and — passengers on a round—the—world cruise left stranded in belfast for three months after their voyage was beset by delays. we start newsday in the united states and a big moment for vice president kamala harris. the democratic presidential nominee's given her first major tv interview, since replacing joe biden, in the race for the white house. but appearing alongside her running mate, tim walz, she's been attacked for not giving a solo interview, with republicans claiming she's dodging scrutiny. our north america editor sarah smith has the latest from washington. hi! on the road — kamala harris is crisscrossing the key state of georgia.

hi! no wonder she's smiling, with opinion polls moving in her direction and her campaign is going very smoothly — so far. a serious tv interview will be a bigger test. in this preview clip, ms harris is asked about recent policy u—turns and whether voters can trust her. the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed. in this memorable interview three years ago, she was asked why she hadn't personally visited the southern border. we are going to the border, we've been to the border, so this whole thing about the border, we've been to the border, we've been to the border. you haven't been to the border. and i haven't been to europe. i mean, i don't understand the point you're making! donald trump will certainly be watching. he seems convinced that ms harris will again perform badly on tv. she's barely competent, and she can't do an interview. but i look forward to the debates. i promise to be a president

for all americans, you can always trust me... after a very successful convention in chicago, democrats are delighted with how well kamala harris is performing — much better than many expected. four years ago, she took on mike pence in the vice presidential debates. mrvice president, i'm speaking, i'm speaking... and kamala harris will debate donald trump on television next month. joe biden�*s debate against mr trump ended his campaign. these events can make a huge difference to the election. look... if... we finally beat medicare. kamala harris is currently enthusing her supporters, but forced outside of these friendly environments, she will face much tougher tests.

our correspndentjenny kumar is in washington. she explained what the stakes were for the democratic nominee. well, pressure has been building on kamala harris to do an interview. the republicans have been launching several attacks. they say it's some a0 days since she replaced joe biden at the top of the ticket, and hasn't put herself up for any media scrutiny. and when this interview was announced with cnn, they mocked the fact that it was being done alongside tim walz, that it was a joint interview. they also criticised the fact that it was pre—recorded, and questioned just how much scrutiny and how much kamala harris would be held to account. and, uh, it is the case that the harris campaign have restricted media appearances to carefully choreographed events. and we saw last week the energy and enthusiasm that that perhaps has contributed

towards. so tonight is a really significant event to see to what extent we get to learn more about the policies and the detailed explanation of how she will achieve what she sets out to do. yeah, given the concerns raised by the republicans, how big a test for her credibility is this? well, the republicans have been saying that she's not up to the job and that if she can't do a high stakes live interview, then how can she handle dealing with someone like president putin? um, now, this is an opportunity for voters to learn more about what kamala harris plans to do, how she will achieve it. and we've yet to see the interview, but that will provide valuable information for voters who want to know more about what a harris administration will look like. but perhaps the bigger test will be that that debate that will be held on september

the 10th with donald trump. douglas herman is a democratic strategist, he told me why kamala harris brought tim walz to her first major interview. there's a long history in the presidential campaigns of having the ticket as a pair, in announcements and in interviews. both the republican party and the democratic party have done it for years. this is just really kind of ticky tack politics from the republicans trying to distract from the real issues and this is par for the course, this is nothing unusual. candidates and tickets have done this throughout the years, and especially on introductory interviews and the first round of interviews. that's pretty much par for the course. so i don't make much of the republicans doing that other than it's ticky tack politics. ok, so if it's nothing to see here kind of statement, then what are the main issues that harris and walz will want to talk about in this interview, and what areas will they want to avoid? well, i think first and foremost, they want to talk about their values and their experiences

