this is bbc news. i'm ben brown, the headlines at 9am. the labour party conference opens in brighton later asjeremy corbyn comes under pressure to keep britain in the single market and customs union after brexit. in the single market and customs voting has opened in germany's federal elections, with chancellor angela merkel expected to retain power. donald trump face a growing backlash from us sports stars after his criticism of players who've been protesting over race relations. he is now using sports as the platform to divide us. we all know how much sport brings us together. we all know how much sport brings us together. six people are been injured in a suspected acid attack at a shopping centre in east london. also in the next hour prince harry opens this year's invictus games for wounded service personnel in canada. over eight days, 550 individuals from seventeen nations will compete in 12 sports. and our sunday morning

edition of the papers is at nine thirty five — this mornings reviewers are prashant rao and vincent moss. good morning and welcome to bbc news. the labour party conference begins today in brighton, where jeremy corbyn is facing renewed calls to commit labour to keeping the uk in the single market and customs union after brexit. yesterday the labour leader told delegates they're "in a moment of great change" and must "prepare to form a government". our political correspondent, iain watson, has more. what a difference a year makes. at

the last labour conferencejeremy corbyn had just seen of the bitter leadership challenge. now he's getting used to the sound of adulation. at a rally he said he could change the party and the country. to bring about the socialjustice we want, to bring about the society we want. to get the unity we want and together, together, together, we can and will do it! despite this show of unity the meaning of london has criticised jeremy corbyn in the past and very nearly didn't get at least speaking slot. the nature of the labour conference has changed. this labour conference has changed. this labour conference is going to be different from any other. instead of big set piece speeches, they will be more events like this. for party members.

they will be policy announcements, john mcdonald will pledge his willingness to work with the government to reduce student debt significantly. but, some policies will be more controversial. the right and left of the party are challenging the leadership to commit to staying inside the single market after brexit. we are committed to a transitional period when we will stay in the single market, in the customs union. but that is not a definite trigger indefinite transitional period. she is talking about two years. we are talking about a fixed transitional period when we stay in the single market and customs union. why labour activists are in good spirits this week, disagreements continue. let's get the thoughts of of our

political editor who was at the conference. ifjeremy corbyn takes a look at the front pages it's not about civil war in the labour party, it's about civil war in the tory party. that will please jeremy corbyn. he'll be delighted. the tensions in the tory party over brexit, the tensions in the labour party will also be over brexit. it is the monumental issue which shapes or politics. while mr corbyn comes here, he has absolutely got the driving seat of his party now. it is almost a victory conference in some ways, although he didn't win. he did much better than any of his critics expected. he has consolidated his position within the party. we won't see questions about his leadership oi’ see questions about his leadership or tussles over it. the flash point will be brexit and the push by many

in his party to try and shift lever‘s position so that they commit to staying in the single market. come what may. as we have heard the current position is that the same, pretty much, as the government, to stay in the single market in a transitional period. some are now trying to pushjeremy corbyn into a position of saying that labour will back a permanent membership of the single market. the difficulty there is that for those brexit supporting labour voters, that looks like a sell—out. that looks like backtracking on brexit. that will be the key flash point at this conference. the only question, i think, is where the party management, if you like, can finesse theissue management, if you like, can finesse the issue and put down an anodyne motion for the day, that means they may be a big debate, but no fundamental vote on position. no change of policy. to what extent is

jeremy corbyn and his supporters tightening their grip on the labour party? and the party conference and its machinery? i think that's true. there have been moves to consolidate the position of corbyn‘s supporters on the executive committee to make it easier in subsequent elections for candidates to the left to get elected. there is going to be a review of the democracy of the party which will meana democracy of the party which will mean a bigger save of party members. the labour party is now, very much becoming mr corbyn‘s party, the moderate, are on the back foot. the membership now have a much bigger voice. and in turn, that feeds through into the policy agenda, that has become much more explicitly corbyn policy. the labour party really has changed fundamentally sincejeremy corbyn

