this is bbc news — and these are the top stories developing at 11am: after president trump hits back at theresa may for criticising him for re—tweeting videos posted by a british far—right group, the home secretary defends the special relationship. the importance of the relationship between our countries, the unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries, is vital. it is undoubtedly saved british lives. net migration into the uk sees its biggest fall on record — down by nearly a third — as eu citizens chose not to come here. ireland signals it will still block progress in the brexit negotiations unless it gets guarantees on the border — we've a special day of reports looking at the border question. this is the frontier between northern ireland and the irish republic and it has emerged as a key

issue in the brexit cox and we will be live here throughout the day. —— brexit talks. the bbc understands that a 24—year—old british man who went to syria to fight so—called islamic state — has been killed. oliver hall, from the portsmouth area, hadjoined kurdish armed groups to fight against so—called islamic state. trials show a new approach to preventing migraines can reduce the number and severity of attacks. good morning, it's thursday, november 30th. i'm annita mcveigh. welcome to bbc newsroom live. president trump has told theresa may that she should pay more attention to tackling terrorism in the uk,

rather than criticising him. the message was delivered in a tweet last night after downing street criticised the us president for sharing anti—muslim videos posted by a british far—right group on social media. the row has placed more pressure on the prime minister to cancel mr trump's state visit to the uk next year. our north america correspondent, laura bicker, reports. the home secretary insisted donald trump was wrong to share the videos. her comments in a moment. first... our north america correspondent, laura bicker, reports. they may have held hands once but this so—called special relationship is now being tested by a series of presidential tweets. first, from the account of a far right anti—muslim group called britain first, donald trump retweeted three inflammatory videos to his 43 million followers. the first claimed incorrectly to show a muslim migrant attacking a man on crutches. when challenged, the white house said the videos might not be real but the threat was. both theresa may and a lot of other world leaders across this country,

i mean, across the world, know that these are real threats that we have to talk about. i think europe has seen that a lot first—hand and something the president wants to continue to talk about and continue to make sure that we're dealing with. theresa may is on a tour of the middle east but her official spokesman said the president had been wrong to share the posts. it was that condemnation which prompted a twitter outburst from donald trump's account. he told theresa may not to focus on him but to focus on the destructive radical islamic terrorism taking place within the united kingdom. "we are doing just fine," he said. the president has caused diplomatic headaches for the uk several times already this year. from backing nigel farage as an ambassador to washington, to attacking the london mayor, sadiq khan, all from his favourite social media platform. it may be a show of strength for his supporters but it may also weaken his position abroad. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. let's get some political reaction

to this and cross over to westminster and speak to our assistant political editor, norman smith. good morning. this raises clearly some big questions about the relationship between the us and the uk, that state visit, of course. all the while, donald trump telling theresa may, essentially to mind her own business. it raises profound questions but i suppose what struck me most immediately was the level of anger and condemnation in the commons this morning over donald trump's tweets. striking to be speaker at the start of proceedings, said he had agreed to this debate so mps could express sympathy with the victims of bigotry and hate crime. a clear public slap at the president and also significant that initial indications where the home office

would put up a junior minister to reply to this debate. not so because the home secretary herself was put forward and she said that theresa may had already explicitly condemned donald trump's tweets through words issued by the downing street spokesman yesterday. she said the government would continue to speak freely and fearlessly, despite america of course being our closest ally. but she cautioned mps to remember that many british lives had been saved by our close alliance with america. in other words, for realpolitik is it were to be a part of the debate. she pressed a number of the debate. she pressed a number of times about that state visit offered to donald trump. how replies we re offered to donald trump. how replies were interesting. she said, the invitation has been issued and accepted. but the timing and arrangements have not been agreed. that suggests to me that this is going into long grass country, the

timing and arrangements, we'll see about them. no rush to invade the president, even if the visit has not been cancelled. have a listen to some of the home secretary said. president donald trump was wrong to retweet videos posted by far right group, first. when we look at the wider picture, the relationship between the uk and america, i know how valuable the friendship is between our two nations. and as home secretary, i can tell the house that the importance of the relationship between our countries, the unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries, is vital. there was a lot of concern that the president's tweet has basically fuelled interest in and maybe even support for britain first. the

president was accused of pandering to the group and there were calls for the state visit to be cancelled. an snp spokesman said, what does the president have to do or say for the visit to be cancelled? also strong criticism from the shadow home secretary. does the home secretary acce pt secretary. does the home secretary accept that the fact that the 45th president chose to retweet material from britain first is notjust offensive to british people of muslim heritage, it is notjust offensive to british people of black and minority—ethnic heritage, it is offensive to all decent british people? now, the question is, what will theresa may say when she is asked about this as she absolutely

will be following her speech in jordan, we think around 12:30pm, uk time. this morning, dunshea was saying nothing that they know they will be asked about it so they have to have a reply. i instinct is that having listened to the home secretary, they will stick to their formulation which is that the tweets we re formulation which is that the tweets were wrong, the state visit goes ahead, but the date and arrangements have yet to be agreed. in other words, don't worry, slamming any time soon. we don't want to cancel because would be a huge rift in transatlantic relationships. but the problems in going ahead with a now would seem to be so profound to me that it really has been put in the sort of category of, we will see about this at a later date. net migration has fallen by nearly a third in a year — the largest annual decrease recorded. official figures for the twelve months tojune show 230 thousand more people arrived in the uk than left it — down more

than 100,000 from the year before. three quarters of the fall is down to changes in eu migration in the 12 months since the brexit referendum. let's speak to our correspondent, richard lister. good morning. sarah, we often ask whether statistics are significant oi’ whether statistics are significant or not. yes. they are in this case. the latest figures show a statistically significant fall in net migration of 100 6000. it is important to note this policy record — the previous year. in a sense, it had further to fall. what has driven news is that we have seen 80,000 fewer people coming into the uk and less people emigrating and three

quarters of that change in net migration is due to changing migration is due to changing migration patterns for eu citizens. let's look at that aspect more closely. eu nationals, both those who might be coming speculatively to look for work, plus eu nationals already living here who have decided to go elsewhere? yes, quite right. work is the main reason why eu nationals tend to come to the uk. we are seeing similar numbers to those arriving for a definite job, are seeing similar numbers to those arriving for a definitejob, no change in those figures but when we have seen a change is a full 43% in those coming to look for work. have seen a change is a full 43% in those coming to look for workm you look at where the changes coming from, it does appear to be a brexit effect? there are many conflicts reasons why people choose to migrate. but certainly the timing of the stickers does indicate that brea ks the stickers does indicate that breaks it could be a consideration in some people's decision on whether to emigrate to the uk or elsewhere.

it busquets the government target closer. —— it does get the government target closer. it's not an unusual figure. it government target closer. it's not an unusualfigure. it has government target closer. it's not an unusual figure. it has fluctuated between 40000 and 336,000 over the last 20 years or so. not a definite downward trend? too early to say. down from the record high of the previous year but to say whether the trend will continue. very interesting, sarah crofts from the ons, thank you very much. plans to get an extra one million disabled people into work will be published by the government today. disabled people remain significantly less likely to be in employment than those without disabilities, as our correspondent, nikki fox, reports. probably a yellow banana. trying out new technology... left edge, 5 feet away. a child consultant, hannah is testing face—recognition gadgets which could help her at work.

she lost her sight five years ago and is now registered blind. during that time, she found it hard to get a job. i left uni with a first—class degree in law and i've been turned down from kind of basic admin roles when i had quite significant experience and that sort of thing. some of them, i might not have got the job anyway. some of them, it was quite clear from the questions they are asking, it was because of my disability. the employment gap between disabled and non—disabled people hasn't significantly changed for some years despite a pledge back in 2015 to halve it. more disabled people in work over the next 10 years. we are making progress. we've got 600,000 more disabled people in work than we did four years ago. what we want to do is continue to work with employers, to continue to exploit the opportunities of new technology and to keep testing and learning to find out what works, what are the things that actually can make a difference so that more disabled people can fulfil their potential and get a good job.

today's announcement also includes measures to provide access to personalised support for those with mental health issues and an increase in the variety of health care professionals who are able to issue fitness—to—work notices but with employment rates for people with learning disabilities at around 6%, charities are warning the progreess is too slow. nikki fox, bbc news. the northern ireland secretary has told the bbc that the government recognises that the final brexit deal will have to recognise the unique challenges posed by the irish border. the irish government and the eu have been pushing for northern ireland to remain inside the customs union and single market, even if the rest of the uk leaves. that's now the main sticking point stopping brexit negotiations from moving on to trade. throughout the day here on bbc news, our ireland correspondents are travelling along the border from derry to newry — looking at the issues, options, solutions and stalemates.

