this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 11pm: president trump says the us wants to stand by saudi arabia, even if the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman knew about the killing of journalist jamal khashoggi. theresa may prepares to head to brussels for more brexit talks, as her ministers are forced to accept several amendments to the budget finance bill in the commons this evening. one in five local hospital services have failed to hit any of their waiting time targets for cancer, accident and emergency and routine operations. nhs hospitals blame the increasing complexity of their existing cases. they often have diabetes, they've got asthma, they're very elderly often, so they come with multiple needs so they take a lot longer to help. if they get admitted, they tend to stay in hospital a lot longer as well.

and celebrating 20 years of the international space station. # ground control to major tom... this is one of the more memorable moments from all of the celebrations. and the duke of cambridge tells a mental health conference he felt very sad and very down after working on traumatic incidents forthe airambulance, revealing that one incident pushed him over the edge. and at 11:30pm, we'll be taking another in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers, broadcaster david davies and political leader writer for the financial times, sebastian payne. stay with us for that. hello, very good evening to

president trump has said the us intends to remain a steadfast partner of saudi arabia, despite suspicions that crown prince mohammad bin salman was complicit in the murder of the journalist, jamal khashoggi. he also said he had no plans to cancel military contracts with the saudis. washington correspondent chris buckler has more details. the cia now believes it has a detailed picture of what happened when jamal khashoggi entered the saudi consulate. the names of the so—called saudi execution team who flew into istanbul to carry out the murder, and an audio recording of the killing inside the consulate which president trump says he has refused to listen to because it was, in his words, "so violent, vicious and terrible." it has been claimed that the intelligence agency believes that, despite his denials, the crown prince, mohammed bin

salman, ordered the murder. today, in a statement, president trump seemed to dismiss that, saying: i'm not going to destroy the world economy, and i'm not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with saudi arabia. what many people will find shocking is that, in this statement, president trump at one stage refers to the fact that some in saudi arabia regarded jamal khashoggi as an enemy of the state. he does go on to say that this was a terrible and indefensible crime. but, nonetheless, it gives you the sense that president trump intends to put american interests first over global concerns. the united states will continue to have a relationship with the kingdom of saudi arabia. they are an important partner of ours. we will do that with the kingdom of saudi arabia, its people, that is the commitment that the president made today. thank you very much, everybody. today, president trump was taking part in a presidential tradition, pardoning the turkey before thanksgiving.

but away from the cameras, critics say he has been making excuses for saudi arabia, granting the country something approaching forgiveness. the washington post, which employed jamal khashoggi as a columnist, said president trump's response was a betrayal of american values, and that surrendering to what they called a state—ordered murder only made this world more dangerous. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in riyadh. she gave me her assessment of whether donald trump's statement reduces the pressure on the saudi government. well, for saudis and especially the saudi leadership, there will be a huge sign —— sigh of relief tonight but in many ways it's what's expected. at south asian of what they said since day one of president trump's leadership, he will be a loyal ally of the kingdom, a great

friend no matter what. now seeming to side with it over watson reported to side with it over watson reported to be the assessment of his own intelligence agencies. the american president clearly seems to want to draw a line under this, but he mentioned, and the saudis know, there will be pressure coming from members of the congress as well as human rights groups and other countries who will continue to demand greater clarity. here in the kingdom, many saudis are asking and many say they don't believe they're crown prince could himself have ordered such a despicable act, but so ordered such a despicable act, but so many have said to me how upset they are that this heinous murder and this dark cloud and big question will hang over the kingdom, will hang over them as individuals for a very long time to come. and the fact president trump left a kernel of doubt, saying maybe he did, maybe he didn't, concerning the involvement of the crown prince, means it's not going to go away for a very long

time. lyse doucet there in riyadh. the prime minister has chaired the first cabinet meeting since ministerial resignations last week, prompted by the publication of the government's brexit plans. but theresa may's critics in the conservative party, who so far have failed to mount a vote of no confidence in her leadership, have underlined their opposition to the plans. and mrs may's parliamentary allies in the democratic unionist party of northern ireland are warning that the prime minister can't count on their support either. tonight the government had to accept labour amendments to the budget bill because it couldn't rely on those dup votes. let's talk to our political correspondent, jonathan blake. asign of a sign of things to come perhaps from the dup because they've got ten seats in parliament, crucial to theresa may, and they've started by withholding their support from her.

