this is the israel—gaza border this morning. the hamas—run health ministry says israeli strikes on the jabalia refugee camp killed 110 palestinians. us defence secretary lloyd austin lands in israel, as international pressure for a ceasefire in gaza intensifies. heavy security outside a hong kong court, for the trial of pro—democracy campaigner, jimmy lai. his son says the hearing is just for show. the bbc understands northern ireland's democratic unionist party has ruled out any deal to restore devolution before christmas. a tropical cyclone causes record rainfall and widespread flooding in the australian state of queensland. hello, i'm lucy grey.

there are growing calls for a ceasefire in gaza and international pressure is mounting on israel to reduce civilian casualties. the us secretary of defense, lloyd austin, is in israel where he's expected to meet officials later. we've been seeing smoke on the gaza skyline again this morning. it comes as the uk, france and germany step up global calls for a ceasefire. britain's former defence secretary, ben wallace, has warned that israel risks losing its legal and moral authority for its war in gaza. in a newspaper article, he described israel's tactics as "crude and indiscriminate". the hamas—run health authority in gaza says israeli air strikes have killed at least 110 people in a single day in the jabalia refugee camp. we're also following the latest from the un security council which is due to convene later today, to discuss the humanitarian situation in gaza. it's expected to vote on a new draft resolution calling on israel and hamas to allow greater humanitarian access

to the gaza strip. our middle east correspondent yolande knell is following the story from jerusalem. i asked her about the international pressure mounting on israel. israel says it remains determined to dismantle hamas in gaza, that it hasn't changed its war aims at all, but there is a lot of international pressure growing from its european allies, from the uk, germany and france, which have called over the weekend in different language for some kind of a ceasefire. you have the us defence secretary here, the latest senior us official representing washington's views, basically calling for lower intensity fighting, to move into a different phase of this war, away from major combat operations to more precise targeting of hamas leaders operations, to rescue the remaining 120 or so hostages in the gaza strip. but later on at the un security council, we understand that washington is really resisting some of the language they are calling in a draft resolution at the moment,

the text that is circulating, for a cessation of hostilities, and calling too for safe and unhindered access for aid into gaza. there is a lot of mounting international concern, of course, just about the humanitarian catastrophe, as well as the numbers of palestinians who have been killed, close to 19,000 now, according to local officials, with many more said to be buried in the rubble, and most of those killed are said to be civilians, women and children. i have been speaking to a spokesperson for the palestinian red crescent about what it is like for the displaced people in gaza who are desperate for food and water. the situation is beyond catastrophic, just overwhelming and even heartbreaking. the humanitarian aid that is getting into gaza up to this moment is barely providing 10% of the needs. we are seeing people are living in real hunger, they are going hungry. they don't have regular access

to food, water, and power. they are living in shelters that don't protect them from the cold weather. they are fleeing from the bombardment and then they have to flee again. they are living in overcrowded shelters and in constant fear and panic. among all of this catastrophic situation, we are also seeing the collapsing of the health care system. and, unfortunately, many wounded people lose their life without being able to be treated. and even up to this moment, the critically injured people, who had to be transferred for treatment outside of gaza strip, since there is no treatment or surgery for them inside gaza, only 1% of those were able to evacuate out of gaza. thousands of others are still under the threat of losing their lives

because they are still trapped inside gaza without treatment. and the diseases are a big concern, aren't they, at the moment, just explain what they are, the diseases that are causing the biggest problems and concerns? over 85% of palestinians have been internally displaced in south of gaza. and now they are living either in schools, hospitals, or whatsoever shelters. this overcrowding means that also there is very limited access to water. it is hard to maintain hygiene, which has resulted in many infectious diseases moving between those who are packed together. we have seen many diseases, among those, skin diseases, as well as others.

