the headlines. the prime minister is in brussels, hoping for progress in brexit negotiations, as an eu summit gets under way. there's been a big increase in the number of crimes, particularly violent offences, in england and wales. the actor tom hanks has described the sexual misconduct allegations against harvey weinstein as a "watershed moment", that will lead to a sea change in hollywood. thousands of rohingya muslims, who continue to flee violence in myanmar, are now stranded on the border with bangladesh. the constitutional crisis in spain has deepened, with madrid declaring it will impose direct rule on catalonia. in a moment, it will be time for sportsday, but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. in beyond 100 days at 7pm, while the spanish government says it will start the process of stripping catalonia of its autonomous powers on saturday, we'll hear from an mep from the region. as theresa may sets out her latest thoughts about britain's withdrawal from europe over dinner

with european leaders tonight, we'll be live in brussesls with the latest on the eu summit. and to the words ofjean—claude juncker and donald tusk, who are due to give a news conference shortly. and we will go to leicester, where diwali celebrations are already underway. i must not show any bias! that's all ahead on bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm hugh ferris. the headlines tonight. the mark sampson sacking has turned into what's been described today as a "sorry saga" enveloping the fa. but will the fallout lead to high—profile firings? the organisation's board are holding a meeting tonight. arsenal make nine changes for their europa league match against red star belgrade. so far in serbia, it is goalless. i'm a rugby player. on a rugby

player. i'm a rugby player. and an old boys‘ club no more. we look at a new incentive for rugby union as it tries to appeal to a whole new audience. welcome to sportsday. plenty to come. today, pressure has built on those in power after seniorfigures answered questions in front of mps regarding discrimination claims that were made against the former england boss mark sampson. tonight, the organisation's board is meeting and despite the handling of dissemination claims against the former england women's boss mark samson being described as a sorry saga, we expect the board to back the current leaderboard. let's get oui’ the current leaderboard. let's get our latest —— we will get the latest from our sport editor in a moment but first, richard conway brings us the story so far. accusations of a cover—up, claims of a failure to support a victim of racism, evidence labelled as shambolic. the fa is dealing with another self—made crisis, one that some feel could cost officials theirjobs.

what was really disappointing was that the people who were directly involved in that process, the chief executive, the head of hr and dan ashworth, they were not prepared to apologise for their failings in the way this was investigated and i think that raises serious doubts about whether they are the right people to take the organisation forward. eniola aluko, the chelsea player at the heart of this issue, says she feels vindicated after receiving an apology from fa bosses. it was judged she was the victim of racist remarks from her former england manager. but the fa's processes and its power structure are under increasing scrutiny, given the way it handled the claims. time and again we see a failure to address issues, a failure to address serious, serious allegations. if you analyse what's happened here, it fits the definition of institutional discrimination to a t, i'm afraid. the head of the players‘ union, whose actions and salary were called into question by the fa chairman, is sceptical now over whether players can still trust the governing body. this was a leading player, and if they are going to treat

a leading player like that, what does it say for how anybody else is going to be treated? from that point of view, it's almost a dereliction of duty. former players hope some good can now come from what has now been a lengthy saga. we don't want this to happen again to somebody else. this wasn't about me or eniola, it was about finding the truth and letting people realise that if you have a grievance you can bring it forward and you are not going to get ostracised from the team. it's understood the government remains concerned about the fa's handling of this case, but for now, an organisation always keen to talk up its successes is left to reflect on its costly mistakes. richard conway, bbc news. so we heard damien collins questioning the roles of those running the fa. he is only one of several. but we understand there won't be anyone leaving theirjobs as a result of a board meeting held by phone tonight.