yes, last night the dup apps on some amendments and voted with labour against the government on at least one —— abstained. it saw the government come uncomfortably close to losing votes in the house of commons on its own budget bill, something which would be incredibly rare and very embarrassing for the government really. tonight, with the threat of the dup to abstain again on amendments to that bill, on further votes, the government caved in and accepted amendments put forward by labour and the snp to the finance bill. now, these votes weren't on anything unusually significant, they weren't stopping oi’ significant, they weren't stopping or putting through big parts of government policy, but what it does do is demonstrate how easily and readily the democratic unionist party, which, remember, props up the government without confidence—and—supply agreement, their ten mps tipping the government

over the line to getting a majority in parliament, that they are happy to withdraw that in protest at the government's brexit policy and in protest at the withdrawal agreement the prime minister has reached with the prime minister has reached with the eu. soi the eu. so i think that relationship between the two, the agreement between the government and the dup, is certainly very strained at the moment, and we'll have to see how far they're willing to take it. of course, the biggest dangerfor the willing to take it. of course, the biggest danger for the government is they withdraw their support and don't vote with the government when that brexit deal comes before parliament later this year. theresa may heading to brussels, she's going to makejean—claude juncker tomorrow we understand for more talks about brexit, how would you assess her position now? a few days ago it looked like she was really teetering on the brink, but is she a little bit stronger now that the brexiteer rebels have failed to get that 48 letters into the chairman of the 1922 committee?

well, there's certainly a feeling that co—ordinated effort, such as it was by the conservative mps who want to see theresa may gone, has not come to fruition. they have failed to get enough mps to put letters into the chairman of the 1922 committee within a short time for that to happen. it doesn't mean it won't happen, it may only ta ke mean it won't happen, it may only take one or two more to get that numberup to 48 take one or two more to get that number up to 48 and for a vote of no—confidence in theresa may to be triggered. certainly the immediate threat of that, this time last week it felt like it could happen any time, has subsided. as one problem goes away, at least for now, another rears its head or the prime minister, and that situation the government finds itself in in parliament, agreeing to opposition changes to bills to get legislation passed because the dup has withdrawn its support, is another headache she has to deal with. going to brussels

this week, the prime minister will meet with jean—claude juncker, the president of the european commission, to talk about the political declaration of the future relationship between britain and the eu. the second part, if you like, of the brexit deal, which is only there in very rough and relatively vague terms at the moment but already there are signs from certain member states, france about fishing rights, spain about gibraltar and other eu member states about how british goods will be transferred into the rest of the european union. there's a signs of nervousness about the level of detail in that so far, and what's being put down on paper in black and white even at this early stage —— there's signs. it's far from a done deal at the moment and i think we can expect some long talks and drama before it is signed off... at least the plan to do that is this coming sunday in brussels. jonathan, thank you very much indeed. jonathan blake in westminster.

no nation in the uk has hit any of the key nhs waiting time targets for a whole year. according to bbc analysis, it's the first time this has happened since the performance measures were introduced more than a decade ago. there's a big variation between individual hospitals and boards. of the 157 across the uk, 29 have not hit a single target. those targets are a maxiumum four—hour waiting time at a&e, and waiting times for routine operations and cancer treatments. the royal college of nursing says the nhs is going into the challenging winter months on the back foot. but ministers disagree, as our health editor, hugh pym, explains. maria, who is 84, is in constant pain because of swollen feet and ankles. she's endured months of delayed nhs appointments. in august, her daughter told me what they were going through. you just can't get through to people, it's answer phones, you're just banging your head against a wall most of the time.