this is an extremely alarming thing that might cause the loss of thousands of lives. in addition to the people who are living in hunger, as well. the outcome of eygpt�*s presidential election is due to be announced today. the election is expected to give president al—sisi a sweeping victory and a new six—year term in the absence of real competition. the election took place under a backdrop of a struggling economy, with inflation running at nearly 40% and basic commodities often beyond the reach of egyptian households. live now to our correspondent in cairo, sally nabil. the opposition have called this election a farce, but president al—sisi looks like he will get a landslide, doesn't he? al-sisi looks like he will get a landslide, doesn't he? absolutely. there is no — landslide, doesn't he? absolutely. there is no doubt _ landslide, doesn't he? absolutely. there is no doubt that _ landslide, doesn't he? absolutely.

there is no doubt that president i there is no doubt that president al—sisi is going to secure a third term in office quite easily, and over social media in the past couple of days, actually since the elections were held last week, a lot of egyptians were sarcastically making remarks, "0h, we are eagerly waiting for the results, they might be totally unexpected". they were just mocking the whole thing because everyone knows that president al—sisi is going to be the winner. but it is notjust about who is going to win here. it is more about the challenges lying ahead for the president, and the key factor here, or the keyword is the economy, which is on everybody �*s mind in this country. 0ver is on everybody �*s mind in this country. over the past few years, a lot of egyptian families been complaining about their living conditions that have been going from bad to worse. i have been talking to a lady a couple of weeks ago and she told me that she stopped buying meat

three years ago because she can't afford it any more. a lot of people are complaining about price hikes in basic commodities like onions and sugar. a lot of things are becoming unaffordable. so what is the president going to do about the economy? how is he going to handle it? discontent is widespread around this country, even if people are not courageous enough, or are not enough to take to the streets and express their anger. to take to the streets and express their anger-— to take to the streets and express their anger. what did he say in his campaigning _ their anger. what did he say in his campaigning about _ their anger. what did he say in his campaigning about the _ their anger. what did he say in his campaigning about the economic. campaigning about the economic crisis and how he will deal with it? since the devaluation of the local currency earlier this year, government supporters have been putting the blame on global reasons, like the coronavirus pandemic, like the ukraine war that pushed many foreign investors to withdraw their money from egyptian banks. so they tried to attribute it to any other factor away from the government �*s

policies, and how they have been handling the economy, the rising debts, the high inflation rates. a lot of money has been allocated to lavish presidential palaces and building a new capital. a lot of critics say that was a clear waste of resources, but those who support the president say that these mega projects have provided job opportunities and will eventually make peoples lives easier. as many egyptians have been waiting for years and years for better times that have been promised by the president. ., ~ that have been promised by the president. ., ,, , ., the trial has begun in hong kong of the prominent pro—democracy campaigner, jimmy lai. the 76—year—old was originally arrested in 2020 accused of undermining the territory's national security through articles published in his apple daily newspaper and on social media. mr lai has been held in solitary confinement for the past three years, since his writing was deemed to be illegal under new laws imposed by beijing. security was tight around the court for the start of his trial.

mr lai, who is also a british citizen, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. the united states and britain have condemned the trial and have urged the authorities in hong kong to release businessman. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. jimmy lai used to be a powerful media boss in hong kong, and he used his apple daily newspaper to criticise china's communist party. he also took part in, and supported, pro—democracy demonstrations in the former british colony, which led the authorities to impose tough national security laws. three years ago, they arrested mr lai and jailed him forfraud, which he denied. and now they're trying him for sedition and collusion with foreign governments, which he also denies. mr lai, who's 76, was born in mainland china, but he's also a british national. last week, lord cameron met his son, sebastian, at the foreign office. in a statement, the foreign

secretary said he was particularly concerned at the politically motivated prosecution of mr lai, who'd been targeted, he said, for exercising his freedom of expression. he added... mr lai's supporters do not expect a fair trial. if convicted, he could face life in prison. the proceedings, which may last months, will be seen as a fresh challenge to media freedom in hong kong, and will shape its reputation for global investors. china has urged the uk to stop meddling in its affairs. james landale, bbc news. some breaking news. the european union has launched a formal infringement proceedings against the social media company x on suspicion of breaching obligations to counter illegal content and disinformation.

