this is bbc news, i'm geeta guru—murthy. the headlines at one: donald trump's political opponents demand the white house hands over documents for their impeachment inquiry. much of hong kong is shut down as demonstrators defy a new ban on wearing face masks. the government indicates it could clarify its new brexit offer after the eu called for "fundamental changes". prince harry begins legal action against the owners of the sun and the mirror over alleged phone hacking. hard times for the high street, as new figures reveal more than 1,600 shops have closed as a result of restructuring deals since the beginning of last year. england reach the quarterfinals of the rugby world cup with a game to spare after a 39—10 victory over argentina in tokyo. and the firefighters who believe their job

caused them to have cancer. that's in inside out in half an hour. donald trump's political opponents have intensified efforts to impeach the president. three congressional committees have demanded legal documents relating to a telephone call by mr trump, in which he asked ukraine to investigate his presidential rival, joe biden. from washington, chris buckler reports. what was a request has become a demand. democrats are piling the pressure on president trump by issuing a subpoena for a series of documents. they want a full, rather than a rough, transcript of thejuly phone call in which he asked the ukrainian leader, volodymyr zelenskiy, to investigate his political rival

and potential presidential rival, joe biden. and amid all the talk of impeachment, mr trump continues to make unfounded allegations about mr biden, who hopes to challenge him in next year's presidential election. you're pointing out when he's flatlining, where there is no evidence, none, not a scintilla, not one tiny piece. the american people know me, and they know him. even the people who support him know this man lacks character. even people who support him know he lies constantly. in a letter, the chairman of three congressional committees accused mr trump of choosing a path of defiance, obstruction and cover—up. in response, the white house accused the democrats of setting up a kangaroo court that would only waste time and taxpayers‘ dollars, and president trump's press secretary insisted that all their inquiries would ultimately show that the president had done nothing wrong.

much of hong kong is shut down after violent demonstrations led to the suspension of the city's public transport network, many shopping centres, and banks and businesses have been unable to open. thousands of people have taken to the streets today to protest against a newly—imposed ban on wearing facemasks. at a news conference in kuala lumpur, the united nations high commissioner for human rights, michelle bachelet, said the ban on face coverings should not be used as a way to target or disrupt people taking part in peaceful demonstrations. ban on face covering during assemblies are, in some circumstances, used to target particular groups to curtail their freedom of expression or peaceful assembly. so freedom of peaceful assembly, when we are talking about peaceful assembly, should be enjoyed without restriction to the greatest extent possible. but on the other hand, we cannot accept people who use masks

to promote violence. that is also not acceptable. i spoke to our correspondent in hong kong, robin brant. this morning, there has been a protest of up to 2,000 people, who made their way down to the premium shopping district here in hong kong. they have blocked the roads and were there for a brief period of time, but then they dispersed. there are a few hundred here now, but what do you see in that crowd? notjust mostly young people, but lots of people wearing masks, and that tells you what these protesters think about that emergency measure brought in yesterday by the government, which makes wearing a mask and covering your face if you are at an illegal gathering, a criminal act. they frankly don't care. so we have seen organised protest this morning. there was disruption on the streets, but pretty low level and no trouble that we saw or that we have heard of, say pretty come here today.

the metro network is shut, and it closed yesterday, so there is a sense of paralysis. shopping malls are also closed. there will be lots of convenience stores closed this evening in anticipation of maybe more trouble this evening, but the sense we are getting is that people are staying away, and maybe just making that decision to keep the metro network shut is the reason for that because it makes it difficult for people to get around, and it makes difficult for sizeable numbers to gather in a protest. are the authorities or the police anywhere near moving in on people who are wearing masks? no, not at all. i don't think they intend to. there has been some local reporting, discussing those emergency measures. interestingly, yesterday, the hong kong government said it is an emergency law, but they don't see hong kong as being in a state of emergency. there was local reporting about the police taking time to implement these new powers,

see what happens, you know, the truth is that you have people wearing masks, and there is talk of a big show on monday of protesters, in hundreds of thousands, wearing masks across the city as everyone returns to work. are the police going to arrest everyone who they think is attending an illegal gathering? or, are theyjust going to pick off the hard core of radical protesters, those they believe are behind much of the violence? that is more likely perhaps, but for now, that is what the protesters think about not being allowed to wear masks. they are being very peaceful today, the disruption on the streets has annoyed some people in cars, but we have not seen any police anywhere. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, says he's called the us ambassador to express his "disappointment" that the wife of an american diplomat, who's wanted in connection with a fatal road crash, has left the country. 19—year—old harry dunn was killed in a collision near raf croughton in northamptonshire in august.

