hello, you're watching afternoon live. today at 2pm: after three days of uncertainty, theresa may insists brexit is still on course. jeremy corbyn disagrees. nothing is agreed until everything is agreed so the final settlement won't be agreed until we've actually got the hole of the deal agreed. a man appears in court charged with plotting to bomb number ten and kill the prime minister. and a court hears how a man accused of terror offences allegedly shared the address of prince george's school with would—be attackers. concerns for the middle east peace process as president trump plans to recognise jerusalem as israel's capital. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport. defeat after all that optimism hugh

for england in the second ashes test. that hope evaporated. captainjoe root says england are "still massively in it". geoffrey boycott says they have "no chance". we'll have all the reaction as england go 2—0 down in the ashes series. sarah has all the weather forecast. we are starting to feel the effects of storm caroline. that's right. storm caroline is set to bring strong winds. we have an amber warning in force across parts of scotland. i will bring you all the details throughout the afternoon. a p pa re ntly details throughout the afternoon. apparently we have all afternoon! also coming up, thousands of people flee from the path of wildfires in california. hello everyone.

this is afternoon live. a lot can hinge on a phone call, not least the one this morning between the prime minister and the leader of the dup, arlene foster. it's first time they've spoken since a deal to move brexit talks on to the next stage stalled in brussels on monday. the dup rejected the text of an agreement between the uk and the european union on the future of northern ireland's border. but in the commons this lunchtime, the prime minister insisted that very good progress has been made in the brexit negotiations. our political correspondent leila nathoo reports. reporter: have you won over the dup, yet, prime minister? back from brussels without the deal she wanted. she knows she needs a new plan to convince those she thought were on her side this. were on her side. this afternoon in the commons, facing questions about what went wrong.

on monday, as she thought she was coming here to make a statement, it was vetoed by the leader of the dup, the tail really is wagging the dog here! the prime minister insisting that talks were moving forward. we're at the point of progressing on to the next stage. nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. so the final settlement won't be agreed until we have actually got the whole of the deal agreed. but i have to say to the right honourable gentleman, he has asked me questions about hard borders. half the labour party wants it stay in the single market. half want to leave, the only hard border around is right down the middle of the labour party. on the cusp of an agreement on monday to try to settle the separation from the eu so talks can turn to future trade, the deal was scuppered by the democratic unionists, who pulled the plug on proposals for the irish border. they're keeping the prime minister in power and don't want any difference between northern ireland and the rest of the uk after brexit.

theresa may has spoken to the dup leader, arlene foster today over the phone but it is clear there is still some way to go before they'll be able to settle on a form of words to take back to brussels. european leaders meet injust over a week, to decide whether enough progress has been made to move negotiations on. it is clear that it is britain holding things up. meanwhile an admission from the man in charge of delivering brexit that there are, as yet, no official assessments of how leaving the eu will affect different parts of the economy. no such system. the answer to the question is no. no. so the government hasn't taken impact assessments for different sector for leaving the eu for the are british economy. with time running out, the government is trying to find a way forward to please all camps.

our chief political correspondent vicki young joins us from westminster. well, yesterday it was all about regulatory alignment. today, it's about sectorial impact assessments, but stick with it! it is very important stuff. i'm joined by stephen kin ok who was on the committee you saw there quizzing david davis today. we have looked back at the record and david davis to be fairto back at the record and david davis to be fair to him has talked about analysis, he talked about sectoral analysis, he talked about sectoral analysis and hasn't used the word, "impact assessment" they don't exist because he never said they did. there are two things. if you look back at the record particularly what he said to the committee on 25th october, he talked about assessments being available in excruciating detail was the terms he used. the other point i would make as well, if these impact assessments never existed why on earth was the house allowed to pass a motion which the speaker ruled as binding,

specifically asking the government to produce the impact assessments? why was the government allowing to us why was the government allowing to us do that if those impact assessments never existed. david davis is either guilty of misleading the house or being in contempt of parliament for not producing documents that do exist and after today's hearing, we're none the wiser. presumably you're concerned that the government hasn't done the work on what the economic impact will be of leaving? i find it extraordinary that we are in the process of negotiating the most important deal in our country's post—war history and the government doesn't seem to be conducting assessments of what the impact of different types of brexit might be and the other point i would make is, in terms of the role of this place, we're going to have an incredibly important vote in october. potentially being asked about what would we support a no deal scenario. now, mps need to have the information and the facts at their

disposal in order to make an informed choice before they go through the division lobbies and without those impact assessments, we can't do that. sol without those impact assessments, we can't do that. so i think the democratic role of this place is being undermined by the government. when it comes to the possibility of a deal, that has obviously had a little bit of a hiccup this week. the question of the irish border, the border between ireland and northern ireland, is a huge sticking point at the moment. do you think there is a solution to this?” point at the moment. do you think there is a solution to this? i think there is a solution to this? i think the prime minister is truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. on the one hand she has the dup saying there can't be dmeumpbiated arrangement between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. on the other hand she has got the irish government and the european union saying there has to be total integration in terms of single market and customs union. what the prime minister should never have doneis prime minister should never have done is take the single market and customs union options off the table. i personally think it should be european economic area and european free trade association which is not the same as the single market and

the same as the single market and the customs union, and would give us more flexibility, but would have solved the irish border issue. so, the problem is, that the prime minister has actually gone into this game tying one hand behind her own back. that was a very foolish decision. i think she needs to find a way of rowing back and i think she can then potentially square the circle and somehow manage to keep the dup happy and the irish government. but what we have also seenis government. but what we have also seen isa government. but what we have also seen is a deeply humiliating and discrediting experience for the prime minister in brussels with the dup tail wagging the government dog. stephen kin ok, thank you very much indeed. we're told that the prime minister did have a constructive conversation on the telephone with arlene foster. interestingly listening to the prime minister during prime minister's questions, she was talking about this whole issue of the border only really being able to be resolved once we get to phase two, stage two of the talks, when we talk about trade and

the future relationship between the uk and the eu. at the moment we're still not there yet. thausmt vicki young there at westminster. our correspondent chris page joins us from belfast. it would be great to eavesdrop and that conversation this morning between theresa may and arlene foster would have interested a lot of people? yes, that's right. a lot of people? yes, that's right. a lot of people? yes, that's right. a lot of people would have wanted to be listening into that particular phone call. the first time that the prime minister and the leader of the dup have spoken directly since monday when that prospective deal in brussels seemed to fall apart spectacularly. however, idon't think that the threat that mrs —— fa ct think that the threat that mrs —— fact there is may and mrs foster have spoken is a sign that any breakthrough is imminent. yesterday arlene foster turned down an invitation to go to london for talks and we understand that she is no plans to travel to downing street today either. the dup seem to be sending out the message that they won't be rushed and they will take as long as it takes to work out this

issue. in prime minister's questions, the dup mp, jim shannon asked the prime minister if she could guarantee there would be no barriers between northern ireland and the rest of the uk after brexit and the rest of the uk after brexit and that remains the bottom line for the dup and mrs may said that the simple answer to that question was yes, but she went on to talk about specific areas where regulations matched up, there were specific areas of co—operation between northern ireland and the republic of ireland and all ireland energy market. so suggesting the line of thinking that could provide potentially some way forward on this, theresa may is not the only prime minister who has been speaking to her mps today. in dublin, the taoiseach, leo varadkar has been in the irish parliament and he said if it is not possible to begin the second phase of the brexit talks at the end of next week he said, "then we can pick it up in the new year." a possibility there he is hinting at that things might not be resolved by then, but he said even if that happens, it is not a sign that the

process isn't going to collapse. they will still try to get a resolution. leo varadkar acknowledged it was in ireland's own interest to see a deal on sufficient progress is the phrasing he put it, on the border, at the european council meeting on thursday and friday of next week. so he is still saying that the irish government for their part will do all they can to try and resolve this. chris, thank you very much. chris page in belfast. a man has appeared in court in london — accused of a plot to bomb downing street and kill the prime minister. a second man has also appeared, charged with the preparation of terrorist acts. both suspects were detained last week — one in london and one in birmingham. our home affairs correspondentjune kelly is at westminster magistrates‘ court. this was a first appearance at westminster magistrates‘ court. as is usual in the counter—terrorism investigations it took place amid intense security. in the dock we had the two men. the first he is is

