this is bbc news, i'm julian worricker. the headlines at 8pm. donald trump says the saudi crown prince has assured him that the investigation into the disappearance of the journalist, jamal khashoggi, will lead to answers. fresh calls for the commons speaker to resign following a report about bullying in parliament, the bbc understands he'll stand down next year. a further delay to the rollout of the government's flagship welfare reform — it says to prevent claimants suffering hardship. also this hour — it's emerged the number of so—called hate crimes has risen by nearly a fifth. the sharpest rise across england and wales is to do with crimes carried out because of religion. i'm in london at the guildhall where the great i'm in london at the guildhall where the great and i'm in london at the guildhall where the great and the i'm in london at the guildhall where the great and the good i'm in london at the guildhall where the great and the good of i'm in london at the guildhall where the great and the good of the i'm in london at the guildhall where the great and the good of the book world a re the great and the good of the book world are gathering to find out which one of these six shortlisted authors will win the booker prize forfiction and

authors will win the booker prize for fiction and i will be talking to two of them shortly. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, says saudi arabia has agreed on the need for a thorough and transparent investigation into the disappearance of the us based saudi journalist, jamal khashoggi. in the last few minutes president trump has tweeted... mr khashoggi was last seen alive entering the saudi

consulate in istanbul two weeks ago to get paperwork for his wedding. naomi grimley reports. it was all smiles between america and saudi arabia as mike pompeo the us secretary of state met king salman, and that was followed by meeting with the country's facto leader the crown prince mohammed bin salman. but still there are no official explanation is for why a prominent journalist official explanation is for why a prominentjournalist disappeared. turkish crime scene investigators leaving the saudi consulate in istanbul after an eight—hour search but it comes two weeks after the saudi journalistjamal but it comes two weeks after the saudi journalist jamal khashoggi was last seen walking into the building. he had been there to collect divorce papers so he could remarry and the turkish authorities believe he was the victim of a grisly murder while

he was inside. the united nations is concerned about the sluggish investigation. under international law both the forced disappearance and the extrajudicial killing are very serious crimes and immunity should not be used to impede investigations into what happened and who is responsible. two weeks is and who is responsible. two weeks is a long time for the probable scene of the crime not to have been subjected to a forensic investigation. on monday president trump floated the idea may not necessarily have been the state sanctioned killing as many believed and there is speculation that saudi arabia may soon tried to argue this publicly. the king denied any knowledge of it and he did not really know, i don't want to get into his mind, but it sounded like maybe it could have been roped killers, who knows? —— roped killers. we will try to get to the

bottom of it but his was a flat denial. mystery surrounds the planes seen landing at ataturk airport on the day of the journalist's disappearance, and the turkish intelligence agencies think that a 15 man team left these planes and went to the consulate to silence an unwelcome critical voice. but will any suggestion from saudi arabia that it was in fact a rogue operation or and interrogation gone wrong really convince its friends and allies? frankly the public in the world doesn't believe such a story and governments in europe did not believe such a story and the united states might like if this deal is excepted from the united states might like the rest of the world to accept it as well but it is strange to think that they will. one thing remains clear, the vanishing ofa thing remains clear, the vanishing

of a respected saudi journalist will continue to haunt international diplomacy until a plausible explanation is finally given. well, joining us now is middle east commentator hazhir teimourian. what is your take on this latest version of events as we hear it being described by the saudis and also by the americans to an extent? the saudi state has decided not to cooperate clearly and i think this was ordered at the very top, this is a very regimented state and they would have a dilemma in europe >> studio: -- villa would have a dilemma in europe >> studio: —— villa a dilemma in if the confession comes across, the world will want to see the body, what happened to him, how was he

killed, and i think this is all the recipe for great embarrassment for saudi arabia. in my a0 years of commenting on the middle east are never come across such an commenting on the middle east are never come across such an intriguing case “— never come across such an intriguing case —— i've never come across for the why does such a state issued itself in the foot? it remains —— shoot itself in the foot? it reminds me of the early days of saddam hussein in iraq. the best thing to saudi arabia is for the king to say his son has committed a major crime and dismissing him from being a neck —— the next king, but without paying such a huge price i do not think the world will be satisfied. what you are saying in terms of the advice offered to the kingdom is that remotely likely to happen? the king

has an attention span of about four minutes and that is why this young 33—year—old man is running the country and it is possible that he has now established his reign of terror over the country to such an extent that he will decide what to do about himself. the west which needs saudi arabia as an ally in that region against iran mainly, is in trouble. people will be puzzled by the assessment that we are getting off the crown prince, in the light of the domestic changes he has made since he has held this level of interest, because he has done things which people have applauded. he gave women after a lot of struggle, the right to drive, but he arrested 17 women soon afterwards. in the