this has come from the commission. x is part of a group of large tech companies facing increasing scrutiny under the new eu regulation known as the digital markets act. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the government says it will set out plans in the coming days to modernise the laws around spiking — when drugs are put in another person's drink or body without their knowledge. more training for door staff and funding for testing kits are among a package of measures announced. campaigners have been calling for drink and needle spiking to be made a specific offence. two people have been taken to hospital and 50 residents were evacuated overnight following a gas explosion at a property in blackburn. the detonation caused the walls and roof of a terraced house to crumble. their injuries are not believed to be life—threatening. police say there is no ongoing risk from either gas or the building collapse.

the government is expected to announce that it is planning to provisionally increase its funding for local councils in england by 6.5% next year. a final figure will be agreed by the treasury in early 202a. councils have been warning that they face significant pressures on their budgets. you're live with bbc news. the bbc understands the democratic unionist party has ruled out the prospect of a deal to restore devolution at stormont before christmas. the westminster government wanted the devolved assembly to be recalled this week for ministers to be appointed. but it's understood the dup's position is that the negotiating process is not yet complete. for more on this story, i spoke earlier to the politics editor at politics home, adam payne. the news that bbc are reporting this morning is what i am here and, as well and it is what i was being told by sources over the weekend. that is that while these talks between the uk government

and the dup are in the final stages, we do seem to be within the realms of when, rather than if, and that is a significant development in these long—running talks. it has been put to me and the bbc has reported as well that the dup feels they are not quite there yet, they don't have enough time to get this done before christmas. why is that? the uk parliament, which would have to legislate and put law in place to action this, it rises tomorrow for christmas. not a lot of time, even if the dup and the government reached an agreement today. when it comes to that agreement, the dup and other parties are still looking for a bigger financial package from the government. talk us through it. they are saying that they are condition led, not calendar lead, that is what they have said this morning. talk about what their conditions are, what are they looking for, holding out for? for anyone who follows this, like me and your colleagues, it is just one re—occurring deja vu.

basically, the dup has had fundamental objections to post—brexit arrangements for northern ireland, its relationship with great britain. it has been in negotiations with the uk government for many months now, almost two years, i think, to try to address these issues. where we are at the moment is that the dup and the other parties in northern ireland, it is important to stress, want a certain amount of money from uk government to cover things like northern ireland's public services that are under strain, to settle pay disputes in northern ireland, for when or if the institutions of government gets back up and running to make sure they have the money they need to crack on and get things going. right now, there is a gap between what the uk government, the prime minister rishi sunak kam chancellorjeremy hunt, are willing to offer and what the dup and the other parties in northern ireland asking for. it sounds like they are not going to bridge that

gap in today's meeting. as you say, it's been nearly two years without a functioning assembly. in terms of the impact of that, what has that been? well, it is worth saying it is not the first time that northern ireland has been without a functioning executive and assembly. it means that northern ireland, like the rest of the uk, have been trying to recover from coronavirus and deal with the impact of the war in ukraine, the impact it has on energy prices, and public services, all the things that your viewers are familiar with. northern ireland has been having to do that without ministers in place. it has been the job of civil servants in northern ireland. clearly, there are limits in regards to what they can do. the uk government has had to help out in certain places. clearly, it is not an ideal state of affairs. as i said earlier, northern ireland's public services are under acute strain.

northern ireland has some of the worst poverty in the country. it is a part of the uk that is feeling a lot of strain at the moment. while the dup and its core supporters understandably say that the reason we are doing this is for strongly felt views on the constitution and northern ireland's place in the uk, the party has come under significant pressure to get back into government in light of the many challenges that northern ireland is facing at the moment. 0k, thank you for talking us through that, adam payne, political editorfrom politics home. we'll have more on this story later this hour — and you can follow the latest developments online. the serbian president says his party won a resounding victory in sunday's snap general election. final results are not due until later on monday, but within hours of polls closing, aleksandar vucic said he was confident that his serbian progressive party had secured more than half of the 250 seats. a loose coalition of 15 opposition groups had united to challenge the party,

