The attacks left craters several metres deep. In the north of the territory, the un says a convoy of its staff carrying out polio vaccinations was held at gunpoint for eight hours by the israeli army on monday. The staff have now been released, but the un says it's not sure whether it can continue the vaccination campaign as planned. Meanwhile, syria says at least 18 people have been killed and dozens injured in a series of israeli air strikes. Syrian state media says multiple sites were targeted, including scientific research centres. Monitoring organisations say that one of the sites in the city of masyaf was housing pro—iranian weapons experts. Iran rejected reports that iranian sites were hit. Israel says it will not comment on reports of the strikes. But israel has previously acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in syria that it says are linked to iran. Frank lowenstein served as united states special envoy for middle east peace under president barack obama. We spoke a little earlier. We are getting news tonight of this attack on the camp at al mawasi, the idf saying it targeted a hamas command and control centre using precision weaponry, but given that people on the ground are reporting 20 tents were hit, that it's a massacre, can that be described as a targeted strike, or what do you think the strategy is? i think it really underscores the bottom line, which is that there are no safe areas in gaza. There is no place where civilians can go and not be at risk of being killed by israeli air strikes. It's hard to know without knowing the details how targeted the strike was, and it is clear that hamas had been using civilians at human shields when they have an opportunity to do so. There is no end in sight to this and we are far away from a ceasefire. It seems like neither side really wants one, so the us is in a very difficult position here. What is your reading, frank, of where things should go next? to your point, we keep hearing from the biden administration that a deal is imminent, which is not what we are hearing from prime minister netanyahu. Yeah, i don't think a deal is imminent right now, and i think if you listen carefully, you will see the white house is walking that back a bit. Hamas came out with a new set of demands with respect to the prisoners they wanted to have released, which are not acceptable to the israelis, and benjamin netanyahu came out with a hard line that hamas will not accept. So it seems to me that the issues are small enough to be resolved if both parties want to and big enough for a deal, but it really feels like neither side wants a deal. And when the united states wants it more than either of the parties that had this experience as secretary kerry did in 2014, there is no way to get them there or leverage hamas and we are not willing to put the pressure on israel to make the kind of concessions necessary. We are at a bit of an impasse at the moment. When you say the us is not ready to do that kind of pressure it would take, would it get to a point where you think it would be ready for that level of pressure? i really don't think so. Not during the presidential campaign. Even now the white house is reluctant to put any responsibility for the failure to achieve a ceasefire on netanyahu, and that's a reflection of the fact that this is a very delicate time politically in the us, so i wouldn't expect any pressure on the israelis, during the election. You would not anticipate any change to the arms policy or any restrictions being attached there, which some people in the us have called for? there's a lot of people calling for that but ijust don't think the biden administration will seriously consider that now, not before the election, and i'd be surprised if they want to do anything to put pressure on the israelis for the rest of the term of president biden. He cares an enormous amount as a matter of his legacy of being seen as a great supporter of israel, and i do not think he will do anything to undermine that. What does that mean for the people who are living in gaza, the innocent civilians in a dire humanitarian situation? we saw the polio vaccine pauses, which had been going so well come to a halt today with the un team being held at gunpoint, they said and they don't know if they will be able to continue with the vaccine campaign. So if the ceasefire talks are not going anywhere and the us is not prepared to do more, what does it mean for those folks? they are in an impossible situation and it is heartbreaking for the hostages and the civilians in gaza who are stuck in the middle of a very stubborn israeli leader and obviously a very stubborn hamas leader. Hamas doesn't care about civilian casualties in gaza and netanyahu doesn't really care about the hostages, so you have 2 million civilians caught in the middle of a terrible situation and there doesn't look like there is any easy way out. Is there anything at all the international community can do, as you see it? i think the one wild card is iran. If iran were to start putting a lot of pressure on hamas, that could have an impact on the calculus of sinwar, but when the israelis are attacking sites in syria, it suggest where heading in the opposite direction and towards a regional war and that is yet another reason why we are working so hard to achieve a ceasefire. And that is something that president biden and all of his officials have been very eager to avoid since october 7, so is there anything else that can be done in that direction to try and take away the risk of that? i think the hope is that perhaps hezbollah don't want a war here and iran have done the same. And so maybe there is a change in the israeli political dynamic that will bring in a new government that isn't quite so intense and intent on causing more wars. Netanyahu i think would like to fight a war forever because it's good for his politics or if there was a change in the israeli leadership, you might find a different posture there, but if the government continues to pray in lebanon with elders trying to pray up there and light a match on a holy war, the situation could get a lot worse before it has a chance of getting better. Russian officials said one child was killed and another civilian injured in a ukrainian drone attack targeting moscow. Officials