the prime minister speaks of a crucial few days ahead, as she seeks to finalise her brexit deal. a change of leader would only bring uncertainty, she says, that could delay or frustrate the talks. these next seven days are going to be critical, they are about the future of this country. it's about people's jobs, it's about their livelihoods, it's about the future for their children and grandchildren. as eu ministers prepare to meet to discuss the future relationship, we'll have the latest from brussels, and on mrs may's position here. also tonight... california's wildfires — with more than 1,000 people listed as missing, how the emergency services are coping with the crisis. president trump says he won't listen to a tape of the journalist jamal khashoggi's murder, because the contents are too terrible. former welsh rugby captain gareth thomas reveals he suffered a homophobic assault in cardiff. there's a lot of people out there who want to hurt us. but unfortunately for them, there's a lot more that want to help us heal. and harry kane helps england to

victory against croatia at wembley. good evening. the prime minister has said the next seven days are "critical" for the country, as she prepares to go to brussels to discuss britain's future relationship with the eu. theresa may defended the agreement reached for the uk's withdrawal from the eu, saying it was "in the national interest". and she warned those seeking to have her removed that a change of leadership would not make brexit any easier. here's our chief political correspondent, vicki young. it's a crucial seven days for the country and theresa may's future.

she's sticking to her brexit plan, hoping to persuade mps that it's the right compromise — leaving the eu but protecting the economy. she'll also heads to brussels to personally lead she'll also head to brussels to personally lead last—minute negotiations. this isn't about me, it's actually about what's right for the people of this country, it's about what's in the national interest. that's what drives me and that's what i'm being driven to deliver, that's what i want to deliver for people. the draft withdrawal agreement is a legally binding document laying out how the uk leaves the eu. it includes a transition period, the divorce bill of around £39 billion and plans for the northern ireland backstop to prevent border checks with ireland. there's also a much shorter political declaration, containing a broad outline of our future relationship with the eu. it talks about a new free trade area, which the uk government hopes will be ready so that there's no need for that backstop. and there are plans for close security co—operation. the focus this week will be on the future relationship, and when we were in the house

of commons, a number of members of parliament were saying, we want some more detail on that future relationship — that's what we're working on this week. the labour leader says his party won't back the deal, but some question whether his alternative is realistic. you go back to europe and say, listen, our parliament doesn't agree with this and doesn't accept it, the people of this country don't. there are jobs on both sides of the channel at risk here. we need a serious, sensible agreement and i believe the labour options are the serious ones that could achieve that. some cabinet ministers and dozens of tory mps aren't happy, either. the former brexit secretary says the deal isn't right for the country. i do think we're being bullied, i do think we're being subject to what is pretty close to blackmail, frankly, for your viewers at home. and i do think there is a point at which — it probably should have been done before — where we just say, i'm sorry, this is the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, we cannot accept those dictated terms.

two things could derail the prime minister this week. brexiteer cabinet ministers want reassurance that the uk won't be trapped in a customs arrangements against its will. if they don't get that clarification, and resign, it's hard to see how theresa may could carry on. the second threat comes from conservative mps trying to force a vote of no confidence in her leadership. for that to happen, 48 mps need to write letters to this man, the chairman of the 1922 committee, which represents tory mps. the rules are very clear, that if a threshold were to be reached, i would have to consult with the leader of the party. immediately? well, yeah, ithink the whole thing is written with the intention that it should be an expeditious process. theresa may's message to her rebellious mps is that getting rid of her won't make eu negotiations any easier, and won't change the parliamentary arithmetic. vicki joins me from westminster now. after such a turbulent few days for

the prime minister, how would you assess her position tonight? of course she has had a torrid time, i think the impression she is trying to give is business as usual, if getting out there and trying to sell her deal. tomorrow she will make a speech to the cbi and i think we can expect to hear a lot more from the business community about them swinging behind her proposals. the emphasis will be on that future relationship, if that's what she's going to be focusing on but she cannot take her eye off what is going on here. she will be having much more engagement with her own mps because there are many who feel that they might be getting close to those 48 letters which would trigger that no confidence vote in her. i think there are others, though, who feel that that is not the right approach. what they think is that the real threat will come when and if she puts that steel to the house of commons. it is still very hard to