context of british history, in this history, i am context of british history, in this history, iam reminded context of british history, in this history, i am reminded of the 12th century murder of the archbishop of canterbury, thomas a becket, in angry moment by king henry the second, he said, who will rid me of this troublesome priest? and then some people went to kill the archbishop in canterbury cathedral and for the rest of his life he lived to regret it. we hope that this will not last that long. let's assess what the western countries, america and the tiddler, should be doing about this. —— in particular. they need saudi arabia badly because of its standing especially regarding iran, and so their action will be limited, but they must make very strong limited, but they must make very strong response limited, but they must make very strong response to this, especially

after what vladimir putin has been doing in britain, this kind of murder, it cannot be tolerated. possibly the recording of ambassadors and sanctions against the royal family but not stopping selling arms to the saudi army and air force selling arms to the saudi army and airforce —— selling arms to the saudi army and air force —— possibly selling arms to the saudi army and airforce —— possibly be re—calling of ambassadors. thank you for your thoughts. let's speak to our state department correspondent barbara plett usher in washington. an assessment of what the americans are doing and saying at this stage? there are two stories coming out of america, the administration and the senate, in terms of the administration the emphasis from donald trump has been on the denials from saudi arabia, he spoke about this yesterday, and he has now said he has spoken to the crown prince mohammed bin salman saying strong denials. the other emphasis is on

investigations for the mike pompeo has met with the king and the crown prince and pressed them to have a thorough investigation and the statement is that the saudis were on board with that, and donald trump said answers will be forthcoming. the administration effort is too diffuse this crisis in some way. in the senate the effort is more to find out what happened and punish those involved and there is a very strong reaction and anger towards saudi arabia and scepticism about the stories it puts forward about what happened and a willingness to punish anybody who was responsible including the saudi leadership. how difficult is this for the white house? it is difficult because saudi arabia is a very important ally and a lwa ys arabia is a very important ally and always has been to america because of the oil and arms sales and because of iran, and the trump

administration has invested a lot in making saudi arabia the key arab partner in its middle east foreign policy and there has been a personal relationship between the presidents adviserjared kushner who has become quite friendly with mohammed bin salman and donald trump also has appreciated and enjoyed his trips there and he was given the red carpet treatment, and that means turning on the saudis now over this makes things difficult but this is a crisis that is building, not only in the senate, but business—wise. american businesses have pulled out of this american business conference thatis of this american business conference that is coming up, and there's a recognition that something needs to be done and it cannot be business as usual but there are these long—term strategic interests at stake. how do you square the two is what mike pompeo is trying to work out. thanks for joining pompeo is trying to work out. thanks forjoining us. the speaker of the house of commons, john bercow,

is facing fresh calls for him to resign — following a damning report into the handling of bullying and harassment in the house of commons. the bbc understands that mr bercow has told friends he will stand down next summer. his departure — injune orjuly — would coincide with his tenth year in office. john pienaar reports. he loves his job and it shows, one of the highest in the land, high enough to slap down mps. be quiet. if you cannot be quiet get out. and high enough to hold the politically powerful to account. a total mishandling by his department for which the right honourable gentleman is solely responsible. but now john bercow is preparing to walk away, why? next summer will mark ten years in office but an inquiry into bullying and harassment says he should consider standing down as the man at the top. everyone has agreed the westminster culture of abuse must change. over the last year we have all been shocked and appalled at the reports of bullying, harassment and sexual

harassment in westminster and i am determined to stamp it out. the man who has refereed countless political battles could only sit and listen to mps demanding to his face that he should go. the report is clear that there needs to be a complete change in leadership at the most senior level, including you, mr speaker. it's the old adage that the fish rots the head, and the leadership failings highlighted in this report are very worrying. behind the scenes i understand the speaker has told close friends and colleagues he means to step down next summer. as one source put it, he does not want to look as though he's been forced out but maybe it will not be enough, some will want him to go sooner, this was a pre—emptive strike to try and head off inevitable calls for him to go immediately following the very damning criticism he's received.

among mps opinions are split, the speaker is seen as a help standing up to ministers, especially with battles over brexit coming up. we need an experienced speaker, we need to make sure the decisions that are made in the next few months are in the interest of the country and made properly so i am very worried about the idea of having somebody in the speaker's place is not experienced. but it's the scandal of bullying at westminster which is worrying many mps today and who should best force things to change. downing street is pressing for all the complaints to be investigated which could mean more pressure, more embarrassing accusations of misconduct. after years of power, pomp and ceremony, the speaker is now locked in a bruising struggle to go in his own time, on his own terms. divisive figure or not, john bercow has risen to a rare height, his story will not now end the way he dreamed it would. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. the headlines on bbc news. president trump says the saudi crown

prince has assured him that the investigation into the disappearance of the journalist, jamal khashoggi, will lead to answers. fresh calls for the commons speaker to resign following a report about bullying in parliament — the bbc understands he'll stand down next year. a further delay to the rollout of the government's flagship welfare reform — it says to prevent claimants suffering hardship. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. good evening. wales are up against republic of ireland in the nations league knowing a win will see them top their group, they are though without the likes of gareth bale and aaron ramsey for the tie. wales will top their group with a win and will feel confident after victory a a—1 over ireland in cardiff. the irish know they must win if they're to try and avoid relegation from the group.

