this is bbc news, the headlines: this is bbc world news. england's rugby players are making i'm james reynolds. our top stories: final preparations for the world cup the countdown is on for final injapan, with the kick off the rugby world cup — just a few hours away. england take on south eddiejones‘ men will start the match against south africa africa for the final — as favourites to lift the trophy. we've got the latest from japan. britain has become the latest european country to halt fracking for oil and gas because of safety concerns. live in central tokyo from where the it's been suspended since august after tremors in north west england. tea m live in central tokyo from where the team will depart bound for yokohama, the game of their lives and perhaps experts told ministers a second world cup title. they could not predict how often or how strong future britain bans fracking to extract tremors might be. shale gas because of concerns about the link between drilling and earthquakes. the former texas congressman beto o'rourke has dropped out beto o'rourke out of the race — of the us presidential race. the texan democrat hopeful announces on social media, he said his he's giving up on his campaign for the democratic party nomination didn't have american presidential dream. the means to go forward — but that he'd work to ensure the red bush herbal tea that's become a money spinner for local donald trump was defeated. indigenous people in south africa.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the rugby world cup final is less than four hours away — and the excitement is building. england will take on south africa in the japanese city of yokohama. the stakes are high for both sides: england are attempting to land their second world cup and avenge the springboks‘ victory in the 2007 final. this year's tournament is the first ever held in asia, as our sports editor dan roan reports. 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. 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. 0rganisers 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. 0ur correspondent wyre davies is in tokyo. iam i am looking out behind you, at the lobby in case the england team bus heads out. it's not there at the moment, any sign of them? no, i think the players are going to live in an hourand think the players are going to live in an hour and a half, it's four hours to kick off in yokohama so it's a half hourjourney from here down to there. the families who have been with the players this morning, it's a very relaxed attitude around the camp, the farmers have just left, some of the fans who australia

have left but the team will even about an hour have left but the team will even aboutan hourand have left but the team will even about an hour and a half, that will give them time to have a runaround at the stadium, because they are super fed and had at the stadium, because they are superfed and had been training all week. as i said in the introduction this is the game of their lives. they had a fantastic win against new zealand, the all blacks in last week's semi—final, in the not overwhelming favourites to win this final letter on this afternoon. it would be england's second bulk up after the first one in 2003. by the springboks, the south africans are quietly confident stopper lost their first game in the tournament to new zealand. but since then they have made the final under the radar and are very tough defensive side, they beat wales u nfortu nately are very tough defensive side, they beat wales unfortunately in the semifinals, so it is in england south africa final with england, overwhelming favourites. eddie jones, the england coach, is he now the most famous manager pan? of course, he led the brave blossoms, the japanese to some great success at the last mockup and their families live in south africa. any changes very well known in part of the world, is down rowan said in his

piece before, this interview, his been coaching for some local school as well. he is well known injapan, by as well. he is well known injapan, rugby insured pan is a well—established spot, it's a well established sport but is aims to boost the sport in asia. 0lympic games you next year, men's and women's sevens rugby will be a big pa rt women's sevens rugby will be a big part of the olympic games so he, the whole organisation, the whole purpose of his first rugby world cup injapan is to try and boost the sport of this part of the bond. where you are in tokyo, how people going to be watching the game? are screens being set up? will they said home, they come to the streets? the fan zones have been really successful and its managed japanese fa ns were successful and its managed japanese fans were coming to the fan zones. there are two or three fan zones here in tokyo, we're going to a by here in tokyo, we're going to a rugby stadium later which has been specially set up for locals to watch the game a giant screen so we will be able to bring the objects from

there. dunning, there are fan zones as well. wherever i have been across the country from north to south in recent weeks there have been a big appetite for rugby. the japanese fa ns appetite for rugby. the japanese fans have been incredibly hospitable, they've ta ken fans have been incredibly hospitable, they've taken to the game as well. that was helped in pa rt by game as well. that was helped in part by the success of their own team.japan part by the success of their own team. japan made the quarter—finals, they had very big victories over ireland and scotland and so part of the success of this tournament i think has been down to the fact that their own team is paid very well as well. see if you can jump on that tea m well. see if you can jump on that team bus, thank you very much. 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. so what is fracking? here's our reporter charlotte gallagher. it's a process to extract oil or gas

