this is bbc news, i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at 8pm. the prime minister says extending the transition period after the uk leaves the eu could be one option to help solve the issue of the northern ireland border. the eu says it's ready to consider the idea. we are not standing here proposing an extension to the implementation period. what we are doing is working to ensure we have a solution to the backstop issue in northern ireland, which is currently a blockage to completing the deal. if the uk decided that an extension of the transition period would be helpful to reach a deal, i am sure that the leaders would be ready to consider this positively. the murder rate in england and wales reaches a ten—year high. crime figures also show increases in robberies and theft. also tonight: how easy should it be to change your gender legally? the government is soon to decide whether the rules should be relaxed, amid claims they're too complicated and intrusive. and saved from the scrap heap.

one of the world's first electric trains is brought back to life. good evening, and welcome to bbc news. the prime minister says she is convinced that the uk can achieve a good deal with the european union on brexit, despite the eu summit in brussels ending with no sign of a breakthrough. but theresa may has drawn sharp criticism from all sides of her party for suggesting that she would consider extending the amount of time that the uk remained tied to the eu and its rules and regulations, in order to help secure a deal. and that could cost the uk billions more. let's go over to christian fraser in brussels. will come to brussels, it is still

that thorny issue of the irish border that stands in the wake of an agreement here and bustle —— brussels. how do you control that border without bringing back checks that could undermine the peace in northern ireland? the solution from the european side is to keep ireland within a customs union. theresa may has said that is unacceptable union. theresa may has said that is u na cce pta ble to union. theresa may has said that is unacceptable to any prime minister. prominent‘s new solution seems to be to extend the 21 month transition period by several months, perhaps up toa period by several months, perhaps up to a year. not all the european leaders are happy with that, as our political editor laura coombs berg reports. the longer this rolls on, the more things stay the same. europe's leaders frustrated in brussels, when theresa may arrives with not that much to say.

but listen carefully, very carefully. there comes a hint of compromise. a further idea that has emerged, and it is an idea at this stage, is to create an option to extend the implementation period for a matter of months, and it would only be for a matter of months. but the point is that this is not expected to be used. a tiny clue, but a big change. what she means is we might stick longer with the status quo after brexit. theresa may has reason to look a bit nervous about that. longer in the departure lounge, in transition, would mean longer following eu rules without a say. and maybe these leaders would charge a bill of billions for the privilege, too. they don't look worried. instead of late—night brinkmanship, there was a beer drinking for angela merkel, emmanuel macron, and a select band of other eu leaders last night.

but will be idea of a lovely transition make it easier to say goodbye to the uk? maybe. if the uk decided that an extension of the transition period would be helpful to reach a deal, i am sure that the leaders would be ready to consider it positively. maybe not. the key element for a final deal is on the british side. number 10 believes, as angela merkel says... translation: where there is a will, there should also be a way. it might get stuck at home. the cabinet's nervous... and whether former levers or remainders, it has really riled already fractious tory mps. the most common phrase is,

"just get on with it". and if this means more delay, not bringing compression to the commission to make decisions, it opens up the horror of very large sums of money possibly being handed over until we get into the next european spending round. so it is pretty unattractive. she knows her party may well try to kill her plans. but right now, she hasn't many ways out. there is a lot of hard work ahead. there will be more difficult moments as we enter the final stages of the talks. but i am convinced that we will secure a good deal that is in the interests of the uk, and the european union. you have been straining in the last couple of years to keep all the promises that you have made, whether to brexiteers, former remainers, to northern ireland, or to business. ultimately, you are going to have to disappoint someone. who is it going to be? what we have done as a government is put forward a set of proposals that deliver on the vote of the british people, that ensure we would end free movement, and thejurisdiction of the european court ofjustice

and then sending vast amounts of money to the european union every year, come out of the common agricultural policy, but also protectjobs and livelihoods and protect the integrity of the union of the united kingdom. theresa may has survived this far by making different vows to different sides, both here and at home. promising to keep the uk together, saying that trade will not be damaged even though we are leaving our biggest trading partner, saying she wants to take the best bits from brussels without hurting the eu. but with time really running out, perhaps reality is emerging. it's just about impossible to keep all of those pledges. and if she breaks those promises, ministers are all too aware that might break her. it might be another two months before theresa may is back here, if her compromises and her leadership gets that far. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, brussels.

laura has one point. it is quite another thing selling a home, because it is so controversial, tied you for another year, billions more in contributions. somebody down here was explaining to me today that it isa was explaining to me today that it is a bit like the full monty minas, you get everything from the eu, but you get everything from the eu, but you have no say, no commissioner, no say at the table. that is why many brexiteers don't mind the idea one bit, as are political correspondent ben wright reports. when she gets back home, theresa may will find no refuge from the criticism flying at herfrom all quarters of the tory party. the brexiteers are furious at the idea of a longer transition. well, i think it is a mistake and potentially a very costly one because we would be into a new multi annual financial framework, a new udget set without the uk having a vote

unlikely to maintain our rebate, and money is scarce. trying to buy time with an extension of the transition or implementation period would not resolve the question around the irish border. and that is the issue at the heart of this. both sides have agreed in principle there must be legal guarantee there can be no new customs or police checks installed on the irish border after brexit. more time to sort a trade deal might ensure that guarantee is never needed. but tory mps who are not brexiteers say the idea of a longer transition period is concerning the whole party. there are ranges of emotion, but what underlines them all is dismay. dismay at where we seem alike will ending up. a large number of conservative mps of all persuasions, leavers and remainers, tried and tested rentals, all of them want her to change track.