also said a fire broke out in a multi—storey residential building. The strikes come as ukraine's foreign ministry expressed deep concern regarding the possible transfer of iranian ballistic missiles to russia on monday. The ministry stressed to diplomatic officials in kyiv that the transfer could have devastating and irreparable consequences for bilateral relations. Iran has denied reports that such transfers have taken place with a senior military commander calling them psychological warfare. White house national security spokesmanjohn kirby said the united states could not authenticate the reports. I cannot confirm the reports that the transfer has happened, but i would point you to what we have said in the past that any provision of that kind of technology would not only have a deleterious effect on ukraine's ability to defend themselves and certainly on the lives and livelihoods of ukrainians, but could, depending on on how the deal is consummated, could have equally deleterious effects on the middle east. I spoke about the reported missiles with retired brigadier general mark kimmitt, the former us assistant secretary of state for political—military affairs. I think the types of missiles being sent can only be knocked down by american patriots and some of the other advanced air defence systems. So the plea is for additional air defence assets because the russians have shown no scruples about using these ballistic missiles not only against military targets, but against civilian targets as well, and that's why zelensky wants more patriots to have these to protect his people and cities. Meanwhile, ukraine's surprise incursion into russia's kursk region last month may have boosted national morale. But in the past week, the kremlin has retaliated with a series of devastating missile attacks, and the ukrainian army also finds itself on the back foot in key parts of the battlefield at home. In the east of the country, troops are digging in to hold on to the strategically important city of pokrovsk, but the front line of fighting is nowjust 8km away, prompting thousands of civilians to flee. If it falls, russian forces will cut off one of the main supply routs in the region. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Let's look at some other stories making news. Mps will vote today on the government's plan to end winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners. More than nine million pensioners will no longer be eligible for up to £300 this winter after chancellor of the exchequer rachel reeves announced the introduction of means—testing following labour's election win. The decision has been met with strong opposition by some labour mps and union leaders. Thousands of prisoners in england and wales are set to be released early from jail, including 1,750 today. The government insists it's a temporary measure that's needed to free up space. Ministers say serious violent criminals, terrorists and perpetrators of domestic abuse will not be released as part of the scheme. Some of the healthcare workers, patients and bereaved families have told an covid—i9 inquiry the nhs was creaking at the seams when the pandemic hit, undermining the care given to both coronavirus patients and those needing treatment for other conditions. You're live with bbc news. Here in the us, kamala harris and donald trump are set to debate for the first time ever in philadelphia, pennsylvania on tuesday night. It's a highly anticipated showdown at a critical moment in the fight for the white house. A recent poll from our us news partner, cbs, shows that both candidates are essentially tied among voters in the key swing states of pennsylvania, wisconsin and michigan. Kamala harris was hunkered down in pittsburgh, preparing with extended mock debates. In a monday interview on the rick smiley show, she said: forformer president donald trump, debate preparations have been largely informal. When speaking to fox news's sean hannity, the former president said: for more on what we can expect from the debate, feelings or otherwise, i spoke with former democratic strategist and former political director for the 2016 hillary for america presidential campaign keenan austin reed and republican communication strategist brett 0'donnell who has advised four republican presidential candidates, including as director of messaging forjohn mccain. Brett, you've helped mitt romney, george w bush, john mccain all prepare for debates, so what is your advice for the night before for donald trump? the first piece of advice is trust your prep, no cramming. Cramming is bad on tests and it's bad in political debates. So you have to trust the preparation you've done up to this point, and for both candidates, it is to focus on what the message should be, and what the moments in the debate are going to be that are going to attract attention and allow you to exercise competitive advantage over your opponent and go through those in your mind, practice them, rehearse them, make sure you've got them down. It's just that — tonight it is about review and confidence and making sure that the candidate is confident in what they've been practising. The strategy that you have put together and then tomorrow it's about focus. You mentioned there the moments in the debate. Can you manufacture those or do they come organically? it happens both ways. You plan a lot of them. The great ronald reagan moment on age was preplanned, but the bush moment in the town hall debate where he gave the look—off to al gore was not planned. So moments happen organically, but they also are planned. You go into it thinking where you have distinct advantage or you have a weakness that you have to turn back and answer, so those are the things you think about in planning what you want the moments to be. So, keenan, what would you be advising kamala harris tonight? what should she be focusing on? thanks for having me. I would tell the vice president ofjust focus on her record. She has spent the last four years with policies that really improved the lives of the middle class, whether it's the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the inflation reduction act, she's got some really big wins with low unemployment, so lean on your record and return to your roots as prosecutor. She has