you re watching bbc newsroom live. it's ham and these are the main stories this morning. up to m people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. the country's prime minister says ‘questions must be asked' in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don't support the conservatives. labour promises a ‘relentless focus‘ on the nhs if they win. the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was ‘joshing around‘ when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation. he was seeing lee tories are going to lose and i was saying, no, you are going to be fine. joshing, as

old friends do. he has selectively lea ked old friends do. he has selectively leaked it. ithought old friends do. he has selectively leaked it. i thought he was a friend. six people die in a shooting in the czech city of ostrava — the gunman fled the scene and then fatally shot himself the chief executive of fashion retailer, ted baker, steps down following warnings over the company‘s profits myanmar is called to a un court to answer charges of genocide against its rohingya minority — nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi will defend her government. tributes are paid to the man who inspired the ‘ice bucket challenge‘ who has died at the age of 3a — it was a viral campaign that raised more than 150 million pounds for charity. good morning. welcome to bbc newsroom live.

new zealand prime minister jacinda ardern has said there are questions which ‘must be asked‘ after the volcanic eruption on white island. up to 14 people are feared dead — six confirmed fatalities and eight people missing on the island — police say they are also likely to have died. officers earlier announced that a criminal investigation would be opened, but later revised this, saying it was "too early" to comment. white island is new zealand‘s most active volcano. it‘s in the bay of plenty — around 30 miles off the coast of the north island. from there, our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. the prime minister on the site of where those who were affected by the devastation were first taken, praising those who jumped straight into helping. they worked tirelessly in the most devastating circumstances. many of them had not yet rested or slept. the toll that the impact of this extraordinary tragedy has had on them was obvious. police are now launching an investigation into the deaths and injuries after the

eruption on white island. we know too there will be bigger questions in relation to this event. these questions must be asked, and they must be answered. one of the paramedics who helped move the injured into safety described the scene. it was like — like, i've seen the chernobyl miniseries. there wasjust — everything wasjust blanketed in ash. it was quite an overwhelming feeling. the police and the army have tried to launch a drone for surveillance on the island, but were unable to do so because of windy conditions. the situation there remains quite unstable, with officials saying that there is a 50% chance of a smaller size or a similar eruption happening within the next 2a hours. but even a small eruption can have devastating effects. the focus is now mainly on helping the families of those who have died, and giving the injured the care they need, but more questions will be asked about why they were allowed on such a volatile place. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, whakatane.

well, eye—witness accounts continue to come in to help give a clearer picture of what happened. earlier, the bbc spoke to geoff hopkins, who was on a boat that left the island just before the eruption — he said there was no warning of what was about to happen. there was nothing. it was silent. there was no tremor, no shaking. there was nothing to really say other than the visual thing that we could see of the huge plume of steam and ash that was rising into the air. we were probably only 200 metres off the shore line. the ash cloud then decided to envelope the entire island. we all got inside the cabin and there were about 30 people on the boat.

and we immediately headed back to where we had left, which is where the other boat was still anchored. the crew knew that we were going to need to rescue people. at that stage, you could not see the island. it was completely covered in ash. yes, very eerie. the tour party that were on the boat, there was a silence amongst people as we headed back. a few people were in tears. there was shock. we knew there were people still on the island. when we arrived back to where the other boat had been anchored, the ash started to clear. we could see there were people on the beach, there were some people in the water. everything was covered just in a perfect layer of grey ash. we could see the wrecked helicopter up on the island. immediately, the crew of the boat launched inflatables and started picking up the injured. we didn‘t know what we were dealing with until the first one started coming on, and as they came on,

they were horrific burns. and everyone — we took 23 people off the island before we started heading back to mainland — every single one of them were badly, badly burned. and earlier our reporter danny vincent — who‘s on the north island — gave this update. night has now fallen in this corner of new zealand. the community is now beginning to attempt to come to grips with the tragedy which took place in this region just yesterday. now, the prime minister has said there are many questions that still need to be answered. this is a community which is attempting to mourn but also there are some frustrations from some members of the community earlier today, police said they were going to launch a criminal investigation. they later backtracked and said it is no longer going to be a criminal investigation, simply an ordinary investigation to try to gain some clarity over

what has happened here. now, many people were very surprised by the expression of a criminal investigation. they felt it was way too early to have that type of discussion because people here wanted to take time and mourn the people they have lost and they also wanted to get a sense of what happens next because behind me, where white island, the volcano which violently erupted, where it is, it was a surprise to many people we know that it was an active volcano, but simply people were not prepared for this type of tragedy. two days before the general election, the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, has insisted he was "joshing around" when he told a conservative activist and friend he thought there was no way labour could win and spoke about removing jeremy corbyn as party leader in the future. a secretly—recorded phone conversation has appeared on the guido fawkes website. speaking on the bbc‘s

victoria derbyshire programme, mr ashworth said his comments about mr corbyn and labour‘s situation being "dire" had been "banter" and were not his view. he said he‘d been "winding up" someone he thought was his friend. we can speak to our assistant political editor norman smith. it was a painful exchange, wasn‘t it? i think it has the potential to be damaging as well. jon ashworth is pretty scathing in terms of his assessment of labour‘s prospects at the general election, discounting the general election, discounting the idea that they have any chance of winning and suggesting that in their traditional heartland seats, their traditional heartland seats, the situation is dire. and while they might be doing 0k in some of they might be doing 0k in some of the suburb remain graduate seats, in their northern and midland court labour seats, it is a very different story. he says that is labour is seen as having blocked a brexit and also because of a hatred ofjeremy

