welcome to bbc news — i'm james reynolds. our top stories: schools closed, construction grinds to a halt — india declares a public health emergency in delhi — with air pollution at dangerous levels. beto o'rourke out of the race — the texan democrat hopeful announces he's giving up on his american presidential dream. pressure on chilean president pinera as protests against his governments austerity policies and economic inequality continue. the countdown is on for the rugby world cup — england take on south africa — we've got the latest from japan.

a public health emergency has been declared in delhi due to soaring levels of air pollution. officials are blaming farmers in neighbouring states who are using fires to clear land. they saythe thick fog has turned the city into a gas chamber. from dehli, pratiksha ghildial reports. it is like a scene from a dystopian science—fiction movie. for a third day in a row now, residents of delhi are inhaling the season's worst toxic air. in some parts of the city, the levels of pm 2.5, the tiny particles that can penetrate deep into our lungs, are peaking at more than 500 mcg per cubic metre. the world health organization recommends a maximum level of 25. i'm in central delhi, just near the main business district, and with the iconic india gate behind me. but as you can see, it is barely visible,

with a thick blanket of smog around it. it is daytime, but hardly any sunlight is able to percolate the thick layer of smog that shrouds the city. the government says it is doing what it can. it has banned construction activities and plans to limit the number of vehicles on delhi's roads. but the main reason for the toxic air here is the burning of crop stubble by farmers in neighbouring states of haryana and punjab, and there seems to be no respite from that. in november last year, i was really ill. i wasn't wearing a mask and it was so polluted last year also, and i got really, really bad lungs. my doctor suggested me to wear a mask every day. translation: i didn't realise how bad it will get. do we really want our kids to grow in such an environment?

no—one really cares. no—one wants to improve the situation. several studies say that the pollution in delhi is damaging people's health at an alarming rate and causing premature deaths. it really is a public health emergency. the former texas congressman beto o'rourke has dropped out of the us presidential race. on social media, he said his campaign for the democratic party nomination didn't have the means to go forward — but that he'd work to ensure donald trump was defeated. this is a campaign that has prided itself on seeing things clearly and on speaking honestly and on acting decisively. we have to clearly see, at this point, that we do not have the means to pursue this campaign successfully. for more i'm joined

by chris buckler in washington. a year ayearago, he a year ago, he was the star of democrat politics, he had that famous magazine cover, i was born to do this, and was down from there. so the mid—term elections a year ago when he bought that senate seat in texas, he really seemed to make a mark and capture people's attention inside the democratic party. it was somebody who actually quite a lot of young democrats firmly believed in but he struggled to replicate —— replicate that start power on the bigger national stage and you mention that magazine cover. he basically launched his presidential bid with this front page cover of vanity fair magazine. it was intended to really put him in as a big base within this political race but the truth is, even he acknowledged that in some ways, it did backfire because it put a lot of kind of attention on him and it meant that he had to really live up

to that and truthfully, in the democratic debates, he hasn't really managed to stand out. among this very crowded field of something like 20 people all vying to become presidential candidate for the party. he has certainly been very strong on issues like climate change and gun—control and as he announced that he was not going to go ahead with this race, we had some of those who have supported his campaign crying, they genuinely believe in him. i struggled to find his final polling numbers. who, if anyone, benefits from his exit?|j polling numbers. who, if anyone, benefits from his exit? i think truthfully, the reality is beto o'rourke ‘s so far down the pecking order that there is not that much to give away because what we are starting to see is really for cans of —— candidates start to break away from the rest of the pack. elizabeth warren, bernie sanders, pete

buttigieg and joe biden. they will go from state to state to try and convince democrats that they will rival donald trump on the 2020 election. they are the ones who are starting to break away. when you ta ke starting to break away. when you take a look at the other candidates,, single—digit percentages and low digit percentages. you are starting to get an idea of who could potentially be and at the moment, elizabeth warren seems to be the frontrunner. the british prime minister has played down president trump's doubts that the us would be able to do a free trade deal with britain under the terms of the brexit agreement with the eu. borisjohnson has also distanced himself from the prospect of an electoral pact with the brexit party. he's been speaking to our political editor, laura kuennsberg. are there any circumstances under which you might work with nigel farage? well, first of all, it is a great brexit. it's a proper brexit.

