foa kes. theresa may tells her cabinet good progress has been made in the brexit negotiations, as pressure mounts for a deal. is it time to walk away from the talks? is no daily worse than a bad deal? ministers say an agreement could yet be reached within days — but isn't a given. we're getting very close to it. i'd say that the mood is cautious optimism. we're now down to a small number of the really difficult issues. we'll have the latest live from westminster. also this lunchtime... fires continue to rage across parts of california — 44 people are known to have died, and hundreds are missing. average earnings are up — wages rose at their fastest rate in nearly a decade, in the three months to september. and, why the daily commute is even longer than it was 10 years ago. and coming up on bbc news... the former england, west ham

and chelsea midfielderjoe cole has retired from football. he's 37 and spent the last couple of years playing for the tampa bay rowdies in america. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. theresa may has told her cabinet good progress has been made in the brexit negotiations, as ministers say they are cautiously optimistic a deal between the uk and the european union can be reached. the prime minister briefed her cabinet on the latest developments this morning, as talks between officials continue. the cabinet office minister, david lidington, said that a breakthrough is possible in the next 48 hours — but that is not a given. this afternoon in the commons, labour will try to force the government to publish the full legal advice about brexit. from westminster, our political correspondent chris mason reports.

and autumnal morning in westminster, the noise of rakes it is ever present, competing ideas for what it should look like constantly flying in the airand should look like constantly flying in the air and with no agreement in brussels it's even thought cabinet ministers can't bring themselves to say yes to questions like this. do you still support the prime ministers brexit plan?” you still support the prime ministers brexit plan? i don't know why you stand outside my flat every morning, you don't get anything. any chance of resigning? goodbye. so how are the negotiations going with the european union? i thought i'd grab a word with the man who is effectively the prime minister is deputy. word with the man who is effectively the prime minister is deputym word with the man who is effectively the prime minister is deputy. is a deal imminent? we are getting very close to it, i'd say discussions of us, we close to it, i'd say discussions of us, we are close to it, i'd say discussions of us, we are down to a small number of

ethical issues, and negotiators worked long into the night last night having been up till 2:1i5am the night having been up till 2:1i5am the night before, we are not there yet, and the prime minister is clear, it's not a dealer at any price. so nothing is ordered yet and cabinet ministers were not running up for a left sign on the dotted line moment. the reason, at the lack of the great insurance policy or backstop to keep the border between northern ireland and the republic as it is now under any circumstances. given how complex thatis any circumstances. given how complex that is this man is absolutely crucial, the government's chief legal adviser, the attorney general. and the attorney general was mike bice is seen as an important labour and others don't want to share in private, they want to publish it so eve ryo ne private, they want to publish it so everyone in their can see it before they vote on any withdrawal agreement. and the shadow attorney general told me seeing that legal advice is essential because... at

this stage in the so—called endgame batteries in may has been discussing there is a danger if she comes back with something the deal is a bit of a fudge. —— theresa may. it's important before nps are required to vote on this potential fudge they really understand what it means. vote on this potential fudge they really understand what it meansm it time to walk away from the talks? is no deed that than a bad deal? as the cabinet meeting wrapped up the questions kept coming, the time for a nswe i’s , questions kept coming, the time for answers, any questions kept coming, the time for a nswe i’s , a ny a nswe i’s questions kept coming, the time for answers, any answers draws nearer. chris mason, bbc news. so, as the prime minister briefs colleagues at downing street, what are the next steps on the road to brexit? here's our reality check correspondent chris morris. we know that negotiators from the uk and eu are closest to agreeing the text of a withdrawal agreement, but they need to get a move on, and the politics is complicated. so if a deal emerges, first of all the cabinet in london would need to approve it. the brexit secretary dominic raab and the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier would meet

to seal the deal. but other eu member states would want to ensure that they are happy with the language of any last—minute compromises. if all of that runs smoothly there'll be a summit of eu leaders to sign off the terms of the deal. maybe in november if not december. any agreement would then need to be ratified in both the uk parliament and the european parliament. the government would also have to pass legislation making the withdrawal agreement a formal part of uk law. but if time runs out or the uk parliament rejects the prime minister's proposal, we could be heading for no deal. by january 21 next year, the government will be forced to tell parliament the next steps it plans to take. exactly how mps might be able to affect or change the brexit process at that stage is the subject of fierce political debate. our reality check correspondent chris morris there. in a moment we'll speak to our europe correspondent

