this is worklife from bbc news with sally bundock and karin giannone. facebook gives a thumbs—down to calls for a worldwide ban on paid political advertising. live from london, that's our top story on thursday 31st october, halloween. facebook‘s mark zuckerberg says private companies should not "censor politicians or the news". this after twitter said it would stop accepting political advertising globally. also in the programme: gearing up for a 50—50 merger:

fiat chrysler and the french owner of peugeot confirm a tie—up, as carmakers grapple with the shift to electric. and the veteran wine collector who bricked up his swimming pool to convert it to a wine cellar. we'll get his top vintage tips. on halloween, what better to do with your pumpkin carving cut—offs than turn them into beer? we'll get the inside track on brewing up a business from food waste. today we want to know where you stand on mark zuckerberg versus jack dorsey? do you think political ads should be banned from platforms such as facebook and twitter? let us know — just use the hashtag #bbcworklife. good to have you with us. we begin

with the rejection by facebook founder mark zuckerberg of calls to follow twitter and introduce a worldwide ban on paid for political advertising. he said it wasn't right for private companies to "censor politicians or the news". the move came as the social media giant delivered its latest results. facebook made revenues of more than $17.5 billion betweenjuly and september — up 28% on the same period last year. $6 billion of that was profit. the company says more than 2.8 billion people use at least one of its services — facebook, instagram, whatsapp, or messenger — every month. well over 2 billion use one every day. those figures are just extraordinary. with us now is raoul lumb, a solicitor expert in technology at legalfirm simons

muirhead & burton. over1.5 over 1.5 billion people logging on to facebook each day. is there any sign that people are being put off by privacy concerns? very little. a lot of noise, lot of action from the general public it is it is fair to say. the pressure, we see it growing for social media companies to keep regulating. do users care or is it the politicians on capitol hill?m will be interesting to see the idea of regulating and breaking up tech companies has featured largely in the democratic primary in the us, which is the first time it's got any real traction with the general public. it is interesting because today or overnight, jack dorsey, releasing his tweet, making his big moment, the boss of twitter to say we will not have political ads on oui’ we will not have political ads on our platform. just before facebook‘s results were out, timing is everything. give us your take on the facebook stance on this. is it brave 01’ facebook stance on this. is it brave or is it to me it was one hand you

might say it is a bold thing to do cut political speech, fake news, hate speech, manipulation of elections and that kind of thing, on the other hand you could say that it isa the other hand you could say that it is a remarkable step from twitter, the company that called itself the free speech wing of the free speech party once upon a time. if it is not the companies themselves that say that they will ban political advertising like twitter has just done? the obvious step regulators can do is to put proactive pressure on tech companies to look at the material on their platforms and do something about it before someone complains. that will require major change in the eu or in america, in both jurisdictions there is law that says regulators can't do that, but it is the only real major weapon left. from a facebook perspective it has paid a $5 billion fine for breach of security in the us to us authorities. more fines of this nature could come its way, if it doesn't get a grip on some of the

information on this platform. doesn't get a grip on some of the information on this platformm could and it didn't. all of the fines you are seeing of these big tech regulators are for breach of competition law or user privacy. what there isn't yet in the states 01’ what there isn't yet in the states or in the eu is any kind of regulation that would fine facebook 01’ regulation that would fine facebook or twitter for the kind of information that appears on the platform. do you think any of this is going tojeopardise platform. do you think any of this is going to jeopardise the service from social media companies? almost certainly not. people thought that gd pr would put a dent in big tech, but just talking about gd pr would put a dent in big tech, butjust talking about revenue a few moments ago, it is showing no signs of slowing down. thank you very much indeed. many of you have been in touch about this. facebook, twitter and what they are up to. we will look at your comments later.

fiat chrysler and peugeot owner psa said on thursday they would joinforces through a 50—50 share swap to create the world's fourth—largest automaker. manufacturers are grappling with a global downturn in demand, and investing in the switch to electric and autonomous vehicles. the chairman of mca will chair the combined group whilst the peugeot chief exec will be the new chief executive. this story confirmed in the last hour. we will have more detail on that on our business page and analysis on what that means for the global car industry. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. apple says profits fell 3% in the past quarter to $13.7 billion. it has been hit by a steep fall in revenue from iphones — which still make up half its sales. apple is trying to refocus on wearable technology — such as airpod earphones and watches