corbyn. he says voters may dislike borisjohnson but corbyn. he says voters may dislike boris johnson but they hate jeremy corbyn. and he goes on. admittedly, he is pressed by his now ex friend, let‘s be honest, about what happened ifjeremy corbyn was to win any potential risk to national security. jon ashworth says in that kind of situation, the machinery of government would step in, the civil service, we step into make sure there was no implications for national security. his friend, the called greg bigger, the conservative activist, chairman the canterbury conservative association, it is in fa ct a conservative association, it is in facta stain, conservative association, it is in fact a stain, he knows what he is doing, willjeremy corbyn be removed if he loses, he is asked. and jon as hworth says if he loses, he is asked. and jon ashworth says things could move pretty quickly. speaking on the

victoria derbyshire programme he tried to play it all down, saying he wasjoshing around tried to play it all down, saying he was joshing around with his colleague. have a listen to how he explained what he said. it was a bit of banter with a tory friend of it was a bit of banter with a tory friend of mine, at least i thought was a friend, a tory activist called greg barker. having a bit of banter with him. he was saying the tories are going to lose and i was saying, no, you're going to be fine. josing, as in old friends do. he has only gone and given it all to a website. and i thought he was a friend. obviously, he is not. right, well, let‘sjust tell our audience what that was about. the conservative website guido fawkes has got hold of what they say

is a secret recording. it is a phone call of you talking to a conservative supporting friend. i know... hang on, let mejust tell the audience. in which you appear to say there is no way labour can win, the situation out there for a labour is dire. yesterday boris johnson yesterday borisjohnson was tripped up yesterday borisjohnson was tripped up when he did not respond in a sympathetic manner to the boy on the hospital floor, this sympathetic manner to the boy on the hospitalfloor, this recording touches on labour‘s achilles‘ heel. if the nhs is borisjohnson, the labour party‘s isjeremy corbyn. it comes from the mouth of one of those in the shadow cabinet, who is meant to be the forefront of the campaign, making the argument of the threat to the nhs. it adjust to meet the extent that although this has been a very carefully choreographed campaign, both sides have now been buffeted off course by events crashing in. it feels almost like

there have been more than normal of those types of events, i do not know if that is true or not. as you say, yesterday was a car crash day for the tories, and labour are focusing on the nhs today. they are. they will try to keep focus on the issue of underfunding of the nhs, pressure on services, but they want to keep the focus on what they say is the state of the nhs, they have published this dossier listing some of the dangers patients face because of the dangers patients face because of underfunding. they pointed to the roof of a hospital being in danger, a problem with the ventilation system in the morecambe bay hospital, which means the daily theatres often have to be closed down. they are trying to keep the focus they are. and also talking again about the case of jack. we out from the justice

again about the case of jack. we out from thejustice secretary again about the case of jack. we out from the justice secretary this morning, saying it had been one of those unfortunate moments on the campaign trail. and that matthew hancock had subsequently apologised. defending borisjohnson‘s response. this is what he said this morning. elections are really difficult things. things will happen in elections, unpredictable events. i do not think he was forced into it. i think when he looked at it, the reaction was clear and unforced and the apology was forthcoming and full suit. the apology was forthcoming and full sun. i think that response and the response that we have shown in the hours since, some of the action the health secretary took, shows that we we re health secretary took, shows that we were taking this matter incredibly seriously, as we would with any matter relating to our national health service. harold macmillan famously once said what he feared most was events, dear, boy, events.

iam most was events, dear, boy, events. i am expecting jeremy corbyn and borisjohnson agree with him. i am expecting jeremy corbyn and boris johnson agree with him. yes. thank you very much, norman. and as we‘ve been hearing, borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn are concentrating on what they regard as vote—winning issues for their parties — with less than 48 hours to go before the polls open in the general election. the prime minister will say that only a majority conservative government can break the brexit deadlock, and warn of what he calls the "clear and present danger" of a hung parliament, while the labour leader will set out his plans for the nhs. danjohnson is on the campaign trail with jeremy corbyn today, where the opposition leader has been speaking to supporters in nelson, lancashire. this perhaps shows there is confidence and ambition aboutjeremy corbyn‘s campaign because this is a conservative held seats that labour lost in 2010, when they are hopeful of regaining in this election. this morning he has emphasised he has m essa 9 es morning he has emphasised he has messages about the nhs, an issue labour thinks they are strong and trusted. he also talked about

climate change, investing in public services. there is a large vocal, passionate cook crowd here. we have not seen the same sizes of crowds that we saw in 2017, that tells us something about the nature of a wet and windy election campaign being forced in december. there are some detractors here too. one man said he voted labour all his life but could not support a communist. it is jeremy corbyn‘s challenge to expenses but he could bring the country together with a policy on brexit. from here, he will go to other rallies across the north—west targeting other key seats he needs to win if he is to stand any chance of getting into downing street. and alex forsyth is following boris johnson following borisjohnson for us this morning, where he is campaigning in what is happening this morning after

yesterday? it was a pretty terrible day for the conservative party yesterday. i think the focus today will be about trying to get the campaign back on track, focusing on brexit. we are just leaving where we we re brexit. we are just leaving where we were overnight in gloucestershire to head up to staffordshire where the prime minister will appear later this afternoon. the message she has got is about warning about the risks of gridlock, the risks of further stalemate if that is not a conservative majority, doing what has been a tory tactic which is targeting the leave areas in the midlands and the north with their brexit message, warning against a jeremy corbyn led coalition in government, which he said would lead to further dither and delay. there will be more of that from the prime minister today. alongside that, there is the sense they want to betray this is not a done deal in this election. there could be just a view seats between getting a

