the mayor of new york, eric adams, is to be indicted on federal criminal charges following a lengthy investigation into possible illegal campaign contributions. the us pledges more military aid to ukraine ahead of a meeting betweenjoe biden and volodymyr zelensky. and just how much does it cost when you go to the movies? some cinema chains are being investigated for unfair pricing of refreshments. hello, i'm sally bundock. france and the united states are leading attempts to secure an immediate 21—day ceasefire in southern lebanon. presidents macron and biden said the temporary truce would give diplomacy a chance to resolve the conflict between israel and the iranian—backed hezbollah.

the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, told the security council that hell was breaking loose following days of cross—border fire. israel's ambassador to the un said israel didn't want a full—scale war but would not stand by when its northern region was attacked. the lebanese health ministry said more than 70 people were killed by israeli air strikes on wednesday, while hezbollah has continued to fire into israel. the security council meeting in new york went on late into the evening and started with this warning by the un secretary general. hell is breaking loose in lebanon. as i told the general assembly yesterday, we should all be alarmed by the escalation. to all sides, let us say with one clear voice, stop the killing and destruction, tone down the rhetorical threats, step back from the brink.

an all—out war must be avoided at all costs. it would surely be an all—out catastrophe. the prime minister of lebanon told the council israel was violating his country's sovereignty and called for a wider ceasefire including in gaza. translation: today i would like i to call upon the council to act l seriously and immediately to guarantee the withdrawal of israel from all of the occupied lebanese territories and end the violations that are repeated on a daily basis. the failure to reach a solution will further complicate the situation. the ongoing violation will only lead to further escalation, which does not serve the interests of any party in this complex formula. israel's envoy to the united nations told the meeting that israel's strikes against hezbollah had been "precise" and they don't seek a full—scale war. we will take all necessary steps within our rights and in

accordance with international law to neutralise that threat. israel does not seek a full—scale war. we have made our desire for peace clear, to all those who are not blinded by hatred and political agendas. however, israel is under attack. our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports from northern israel. as dawn broke over tel aviv, another escalation. hezbollah, for the first time, firing a ballistic missile into the heart of israel — just one missile easily shot down, but an unmistakable signal of defiance from hezbollah. israel also has escalation in mind. the head of the army visiting troops close to the northern border telling them to get ready to fight inside lebanon. translation: we are preparing

the process of a manoeuvre - which means that your military boots will enter enemy territory, enter villages that hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts. tanks have been seen moving north, and reservists are being called up. but nothing looks imminent. for now, it is mostly a threat. but its purpose is clear — to allow civilians to return to border communities evacuated a year ago. places like qiryat shemona, hit by hundreds of rockets since last october, now mostly empty. the buses are still running, but there is no—one on them. this is normally a town of around 2a,000 people. now only about 3,000 remain. parts of it are completely deserted. lebanon isjust a couple of miles away, and after everything that's happened in the past 12 months, it's going to take an awful lot for people to come back. the army says 800 buildings have been damaged here,

many of them family homes. the military ready to do whatever it takes to stop this from happening. this is going to be a process that hezbollah is going to have to give up. the only way these people are ever going to come back home is if hezbollah is nowhere even close that they can shoot at them again. as we prepare to leave qiryat shemona, another reminder of the danger hezbollah still poses. israel's air defences are formidable, but the rockets keep coming. and tonight, threats from another direction. pro—iranian militias in iraq claiming a drone attack on the southern port city of eilat. without a ceasefire in gaza, this all looks destined to continue. paul adams, bbc news, northern israel. 0ur senior international correspondent 0rla guerin sent this report from southern lebanon. sirens wail in the southern city of tyre,

the war is coming closer. israel hitting sites it says are linked to hezbollah. today we saw strike after strike. well, there'sjust been more incoming israeli fire and there is smoke rising now. we can't tell exactly what has been hit, but that is a residential area with residential blocks. there was some outgoing fire from hezbollah a few hours ago, and this is now a familiar routine in southern lebanon. the gathering storm here this week means british nationals have been told to leave lebanon immediately. isabella baker plans to go tomorrow, because she doesn't want family and friends back home to worry. but the human rights student is critical of the government. i100% think the uk government

should be doing a lot more, and of course it has to worry about its citizens, i understand that, but i think there are priorities, and we wouldn't have to leave if it weren't for the fact that israel is bombing this country. and tonight, these men wonder if they might be next to be bombed. they're the government's civil defence team here in tyre, and they've just had a call telling them to leave their station. an israeli voice claimed there was a hezbollah target nearby. the station chief fears a rerun of history and tragedy. "my daughter was killed in the war in 2006 in an israeli air strike on the station," says ali safiledine. "i had brought her there for safety.

