this is bbc news. the headlines at two... the conservatives lay out plans to train and employ thousands more gps, despite failing to meet a previous recruitment target. labour and the liberal democrats promise to fund more hours of free child care, but providers criticise them for not thinking through how they'll be paid for. the environment agency says flooding still poses a danger to life in south yorkshire, with seven severe flood warnings in place along the river don. angela merkel leads events in germany to mark 30 years since the fall of the berlin wall. translation: i remember you of the people who found their death at this wall because they were looking for freedom. i also remind you of the people who were trying to escape and who were imprisoned. india's supreme court rules that the disputed holy site

of ayodhya should be given to hindus who want a temple built there. catastrophic bushfires in eastern australia kill at least three people and force thousands from their homes. and join the brexitcast team as they discuss the launch of the general election campaign — that's in half an hour. it's a busy day on the campaign trail, with less than five weeks until the general election. the conservatives have unveiled plans to train more gps, whilst labour and the liberal democrats are focussing whilst labour and the liberal democrats are focusing on increasing support for childcare. here's our political

correspondent pete saull. what is going on? a saturday morning trip to a surestart centre. brought in under the last labour government, hundreds of these have closed in recent years. should he become prime minister, labour, he wasnts children in every community will have access to facilities like this. we are determined to open children's centres so that surestart can become a reality as it was in the past for so many of our children. all our funding commitments will be clearly there in the grey book that will be published alongside our manifesto. these parents might like the sound of another labour policy — extending the 30 hours of free childcare a week for two— to four—year—olds to all families. the liberal democrats are going even further. this is 35 hours of childcare for all two— to four—year—old for 48 weeks of the year — 35 hours being the average school day, so that makes sense. but then that would also — and this is really radical and new about this — it would also be from nine months to two years

old for families who work. this won't come cheap, and care providers are calling the conservatives, who have made another pledge on the nhs. the health secretary wants to make it easier for patients to see their gp. the package will deliver 6000 more doctors in primary care and that will lead to 50 million more appointments. i know how frustrating it is when you cannot get a gp appointment fast enough. the tories made a similar promise four years ago, that there would be 5000 extra family doctors by 2020. they are nowhere near that target. the reality will be seening these delivered on. whichever government we have in a few weeks' time, we need them to recognise the stressed state of general practice, we need them to recognise that these promises are solid and should be delivered on, but they need to be delivered swiftly. these policies come cheap. child

ca re these policies come cheap. child care providers are calling for better clarity and funding for stop their hoping measures like these will catch our attention. and peter saull is here with me now. a lot to talk about but i think if we wa nt a lot to talk about but i think if we want to boil it down, it is about more promises, more public spending and still a question mark about how you do these things. you can promise them, like the tories did about 5000 extra gps, and even if they got the money, if you don't have the people who have gone through the training oi’ who have gone through the training or done medical degrees, you will not be able to create these people out of... as the gp said, it is a very difficult promise to deliver on, it has been a challenge for some years now, so recruiting medical staff to the nhs to train them up. the conservatives have a two prong approach. it is training up more gps and it is recruiting from overseas. they announced a new medical visa to

attract more death. i think the issue with that, though these cost will come down the applying for the visa, it will apply to eu nationals once we leave the eu. and second pa rt once we leave the eu. and second part is a better effort to retain the staff that currently are working as gps within the nhs. they say 5000 new gps by 2020 back in 2015, pledge made by the then health secretary jeremy hunt. according to latest figures, the are pretty much the same. they are a long way from meeting that target. if they do go back into the government, the conservatives, it will be interesting to see if they deliver on this promise. fundamentally making it easier for patients to get an appointment with their gp. 0n the question of extra support for the children and young families, we have already had announcements on things like maternity pay from labour yesterday, today devout she

will start centres. labour is kind of determined to stay on this initiative. some of the providers seem sceptical about whether there are, it is a welder promises, but are, it is a welder promises, but are there they workers and people available to work in the centres if you can them? afamiliar you can them? a familiar subject, a realflagship policy and the shadow education secretary talks fondly about how she isa secretary talks fondly about how she is a teenage mother used a surestart centre and it really helped her teaching the basics. labour will argue that in a sense they pay for themselves because they avoid referrals to the nhs and other public services by offering that education at a very early stage in life. the funding has been cut since 2010 by around a third, there is a slight dispute about the number of children's centres that have closed

since 2010. labour say around 1000, other figures since 2010. labour say around 1000, otherfigures suggest it since 2010. labour say around 1000, other figures suggest it is in the hundreds rather than up to 1000. we will continue to talk about that. i'm childcare, this is a battle ground in the selection. the conservatives have introduced it in recent yea rs, conservatives have introduced it in recent years, free childcare, labour saying they would extended to all families, notjust saying they would extended to all families, not just people saying they would extended to all families, notjust people that are working a certain numbers of hours the 30 hours of free childcare a week for two to five—year—olds. the liberal democrats looking at it differently, saying it should still apply to people going into work, but it will be 35 hours and they will say it should start at the age of nine months. the lib dems are rather outbidding the labour party on this but both really trying to go after the voters, younger parents, younger families as potential individuals that could swing this election. pete saull, thank you very much.