see where the numbers would come from, and there are many brexiteers who think that that is the moment. for now the ship has been studied but the mutiny has not gone away. after politicians across parties — and across the uk — lined up to criticise mrs may's deal, ?what happens next in brussels? tomorrow ministers from each of the other eu 27 countries will meet to consider the draft political declaration on the uk's future relationship with the eu. later this week theresa may is expected to meet the european commission president, jean—claude juncker. if all goes according to plan, there'll be a special brexit summit with eu leaders in brussels next sunday. let's talk to our europe editor, katya adler, in brussels. what would be the purpose of a meeting between mrs may and mr juncker ahead of next sunday's summit? good question. well, i can tell you what the meeting is not supposed to be about, it's not supposed to be about, it's not supposed to be about, it's not

supposed to be about reopening the divorce deal, the withdrawal agreement that was published last week, where some prominent mps are asking for a the negotiation. there really is no appetite in eu circles to fundamentally change that document. so the prime minister is planning to come this week to brussels to discuss the second brexit document which actually is still being negotiated, that political acclamation, an outlined by the eu and the uk as to how they imagine theirfuture by the eu and the uk as to how they imagine their future relationship will be after brexit. this is not anything like a final trade deal but the prime minister needs it to look attractive enough economically and politically to help herself that unpopular withdrawal agreement. she needsit unpopular withdrawal agreement. she needs it to look convincing enough to persuade her critics that she will never need to enter into a customs union in order to protect the irish border. but remember also that the withdrawal agreement is legally binding whereas this political declaration is not. as for

the current political turmoil in the uk there eu is resolutely ignoring it and ploughing on with its plans for the summit next sunday. the only thing which will put them off, say my sources, if is if the prime minister loses herjob in the meantime, or if she suddenly backs away politically from this withdrawal agreement that she has been trying so hard to sell. katya adler, thank you very much. the french president, emmanuel macron, has called for closer ties between his country and germany, saying europe "has the obligation not to let the world slip into chaos". mr macron joined the german chancellor, angela merkel, to mark the country's annual day of mourning in berlin for victims of war. in a speech, he warned europe must not "become a plaything of great powers". emergency workers in california are still struggling to contain wildfires that have devastated large areas of the state over the last ten days. at least 76 people are now known to have died, thousands of homes have been destroyed and the authorities say more than 1,200 people remain unaccounted for.

president trump has visited the devastated town of paradise in butte county, one of the worst—affected areas. 0ur correspondent dan johnson is in nearby chico. yes, and it seems like everyone here has their own sad story, of homes and businesses that have been destroyed, of friends and family missing or dead. there are big questions about how the fire started, how it spread so quickly and how and if they can safely rebuild. but tell paradise and its people are still suffering and ten days on, things keep getting worse. this is a ghost town that cannot lay its souls to rest. this road is where the brunt of the fire hit. and those sworn to protect life and

property here must now assess what's gone. we're going to go over to a property where a 88—year—old woman lived. the sergeant barely recognises streets he is patrolled for 18 years. all the normal landmarks that you're used to using argon. there is a new daily drumbeat here, uncovering the agony of a fire that gave people little chance. piecing together its painful suffering. so, pretty frail, probably not able to get around, probably not able to get around, probably didn't drive. and the fire hit early in the morning so who knows if she was even awake? the cruelty of death is clear. knows if she was even awake? the cruelty of death is clearlj knows if she was even awake? the cruelty of death is clear. i think i might have a name for you. so it looks to me like that was the person you were searching for. that means

