this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: france has launched a national investigation into the high number of babies being born with missing arms or hands. indonesian divers have retrieved the black box from the lion airjet that crashed into the java sea. struggling to breathe. world health organization study reveals 90% of world's children are exposed to toxic air. the pound jumps on reports of a deal on eu market access for uk banks after brexit. also in business briefing: can apple meet investors‘ great expectations when its results are issued later? they crave bumper profits from the world's most valuable company. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. also: that toxic air report, we'd like to know how healthy or not yourjourney to work is. many are challenged by this. are you changing your behaviour as a consequence? do get in touch. just use #bbcthebriefing. we begin in france. a national investigation has been launched into the number of babies being born with missing arms or hands weeks after an initial inquiry closed. a total of 18 cases over 1a years have been reported in an area north of the city of lyon,

and there are two other clusters in the west. some believe pesticides are to blame but experts aren't sure. lebo diseko has more. louis was born without his right—hand. louis was born without his right hand. during her pregnancy, his mother lived in the french region of ain, where a number of similar cases of children born without arms or hands have since been reported. his condition wasn't picked up until birth, and even then doctors couldn't tell his parents what had caused it, only that it wasn't genetic. translation: after his birth, a geneticist confirmed that the malformation was not genetic. she told me he was born with a birth defect, and that's all. later i heard about those other cases, and i understood there was something else hidden in this. injuly, concerns were raised about a possible surge in such cases in ain after reports from local doctors. the regional health authority found there were seven cases over six years, all born near each other.

in early october, public health france found the number of cases was not significantly higher than the national average. it dismissed claims of a link between them after failing to identify a common cause. but on wednesday, it said 11 new cases had been discovered in ain, dating back to the year 2000. that makes a total of 18 cases over 14 years in the region. there are also concerns about the number of babies born with these abnormalities in loire—atlantique and brittany regions to the west of the country. some activists suspect pesticides used in farming could be a factor, but scientists are sceptical. for now, the health authority doesn't know what the cause is, or even if there's a link. translation: it can have a chromosomal origin, a medical or enviromental cause, or it could even be originated by mixed causes, but at this moment, we don't have any lead that would allow us to advance the investigation. public health france says it's looking into all the cases and hopes

have results in three months. lebo diseko, bbc news. indonesia divers have retrieved a black box from the lion airjet that crashed into the sea this week, with 189 people onboard. here they are bringing it to the surface a short time ago. the black box, as you can see, is orange in colour and intact. divers haven't specified if it's the flight data recover, or the cockpit voice recover. -- flight —— flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder. air traffic control lost contact with the plane 13 minutes after take off on monday from jakarta. joining me now is our correspondent rebecca henshke, who is injakarta for us. rebecca, this is good news, we assume, in terms of trying to find out what went wrong. that's right.

this is what the search—and—rescue teams have been looking for. late yesterday, they said they had heard the pings that come from this device and. they believed they were very close, but strong underwater currents were hampering the effort yesterday to retrieve it. they went out early this morning, and now we believe that item is on a vessel heading back to jakarta. as you said, exactly what they've retrieved is not yet clear, but it will help aviation experts piece together what went wrong, what happened in the final moments of that flight, and to try to understand why an almost new plane crashed in daylight and in good weather. what we do know is the pilot did request to return to base shortly after takeoff from jakarta airport, and also a technical log obtained by the bbc shows that the plane did have problems on a

previous flight, but lion air in cisse those problems were fixed and a full safety clearance was given before it took off again —— insists. this tragedy happened on monday. this tragedy happened on monday. this is probably the most significant point in terms of the investigation. tell us what else people are saying about this in the light of monday's plane crash. yeah, it is a significant development and it's what they've been working for, of course. for the families of those on board, what they're families of those on board, what they‘ re really families of those on board, what they're really focused on now is trying to get some closure in terms of knowing exactly what happened to their loved ones and why that plane crashed. there waiting at a police hospital, where body remains have been taken for identification. one person has now been identified, a young woman in her 20s who was

working for the energy minister e in jakarta, and her family working for the energy minister e in jakarta, and herfamily were able working for the energy minister e in jakarta, and her family were able to bury her in a funeral last night —— energy ministry. other families haven't been able to do that yet. they've been given dna samples in the hope of getting identification so the hope of getting identification so they can also go through that grieving process. for now, rebecca, thank you very much. rebecca henschkejoining us from ja ka rta rebecca henschkejoining us from jakarta with the latest on that story. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. a new study has warned that the world's oceans have absorbed 60% more heat in the past 25 years than previously thought, undermining efforts to limit global warming. writing in the journal nature, they say this means the earth is warming more than expected in response to greenhouse gas emissions. the pressure group human rights watch is saying that sexual abuse against women in north korea is so common it has just become part of ordinary life. researchers interviewed 5a women and eight former party officials who recently defected from north korea. they said unwanted sexual contact and violence is pervasive and there are few ways to report it. heavy rains have brought chaos

to southern austria, destroying bridges, flooding homes and rivers. strong winds caused a lot of damage: many trees and power posts were blown down, roofs ripped off houses, roads blocked and many houses are still without power. the pound has strengthened after reports the british prime minister theresa may has struck a tentative deal with the european union on financial services after brexit. the agreement would give uk companies continued access to european markets and allow the continued exchange of data. this is a report in the times today.