police say they want to arrest and interview the 42—year—old woman about his death. the government has indicated it could clarify its new brexit offer after the eu called for "fundamental changes". talks will resume on monday after the eu said the uk's proposed alternative to the irish backstop could not be the basis for a legally—binding treaty. borisjohnson has insisted the only options are a new deal or no deal. earlier, our political correspondent susana mendonca said that it is unclear how the government could get around the law and deliver brexit if a deal is not agreed with the eu by october the 19th. if the government has not agreed a deal with parliament by october 19th, then it has to ask the eu for an extension, so it has to send a letter to the european union asking for that extension. there is a court case going on at the moment in scotland, in the court of session, where those who have taken that there are basically trying

to make sure that borisjohnson does obey the law. the prime minister said that he will obey the law, but at the same time he is saying he will leave on october 31st. but it is not clear that if he can't get a deal with the eu or through parliament, then the law as it stands, it says he can't leave. the sense we are getting certainly from the government is that perhaps they are looking for alternatives, other ways to get around that law. in terms of the letter that they sent to the courts this week, a lot of people are suspecting that perhaps this is about discouraging the court from making some kind of ruling that would allow the cabinet secretary to send that letter to the eu if it comes to it and the government needs to ask for an extension. there is a lot of speculation. we don't really know how the government would get around that law and have us leave on october 31st if it can't get a deal. that brings us back to this need to get a deal, and of course they are talking to the eu about that.

the eu has not been particularly positive about the idea that borisjohnson came up with this week, where he talks about the idea of keeping northern ireland in the single market, but leaving the customs union, which would mean some kind of customs checks on the border between northern ireland and the republic. so unless he can really make that happen, it is not clear as to what happens at the end of october. someone i spoke to yesterday in dublin was suggesting, having spoken to irish government sources, that maybe the private conversations could indicate that britain will be difficult if they don't exit now in future financial negotiations that affect the eu for the next few months, or that they would ask somebody else, like hungary, to try and veto the extension. that hungary line is also in the telegraph. how much credence is being given to that? this idea has been knocking about since the benn act came into play, and people were talking about how can the government get out of having to ask for an extension, and what happens if you get a country to veto.

this idea of hungary has been around for a while. whether or not they could get the hungarian government to veto is another matter because that would not go down well within the eu 27, and presumably hungary wants to keep good relations with other european countries. what we know, i was talking to downing street earlier on today, they said they were not commenting on this, but we have heard from the hungarian foreign minister, who said that he had not been asked, no specific requests have been made to the hungarian government. looking ahead to this week, expected prorogation on tuesday again, ahead of the queen's speech on monday. people are making the point, how can you have a queen's speech when boris johnson wants an election? you are making the queen read out a party political manifesto. yes, the queen's speech will be his programme for government. as you say, his government is in a tenuous situation at the moment, and he wants to have a general election.

some see this as stalling tactics, that if you have a queen's speech, then time within parliament is devoted to discussing that speech, and perhaps that is why he is doing it. in terms of the prorogation, that is what has to be done before a queen's speech. while the previous prorogation was ruled to be unlawful, this would only be for a few days. susana mendonca there. earlier, the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, said boris johnson's offer of a deal to the eu was nothing more than a political stunt. it looks like an election stunt, it looks like they are put forward proposals they know the eu will not accept, and not basis borisjohnson will portray himself as some form of victim either from the will portray himself as some form of victim eitherfrom the eu parliament and that will be the basis of his election campaign. what we want is a prime minister who looks after the long term interests of our country, make sure we rule no—deal off the table completely, goes into negotiations, secures a sensible deal and put it back to the people

