and the king of fruits under threat? a vicious heatwave jeopardises durian crops in south—east asia. live from the studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. thanks forjoining me on newsday. we've got a report on the spiralling humanitarian situation in gaza's city of rafah from fergal keane a little later. but first, i want to get you up to speed on recent events in the conflict. israel's military says three soldiers were killed, and several injured after hamas fired rockets from an area in southern gaza, near the rafah crossing. israel responded by closing the karem shalom border point — one of the few routes to get aid into the territory. it comes as the israeli government forced the news network aljazeera to shut down its operations in israel — calling it a mouthpiece for hamas. from jerusalem, frank

gardner has the latest. in a country that prides itself on free speech and democracy, israeli police shut down the offices of aljazeera today, seizing its broadcast equipment. if you are watching this pre—recorded report, then aljazeera has been banned in the territory of israel. this was one of its final broadcasts from jerusalem before the police arrived. the government accused the qatar—based tv channel of incitement to terrorism, calling it a mouthpiece for hamas. its bureau chief called it a dangerous move. israel cannot claim all the time that it is a democracy, and at the same time they are cutting, and preventing the journalists to do theirjob. meanwhile, down on the gaza border, close to rafah, a deadly rocket attack by hamas, on the very crossing point through which it was hoped more aid could flow into the territory. it has since been shut.

at least three israeli soldiers were killed. today, israel's embattled prime minister reacted to the demands for a permanent ceasefire and an israel withdrawal from gaza. the state of israel is not willing to accept this, he said, capitulating to the demands of hamas would be a terrible defeat for israel. but the government here is under pressure from parts of its own population. last night, tens of thousands of israelis rallied in protest at delays in getting the hostages out of gaza. they don't believe the government is making it a priority. the israeli government wants its hostages out but at the same time it has vowed to destroy hamas, which is why it will not agree to a permanent ceasefire. but hamas, which holds the hostages, says it won't sign a deal unless the ceasefire is permanent, which is why the peace talks have stalled. a delegation from hamas hasjust been in cairo talking to mediators.

they have now left to consult with their leadership. in gaza, the war continues, with airstrikes and deprivation. gazans are desperate for this war to end. so, too, are many israelis. but others in israel see this as unfinished business. they want this war pursued until hamas is utterly destroyed. frank gardner, bbc news, jerusalem. as you just heard in frank's report, there benjamin netanyahu ordered the closing down in israel of the broadcaster aljazeera — which has qatari owners — accusing it of incitement and of threatening national security. earlier i spoke to carlos martinez de la serna, program director at the committee to protect journalists, asking him about his reaction. aljazeera within israel. it is completely unacceptable in a democratic country to ban and

not allow its citizens to access a diverse set of voices. those that they might disagree with. those that have been controversial reporting — whatever reasons you want. that's what really enables press freedom. and netanyahu's cabinet is really undermining that. now, put that in context. aljazeera is one of the most important news organisations currently reporting within gaza where journalists already paid the ultimate pricement many of them have been killed, including many family members ofjournalists have been of journalists have been killed. ofjournalists have been killed. they bring the facts about a war that's already more than eight months old. they bring the reporting, the consequences, how the war is impacting civilians. and that voice is being cut to israeli society. voice is being cut to israeli socie . , , voice is being cut to israeli socie . g , , voice is being cut to israeli socie ., , , ., ., society. just remind us and our viewers - _ society. just remind us and our viewers - reporting _ society. just remind us and our viewers - reporting from - society. just remind us and our