majority are not. i think what the message is trying to be as if you do not get out and vote, what comes next could be very uncertain. labour are still pushing their key message of the nhs. they will trying to avoid that on the conservative campaign trail day yesterday. it was a difficult day that has been part ofa a difficult day that has been part of a controlled campaign. it is looking misty as you head out onto the roads there. tell us more about the roads there. tell us more about the constituencies that will be targeted in the dying days and hours of this campaign. they are trying to do something that the conservatives have not achieved before, when around labour voters, people who have never voted conservative. they are hoping in this campaign particular, the brexit issue has thrown out the tribal loyalties and people might switch their vote in a way they have not done in the past. that is way beyond the brexit message, we have heard a lot about a

broader offer. he is promising... we are losing our line to alex, u nfortu nately, are losing our line to alex, unfortunately, she heads off on the road with the conservatives for the last two days of the election campaign. we will keep you up—to—date with what is happening with all of the party‘s operations today and on the days ahead. the headlines on bbc news... up to 1a people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. the country‘s prime minister says "questions must be asked." in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives. labour promises a ‘relentless focus‘ on the nhs if they win. the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was "joshing around" when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation.

arsenal‘s winless streak is finally over they came from behind to beat west ham 3—1, that‘s their first win in 10 games and their first, under stand—in manager, freddie yun—berg. liverpool need a point at salzburg tonight or they‘re likely to be out of the champions league at the group stage, just six months after they won the trophy. the head of the us anti—doping agency is among those criticising the four—year ban given to russia — travis tygart says allowing russian athletes to compete as neutrals won‘t change anything. i‘ll be back with more on those stories later on.

we can get the latest from our colleague. first of all, tell us how this hearing has come about. just remarkable scenes in core right now. this is the iconic court ofjustice, the world court. it has come about because the gambia decided to bring my in mark to court, accusing them of violating the convention. any one of violating the convention. any one of the countries could have taken this action. it was the gambia who decided to come as a result of the justice minister visiting those camps in bangladesh where hundreds of thousands of rohingya muslims have fled for their life. in court, remarkable scenes, the former peace

prizewinner who was awarded the peace prize on this day 20 years ago sitting and listening to testimony, graphic testimony, from some of the victims read out by lawyers representing the gambia. we have heard about the mother of a one—year—old boy beaten to death, a woman who was pregnant stamped on and then raped eight times, bbs are thrown into homes. she, tomorrow, will stand up and defend or deny the allegations of genocide. —— children thrown. inside the court, we have a number of rohingya refugees who have travelled here to the hague. also supporters and protesters outside the gates. actually, these three days of hearings will not be determining guilt or innocence, but rather they are dealing, as you can see now, with an urgent request for

emergency measures put in by the gambia because according to a un report, which has been widely cited here at the highest court of the un, the threat of genocide still exists to the 600,000 or so rohingya who remain in the state. they are asking thejudge is here to intervene with emergency measures, which i kind of like the equivalent of an injunction to stop any further acts that could constitute genocide and refrain from destroying any evidence of genocide. tomorrow, it will be her turn to stand up in court. three days of hearings. and on the final day back and forth between the two. it could just be a couple of weeks before the judges decide whether or not they will hand down these emergency or

provisional measures, which the refugees who are in court today have told us it is vital to stop there entire race being raised. is that all they are seeking, provisional measures, or is there a punishment that would be meted out with the beef and guilty of these allegations? —— mike where they to be found guilty. these are partial. during the bosnia versus serbia, bosnia asked thejudges during the bosnia versus serbia, bosnia asked the judges to intervene. after 19 days, they asked serbia to stop any genocide acts. two years later, there was the genocide were 8000 muslim men and boys were slaughtered. we have been speaking to the british lawyer representing the gambia and they said they will make sure these requests are very specific about the

killings, about rape as an act of genocide, to try and prevent any destruction of the rohingya and their homeland. but, yes, indeed, there is a bigger case at play here. but that could take more than a decade, actually, to determine the guilt or innocence of the country. this court, this international court ofjustice, it deals with state rather than individual responsibility. of course, the focus is very much on who has made this decision to come here and represent her country. unprecedented for a head of state to come to these yohann pele ram and decided to come. —— unprecedented for a head of state to decide to come. many of her supporters have come here to the hague. they are showing support for

her being here. some groups are saying she is becoming a face of many in the international community see as a genocide. this could be the final nail in her coffin. it will be interesting to see later on today, in fact interesting to see later on today, infact in interesting to see later on today, in fact in about an hour‘s time, whether the lawyer will use any of the previous words of individual dignity against her in court. so far, she has been sitting quietly listening to the proceedings. the very fa ct listening to the proceedings. the very fact that she is year shows the importance that she and the gambia and everyone is placing on the proceedings here today. thank you very much. we can go live now to kathmandu and talk to kayleigh long, a journalist who is usually based in myanmar‘s capital yangon. it is extraordinary to see how they

are defending them against accusations of genocide. on the day 20 years ago, that she was awarded the nobel peace prize. yes, absolutely. it is quite possible this is the first time she has had these allegations put to her in such a way. although people report she is unwilling to engage with any talk of specific acts. it is really quite something. and i was saying there that the fact she has gone to the hague has been very well received. tell us more about the reaction from her country. well, it is very much a siege mentality there. there has been an attack on the country, which are still in the early stages of its transition from military dictatorship. people there, a lot of them are really don‘t believe about them are really don‘t believe about