with the option to remain. what we wa nted with the option to remain. what we wanted to bring the country back together again. the best way of doing that is let the people speak. iran has released a british—australian woman and her boyfriend who'd been detained for three months on spying charges. jolie king and her australian boyfriend mark firkin had been accused of using a drone to take pictures of military sites. separately, an iranian student has reportedly been freed in australia, but it's unclear if the two developments are linked. the duke of sussex has launched a legal battle against the tabloid press — taking action against the owners of the sun, the now defunct news of the world, and the daily mirror in relation to alleged phone—hacking. it's not yet clear when prince harry's allegations date from, but in a phone hacking trial in 2011 he was named, along with prince william, as a victim. his move follows the announcement that his wife meghan is taking separate legal action against the mail on sunday. ben ando has more. the end of another high—profile tour fulfilling their royal duties, meeting and greeting,

but amid ever—frostier relations between the prince and the press. now harry is suing the publishers of two tabloid newspapers, the sun and the mirror, over allegations his mobile phone was hacked, it's thought, in the early 2000s. the phone—hacking scandal led to the closure of the mighty news of the world newspaper in 2011. and during a trial that year, princes harry, william and kate middleton, now the duchess of cambridge, were named as victims. but why is the prince suing now? royals rarely reach for a lawyer or a writ, and the reason is that it's such a high—risk strategy. they can be cross—examined, they can also have disclosure go to places that they don't really want. so it is a very high—risk strategy, the things that are outside their control, but it's also a high—risk strategy for the editors who are going to have to give evidence too. there are strong suggestions that in taking this action, harry is ignoring the advice of palace officials. but ever since he refused to take

part in the traditional newborn baby photo call when his son archie was born in may, it's been clear that the duke of sussex is ready to challenge expectations of how much or how little privacy members of the royal family can expect. on tuesday in south africa, the duke accused britain's tabloids of a ruthless campaign against his wife meghan, and she started legal proceedings against the mail on sunday, claiming it unlawfully published a private letter. it seems the sussexes believe only the courts can give them the privacy they feel they're entitled to. ben ando, bbc news. a number of passengers have been injured, one seriously, after a double—decker bus overturned in devon. the vehicle crashed on the a385 between totnes and paignton at about 11 o'clock this morning. emergency services declared a major incident. police have closed the road in both directions and asked people to avoid the area.

the headlines on bbc news: senior democrats in the us demand the white house hands over documents for their impeachment inquiry into president trump. protesters defy a ban on wearing face masks as much of hong kong is shut down. the government indicates it could clarify its new brexit offer after the eu called for fundamental changes. a march is under way in edinburgh in support of scottish independence. let's take some live pictures. the march will begin in holyrood park and end with a rally in the meadows. there you can see thatjust getting under way. nicola sturgeon has a p pa re ntly under way. nicola sturgeon has apparently said she would be at the margin spirit but not in person. of course, lots of people talking about a renewed interest in independence given what is going on with brexit and the fact that scotland voted

overwhelmingly to remain. but you can see that much just getting under way there with let's bring you details of what is happening elsewhere. a cinema in the us has cancelled two screenings of the joker after police revealed, what they called a "credible" threat to those with tickets to the blockbuster film. police in major us cities have ramped up security to coincide with the release of the violent film fearing it could incite gun violence. freya cole reports. twisted, wicked and cruel, thejoker is returning to screens around the world as dark as ever before. one small thing. when you bring me out, can you introduce me asjoker?

small thing. when you bring me out, can you introduce me as joker? the warner brothers film depicts the story of the mentally deranged joker before batman. the r rated movie has triggered widespread fears that it will incite violence, and less than a week into its bottas debut, in california, two screenings have been cancelled. the local police department deemed that threat was credible enough to provide a uniformed presence at the theatre. now reopened, the huntington beach police department has said it will provide patrols for the rest of the weekend. the need for heightened security stems from the 2012 shooting attack inside a colorado cinema. 12 people were killed and 70 injured when a gunman dressed in body armour and a gas mask opened fire during a midnight screening of the dark knight risesd. their families have written to warner brothers urging the corporation to do more to tackle gun related violence. i believe that if someone

is trying to copy cat, thejoker would be a place where that could happen. i think people need to be aware of it. inevitably, some moviegoers will hold off seeing the film. i am conflicted about it, because of the issues in america right now with gun violence. but the joker has a cult—like following. right now with gun violence. but the joker has a cult—like followingm is just joker has a cult—like followingm isjust a movie, you don't have to act what you see in the movie. already the film has broken box office records, making more than 30 million us dollars in its debut. freya cole, bbc news. i make some good news for england by i make some good news for england rugby fans this morning, john watson has the latest. england have qualified for the quarterfinals of the rugby world cup with a game to spare. they ran in six tries, beating argentina 39—10 in tokyo. they play their final group game against france in five days' time. andy swiss reports. it seemed in an toughest test so far