and asking — what the reality of the border is now and what do the people who live along it think. our ireland correspondent, chris page, is on the strabane, lifford border. huge number of questions for people there to consider. what have they been telling you? yes, just over there is the border right at the centre of breaks in negotiations at the moment. i'm on the edge of strabane the moment. i'm on the edge of stra bane in county the moment. i'm on the edge of strabane in county tyrone in northern ireland and just over there is the town of clifford in the irish republic. there is no customs post 01’ republic. there is no customs post or passport check or barrier in sight. under the situation stays this way really depends on what the customs arrangements would be after the uk please the european union. chris buckler has been speaking to people in the area. for many months now, politicians have been huddled

in brexit negotiations, the uk and the eu both pushing their priorities. and what is decided on one of the key issues will have quite an impact here. the derry donegal vipers are an irish—american football team, and their players come from both northern ireland and the republic. our whole team is split almost down the middle, from either side of the border, which is great. a key question is, what will happen to that border after brexit? in the future, is it possible that people will have to negotiate their way through customs posts as they once did in the past? a hard border would make it difficult, because you pretty much have to go through customs checks to go to training a couple of times a week. they'll think you're suspicious carrying these big bags and helmets across. that is a journey many take on a daily basis. some are wondering what their morning commute will be like in the future. they're saying they do not want

a hard border, but the detail of not having a hard border, it has never been clearly defined for me. marie lindsay lives in county donegal, and every day crosses the border to go to ajob as a principal in londonderry. this is an old customs post right here. that was the place where you were stopped. her concerns about a hard border go beyond potential traffic delays. the community is quite seamless. a lot of talk about the economy, and the impact on the economy. much less the social fabric on the society of a border people, which we are. many cross the border regularly to go to school, even hospital. they say that the british government has been too late

in recognising the true impact of brexit here. they're not thinking about the consequences of brexit. the consequences for people who have become used, and have mortgages and people in college, based upon a livelihood which appreciates the fact that you can move across without tariffs. the biggest obstacle to ensuring there are no obstacles on the many border bridges and roads are to do with customs. the eu says it northern ireland was to stick to the same economic rules, the issue would be solved. the prime minister has been very clear in saying that, as we leave the european union, we leave the single market and we leave the customs union. but we know there need to be specific outcomes to meet the unique circumstances of northern ireland, and the island of ireland as a whole. that sounds like a desire to deal. particularly as the irish government

has the ability to block brexit talks as they move on. they want guarantees about the border. that means there will be more clashes to come. iam going i am going to speak to a well—known businessperson here. if you see someone wearing a businessperson here. if you see someone wearing a gaelic football top, the chances are it was made in the factory run by this man, managing director of o'neills. what are your thoughts around the border? we are a manufacturing company based on the border, so are concerned about brexit. 50% of people across the border from strabane on a daily basis. how do you keep the border in its present state to convince you of a way forward? at the end of the

day, northern ireland should remain in the customs union and single market. we need a frictionless border for trade and we would be concerned if there were any duties or tariffs because that could affect us. or tariffs because that could affect us. what is your message for people in charge in belfast, brussels, dublin and london? we want to sustain employment and we need to sit down and realise this will not work and just forget about it. like what difference would it make to your business if there were customs check? people would be delayed in getting to work. major problems with transporting goods. our production facility in strabane, our supply chain is very integral, we buy yarn

from the far east and it is made into fabric in strabane and then sent on to dublin to be tight and then sent back over the border to be cut into garments, summers then sent to dublin to be made intojerseys. our processes would involve products crossing the border about eight times. if there were delays or tariffs or duties, it would be unworkable. that is fairly typical for businesses operating in this border area. they get parts from one side of the border to make products on the other. we don't even see this asa on the other. we don't even see this as a border, it is a lane on a map. all the companies working in the south of ireland, we don't see it as a border. we export 95% of production to the south of ireland and so do a lot of companies around

the border. we have never had a problem and it would be a disaster for companies like as if there was any customs or delays. thank you for sharing your thoughts. we will continue our journey sharing your thoughts. we will continue ourjourney along the irish border. more through the day here on bbc news. chris page, thank you very much. do stay with us for all of that and also for our reality check, an in—depth look at the challenges affecting the irish border and brexit. it is 21 minutes past 11. the headlines... president trump hits back at theresa may for criticising him for retweeting videos posted by a british or right group. net migration into the uk sees its biggest fall on record, down by nearly a third, as eu

citizens chose not to come here. and ireland signalled it will still block progress on brexit unless it gets order guarantees. in sport, wayne rooney scored his first hat—trick in more than six years. has he inspired everton to a 4—0 win last night, sam allardyce is expected to be named as the new manager later. manchester city boss pep guardiola held raheem sterling's new confidence as his winner helped establish them at the top of the table with a 2—1win over southampton. and england all—rounder ben stokes makes his return to cricket action but it will not be for england just yet. he has fined for england just yet. he has fined for new zealand side canterbury. more sportjust after half past. bbc news understands that a 24—year—old british man — who went to syria to fight

the islamic state group — has been killed. oliver hall — from the portsmouth area — is the seventh british volunteer to have died in the country having joined a kurdish armed group. kurdish sources say mr hall was killed on 25 november while clearing mines in raqqa. with me is our correspondent, emma vardy. what more do we know about oliver holt, how he ended up in syria and what he was doing there? he had not been there at all, just since the end of august. the ypg kurdish group has a number of international volu nteers has a number of international volunteers who choose to go to join them in the conflict and that has been going on for a couple of years but like many of them, oliverjoined up but like many of them, oliverjoined up and spent several weeks in military training with the kurdish group, the ypg, after that, he went

to ta ke group, the ypg, after that, he went to take part in the conflict with various armed units operating around northern syria. it was not actually due to fighting on the front line that he met his death. it was in this mine—clearing operation in the aftermath of raqqa, the de facto capital of is, which was recently recaptured. i have spoken to people who know him and in particular somebody who was out there fighting alongside him and they described him asa alongside him and they described him as a lovely lad, somebody with no military experience before coming to syria but he came wanting to learn and with a strong desire to fight against is. the kurdish community in this country have described him as a hero and a martyr. of course, it is important to say that uk authorities see this very differently. they had issued repeated warnings to people not to travel to syria and of course today, this once again shows the serious consequences. thank you for that, emma va rdy. some quotes coming to us from a

spokesman for theresa may, she is in jordan, these quotes in response to a tweet from president trump criticising her for her criticism a tweet from president trump criticising herfor her criticism of him when he said that she should concentrate on tackling extremism in the uk. the spokesman for theresa may says the pm is fully focused on tackling extremism that echoing the words of the home secretary, amber rudd, in the house of commons a short while ago, theresa may's spokesman says that britain has an ongoing special relationship with the us, we continue to work together ona the us, we continue to work together on a huge range of very important issues. a look there at the bigger picture, of course. let's get more reaction to all of this with our assistant political editor, norman smith, at westminster. amber rudd is saying it, the spokesman for theresa

may is saying it, the bigger picture is very important here. it is clearly a calibrated response from the government. yes, we want to condemn donald trump's tweet but no, they do not want to compromise in any way relations with the united states, not just for the fact they are our closest ally but also in the post—brexit world we are going to need good relations with the us to secure this crucial trade deal. so they are holding back cancelling the state visit, which many mps in the comments have been calling for. interesting that amber rudd said the date and arrangements had still to be agreed, which suggested to me, that that might be pushed back into the deepest darkest longest of grass. what is labour's take? i'm joined by emily thornberry. what is your position on the state visit?

she did go ahead? the first thing i would say is we would not be starting from here. she should never have invited him. every other american president has had to wait four years, they have to settle down and we have to be sure about who we are inviting or who the queen is inviting but she was so keen to inviting but she was so keen to inviting quickly and so keen on this trade deal that he was tweeting about and saying, remember, we can have this within a few weeks, so, distracted by all of that and on the very day that he signed the muslim travel ban, she is holding his hand, inviting him to see the queen, they would not be starting from here. well, we are here. is chilly how do we get out of this without embarrassing her majesty and trying out into politics? that is why a state visit is a big thing in the need to deal with it properly. if it can be finessed, i mean, i certainly don't think he should be coming next

year. it should be a happy event and we do not want trump turning up in the middle of all that. but whether this can be finessed so that the invitation was withdrawn and is something that we're happy to look at diplomatic ways in which can be done but the mess that we have in is down to theresa may being too keen to make friends with donald trump and it should never have been this way. we do not share the same views and values with donald trump. we do with most americans but not him. and she should always have been clear about it. i mean, the idea, according to the papers, that whenever he brings her, he is telling her how much he loves her. she cannot have it both ways, cuddle up she cannot have it both ways, cuddle up to him and still be principled and stand firm. i mcclatchy said what she did. but it hasn't worked, has it? —— i what she did. but it hasn't worked, has it? —— lam what she did. but it hasn't worked, has it? —— i am glad that she said what she did. this is a problem of

her making. i hear what you're saying but it sounds as if you would probably go along with what amber rudd seemed to be suggesting, namely, not cancelling the visit but seeing about the date and arrangements and really, that might be some long way off. at one stage, he was not going to come until the british people loved him. i would have been fine with that because he probably would not therefore ever come. then it got changed and they we re come. then it got changed and they were supposed to be attained. that should not have happened, he should not appear next year, it totally can't be now. let's go back to, donald trump should not come until the british people love him. this what about the language? sajid javid has gone further. do you think the prime minister should express condemnation more explicitly and strongly? given how scared she has been to condemn him until now, what she said was pretty strong, for her.