i'm joined by alpesh patel, ceo of praefinium partners, a private equity firm in london. british company with a luxembourg fund, so we arejoel reddy laid. this israeli important to you? -- dual—fuel regulated. sanity is prevailing by the looks of it. despite brexit, both sides will realise what's in their mutual interest. last week i was speaking at the italian stock exchange, it is owned by the london stock exchange. look at how intertwined we are with europe. if minnows of asset management companies like mine are going to become billion—dollar companies, we need this access and we need reduced regulations so it looks like sanity has prevailed. when we talk about uk companies having access, is it the financial services industry we're talking about? we're not talking about trade? it comes under trade because

we are exporters, my company exports financial services, but the reason financial services, but the reason financial services, but the reason financial services are so important and your viewers might think why does it matter, it contributes this brochure disproportionally to the gdp of the uk and so many european economies —— contributes disproportionally. we pay more tax, oui’ disproportionally. we pay more tax, our employees are paid more so they pay more tax. how does it work, business as usual? the principle is called equivalence in regulation. your regulations might be slightly different to mine but they're fairly equivalent, we don't need to look at the minutiae, we've got roughly the same financial system is so therefore if you're coming from britain into france, we know there isn't that much of a difference so you're welcome to continue doing business. it really is fantastic news for small companies like mine. reports at the moment and we will let you know as soon as there is

confirmation. thank you, alpesh. alpesh is back for the news briefing later in the programme. how healthy is yourjourney to work? many of us are exposed to dangerouly high levels of pollutants on a daily basis. the world health organization says air pollution causes seven million premature deaths each year. the bbc‘s reality check reports now on the pollution levels found during a typical commute in the indian capital delhi. it's estimated that over 90% of the world's population breeds polluted air, and at 7 million deaths each year linked to air, and at 7 million deaths each yearlinked to air air, and at 7 million deaths each year linked to air pollution. delhi is one of the most polluted cities on earth are. breathing deli's air is the equivalent to smoking two dozen cigarettes each day. for commission, commuters, staying indoors is not an option. researchers in delhi try to find out

just that. they estimated the amount ofair just that. they estimated the amount of air pollutants in hailed by commuters on different types of transport in delhi. they look at pollution in the form of small particular matter, also known as pm 2.5. visa tiny airport is that you can't see but can make you sick. here's what they found. —— these are. it was fires when walking, cycling, travelling by bus, metro, rickshaw and by car. in part, this is explained by the fact getting from a to b walking or cycling normally takes longer and the amount ofair in normally takes longer and the amount of air in hailed... breathing deep ina of air in hailed... breathing deep in a polluted environment means inhaling more pollutants. the data collected shows the intake of small particular matter per kilometre was nine times higher when cycling compared to travelling by car, but are the findings applicable to other

cities? the reviewer‘s studies from around the world showed on average cyclists followed by pedestrians in hailed the highest dose of polluta nts hailed the highest dose of pollutants compared to commuters using motorised transport. this took into account the higher rate of inhalation because overall pollutant levels in the air were higher in ca i’s levels in the air were higher in cars and buses and lower for cyclists and pedestrians in the majority of studies. so should you ditch your bike if you live in a polluted city? the authors of the review said the long—term benefits of physical activity outweigh the risk of pollution. that may not be the case in cities with the most extreme air pollution levels, such as delhi. if you travel by car, closing windows and switching to internal ventilation can reduce exposure. on all types of transport, proximity to, and matters are so quiet routes can help reduce pollution exposure. many have you

have got in touch —— many of you. we have got in touch —— many of you. we have someone who lives in calcutta. during the winter, a cloud of soot an dust covers the city. after davari, the fireworks... it's a lot worse than that, it is suffocating to say the least and it puts the carbon film all over everything. gareth from northern ireland says children aren't working, walking or cycling to school these days, this isa cycling to school these days, this is a big factor —— aren't walking. why are parents taking their children on a one milejourney why are parents taking their children on a one mile journey to school in the car? keep your views coming in. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: six days, eight states and 11 locations. president trump is on a midterms election whirlwind tour of the country that kicked off in florida, fort myers. indira gandhi, ruler of the world's largest

democracy, died today. only yesterday, she'd spoken of dying in the service of her country and said, "i would be proud of it. "every drop of my blood will contribute "to the growth of this nation." after 46 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day might bring. booster ignition and lift—off of discovery with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one american legend. well, enjoying the show is right. this is beautiful. a milestone in human history. born today, this girl in india is the seven billionth person on the planet. you're watching the briefing.