the mood among tory mps is getting difficult. for some, another referendum is needed. but even if you believe in leaving the eu, what we are heading for cannot be what people expected. and the only way we can resolve this is by giving the public an opportunity to have their own say. around 80 tories share the view of this mp, although lukewarm about a longer transition, he does not want the party's divisions boiling over. we have to be sensible here, not panic, not blink, we have to continue to aim for a negotiated settlement which honours the outcome of the referendum. even if theresa may gets a deal with the eu, she then faces the daunting task of getting it through the house of commons with no majority. and labour's opposition to the emerging deal seems to be hardening. the conservative party cannot agree amongst themselves about what it is they want to negotiate and given they cannot agree amongst themselves, they cannot negotiate with the rest of europe.

number 10 is appealing for cool heads, but there are many here in parliament to fear britain is lurching out of the eu without a proper plan and that is causing alarm. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. where are we as we wrap up this part of the summit here in brussels? no further forward, and all honesty, that we were several days ago, which raises a question about which summit we will be looking for in the future? november is still down on paper, at least in pencil, but it is not a firm commitment. the eu leaders here today were saying their positive about the talks, they want to get that agreement, but they will returnjudgement on to get that agreement, but they will return judgement on those in that —— negotiations in the for the weeks. you're watching bbc news. our political correspondent jonathan blake joins me now from westminster. we out of flavour from ben wright

about the dissatisfaction on the brexit side? it has been hard to find anyone from whichever wing of the conservative party or elsewhere today that thinks extending the transition period is a great idea. just to give you a flavour of the way conservative mps have described this plan, desperate last move, dead on arrival, totally unacceptable. those are some of the choice quotes from tories today on both leave and remain supporting sides of the conservative party. theresa may might not be back to brussels for another day or so yet, but that might be, she is hoping time enough for her own him peace to calm down a little bit about this idea. because when she confirmed it this morning that the idea was at least being discussed of diskette —— extending that transition period, it has not

gone down very well at all. the trouble is it doesn't solve the issue, because all it does is push the backstop further down the line without actually providing a solution. i wonder if we are getting honest answers from theresa may or the opposition? i listened emily thornberry, and she said we can have a customs union and free trade agreement as if that will solve the backstop problem. it won't because as angela merkel said just the other day, if you're leaving the single market and you're a third—party country, there have to be checks some way. you cannot have a truly open border like we have at the moment. you're right, and i think that's what has people baffled here today, particularly in the way that theresa may floated this idea and appeared to roll back slightly from it the seat —— this afternoon in her press c0 nfe re nce it the seat —— this afternoon in her press conference in brussels. the fa ct press conference in brussels. the fact is there will be no transition period or implementation period,

whatever you want to call it without a withdrawal agreement. in part of that agreement has to be an agreement on how you create a backstop, and that is to prevent a ha rd backstop, and that is to prevent a hard border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland. what the will not happen without the other, so people in westminster are confused as to how extending the transition period might help solve the problem of the backstop. but it is one that has plenty of us stumped. i suppose she is thinking, and it is not the ultimate solution, but i suppose she is thinking that if you push it further and further down the line, the insurance policy that you might need to adopt, then people might say that you now have three years to come up with this trade relationship, which deems that redundant? yes, if the backstop is something unpalatable to the uk and

prime minister, which perhaps perhaps checks in the irish sea or some form of infrastructure at the border, then if you have longer to implement the deal, which will negate the backstop being necessary, then maybe that idea of the backstop specifically involving checks and any infrastructure might be more a cce pta ble any infrastructure might be more acceptable because the chances of it ever being needed would be smaller. but that is a big ask and hope for a lot of people, not least members of the conservative party and democratic unionist party, which has propped up theresa may's government here in westminster, because any suggestion that that could even be a possibility is just a nonstarter. jonathan blake in westminster, thank you very much. i'm joined by our reality check correspondent, chris morris. jonathan was talking about some of theissues jonathan was talking about some of the issues surrounding transition, it might be worth stepping back a

little and explaining to people why in the first place was the transition ever needed tozawa when you leave the eu. everyone worked out pretty quickly that there is a big step to take, moving from one set of rules and regulations, and the way you've operated for a0 years is very different. so the idea was you have this transition period to smooth out. 21 months after brexit, that was the plan. and in that time, all rules basically say the same. so the united states —— united kingdom was still in the customs union, open borders, no problem in ireland. but also... thejurisdiction of borders, no problem in ireland. but also... the jurisdiction of the european court, free movement of people, it big annual payments into the eu budget. we have had the suggestion, a bit more than happy as we don't want to upset the prime minister here, that maybe he could

