rate in the 60 mph zone. in the 55 mph zone, there was a decrease in 56%. what you find at 50 mph is many trucks have their speed limited to 56, therefore they try to drive faster, tailgate cars a foot off their bumper, which becomes incredibly dangerous. on those stretches, if you can have 55 or 60 mph, you would get less tailgating, fewer drivers studying their speedometer, and it can really be safer. what about people working on the motorways? the unite union which represents them say these proposals ignore their safety. they say in recent years a number of motorway workers have been killed, and increasing speed limits will make their working conditions even more dangerous. motorists have mixed views. it would make myjourney a lot shorter, because immediately i start the journey, i'm experiencing the 50 mph limit straight away, so 60 would be

an improvement for me. i think that's too fast, especially when there are people on the roadside, men working on the road, it is too fast, that is dangerous. the speed limit should be 50, it is that for a reason. even that is pretty fast if you go past. if a car passes you at 50 you can feel the speed of the wind from the car, i think it is too fast. highways england says it is carrying out further tests to ensure it can be done safely, but the changes could be brought in by the end of the year. sophie long, bbc news. let's find out how the weather is looking. storm brian has brought gusts of wind to coastal areas and there have been a few really exposed spot with stronger dust. as forecast, it hasn't been particularly unusually

windy. we get loads of days like this in autumn. the brisk winds continue. a few gusts up to 60, perhaps over the hills and coast. a mild night and start to sunday. the afternoon, an often enough sunshine and showers but with increasingly large gaps between the showers for top it will deal colder and fresher, thanks to the wind. treasures —— temperatures between 12 and 1a. hello. this is bbc news. the catalan leaders say the region's people cannot access the spanish government's decision to strip

catalonia of its power. the head of the world health organisation is rethinking the appointment of robert mugabe as a goodwill ambassador. highways england is considering raising the speed limit through roadworks to combat congestion. now on bbc news, our world looks at the song bird trade which is causing dozens song bird trade which is causing d oze ns of song bird trade which is causing dozens of protected species to because ash threatened with extinction. the lush tropical forests of java. as civilisation encroaches, only pockets remain —

and they're falling silent. songbirds are disappearing from the wild. and then it's caught. yeah. trapped from the forest, sold as singing pets and status symbols. i'm victoria gill, and i'm injakarta to investigate the insatiable demand for songbirds that's now driving an extinction crisis. people will always want to buy songbirds. we really are firefighting. we're saving the last of the last. this bird may be the only one of its kind left on the planet. this bird in here could be the last of this kind of bird? yep. java — the largest and most crowded island in indonesia, home to more

than 140 million people. cities, towns and villages seem to squeeze into every available space. there's very little pristine forest left here, butjust a few square kilometres can be home to hundreds of animals and birds. some are found only on this island. and some are critically endangered. but it's many of java's songbirds that have now slipped under the conservation radar, to the very brink of extinction. a recent global conservation review revealed that 19 species are now trapped in such high numbers

that they are in danger of dying out. human activity is driving species towards extinction around the world, but here, where bustling megacities reach into tropical rain forest, it's a microcosm of that global crisis. so, how has the trade in trapped songbirds reached such a tipping point? and can anything be done to save them? this is our guide on the steep slopes of mount malabar. he knows this forest inside out — it's where he made his living, hunting and trapping. he'sjust showing me how you make a bird trap out ofjust sticks from the trees around us and a piece of string. press there, where...

and then it's caught. what was the trapping for, where would those birds go? he's no longer in the bird trapping business. he has been able to convert his knowledge of this forest into conservation work. but many people still take birds from here. networks of trappers operate across this country, clearing the forests of birds. we're surrounded by trees. it looks like a very good bird habitat, but actually there's very little birdsong. .. it is strangely quiet here.

but there's one place you're guaranteed to find thousands of songbirds. this is pramuka market. it is the largest wildlife market in asia, possibly in the world, and it is crammed to the gills with caged birds. there can be more than 16,000 birds for sale here in a single day, more than 200 different species. there are three markets like this just in jakarta, so that gives you some idea of the scale of this market and this trade. just the auditory assault on the senses is incredible, it's a very, very noisy place. but it's also quite unpleasant in that the smell is really quite acrid and overwhelming. for all it might seem to me

like a strange packed place with a strong smell, this is a centre of commerce and community here injakarta. in a growing economy, more and more people are spending their disposable income on the status symbol that is a valuable feathered pet. what are the ranges of prices? that's between about $20 and several thousand us dollars for a songbird. while some birds fetch very high prices, many cost less than a dollar. they're more expensive to feed than they are to buy. people take dozens at a time.