viewers - reporting from gaza l viewers — reporting from gaza is extremely limited, isn't it? it is extremely limited. an important reminder is that no internationaljournalists important reminder is that no international journalists are allowed into gaza. so for more than eight months, we have relied on the reports of the localjournalists relied on the reports of the local journalists that are already them suffering the war, taking care of themselves and when they can, taking care of theirfamilies, in very when they can, taking care of their families, in very dire, extreme situations. almost 100 journalists have been killed. we haven't seen something like that since we've been keeping records on wars and journalists. and aljazeera has been consistently producing some of the most important reports. now, those reports won't be accessible for the israeli society.— won't be accessible for the israeli society. now, carlos, what is israel _ israeli society. now, carlos, what is israel trying - israeli society. now, carlos, what is israel trying to - what is israel trying to achieve by doing this, then? and i want to note as well that israel is not the only country in the middle east to ban al jazeera. i

in the middle east to ban al jazeera. ~ . in the middle east to ban al jazeera. ~' . , ., jazeera. i think that you should ask _ jazeera. i think that you should ask israel - jazeera. i think that you should ask israel that i should ask israel that question. i don't know what they're trying to achieve. i know the impact of the decisions. the impact of the decisions. the impact of the decisions is that the space for press freedom is shrinking. they're actually enacting a regime of censorship in gaza and now inside israel. those are the consequences. this is not about aljazeera whether it's banned in other countries or not. it's about how do you protect press freedom in a democracy, and this is not how to do it. ~ �* ., ., to do it. we'll move our attention _ to do it. we'll move our attention away - to do it. we'll move our attention away and - to do it. we'll move our. attention away and move to do it. we'll move our- attention away and move to europe. china's leader xi jinping has arrived in paris to meet his counterpart emmanuel macron. it's mr xi's first trip to europe since before the covid pandemic nearly five years ago. after meeting the french president in paris, mr xi will travel on to eastern europe where he'll visit hungary and serbia. i spoke to valerie niquet, a china analyst at the foundation for strategic research. we began by asking why he chose

france as his first stop. well, first, this is a return visit. because macron was in china one year ago. but also, this is the 16th anniversary of diplomatic relations between france and china. it was — the goals were decided in 1964 to recognise the prc. this is a way to celebrate this. of course, there are many reasons to discuss between france and many difficult reasons to discuss between france and china much it's not such a positive time for the visit — between trade issue, technology transfer issues but also the ukraine war. so a lot on the plates of the two leaders in paris. �* ., ., plates of the two leaders in paris. �* . ., , , paris. and what are both sides lookin: paris. and what are both sides looking to _ paris. and what are both sides looking to get _ paris. and what are both sides looking to get out _ paris. and what are both sides looking to get out of _ paris. and what are both sides looking to get out of this - looking to get out of this visit? ~ ., . visit? well, on the french side, obviously _ visit? well, on the french side, obviously macron i visit? well, on the french side, obviously macron is| visit? well, on the french - side, obviously macron is still hoping to play a role. and this is also why he's asking, like

he did before, ursula von der leyen to be here with him to receive xijinping to demonstrate to china that receive xi jinping to demonstrate to china that there is a kind of united front facing the huge chinese economy and its capability to put pressure on european industries, especially the automobile industry. we must remember that scholz, the german chancellor, was in china a few week ago, and he focused very much on germany's interest in terms of economies. not on the same page as macron on taxes, for instance, on electric vehicles. so definitely, that issue is very important for france. it's extremely important for xi also. china's economy is not in also. china's economy is not in a very good shape. they absolutely need to export — export more hi—tech to europe, mostly. especially in the perspective of going back to the us at the end of this year. so xi will try to pursue it.

maybe macron to lift its posture on more taxes, on electric vehicles from china. i'm not sure that it will work. and, of course, the issue of ukraine is extremely important for france and for europe, too. but i do not see at all xi playing any kind of actively positive role in order to put pressure on russia to get out of ukraine. pressure on russia to get out of ukraine-— of ukraine. we've only got about 20 _ of ukraine. we've only got about 20 seconds - of ukraine. we've only got about 20 seconds left. - of ukraine. we've only gotj about 20 seconds left. can of ukraine. we've only got - about 20 seconds left. can you tell us about the significance of president xi going to serbia and hungary?— and hungary? well, this is where the _ and hungary? well, this is where the true _ and hungary? well, this is where the true friends - and hungary? well, this is where the true friends are | and hungary? well, this is. where the true friends are of china. both ideologically. serbia is not in the eu. would like tojoin the serbia is not in the eu. would like to join the eu. but serbia is not in the eu. would like tojoin the eu. but it is also at the forefront of the belt & road initiative. in europe, hungary is very close to china. a lot of chinese investments, including automobile sector, in hungary. and it is part of the eu. so it is a way to divide and rule for

