$:/startfeed. this is bbc news, the headlines: violent clashes between protesters and riot police have continued into the night in the spanish city of barcelona. earlier on friday, about half a million people held a peaceful demonstration against the jailing this week of catalan separatist leaders. british mps will be heading to parliament in a few hours in what's been called super saturday — a special vote on prime ministerjohnson‘s new brexit deal. he spent friday trying to secure the 320 votes the government needs to win a majority for his agreement. one of president trump's most loyal supporters, the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, has condemned his decision to withdraw troops from syria as a ‘grave mistake‘. writing in the washington post, he said it would embolden washington's enemies and leave americans less safe. there've been a record number

of arrests across the uk this week — after a crackdown on so—called ‘county lines‘ gangs — that's organised criminals who supply drugs. more than 700 people have been arrested, and police have seized more than 400 thousand pounds worth of drugs, and over 150 weapons, including guns. the gangs sell drugs from cities to towns often miles away, and often use children to deliver them. our home affairs correspondent tom symondsjoined police in birmingham and worcester. aston, birmingham. police have flooded the area looking for the signs of county lines dealing — drugs, money. lloking for cars previously identified as involved. there is intelligence on the vehicle linking to drug dealing in the local area. suddenly, up ahead, a pursuit begins. when they find the suspect‘s car, it's crashed into a gas main.

turn around, go the other way. we can hear it. the gas escaping. they have to clear the street, but what about the suspect? he's run out of the vehicle into that premises and slammed the door. cue a helpful firefighter. go, go, go! but the suspect has disappeared. by his actions, we've had to evacuate the entire street, in the rain, small babies, mothers, the elderly. but the harm goes further. the dealers have created supply networks on rail and road and they've recruited vulnerable young people to carry the drugs. it's called a county line not because of trains but because urban dealers set up mobile phone lines to sell drugs in rural areas like worcestershire. it's the county bit of county lines, it's where the drugs are being taken and the police have told us that one drug dealer is making £4,000 a day selling cocaine down there. west mercia police make a move against suspected dealers being tracked by neighbouring west midlands police from

birmingham. rural and urban forces working together. for the drugs gangs, county lines gives them a bigger market across the country. for the police, it means they have to co—ordinate their efforts, forces talking to forces, different types of units, uniformed and plain clothes, using technology, all has to work together. it means a big operation like this. we know more than we have ever known about the gangs and those people that get exploited, as part of county lines activity, because we have real close co—ordination now between different forces up and down the country. but there will be more of these co—ordinated operations... bang ..because they get results. 169 weapons were found in this one week, including these.

the county lines gangs deal in drugs and violence. and they seem to be here to stay. tom symonds, bbc news. now on bbc news, our world. sirens wail. there is no other medication that within a week can condense someone toa within a week can condense someone to a life of addiction. it is possible that i was promoting a drug on the basis of fraudulent science. there was too much money to be made. when i first entered life, my first breath of air came along with withdrawal symptoms. if the pharmaceutical companies know about the addiction possibilities, then it's horrific that they would steal my son away from me. there is no other medication that kills so many people as opioids. my

my name is jacob, i my name isjacob, i am 12 my name is jacob, i am 12 years old. dear addiction, why did you turn my pa rents dear addiction, why did you turn my parents into something they are not? i don't know my own father because of you. it is not really that cool to ruin people's lives. i couldn't have a normal childhood or a life because of you. my name is keira and lam because of you. my name is keira and iamii because of you. my name is keira and i am 11 years old. dear addiction. you tore apart my family, why? i have been lied to because of you, i have been lied to because of you, i have cried because of you, i have been bullied because of you. sol have cried because of you, i have been bullied because of you. so i am an upset child. these are stories from a summer an upset child. these are stories from a summer camp an upset child. these are stories from a summer camp that no child should have to tell. i think like

nobody really understand how i feel. i don't even know where my dad is, and really who he is, and also if he is doing drugs, not knowing if he 0ding and died, orjust keeps 0ding. 0ne 0ding and died, orjust keeps 0ding. one in three children in america lives with apparent who lives with a substitute —— substance abuse disorder. my dad would bring needles into the house, and my friends would come over and say what is that, and would be embarrassed to bring any more friends over. and they all have secrets they need to share. show of hands, do you have a parent, close friend or relative who has died from drug abuse? so we have 100% of hands. does anybody want to talk about that? i know people that overdosed and died. you shouldn't go to rest like that, should go to rest a peaceful way. not hurting and in

