this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 2pm: division and protests across america, but senators are expected to approve president trump's supreme court nomination later, despite sexual assault allegations. toxic air pollution is much worse in eight areas of england than previously thought, the government has revealed the doctor will see you all now. gps to roll out a scheme where some patients will be asked to share their appointments. also this hour, the spanish opera singer montserrat caballe has died at the age of 85. in career spanning 50 years, she was best known for her duet with freddie mercury, which became the anthem of the barcelona olympics. going, going, actually gone. an original banksy self—destructs moments after selling for more than £1 million at auction.

and in half an hour, click looks at the technological advances in the art of photography. thejudge nominated by donald trump to serve on america's supreme court, looks set to be confirmed today despite allegations of sexual assault. brett kavanaugh is expected to receive a formal endorsement in a vote in the us senate. here's our north america correspondent, chris buckler. campaigners have made clear they

intend to keep the pressure on america's politicians.” intend to keep the pressure on america's politicians. i am so angry, ido america's politicians. i am so angry, i do not want to leave this place or leave the streets. they are not listening to women and they are not listening to women and they are not listening to survivors. four days, the senate's corridors of power have been filled with protesters, each one trying to influence the few senators still wavering over whether to support brett kava naugh‘s nomination wavering over whether to support brett kavanaugh‘s nomination to the supreme court. he is angrily denied claims that he sexually assaulted christine blasey ford decades ago when they were both teenagers. after wrestling with her political beliefs, it is a simple question of who to believe. susan colleagues —— susan collins finally decided she would vote in favour ofjudge kavanaugh. the facts presented do not mean that professor ford was not sexually assaulted that night or at some other time, but they do lead me

to conclude that the allegations fail to meet the more likely than not standard. do you believe doctor for? i believe doctor for something happen. i don't believe the facts show it was brett kavanaugh. i believe something happened. this confirmation process has been nothing short of a bruising and divisive political fight, but nothing short of a bruising and divisive politicalfight, but all the indications are that president trump is quietly confident his nominee is now likely to secure a place on america's highest court. levels of nitrogen dioxide in eight areas of england are much worse than previously thought, the government has revealed. the poisonous gas emitted from cars and other vehicles can cause serious heart and lung disease. several councils have been told they must reduce their nitrogen dioxide levels at pollution hotspots. as sophie long reports, they far exceed legal limits. a pollution in our towns and cities

has been linked to health issues like heart disease and asthma. the government's uk plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations says councils with the worst levels of air pollution must take robust action. it says it will ensure funding is there to enable ten local authorities to implement new measures. they include getting hundreds of buses with technology to reduce emissions. changes to traffic signalling, to limit congestion. and campaigns to get people to take individual action and reduce their own contribution to and reduce their own contribution to a pollution. client earth, and environmental law charity, labelled the uk's air national embarrassment. it has taken so long to understand the true extent of the problem, the government, instead of passing the

buck onto local authorities, hast to type taking we are action now to protect people's help from harmful levels of air pollution. the royal couege levels of air pollution. the royal college of physicians says it contributes to around 40,000 early deaths per year. one week after the indonesian island of sulawesi was hit by a devastating earthquake, officials say more than 1,000 people could still be missing beneath the rubble. around 1,500 people are known to have died in the disaster. hundreds of buildings were destroyed in palu on the island of sulawesi when it was hit by a wall of water. yet alongside the despair, there have been some stories that bring hope, as our correspondent nick beake reports. within this devastated city you find incredible stories of survival. including here, where the injured are still being treated outside because they fear the hospital could collapse. 12—year—old football fan rizki was in an internet cafe in palu watching highlights of his beloved manchester city where the earthquake struck. "suddenly the earth started to shake," he tells us. "i tried to run, my hand was crushed, but i was able to stick out my other hand.

i waved it so people could see it." this is where he was trapped. rizki survived with a broken arm and is now reunited with his family. who is your favourite manchester city player? riyad mahrez. algerian international riyad mahrez became manchester city's record signing when they bought him for £60 million this summer. we thought manchester city may want to know about their young fan's amazing story of survival thousands of miles away. so we got in touch. and it turns out riyad mahrez wants to send a personal message. now, rizki doesn't know anything about this. hi, rizki. somebody wants to say hello to you. hi, rizki. how are you? i hope you're getting better. i heard that you are a big city fan.