20—year—old british bangladeshi. it is claimed that will he was planning to set off an improvised explosive device, in other words, a bomb at the gates of downing street. this at the gates of downing street. this at thejunction of the gates of downing street. this at the junction of whitehall and in the chaos, it is alleged he was planning to get into downing street equipped with a suicide vest and pepper spray and a knife and kill the prime minister. now, in the court documents it actually says, "with a view to try to kill the prime minister, the right honourable, theresa may mp." in the dock with him is his co—defendant. he is 21. british pakistani. he is facing charges of preparing terrorist acts unrelated to downing street. these involve foreign travel and the first defendant is accused of helping him in that endeavour. both the men were arrested last weekment one in birmingham. one in london. they, there were no pleas today because this is a first appearance. they

have been remanded in custody and their next appearance will be at the old bailey on december, 20th. a man from lancashire has appeared in court charged with terrorism offences including sharing the address of prince george‘s school with potential attackers. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, has been following the story and joins me now. tell us more about the charges? this isa tell us more about the charges? this is a 31—year—old. he is from nelson in lancashire. it is alleged that he used the messaging app telegram to set up groups or channels and he used the channels to share information with people who may have been planning to carry out attacks and that information is alleged to include a picture of prince george who is four years old and the address of his school and also some details about other potential targets for example stadiums. he is charged with assisting others to commit acts of terrorism and also with preparing to travel to parts of syria, controlled by the so—called

islamic state group to take part in fighting. he appeared in custody at the westminster magistrates‘ court and he will stay in custody, he will appear at the old bailey on 20th december. tom, thank you very much. you‘re watching afternoon live, these are our headlines: after three days of uncertainty, theresa may insists brexit is still on course. jeremy corbyn disagrees. a man has been remanded in custody over an alleged plot to kill theresa may. a court hears how a plan accused of terror offences allegedly shared the address of prince george‘s school with would be attackers. and coming up, the french ambassador on the death of the man known as the french elvis presley, johnny hallyday. joe scat root says they have the belief to retain the ashes

after going 2—0 with three test matches to play. wilted to a 120 run defeat in the second test in adelaide. just four months after giving birth, seven time winner serena williams entered january‘s australia open and could defend her title in melbourne. and jurgen klopp says there is no guarantees that liverpool will get the point they need this evening to make it five english teams into the last 16 of the champions league. i will be back with more on those stories after 2.30pm. hugh, thank you very much. the white house says president trump will break with decades of us government policy on israel later today by recognising jerusalem as the capital of israel. he‘s due to announce the highly controversial decision in a speech this evening. president trump is also expected to approve plans to move the us embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem — though that is not expected to happen for several years. over the millenia, few cities have

been so contested or seen so much conflict as jerusalem. israel regards it as its undivided capital. today, donald trump is expected to declare where he stands, and honour a campaign pledge. we will move the american embassy to the eternal capital of the jewish people, jerusalem. applause. but eastjerusalem has been under israeli occupation since it was captured by israel in 1967. palestinians want it as their capital in a future palestinian state. the us is delivering a lethal bullet to the heart of the two—state solution. that would be actually the kiss of death for the two—state solution becausejerusalem is at the very heart of the two—state solution. it is the major pillar of it and there has been many decades—long policy of the us, the international community and everybody involved, including the israelis and the palestinians, thatjerusalem

is a final status issue. moving the us embassy from its current home in tel aviv could end up taking years. but today, much of the international community spoke out against president trump‘s anticipated change to the status quo. saudi arabia, turkey, russia as well as the pope all critical. but also britain, not on the same page as the president. we think thatjerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the israelis and the palestinians, a negotiated settlement that we want to see. we have no plans ourselves to move our embassy. on the ground, in this city of palestinians and israelis, as with almost everything here, the issue is divisive. i think that it is about time 3000 years later than it should be, or 70 years after, everyone admits that it is capital city. translation: there will be

new problems again. there will be a new intifada. even abroad, as i heard in the news this morning, the western countries are against it, even more than the arabs. already in gaza this morning, there were some small demonstrations. but in recent years, palestinian protests have always fizzled out, the victim of weak leadership and fatigue. arab countries may speak out today, but bigger problems across the middle east means many the israeli palestinian issue is less of a priority. president trump has said that he sees peace between israelis and palestinians as the ultimate deal. the chances of that though seem as ever very distant. barbara plett usher is in washington

this is a break of policy that‘s beenin this is a break of policy that‘s been in place for decades and it goes against the international consensus barbara, so why now? well, here in the us every six months there a waiver that comes up for the president to defer the emdasy to jerusalem. presidents have said no we won‘t do it because we think it would be a security risk. that‘s why it has come up now. december is one of the deadlines and mr trump did do the waiver in june, of the deadlines and mr trump did do the waiver injune, but he was frustrated at having to do it. when it came around a second time, he said we have got to deal with this issue and he decided he was going to go ahead and recognisejerusalem as the capital of israel, his officials tell us and announce his intention to move the embassy, but that will be quite a long process. so, his

officials are saying this doesn‘t really change us policy. they‘re simply recognising a reality which is thatjerusalem does function as the capital of israel and all of thoseissues the capital of israel and all of those issues that are very sensitive aboutjerusalem, those issues that are very sensitive about jerusalem, what those issues that are very sensitive aboutjerusalem, what its boundaries are going to be, who will sovereignty over the east and the west and what the status of the holy sites will be, all of those things will be decided in peace negotiations, but we will have to see how mr trump makes the announcement. according to the officials who briefed us, it doesn‘t sound like he will offer much reassurance to the arabs and the palestinians that will calm their concerns that it is a step, supporting one side in the peace process. so, tell us a little bit more about the various reaction there has been from different parts of the world. well, you've had reaction in the arab world from the palestinians, of course and also from the custodians of the holy side, jordan and saudi arabia, from

turkey who is the head of the organisation of islamic co—operation. all of them basically saying that this is really going to undermine the peace process, it will prejudge the negotiations on the status ofjerusalem and it sends a bad signal and that it could cause instability and violence because not only, of the peace process, but because they are holy sites to muslims injerusalem. jerusalem means a lot to them and if they see the us making this announcement there could be a reaction. you have had similar kinds of comments from the europeans as well from the eu and from britain. so nobody else is talking about moving their embassy tojerusalem. nobody recognises it as israel‘s capital. the us is alienated on this point. barbara, thank you very much. 1,000 firefighters are battling to contain huge wildfires in california. hundreds of buildings have already been razed to the ground and thousands more are threatened. the fire is burning in ventura county, about 50 miles north of los angeles. nearly 30,000 people have been