been fantastic dealing with scammers and creditors and villains and folks who are slippery, and so she is experienced in that arena and she should draw on that experience for this debate. We have heard her actually compare the former president to some of those people that she has met in courtrooms along the years. Do you expect her to continue down that track tomorrow night? yes, absolutely. I think she's going to make the contrast between someone who has policies and results and solutions versus someone who isjust a showman and, ultimately, has been dangerous for the american people and is seeking to be even more dangerous as he outlined or it has been outlining in project 2025. Brett, do you think the former president will try to focus on his policies or trying to direct the attention, as keenan says there, to his opponent? well, i think he has to focus on his opponent. He should make this election and this debate a referendum on kamala harris�*s record, which she is trying to lie, hide and run from. So, i think focusing on the record of disaster that the administration's had, the biden—harris administration has had for the last 3. 5 years will be a focal point, whether it is the economy which has been terrible over the last 3. 5 years, crime, immigration, all the major problems that we have got, it seems kamala harris wants to disown them. It's almost like oj saying he's looking for the real killer. So i think it will be incumbent on trump to prosecute the case that all the pain voters are feeling right now, whether it is bad economy, bad prime, bad immigration policy is a result of the biden—harris policies and that they should want to go back to the trump presidency and his policies. I think there will be a lot of focus on her record. If he makes it about her policies and not her persona or personality, i think you'll have a pretty good night. So, that would be the reverse, really, of what the vice president will be trying to do. She will be trying to make it as you say about donald trump's personality and not his policies. I think she will be talking about his policies too. I want to be very clear — he is trying to run from project 2025, but, ultimately, we know he plans to be a dictator on day one, he wants to gut the department for education, he wants to take away the affordable care act, he wants to put social security and medicare on the chopping block. He wants to weaponise the department ofjustice. These things are dark and scary for our democracy. His own cabinet, people who know him and his policies will endorse vice president harris because they know ultimately donald trump is dangerous for this country, so it is herjob in this debate to make that clear to the american people, to show them how dangerous and how dangerous he is and how he's seeking unchecked power. I just want to ask you both briefly what you think their respective weak points will be. Brett, where do you think donald trump might be exposed? well, i think if he is not disciplined and doesn't stay focused on policy and rather allows the debate to become about personality and persona, i think that's a weak point for him. Sometimes donald trump is incredibly disciplined. He was very disciplined in thejoe biden debate and that's what allowed joe biden to basically end his candidacy. If he's that disciplined in this debate, i think he'll be able to point out the weaknesses in kamala harris�*s record and the fact she is trying to basically mislead the american people where she would take the country and the positions that she has. She has shifted so many things and he will be able to point those out, and i think that will help them focus on her policies. So, you know, the weakness for him is to not stay on policy—focused debate and allow kamala harris to talk and make mistakes. And, keenan, what you think kamala harris�*s weak point would be? i think it's very hard to debate someone who has no bottom, and it's very hard to debate someone who has no obligation or moral compass to tell the truth. So i think that's going to be quite a challenge for her and then we have to remember donald trump is experienced at this. This is his seventh presidential debate and this will be her first, while she has been a very formidable, prepared, qualified candidate, this will be her first time on the presidential stage and that is something that will be a challenge but, ultimately, ithink she will write to the occasion, as she always has. You'll be able to watch rolling coverage of the abc news presidential debate simulcast here on bbc news. 0ur coverage starts at 8pm east coast time tuesday. Germany has announced temporary controls at all of the country's land borders which is says is to reduce irregular migration. The move comes a week after the far—right anti—immigration afd party won a state election for the first time and came second in another. The german interior minister says she has informed the european commission that the new measures would be introduced in a week's time. Germany shares borders with nine countries. Pope francis is preparing to attend to attend an open—air mass in timor—leste with around 700,000 people — more than half of the country's population. It is the latest leg of his tour of south—east asia and oceania. The 87—year—old pontiff arrived monday with events continuing there in the capital of dilli. He was welcomed by the president and other dignitaries for the start of his three—day visit. During the first day of his visit in east timor, the pope addressed the country's leaders, hailing a new era of peace since independence in 2002, but called on them to prevent abuse against young people following recent catholic church child abuse scandals. The disgraced hollywood film producer harvey weinstein has been taken to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. His lawyers say he has been suffering from chest pains and other health complications. Weinstein, who's now 72, had been expected to face new sexual assault charges. He was convicted of rape and sexual assault in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Those convictions were overturned in april over concerns he hadn't received a fair trial, but he remains injail pending a possible retrial. The actor james earljones has died at the age of 93. The actor was known