coming sadness in america in the coming days. it's a process that could lead to the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world. he tells the un that we're facing a man—made disaster of global scale and that time is running our for decision—makers. is running out for decision—makers. if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations, and the extinction of much of the natural world, is on the horizon. we'll have the detail and reaction to sir david's warning, as the world bank announces $200 billion to fund action against climate change. also tonight. on the eve of the big brexit debate at westminster, we report on the government's legal advice and why it's not being published in full. following the murder of the midwife samantha eastwood in staffordshire, a man has beenjailed for 17 years.

the number of working people in poverty in the uk is the highest in 20 years, according to a new report cheering and applause. and retracing her steps: the former first lady michelle obama visits the school in north london where she inspires pupils to "practise sisterhood" in preparation for life. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news. croatia and real madrid's luka modric wins the ballon d'or, breaking a decade of domination by lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo. good evening. climate change is the greatest threat to humanity,

according to sir david attenborough, who says the collapse of civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world are on the horizon unless meaningful action is taken. speaking at the start of the united nations climate conference in poland, sir david said time was running out to combat the threat and that delegates were holding the fate of the world in their hands. our science editor david shukman reports from the conference in katowice. it's been a year of deadly fires and record heat. and also, new warnings from scientists about the dangers of living in a world of rising temperatures, with the risk of many more scenes like this. a social media campaign has gathered voices from around the world, calling on governments to take action. please welcome sir david attenborough. the campaign spokesman was given a rare chance to appeal directly to this global forum. right now, we're facing a man—made

disaster of global scale. our greatest threat in thousands of years — climate change. if we don't take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. there was applause, but not much. maybe because tackling climate change is so difficult. poland, like many countries, depends on coal. we went down a mine to see the grim process of getting it out. thousands here think a green future threatens theirjobs. what would you say to a polish coal miner about his future, given what's being discussed here in this conference? well, all you can say is that things change. and there's a process of history which is now moving to its end.

and that you will have to find... your children will have to find new ways of living. so as the conference continues, there will be some tense arguments over what to do. with so many countries represented here, and thousands of delegates, together with incredibly complicated negotiations, it's easy to forget what this is all about. so, let me show you what's happened to global temperatures. there's one stripe here for each year since 1850. blue is for below average, orange is for above average, and the most recent years are the hottest, so they're marked in red. and the big concern is where the world is heading next. stronger storms and the sea—level rising are growing threats. small island states feel the most vulnerable. what kind of effort must be put into rebuilding? when your entire economy is wiped away. imagine, what if the entire economy

of ireland or england was washed away, where would you start? and that is the reality of climate change. tomorrow is a special holiday for miners here and, although they're celebrating, they're angry about the talks. at this conference, one miner told us, "the ecologists should take a look at themselves and ask who contributes more to the world, them or the miners?" but as the evening coal fires burn, each one pollutes the air. scientists say this must be phased out. it'll be a huge challenge. let's go live to katowice and the conference and david is there. what is your thoughts about the prospects for something meaningful to come out of this conference? well, for years,

this process has only advanced with very small steps indeed, and the ambition for the coming days is to try to put flesh on the bones of the paris agreement, the deal agreed three years ago when countries said they would cut their greenhouse gases. but the rules for doing that we re gases. but the rules for doing that were not sorted out back then so thatis were not sorted out back then so that is what they are trying to agree in the coming couple of weeks which sounds minor but will not be at all easy. the context for this is complicated. on the one hand, president trump is basically dismissing global warning and the work of his own government scientists. and on the other, there is an important development in renewable energy, the price of solar energy and wind energy has fallen dramatically which makes a green transition more plausible. if i had to guess, i would say that it will happen eventually but it won't come nearly as rapidly as people here would like. david shukman, our science editor, in katowice, thank you. the government's most senior lawyer has urged mps to back the prime minister's brexit agreement.

