welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: the ayes to the right, 311, the noes to the left, 293. more brexit trouble for theresa may. 3 big defeats for her government, but the british prime minister is insistent. the choice before parliament is clear. this deal, no deal or the risk of no brexit. two senior republicans — briefed by the cia — now say they are certain the saudi crown prince ordered the killing and dismemberment of jamal khashoggi. stocks tumble on wall street as investors worry about the latest threats to the us economy and relations with china. a u—turn for macron: the french president backs down in the face of protests. he's suspended new fuel taxes, but will it be enough? the mafia ‘boss of bosses‘, settimo mineo, is arrested in sicily along with dozens of other suspects. hello.

in one day, the british parliament has inflicted a series of defeats on the government over brexit — which further weaken the prime minister's authority, and could give the house of commons far more say on britain's future relationship with the european union. the government was also forced into a climbdown over its refusal to release the full official legal advice it's received on the brexit agreement — ministers were found to be in contempt of parliament. all this drama just before theresa may opened 5 days of debate on her deal. nick watt reports from westminster. it was the day when parliament, to coin a phrase, took back control. the government has suffered a major defeat that could shape the nature of brexit and how britain is governed. the ayes to the right, 307.

noes to the right, 311. that was the first of three defeats. ministers declared in contempt of parliament after refusing to publish the full legal advice on brexit. labour said this was unprecedented in modern parliamentary history and had an immediate impact. we have listened carefully and we will publish the final and full advice provided by the attorney general to cabinet. and then in perhaps the most important moment of the day, mps gave parliament new teeth if the brexit deal is rejected. 321. noes to the left, 299. the ayes have it. mps would then be able to table alternative plans. it has been a0 years

since the government lost so many votes on one day. but ministers are wondering if this may help theresa may. one cabinet minister said to me that this is a wake up and smell the coffee moment for brexiteers. do they want to send down the prime minister ‘s deal and, after today, risk parliament voting for a much softer brexit? theresa may opened the brexit debate with an impassioned defence of her deal. looking around this chamber, i know we can reach this moment. so i promise you today that this is the very best deal for the british people. i ask you to back it in the best interest of our constituents and our country. and with my whole heart i commend this motion to the house. borisjohnson struggled to command the house. if we vote for this deal we will not be taking back control but losing it. i am very grateful to the right

honourable gentleman for giving way. he appears to be one of those who prefer the grievance to the solution. my right honourable friend has come up with a solution. what is his idea? one tory rebel on brexit. it means parliament is flexing muscle. parliament is beginning to say to the prime minister you need to get this deal through us and you have to listen to parliament. i think everybody, whether you voted leave or remain, it was always about parliamentary sovereignty. the inconvenience for the prime minister is that she lost her majority here in parliament as the parliament takes back control, she does not have a majority. which is why we encourage you to go for a free vote next week to respect that and to give every mp at chance to vote. a brexiteer thinks the government defeat should not be overblown. i would say parliament's teeth are not that sharp

because the amendment only looks at the process, bring that process into play if the government agrees to it and there is a negative as will as a positive because if, at the end of the day, this amendment leads to a vote on no deal, and it succeeds, that is the parliaments as we do not want no deal, that is a bigger constitutional crisis. and where do we go from here? one labour mp believes the vote today on brexit will kill off one option. i think no deal was always dead. dead in the water. there is no majority in parliament for no deal and i also think the government does not want to lead us down that path because it would be catastrophic. they have already said that we would need to stockpile medicine, but it will be very bad for the country and the economy. i don't believe for one minute that the government wants to leave the eu without a deal.

a new parliament able to challenge and even humiliate the government took shape in front of our eyes today. perhaps this will prove a mixed blessing for theresa may. she could find that the parliament has handed her a lifeline on brexit. nick watt reporting there. more on all the very latest for you, on our website, including another possibly significant development — an appealfrom scottish politicians to a senior official of the european court ofjustice. his legal opinion — which the court tends to follow — is that a country which has decided to leave the eu can change its mind, during the exit process, without needing the consent of the other member states. that and more at bbc.com/news or download the bbc news app. let's get some of the day's other news. the us special counsel robert mueller has told a federal court that president trump's former

