welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. the headlines... desperate scenes — palestinians scramble for food from aid trucks entering gaza through the rafah crossing. israel says — the three hostages it mistakenly killed in gaza — used leftover food to write signs — pleading for help. the media tycoon and pro—democracy campaigner, jimmy lai, is about to go on trial in hong kong for criticising china's communist leaders. a special report from afghanistan on what could be the bleakest winter in decades — because of cuts to humanitarian aid. early results in serbia's elections suggest the party of president aleksandar vucic — will keep its majority in parliament. live from our studio

in singapore — this is bbc news. it's newsday. you're watching bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in gaza, where in a sign of the growing hunger and desperation, crowds of people have scrambled for food from aid trucks entering the besieged strip, through the rafah crossing. for the first time since the war began, israel has also opened one of its crossings into gaza to aid. it's hoped the opening of the kerem shalom crossing will double the amount of food and medicine reaching gazans. until now, aid agencies have only been able to access the territory through the rafah crossing from egypt. israel says the three hostages it mistakenly killed in gaza on friday used leftover food to write signs pleading for help.

in a change of tone, the uk and germany havejoined calls for a "sustainable ceasefire". the reuters news agency is quoting egyptian security sources as saying israel and hamas are both open to a ceasefire — but still disagree over details. our correspondent lucy williamson has more. sirens sound, horns blow. the target for israel in gaza is hamas. for palestinians, it's survival. the rafah crossing point exploded in desperation today, each aid truck a lifeline, each minute of the journey a lifetime of waiting. horn blares. the border town of rafah has swelled to four times its normal size, as people flee the fighting elsewhere. empty stomachs filled with hope, empty bowls held out for food. the un estimates that almost half the households here are facing very severe hunger. today, the french foreign ministerjoined british and german calls for

a ceasefire, saying it must be immediate and durable. but the israeli prime minister is so far standing firm. translation: we are guided by the will of the fallen, - we will fight until the end and we will achieve all of our objectives, eliminating hamas, releasing all our hostages and ensuring that gaza will not become again a centre for terror, incitement and attacks against the state of israel. israel has released footage of what it said is the biggest hamas tunnel found so far, 2.5 miles long and just inside the main erez crossing point to israel. this, the army says, is a hamas video showing how the tunnels were built. a major construction project, using industrial tools. and the man on the right of this video, it says, is the project manager

of gaza's tunnel network. mohammad sinwar, brother of the hamas leader blamed by israel for the 7th october attacks. but pressure for a ceasefire is growing in israel, too, as funerals are held for three hostages mistakenly shot dead by israeli forces this week. today, the army released photos of the place it said the hostages were held. signs calling for help written on the walls with leftover food. in gaza, the continued conflict is pushing hospitals to breaking point. the injured, brought in by ambulance, truck, donkey cart. pictures like this rarely make it to israeli tv screens. but they're shaping opinion abroad. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem.

the high—profile national security trial of former hong kong media tycoon jimmy lai — is finally getting under way shortly. the 76—year—old faces numerous charges — including a conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. if found guilty, he could be handed a life sentence. mr lai — who is also a british citizen — has pleaded not guilty to all charges. the us and uk have condemned the trial and have urged the authorities in hong kong to release the businessman. i'm joined now by our hong kong correspondent martin yip. great to see you. i believe you are outside the courthouse. just give us a reminder because this case has been going on for some time. who is jamie, and what does he stand accused of? yes, i am standing right outside of the complex where this trial will be held, there are crowds queuing up to enter

the public gallery already, as you can see, sojimmy himself is 76 years old now. he was the founder of the now defunct apple daily in the whole media kingdom of next media group with magazines, online media and the newspaper apple daily which also spread from hong kong all the way to taiwan. all these charges surrounding what he has been publishing, the prosecutors have been accusing him for advocating for our sanctions against hong kong, especially after the imposition of the national security law. so he is facing four charges, including three related to collusion with foreign forces, and if he is found guilty in this trial, he made be sentenced to life. martin, in the last few _ sentenced to life. martin, in the last few hours, - sentenced to life. martin, in the last few hours, we - sentenced to life. martin, in the last few hours, we have| the last few hours, we have heard from the us who have told

the hong kong authorities to release jimmy. what are the expectations from the trial and how long could it go on for? so the how long could it go on for? sr the trial ofjimmy lai is expected to go for 80 days. that is what we have learned from local media, citing the judiciary, so that would mean months for now. and also this trial is pretty distant from any other trial in hong kong in that because it's done under the national security law, it is a high court trial, there will be nojury. it will is a high court trial, there will be no jury. it will be heard by threejudges, a panel of threejudges, and heard by threejudges, a panel of three judges, and they will reach that verdict based on what they hear from the defence and the prosecutors, obviously. it is so controversial already and in terms of calling for jimmy lai's release, we have