be extended a bit more, up to a year, just a matter of months, she says. the problem with that... the good bit is it gives you more time to create a future relationship. but it also doesn't really solve some of the fundamental issues. no, you put your finger on the fundamental issues. no, you put yourfinger on it. i watched the fundamental issues. no, you put your finger on it. i watched several times this morning coming into the building, she is constantly stepping on egg shells. there is an xl, and other isn't. she is trying to keep both sides happy, and the problem with this transition, it means an awful lot more money. and i met an official from another member state whom i've known for a few years, and he said to me that he doesn't quite understand with the british strategy is here. and i think that has been felt more probably. what is it she is trying to achieve? she is juggfing is trying to achieve? she is juggling many different balls in the air, and it is a very complex set of politics at home. but if you extend the transition, it means britain

follows all the eu rules for a longer period without having a vote on those rules, which is politically very difficult. and on top of that, it still does not remove the need for having an irish backstop written into a withdrawal agreement. so the one thing that seems to be the most difficult thing to unlock is not solved by extending the transition. it maybe makes it easier to get around it, but it doesn't solve it. i was really struck that the european leaders are scratching their heads. the lithuanian president came in last night, saying that they do not want —— know what they want, so how can they deal with them? they're trying to be positive, saying this deal is quite feasible, but you get the sense that time is running out, and this positivity comes from post salzberg, if you give her a kicking, it solves some problems. there is a feeling about

making this more positive. we have heard some possible good news, the spanish prime minister has said it looks like they have reached an agreement on gibraltar, which is another withdrawal agreement. progress has been made in other areas, a lot of people are standing away from this, saying that the whole thing could be falling apart with a disagreement about the irish border. the answer is yes, because it will be the lot —— one land wall between the uk in the eu. everywhere else around the eu, every single border has some check on it, it is not open trade, so they're trying to make ireland a special case. not open trade, so they're trying to make ireland a special caselj not open trade, so they're trying to make ireland a special case. ijust wa nt to make ireland a special case. ijust want to emphasise this last case, the gibraltar protocol, because these are things that were looming on the horizon, it somewhat is actually happening is around the edges of this, is being solved and

it really comes down to that one fundamental issue stability it is the most difficult, i would not say it is the only one because someone. . . it is the only one because someone... there it is the only one because someone. . . there are it is the only one because someone... there are issues around the governments of the withdrawal agreement. who do you go to to police it to something goes wrong? but generally in general, the negotiations have been sitting down behind the scenes and making progress. but there's this big elephant in the room shaped like the irish border. let's forget that analogy, but you know i'm talking about. elephant in the room, is that the one? good to see you. it is the end of a very long two days, you are allowed one of those. thank you very much, chris morris. you follow the prime minister, is she allowed the the dinner? she doesn't, when she comes back, is she involved in a 28 now? you don't know which meetings she is invited to and not. but she

is still here, she met the prime in the store —— prime minister's of singapore. they were talking about trade and brexit, and on the fringes of what is going on here, they have a big asian europe summit going on over the next two days. and europe and britain will be talking about future trade deals with many of those asian countries, crucial at the time when america is looking more protectionist, and that trade spat between the us and china is having such an impact on global growth. back to you. and we'll find outhow this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:a0pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the political commentators lance price and giles kenningham. hope you can join hope you canjoin us hope you can join us for that. sport now, and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's hugh ferris. good evening to you

the football association has urged police to tackle abuse on social media after rape and death threats were made to england midfielder karen carney. carney received the messages on instagram after chelsea's champions league win over fiorentina, in which she was subtituted here after scoring the winning goal. the user has been removed from the social media site, with the fa saying it is "appalled" and "dismayed". carney will not be reporting it to police. the death of former aston villa player dalian atkinson has been referred to the crown prosecution service. he was tasered by officers at his father's house in august 2016 in telford and later died. the independent office for police conduct has now passed the matter on to the cps, who will consider potential criminal charges against two police officers. luke shaw has signed a new five year contract at manchester united. it's a big turn around for shaw, who was heavily criticised by boss jose mourinho last season. but he's made the left back

spot his own, and is back in the england reckoning, too. he's been rewarded with a new contract worth around £150,000 a week. eddiejones says england number eight nathan hughes "deeply regrets" a tweet that contributed to an additional two—week ban that's ruled him out of three of the autumn internationals. hughes was banned for four weeks for a punch, but had his suspension increased after tweeting "what a joke" in apparent reaction to the charges. hughes' absence is one of a number that eddiejones has had to deal with. so he's turned to gloucester number eight ben morgan, who's included for the first time for three years. but there is no place for his club team—mate danny cipriani. there are also eight uncapped players included, butjones insists the injuries that have deprived him of so many doesn't point to wider issues within the game. no, i've seen it before. people used to say it in the early 2000s when we got a streak

of injuries, and people said the game was getting too tough and too physical. we go through these cycles and you have runs, for some reason, no one knows why it happens, science can't explain it, it happened and it will rectify itself. british number onejohanna konta has reached her first semifinal since june and just her second of the year. she beat world number 31 aliaksandra sasnovich in three sets at the kremlin cup in moscow. she will play russian sixth seed daria kasatkina in the last four. olympic taekwondo silver medallist lutalo muhammad sez the sport is in urgent need of reform, claiming there should be more weight divisions at the games to stop athletes risking serious health problems. muhammad says he has suffered "serious sickness" attempting to reach his olympic weight category during his career. there are four per gender at an olympics, compared to a combined total of 16 at a world championships. the sport needs reform.