my wife was badly maimed and is still suffering. i don't want to lose any of my men the same way." they're already struggling to keep up with the air strikes. now they say they'll work from the street to save lives. 0rla guerin, bbc news, tyre. let's speak to benjamin radd, political scientist and senior fellow at the ucla burkle center for international relations. good to see you again. as we've mentioned, allies including the us, the uk, the eu, have called for this temporary ceasefire, 21 days in lebanon following the escalation of fighting between israel and lebanon. do you think both sides will move forward with that idea? i do not. notably _ forward with that idea? i do not. notably we _ forward with that idea? i do not. notably we have - forward with that idea? i gr not. notably we have yet to hear from the chinese and

russian delegation is explicitly on how they feel about this. we have to keep in mind that hezbollah�*s leader has made it clear that he will not decouple hezbollah�*s conflict with israel from israel's of that with hamas. so there until there is a ceasefire there and presumably leave hamas intact, he indicated that hezbollah will not cease firing on israel from their positions in southern lebanon so i don't really see how any ceasefire suggested by this group at the un is going to have any impact especially with the chinese and russians not weighing in on the issue. and if it doesn't have an impact on the recent a ceasefire, do you see a ground invasion happening soon? i think that's lustre and talk from the israelis at this point, their ground forces are stretched thin, they're still fighting in gaza, they haven't been able to neutralise hamas captured a leader, they are now

also operating in the west bank and even though they have called up additional reserve battalions it's very difficult for them to lodge a third front in an area that is more favourable to the opposition. hezbollah have better control the terrain, it's much more difficult to manoeuvre end than gaza and they are better armed and better trained, it makes a very difficult so it's hard to see how israel would benefit from a ground incursion at this time. 50 from a ground incursion at this time, ., ., from a ground incursion at this time. ., ., i. from a ground incursion at this time, ., ., y., “ time. so what do you think will ha en time. so what do you think will happen next? _ time. so what do you think will happen next? i— time. so what do you think will happen next? i think— time. so what do you think will happen next? i think it- time. so what do you think will happen next? i think it will. time. so what do you think will happen next? i think it will be | happen next? i think it will be a war of attrition. _ happen next? i think it will be a war of attrition. what - happen next? i think it will be a war of attrition. what we've | a war of attrition. what we've been seeing, israel demonstrating its not going to hesitate to attack, hezbollah installations and more urban population areas like southern beirut, and basically conducting other acts of covert operation, cyber operation, things like the pager explosions we saw, similar things targeting the leadership, assassinations of that kind, we're going to see those efforts escalate because they present tactical victories

for israel without having to make any strategic compromises. it's very difficult to see what could be going on in the long term in this situation because despite all efforts on the part of the us and others, the un security council, as you imply, the two sides, the several sides actually, not listening? indeed they are not and we cannot rule out the role that iran plays here. hezbollah is part of the access of resistance that is bankrolled and trained by iran, and iran has to see a way out that will benefit its position and with its president at the general assembly attempting to restart nuclear talks again, nuclear diplomacy with the us, the eu, the uk and others, it's difficult to see where the exit strategy for the situation is for all sides at this moment other than just continuing the back—and—forth we've been seeing. back-and-forth we've been seeina. ., ., �* ., ., seeing. for now, ben'amin radd, thank you. — seeing. for now, ben'amin radd, thank you. rm _ seeing. for now, ben'amin radd, thank you, i'm sure _ seeing. for now, benjamin radd, thank you, i'm sure we _ seeing. for now, benjamin radd, thank you, i'm sure we will- thank you, i'm sure we will speak to you again soon.

us media reports say the new york city mayor, eric adams, has been indicted on criminal charges. the indictment remains sealed, but the mayor has been under federal investigation for campaign fundraising violations and possible influence—peddling. it follows months of investigations, during which federal agents have seized phones and searched the homes of several high—ranking officials and advisers. in a statement on wednesday night, mr adams said he was innocent and would fight any charges. it is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me cryans. if so, these charges will be entirely false, based on lies. —— charge me with crimes. but they would not be surprising. i always knew that if i stood my ground for all of you, that i would be a target, and a target i became. four months, weeks, my-

four months, weeks, my they have been _ four months, weeks, my they have been trying _ four months, weeks, my they have been trying to _ four months, weeks, my they have been trying to undermine the credibility and paint me as guilty. almost 200 women have now come foward to accuse the former harrods owner mohamed al fayed of sexual assualt. the fresh accusations come after the bbc�*s documentary last week exposed decades of serious allegations against al fayed who died last year. now five of his original accusers have come together to share their experiences and call forjustice, describing themselves as �*lambs to the slaughter.�* our correspondent ellie price has the story. he would call me into his office and, "this doesn't work," and, "this is distracting," and then would rip my buttons open of the front of my shirt. these women didn't know each other�*s stories until the bbc documentary last week. they all describe being isolated by mohamed al fayed at the time. now they realise they were not alone. all of us had the same experiences. being all together, i think