china. i mean, try to create divisions between the eu and the us, but also between the eu member states. the us, but also between the eu memberstates. so the us, but also between the eu member states. so it's a way to demonstrate to macron and to other european democracies that china still has some kind of influence on the capabilities inside europe. president lula da silva is paying his second visit to southern brazil as conditions worsen — following massive flooding and landslides which forced over 80,000 people from their homes. local authorities say that dozens of people have been killed, and that over 70 are missing. further rainfall is expected. jon donnison reports. much of brazil's most southerly state is under water. roads turned into rivers and tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes. translation: now, when i'm being rescued, i feel relieved, | but it's terrifying

because we saw the water rise in an absurd way. it rose at a very high speed. after a week of storms and heavy rain at least half a million people are without power and clean water. translation: now, when i'm being rescued, ifeel relieved, but it's terrifying because we saw the water rise in an absurd way. it rose at a very high speed. after a week of storms and heavy rain at least half a million people are without power and clean water. translation: i need a lot of help — a lot. we have nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat. we have nothing. and the very young are being impacted, too. this tiny baby had to be winched to safety by helicopter. many of those who died were killed by landslides. and at least two people lost their lives when the floods caused an explosion at a petrol station in port alegre. president lula da silva visited the region for the second time this week to see the damage for himself. brazil's military has been brought in to help with the rescue effort and to distribute aid. the extreme weather has been

caused by a rare combination of hotter—than—average temperatures, high humidity and strong winds. and forecasters say it's not over yet. jon donnison, bbc news. i spoke to constance malleret, a freelance journalist based in rio dejaneiro. 78 people have been confirmed dead so far. and that's up from 75 earlier today. and it's a number that's probably going to rise further as at least 105 people are still reported missing. 0n people are still reported missing. on top of that, you have about 115,000 people who have about 115,000 people who have been displaced, who have been forced to leave their homes, who have lost their homes, who have lost their homes in many cases. and about 18,000 people in shelters provided by the public authorities. so, a scenario of absolute tragedy and a very devastating situation which is facing the worst floods in its history. they're not localised. we're not talking about floods that are affecting just two cities but affecting nearly two

thirds of the state's municipalities. and in one of the states that is more than twice the size of england. it's an absolutely huge region that's been affect the by the rain storms and floods. and the state governor has said that it's brazil's worst climate disaster ever, and today described the situation as a war—like scenario. described the situation as a war-like scenario.— described the situation as a war-like scenario. given the sheer volume _ war-like scenario. given the sheer volume or _ war-like scenario. given the sheer volume or sheer - war-like scenario. given the sheer volume or sheer size | war-like scenario. given the. sheer volume or sheer size of the area affected and the number of people who have been displaced, what are they struggling with most? the rescue efforts _ struggling with most? the rescue efforts are - struggling with most? tue: rescue efforts are the struggling with most? tte: rescue efforts are the main issues. we saw this in the images in the reportjust now. the local authorities and the mayor was saying just earlier today that they need more boats. they need more helicopters to be able to step up helicopters to be able to step up rescue efforts. and although rain has continued today, there's likely to be a slight reprieve over the next two days. but authorities are saying that it's going to take much, much longerfor the situation to go back anywhere near normal as it will take