the atrocities, the allegations, which by now a very well documented. people they simply do not believe it is true. it is a real reckoning for the country. and what is at issue in this particular case in these three days of hearings is that the gambia once they are to be, effectively, an interim measure to stop any further a cts interim measure to stop any further acts of genocide. what is actually happening on the ground? well, inside the state, the rohingya still face extraordinary tough conditions. they are still subject to movement restrictions and they cannot access health care. there is a civil war taking place inside the state. there are civilians being killed all of the time and notjust from the rohingya minority, it is also the buddhists. the facilities there are full—scale. buddhists. the facilities there are full-scale. access is virtually nil. and obviously we have to wait and

see what will happen with these hearings but where the hearings to go against myanmar, what actions could be put in place to stop any other violence? it is hard to say. it isa other violence? it is hard to say. it is a fragile situation and it has deteriorated as a result of the conflict that is playing out. in terms of the government, they have said they are going to lift movement restrictions and allow rohingya to have access to health care, education and the camps should be disbanded. so far, that has not happened. it is unclear exactly what any kind of preventative measures would look like at this point. thank you very much indeed.

at least six people have been killed in a shooting at a hospital in the czech city of ostrava, and two people are seriously injured. this picture from the czech police‘s official twitter account is showing the scene of the shooting. police also say that intensive efforts are underway to find the attacker. let‘s go to our reporter. what is the latest? well, i can confirm now that police are seeing that the suspected gunman has been found after apparently taking his own life in his car, in short distance, after the shooting took place earlier this morning. the prime minister has also confirmed the news and said that after shooting these six people in the waiting room of the hospital, he actually managed to go and see his mother and told his mother what he had done and then he then left her house and was then being hunted by police, including police

helicopters, when the helicopter approach the scene, he shot himself in the car. the police have identified him as a 42—year—old man. they are not giving his name. they said he killed his victims with a nine millimetre weapon, illegally held gun and a waiting room at the hospital. have a anything at all about possible motive in this attack? the authorities have not said anything about a possible motive. that is something they are still looking into. the media is full of unconfirmed reports of people who they say they know the man. and also claims from the hospital that he was shouting that he was seriously ill and that he had not been treated, that he was being refused treatment. that is a p pa re ntly refused treatment. that is apparently what he was shouting before he opened fire. these are unconfirmed reports that we have now. it is just the information coming out from the police and the officials, including the prime minister, confirming that six people

have been killed and a seventh is in critical condition in the hospital and the gunmen himself has taken his own life. thank you very much. the man who helped inspire the global fund—raising phenomenon known as the "ice bucket challenge" has died at the age of 34. pete frates was diagnosed with als — a degenerative condition that affects the nervous system — seven years ago. in 2014, he was instrumental in starting the ice bucket challenge, where people poured cold water over themselves and posted footage on social media. an estimated £160 million pounds was raised worldwide. strong winds this morning a part of scotla nd strong winds this morning a part of scotland and the irish sea coasts. gusts up to 70 miles an hour. we will continue to see the strong

winds with the heavy rain moving gradually eastwards. it is patchy towards the south—east of anglia. around the irish seacoast, part of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, gusts of wind of 50 to 70 miles an hourand england, gusts of wind of 50 to 70 miles an hour and intense rainfall as it moved its way further south and eastward. our day, nine to 13 degrees before the evening rush hour, watch out for the intense rainfall as it spreads to the south—east. clear skies developing after that. three or four celsius and a touch of frost across scotland. cold enough across scotla nd scotland. cold enough across scotland tomorrow for a few wintry showers. elsewhere sonny showers and it will feel chilly for most of us. hello this is bbc newsroom live with joanna gosling. the headlines: up to 1a people are now feared

to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. the country‘s prime minister says "questions must be asked." in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives. labour promises a "relentless focus" on the nhs if they win. the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was "joshing around" when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation. he was saying, the tories are going to lose. i was saying, it will be fine. joshing, as old friends do. he has selectively leaked it to a website. i thought he was a friend. six people die in a shooting in the czech city of ostrava — the gunman fled the scene and then fatally shot himself. myanmar is called to a un court to answer charges of genocide against its rohingya minority — nobel peace prize winner, aung san suu kyi, will

defend her government. sport now, and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here‘s gavin. west ham manager manuel pellegrini says he‘s not worried about relegation, even though his side are only a point above the premier league relegation zone after they lost 3—1 at home to arsenal last night. west ham were actually the better side for an hour, with angelo ogbonna putting them ahead. but when 18—year—old gabriel martinelli marked his full league debut with the equaliser, things fell apart for west ham, and pierre—emerick aubameyang completed arsenal‘s first win in ten games. relief for their stand—in manager freddie ljungberg but the west ham boss is under increasing pressure. the increasing pressure. pressure for me is exactly the same. the pressure for me is exactly the same. whether i win or i lose, the pressure is to try to win every game

and try to go with this club. when you don‘t have the results, things are more difficult but it must continue. we have a lot to work on. things to fix on the training pitch but they have been under pressure for weeks, and weeks when they haven't won. to have the mental strength and to do that today away from home, i am extremely proud. it‘s only six months since liverpool won the champions league — but they‘re in danger of going out at the group stage of this year‘s competition. they need a point away at red bull salzburg, to be sure of making the last 16. it‘s tight at the top of their group — a win would take them through as leaders. but they can‘t afford to slip up. we will fight in each challenge 100%. we played really well in the beginning, but then we opened the doorfor the game. beginning, but then we opened the door for the game. they used beginning, but then we opened the doorfor the game. they used it because they are talent and strong.