because that's what's going to inform their policies. but i think it's important that they talk through the rationale for why they're running, what they're going to do on the economy and how they're going to be better than donald trump and why. and those are the kinds of things that these interviews are designed to draw out, but they're just as important to get a sense of the person. these are first blushes. the country has yet to see harris and walz really together a little bit a couple times out on the trail, a little bit on the convention floor together. but this will be their first time really sitting down together and revealing, you know, a little bit more about their candidacy and what they're all about and why they're running and what they're going to do. so this is a very important interview for them in terms of setting the stage and setting the bar for what they're going to focus on as a presidential administration. now, harris�*s record with high pressure interviews is mixed. we saw a clip earlier that didn't paint her in the best light, perhaps. so what would she need to accomplish then to gain voters confidence in her ability to lead the country? well, i think she's going

to need to do exactly what she's been doing. she's had an impressive roll—out of probably the best you could imagine for the circumstances and the speed with which she's been thrust into the spotlight. so she's going to have to project a sense of confidence and ability to do the job, and the ability to understand the issues and to talk about them in a way that connects with people and the values and the priorities that they bring to the table. and, you know, there's a lot of talk being made about which policy priority is going to get this and that and which detail. but ultimately, the voters generally make their decisions on how they feel about a candidate, how they believe they're going to act. and rather than on specific single issues. there's certainly single issue voters, but for the most part, voters make a more informed choice and encounter the whole person rather than just a policy. to the middle east, where the world health organization says israel and hamas have agreed to several three—day pauses in fighting to enable

more than 600,000 children in gaza to be vaccinated against polio. it comes after a baby contracted the first confirmed case of the disease in 25 years in the palestinian territory. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, stressed that these pauses did not amount to a ceasefire. lucy williamson reports. born a month before the gaza war began, abdul rahman has played a role in pausing it — something world leaders have struggled to do. earlier this month, abdul rahman was diagnosed with polio — the first case in gaza for 25 years. the family, nine children in all, live in a camp in central gaza, displaced multiple times from their home in the north. the constant moving disrupted his vaccinations. his mother says others in the camp are afraid and stop their children playing with them. translation: the virus stopped his progress. i

he stopped sitting, stopped walking, stopped crawling and stopped moving. i want him to be treated. he wants to live and walk like other children. abdul rahman�*s diagnosis has raised fresh alarm over conditions in gaza's camps. the phased pause in fighting will allow medics to vaccinate more than half a million children in stages across the territory. but the conditions that caused this crisis are worsening, say aid organisations, and their solutions are not straightforward. due to the insecurity, the damage, the road infrastructure and population displacement, but also based on our experience with this kind of campaign globally and worldwide, the three days might not be enough to achieve adequate vaccination. israel's prime minister was clear that this was not a ceasefire. the war has so far been resistant to both diplomacy and disease, but preventing

another layer of tragedy is seen as one small victory. what the eu's foreign policy chief called a drop of hope in a sea of despair. lucy williamson, bbc news, jenin. the death toll from israel's military operation in the occupied west bank is rising. palestinian sources say 17 people have been killed. israel says it's a counter terrorism operation but the united nations has called for an end to it, saying the israeli military are only �*fuelling an already explosive situation.�* among the dead are eight people in the city ofjenin — where israeli forces have moved onto the streets. armoured bulldozers have been deployed. there are also reports that a man was hit and killed by sniperfire in his home in the nur shams refugee camp. that's near tulkarem — where the israeli military say they killed five palestinian fighters who had hidden in a mosque, including their leader muhammed jabber. deaths have also been reported in the city of tubas. it comes as israeli forces fight on two other fronts —

against hamas in gaza, and hezbollah, along the lebanon border. our middle east correspondent jon donnison has more on the impact of the israeli military operation injenin. this israeli military operation does seem to be ongoing. it's been quite a lot quieter here today injenin, but since yesterday, eight palestinians have been killed, including one this morning. and just in the last few hours, we heard a couple of loud explosions as well as some fairly prolonged bursts of gunfire. now, israel says that it is carrying out counterterrorism operations against palestinian militants. it says those groups are funded by iran. palestinians see this as an aggression and an escalation. and certainly getting intojenin this morning was pretty difficult. all the major roads had been blocked off by the israeli army, bar one, and we spoke to local palestinian taxi drivers who said that israeli soldiers had been firing