damian grammaticas in brussels — but first to our assistant political editor norman smith, who's in downing street. what is your reading of the mood music? jane, we are told we are within touching distance of an agreement but let's be honest, touching distance could be fingertips away or it could be a blooming great bargepole away. i could be here tomorrow lunchtime saying a deal has been done, then againi saying a deal has been done, then again i could be here a week tomorrow saying, no news from brussels. i guess on the plus side the language has become much more upbeat, confident, hopeful, the negotiators seemed now to have reduced the area of disagreement really to just one key issue around how we exit this backstop customs arrangement if that becomes necessary. and on the more hopeful

side it seems that the eu dos want to devise some sort of mechanism to enable the uk to get out of the customs arrangement because they think if we are in it for ever and a day that is far too favourable for the uk. there is a political desire on all sides to get an agreement, the negotiators are both working on coming up with some sort of exit mechanism and know what particularly wa nts mechanism and know what particularly wants no deed, indeed, the former foreign secretary borisjohnson this lunchtime suggested the whole thing was a political performance, a carefully crafted staged managed delay by this is made to convince nps that she was really battling for a deal. i have to say if it's a performance then mrs may probably deserves an equity card. norman, thank you. our europe correspondent damian grammaticas is in brussels. much hope or confidence where you

are? i think you are those close to the negotiations still saying what we are doing is circling around those same issues that have been circled around for a long time but now, focusing really down on the detail and that is important because the sticking points are several, i think, from what we gather, what we understand. and crucially there is the northern ireland border issue, uk, theresa may's idea of a customs union arrangement that would remove the need for the border controls, that rings with it all sorts of complicated negotiations that had to happen, the eu side then talking about the need to ensure that is not about the need to ensure that is not a sort of back door or uk companies into the eu because it would give ta riffs into the eu because it would give tariffs and quota free access, they wa nt tariffs and quota free access, they want provisions for a level playing field, the uk still following environmental rules, social rules,

labour market rules. that's difficult thing with the uk. then, also, this exit sort of review of how big uk could get out of this in future, another difficult question and all of those, i think, still holding things up, here, no quite small, lots of hard talking. damien and norman, thank you. 44 people are now known to have died in the worst wildfires in california's history, and hundreds of people are still missing. most of those killed were in and around the town of paradise, which has largely been destroyed. president trump has declared a major disaster in the state, making federal aid available to affected residents. from california, david willis reports. the seafront mansions of the rich and famous prove little match for some of the worst wildfires here in living memory. the first people in the celebrity enclave of malibu knew about this blaze was when a ball of fire came barrelling over the hillside, devouring everything in its path.

we never saw a fire truck probably until an hour or two after the fire went through. police, same thing, you know? it's not their fault, they were just inundated somewhere else. amidst a sea of ash and charred metal in the retirement town of paradise, a search is under way for hundreds of people who are missing. some died in their cars as they sought to flee the flames. those who escaped have lost everything but a sense of stoicism. i have... my clothes and i have a backpack, and that's pretty much it right now. so... it's freedom, kind of a freedom. not one you would seek, but it's there, though. we will rebuild one step at a time. we will rebuild our home and we will be a part of rebuilding that town, because it's a beautiful town. criticised for his initial

response to the disaster, president trump took to twitter last night to say he'd approved a request to allocate additional funds to fight the fires. with hot, dry winds expected to return today and no sign of rain in the forecast, experts say it could take weeks to get california's latest wildfires fully under control. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. our correspondent dan johnson has been alongside emergency crews as they continue to tackle the fires. well, this is the latest fire teams have had to deal with, an intense blaze on this hillside here. and they'rejust bringing in more workers now to try and stop it flaring up again, to stop it spreading. if you just take a look

down into the valley, you can see how close this fire came to the homes here. to this neighbourhood. and that's why there are so many firefighters here, on the ground and in the air as well. they've been dumping water and powder to try and put this fire out. this embankment was completely ablaze in the last hour, and the people who live here have been on their roofs with their garden hose is trying to protect their homes if the flames with their garden hoses trying to protect their homes if the flames spread any further. but it looks like they've had success here in beating back the flames and dying down the fire, but the winds are blowing again, there are still communities at risk and there are lots of people across california who are going to have to rebuild. the company which owns well known food brands such as bisto and mr kipling has said it intends to stockpile raw materials in the run—up to brexit as fears grow of gridlock at uk ports.