which has been in power for more than a decade. 0ur balkans correspondent guy de launey is in belgrade — i spoke to him earlier. he had more on the backdrop to this election. what this all started with was the two mass shootings on consecutive days in may, one of which was in a school in belgrade in which nine school students and a staff member died. those shootings really horrified the country. there was initially this spontaneous outpouring on to the streets of anguish, really, about what had happened. then it morphed into more of an opposition—led protest movement, which was holding protests every week. they had specific demands. they were asking for ministers to resign and they were also asking the government to revoke the licenses of certain broadcasters who they said were responsible for promoting a culture of violence in serbia. when those demands were not met, the opposition asked for elections

to be held and the governing party, the progressives, agreed. it was always going to be a bit of a risky maneuver asking the government for an election because the progressive party has a very well oiled electoral machine. it's a very coherent proposition. people know what they're voting for and they know who they're voting for. but even though this is the progressive party, their figurehead is very much president aleksandar vucic, who presents himself as the strong leader that serbia needs to regain prosperity and move the country forward. that's a very appealing proposition for the voters, as against a coalition of 15 fairly unrelated opposition parties who had gathered under this umbrella, serbia against violence. yes, it's certainly not worked out the way the opposition would have liked it. what were the main issues, though, that people were campaigning on? well, the economy was a big one. we've had high inflation here in serbia. it was reaching up as high as 15% within the past year.

it's now down to about 8%. but, obviously, the cost of living was was concerning people. and mr vucic and the progressives took measures to try and alleviate people's fears, some of which the opposition said were not on, like they were giving handouts to all sorts of different people — pensioners, students, reducing prices of certain goods in the supermarkets. the opposition was calling that helicopter money. they were saying in essence it was buying votes. but these were all ways in which mr vucic and the progressives were trying to reassure voters that they could be trusted with the economy and that the inflation was a temporary blip. the gdp's been increasing, inward investment has been on the increase and they're promising prosperity and stability for the country. let s get some of the day s other news now. uganda s constitutional court is set to start hearing a case challenging the anti—homosexuality law passed in may this year by president yoweri museveni. it imposes severe punishments

on those convicted of same sex acts including the death penalty for some crimes. the law is being challenged by human rights organisations. votes are being counted in chad's constitutional referendum, which is seen as a step towards a return to civilian rule. some opposition parties and civil society organisations had called for a boycott. they fear the referendum will allow chad's transitional president, general mahamat deby, to strengthen his grip. voters in chile have rejected a second proposal to replace the current constitution, written during the military government of augusto pinochet in the 1980s. the draft constitution has been rejected by 55% of those taking part in the referendum. to australia next, where emergency service have been trying to rescue hundreds of people trapped by flooding in the state of queensland. authorities say people were stuck on the roofs of their homes as rising waters 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. if that wasn't enough, take a look at this. a crocodile was seen swimming in a storm drain in the town of ingham. you can just see the croc�*s face in the water. i spoke earlier to abc journalist christopher testa, who's in cairns and has been reporting on this from the ground all day. he had more on the latest conditions in the area. things are a little different depending on which part of far north queensland you're in. in the major city of cairns, population around 200,000 people, the city experienced one of its wettest days on record, the worst flooding since 1910. most of that rain fell on sunday, australian time. some coastal suburbs were completely cut off. some of them remain completely cut off but in those areas, flooding in the streets has really started to subside. it's in the further north towns, in parts of the daintree rainforest,

one town in particular, the small aboriginal community of wujal wujal, where people are still, in some cases, waiting to be rescued. there is a search and rescue there for an 85—year—old man who hasn't been seen since 10pm last night. so, about 21 hours ago. the recovery process in some places has started. in other places, things still remain quite serious. in the wujal wujal area, they tried with helicopters to get there, but had to turn back, didn't they? while the rain in cairns had stopped by this morning, in wujal wujal, it was still raining throughout parts of the day. i think they're hoping to get in tomorrow. to paint a picture — it is a very remote location. the daintree rainforest is one of the great remnant tropical forests of the world. wujal wujal is about 200 kilometres north of cairns. road access even to places like the tourist town of port douglas about an hour north