been hearing from these western diplomats from western countries and governments as well, human rights organisations calling for its release, but china has always been saying thatjimmy lai should be severely punished according to law will stop so we cannot say for now if that means he's presumed to be found guilty, but his fight seems to be very optimistic.- be very optimistic. reporting from outside _ be very optimistic. reporting from outside the _ be very optimistic. reporting from outside the hong - be very optimistic. reporting from outside the hong kong | from outside the hong kong court where the trial of media tycoon jimmy court where the trial of media tycoonjimmy lai is expected to start. in afghanistan, this is the third winter since the taliban takeover and it is expected to be the worst in recent decades, because of staggering cuts in humanitarian aid. donations are falling due to difficult global economic conditions, and international sanctions on the taliban government. but the taliban s harsh restrictions on women have also played a role.

for those relying on international handouts, it means millions are now going hungry. three million children in afghanistan are now malnourished, with 90% of afghans not having enough food to eat. one third of the population, around 15 million people, are suffering from acute levels of hunger and food insecurity. the bbc has been documenting the collapse of health and humanitarian structures in afghanistan, since the taliban seized power. here's our latest report from the bbc�*s south asia correspondent yogita limaye in kabul. nearly all the people in this country live on less than $2 a day. half of those are women, but you wouldn't know it if you stood on a kabul street. women have all but disappeared from public life under the taliban government.

denied the right to work outside their homes, they were most reliant on charity, and are now hardest—hit by aid cuts. we went up the hills surrounding the city, where some of the most vulnerable communities live. crude homes dot the landscape. sewage flows by the side of mud tracks. sohaila niyazi's husband was killed in fighting during the taliban takeover. baset and baby husna are two of her six children. she's one of 10 million afghans who've stopped receiving aid from the world food programme this year. translation: it's been two months since i was able - to buy milk for my baby. i give her green tea in a feeding bottle and i give her medicine which makes her sleep from one morning to another, because if she wakes up and asks for food, i have

nothing to give her. that medicine is an anti—allergy drug that sohaila is using as a sedative. now she relies entirely on food donated by her relatives and neighbours. aid has so far also prevented healthcare from collapsing. but that's now being withdrawn, too, including from here, where zubaydah has brought her malnourished baby habisa. it's afghanistan's only children's hospital. in a corner is somaya. at 14 months, she weighs as much as a newborn. they are among the more than 3 million malnourished children in the country. it's an unprecedented ravaging of afghanistan's youngest.

both of mohamed shafy�*s parents are dead. he weighs less than half of what he should at 18 months. his grandmother, hayat bibi, said the taliban helped her bring the boy here, but doesn't know how she will get by now. "i'm relying on the mercy of god, i have nowhere else to turn to, i'm totally lost", she told us. at this hospital, doctors and nurses have already had their pay cut by half. over the past two years, we have seen firsthand the situation deteriorating all across this country. we've witnessed how aid agencies are providing the only humanitarian link, keeping people away from famine, keeping the barebones of hospitals up

and running, and now, they're facing significant cuts because of a lack of funding from a world that's distracted by so much else, but which also doesn't want to give money to a country where the taliban government is imposing restrictions on women. i asked the taliban's main spokesman zabihullah mujahid, who's now based in their seat of power, kandahar, about their policies. do you recognise, though, that it's your government's policies, especially your restrictions on women, that is a part of the problem, that is a part of the reason why donors do not want to give funds for afghanistan? translation: if aid is being| used as a tool to pressure us, then the islamic emirate has its own values which it will safeguard at any cost. afghans have made big sacrifices in the past to protect our values and will endure the cutting of aid, too. those words offer no comfort for this mother.

her husband died and she must provide for her children. she told us she's been stopped multiple times by the taliban from selling fruit on the street, and even detained once. she doesn't want to be named, but she wants to be seen and heard. translation: i'm tired of this life. i they should at least l allow us to go out and earn an honest living. we are not going out to do anything bad. i if i don't work, what will my four children eat? i her 12—year—old boy now has to work to earn for the family. like most nights, they'll go to bed on bread and water, with millions of other afghans. yogita limaye, bbc news, kabul. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news in the uk.

the owners of a french farmhouse where british teenager alex batty stayed during his years missing abroad have spoken about his time living there. alex was found on wednesday by a motorist, who spotted him on a road near the french pyrenees.the french couple say he did odd jobs for them in return forfood and accommodation, and was part of their family. arsenal legend ian wright has annouced he will step down as a pundit for match of the day at the end of the season. mr wright made his debut on the bbc programme as a player in 1997 and became a regular pundit in 2002. writing on social media, he said the decision "had been coming for a while" and was "fast—tracked" by turning 60 last month. luton town have said their captain tom lockyer remains in hospital where he is undergoing more tests, after a cardiac arrest. the wales international collapsed on the pitch during a premier league match in bournemouth on sunday.