premier foods said it has set aside up to £10 million for preparations because of what the firm said was an "absence of certainty". the company insisted it was purely a precautionary measure. the woman who was offered a peerage by a member of the house of lords in exchange for sex has come forward. the author and campaigner, jasvinder sanghera, says she was the woman who lodged a complaint against the former liberal democrat, lord lester of herne hill. the 82 year old peer is facing the longest suspension in modern parliamentary history. he denies any wrongdoing. diplomatic efforts are under way to help the christian woman who was acquitted of blasphemy in pakistan. asia bibi is in protective custody in pakistan but her husband has appealed to western countries to offer her asylum because her life is in danger. both the canadian prime minister and the uk's former foreign secretary, borisjohnson have called for asylum

to be granted. asia bibi's release has led to violent demonstrations by religious conservatives in pakistan. wages have grown at their fastest rate in ten years, according to figures from the office for national statistics. they show average earnings rose by 3.2 per cent in the three months to september compared with the same period last year. but after taking inflation into account, they're still growing only modestly — by less than one per cent. and there's been a small rise in the number of people out of work. our economics correspondent andy verity has the details. at britain's biggest supplier of water softeners here in woking, business is flowing in, but there is a blockage in the pipeline — the labour market. its products are in demand but it has found it harder and harder to get the skilled people it needs to do the work, which means it's not expanding as fast as it might. for a growing business like this

one, the challenge isn'tjust the traditional one of finding the sales, it's finding the staff to meet the orders when they come in. in today's ultra—tight labour market, employers are having to offer better pay and benefits in order to attract and keep all the right staff. in two years the firm has nearly doubled its workforce, but it has only been able to find enough plumbers by offering better pay and benefits, a pattern that's been repeated across the economy. to recruit the volume of plumbers that we need, we really looked ha rd at what their requirements are and what we realised was that we were not competitive in the market. so we've made sure our salaries are correct and what we did this year is, we increased our holiday entitlement from 20 days to 25 days to make us more competitive with other industries. although unemployment is estimated to have risen slightly, it's still at just 4.1%, close to its lowest in 42 years. injuly to september, wages rose slightly more than expected, up 3.2% from the year before. that coincided with the number of eu workers in the uk falling by 132,000, the biggest drop in more

than 20 years. of course we can never be complacent, we need to keep working on making sure that the jobs market stays buoyant. but of course we also have a lot of agencies out there and it's about making sure that we help people through thejobcentre network to get those jobs and indeed to increase their earnings. with the economy and wages growing a little faster than expected, interest rate setters at the bank of england may raise interest rates next year to stop it overheating. well, the bank of england is quite into raise interest rates, they've indicated that already. and today's higher wage numbers suggest that maybe inflation picks up over the coming years and they do need to raise interest rates. however, there is a lot of other stuff going on in the uk economy, including a lot of political uncertainty at the moment. the betting now in the city is that the bank of england will raise interests again by june next year. andy verity, bbc news. the time this 17 minutes past one.

our top story... cabinet ministers are told good progress has been made in the brexit negotiations, as pressure mounts for a deal. and coming up... facing trial — one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers el chapo will appear in court in new york this afternoon. coming up on bbc news... england name an unchanged side for the second test against sri lanka. ben stokes moves up the batting order to number three but there's no place in the side for fit againjonny ba i rstow. the issue of fake news is a global problem, challenging the way we share information and perceive the world around us. all this week we're examining the impact it's having in different countries. in the philippines, supporters of the late dictator ferdinand marcos have been accused of using facebook to rewrite the country's history — and it's happening as the marcos family is trying to make a political comeback, as our correspondent