really has changed fundamentally since jeremy corbyn became really has changed fundamentally sincejeremy corbyn became leader. it's a bigger party, much more left—leaning, and i think that will continue. a lovely sunny morning in brighton. we have followed coverage from the labour conference wrote the date starting at 11am. we'll have the speech of the shadow home secretary, diane abbott, live here on bbc news. but that ”am. millions of germans have begun voting in the country's parliamentary elections. the chancellor, angela merkel, is expected to win a fourth term in office. opinion polls also suggest the nationalist, anti—immigrant "alternative for germany" party will become the first far—right movement to enter parliament since the second world war. our correspondent, damien mcguinness, reports from berlin. this is the woman who looks set to lead germany for another four years. angela merkel is seen as a stable force in a very unstable world. economic growth here is up and unemployment is down. so, mainstream voters here look at the rest of the world

with the uncertainties of brexit and trump and think that germany might just be better sticking with the leader they know they can rely on. but what we don't know is what sort of government angela merkel will end up leading. she will have to form a coalition and all of her potential partners have very different policies. that means coalition talks could get rocky. what is clear, is that the new anti—migrant afd party looks set to enter the parliament for the first time. but it won't end up in government. the afd is accused of being nationalistic and sometimes even racist. so no other party will work with them. germany is the most powerful country in europe and that's a continent facing huge challenges from solving the refugee crisis to reforming the eurozone. the government that moves in here after the election

will have a direct impact on the whole of europe including britain. and damien mcguinness is in berlin for us now. just tell us a bit more about this election. is the result a foregone conclusion? that is how many are reading it. it does look, according to the polls as if chancellor angela merkel will get another four years in office. because she hasn't got a majority, that means she has two form a coalition with other parties. that's when things get interesting. we have six parties in total going into the parliament. seven if you include angela merkel‘s sister party. that means angela merkel‘s sister party. that m ea ns lots angela merkel‘s sister party. that means lots of smaller parties. it will be hard to form a coalition because they all have different views on key policies. coalition

talks might be difficult on the government she ends up with could be quite unstable. you've got parties with completely opposing views on things like the economy. things could get really interesting when polls close. the talks and wrangling over the next few days could be complicated. in terms of angela merkel herself, she's enduringly popular, really, isn't she? is it the continuity people are voting for?” isn't she? is it the continuity people are voting for? i think it's fairto people are voting for? i think it's fair to say she is popular with centrist voters. mainstream germany. she is seen to embody the moderate view of the mainstream in germany. she's not that popular with people who don't agree with her views on migration. there's a sizeable minority who don't agree with her sta nce minority who don't agree with her stance on taking refugees and migrants. as you know, 1.5 million

refugees came to germany in 2015 and 2016. that was an unpopular decision. the people who don't agree with her are going to vote for this new party, which is set to enter parliament for the first time, and so parliament for the first time, and so she's not popular with them. the people she is popular with see her asa people she is popular with see her as a stable force. they look at the rest of the world and think they wa nt to rest of the world and think they want to stick with the woman may know. thank you. and we'll be bringing you a special programme live from berlin shortly after the polls close — including reaction to the first exit polls — here on the bbc news channel. north korea has warned the united states it would take pre—emptive military action if there was any sign of an american attack on its territory. the comment came after us bombers and fighter jets flew over waters

close to north korea's east coast. pyongyang's foreign minister also repeated kim jong—un's accusation that president trump was ‘mentally deranged'. our reporter, andrew plant has more. pyongyang, capital of north korea. place where tens of thousands of north koreans gather to show support for their leader, kim jong—un. and their anger at america's leader, donald trump. who the hell is trump to talk about the collapse of our government? we are resolved to settle our differences by military force if war breaks out. america, in turn, has demonstrated its strengths. the us air force flying bombers and fighterjets over waters east of north korea. this is the closest they've flown in centuries, it shows how seriously

america is taking what they have called north korea's reckless behaviour. it's increasingly antagonistic words and frequent missile tests have made many uneasy. but there has been no sign of north korea being willing to placate or appease any escalation intention. their foreign minister pulled no punches in a speech to the un, saying donald trump was meant deranged and on a suicide mission. the absurd reality is that donald trump, a mentally deranged person, a gambler who uses flat, ford and schemes has his hand on the nuclear button. this is the greatest threats to international peace and security. donald trump says north korea would pay dearly for its hostile behaviour. america, he said, would totally destroy the country if it was forced to defend itself. we can now speak to our correspondent danny savage who is monitoring developments from the south korean

capital seoul. every morning when we wake up the tension seems to have ratcheted up another notch. yes, it does. particularly this week with donald trump laying it on the line. he threatened to totally destroy the country. the official response at the united nations says north korea accused donald trump of being on a suicide mission. overnight last night, it's quite significant that the american air force blew further north than they ever have in this region, with a couple of bombers and some fighters as well. that was a military mission. i think that significant, because in the past we've seen f—15 fighters, pictured oversized career as a show of force.

