Plus: Hurricane Helene devastating aftermath, and stranded cruise ship sets sail. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Israel has begun a limited ground invasion of southern Lebanon, though its troops have remained close to the border, an Israeli official tells the BBC. Jeremy Bowen warns that this may not help Israelis, who have had to flee northern Israel, to return home soon. The scale of the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in the US is coming into sharper relief - at least 116 people have died, officials say. And a cruise ship stranded in Belfast for four months, has finally set sail. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Israel sends troops into Lebanon | | Israel says it is targeting militant group Hezbollah in villages close to the border. Credit: Getty Images | Israeli troops have invaded Lebanon, in what the Israeli military calls a "limited, localised and targeted" ground operation against Hezbollah - though an Israeli security official told the BBC on Tuesday that they had only gone "walking distance". Jeremy Bowen says Hezbollah has, by all accounts, massive tunnel networks in the area, and points out that Israel has not yet succeeded in dismantling Hamas's tunnels in Gaza. Israel may think the ground invasion is an important step towards enabling Israelis in the north of the country to return home, he reports, but if there is a protracted fight in Lebanon, it won't be.
Not defeated: Although Hezbollah has been weakened, the group is continuing to fire barrages of rockets into northern Israel and is still believed to possess a formidable arsenal of long-range missiles.
Flares and explosions: The Israeli offensive in Lebanon could be seen overnight in video footage filmed from the Israeli side of the border.
Fleeing the strikes: Nafiseh Kohnavard in Beirut has been meeting families who have fled southern Lebanon - one woman said that after the home next door to hers was bombed, "I just grabbed my grandchildren and ran." | |
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| 'People are just scrambling' | | Men survey the destruction from Helene in Asheville, North Carolina. Credit: Getty Images | Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida as a category 4 hurricane on Thursday, before barrelling across the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee, leaving flooding, power loss and death in its wake. In the days since, the true scale of the destruction is coming into sharper relief as residents begin to return home to survey the damage. At least 116 people have died nationwide, officials said. |
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| | Carl Nasman and Brandon Drenon, BBC News |
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| | "Homes have been destroyed, flattened," said 21-year-old Josh Griffith who lives just outside of Asheville in the town of Leicester. "When it hit, we watched semi-trucks and storage crates and dumpsters and propane tanks floating down the river just rushing through parking lots, destroying everything in its path." |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Chinese people gloomier about economy |
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| | | New research offers insight into how Chinese people feel about their future. Credit: Getty Images | China has been pulling out all the stops to stimulate the economy, amid fears this year's 5% growth target could be missed. Research by two American professors finds that whereas in 2004 60% of Chinese felt optimistic about the next five years, that figure had fallen below 50% in 2023. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Nuts for nuts | This Turkish city is the world capital of hazelnuts. | |
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And finally... | Passengers on a world cruise who were stranded in Belfast for four months, while their liner underwent repairs, finally steamed out of dock on Monday night - only to find themselves heading back hours later. The 125 voyagers, on a cruise that will last for years, said they had received a warm welcome, but were looking forward to some warm weather. Here are their stories. | |
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World of Business | Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday from New York. | |
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