this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm aaron safir. our top stories: another twist in the brexit drama. mps demand parliament's immediate recall after scottish judges rule prime minister borisjohnson acted unlawfully when he suspended it. president trump says he may ban flavoured e—cigarettes after a number of deaths in the united states. the human toll of hurricane dorian. it has become a very big business as i understand it. a giant business in a very

short period of time. but we can't allow people to get sick and we can't have our youth be so affected. the human toll of hurricane dorian. after the devastation across the bahamas, 2,500 people are now registered as missing. so near, yet so far. have astronomers really discovered a planet in another solar system with the ingredients to sustain life? mps here in the uk have demanded the immediate recall of parliament after the highest civil court in scotland ruled its suspension was unlawful. thejudges also said prime minister borisjohnson had effectively misled the queen in advising her to suspend parliament. the case will go to the uk supreme court next week.

our political editor laura kuenssberg has this report. judgment day. in scotland's court of session, a clear verdict on borisjohnson. each opinion expresses the view that the advice given by the government to her majesty the queen to prorogue parliament from 9th september to 14th october was unlawful and that, therefore, the prorogation itself is unlawful. in plain language, thejudges concluded number 10 broke the law by telling the queen they wanted to suspend parliament for a break before unveiling their plans for government. the court did not specifically order the government to open up the commons. but some mps who had packed upjust yesterday rushed back to demand it gets going again, taking their places in protest on the green benches in the empty chamber, with an impromptu rally at the doors. we have shown in the last 10 days that we are prepared to work

together across parties in the national interest, and our resolve remains absolutely firm that we will do that. labour, too, is pressing the prime ministerfor a return. whatever happens next week, we will continue to press for parliament to be recalled, so that we can question the prime minister. hang on, though. scottish law is different to english law, and the high court in london reached the opposite conclusion in a similar case brought by the businesswoman gina millerjust days ago, deciding the prime minister's decision to close the commons was actually none of the court's business. number 10 will appeal. a final verdict will be given by the uk supreme court next tuesday. but this is as extraordinary as it is serious. the prime minister's actions are found to have been against the law, downing street ruled to have misled the queen. less than two months into office, borisjohnson has hurtled into a genuine constitutional clash.

number 10 denied they'd suggested the scottish judges had been somehow biased and, for now, cabinet ministers are reluctant to be drawn into the tangle. i'm not going to comment on an ongoing legislative process. it's a judicial issue, and no doubt it will be appealed at the supreme court. government insiders are curiously relaxed about the ruling and some mps and ministers reckon they'll still have many of the public on their side. the government have acted legally, constitutionally and in normality. farcical! absolutely and completely, not for the government, for the whole place, you know. the fact of the matter is the people said, "we want to leave the european union" and this place says, "we don't." that frustration is what downing street's banking on. a serious and important defeat in court for them today, but it seems lining up to take on parliament is almost part of their ruthless approach. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. meanwhile, the british government has published what it calls its reasonable worst—case scenarios

if the uk was to leave the european union without a deal. the document, relating to what's called 0peration yellowhammer, suggests there could be riots, food price rises and a reduction in the supply of medicines. parliament forced the government to publish this document, which, until now, was categorised as official, sensitive. it has some stark warnings, saying that certain types of fresh food supply will decrease, and that no—deal would reduce the availablity and choice of products, and increase prices. also, low—income groups will be disproportionatley affected by any price rises. the document also warns that regional traffic disruption caused by border delays could affect fuel distrubution, wwhich would disrupt fuel supply in london and the south—east. 0ur political correspondent chris mason has more.

here are the pages released by the british government tonight. and i think what's really striking about it is that, yes, they set out those pretty grim situations that they are not predicting, but that they are imagining as a worst—case scenario. but i think the most striking thing of all is that this is a situation that the uk government could volunteer for its citizens to be in injust a matter of a few weeks' time. now, governments around the world do this kind of worst—case scenario planning for all sorts of things. often for natural disasters or terrorist attacks and that kind of thing, but in those instances the government might be criticised for a not particularly adequate response, but they'll always be able to say, "look, we're dealing with a situation we bring about ourselves." in this situation, the government would be in a scenario where its opponents would be able to say, "you chose this option over something that, economically at least, would be benign, as politically awkward as it might be as the uk is in this almighty

knot about whether it leave the eu and if it does, how it goes about doing it. yes, as you say, talks about food supply issues, food costs going up, in some potentially isolated cases about water purification. massive issues for gibraltar, the uk overseas territory of the south coast of spain. spain, of course, a member of the european union. the social care market, something you wouldn't necessarily think would affected by the whole business of the uk relationship with its nearest neighbours. this document suggests there could be a failure of some providers of social care because of inflation after a no—deal brexit, pushing up staffing costs and forcing some care homes out of business. so, while this document, the government will say, is a worst—case scenario and a version of it was leaked just a couple of weeks ago,