it was a photo opportunity to get the point across. last night they went further north to look around. it raises the fact that if north korea launch some interceptors. what would happen then? that is of concern. the thought here, ben, is that they want some breathing space. the only way those tensions are going to be appeased as if the two main players, donald trump and kim jongin main players, donald trump and kim jong in back of the rhetoric. the stand—off has been going on for yea rs. stand—off has been going on for years. what is new is how personal some of this abuse is. talking about donald trump as being mentally deranged, for example. for years, the north koreans have been noisy with their rhetoric. and they

inflame feelings at home. they see north korea as the greatest enemy. what's different now is that donald trump has risen to the plate. past us presidents have never used this sort of language. they've used diplomatic channels and not listened to the criticism or fire. donald trump is, and it's not helping. many are concerned that he is just pushing the temperature up on this whole episode. i think many people arejust wishing whole episode. i think many people are just wishing that he would stop tweeting all these strong words, stop using such strong words, and ta ke stop using such strong words, and take a step back, and go back a long diplomatic channels. he wants to try and get things much more calm. thank you for that. the headlines on bbc news: the labour party conference opens in

brighton later as jeremy corbyn comes under pressure to keep britain in the single market and customs union after brexit. people in germany have voted in the general election which is expected to give angela merkel a fourth term as chancellor. donald trump faces a growing backlash from us sports stars after his criticism of players who have been protesting race relations. more on that story now. more on that story now. us president donald trump is facing growing condemnation from the sports world after his criticism of players. on friday, mr trump said the nfl should fire players who protest during the us anthem. high—profile football players as well as basketball star lebronjames have openly criticised mr trump in response. tim allman reports. california's golden state warriors.

nba champions considered the greatest tea ms nba champions considered the greatest teams of all time. by tradition, basketball‘s top stories usually invite to the white house to meet the president. but one of their star players, stephen curry, said he had other plans. i don't want to go. the things that he has said, and the things he hasn't said. we won't stand for it. by acting, or going through that. i want to inspire change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country. as so often the president responded to the responded on social media. this prompted a brutal comeback from one of basketball‘s greatest ever players. we all know how much sport brings us

together, how much passion it as, how much we love and care, the friendships and everything it creates. for him to use this platform to divide as even more is not something i can stand for be quiet about. the president had already spoken about high—profile football players who refused to stand for the star spangled banner. speaking in alabama on friday mr trump didn't hold back. wouldn't you love to see one of those moments when somebody disrespects our flag, and they get that son of... of the field. as for

the golden state warriors the team has said that if stephen kelly was uninvited, none of them were going. they will instead use their trip to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion. we have been talking about this to the editor of the uk nfl magazine. he told us that fans will be watching the games today closely to see how many players join the protest. i think this is going to be one of the most significant days in recent nfl history. you've got 28 of the 32 teams playing today. the story has moved on to the point where it wasn't so much in the public eye. it is firmly in the public eye. it is firmly in the public eye. it is firmly in the public eye today. a lot of players have come out on social media and said they would be protesting today.

i think it's fascinating to see what happens today. i think one of the elements, there's been a low—key example of what this story needs in terms of pushing it on is for some pre—eminent white players, i think that michael banner two posted that a couple of weeks ago, i think it would be fascinating to see if that happens. it will be fascinating to see whose days after the game to get the chance to speak. that was the editor of the uk nfl magazine. last night stevie wonder defied the president over the so—called protests. tonight, i'm taking a leaf from america. he was held down by his son as he...