it delivers exactly what we wanted, what i wanted, when i campaigned in 2016 to come out of the european union. it takes back control of our money, our borders, our laws. it enables us to do proper, all—singing, all—dancing free—trade deals. now, the difficulty about doing deals with any other party is that any other party i'm afraid simply risks — or voting for any other party simply risks putting jeremy corbyn into number ten. there are no circumstances under which you would work with nigel farage? i want to be very, very clear that voting for any other party than this government, this conservative government, this one—nation conservative government, is basically tantamount to putting jeremy corbyn in. your mutualfriend, the president of the united states, thinks you should work with nigel farage. is he wrong? well, look, i'm always, always grateful for advice from wherever it comes. and we have great relations, as you know, with the us and many, many other countries.

so he's wrong about that. but i'm just telling you, laura, what i think about the way to do this. president trump has also said that your brexit deal means that you can't really do a good deal with the americans. is he wrong about that as well? there's one thing he's right about, which is that there's certainly no question of negotiating on the nhs. that is absolutely true, and he's right about that. but, on the technicalities of the deal, anybody who looks at it can see that the uk has full control, as one whole uk — england, scotland, wales, northern ireland — as one uk. so the president hasn't looked at it, then. he said you can't do it. you can't trade, we can't make a trade deal with the uk. so he's misunderstood it? well, i don't wish to comment on what he may or may not have read. what i'm telling you is what everybody can see from the terms of

the deal that we did. if we can get it over the line by — with this election in the middle of january, then we'll have it done. why would anybody believe you on that, when you have broken your promise already, where we should have been out of the eu yesterday? now, you've failed on that. i bitterly regret that we haven't come out, but on the other hand, people said we wouldn't be able to get a new deal at all. in your first speech in downing street, you stood outside there and said, "the buck stops here". and now this has gone wrong, you took your deal away from parliament, like taking your bat and ball away from home, and now you're blaming them. well, with great respect, laura, i don't think that parliament were... i think that mps were never going to deliver that deal on that timetable, and they weren't going to... so why did you try, then? notjust by 31 october. it was clear, from what they did, they wouldn't have done it by christmas. they wouldn't have done it by 31 january. their strategy was to keep rope—a—doping the government and then pushing the deadline on beyond 31 january. it would have been totally miserable. would you rule out expanding the use of the private sector britain has become the latest

european country to halt fracking for oil and gas because of safety concerns. the government withdrew its support after a report by its oil and gas authority warned that it wasn't possible to predict the size or timing of any earthquakes that the process might trigger. france and germany have already banned onshore fracking and it has been controversial in the uk for some time. in one of the biggest global sporting events of the year — england and south africa will take to the field injapan on saturday — for the final of the rugby world cup. tens of millions of people are expected to tune in. our sports editor — dan roan — is in tokyo. another tactical masterclass by eddiejones. it may be the eve of the world cup final, but england's head coach still found time to put some local schoolkids through their paces today. 0k earlier, it was his captain taking instructions, this the squad's final training session before the biggest game of their lives.

it's a good session, boys, it's good work. puts us in good stead for saturday, that. owen farrell's leadership has been crucial to his team's journey in japan. they've had much to celebrate during this campaign, but he told me the job is not yet complete. we know that we can'tjust expect to do the same as last week and the same to happen. we've got to figure out ways to put ourselves in the best place possible to perform. it is 16 years since one of the most cherished moments in english sporting history — jonny wilkinson's extra—time drop—goal sealing victory over an australia side coached byjones,