our sports editor dan roan is at wembley. after yesterday's dramatic hearing in front of the de cms select committee, the fa at wembley this morning woke up to some grim newspaper headlines inevitably and throughout the day, there's been further criticism from various parts of the game, from former players to the pfa chief executive, gordon taylor, through to the equality campaign group, kick it out, whose chairman lord usually told me yesterday he felt it was time for an urgent board meeting at wembley to address some of the issues that yesterday threw up. perhaps the most significant intervention came from the government and the sports minister tracey crouch, who said in a statement this was, in her words, a statement this was, in her words, a sorry saga. you a statement this was, in her words, a sorry saga. you remember a statement this was, in her words, a sorry saga. you remember last month, the fa was described as a mess when they sacked the former england women's team manager mark samson and now that has been elevated by the government to a sorry elevated by the government to a soi’i’y saga. elevated by the government to a sorry saga. tracey crouch said lessons sorry saga. tracey crouch said lesso ns ha d sorry saga. tracey crouch said lessons had to be learned and

interestingly, she reminded the fa that she wants to see world—class governance standards and that is linked to a governance code. i think at the absolute minimum, what many in the game now want to see in action when it comes to improving the governing body's internal grievance and whistle—blowing processes in order that what we have witnessed over the last few months never happens again. away from the all this, england's women are in france ahead of their first game under new interim manager mo marley on friday. jo currie is there and canjoin us now. they might be geographically removed, but is there a sense that this can't be very far from their minds? yes, good evening, well, as you say, interim manager mo marley has only been in post for ten days but she says since the sacking of mark sampson last month, the players have been through a tough time and they found the situation really difficult to deal with. but these

players are professionals and athletes and this is their livelihood and they know tomorrow night against france, as demi stokes, the england and manchester city defender says, is the perfect opportunity to put everything that has happened off the field to one side and focus and show what they can do on the field. out there, as players, it has been a tough time but as players, as a group, we need to focus on what we can control and you know, again, what we can focus on which is playing football. i think we have to try and move forward from that and we have got world cup qualifiers coming up, so it is an exciting time andl coming up, so it is an exciting time and i think it is important to focus oi'i and i think it is important to focus on that so we can control —— and what we can control as a team. demi stokes, there, there were supporters of mark samson before his sacking and sits from within the squad, some of them particularly vocal. how tricky will they find it to move on under the new management? yes, well,

last month, the england players gave a very public and visual backing to mark sampson, in their 6—0 win against russia in the world cup qualifier. nikita parris scored the opener that night and celebrated by running to the bench to give mark samson a hug. the players off the pitch followed her and the dugout followed him and it showed support for mark samson because they felt under him, they were developing something really special, they'd reached their highest ever ranking third in the world and got a bronze medal at the last world cup but the players can't afford to dwell on what has happened because next month, they have got two world cup qualifiers for the world cup in two yea rs' qualifiers for the world cup in two years' time and they know that the interim boss mo marley will be in charge for those two games. she admitted this week that she has put in an application to become the permanent boss and she knows that a strong result against a very good france here tomorrow evening will do her application to become the permanent boss is no harm whatsoever. thank you forjoining us. fresh from a premier league defeat that had many — both friend and foe —

claiming that arsenal didn't have any fight, they're having to play their next match in one of the most hostile atmospheres in europe. arsene wenger‘s made nine changes for their europa league match against red star belgrade. the gunners are top of their group after two wins in their opening two matches in europe. theo walcott has had arsenal's best chance so far but having said that, red star belgrade have had chances of their own, coming very close. but with seven minutes to go until the break in belgrade, it is currently goalless. everton‘s match kicks off at 8pm against lyon, and their manager ronald koeman has faced similar criticism after a poor start to both domestic and european campaigns. and he says his situation is simple. only a victory will do against the french side. only one point out of two, you need a win. a win at home, normally, you

need three wins at home and maybe you pick something up from the away games, then it's ok. but the situation is that we need to win tomorrow to get good possibilities tomorrow to get good possibilities to go through in this tournament. let's stay with everton, and to one of their finest and most combative midfielders. peter reid was at the club during the period of their most recent league successes in the 1980s. he's telling some of the stories of his time at goodison park and elsewhere in a new book, and he joined me on the sportsday sofa a little earlier to try and diagnose what's been missing with the current everton team so far this season. i have seen everton twice very recently, against manchester united at old trafford and that goodison park against burnley and in the two games, there wasn't enough pace in the team, with the ball and without the team, with the ball and without the ball. the likes of everton, you've got to pose a threat. there's an expectation, isn't there? rhodes yeah, but you still got to pose a