it remains goalless in dublin at the moment. germany took the lead against france, toni kroos scoring from the penalty spot. they're hoping to bounce back after an embarassing defeat to netherlands last time out — they've lost six of their last ten matches. england have beaten scotland 2—0 in their euro under 21 qualifier at tynecastle in edinburgh. england went ahead in the second half by way of a superb free—kick from reiss nelson, who's on loan to german club hoffenheim from arsenal. the second goal was also quite special, scored by everton's kieran dowell. england had qualified for the finals before the match. the scots' hopes were already over. jose mourinho could face a touchline ban this weekend if found guilty of using inappropriate language aimed at a tv camera

in united's last premier league match with newcastle. he's been charged by the fa over comments made in his native portuguese as he walked towards the old trafford tunnel, having witnessed his side come from two goals down. it had been suggested defeat in the match would see the manager lose his job. he has until friday to respond to the charge. there's a big blow for the arsenal and scotland womens' teams. kim little has a broken leg and will be out for at least ten weeks. it happened in a heavy challenge during the 5—0 win over the champions chelsea in the womens super league over the weekend. little helped scotland qualify for next year's women's world cup. the uncapped leicester wing jonah holmes is the surprise inclusion in the wales rugby union squad for next month's autumn international series. originally from stockport, he qualifies through a welsh grandparent. head coach warren gatland has recalled captain alun wyn jones along with fellow 0sprestustin tipuric, george north and liam williams. gatland says the selection of holmes is deserved. his form for leicester has been pretty outstanding in terms

of the amount of tries he has scored and the games he has played. it is a position, the back three in terms of trying to create more depth, which gives us the opportunity to have a look at him. he is quick and physical as well. there's yet another setback in england's preparations for the up coming autumn internationals with news chris robshaw is out with a knee injury. hejoins a growing list of absentees that includes no 8 billy vunipola and lock joe launchbury, while nathan? hughes is facing a suspension. england play south africa, new zealand, japan, and australia in consecutive weekends at twickenham. double 0lympic skeleton champion lizzie yarnold, who announced her retirement, has criticised the world anti doping agency for lifting the 3 year ban on russia. yarnold won her first 0lympic title at sochi where it emerged russia had carried out the systematic mass doping of its athletes. she would like to stay in sport to help in the fight

against drugs cheats. there are boards i could hope to apply to be on and continue to have the voice of the athlete represented and remind people that we have to protect athletes especially when we are talking about anti—doping issues, we have to keep banging the drum and protect clean and fair competition. it is important use the platform i have is an olympic athlete and make sure our voices are heard even though it feels like not being heard, we have to continue the fight. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. still goalless between the republic of ireland and wales. i will be back more with an update at 1030. the president of the european

council, donald tusk, has called for theresa may to come up with "concrete proposals" to break the deadlock in the brexit negotiations over the irish border, ahead of tomorrow's crucial eu summit in brussels. the prime minister has told her cabinet that a deal on brexit is in reach, if the government "stands together and stands firm". 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports. what do we want? chuck chequers! high volume. she's wasted time, we just have to get out and get out now. high stakes. we need to do something more radical. we want the government to say no to brexit because it's a mess. more than a sprinkling of ministers worrying. no one is planning to resign, we are doing ourjob and trying to get the best deal for the country. the prime minister is doing a very, very competitive job. the uk might stay closely

tied to the eu for good. but what there was not today was a huge bust up over that backstop. the plan to avoid a hard border in ireland, if a big trade deal can't be reached, where the eu and the uk would follow the same customs rules. there was no huge clash here today because there was no huge decision. with the talks stalled, there are indications now that a final deal might not be done until december. the cabinet did agree that the current backstop plan from the eu is not acceptable but as so often they find it easier to agree on what they don't like rather than what they do. and the uk's alternative, i am told, is still not fully formed. the problem, that is exactly what the eu says is required and fast. its top brass demanding that the prime minister turns up in brussels tomorrow with a new plan.