they're treated like disposable objects. here we are, this one here, this is a bulbul, this is one, another one that lives up in the mountains of sumatra... andrew 0wen has been working in bird conservation for more than three decades. he and his colleagues from zoos and wildlife conservation organisations around the world visit the market as often as they can to study it. they're looking for protected birds being sold illegally. but the market can also show them which species are most at risk, what's most popular or an increase in price that might suggest a bird is becoming more rare. so, that bird there is a straw—headed bulbul, which is one of the birds of extreme for us, and it's been wiped out across almost all of its range. it's extinct injava, it's recently been uplifted to endangered,

and it may have to go to critically endangered. researchers monitoring the trade found that most birds here are caught from the wild, and protected species are sold in the markets. so, why do so many people here want to own songbirds? driving around, you certainly see evidence of the demand. bird cages hang outside shops and houses. but this goes well beyond a desire for a companion in a cage. so, how many do you have in your house? one, two, three... can we count? maybe five. five birds. we have come to visit a leading member of a bird breeding association called the pbi.

he also organises events where competitors pit their singing birds against each other. what is the prize money for the national champoinship? is there a big prize—money? the prize is 5 million. 5 million. and maybe1 billion. 100,000 us dollars for the main prize. yes. wow! this is the champion. and one of your birds is five times national champion? national champion. valuable bird, then. you have to look after him! while the big money is saved for the national championships, you can find smaller events across the country every single weekend. we've heard a lot about bird singing competitions, and the absolute obsession in this country, and we've managed to arrange to go to one at bekasi, which apparently is about two

hours from here. which i think in this traffic means it's about three miles away, so we'll see if we ever make it! the bird breeders association club have given me a t—shirt that apparently is the official dress, so i have to wear this during the competition, i'm on the guest list today, because i'm a guestjudge today — which should be interesting! apparently, thejudges have to make a decision based on the bird's tone, volume and performance. we'll see how that goes in the cacophony of birdsong that's about to commence. for a first—timer like me, this is a strange thing to witness, let alone tojudge.

when caged male birds look around and see one another, they instinctively compete, singing to claim their territory. the judges signal their choice of winner with a flag. this is serious business. tony sumampau is an influential friend of the bird breeders association, a wealthy zoo owner who is well—known in bird breeding circles. he wants to help transform the bird trade. as truly a man, you have houses, you have a wife, you have to have transportation, the horses, and a weapon. a weapon. and a bird. so, to be a true man, you need a house, a wife, horses, a weapon and a bird. and a bird. then you are a realjavanese.

then you are a real javanese man, 0k! congratulations! all the birds in this competition are bred in captivity. this association has banned wild—caught birds from its events. there's a small breeding centre at this venue. they spoon—feed them five times a day. yes, five times. since i am a guestjudge, tony arranges for me to have a tour. apparently i can choose one of the baby lovebirds. all the birds here are all captive—bred. yes. that's what you'd encourage? that's right. that's what we encourage them to do — involve the other associations to do the same thing. right. because if you breed them in captivity for competition, then you can save the birds in the wild? yes. a good parent. there's no doubt that everyone here loves songbirds.

prizewinners are in impeccable condition and undoubtedly give an impressive performance. thank you, thank you. but does this lovebirds, the desire so many people have to own one, mean that the future for the rarest, most beautiful singers, is inside a cage? bird sings. the critically—endangered javan green magpie. perfectly camouflaged against tropical vegetation. but these birds have spent their lives in captivity. up in the rural hills of west java is cikananga conservation breeding centre.

while the mountain forests used to be home to thousands of these birds, almost all of the tiny remaining population is now housed here. for andrew 0wen, this place is the focal point of his work on the songbird crisis. so, this one's a young javan green magpie, bred here at cikananga. as we can see, beautiful birds. this is one of the rarest birds on the planet, i mean, how many of these are left in the wild? yeah. what we do know is, there's 60 in conservation breeding situations, there's 60 on the planet as far as we know, plus a handful possibly in the wild. that makes this centre the unlikely international hub for a conservation mission. like this, and it's never seen that before!

so, we have three magpies to examine, one needs chipping and all three need sexing... this team made up of wildlife vets and zoologists is from chester zoo in the uk. this one is 970... ajuvenile bird has been caught for a vital health check. remember to keep it in with yourfingers. he could be a 60th of the entire world population, so the chester vet coaches the cikananga keepers in carrying out thorough assessments. these can be surprisingly risky. 0oh, someone's been bitten. that's a privilege to be bitten by a critically endangered species! i'm not going anywhere near with my fingers! you can stop it where don't want it, ok? every bird has a tiny identification microchip implanted under its skin. blood samples will also reveal which males and females are most genetically compatible. every future chick is precious.

biological matchmaking is vital. for some, though, there might not even be the chance of breeding in captivity. what's in here? so, in here, we've got a rufous—fronted laughingthrush, which is only found on the island ofjava. and this particular bird is a subspecies only found on one mountain, so this bird may be the only one of its kind left on the planet. this bird in here could be the last of this kind of bird? yeah. we know of no others of this species. so, is it already too late for this bird, then? we're hoping not. we have plans to carry out surveys on that mountain to see if we can find more, and if we can, it will be an enormous relief. but we really don't know at this stage, this may be the last bird. so, what is this bird called? this bird is called aza, which in indonesian means "the lonely one". with its bars, locks and fences, the centre looks almost prisonlike. but security for all of the critically endangered

species here is a priority. all the birds here are incredibly valuable, so we have had an experience of the birds being stolen here in the past. oh, really? during ramadan in 2014, 150, 140 birds stolen. theyjust came in, took all the birds in one night. they took a lot of those, which has really impacted our breeding programme, because a lot of the best couples were in these blocks that were targeted. that must have been heartbreaking for the staff here to lose so many birds. yeah, they remember it as this awful time, coming into work finding all their cages ripped open. if they got stolen again, that's probably it. it's difficult to comprehend that a break—in at this one remote centre could mean the extinction of a species. these birds, the rarest of the rare, will remain here under lock and key.