from deep within the earth. how it works as you drill a well, and then this narrow well, you pump down sand, water and chemicals. and those three things mixed together, essentially, the gas or the oil floats to the surface. simply, that's how it works. what has the british government now done? they've suspended it immediately. this is after a new report from a government agency that said it was impossible to predict the size or probability of earth tremors caused by fracking. and the government have said at this stage itjust isn't safe enough to proceed. now there was actually only one active fracking site in the whole of uk, in lancashire, in north—west england. and activity there was suspended in august when there was an earthquake. and now it looks like all future projects are being put on hold. do you know what a public opinion was like in that one area?

in that particular area, public opinion was very strong against fracking. there was lots of protests at the site. 0bviously some people in the area did want it because it was going to bring jobs and money to the area, others were very, very unhappy. lots of people were arrested, actually, they went to the site to protest. and in fact, it cost the local lancashire police about £11 million to police this actually very small site in lancashire. very controversial. and in fact, opposition to fracking here in the uk has doubled in recent years. it isn't something that is particularly popular. we talked about the uk there but also mentioned in the introduction france and germany. is it possible to think maybe this is it for the future of fracking in major parts of western europe? france and germany have banned it for good. the netherlands have suspended it. the republic of ireland has suspended it as well. the uk government at the moment is saying no, this isn't the end of fracking, this is being suspended for the time being. they say if it is safer in the future they will go

back to it. let's get some of the day's other news. the army in mali says 53 soldiers have been killed in what it's called a terrorist attack on a military post in the north. a month ago, a0 soldiers were killed near the border with burkina faso in what was one of the deadliest assaults of its kind. the streets of algiers have been packed with tens of thousands of anti—government protesters, celebrating the anniversary of the country's war for independence. many protesters called for a new revolution and expressed their opposition to plans to hold presidential elections next month. the us has launched a national security review of the chinese video—sharing service tiktok. the review will look tiktok‘s purchase of another social media app musically two years ago. tiktok is owned by beijing byte dance. last week us senators expressed concerns about the way tiktok gathers users data. the former texas congressman beto 0'rourke has dropped out

of the us presidential race. 0n social media, he said his campaign for the democratic party nomination didn't have the means to go forward — but he says 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. 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 say the thick fog has turned the city into a gas chamber. from delhi, 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. 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. voyageri 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: england and south africa rugby players are making final preparations for the world cup final injapan, with the kick offjust a few hours away. britain has banned fracking to extract shale gas because of concerns about the link between drilling and earthquakes. let's have more on the pollution in delhi now. daniel cusworth is a nasa scientist who's done extensive research into identifying the sources of the pollution. he told me where it's coming from. so this time of year, the post—monsoon is when farmers harvest the rice crop and in the combine harvesting, rice residue is left on the fields and in order to ready the crops for the next planting cycle,

they burn the crops, and these burnings are detectable from space, you can hotspots from space, you can see from satellite imagery, you can see the smoke emanating throughout the plain which includes new delhi, and if you look at the service monitors, if you look at air pollution monitors, you can see very much a spike in air pollution corresponding to when these fires are being set. how bad is this in comparison to other earlier episodes of pollution that delhi must have suffered? delhi is an urban area and has many sources of air pollution but during this time of year, it is not uncommon for the air quality, particularly the particulate matter, to be around 400 or 500 micrograms per cubic which is about ten or 20 times above what the world health 0rganization recommendation is, so it is very high and it is very polluted. the indian government is clearly taking some measures to protect its population — closing schools and so on —

but what kind of measures can the state take to stop the pollution, to make it go away? that is certainly best addressed by the farmers and by the policymakers but certainly, there are regulations that can be pursued in addition to agricultural enhancements in terms of mechanised harvesting and other types of combine harvesters which allow for subsequent planting of crops that doesn't require that type of burning but it is something that needs to be engaged with the local and state forces. and when you look at the photos and when you study farming activity near delhi, are you able to work out exactly when the pollution might clear? certainly. so if you — we have a long record of satellite imagery that has been