we need change, we need more weight divisions. because the only reason i and other athletes put themselves in those positions where they can run into health problems is because we don't have enough weight divisions. i mean, thejump from welterweight heavyweight is as crazy as it sounds. can you imagine amir khan, if he didn't make it, having to fight anthonyjoshua? that is literally the difference, and we need to change that. one of the most heart—warming stories in football in recent years was the friendship between jermain defoe and bradley lowery. the pair became pals as the young sunderland fan bravely battled a rare form of cancer. he sadly passed away last year, aged just six years old. now defoe has got a tattoo in memory of him, having the word "brads" inscribed on his arm. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in sportsday at 10:30pm.

the number of people murdered in england and wales has risen to its highest level for a decade, according to the latest figures. in the space of a year, 719 people were killed, either by murder or manslaughter. that's a rise of 1a%. and there's been a sharp increase in violent crimes. they're up by almost 20% in total. police recorded 5.6 million offences between june 2017—18, that's a rise of almost 10% on the year before. our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds reports. a 25—year—old man targeted and shot dead in liverpooljust last night. the number of killings, falling for decades, is now increasing steadily. but these figures show that's what's happening in a range of crimes which are rare, but cause the most harm, particularly in london.

when we first came to brent, it was within 20 minutes, half an hour, from leaving the police station, throughout the shift, you would end up with prisoners with knives, we've had a gun, we've had weapons. these officers are part of a £15 million violent crime task force. big teams, targeting the most serious criminals, often involved in drugs. there you go! here we go! gentlemen, are you getting grumpy because of the drugs hidden in the car? these men have been stopped in north west london, and it's not the first time. we've got two very well known gang members. they're linked to violence, linked to extreme violence. by that, i mean firearms and other weapons. we agreed to hide some of the officers' identities because they work in plain clothes. after police find this in the boot of the car, the suspects are arrested. it's a potential offensive weapon, but it could be used for self—defence. both sorts of violence are fuelling the statistics. could he notjust be a cricketer?

potentially. however, i think we've got to safeguard the public. we look at the history in these circumstances and treat each individual stop on its own merit. there were no charges this time, but the task force has made more than 1,a00 arrests. these teams say that since they started targeting violent crime in this part of london, things have got a lot quieter. now, crime is hard to measure. the overall trend is still down, but the statisticians now agree violence is up, and it's not just the police noticing. we're probably taking a0% more contacts from the public. a0%? a0% over the last couple of years. and we're sending 150,000—plus reports to the police every year, whereas it used to be only about100,000, 110,000. the causes, austerity is blamed, cuts to youth work, social media may play a role and there are fewer police in england and wales. but police pressure can achieve results. a metropolitan police team tackling robberies by scooter gangs has cut the number of offences

by more than half. tom symonds, bbc news. a jury has been retracing the last known movements of two 9—year—old schoolgirls, who were found dead on the south downs, 32 years ago. russell bishop is on trial, for the second time, accused of murdering karen hadaway and nicola fellows. he denies the charges. sarah campbell reports. court number 16 of the old bailey relocated 50 miles south, to brighton. this is the first of the locations we're going to be at. this is the entrance to wild park. brian altman qc, the lead prosecutor. and in the green coat, thejudge, mrjustice sweeney. he told the seven men and five women of the jury, who can't be filmed, to wear sensible shoes and bring something to write with. their first walk took them within view of the wooded area in which the girls‘ bodies were found on october 10, 1986.

karen hadaway and nicola fellows lived less than half a mile away from the park. they were both nine years old, and had been strangled and sexually assaulted. the jury members were taken on a route which passed this permanent memorial to the two girls. the judge had warned them yesterday that they wouldn't stop here. not out of disrespect to the victims, but because it isn't relevant to the trial. here's the area of land just beyond the fence... the site visit was a chance for the jurors to get to know the geography of this area, seeing for themselves the location they will hear about throughout the course of this trial. the defendant, russell bishop, who's being tried for the second time for the girls‘ killings, chose not to attend the site visit. we'll go ahead. tomorrow, the judge and jury will be back in the more familiar surrounds of the central criminal court, as the case continues. sarah campbell, bbc news, brighton. the scottish government has confirmed a case of bse, or so—called mad cow disease, at a farm in aberdeenshire.

movement restrictions have been put in place at the farm while further investigations take place. there've been 16 cases of the disease in the uk since 2011, but this is the first in scotland for ten years. officials say there is no risk to human health. the duke and duchess of sussex are continuing their tour of australia. returning from melbourne, where meghan tried her hand at aussie rules football, the couple have made their way back to sydney for the opening of the invictus games. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz schafernaker. hello. it is turning pretty chilly out there already, and it will be quite a cold night. with clear spells across the uk. not everybody, a bit of rain in forecast, but for the vast majority of the uk, it is a clear and dry evening, as well as

overnight. but over here, you can see a weather front is approaching, winds are... it will be much milder than elsewhere across the uk. look at newcastle, 1 degrees. on friday, two areas of weather. one in scotla nd two areas of weather. one in scotland and northern ireland. there'll be some cloud and rain, not a lot, but it will be breezy for times. you can see the rain moving to the western isles. eventually the sun might come out. to the south, it will be a dry day. england and wales are infora will be a dry day. england and wales are in for a fine day. not bad at all for the time being. hello this is bbc news with lu kwesa burak. the headlines: the prime minister says an extention to the transition period after the uk leaves the eu — could be one option to help solve the issue of the northern ireland border. eu leaders say they are open to the idea.