it was just a football game, like it a lwa ys it was just a football game, like it always is. chelsea also have work to do. they know a win tonight at home to lille will see them go through. but they could get away with a draw, if other results go their way. manager frank lampard knows the significance of games like these. i was fortunate enough to have a big night as a player and they are the ones that stick in your mind. it is opportunities now for the team, especially the young boys, being quite new to them, to make their mark. i like the pressure of this game being knock out. we‘re all talking about it and if we are going to do any good here, we need lots of these nights. the head of the us anti—doping agency is among those saying the four—year ban given to russia is not strong enough. after the state—sponsored doping scandal, russia have been banned from all major sporting competitions — but that doesn‘t cover events such as football‘s european championship next year, and athletes who can prove they are clean will be able to compete under a neutral flag. so they could yet appear at next

year‘s olympics in tokyo and the world cup in 20—22. the question is, are we going to stick our head in the sand and pretend it didn‘t occur and try to turn the page. unfortunately, that appears what the ioc, and they essentially control us, what those both organisations have done since 2016, simply put this in the rear—view mirror so it won‘t ever be held to account. it is a terrible outcome for clean athletes who were robbed, but more of a terrible outcome for any other country who might be tempted to do the same thing the russians did. if you look at the example, you get caught red—handed pulling off the biggest fraud in olympic history and nothing will happen to you, you can still send a full delegation of athletes to the games, to continue to win medals. that is a system that simply cannot survive. that‘s all the sport for now. i‘ll have more for you in the next hour. the economy has been a key issue

for the political parties throughout their election campaigns, but have their claims stacked up? our economics correspondent dharshini david has been examining the main parties biggest promises. well, brexit may be grabbing the headlines, but a decade after the financial crisis, the economy continues to be a key factor when deciding how to vote. whatever happens — remain, borisjohnson‘s deal, a no—deal brexit — the major parties have set out plans that will shape our prosperity. of their current plans, both labour and the conservatives want to push up the living wage and, both claim to be turning the page on austerity. in fact, all the major parties want to invest more in the fabric of the country and spend more on public services like health and education. but the gap between their plans is the biggest in living memory. let‘s take a closer look at some of their manifestos. for example, when you look at the conservative manifesto, their spending promise on schools, hospitals, childcare plus tax cuts adds up to £6 billion per year by 202a. meanwhile, if we take a look at labour‘s manifesto, they also want to scrap tuition

fees, make changes to welfare, meaning a bill that‘s set to top £80 billion by 202a. on top of that, their plans to compensate the so—called waspi women — those who lost out when the pension age was raised. plus nationalising industries such as the railways, water and energy. it would make the state the largest proportion of gdp since the second world war. what about the lib dems? well, this is what they‘ve got planned — more money for spending on things like schools and also in work poverty, infrastructure and they tap on a fund of £50 billion, what they‘re calling a brexit bonus, which they claim would be delivered by faster growth if the uk remained in the eu. a lot of money then, but can people afford these big spending pledges? the big three parties want to raise more tax from companies. labour also wants to tax

higher earners more too. but the institute for fiscal studies say neither labour nor the conservatives‘ plans are actually credible. we know that the conservatives over the last two electoral cycles have ended up spending and borrowing a lot more than they said they would in their manifestos. i think that will happen again, because they‘re suggesting essentially nothing in the way of additional spending this time around, beyond what‘s already announced. labour has got an enormous manifesto, vast spending increases and tax increases, which probably can‘t be delivered within a single parliament. so, all the major parties have set out their priorities on what they think is the key to our living standards. the question for voters is how big a role the state should play and who can manage our finances the best? and you can find out more on what all the parties are pledging on this issue

and other policy areas by going to our online guide at bbc.co.uk/news. with political campaigning now taking place across many platforms, some party tactics have been criticised. a new survey suggests that 87% of adults in the uk think that it should be a legal requirement that all election adverts are fact checked. joe tidy had a look at some of the advertising we‘ve seen in this campaign. thanks, everybody. the general election campaign trail has clocked up hundreds of handshakes, speeches and miles on the bus. it‘s all been fairly well stage—managed and conventional. online, it‘s been anything but. doctored videos have gone viral. this controversial one from the conservatives made labour‘s keir starmer look tongue—tied. this one from labour—supporting group momentum, almost got them sued by coca—cola. but the real battle ground has been in paid—for ads, particularly on facebook and instagram. nearly 20,000 have been launched since the election began,

with at least £2 million spent so far. most are highly—targeted and use the social network‘s digital tools to hone in on specific voters. certain ads are being chosen for us based on age, location, interests and gender. so, how much of a difference with all of this political advertising actually make? well, we won‘t start to know the answer to that until thursday, when this building, along with about 50,000 others turns into a polling station. we‘ve come here to speak with people about the ads they‘ve seen and the ones they haven‘t. here‘s an advert that i‘m sure you wouldn‘t have seen. this is aimed at 18—34—year—old women and it‘s only being aimed at 45—year—old men and older. it‘s fast. it's not particularly appealing. laughter it‘s making you laugh. boris johnson: let's get brexit done! there's the tag line. what do you think of that? not aimed at you, but what do

you think about the message? aw, dunno. so how do you feel about the fact that the parties are aiming very different messages and very different adverts to different people in the country? well, it‘s all marketing, isn‘t it? i think that's the modern age, isn't it, really? i think it's quite worrying because itjust means you have to find the best message for you and for me, which doesn't really have any relation to what's best for the country. herfears are mirrored by a growing number of groups calling for reform in political ads, particularly around fact—checking which isn‘t currently a legal requirement. we need some rules in line with the mantra that governs all other advertising, for it to be legal, decent, honest and truthful. that sets out what you can and cannot say in an ad, and specifically some rules around material claims. these changes have been called for for years, and it‘s up to whoever‘s in power next to take on the challenge. joe tidy, bbc news. senior democrats in the united states are due to hold a news conference later to reveal the articles of impeachment against president trump.