geoffrey cox admits that the so—called backstop, which applies to northern ireland, is a calculated risk, though he says it's a sensible compromise. the backstop, which will only come into force if the uk fails to reach a trade deal with the eu, will ensure there are no checks on the irish border. with a week to go to the crucial brexit vote in the commons, theresa may has brushed off speculation about her future, as our correspondent vicki young reports. parliament is gearing up for one of its most important votes ever. stop brexit! and two and a half years after the eu referendum, the debate is still raging. with just over a week to go to this monumental vote in the house of commons, tensions are running high — arguments between those who think theresa may's deal doesn't deliver brexit in any meaningful way, and those who want to stop it happening at all costs. one major sticking point is the so—called backstop,

which is a kind of safety net to ensure there are no border checks between northern ireland and the republic if a trade deal isn't in place. the uk would be in a temporary single customs territory with the eu. northern ireland would also have to follow some eu rules on things like food products and goods standards. many mps fear the uk could be trapped in this arrangement. the government's most senior lawyer and an an enthusiastic brexiteer admitted there was no unilateral way out. i am prepared to lend my support to this agreement because i do not believe that we are likely to be entrapped in it permanently. the question for the house is to weigh it up against the other potential alternatives, and to assess whether it amounts to a calculated risk. there was anger too at the government's refusal to publish the full legal advice it's received. the government should do the right thing and make this full advice available.

with so much at stake for all our constituents, with eight days to go before the vote on the deal, this house and this country deserves better from this government. it's no use the baying and shouting of members opposite. the attorney general insisted forcefully he didn't agree. and it is time they grew up and got real! this house is descending into farce and some kind of amateur dramatics. this is serious stuff. the prime minister was talking up her deal on the daytime tv sofa. it is a tough time. telling mps they have a duty to deliver brexit. this is a deal that does it in a way that does look after people, does look after people's security and jobs for the future. what i would say to mps is we need to hold our nerve. will you be booking a holiday? do you think you will still have a job in two weeks' time? i will still have a job in two weeks' time. theresa may is under

fire from all sides, some want another referendum. the idea of going ahead, particularly with theresa may's deal, is incredibly divisive. i think people deserve a say on exactly what terms we should leave the european union. today they delivered a petition to downing street, signed by more than a million people. just down the road, others complain that theresa may's deal is a betrayal. it doesn't deliver on any of the opportunities that leaving the european union will actually provide and itjust leaves us in a squalid situation. it's neither in nor out but it's mainly in and we don't like it. the protesters camped out here are unlikely to change their minds. theresa may's only hope is that dozens of her own mps will. wright and there's been a development tonight in that row over the government refusing to publish its full legal advice on brexit macro white —— i its full legal advice on brexit macro white -- i if no parliament told that it should. in the last

hour, the speaker has ruled there is an arguable case that contempt of parliament has been committed. this means tomorrow there will be a debate and vote to see if this is taken even further and in the end, ministers could even face sanctions. we are on the eve of five crucial days of debate when theresa may will be trying to win over mps to back her brexit deal. this will come as a very unwelcome distraction. vicki young, many thanks from westminster. the uk is running out of warehouse space, with extra storage for chilled and frozen foods already impossible to find. that's the warning from one industry group, which says stockpiling ahead of brexit is a major factor. as mps prepare to vote on government proposals for exiting the eu, our business editor simonjack has been asking firms how they're preparing for a possible no—deal brexit. full to bursting. the uk's warehouses are groaning with products and raw materials. faced with a no—deal scenario and the potential hold—ups and new customs arrangements that would bring, some businesses are trying to plan ahead.

they are asking for the space in the run—up to the 29th of march. yes, the phone is ringing off the hook. yes, we are overcommitted. there are 140,000 uk businesses exposed to customs formalities for the first time, going from 50 million customs declarations a year to 250 million customs declarations a year. this is unfamiliar territory to them so their reaction is not necessarily the right one. stockpiling is rather a panicky, knee—jerk reaction. surely there is a simple answer? if you need to keep stuff for later, just stick it in the freezer. it is —25 celsius in there but demand for space in places like this is red—hot. the problem is, you don't build a facility like this overnight. so for those people scrambling for spaces, many of them are finding themselves out of luck. if you haven't got an arrangement already in place, then you are going to be disappointed. the stores are already full. what we are talking to our customers about right now is how can we find ways to prioritise and slim down product ranges to make sure we've

