pay offer. The specific details we're not yet fully aware of but they have given themselves, as you said, they've suspended the strikes so in other words, tens of thousands of dockworkers along the eastern coast are going to return to the job, at least untiljanuary 15. And the idea here is to try and give both sides time to return to the negotiating table and work on some of those lingering issues. We know that there was a question about whether or not