threat and get the top six, everton have struggled, they have not really competed, for me. you've got to competed, for me. you've got to compete at everton have spent a lot of money and don't see them competing at the top level good enough. supporters are saying that, so enough. supporters are saying that, so it's only down to hard work, getting a couple of results, and then that breeds confidence. a final point, going back to some of the stories you tell in the book, particularly about howard kendall andi particularly about howard kendall and i happen to be lucky enough to know other people who played under howard kendall and they told many stories about him, when you compare some unlike ronald koeman to howard kendall, chalk and cheese completely. yes. but they clearly both want results. anything from howard that he would take and bring in to any current manager? there are different ways to manage. arsene wenger, howard kendall, ferguson, brian clough, there's different ways to get people... sometimes, i look at everton and the players and they

seem at everton and the players and they seem to have a weight on their shoulders. you know what i would do? i know what you're going to say. take them out for a good lunch, and you know what i mean by that! sometimes it works, even in the modern—day. stats, great sports science, fantastic but sometimes, try to relax people, it doesn't help. pete reed speaking to me earlier. —— peter reid. england's women cricketers have played an inter—squad game to prepare for the ashes after two of their warm—up games were washed out by rain. the series starts on sunday. mark robinson admits they've not had the ideal preparation. the ashes starts next week. two practice games laid off and we were meant to play queensland today and it was called off so we had no

opposition today, the ground were still only half it, we had to put a net and one half in the morning and then do some little practice in the afternoon and managed to get the let down, it was just about ok and there we got some good, meaningful practice, albeit amongst ourselves, not as good as playing games but at least we something in. i think it's too close to call, to be honest. obviously australia are a very good side and coming out to australia to play, it's a tough place to be successful and we know we are going to have to be at the top of our game to do that and they will be gunning for us and there is that added spice that whoever wins the series will probably go back to world number one because it is so tight. it is going to be a great series. heather knight during a brick in the rain in australia and the ashes starts on sunday with the first odi against australia. british fighter amy truesdale has claimed at least silver at the world para taekwondo championships by reaching the +58kg final in london. it's the first time the event has been hosted in the uk and comes ahead of the sport making its paralympic debut at tokyo 2020. truesdale's place in the final never looked in doubt

as she powered through to a commanding 23—1; victory. she'll face morocco's world number two rajae ajkermach in the final, which you'll be able to watch on the bbc sport website shortly after 7:10pm. it's really good, like, even when i'm sparring, i can still hear the encouragement from my team—mates so thatis encouragement from my team—mates so that is really good. it is definitely encouraging me to do even better. the green you want to go one step further and get the gold. how will you do it in the final? stick to the game plan and what i've been doing in the last few rounds and try to put it into practice in the final and hopefully get the gold. when you talk about rugby union in england, it can so often conjure up images of public school playing fields and old boys' clubs. but the people running the sport are launching a grand plan to appeal to a whole new audience. project rugby is aimed at disabled young people, those from low socioeconomic groups and those from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. it aims to have more than 10,000 of them playing

rugby by next summer. patrick gearey reports. it takes a bit of bottle to take on a six foot three england rugby player and leave denny solomona in the dust. the bravery of the beginner, perhaps, for these young people from outside rugby union's usual pool. my dad watches rugby on tv, watching those men likejumping on top of each other. that was, like, not me. i don't like it at all. what has changed your mind? the coaches came and they showed that it is safe to do. they are rapid. one in five people, you know, have actually got talent and they can actually got talent and they can actually got talent and they can actually go that step further but obviously, you know, things are holding them back. i was in their shoes as well as a young kid, to see a professional athlete come out and have a run out with them, it makes them feel like they could do it one