againstan it seemed in an toughest test so far against an argentina team playing for world cup survival, and although england took the lead through for world cup survival, and although england took the lead throuthonny may, the early stages proved predictably tight. but in a split second,it predictably tight. but in a split second, it all changed. a shuddering challenge from tomas lavanini on 0wen farrell that was high, dangerous, and it was a red card. from there, there was no way back for argentina, as england set about running them ragged, elliot daly in helping them to a 15—3 lead at the break, and afterwards they stretched out of sight. 0nce george ford had gone over, it was surely game over. ina gone over, it was surely game over. in a disjointed match, though, england certainly won't at their slickest. indeed, argentina's1li men even managed a try of their own. but it proved a purely consolation value as, on his comeback from injury, jack noel gave a reminder of what he can do. hardly a knockout performance from his team, but they

are through to the knockout stage. job done for england in ultimately emphatic style, they will face france in a final group game with a place in the quarterfinals already guaranteed. andy swiss, bbc news, tokyo. australia are on course to meet england in the quarterfinals, after defat to wales, they beat uruguay 45—10. currently japan again some currentlyjapan again some of it is 31-19 in currentlyjapan again some of it is 31—19 in the day's the game. england's women are looking to end a run of four straight matches without a win as they take on brazil in a friendly at the riverside stadium in middlesbrough. phil neville's side have had the ball in the net in the opening stages, butjodie taylor's finish here was ruled out for offside. it remains 0—0 then in the first half, england will be looking to tame the world player of the year, marta, she's started for brazil. we can bring you some live pictures,

this match is over on bbc one right now, steph houghton there, the england captain, with ball in hands, hoping to try and get a goal on the board. as we know, not the easiest of runs for england since they reached the semifinals of the world cup, when they were knocked out by the united states, they haven't won since then. phil neville will be desperate to put that right. england in front of what is a full crowd at the riverside stadium, well over 30,000 watching this one, and hopefully that crowd will provide england with the boost they need to try and bring that run to an end. live pictures from bbc one, you can watch that over on bbc one now if you want to. tottenham's troubles continue, trailing brighton in the early kick off, they lost goalkeeper hugo lloris early on, his mistake gifting brighton a goal, before he went off with a nasty injury.

2-0 2—0 they trail brighton. this is after the heavy defeat to bayern munich in the champions league this week. the rest of the day's fixtures marked by liverpool's game against leicester city, that is the three o'clock kick—off us. us 1500m runner craig engels has backed calls by ioc president thomas bach for every athlete associated with alberto salazar to be investigated. the former coach was banned for four years on tuesday for doping offences. engels is a part of the nike—backed 0regon project but has not been trained by salazar directly. i would like to see more about it too, there are some people in the group who have been with the group since 2007, 2008 coaches and staff, i would love to see them investigated, because they have all the answers and the right things to say. and the media asking me in 2017, iam probably say. and the media asking me in 2017, i am probably going to stumble on my words and say something wrong.

i would love for them to be interviewed just like i am, i would love for past members to be interviewed, just to see what they saw and see what they did. 0ne one of the big discussion points throughout these world championships. that is all from the bbc sport centre for now. you are absolutely right, afternoon, i don't know why i keep saying good morning! lovely to see you. more than 1,600 uk high—street shops have closed as a result of restructuring deals since the beginning of last year, according to new figures. the local data company has looked at the impact of so—called company voluntary arrangements and found that nearly two—thirds of closed stores are still sitting empty. our business correspondent emma simpson has more. they've been trading for more than a hundred years at this store. a family business that prides itself on its expertise and service. they have been keeping a close eye on their high street, too. and these last two years, it's lost a bit of its sparkle. this is the prime shopping area.