ido she said was pretty strong, for her. i do not think it is strong enough. one of my colleagues was murdered by somebody shouting britain first and a supporter of that group. so, i don't even know where to start at the idea that the president of the united states is retweeting these videos of this despicable organisation that seeks to promote hatred. i don't know where to start. but you know, for theresa may, she has done quite well so far but she needs to learn the lesson from this, which is you cannot be friends with this man and his views and values are not ours. yes, we work around them and with other americans because of course we do not leave america behind because of course they are a valued ally but not him. not him. thank you for your time, emily thornberry. we will hear from the prime minister at around 12:30pm. it will be questions and a nswe i’s 12:30pm. it will be questions and answers and downing street fully expects and knows she will be

pressed about this. norman, thank you very much. norman smith they're talking to emily thornbury. simon king has the weather. it is cold this morning, temperatures well below freezing, and we had snow falling across the east. we will continue with these wintry showers, snow down to lower levels across eastern coastal counties. some showers across west wales and south—west england, and temperatures on the thermometer might be up to 5 degrees, but if you factor in the wind—chill, it will feel more like this. through today and tonight, showers coming westwards into the pennines. a cold nights to come once again, temperatures in the countryside well

below freezing, perhaps as low as -10 below freezing, perhaps as low as —10 degrees in all areas. we keep the sunshine across england and wales, but for scotland and northern ireland, little cloudier. goodbye. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: the home secretary, amber rudd, has repeated downing steet‘s condemnation of donald trump's retweeting of videos posted by the far—right group britain first, telling mps he was wrong to do so. the president hit back at theresa may for criticising him, saying the prime minister should be focusing on terrorism and not on him. net migration into the uk has seen its biggest drop on record sees its biggest fall on record, down by nearly a third. the office for national statistics says the majority of the decrease was accounted for by eu citizens.

unless certain guarantees are made on the future of the irish border, ireland has signalled it will block progress in the brexit negotiations. we've a special day of reports looking at the border question. a new approach to preventing migraines can cut the number and severity of attacks. that's according to new trials which have been using antibodies to alter chemical activity in the brain. let's get the latest in sport with hugh. good morning. everton striker wayne rooney says the club are looking forward to a "new chapter" under sam alla rdyce. the former england head coach is expected to be appointed as ronald koeman's replacement later today. and fresh after scoring a hat—trick in yesterday's 4—1 win, rooney gave his backing to big sam. obviously i had the one game with england, and it's a new chapterfor us. england, and it's a new chapterfor us. we think sam's a very good

manager. i'm sure he'll bring his own ideas to the football club, and we re own ideas to the football club, and were all going to have our first day under him tomorrow and prepare for the game saturday. burnley manager shaun dyche admits many will be surprised at how well his club are doing this season. yesterday's 2—1win at bournemouth lifted the side into the top six after they recorded their fourth away win of the season, their highest tally in a premier league campaign. it was only the second time burnley have won successive away games in the top flight. this season we have added to the group, the mentality is growing. i have been pleased this season, pre—season i was pleased, we lost an important players and had to replace them, and some have stepped in and delivered marvellous performances, so delivered marvellous performances, so long may that continue. manchester city needed and 96 winner from raheem sterling to give them a 2-1 from raheem sterling to give them a 2—1win at home over southampton.

his 30th goal of the season helped city to a 12th straight win for manager pep guardiola. it is amazing, but that is what it is. we do this kind ofjob, not to wait to lift the title or not lift the title, it is when you are in these kind of situations, you have to enjoy it, you have to celebrate it, because you never know what will happen in the future. of course we wa nt to happen in the future. of course we want to win the league, the premier league, like all the teams, all the contenders, but you have to celebrate when you have this kind of situation. after touching down in new zealand, ben stokes has signed to play domestic cricket for canterbury, but is unlikely to play in the ashes. he's still to hear if he'll be charged following an incident outside a bristol nightclub in september. the police have handed theirfile to the crown prosecution service.

but that may take a few weeks. he could be here until the end of the t20 competition. any time you get to rub shoulders with a player of that calibre, it is exciting for our players, and that is great for us. our players, and that is great for us. so, can england bounce back from that heavy defeat in brisbane? the australian batsmen peter handscomb has warned there may be some pretty brutal words exchanged out in the middle, and that he is happy to psychologically target the english. but that won't worry the experienced james anderson. that is something i have always enjoyed. when someone is trying to get under my skin, notjust in cricket but in all walks of life, it makes me more determined to succeed, so makes me more determined to succeed, so that is at that from a personal point of view excites me and will drive me on to try and do the best i can with bat and ball. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour.

thank you very much. as we've been hearing one of the the main sticking points which is preventing the brexit negotiations from progressing is the issue of the irish border. the irish government and the eu have been pushing for northern ireland to remain inside the customs union and single market, even if the rest of the uk leaves. our reality check correspondent chris morris is here to explain more. it is, annita, yes. so let's just remind ourselves what we're talking about here. this is the border between northern ireland and the republic — about 310 miles long with, depending on how many tracks you include, as many as 275 crossing points. but apart from road signs changing from miles to kilometres per hour, there's no physical border to see. so will all that change when we leave the eu? why can't there be a hard border? didn't we vote to take back control?

well, part of the concern is political. the good friday agreement, the basic building block of peace in northern ireland, removed security checkpoints from the border, and helped make it all but invisible. customs checks could undermine much of that progress. the other concern is of course economic. the economies of northern ireland and the republic are completely interconnected. huge amounts of goods and services cross the border every day without checks of any kind. brexit negotiators are currently looking through more than 140 areas of north—south cooperation, everything from the single electricity market to environmental protection. it really is an all—ireland economy. the movement of people is governed by the common travel area between the uk and ireland, which predates the eu. both sides want it to continue, but that in itself doesn't resolve the challenge of a hard border. so if no—one thinks it's a good idea, why can't we all agree that, come what may, it simply won't be re—imposed? well, that's because the uk has announced that it's leaving the eu

single market and the customs union. at the moment, all rules and regulations, north and south, are exactly the same — on food safety, animal welfare, you name it. it's a relationship based in large part on agreements covered byjoint membership of the eu. as soon as that changes, border checks may have to begin again. that's why the irish government wants a written guarantee from the uk that northern ireland will continue to follow eu rules so goods can continue to move freely across the border. we do not want the relationship between ireland and britain, and particularly the relationships on the island of ireland to go backwards, and if there is divergence between the two jurisdictions, then in my view, that creates real problems in terms of the need for checks. on the back of that regulatory diversion. so we've

been consistent on that, and i think the irish government's position is very credible. but if that were to happen, it would in effect push the customs border out into the irish sea — an internal customs border, if you like, between northern ireland and great britain. would that be acceptable to the uk government, or to its unionist political allies in northern ireland, the dup? in a word, no. we respect the european union desire to protect the european single market on the customs union, but that cannot come at the cost of the constitutional and economic integrity of the united kingdom. so what's next? the uk side has spoken of technological fixes — pre—screening, trusted trader schemes. the eu side says it's nowhere near enough to avoid the return of some border checks. alternatively, irish officials argue that there are already cases of rules and regulations being different in northern ireland than in the rest of the uk, and they point to other examples such as hong kong where there are different regulatory arrangements within sovereign states.

so the search is on for a solution, with no divergence of regulation in key areas — and the creation of some form of customs partnership on the island of ireland without threatening the constitutional order of the united kingdom. but if a fix emerged that seemed to turn northern ireland into a back—door route into the single market, then other eu countries would cry foul. so even if sufficient progress on ireland is agreed next month, there will be a long way to go. annita, you thought the divorce bill was, located. we talked about that yesterday, and much more to talk about on that today, and throughout the day, on the bbc news channel. two clinical trials have shown a new approach to preventing migraine can reduce the number of attacks, and their severity. both trials used antibodies that shield the nervous system from the headaches. here's more from our health and science correspondent james gallagher. imogen smith started

having migraines two years ago when she was 16. imogen was having attacks every week, and they forced her to take a year out of college. it was really scary, so for me, when they were happening, i had no clue what they were cos i thought a migraine was just a headache so we had to keep looking into more serious things. one in seven people in the uk live with the agony of migraine. scientists have now developed new treatments that target a chemical in the nervous system to prevent a migraine developing. two trials have now published. one gave 955 patients a monthly injection of antibodies. before the trial, they were having migraines eight days every month on average. around 50% of patients were able to cut their number of migraines in half. four drug companies are developing similar treatments and scientists say a new therapy could give patients their life back. these treatments are the first migraine—specific preventives ever

for the most substantial neurological cause of disability on the planet. that is a huge advance for all of us. imogen's migraines are under control, and she's now studying to be a nurse but currently available drugs do not work for everyone and can cause side—effects. new options for people living with migraine are desperately needed. james gallagher, bbc news. let's get more now on the fall in uk net migration, which shows a drop of almost a third in a year, the largest annual decrease recorded. official figures for the 12 months tojune show 230,000 more people arrived in the uk than left it, down more than 100,000 from the year before. three quarters of the fall is down to changes in eu migration in the 12 months since the brexit referendum. madeleine sumption is director of the migration observatory at oxford university.