and if not, well, he's hardly sounding cheery. the only source of hope for a deal for now is the good will and determination on both sides. however, for a breakthrough to take place, besides goodwill we need new facts. tomorrow i am going to ask prime minister may if she has concrete proposals on how to break the impasse. there are not yet any new facts — the conundrum stays the same. the prime minister has almost no room for manoeuvre but has no choice to do anything but keep rolling on. the number of hate crimes — committed against people because of their race, religion, sexuality or disability — has risen by nearly a fifth in england and wales according

to the latest police figures. there were just over 9a,000 such offences recorded between 2017 and 2018 — most of them because of race. but the sharpest rise was in the number of hate crimes carried out because of religion — it almost doubled in a year, partly down to better reporting. more than half of the offences were aimed at muslims. 0ur religion editor, martin bashir, reports. just after midnight, and a car surges towards an islamic centre in north london. right there. the guyjust came through with a car. 5,000 people had been commemorating the life of a much loved muslim cleric. the driver came out of the side road, his window was down, he was clearly deranged. witnesses recount that he was shouting anti—islamic slurs. five people were injured and police have made no arrests. they're people, they're londoners, british people going about their daily lives, and to feel under threat and feel paranoid in a country that they call home is very worrying. this is not an isolated incident.

darren 0sborne was convicted of murder after driving a van into a crowd outside finsbury park mosque. rhodenne chand from birmingham was jailed after saying he wanted to slit a muslim's throat. jonathan jennings from carmarthenshire was jailed after saying all muslims should be forcibly sterilised. today's report says the increase in religious hate crime can be partly explained by better police reporting and a greater willingness by victims to come forward. but last year also saw a spate of terror attacks. in manchester, london and elsewhere. plus what some say is an increase in anti—immigrant rhetoric. sara khan, the commissioner for counter extremism, is preparing a report on the state of the nation. when i speak to lots of people in different towns and cities across the country, there is a concern that there

is rising intolerance and hatred in our towns and cities that perhaps didn't exist 30 years ago. something has indeed changed. so while police are recording more hate crimes, when you ask people if they have been a victim, the numbers over the last decade haven't changed. martin bashir, bbc news. let's speak now to mike ainsworth from stop hate uk. he's also chair of the government's independent advisory board on hate crime. and peter kirkham, former detective chief inspector with scotland yard. he now heads a local community hate crime group in london. thoughts on these figures. do you recognise them based on the work you do? absolutely. after the eu referendum we and other third—party reporting centres across the country noted a significant increase in the levels of reporting we were getting

and from that day forward we have not seen a and from that day forward we have not seen a decrease and from that day forward we have not seen a decrease in that steady level of increase. part of it is because of better reporting but the rest is because of an increased number of incidents. is that your experience, peter? it is. i'm in a fairly low crime borough in london, richmond—upon—thames, and there are low levels of hate crime here as well, but there are some ripples and slight upward trends even here. anecdotally and speaking to people in other areas it has been a significant uplift in the last few years. regarding the police experience you have had in terms of what the constabulary should be doing about this? the police have a far better understanding now of hate crime and police officers recognise it is not the same as an ordinary

crime, getting abuse thrown at you is one thing, by getting abuse which has hatred and hostility behind it, thatis has hatred and hostility behind it, that is another thing, getting a brick thrown a —— through a window is one thing, but a brick with a note attached on it saying go home is another. the police now know that needs to be a full responds to any incident reported and anything people think might be a hate crime, report it, the police will have a good look at it. if there is no pattern developing, they will regard it as intelligence, but if there is they can take proactive steps to prevent it in the future. the actual legislation on hate crime and what is now regarded as a hate crime, how much difference has that made to our awareness and ability to deal with

it? in fairness, the legislation around hate crime is very complex and at times very confusing. we and other organisations welcomed the law commission review which will rationalise some of it, but it is a fairly complex picture and the police in general have done very well picking their way through what can be fairly complex legislation but at the heart of it peter is right, what we have seen in the wake of the stephen lawrence report was increasingly year—on—year better performances by police forces across the country. when you say rationalise some of that with reference to the law commission, does that mean fewer categories? i'm referring to the fact that as the legislation exists within hate crime, there is a high there is a

ladder, and so some things do not apply to certain groups which is wrong because there should be no pattern like that around hate. it exists because of this, but hopefully what the law commission is going to be able to do is rationalise some of that so it is easy to understand and hopefully easier to prosecute. would that help the police? it would, the law is a mess in this area, there is no consistency for want of a better description. there is incitement and racial and homophobic hatred, at a much higher level, but the whole

thing is a mess and it needs rationalising, but one thing i would like to say is that we talk about hate crime and it brings to mind things like your initial story of the car driving into the crowd and serious physical assault, but the vast majority of hate crime is at a file level lower — — vast majority of hate crime is at a file level lower —— far lower level of activity, it is graffiti, abuse, and also about learning difficulties and also about learning difficulties and disability strands, it is abuse on the bus, and a lot of the underreporting is people do not know that it underreporting is people do not know thatitis underreporting is people do not know that it is a crime and do not know this is something the police would be interested in and do not think it is something, that there's anything out of the ordinary, which is a sad situation. what ever area you are m, situation. what ever area you are in, eitherthe situation. what ever area you are in, either the plays situation. what ever area you are in, eitherthe plays orthird—party reporting, in richmond we have