you're live with bbc news. japan and countries in southeast asia have agreed you're live with bbc news. bringing you some breaking news now. we are getting reports that north korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile towards the ecu, that is coming from seoul, the capital of south korea. japan's prime minister has said he plans to hold a national security council meeting on north korea's missile launch. it's not clear where the missile will land. some reports on the news agencies that it could land outside of japan's economic land outside ofjapan�*s economic zone off land outside of japan's economic zone off the coast of the northern island. that is not confirmed. that's the reuters news agency reporting that according to local media.

north korea is likely to be on the agenda at the summit this week. japan and countries in southeast asia have agreed to co—operate over maritime security in the face of an increasingly assertive china. the agreement made at a summit in tokyo comes amid an increase in maritime disputes involving china. japan has positioned itself as the country that will lead the response to chinese pressure. earlier i spoke to danny russel. he is the former assistant secretary of state for east asian and pacific affairs in the second 0bama administration — and currently with the asia society policy institute. he explained what boosting maritime security coorperation hopes to achieve. it's a mix of defence capabilities of surveillance and oversight capabilities, some very basic training for

coast guards. these are, and southeast asia, as well as, i should add, and the pacific islands, countries with huge economic exclusive zones, aec is thes, but their capacity to monitor them or to protect them, and they are subject to regular and increasing incursions by the chinese navy and by massive chinese fishing fleets that are depleting the fish stock in the south china sea, the east china sea and the western pacific. so it is an effort byjapan, and i should add other countries, including the united states, australia, to bolster the capabilities of these countries so they can defend their own sovereignty, their own territory in their own rights. after years of denials, the former uk conservative peer, baroness mone has admitted that she stands to benefit from tens

of millions of pounds of profit made from personal protective equipment, that was sold to the government during the coronavirus pandemic. the company was led by her husband, doug barrowman. she says she did help broker the deal, but that she was made a scapegoat for the government 5 failings. 0ur political correspondent laura kuenssberg has more. questions about the pandemic, profit and politics have followed baroness mone and her husband to southern europe. for years, they denied links to a firm that received £200 million in taxpayers' money for desperately needed masks and gowns. only now the truth — that she does stand to gain. if one day, if, god forbid, my husband passes away before me, then i am a beneficiary as well as his children and my children. so, yes, of course. my family will benefit in due course. our family will benefit. that's what you do when you're in the privileged

position of making money. a successful businesswoman and member of the lords, she didn't tell parliament she was helping broker a ppe contract. she now admits she didn't tell the truth when her links to the deal first emerged. you both denied it — why? we were simply listening to our advisers. hindsight�*s a wonderful thing. i wasn't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. and i regret and i'm sorry for not saying straight out, "yes, i am involved". my family have gone through hell with the media over my career and i didn't want another big hoo—ha in the press and my family to be involved in it. i don't honestly see there's a case to answer. i can't see what we've done wrong. doug and the consortium have simply delivered a contract — a delivery contract of goods.

but after everything, you can't see what you've done wrong when you've admitted today that you lied to the press? that's not a crime. essentially, you lied to the public. laura, saying to the press that i'm not involved to protect my family, can ijust make this clear? it's not a crime. the company's being taken to court by the department of health. the pairare under criminal investigation. but the government wouldn't comment on the couple who only now want to have their say. laura kuenssberg, bbc news. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... the emergency services in australia have worked through the night to try and rescue hundreds of people trapped by flooding in the state of queensland. the authorities say people are stuck on the roofs of their homes and a hospital near daintree, and rising waters have cut off entire areas. severe weather warnings remain in place with the heavy rains

that have swollen rivers and engulfed roads expected to continue for most of monday. egyptian officials have insisted that traffic is flowing normally through the suez canal, despite recent attacks further south in the red sea. iranian—backed rebels in yemen have repeatedly targeted commercial vessels, leading some of the world's biggest shipping firms to suspend routes in the area. the suez canal authority reminded shipping companies that alternative routes via the cape of good hope would be much slower. results in chile show that more than half of people voted to reject a new conservative constitution to replace its dictatorship—era text. efforts to reform the current document — which dates back to the pinochet dicatorship — began four years ago after large sometimes violent protests against social inequality. an initial draft, written by a left—wing dominated assembly, was rejected as too radical in a referendum last year. the new text has been overseen by chile's right—wing opposition.