forced to flee their homes. from california, james cook reports. the wildfires are exploding with terrifying speed, driven by ferocious desert winds, whipping down the dusty canyons. this blaze ravaged the beach—side city of ventura and last night, itjumped the main coastal motorway, causing terror for drivers. this is literally like 15—feet away from us right now. this is the cross. we‘re at the cross. 0k, hold on. we need to get out of here as soon as possible, that fire is right there. only one thing could stop the blaze, the pacific ocean. each fire leaves a trail of physical destruction and emotional damage, scores of families have seen their homes reduced to ash. all too often there is nothing left to save. all of a sudden, i see from the other side fire came to our side. so scary. i don‘t want it

to happen to anybody. thank god to the firefighters. it's not over yet. unless the wind dies down or the conditions die down, it's too fierce. these winds are just indescribable right now. another fire stopped the suburbs above los angeles itself, raining ash on the city of angels. millions were warned to stay inside as smoke filled the air. well, these firefighters have been working hard all night and into the day trying to save these houses. the battle was unsuccessful and the reason for that is the wind. it is still whipping around here with ferocity and it is driving this fire further down into the valley. this was how the fires looked from space, thick smoke streaming out to sea. and the outlook is not good, more intense winds are forecast in the coming days. it has barely rained here in la

for six months and you can tell. many scientists say climate change is driving more frequent and more destructive wildfires. for california, this is yet another grim wake—up call. these are the live pictures from california. we can see the scale of the blaze that the firefighters are having to battle. it is a very fast moving fire. this particularfire has been dubbed the thomas fire. it has been dubbed the thomas fire. it has burned hundreds, if not thousands of acres already. as we we re thousands of acres already. as we were hearing from james‘ report, thousands of homes have been threatened. this wildfire is being fanned by the hot, dry, winds which coupled with the fact that it is tinder—dry in california after months and months without rain, they are months and months without rain, they a re really months and months without rain, they are really up against this particular blaze. it has been a very

difficult yearfor particular blaze. it has been a very difficult year for california with a lot of devastation caused to people‘s livelihoods, of course. so the 2018 winter olympics in south korea — just months away — will not see any athletes competing for russia. they‘ve been banned from doing so by the international olympic committee and it has prompted a furious reaction. russia‘s foreign ministry called the decision a "large scale assault" aimed at isolating the country, while the kremlin says its first priority is to defend the interests of russian athletes. steve rosenberg reports from moscow. in moscow today the cold reality was setting in. russia, a sporting superpower, had been banned from the winter olympics. the international olympic committee announced its decision yesterday. russia punished for systematic state backed doping in sport. the report clearly lays out an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the olympic games and sport. russian athletes who can prove

they‘re clean will be allowed to compete in south korea, but only under the olympic flag. unfair, said russian sports officials. translation: if russia wasn't having problems on the international stage we would not be having problems in sport. everyone says sport and politics should be separate but our athletes have become hostages to politics. the ioc says this isn‘t about politics. it is about cheating. and this is the man who revealed the scale of it. grigory rodchenkov, a former head of moscow‘s anti—doping laboratory, turned whistle—blower. he is now living in america. moscow continues to dismiss grigory rodchenkov‘s testimony. the kremlin likes to portray russia as a besieged fortress, threatened by america, by nato, by the west. so don‘t expect contrition here.

the russian authorities are likely to use this olympic ban to re—emphasise their claim that everyone is ganging up on russia. on the ski slopes of moscow last night there was deep disappointment that russia had been left out in the cold in the olympics. people here have grown used to their country‘s sporting success, you can understand they do not want to believe there has been foul play. i disagree with the position of the international olympic committee. because i think for russian sportsmen it will be very important to show their results onto the russian flag. but there will be no russian flag, no russian anthem at the winter games. and until the olympic movement believes this country is serious about tackling doping, russia‘s olympic future looks unclear. time magazine has named "the silence breakers" —

women who spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment as its person of the year. the movement is most closely associated with the #metoo hashtag which sprung up as allegations emerged against hollywood producer harvey weinstein. time magazine says it‘s long past time for any culture to view harassment as acceptable. let‘s ta ke let‘s take a look at the weather forecast. sarah keith—lucas is with us. forecast. sarah keith—lucas is with us. i know it is all about the banter, but this afternoon it won‘t be at your expense for a change! we need to talk about storm caroline. we have got storm caroline on the way. it is likely to cause disruption. so the met office named storms when a storm is likely to bring an amberwarning. storms when a storm is likely to bring an amber warning. so a be prepared warning. it is developing in the atlantic. it is not really storm caroline yet. it is a developing system. so it is moving in from the atlantic towards northern parts of the uk and you we re northern parts of the uk and you were mentioning the warnings there. we have got warnings out. an amber

warning for northern parts of scotland. that‘s where we will see the strongest of the winds. a yellow warning further south as well. travel disruption. perhaps power cuts associated with that storm. and then some cold weather on the way. that‘s right. we have got the snow on the way too. if we look at the forecast for the next 2a hours. it is quiet out there. we have got a lot of cloud across the country and that cloud is producing outbreaks of rain that‘s pushing in from northern and western parts too. the breeze is picking up across the country as well. a few sunnier spells to be seen well. a few sunnier spells to be seenin well. a few sunnier spells to be seen in the south east. temperatures still mild today at ten to 12 celsius. but it will turn much colder later on tomorrow. so what we see is the winds really starting to pick up through this evening and tonight. gales or severe gales in the north and the west particularly around exposed coasts and hills too. so that wet weather moves its way south—east wards across the country as we head through tonight and into tomorrow, that‘s when storm caroline

will really bring the strongest winds. so for tomorrow, will really bring the strongest winds. so fortomorrow, rush will really bring the strongest winds. so for tomorrow, rush hour, tomorrow morning rush hour that is across scotland, we are likely to see gusts around 70mph or 80mph. it could be higher than that. for the northern parts of northern ireland, windy conditions likely too. across the rest of the country, a windy day wherever you are. the main bulk of the rain clears from the south east and then we are left with sunnier, but colder conditions on into the afternoon with the return of wintry showers. so after the strongest of the winds we have got windy conditions into the afternoon with sleet and snow showers heading in across scotland and northern ireland and pushing into north—west england too. that‘s the story once we have lost storm caroline, it will ease away towards the north—east and it will be replaced by northerly winds. the winds coming down from the arthic. you can see the blue colours with the cold air arriving. so it will feel different through the day on friday. sunny spells, wintry showers, particularly for scotland,

northern ireland, through wales and western england too. and although temperatures will be around about three to six celsius or so on friday, it will feel colder than that when you add on the wind—chill factor. so it will feel sub—zero for all of us through the day on friday. it stays colder through the weekend with further wintry showers and as if that wasn‘t enough, there is a risk of significant snow on sunday. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. theresa may has spent this afternoon‘s prime minister‘s questions defending the government‘s handling of the brexit negotiations. well i am very pleased to report as i have just well i am very pleased to report as i havejust said negotiations well i am very pleased to report as i have just said negotiations are well i am very pleased to report as i havejust said negotiations are if progress and very good progress has been made. progress and very good progress has been made. a man has been remanded in custody accused of a plot to kill theresa may in a bomb and knife attack on downing street. a second man has also been charged with a terror offence. separately, another man has appeared in court accused of sharing

the address of prince george‘s school with potential terrorists. protests have been taking place injerusalem after reports that president trump will recognise the city as the capital of israel and move the us embassy from tel aviv. in a moment, the french ambassador joins us to pay tribute to rock starjohnny hallyday, who has died after a battle with lung cancer. huw is here who the sport. yesterday there was optimism that england might turn it round and manage to pull off the second ashes test victory. not to be. it wasn't. england fans include meg had that faint glimmer of hope, england going into the final day with six wickets in hand. they needed 178 for what would be a pretty unlikely victory, this is what test correct cricket is set up for. really, england‘s

batting has let them down. they lost all six wickets for just 57 batting has let them down. they lost all six wickets forjust 57 run, not good enough alall. even the australian players said they expect moderfight from australian players said they expect moder fight from england and australian players said they expect moderfight from england and it australian players said they expect moder fight from england and it will bea moder fight from england and it will be a big test of their resolve if they are to a void an ashing whitewash. how do they turn it round? joe root believe things are firmly in their favour. he will be very much in a minority with that view. the match lost in the first m, view. the match lost in the first in, england need neither batted or bowled well enough. they can take encouragement from how they played in the second half of the match. the australians taking that second test by 120 runs in the end. run scoring is england‘s issue. our sports correspondent reports from adelaide. they arrived with such optimism, england fans hoping to witness one of cricket‘s greatest come backs.