national security adviser, michael flynn, should be given little to no jail time. michael flynn has been interviewed as part of the investigation into whether the trump campaign colluded with russia during the 2016 election — and has been co—operative, according to robert mueller‘s office. nato allies have officially accused russia of breaching a nuclear arms reduction treaty that dates back to the cold war. the us secretary of state has claimed the united states will withdraw from the intermediate—range nuclear forces treaty within sixty days, unless russia comes back into compliance. the governing body of world athletics has extended its ban on russia, imposed three years ago, because of a state—sponsored doping programme. the iaaf says its conditions for reinstatement have not been met, even though the world anti doping agency voted in september to declare russia compliant. two senior republican senators have emerged from a private briefing with the director of the cia to say they're now more certain than ever that the saudi crown prince had a role

in the murder ofjamal khashoggi. the cia has concluded mohammed bin salman "probably ordered" the killing of the journalist — who was also a prominent critic of the saudi government. but president trump has been far more equivocal. our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. gina haspel, donald trump's chosen director of the cia left senators in no doubt. behind closed doors she spelt out the agency's conclusions about the murder of jamal khashoggi. that mohammed bin salman was responsible for the killing of the saudi journalist. mr khashoggi, a us resident and columnist for the washington post died inside the saudi consulate in istanbul in october. senator lindsey graham, a leading critic of mbs, as he is knownm said the briefing confirmed his view that mohammed bin salman was culpable. there is not a smoking gun, there is a smoking saw.

you have to be wilfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organised by people under the command of mohammed bin salman and that he was intricately involved in the demise of mr khashoggi. the saudis have charged 11 people but denied the crown prince was involved. the us secretary of state insists there is no direct evidence to connect mohammed bin salman to the death of mr khashoggi. donald trump says the cia's findings are not conclusive and he has refused to condemn the saudi crown prince. the administration is looking increasingly isolated in its view. i have zero question in my mind that the crown prince, mohammed bin salman, ordered the killing, monitored the killing, knew exactly what was happening and planted in advance. if he were in front of a jury he would be convicted. the briefing has only strengthened the resolve of senators to seek consequences for what they believe

happened in istanbul. the next move will be a vote in the senate to end us military support for the saudi led war in yemen. share prices in the united states have fallen sharply, amid fears of an economic slowdown. investors are also worried that talks between the us and china won't defuse the growing trade war bewtwwen the two countries. on wall street, the dowjones index dropped by almost 800 points — or 3.1 percent. i'm joined by our business reporter kim gittleson. so kim, there's one signal that every investor on wall street has been paying attention to and it's flashing red. this time it is a complicated thing

called the yield curve. i will give you a formal definition. the formal definition of the yield curve that eve ryo ne definition of the yield curve that everyone pays attention to is the difference in the yield you get from the ten year treasury bond compared to the year to make yield of the two year warned. the idea is that if you wait for your money to get back after lending it to the us government, you must be compensated more for waiting a long period of time. typically you are compensated with a higher yield, the idea that you think the us economy will grow for ever as a result interest rates will be high in the future and you are ok to wait ten years to get money back. the problem is when that curve inverts, when you are willing to get less money in the long—term than in the short term. the ideal being that you don't think the economic future will be that good so you will take any amount of money on offer. that is what we see now. yield curve is not inverted yet but

it is getting closer. getting closer to becoming flat and that is concerning investors because it suggests they do not think that this us economic boom will last for much longer. so it is complicated. i know you have made it as simple as you can. politicians need to pay attention, what has been the response? we have a president who p995 response? we have a president who pegs his performance to the performance of wall street and as a result you will not be surprised to find out that he has been tweeting not directly about what has been happening on wall street but about another concern for investors, the truth, or maybe not, between the us and china when it comes the trade war. president trump did not confirm that anything happened. he said he did believe there would be a deal that would be struck soon although he did warn that the us would be willing to impose more tariffs if china did not accede to its demands. we will get a sense of the us

markets on service date, they will be closed on wednesday in observance of the memorial service for george hw bush. the japanese market and the main chinese markets are down. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: from relativity — to religion. albert einstein's so—called "god letter" sells at auction for nearly three million dollars. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i am feeling so helpless that the children are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least

six other people in los angeles. at 11am this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle. then philippe cozette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags with robert fagg, his opposite number from dover. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: theresa may's goverment suffers three defeats on her brexit agreement with the eu, just hours into the first of five days of crucial debate on the deal. two senior us republicans senators say they're now certain the saudi crown prince is guilty of the murder ofjamal khashoggi.