pain and high and all that. how about, do you have a parent, a close friend or relative who has overdosed? so that is why we are doing this work, right? because all of us have those very, very, very ha rd of us have those very, very, very hard and tragic things in common. we'll know somebody who has right? at least once. anybody afraid that something might set off them using ain? something might set off them using again? when i was younger, in elementary school, and like on... i would get in trouble, i would beg my itiuiti would get in trouble, i would beg my mum not to tell my dad because i don't want him to find out and then him go and start doing drugs again, because i know it would affect me even more. sometimes what is going on in the house makes you want to not be there. go ahead. there is a lot of instances where i don't like being in the house because she is,

like, bringing drug people over, hi people, with their families and talking to them, because it makes me uncomfortable because i don't like it in the house, you know? my sister's name is lara. ijust love her. she is there for me, she is helping me get into middle school. i am trying not to fall off the swing. sarah is probably my best friend. she doesn't deal very well with feelings, i think that is why she didn't anticipate very much today. and she is going to sixth grade this year. it'll school. and that is a very big emotional step —— middle school. when i was in middle school i could probably name four or five people that could definitely sell me drugs. all my closest friends, that could give me drugs. if i really wanted to ask for them. and i don't think she is ready to experience all of that. and i don't think she is

ready to be able to process things like that. america's opioid of a gimmick is hard for anyone to process. “— gimmick is hard for anyone to process. —— epidemic. every 11 minutes someone dies of an overdose. that is more people than those killed by gun attacks or car accidents. but these are more than just statistics. these are the men and women, the mothers and fathers, and women, the mothers and fathers, and the children who have been sucked into what has now become known as america's greatest health crisis. 80% of heroin users started their path to addiction on prescription painkillers. and now pharmaceutical companies are being blamed for igniting this academic. —— epidemic.

blamed for igniting this academic. -- epidemic. five years ago the artist 5% of the world's populations, we were using about 80% of the world's oxycodone. and that led to this high attic population that we had, and we started to realise what happened and started to clamp down on these addictions, we have this gigantic population of americans out there who need an opiate. imagine a life with chronic pain, persistent, debilitating, stabbing pain... was in the 1990s when this opioid epidemic begin. pharmaceutical companies assured the medical community that britain opioids, originally prescribed for cancer patients, could be used to treat all chronic pain. but it was the painkiller oxycontin who registered —— really changed things. purdue pharma was really influential

in persuading us in those early days that their drug was different from the opioids we were used to using, and that it was likely to be more affect of and safer than the opioids that had been used before. we were responding to a brilliant multifaceted campaign that was really a marketing campaign disguised as education. many doctors and policymakers now say that opioids are safe and effective medicines for treating chronic pain. opioids are not safe. these are probably the single most dangerous class of medications that there is. some patients may be afraid of taking opioids, because they are perceived as too strong. 0r addictive. but that is far from actual fact. less than i% of patients taking opioids actually become a. there is no other

medication that killed so many people as opioids. there is no other medication which, within a week, can condemn someone to a medication which, within a week, can condemn someone to a life of addiction. within four years of 0xycontin being introduced, purdue doubled the size of its sales force. at the time when i joined doubled the size of its sales force. at the time when ijoined the company and went into the first couple of years, the three years i was with the company, i was very excited about what i thought was the good we were doing the patient‘s. however it wasn't until several yea rs later after i however it wasn't until several years later after i left the company, that i began to realise, it was brought to my attention what i could have been doing, not knowing at the time that i was doing it, it is possible that i was promoting a drug that was... 0n the basis of fraudulent science. looking back and knowing what i know now, i have no doubt in my mind that who is to

blame is purdue themselves, and the family that owns the medication, that owns the company. purdue argues they manufacture a government approved medicine that provides relief for millions of patients who needed, and that they only supply a tiny portion of america's opioid prescriptions. connecticut is home to purdue, its attorney general is affecting —— attempting to help them to account the lives lost in money spent on the opioid crisis. i don't think that we asa opioid crisis. i don't think that we as a state, as a country, understood the depths and the extent to which