they will, in effect, be the charges that will be voted on in the house of representatives, where the democrats are in the majority. if passed, they would then go to the republican—led senate, where the president would be put on trial. laura trevelyan reports. the impeachment enquiry is hurtling forward and today the judiciary but centre stage. everyone was sworn in and the arguments began.|j centre stage. everyone was sworn in and the arguments began. i object. i will not recognise a parliamentary enquiry this time. is this where staff ask questions about other staff... staff ask questions about other staff. . . the staff ask questions about other staff... the gentlemen will not yell out and attempt to disrupt the proceedings. this is the chance for democrats to present the evidence they have gathered before they formally produce their articles of impeachment against president trump. the evidence shows that donald trump, the president of the united states, has put himself before his

country. he violated his most basic responsibilities towards the people. democrats are facing criticism for rushing to impeach the president without trying to subpoena key witnesses from the white house. their response, is they cannot wait. president trump‘s persistent and continuing effort to coerce a foreign country to help him cheat to win an election is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections. and to our national security. republicans say democrats are trying to rerun the 2016 election in the case against mr trump is nonexistent. to impeach a president who 63 million voted for overeight president who 63 million voted for over eight lines president who 63 million voted for overeight lines in president who 63 million voted for over eight lines in a call transcript is baloney. as this argument was raging, a long—awaited report into the origins of russia report. they did not find evidence of political bias of how the fbi conducted the investigation. there

was a sharp criticism of how the fbi handled an application for a wiretap targeting a former trump adviser, carter page. some the presidency is done. this was an overthrow of government, an attempted overthrow and a lot of people wear in on it. and they got caught. they got caught red—handed. and they got caught. they got caught red-handed. democrats say they could bea red-handed. democrats say they could be a vote on articles of impeachment against president later this week. the stage is set for a partisan battle royale. laura trevelyan, bbc news, washington. in a moment we‘ll have all the business news, but first the headlines on bbc news... up to 1a people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. the country‘s prime minister says ‘questions must be asked‘ 00v)in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung

parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives. labour promises a ‘relentless focus‘ on the nhs if they come into power the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was ‘joshing around‘ when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation. the two top bosses at fashion chain ted baker have resigned after yet another warning that profits won‘t be as good as hoped. chairman david bernstein and chief executive lindsay page — who was only appointed by bernstein in april — have both gone. the firm is struggling with falling sales and calls this year the "most challenging in our history". it included a misconduct scandal involving previous boss ray kelvin — accused of "forced hugging" of staff — mr kelvin denies this ted baker shares fell by 36% this morning. pubs chain wetherspoons by contrast is in positive territoryit says it will create

10,000 jobs in new and enlarged pubs and hotels in the uk and republic of ireland over the next four years. downside for the company has been rising costs including the minimum wage and property prices and energy bills. it has also faced shareholder unrest over £95,000 of pro—brexit spending. the uk economy grew at its slowest annual pace in nearly seven years in october. official figures from the office for national statistics show gross domestic product rose by 0.7% against october 2018, the weakest growth since march 2012, with services the main driver. but in the three months to october, growth was flat against the previous quarter. let‘s talk more now about those gdp figures they‘ve come out ahead of thursday‘s general election — and the main parties are all promising to boost growth. the construction sector was one of the positive contributors.

lena komileva is chief economist at g+ economics. what other factors where there that we could be smiling about? the good news is we are a services —based economy and the services sector seems to be holding up relatively well. that is about the most of it. we are, with all the talk about the in certainty with this election, global trade wars, the us china spat and what our future relationship with the european union was going to look like after brexit, we have seem to fo rg otte n look like after brexit, we have seem to forgotten the most important thing, living standards. the gdp figures, they are not a perfect measure of living standards but it isa measure of living standards but it is a good place to start. what this tells us is, we are in a car that is nearly at a stall speed and we don‘t know where the destination is and we are about to change driver. there are about to change driver. there area are about to change driver. there are a lot of questions, i don‘t want to say negatives, but a lot of

questions about the health of the economy into 2020. the negative odds construction, not positive, as i said. let‘s talk about pharmaceuticals, another area that wasn‘t showing any particular positive signs? you are right, looking at the aggregate, manufacturing, construction are not doing very well. pharmaceuticals is pa rt doing very well. pharmaceuticals is part of manufacturing and this is going to be a sector that is very deeply affected by the political uncertainty, about patents, about the regulative environments of uk pharmaceuticals and global pharmaceuticals and global pharmaceutical companies in the uk will face into next year. it is not just down to the relationship the next government will negotiate with the biggest trade bloc in the world, the biggest trade bloc in the world, the european union after brexit, it is also going to be down to global trade developments. of course, the us and china and generally the global trade picture is a big unknown at this point. we are going to see more of the brunt of that,