let's stay with that story now. we can go live now to washington and speak to osman sert, research director at the ankara institute and former advisor to the former prime minister of turkey, ahmet davutoglu. thank you for your time. those two senators coming out off a briefing with the head of the cia and it seems clear that it is conclusive and convincing. is it in any way against change? yes, indeed. it may bea against change? yes, indeed. it may be a game—changer because of the first—time, lawmakers are pronouncing the name of the culprit who is responsible for the horrendous crime in istanbul, the killing of jamal khashoggi.

horrendous crime in istanbul, the killing ofjamal khashoggi. it is important because they are pronouncing the name of crown prince mohammed bin salman as responsible for the killing but they are telling us for the killing but they are telling us this after the cia briefing. president trump said maybe make may not be. these american senator ‘s state m e nts not be. these american senator ‘s statements and this cannot be undone. that is why it is so important. how much is the relationship between saudi arabia and america going to change? the president have been unequivocal. no matter how distasteful, american security comes first and the relationship with saudi arabia is so important. it is true but the

problem is it is a zero—sum game. if crown prince mohammed bin salman is m, crown prince mohammed bin salman is in, the american relations are on track, if not they are not. the relations should be bigger than crown prince mohammed bin salman. it is crucial for the americans and the saudis. it will be that after the crown prince. it is difficult for me to understand why it is such a deadlock on the personality of crown prince mohammed bin salman. to keep was making all the running on this murder even though its president has jailed so many journalists. murder even though its president has jailed so manyjournalists. is there more to keep can do? —— turkey. jailed so manyjournalists. is there

more to keep can do? —— turkeym did all it could. they handle this carefully because they did not want the problem to turn into bilateral problems with the saudis. the us are an important power regarding the sales, of arms, the economy. in spite of this, america is taking this issue very casually and that is why turkey was careful as well. the american senators coming into the scene and talking about the culprit is so important for turkey to contribute to an investigation. thank you very much. the french president, emmanuel macron, has suffered a major setback to his reform programme after agreeing to suspend a proposed fuel duty rise which had brought thousands of protesters onto the streets. the government said the increase would be postponed for six months.

the demonstrators, who have become known as the yellow vest movement, have brought paris to a standstill for the past three weekends, with huge rallies which have turned violent. lucy williamson reports from the french capital. support for france's yellow vest protesters goes far beyond those standing in the cold. car horns. the solidarity at this roundabout in beauvais is sometimes deafening. car horns. three weeks after the movement's original stand against fuel tax rises, its aims and its divisions have broadened, but there's still widespread public support. last saturday in paris, hard—core groups and agitators joined in with tactics of their own. but the violence hasn't stopped support for moderate protesters. and today, a government climb—down, a temporary freeze in three kinds of fuel costs. translation: no tax is worth jeopardising national unity. i am suspending these taxes for six months.

we want to find just and effective ways to apply them. if we don't, we'll bear the consequences. president macron is accused by many here of behaving too much like a king, unwilling to compromise on his vision or listen to protests against it. but this movement, led by social media, with widespread support, has broken that pattern, and with it the notion of macron‘s absolute power. the protesters in beauvais today said the government's offer wasn't enough. this movement is now not just about taxes, but the cost of living, the minimum wage and broader questions of inequality. translation: we need a total rethink of people's income. it's not just about the fuel tax. that's what sparked the movement, but behind that are several decades of social suffering. this movement brought together a range of people through social media, without a recognised leader or political group. some in the movement have been attacked for trying to negotiate

with the government or simply for appearing to speak for the movement at all. benjamin cauchy says he received hundreds of death threats from fellow protesters, after being described as a spokesman. yes, my life is in danger and i'm frightened, not only for my children but i want to continue this strike. with fresh protests planned for saturday in paris, the government is trying to isolate the movement's hardcore. in the face of growing violence, a security problem is much simpler for them to deal with than a political one. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. italian police say they've arrested the head of the sicilian mafia, along with dozens of others, during raids in the city of palermo. it's thought settimino mineo had been chosen as the new godfather in may. the italian government called it one of the biggest blows to organised crime for years. lebo diseko has more a dawn raid by police