you were searching for. that means you have got some news to give? you were searching for. that means you have got some news to give ?ij do. you have got some news to give?” do. the smoke, the smell, the p°ppin9 do. the smoke, the smell, the popping power cables, the early signs of something awful. in the growing chaos, a handful of officers dedicated to keeping people safe. the fire is getting closer and people are just sitting in their cars, stranded. duty came before formally. my wife is hysterical, if she wants me out of. she is begging me, get in the helicopter get out of there. i can't believe. have 200 people here that i've got to take ca re people here that i've got to take care of. they survived, so did many others. rob's wife and children are safe. we are coming up to my house on the left here. but his home was destroyed, right thousands of others. would you be happy to come back and live here? yes. i would. i

love it up here. so, i hope to be back! they built paradise with hope and ambition. so much has gone — but not that. dan johnson, and ambition. so much has gone — but not that. danjohnson, bbc news, paradise. president trump has said it is premature to conclude that saudia arabia's crown prince, mohmmed bin salman, ordered the murder of the journalist jamal khashoggi. he was killed last month at the saudi consulate in istanbul. mr trump said he had been "fully briefed" on an audio recording of the murder, provided by the turkish authorities. but he told fox news that he'd decided not to listen to it himself. we have the tape, i don't want to hear the tape, no reason for me to hear the tape. why don't you want to hear it, sir? because it's a suffering tape, it's a terrible tape. i've been fully briefed on it. there's no reason for me to hear it, in fact i said to the people, should i? they said, you really shouldn't. there's no reason, i know exactly, i know everything that went on on the tape without having the tape.

and what happened? it was very violent, very vicious and terrible. live now to our correspondent in washington, chris buckler. what else do we know about where the administration has got to in terms of who it believes was responsible for the killing? well, president trump insists that the cia assessment is still to be completed, he says that will happen by tuesday. however, he is dismissing these allegations that the intelligence agency has already concluded that the saudi crown prince mohmmed bin salman ordered the murder ofjamal khashoggi. there has also been a very careful statement from the state department in which they say that the us government, perhaps as distinct from the cia, has still to reach firm conclusions. saudi arabia haveissued reach firm conclusions. saudi arabia have issued a strong denials themselves. but we do know that the cia has gathered a lot of evidence and those who claim to have knowledge of the report suggest they don't have one single smoking gun which shows that the crown prince was involved. meanwhile, president

trump continues to talk about the importance of the relationship between the us and saudi arabia. he described the country over the weekend as a spectacular ally in terms ofjobs and investment. it gives you a sense that there are things which president trump doesn't wa nt to things which president trump doesn't want to hear, just one of which is the audio recording of the killing of the journalist. chris buckler in washington, thank you. the former welsh rugby and lions captain gareth thomas has been the victim of a homophobic hate crime in cardiff. the 44—year—old who in 2009 became the first professional rugby union player to announce publicly that he's gay appeared bruised in a video posted on social media. steffan messenger reports. he's in...! on and off the rugby pitch, gareth thomas has a record to be proud of. the first welshman to win 100 caps for his country, he played for and captained the british lions, too. in 2009, he made history by becoming the first professional rugby union player to announce publicly that he's gay. speaking to the bbc at the time, he urged an end

to homophobia in sports. in the future, there could be somebody out there who's 18 and found out at the age of 16 he was gay. so he put his boots in the cupboard. maybe, you know, and if all my message is clear and right, then, maybe this kid will go back to his boots, dust them off, put his boots back on and go out there and play rugby. but on a night out in cardiff yesterday, the rugby star turned role model was assaulted. bruised and visibly shaken, he took to social media to describe what had happened. i was the victim in my home city of a hate crime for my sexuality. why i wanted to be positive, because i want to say thank you to the police who were involved and were very helpful and allowed me to do restorative justice with the people who did this because i thought they could learn more that way than any other way. and also to the people of cardiff who supported me and helped me. because there's a lot of people out there who want to hurt us

but unfortunately for them, there's lot more who want to help us heal. messages of support have since been flooding in for him online. "love that you concentrate on the positives," said former wales goalkeeper neville southall. "keep being of all model, top guy." "keep being a role model, top guy." south wales police confirmed that a 16—year—old boy had been dealt with by way of restorative justice following the incident on saturday night. we're told the teenager admitted assault and has apologised to gareth thomas. steffan messenger, bbc news, cardiff. the social media giant facebook will announce new measures tomorrow to help support britain's local newspapers. they range from training forjournalists to support with recruitment and subscriptions. the announcement comes just days afterjohnston press, one of britain's largest local newspaper groups, went into administration because of unmanageable debts. 0ur media editor, amol rajan, has this report. sorry, under the caravan section — caravan for sale, is that...?