but now, after eight months, it's still not resolved. one appointment was cancelled, apparently because of a lack of medical staff. i'm very, very frustrated that my mum has not got the quality—of—life. she can't do anything, and she's just suffering. and i don't like to see anybody suffer, and i don't see why she should be suffering all this time. suman works in intensive care and is also a representative of the royal college of nursing, which has done a report warning that the nhs has been so stretched in recent months, there could be serious problems ahead. we are really concerned that because we've had quite a bad winter last year, and we've not really had much respite in the summer months, and we are now heading into winter. this is the concern that we have. and the reason is that the workforce is a key issue for nursing in particular, so we have 42,000 nurses vacant posts in england, alone. 0n the three key waiting time

targets, a&e, routine operations and cancer treatment, 16 out of 131 trusts in england missed everyone over the year, and in northern ireland it was every one in five, and in scotland, three out of 14 boards missed the targets. in wales, five out of seven. some hospitals did meet most of their targets over the whole year like north tees and hartlepool. managers say they are constantly looking at ways to improve things, for example, putting on extra clinics of there are surges in patient referrals. so is hitting the target achievable? at senior levels of the nhs in england there is now a review under way to see if the targets might be rewritten to

reflect the different ways patients are treated. ministers have said they'll look seriously at any proposals that nhs leaders come up with. and some health experts agree there is a case for looking at how hospital performance is measured. i do see a case for revisiting some of these targets. medicine moves on. are we getting the best out of them? what i don't see a case for is simply saying, well, because hardly anybody is meeting the targets, we should abandon them. i think what we needs is a proper analysis of why that is. the department of health covering england said more patients were being treated and there was a long—term funding plan. the scottish and welsh governments have launched plans to speed up progress. nhs leaders in northern ireland conceded waiting times were unacceptable. carol's mother is still waiting after eight months, meaning more pain and frustration that the system is letting her down. that's hugh pym, our health editor. if you'd like to find out how your local services are performing, you can find

out using the bbc‘s nhs tracker at bbc. co. uk/nhstracker. the headlines on bbc news: president trump says the us wants to stand by saudi arabia, even if the saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman knew about the killing of journalist jamal khashoggi. theresa may prepares to head to brussels for more brexit talks, as her ministers are forced to accept several amendments to the budget finance bill in the commons this evening. one in five local hospital services in the uk fail to hit any of their waiting time targets for cancer, accident and emergency and routine operations. survivors of terror attacks will travel to downing street tomorrow to hand over the results of the first ever nationwide

survey of victims. it paints a picture of a strong first response from emergency services, but lays bare a severe lack of support later on. 0ur correspondent, judith moritz, has been to talking to some of the survivors. when terror strikes, there's a rush to rescue. attacks have killed, maimed and wounded, but there are thousands whose injuries are invisible. that's a happy darren, that. people like darren. he used to enjoy going to the football with his son. but now, i'd be different, because of the anxiety and anxiousness. darren went into the lobby at manchester arena when the bomb exploded. now he has post—traumatic

stress disorder, or ptsd. he says he's not had enough help. nobody can see any injuries on me. because i physically don't have them. mentally, i've got hundreds. i get people saying, come on, darren, it's 17 months ago, get over it. what's been the lowest point for you? not wanting to be here. that's very bleak. yeah. in manchester, a special screening programme was set up to identify people who needed help, but counselling treatment is offered by individual nhs trusts. there's no uk wide arrangement for the mental health response to terror attacks. david foulkes was 22 when he was killed in the 7/7 his father graham now campaigns for terror victims. he says guidelines on making help available quickly enough are not being followed. i've been overwhelmed by stories of people from 7/7, bataclan, tunisia and london, who have been left feeling

suicidal, isolated and without support and help. we don't seem to have a national plan. we don't seem to learn anything from the previous attack. we don't seem to have a system that says, oh, my gosh, we have had an attack, this is what we do. bonfire night has been around, and the fireworks have been very triggering. some of them sound exactly like the bomb sounded on the night. 15—year—old natalie harrison was at manchester arena with her mum, valerie. they have both found it very difficult to get enough nhs counselling. val‘s sessions were stopped after seven weeks and natalie is on a waiting list. i want to open up to someone and i feel like i am being stopped from doing that. i need it now rather than in eight months' time. don't hesitate to call us again if you need it. with nhs services stretched, charities like victim support are stepping up. their helpline was extended to 24 hours a day after