to win the world cup for the first and only time. today, the hero of that triumph was helping england's kickers as they try to emulate the team of 2003, but he told me this current squad can handle the pressure. i see a difference in this team, to a degree, because — or certainly from some of the players, because i don't think they're like the way i was. i think they're not reclusive, or very introverted in that respect. i think they're going to deal with it in their own way. but england's opponents, south africa, also have great pedigree in this tournament, their iconic 1995 triumph on home soil uniting a nation. 2a years on, siya kolisi is the team's first black captain, a powerful symbol of a more representative team. i haven't seen support like this for our team in a very long time, you know, since 2007. and it's really special, and i don't think anyone outside south africa understands what this means to us. and i've seen it, i've seen bits of it. you know, i haven't seen all of it yet, and i know tomorrow's going to be more, more, more special for the country. organisers have hailed asia's first world cup a towering success, but for the thousands of england fans descending on japan, there is only one place to be tomorrow. we'd love to get tickets. we're going to try when we go to tokyo. we've got time, we arrive

early in the morning. kick—off‘s around 6:00pm, i think, local time, so hopefully we can get tickets. we've had requests to find tickets, but they're like gold dust. you wouldn't sell your tickets you've got? no way. how much do you need, how much do you want? go on. not a chance. if england do return home victorious, these are the kind of scenes that will greet them after a win that could change the players' lives and reinvigorate the sport. and we'll have more from tokyo a little later. stay with us on bbc news — still to come 50 years and counting — we'll tell you about the russian postwoman who just keeps going and going. the israeli prime minister, yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. a 27—year—old jewish man has been arrested, and an extremistjewish organisation has claimed responsibility for the killing.

at polling booths throughout the country, they voted on a historic day for australia. as the results came in, it was clear. the monarchy would survive. of the american hostages there was no sign. they are being held somewhere inside the compound, and student leaders have threatened that should the americans attempt rescue, they will all die. this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyager one is now the most distant man—made object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems to keep on going. tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a public health emergency has been declared in the indian capital delhi, with all schools closed for four days because of dangerous air pollution.

beto o'rourke has announced he's dropping out of the 2020 presidential race, after a lack of support and funding. the chilean president has backed away from tax cuts. there are a number of step—downs by the chilean government, including the announcement it is withdrawing as the host nation for two major international summits, including the un climate change conference. is also facing mounting criticism for the behaviour of security services with protestors alleging human rights violations. 20 people have been killed since the demonstrations began. boris van der spek is the founder and editor of the chilean english language news publication, chile today. he's in santiago.

what an astonishing two weeks it has been for people in chile. president pinera has made concessions, p rotesto rs, pinera has made concessions, protestors, we have seen in the last hours, are still on the streets. what do they want? after the last couple of weeks of course the protests started two weeks ago, they we re protests started two weeks ago, they were more violent and more massive than we are seeing right now, after these two weeks, after if you reforms, after a cabinet shuffle from president pinera, what they are looking for a more profound reforms in chile. the most specific demands they are looking for is a new constitution. so at this moment we are seeing in santiago, but other cities throughout the country, people gathering in social gatherings, but also in marches, manifestations, discussions, debates, to talk about a possible new constitution and what this constitution would look like. boris, to be governor, the constitution was

written during the pinochet military government in the early 1980s, house symbol would be for the country to decide let's have a constitution? that's very difficult to decide for the country. because of course there's a lot of sectors within the government, within chile, and a lot of money in the system, lead people, who would not profit from a new constitution. they would love to see the current constitution continue. but of course you have such huge opposition in the country from social movements, from organisations, from opposition sectors who all oppose this constitution. well, i'm in, it is going to be a tough debate and it is not clear whether a new constitution is going to be drawn up. the debate is going to be drawn up. the debate is there. just to stop you, president pinera became famous around the world back in, what, 2010 with each file mining disaster, greeting those miners, he has now