the uk and the us pull out of a trade summit with saudi arabia, following allegations surrounding the disappearance of journalist jamal khashoggi. a number of major companies are still planning to go, despite calls for a boycott. the murder rate in england and wales reaches a 10—year high — crime figures also show increases in robberies and theft. overall, recorded crime is up nearly 10%. international pressure is growing on saudi arabia — following the suspected killing of the us based saudi journalist — jamal khashoggi in turkey two weeks ago. today the us, britain, france and the netherlands pulled out of attending an investment conference in riyadh next week. the saudis have denied having anything to do with the disappearance of mr khashoggi. james landale has this report. it's called davos in the desert,

a big international conference in saudi arabia next week to encourage investment. already, dozens of companies have pulled out amid accusations the country was behind the alleged murder of thejournalist jamal khashoggi. now allies are withdrawing also. britain said the international development secretary would not attend amid concerns about the disappearance. the us treasury secretary also pulled out. as did the french and dutch finance ministers. the us said it took the case very seriously, but was willing to give saudi arabia time to investigate and explain. i told president trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that. at which point, we can make decisions about how or if the united states should respond. it's now more than two weeks since jamal khashoggi entered his country's consulate

in istanbul and was never seen again. turkish police are investigating claims he was tortured and dismembered by saudi agents. mr khashoggi's friends say he had been warned not to go to the saudi consulate. they believe his death was state sanctioned. this operation within the space of state space and governmental space of the consulate, and doing this in such an organisation, it's a very anonymous organisation, which cannot be carried out without the permission of any higher authority. it needs higher authorities. britain has a significant trade and security relationship with saudi arabia, and it would be reluctant to offend a country that is an important ally in the middle east. pulling out of this conference would not have been an easy decision for britain's diplomats, but having led an international coalition against an alleged state sponsored assassination attempt in salisbury earlier this year, they had little choice. the allegations against saudi arabia

were just too serious. today, the washington post published the last columns that khashoggi wrote before he went missing. he spoke of how some arab governments were trying to silence the free press. questions are being raised in the transgender community about the requirements to legally change your gender here in the uk. at the moment, people have to get a medical diagnosis — live in their preferred gender for at least two years— and also pay a fee. but campaigners say the process is too complicated, intrusive and expensive. the government's been looking at the current rules and will soon decide whether they should be changed in england and wales. our special correspondent, lucy manning reports. trans people know who we are. we know our gender. we don't need other people to sit there and tell us that. charlie martin is a racing driver.

she's also a trans woman, transitioning six years ago. she's happy to face the twists and turns on the track, but she's been reluctant to deal with the bureaucracy, medical checks and costs that legally changing gender requires. it seems like a very strange process to me, having lived my life the last six years as female, and it never having and never having had that called into question. we know in our mind. we don't need to prove that over a matter of years to then have ourselvesjudged by some kind of panel who holds court over our destiny. the government has been consulting on making it easierfor transgender people to change their birth certificates, considering allowing them to legally declare what gender they are themselves. you wouldn't ask this of other minority groups, so why do the trans community have to prove themselves to people in this situation?

but the trans debate has become a bitter and divided one, between those who want to self identify as a man or a woman without the involvement of a doctor and without the two—year delay, and those who believe this is a threat to groups and spaces that have been women only. at parliament, nicola williams has been lobbying mps, worried about the impact the changes could have on other women the consultation has been quite unfair, i think. women have been basically smeared and shamed and silenced. if any man can simply declare that he is female, and given access to women's rights and women's spaces, then that takes away the ability for women to say no, i have a boundary there. those with opposing views have clashed.

hyde park last year, bristol this year. the government insists there are no plans to change women only spaces, but even an mp who backs reform thinks questions about the impact on women's refugees in prisons must be discussed. i have spoken to lots of women mps who feel if they say anything they're going to be called names, or said that they are a transphobe. but that has not been helpful at all, because they are perfectly reasonable questions. the prime minister in a video for an awards ceremony for the lgbt community last night indicated change is likely. and the thousands of responses we have received so far show there's a real desire for reform. charlie martin says she just wants the same rights as everyone else. lucy manning, bbc news. joining us now from manchester is dawn sims — a transgender woman who has been through the process to acquire a gender recognition certificate. thank you forjoining us today. tell

us thank you forjoining us today. tell us what was that process like?m was very, very intrusive. it was costly, and it was fraught with trying to make sure you got everything right the first time. i know some people who have been through about six attempts to get one. there's only 5500 that have been allowed within the country, or applied for and gotten, so it shows you it is quite hard to actually get when you work out the number of trans women and trans men out there. and really upsets you the most, personally, about the 200a act? and really upsets you the most, personally, about the 2004 act7m itself, i think the act was quite good. you have to look at it as a whole. it has been a slow, but sure progress. at the moment until 2015