within minutes their hopes late in at the e chris woakes caught behind and worse was to follow. england‘s captainjoe and worse was to follow. england‘s captain joe root gone and worse was to follow. england‘s captainjoe root gone for 67, australia had their key man. when moeen ali was trapped for two any last lingering hopes left with him. the rest was a formality, in an hour and three—quarters england‘s dreams had been despatched. australia taking a 2—0 lead while england try to ta ke taking a 2—0 lead while england try to take the positives. we have shown throughout the two game, with periods we can outperform australia, but just not for five periods we can outperform australia, butjust not for five days and that will be our challenge really. if we get that right, and we can perform to our ability for longer period of time we will win games. simple as that. the harsh reality of this defeat is that england‘s ashes hopes are now hanging by a thread. if they lose the next match in perth, where

they haven‘t won for nearly a0 year, it is all over. england haven‘t been able to match the pace of the australian bowlers oi’ the pace of the australian bowlers or the durham built of their batsmen, some believe there is no way back. our hopes are raised every now and again, we had two moments in brisbane when we could have grabbed the initiative. we didn‘t do it. we have had a moment here, up a bit, maybe. when it comes to the tough moments, they are better than us. so no chance? i don't think so. no. and so an no chance? i don't think so. no. and so an all too familiar story. one more and their ashes hope also have turned to dust. so, plenty of work for england to do. a bit more for liverpool to do in the champions league later. they need at least a point if they are to make it five out of five english teams into the last 16. after

blowing a 3—0 lead to draw, jurgen klopp will want to end their time on a high. the atmosphere can and should help us the atmosphere can and should help us tomorrow, we all know how special this place can be, in specific moments and that is what i am looking for actually. that is what i want. that is what everybody knows. serena williams is planning on the entering the australian open in january four months after giving birth. she won the melbourne event last january forth time. she gaye berth to her daughter back in september. that is all the sport for now. i will be back with more in the next hour. the white house says president trump will break with decades of us government policy on israel later today by recognising jerusalem as the capital of israel.

he‘s due to announce the highly controversial decision in a speech this evening. president trump is also expected to approve plans to move the us embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem — though that is not expected to happen for several years. our diplomatic coreespondent, james robbins, joins me now and can tell us more. james, what lies behind this move?‘ long—standing candidate trump commitment to do exactly this, very popular with many evangelical christians part of his power base and popular with a lot, not all, of the jewish community in and popular with a lot, not all, of thejewish community in america. and he obviously believes, he is delivering on a campaign pledge. he hasn‘t delivered on all of them, he thinks he is on this one by ripping up thinks he is on this one by ripping up foreign policy since the foundation of the state of israel, so foundation of the state of israel, so 70 years of policy is are

budiated, this recognition of jerusalem as the formal capital of israel. is he broke with tra decision earlier in year. it is interest, trump when he was in jerusalem in may as president, did something no other president has done. he went to the western wall and put a prayer unto a nearby in the wall w as many others have before him. barack obama did but not as receiving president. he was breaking with tradition and custom and practise, then and he is breaking very decisively with custom and practise again we believe today. there has been cob is —— —— concern expressed and alarm. a lot of i alarm. britain has stuck so far to the word concern, that has been a word echoed by the kremlin, waiting to hear formally what president trump say, boris johnson to hear formally what president trump say, borisjohnson talked about his concern. theresa may

during prime minister‘s questions, she said britain‘s policy was no way changed. that was the closest she came to rebuke, she said she would be talking to president trump that britain will not align itself with this policy and firmly in believes that the status ofjerusalem cannot be decided until the end point of any negotiations over a two state solution. the british position is that actually, jerusalem should be both eastjerusalem the capital of a new state of palestine and west the capital of israel. all that must wait. one of the oldest and most complete skeletons of our ancestors has just been unveiled in south africa. scientists have spent 20 years excavating and preparing the skeleton, known as "little foot", and they estimate the fossilized remains are more than three million years old. andrew harding reports from johannesburg. so these are the sterkfontein caves, west ofjohannesburg. they have become a real treasure

trove for scientists trying to find the origins of modern humans. a huge number of skeletons, some intact, some partial, have been found in this cave system in recent years. what‘s being revealed today is the complete, nearly complete skeleton of little foot. now the theory goes that nearly a million years ago a small ape—like creature fell through the cracks here, down into this cave system, was covered in sediment which hardened into rock. and then in the 1980s and then the 1990s, in a series of extraordinary coincidences, scientists managed to find the bits of little foot, put her back together. and over the last 20 years what we‘ve had is this painstaking process with scientists slowly reconstructing this tiny ape—like creature. although this is all about science, about our ancient ancestors, about little foot, it is also a little bit about modern politics and the tug—of—war between south africa and east africa

over where really was the cradle of humankind. the brexit secretary, david davis, has said formal assessments, of the likely impact leaving the eu will have on key sectors of the economy, "don‘t exist". he made the admission while being questioned by the commons brexit committee. it‘s an issue especially concerning to small businesses , many of whom have warned that even small increases in tariffs would prevent them from exporting to the eu. with me in the studio is sonali parekh, head of policy at the federation of small businesses. how helpful would those 58 impact assessment reports b had they existed? i think the key thing for us existed? i think the key thing for us is to be confident that government is prepared, in terms of

detail analysis for any eventuality. that preparedness is key, but we also think the focus should notjust be on sector, the size of business is critical as well, so for example, a smaller business, will have a range of issues particularly in relation to adapting to additional non—tariff barriers that a larger business with a bespoke rules of origin department would not have to face. so the sectorial analysis very important and we have been engaging 9 important and we have been engaging g with government in relation to that, but just as g with government in relation to that, butjust as important is understanding the specific barriers to different sighses of businesses. what do your members crave more than anything else. right now they are locking for certainty and a way of chiving that is an agreement on a time limited transitional period which means that small businesses will only need to experience one set of rule changes, from where we are now, to our eventual end state

trading arrangement with the eu. without that certainty then, they have to try and plan as best they can, so how do they put... absolutely arrangements in place? absolutely. we are very clear that ifa absolutely. we are very clear that if a decision on a trap situational period of the nature i have described is not reached by the end of the first quarter next year. many business also have in place their plans and it will have significant implications further down the supply chain smaller business, so now in terms of how can they prepare, they need help and supports from government, firstly in terms of certainty but secondly how they can begin to look at any potential changes to non—tariff barriers. begin to look at any potential changes to non-tariff barriers. how problematic is the issue of employee, of workers who, they‘ll might need to frat outside? there