thank you for coming into the studio. we have heard from the ons that these are stigma —— statistically significant figures. we have had a record high levels of immigration in the years leading up to the referendum, and now we have a decline. so the big question is, is this because of the referendum vote? given the timing and the sharpness of the decline, it does seem that brexit is very likely to be responsible for much of it. there are some other things going on as well that could be affecting the numbers. we do tend to see fluctuations over time, and things like improving economic opportunities at home might be playing a role in making the uk economically less attractive. but what we could be looking at is a

correction, if you like, following that boosting the number of people coming into the uk before the referendum, now it is levelling back to somewhere around normal levels, shall we say? yes, so net migration in the most recent period was around 230,000. it is a big decline, but it still ta kes 230,000. it is a big decline, but it still takes us back to only around 2014 levels, and it is above the kind of levels we were seeing after the financial crisis in 2011/12. so too early to say whether there is a different definite downward trend? the big question in terms of whether this continues is what happens next with policy. if after brexit we have much more restrictive policies towards eu citizens in particular, you might expect to see some of these declines persist in the long run, but at the moment it is too early to say. migration minister brandon lewis has been tweeting, net migration down by 106,000, those coming for confirmed jobs has risen,

highlighting, he tweets, that our system is delivering the business needs in the uk. what, broadly, is the view of business in terms of their concerns about whether they can get the people to fill the jobs that they want to be filled? well, business has expressed some concerns about declines in net migration, particularly in some of the industries like agriculture that tend to rely on new people coming in. of course, the declines that we've seen, the level of net migration over all is still relatively significant, so what we are seeing now could be a taste of what is still to come if there are strict policies after brexit. so still do forgot to say just know what impact this will have on jobs, posts that need to be filled? that's right, in general most studies suggest that the effects of the impact on the labour market tend to be relatively small, so the stories are be relatively small, so the stories a re often leicester

be relatively small, so the stories are often leicester matic than they sound. madeleine, thank you very much, madeleine sumption from leicester university. in a moment, a summary of the business news this hour. but first the headlines on bbc newsroom live. the prime minister has stressed the importance of the special relationship with america , after president trump hit back at her criticism of him for re—tweeting videos posted by a british far—right group. net migration into the uk sees its biggest fall on record , down by nearly a third , as eu citizens chose not to come here. and ireland signals it will still block progress in the brexit negotiations unless it gets guarantees on the border. good morning. i'm jamie robertson. in the business news: cereals maker kellogg's is to cut the amount of sugar in its three top

selling children's cereals by between 20% and 40% by the middle of next year. the lines are coco pops, rice krispies, and rice krispies multi—grain shapes. it follows the release of sugar guidelines by public health officials to curb childhood obesity. google is being sued in the uk over accusations that it wrongly collected the personal data of millions of britons from their iphones. consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest since just after last yea r‘s brexit vote. business morale is also down . the index is called the gfk consumer confidence index, it's one of several such indicators is at its lowest since july 2016, it's thought because of the impact of higher prices and inflation, largely due to the fall in value of the pound. google is being sued in the uk over accusations that it wrongly collected the personal data of millions of britons from their iphones. the group taking the action is aiming to win more than a billion in compensation.

the tech giant has told the bbc the case has no merit. let's talk to former which director richard lloyd, who's leading the group taking action — google you owe us. what are you alleging google has done? the basic consumer protection law is that consumers have to consent to giving their data to accompany to be used. google generated $80 billion in advertising revenue last year. in this case, in 2011 and 2012, they were fined for this by regulators in the united states. they claimed that they weren't technically able to do that, that they were not able to take people's first personal data, or when at the same time they were secretly putting people's cookies on

iphones by the use of safari, and taking that data and using it. so this is a clear breach of the data protection act. google seem to think that they are above the law and can't be held to account in this country, but we say, on the contrary, we want them to see us in court, and we want consumers in this country to get redress for that breach of their data rights. you are representing a lot of people. who are these people, and are they all behind you? are they all angry about this? we think it is about 5.5 million. so some of these people don't even know that you are presenting them? you are helpfully getting this message out now, thank you! but the rules of the court say that there is a procedure where a person that has been affected, like me, can represent the whole group of potential claimants that have been affected in this way, so we are asking the high court for me to be

able to do that on behalf of everyone. clearly for individual consumers, it is just completely impossible for them to take on google with its deep pockets and its huge teams of lawyers. by collectively taking this action, we can fund the legal process that is necessary to take on google and hold them to account. and when we win, as i hope we will, then everyone is been affected will very easily be able to claim the money that we've won for them in that event. this is a kind of class action, isn't it, what they have in the united states, whole group of people. is it more important that you get this class—action established in the uk, which has never really been done before, so that consumer groups like you can make these kind of claims? the rules allowing this to happen have been around for a long time. the centuries the courts have recognised that it will be more efficient and effective everyone if a group of people with the same harm and the same claim have their case

heard together, so that's what we're saying should happen. if this is allowed by the court, and i think it will be, then what it will do is send a very strong message to the tech giants in silicon valley that british consumers together will take them all if they misuse their personal data, that is the wider importance of this. richard, thank you very much. just a quick look at the market before go. ftse is up a little, not much. greene king are down. i little disappointing. morrisons had a mix—up with one of its meat pies, discovered to have fish in it, and they are withdrawing them, but the shares don't seem to be affected. and the oil price is at the touch. there is an opec meeting going on that we will be covering this afternoon. that is your business. jamie, thank you very much. more now on the issue today of brexit and the

northern ireland border. let's hear now from people who actually live on the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, who work and go to school, shop and socialise in separate countries. our business presenter rachel home is in fermanagh on the northern ireland border, to find out. the northern ireland border is 310 miles long, and every day, around 30,000 people across it on one of around 200 roads, and this is one of them. just behind me is northern ireland, and just over here is the republic of ireland. and we've come here to find out if this bridge joins or divides the stu communities. this is fiona mccubbin. when i say border to you, what does that make you think of? customs, checkpoints, and then it is work.

are there going to be problems for me having to work in the uk? where i have to get a visa to go two miles across the bridge? the uk government says there won't be a physical border. but it will be the only land border. but it will be the only land border between the uk and the rest of the world. if you don't pay attention, you could easily miss the border. you can feel where the road surface changes. the border right now is literally just surface changes. the border right now is literallyjust a bump in the road. hello, margaret. margaret was born in this house and has lived here all her life. now, what are your memories? you were here when there was a hard border. going across the bridge into black lion, going for a quarter of tobacco and whiskey, jamesons, and that was

smuggled, as it were, because none of those things were allowed out, to nobody wants to go back to that, because it is totally unnecessary. we are all the same people. a bridge not separating us, it is keeping us together, it isjoining us, that's how i see it. no together, it isjoining us, that's howl see it. no one here knows what brexit will bring, but they are still investing in the future. brexit will bring, but they are still investing in the futurelj hopein still investing in the futurelj hope ina still investing in the futurelj hope in a few weeks people are wondering what is going to happen next, and it is this uncertainty that keeps everyone wondering, and it is not good for anybody in northern ireland or in europe. i hope this will remain. discussions continue hundreds of miles away in brussels, that may be the bridge which unites them could be used to divide them. coming up at 12, more reaction to the trunk tweets prose here and in london, and all the rest of the

day's news, the headlines coming up on the bbc news channel. in a moment, we say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. first we leave you with a look at the weather. simon, i hear reports that a couple of fla kes simon, i hear reports that a couple of flakes of snow have been seen in london. much excitement! it has gone bonkers, there have been a few snowflakes in london recently, and lots of excitement, but there has been more significant is no further north and east across england and the east of scotland. one of our weather watchers is in aberdeenshire, we had snow fall in aberdeenshire, we had snow fall in aberdeen this morning, and even in scarborough, look at that winter scene in the north—east of england. we will continue with these snow showers across north—eastern scotla nd showers across north—eastern scotland and down the eastern side of england, still a few flurries towards the south—east of england as well. a few showers in the west, and for many it is dry and sunny this afternoon, temperatures on the

thermometer might say 3—6d, but add ona thermometer might say 3—6d, but add on a wind—chill, and it will feel more like minus three celsius. it is through the rush hour that things could get quite tricky across the north—east of scotland, the risk of some nice weather snow showers continue, more snow to come, primarily over the north york moors, but even down to low levels in the east, further snow showers expected on the risk of ice. still some showers through pembrokeshire and cornwall, but elsewhere, clearskies will turn quite cold quite quickly, and as! will turn quite cold quite quickly, and as i said, further wintry flurries accepted across the south—east of england, with a risk of some ice. tonight the snow showers will move their way further west, parts of the pennines also getting a covering of snow. it will be another cold one, those are the temperatures in towns and cities, well below freezing in the countryside, widespread frost, perhaps down to —10 celsius in rural scotland. friday starting off tricky with ice in eastern areas, showers fewer and further between on friday,

lots of sunshine across england and wales, but the cloud thickening upper crust dockland and northern ireland, and there will be some rain starting to move in and not quite as cold. it has not been quite as cold because there is a subtle change in wind direction, coming in from a north—westerly, and that is less cold. saying my old, ithink north—westerly, and that is less cold. saying my old, i think it is more fair to say less cold, so while saturday will still be a cold day, it will be cloudy, temperatures up a little bit, nine celsius, a bit of rain in the far north—west, and by sunday, again, lots of dry weather around, rain down towards the south—east, lots of dry weather, though, temperatures 6—10, so it will still feel cold with that cloud, so it is either really cold with sunshine orjust cold with a lot of clout. i know what i prefer, what do you think? goodbye. this is bbc news — and these are the top stories developing at midday:

after president trump hits back at theresa may for criticising him for re—tweeting videos posted by a british far—right group, the home secretary defends the special relationship. the importance of the relationship between our countries, the unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries, is vital. it has undoubtedly saved british lives. net migration into the uk sees its biggest fall on record — down by nearly a third — as eu citizens chose not to come here. ireland signals it will still block progress in the brexit negotiations unless it gets guarantees on the border — we've a special day of reports looking at the border question. this bridge connects northern ireland and the republic. there were