tracking the smoke coming from these fires and this goes back 10—15 years and what we have seen is in about a two week period or up to one month period in late 0ctober early november, when you see the burning taking place and subsequent pollution enhancements to the city, so as long as the burning is happening up wind in the regions of punjab, we should expect there to be enhanced pollution downwind and in new delhi and also through the plain. daniel, thank you very much forjoining us. 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 cederberg wilderness. home to this little red plant.

a red plant which rakes 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 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'll 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 one agreement. so it is a world first. and i think it's really important for that reason. the deal should bring the 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, you know, that the khoisan are the knowledge holders to the uses of rooibos. its first knowledge was very, very important. and that was really what their struggle was about. the income will help new generations of the indigenous people, who still live in the rural areas where their ancestors first discovered the sweet taste of this little red bush. rich preston, bbc news. 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 0ssetia. 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. let's go back to our top story this hour, the rugby world cup final. england take on south africa in a few hours at the stadium in yokohama in japan. a short time ago i spoke to one very excited fan in central tokyo, where those not able to get into the ground can soak up the atmosphere in a fan zone on the big screen. i feel that we should just wave for three orfour minutes, i feel that we should just wave for three or four minutes, but i should probably throw you a question. are you ina probably throw you a question. are you in a tent? yes, i am in the fan

zone. where are the fans? i know it is seven hours away. other outside the tent? yes, they are lining up right now. the fans —— fan zone will openin right now. the fans —— fan zone will open ina right now. the fans —— fan zone will open in a few hours, but there are already lots of people trying to get in. when you step out of the tent and look at the fans... oh, are you going to do that? right. at a south african, english orjapanese? they are mainly japanese, i african, english orjapanese? they are mainlyjapanese, i guess. african, english orjapanese? 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 kept winning and winning and winning, before they we re and winning and winning, before they were beaten by south africa, the fa ns started were beaten by south africa, the fans started to increase and increase. we just got super excited towards the end and that excitement is still continuing. keeping a

really close i behind you, it looks very quiet at the moment but i know there are still seven hours to go. i am sorry japan there are still seven hours to go. i am sorryjapan did not make it to the final, that would have been a surprise, but when japanese fans come to your fan zone today, which side will they be cheering for? england or south africa ?|j side will they be cheering for? england or south africa? i would guess england, because they had coach, eddiejones, guess england, because they had coach, eddie jones, used guess england, because they had coach, eddiejones, used to coach japan for the last world cup. —— the head coach. is there any chance of eddiejones staying in head coach. is there any chance of eddie jones staying in japan head coach. is there any chance of eddiejones staying injapan to work with japanese teams? we hope so! we hope so four years ago, but they 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 this tournament will leave a lasting permanent legacy injapan that rugby will increase as a sport? definitely. i can feel the history of rugby is changing right now. and

where does it rank in the national sports in japan? i would say baseball is the biggest sport, that is the thing. soccer has caught up a bit. 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 rugby is getting super big. we have an activity zone within the fan zone and we are seeing more and more children. within the fan zone and we are seeing more and more childrenm you get there, seven hours early, you get there, seven hours early, you will get the best seats. you are watching bbc news. don't forget, you can get more on all our stories — including updates on the rugby world cup final — by logging onto our website, bbc.com/news, and follow the links to the sport site. england will take on south africa in the japanese city of yokohama. the stakes are high for both sides. england are attempting to land their second world cup and avenge the springboks' victory in the 2007 final. this year's tournament is the first ever held in asia. we'll keep you updated

here on bbc news as well. 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, there will be heavy 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 calmer 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, 11! in cardiff. staying unsettled with further heavy downpours into the start of the new working week and then for the middle of the week, 00:28:42,184 --> 2147483051:51:05,807 it will pick up a northerly wind 2147483051:51:05,807 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 that is going to feel rather chilly.