— as well as services like apple pay and the forthcoming streaming service apple tv plus. if you are downing a triple cappuccino or a skinny latte... starbucks says global sales were up 7% in the past quarter, boosted by digital ordering and delivery in china as well as new stores in the us, and demand for new cold drinks including iced tea and coffee. they have seen an increase in demand for those. it has been trying to revitalise its businesss in the face of competition from independent coffee shops and start—up rivals. us authorities say they have struck a deal with financierjho low to recover $700 million in assets tied to the multi—billion dollar 1mdb corruption scandal. mr low is a central figure in the global scandal which saw billions of dollars go missing from the malaysian state fund. the fund was designed to boost malaysia's economy through strategic investments.

something we have covered extensively on bbc news is the ongoing protests in hong kong. they may have helped push the city into recession. the latest gdp figures show that the economy has our asia business correspondent karishma vaswani is in singapore. what effect is it having? these numbers were widely signalled by the administration in hong kong. earlier in the week we heard from carrie lam who pointed out the data would be pretty gloomy. that's what we've seen and the figures that have come out in the last few minutes. the hong kong economy is highly dependent on china. but after five months of political protest that you we re months of political protest that you were talking about, that has led to things like retailer shutting shops, hoteliers facing low occupancy rates, and tourists, many of them from the mainland, shunning hong kong. also images of increasingly

violent clashes on some occasions between protesters and police have also led to a drop in visitor numbers, which are expected to plunge nearly 50% in october compared to last year. all of that along with the slower trade volumes because of the us— china trade war is really putting hong kong under increasing pressure. an interesting story, it has been widely signalled that that is the situation in hong kong at the moment. it did nothing in terms of the markets in hong kong. you can see them up by almost 196 kong. you can see them up by almost 1% at the end of the trading session earlier today. from the point of view of asian trade the markets were focused on the us federal reserve decision to cut interest rates. that gave —— gave global markets a boost. american markets closing at record highs the night before. let's look at europe now. the psa group shares are down in paris, down some 9%

behind me here, on the cac. from the news that fiat chrysler and peugot will be teaming up. fiat chrysler shares are up 10%. you can see how markets and investors are viewing this tie—up, who are the winners and losers, they think fiat chrysler is getting a lot more from that tie—up than perhaps psa group. interesting to see that reaction. back to you, sally. now to the us, where this halloween season is set to see a rise in costumes spending thanks to social media. shoppers are expected to shell out around $8.8 billion in total on the spooky week. samira hussain is following the story from new york. how much how much consumers how much consumers get into the holy spirit varies from year to year. this year, is estimated that people in the us will spend $86 per person.

compare that to a decade ago when the average person was estimated to spend $56 per person on halloween. the biggest source of inspiration for costumes? the biggest source of inspiration for costu mes ? 35% say the biggest source of inspiration for costumes? 35% say they rely on the internet for ideas, followed by browsing the aisles of stores, and finally the good old—fashioned way, through family and friends. the top halloween purchase is unsurprisingly candy, but the biggest takeaway is undoubtedly the resurgent popularity in dressing up pets. the amount being spent on pet costumes has almost doubled in the last decade, up almost doubled in the last decade, up to $1190 almost doubled in the last decade, up to $190 million. almost doubled in the last decade, up to $490 million. more halloween talk ina up to $490 million. more halloween talk in a minute. let's talk about what's in the papers. joining us is kate hardcastle, founder of business consultancy, insight with passion. nice to see you. have you carved a pumpkin yet? it is waiting for it.

we did ask last night. and i recycled the waste! in the guardian, marks & spencer is launches a buy 110w marks & spencer is launches a buy now pay later service, what is it up to and will it work? this is a credit facility offered to customers so credit facility offered to customers so that they can spread the cost of payments up to £800 a six—week instalment period. you might have heard of similar products. the idea is online, you buy goods, you haven't seen them and a lot of time you are returning them because they are not as we want. it is meant to bridge the gap for the consumer so that they are not out of pocket waiting for a refund or return but there are grave concerns. number one, m&s is a troubled business, so you don't want to see this organisation trying to build its reputation back on the fact that they can offer credit. there needs to be much more in terms of the product strategy and where that business is going. secondly, we know this is a challenging time for

consumers, heading into christmas, 7-8,000,000 of us consumers, heading into christmas, 7—8,000,000 of us saying every january we are struggling with debt and we can't pay the bills, so we don't want to see this as something used by consumers who can't afford the alternatives and he might overspend. the thinking is that because people need to wait for refunds and it takes possibly weeks, this would avoid all that and encourage them to make a purchase that they wouldn't otherwise do. that is used successfully by retailers worldwide and it is something consumers have taken to, but there's research to show that when they use these credit products they spent more than they normally would, and you start to look at, is this a debt opportunity, are there concerns that people are borrowing above their needs, which is something we don't want consumers to do and businesses should not rely purely on that success. it is a tricky one. m&s is a retailer that are struggling on many levels. harrods is launching a stand—alone beauty store at lakeside. for