you had to divorce your partner, you could not get a gender recognition certificate on yes —— unless you divorced. the number —— the moment you are divorced you are entitled to and in 201a the same—sex act came into effect and you are able to get spousal approval. you still have to apply to someone else to get your permission to get your own proper birth certificate. along the way it has been a lot of large learning curve a cross has been a lot of large learning curve across the community. a lot of people don't want to have the grc. they don't feel they need it. they're quite they don't feel they need it. they‘ re quite happy they don't feel they need it. they're quite happy being as they are, but you got to except that trans women are women, i'm sorry thatis trans women are women, i'm sorry that is who we are. if you don't like that the doors over there. what are you hoping will come out of this consultation process, because it was donein consultation process, because it was done in collaboration with the fawcett society. i wonder did you fill in the q and a on their website. what did you think of it? sorry, i thought it was quite fair.

i think sorry, i thought it was quite fair. ithinka sorry, i thought it was quite fair. i think a lot of the time living in europe ——i i think a lot of the time living in europe —— i think they should lower the time living in your gender to six months but i can tell you the moment you change generators for life. there are not many people who reject this and back. you cannot pray this away. —— re—transition back. i'm not sure if you are aware of the suicide rate among the trans community but the younger community as a7%. a7% of trans people attempt suicide, the older rate is 35—a0% and we are also self harming quite a bit because of body image, and that is partly mental. the moment somebody goes into transition they actually start to recover and become who they really are meant to be. also, just one point, i would love to make, we can already self identified. the moment i go into my gp surgery or another trans person does and that's either way —— by the way i think i'm trans they are

covered. you mentioned there is the door if you don't agree with this. i would like to know your opinion on fairfor would like to know your opinion on fair for women would like to know your opinion on fairfor women and would like to know your opinion on fair for women and their fight to stop this idea of self identifying and keeping those spaces for women, purely for women, rather than for individuals with male bodies. i had to very carefully look at the wording of this. go on, you are smiling, what do you make of their campaign? the thing is that most trans women who do go through hormones etc i can tell you now it is very hard to raise even a smile at times. they really are not a danger, but you said the prison service before, the prison service has had one person i think it is that have caused a major problem. currently at the moment there have been 800 assaults on female prisoners by other females causing 80-90 prisoners by other females causing 80—90 people to require medical

attention. who is the danger was white ok, but you talk about the mentaljourney, white ok, but you talk about the mental journey, that tough white ok, but you talk about the mentaljourney, that tough mental journey that a trans person goes through, and i think the argument here is that many people will say women who have suffered or rather who are survivors of an attack by a man, they are themselves going through a tough mentaljourney. should there be some consideration of this perhaps coming out of the consultation process? what would your answer be? my answer that would be all i can ever do is talk for myself. i know i am female. i have a lwa ys myself. i know i am female. i have always been female here where it counts. my genitals are my business and nobody else. if you want to start putting a star on me and we can put a tea in there we can get down to that, but i think somebody already tried that and i don't think it worked too well. very quickly, do you think the public are adequately

informed on this issue? personally, i think we need to be a lot more open, we need to discuss it more, but i'm willing to discuss it and not be shouted at. 0k. a pleasure speaking. thank you. thank you, bye— bye. speaking. thank you. thank you, bye-bye. bye, love. the inquests into the deaths of the 22 people — who died in the manchester arena attack last year — won't begin hearing evidence for at least a year. at a hearing this morning, the coroner sirjohn saunders, confirmed more evidence is still being gathered. our north of england correspondent, judith moritz reports. nearly 18 months since the attack at manchester arena, this is the first time that this coroner, sirjohn saunders, who was appointed in august has held a hearing here at the town hall with lawyers representing all the organizations which will be involved at the inquest and with the families of those who died — some of whom were here at court. and at the beginning of the hearing the coroner offered his condolences to those who are bereaved and the names of the 22 men, women and children who died

were read out and there was a minute's silence. and then we heard a bit of the planning and arrangements which are being made for the inquest and that they won't begin for at least a year because there are still ongoing work to try to extradite the brother of the suicide bomber, hashim abedi, who's in libya so that a prosecution can take place and that was happening first, we heard, and then the inquest should follow on. one of those who was in court was steve goodman whose granddaughter 15—year—old olivia campbell hardy was killed at the arena, and he told me afterwards that starting the inquest eventually would be very important for his family as part of the process they are going through to get over what's happened and come to terms with the loss of the teenager. once you've found out how she's died you can possibly put an end to it and start the grieving process that

you really can't go through until you understand it all. so it is part of that bereavement process for you and for the family. i think it will be, yes. i think it will definitely be starting to heal after it's finished. the lawyers in court today discussed arrangements for the inquest, such as whether a jury will be involved and the location and timetable for them, and also looked a little bit at the sort of topics which will be dealt with and examined, including whether the attack at the arena could have been prevented. what we know is that it will be many months before things start here, but that in the meantime there'll be further hearings to work out these sorts of details will stop the next one of those is timetabled now for the end of february next year. the headlines on bbc news: the prime minister says an option to extend the transition period after the uk leaves the eu could be one way to solve the issue of the northern ireland border.