so ijust want to wish you a good recovery. i hope you get better and we will give you the best wishes from man city. so, what does he make of it? he also said that he'd like to send you a signed shirt as well. "i can't wait to get better and wear it". in the city of sorrow, where they have lost so much... thank you. ..a smile goes a long way. the spanish opera singer montserrat caballe has died at the age of 85. her career spanned 50 years, and she became a world renowned star in the 1960s, playing in the world's leading opera houses. she was extremely well known in spain, but here in the uk, there's one song, recorded with freddie mercury for the barcelona 0lympics, for which she will best be remembered. # barcelona

they recorded this as a duet in 1987, five years before the games. but freddie mercury died in 1991 so monserrat caballe sang barcelona at the opening ceremony with jose carreras and placido domingo. a funeral service is expected to be held for her on monday. earlier, my colleague shaun spoke to the soprano singer denise leigh. she explained why montserrat caballe was so important to opera. i think ithinki i think i was 15 when i first heard her sing with freddie mercury because that was my first exposure to the and possibly my first exposure to operate. i was a budding musician, didn't know what i wanted to do, i was playing instruments, and it's true to say that she

actually pushed me in the direction of opera because she was the epitome of opera because she was the epitome of the operatic voice. everyone's idea of the operatic solo ‘s and the operatic lifestyle, such a glamorous lifestyle and glamorous career.m is hard not to think of dawn french when she did her impersonation of an opera singer when she did her impersonation of an opera singer was when she did her impersonation of an opera singer was thinking of her but how was she regarded in the industry? was she ate team player or was she a set apart figure? she was a consummate professional and whenever she was brought into a role, she just boosted everyone around her because her standards we re around her because her standards were so around her because her standards were so high. i was never given the chance to work with her but i have worked alongside her and shared collea g u es

worked alongside her and shared colleagues and, yes, there are many and varied stories about her in the industry but they all come down to her professionalism and how she delivered time after time, even recently as an elderly singer, to hear the quality of her technique is amazing and that's what kept her singing as long as she did. some breaking news coming now. ray galton has passed away at the age of 88. he worked on tv and radio in the 19505 88. he worked on tv and radio in the 1950s and 1960s. in the statement, his family say, i am very sad to

announce that ray galton passed away last night at the age of 88. the statement, which is attached from ray's family and manager, requested that they handled the subsequent press enquiries on their behalf and have asked for any —— no attempts to be made to the family at this sad time but we understand that he has died at the age of 88, last night. the death of ray galton. we will have more on memories and remembering ray galton through the day on bbc news. the former chair of a parliamentary body overseeing mps' expenses has criticised the disability benefits assessment system as a "hostile environment" after being told he was ineligible for support despite having parkinson's and terminal prostate cancer. andrew mcdonald ran the independent parliamentary standards authority before retiring on health grounds —

he had his benefits stopped after assessors decided he was no longer ill enough to qualify for a personal independence payment. andrew macdonald joins me from his home in north london. you describe this process as a nightmare. what happened to you?m was surprising from the very first moment in that i didn't realise that this assessment, unlike the previous ones, was going to determine whether 01’ ones, was going to determine whether or not i had it at all. it had been said at the very start that i would have annual assessments with a view to increasing the payments as my conditions worsened. what soon became clear this time was that the rules had changed, they hadn't been clearly explained, and the issue at

sta ke was clearly explained, and the issue at stake was whether i was to receive it at all. and thereafter, the process itself was certainly a nightmare. i found the process itself was certainly a nightmare. ifound the bureaucracy bewildering, i found the nightmare. ifound the bureaucracy bewildering, ifound the process nightmare. ifound the bureaucracy bewildering, i found the process and professional in that those making the assessment did not have the releva nt the assessment did not have the relevant skills, and i also felt that there was an agenda which wasn't being fully disclosed to me. what agenda is vat do you think? is that? when i saw the full medical notes, i noticed on a few occasions that they would be sentences which began, informally. to give you one example, one said, informally, i note that mr macdonald works 40—50 hours a week for/, the disciplinary

charity. the nudge was, if he is able to do that sort of work, surely he must be all right. it is those nudges and winks that i found most troubling and most dismaying. sorry, give our listeners and viewers an idea of what it is worth to people claiming it. it varies according to the assessment made, but in my case i was receiving about £3000 a year. and if you don't have this allowa nce, and if you don't have this allowance, what then happens? how do you cope? the first point i would like to make is that this is not a story about me. i have chosen to go public with my experience to illustrate the experience which hundreds of thousands and even millions of other disabled people

