this is bbc news. welcome if you are watching here in the uk, on pbs in america, or around the globe. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: the top ten debate. democrat presidential hopefuls take to the stage in houston. the democratic front runners have just concluded debating here in houston. and i'm laura trevelyan, in houston, where i will be watching the debate and getting some early reactions. we have a special report from syria's idlib province, where government and russian forces are targeting hospitals with airstrikes. britain's prime minister is forced to deny claims that he lied to the queen in order to get parliament suspended.

the top ten leading democratic contenders hoping to take on donald trump in the 2020 us presidential election have been going head—to—head in a much—anticipated televised debate. healthcare featured heavily at the start, but all eyes were on how centrist and former vice presidentjoe biden, seen as the frontrunner, performed against popular hopefuls elizabeth warren and bernie sanders. let's head to houston, and laura trevelyan, who can give us some reaction to the debate. well, joe biden went into this as the front runner. the former vice president's campaign team said at the beginning of the night that he had a target on his back, and so indeed it proved. and just to illustrate that, here is howjulian

castro, one of the ten contenders on the stage, tried to go off tojoe biden, not very subtly, and tried to imply that perhaps he was getting old and forgetting things. let's listen to that exchange. barack obama's vision was not to leave 10 million 0bama's vision was not to leave 10 million people uncovered. he wanted every single person in this country covered. my plan would do that, your plan would not. they do not have to buy in. they do not have to buy in. you just said that. you just said that two minutes ago. you just said two minutes ago that they would have to buy in. you said they would have to buy in. you said they would have to buy in. are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? are you forgetting already what you said, just two minutes ago? sojoe biden so joe biden taking sojoe biden taking some incoming fire there, but in general he did hold his ground and he managed to turn this whole question of healthcare and how his progressive opponents elizabeth warren and bernie sanders, how they would pay for their expansive plans, he did

manage to put them on the defensive. and so as well did senator amy klobuchar. she took issue with bernie sanders and his big vision of mega care for all, that is basically government healthcare for everyone and not just the government healthcare for everyone and notjust the over 65 ‘s, and she actually suggested that this plan would take away private health insurance from those who have it. here is senator amy klobuchar taking issue with that vision of bernie sanders. and while bernie wrote the bill, i read the bill, and on page eight... 0n read the bill, and on page eight... on page eight of the bill, it says that we will no longer have private insurance, as we know it. and that means that 149 million americans will no longer be able to have their current insurance. that is in four yea rs. current insurance. that is in four years. i don't think that is a bold idea, i think it is a bad idea. senator amy klobuchar they're putting the progressives on the

defensive over their healthcare plans. now, gun—control also defensive over their healthcare plans. now, gun—controlalso came defensive over their healthcare plans. now, gun—control also came up in this debate in texas. they have been two mass shootings this summer alone, one in el paso, texas, and another one in odessa, and beto o'rourke, formerly the congressman from el paso, he is running for president, one of the candidates on stage, he supports a mandatory buyback of assault weapons, of all of the assault weapons in america. here is what he had to say. when we see that being used against children, and in odessa i met the mother of a 15—year—old girl who was shot by an hour 15 and that mother watched her bleed to death over the course of an hour because so many other people were shot by that ar 15 in odessa, in midland, there weren't enough ambulances to get to them in time. hell yes, we're going to take your ar 15, your ak—47. they are not allowed to be used against our fellow americans anymore. beto 0'rourke there on that proposal

to ta ke beto 0'rourke there on that proposal to take back assault weapons in the wa ke to take back assault weapons in the wake of those mass shootings. so for more 110w wake of those mass shootings. so for more now on the debate and where it leaves this still crowded field of ten candidates, i am joined by the bbc‘s anthony zurcher. so anthony, another marathon debate. joe biden, did he managed to defend his front runner status and blunt elizabeth warren's momentum at all?” runner status and blunt elizabeth warren's momentum at all? i think he had an up—and—down debate. i think he was much sharper than he has been in the past, certainly much sharper than the last debate where it was kind of a muddled mess between him and harris. you have that exchange you showed of him turning to bernie sanders, i think he looks good there. i think elizabeth warren and bernie sanders both tried to give it to him. i think elizabeth warren did a betterjob of kind of explaining the progressive position on this. later on baden seem to fade a little bit. there was a moment he gave this