for iconic roles like darth vader in star wars, and for voicing the role of mufasa in the lion king. From his first film role, he clearly had something special. The fire is out, but the power is on. Everything seemed to check out all right. We'll advise. That voice. Before doctor strangelove, james earljones served in the military, but he really wanted to act. I've been waiting for you, obi wan. We meet again at last. Then came something that made his voice world famous. When i left you, i was but the learner. Now, i am the master. You are part of the rebel alliance and a traitor. Take her away! his voice�*s gravity and depth made him a natural choice for the lion king. Look, simba — everything the light touches is our kingdom. And it's a remake a quarter of a century later. One day, simba, the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new king. While he again he played a king opposite eddie murphy in coming to america. . . I want a woman to love me as who i am. . . He also had the chance to show his gift for comedy. I am a man who has never tied his own shoes before. Wrong — you are a prince who has never tied his shoes. Believe me, itied my own shoes once. It is an overrated experience. On tv, he played the author alex haley, who search for his african ancestors led to the ground—breaking series roots. The force is with you, young skywalker. But you are not a jedi yet. And is all the more admirable in that a young boy who barely spoke because of his starter. Most impressive. . . Should become an actor whose starry tones. That's very good. Earned him the accolade of having perhaps the world's most recognisable voice. Simba, remember. . . I found you! i am your father. The actorjames earljones has died. Let's turn to some other important news around the world: a busy bridge in northern vietnam collapsed on monday after being hit by super typhoon yagi. Yagi has killed more than 60 people since making landfall on saturday. The storm wreaked havoc across the country with flooding and landslides, leaving millions of people without power. Yagi has since weakened into a tropical depression, however, authorities warn it may create more disruption as it moves westwards towards laos. At least 59 people have been killed in central nigeria after a petrol tanker collided with a truck carrying passengers and cattle. Authorities say the crash caused an explosion that engulfed both vehicles, as well as several others nearby. As nigeria has no efficient railway system to transport fuel, fatal truck accidents are common along most of the country's major roads. And let's leave you with an unusual event at the beach in california — the annual dog surf—a—thon at del mar in san diego. There are no winners or losers, just a chance for owners and their pets to paddle out a little way into the ocean and then surf back as smoothly as they can. Good for them. That is it for now. Thank you for watching. Stay with us here on bbc news. Hello there. Well, it's been mild, relatively speaking, despite all of that rain in the south, and very warm, in fact, out towards the far north and west, but some changes for the next couple of days. Autumn is biting back. Temperature—wise at least, it's going to turn colder by day and by night, with the chance of a frost for some, especially on thursday night. It will be windy, a brisk northwesterly wind, sunny spells, but also some blustery showers. And those changes have already started. A deep area of low pressure sweeping across the northern isles is sending this cold front sweeping southwards and eastwards across the uk. So you see that milder air being pushed away, marked in orange, blues, and yellows, the colder air takes over through the middle part of the week and it will feel bitingly cold, i think, in exposure to that northwesterly wind. And here's the cold front for the rest of tuesday. It sinks southwards and eastwards, a narrow band of rain for most. There will be some cloud ahead of the front, but sunshine developing behind, blustery showers, very heavy rain across the northern isles could lead to some localised flooding and it's windy wherever you are across the uk, but particularly so for the northern isles. Gusts of wind here of up to 60—65mph. And here are the temperatures, ranging between 11—18 degrees. We keep that mild air towards the south, but the rain could pep up here perhaps as we head through tuesday evening before it clears overnight. It's going to feel cold on tuesday night. Some of our temperatures could drop back to mid—single figures. I think you'll really notice the chill on wednesday morning. Still some blustery showers out towards the north and the west, but we will see some more clearer skies, especially the further south and east you are. And then on wednesday, it's a typical day when we see a northwesterly wind at this time of year. Sunny spells and showers, most of the showers towards the north and the west, some of them heavy and possibly thundery. It will feel cold and exposure, so that's still brisk northwesterly wind and temperatures are now below the seasonal average across the board. But it's still september, so in the spells of sunshine and sheltered from the wind, then it won't feel too bad. Again, more sunny spells and showers perhaps on thursday, and then high pressure starts to build in from the southwest. That's going to have the effect of lightening the wind, so there could be a bit of frost, particularly for northern england, parts of scotland into friday morning, and some mist and fog developing as well. But mostly dry on friday, temperatures recover on friday, and through the weekend. Bye— bye. Voiceover: this is bbc news. We'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. Welcome to hardtalk, from lake como in northern italy. I'm stephen sackur. This is the venue for the ambrosetti forum, a gathering of international politicians, where this year, the conversation keeps returning to one simple question — who will win the us presidential election in november, and what will it mean for global geopolitics? well, my guest today has strong opinions on that matter. He is republican us senator lindsey graham, one of donald trump's closest allies on capitol hill. He is all in for team trump. But are america's voters growing weary of the former president?