seeing it in the cold light of day at this stage in the political cycle in the uk, with things running in such a high octane way, could make it hard for the prime minister, borisjohnson, to continue to make the argument that he's willing to entertain the idea of a no—deal brexit in just a matter of a few weeks' time. donald trump says he wants to ban flavoured e—cigarettes after a series of vaping related deaths across the us. six people are known to have died, and there have been more than a50 cases of respiratory illness linked to the practise. 0ur washington correspondent david willis reports. vaping. we know what comes out of the lungs, but what we don't know is what goes into them. now in response to a string

of vaping—related deaths, almost 500 cases of a mysterious lung disorder, the trump administration is cracking down. we have a problem in our country. a new problem, a problem that no—one thought about too much eight years ago. it's called vaping. flavoured e—cigarettes have surged in popularity amongst the young. menthol, mint, fruit, bubblegum and alcohol flavours, which actually contain a higher level of nicotine than cigarettes. 5 million children are using e—cigarettes. this is exceptionally harmful to our children. an entire generation of children at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine because of the attractiveness, appealability and availability of these vaping products. intended as a means of helping smokers kick their habit, the white house believes vaping could actually encourage youngsters to take up cigarettes. hence the ban on flavoured

e—cigarettes which some officials say does not go far enough. i think we need to go a few steps beyond that and ban not only the flavoured products but the ama and the american lung association has come out and said that e—cigarettes in general at this point are not safe because we don't know what the common link is at the moment amongst the recently—reported cases. the american vaping association maintains that illicit street drugs were to blame for the deaths and illnesses attributed to vaping, and that banning flavoured e—cigarettes would remove the life—changing options that've been used by millions of americans to stop smoking. david willis, bbc news, washington. the prime minister of the bahamas has called hurricane dorian an historic tragedy, saying no words are sufficient to describe it. during a televised national address, hubert minnis spoke of the grief his

country was going through. ten days after the hurricane, officials say 2,500 people have been registered as missing. gareth barlow reports. hurricane dorian devastated these islands, and thousands of people are still missing. day by day, rescue teams work to find the bodies of those killed, while the government works to ascertain the true extent of the disaster. mankind was no match for the power of mother nature. now this community is counting the cost. we recognise the extent of the devastation. we're not going speculate on what the final numbers will be. we understand that people are concerned and so are we. aid and government officials say around 5,000 people have been evacuated from the ha rdest—hit island groups. but thousands are still in urgent need of help. in an address to the nation,

the bahamian prime minister, hubert minnis, detailed the destruction in the worst—hit areas. much of abaco as we knew it is decimated and no longer exists. floodwaters in the streets made them appear like the ocean. concrete structures were turned to dust as if a massive bomb had exploded with atomic force. while international teams have rushed to help the bahamas, the trump administration has said it won't allow people from the islands currently living in the us to live and work there until it's safe for them to return. but first there's still the unanswered question — how many people died and will never come home? gareth barlow, bbc news.

i askedjill morehead, regional team leader for the aid agency mercy corps to talk us through some of the things she's seen. my team and i have been out to do an assessment around water and the devastation there is unbelievable. it is almost indescribable. my team is in freeport now trying to arrange water distribution, our understanding is that what is becoming a bit of an issue. and so we are trying to incorporate other agencies and the utilities from the government of the bahamas to try and help alleviate some of that, but the destruction caused by dorian has been very difficult to see. i understand you've witnessed the aftermath of several hurricanes over the past few years. this one really stands out for you? yes, this is the fifth hurricane mercy corps has responded

to just in the americas in the last two years, since 2017. and i think this is... i had colleagues who were in florida after hurricane michael, but of the ones i have responded to, the otherfour, this is probably the most destructive are seen. as bad or worse as puerto rico. several charities governments are involved in the relief operation. are people getting what they need fast enough? how would you assess the relief and assistance at this point in time? i think at the beginning of any emergency, especially large—scale ones like this, the beginning is always a bit frustrating. everyone wants to get aid and that's why we're here. that's what the government wants to do, everyone wants aid to people that need. in the early days, aid often starts to trickle in and logistics begin to approve, it increases and i have seen improvement in everyone's operations, including our own, over the last 10 days. i think as time goes on,

every day, every day we will see improvement. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll hear from the us college students who say high levels of debt are preventing them from pursuing the careers of their dreams. george w bush: freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here, of the blacks in soweto township, as well as the whites in their rich suburbs. we say to you today in a loud and a clear voice "enough of blood and tears. enough!" translation: the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great and exceptional courage.