long, extended rambling answer to a question about the history of racial discrimination in the united states which included telling children to listen to record players. but then he brought it back around again towards the end, talking about his personal loss when asked about what sort of adversities he has faced professionally. and anthony, what about all the candidates at the fringes? did anyone punch through? is this going to help anyone's campaign, get them out of the single digits? well, let's see, andrew young promised to give $1000 a day to ten lucky american families, if that doesn't break through, i don't know what is going to break through. all of the candidates had their moments. it was interesting to see the top ten candidates on the stage and there are still 11 or 12 candidates out there campaigning who wa nt to candidates out there campaigning who want to make later debates, but beto 0'rourke, as you have discussed, and showing that clip, he has had a rough debate in the past, but he was talking about gun control, in a passionate, personal sort of way, having come from el paso. i think this was his best debate by far. cory booker has been good, solid all along. amy klobuchar, i think she had good moments as well. the

question is can she break through? i think the democratic voters are by and large very satisfied with the top three candidates. i don't think anything is to change their mind about it that this debate. so there is some way to go, of course. but what is going to have to happen to change the fact that it is really biden, harris and sanders? bernie sanders and elizabeth warren, i don't know. i mean, biden would have to have a serious stumble. he didn't have that kind of stumble in this debate. he is not going to put concerns about his age and maybe his quickness on his feet entirely to bed with this performance, but he is going to be able to continue on, and so going to be able to continue on, and so far nothing really has dented that 30- 35% so far nothing really has dented that 30— 35% support he has had. elizabeth warren again look sharp. i think what is going to be interesting to watch, going forward from here, is if the progressives decide to start settling around bernie sanders or elizabeth warren. is there one or another that they like more? and maybe this debate help to figure that out, maybe it

didn't. but that's a dynamic that, if one of them start to really build—up momentum, they could catch biden in the polls. anthony zurcher, thank you so much for being with us. and by the way, anthony is a texan, and we are here in texas, so that analysis even more apt than usual tonight. joe biden still the front runner after this debate, still has elizabeth warren breathing down his shoulders, and bernie sanders‘s collectability the most important thing, that is what democrats tell pole pollsters, they want someone who can beat donald trump, in this process of choosing who they pick to ta ke process of choosing who they pick to take on donald trump next year. back to you. members of the public have been paying their respects to the former zimbabwean president robert mugabe, whose body is lying in state at a stadium in the capital, harare. his family and the government have disagreed over mr mugabe's final resting place. state television is reporting that the country's current president has agreed the mugabe family's

wishes should be respected. the government in the bahamas has issued a tropical storm warning for the same group of islands where hurricane dorian left at least 50 people dead and more than 1,000 others missing. it said the storm had the potential to strengthen into a cyclone within the next day or two and move towards florida. british airways has started cancelling flights scheduled for 27 september, when another strike by pilots is expected. ba plans to run more flights than they did on strike days earlier this week, but the majority of flights will be cancelled. all six crew members were asleep when a fire broke out last week on board a california dive boat, leaving 34 people dead, the national transportation safety board has said. under federal law, the 75—foot conception should have had a nightwatchman who was awake and able to alert others to a fire or other mishaps.