the depths and the extent to which the defendant members, purdue and the defendant members, purdue and the sackler family were engaged in misconduct and how far—reaching it was. now we know. this is an e—mail conversation between then purdue president richard sackler and an acquaintance around 2001. and the acquaintance around 2001. and the acquaintance writes:" acquaintance around 2001. and the acquaintance writes: " abusers acquaintance around 2001. and the acquaintance writes:" abusers die, thatis acquaintance writes:" abusers die, that is the choice they make, i don't know a single one knew the risks. " and richard sackler writes back: " abusers are the victims, they are the victimisers." and every summary they are the victimisers." and every summary this e—mail is hard to stomach that, that someone would write about people who are suffering, people who are in real distress and people who have died. we are learning more about a form of all—star downgrade in an apparent drug overdose... i am angry, that the world lost a really wonderful person, andl the world lost a really wonderful person, and i am angry that his daughter has to grow up without a

father, and i am angry at i don't get to hug my son. this is where jill hernandez came to watch her son brock grow up every weekend. this field brings back a lot of memories. he just lived for being on the field. the's brock, number 22, when he was 13 years old. he wasjust a gifted athlete was a basketball, baseball, football. football was his passion. it was such a good player and he gave his heart every single game. there were injuries every year, if not every season, for whatever he was playing. and sometimes that led toa was playing. and sometimes that led to a broken bone, a surgery, you know, screws being put in his foot.

you must always was prescribed some form of painkiller. brock died in 2017, he was 2a years old. form of painkiller. brock died in 2017, he was 24 years old. it's not just another story, a human being who has touched our lives we will all miss. it's notjust another number on the tv. if the pharmaceutical companies new about the addiction possibilities and it's looking from what i read that they did, then it's horrible that they would steal my son away from me. can you believe purdue's marketing was overly aggressive? no. 19 years after 0xyco nti n overly aggressive? no. 19 years after 0xycontin was launched, richard sackley was still defending purdue's marketing practices. you believe the marketing was appropriate? i believe so. i presume somewhere richard sackler in the dark of night knew what he was doing

was wrong. but there was just too much money to be made. and i think, for me, we learned how for the banks they were too big to fail in 2008— 2009. well, some of these fighter surgical companies, it feels like they're just too big to care. in total, 48 states have now filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis. new york is in the midst of a crisis, a crisis that has ravaged our communities and families. a crisis that is claiming lives young and old all across our state and our nation. a crisis that we firmly believe that was created and perpetuated by the manufacturers and perpetuated by the manufacturers and distributors of opioid drugs. today we are suing the giant, the

pharma law that created 0xycontin. we believe the sackler family has contributed to the death and devastation in indiana and across this country. i'm complaint alleges that purdue pharma knew as early as the 1990s knew that one of the drugs, 0xycontin, was among the most abused opioids in the country. this contains detailed allegations about the sackler family and their attempts to hide the vast fortunes they collected at the expense of actual lives. purdue pharma sent this statement to the bbc. every 15 minutes a baby in america

is born suffering from opioid withdrawal. these two children belong to that frightening statistic. their father kevin also fits an alarming trend. do it to me! wow! his addiction began when he was prescribed opioids after a football industry. he was 13 years old. —— football injury. i am worried about my boys being subject to addiction and that whole lifestyle. it scares me to death to think they would do what i was doing at their age. i'm pretty sure i was high when i was watching and participating in the delivery of my son and couldn't wait to get out of there to go use more.

come on, we've got to rescue them. they are father and son. they will dry out. when they first attempted life, their first breath of air came with withdrawal symptoms was just thinking about that... it always brings upa thinking about that... it always brings up a weird feeling within me, but it also drives me to do more of what i do today and moved the way i do today and set more examples for them. —— when the first and third life. kevin now works as an interventionist, having other families trapped in this crisis —— when they breathed there first breath of life. this family's son derek has been battling and opioid addiction for 14 years. what's up,

dude? mind if we talk to you for a few minutes? no. do you know who i am? there are yeah. you look fine to me. we've been talking and we put together a nice little situation. it's long—term, there is really no time limit on it. so there's not going to be a lot of pressure for you, you know, outside of whatever pressure you might put on yourself stop and, you've got a loving family that supports the heck out of you and i'll be by your side every step of the way. so, all we need to know from you is how do you feel about that? yeah? you like the idea? you know, i'm excited for you