it's quite good to think, "oh, god, ithought for ages this was just me." you kind of accepted what was going on and internalised that actually, you know, "is itjust me? am i the victim of the really hard behaviour?" you were terrified to speak out. jen was too, and this morning, she waived her anonymity for the first time. initially i didn't want to be involved because mohamed was still alive. and as ridiculous as that may sound to people not involved, he still felt like a threat until the moment he died. mohamed al fayed was chairman of harrods between 1985 and 2010. he died last year aged 94. he won't face justice now but these women say there was a web of corruption within the company that allowed the abuse to happen and kept it hushed up. that i almost had given up hope that anyone was going to actually find out anything, really, because he was so successful at putting people up in front of him that he could hide behind. they enabled —

all these people — enabled the situation, and left us like lambs to the slaughter. harrods declined to come on bbc breakfast this morning. the department store, which came under new ownership in 2010, has previously said it's appalled by the allegations. harrods also told the bbc it was investigating whether any current employees were involved in any of the allegations, but they haven't told us if any individual has been identified or any action taken. the monster that was al fayed was at the centre of all this, but there was a system, there was a process which enabled and facilitated the sexual abuse of these women. and there are people still working at harrods who you think were involved in this? that's my belief. many women later abused by al fayed were asked to take intrusive sexual health tests when they started at harrods. today, a complaint has been made to the general medical council about one of the doctors who carried out such tests. i never got my results either. they went straight to mohamed al fayed. i never got them.

they never even shared them with you? they never shared them with me. shocking. since the bbc documentary was released last week, lawyers for al fayed's accusers say hundreds more women have come forward. and with every new story, the call for justice grows stronger. ellie price, bbc news. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

the us has announced a further $375 million worth of military aid for ukraine, including precision rocket launchers. the secretary of state, antony blinken, said the new assistance would be deployed as quickly as possible. it comes ahead of a meeting on thursday between president biden and volodymyr zelensky. meanwhile, vladimir putin has said russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if attacked by any state. speaking at a meeting of his national security council, the russian president also said aggression by a non—nuclear

country that was backed by a nuclear power would be considered a joint attack. it came after ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky addressed the un general assembly in new york. in his speech, he warned countries against supporting a peace proposal that would allow the continuation of russian aggression in ukraine, and said his plan to end the war would be the only way to bring lasting peace. i want peace for my people, real peace and justice, and i am asking for your support, from all nations of the world. we do not divide the world. i ask the same of you, do not divide the world. be united nations. and that will bring us peace. network rail has launched

an investigation after free wi—fi given to 20 train stations across the uk was hacked in a cyber security incident. passengers who attempted to log into the service at busy hubs such as london euston and manchester piccadilly were met with a web page that was headlined, "we love you, europe." simon jones has more. the wi—fi hacked, a free service for passengers compromise. people wanting to use it last night's rush hour were redirected to this web page, entitled, we love you, europe. it gave details of several terror attacks that have been carried out in recent years, both in britain and abroad. normally when you try to get on the wi—fi system at a railway station, it will take you to an introductory page where you pick to say you accept the terms and conditions, but i havejust tried to get on the wi—fi here at london euston and simply not an option to do so, the system has been switched off. investigators are now trying to

find out who was behind the attack and how the system. some of the uk's busiest railway stations have been affected, including manchester piccadilly, liverpool lime street and birmingham new street. hundreds of dozens of passengers pass through them each day. in a statement, network rail said... the british transport police is involved in that investigation too. it is understood no customer data has been compromised because it will using the service are not asked to enter any personal information. but the attack will be a concern to passengers and the rail industry alike. simonjones, bbc news. around the world, moviegoers are balking at the rising price of refreshments at cinemas — in some instances sneaking in with their own snacks and

drinks to avoid high charges. some cinema chains are being investigated for unfair pricing. from new york, tom brook has gone to his local cinema to find out more. # let's all go to the lobby # let's all go - to the lobby... # buying refreshments when you go to the movies, whether it's a soft drink or popcorn, is a long, much cherished practice. but nowadays, it really can set you back financially. # the popcorn can't be beat... # - i've just paid a visit to my local cinema here in new york. i spent $18 for a ticket to see a feature film. i then went to the refreshment counter and i spent a further $11 for this tub of popcorn, and another $8 for this soft drink. now, that comes to $37, and that is a lot of money just for one person. imagine what it's like if you're going with a group of friends or with a family. out on the streets of new york, the general view is that the price of movie refreshments