at palestinian cars. and then when you get here, i mean, this is normally a vibrant, bustling city, and today the streets are absolutely deserted all the businesses are shuttered up. so it is having a big impact on the lives of ordinary palestinians. ukraine's armed forces say one of the f—16 fighter jets donated by its nato allies has crashed on monday and its pilot was killed. the plane was being used during an operation to repel a russian missile attack. the military said the dead pilot destroyed three cruise missiles and an attack drone before his jet went out of contact and then crashed. a military source has told the bbc it was neither russian fire nor pilot error. our europe correspondent nick beake has more on the events that led to this crash. this happened on monday morning when ukraine had come under huge aerial bombardment.

we'd known that the ukrainians, for the first time, had used f—i6 jets to shoot down russian missiles and drones. but tonight the news that one of the ukrainian pilots, oleksiy mes, known by his callsign moonfish, was killed in that effort. the circumstances are unclear. it said that he wasn't hit by direct enemy fire, and there's an investigation that's now under way. but he, along with another pilot colleague with the callsignjuice, had travelled to washington as part of ukraine's big effort to be given these f—i6 jets. but now both of those pilots have been killed in action. it's also a blow for president zelensky. he personally campaigned to get these jets for the past two and a half years. he finally got them the first of them just a few weeks ago. and now this has happened. there were these warnings that the russians would target them and also crucially, the airfields from which they take off. and that is why president zelensky has asked once again

of his allies that they give him permission to use these foreign made long range missiles so that they can hit further into russia. and president zelensky says if he's given that permission, they can prevent these sort of attacks across the whole of ukraine. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

the uk government is considering tighter restrictions on smoking outdoors as part of a drive to phase out tobacco. smoking could be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants, outside hospitals and sports grounds. the new measures would apply in england. wales said it would support the bill, while scotland and northern ireland say any proposals for restrictions are subject to approval in the devolved nation. in the uk, smoking is currently prohibited in enclosed public places, workplaces, and on public transport.

and since 2014, it's been against the law to smoke in a car which is carrying children. let's look at the legal situation in some other countries — mexico has some of the strictest anti—smoking laws in the world. smoking is banned at beaches, parks and in some cases private homes. within the eu, several countries have strong anti—smoking measures in place, but the european commission says, in reality, there was a problem with getting people and authorities to actually follow those laws and when new zealand announced its world—first smoking ban forfuture generations, it was widely praised by health advocates across the globe. and yet, two years later, its latest government scrapped that landmark bill, citing the need to pay for tax cuts. our correspondent, danny savage has been to the north of england to hear from smokers, nonsmokers, and businesses which could be affected. we all know smoking is bad for our health, but plenty of people still choose to do so. so what about the latest idea to restrict it, ban it in pub gardens

and outdoor restaurants in england and possibly elsewhere in the uk? we showed the prime minister's views to people in a pub garden. over 80,000 people lose their lives every year because of smoking. that's a preventable death, it's a huge burden on the nhs, and of course it's a burden on the taxpayer. so what do they think? we're all sat having a drink in the sunshine here in york. some people lit a cigarette, and instantly you smelt it. and you don't want to do that? i personally don't want to do that, and i have to say that i'm anti—smoking. unless you're banning it full. stop, there needs to be places for people to have a smoke. but whilst we're eating, i don't particularly- want to smell it. i think it's ludicrous, personally... simon runs the pub — and six others. i think it's another restriction on hospitality trying to survive. it's going to impact our sales, and it takes away the freedom