andi idea? you know, i'm excited for you and i know this is confusing and probably a little difficult to comprehend. the good thing for you is that everything's kind of taken ca re of is that everything's kind of taken care of stuff you don't really have to do anything but put one foot in front of the other. so, think it sounds like a good idea? awesome. awesome. it's the chance of a lifetime, bod. a gift of a lifetime. i love you. i love you. it will be good. you will get what you wanted. yes. i've been struggling for a while now, ever since 2005. it's been a long time. this means a lot to your parents. do you want to say anything to them? um, they've been

here for the whole thing. they've been here for everything. thank you. for everything. never give up. i love you. you're going to get a whole lot better. but after struggling with addiction for so long, it's hard to breakfree. struggling with addiction for so long, it's hard to break free. he says he's not getting on the plane like this, his freaking out, he's scared now. you're going to be all right, dude. your mom's out there shaking like a leaf, thinking oh, man, we did the wrong thing here and this is bad. and she is counting on

this. it was scary for a moment, didn't think it was going to happen. and, i don't know. whatever kevin said, what a blessing. what a blessing. it looks like he's ready. to start the rest of his life and, yeah. he's going. yes! god, yes! it's awesome. so awesome. derek flew to florida for rehab. two months later he is clean and doing well. as millions of americans struggled with addiction, pharmaceutical companies made billions of the sale of opioids. but others are also being questioned, including the food and drug administration. looking back,

knowing what i know now, i don't put the blame on anyone except for the company themselves and probably the fda that approved the product. company themselves and probably the fda that approved the productm company themselves and probably the fda that approved the product. it so happens that the same fda official who approved 0xycontin, which, shortly after proving the drug, took a position working for purdue pharma. the fda exists super psyched the pharmaceutical industry, primarily —— exists to protect. and it is funded by the pharmaceutical industry, primarily. ifeel it is funded by the pharmaceutical industry, primarily. i feel like it is funded by the pharmaceutical industry, primarily. ifeel like all the attention paid this one family is in the role played by other pharmaceutical companies that did exactly what purdue and the sackler family did, and also missing some of the failures of our regulatoree agencies, oralagencies, the failures of our regulatoree agencies, oral agencies, state agencies... all of the problems that need this thing —— fixing. if we blame the soul on the sackler family

and they agreed, we aren't going to address these other failures. and one of the greatest failures of all is that the hopes and dreams of so many children have been shattered by this epidemic. my hope for sarah is that she can grow up and have a family of her own if she so chooses to. she can separate herself from the addiction and recovery community and it won't come back to haunt her later. my message to men and women in active addiction that have children is tojust in active addiction that have children is to just realise that your actions are bigger than you. and that your actions could affect your kids or your kids' friends or your kids or your kids' friends or your grandkids. pharmaceutical companies will likely be find billions of dollars for igniting this crisis, but were these children ever be free from america's opioid epidemic? —— but will these

children? good morning. another chance of seeing plenty of rainbows this saturday. but make the most of it because the low pressure is like to ease over the second half of the weekend. as we go through the day you can see quite clearly behind the winds are swinging around more northerly, so it is going to feel noticeably cooler. showers from the word go out of the west will move their way inland but not quite as many as we have seen recently. top temperatures through

the afternoon of 10—15 degrees. now as we go through the evening, those showers in scotland in the early morning to fade away and skies will clear in places, so it could be a chillier start to sunday morning as you can see quite clearly, low single figures in a few sheltered areas. but, without northerly flow taking over and the low pressure drifting further east, things were quiet and down. on sunday, a greater chance of staying dry and a little cooler.

welcome to bbc news, i'm james reynolds. our top stories: turmoil in barcelona: police fire rubber bullets and use tear gas at protesters angry at the jailing of catalan separatist leaders. what's clear is that they are becoming worse and worse. more violent, more protesters on the streets and more response from the police as well, who tonight have used tear gas for the first time and rubber bullets as they are trying to protect the national police headquarters which are just down here. super saturday in the british parliament — just hours before mps decide whether or not to back borisjohnson's brexit deal what matters is mps coming together, across the house tomorrow, to get this thing done. rare criticism of president trump's

decison to withdraw troops