Weve revealed that Keir Starmer s top adviser, Sue Gray, now earns more than the Prime Minister himself. Weve been told that shes now on a salary of £170,000. Also coming up on the World Today the Uk Wildlife charity is declaring a national Butterfly Emergency after its annual count recorded the lowest numbers in its ill year history. Welcome to the World Today, im sarah campell. An hour of international news. At least nine people have been killed and hundreds wounded in lebanon after a new wave of explosions. This time, its walkie talkies that have been detonated. It comes as israel Defense Minister Yoav gallant has said the country is opening a new phase in the Gaza War and the Centre Of Gravity is shifting to the north. These images filmed in beirut, and which we have speeded up, show the moment when plumes of smoke appeared in several locations across the city. The lebanese News Agencies say they involve walkie talkies made by japanese they involve walkie talkies made byjapanese c
Diverting forces, resources And energy towArds the north. These events confirms thAt there is A serious risk of A drAmAtic escAlAtion in lebAnon, And everything must be done to Avoid thAt escAlAtion. Hello And welcome. On the context in the next hour. After A second dAy of deAdly explosions Across lebAnon, tArgeting hezbollAh, well be live injerusAlem, lebAnon And wAshington. IsrAeli leAders sAy theyre opening A new phAse in the wAr, And the Centre Of GrAvity is shifting to the north. Well Ask whAt does thAt meAn . Also on the progrAmme the us CentrAl BAnk goes big with its first Interest RAte Cut in four yeArs, lowering its key Lending RAte by hAlf A PercentAge Point. And who is briefing AgAinst the LAbour Chief of stAff Sue GrAy And why . As the bbc is told she eArns more thAn her boss the prime minister. We stArt in lebAnon, where theres been A fresh wAve of explosions Across the country, which hAve killed At leAst 1A people, with more thAn A50 injured. HAnd held rAdios or WAlkie TA
Joining me tonight are political Strategist And Commentator Rina Shah and columnist for the i and former Labour Executive Director of Policy Andrew Fisher first , the latest headlines. Israels Defence Minister has said the military is opening a new phase in the war, and will be diverting troops and resources northwards. Yoav gallant was speaking to troops at an airbase near the border with lebanon. It comes as 14 people have been killed and at least a50 injured in further explosions across lebanon involving Walkie Talkies. The us Federal Reserve has cut Interest Rates by half a Percentage Point in its first reduction since the pandemic. It puts the Central Banks benchmark Lending Rate at between 4. 75 and 5 , sharply lowering the cost of borrowing with less than 50 days to go until the us president ial election. The Foreign Office has summoned the russian ambassador to the uk over the expulsion of six british diplomats from moscow. A spokesperson Accused Moscow Of Making malicious and
Lets take a quick look at a few of the stories on the Front Pages. Starting with the Daily Telegraph, the headline on the Front Page, of course, we have been talking about it, new phase of Mideast War after Walkie Talkie blitz. If we move on to the guardian, unsurprisingly, the top Story Tonight on newsnight again is on the Front Page, fears of escalation as Second Wave of deadly explosions hits 11 on. And the Daily Express has the same headline, or a very similar one, Walkie Talkie blasts in Second Wave of attacks, against hezbollah up to his following page explosions. And the daily mirror, after pager attack, Walkie Talkie bomb blitz, everyone seems to go with those headlines and as i say, unsurprising. The Daily Mail has come labour has undermined israel, says netanyahu. And I Think finally, there is the daily star, the king of the carriages. They have a different Front Page Keir Starmer, we havejust been have a different Front Page Keir Starmer, we have just been talking about it.
The entire country has emitted as much Carbon Dioxide since the 19505 as americans have in wait for it the last three days and in the uk, conservationists declare an emergency, as Butterfly Numbers fall to their lowest on record. We start this hour in the Middle East, where at least 20 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a new wave of attacks in lebanon this time its Walkie Talkies that have been detonated. The latest blasts come just 2a hours after pagers used by the armed Group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously across the country killing at least 12 people and leaving more than 3,000 in hospital. Iran which backs hezbollah has described the attacks as mass murder. Hezbollah is blaming israel and has vowed to retaliate. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav gallant says the country is opening a new phase in the Gaza War and the Centre Of Gravity is shifting to the north. 0ur Senior International Correspondent 0rla Guerin sent this report from beirut. Hezbollah, coming to bury its