international viewers, lakeside is a huge shopping malljust outside of london. why is harrods doing this? this is a good news story, we've heard a lot of challenging stories from the retail world. this is good because it is a prominent luxury brand and beauty as we know is on the rise. beauty sales have increased by 10 billion in the uk over the last ten years. it is outstripping traditional industries like motor industry. one of the things i'm finding a real struggle, beauty is doing so well, is that because you have to come face—to—face with the retailer if they wanted take a look at you and give you the right products?m works in bricks and mortar because of the services. you might get a makeover, interact with an expert, they have restaurant opportunities from coffees through to cocktail, and here we have an organisation thatis and here we have an organisation that is doing well and a way to grow the brand in a new area. so we could

see harrods beauty pop up stores all over the place, including outside the uk, presumably? that is what they are looking at. that has been successful format for, so let's watch with interest. still to come: double double toil and trouble for the social enterprise which is brewing up profits from food waste, including the offcuts from your pumpkin carving. you're watching worklife from bbc news. let's talk a little bit more about nerves on the high street amongst consumers. gfk confidence index was again in negative territory. with uncertainty over brexit still on consumers‘ minds — will the upcoming general election change things? joe staton is a director at gfk.

good morning. why are we also glum? the numbers drop this month. it is ona the numbers drop this month. it is on a six year low. what is dragging the number down as concern about our personal finance situation and for me this is concerning. this is the one area we look at when people historically have a lot of control. we are worried about the wider economy. the numbers are disastrous there but it is an area where we have control, personal finances, what we spend and earn. that number is depressed and for me that is worrying going into the golden quarter, black friday and the christmas trading period. we were just talking to kate about m&s. i don't know if you heard that conversation about by now, pay later, and retailers are desperate to learn as in, but your figures show that we will not necessarily spend. we are seeing depressed numbers on the major purchase index.

this isn't lipstick. this is considerable, considered purchases such as furniture and electronics. the number is down there, as well. we know that the appetite for debt is not great in the uk at the moment. the amount of consumer borrowing is down. i would use that to counter any thoughts that we would go crazy and rack up loads of cash on credit. the appetite for credit is lower than it has been. what does it mean for the economy that more people think their personal financial situation is getting worse? for me the main concern is when confidence drops. consumers are like markets, when we are confident about the future we will spend, invest and plan. when consumer confidence falls be retract and retrench. that's my main concern at the moment. thank you very much.

mike ashley's private business, match holdings has published it figures as shown that profits are falling. he owns jd figures as shown that profits are falling. he ownsjd sports and a dunlop amongst others. even mike ashley is feeling it at the moment. you're watching worklife. a reminder of our top story: facebook owner mark zuckerberg has rejected calls for a global ban on political ads whereas jack dorsey has announced an end to political advertising on his platform, twitter. where do you stand on this? we will read your responses a little bit later. happy halloween, sally. not scripted at all! now karin, what could be scarier than witches and ghosts at halloween? according to environmentalists, it's the frightful waste

from carving our decorative pumpkins — known as jack o'lanterns. in the uk alone, more than 8 million pumpkins bought for the spooky season end up in the bin. one british company, toast ale, says it has a solution to this problem. the social enterprise now plans to turn the leftover pumpkin waste into beer. with us now is chris head, head of global partnerships, toast ale. this is the first time your company is doing this. you're working with all sorts of organisations. talk us through this collaboration. this is a special collaboration brew. we usually use bread to replace grain, so we are teaming up with a national ba kery so we are teaming up with a national bakery school and the charity, hubbub to do a belgian style pumpkin double using surplus pumpkins from halloween. the surplus pumpkin waste isa halloween. the surplus pumpkin waste is a big problem in your eyes. absolutely. something like 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins get wasted every year because people will buy them to

carve for decorative purposes and three in every five people then put all of the pumpkin flesh in the bin and then it is not used for what it is intended. hubbub is a uk charity dealing with the problem of food waste all the time. brewdog is a craft sale com pa ny waste all the time. brewdog is a craft sale company that many of us know quite well. and you are teaming up know quite well. and you are teaming up together. talk us through it works in terms of who makes what from whom and how it is a social enterprise. we are a social enterprise. we are a social enterprise. all profits go to a charity called feedback that is fighting to change the food system globally and affect food waste. there's only so much we can do as one brewer. we brew between half a tonne and one tonne of surplus bread every week but the global food problem in terms of bread wastage is much larger, so we are collaborating with other partners and getting other people doing the same thing as