24—hour helpline reporting, in richmond we have za— hour helpline which reporting, in richmond we have 24—hour helpline which operates in some areas around the country, and find out those details and use those methods to report things, even if you are not sure it is a crime, don't worry about that, let the police sorted out. what about adding social media to the list? another challenge for the police. it is a huge challenge. we are looking at what is happening on social media, and in similarways what is happening on social media, and in similar ways the eu referendum and the terror attacks called spikes in hate crime, and it isa called spikes in hate crime, and it is a worrying trend. some of the social media platforms we have been working with are starting to take steps in the right direction and the police through their ability to deal with online crime nationally is starting to move in the right direction but we are slightly playing catch up because there is a

series of worrying problems occurring online with communities getting attacked which is not acceptable. to both of you, thanks for joining acceptable. to both of you, thanks forjoining us. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. it was very warm earlier today in the south—east of the uk the sunshine, more cloud in other parts of england and wales, and that is now starting to break up, we have the band of cloud which is moving across scotland and northern ireland, producing rain and drizzle and that will push slowly into england and wales, but not much rain. clear spells either side and a few showers coming into the north west and maybe the odd pocket of mist and fog. 10—11 further south. the best the sunshine in the south—east towards kent, the band of cloud is moving down towards london into east anglia and bringing rain and drizzle towards the west

country, but to the north a fair bit of sunshine coming through, light showers on the westerly breeze, most of them for the north west of scotland. 13—1a scotland and northern ireland but temperatures a bit higher in england and wales. hello, this is bbc news with julian worricker. the headlines. president trump says the saudi crown prince has assured him that the investigation into the disappearance of the journalist, jamal khashoggi, will lead to answers. fresh calls for the commons speaker to resign following a report about bullying in parliament, the bbc understands he'll stand down next year. it's emerged the number of so—called hate crimes has risen by nearly a fifth, the sharpest rise across england and wales is to do with crimes carried out because of religion. it was supposed to be up and running last year.

but the bbc has discovered that the government's flagship welfare reform, universal credit, will not now be fully implemented for at least another five years. one million people are already receiving universal credit, which is six benefits merged into one payment. but plans to roll it out to around four million others have been beset with delays and difficulties. leaked documents reveal that the government is also drawing up plans to spend hundreds of millions of pounds, in an effort to prevent those who claim the new benefit, from being worse off. the government insists it always intended to introduce the benefit slowly. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. another day, another protest against universal credit. small in number perhaps, but raising large concerns. those who are particularly vulnerable really struggle with the system. it's gone too far to scrap it now, but urgent

action needs to be taken. ministers appeared to agree and are delaying plans to start moving almost four million existing benefit recipients onto universal credit next year. tens of thousands of people were due to start getting letters nextjuly telling them they had to apply for a universal credit. we've learned that process won't start until november 2020, which means that universal credit won't be fully rolled out until december 2023, putting the project almost seven years behind its original schedule. leaked documents show ministers planned to use the delay to significantly change the benefit. they hope to get people longer to repay any loans, make it easier for the self—employed to receive the new benefit and they would like to continue paying some existing benefits for a fortnight after people have applied for universal credit. any changes will not in a fit this lady, however. the 25—year—old single mum has struggled with universal

credit for three years. they repeatedly failed to pay her the right amount each month, leaving her and her daughter struggling. there has been so many errors i would not be afford to buy food living on my own on universal credit. as a single parent. someone would help me buy food and help me clothe my daughter. the secretary of state was tight—lipped this morning when asked about the benefit. is universal credit still fit for purpose? goodbye. it was left to a junior minister to respond. we have always said it's a test and learn approach, and as we test and learn, we adapt. and earlier this year, we put in an extra £1.5 billion to support claims, and clearly this is a process. but there is an acknowledgement in the document that any changes may not be enough. there is no assurance that ultimately these proposals will prove to be deliverable. and addressing another concern officials write, "there is nothing

we can do to mitigate the issue". we've had people going into arrears and people losing their homes as a result because of eviction. it's a real mess of a programme, and the government needs to get its act together and sort it out. universal credit is a new service that helps ensure you're better off in work than you are on benefits... universal credit was meant to be the answer to the fiendishly complicated benefits system. for too many people, however, the beleaguered benefit is a living nightmare, and ministers are clearly struggling to achieve its original names. michael buchanan, bbc news. wages rose this summer at their fastest rate for almost a decade and unemployment fell to its lowest level since the mid 1970s. the figures relate to the uk's jobs market betweenjune and august. 0ur economics editor kamal ahmed has been looking at the figures and working out what it means for us all. wage growth matters. it makes you