is much too high. whether it's tickets or concessions, it is way too high at larger chains. i feel like the price is jacked up quite a bit. if the refreshments and the tickets as well were more affordable, i feel like they could definitely attract more and more people. it's tough for those who work on the front lines. anthony is a server at a dine—in cinema. because of high refreshment prices, his server colleagues are the target of customer frustration. if they think there's something wrong with their bill, like they think they've been overcharged for something, they get very aggressive because all even if the bill is correct, they're already spending so much money. wouldn't some hot buttered . popcorn hit the spot right now? popcorn and cinemas used to be much more affordable, but now its price has become a global lament. in india, there have been complaints over skyrocketing costs, while cinemas in israel are being investigated for allegedly operating a price—fixing cartel in relation to refreshments and ticket prices. some economists see

cinema chains operating a restrictive monopolistic practice with high refreshment prices. when you go to the cinema, you don't really have a lot of options. you're discouraged from bringing your own food in. so it is, in economic terms, a monopoly. so if you want your chocolate, your popcorn, your soda, you're going to end up having to pay whatever price they charge. so since they have you over that metaphorical barrel, there's really no reason why prices should come down. one big underlying factor driving up the cost of refreshments is that box office takings are still down below pre—covid levels, so cinemas, to maintain viability, are leaning more heavily on refreshment sales than ticket revenues as their operating costs rise. food and beverage sales are really what's keeping the lights on. everything is getting more expensive. rent is getting more expensive, licensing movies is getting more expensive. so just to keep the lights on, they're trying...

they're raising the price of everything. some small cinemas, like new york's long established arthouse cinema village, are trying to cater to moviegoers frustrated by high refreshment prices. they take pride in offering notjust original curated programming, but good quality popcorn, which costs far less than that found in cinema chains. we've cultivated several regular customers who don't even see movies. they come in and they buy our popcorn every day, every other day. so i'm quite proud of that. but with the big cinema chains, the inflated cost of refreshments is really a reflection of underlying changes in the film business. covid and streaming services have depressed movie—going, and until people return in greater numbers, upward pressure on the price of cinema refreshments is just going to continue. tom brook, bbc news, new york.

and it is the cost of living in the us, what things are costing households, that is very much at the forefront in this election coming up on november the 5th, and kamala harris also of course the democratic presidential candidate as well as vice president, she has been setting out her stall for what she will do to transform the us economy. of course, donald trump has got his ideas as well. it's interesting when you look at the polls, initially, trump was most trusted with the us economy, but kamala harris is gaining ground. we will discuss that next. hello there. heavy rain has dominated weather headlines in recent days, and there's more wet weather to come. in fact, for some parts of southern england, we've already seen way above the average monthly rainfall totals. and in these three towns, we've actually had three times more rain than we should

have in september. and with the next couple of days, we're likely to see another 50mm at least in some spots, a couple of inches, the darker blues denoting where the heaviest of the rain is likely to be. so, slightly quieter, drier story for scotland, but low pressure dominates, and these weather fronts will move their way steadily eastwards as we go through thursday. that front will grind to a halt, almost, across northern england and into northern ireland, accompanied by a brisk easterly wind, so really feeling quite miserable on those exposed east coasts. to the north of that, it's going to be dry with a few scattered showers. to the south of that, however, some of those showers really could turn quite torrential. hail, thunder mixed in there. and, yes, it really will be quite significant. but there will be some sunny spells to go with it as well, and it could potentially still feel quite humid here — 18 or 19 degrees not out of the question. cool in the rain, 10 or 11. and that cooler air continues to dominate in scotland.

and that's because of a northerly wind, which will gradually push the rain away, but it will introduce this fresher feel for all of us on friday. so there will be some rain lingering across east anglia and south—east england for a time. that eases away during the afternoon. sunny spells and scattered showers continue for most, but because of the direction of the wind, those temperatures really quite subdued for this time of year — on the whole, generally between 9 81111111 degrees. clear skies continue through the night. that is going to allow the potential for a frost to form, and so it will be a chilly start — low single figures, perhaps below in more rural spots, worth bearing in mind. but that means as we head into the weekend, high pressure is going to build for a time and quieten things down. so not a bad weekend, particularly on the saturday. however, another area of low pressure will gradually move into the south—west as we go through sunday. so saturday, a better day. more heavy rain to come

as we move through sunday and into monday.

trading blows — kamala harris makes her economic pitch to voters as she tries to close the gap on donald trump over who's more trusted with america's finances.

in this election, i believe we have an extraordinary opportunity. to make our middle—class the engine of america's prosperity. also coming up — turning ai into a spectacle. meta boss mark zuckerberg thinks smart glasses are the gadget we all need. could they one day replace the smartphone? plus, can a superyacht ever be sustainable? builders, brokers and buyers gather in monaco with the luxury boat trade's environmental impact firmly on the radar. live from london this is business today. we start in the us, where the rivals for the white house, kamala harris and donald trump, have been outlining two very different visions for the world's largest economy. in a speech in pittsburgh, vice president harris insisted she is a capitalist who wants

a stable environment for us businesses.