of choice for people who want to do something outside, where it's ok for them. smoking was banned in enclosed public spaces across the uk about 17 years ago. now it could be potentially stopped out here too, which will please many but frustrate some people. sophie has smoked for ten years and isn't convinced the plan will work. people willjust stop going to them businesses to drink in. they'll go somewhere where they can smoke or...? yeah, they'lljust stay at home or go to their gardens and do it for cheaper. chris wants to give up, and this might help. discouraging the youth from partaking, that's nothing but a good thing. whether that's going to stop them starting in the first place or not, i don't know. in york, local bylaws already forbid smoking in these outdoor seating areas. so they can't smoke sitting there? no. but they can literally come the other side of the barrier here, stand here and smoke perfectly legally? yeah. policing it can be difficult, though. people try and hide it from us, like they'll

stick their cigarette down here, but you can literally see the smoke and you can smell it. and obviously it is a restaurant as well, that's kind of like why we don't allow it, it makes sense to not allow it as well because people are eating, there's kids eating. health authorities say there is no safe level of exposure to second—hand smoke. making it more difficult to light up in public could be on the cards. danny savage, bbc news, york. the chinese president xi jinping has met the visiting us national security adviser, jake sullivan, in an indication of warmer ties between the two countries. mr sullivan has been in beijing for high—level talks for three days. he said america had deliberately tried to increase diplomatic contact with china over the last two years. his trip to beijing is seen as an effort to create more dialogue and reduce tensions between the two countries — with the white house wanting to avoid any miscommunication that could lead to conflict in the region. the chinese preseident said his country was committed to maintaining its relations with the us.

translation: while great changes have taken place i in the two countries and in china—us relations, china's commitment to a goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable china—us relationship remains unchanged. its principle in handling the relationship based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win—win cooperation remains unchanged. its position on firmly safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and development interests remains unchanged, and its efforts to carry forward the traditional friendship between the chinese and american people remain unchanged. mr sullivan held a press conference after his meetings — where he emphaised the most impportant aspect of the us/china relationship. the most important thing, and a core part of my extended engagement with director wong — notjust here, but in multiple meetings dating back to the beginning of last year — is overall responsible management of this relationship so that competition doesn't veer into confrontation

or conflict. that is ongoing work, and being able to reach the end of president biden's administration with the relationship on a stable basis, even though we have areas of difference and areas of difficulty, this is something we will work towards. a court in hong kong has found two editors of a news media outlet guilty of conspiring to publish seditious articles in a case that has drawn international scrutiny. the two editors, of the now—defunct stand news media outlet, could face a maximum jail term of two years. this is the first sedition conviction against any journalist or editor since 1997. authorities in hong kong have resurrected the sedition law as part of a crackdown on dissent — following mass antigovernment protests in 2019. more than five million people injapan have been told to evacuate their homes after the country was hit by one of its strongest typhoons in decades. at least four people have been killed and more than 80 injured

since typhoon shanshan hit. it's brought torrential rain, and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. understandably there is a high level of concern. translation: this typhoon j is scary in terms of disaster. we're getting a large amount of rain, so i don't know what will happen going forward. i really hope everyone will stay safe. the typhoon has changed its course frequently and stayed in the area for a long time, so the amount of rain has increased dramatically. that's what i'm concerned about. now to a round—the—world cruise ship that has been stranded in belfast for three months. the three year trip was supposed to begin at the end of may, but has been delayed by gearbox and rudder problems. some passengers haven't been able to leave belfast at all — and the weather there has come as a bit of a shock. sara girvin has been speaking to passengers. it's billed as the global

cruise adventure of a lifetime... this is our only opportunity to live on a ship. ..taking in 425 destinations, including more than 100 tropical islands. but so far, those on board are yet to leave the first port of call — not so tropical belfast. holly has been docked in the city since may with her cat captain for company. he's used to the yachting thing. he lived on a boat in the winter and he's a trouper. he's wonderful. he's raring to go. belfast has provided passengers with highs and lows. well, the worst by far is the weather. i feel so sorry for you all. i have had to buy vitamin d for the first time in my life. you know, florida, we don't need that. the best thing, the people here have all been supportive. i'm willing to wait as long as it takes. the passengers are trying to stay positive despite their extended stay in belfast. sure, we've been frustrated at times, but really it's all been part of the adventure.