day. i'm a rugby player. i'm a rugby player. anyone can be, that is the idea behind the initiative targeting disabled young people, those from poorer backgrounds and those from minority ethnic groups. english by minority ethnic groups. english rugby and premiership rugby want more than 12,000 people from these groups to have thrown a pass by next summerand groups to have thrown a pass by next summer and will introduce the game in more than 200 locations. it is large—scale and the modern face for the sport. the traditional one was rather more white and possibly wearing a boater. in england as opposed to rugby union emerged in public schools and they still dominate, more than half the england tea m dominate, more than half the england team which started their last six nations game was at least in part privately educated. but those who know the game say it is changing. there's a bit of a stigma around middle—class you know, wealthy sort of families and it only being a game for them. certainly the growth of the game, the investment in the game is really making it more attainable for everyone. launching a project at sale sharks in greater manchester

shows its ambition. this is football and rugby league country. there are cultural obstacles bigger than any lock forward but running through barriers is half the point of this game. patrick geary, bbc news, manchester. ministerfor disabled people penny mourdant has told bbc sport there is "no excuse" for premier league football clubs to fall below required standards for disabled access. amongst those who have been praised for the work they've done is arsenal, where she's been speaking to joe wilson. the equality and human rights commission is looking very carefully at those clubs that are not meeting those obligations and the ultimate sanction they have is to hold those clu bs accou nta ble to sanction they have is to hold those clubs accountable to the 2010 equalities act and the commission has indicated that it wants to take more test cases to court. it wants to ensure that the equalities act is being enforced. finally, when you have scored three centuries on the way to a comprehensive victory in your latest

match, you probably don't need that much up but five—time world champion ronnie o'sullivan still got some today, uninvited. he wasjoined by spectator of the polished off the match in the english open in ba rnsley match in the english open in barnsley to win the third round but having rolled in the blink, he let his new partner have a go at the black which he duly, twice, managed to miss before being shepherded away. at least he got the cue back. notjust ronnie away. at least he got the cue back. not just ronnie o'sullivan away. at least he got the cue back. notjust ronnie o'sullivan wearing trainers that the english open this week, it is his new friend as well. that's all from sportsday. we'll have more throughout the evening. thanks for your company. goodbye for now. you're watching bbc news. well as we've been hearing, theresa may is in brussels tonight at an eu summit to assess the progress so far towards brexit, and crucially, whether talks can start on a trade deal. the german chancellor angela merkel says there are "encouraging" signs of progress, but she and other eu

leaders are still insisting the uk make further moves before any discussion on trade. the prime minister answered journalists questions about what she hoped the uk would get out of the summit before going inside. hoped the uk would get out of the summit before going insidelj hoped the uk would get out of the summit before going inside. i set out a few weeks ago in florence a very bold and ambitious agenda for our vision for ourfuture partnership between the eu and the uk. at the heart of that remains cooperation on the key issues and dealing with the shared challenges we face. that speech that i set out in florence set out that ambitious vision and i look forward to us being able to progress that in the weeks ahead. this council is about taking stock. it's also about looking ahead to how we can tackle the challenges that we all share across europe. that means of course, continued cooperation, cooperation which must be at the heart of the strong future partnership we want to build together. of course, we will also be looking at the concrete

progress that has been made in our exits negotiations and looking at executing ambitious plans for the weeks ahead, particularly for example, i want to see an urgency in reaching an agreement on citizens rights but also this council is not just about our exits negotiations. it is also about various other really important issues, defence, security, counterterrorism, migration. i'm going to be showing how the uk will continue to play a full role. theresa may in brussels. we are expecting to hear from the presidents of the european council and the eu commission as well for their thoughts on the summit. more on the news that there's been a big rise in the number of crimes recorded annually in england and wales. figures from the office for national statistics show an increase of 13% in the past year, pushing the total past the 5 million mark for the first time in a decade. crimes categorised as "violent" went up by a fifth. joining me now is david munro, conservative police and crime commissioner for surrey.