welcome to bbc news, i'm mike embley. our top stories: a six—point plan to save the planet. thousands of scientists demand deep and lasting changes to curb catastrophic climate change. pressure builds on president trump, as a key witness in the impeachment inquiry says ukraine was told to investigate a democratic rival to get us military aid. nine us citizens, including six children, are killed in mexico during an ambush by a suspected drug cartel. fury as a british cabinet minister appears to suggest victims of the grenfell tower fire in london lacked the common sense to flee. and on board america's election express. we report from a divided new hampshire, a year ahead of the presidential poll.

thousands of scientists from around the world have endorsed a study based on a0 years of research that says the planet is facing a global climate emergency. the group of around 11,000 scientists says governments are failing to address the crisis, and without deep and lasting changes, there will be untold human suffering. gareth barlow has the story. wildfires in the united states, floods in somalia, droughts in the andes, typhoons in asia. symptoms and signs of a changing climate, i

climate emergency, according to 11,000 scientists. they have backed a report based on a0 years of data which says humans are facing untold suffering, amid a climate emergency, caused by issues such as booming populations, a rise in air travel, and three numbers falling as forests are felled. our planet is in crisis. you know it, we know it. claim changes are key social and political issue, and the report's authors say governments, businesses and the public must do more to tackle the causes of climate change. extinction! rebellion! the global protest movement does offer hope, but as scientists warn of a changing climate, on monday, donald trump began the formal process of withdrawing from the paris climate accord, the landmark agreement meant to curb a rise in temperatures.” announced the withdrawal of the united states from the horrible,

costly, one—sided paris climate accord. the issues aren'tjust political. the report's signatories say diets must change, population growth must reduce, and the reliance on fossilfuels must growth must reduce, and the reliance on fossil fuels must end. big solutions to fix an even bigger issue. i'm joined now by one of the lead authors of the statement, ecology professor william ripple. professor, thank you very much for talking to us. i know you have been talking to us. i know you have been talking to us. i know you have been talking to many people about this. what... this is based on a0 years of research, as we have said. what in particular has triggered it for you? well, for me, what's happening is that i decided to work on this climate emergency paper because climate emergency paper because climate change seems to be accelerating faster than scientists

predicted, and it is more severe than predicted, and threatening natural ecosystems, and potentially causing great harm to humanity. and, ina causing great harm to humanity. and, in a world where we see the most powerful man in the world withdrawing the us from the paris climate accord, what are the chances, do you think, of the major transformation that you recommend? well, first of all, i want to say that administrations, political administrations, come and go with time. and what we are talking about is- time. and what we are talking about is — are both short—term and very long—term tra nsformative change is — are both short—term and very long—term transformative change for society. so, with that, ijust don't wa nt to society. so, with that, ijust don't want to say too much more other than we have something that transcends any political administration. you give a list of urgently needed

actions, and others in the medium and long—term. give us an idea of those, please, and what do you think, actually, realistically, other chances of them being carried out? 0k, first of all i'll mention oui’ out? 0k, first of all i'll mention our six steps, and then i'll talk about the chances. so what we have identified were six steps that can be taken. the first one has to do with energy, and carbon dioxide pollution, and the second is about air pollution. and it so happens that air pollution is also adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, while causing great human harm. and then thirdly, we talk about nature, and natural climate solutions, and the importance of natural ecosystems in absorbing carbon dioxide. and then fourth, we talk about food and diet, in terms of eating low on the food chain. in fifth, we mention economics, and continued economic growth, ina

economics, and continued economic growth, in a world that has finite resources . growth, in a world that has finite resources. and finally, we mention population, and the importance of family planning. so, in terms of what i think about its chances, i think that humanity is now at a conversation where we are able to think about a social tipping point. so the conversation is wrapping up for governments, it is ramping up for governments, it is ramping up for businesses, it is ramping up for citizens. so i think what we're going to see is a lot more action on this in the future. professor, thank you very much for talking to us. yes, thank you, it is a pleasure. at least nine us citizens including six children have been killed, in a violent attack by suspected drug cartel gunmen in mexico. the family are linked to a mormon community that settled in mexico. donald trump has posted a twitter message saying it is time for mexico to wipe the drug cartels off

the face of the earth. 0ur correspondent will grant sent this report, and a warning — some viewers may find it upsetting. the aftermath of an ambush. this is for the record. nita and four of my grandchildren are burnt and shot up. this grisly video taken by a distraught family member shows the extent of the violent attack on the lebaron mormon family. three women and their children murdered as they travelled between their community settlements in northern mexico. a family portrait has emerged as one of the victims, rhonita miller lebaron and her children, several of whom were killed, including the babies in arms. the staged photograph, now a chilling reminder of the disregard the cartel gunmen had for their victims' lives. at this stage, the only apparent explanation for the ambush is mistaken identity.