of cairns has cut off because the flooding has completely decimated some roads. in the case of wujal wujal, you have to get the ferry over the flooded daintree river. it is difficult to access in the best of times in a tropical wet season in australia. the authorities have a challenge to get to some of these places. the moment a landslide swept down a mountainside into lake garda in italy has been caught on camera. take a look at this. you can see the large boulders plunging into the water. officials say the force of the landside created large waves. the coastal road had to be closed. rescue teams were deployed to the area but firefighters later confirmed no—one had been injured. a dress worn by princess diana has sold for more than £900,000 at an auction in los angeles, the highest price ever for any of her dresses. the evening gown in black velvet features metallic embroidered stars and a blue ballerina skirt.

it was worn on a visit to italy in 1985. before we go, ijust want to bring you some more information on that breaking news this hour — the european union has launched formal infringement proceedings against social media company x, formerly known as twitter, on suspicion of breach of the obligations to counter illegal content counter illegal content and disinformation. in a statement on the commission's website, it outlined the areas the proceeding will focus on. these include measures taken by x to increase the transparency of its platform, its compliance with obligations related to countering the dissemination of illegal content, and the effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation on the platform. we'll have more on this story across the day.

hello. it was a cloudy and mild start to the day for many, there's hope of some sunshine coming through, particularly across the north. but as we head through the week, there will be further rain at times, there'll be some particularly windy weather mid week onwards and behind that it turns colder. so this is the weather front for today, introducing that cloud and rain across much of england, wales, more coming into the north west of scotland as well. but for the meantime, we've got the south—westerly winds, a fairly brisk south—westerly wind, keeping it mild, keeping it rather grey as well. the heavier rain, i think, arriving across parts of wales and north west england through into the afternoon. any brightness in the east limited, it's more likely across parts of scotland and northern ireland after a rather grey and drizzly start. but there's more rain waiting in the wings up in the north west of scotland and temperatures actually a little lower for scotland and northern ireland compared with the weekend. so, a little bit chillier. and a chillier night to come as that weather front slips southwards. but not for england, wales and northern ireland.

some really heavy rain for a time. some of these showers following into the north and west could be a little bit wintry over the hills. temperatures getting down to frost levels, at least in the glens of scotland. but we are then confronted with yet more rain as we go through the night and into tuesday morning. so that will take its time to clear from wales, from northern england, but should have cleared northern ireland and scotland by the morning and eventually it clears the far south and east into the afternoon. so most places will see some brightness, more than today, as we get through into tomorrow afternoon. but it's a chillier day. temperatures dipping away as the day goes on and these showers pestering the north and west will be falling as hail, some thunder and some sleet and snow, particularly on the hills. by wednesday, we're into a brisk west north—westerly wind and yet more cloud piles in. so after a chilly start and a bright start, the sunshine will disappear, mostlyjust light rain and drizzle in southern areas, but something a little bit more persistent coming to the north and west and with it bringing back some slightly milder air. 11 or 12 degrees celsius the high. but that windy weather as this low pressure passes close

to the north of scotland, giving us severe gale force winds. and as they come down from the northwest, introducing some cooler air to all parts by the end of thursday. not particularly cold, but cold enough for those wintry showers in the north to turn to snow even at lower levels, particularly by friday. as ever, you can keep up to date online.

a new crisis looms in global shipping — big players are avoiding the suez canal because of the risk of attack. the boss of europe's most hazardous nuclear site, sellafield, speaks to the bbc and rejects claims it was hacked. welcome to world business report. i'm tadgh enright. we start in egypt, where officials insist traffic is flowing normally through the suez canal, despite recent attacks further south in the red sea. iranian—backed rebels in the civil war that's engulfed yemen in recent years have repeatedly targeted commercial vessels, leading some of the world's biggest shipping firms to suspend routes in the area. with more context, here's our business reporter david waddell.