days for the water levels to fall back to normal levels. we've seen president luiz inacio lula da silva is on his second visit to brazil due to the floods. how has his government responded to the crisis? , ., ., , government responded to the crisis? , ., , crisis? his government has been emhatic crisis? his government has been emphatic saying _ crisis? his government has been emphatic saying that _ crisis? his government has been emphatic saying that it - crisis? his government has been emphatic saying that it will - emphatic saying that it will support the state in any way possible. today, lula travelled with a big number of ministers and representatives of legislature, putting on a show of unity between the three branches of government and saying that every branch of government will do whatever is necessary to be able to release resources as quickly as possible for the state. not only for it to be able to keep up only for it to be able to keep up the rescue efforts we were discuss, but also, going forward, to be able to rebuild its infrastructure, because the damage will be absolutely huge. will be absolutely huge. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

you're live with bbc news. let's return now to the conflict in the middle east. health officials in gaza say nine people have been killed in an israeli strike on a home in rafah. it comes as the united nations has warned against an israeli attack on the city of rafah — saying it risks causing many more deaths. israel has said that even if there is a ceasefire agreement, it will be temporary — and that it will go ahead with a military assault on rafah to destroy hamas. around 1.4 million people are sheltering in rafah — many of them have sought refuge there from other parts of gaza. our special correspondent fergal keane reports now on the looming crisis facing the people in rafah. the story of desperate need, told in a single line. stretching on the road to rafah. this is the queue on the egyptian side of the border. rafah is both the hub through which most of gaza's aid passes...

..and now home to nearly 1.5 million people — five times its original population. a place where hospitals have become refugee camps. where no living space is wasted. the wards where families cook. where their children roam the corridors of a place that is — for now — safe. 11—year—old yasin al—galban is, according to his mother, surviving on painkillers. here, the brutal truth of the war is etched on the faces of its young victims. the fear is that this is what awaits rafah if an invasion is ordered. in the coalition government, the far right finance minister opposes any deal that would spare rafah in return for israeli hostages. "there's no half work. rafah, nuseirat, deiral balah.

absolute destruction," says bezalel smotrich. the israelis say there are four hamas battalions in rafah to be destroyed, with or without a ceasefire. the un is making plans for more field hospitals, but warns it won't stop a disaster. it will not avoid what we expect will be substantial additional mortality and morbidity. a lot more people dying? a lot more people dying, a lot more death and a lot more diseases. this is where utter destruction leads. people who've lost their homes, forced to camp next to graves. rahab abudacah is the mother of seven children. she described some of the horrors she and her children have witnessed. she points to a grave covered in bricks and explains the grim reason for this. translation: yesterday, | there was a grave, and there were no rocks above it.

and the family came and they found that the dogs ate part of the body. they were forced to put bricks on his grave to protect him from the dogs. from ten at night to dawn, we cannot sleep because of the sound of the dogs. at night, our children keep holding on to me because of how scared they are. there is intense pressure for a ceasefire deal now. without it, there's only foreboding. the dread of what comes next. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. you can find out more on the conflicten our website, including more on that report by fergal keane. let's turn now to the fall out from the recent local elections in england. the conservative party lost over 470 council seats and all—but—one mayoral election in england.

it leaves the tories divided, some urging prime minister rishi sunak to change course and policies, while others admit it's a setback, but that there's all to play for in the forthcoming general eleciton. here's our deputy political editor vicky young. across england and wales, they won in style. mayors and crime commissioner. it was a terrible set for the conservatives. a victory for the mayor in the tees valley. the former home secretary, no fan of the prime minister's, warned that the party faced a wipe—out at the general election, but there was no point ousting him now. rishi sunak has _ no point ousting him now. rishi sunak has been _ no point ousting him now. rishi sunak has been leading - no point ousting him now. t 3t sunak has been leading us for about 18 months. he's been making these decisions. these are the consequences of those decisions. he needs to own this. and therefore, he needs to fix it. �* , ., to fix it. and these are her suggestions. _ to fix it. and these are her suggestions. he _ to fix it. and these are her suggestions. he needs-