are two issues there, one fifth of small business employers employ at least one qlou member of staff so it is critical we come to a successful conclusion of phase one negotiations and those members of staff can be given the certain the they need in terms of their righting forward. secondly, many small businesses rely particularly on mid skilled labour party coming in. and therefore, it is essential a a transitional period, not just is essential a a transitional period, notjust in terms of trade, but freedom of movement, gives small businesses the great period they need, so there is no cliff edge impact in terms of ability to be able to access the skills and talent they need. fake news. it has now made it into the dictionary, it has been driven

mostly by one man in particular. you guessed i, the american president donald trump. now the bbc is launching a scheme to help school pupils identify fake news and false information spread through a combination of online mentoring where students can help find tools to discern fact from fiction and journalists visited all over the week. the change is the driving force behind the scheme. it is hyper partisan, driven bier social media connections and it is on their mobile phones. gone o are the ideas ofa mobile phones. gone o are the ideas of a bundle of news like a newspaper, printed on paper, these days it is an endless stream of information. it the bbc thinks it has a mission to intervene and help youngsters to work out what is true ata time youngsters to work out what is true at a time when it is more unfashionable. this is richle. she

will pel—of—tell us the business news. she will pel—of—tell us the business news. after three days of uncertainty, theresa may insists brexit is still on course. jeremy corbyn disagrees. a man has been remanded in custody this morning over an alleged plot to kill theresa may. and a court hears how a man accused of terror offences allegedly shared the address of prince george‘s school with would—be attackers. concerns for the middle east peace process as president trump plans to recognise jerusalem as process as president trump plans to recognisejerusalem as israel‘s capital. recognise jerusalem as israel‘s capital. banks should end all unauthorised overdraft charges because they are trapping people in debt. that‘s the demand of financial charity stepchange — they say two million people in the uk used their overdraft facility every month last year. we‘ll have more on that in a moment. poundland owner steinhoff international has seen its shares

fall by more than 70% today after it said it would launch a probe into accounting irregularities. it came as the chief executive resigned and the south african group postponed its full—year results. in the uk the firm owns poundland, bensons for beds and harveys. shares in saga, the over—50s travel and insurance specialist, have plummeted by 25% after it issued a profit warning. the company said profits in the current financial year would grow more slowly than expected, and that 2018‘s profits would be 5% lower than this year‘s. saga was hit by the collapse of monarch airlines in october and has faced "more challenging" trading conditions in insurance broking. we are just a couple of weeks away from christmas — and although it‘s supposed to be one of the happiest times of the year — it‘s can also be the most expensive. lots of people can feel unzrers to

spend, spend, spend. so we have a couple of reports out this week, focussing on the issue of debt. the first is from step change, that is one of the leading debt charity, they are saying more than two million people in the uk are trapped in debt because of their overdraft. we are talking about people who perhaps when payday comes that money goes straight into their bank account, pays off their overdraft but over the months they are using it again to pay for their every day essentials. earlier we spoke to laura, she is senior public policy advocate at stepchange, we asked her what she wants to banks to do. have a look at high cost unarranged overdraft charge, people are being pushed further into difficulty, what we wa nt pushed further into difficulty, what we want them to do is review their charging structures and scra these high cost, planly unash ranged overdraft charge, we want the banks

to stop this cycle of debt and identify where people are struggling, and stuck in their overdraft month after month and give them an affordable way to repay that debt. the financial regulator, the financial conduct authority, they are concerned there isn‘t a justify justification for these charges, you know, the cost of minute straiting the extra charges are no longer there, we also think that you know, these high charms, if you are regularly being hit you are pushing people further into debt. it should bea sign people further into debt. it should be a sign people are struggling and banks should be helping people. we‘ve had a ruling in europe‘s top court — the european court ofjustice — luxury goods firms have won a significant court battle over how their products are sold. what was the issue? here to talk us through it is samira hussain. this is a case that was brought by

coty, the us cosmetics firm. what are the issues round this case, what do they want to achieve? coty was saying that look, there are all these third party sellers that are trying to sell some of their luxury goods, some of the names include rimle and —— rimmel and goods, some of the names include rimle and —— rimmeland markjacob, what coty was arguing is that it really sort of devalues their brand, if you can get it on third party sites, well, the ecj ruled in favourite of coty, saying it is not an unreasonable question. they said these third party sellers shouldn‘t be able to sell their goods. what we re be able to sell their goods. what were the arguments from the online retailers ? were the arguments from the online retailers? they were saying this is anti—competitive, that banning online sales of these goods isn‘t good for in terms of trying to get products out to the customers, there isa products out to the customers, there is a school of thought that believes

that perhaps the european court of justice may not be looking at the internet in terms ofjust what kind of impact it has in today‘s society. that some of the rulings may be sort of anti—internet but it is not going along with really what is happening an what is happening within the world. thank you. i will be back in an hour with trkts. no sarcasm? there is still time! france‘s biggest rock star, johnny hallyday, has died from lung cancer at the age of 7a. known as the french elvis, he sold over 100 million albums in a career that lasted 50 years. president macron has led the tributes to a man who was notjust a singer but a national treasure. hugh schofield reports. he was the man who brought america

to france and they adored him for it. johnny hallyday began his career nearly 60 years ago bowled over by the sounds coming from the states. france‘s post—war baby boomers craved novelty and the we have of social rebowl i don‘t know and jonny gaveitin social rebowl i don‘t know and jonny gave it in spades. he became the leader of the yeah—yeah generation. the fans and later nearly all of france came to see him as part of the national family. his france came to see him as part of the nationalfamily. his life, its highpointings and sadnesses became their life, right up to the end. so today, there is mourning for a singer who has accompanied france through all the changes of modern times. from the algeria war to instagramjonny times. from the algeria war to instagram jonny has been there, singing the classic, updating his image but always back on stage to give again, what people say they loves about him was his working man

simplicity and dedication. as radio an television broadcast suspended regular programmes today the tributes have been pouring in. president macron said what many are saying, that in all of the french there was something ofjohnny, his public is in tears, we will never forget his name, his face his voice. in cent years johnny forget his name, his face his voice. in cent yearsjohnny hallyday had beenin in cent yearsjohnny hallyday had been in poor health, lung cancer, but he kept performing until a few months ago, in the english speaking world people affected to see him as a bita world people affected to see him as a bit a joke, world people affected to see him as a bitajoke, it world people affected to see him as a bit a joke, it is true although he loved elvis and the rolling stones jonny never made it in the us or britain. that was no the point. johnny hallyday played american—style music but to his core, he was french, and today for eve ryo ne core, he was french, and today for everyone here, a little bit of france has disappeared. the french ambassador is here, thank

you very much for coming in. thank you. he was really belgian not french? as many french singers, he was belgian but he spent all his life in france, and for france, jacques brel. his name was smet. he broke away from a shall be son generation of singer. yes, for us, it is why we are very painful, what ever the generation, whatever the political side, whatever the, you like the rock or not the rock, but at the beginning of the 60s, the

ra ptu re at the beginning of the 60s, the rapture from the old generation, with the, as we say in francesca the baby boom generation, and he was the frenchman, the most known in france. certainly was. 100 million records he sold. more than that. you met him, what was his like?” he sold. more than that. you met him, what was his like? i met him once, ina him, what was his like? i met him once, in a concert, after a concert, and it was very calm, it was very casual, and he was clever, because he spoke about their songs and so on, and i, it was a very attached man, and as you on, and i, it was a very attached man, and as you see on, and i, it was a very attached man, and as you see for, for france, lost today, part of a, our country, it is incredible to see that,