last year's terror attacks. we were still taking calls for westminster when the manchester arena event happened. since then we have really never had the opportunity to pull back our hours, and don't now intend to, because we recognise the need for immediate emotional support. terror attacks leave a lasting effect. those who have already suffered say they don't want others to go through the same pain in future. judith moritz, bbc news. disability campaigners say they fear the government is set to dilute the guidelines on teaching sex education to people a change in the law promised to make education about relationships and sex compulsory in all schools in england. but now some believe it'll be far too easy for schools to opt out of teaching it altogether.

0ur disability news correspondent nikki fox reports. i want you to think about the relationships you have in your life. who's in your family? mum. a relationships and sex education class. an integral subject at this specialist school in nottingham. who's kayla? used to be my ex—girlfriend. so, she's your ex—girlfriend? right! yeah! so, your relationship with kayla will have changed, won't it? every week, students discuss a range of topics from puberty to anatomy to hygiene, but the socially awkward subject of sex is a serious one here. every week, students discuss a range of topics from puberty —— if this is a fundamental part of education, they have to know that their bodies are valuable.

they have to know that they have to keep themselves safe, they have to know about dignity, they have to know about respect, they have to know that they can make choices in life and they have to know that it is ok to say no. current sex and relationship education is based on advice handed out nearly two decades ago. now, following a consultation, a new version to be taught to all schools in england will be fully available by 2020, but there are concerns that disability is an afterthought. there's only one clear reference to disability and it's a possibility of exclusion from sex education. we were asking for all children to have sex and relationships education, regardless of where they are educated, regardless of where they live and regardless of disability. thank you for coming, everybody. i hope you will mix and mingle together so that everybody meets everybody else. for the adults at this dating lunch, sex and relationship education was pretty much nonexistent but they are here today to maybe find someone. have you got a partner

at the moment? no, i haven't at the moment. she's had three, she's had three. you've had three? do you feel different because of that now? i feel more confident within myself, you know, making friends, meeting people. i think i've always thought, well, who would want me? most people assume that we are not capable of having sex. and that we are not sexual beings like everybody else. this is exactly the kind of attitude they have spent decades trying to change. what are the main problems when it comes to disability and sex and dating? basically, it's the people doing the educating don't get it, that disabled people are just like everybody else. most sex education doesn't actually

consider disability. and one of our members said his sex education was worse than useless, in other words, it put him off and made him feel terrible. the government says its proposals will strengthen what is currently taught in schools. it says it is still considering all the responses to the consultation to determine whether there are ways to improve the guidance further. of course, many disabled people have good sex and relationships but the concern is that if they are not taught sex education along with everyone else, it may impact their adult lives. nikki fox, bbc news. the duke of cambridge has revealed some of the mental health challenges he faced during his time as an air ambulance pilot. speaking at a mental health conference in london, prince william said that talking to colleagues had helped him come to terms with what he called the ‘enormous sadness' of one particular incident. several to a very traumaticjobs

involving children. —— i worked several kinds. after i had my own children, i think a relation between thejob and children, i think a relation between the job and the personal life was what really took the over the edge. i started feeling things i had never felt before and i felt very sad and very down about this particular family. the international space station is celebrating its 20th birthday today. it's been inhabited every day for the past 18 years, with different crew carrying out research for a wide range of scientific and medical purposes. we've put together some facts about the international space station. 230 people from 18 different countries have visited the station since its creation. it's been continuously occupied since november 2000.