vote projections following a general election in serbia suggest that the party of president aleksandar vucic will keep its majority in parliament. the projections suggest his serbian progressive party will win almost forty—seven percent of the vote. turnout appears to have been similar to last year's election, at about sixty percent. 0ur balkan correspondent guy delauney is following the story from belgrade. the projected results appear to indicate a strong result for president aleksandar vucic�*s progressive party. the president himself wasn't up for election because, of course, these were parliamentary and local elections — but he was very much front and centre of the progressives's campaign, and a lot of people were viewing this as very much a confidence vote in the man who really embodies leadership in serbia. mr vucic remains an enormously popularfigure in large parts of the country, particularly outside the larger metropolitan areas and among older voters. they like the image that he

projects of being a strong leader who represents serbia's interests in a very powerful way to all the international partners that serbia has to deal with over issues like eu negotiations, normalisation of relations with kosovo, and its ongoing friendship with russia, which mr vucic has refused to drop, despite appeals from brussels to do so. in terms of the opposition, there was certainly some disappointment at some of the opposition events that i was at this evening as the results — or the projections of the results — started to come in. but there may yet be better news for them when it comes to what's happening in the capital, belgrade. the early projections here suggest that that particular race is very close between the progressive party and the serbia against violence opposition coalition. the uk could soon have its first operating space port — after a site on the shetland islands was granted a license by the civil aviation authority.

the spaceport on unst — the uk's most northerly inhabited island — is the first vertical launch site in western europe to be given the go ahead. saxavord's operators say several rockets from around the world are being prepared to blast off from the site. and before we go — a part time farmer in northern thailand has turned his rice paddies into a canvas for art. with the help of an artist and around two hundred helpers — carefully planted rainbow rice seedlings have now sprouted into the image of three sleeping cats. each seed was planted the traditional way — by hand — to ensure each section had the right colour. the creation is currently being showcased at a local art festival to promote tourism with tens of thousands of vistors expected. that's all for now — stay with bbc news.

hello there. the mostly cloudy and mild conditions that we've had over the weekend will continue into the start of this upcoming week, and there will be some rain about, too — some of it quite heavy across the south on tuesday. by the middle part of the week onwards, it turns very windy with widespread gales developing — and by the end of the week, it'll be turning colder for most of us, particularly across the north of the uk, with an increasing chance of wintry showers. now we have a load of weather fronts poised to push in for monday — one across the northwest of the country with cooler air behind it, another one which is associated with this milder air — and it will be bringing some patchy rain initially to wales, then into the midlands, northern england at times through the day. there will be some rain, as well, for southern scotland,

but brighter for the rest of scotland and northern ireland compared to what we've had over the weekend, before this weather front starts to push into the west with some scattered showers. again, 11—13 celsius, so quite mild for the time of year — and there will be some glimmers of brightness to the east of high ground. as we head through monday night, though, rain perhaps up across england and wales, becomes quite heavy and persistent for a time. scotland, northern ireland clear, spells a few showers. here, it'll be chillier, but less cold further south. does mean tuesday will start quite wet for england and wales, but the rain should clear away eastwards fairly quickly through the day. so, a wet start to much of england and wales tuesday — that rain becomes confined to the southeast, eventually clears away, i think, late in the afternoon. and then, it's brighter for all — the sunny skies across the northwest pushing down towards the southeast, but there will be some blustery showers across scotland and northern ireland. they will be turning increasingly wintry as the air does turn cooler for many. as we push into wednesday, we pick up brisk west—north—westerly winds, and this weather front will bring some wet weather to scotland, northern england at times. i think northern ireland, central, southern england and wales will see cloud coming

and going a little bit of brightness particularly to all these, but it will be quite a blustery day. and temperatures perhaps up a degree or so for england, wales, northern ireland. still on the cool side across northern scotland. but then, it changes again as we head into thursday and friday — turns very windy, widespread gales developing. 0ur air switches to a more northwesterly, and colder air will push its way southwards on thursday and certainly on friday, and into the following weekend. so things will be turning cooler, or colder towards the end of the week, with increasing chance of wintry showers across northern areas even into the christmas period.

egyptian officials insist shipping traffic is flowing normally through the suez canal, after attacks in the red sea. and streaming wars — as netflix releases its viewing data, we take a look at the ever—crowded streaming space. hello, and welcome to asia business report. i'm suranjana tewari. egyptian officials insist traffic is flowing normally through the suez canal, despite recent attacks further south in the red sea. iranian—backed rebels in yemen have repeatedly targeted commercial vessels, leading some of the world's biggest shipping firms to suspend routes in the area. here's our business reporter david waddell. well this situation has come to come to a head because to big

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