got product on the shelf, even if it isn't the range that we are used to, for a period of days, weeks or months. storage is simply not an option for some businesses. this chocolate makerfrom harlow in essex says he feels stuck between being able to do nothing or doing something much more drastic. i think the problem is, we can't go out and buy 20 tonnes of cocoa at £100,000. we don't have that kind of money in the bank. we can't buy tonnes of cream because itjust goes off. in terms of the small things, to be quite honest, we can't do very much. but in terms of the bigger picture, we could actually move the whole production facility to slovakia and in fact, we have been over to slovakia to look at some properties. that would be a massive emotional wrench, though, wouldn't it, for you, picking up sticks and moving to slovakia? you've hit the nail right on the head. i'm so proud to be a small uk business that manufactures and exports. we are getting to the business end of brexit now and most companies' greatest fear is that we end up with what almost nobody wants, falling out of the eu with no deal. the probability of that is out of their hands. all eyes in the business world

are now in westminster. simon jack, bbc news. a 32—year—old man who murdered a midwife with whom he was having an affair has been jailed for life. michael stirling was told he would serve at least 17 years in jail. samantha eastwood, who was 28, disappeared in july. her body was found eight days later. our midlands correspondent sima kotecha reports. why are we jumping out of an aeroplane today? to raise money for two charities... samantha eastwood, living life to the full. today this man, 32—year—old michael stirling, was sentenced to 17 years in jail after admitting killing the midwife in an intense bout of rage. outside court, her family had this to say. no matter the outcome, nothing can bring my sister back. i've lost my best friend and sister. my mum has lost a kind, caring, loving daughter. our lives will never be the same. stirling and samantha were having what was described as a long—standing affair.

the court heard how he murdered her at her home after they got into a row. i'm yet to see any sign of michael stirling being remorseful for the death of samantha eastwood. it's been commented on by his defence barrister today, but i've not witnessed it in any of the court hearings in any of his time in custody. this is a man who, in my opinion, has shown no remorse for what he has done. before being charged with her murder, he had dinner with his family while samantha's body was in the back of his van. he sent text messages to friends and relatives, pretending to be her. her body was discovered buried in a shallow grave, wrapped in a duvet with tape covering her mouth and eyes. what have you done to samantha? no comment. have you killed samantha eastwood? at first he was uncooperative with the police before pleading guilty. thejudge, the honourable mrs justice sue carr, told stirling, "you concocted a story to explain samantha's absence, sent false text messages and lied in interviews."

she said, "you weaved an extraordinary web of deception." that was amazing, thank you. samantha's family say they're dreading christmas, a time they always spend together. sima kotecha, bbc news. a man whose allegations sparked the investigation into an alleged westminster paedophile ring, which then ended without any convictions, can now be identified after a judge lifted an order barring publication of his name. carl beech, who is 50, was previously known by the pseudonym nick. he's been charged with fraud and perverting the course of justice. our home affairs correspondent june kelly is outside newcastle crown court. what more can you tell us? carl beech is currently in custody and today he appeared by video link

at newcastle crown court. his allegations led to a £2.5 million inquiryi allegations led to a £2.5 million inquiry i scotland yard and he made sexual abuse allegations against a number of prominent people including the former chief of the defence staff, lord bramall, and sir edward heath, lord brittan and harvey proctor. no action resulted from his claims. the northumbria force then began investigating carl beech who was charged with 12 counts of perverting the course ofjustice, and another count of fraud. he is due to stand trial here next year and today the judge said that would begin on the 7th of may. thank you. the number of working people in poverty is the highest in 20 years, according to a new report by thejoseph rowntree foundation which focuses on tackling poverty in the uk. relative poverty is defined as an income less than 60% of the average of people living in similar circumstances. four million workers in the uk now fall into this