in the city of palermo, their targets men accused of being the top tier of sicilian mafia. in all, 46 alleged mobsters were arrested, including the man police say is the boss of bosses. settimo mineo, an 80—year—old jewller, is said to have been chosen as the cosa nostra's new leader in may. it is thought he was elected at a powerful summit of regional bosses known as the "cupola", some of whom were among those arrested. translation: the provincial commission had not met since 1993, when the former head of cosa nostra, toto riina, was arrested. our investigation found it had been reconvened and moved from corleone to palermo. police gathered evidence on the suspects by tapping the phone of a senior member and carrying out secret surveillance. the suspects are accused of extortion, fire arms offences, arson and more. the interior minister matteo salvini

said the arrests were an extraordinary intervention by police, who dismantles the new cupola of cosa nostra. and the deputy prime minister has called this a powerful blow against organised crime. lebo diseko, bbc news. a handwritten note about religion, penned by the nobel prize—winning physicist albert einstein, has sold at auction in new york for nearly $3 million. the so—called "god letter", written in german, was bought by a private collector. andy beatt reports. final call... $2,400,000... sold! applause. polite applause at the sale of the letter by one of the 20th century‘s greatest minds, grappling not with science but the concept of religion. apologies to god, i think. laughter. the controversial note was written by the nobel prize winning scientist when he was 7a, just

a year before his death. it is seen as einstein's clearest statement of his views on philosophy and the meaning of life... the physicist also muses on his ownjewish identity... written to the german philosopher, eric gutkind, it is seen as a key statement in the debate between science and religion and it shows another side to the genius whose theory of relativity changed the way we understand the universe. last time the letter changed hands, in 2010, it sold for $400,000. the prize this time, including commission, nearly $2.9 million,

twice the estimate. andy beatt, bbc news. it's one of art's most prestigious awards and this year, for the first time, there wasn't a painting in sight. four films were shortlisted and just a few hours ago charlotte prodger was declared the winner. this is herfilm, shot over the course of a year and all on a smartphone. in a very personal work she explores issues such as gender and identity, with the countryside playing a starring role. thejudges praised charlotte prodger for interweaving thoughts with landscapes. many of her friends helped narrate the film, using her diary entries as a script. much more on all the news on our website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. thank you for watching. hello there.

tuesday was colder. freezing fog and a little bit of ice with cloud coming through the atlantic bringing milder air. when over the heels of wales and the northern heels as we go through the morning and into parts of scotland and it could fall into frozen surfaces because it is that old. still bitterly cold for some parts of northern england, particularly with the breeze. for the rest, it is wet, grey with heavy outbreaks of rain working their way eastwards. much milder. in contrast,

we hang on to the cold air across the north. some areas may not get to freezing all day. then it clears and another atlantic system coming in so more rain on thursday and potentially on friday. we will fight that milder air tucked in amongst the weather systems. thursday a much milder day across the board notjust the southern half of the uk. there will be a lot of cloud, a fairly stiff breeze and more rain later. that becomes a developing area of low pressure. the temperatures up to 14 low pressure. the temperatures up to 1a in some areas on thursday. the rain could potentially be nasty. friday, severe gales which could cause disruptions, bringing out some roof tiles and damaging some trees. tied to this area of low pressure here. a little bit of uncertainty on

the detail exactly how far north of those winds will be. caldaire digging back into the scottish hills for significant snow. lizards in scotland. —— blizzards. a windy day. we will find temperatures falling away as we get some of the coalbed being its way southwards once again. as for the weekend, the details are on the website as our warnings. this is bbc news. the headlines: the british government has suffered three defeats in parliament over brexit. mps found the government in contempt of parliament for refusing to publish the full legal advice on the draft agreement. mps then voted to give themselves a greater say on the next move if they reject mrs may's deal next tuesday. two senior republican senators in the us have said they're more certain than ever that the saudi crown prince, mohammed bin salman, was guilty of ordering the murder of jamal khashoggi. the journalist was killed at the saudi arabian embassy in istanbul, in october.

they were speaking after a briefing by the cia. share prices in the united states have fallen sharply, because of fears of an economic slowdown, and doubts about talks between washington and beijing intended to defuse trade tensions. the dow jones index closed down 3% lower. you are up—to—date on the headlines. now on bbc news — panorama. tonight... on the trail of a businessman whose rip—offs have gone unnoticed for years. were you ever there to help the clubs, orjust yourself? he has made millions of pounds kicking communities when they are down. how would you describe what has happened? a distraction. they offer you hopes and dreams, then take it away. social clubs, sports clubs, working men's clubs. it is systematic and has been

repeated time and time again. across england and wales they say they have been dealt a bad hand. they have been sold a story, given false or misleading information...