Plus: The Arab-Americans turning their backs on Kamala Harris, and why concert prices have boomed. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today we're keeping a close watch on the latest developments in Lebanon, as strikes have been intensifying between Israel and Hezbollah over weekend. In Michigan, Caitriona Perry asks Arab-Americans how conflict in the Middle East - and US policy around it - will shape their vote in the presidential election. We're also reporting on flight etiquette, concert pricing, and bratwursts. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Israel conducts 'extensive air strikes' in Lebanon | | People in southern Lebanon have received text and phone messages telling them to leave villages "used by Hezbollah". Credit: Reuters | Cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been intensifying over the weekend and on Monday, with both sides inching closer to an all-out war. A spokesperson for the Israeli military, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, has warned civilians in southern Lebanon to move away from areas used by the Iran-backed group, which has been launching 150 rockets into Israel over the weekend, according to Israeli officials. The fear in Lebanon is that this is "the prelude of a wider offensive that could include a ground invasion of southern Lebanon", writes Hugo Bachega from Beirut. As things stand, Israeli Defense Forces are "currently focusing on Israel's aerial campaign only", a senior official said in a background briefing. Deadly strikes and explosions of communication devices have weakened Hezbollah last week, but the group remains defiant. "We have entered a new phase,” its number two Naim Qassem said at the funeral of top commanders killed by a strike on Beirut on Friday - "The title of which is the open-ended battle of reckoning."
The latest: One person has been killed in an Israeli strike on northeastern Lebanon, the country's health ministry said. Our live page brings you all the updates.
International reaction: US President Joe Biden said Washington would do "everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out", as a UN official warns of "imminent catastrophe".
The timeline: Here's a quick refresher on how tensions have escalated since Tuesday. | |
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| The Arab-Americans turning their backs on Harris | Dearborn is the first Arab-majority city in the US, and it has served as a key centre for the "uncommitted" movement that is opposed to the Biden administration's policy toward the Middle East. These voters from the swing state of Michigan could decide Kamala Harris's political future. |
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| | Caitriona Perry, BBC News |
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| | At the Sahara Restaurant, four Arabic language TV news channels are beaming in images of the war in Gaza and the aftermath of the recent pager and radio devices explosions in Lebanon. The smell of cardamom-infused coffee and shawarma and falafel, and hum of friends catching up, stand in stark contrast to the images on the television screens. Sam Hammoud, whose family has run the restaurant for the past 30 years, said that taxes and inflation have negatively affected his business - but it's not what is motivating his vote. He is currently an undecided voter. “It’s about the situation in our homelands,” he said. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Why concert prices are booming |
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| | | Taylor Swift gave up on dynamic pricing for the Eras tour after significant fan backlash. Credit: EPA | Every live music fan painfully knows that concert prices for the most popular artists have skyrocketed since the Covid pandemic. But what's behind it? Straightforward greed, or the pressure of soaring prices on the cost of touring? Probably a bit of both, write Mark Savage and Charlotte McDonald.
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Friends forever | The cult sitcom's idea of friends as family is still holding strong, 30 years on. | |
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And finally... | It's bratwurst autumn in England's West Midlands, where pub chefs cooked a 12.12m (39.76 ft) sausage sandwich to celebrate the upcoming Oktoberfest celebrations. Owners at The Castle in Droitwich Spa make the bold claim that it's the "UK's longest bratwurst". You can check for yourself. | |
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