once customs posts on these roads. what will it take on the brakes in negotiations to stop them returning? the bbc understands that a 24—year—old british man who went to syria to fight so—called islamic state — has been killed. oliver hall, from the portsmouth area, hadjoined kurdish armed groups to fight against so—called islamic state. trials show a new approach to preventing migraines can reduce the number and severity of attacks. good afternoon, it's thursday, november 30th. i'm annita mcveigh. welcome to bbc newsroom live. downing street says the prime

minister has been clear the president trump was wrong to retweet videos of britain first. in a retaliatory tweet, donald trump said that theresa may should pay more attention to tackling terrorism in the uk, rather than criticising him. the government has been reiterating the importance of the special relationship between the two countries and has set the state visit by president trump to britain next year will go ahead. our north america correspondent, laura bicker, reports. they may have held hands once but this so—called special relationship is now being tested by a series of presidential tweets. first, from the account of a far right anti—muslim group called britain first, donald trump retweeted three inflammatory videos to his 43 million followers. the first claimed incorrectly to show a muslim migrant attacking a man on crutches. when challenged, the white house said the videos might not be real but the threat was. both theresa may and a lot of other world leaders across this country,

i mean, across the world, know that these are real threats that we have to talk about. i think europe has seen that a lot first—hand and something the president wants to continue to talk about and continue to make sure that we're dealing with. theresa may is on a tour of the middle east but her official spokesman said the president had been wrong to share the posts. it was that condemnation which prompted a twitter outburst from donald trump's account. he told theresa may not to focus on him but to focus on the destructive radical islamic terrorism taking place within the united kingdom. "we are doing just fine," he said. the president has caused diplomatic headaches for the uk several times already this year. from backing nigel farage as an ambassador to washington, to attacking the london mayor, sadiq khan, all from his favourite social media platform. it may be a show of strength for his supporters but it may also weaken his position abroad. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. let's get some political reaction

to this and cross over to westminster and speak to our assistant political editor, norman smith. i suppose the big question for theresa may is, how does she look strong on this while preserving the special relationship with the president notoriously touchy about any criticism ? president notoriously touchy about any criticism? we got a sense of how mrs may is likely to approach it from the home secretary. we had words of condemnation, namely that the government believes these tweets we re the government believes these tweets were wrong, they were explicit in condemning the tweets and will speak frankly and freely with the president. however, we cannot ignore the fact we have a very special relationship with the united states, particularly in the field of intelligence and that british lives are saved by those close ties with the united states. in other words, realpolitik has to kick in. what

does that mean in terms of the projected state visit? i think it means that yes, in theory, it goes ahead. is it happening any time soon? absolutely not because a couple of times amber rudd was asked about this on to my mind she pointedly said, yes, an invitation has been offered and accepted that the timing and arrangements for that visit have still to be agreed. talking to folk in government, they lead me to believe that they do not expect that state visit is happening any time soon. ijust have a listen to amber rudd. president donald trump was wrong to retweet videos posted by far right group, britain first. when we look at the wider picture, the relationship between the uk and america, i know how valuable the friendship is between our two nations. and as home secretary, i can tell the house that the importance of the relationship between our countries, the unparalleled sharing

of intelligence between our countries, is vital. that said, there are plenty of mps calling for the state visit to be cancelled. what does ultram have to do or say for this visit to be cancelled? do or say for this visit to be cancelled ? that was do or say for this visit to be cancelled? that was one of the arguments put forward. —— what does donald trump have to do or say for this visit to be cancelled? yvette cooper has said they are pandering to britain first. how should the government respond? to britain first. how should the government respond ? what to britain first. how should the government respond? what should the government respond? what should the government do? the government has been clear that these words are unacceptable, that retweeting a violent racist unacceptable, that retweeting a viole nt racist group unacceptable, that retweeting a violent racist group is unacceptable. the united states has set a standard in fighting extremism over the last decades and the energy that americans have put into

fighting extremism, including nazism in germany in the 19405, has fighting extremism, including nazi5m in germany in the 19405, has been extraordinary. thi5 in germany in the 19405, has been extraordinary. this is exactly the america we have pardoned billy webb —— thi5 america we have pardoned billy webb —— this is the america we have partnered with. our relationship goe5 deeper than one president. it i5a goe5 deeper than one president. it is a partnership built on years of sacrifice and struggle to build a better world together. we had downing street said the minister's view is that the tweets were wrong. the sheet to go further is she to pick up the blower to president trump and say, do you understand why your remarks are so trump and say, do you understand why your remarks are so offensive here? the prime minister speaks to the president regularly and i am sure this is one of the issues that will come up. but let's not overstate the importance of them. the united states has a history of defending values of freedom and liberty. if you look today what is happening in the united states, the independent

supreme court, the cases being brought by independent lawyers who are suing the trump administration to make sure the rights guaranteed by the us constitution are enforced, despite what is coming out of the white house, you can see that this isa white house, you can see that this is a free country built on liberty and justice and it's absolutely defending the values we share. we have heard much from the prime minister about cracking down on hate crime, particularly on the internet. and yet, we have a president retweeti ng tweets and yet, we have a president retweeting tweets from a proscribed organisation, surely she has to do more than simply say it is wrong? organisation, surely she has to do more than simply say it is wrong7m is pretty wrong to say to the residence of the united states that his words are wrong. it is not as minoras his words are wrong. it is not as minor as you suggest. but hate propaganda is vile and a model and should stop. i think many of us have been clear about that. sajid javid

has spoken clearly about this because he's absolutely right, this is not the kind of britain we want to build on the kind of world we wa nt to build on the kind of world we want to build and it is wrong to promote such views. this seems to be getting kicked into the long grass but is that acceptable? getting kicked into the long grass but is that acceptable ?|j getting kicked into the long grass but is that acceptable? i don't think there is any hurry to arrange a state visit and i don't suppose anyone is getting their diary out in numberten at buckingham anyone is getting their diary out in number ten at buckingham palace today. thank you. we will hear from the pm. she is speaking injordan at about 12:30pm, a chunky speech to start with, so she probably won't get to the question—and—answer session, where she will inevitably be asked about this but then we should hear her response. let's get some analysis of why donald trump has done this, and whether there is any strategy behind his tweet to theresa may. dr christopher phelps joins us from nottingham university. give us your thoughts on the last 24

hours, those donald trump tweets and the response from theresa may. his response to that and all the criticism from mps here. well, i am an expert on american politics rather than on british politics rather than on british politics and i think i should probably leave the british response to you all. but in the context of how it sits with the special relationship between the two countries? yeah, i think we're in the age of trump and trump is about trump. these tweets were in the sense that he is somebody who has immense executive responsibilities yet somehow finds hours to trawl through his own twitter feed looking for links to himself, who then found these videos that way, apparently

through a right—wing american commentator on twitter and four but it them faultlessly and we are dealing with someone who is not the brightest bulb in the bunch. his secretary of state has him in the wrong —— has called him a moron. possibly using stronger words in the last few days. we are also in a period where the american right is transforming and trump has his whole political career, he started off in business but as a political figure, he has played to bigotry. the home secretary in the commons a short while ago, you know, condemning the retweets again but also saying she was looking at the bigger picture, at the relationship between the us and the uk. theresa may is

presumably also. donald trump is clearly looking to his base, isn't he? absolutely. he came to prominence by charging that president barack obama was not born in the united states, this controversy which was false and all the way through his presidency, he has attacked muslims, called for a travel ban against certain countries that are islamic, has even a few days ago, at a ceremony for navajo vetera ns days ago, at a ceremony for navajo veterans of the sycamore or, insulted them by talking about pocahontas and presenting the award in front of a project of a president who had helped cleanse indians on the south east, this is someone who uses bigotry politically. possibly not coincidental that he's about to pass a tax cut for the very rich

that will raise taxes on his base constituents, working class people. that he would be involved in reminding people of the kind of racial politics that distracts from that. let's move away from his base and look at the politicians in washington, the swamp, as donald trump called it himself. and especially republican politicians in washington. what sense do you have from your contacts of what the response has been, both to this and about other tweets, rash tweets that donald trump has written in recent days and weeks is do they feel embarrassed by it? because he seems to be able to continue to do it without much retribution. yes, he has already been quickly condemned by senator lindsey graham of south carolina, who said this insults all

moslems and that they are critical to winning any kind of action against terrorism. the age of trump is kind of like whitewater rafting for the republican party, the republican leadership has to deal with him as president and leader of the party but his twitter account is rough riding for everyone involved because nobody can control him and he is impetuous and impulsive and he follows his own rules. 0k, thank you. some breaking news from the world of irish politics, the irish pregnancy, leo varadkar, has named his foreign minister, simon coveney, as his new deputy pm, following the decision by frances fitzgerald to step down from that role. foreign minister simon coveney will become the new deputy

pm of ireland. obviously, he has been intricately and intimately involved in the brexits negotiations, so let's see what impact that will have if he moves over to the deputy pm role, which the irish prime minister hasjust announced. we will be looking at the border question, hard day of special coverage on brexit on the border question injust a coverage on brexit on the border question in just a few minutes. but first, some of the day's other news... net migration has fallen by nearly a third in a year — the largest annual decrease recorded. official figures for the twelve months tojune show 230,000 more people arrived in the uk than left it — down more than 100,000 from the year before. three quarters of the fall is down to changes in eu migration in the 12 months since the brexit referendum. 572,000 people arrived in the uk