every 24 hours, it completes 16 orbits of the earth. this means it travels roughly the distance to the moon and back every day. a little earlier i spoke to doctor suzie imber, a professor of space physics at the university of leicester, and asked her what makes the iss so important. so actually, astronauts have carried out of 2000 experiments on the international space station, designed by scientists from over 100 countries and some examples of the things that we do. we look at biology, looking at whether you can grow things in microgravity, looking at whether cells and tissues evolve and grow in that environment. they look down at the earth and they tell us look down at the earth and they tell us things about the amount of sea ice that they can see, they look at the aurora. they look at the atmosphere pollutants, for examples of it and they have technology demonstrators as well. they do things like 3—d printing in space,

develop ways to launch tiny satellites from the international space station. and finally, they look at the human body. how does the body change in that prolonged environment? so, maybe the eyesight, changes in the eyes, mussels, strength and bone density, and we need these experiments if we want to move station in the future. it really has played a major role in our understanding of the microgravity environment. very valuable, it it is 20 years since the work to build it started. it is getting on a bit, if it were a card you with it about changing it. —— a car. does itjust keep going and going? that is true, it is the most expensive thing that humanity has built, conservative estimate around $100 billion. it is enormous, the size of a football

pitch. although the oldest components might the 20 years old, we have been adding to it ever since. having said that, the future of the international space station is interesting. nasser have announced in their recent budget that they will continue funding up to 2025 and i think the odd that nasa and the european space agency are also looking at slightly different projects into the future, we'll have to see what evolves from there. now it's time for the weather with nick miller. hello. if you thought you said was culled across the uk, spur a thought for the folks of north—east usa, looking like it will be one of the cold est looking like it will be one of the coldest thanks giving on record, this dip in thejetstream producing between cold air and snow. a look at the jet stream the between cold air and snow. a look at thejet stream the coast of north america, it splits, one arm goes north, the other south to the mediterranean where it is storming. the arm to the north was looping

around high pressure in scandinavia and steaming right back into the uk with that cold, strong easterly wind. that is less pronounced and it will become a bit more settled the next few days but we still have a big area of cold air across it that will take some dislodging and that will take some dislodging and that is a battle that takes place next week ‘s weather as we will see in moment. we still have a bit of wet weather to get rid of during wednesday across parts of scotland, northern scotland, into the afternoon, northern ireland turning increasingly dry and bright. quite windy across scotland and northern ireland, elsewhere, the wind has eased a bit. wind chill isn't such a factor for yesterday but the temperatures are rooted in single figures of. is absolutely still chilly out there. going into wednesday evening we are going to get rid of most of the remaining wet weather. under clear skies with the wind continuing to ease down, widespread fog frost into thursday morning before on thursday, cloud increasing from the east, patchy rain, it is in scotland and

north—east england. sunshine increasingly limited and it will still feel chilly. a cold start and then we get that increasing cloud. this is the picture to last us into the weekend, low pressure to the south of us, high pressure to the north, the uk caught between with a south—easterly float at the isobars are opening up. the wind is not as pronounced and with the dominance of high pressure being felt, a lot of fine weather. quite a lot of cloud on friday, some sunny spells, still quite get through eastern scotland, glitzy showery rain towards the far south—west of britain. the low pressure will have an attempt over the weekend to bring some outbreaks of rain across particularly parts of southern and south—east england but there is still a lot of about how that is going to play out the big saturday and sunday, have that in mind, perhaps a possibility. still showers and outreach of rain into parts of eastern scotland and for most of us, temperatures are still in single figures of. this

chilly because it is less windy. chance on sunday for outbreaks of rain in southern england, not showing up at there is uncertainty about the prospect of that. mainly dry elsewhere. single figure temperatures. there is a pool of cold air cumulating over us, what will shift that? area of low pressure will have a go deeper into next week. first half of the week, high—pressure, settled mainly, frosty at night. the low pressure tries to come in later in the week on the turning more unsettled once again and less cold with the air coming in from the south—west but it isa coming in from the south—west but it is a very slow process. towards the end of the week we are waiting for that to come in. noticed this mild and moving in. it will take its time, this battle between the mild airand the time, this battle between the mild air and the cold air and the high and low pressure. it looks like probably the mild, more unsettled will come in by the end of the week there is a chance it will not arrive