to fix it. and these are her suggestions. he needs to | suggestions. he needs to actually lower _ suggestions. he needs to actually lower taxes - suggestions. he needs to actually lower taxes in . suggestions. he needs to| actually lower taxes in the suggestions. he needs to - actually lower taxes in the way that people feel, not around the edges. if he wants to lower migration, he needs to take us out of the european convention on human rights. that's how you send the message that he's serious about stopping the boats. ., ., ., , ., boats. not all tories agree. after his — boats. not all tories agree. after his defeat, _ boats. not all tories agree. after his defeat, the - boats. not all tories agree. after his defeat, the now. after his defeat, the now former mayor of the west midlands, andy street, urged the party to stick to the centre ground. ministers insist they're already acting decisively.— they're already acting decisivel . ~ . ., , ., they're already acting decisivel . ~ . ., ., decisively. we have a plan and it's not working. _ decisively. we have a plan and it's not working. they're - it's not working. they're tellinu it's not working. they're telling you _ it's not working. they're telling you they - it's not working. they're telling you they don't i it's not working. they're l telling you they don't like it's not working. they're - telling you they don't like it. but we're not all the way through yet. people want to see delivery. so they want to continue to see inflation come down. they want to see the boats stop. they want to see, for example, nhs waiting lists continue to fall. we've made a lot of progress on that. but we're not all of the way there yet. we're not all of the way there et. . , ., , . we're not all of the way there et. , ., yet. labour did see a drop in su ort yet. labour did see a drop in suoport in — yet. labour did see a drop in support in some _ yet. labour did see a drop in support in some areas - yet. labour did see a drop in | support in some areas where there's anger about its stance on the war in gaza. t there's anger about its stance on the war in gaza.— on the war in gaza. i do acknowledge _ on the war in gaza. i do acknowledge that - on the war in gaza. i do i acknowledge that in some on the war in gaza. i do acknowledge that in some parts of the _ acknowledge that in some parts of the country, that that was the case. and there will be some — the case. and there will be some people who maybe voted labour — some people who maybe voted labour in — some people who maybe voted labour in the past who haven't

in the — labour in the past who haven't in the local elections, because of the — in the local elections, because of the issue. and where that's the case, _ of the issue. and where that's the case, we'll work to get mate's— the case, we'll work to get people's support back. but overall. _ people's support back. but overall, i do have to stress that— overall, i do have to stress that these were mendous local election— that these were mendous local election results. —— tremendous. election results. -- tremendous.- election results. -- tremendous. , ,, tremendous. rishi sunak's fiercest critics _ tremendous. rishi sunak's fiercest critics seem - tremendous. rishi sunak's fiercest critics seem to - tremendous. rishi sunak's fiercest critics seem to be | fiercest critics seem to be against an attempt to drive him out of here. but that doesn't mean that the criticism will stop. the thai government has ordered officials to help durian farmers in the east, as a prolonged drought caused by intense heatwave threatens crop yields. 0ur reporter, je seung lee has more details. durian, known as the king of fruits, is a popular tropical fruit in southeast asia. this spiky green delicacy is known for its pungent smell — but with a sweet and creamy taste that's just to die for. now it's one of thailand's most lucrative agricultural exports, behind rice and rubber. but due to a vicious heat wave currently sweltering thailand and other parts of southeast asia in general, farmers have voiced their concerns

because they believe this is affecting their produce — they say some of the fruits burst open even before being picked. now let's hear from some of the farmers. translation: this year is a crisis. - the future of durian is over if there's no water. translation: this year is very difficult, it's so hard that - i have to sell my farm. now to alleviate some of the negative impacts, authorities have been told to visit affected areas to assess the scale of the damage, as well as provide water to durian farms and give advice to farmers. a huge free concert by madonna has taken place in rio de janeiro, with a crowd of over one—and—a half million believed to have attended. i should warn you there are some flashing images in the pictures we are about to show you.