in the run—up to polling day we'll be bringing you an essential guide to the various campaigns in a daily electioncast. starting on monday night, adam fleming and the bbc‘s politics team provide a round—up of the day's events and will look at the twists and turns of the campaign so far. watch it here on the bbc news channel or listen to it on bbc sounds app. and you can find full coverage of the issues in the election flooding and rail cancellations are still affecting parts of england after a months worth of rain fell in a single day. seven severe flood warnings — meaning a threat to life — remain on the river don in south yorkshire and there are more than 50 other warnings in the north of england and the midlands. water levels there are still rising in the village of fishlake, as luxmy gopal reports. rising water levels posing a danger to life. this was the scene last night at fishlake in doncaster, where a severe flood warning has been issued.

a0 people had to be rescued from their homes overnight. it adds to the severe flooding that has hit other parts of south yorkshire and derbyshire. this wall shows you very clearly where the water came up to. the basement storeroom of this florist in matlock in north derbyshire is completely ruined, all the stock ready for the run—up to christmas now worthless. to get things started again is going to cost a lot of money. the insurance company will help out, but of course we have to get those things to start with. we are talking between £5,000 and £10,000, a lot of money to recoup. other businesses in the town have suffered a similarfate. this new toy shop didn't get a chance to open its doors to the public. everybody has had a terrible time of it, but our shop was due to open yesterday. so we were here the day before yesterday until ten o'clock in the evening and we have been for the last three weeks, and we were

so excited about opening yesterday, and then we got here and it was full of water. as the clean—up operation gets into full swing, many here say they feel lucky they were not worse affected. it was at matlock that a woman's body was found after being swept away in the river derwent. today she has been formally identified as annie hall, a former high sheriff of derbyshire. in derby city centre, a number of properties were evacuated last night. today they are trying to get back to business as usual. but travel continues to be disrupted, with many roads still closed and many train services still cancelled across south yorkshire and derbyshire. there are seven severe flood warnings in place along the river don. while the flood waters have subsided in some areas, the danger is not passed yet. joining me now is matthew gable from the environment agency. he's coming to us via our nottingham newsroom.

you have been looking at some of the work going on in your part of the country. you overlap with the derbyshire. what in terms of the impact, and with yorkshire very close to hand, to go up there and talk to your operators there, what has been the principal problem with the river don? it is the sheer volume of water, we have had a very high level of rainfall, possibly the third or fourth highest on record, so it is sheer volume of water. compounded on thatis sheer volume of water. compounded on that is the amount of saturation in the ground. with the ground being so wet, any rainfall is immediately going into the river, so the rivers are reacting quickly. backin are reacting quickly. back in the early summer, your chairwoman in launching the strategy was talking about some of the consequences of the changing climate and you can't isolate individual weather incidents to that, but the cumulative effect was the way the

events will become a more common and more persistent. in terms of how we prepare ourselves better in the future, what are the things that can be done when you are not simply dealing with an immediate crisis?l lot of the work we do is planning ahead for looking at what the future flood risk will be. as we design flood risk will be. as we design flood defences, obviously we factor in any climate change allowances. we will design flood defences for a given frequency of flooding and we will then add a percentage under the top of that. at the moment we are at 30% on the flood defence design to account for future climate change allowa nces. account for future climate change allowances. in most circumstances you hope it will be enough. the lesson goes back to 2007 and this year, what we think was once in a century events a re year, what we think was once in a century events are coming along more frequently. that is it correct. we need to be able to react to that so

it is planning on making sure we respond. it additionally on top of that it respond. it additionally on top of thatitis respond. it additionally on top of that it is important people understand their flood risk. that it is important people understand theirflood risk. we offer a lot of services that people can look at to understand what their risk as for where they live. we urge people to check online to check their flood risk and sign people to check online to check theirflood risk and sign up people to check online to check their flood risk and sign up to our free flood warning service which will give them the best information on what their current risk is. will give them the best information on what their current risk ism you live near a river or a coastal area, it is something essential, isn't it? doubtless there were people who moved as a result of receiving those early is early on friday money. what resources are now operating around the river don from you and the other emergency services to try and reduce the risk of further flooding and dealing with the consequences of the floodwater thatis the consequences of the floodwater that is already inundated so many people? this is still a live incident, we

are still on the ground responding, we are working fantastically with all of the other emergency services and the local authorities to make sure who have been displaced have somewhere to go and making sure that as the water moves down the river network we are warning and informing the people that they may be impacted further down. that is our current focus, watching the peak of water as it moves downstream. thank you very much. the headlines on bbc news... the conservatives lay out plans to train and employ thousands more gps, despite failing to meet a previous recruitment target. labour and the liberal democrats promise to fund more hours of free child care, but providers express scepticism over funding. the environment agency says flooding in parts of south yorkshire still poses a risk to life, even though water levels are expected to drop.