it's lovely. it's a lovely street, and yes, it's always been a premium shopping street in harrogate. but you've got gaps now. we've got gaps, and it's very sad to see. five years ago, it would have been unthinkable to have these empty units. it's a real shame. even this attractive and popular spa town isn't immune from our changing shopping habits. i think it's the cost of trading in harrogate is quite high, rents are high, rates are high, and i think all that needs to happen is footfalljust drops a fraction, it becomes less viable. it's the big chains that have been pulling out. a familiar story on high streets up and down the country, and we have been crunching the numbers. since the start of 2018, 23 chains have done restructuring deals to cut costs. there are known as company voluntary arrangements, a form of insolvency proceedings. so far, 1,676 outlets have shut, mainly in retail,

and nearly two—thirds of them are still sitting empty. here's one of them. this used to be the early learning centre. they shut the doors and handed back the keys, leaving the landlord with a substantial repairing liability, up to possibly £100,000. now this letting agent is trying to fill the gap. it's the toughest market i've ever known for retail properties. landlords have to reduce rents, the government have to reduce the rates liability, which is substantial, and i think town councils have to help by reducing car parking, having an hour's free parking or something like that. you wouldn't let it to a chain again? i don't think i would, no. here's another chain that left, but it's just got a new lease of life.

this local business got a deal and moved in. 0ur landlord has been lovely, and he's taken a chance on us. we're an independent, family—run business, and we wanted to bring something back and to be in the town centre, and looking around, this is what people want. while other town centres are battling for survival, the challenge here is keeping harrogate special. a recipe that might now need a tweak. the competitive world of publishing has seen many titles come and go, but one monthly magazine has just launched its 500th edition after almost half a century. gay times is now europe's longest running lgbt publication, and ben hunte has been looking at how it's changed through the decades. glossy magazines fill the shelves, but this one, which looks like coffee—table material, started 47 years ago as a monthly voice for gay activists.

here in the national lgbt archives in east london, you will find a treasure trove of queer history. almost half a century later, some of the pages still feel relevant today. one of the things we have seen within this magazine, within the first edition, is media watch. talk me through what media watch was. it was basically a look at what was being said in the national media about the lgbt community at the time. "loonies who want a sense of family life." and even more relevant, "save the children from sad, sordid sex lessons." reading some of the headlines here, they aren't too dissimilar to some of the headlines that we actually see today. of course, predominantly targeted at what was called the gay community then, but within lgbt communities, some of these headlines being targeted towards people with a trans experience now, quite often in well—known media titles. today, the 500th edition has changed quite a bit. the magazine has diversified, and so has the business model.

the magazine now really only represents a tenth of the gay times organisation. we work much more with the community and content channels across social and digital platforms, with the biggest lgbt partner on instagram. in a woke world full of specialist publications, competition to represent communities, and make more money, is getting tougher. but activists say the platforms are more important than ever. ben hunte, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. good afternoon to you. things are going downhill once again from the west, more heavy rain in the forecast for the next 2a hours, some eastern areas have had a dry start to the day, but through the afternoon and into tonight that will not last, the rain will arrive across all parts of the uk. this is how things look through the rest of the uk, rain splashing across northern ireland, the western side of scotland, further east more in

the way of dry weather, some brightness, the best across the northern isles, temperatures between 12 and 17 degrees, turning breezy across northern and western scotland. through this evening and tonight, a band of heavy and persistent rain trudging its way quite slowly eastwards, big puddles, surface water and spray on the roads, poor travelling conditions, 9-12d, but roads, poor travelling conditions, 9—12d, but things are starting to dry out across the west. in due tomorrow, that rain lingers across eastern areas for a good part of the day, so much so there could be localised flooding. further west, a better chance of dry weather and perhaps some spells of sunshine. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: senior democrats in the us demand the white house hands over documents for their impeachment

inquiry into president trump. demonstrators in hong kong — who defied a new law banning the use of face masks — have forced the closure of the underground system and many shops and businesses. the government indicates it could clarify its new brexit offer after the eu called for ‘fundamental changes'. prince harry begins legal action against the owners of the sun and the mirror over alleged phone hacking. hard times for the high street — as new figures reveal more than 1,600 shops have closed as a result of restructuring deals since the beginning of last year. now on bbc news it's tome for inside out yorkshire and lincolnshire — tracy gee speaks to firefighters who believe theirjob caused them to have cancer. welcome to the programme. i'm keeley donovan. coming up this week... the firefighters who believe that theirjob has caused them to have cancer. firefighters need to stop having their lives totally turned