because for the french population, and for all the population, for the, you see, for the ambassadors, for, so you see, for the ambassadors, for, so for the worker, for all the people, this morning it was very awful. i was so painful it was terrible for me to work this morning. cough course, he has always been there, he has been from for you, you say he was calm and cautious, and yet he lived his life asa cautious, and yet he lived his life as a rock star to the full, five marriages? yes, but after, and when he was on tv or if he was, with you in an interview, it was always very calm, after his show. which were you favourite songs of his?” calm, after his show. which were you favourite songs of his? i have so many, but i love very much them. why

did we not understand johnny hallyday? briefly because i think that however is best memory his best memory on scene was in london, five yea rs memory on scene was in london, five years ago, in 2012, in the royal albert hall, because he sees many people and a lot of people, grew up to the scene like during the sixty, for him it was i think it is best memory. thank you so much for coming in. hope you see us again soon. time for a look at the weather. have disruptive weather on the cards over the next 2a hours, a wind warning issued an am were warning

from the met office so be prepared. we could see wind storms for during thursday. on wednesday evening the winds are picking up. gales are severe gales as this band of rain tracks south—east wards across much of the country, so it is going to be a mild start, but a windy one where ever you are, so a a mild start, but a windy one where ever you are, so a spell of heavy rain, the wind picking up, into northern northern ireland too, storm force gusts of winds which may lead to disruption to travel and power network, we will start to see wintry showers, sleet, know round too, wintry sunshine further south but windy where ever you are, storm caroline bring us that weather, turning colder with the risk of snow through the weekend. bye. hello, you‘re watching

afternoon live. i‘m martine croxall. today at 3pm: after three days of uncertainty, theresa may insists brexit is still on course. jeremy corbyn disagrees. nothing is agreed until everything is agreed so the final settlement won‘t be agreed until we‘ve actually got the whole of the deal agreed. a man appears in court charged with plotting to bomb number ten and kill the prime minister. a court hears how a man accused of terror offences allegedly shared the address of prince george‘s school with would—be attackers. concerns for the middle east peace process as president trump plans to recognise jerusalem as israel‘s capital. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with hugh woozencroft.

and a second defeat in the ashes for england. it is becoming a faint hope for england in this series. their former batsman geoffrey boycott says they are not good enough. they went 2—0 down, trailing australia in the best of five series. sarah keith—lucas has the weather forecast. we have got strong winds in the forecast today. all courtesy of storm caroline and an amber warning in force for the met office across northern scotland where we will see the strongest of the winds. there could be disruption to travel as well as power cuts too. i will bring you the details later on. also coming up, thousands of people flee from the path of wildfires in california. hello.

this is afternoon live. i‘m martine croxall. a lot can hinge on a phone call, not least the one this morning between the prime minister and the leader of the dup, arlene foster. it‘s the first time they‘ve spoken since a deal to move brexit talks on to the next stage stalled in brussels on monday. the dup rejected the text of an agreement between the uk and the european union on the future of northern ireland‘s border. but in the commons this lunchtime, the prime minister insisted that very good progress has been made in the brexit negotiations. our political correspondent leila nathoo reports. reporter: have you won over the dup, yet, prime minister? back from brussels without the deal she wanted. she knows she needs a new plan to convince those she thought were on her side. this afternoon in the commons, facing questions about what went wrong.

on monday, as she thought she was coming here to make a statement, it was vetoed by the leader of the dup, the tail really is wagging the dog here! the prime minister insisting that talks were moving forward. we‘re at the point of progressing on to the next stage. nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. so the final settlement won‘t be agreed until we‘ve actually got the whole of the deal agreed. but i have to say to the right honourable gentleman, he has asked me questions about hard borders. half the labour party wants it stay in the single market. half want to leave, the only hard border around is right down the middle of the labour party. on the cusp of an agreement on monday to try to settle the separation from the eu so talks can turn to future trade, the deal was scuppered by the democratic unionists, who pulled the plug on proposals for the irish border. they‘re keeping the prime minister in power and don‘t want any

difference between northern ireland and the rest of the uk after brexit. theresa may has spoken to the dup leader, arlene foster, today over the phone but it is clear there is still some way to go before they‘ll be able to settle on a form of words to take back to brussels. european leaders will meet injust over a week to decide whether enough progress has been made to move negotiations on. it is clear that it is britain holding things up. meanwhile an admission from the man in charge of delivering brexit that there are, as yet, no official assessments of how leaving the eu will affect different parts of the economy. there is no such system. so the answer to the question is no. no. so the government hasn't taken impact assessments for different sector for leaving the eu for the are british economy? under pressure at home and abroad and with time running out, the government is trying to find a way

forward to please all camps. our chief political correspondent vicki young joins us from westminster. the week has not panned out adds theresa may wanted it to. today at prime minister‘s questions she was having to deal with people asking her how things had gone wrong and how she had been humiliated on monday where everyone thought a deal was reached and it was snatched away by the dup. i‘m joined by peter bone. let‘s start with david davis before the committee this morning. aren‘t you surprised that the government has done no work on the impact of brexit? no. that's not what david davis said. what he said they hadn't done formal impact assessments. that's a lot different to say they haven't done any work. don‘t you think they should have done? how can you do a formal impact

assessment on something like that, you don't know what the basis could be. his line seemed to be that the impact could be so huge because it isa impact could be so huge because it is a massive change for the united kingdom that there was no point in doing it. a lot of people will be really alarmed that the government doesn‘t seem to know what a different kind of brexit might mean for different sectors. well, that's not what he said, but you're right in one regard, doing impact assessments on what, how many different scenarios would cost a fortune and not really deliver anything. the british people made their decision and we are coming out of the european union and the only question is whether there can be an agreement with the european union how and as to how that happens. where do you think we are on that? we spoke earlier in the week. it looked as if there would be some kind of deal. do you think now that the dup can be won round or do you think that actually theresa may shouldn‘t bother? think that actually theresa may shouldn't bother? well, the thing is we are a day nearer coming out of

the european union. we are coming on the european union. we are coming on the 29th march 2019 deal or not. so it is up to the european union whether they want to do a deal. the prime minister is clear on northern ireland, it won't be treated any differently to the rest of the united kingdom and the european union have to understand that. if they can't understand that, i can't see they can't understand that, i can't see how we make progress. you have campaigned for britain to leave the european union. you are happy about that happening, of course, but there are many people particularly those who run businesses, they want to know more detail. they are very concerned about whether there is going to be an implementation period. is there going to be a trade deal? you sound relaxed about it. not everyone is feeling like that. well, i am not everyone is feeling like that. well, lam relaxed not everyone is feeling like that. well, i am relaxed about that because i i agree you with, there needs to be certainty. if there is not agreement at this council that sufficient progress has been made to move forward, we have to make the decision, reluctant that, there there will be no deal and we have to tell industry that's what is going

to happen on 29th march 2017, 2019, we will come out of the eu and we won't have a trade deal so we will be on wto rules and by the way we won't be giving any money to the european union. but we have to have that period of time of certainty for business. so if the european union says sufficient progress has not been made, that's the time the prime minister should call stumps and say enoughis minister should call stumps and say enough is enough, we are going to come out on our enough is enough, we are going to come out on our own enough is enough, we are going to come out on our own terms and you are not going to get any money out of us. peter bone, thank you very much indeed. that‘s the view of some this the conservative party that really this deadline of next week is the moment where the united kingdom needs to decide whether theyjust walk away from potential talks. downing street still saying they are optimistic of some kind of deal. they are not though putting a date on it. vicky, thank you very much. vicki young at westminster. a short time ago we heard from our correspondent chris page in belfast who brought us up to date with things on the ground following a phone conversation between theresa may and arlene