indeed uk economy has been feeling because of the uncertainty to brexit. as you explained about the gdp measure itself, being increasingly questioned, however it is something the bank of england does still consider to be a very important figure to look at when it is deciding the level of interest rates. we have a meeting next week to decide on the level of interest rates, what do you think will be on their minds? the bank of england are looking at the three key drivers. one of them of course is the short term political uncertainty they hope will lift the thursday‘s election. the second thing is the global disruption and trade relations between major economies, the us and china, the eu is caught up in that and the uk will be a big part of that after brexit as well. even without brexit we are in a global state of trade disruption. the third one, is the uk productivity, the big unknown. when we look through the

short growth cycles in the global economy through the hopefully short political uncertainty, the big unknown and the big factor weighing on uk living standards is productivity. what the bank of england will be trying to do, yes of course they will have to price in the economy‘s weakness, that will probably mean a rate cut in time, but after the election they will play a stronger role in terms of guiding the whole economic policy. we need a wholesome debate in the uk about the relationship between fiscal, monetary and regulatory monitoring. great deal of food for thought. and thomas cook‘s collapse — an apology. not from the travel business but the civil aviation authority — it‘s repaying money owed to thomas cook customers after the firm‘s

collapse in september. some 150,000 travellers had to be repatriated back to the uk. some 50,000 customers are still owed money. paul smith explained part of the problem was attempted fraud — and he apologised on the today programme this morming. there are about 250,000 bookings. we had to put some extra checks because we we re had to put some extra checks because we were concerned about fraud and we had challenges with the data we receive from the company. we are making good progress and we are sorry to those people we have not yet been able to pay. that is all the business use for now. around one in ten people aged 65 or over—are being left to fend for themselves, as the social care system is "on the brink of collapse." thats according to the charity age uk — who are calling for major reforms to help people who don‘t have family or friends— to support them later in life. phil bodmer reports. iaman i am an only child, of an only child. it is a very singular sort of

family. we used to be an extended family. we used to be an extended family but people have died. i have no children, i am the last of the line andi no children, i am the last of the line and i have no nephews or nieces orfamily line and i have no nephews or nieces or family support of any kind. jean was the main carer of her mum in her latter years. was the main carer of her mum in her latter yea rs. vera was the main carer of her mum in her latter years. vera lived at home before moving into residential care. now, at the age of 70, jean wonders who will look after her? it was when i became who will look after her? it was when ibecame an who will look after her? it was when i became an advocate for my mother. i became an advocate for my mother. i became the person who had to speak on her behalf and it was then that i realised, as i am ageing, who will do that for me? he will speak for me? we live in an ageing society and according to the office for national statistics, the number of 85—year—olds is set to double two 3 million within the next 25 years. the institute for public policy research estimates most care is currently provided by children or family members, rather than by the state, saving the government £55

billion. people are having children and we ask more families. by 2020, almost half of families will be single child families. for all of those factors, it will mean less family care for people as they get older in future. the subject of aduu older in future. the subject of adult social care dominated the 2017 general election. it has been less prominent during the current campaign. however, there is acknowledgement the present system is unsustainable and urgent reform is unsustainable and urgent reform is needed. the one in ten older people of the age of 65 who don't have children are wondering how they will cope, especially in a social ca re will cope, especially in a social care system on the brink of collapse. forjean and the 1.2 million over 65 is in the uk with no children, the prospect of facing old age alone is a worry. it is very scary to think you are going into

your later life without any obvious support, but as you get older and more frail, even the accessing of those organisations is difficult to do. as the population ages, more of us do. as the population ages, more of us will need caring for at some point. doing nothing is no longer an option. the political reality, all parties will have to confront. a falklands veteran who had his war medals taken off him when he was forced out of the navy for being gay is to have them returned. he has now received an official apology from the ministry of defence, and he was discharged from the navy in 1993 when there was a ban on lgbt people serving in the armed forces. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with simon king. we have had heavy wind moving to the

south of iceland. that will bring some extreme snow and strong winds, but you can see the shield of cloud across the uk linked in with that and that will bring heavy rain throughout scotland, northern ireland, through western areas in particular. rain moving east but a bit more patchy at the moment. maximum temperatures this afternoon about 9013 celsius. the wind will stay strong as we go through this evening and with that heavy rain spreading eastwards. gusts of 50, up to 70 miles an hour in the afternoon. it is as we go through the evening, we have this intense band of rain. notice the green on a string —like look to it. it is very narrow and will give intense rainfall and wind as it moves eastward and that could be concern for the evening rush—hour. you will know it once you are beneath it. watch out if you are travelling later today. through the rest of this evening we will continue with the band of rain continuing to spread away and eventually it will

clear away. there will be clear spells developing. with that will be the risk of snow over high ground and some ice toward scotland. temperatures generally two to 5 degrees. it is much colder as we going to wednesday. we had the weather front we have the day, the colder air moving its way in from the north you will notice a difference in how it feels to wednesday. gales a difference in how it feels to wednesday. gales across scotla nd it feels to wednesday. gales across scotland and it is cold enough to give some snow, mainly over high ground, mainly over the northern hills. sunny spells and a few showers elsewhere throughout wednesday and maximum temperature is about five to 9 degrees. into thursday, we have another weather system moving in from the atlantic. this time it is going to bring in heavy rain and some strengthening winds, particularly late in the day on thursday. as it bumps into some cold air, there is a risk we could see some snow over the high ground of scotland, through northern areas of scotland, through northern areas of england. the rain turns heavy

across southern areas throughout the day on thursday but that is meant to be strong winds. edging further northward, but largely dry across scotland. temperatures for a 5 degrees celsius here. but the south, up degrees celsius here. but the south, up to 10 degrees. goodbye.