the brazilian show had been billed as a thank you to her fans for decades of support, and marks the end of her celebration world tour, which began in london in october last year. 0rganisers say copacabana beach transformed into the world's largest dance floor as madonna performed a string of hits from her 40—year career. and some breaking news for you now _ and some breaking news for you now. france has restored some nationat— now. france has restored some national pride after restoring the record for the world's longest— the record for the world's longest baguette and get a loaf of this— longest baguette and get a loaf of this - — longest baguette and get a loaf of this — the creation measures more _ of this — the creation measures more than _ of this — the creation measures more than 140 metres long. atmost— more than 140 metres long. almost half of the length of the eiffel tower. a group of bakers managed feat in a competition in paris. the previous record was held by italians, despite the baguette being a classic french product. meaning that the win marks a needed return to the status dough. the final measurement is taken by the length of the baguette — and, with a great, huge record

to beat of 132.63 metres, i can confirm that this attempt has been successful. cheering ido i do not apologise for any of the puns in that story! thank you forjoining us here on bbc. we'll have plenty more on the business side of things when we come back for asia business report. goodbye for now. hello. so far, this bank holiday weekend has been a decidedly mixed affair. some spells of warm sunshine, but also some really heavy downpours. we saw some flash flooding in parts of eastern scotland during sunday. you can see the showers and thunderstorms that erupted here through the day. quite slow moving, actually, not much wind to push these showers and storms along. one or two locations had close to half a month's worth of rain in the space ofjust

a few hours. we are currently in the grip of this fairly weak and fairly flabby area of low pressure. so not much winds with that low to push the showers around where they do crop up again on bank holiday monday, they will be heavy, quite slow moving, but with some spells of sunshine in between. this is how we start the day. the southern half of the uk seeing some areas of mist and fog, some sunny spells developing, but some rain across the south east of england and east anglia. northern ireland and scotland keeping quite a lot of clouds still with some hefty showers across some central and eastern parts of scotland. by the middle of the afternoon, parts of east anglia and the southeast seeing outbreaks of rain, elsewhere through the south west of england into wales, the midlands and northern england. that mix of sunny spells and heavy, possibly thundery showers. those showers quite slow moving, but the sunniest spot seeing highs of 19 or 20 degrees. more cloud for northern ireland, but largely dry. still some hefty showers across southern and eastern scotland. further north and west, something drier and in places a little bit brighter. now, as we head through monday night, the showers should slowly but surely fade away in most locations. we'll keep some fairly

large amounts of cloud, perhaps some mist patches here and there. temperatures generally holding up between six and ten degrees. now, more showers in the forecast for tuesday, but they shouldn't be as widespread and on the whole, they shouldn't be quite as heavy. so mainly fine to start off, some fairly large amounts of cloud, spells of sunshine, some of those showers getting going through the day, particularly across parts of england and wales. but in the sunny spots, those temperatures again up to around 20 degrees celsius. that is a sign of things to come because as we head deeper into the week, high pressure builds a little more strongly. we'll still see frontal systems to the north of the uk. so a bit of rain at times, particularly across parts of scotland. but further south it stays mostly dry. some spells of sunshine, temperatures climbing, seeing highs of around 21 to 22, maybe 23 degrees.

high stakes diplomacy — china's president arrives in europe with trade on the top of his agenda. fro london to paris and beyond, we look at the successes of a network connecting the uk to europe. hello. welcome to asia business report. now, china's president,

xijinping, has kicked off his first trip to europe in five years. he arrived in france and will make stops in serbia and hungary later this week. his visit comes as some countries in europe are taking action over what they perceive to be anticompetitive practises by china. our business reporter david wadell has more. president xi arrived to the airport in paris with his wife. france is the only major eu country in the tour which will also in serbia and hungary. he was greeted by france's prime minister, gabriel attal. he'll also be meeting a man with the french macron. president xi hosted president macron at the chinese city of guangzhou last year where president macron was well received and president macron will be hosting his chinese outline part in the pyrenees a place where he spent much time as a boy visiting his grandmother. but first on monday, it's done down to

business. trade etensions between china add