foster. it is the first time that the prime minister and the leader of the dup have spoken directly since monday when that prospective deal in brussels seemed to fall apart spectacularly. however, i don‘t think that the fact there is may and mrs foster have spoken is a sign that any breakthrough is imminent. yesterday arlene foster turned down an invitation to go to london for talks and we understand that she has no plans to travel to downing street today either. the dup seem to be sending out the message that they won‘t be rushed and they will take as long as it takes to work out this issue. in prime minister‘s questions, the dup mp, jim shannon, asked the prime minister if she could guarantee there would be no barriers between northern ireland and the rest of the uk after brexit and that remains the bottom line for the dup and mrs may said that the simple answer to that question was yes, but she went on to talk about specific areas where regulations matched up, that there were specific areas

of co—operation between northern ireland and the republic of ireland and all ireland energy market. so perhaps the line of thinking that could provide potentially some way forward on this, theresa may is not the only prime minister who has been speaking to her mps today. in dublin, the taoiseach, leo varadkar has been in the irish parliament and he said if it‘s not possible to begin the second phase of the brexit talks at the end of next week he said, "then we can pick it up in the new year." so a possibility there he is hinting at that things might not be resolved by then, but he said that even if that happens, it is not a sign that the process isn‘t going to collapse. they will still try to get a resolution. leo varadkar acknowledged it was in ireland‘s own interest to see a deal on sufficient progress is the phrasing he put it, on the border, at the european council meeting on thursday and friday of next week. so he is still saying that the irish government for their part will do all they can to try and resolve this. chris page in belfast.

a man has appeared in court in london — accused of a plot to bomb downing street and kill the prime minister. a second man has also appeared, charged with the preparation of terrorist acts. both suspects were detained last week — one in london and one in birmingham. our home affairs correspondentjune kelly is at westminster magistrates‘ court. this was a first appearance at westminster magistrates‘ court and as is usual in the counter—terrorism investigations, it took place amid intense security. in the dock we had these two men. the first naa‘imur zakariyah rahman. he is is 20—year—old british bangladeshi. it‘s claimed that he was planning to set off an improvised explosive device, in other words, a bomb at the gates of downing street. this at the junction of whitehall and then in the ensuing chaos, it‘s alleged he was planning to get into downing street equipped with a suicide vest and pepper spray and a knife and kill the prime minister. now, in the court documents it actually says, "with a view to try to kill the prime minister,

the right honourable, theresa may mp." in the dock with him is his co—defendant, mohammed aqib imran. he is 21. a british pakistani. he is facing charges of preparing terrorist acts unrelated to downing street. these involve foreign travel and rahman, the first defendant is accused of helping imran in that endeavour. now both these men were arrested last week — one in birmingham. one in london. there were no pleas today because this is a first appearance. they have been remanded in custody and their next appearance will be at the old bailey on 20th december. a man from lancashire has appeared in court charged with terrorism offences including sharing the address of prince george‘s school with potential attackers. husnain rashid, who‘s 31, was remanded in custody. our correspondent tom symonds has been following the story. this is a man called husnain rashid.

he is a 31—year—old. he is from nelson in lancashire. it is alleged that he used the messaging app telegram to set up groups or channels and he used the channels to share information with people who may have been planning to carry out attacks and that information is alleged to include a picture a picture of prince george, who is four years old, and the address of his school and also some details about other potential targets for example, stadiums. he is charged with assisting others to commit acts of terrorism and also with preparing to travel to parts of syria controlled by the so—called islamic state group to take part in fighting. he appeared in custody at westminster magistrates‘ court and he will stay in custody, he will appear at the old bailey on 20th december. the white house says president trump will break with decades of us government policy on israel later

today by recognising jerusalem as the capital of israel. he‘s due to announce the highly controversial decision in a speech this evening. president trump is also expected to approve plans to move the us embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem — though that is not expected to happen for several years. over the millenia, few cities have been so contested or seen so much conflict as jerusalem. israel regards it as its undivided capital. today, donald trump is expected to declare where he stands, and honour a campaign pledge. we will move the american embassy to the eternal capital of the jewish people, jerusalem. applause. but eastjerusalem has been under israeli occupation since it was captured by israel in 1967. palestinians want it as their capital in a future palestinian state. the us is delivering

a lethal bullet to the heart of the two—state solution. that would be actually the kiss of death for the two—state solution becausejerusalem is at the very heart of the two—state solution. it is the major pillar of it and there has been many decades—long policy of the us, the international community and everybody involved, including the israelis and the palestinians, thatjerusalem is a final status issue. moving the us embassy from its current home in tel aviv could end up taking years. but today, much of the international community spoke out against president trump‘s anticipated change to the status quo. saudi arabia, turkey, russia as well as the pope all critical. but also britain, not on the same page as the president. we think thatjerusalem obviously should be part of the final settlement between the israelis and the palestinians, a negotiated settlement that we want to see. we have no plans ourselves to move our embassy. on the ground, in this city

of palestinians and israelis, as with almost everything here, the issue is divisive. i think that it‘s about time 3000 years later than it should be, or 70 years after, everyone admits that it is capital city. translation: there will be new problems again. there will be a new intifada. even abroad, as i heard in the news this morning, the western countries are against it, even more than the arabs. already in gaza this morning, there were some small demonstrations. but in recent years, palestinian protests have always fizzled out, the victim of weak leadership and fatigue. arab countries may speak out today, but bigger problems across the middle east means many the israeli palestinian issue is less of a priority. president trump has

said that he sees peace between israelis and palestinians as the ultimate deal. the chances of that though seem as ever very distant. barbara plett—usher is in washington with the details. well, here in the us every six months there a waiver that comes up for the president to defer the emdasy to jerusalem. presidents have said no we won‘t do it because we think it would be a security risk. so that‘s why it has come up now. december is one of the deadlines and mr trump did do the waiver injune, but he was quite frustrated at having to do it. when it came around a second time, he said we have got to deal with this issue and he decided that he was going to go ahead and recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel, his officials tell us and announce his intention

to move the embassy, but that will be quite a long process. so, his officials are saying this doesn‘t really change us policy. they‘re simply recognising a reality which is thatjerusalem does function as the capital of israel and all of those issues that are very sensitive aboutjerusalem, what its boundaries are going to be, who will sovereignty over the east and the west and what the status of the holy sites will be, all of those things will be decided in peace negotiations, but we will have to see how mr trump makes the announcement. according to the officials who briefed us, it doesn‘t sound like he will offer much reassurance to the arabs and the palestinians that will calm their concerns that it is a step supporting one side in the peace process. so, tell us a little bit more about the various reaction there has been from different parts of the world. well, you‘ve had reaction in the arab world from the palestinians, of course,

and also from the custodians of the holy side, jordan and saudi arabia, from turkey who is the head of the organisation of islamic co—operation. all of them basically saying that this is really going to undermine the peace process and it will prejudge the negotiations on the status ofjerusalem and it sends a bad signal and that it could cause instability and violence because not only, of the peace process, but because these are holy sites to muslims in jerusalem. jerusalem means a lot to them and if they see the us making this announcement there could be a reaction. you have had similar kinds of comments from the europeans as well from the eu and from britain. so nobody else is talking about moving their embassy to jerusalem. nobody recognises it as israel‘s capital. the us is quite alienated on this point. you‘re watching afternoon live, these are our headlines:

after three days of uncertainty, theresa may insists brexit is still on course. jeremy corbyn disagrees. a man has been remanded in custody this morning over an alleged plot to kill theresa may. a court hears how a man accused of terror offences allegedly shared the address of prince george‘s school with would—be attackers. and concerns for the middle east peace process as president trump plans to recognisejerusalem as israel‘s capital. this is little foot lived in africa more than three million years ago and whose remains have gone on display for the first time. and in sport, england captain joe root says england "still have the belief" to retain the ashes series after going 2—0 down with three test matches to play after they wilted to a 120—run defeat in adelaide. just four months after giving birth to her first child, seven—time winner serena williams has entered january‘s australian open and could defend her title in melbourne. bossjurgen klopp says there are "no guarantees".