but is there anywhere left injava where they could fly freely and safely? a stone's throw from the chaos of the city is taman safari. this is a jungle fairground, an eclectic home to creatures from all over the world. with its roots in the circus, it boasts animal shows and close encounters that have brought criticism from animal rights campaigners. but there's a particular focus here on rare birds, and that's driven by its owner. amazing! this is the surroundings of our park. we have 100 hectares of land. so, this is your land? yes.

after bringing me into the world of bird singing competitions, tony sumampau shows me around his park. he's using profits from this popular attraction to fund an emergency response to his country's songbird conservation crisis. so, most of the songbirds, they are not protected instead of battling the bird trade, tony's taking a market—friendly approach. pleased to meet you. he's working with bird owners, persuading them to lend their rare birds to special breeding programmes. the aim is to use these pets to breed enough songbirds to meet the high demand. flooding the market with rare captive—bred birds, actually

encouraging their trade, might seem unorthodox, but he says it's working. and he's now going a step further. hidden away from selfie—snapping visitors is a very special bird—breeding programme. so, is this the aviary? yes. how many are in here? 11. black—winged miners — another indonesian songbird teetering on the brink of extinction. just 50 are estimated to remain in the wild. these birds were born and bred here. now, they're being set free. oh, wow! so far, 15 birds have been released into what is

a uniquely safe forest haven. we're still within the safari park, not far from where the black—winged miners have been released from the aviary, and one of them has actually made a nest, and apparently there are some eggs and chicks in there. so, it's making a small comeback here in taman safari. it's a snapshot of success, of what these forests should look and sound like. birds sing. but if wild songbirds are going to return to more than just small patches of private land, the widescale trapping has to stop. so, is that realistic? and can it happen in time? in the village just minutes from cikananga wildlife centre,

there are signs that a real shift is under way. this is the elementary school marching band. they're practising for a big parade they're going to have in cikananga village here. this celebration of indonesia's independence, this learning about multicultural history, is a part of school life. but today, the children are having a lesson that is brand—new to the curriculum. lessons about the environment for these children, learning about the wildlife that is — or should be — on their doorstep, is notjust a novelty. conservationists say it's vital. this is absolutely a crisis.

but something we've seen while we've been here is a passion for songbirds, in some cases an obsession with songbirds. and if that can be channelled, especially with the next generation, into admiring them and protecting them in the wild, then maybe some of even these very threatened birds do have a future here. if we do nothing, these species are all going to go extinct within the next decade, there's no doubt about that. we're going to do everything we possibly can to ensure that these birds are back in the wild in safe and sustainable populations for future generations to witness. hi, there. let's take a look at the

latest on brian fall is top storm brian has been moving across the uk bringing blustery conditions. plenty of showers following the rest of us overnight. the strongest winds have been around 70 mph on the coast of england and wales, there have been very exposed site with stronger gusts but inland, the gusts have been 40 to 50 mph, exactly what was forecast this time yesterday so it has not been particularly windy, we get days like this all the time in autumn. blustery winds will continue to dry in. the rain clearing away from south—west england to be followed by blustery showers and they could pop up about anywhere

overnight. a mild night, temperatures nine to 11 celsius. as brian works out into the north sea, it will slowly begin to dial way. blustery start, with rain in north—west england, the band of rain will push into parts of the midlands, particularly east anglia and south—east england but once the band of rain clears out of the way, the rest of the days of sunshine and showers kind of setup. bigger gaps opening up between the showers, which means more of us will have nicer weather. the cooler day, 12 to 14 degrees. monday, the winds switch back to a south—westerly death —— direction. some brighter skies getting into northern ireland and scott learned, ending up with a bit of sunshine here. looking for the weather on tuesday, whether from dangling and loitering across southern england match of the day so

cloudy with bursts of rain. the best of the sun shining north scotland. temperatures are coming up, highs around 14 to 16 degrees in the north, 17 to 18 in the south, much asa sign north, 17 to 18 in the south, much as a sign of things to come. towards the end of the week, thursday, we see the winds coming up from a long way south and temperatures on thursday could reach 22 celsius, a temperature that we would normally see in the livejuly, non—this late in october. —— in the middle of july. this is bbc news.

the headlines at 9: carles puigdemont says the catalan people cannot accept "illegal" measures decided by the spanish government as he calls on the region's parliament to act against them. the head of the world health 0rganisation says he's "rethinking" the appointment of zimbabwe's president mugabe as a goodwill ambassador. and coming up, almost a year after donald trump was elected, we have a special debate from charleston, south carolina, asking what people there think of his presidency, that's global questions, here on bbc news in 10 minutes time.