group, that's one in eight. and that figure has risen by more than 500,000 in the past five years. our correspondent danny savage has been spending time with one of those affected. i open the curtains every morning and hope for the best. sue prince constantly worries about money. every day i check my bank. i need to know what's coming in and going out of my account. she has three part—timejobs, but it still leaves her with precious little to live on after paying her overheads. my rent is a95 a month, plus the other household bills as well. i'm still only left with about £80 a month. and that has to buy me food and top up my gas and electric. buxton‘s a bit out there, a bit out in the sticks and it does get cold. the beginning of this year was

horrendous, weather—wise it was horrific. i was having to top up my gas and electric every other day. on a tuesday, the day ends with a visit to an informal food bank... and how important is getting this food to you each week? very. it is to me anyway. ..where sue collects a few days' worth of supplies. i was embarrassed at first, quite embarrassed, but now... i don't know, it comes as a way of life for me, you know. and i know i need it. i wouldn't do it if i didn't need it. for £1.50 a visit, food which is donated, damaged or nearly out of date is handed out. they can't afford to buy it so need this. it would be wonderful if there was no need for this but the numbers outside my door and coming through my door show how vital it is. they then return to their homes on this estate in rural derbyshire. just a handful of the 4 million people in the uk it's claimed are in work but living below

the poverty line. keeping the rent going, keeping a roof over your head, is often a really high priority. we also then find that trying to pay the water bill, the electricity, the heating, council tax. and so what a lot of people will do is they will be rotating between those different bills and each week working out, "which one don't i pay?" so they never get too far in debt. the government, though, says far fewer people are living in poverty and household incomes have never been higher. sue is getting a little more money now she's moved on to universal credit, but is still reliant on food hand—outs and doesn't see that changing. danny savage, bbc news, buxton. a british woman whose husband was murdered by somali pirates, who then kidnapped her, believes the only man convicted in connection with both crimes is innocent. jude tebbutt and her husband david were attacked while on holiday in kenya seven years ago.

she was held hostage for six months. jude tebbutt and her husband david were attacked mrs tebbutt says the metropolitan police team who flew to kenya to help the local investigation helped to convict an innocent man, and she's supporting his appeal. our special correspondent lucy manning has been speaking to her. jude tebbutt is a long way from the kidnappers. from somalia where, seven years ago, she was freed after being held for six months. she had been captured after her husband david was murdered on their holiday in kenya. i didn't know he'd died. i just assumed he was alive, but then my son told me he... he'd died. now, she has her loss and her freedom, and she can't put those terrible events behind her. yeah, i do wantjustice. but i don't want justice at any cost. a kenyan, ali babitu kololo,

was the only man convicted. butjude tebbutt doubts he is a guilty man and is supporting the appeal he is now bringing in the kenyan courts. i thought there would be someone coming through that door that was a representation of the two men that dragged me out of bed that night. but honestly, lucy, it wasn't one of those men. it wasn't one of those men. i think a wrong should be righted. and when i say wrong, i mean the fact that mr kololo didn't have a fair trial. officers from the metropolitan police flew to kenya to help the investigation. but the bbc now understands that the senior officer, neil hibberd, is himself being investigated about his role and will be interviewed by the national crime agency. a letter from the met police says they are looking at whether mr hibbert, who has now retired, may have committed a criminal offence or whether there has been misconduct or gross misconduct.

mr hibberd's lawyer told the bbc he intends to cooperate with the police watchdog investigation. mr neil hibberd said to me that if it was the last thing that he did, he would find the murderer of david and the people responsible for abducting me. and i believed him, i really believed him. i think they have to take ownership of what they did back in 2011, the team that helped convict mr kololo. an innocent man. mr kololo's lawyers claim mr hibberd didn't disclose that there was forensic testing of evidence which undermined the prosecution's case, and he misled the court by giving selective evidence. his lawyers also claim that mr kololo was, for most of the trial, without a lawyer or interpreter, and was tortured by kenyan police. some people might find it surprising