just a few decades ago, work in a local paper came with esteem, influence and a solid wage. titles like the independently—owned express and star in wolverhampton were treasured in their communities. these days, their importance has grown further but their commercial clout is diminishing. now, if you want a second—hand car, you look online. and if you want local news, fewer and fewer turn to print. it's challenging, i think if you look at the size of the audience compared to, say, 20 years ago, more people are reading our stories now than they were in that time, but that's if you take the print audience and the digital audience together. the difficulty we've got is, of course, a large proportion of those people that are reading are no longer paying for the content, it's just the print audience that are and it's how we start to monetise that digital segment. the romance and nostalgia of local papers is at odds with the brutal reality of digital news.

now that we all have the equivalent of the printing presses in our pockets, classified ads have disappeared and aren't coming back. what's more, it's hard for these guys to drive subscriptions. so while everyone agrees that local news matters, no—one agrees on how to save it. and while these guys are up for a fight, they will probably need some kind of subsidy. it may come from silicon valley. facebook say they want to help train local reporters, just as the bbc now do. at a recent training camp in cardiff, google were teaching freelancers in the way of new digital tools. what google is trying to do is figure out how to partner with local newspapers to find the new digital business models, helping them find new advertising streams and making sure that we supply them with the technology that helps them generate that digital advertising. the industry is on its knees, and some older hands blame silicon valley for stealing their ad revenue and content. but if silicon valley retreated, it wouldn't bring local papers back. last week, 250—year—old johnston press went

into administration, triggered by an unmanageable £200 million—plus debt. a new company run by the bondholders has been set up. it will radically pay down the debt and mostjobs should be saved, for now. the dame leading a review into the future of news is pragmatic about the local business model. i think it's going to be very hard to revive it because it depended so heavily on classified advertising, and indeed on other advertising. and of course if you don't have the advertising, people have to pay more for their copies, and local newspapers tend to have much smaller circulations than national newspapers. so it's very hard to see how you rebuild the model in its present form. everyone knows local news that scrutinises power and nourishes the bonds of community is vital to democracy. it's just that nobody knows who will pay for it. amol rajan, bbc news. now, the day's big match at wembley, and the rest of the sport,

here's 0lly foster at the bbc sport centre. gareth southagte says he is hugely proud of his england team. harry kane scored a late winner at wembley as they came from behind to beat croatia 2—1. that sees them qualify for the nations league finals next summer. john watson was at the match. at wembley, reminders of an england of old. can gareth southgate match their success with a younger generation? a win and england would reach the semifinals, a chance to win some silverware. with the margin is so small, when croatia scored through kramaric, it was england facing relegation. seeking the win to qualify, southgate centre reinforcements, harry kane poking it towards the goal and jesse lingard scored. but england needed another. who else but captain harry kane getting it over the line and his team, too? we're professionals, we

wa nt to team, too? we're professionals, we want to win everything we do, whether it is a new tournament or an old tournament, we want to win, a chance to win a trophy and make the fa ns chance to win a trophy and make the fans happy. so we're going to try and do that. whilst there was some scepticism over the new look nations league, england have benefited from testing themselves in a more competitive tournament against the likes of spain and croatia. now they will get a chance to win the competition outright in portugal next summer. john motson, bbc news, when the. with three defeats out of three, northern ireland had already been relegated to the third tier of the nations league before their final group match, and they lost again. they were heading for a draw against austria but conceded in injury time, losing 2—1 in belfast. alexander zverev is the surpise winner at the season—ending atp tour finals. he beat the world number one novak djokovic in straight sets at london's o2 arena. the 21—year—old german had beaten roger federer in the semi—finals and takes home almost £2 million in prize money. the open champion and ryder cup star