doctors in syria say hospitals in rebel—held areas are being deliberately targeted with air strikes by the syrian government, even though that is a war crime. the move is the latest atrocity in a conflict that began more than eight years ago and has left hundreds of thousands of people dead. 0ur middle east correspondent quentin sommerville and cameraman darren conway have travelled to idlib, in the north—west of syria, where opposition fighters, islamist extremists and civilians are largely surrounded by government forces. here is their report. the sick, the injured, the needy. there is little space left for them in idlib. dr mohib khaddour treats more than 1,000 patients a day, with just a tiny staff. there is a large number of patients and it's just

a few doctors, specialists. there is — we have three orfour, just. the current ceasefire came too late for amal. her name means "hope", something fast diminishing in idlib. she lost her father, her mother and her brother in one years. she just has a sister, also injured in the last attack. unfortunately, she needs many operations and skin grafts. it's a very sad story, i think. life is collapsing here. "why is this happening?" she whispers. 3.5 million people in the province are wondering the same. the world isn't listening. doctor, do you have any doubt

that the regime and russia are targeting specifically hospitals and medical facilities? never. i'm sure that russian air force and the regime, assad regime, attack many times all hospitals and health facilities. it's fact, like sun, like moon. it's fact in syria, and many hospitals destroyed, and still destroyed 'til now. syria's war is reaching new depths in idlib. this was a hospital until russia and the regime took it out, one of many we passed that appear to have been specifically targeted. in fields or in hillsides, the onslaught found them. nearby buildings remained untouched.

the united nations passed on a record of their co—ordinates to russia to ensure their protection. instead, it became a target hit—list, as the same places were hit again and again. russia and the regime's campaign has been horribly effective. it's terrifying. all of these towns and villages that we've gone through have been abandoned, because this is a war against what matters to people — their homes, their schools and their hospitals. this was a hospital until a few months ago. it's one of 40 that have been attacked since april this year, and it's causing people to flee in their tens of thousands. this is the last refuge of those who oppose a government which has brought their country to ruin. how can you still, in these dire straits, pass over co—ordinates to russia, which are then shared with the regime, which will involve more targeting when this ceasefire ends?

so, the co—ordinates is a preventative mechanism. many of the facilities... but it isn't preventing attacks on hospitals. at the same time, i think we're now upping — further strengthening the mechanism, further... 40 hospitals have been attacked in the last few months. and many more schools have been attacked, and many water points have received direct hits. so the system is broken. so the system of preventing and protecting the civilians has completely failed. as humanitarian workers, i don't think we can be blamed for that. i think, as humanitarian workers, we provide life—saving assistance, and we really ask everybody with these co—ordinates to make sure that this is respected. if anything, sharing the co—ordinates should bring more awareness — more, also, accountability. that gives little reassurance on the ground. life here is filled with peril. going to work is an act of courage. medical staff say they have a target on their backs, so head nurse nair

al—aswad takes care when he goes to a hospital in a secret location. his hospital is buried deep out of reach of the bombs. we were told to move fast too. even under this solid rock, they await the next attack. the un says humanitarian operations are about to reach breaking point. air strikes aren't the only worry. if regime ground forces advance a few kilometres, then here will be abandoned too. so people continue to race to the border. we headed south, deep into idlib, escorted by the self—styled salvation government. the men who rule here are deemed terrorists by the west, but these camps are full of families and innocents. the assad regime doesn't discriminate. there's no question that attacking civilians, hospitals, schools is a war crime.

do you think anybody will ever face justice? i don't think. nobody cares. i hope i can see justice in syria for everyone who injures syrian people, but i don't think i will see it, or in my life, at least. amal and taznin have known only this war. it's far from over, but already the living, the dead, the injured, have been forgotten here. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: can pizza prevent cancer? can a machine change a baby's nappy? these were the questions that winners of this year's ignobel prize tried to answer. 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: there have been impassioned exchanges about healthca re at the start of a televised debate involving the ten leading contenders for the us democratic party's presidential nomination. doctors in syria have told the bbc that hospitals in rebel—held areas of idlib province are being deliberately targeted with air strikes. the british prime minister has denied lying to the queen about his reasons for suspending parliament. boris johnson was speaking after scotland's highest civil court ruled wednesday that the shutdown was unlawful because it was intended to hinder parliamentary debate. mrjohnson also dismissed concerns about newly released government papers detailing preparations for a no—deal brexit scenario that contained warnings of medical shortages, food price rises and major cross—channel trade delays. he said the documents were just sensible preparations.