it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: mps demand that the british parliament be recalled — after scotland's seniorjudges rule the five week suspension to be unlawful. president trump says he may ban flavoured e—cigarettes in the us, after six people are known to have died from them. a dutch court has acquitted a doctor in a high profile euthanasia case, involving a patient with severe dementia. the doctor — who administered

a lethal drug three years ago — has now been cleared of failing to do enough to verify that the patient still wished to be euthanised. anna holligan has more. should someone who makes a decision when they are of sound mind held to that decision? when they are not. that was the question at the heart of this emotive trial. in 2016, the doctor slipped a sedative into the patient‘s coffee. she lost consciousness. but woke up and had to be held down by her husband and daughter as she struggled to resist lethal injection. thejudges ruled that the doctor had followed the correct legal and medical procedures by going ahead with the patient‘s original euthanasia request. refusing to do so would undermine the woman's wish expressed before she became deeply demented and no longer understood what the word euthanasia meant.

translation: the court made very clear that euthanasia is always a complex case. not only for the survivors and some family members but also for the doctors. it is a huge decision. the court to look at what dutch criminal law had determined and whether the suspect, this doctor, committed euthanasia and whether she did it meticulously 01’ and whether she did it meticulously or whether it was a murder. euthanasia is designed to empower the patient, offering those injury extreme and unending suffering the chance to decide when they want in their lives. but even in a country where it has been legal for almost two decades, the practice remains controversial. in this trial was doctors and lawyers to confront a practical and moral dilemma. at what point do you stop checking with a patient still wants to die? the prosecution is considering an appeal. translation: the court file has a different view from the prosecutor

on some matters. we will take a close look at the differences in how the court formulated them. and then we will decide whether we will appeal. the majority of dutch people support the current law and many see this decision is vital in protecting patients and doctors rights. it's definitely true and to give you an example, i have written down in my will, i have said that if i will be ina will, i have said that if i will be in a situation where this patient and —— ended up in here, please help me, i'm sure i will not enter in the situation because i will ask my doctor in an earlier stage to help with euthanasia. as people are living longer and therefore more likely to develop conditions that affect their ability to think and remember, this was considered an important test case in establishing the limits of the existing euthanasia law. back—to—school season

is in full swing in the us. and for many university students, that means taking on more debt. student loans are now the second biggest source of personal debt in america, higher than credit cards or car loans. the bbc‘s laura trevelyan met two groups of students — those just starting school, and others about to enter world of work. it is an exciting time for students in the american campus in washington, dc. those who have taken out loans to help pay the cost of nearly 67,000 year, like these two, are diving into debt. i am looking at about $10,000 per year which is much lower than many of my peers but it is still above the national average. when you graduate, you will owe $40,000? at the very least. amelia's education costs are even more. coming here, i have to pay for about $30,000 a year myself. that is about $120,000 in debt when i graduate.

so it's a lot of money and it's very stressful. already, both students are worrying about how this debt will affect their ability to do the public service jobs they dream of. i cannot afford to go into nonprofits and still pay back that debt. i cannot do what i want to do, i cannot do what i am passionate about, what i am most equipped to do. and that hurts me and it hurts my community. for seniors, it is now time to face reality and payback those loans. i would love to be at au until may. i have had an awesome time here. she is going to earn $40,000 and she graduates a semester early. without even figuring on my housing, it will save me around $15,000. so i really cannotjustify three more months in school for that price. and for ryan, who once dreamed of more study, he does not want to borrow even more money. i was thinking about going to law school after graduating. now it is totally out of it.

i am definitely not going there because it's like you cannot continue to suffice with that cost. it weighs over your head, all the time, it'sjust not possible. the amount of student debt in america is overwhelming. a staggering $1.5 trillion is owed by 44 million people. and the totaljust keeps on growing as the cost of tuition goes up and up. it is not surprising that1 million people default on the student loans every year. and the national conversation about how to respond is becoming louder and more urgent. we have now seen proposals by presidential candidates talking about debt cancellation, and in the numbers you see that even people without student loans are supportive of these propositions, i think. it's a testament to humanity that we do not make other generations suffer just because the prior generation did. this generation, however, is mired in debt and calling for change. we're trying to create a society

in which you're able to follow your dream, and to have the american dream. but the american dream today is not what it used to be. it is so much harder to achieve because we are coming from a place of debt. college should be a time of expanding horizons. yet the student debt crisis is narrowing options for so many young americans. you are leaving with $40,000 in debt but has it been worth it? right now i do feel like it has been worth it. i think in six months time when the loan hit, i might have a different answer. a planet that is 650 million million miles away — could tell us if there's life out there somewhere else in the universe. uk scientists announced the breakthrough — saying the planet has both water and the right temperature to potentially sustain life. pallab ghosh has the story.