even so, the brutality of the drug cartels has reached a new low. with the victims us citizens, president trump was quick to tweet his response, calling on mexico to request us help in cleaning out these monsters. from the increasingly beleaguered mexican president, it was a polite thanks, but no thanks. president lopez 0brador insists he won't be drawn back into a protracted war against the country's drug gangs, one which has little chance of ever reaching a clear resolution. however, on recent evidence, mexico is still embroiled in one, whether he likes it or not. will grant, bbc news. this week we have reported on the pollution crisis in northern india, where levels of dangerous

particles in the air are at well over ten times safe limits. the elderly and the very young are suffering most, with one doctor saying growing up in the capital, delhi, is like being a lifelong smoker. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan reports. one of the biggest threats to these young lives is all around them, as they play, as they eat, because they breathe. here, the air is toxic. and it is the youngest and poorest most at risk. in one of the world's most polluted cities. within minutes of visiting this slum in north delhi, we meet shabarna, with her three—month—old twins. she tells me both have pneumonia, and blames the pollution. three times a day, she uses a nebuliser rented from a local shop to get medicine to their lungs.

they've been sick since they were born. they have fever, they're coughing, and they struggle to breathe, she tells me. the medicines aren't working, and we're desperate. we've just done a pollution reading, and even inside, the levels here are incredibly high, way above what is considered safe by the world health organization. a study by the who said that every year, some 600,000 children under the age of 15 die across the world because of exposure to toxic air. so this image of a teenager with black deposits on the lung is not a rarity today. doctor arvin kumar is a chest surgeon. he says he is seeing a growing number of teenagers with damaged lungs. would you say that this air is killing young children? yes, it's killing our children. it's making their iq development lower.

it's causing cancers. breathing kills. this blanket of smog covers india's capital annually. vehicle emissions, unchecked industrial fumes, and farmers in nearby states burning crop stubble all to blame. little seems to change. it is hard to see what the future is for the youngest and most vulnerable. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. we will stay across that story, of course. in a move that could prove damaging to president trump, a senior american diplomat has changed his evidence to the impeachment inquiry that has the potential to remove the president from office. gordon sondland, us ambassador to the european union, has now acknowledged telling a top ukrainian official that american military aid to ukraine, a us ally under threat from russia, likely hinged on the government in kiev helping mr trump with next year's us presidential election.

live now to our north america correspondent peter bowes. peter, this new statement to the impeachment inquiry seems to support claims from democrats that mr trump was withholding aid to pressure ukraine into investigating one of his rivals for the presidency. joe biden's son was on the board of ukrainian energy company. yes, it does seem to support the quid pro quo argument, of course, that president trump has so staunchly denied now for many, many weeks, that he says he wasn't trying to manufacture a situation where he would offer some military aid to ukraine in return for that corruption investigation, that would focus on joe biden corruption investigation, that would focus onjoe biden and his son. the president all along has said that simply isn't the case. well, now we hear this evidence that has been changed, from a man who is a trump

supporter. he is essentially the ambassador to the european union. a lot of people see that as a reward for being very positive about the president, and helping him to raise money. so this isn't someone with an axe to grind against president trump. and that's why what he is saying now is so significant, and why many democrats are saying that it all but prove their case. and democrats have also released testimony, i think, from mr trump's former special representative for ukraine. yes, kurt volker. he has had some very interesting things to say about rudy giuliani, and this is also raising many, many questions about the president's personal lawyer and his role in this affair. of course, he is a personal lawyer, he isn't a member of the government, but he does seem to have had a central role as a conduit, if you like, between kiev and washington, two it seems create a scenario where perhaps ambassadors are in place in ukraine who are more sympathetic to the president. the very fact that it isa the president. the very fact that it is a personal lawyer in this role,

involved at the heart of foreign policy, at least as it applies to that part of the world, is very unusual. peter, thank you very much for that. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the outgoing head of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, says he thinks the uk will leave the eu by the end ofjanuary. 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: thousands of scientists have urged people, policy makers and industry to make deep and lasting changes to curb catastrophic climate change. a key witness in donald trump's impeachment inquiry has said ukraine was told to investigate his democratic rivaljoe biden to get us military aid, directly contradicting claims by the president. here in the uk the leader

of the house of commons has issued a "profound apology" for remarks about the grenfell tower block fire in london, which have drawn a furious reaction from survivors. cabinet ministerjacob rees—mogg appeared to suggest that people who died in the fire lacked common sense — and that he would have left the block instead of following the advice of fire crews to stay put. the fire service was following national guidelines. the blaze, injune 2017, killed 72 people. this report from lucy manning. if there's one tragedy it's easy to show sympathy with and be sensitive about, it's grenfell. the inquiry finding just last week, residents shouldn't have been told to stay put in their flats for so long, yet one government minister has managed to upset the survivors. the more one's read over the weekend about the report and about the chances of people surviving, if you just ignore what you're told and leave, you are so much safer.

