WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Ground invasion, a 'quiet' pay deal, and why the Taj Mahal is crumbling

 
today's international story

Israeli boots 'ready to hit the ground' in Lebanon

What happened 
Heavy bombardment of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon is paving the way for "your boots" to "enter enemy territory", the head of the Israeli military, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, told his troops yesterday.

More than 50 people were killed in strikes yesterday, according to Lebanon's health minister. Hezbollah countered by launching a missile that was reportedly intercepted near Tel Aviv, an "unprecedented attack" that "marked a new escalatory step in the conflict", said CNN.

Who said what
"The goal is very clear," said Halevi (pictured above, second from left), adding that Israeli troops would "destroy the enemy" and its infrastructure so as to "safely return the residents of the north".

There was no sign that the Israeli army's entry into Lebanon was "imminent", said the US Pentagon yesterday. Joe Biden said all-out war was possible, but not "inevitable".

With its powerful military, Israel had "long since established dominance over the Arab world's conventional military ­powers", said The Times, but noted that Hezbollah was "yet to suffer a definitive ­defeat". Now it appears that Israel is "considering such a ­reckoning".

What next? 
"Hell is breaking loose in Lebanon," said UN Secretary General António Guterres at the security council meeting on the Middle East last night.

To circumvent war, France and the US are reportedly working to implement a 21-day temporary ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. Jean-Noël Barrot, France's minister for Europe and foreign affairs, is due to travel to Beirut imminently to work with leaders there, warning that without negotiation the situation "may reach the point of no return".

 
 
today's uk news story

Rail workers agree pay deal

What happened
Rail workers have voted to accept a pay offer from train companies and Network Rail, meaning that two years of strikes should be coming to an end.

Staff working at train operators agreed to a deal with pay increases of 4.75% for the past financial year and 4.5% for 2024-25, said the RMT union.

Who said what
"This is a necessary step towards fixing our railways and getting the country moving," said Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.

It is notable that the deal was done "quietly", said The Times. Senior rail sources said the RMT union had been asked to keep the ballot "under the radar", added the paper, although the RMT and government dispute this.

What next?
It is understood that all the offers are "no-strings" settlements. Their acceptance by rail workers means that there are no outstanding disputes, "reducing the prospect of a repeat of the national strikes that have caused misery for passengers", said The Guardian.

 
 
Today's health story

UK women 'undertreated' for heart disease

What happened
Thousands of UK women are dying unnecessarily from heart attacks because they are "underdiagnosed and undertreated" compared with men, according to a report by cardiologists affiliated with the British Cardiovascular Society.

Who said what
The cardiologists found that risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol were often ignored in women. They said women were also "underrepresented" in research and trials. Factors such as changing hormone levels (after menopause, for example) increase the risk of heart disease, but "many treatments are mainly investigated in men and then applied to women".

Heart disease is "the number one killer for women in the UK and worldwide", said lead author Vijay Kunadian, a professor at Newcastle University. But sexist attitudes contributed to a "perception that it is a man's disease", said The Times.

What next?
The report, published in the journal Heart, is calling for NHS action to tackle the "discrepancy", more education for doctors and further research into how sex-specific factors affect risk.

 
 

It's not all bad

Car restrictions in London may be inadvertently boosting children's fitness and overall health, a study has shown. The capital's ultra-low emissions zone, the largest in the world, is increasing the number of active school commutes among children, according to researchers at Queen Mary’s and Cambridge universities. Following the the zone being extended to encompass all of London, two in five students now walk, bike or ride scooters to school, compared to one in five in Luton. The switch is linked to reduced traffic congestion, which is encouraging physical activity.

 
 
under the radar

Why is the Taj Mahal crumbling?

Cracks in the marble façade of the Taj Mahal are prompting claims that the Indian government is choosing to look the other way as the much-loved monument crumbles.

The Taj Mahal is a Unesco World Heritage site and an international symbol of India. But the marble mausoleum in Uttar Pradesh had "long been a source of political point-scoring", said The Times, and there are suggestions that Hindu nationalism could be contributing to its declining health.

The Taj Mahal is India's most famous building, attracting about eight million visitors each year. It was built in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite queen Mumtaz Mahal, who had died giving birth to their 14th child.

But recent photographs on social media had "fuelled concerns" that the monument was "crumbling", said The Times. The images include a leaking dome, cracks in the walls and a tree sprouting from a pillar.

There is a "pervasive influence" of Hindu nationalism in the "highest echelons" of Indian politics, according to La Croix, and "an intent to establish a Hindu hegemony at the expense of religious minorities", a policy known as Hindutva.

Some Hindu fringe groups had "set their sights" on the Taj Mahal, which they believe was built on the site of a shrine to the Hindu deity Shiva, said France24.

Political opponents of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP accuse the party of turning a blind eye to the neglect. In a post on X translated by the Deccan Herald, Uttar Pradesh's former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav claimed: "The BJP government and its dormant departments have completely failed to maintain the Taj Mahal."

 
 
on this day

26 September 1960

The first ever televised debate between US presidential candidates took place between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon. It highlighted the growing importance of television in shaping public perception of politicians. Nixon, recovering from illness, appeared pale and tired while JFK's charisma helped him gain an edge in the tight election. In the current presidential race, Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump saw him bow out of the contest, making way for Kamala Harris.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The Daily Mail says Keir Starmer is facing "mounting questions" over his use of Lord Alli's penthouse £18m penthouse to broadcast a stay-at-home message during the Covid pandemic. But a Downing Street spokesperson tells The Times it's confident no rules lockdown were broken. Turning to the Middle East, the FT says an Israeli military chief has made the "most explicit threat" that a ground invasion may be pending. Meanwhile, government ministers are drawing up plans for prison reforms that would let inmates to earn points to reduce their time behind bars, says The Times.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Weighty contest

Alaska is gearing up for an annual event celebrating its chunkiest brown bears as they gorge on salmon to fatten up for winter hibernation. Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park begins next week, when online voting for fans' favourite "ursine behemoths" opens, said The Associated Press. Organisers have already revealed the four cub contestants in this week's Fat Bear Jr contest, with both the 2022 and 2023 chubby champs in the running again this year. Last year more than 1.3 million people voted.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Sorcha Bradley and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Israel Defense Forces / Anadolu / Getty Images; Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images; Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images.