feel more confident about the economy. but if you feel more confident, you tend to spend more. spending drives 60% of the economy. and in cardiff today, there was a more positive mood for some, at least. where i was, the pay rise was impossible. it was never going to happen, so you have to look around and there are better opportunities and people willing to pay better wages to do pretty much the same job. the price of living is going up very fast. and my wages aren't keeping up. i do feel better off, definitely, but because our wage was quite low before, it kind ofjust brings you up to where everyone else is, i think. well, the story of our wages has been the story of our economy since the financial crisis. in 2008, before the crash, wages were growing at above a%, then there was this long dip to below 1% as the recession fears overjob losses hit hard, and now, a recovery which appears to be accelerating to 3.1%.

high levels of employment in sectors like construction and hotels and restaurants means that firms are having to compete for workers and pay them more. the highest for a decade. now, it's not all good news. prices have also gone up, often faster than what we earn, which means that average wages are still £20 per week less than ten years ago. so what do today's better figures mean for this man, philip hammond, the chancellor? he has a budget in two weeks. well, better economic news will help that there are still major challenges. i think it's almost inconceivable that we won't tax rises over the next 5—10 years, at least. the scale of cuts we've seen in public services have been really quite dramatic. more money for the national health service and the population is ageing.

and there's lots more demand for other things to. that's not going to be payable for in the long run just by borrowing more. some of those tax rises may come in the budget. but with that brexit uncertainty, it is still dominating, mr hammond may hold off until our relationship with the rest of the eu is clearer. a man has gone on trial for the second time charged with murdering two nine—year—old girls 32 years ago. 52—year—old russell bishop is accused of strangling nicola fellows and karen hadaway, who were found dead in woods near brighton in october 1986. daniella relph reports. more than 30 years ago, the families came to court for the first murder trial. today, they returned, at times in tears as they again sat through the evidence. karen hadaway was nine years old when she died, described in court as a sensible

girl who knew right from wrong. nicola fellows was also nine and was said to be the stronger of the two, outgoing and speaking her mind. the girls were neighbours, their bodies were found on 0ctober9,1986. they had both been strangled and sexually assaulted. they were discovered together in a park in brighton, just half a mile from their homes. they had both disappeared after going out to play. back then, russell bishop was arrested and tried for their murders but he was acquitted and released. three years later, he assaulted and attempted to kill a seven—year—old girl. she survived and identified him. he was found guilty at trial. today, he was back in court again, accused of the murder of nicola fellows and karen hadaway. jurors were told there was new evidence, much of it dna—based. the prosecution told the jury that the bodies were discovered in undergrowth in the park. and that russell bishop told the police details about the scene

that only the killer himself could have known. this is a key location the jury will see for themselves. all 12 jurors will be brought here from london to view a number of areas that are significant in the case. the families face a trial of up to eight weeks. the case remains the largest and longest—running enquiry ever undertaken by sussex police. every year, hundreds of children are born in the uk with parts missing from their oesophagus, the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. repairing it requires complex surgery and causes many of them problems for life. but now, scientists in london have managed to grow one that is capable of the muscle contractions needed to move food down into the stomach. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh has been talking to the scientists at great 0rmond street hospital, and the francis crick institure who are behind it. suspended in the middle of this glass jar is

a laboratory—grown oesophagus. you can see the wave—like contractions of the muscle. the oesophagus is a muscular tube which carries food down into the stomach. in this animal study, scientists stripped a rat oesophagus of its cells, leaving a collagen scaffold. they seeded it with several cell types, which form muscles, nerves and the delicate lining tissue. the ability to contract is essential for moving food through the organ. the work, published in nature communications, was led by scientists at great 0rmond street hospital and the crick institute, who are pioneering regenerative medicine. i think it's very crucial. this has implications for the oesophagus, first of all, of course, but it has indications for other organs like the gut, the intestine, because the structure is not so different. a key advantage of the

bio—engineered oesophagus is that it can be seeded with a patient‘s own stem cells, minimising the risk of organ rejection, which is one of the major hurdles in transplantation. is that nice? yes? hudson and hank are twins and enjoy the same foods, but hudson was born with part of his oesophagus missing, and needed surgery to pull his stomach up to connect with his throat. an artificial oesophagus could have helped him. i think we definitely would have picked that option, if it had been there at the time. it would take a lot of pressure off of him, i think, with his eating, it would be more natural, the feeling would have been more normal. clinical trials are still at least five years away, but this promising research could ultimately help many children every year. fergus walsh, bbc news.