our headlines: a national inquiry has been launched in france to find out why clusters of babies have been born with missing limbs. indonesian divers have retrieved the black box from the lion airjet that crashed into the java sea earlier this week with 189 onboard. —— java sea. his name may not be on the ballot in next week's midterm elections, but you wouldn't guess it from president trump's campaign schedule. he's trying to shore up fellow republicans as they battle to stop the democrats from taking control of congress. speaking in florida just a few hours ago, mr trump lauded his own achievements and once more talked of an end to automatic citizenship for migrants born on american soil. congress has never passed a law requiring birthright citizenship for illegal aliens, and the constitution

does not... i say that to the media.. does not require it, read it, because illegal aliens are not subject to the jurisdiction of the united states. cheering democrats' hopes of winning congress rest partly on suburban women, alienated by president trump's rhetoric. in states like virginia they are mobilizing but will that enthusiasm carry over to the ballot box? the bbc‘sjon sopel has been finding out. a campaign office in a trap suburb of northern virginia and democrats are bringing out the big guns. —— drab. madeline albright, the former secretary of state, has come to offer support. i cannot think of a more important time for you to be elected and fast to really take

control of congress. this usually affluent district, not that far from washington, dc, has been republican handful washington, dc, has been republican ha ndful close washington, dc, has been republican handful close to a0 years. but the democrats are sensing victory, sensing the donald trump's rough and tumble politics is a turnoff here. in america today, crudely speaking, the rural areas are more conservative. the city is much more liberal. so the key battleground in these elections is here in the suburbs. in 2016, they voted for donald trump. but the hope of the democrats this time round is that the well heeled middle classes will vote for them. the democratic party candidatejennifer vote for them. the democratic party candidate jennifer watts and is perfect material. married with two sons, a form of prosecutor, and politically moderate. is it about the anti— donald trump or about being pro— democrat? is a referendum on him? it is definitely come is a factor, there is no question about that. i think in the wake of a 2016

elections, a lot of people have realised that democracy is more fragile than anyone cared to admit, and they cannot just fragile than anyone cared to admit, and they cannotjust sit on the sidelines and assume that everything will be ok. the choice is clear. barbara comstock fought for and won tax cuts. are comstock is running a modest campaign. the ads are ubiquitous, but she is avoiding big public events like the plague. her campaign team never returned our calls, and she is given no tv interviews. our usualfor a candidate. but he was the problem: she is somewhat and is the train to distance itself from donald trump, but with a voting record that shows that she has backed nearly everything that he has done. in virginia, they are getting ready for halloween. the us economy is doing well can't that will republicans get the credit? aleksei where the economy is growing. that is a positive, i think. economy is growing. that is a positive, ithink. —— i like economy is growing. that is a positive, i think. —— i like the way the economy ‘s growth. but i do not like the political i met, which is

negative. akash orang now is so skewed, and we are too far to the right. we need to get more in the middle. —— our country now is so skewed. and then there is the thessy dress parade. all human life is there. denied, it is trick—or—treaters. next tuesday, though, it might be the republicans who will get the biggest fright. jon sopel who will get the biggest fright. jon sopel, bbc news, northern virginia. let's take a look at some of the key news events happening later on thursday. we begin in germany where the first collective lawsuit against volkswagen is expected to be filed for vehicle owners, affected by the emissions scandal. an hour later in sri lanka a rally is planned calling for parliament to convene following political unrest, after the appointment of mahinda rajapakse as prime minister. and finally in leicester, there'll be the first pre—match conference at king power stadium since a helicopter crash killed five people, including the club's chairman, on saturday.