are having and many of those are amongst the most disadvantaged in oui’ amongst the most disadvantaged in our society, so this is a big deal and it matters and matters crucially that the system is run in a way that is transparent and that is fair. what i am saying is that anybody who suggests it has been fixed is wrong. there was a cross—party committee of mps earlier this year who pointed out that it was the system that was insensitive, error strewn, and they said they were working to improve the system and part of this is the introduction of video recording of assessments that would be introduced. what do you make of those? i think as with some of the other measures which the government has agreed to take since this select committee report, they might be helpful, but especially in the case of video recordings, it is crucial that it of video recordings, it is crucial thatitis of video recordings, it is crucial that it is done in a way that doesn't make the process even more

intimidating than it currently is. you also mentioned those that were carrying out these assessments, i believe the companies, are you saying they are not fully qualified? and it may or may not turn on the question of contracting out to third parties but the point i am particularly interested in is that the medical assessments must surely be made by individuals with appropriate qualifications. 0ne be made by individuals with appropriate qualifications. one of my illnesses is parkinson's disease. it is complex to assess, there are international standards by which it is obsessed —— assessed, and they we re is obsessed —— assessed, and they were not observed during my assessment, and that is notjust my view that that is unsatisfactory, it is the view of my neurologist as well. parkinson's disease a degenerative disease, isn't it? a flawed assessment, then. what needs

to be changed and how difficult is it for those who are applying for this to actually challenge decisions? i think it is a crucial question. let's spend a moment on challenges. first of all you have to go to the department itself to make a challenge. unsurprisingly, in almost, more than 80%, the department chooses, would you believe, to uphold its own decision. if one goes as far as the independent tribunal, and i am making an appeal to the tribunal, in the first quarter of this year, in 71% of cases, the independent tribunal overturned the original decision by dwp. it is surely incumbent on anybody who is responsible for a system where 71% of cases are overturned to look at the fundamentals of the system. to look at the whole way in which the

benefit is designed, but crucially the way it is assessed and the way in which decisions are reached. that is what i am calling for today, a rigorous overhaul of pip. it has not been fixed. thank you. the headlines on bbc news: president trump's supreme court nominee is expected to be approved by us senators later today despite allegations of sexual assault. toxic air pollution is much worse in eight areas of england than previously thought, a government review reveals the opera singer montserrat caballe, whose duet with freddie mercury became the signature song of the 1992 barcelona 0lympics has died at the age of 85. patients will be expected to see their gps in groups of up to 15 under plans being considered by the nhs. doctors said group consultations should become "the default" option

offered by surgeries for many conditions, in an attempt to cope with growing shortages of gps. with me is dr fraser birrell whojoins me from newcastle and patient mary henfrey, who has taken part in group—led sessions. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. mary, what is your experience of the pilots that you have been involved in? i used to go to see the doctor weekly and it was a three—hour group session and the

good part about it when people asked questions that you might not have thought of asking yourself. also, it was nice to see other people and talk to them and get their experiences as well. were you ever made to feel uncomfortable, sharing your experience? no, never. everybody who was there seemed pleased to be there and, as i say, people asked questions that you hadn't thought of asking yourself. doctor, if i can turn to you, is this a good thing for everyone? no, it won't suit everyone. what we are trying to do is offer people choices. the big trouble is, we don't have enough nurses, we don't have enough doctors, waiting times are worse than we want, so this is one possible solution. if we see

people together, it is better personalised care, because we have better access, we can see people with chronic conditions more regularly. i have to say it is every month that i run the group clinics and they last about two hours, but once you have parked up and the whole experience, people get enough ca re whole experience, people get enough care and they get all their questions answered and this is an efficient way of delivering high—quality care. efficient way of delivering high-quality care. how long has this trial been going on? we first piloted it ten years ago and we presented the data at one of the meetings, where we were awarded an innovation prize. this was then embedded in practice so it isn't a trial, this is happening in routine practice, and the gps doing this, around 300 practices now around the country, the way to do it is to embed it in practice and you offer it to patients. there is a bit of relatives initially but once they

tried, people are generally happy to stick with it. satisfaction levels are if anything a bit higher. it is not going to suit everybody but it is about offering people choices. and i suppose it will save money. is about offering people choices. and i suppose it will save moneylj and i suppose it will save money.” don't think it will save money. our big problem is, we don't have enough resource, so what i hope it will do is it will mean people get seen sooner is it will mean people get seen sooner and they get better care and they get empowered and they understand it is that —— condition better. i don't expect it ever to save money. mary, often, i knowl go to see the doctor, you have got one complaint, and something else comes out that you hadn't really thought about. what are your thoughts on back, maybe you won't get the best out of your time with the gp or with the nurse? do you mean when you go just to see a single doctor for an appointment? yes, you say, i have