francesco molinari is the first italian to end the year as europe's number one golfer. that was confirmed after the world tour championship in dubai, which was won by england's danny willett. it was his first title since winning the masters two—and—a—half years ago. willett finished two shots clear of another englishman, matt wallace, and american patrick reed. england's cricketers are celebrating their first series win in sri lanka for 17 years. they won the second test by 57 runs, taking the three wickets required on the final day in kandy. jack leach completed a maiden five—wicket haul. they are 2—0 up in the series with one to play. england's women are already sure of a semifinal place at the world t20, they're playing the west indies in st lucia to see who finishes top of their group. the windies are chasing 116 for victory. they're 68—2, anya shrubsole has taken two early wickets.

but the windies are just getting back into it. you can follow coverage of that match, including video highlights, on the bbc sport website. that's the sport for now. a first look at tomorrow's papers is coming up on the bbc news channel. 0n bbc one it's time for the news where you are. hello. this is bbc news with lukwesa burak. the government's confirmed plans for students in england to be offered the option of "accelerated" two—year degree courses. it's proposing that universities would be able to charge higherfees for shorter, more intensive courses. they'll cost about 20% less in total than a traditional 3 year course. but the higher annual fee of 11,000 pounds would have to be approved by parliament. richard lister reports. a—level results day. many of these sixth formers will now have started university,

most on three—year courses. but the two—year option now given government backing will be a cheaper alternative. courses currently cost on average about £9,000 per year. under the new system, you would pay higher annual fees of £11,000 but forjust two years, a saving of around £5,500 overall. these students in london are all on three—year courses. what would they think studying for just two years? i do like the idea because obviously, you have a lot of spare time when you often feel a bit lost, how do you feel the time? i like the idea, definitely. people should get the choice of whether they want to rush through their degree and get into work or take more time to explore their opportunities. i think as a matter of fact, the three years really give you a chance to explore different things. you have time and especially if you do history of philosophy, you have a lot of hours that are free. this is your chance to explore so many different dimensions of yourself in the world around you. the plan requires legislation

and it is not clear when that might go forward but ministers think it should. the government believes two—year courses will make universities more accessible, in particular for mature students and those with families. it believes that within ten years, up to 5% of all undergraduates could be doing two—year courses. but british universities have centuries of tradition behind them and one lecturers union has warned that two—year courses could undermine their international reputation. richard lister, bbc news. it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. whilst many of us have been basking in autumn sunshine here in the uk over the last couple of days, northern iceland has been baking. for the north coast, near the arctic circle, temperatures averaged 17 celsius this weekend. warm air moves into the arctic and the arctic responds by throwing

cold air across northern europe. that will move towards our shores over the next couple of days. colder weather is on the way. tonight, we have clear skies, but through the second half of the night, it will turn cloudy across scotland, england, and eventually eastern areas of wales. the clearest skies, lowest temperatures, and a sharp frost in the highlands, perhaps some fault here as well. on monday, a different day weather—wise. there will be more cloud and there will be some showers, particularly across east anglia, the midlands and perhaps southern counties of england as well. a few of those showers could reach wales, most of the temperatures getting lower. highs into the single figures, but still some sunshine for western scotland. it will get colder again on tuesday, the cloud will thicken further, so we will see more of the showers coming in lines, one could affect kent, perhaps another one around lincolnshire and yorkshire. cold wind, around 40 or 50 mph, it'll make it better. it will be a cold day with temperatures around six or 7

degrees, but factor in the strength of the wind, it will feel much colder than that, close to freezing perhaps. tuesday night could bring some hill snow, in higher areas. looking at the jet stream pattern midweek, we have a big block set up. low pressure in the south, high pressure in the north. the main jet stream streams across the mediterranean, bringing stormy weather, perhaps affecting greece as we look into the weather in the week ahead. the weather won't change a great deal, because of the block, the atlantic can't exert its warming influence on our weather, because the wind comes from a different direction.