and i think if either of us was in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building. itjust seems the common sense thing to do. marcio gomes, his pregnant wife, and two daughters were trapped on the 21st floor. they filmed the smoke and the darkness that made it almost impossible to escape. their son, logan, was stillborn after the fire. operator: there is no way you can get out? floor 21? there's no way! there's no way. we have tried three times already. the fire's here! you know, i lost my son and, yeah, it was hurtful. it's not very nice for the survivors, the families, or even the community, as well, what he said. he certainly needs to start thinking a bit more about what he's saying. and if he wants to talk about common sense, then i can quite... you know, turn around and say it's common sense not to build houses or flats with flammable material. as he left cabinet, mr rees—mogg

was asked if he thought grenfell that's not what i said. not what i said. reporter: do you regret your comments? that's not what i said. he later said: "i profoundly apologise. what i meant to say is that i would have also listened to the fire brigade's advice to stay and wait at the time. however, with what we know now and with hindsight, i wouldn't and i don't think anyone else would. i would hate to upset the people of grenfell if i was unclear in my comments." do you accept his apology for those comments? no, not really. i think it was just very insensitive. it shows how out of touch he is with everyone. at any time, jacob rees—mogg's comments would be seen as insensitive, but at the start of an election campaign, they suggest a government minister lacking empathy at the very time politicians are trying to connect with people. grenfell survivors again feeling let down by those in charge. lucy manning, bbc news.

iran is given into the breach does make any agreements are made. it will take it underground side, the rich uranium can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons. brazilian lawmakers have called for executives of two firms to be charged with homicide and other crimes, in response to the dam colla pse other crimes, in response to the dam collapse that killed nearly 300 people. the report says the heads of the mining giant and associated german consulting group are responsible for the disaster in january. he rocks government has decided to lift the overnight curfew in the capital. it was imposed more than a week ago to try and contain anti— government devastations. the premise has rejected calls for his leg nation. —— resignation. the next us presidential election may be a year away,

but candidates have already been campaigning in the key states. this includes new hampshire — which will hold the first primary in february. jane 0'brien reports from north conway. shifting winds over the presidential range, home to some of the most unpredictable weather in the world. and an equally unpredictable political environment for today ‘s presidential hopefuls. north conway lies in the shadow of the white mountains, a bluish town on a reddish county, in a divided state where hillary clinton be donald trump by less than half a percent in 2016. this general store, a local landmark is a popular camping spot. i'm here to meet republicans who think the president will have better luck this time. he changed my whole outlook because he is not a businessman running a business. in this country needs. and that change my whole life, it gave me energy.

but republicans here are dwindling. we are attracting people from the surrounding states that over womanly with us. so they say, hey, you know, look over the border to new hampshire. it's pretty good over there. so they move you. but they bring their ideas with them. and they vote accordingly. 0f bring their ideas with them. and they vote accordingly. of course, a lot pens on who democrats picture challenging. the democratic field is just like the candy bar, you are volta choice. do you go for thejob broker, the gumbo, the rock candy, 01’ broker, the gumbo, the rock candy, or my personal favourite, the caramel cow tail. the point is their role candy but they all appealed to different tastes. bernie sanders won the last primary in new hampshire and he is doing well on the polls right now. but many democrats have doubts about his ability to be trump ina doubts about his ability to be trump in a general election. there's momentum building for some of the candidates who are little bit more moderate, at least in a state like

this. because i think we have an understanding that if we swing too far to the left, with our deep divide as it is, that it'll make people unelectable. mobilisation is the key to 2020. given the tribal nature of american politics, few people are likely to change their minds or the party. and polls suggest that independent voters are few and far between. the bigger question then, is whether enough republicans will stay on board to give president trump another four yea rs. the outgoing head of the european commission, jean—claude juncker, has told the bbc he believes the uk will leave the eu by the end of january — the end of the current extension period. mrjuncker said he regretted not speaking out at the time of the european referendum — so our europe editor katya adler put to him some of the promises made by the parties contesting next month's genral election.

if we start with boris johnson, because he's still our prime minister... i like him, by the way. 0k. so, he says if he wins the election and the withdrawal bill is passed, then he thinks it's possible to get a new trade deal negotiated by the end of 2020. so, you know, in less than 12 months. is that possible? i don't want to be a prisoner of this tight framework. but is it even possible, it took seven years to negotiate a deal with canada, for example? it takes time to negotiate a free—trade agreement. sometimes, i have the impression that in britain, people... ..parliamentary representatives, governmental representatives do think that this is an easy thing to be done. it's not easy, because we are negotiating for years with canada. it will take time. can i have a look now at some other claims being made? so, the labour party, for example, says if it wins the general election, it will renegotiate once again. so, a third brexit deal.