ceremonies are taking place in germany to mark 30 years since the fall of the berlin wall. the german chancellor angela merkel, who grew up in east germany, has been attending a commemoration at a remaining section of the wall, that's preserved as a memorial. 0ur berlin correspondent jenny hill reports. in broad daylight, with the world watching, east berlin became a prison, its citizens sealed off from friends and family in the west. 30 years after its fall, it's still a powerful symbol of division. there's not much of it left today, but it's the focus of commemorations, led by angela merkel, who herself grew up behind the iron curtain. for monica, an emotional day. the wall, she told us, tore her family apart. she never knew her grandfather, who lived in the west. by the time the wall fell, he was dead.

it was, astonishingly, a bloodless revolution which followed weeks of street protests. many declared the birth of a new world order, one which some warn is at risk today. translation: the values upon which europe is founded, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, the preservation of human rights, they absolutely cannot be taken for granted and must constantly be defended. today is a bittersweet day for germany. it's about commemorating hardships endured, freedoms won but also a chance to reflect on the divisions on today. solemnity but later there will be celebration too, to mark an iconic moment which shaped the world as we know it today. jenny hill, bbc news, berlin. let's speak now to mary fulbrook, professor of german history at university college london she joins us via webcam.

thank you for talking to us this afternoon. i suppose the obvious thing to ask before we talk about the history of the wall is what you recall personally from those weeks 30 years ago and how unexpected, if it was, it was. it was quite an amazing period in history first up i happen to be writing the final draft of a concise history of germany at the time and i kept calling the press and saying, i'm sorry, this isn't finished, i will have to change it. it was extraordinary, people coming out on the streets and demonstrating every monday, the peaceful demonstrations, but we didn't know at the time that they would not be brutally suppressed with fast. i think one of the key turning points was a month earlier when the decision was taken not to put troops in to suppress the demonstration in leipsic that monday just after the 40th anniversary

celebrations. a consequence of some unconsciously make a decision to not use the tools of the state in the past. it was a complex moment in which local politicians among others were putting pressure on the short lived successor to call of the use of troops to suppress the demonstrations by force on the 9th of november. but the pressure just went on building up and building up. by went on building up and building up. by the 11th of november. there was a more demonstration in berlin and by the 9th of november, this is when the 9th of november, this is when the pressure was really building up when the new regime. to make concessions, trying to say, ok, we will ease travel restrictions, and when then the spokesman for the regime lost the plot a little bit, lost his script, didn't understand what was on the back of a bit of paper he had been handed and said

the new situation would come to force immediately rather than in an orderly fashion over the next few days. and that is what caused people to rush to the world to see what was going on —— might rush to the wall. people rushed to the wall to see and then eventually the guards gave in and let them through. it was quite extraordinary, a moment which had been prepared from challenges below and through the desire to change and reform the commonest party in lower levels in the era of garbage. the moment was completely unfounded. it could have turned out very differently. lots of people had lost their lives in the previous moment that followed there seem to bea time moment that followed there seem to be a time where as much of the east

are being uncertain about the future, the west was pretty uncertain too, including margaret thatcher. there were some very uncertain months that followed. i think no one was expecting unification to take place quite so quickly. i think initially people were talking about a ten point plan over many years. margaret thatcher with her rather crude knowledge of the german past was just crude knowledge of the german past wasjust thinking crude knowledge of the german past was just thinking about the hitler era. people were fearful of what might happen and i think it took that very careful combination of these so—called two plus four talks, these so—called two plus four talks, the superpowers discussing what should happen and the two germany is coming together. but i think the key thing is the west german chancellor

promising a currency union which caused the east german economy to colla pse caused the east german economy to collapse very rapidly over the summer of 1990. there was very little that the east germans could do other than create, recreate the federal states in east germany and request concessions from the large federal republic stop it was a complex year. professor, i am sorry to interrupt you. ifear your line professor, i am sorry to interrupt you. ifearyour line might professor, i am sorry to interrupt you. i fear your line might be going the way of the berlin wall, so we have been losing your last few words. but we got the broad outline of it and some of the work is unfinished business when you look through the... professor, thank you very much. apologies for the problem