howard johnson reports. batanes is an archipelago of islands in the far north of the philippines, one of the most remote parts of the country, but even in this secluded idyll fake news abounds. 24—year—old annalisa teaches on the island of itbayat. she doesn't have a tv or radio so uses facebook to catch up on news from the mainland. she says fake news is ubiquitous and confusing. here in the philippines some people say this is the hero, and the other is the liar so who really is, who really is the one telling the truth? to add to the confusion social media is now being used to revise the country's most contentious history. back in the 1970s and 80s philippine president ferdinand marcos imposed martial law, many people were arrested, tortured and thousands killed. but in september ferdinand marcos‘ son bongbong posted this video of an interview

with his father's defence secretary in which he denied there were political arrests during the martial law era. name me one person who was arrested because of political or religious beliefs in the period. none. i was electrocuted, that was horrible. 80—year—old etta rosalez is living proof of the dark side of martial law. in 1976 she was arrested, detained and tortured for being an activist against marcos‘ one man rule. she is outraged by the claims made by mr enrile. to understand the motives behind mr enrile's recent statement in the bongbong video i met him at his home in manila. you recently made a video with bongbong marcos and you said during martial law there were no political arrests. you stand by that statement? i did not say that. no arrests related to political charges... i would be foolish to say that because i was the one who signed the warrants of arrest.

are we living in a post—truth world where for lies can be told and people can get away with that? my reading of history tells me that has always been the case. and history, decades later we can objectively assess what really happened in that period. was enrile a demon or an angel? in the past leaders used to divide and rule as a way of subduing their subjects, now in the philippines it appears fake news is the new weapon to confuse and control. howard johnson, bbc news, manila. you can also follow the debate and research on fake news on our website — that's all at bbc. co. uk/beyondfa kenews. the trial of one of the world's most powerful drug traffickers will get under way in new york this afternoon. joaquin guzman, known as el chapo, was extradited to the united states last year after twice escaping

from prison in mexico. there is huge security in place for the trial — the brooklyn bridge will be closed when el chapo is driven to court in the next few hours, and jurors are going to be escorted by armed guards. from new york, nada tawfik reports. joaquin "el chapo" guzman was the us authorities‘ greatest prize in the war on drugs. he is known internationally as the leader of the world‘s most powerful and violent drug cartel. his extradition to the united states from mexico almost two years ago set the stage for what is good to be the biggest trial for narcotics crimes in us history. prosecutors accuse him of trafficking drugs such as cocaine and heroin worth $14 billion into the country through the sinaloa cartel. but his defence attorney says his reputation doesn‘t match the reality. he is the perfect scapegoat.

you‘d think that he was the only drug dealer in mexico, that he was the only leader. there are leaders of the sinaloa cartel that are as big as him, bigger than him, alleged to be. you don‘t even know their names. before his capture following this dramatic raid, el chapo guzman was a mythicalfigure because of his ability to evade law enforcement in mexico for decades. he twice escaped from maximum security prisons, once through a mile long tunnel from his jail cell shower. peter vincent, a former justice department official, says it was el chapo guzman‘s own mistakes that led to his arrest. he ultimately was undone by his own arrogance and his own sense of ability to get himself out of anyjam. it‘s said he was planning to make a film about his life. after a secret meeting with actor sean penn, he agreed to record an interview. the tape will likely

feature in his trial, alongside evidence such as wire taps, drug and weapons seizures and testimony from rival cartel members. the trial here in brooklyn will take place under heavy security and could last up to four months. if found guilty, el chapo guzman will spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison in the united states. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. a woman who was raped and won a civil case against her attacker is calling for scotland to abolish the ‘not proven‘ verdict in criminal courts. the system gives a jury a third option, alongside guilty or not guilty — but there are claims that the not proven verdict can be confusing and damaging for victims. lucy adams reports a simple slogan — when it comes to consent, no means no. but when it comes to the jury‘s decision, campaigners say

the verdict needs to be clearer, guilty or not guilty. the campaign to abolish "not proven" is led by miss m, the former st andrews university student who has just won £80,000 in damages in a civil case against stephen coxen. he was acquitted ina criminal court. the jury found the case was not proven. but last month, a civiljudgment branded him a rapist. i didn‘t understand the difference between not proven and not guilty. and i think for me it‘s important that members of the public who either have to go through a high court case or are on a jury, to actually understand that there are three verdicts, and the not proven verdict can be quite confusing, and that "not proven" and "not guilty" are essentially the same in the eyes of the law. this is not the first time families and victims have campaigned to get rid of this historic and distinctly scottish verdict. but this time, they say they hope