we are. in the uk pumpkins are a relatively recent arrival for halloween. we are not accustomed to doing anything with them. americans make pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup. are we realising there are these benefits from pumpkins that we can enjoy? it is definitely a trend that has come from america. pumpkin beer is an example of that. lots of american breweries produce pumpkin ale for halloween. less so in the uk. we are trying to bring that over here. we have a recipe on our website so that you can do it at home. you have not been in this business very long. you are teaching languages that a secondary school not far from languages that a secondary school not farfrom london. languages that a secondary school not far from london. you languages that a secondary school not farfrom london. you lost your voice and could not continue in the job that you love. teaching was my first passion as a career. i did that for six years. i did lose my voice. my wife and i took a career break. as we travelled round the

world i took her to a lot of breweries, and she said, if you can't do your passion of teaching, your second passion is beer, and that's how i got involved with toast ale. do people here like the idea pumpkin beer? we are doing a pumpkin double. that will be a sweet, strong autumnal beer that should go down well at this time of year. there have only been a few pumpkin beers in the uk before but we are doing the first pumpkin double. hopefully it will do well and we will do it on a national scale next year. any skills you learn from teaching that are related to what you do now, at all? i was a languages teacher. when i work with our global partners speaking different languages is useful. we are doing collaborations at the moment in brazil and in the netherlands, so speaking german and spanish helps a bit with that sometimes. languages, mainly. this

is good for my children to hear, certainly. chris, thank you very much, head of global partnerships at toast ale. we will look at what you have been discussing around facebook, twitter and political advertising. talking about beer... one passionate collector in singapore has done something new with his inventory and his passion for wine.

interesting. what would you have, a pool or a wine cellar? both! i agree. we wanted to hear from you about the ban on political advertising. many of you have been in touch. one viewer said if you can't regulate and control it then it is better to ban it alexander says... thanks for your views. if you want

to look at the debate the hashtag is #bbcworklife. thanks for watching. we'll see you soon. good morning. there is nothing too ghastly in the weather forecast today. but certainly a change for the next few days compared to what we had recently. we have a weather front across southern areas bringing some rain. looking towards the atlantic, this area of low pressure will move its way in over the next 24 hours, making it very unsettled by the end of the week. for thursday, still some cloud and patchy rain across northern ireland and wales into southern england, with some sunshine towards northern and eastern parts, but here, the cloud will gradually increase through the afternoon. maximum temperatures around 10—13, maybe 14 celsius. if you happen to be out and

about this evening, it will remain a and murky toward south—western areas. the chance of a few showers around western parts. the best of the weather will be across the east, with clear spells. it will be chilly but not as chilly as it has been on a recent evenings. for the rest of the night, that patchy rain will gradually move further eastwards. more significant rain starting to move in across northern ireland, wales and the southwest. some of that could be quite heavy as it pushes its way north and east. not quite as cold. no frost tonight, notice, but towards the south—west, quite mild. temperatures around 13 in plymouth. but milder air will gradually extend to all parts as we go through friday and within this milder air, we have got some weather fronts, and that's where we have this area of low pressure moving in. quite a messy picture throughout friday. a number of weather systems moving their way through. quite a damn start to the day on friday.

that rain is going to move north and east. some heavy bursts of rain, maybe even some rumbles of thunder across central and eastern areas as we go through friday. maybe a bit of practice toward southern areas into the afternoon, before further heavy rain spreading across western parts. any of us having a much milder day with temperatures around 15 celsius. —— many of us. then we have this area of low pressure moving across the uk with quite gusty winds to the south and north of it, and quite a bit of rain around as well. generally speaking on saturday, some showers and longer spells of rain. dry on sunday as that area of low pressure starts to move away with temperatures getting from the low into the mid—teens.

you're watching bbc news at nine with me, annita mcveigh. the headlines: six weeks to go and party leaders hit the campaign trail today ahead of the december general election. twitter bans all political adverts, saying they pose a risk to democracy, but facebook says it won't follow suit. the us military releases the first footage of the raid in which the leader of the so—called islamic state group was killed. wildfires continue to spread across southern california, as strong winds hamper rescue efforts. ! order! very rude of members. order!