the headlines on bbc news. president trump says the saudi crown prince has assured him that the investigation into the disappearance of the journalist, jamal khashoggi, will lead to answers. fresh calls for the commons speaker to resign following a report about bullying in parliament, the bbc understands he'll stand down next year. a further delay to the roll—out of the government's flagship welfare reform, it says to prevent claimants suffering hardship. an update on the market numbers for you, here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. screen figures everywhere. the dow and nasdaq are getting along reasonably well, so far. three british writers are among

the six shortlisted authors vying for this year's man booker prize for fiction. the competition is celebrating its 50th anniversary and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in london's guildhall in the next hour. 0ur arts correspondent rebecca jones is there for us. welcome to the splendid surroundings of guildhall, here in the heart of the city of london, where within the next hour, we will find out who has won one of the world's most famous and important literary prizes, the man booker, —— awarded to the novel of the year. it is getting quite lively here, this is a real highlight of the literary calendar, a big party for the books world. 500 guests a big party for the books world. 500 gu ests have a big party for the books world. 500 guests have been enjoying a champagne reception, followed by a three course dinner. among them, the six writers shortlisted for the prizes here. you wonder how much of an appetite they have waiting to

hear if they've won. let's remind ourselves who is on this year's shortlist. this year the six nominees are... everything under by daisyjohnson. it's her first novel. set on the waterways of oxford, it tells the story of a mother and daughter haunted by memories of the past. the judges have described milkman by anna burns as an experimental book. it explores the troubles in northern ireland through the eyes of an 18—year—old girl. richard powers' ecological epic the 0ver story is a love letter to trees. and follows nine strangers trying to save american forests from destruction. the mars room by rachel kushner takes place in a prison in california. and focuses on a woman serving two consecutive life sentences for killing her stalker. esi edugyan's washington black is based on a true story. set in the 19th century, it's about a young slave who escapes from a caribbean sugar temptation and travels the world. robin robertson's book

the long take is a novel told in verse and photographs. it follows a d—day veteran in america during the golden age of hollywood. a little earlier, i spoke to two of those authors. the canadian author, who has been shortlisted for this prize before, but this year is up for her third novel, washington black, and anna burns, who was also shortlisted for her third novel, milkmen. i started shortlisted for her third novel, milkmen. istarted by shortlisted for her third novel, milkmen. i started by asking anna burns, how much the book had been inspired by her own childhood growing up in belfast in the 1970s. my upbringing in northern ireland had an immense influence on the book, but i'm writing about an entire society affected by long—term violence, and existing under intense

pressure. the narration's to the personal voice of an 18—year—old girl who is not me, and she is living in this society, being sexually starved by a milkmen. your novel is based on a true story. how did this become your novel? is based very loosely on the genesis for an claimant affair, one of the main witnesses in that defence was an ex—slave who had been stolen off a practise plantation in the caribbean bya memberof practise plantation in the caribbean by a member of the household. sol was interested, less interested in the details of the trial and more interested in the psychology of somebody who had come from a very brutal life, and been taken into a world that was utterly different

from everything they knew. judges describe your book as experimental, and there are pages without paragraphs, words tumble injumble into each other. how did you come to decide that that structure was the best way to tell your story? is a character driven novel, and until the characters come, i do not know what will happen. and when they come, they come with their distinctive voices where they tell me who they are and what their story is, andl me who they are and what their story is, and i write it down, record it. narrator came, this teenage girl, with all her obsessions and digressions, and that is part of her and how negotiates her way in this world in the society. i know you are dealing with very grim themes in this book, slavery, racism, but all that typing a page turning adventure story. how did you land on that is the best way to tell your story? the heart of the story is a sense of

ruthlessness in washington, and a sense of him searching for his place in the world —— rootlessness. because that was at this best core of the story, in moving through different worlds and feeling a sense of wonder about everything, it was a sense of wonder i wonder the reader to feel, as well. good luck to both of you tonight. both of them talking to mejust a of you tonight. both of them talking to me just a little of you tonight. both of them talking to mejust a little earlier, and we will find out who has won the man booker prize for fiction. in a special programme live on bbc news channel at 9:30pm this evening. please stay with us for that. we look forward to that, thank you very much. blue peter, the world's longest running children's television programme, is 60 today.