the uk and the us pull out of a investment conference in saudi arabia following the disappearance of journalist jamal khashoggi. the murder rate reaches a ten year high — crime figures also show increases in robberies and theft. former prime ministers tony blair, gordon brown and david cameron joined hundreds of people at a memorial in south london today to celebrate the life of dame tessa jowell. they united to remember the former culture secretary and mp who was the driving forced behind the 2012 london olympics. she died earlier this year after being diagnosed with brain cancer. tim donovan reports. three prime ministers came to today's service at southern cathedral, and one reminded everyone how persuasive tessa jowell had been about that olympic idea she had. i recall the meeting, it was typical tessa,

setting out the case, i raised all the objections, she listened. i have seen the potential downside, she was focused on the upside. she began talking to me like my mother. laughter. "i'm not angry," she said, "just disappointed." london. cheering. such a big moment for her and for the city, and now there will be a permanent memorial in the olympic park she was so proud of. it's a lovely thing to have done. i'm absolutely thrilled about it, we all are and it's a very fitting memorial to her but it's absolutely true that without her the olympics would never have taken place here in 2012. tony blair is the first to acknowledge that. and to have something named after her then is... yes, it's lovely. it's a really long, enduring memory, and memorial and it will be there for a long, long, long time. she would have liked that. she would be thrilled to bits. soon now her name will be given to the main walkway along the canal

and through the pleasure gardens in the queen elizabeth park, and here today that went down well. i was thining about what are the benefits going to be to us as londoners? but once it was built in the olympics came out, i thought oh my god this is absolutely fantastic. yeah, definitely i agree it should be named after her. i think it's really appropriate. she was a really good politician. one of the few i think to be honest with you these days. i think it is a great tribute. tessa jowell died in may, having moved many in the way she confronted her rain cancer. i am not afraid. i feel very clear about my sense of purpose. today the tributes focused on her warmth and kindness, unusual, people said in a politician, and two brixton youth workers remembered vividly their first meeting. we had a small white ladyjust standing in the corner listening ever so intently.

we had no idea who she was. laughter. then we found out she was an mp and we had no idea what an mp was. they, too planned something lasting. right now we have decided to name our back garden in the soup kitchen tessa jowell remembrance. not just an olympic legacy of course, but when she hoped would ensure more research and better treatment for the cancer that killed her. the world's first electric train, which was found abandoned in a hedge in north yorkshire has been lovingly restored to its former glory. the electric autocar was built in 1903, but fell into disrepair. at one point, it was even used as a holiday home. but now, it's ready to carry passengers again. olivia richwald went to have a look at it. built in 1903, only two of these

electric auto cars were ever made. they ran 27 years in north yorkshire in the northeast. one of them was scrapped, this one almost was also. it was discovered ten years ago buried ina it was discovered ten years ago buried in a hedge in a north yorkshire field where it had been chopped in half and used as a holiday home. stephen middleton rescued it, and after a decade of ha rd rescued it, and after a decade of hard work a team of volunteers has restored it. if i knew hard work a team of volunteers has restored it. ifi knew then hard work a team of volunteers has restored it. if i knew then ten yea rs restored it. if i knew then ten years ago when i knew now, i think i may have well left this in the hedge. it was more work than anybody could have possibly envisaged, but looking back and has been worth it. the train was built at a time when scheme dominated the railway is. electric powered, it was ahead of its time. it was painstakingly rebuilt from the wooden shell in the engine sheds at the mc and bolton abbey railway. the heritage lottery grant of half £1 million has helped. i had to scour the countryside for those bits. the vendor flavourings

came from a very old milkman going back to 1921. baroque valves mainly —— mainly came from northern ireland railways and also some from electric locomotives that used to run out of houston, and at the whistle come from london underground stock. today the auto car had its first test run alongside its original carriage. on board were some of the volunteers and stephen's wife who says the project has dominated their lives for the past decade. is it nice to see it finally finished and you might get your husband back now? absolutely. maybe i'm not used to it but i said let's have a go and he's been working so hard and he deserves a really good break. been working so hard and he deserves a really good breaklj been working so hard and he deserves a really good break. i give her two weeks andl a really good break. i give her two weeks and i reckon she will want me back here on the roadway. possible. from a complete wreck to be splendid, the whole restoration cost