i will no longer be in office when this happens. so, it will be up to the next commission to decide if yes or no there is room for manoeuvre of a new deal, a new treaty. honestly spoken, i don't think that this is a realistic approach. would you like there to be another referendum and the uk to give brexit another thought? the question if yes or no there should be a second referendum... ..is a british issue. i don't think that there will be a second referendum. the brexit party says the new brexit withdrawal agreement is not brexit, they say, it's just brexit in name only. is that a fair thing to say about boris johnson's deal with your commission? no, it's brexit. i'm not a supporter of mr farage. you made a bet at the time

of the referendum... yes! ..with the uk commissioner, and you pointed out that you thought that remain would lose the referendum, you bet him £1. yeah, yeah. so, just going back to the 31st january, this latest brexit extension, would you bet the £1 that the uk will be out by the 31st january, no more brexit extensions, you think? i do think that it will happen but this is a too long story. it has to be brought to an end. you know, you've been in this job for a long time. would you be tempted to stay in your office until brexit is done, or at least this phase of brexit? no, no, no. i had brexit enough in my life. presidentjuncker, thank you very much for your time. thank you, it was a pleasure. thank you, thank you. you may have seen this footage but it's worth seeing again. cctv from san francisco. a rail worker in san francisco rescuing a man, who was a spilt—second from being hit by a train. the man who was drunk was walking

dangerously close to the edge of the platform before falling onto the tracks. luckily, he is pulled to safety. the work you did it says he hopes anyone would have done the same thing. thanks for watching. —— the worker who did it. hello there. the rest of this week is going to remain on the chilly side, certainly temperatures a few degrees down on where they should be for the time of year. we've been seeing this colder air move southwards in the last 2a hours across the country, and it's going to stick around for the rest of the week, and there will be some pretty wet weather around, especially on thursday. the early part of wednesday looks mainly dry. a few showers peppering northern and eastern coasts, and some showers around irish sea coasts. but further inland, under clear skies, it's going to be a chilly one. temperatures close to freezing in the south and below freezing in the north, so there will be some frost. a little bit of mist and fog around to greet us for wednesday morning. that said, there should be plenty of sunshine across central, northern and eastern areas. but this area of showers around

the irish sea will push slowly eastwards, merge together to produce longer spells of rain. could be a little bit of wintriness over the higher ground in the north. a dry slot in between this next band of rain, pushing into northern ireland, wales and the south—west of england later in the day, and a chilly day to come wherever you are — 6—10 degrees. through wednesday night, that first band of rain pushes northwards. there'll be further wintriness over the higher ground, and this next band of rain continues to move in, and almost merges with it, so it could be quite wet in places by the end of the night. a few blustery showers following on behind, but maybe not quite as cold to start thursday as what we've seen the last few nights. for thursday, though, it's not looking very pleasant. we do have this area of low pressure pretty much parked on top of the uk, a stationary low with its associated weather front. and this weather front could bring quite a lot of rainfall in places, perhaps even the risk of some localised flooding. at the moment, it looks like it's going to be affecting more eastern, central parts of the uk, across into northern ireland. there could be some travel disruption from flooding caused by this. it could be a little

bit further northwards, it could be a little bit further southwards. to the north of it, a few showers, wintry on the hills, and further south, some blustery showers, some of them heavy, a little bit of sunshine around, and again it's going to be another chilly day. improvement as we head through thursday night. into friday, that weatherfront eventually slips away, takes the rain and the breeze with it, from the south—east. but much of the country will start chilly, perhaps seeing a little bit of frost, and then it looks like it will be a bright day, with pretty widespread sunshine. it could be the best day of the week, but a chilly one — 6—10 degrees. it's a short—lived fine spell, because into the weekend, here comes the next area of low pressure, to bring some wet weather with some wintriness on the hills for saturday. a slow improvement on sunday. but like i mentioned, it could be pretty wet in places on saturday, with some wet snow or sleet over the high ground on the north. a gradual improvement as we head into sunday.

this is bbc news. the headlines: a global group of around 11,000 scientists have endorsed research that says the world is facing a climate emergency. the study based on a0 years of data says governments are failing to address the crisis. without lasting changes, it says the world faces untold human suffering. a key witness in donald trump's impeachment inquiry has said ukraine was told to investigate his democratic rivaljoe biden to get us military aid. the testimony from gordon sondland, the us ambassador to the european union, directly contradicts claims by the president. nine us citizens, three women and six children, have been killed in an attack by suspected drug cartel gunmen in northern mexico. officials said the group could have been targeted accidentally as a result of mistaken identity.