during those 12 month period and over that period, 342,000 people left the uk. the ministerfor in a grey, brandon lewis, is in westminster. good afternoon. —— minister for westminster. good afternoon. —— ministerfor in westminster. good afternoon. —— minister for in an. —— ministerfor —— minister for immigration. -- minister for immigration. it shows we're reducing migration, which was our long—term goal outlined in our manifesto. we're also seeing the number of people coming from the eu to confrontjobs is up. businesses are able to access the skills we need. student visas have gone up. passenger visitors has increased to a record level. clearly a country that attract the

brightest, best and most able to wa nt to brightest, best and most able to want to come here, that's good news for the british economy. at the same time, we're seeing her partner economies around europe growing and improving fast, particularly in parts of eastern europe, with their own employment levels falling dramatically in the last few years. that is good for their economies in the long run, good for the british economy as well. you're seeing these figures showing the uk is attracting the right people. but it also shows it is discouraging people, clearly, as well. the ons says these figures are statistically significant, both from people from europe coming here speculatively looking for a job and people from the already settled in the uk, who are also choosing to leave. so, it is having both a push and pull effect. let's be clear about what is at the core of the figures. net migration of european citizens wanting to come to the uk is up. 107,000 more coming than leaving. there is always charm. we have said clearly the one net

migration to follow me want to see real detail might have until we have left the eu. but 107,000 coming to the uk from the eu and as we saw a few weeks ago, the largest record number we have seen of european citizens in employment in the uk, so thatis citizens in employment in the uk, so that is good news because it means that is good news because it means that businesses across the country, who are still able to access free movement of labour, can access the skills they need both in the eu and indeed, as are these systems working, across the world. on the issue of net migration targets, to clarify, do you think the fall announced today is a good thing? and you're still talking about a level of tens of thousands? is that still the target? i have always been very clear, it is a long—term ambition to see those net migration figures and they are falling but it is more work to do. we need to make sure we do more work, cracking down on making sure people have the right to work and are not being exploited by road

traders or landlords, so we see that net migration for, particularly as we ta ke net migration for, particularly as we take full control. can we say with certainty there is a downward trend in net migration figures? before the referendum, there was an increase in people coming to live like the uk and this may simply be a correction of that, if you like? we have seen a consistent fall in net migration over the last couple of sets of figures but i let other experts talk about future trends. i am focused on the teacher we give businesses access to the skills they need from europe and around the world, whilst ensuring we have control of our immigration system and the people here legally bring an important part of our economy in communities across the country. brandon lewis, mp, ministerfor, thank you very much. the time is 90 minutes past 12. the headlines... downing street has stressed the importance of the special

relationship with america after president trump hit back at a criticism for retweeting a video posted by a british far—right group. let's get the latest sports news. good afternoon. everton striker wayne rooney says the club are looking forward to a new chapter and a sam alla rdyce, looking forward to a new chapter and a sam allardyce, former england head coach, expected to be appointed as ronald koeman's replacement. fresh after scoring a hat—trick in everton's 4—0 win against... obviously, we have a one game

against england and it is a new chapter. the very good manager. i am sure he will bring his own ideas to the club. we have for the under him tomorrow. we will be preparing for the game on saturday. james anderson has revealed his clarification from the umpires as to whether australia's bowling was dangerous during the first ashes test. anderson was batting whenjake ball received five successive bounces in the second innings in brisbane. the leading wicket taker says he is expecting more of the same in adelaide. remotely to hang around, ta ke adelaide. remotely to hang around, take a few close, battle it out, that's not me to us. it's something that's not me to us. it's something that happens a lot. peopled entirely. it is down to us. they we re very entirely. it is down to us. they were very clear with the fields they said. and what they threw down is

that that is what are going to do for foreseeable future. rugby union players in england say they want the disputed changes over the calendar to be resolved within the next two months. premiership clubs are marketers association are currently ata marketers association are currently at a stand—off over plans to extend the season from 2019 onwards. he was more. the situation has been rumbling on for a while and revolves around how the premiership season will be structured, from the 20192020 campaign onwards. basically, the english clubs, won the season to be extended, to extend it and start in ten survation to finish in june it and start in ten survation to finish injune and therefore reduce overla ps finish injune and therefore reduce overlaps between club and international rugby. however, the players have flat—out rejected this proposal. and they say a 10—month campaign would just be too damaging for player welfare. the two parties therefore are at loggerheads. they are working towards a resolution. there was a meeting yesterday at twickenham and another one at the

end of january. my twickenham and another one at the end ofjanuary. my understanding is that the players union want to see a resolution struck by that meeting in the new year. a strike has been mooted and while it is not unfeasible, it is still very much remains a last resort. our reporter chris jones there. remains a last resort. our reporter chrisjones there. that's all the sport. i will be back with a full round—up at1:30pm. sport. i will be back with a full round-up at 1:30pm. thank you. the northern ireland secretary has told the bbc that the government recognises that the final brexit deal will have to recognise the unique challenges posed by the irish border. the irish government and the eu have been pushing for northern ireland to remain inside the customs union and single market, even if the rest of the uk leaves. that's now the main sticking point stopping brexit negotiations from moving on to trade. throughout the day here on bbc news, our ireland correspondents are travelling along the border from derry to newry — looking at the issues, options, solutions and stalemates. and asking — what the reality

of the border is now and what do the people who live along it think. our ireland correspondent, chris buckler is at belleek on the fermanagh border. interesting news coming from dublin on simon coveney. the irish foreign minister becoming the irish deputy pm. obviously he has been deeply involved in brexit negotiations. i wonder what impact that will have. yeah, very much so. this is actually the republic of ireland that way, northern ireland that way and this bridge connects communities. and thatis bridge connects communities. and that is the important thing about all of these roads, where customs posts used to exist but of course they're not here any more. there was security in the past because of the troubles but customs posts, that is

another issue and that is something that man u just mentioned is trying to avoid at all costs. simon coveney is the foreign minister and is responsible for brexit and has just become the deputy prime minister in the republic of ireland. he will hold all of those positions. i spoke to him yesterday and he made clear the republic of ireland will be extremely stubborn on the issue of northern ireland and the republic of the border in between. he says he does not want any customs here and i have been speaking to people who in many ways agree. for many months now, politicians have been huddled in brexit negotiations, the uk and the eu both pushing their priorities. and what is decided on one of the key issues will have quite an impact here. the derry donegal vipers are an irish—american football team, and their players come from both northern ireland and the republic. our whole team is split

almost down the middle, from either side of the border, which is great. a key question is, what will happen to that border after brexit? in the future, is it possible that people will have to negotiate their way through customs posts as they once did in the past? a hard border would make it difficult, because you pretty much have to go through customs checks to go to training a couple of times a week. they'll think you're suspicious carrying these big bags and helmets across. that is a journey many take on a daily basis. some are wondering what their morning commute will be like in the future. they're saying they do not want a hard border, but the detail of not having a hard border, it has never been clearly defined for me. marie lindsay lives in county donegal, and every day crosses the border to go to ajob as a principal in londonderry. this is an old customs post right here.

that was the place where you were stopped. her concerns about a hard border go beyond potential traffic delays. the community is quite seamless. a lot of talk about the economy, and the impact on the economy. much less the social fabric on the society of a border people, which we are. many cross the border regularly to go to school, even hospital. they say that the british government has been too late in recognising the true impact of brexit here. they're not thinking about the consequences of brexit. the consequences for people who have become used, and have mortgages and people in college, based upon a livelihood which appreciates the fact that you can move across without tariffs. the biggest obstacle to ensuring there are no obstacles on the many

border bridges and roads are to do with customs. the eu says it northern ireland was to stick to the same economic rules, the issue would be solved. the prime minister has been very clear in saying that, as we leave the european union, we leave the single market and we leave the customs union. but we know there need to be specific outcomes to meet the unique circumstances of northern ireland, and the island of ireland as a whole. that sounds like a desire to deal. particularly as the irish government has the ability to block brexit talks as they move on. they want guarantees about the border. that means there will be more clashes to come. suggestions today that there are

solutions being offered that would see northern ireland stick to trading rules with the eu even if other parts of the uk were to change. we will discuss this later in the day. right now, somebody who knows all about this border, rosie rowley, we spoke to you during the brexit campaign before the vote and then you wonder could be the danger of customs post returning. people did not seem to listen. that's right, chris, we're back to square one. the overall result did not prove profitable to the border area, so prove profitable to the border area, so unfortunately this is where we are today. whenever people talk about the customs posts returning here, is it realistic? it seems that from the british and irish side, there is no desire for it? well, as you can see, we've ordered nicole and the depending on tourism trade. so, border control would be really

ha rd so, border control would be really hard work for our village here in the manner. —— fermanagh. we depend on cross—border trade and for tourism, we don't want it cut that off. belleek pottery is famous, but part of all of this is a feeling that people want to make sure that community stand change. if you take a look at this bridge, it is not a big bridge, and you travel across this regularly? exactly, we are a joint community in county fermanagh and donegal, i joint community in county fermanagh and donegal, lam joint community in county fermanagh and donegal, i am from joint community in county fermanagh and donegal, lam from donegal joint community in county fermanagh and donegal, i am from donegal but i live in fermanagh. people across this bridge ten times a day to work and shop and various other activities, so having border control would be very off— putting. i activities, so having border control would be very off—putting. i grew activities, so having border control would be very off— putting. i grew up

in border control times, and my children don't even know what that is, so to have that reintroduced again would be just terrible. rosie, lovely to talk to you again. thank you forjoining us. i've got to say that when we do talk about all of this, restrictions potentially at the border, it is very clear that there has been a lot of movement on issues like the common travel area, so issues like the common travel area, so people will be able to move freely. but that question about customs will have an impact on people who crosses border for all sorts of things, not least because they fear that they could get stuck in customs queues. there is an attempt to avoid all of this, and thatis attempt to avoid all of this, and that is one of the things trying to be hammered out at the moment, annita. thank you very much, chris buckler in belleek in county fermanagh on the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. now, it is winter, it is cold, and we have some snowy pictures for you from various parts of yorkshire that have come into us.