£1 million. today's test ground has been a big success, so torrent should be able to write on the electric auto car from next year. —— tourists should be able to write. kleenex says it's binning the "mansize" branding from tissue boxes after 60 years. it follows complaints from consumers about it being sexist. the company said the tissues would now be called "extra large". one customer raised concerns after her four—year—old son asked if "girls, boys and mummies" could use them. another twitter user questioned if it's right in this day and age to have a product that is man—sized. whereas, another tweet, described the move to change the name as ‘sad' and called it ipci well, joining us now from our nottingham studio is managing director of the dairy creative agency, nigel rowlson. nigel, what do you make of all this? it is strange. when i first heard it

this morning i thought it was just another case of dumbing down and political correctness gone mad, which is a real shame because if we carry on down that line it will be a rather dull and monotone society we live in. i think we have to remember this brand was launched 60 years ago in the mid—50s, maybe kimberly—clark that they launched a product now they would not call it man sized, but i think you know what you are getting with the product. you know what it is. it is industrial—strength tissues and if you have a heavy cold or dare i say man of flu, this is what you need and this is what you will have. do you know what really struck me about this, is that the pair of social media came through once again and the other thing i found media came through once again and the other thing ifound interesting was the lady who kicked all this off is also head of marketing at a pr company. so, the para— social media and the power it has over brandt as we have seen —— the power of social media, do you think they reacted too quickly or there was not change that

was needed. it seems they changed the name from man sized to extra—large before this storm brewed up. i'm not sure about that. there have been lots of activity on twitter, of course as there is there a lwa ys twitter, of course as there is there always was —— is with these things and a lot of people are going against it saying it is a shame because this is an iconic brand we have all grown up with for the last 20 or a0 years and as marketers, we are there to make a point of difference, give these brands is something that resonates is consumers mind and that name is such a vehicle. there's been lots of things on twitter and lots of people talking about daddy's sauce, mothercare, do we have to change that? lots of things and brands out there that we can go down that line but again it leaves a rather dull environment if we have to change all these names on all these products. you are led to wonder whether your dog can still eat pedigree if it is not a purebred. how much can rebranding cost a company? is there a risk you can lose a lot? have you

got some examples? rebranding can be very expensive because it falls all the way through on the brand. i think in this case they simply changed the name on the packaging which is not the biggest opposite world, but i think is the goodwill that goes with it. man sized tissue is one end of the market, it may be competing with own brands which are fighting on price and it is a shame because kleenex extra—large will compete with tesco extra large. there is no point to different there soi there is no point to different there so i don't think it will cost an awful lot but i think terms of the rain itself it will slip because it does not have that essential difference in consumers minds. does not have that essential difference in consumers mindslj suppose difference in consumers minds.” suppose we are becoming more difference in consumers minds.” suppose we are becoming more aware suppose we are becoming more aware of counterfeit items and if you don't recognise them straightaway you will wonder. thank you so much for that, my till from nottingham. you are watching bbc news. let's catch up with the weather with thomas. the weekend is looming. catch up with the weather with thomas. the weekend is loomingm is, isn't it. you say that as if there is something that on the way.

the weather is looking pretty good. we have clear, calm weather on the way. i say clear for most of us, there's a bit of fog on the way so i will talk about the ineffective. tonight is clear and quite chilly as well, particularly in the north, north of england temperatures close to freezing first thing friday. but in the northwest of the country a different story. the weather front is moving in, bringing more of a wind and by the end of the night there could be some rain where our friends in the western isles. elsewhere to the south we have high pressure in charge and we have high pressure in charge and we have high pressure that means the winds are light and quite often the skies are not clear. the temperatures will drop. this is what it looks like the short—term, nothing happening across england and wales, but across the northwest you can see the arrows, freshening winds and rain in the western isles by aam. these are temperatures around aam. 2 degrees in newcastle around 7—9 in the far south of the country. the weather front bringing slightly milder air off the atlantic. tomorrow, friday

in the northwest temporarily there will be cloud, temporarily a breeze. the rain may push through glasgow early in the day and the second half of the day in glasgow the sun should be out, but looks like northern england could end up a little bit cloudy, south of the country looking absolutely fine. 16 or 17 in london. not bad at all this time in october will stop november is around the corner. here is sunday morning. sunday morning is looking foggy, a lot of clear weather and there will bea lot of clear weather and there will be a lot of clear weather but also a lot of fog around which may linger into the afternoon on saturday and where it lingers will not be pleasant. there'll be that gloomy almost halloween feel to things. 16-18 almost halloween feel to things. 16—18 where the sun comes out of the fog lingers it'll be cooler than that. in the northwest we have rain coming in, maybe the western isles so slightly different. saturday night into sunday at high pressure only slipping away but it is still pretty much in charge of the weather

across england and wales, so once again sunday morning could be fog around including the london area as well. if you are travelling bear that in mind, a little suspicious of what might be happening around the airport, could be fog around luton, sta nsted, airport, could be fog around luton, stansted, heathrow, airport, could be fog around luton, sta nsted, heathrow, bear that airport, could be fog around luton, stansted, heathrow, bearthat in mind. in the northwest of the country maybe a little rain, but on the whole sunday for most of us is not looking too bad at all. to summarise the weather over the next few days, we have had a lot worse. enjoy it while it lasts. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. could it take even longer for the uk to completely leave the european union? the eu says it is ready to extend the length of the post—brexit transition period if the uk wants to. but theresa may has come under pressure from across her party after suggesting she's prepared to consider delaying the uk's departure from the eu. what i have heard from leaders around the table over the last since i arrived here in brussels yesterday is a very real sense that

people want the deal to be done. the us treasury secretary pulls out of an investment conference in saudi arabia, but the white house is giving riyadh more time to investigate what happened to a saudi journalist. and we'll hear from lyse doucet in kabul, where violence has escalated ahead of the crucial parliamentary elections on saturday.