it's been amazing to learn - a new country, a new culture, all the food, all the drinks. so i've enjoyed . getting to know it. all the guinness! it's hoped the ship will finally launch next week. what are you looking forward to the most now? departure. they laugh. finally — let's bring you some stunning images of the natural world that have been shared by the natural history museum as part of its wildlife photographer of the year competition. this jaguar with a caiman in its jaws was captured in the pantanal wetlands in brazil, by british photographer ian ford. this stoat was seen "dancing" over the snow in france. the image was taken by manuel grandio, who called it �*twist and jump�*. and a colourful david bowie spider was photographed carrying an egg sack in the cameron highlands in malaysia. it was taken by lam soon tak. this year�*s competition received more than 59,000 entries from photographers

all over the world. the winners will be announced on the 8th of october. it was the scientist to found the orange had series after david bowie. that�*s all for now — stay with bbc news. hello there. despite a few sharp showers in the far north of scotland, thursday was a perfect late summer�*s day. in fact, quite a rarity for august because we had sunshine topping and tailing the country. yes, it was glorious at times. now, it�*s likely that we�*re going to keep that quiet theme for the next few days, despite a little bit of early morning mist and fog around exposed west coasts, an the whole, there�*ll be a lot of sunshine to start the day on friday. cloud will develop as we go through the afternoon, but nevertheless the temperatures will start to pick up quite nicely. we�*re looking at 15—19 degrees in scotland, maybe highs of 2a degrees across south—east england — that�*s 75 fahrenheit.

high pressure stays with us into the start of the weekend. it is starting to pull its way north and east, and that will allow more of an easterly flow and this weak weather front could trigger a few sharp showers. so a little more cloud across southern england and a brisk easterly wind making it feel a little fresher on exposed coast. so west will be best for sunshine and despite that brisk westerly wind — which will be noticeable — in some shelter, it will still feel quite pleasant. so for western scotland we could see highs possibly of 22 degrees, that�*s going to be a similar value to the london area, with the cloud and the risk of a few isolated showers. on to sunday — our area of high pressure continues to move towards norway, and that�*s going to allow the wind direction to change once again, this time more to a south—easterly.

so that will tap into some very warm air across the near continent, so it will feel increasingly hot and humid and much of eastern england seeing more sunshine and more warmth on sunday. there will be some cloud furtherwest, but later on in the day that humidity could trigger a few sharp, thundery downpours into the south—east. temperatures, though, likely to peak at 26 celsius. so if you�*ve got plans for sunday evening across southern england, keep abreast of the forecast, the subject potential for change. and then as we go into next week, it looks likely that low pressure will start to centre itself to the far north and west. a lot of uncertainty for the detail, but it does look likely that this settled story that we�*ve been singing for the last couple of days will change to something a little bit more unsettled.

the dow hits a record high as the world�*s largest economy grows by a larger margin than expected. plus, the reunion many have been waiting for and its impact on the uk. hello and welcome to business today. i�*m steve lai.

let�*s begin in the united states. the latest data shows the world�*s largest economy grew by 3% in the second quarter, which was higher than initially thought. meanwhile, fewer americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. this drove the dow jones industrial average to close at a record high. the bbc�*s ritika gupta has more from new york. the dow hit a fresh record high on thursday following robust economic data. americans filing forjobless claims last week came in lower than expected at 231,000, and us gdp for the second quarter was revised upwards to 3% from the brevis 2.8% rating. now, a big part of that was down to consumer spending, which, as it drives two thirds of the us economy. the stronger advances and key categories included spending on health care, housing and utilities and recreation. that offset and downgrades and other categories, exports and private inventory investment. spending

is being supported in part by wage