yes... he meals during the performance at the global citizen festival in new york city. six men have been injured in a suspected acid attack in east london. police were called to a shopping centre near westfield in stratford last night, following reports a group of men were spraying a noxious substance. a 15 year—old—boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. simon clemison has the details. last night's attack was in stratford in east london, but it is now one among many. police say during an argument between two groups at the stratford shopping centre what they call a noxious substance was thrown. medics arrived and the injured were treated at the scene. a witness said one man run into a nearby restaurant toilet to try to wash acid from his face. six people were hurt with three having to be taken to hospital. no one is believed to be in a life threatening condition, but it has left some of those living here shaken. i think it's scary and disgusting

and it's horrible that people can't walk and be safe anymore. now that happened i'm concerned because i live here, i work here, i'm here most of the time. so i'm a bit concerned. there had been an initial suggestion that the attacks were random, but officers say the incident was confined to the two groups. the teenager arrested is 15 and is being held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. an investigation is underway after four people were hurt in a suspected gas explosion at a guest house in blackpool. a man and an elderly woman who were trapped in the blast and had to be airlifted to hospital. residents living nearby were evacuated but have now been allowed to return home. prince harry has opened this year's invictus games for sick and wounded service personnel in toronto, canada. his girlfriend, actress megan markle, was also at the ceremony — making her first appearance at an official engagement attended by the prince.

sarah campbell has more from toronto. more than 550 competitors from 17 nations, cheered on by friends and family. the games were prince harry's idea. this is the third such event which aims to use sport to help the process of recovery. as the teams filed in, prince harry watched from the vip area next to the first lady and spotted, a couple of rows down and around 18 seats across, his girlfriend meghan markle, the actress and campaigner who has been dating harry for a little over a year. ms markle lives and works in the city and so it would have perhaps seemed odd if she hadn't turned up. kensington palace have refused to comment on her appearance adding that half of toronto is here anyway and that maybe true, but this still has to be seen as a significant public acknowledgement of the seriousness of their relationship. of course, this ceremony

was about the games and the competitors who have gone through so much to get this far. there was a lot of respect here for what prince harry has created and his passion for the games is clear. some of you have overcome emotional challenges that until very recent years would have seen you written off and ignored. and now, you are here on the world stage, flags on your chests representing your countries again. over the next eight days, across 12 sports, these men and women will inspire others in what promises to be the biggest invictus games yet. he's arguably the nation's favourite bear, but author aa milne created winnie the pooh and his friends forjust one boy his son, christopher robin. now the story will be told in a new film. it takes audiences back to the time

when pooh's inspiration. a real black bear from winnipeg could be visited and even fed. alice bhandhukravi has more. christopher robin, the human hero of the winnie the pooh series, and the real—life son of writer aa milne. i'd definitely read it. shall we go for a walk? aren't you working? millions of fans might not know that the books only came about by chance. the little boy loved bears so his father created stories the world fell in love with. in the 1920s as eve ryo ne fell in love with. in the 1920s as everyone took stock of the horrors of the first world war tales of winnie the pooh and his companions did a lot to heal those wounds. he was able very prolific writer. he rode for punch magazine, it overtook his life, as it did everybody.

aa milne himself suffered from the trauma of what he saw in the trenches. he and his son found solace at london zoo, where they met the real—life winnie the pooh, and extremely tame black bear. pictured here with christopher robin. i think they are timeless stories. children and adults, they are beautiful in their simplicity. they are quite profound in that sophisticated way. it is also a safe place. that is what it became for aa milne and christopher robin. it was a safe place to go in a damaging and traumatising time. i think the world hasn't gotten better in the meantime. back in the 1920s christopher robin became something ofa christopher robin became something of a celebrity, almost a century later he and his companions are still captivating audiences. you

we re still captivating audiences. you were watching bbc news. coming up. our sunday morning edition of the papers. and to be political commentator vincent morris will be joining me. that's coming up, first we have the weather. we have an east—west split today with the east to seeing plenty of sunshine, and warm. however, as you can see the cloud and rain bands significantly across wales and the south—west. parts of northern ireland and much of scotland. significant rain. we keep an eye on that one. it could be unpleasant. and then, in central, southern england, across the evening and night time there could be some heavy rain as well. however, it will be chilly in the countryside. we have some low—level fog in the morning

rush. that could materialise in wales as well. for most of us, having had sunshine today, it will be distinctly cloudier. patchy rain. as we hedged on monday, still relatively warm. we will see that rain edging eastwards. mostly warm. hello. this is bbc news with ben brown. the headlines at 9.30am: the labour party conference opens in brighton later asjeremy corbyn comes under pressure to keep britain in the single market and customs union after brexit. people in germany are voting in a general election which is expected