that you're fighting for the man who has been convicted of involvement with the death of your husband. if there has been a miscarriage of justice, it needs to be investigated. if i had been murdered, david... he would be sat here now because... he was a really good man. and he was an honourable man. and the honourable thing now to do is to hopefully get a fair trial for mr kololo. that is the least that he deserves, really. jude tebbutt feels the metropolitan police wanted to go to kenya and get their man, but she doesn't think he's the man at all. lucy manning, bbc news. a coffin carrying the body of the former us president george hw bush has arrived in washington, dc, where it will lie in state in the us capitol ahead

of his funeral on wednesday. mr bush, the 41st president, died on friday at the age of 94 at his home in houston, texas, where he'll be buried on thursday. his remains are lying in state in the us capitol, watched over by his faithful labrador — his service dog, sully. president macron of france is under growing pressure after further violent protests in paris at the weekend. the demonstrations began last month over a planned increase in fuel duty, but sparked wider discontent about the government's economic reforms. the french prime minister has been meeting political leaders today to discuss the crisis, and is due to meet representatives of the protesters tomorrow. from paris, our correspondent lucy williamson reports. it began as a challenge to new fuel taxes. by saturday, it was about challenging power. paris hasn't seen rage like this

since before the president was born. "mr macron", screamed one front page today, "this needs a response". the prime minister met opposition leaders today for crisis talks. tomorrow, he will meet a delegation from the gilets jaunes themselves, but on a protest movement with no official leaders and no political affiliation, will these meetings have any effect? what was a security problem for emmanuel macron is now becoming a political crisis, too. his young party, seen as fiercely loyal to macron himself, is said to be splintering over how to respond. but some in mr macron's party say there are no concessions that will satisfy the protesters, that what they really want is the government to fall. i did propose many times on this roundabout, "what if we raise your wages? what if we cut the taxes?" and they said, "we don't want this.

we want something else". so, at the end of the day, what those people want is to take charge, take charges. so that is a political conversation. we first met didier at this protest site a week ago. to stop this saturday's protests, he says, macron must cut all the taxes he introduced, review all the pension laws and the minimum wage. another day of action risks catastrophe, he says, and it is notjust agitators who are to blame. translation: it is a mixture of both. you have the rioters who are getting more violent. but amongst the protesters, that violence is growing even more strongly and very rapidly. they are fed up and they can't see a way out. in front of the national assembly today, ambulance workers staged a separate protest against the government's economic plans. president macron, criticised for acting too much like a king,

is facing a crucial test. can he show he is listening to voters without giving up his vision or giving into revolt? lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the former us first lady michelle obama has said she still feels impostor syndrome, despite her eight years as america's most powerful woman and her success as an advocate for women and girls across the world. today she returned to the girls' school in london that she first visited nine years ago to talk about her life and the importance of education. and this evening at the royal festival hall, she discussed her recently—published autobiography, as our correspondent adina campbell reports. as they queued outside in the cold, expectations were high. i think i'm just really excited to be here. i think what she represents, what she's achieved in her own right — without her association with her husband — has been powerful.

we've got a family, and a young family, and to see a black family in the white house is empowering for us. applause. once inside, michelle obama was welcomed with rapturous applause, in front of an audience of nearly 3,000 people. wow! during the 90—minute conversation, fans of michelle obama heard her talk about a number of issues, but her main message was about empowerment. we assume that working—class folks are not highly gifted in their own right when, a lot of times, your station in life is limited by the circumstances that you find yourself in. how was it? it was amazing. she was very witty. like, when someone would sayjoke, she would just be automaticallyjust on the ball, always ready. it's just very unique. like, you don't get the opportunity every day to see michelle obama, the first lady. and she's so empowering and great in her own way. and it's just amazing to know

that we, as young people, got that opportunity. did anyone get really emotional? yes. yeah. yes, still red! cheering and applause. and earlier today, mrs obama re—visited a school in north london — a place where she says she was first inspired to focus on education during her time as the first lady. it gives me a level of focus and determination in the work that i do when i get to see you all up close. and as i said then, you remind me of me, in all of the fears and all the challenges that you face. it's notjust these girls who are inspired by michelle obama's personal story. herjourney from a working—class neighbourhood in chicago all the way to the white house has captivated millions of people all over the world. it was really good and inspiring.