got a terrible ache in my back and it turns out to be something com pletely it turns out to be something completely different. the doctor picks up something else. is that ever a concern for you? that has never actually happened with me. when i have gone for particular appointments to a single doctor, we deal with it and that's it. doctor, i know that these sessions can last up i know that these sessions can last up to 90 minutes. i understand in reports that came through this morning, the time the patient will actually have with the doctor could only be two minutes. is that enough? that is not quite true. if you think of the model, a facilitator in primary care will welcome everybody into the room, making predictions, make sure everybody problem are listed and thought about and handover to the clinician. that means the clinician knows what they are going to be covering when they

go into the room. if they are in the room for 45 minutes or an hour, that is 45 minutes or an hour with the patients altogether. if you look at it on patients altogether. if you look at itona patients altogether. if you look at it on a per patient basis, you could argue you are getting less, but they are getting a lot more, which means they know their doctor and a practice nurse better, it means they get better continuity of care, and thatis get better continuity of care, and that is why the outcomes are improved. i can trust a professional with this idea of confidentiality, but i'm not surejoe public down the street will understand just how precious that idea of confidentiality is. is this really the best way to do it? i don't want the best way to do it? i don't want the rest of my town knowing my ailments. no, but they want. if you've got ailments that are affecting you or giving you concerns and you are worried about stigma and how other people will do it, actually, a problem shared is a problem halved. we briefed people on

shared confidentiality, certainly in primary care and in america they get people to sign a waiver so it is absolutely clear. shared confidential or the means the people in the room can benefit from sharing their experiences and it would be used inappropriately outside the room. they have never been issues with that wherever this has been donein with that wherever this has been done in the world. mary, where do you stand on this issue of privacy and signing on the dotted line when it comes to confidential and see?” know the first time i ever went to one of the group sessions, at the very beginning, when everybody has arrived, confidentiality, everybody is reminded of it. but once you've been toa is reminded of it. but once you've been to a number of these group sessions, you know everybody there and the confidentiality thing after thatjust doesn't arise and the confidentiality thing after that just doesn't arise because everybody is interested in their own

thing, plus the things they hear and you also hear how other people deal with problems that their condition leaves them with. so there is that social element to it. just to close, like you said, the system is being used already in certain towns across the uk. when can we expect it to be rolled out nationwide? that is a good question. these are issues for the health leaders but the reason they are keen on this is because it puts patients first and gives them better access. i certainly understand that there is a plan, it is already included in the draft, the 10—year plan, and i'm hoping that stays in there and this is an opportunity to spread it across the country because we can use our clinicians who are already trained to see more people and reduce the bottlenecks. thank you both very much.

sotheby‘s auction house has admitted that it was ‘banksy—ed' after a stencil spray painting by the mysterious artist shredded itself after being sold for more than £1 million. the girl with balloon painting, which is one of banksy‘s most widely recognised works, was auctioned by sotheby‘s in london on friday. moments after going under the hammer, attendees were shocked to see the 2006 piece suddenly pass through a shredder hidden within the frame. banksy, whose true identity is unknown, posted a picture of the moment on instagram with the caption, ‘going, going, gone...‘ joining me now from brentwood is john brandler, director of brandler art galleries, who's been collecting banksies for over a decade. we hear a lot about artistic license

but dramatic license, what did you make of what happened on friday?” thought it was absolutely brilliant. it was the best publicity stunt he could think of. he's not into publicity stunts, is he? of course not! of course he's into publicity. how did you hear about him? so why did he do it? for the publicity. but he has always said he's not a fan of auction houses. the subject of his art... let me ask you a question. you are a journalist. yes. you don't believe everything you are told. no, we don't. you don't believe everything in the newspapers. so what are we not aware of? he is the ultimate publicity artist. he has

made damien hirst looked like an amateur. what does this mean for the buyer? any legal comeback year? what buyer? any legal comeback year? what buyer? what is to say that mr smith walking down bond street was the buyer? what is to say it wasn't a friend of banksy? or banksy himself? it wouldn't have been him. but to put an artwork into a major auction house, they must know who the vendors is. they also that the people that want to bid for it to make sure they have enough capital to pay for it. it is not an anonymous, it is not like going to a boot fair and seeing something and buying it, they are not buyers, they

are clients. every single person in that room was known to the auction house. i would like to know, because so many people on social media are talking about the fact it has enhanced the piece's value. was it shredded completely and has the value content, even in its shredded state ? a good example of that is thomas gainsborough did to portrait of the same boy. 0ne gainsborough did to portrait of the same boy. one was painted with a brown coat, one with a blue coat. everyone has heard about the blue coat boy and it is worth probably £25 million. the city art gallery, i think, have got brown boy and it is about —— worth about a