bridlington, no, actually, this is scarborough, absolutely gorgeous pictures, dogs in the snow with their coats on, as well as their humans with coats and hats on! these places all in yorkshire, looking absolutely stunning, although it might not feel nice if you are out in it there. but really proper, proper wintry weather there. what a gorgeous shot of that pheasant on the back of the bench. and snowing pretty heavily, as well. let's contrast that in just the second, really taking care on the roads there as well. let's contrast that with reports from london, central london, of a smattering of snowfla kes, london, of a smattering of snowflakes, but the bbc can exclusively reveal as you look at our live camera shot that there is

no snow in central london. there may have been a few flakes earlier, but certainly nothing worth mentioning. have i been sarcastic enough, tomasz schafernaker? we have i been sarcastic enough, tomasz schaferna ker? we have have i been sarcastic enough, tomasz schafernaker? we have to get it in proportion when we are talking about snow. you do, and that is quite funny, cutting to that. i was looking through the window, we did have a little more than you just saw on that camera, all of the snowflakes fell on my, i don't know if you can see my fuzzy snowflakes here. london grinds to a halt! i don't want to give you the impression that lots more snow, it is mostly these eastern areas, and on top of that, the biggest hazard will be ice, because some of the snow will melt and then freeze again during the night, so it will be slippery. city

centre temperatures will be close to freezing tonight, and maybe even in your garden, it will dip below freezing. so, an ice risk but we are probably talking about that amount of snow, we are not talking about knee deep or anything like that, it is way too early in the season and it doesn't often happen anyway. a bright day tomorrow for many of us, temperatures down to 5 degrees, london probably know colder than seven. good afternoon. this is bbc newsroom live. our latest headlines: the government has defended the special relationship between the uk and the us, after president trump hit back at theresa may for criticising his retweets of posts by a british far—right group. responding to the president's criticism, downing street says the prime minster is "fully focused on dealing with extremism". net migration into the uk has seen its biggest drop on record,

down by nearly a third. the office for national statistics says the majority of the decrease was accounted for by eu citizens. the northern ireland secretary has told the bbc that the government realises the final brexit deal will have to recognise the unique challenges posed by the irish border. the irish government has hinted that it will block brexit negotiations unless certain guarantees are made on the border‘s future. the bbc understands that a 20 foyer old man who went to syria to fight so—called islamic state has been killed. oliver hall, from the portsmouth area, hadjoined kurdish armed groups in august to fight the militant group. let's return now to our main story,

and the fallout of president trump retweeti ng and the fallout of president trump retweeting three videos from a british far right group. theresa may criticised the us president for sharing the videos and there's been calls from some mps to cancel mr trump's state visit to the uk next year. the shadow foreign secretary emily thornberry says the prime minister should never have invited president trump in the first place so now the difficulty is that the invitation officially comes from her majesty, so how do we get out of this without embarrassing her majesty and royne her into politics in this way? that is why a state visit is a big thing and we need to deal with it properly. so if it can be finessed, we certainly don't want him here next year in the middle of a happy year for the him here next year in the middle of a happy yearfor the royalfamily, but whether it can actually be finessed so that the invitation is withdrawn is something that we are happy to look at diplomatic ways it can be withdrawn. but the mess we are in is down to theresa may being

too keen to make two close friends with donald trump. we don't share the same views and values with donald trump. we do with most americans, but not him, and she should always have been clear about it. i mean, the idea according to the papers that whenever he wrings her he is telling her how much he loves her. she can't have it both ways. she can't try and cuddle up to him and yet still be principled stand firm. i'm glad that she said what she did, but that hasn't worked, has it? look at the in which he is trying to belittle and humiliate her now. this is problems of her own making. shadow foreign secretary emily thornberry. ijust wa nt to secretary emily thornberry. ijust want to show you these images from a man “— want to show you these images from a man —— amman injordan, where the prime minister is due to speak shortly at a news conference after

talks with jordan's shortly at a news conference after talks withjordan's king abdullah and prime minister. there will be probably questions on the relationship with america in the questions and answers following the speech. we will be back there once that does begin. two clinical trials have shown a new approach to preventing migraine can reduce the number of attacks, and their severity. both trials used antibodies that shield the nervous system from the headaches. here's more from our health and science correspondent james gallagher. imogen smith started having migraines two years ago when she was 16. imogen was having attacks every week and they forced her to take a year out of college. it was really scary so for me, when they were happening, i had no clue what they were ‘cause i thought a migraine was just a headache so we had to keep looking

into more serious things. one in seven people in the uk live with the agony of migraine. scientists have now developed new treatments that target a chemical in the nervous to prevent a migraine developing. two trials have now published. one gave 955 patients a monthly injection of antibodies. before the trial, they were having migraines eight days every month on average. around 50% of patients were able to cut their number of migraines in half. four drug companies are all developing similar treatments, and scientists say a new therapy could give patients their life back. these treatments are the first migraine—specific preventives ever for the most substantial neurological cause of disability on the planet. that is a huge advance for all of us. imogen's migraines are under control and she's now studying to be a nurse. but currently available drugs do not work for everyone and can cause side—effects. new options for people living with migraine are desperately needed. james gallagher, bbc news. russia has rejected a call by the us for all countries to cut their diplomatic and trade

ties with north korea. washington's appeal came in response to pyongyang's latest test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. but russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov called it a negative move and a provocation. paul adams reports. north korea says it is now a nuclear power. yesterday's launch hailed by pyongyang is a milestone. but what do the pictures, released a day later, actually tell us? the rocket is huge. look at kimjong un in the black coat. he's five seven. experts say the engine technology is new, and the transporter, longer than ever. but it's what we can't see that really matters. was the tip

heavy enough to simulate a nuclear warhead? north heavy enough to simulate a nuclear warhead ? north korea heavy enough to simulate a nuclear warhead? north korea says it was. donald trump has made thwarting the north korean leader a top priority. it's not going so well. little rocket man... is a sick puppy. the un last night, fresh at the un last night, fresh condemnation and more dire warnings. the dictator of north korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war. and if war comes, make no mistake, the north korean regime will be utterly destroyed. the north korean leader seems less than intimidated. his latest rocket flew longer and higher than ever, with a range thought to be in excess of 8000 miles. kimjong un says he's achieved his nuclear ambitions. most experts believe there is lots of difficult testing still to be done. but it's just possible that in the next 12 months

orso, possible that in the next 12 months or so, everybody, possible that in the next 12 months orso, everybody, including donald trump, is going to have to get used to the fact that north korea does indeed have usable nuclear weapons. paul adams, bbc news, indeed have usable nuclear weapons. pauladams, bbc news, seoul. more now on our day of special coverage on brexit and the border question — one of the three key areas, along with citizens rights and the divorce bill that the eu says have to be resolved before it will move onto trade talks with the uk. northern ireland's food industry is the part of the economy which faces the biggest challenges from brexit. it's highly integrated with the industry across the border and would face heavy tariffs if there's no trade deal. bbc northern ireland's business editorjohn campbell has been talking to one firm which is worried about the impact on its cross—border trade. in the heart of northern ireland's countryside sits willowbrook farm.

it's a business which has benefited from the eu's single market. many of its workers come from eastern europe. it buys tonnes of lettuce from spain from its bagged salads, and half of its sales are cross the irish border. all this could be disrupted by brexit. if there is no trade deal, those salads bound for dublin will be hit with a 10% tariff. and the owner is also worried about possible delays at the border. we have to get straight through, because we operate our production here, the lorry leaves at 5pm and it has to be in the depot down at cork which is five hours drive away, it can't be held up. i don't know the answer. certainly a ha rd don't know the answer. certainly a hard border is not possible. the potential impact on this sector pale into insignificance when compared with the possible outcomes for the beef and dairy industries. that's because eu regulation of those products makes a hard border with checkpoints a distinct possibility.