the night sky is littered with stars. around them are planets. could some of them be like the earth? scientists think that this one, which is 650 million million miles away, has the potential to support life. astronomers have discovered more than 4,000 planets orbiting distant stars. the new one is about the right distance from its sun to be able to support life. its temperature is between 0—40 celsius. it's around twice the size of our own earth and it has an atmosphere that we now know contains water. so, the big question is whether there really are living organisms on this world. light from the planet's sun filters through its atmosphere, before it reaches the earth. that light contains a faint imprint of the chemicals in it. in this case, up to half of it is made up of water. detailed analysis of the starlight,

published in the journal nature astronomy, shows this peak, where the light has been absorbed by water vapour. all of a sudden, we have the possibility in the next decade to understand what is the nature of this world, how they formed, how they evolved and, in some cases, whether they can support life. i think it's just mind—blowing. telescopes are becoming increasingly powerful. soon, they'll be able to detect gases in the atmospheres of distant planets that could only be produced by living organisms. within the next ten years or so, we will know whether there are biomarkers or chemicals that are due to life in these atmospheres. scientists hope to discover, possibly quite soon, whether life is unique to earth or teeming on worlds across our galaxy. pallab ghosh, bbc news. if you want a deep dive on that, check out the bbc website. the

british parliament —— mps have demanded the british allenby recalled after the fireworks vision was ruled as unlawful. at all from us was ruled as unlawful. at all from us from now, you was ruled as unlawful. at all from us from now, you can was ruled as unlawful. at all from us from now, you can reach me on twitter. i'm @aaronsafir. hello. just wanting to bring you right up—to—date with how we see the weather panning out across the british isles for the next few days. wednesday was a slow start across southern parts. and in fact, that same weather front links back to another area of cloud and rain in the heart of the atlantic. that's an area of low pressure that started life way down across the mid—atlantic, so it's bringing mild, moisture—laden air across the british isles and feeling really quite humid. to the south of the weather front, in the heart of that system, the cloud at its thickest so rain from the word go for parts of northern ireland, getting into scotland,

eventually across the border into the far north of england. following on behind, somewhat brightest skies to the south of that weather front, quite a bit of cloud around, for sure, and some of it, really quite low in the atmosphere across the south—west on what is going to be quite a blustery day. but those mild, moist airs are coming in from the south—west, not a cold direction by any means at all. and you'll find temperatures pushing on towards 23—24 degrees somewhere across east anglia and the south—east, just that wee bit fresher further to north. but all the while, once that weather front is pushed away, despite the fact skies begin to clear, it will be a slightly fresher night with temperatures down in single figures across the north, but where you keep the cloud in the south, 12, 13, or 14 degrees as the starting mark for friday. friday sees an area of high pressure building in behind that weather front as it moves in towards the near continent, and in that circulation, at this stage, the air is fairly fresh, it has to be said. so, friday is a dry,

fine day for the most part, enough cloud for the odd passing shower across the north and north—west of scotland, but many areas dry. and despite the presence of the sunshine, well, it's not the warmest of days over the next few days. you'll see the top temperature there in the south at around about 20 degrees, but as we move from friday on towards the weekend, the centre of that high moves a little bit further towards the east. so we then begin to tap into those mild airs again coming from way down in the atlantic. and for the greater part for southern scotland, england and wales, and for a time, northern ireland, it's going to be dry, fine and sunny. and certainly a warmer day for many, the notable exception is that front across the northern and western parts of scotland which becomes this weakening band of weather, robbing some areas of their sunshine as we move into sunday. still, many areas will be dry but that cloud could give the odd spot of rain to the south of it

where the temperatures are again rising to about the mid—20s.

this is bbc news, the headlines: british mps have demanded the immediate recall of parliament after scotland's highest civil court ruled its suspension was unlawful. thejudges also said prime minister borisjohnson had effectively misled queen elizabeth in advising her to suspend parliament. the case will go to the uk supreme court next week. donald trump says he wants to ban flavoured e—cigarettes after a series of vaping related deaths across the united states. six people are now known to have died, and there have been more than 450 cases of respiratory illness linked to the practise. 10 days after hurricane dorian began causing devastation across the bahamas, officials say 2,500 people have been registered as missing. the names are now being checked against records of evacuees and those staying in shelters.

those are the headlines on bbc world news.