liverpool will get the point they need against spartak moscow this evening to make in five english teams in the last 16 of the champions league. i‘ll be back with more on those stories after 3.30pm. 1,000 firefighters are battling to contain huge wildfires in california. hundreds of buildings have already been razed to the ground and thousands more are threatened. the fire is burning in ventura county, about 50 miles north of los angeles. nearly 30,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. from california, james cook reports. the wildfires are exploding with terrifying speed, driven by ferocious desert winds, whipping down the dusty canyons. this blaze ravaged the beach—side city of ventura and last night, itjumped the main coastal motorway, causing terror for drivers. this is literally like 15—feet away from us right now.

this is the cross. we‘re at the cross. 0k, hold on. we need to get out of here as soon as possible, that fire is right there. only one thing could stop the blaze — the pacific ocean. each fire leaves a trail of physical destruction and emotional damage, scores of families have seen their homes reduced to ash. all too often there is nothing left to save. all of a sudden, i see from the other side fire came to our side. so scary. i don‘t want it to happen to anybody. thank god to the firefighters. it's not over yet. unless the wind dies down or the conditions die down, it's too fierce. these winds are just indescribable right now. another fire stopped the suburbs above los angeles itself, raining ash on the city of angels. millions were warned to stay inside as smoke filled the air. well, these firefighters have

been working hard all night and into the day trying to save these houses. the battle was unsuccessful and the reason for that is the wind. it is still whipping around here with ferocity and it is driving this fire further down into the valley. this was how the fires looked from space, thick smoke streaming out to sea. and the outlook is not good, more intense winds are forecast in the coming days. it has barely rained here in la for six months and you can tell. many scientists say climate change is driving more frequent and more destructive wildfires. for california, this is yet another grim wake—up call. so the 2018 winter olympics in south korea — just months away — will not see any athletes competing for russia. they‘ve been banned from doing

so by the international olympic committee and it has prompted a furious reaction. russia‘s foreign ministry called the decision a "large scale assault" aimed at isolating the country, while the kremlin says its first priority is to defend the interests of russian athletes. steve rosenberg reports from moscow. in moscow today the cold reality was setting in. russia, a sporting superpower, had been banned from the winter olympics. the international olympic committee announced its decision yesterday. russia punished for systematic state backed doping in sport. the report clearly lays out an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the olympic games and sport. russian athletes who can prove they‘re clean will be allowed to compete in south korea, but only under the olympic flag. unfair, said russian sports officials. translation: if russia wasn't having problems on the international stage

we would not be having problems in sport. everyone says sport and politics should be separate but our athletes have become hostages to politics. the ioc says this isn‘t about politics. it‘s about cheating. and this is the man who revealed the scale of it. grigory rodchenkov, a former head of moscow‘s anti—doping laboratory, turned whistle—blower. he‘s now living in america. moscow continues to dismiss grigory rodchenkov‘s testimony. the kremlin likes to portray russia as a besieged fortress, threatened by america, by nato, by the west. so don‘t expect contrition here. the russian authorities are likely to use this olympic ban to re—emphasise their claim that everyone is ganging up on russia. on the ski slopes of moscow last night, there was deep disappointment that russia had been left out in the cold in the olympics. people here have grown used to their country‘s sporting success,

you can understand they do not want to believe there has been foul play. i disagree with the position of the international olympic committee because i think for russian sportsmen it will be very important to show their results onto the russian flag. but there will be no russian flag, no russian anthem at the winter games. and until the olympic movement believes this country is serious about tackling doping, russia‘s olympic future looks unclear. the chancellor philip hammond revealed the cabinet has not had yet a full discussion of what should be the government‘s preferred end state position for the uk after brexit.

let‘s speak to vicki young who is at westminster. end state position, is that the most likely one or an aspirational one? i think there has been so much attention, hasn‘t there, on how we have the divorce bill, what are the terms of us leaving and not so much on what kind of relationship do we want once we have left and that goes to the heart really of the divisions in the cabinet, in the conservative party, even to some extent in the labour party too. once we have extracted ourselves after a0 odd years of very, very close alignment, do we break free with a clean break? do we keep our distance in many ways? or do we stay closely alined? we have talked a lot about regulations. do we stay closely lined to the european union even once we have left, therefore, ensuring that we have a lot of access to for example the single market. now, philip

hammond, the chancellor, is seen very much as the person who wants us to stay as close to the eu as possible. he wants to protect financial services. he says that he is thinking always about businesses and the economy, but of course, not eve ryo ne and the economy, but of course, not everyone in this his party thinks that. there are many who say look we have got to break free and look to our countries, that allows us the freedom not to be shackled to the european union, but to strike different trade deals with other parts of the country. today philip hammond, outlined what discussions or rather what the discussions very hadn‘t had in cabinet over this. has the cabinet discussed openly, in a free discussion, the end state of where the uk government wants to get to by march 2019 and beyond? well, the cabinet has had general discussions about brexit negotiations, but we haven't had a specific mandating of an end state position. that's something that will

be done first in the subcommittee that has been constituted to deal with this issue and of course, logically that will happen once we have confirmation that we have reached sufficient progress and that we are going to begin the phase two negotiations with the eu 27. we are not yet at that stage and it would have been premature to have that discussion until we reach that stage. now, they are not at that stage because what happened on monday is that the democratic unionist party decided they were not happy with the arrangements, with the text that was about to be agreed, and what happens about to be agreed, and what happens about a border between northern ireland and ireland. now, the point of many people in the labour party is that actually if we are closely alined with the european union, that partly solves the issue of what kind of border there is in ireland. we will have to see whether the dup decide that they are happy with all of that. it doesn‘t look like there

will be much more progress this week. arlene foster has been speaking to theresa may on the phone. it is said it was a constructive telephone call, but there is no plans for the prime minister to head over to brussels again. vicki young at westminster. more on what the dup are saying. there has been a warning to the irish prime minister, leo varadkar that he is playing a dangerous game in suggesting that the brexit talks will go on into the new year without there being a deal. that‘s to do with the border between ireland and northern ireland. nigel dodds said that the irish prime minister‘s statement, and the longer the delay goes on and getting to the second phase of negotiations about trade, the greater the prospect of there being no deal at all. that‘s nigel dodds from the dup.

good afternoon. we have got some potentially disruptive weather on the cards over the next a8 hours. a warning has been issued by the met office so do be prepared. we could winds. see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: bandof rain see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: band of rain tracks i way see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards tracks i way see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards across i way see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards across much y see itmabbi-oug—i-r-jsg m'prhwi'nds: é eastwards across much of the south eastwards across much of the country. it is going to be a mild start to thursday morning but a very windy one wherever you are. a spell of heavy rain but then the wind really picking up over esfiggimi if; and central into