had to cancel two major summits, how difficult a moment is this for the president? it is a disaster for the chilean president and the government. the apec summit with xi jinping and donald trump possibly signing a trade deal there, it would bea signing a trade deal there, it would be a major step for chile, chile's business, and of course the climate summit, the first big climate summit after paris. it would be the best opportunity for chile to show its full force and for president pinera to show himself as a world leader. for there is —— for him it has been tragic. terrible to have to be forced to cancel these summits. boris van der spek speaking to us from santiago. thank you very much. the indigenous khoisan people of south africa have secured a deal to be paid a regular income from the sale of a herbal tea which they used for centuries — before it became a commercial product. future sales of rooibos tea, or what's sometimes called

red bush, will generate thousands of dollars a year for the people. rich preston has this report. south africa's cedarburg wilderness. home to this little red plant. a red plant which breaks in around $60 million a year and accounts for about 10% of the global herbal tea market. now some of that money will go to the people who discovered it. this area, around three hours north of cape town, is the only area where rooibos is grown. the khoisan people we re rooibos is grown. the khoisan people were using it for centuries before it was commercialised under colonial rule. an agreement between the khoisan people and the south african rooibos council means they will now get1.5% offarm rooibos council means they will now get 1.5% of farm gate prices. this has huge ramifications for the indigenous world and also for other industries were many, many people can be brought under our agreement. so it is a world first. and think

it's really important for that reason. the deal should bring khoisan around $650,000 a year, but they say it's notjust khoisan around $650,000 a year, but they say it's not just about the money. while there are monetary benefits attached, this was very much a dignity issue and the recognition by the industry about khoisan are the knowledge holders to the uses of rooibos. its first knowledge was very, very important. and that was really what the struggle was about. the income will help new generations of the indigenous people, who still live in the rural areas where their a ncestors first the rural areas where their ancestors first discovered the sweet taste of this little red bush stop ridge preston, bbc news. more now on the rugby world cup. it starts in less than seven hours. and the fans injapan it has been the trip of a lifetime. this year's tournament is the first ever held in asia — and it's been a chance

for players and fans to experience different cultures. let's speak to erina inui barker, who's working in the fan zone in tokyo, where those not able to get into the ground can soak up the atmosphere on the big screen. hello, we are waving at you. i feel we should just waver for three or four minutes but i should probably throw you a question. are you in a tent? yes, i am at the tents getting ready for the fans own? where are the fans, i notice seven hours away, they are —— other outside the tent? they are lining up right now. the fa ns they are lining up right now. the fans own is going to open in about two hours but there are heaps of people already trying to get in. when you step out of the tent and look at the fans... are you going to do that? are they south african, english, japanese? they are mainly japanese, i guess. and this tournament, just tell us how exciting has it been forjapan to host this tournament? to be honest, at the beginning, it was pretty

quiet. but since japan winning and winning and winning, they got beaten by south africa, the fans are started increase. wejust got by south africa, the fans are started increase. we just got super excited to watch the end. and that excitement is still continuing. eye and keeping a really close eye behind you. it looks really quiet at the moment. they know there are seven hours to go. i'm sorryjapan didn't make it to the final. that would have been a surprise. but when japanese fans come to your fans own today, woodside will they be cheering for, england or south africa? -- woodside. i guess england. because the head coach eddiejones used england. because the head coach eddie jones used to england. because the head coach eddiejones used to coach japan, for the last world cup. is there any chance of eddie jones the last world cup. is there any chance of eddiejones staying in japan to work with japanese teams? we hope so! we hope so four years ago. but we have a good head coach

at the moment. so we still don't know what is going to go on. do you think that this tournament will leave a lasting permanent legacy in japan that rugby will increase as a sport? definitely. i can feelthe history of rugby is changing right now. and where does it rank in the national sports in japan?|j now. and where does it rank in the national sports in japan? i will say baseball is the biggest sport. that's the thing. soccer has caught up that's the thing. soccer has caught up with it. and i think more than half of the children involved in sports play soccer at the moment. and i think tennis, what else, swimming is pretty popular. but by swimming is pretty popular. but rugby is getting super big. we have an activity zone within the fan zone and we are seeing more and more children. erina inui barker, from that fan zone which is going to be