its 37 presenters, along with dogs, cats, and tortoises, have entertained and educated children for more than 5,000 episodes. colin paterson reports. one, two, three! cheering. 0ver its 60 year history, there have been 37 blue peter presenters. today, 27 of them were back in the studio for a special birthday show. it feels like being at the biggest family reunion. that's what it feels like. there'sjust a warmth, and it's quite profound. it's like coming home. it genuinely is. like literally, the smell of the studio, seeing all the faces that you love, and people that you loved as a kid, as well. since 1958, blue peter's had 25 pets... coined the phrase, "here's one i made earlier"... the secret hideaway of that famous national rescue team. interacted with her viewers... and that's from sophie rayworth of twickenham. as you can see, it's a pink pigeon. and awarded more than one million

of its favourite badges. wow. me and the queen. the singer ed sheeran received a golden one today. but why has it lasted? this is a show that tells people to be whoever they want to be, to be brave, daring, caring, sharing, and i think that's a message that's as relevant now as it was 60 years ago. and of course, the most—loved moments are those when it all went wrong. 0h, get off me foot! you couldn't script it, it's just one of those things where everything went wrong or right. because it didn't bother us. the funniest thing was she was trying to keep going the whole time as if it was on script. laughter. children's viewing habits have changed, so that show, which is now on the cbbc channel, only attracts a fraction of the nine million who tuned in during its bbc one heyday. but there's absolutely no sign of blue peter's fire going outjust yet. colin patterson, bbc news, salford. members of the thai school football team who were rescued from a flooded

cave injuly have been surprised by one of their footballing heroes. the 12 boys and their coach were appearing on the ellen degeneres tv show in america, when the la galaxy striker zlatan ibrahimovic stepped out to meet them, they'd just told ellen that he was their idol. this team is braver than me and they show their collective teamwork and patience. so this is probably the best team in the world. a robot named pepper has become the first non—human to give evidence to a committee of mps in parliament. the android from middlesex university has been answering questions from the commons education committee, which is investigating how technology could help ease the strain on certain elements in the public sector what is the role for humans in the fourth industrial revolution? robots will have an important role

to play, but we will always need the skills that are unique to humans. the sister of the duchess of cambridge, pippa middleton, has given birth to a baby boy. the child, with her husband james matthews was born yesterday, weighing eight pounds, nine ounces. a spokesperson for the couple, said the family is delighted and both mother and baby are doing well. well, the arrival comes just a day after the duke and duchess of sussex revealed they were expecting a baby. prince harry and meghan have received their first baby gift. the royal couple arrived in sydney on the first leg of their tour. australia's governor—general sir peter cosgrove and his wife lynne presented them with a toy kangaroo, complete with joey, as well as a little pair of ugg boots. they all looked very excited about

that. now it's time for a look at the weather. good evening, it was a beautiful day for southeastern parts of the uk today. temperatures up to 21 degrees, that is the peak of the heat for this week, but a lovely picture here, blue skies, but grey skies as you move upwards i got —— argyle in butte, where we have a front moving in. i'll our weather over the next few days will come from the atlantic, very slowly. things are slowing down as they approach our shores, and that band of cloud producing a little bit of rain, it is only moving very slowly into england and wales. most of the wet weather comes from the showers wet weather comes from the showers we have a northwest scotland, they should be coming feud —— through overnight. 5—8d for northern parts

of the uk, but this band of cloud is still producing rain and drizzle, continuing to work its way towards the southeast of england, hanging out across east anglia can't, at six, some warmth here. temperatures otherwise 16—17d for england and wales. a few showers coming into the coast, but those should be pretty light. they should fade away in the evening, high pressure is building up evening, high pressure is building up yourfrom evening, high pressure is building up your from the southwest, bringing with it some chilly air. they will bea with it some chilly air. they will be a cold night for the northern half of uk, eastern scotland, northeast england, rural areas will see a penchant for us. much wild —— milderfor see a penchant for us. much wild —— milder for southern see a penchant for us. much wild —— milderfor southern england, see a penchant for us. much wild —— milder for southern england, also some cloud cover coming to scotland, but is his only cloud we're looking at on thursday, he will be dry. lots of sunshine in between, temperatures

a shade lower on thursday, light winds and sunshine should feel quite pleasa nt winds and sunshine should feel quite pleasant this time of year. there could be a bit of mist and fog forming overnight ahead of another system that is topley into that high pressure, so system that is topley into that high pressure, so it slows down and weakening. most of the rein in northwest scotland towards the northern isles, this cloud bringing light and patchy rain towards northern england. behind that, we should get some sunshine into northern ireland into the afternoon. another dry day with some sunshine, those temperatures up to around 16-17d. those temperatures up to around 16—17d. those numbers are above average for this time of year, and ease “— average for this time of year, and ease —— even as we headed to the weekend, they should be relatively mild and quiet for the time being. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is 0utside source. us secretary of state mike pompeo has been in saudi arabia — and the saudis have agreed to a thorough investigation into the disappearance of the journalist jamal khashoggi.

we'll also have the latest on the investigation in turkey. theresa may's cabinet met earlier to discuss how to break the brexit deadlock. the latest eu summit starts tomorrow — and the mood music isn't good. tomorrow i'm going to ask the prime minister theresa may whether she has concrete proposals on how to break the impasse. we'll hear about what's being called the biggest religious schism in centuries. the russian orthodox church cuts ties with its spiritual authority. and in california, james cook has been given lab—grown meat. guess what it tastes like?