now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello. i'm chetan pathak with thursday's sport briefing. coming up simone biles targets another record, pakistan beat new zealand — just — and things get a bit scary for paris—st germain. it's women's finals day at the world gymnastics championships in doha where four—time olympic champion simone biles is hoping to make history. the american has the chance to become the first female gymnast to win four all—around world titles. and she already has one gold medal from these games having helped usa win the team event on tuesday. it's day four of the paris masters on thursday where we'll see the finalists of last week's vienna open take on each other again. kei nishikori faces kevin anderson and will be out for revenge

after losing that match (00v) the japanese number one made it —— after losing that match. —— the japanese number one made it into the last 16 with a straight sets win over adrian mannarino. novak djokovic, roger federer and marin cilic are among the other big names in action. he was supposed to make his comeback but rafael nadal has pulled out of the atp paris masters. it's because of an abdominal injury — and it means that novak djokovic will take his place as world number one. it has been a tough year for me says that moment in terms of injuries. so wa nt to that moment in terms of injuries. so want to avoid drastic things and if car may i can play today, but the doctor says if i want to play the tournament, i want to try to win the

tournament, i want to try to win the tournament, well, that can't be for sure. it will not be good to me for someone sure. it will not be good to me for someone to go inside that court knowing that probably be full tournament will not be possible to play. the boston red sox have been celebrating their victory in the world series with a parade through the city on wednesday. the red sox completed a a—1 series win over the la dodgers on sunday to claim their fourth championship in 15 seasons after an 86—year drought. players rode on duck boats as they held the championship trophy aloft. pakistan beat new zealand byjust two runs in the first twenty20 international in abu dhabi. pakistan batted first after winning the toss, mohammad hafeez top scored with a5 as they made 1a8—6 from their 20 overs. sarfraz ahmed weighed in with 3a. that left the black caps chasing 1a9 to win, and they made a great start thanks to opener colin munro who top scored with 58 off a2 balls.

but, apart from ross taylor, who hit an unbeaten a2, no one else really got going. new zealand were restricted to 1a6—6 as pakistan squeezed home by two runs. the second match is on friday in dubai. now, with a strike force that includes the world's two most expensive footballers, paris st germain strike fear into many of the teams they face. but on halloween, their players got to feel some fear for themselves during spooky challenges set for them by their club. world cup winner kylian mbappe was having none of it, though, perhaps still upset at last year's prank involving a zombie during a photoshoot. the world's most expensive player, neymar, was nowhere to be seen. maybe he'd been spirited away. and even head coach tomas tuchel got involved with a bit of pumpkin feelery. there's more at our website bbc.com/sport.

but for now, from me, chetan pathak, and the rest of the team, that is thursday's sport briefing. we have been talking due —— talking due today about your trip to work. how healthy is a? if you look at the bbc news out, there is a reality check on this very subject. the world health organization is warming that global pollution levels are at a level where a million deaths are too soon because of the air pollution. many of you have been in touch. we have heard from a viewer in nigeria, who said that he works in the queen's city nigeria, travelling mostly in car, so not much air pollution that he is experiencing. we have a look ahead

at apple's results in the business briefing coming up. hello. central and eastern areas are starting mother this morning because we have clouded rain around, where for northern ireland, much of western scotland, each of the start with the mist and fog around first thing. it looks like you will be a 5°99y thing. it looks like you will be a soggy morning as well for central and eastern areas. the rain tends to ease eastwards. the brighter skies further west will move in its place. there will be a scattering of showers across western areas, particularly western scotland, where it will be wintry in the hills. chilli in central and northern areas, temperatures is holding into double figures across the south—east. but it will be a chilly night for thursday night with this rid of high pressure building in. it medical staff on friday. but this deep area of high pressure in the atla ntic deep area of high pressure in the atlantic is ex— para can oscar. —— ex—hurricane. —— low pressure. a bit of frost and fog around, but lots of

sunshine before things go downhill in western areas. the cloud builds across the irish sea coast and increasing outbreaks of rain. temperatures reaching 8— 10 degrees for scotland and northern ireland. on saturday, with this esl a very windy weather riley night in into saturday. across northern areas, widespread gales, and heavy red for northern ireland, scotland, and then into western parts of england and in towards wales. the eastern side of english as a dry or day with sunny spells continuing, but it will be a gassy one across the board, but especially so in the where there could be gales of 60 miles an hour or more than that. stay tuned to the forecast. they might day on saturday afternoon. temperatures generally rain the mid teens celsius for all. heading into saturday night, it looks like a carrot and oscar clears away. this next area of low pressure was away for sunday. ——

ex—hurricane. very windy weather to come with our press in the south—west. a bit lighter towards the midlands, the south—east and dry with sunshine. sunny spells will scotla nd with sunshine. sunny spells will scotland and northern ireland. these directors are still fairly mild, 12— a0 degrees. so unsettled weekend. particularly on saturday, were will be windy, typically in the north. rain at times in the best of the sunshine in the south and east. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. great expectations. will apple deliver the bumper profits investors crave following the launch of its new iphone? also other new devices. there are days to go before us sanctions on iran come into affect, but will india be one of the countries that will suffer from falling iranian oil supplies? —— into effect. and on the markets, you can see that the share market rally

continues and the pound has jumped on reports of eu market access for uk banks after brexit. a mixed picture in asia.