0ur political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports. almost a year to the day, this document was snapped by a beady—eyed photographer in westminster. a hint of the turmoil the government believed might come if we leave without a deal. 12 months later, after leaks and suspicion, at last, ministers have been forced to publish the actual details. do you understand what on earth we're doing? great, because i don't. let's hope they do know what they're doing, because leaving without arrangements in place could mean shortages of some food, protests, severe disruption at the irish border, and much more. if we have to come out on 31 october with no deal, we will be ready. and the ports will be ready, and the farming communities will be ready, and all the industries that matter will be ready for a no—deal brexit. all chant: stop the coup! after clashes in parliament, mps did change the law to make it

much harder for the government to take us out if there is no agreement with brussels by the end of october. but the prime minister is adamant he'd find a way round that to stick to his deadline. so neither side has any intention at this stage of backing down. if we were to allow the country to leave without a deal on 31 october, we would not be serving our constituents well, that we would be complicit in doing something that would be very disruptive in the short—term, very damaging in long—term. reporter: is there any progress? do you want to tell us what's going on? i'm very impressed. the only clear way out of the wrangle for the prime minister is of course to do a deal with brussels and leave the eu in an orderly fashion. there are whispers of progress in london and brussels, but the eu's chief negotiator is not so sure. we are still ready to examine objectively any concrete and legally operational proposal from the uk. the law has been changed to make it harder for the prime minister to take us out of the eu

without a deal, but it's not completely off the table. so, while ministers suggest these are just worst—case scenarios, the anxiety in whitehall and beyond can't disappear. nor can downing street escape a judge's ruling yesterday that the way they suspended parliament was against the law. number 10 is fighting on many fronts. this is not normal — the prime minister having to deny that he lied to the monarch. did you lie to the queen when you advised her to prorogue, to suspend parliament? absolutely not. and that — indeed, as i say, the high court in england plainly agrees with us, but the supreme court will have to decide. there'll be that other verdict next week, but the opposition just doesn't buy the government's arguments, or whether they're ready for no—deal. that's why we're so angry that parliament was prorogued, because i should be in parliament at the moment with the ability to interrogate the prime

minister and ministers. mps could be ordered back on the road to westminster by the courts next week. we're in a strange limbo. the only certainty — change of some sort is on the way. laura kuenssberg with that reported there. the ig nobel awards havejust taken place in the united states. they are prizes to celebrate ten unusual achievements in scientific research, with the stated aim being to make people laugh and then think. so who were the big winners this year? let's cross over to the us and speak to marc abrahams, the editor and co—founder of improbable research, the organisation that produces the awards. hejoins me now from cambridge in massachusetts, where he'sjust attended the awards as the master of ceremonies. you have just attended the awards as master of ceremonies. i can see your hat behind you. yes, thank you.

there it is! first of all, can we start with what makes a good ig nobel entry? yeah, one simple thing, these prizes are for things that make people laugh and then think. they have nothing to do with whether something is good or bad, that's completely irrelevant to us, just something that's funny when you first hear about it and then it lodges in your head and you want to tell people about it. if you could take us through a view of the winners, i believe one entry was about pursuing immortality through pizza? —— a view. was about pursuing immortality through pizza? -- a view. yes, this was an italian scientist who did some research and said there's evidence that eating pizza could prevent all sorts of diseases, including cancer, and prolong your life, providing the pizza is made and eaten in italy. is this real research? i mean, does it actually have the proper foundations... research? i mean, does it actually have the properfoundations... you know, control groups, all of that?