things will be different, because the scottish government has commissioned its own research and is actively looking at the issue. some defence advocates believe the system works as it is. well, my view is that it‘s not demonstrably broken, it‘s a system that has worked. my personal view, if i was starting with a blank sheet of paper, would be to have two verdicts, one of "proven" and the other of "not proven", because that really focuses what the jury‘s job is. juries continue to reach the not proven verdict. last year, it was used more than 1200 times. but its future is in doubt. lucy adams, bbc news. the uk‘s first specialist wound research centre has opened in birmingham. it will treat injured military personnel, as well as civilians hurt in terrorist attacks and road accidents. the centre will develop new techniques with the aim of achieving scar—free healing.

our defence correspondent jonathan beale reports. hundreds of british service personnel suffered life—changing injuries while fighting in afghanistan and iraq. and many are still living with the visible scars from battle. josh boggi lost both his legs and his right arm when he stepped on a roadside bomb in helmand in 2010. so here i have some scarring down the bottom. he still suffers from heavy scarring, susceptible to tears. he now has hope that these wounds can be healed with the help of new pioneering techniques at queen elizabeth hospital in birmingham. the issues i have with scarring is where it breaks down and where the scar... it's skin that'sjoined together, it's not naturally used to weight—bearing. anything that will help myself or the other injured guys who've been injured or anyone in society that's injured or has got a lot of scarring, anything that's out there is going to help. at the scar—free foundation centre for conflict wound research, scientists and medical staff are already using laser

technology to reduce the scarring on old wounds. they‘re also developing new treatments to deal with burns on the battlefield and elsewhere. and this is the revolutionary dressing they‘ve developed. easy for troops to carry around in battle, you take out the dressing, put it in water and then apply it to the burn or the wound and it speeds up the healing process and reduces the scarring. patients and medical staff have taken their inspiration from the treatment of raf crews who suffered serious burns during the second world war. the goal now is to achieve scar—free healing within a generation. we think it‘s doable, so, particularly if you can treat the wound very quickly and prevent the scar in the first place then, yes, it should be possible. the hope is the techniques being developed here will notjust help wounded soldiers but also civilians who might have been the victims of a bomb or an acid attack. jonathan beale, bbc news, queen elizabeth hospital, birmingham. the daily commute can be long

and stressful for many people — and new research suggests our journeys to work are getting even longer. the tuc says rail commuters fare the worst, facing an average of more than two hours a day getting to and from the office. john maguire reports. whether it is enjoyed or endurd, commuting is a fact of daily life for most workers, and the time spent on the road or the rails in the uk is increasing. on average, we take 58 minutes per day travelling to and from work, that‘s up five minutes in ten years and totals, an extra 18 hours a year. wales has seen the biggest rise, an extra eight minutes a day. one of the biggest issues according to the tuc is wages failing to keep up with house prices, meaning that people just can‘t afford to live and work in the same area. and another major factor,

a chronic lack of investment in transport infrastructure. cardiff central station sees 13 million passengers a year. in the forecourt today, a display pledging that the vast majority of railjourneys in the years ahead will be a major enhancement of our infrastructure will help. on brand—new trains as transport here is overhauled. we‘ve really not invested enough in our transport infrastructure, especially rail, over the last 20 or 30 years in south—east wales. a major enhancement of our infrastructure will help. the government says it is putting an extra £48 billion into rail in the uk, giving more power to local councils to increase bus services and it is improving roads. today‘s report says that black and ethnic minority workers are on average paid less and are more likely to live in cities, especially london, where property prices are at their most expensive, so theirjourneys are longer. i used to use the trains before but now i am using the buses because i noticed that it is costing me about half the price.

a shorter commute, says the tuc, would increase productivity and even help to improveme mental health, giving workers a better chance of finding that holy grail of a decent work—life balance. john maguire, bbc news, cardiff. time for a look at the weather. here‘s susan powell. good afternoon. after yesterday‘s showers, much more sunshine today. certainly the weather watchers have been out catching some of the autumn glory, a beautiful picture from derbyshire this morning. looking at the satellite picture, the area of cloud that borders the showers yesterday a way to be used, more cloud to the west, but this afternoon we will stay with clearer