filling up, thank you so much for joining us. thank you. and good luck for the final. we will see. let's head to russia now, for a story of true commitment and dedication. it's the tale of a postwoman — but not any postwoman. this particular postie has been delivering mail for more than 50 years and she's even become something of a local celebrity — as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. ekaterina dzalaeva has been doing this for a long, long time. 83 years old, trudging up and down the mountainous roads of north ossetia. a round trip of roughly a0 kilometres, which she used to do six days a week. it's a career choice that stretches all the way back to world war ii. translation: my brother was sent to the front and all the children rushed to getjobs at the post office. i told myself that when i grow up i'll definitely become a postwoman. ekaterina is a well—known figure round these parts.

people stop to give her a hug or even take a photo. translation: we respect her age very much, especially considering it's a mountainous area. i don't think it's easy even for young people to walk along these roads. in such a remote area, her work can be vital. but she believes it can also be therapeutic. translation: my salary isn't that big, but it helps me. ifind it easier when i'm walking. ifind it easier when a chat to people. i've experienced a lot of sorrow, and when i'm doing nothing is difficult for me, but when i leave home it's easier. ekaterina says people wait for her to bring the post and they love her when she does. day after day, the deliveries never stop. tim allman, bbc news. but it does she take packages? do so

with bbc news. —— do stay. hello there. winds have already been picking up across parts of the uk. there is some stormy weather to take us through saturday. gales and also heavy rain, which for some of us will cause some disruption to travel and potentially some damage as well. your bbc local radio station will keep you up to date. you can see the swirling area of cloud on our earlier satellite picture. this is an area of low pressure which has been deepening as it has been approaching the british isles. on the southern flank, you can see these isobars squashing together. that shows a swathe of strong winds continuing to develop right now across parts of wales and the south—west of england. some very heavy rain to be had here as well. but there are met office yellow warnings in force for the strength of the winds. the strongest winds through the first part of the morning across the south—west of england and south wales, gusts of 60, 70, maybe 80 miles an hour on exposed coasts. as the day wears on those strong winds will transfer further east across southern england,

the south midlands and up into east anglia. 50, 60, maybe 65mph gusts. those winds could be quite damaging. there will also be some heavy and persistent rain slowly pushing east and north. but at the same time there will be parts of northern england, southern scotland and northern ireland that see precious little rain. sunny spells, the winds here will be lighter. not a bad day. further north in scotland, they will be happy and persistent rain which could cause flooding and easterly winds gusting to 50 or 60 miles an hour. there is lots going on across the uk through the day ahead. top temperatures of 10—13. if you are planning to head out and about during the evening, those winds will only slowly ease. it will certainly stay blustery for a while. into the first part of sunday it should be a little, out there. some rain at times and lows of 7—9 degrees. sunday, low pressure still very much in charge. notice, not as many white lines. not as many isobars on the chart. winds will be considerably lighter.

around the centre of that area of low pressure we will see showers or longer spells of rain spiralling around across the uk. it isn't all doom and gloom if you are heading out and about because you can see some breaks in the cloud as well. there will be some spells of sunshine, and those top temperatures, 10 degrees in aberdeen, 1a in cardiff. staying unsettled with further heavy downpours into the start of the new working week and then for the middle of the week, it will pick up a northerly wind that is going to feel rather chilly.

this is bbc news. the headlines: a public health emergency has been declared in the indian capital, delhi, because of soaring air pollution levels. all schools have been shut until tuesday and face masks are being handed out to millions of pupils. the city's pollution level is 20 times higher that which the world health organization considers acceptable. the former texas congressman, beto o'rourke, has dropped out of the us presidential race. on social media, he said his campaign for the democratic party nomination didn't have the means to go forward — but that he'd work to ensure president donald trump was defeated. chile's government has backed away from a plan to cut corporate taxes after two weeks of nationwide protests against austerity and inequality. president pinera told entrepreneurs the reforms would not be put in place. tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the main square in the capital, santiago.