yeah, this is all published research and he's not saying it necessarily works this way, he's just saying there is some evidence that maybe it's true. maybe i'll have to have some italian pizza at some point. you will have to go to italy. i'll have to go to italy! i have to ask about the british entry to do with the most pleasurable places to scratch on the body. yes. you just summed it up pretty well. they tried to measure the pleasure ability, that's what they called it, of scratching. if you wa nt to called it, of scratching. if you want to boil down what they found, it's that it is pretty pleasurable to scratch an itch. what are the pleasurable areas? because they found somewhere more pleasurable than others. this is one where if you ask someone, which i will now do to you, what are the most pleasurable parts of your body to scratch. if you asked almost

everybody, they will tell you pretty much the same thing. that's what they found. i have read that they found its the back and the forearm and the ankles. i would not have picked that. oh, this does not accord with your experience? which body parts are we lacking here? well, you know, didn't do the research! ijust want research! i just want to end on the research! ijust want to end on the last one, i found it extraordinary. japanese scientists calculating how much saliva a typical five—year—old produces. it's a lot, i don't remember the number but it's a lot, a quarter or half a litre or something like that. we did this about 35 years ago —— he. published it in about 35 years ago —— he. published itina about 35 years ago —— he. published it in a medical, came from japan to accept the prize and he brought his three sons who 35 years ago were little kids, test subjects. he had there one on stage tonight in harvard on the stage. it was quite

enlightening. we have to end it there on that note, marc abrahams. marc abrahams tell us about the ig nobel awards. stay with us en bbc news. much more. hello there. over the last couple of days, the remnants of two different ex—tropical weather systems have been in charge of our weather. first we had the leftovers of what was hurricane dorian passing to the north of the uk. we saw outbreaks of rain and brisk winds and during thursday, it was ex—tropical storm gabriel that moved through. not much left of it. just a stripe of cloud moving southwards on a frontal system and as that cold front moves away from the south on friday, and high pressure builds in behind, we will be left with a lot of fine weather, good spells of sunshine, but a significantly fresher feel. humid air that has been associated with that ex—tropical storm being pushed out into the continent.

we start off with cloud in the channel islands and a bit of rain but that will clear quite quickly and then a lot of sunshine and dry for the majority. it will be windy in scotland but further south, the winds light. however, in the fresher air, temperatures a bit lower. top temperatures of 20—21 degrees for plymouth, for cardiff, for london. more like 17 for aberdeen. through friday night, temperatures will dip away. particularly down towards the south, where winds will remain light. further north, more in the way of a breeze and more cloud in across northern ireland and scotland, and some rain pushing back in towards the far north—west. the overnight lows seeing one or two spots down towards the south could get down to around 3 or 4 degrees. high pressure still in charge for most of us as we go into saturday morning, but notice frontal systems trying to squash in towards the north—west, bringing some outbreaks of rain and also some pretty strong winds.

now, much of the rain on saturday is likely to be confined to the northern and western parts of scotland, and a bit more cloud into northern ireland and the far north of england. further south, once again, a lot of sunshine. those temperatures creeping up in southern parts — 22 or 23 degrees. always cooler and fresher across the north where it will be windy, particularly windy on saturday night through the far north of scotland and then into sunday, it looks like this frontal system will try to push a bit further south but uncertainty as to how far it will get. maybe some patchy rain into northern england and north wales, for example. to the north of the front, something fresher and to the south, we could get up to 25 degrees. but looks like all of us getting into fresher air for the start of the new working week. however, with high pressure in charge, it will be largely dry.

this is bbc news.

the headlines: all the leading contenders for the american democratic party's presidential nomination are debating together for the first time. there were impassioned exchanges about healthca re, with former vice presidentjoe biden defending his version of president obama's healthcare plan against more radical and costly proposals put forward by his main rivals. britain's prime minister has denied lying to queen elizabeth about his reasons for suspending parliament. boris johnson was speaking after scotland's highest civil court ruled that the shutdown was unlawful because it was intended to hinder parliamentary debate. that verdict will be reviewed by the uk supreme court next week. doctors in syria have told the bbc that hospitals in rebel—held areas of idlib province are being deliberately targeted with air strikes by syrian government and russian forces. united nations investigators have said required precautions were ignored and war crimes may have been committed.