if meat and dairy products are imported into the eu, they must come through designated border inspection posts. those are facilities where paperwork is inspected and the goods are physically checked. the rules say at least 20% of meat consignments need to be physically inspected. and the dairy, it's half of all consignments to be inspected. this issue now appears to be top of the agenda in the current phase of the agenda in the current phase of the brexit negotiations. an agreement on food regulation will be needed to avoid inspection posts at this frontier. but even a deal on food might not be enough to keep the border as it is now. a former director of the world trade organisation says a truly frictionless border is unlikely. i've been looking at, you know, existing places where they trade

between norway and sweden. sweden is a memberand between norway and sweden. sweden is a member and norway between norway and sweden. sweden is a memberand norway is between norway and sweden. sweden is a member and norway is not a between norway and sweden. sweden is a memberand norway is not a member. look at the border, and there is a place where there should be no border, or a frictionless, place where there should be no border, ora frictionless, seamless, whatever, flexible, creative, it is between sweden and norway. well, go there. good old border check. at willowbrook, the contingency plan is to open a new factory south of the border. that could provide an opportunity for growth. it's not really a n opportunity for growth. it's not really an investment they want to make. but they fear they may not have a choice. john campbell, bbc news. it is a quarter to one. the headlines on bbc newsroom live. downing street has stressed the importance of the special relationship with america , after president trump hit back at her criticism of him for re—tweeting videos posted by a british far—right group. net migration into the uk sees its biggest fall on record , down by nearly a third , as eu citizens chose

not to come here. and the northern ireland secretary tells the bbc that the government recognises the final brexit deal has to acknowledge the unique challenges posed by the irish border. bbc news understands that a 24—year—old british man who went to syria to fight the islamic state group has been killed. oliver hall from the portsmouth area is the seventh british volunteer to have died in the country having joined a kurdish armed group. kurdish sources say mr hall was killed on 25 november while clearing mines in raqqa. our correspondent emma vardy has been following the story. the kurdish group the white p&g have a number of international volunteers who choose to go to join them, to ta ke who choose to go to join them, to take part in the conflict, and that's been going on over the past couple of years. but like many of

them, all of hall came to syria. he joined up and spent several weeks taking part in that retraining the kurdish group the ypg, and then he went off to take part in the conflict with various armed units operating around northern syria. but it wasn't actually due to fighting on the front line that he met his death. it was actually in this mine—clearing operation in the aftermath of raqqa, the de facto capital of is which was recently recaptured. what have his friends been saying?” have spoken to several people who know him in particular. somebody who had been out there himself fighting alongside him described him as a lovely lad, who had no military experience before he came to syria, but he came wanting to learn and with a strong desire to fight against is. the kurdish community in this country have described him as a hero and a martyr. of course it is aborted to sate uk authorities see this very differently. they have issued repeated warnings to people

to syria, and of course today, it does once again showed a very serious consequences. emma vardy. a british man released from an indian prison on monday has spoken of his relief and delight at regaining his freedom. nick dunn, a former soldier serving in the parachute regiment, was among six britons acquitted of weapons charges by an indian court. our correspondent sanjoy majumder interviewed him in delhi. it doesn't feel real. i feel like i'm ina it doesn't feel real. i feel like i'm in a dream of some sort, and it's been a nightmare. but everything bad happens in life is followed by good, and this is the good. yes, i'm on cloud nine. there's not a word in that english dictionary that can describe how i feel at this minute. i can't. you know? i'm having to settle for, i'm amazed, i'm absolutely amazing.

cloud nine. i can't wait to get home. it's going to be, like, four christmas is that i've missed rolled in one. it's going to be the best christmas my family could ever wish for. like i say, i was out training, one of the guys shouted us over, and i could hear in his voice, it was excitement, and he went, full acquittal, and i stopped in my tracks. it was like someone just slapped us. because it was a shock, you know? and it was an amazing feeling. but it didn't initially mean anything, if you know what i mean? it was a strange, surreal moment i havejust mean? it was a strange, surreal moment i have just gone through. yes, i was in the military, and i've got a bit of mental toughness about me, but that was physical and mental toughness. this was just pure me, but that was physical and mental toughness. this wasjust pure mental toughness. this wasjust pure mental

toughness. taking an innocent man's freedom away is the worst crime i believe that can be committed. because that's not how it should be. nick dunn speaking to sanjoy majumder. let's go live tojordan, where the prime minister is holding a news conference after talks with jordan's king abdullah and prime minister. we don't know that she is going to mention anything about donald trump's re—tweets in her speech, but very likely when it gets to the question and answer session, she will be asked for a more detailed response to that. we've already heard this morning from a spokesman for theresa may, saying that the prime minister is fully focused on tackling extremism. that of course is ayda wrecked response to that critical treat from donald trump

basically telling her to mind her own business when she criticised him for retweeting own business when she criticised him for retweeti ng tweets own business when she criticised him for retweeting tweets from a british far right group. that spokesman for theresa may also says that britain has an ongoing special relationship with the us, we continue to work together on a huge range of important issues, so that was the message from the prime minister and the home secretary in the commons today, looking at the bigger picture of the relationship between the two countries. let's just listen in. of the relationship between the two countries. let'sjust listen in. the visit comes amidst an unprecedented tumultuous regional backdrop, one necessitates forging ever closer ties in line with our continuous corporation which was begun over a century ago. indeed, it was in 1916 when the arab revolt was launched to gain independence, and i'm proud to say that the descendants of this

revolution, the jordan armed forces, the arab army, continues to stand at the arab army, continues to stand at the forefront of the global fight against daesh and other extremist groups, thus providing and contributing to security and safety, not only for the country ofjordan but also to the region and the international community as a whole. our partnership does not encompass security and military related aspects only. butjust security and military related aspects only. but just as security and military related aspects only. butjust as important, jordan is grateful for its economic ties with the uk, as well as to the continued support extended in recognition of jordan's pivotal continued support extended in recognition ofjordan's pivotal role asa recognition ofjordan's pivotal role as a voice of moderation and an interfaith and crossover as asian dialogue, upholder of humanitarian ideals and as an anchor of peace, security and stability. seven years into the syrian crisis, its protracted nature continues to

challenge us all. jordan today hosts over1.3 challenge us all. jordan today hosts over 1.3 million syrians, almost 21% of our jordanian population, over 1.3 million syrians, almost 21% of ourjordanian population, pushing our capacity beyond its limits at a time when jordan continues to set a regional and global model to dealing with the syrian refugee crisis. and carrying out a global public good on behalf of the world. and add to that the total number of registered refugees with unhcr, this would make jordan the largest host of refugees in the world in absolute number as well as proportional to its population. in that respect, allow me to extend our sincere appreciation, madam prime minister, to the uk's invaluable support to the humanitarian development and host community's needs and priorities over the past few years. we are also appreciative of the uk's support to the paradigms shift we

adopted through the jordan compact to turn the refugee challenge into an economic development opportunity which was endorsed in london almost two years ago. which has allowed jordan and its international partners to make significant strides in supporting syrian refugees, host communities and overall the development agenda of jordan. communities and overall the development agenda ofjordan. madam prime minister, we look forward to continuing our extensive dialogue and cooperation with the uk. i assure you that you will continue to find jordan, as always, a reliable, sincere and steadfast partner under a visionary leadership of his majesty king adam at the second. we are grateful for your personal leadership, prime minister, in forging part of our strategic and historic partnership, a new long—term development commitment that we signed today to work with jordan as we seek to transform our economy to boost inclusive growth, create new investment and jobs and

improve education and boost the long—term economic resilience. we thank the uk for its development and assistance. without further ado, i am honoured to present to you prime minister theresa may to deliver her remarks. madam prime minister. applause thank you very much for that introduction. it's a great pleasure to be back in amman, and to be making my second visit to jordan this year. from the great arab revolt a century ago when british forces fought alongside the hashemite army with the help and support of the region's local bedouin tribes to the establishment of the emirate of- this instinctively closer. so this further visit is a sign of the priority i have placed on deepening the special friendship between our

countries. and the strength of my commitment to supporting the security, stability and prosperity of this entire region. from trade treaties stretching back to the 17th—century to our alliance in defeating daesh, the rich and historic relationship between britain and its allies in the middle east has been the bedrock of our shared security and prosperity for generations. and i believe that relationship is every bit as important that our future as it has been of our past. today as extremists plot terrorist attacks from this region, they are not only targeting people here in the countries of the middle east, but targeting people on the streets of britain, too. as an resolved conflicts and tensions fuel instability across the middle east, it is not only security here that is threatened but the whole international order on which global security and prosperity depends. and

as countries hit... studio: theresa may injordan following that meeting with the king and prime minister. much more coverage and reaction to that after the news at one, which is coming up shortly with sophie raworth. but first the weather forecast with tomasz schafernaker. some of us worked —— woke up to a bit of the white stuff this morning, i don't want to paint a picture of snowdrift and vast amounts of snow, because that is not what is going to happen. we are expecting more snow showers across eastern parts of the uk, some icy patches as well, so once again, many of us that haven't seen once again, many of us that haven't seen the snow in the east could be waking up to a little fresh covering once again first thing in the morning tomorrow. and very chilly in the countryside once again, look at that in scotland, could be as low as

-10 that in scotland, could be as low as —10 degrees. quite a bit of cloud around, passing snow flurries, most of it rain or sleet, but many of us also having a nice, sunny, crisp and cold day. and those temperatures on friday getting up to around 5 degrees for most of us. that's the latest. more calls for president trump's state visit to the uk to be cancelled, as a twitter row intensifies. donald trump rebuked theresa may on twitter for saying he was wrong to share anti—muslim videos — but the home secretary's repeated the criticism. i think we all listen more carefully perhaps to criticism from our friends than from people who we don't have a relationship with. so i hope that the prime minister's comments will have some impact on the president. but amber rudd says the state visit will go ahead, and urged critics to remember the importance of the tra ns—atla ntic alliance. also this lunchtime... a sharp fall in immigration since britain voted to leave the eu, as net migration drops by almost a third. the chennai six freed

after more than four years in an indian prison — one former soldier tells the bbc of his joy after an appeal against his conviction. cloud nine, woah! can't wait to get home.