on the line. i hope you could hear. india's supreme court has ruled in favour of a hindu claim to a bitterly disputed religious site in the town of ayodhya. the decision clears the way for a hindu temple to be built there. this place where the key hindu deity lord ram is believed to have been born. it's controversial because a 16th—century mosque that previously stood on the land was torn down by activists in 1992. the attack led to communal violence and the deaths of hundreds of people. 0ur correspondent rajini vaidyanathan is in delhi. hindu groups are celebrating here at india's supreme court after the justices delivered a unanimous verdict. now their decision gives a hindu trust ownership of that hugely contested site in ayodhya in north india and effectively paves the way for a hindu temple to be built there. hindus believe that it is the site of the birthplace of lord ram, one of the most revered gods

in the religion, but muslims have also worshipped there for generations and a 16th—century mosque, the babri masjid, was there until 1992, when it was demolished by hardline hindu groups, and the violence that ensued afterwards left thousands dead. the supreme court here, crucially, has given the muslim group, who was the party in the case, separate land in the area, which would enable them to build a mosque, but the group says while it respects the verdict of the supreme court today, it is not satisfied with it, and is considering what its next course of action might be. prime minister modi, ahead of this verdict, called for calm across india, and said that this will not be anyone's loss or victory, but there is a huge police presence, it has been stepped up, notjust here in delhi, notjust in ayodhya, but across the country in anticipation of this verdict. at least three people have died

and five others are missing in bushfires in australia. authorities in new south wales say more than 150 homes have been destroyed as the state battled as an unprecedented fire emergency continues into a second day. officials are warning the number of people killed could rise, as fire—hit areas are inspected. phil mercer is in sydney and has this report. the bushfire crisis spans to make states in eastern australia. monstrous walls of the flames have terrorised towns and villages. many blazes in northern new south wales and parts of queensland continue to burn out of control, despite a military—style firefighting effort. water—bombing aircraft have doused the flames from above. while hundreds of firefighters, many of them volunteers, have gone into battle on the ground. yet still the fires rage.

the full impact on life and property could take days to emerge. bridges, schools and power lines, as well as many homes, have been destroyed. it was right here, above. look, it is that high. bearing down on me. it was like an inferno. it was like the apocalypse, mate. it was like hell on earth. the blazes were so intense that even by helicopter, fire crews were unable to reach some residents who had called for help. the government says the army could be brought in to relieve weary emergency crews on the front line. hot and windy weather combined with a long drought has made parts of eastern australia a tinderbox. we are seeing a situation in new south wales with these fires we have not seen before. it is the world's driest inhabited continent and every year australia confronts serious bushfires. but this time in new south

wales it's different. a record number of emergency warnings have been in place. we are very mindful of the scarcity of water and just how precious it is. but the reality is we can't do firefighting without water but we are using it wisely and sparingly to try and get the greatest effect. conditions in the fire zone have eased, but officials say that next week could see the danger return. this weekend marks the 50th anniversary of sesame street, the american children's tv show. to mark the occasion, new york's empire state building was lit up in yellow and green and big bird made a flying visit. over the years, the show has become know for covering issues including race, culture, homelessness and autism.

now here is a man who is never grouchy. it is tomasz schafernaker. good evening to you. ido good evening to you. i do not what know what to say to that! the weather has not been great. in the last few days in fact, and in the last few days in fact, and in the last few days in fact, and in the last 2a hours we have had heavy rain sweeping, in the south—west of the country. we have had snow in wales, some of us like the snow, it is very pretty. i want to paint the picture this afternoon. look how cold it is. heavy rain affair there was out on a saturday night. really not pleasant at all. in the north of the country, it is a different story, northern england, clearskies overnight and scotland also. that means it will be cold and just as cold as last night, temperatures in the highlands dipping down to —7.

must like three, four degrees in the south of the country. sunday, remembrance sunday, lots of sunshine on the way, mist and fog around just lasting, but on the whole a fine day cup this next weather front coming under way, with wind and rain, it will feel pretty cold as well. you are up—to—date.

you are watching bbc news. the headlines this hour. the conservatives layout plans to employ thousands of new gps despite not meeting recruitment targets. labour and the liberal democrats promise to fund more hours of free child care, but providers express scepticism over funding. the environment agency says flooding in parts of south yorkshire still poses a risk to life, even though water levels are expected to drop. angela merkel leads events in germany to mark 30 years since the fall of the berlin wall. translation: i remember you of the people who found

their death at this wall because they were looking for freedom. the preservation of human rights, the absolutely cannot be taken for granted. welcome, adam, joining us in brexitcast hq in westminster. there is an election but don't worry, we're still talking about lots of brexit stuff. how are you? i'm missing you because i know you don't want me to start singing only the lonely, i would love to have brenda from bristol is with me but i have boris the bear from berlin. nice to have some alliteration. because it is an election, it means one of us is in a car park