A baptism of fire, fury and fear
Welcome to the ITV News digest bringing you the best of our original journalism, insight and analysis from across the nation, regions and the world.
Hello, I’m John Irvine, ITV News’ senior international correspondent, based in Tel Aviv. It was Lenin who said: “There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen.”
Well, forget weeks or decades. On Tuesday evening, the 60 minutes between 5.30pm and 6.30pm constituted the most happening one hour some of us can ever remember.
Earlier, the IDF had given us what we thought would be the headline of the day when they invaded South Lebanon… but little did we know.
My ITV News colleagues Emma and Lutfi were witnessing yet more bombs falling on Beirut when we heard, around 5pm, early reports of a bloody rampage in Jaffa.
The terrorist attack was a bit close for comfort for ITV News visitors to that neighbourhood and those of us who call it home.
But the evening had yet more in store. Having seen similar plummeting flashes in April, I knew what was suddenly lighting up the skies over the Sea of Galilee.
It may have looked like a meteorite shower but sadly it wasn’t. The Iranians had fired 181 ballistic missiles and they had Israel’s pride and joy, Tel Aviv, in their sights.
The existing evening news running order was torn to shreds, and quickly our London office marshalled its forces on the ground.
Rachel, Rohit and myself could provide the close-up perspective while Emma and Robert concentrated on the bigger picture.
In a land known for baptisms, is was quite the first day in-country for producer Jade and camera Kevin.
Thanks for reading - and there’s more on the crisis across ITV News platforms, including:
We confront the so-called ‘Lip King’ over butt lifts
‘Lip King’ Jordan Parke said nothing over what ITV News understands was a BBL procedure that led to the death of Alice Webb last week.
When confronted by an ITV News camera crew last Friday, Mr Parke covered his face with a fur coat and orange umbrella before climbing into his six-figure car and speeding away.
The self-proclaimed filler-obsessed beautician has been linked to an investigation into the death of a mother-of-five from Gloucestershire. Watch the moment we tracked him down on ITVX.
Exclusive: Farmed salmon dumped illegally on Scottish beach
The Outer Hebrides are famed for their powder white beaches and turquoise waters, which line the chain of islands off Scotland’s west coast, writes Scotland Reporter Louise Scott.
But on one of North Uist’s idyllic beaches lies a salmon graveyard.
And months after the practice was outlawed, one company is still routinely dumping tonnes of dead and diseased salmon from fish farms in pits of sand and seaweed.
Watch Louise’s exclusive report on ITVX.
‘Why did he die?’ Grieving mother’s anguish at another knife crime victim
A grieving mum whose teenage son died after being stabbed with what's believed to be a zombie knife described the moment she had to tell his brothers he wasn't coming home.
Daejaun Campbell was attacked in Woolwich and heard saying "I’m 15, don’t let me die" following the attack on September 22.
Speaking to ITV News London, his mother, Jodian, said the horror of what happened to her young son was "still sinking in" but she was trying to be strong for her other children.
Soggy Britain leaves farmers facing major growing headache
Ten counties in England experienced their wettest September since records began in 1836.
And the knock-on effect of that could be felt next year on the supermarket shelves as farmers are seeing seeds planted now just being swept away, or rotting in the sodden ground.
Watch ITV News Science Correspondent Martin Stew’s report from a muddy field in Bedfordshire on ITVX.
'What’s the point in A-levels when you only have a year or so to live?’
Liz Hatton is 17 years old and is facing her cancer diagnosis with a level of bravery I can barely comprehend, writes Royal Editor Chris Ship.
We met Liz and her family as they travelled back from Windsor Castle, where she received a hug from Princess Kate - herself in recovery from cancer.
As she told me, Liz quit school this year because “what’s the point in an A Level when you only have a year or so to live?” We tell her story on ITVX.
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'I used to abuse my wife - this is how I changed my ways'
Pete would often leave his wife Alison walking on eggshells, unsure of what she had ‘done’ and living in fear of what might happen next.
Because he did not hit his wife, Pete did not see his behaviour for what it was - abuse.
Now though, that has changed. Through domestic abuse charity FearFree, Pete has received support to change his behaviour.
Watch their story on ITV News West Country. Other survivors of domestic violence have shared their experiences on ITVX.
Classroom not big enough for disabled boy’s wheelchair
Five-year-old Phoenix Ray, from Chesterfield, has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak after being born prematurely and suffering brain damage.
He relies on a wheelchair to get around, but was denied a place in special education and instead told he could attend ‘mainstream’ Highfield Hall Primary School.
But, despite the efforts of the school, his wheelchair just does not fit - and so Phoenix has to stay at home.
"There's a little boy here who really wants to learn,” his mother Cally Hewer told ITV News Calendar. “This is just another barrier for children with disabilities."
End of an era as coal power and steel-making hubs close
The UK’s last coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire has closed after 57 years of operation.
At its height, it generated electricity for more than 500,000 homes over an eight-hour period.
Meanwhile, ITV Wales focused on the end of traditional steel-making as Tata closed the blast furnace at Port Talbot - watch an in-depth report on ITVX.
What’s coming up…
Saturday October 5: 25th anniversary of the Ladbroke Grove rail crash in west London. Two passenger trains collided, leaving 31 dead, hundreds hurt
Monday October 7: One year since Hamas sent fighters into southern Israel, killing scores and kidnapping dozens of people
Thursday October 10: Tory leadership final ballot. The field will be whittled down to the final two MPs, who will then face a Tory membership vote
And finally… Victory rolls and 3G climbs in a rebuilt Spitfire
It’s one of the most iconic planes ever to fly - the Supermarine Spitfire cemented its place in UK aviation history through its exploits in World War II.
And this week ITV News Channel’s Kate Prout got to fly over Guernsey in a specially-adapted two-seater veteran of that war.
Watch Kate take to the skies over the islands on ITVX.