you re watching bbc newsroom live. it‘s midday and these are the main stories this morning... up to 1a people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. it was like, i have seen the chernobyl miniseries. everything was blanketed in ash. it was an overwhelming feeling. in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives. labour promises a ‘relentless focus‘ on the nhs if they come into power. the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was ‘joshing around‘ when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation. he was saying, oh,

the tories are going to lose. i was saying, no, you‘re going to be fine. you know, joshing, as old friends do. he‘s only gone and leaked it all to a website. and he‘s selectively leaked it. and i thought he was a friend. six people die in a shooting in the czech city of ostrava — the gunman fled the scene and then shot himself myanmar is called to a un court to answer charges of genocide against its rohingya minority — nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi will defend her government. the chief executive of fashion retailer ted baker steps down following warnings over the company‘s profits. tributes are paid to the man who inspired the ‘ice bucket challenge‘ who has died at the age of 3a — it was a viral campaign that raised more than 150 million pounds for charity. good afternoon.

welcome to bbc newsroom live. six people are now known to have died after yesterday‘s volcanic eruption in new zealand, and eight people are missing — presumed dead. 31 people are being treated in hospital — among them two british women. almost all of the injured have at least 30% burns to their bodies. dozens of people were exploring new zealand‘s most active volcano on white island when it erupted. questions are being asked about why they were allowed to go there given that seismologists had raised the alert level just a few weeks ago. russell fuller reports. steam continues to rise from the crater of new zealand‘s most active volcano. and on white island, images from returning helicopters reveal a white blanket of ash.

the rescue operation is now one of recovery. many of those saved were badly injured when the volcano erupted. and today, those who came to their aid have been telling their stories. immediately the crew of the boat launched the inflatables and started picking up the injured. we didn‘t know what we were dealing with until the first one started coming on. and as they came on, they were horrific burns. and everyone, we took 23 people off the island before we headed back to mainland, every single one of them were badly, badly burned. new zealand‘s prime ministerjacinda ardern visited the injured and thanked those members of the emergency services who were first to respond. it was like... i have seen the chernobyl miniseries, everything wasjust blanketed in ash. it was quite... quite an overwhelming feeling. there was a helicopter that had obviously been there at the time. they were pretty poorly. obviously, difficult to see

the specific details. but covered in ash, looking quite badly burnt. obviously requiring transport or helicopter meant they were very sick anyway. they are fairly serious condition. as hearses arrived to pick up the bodies of some of the victims, an investigation into the tragedy has begun. although police say it is still too early to confirm whether it will be criminal in nature. a 23—year—old tour guide from new zealand who was called in to work on his day off is the missing. he is a wonderful boy, some kid. everyone knows him, he is well known on the coast. he can work on all those worlds. he can sing. very talented. a very talented boy. the local community has been paying its respects to those who lost their lives.

the focus is now on those injured and bereaved and questions are being asked about whether anyone should have been on the island in the first place. the alert level was raised in november because of an increase in volcanic activity, but a direct threat to visitors was not envisaged. today, though, all was quiet here as people mourn those lost across the sea. two days before the general election, the shadow health secretary jonathan ashworth has insisted he was joshing around when he told a conservative activist and friend he thought there was no way labour could win and spoke about removing jeremy corbyn as party leader in the future. a secretly—recorded phone conversation has appeared on the guido fawkes website. speaking on the bbc‘s victoria derbyshire programme, mr ashworth said his comments about mr corbyn and labour‘s situation being "dire" had been "banter" and were not his view. he said he‘d been "winding up" someone he thought was his friend. we can speak to our assistant political editor norman smith. it was quite a cringeworthy interview and quite confusing because these comments are out there

he said it was a big joke. he is trying to play it down, understandably, i was just joking with one of my friends. not a friend any more, i would suggest. it has left labour with one bumper —sized headache this morning, jeremy corbyn‘s health secretary has been recorded saying labour party do not have a chance in the election, the situation is dire in the heartland seats and labour voters believe they have sought to block brexit. they may not like jeremy have sought to block brexit. they may not likejeremy corbyn. when he was asked about, well, maybe if jeremy corbyn becomes leader, what about national security, jon as hworth says about national security, jon ashworth says i think it will be ok because the government machine will safeguard national security. seeming to agree that mr corbin is a risk to national security. those comments are out there. they were obtained,

and obtained in a sleazy fashion, this was a friend of mr ashworth, a man called greg baker, a conservative activist and former chairman of a conservative party, he recorded these recordings and set out to trap him in this way. a pretty low thing by him. it has caused mr ashworth to explain away what looks like damaging comments in this campaign. well, let me just give you a quick example. i was having a bit of banter with a tory friend of mine, at least i thought he was a friend. a tory activist called greg barker. i was having a bit of banter with him. he was saying, oh, the tories were going to lose. iwas saying, no, you are going to be fine. you know, joshing as old friends do. he has only gone and leaked it all to a website and he has selectively leaked it. and i thought he was a friend, greg barker,

but obviously he is not. there is a funny cemetery in this. yesterday, we had borisjohnson and his campaign and his failure to respond in an empathetic way to the young boy left on a hospital floor. today, it is their turn to be wrong—footed by a banana skin landing at their feet. anyway, it is a counterpoint to what this election campaign has been like so far. it has been very carefully scripted, choreographed campaign. in the last 48 hours, things have slipped out of the control of the main two parties. it is the old events, dear, boy, the events. i labour trying to make the focus today on the nhs? they want to make the last 48 hours focused on the nhs. today they released a dossier that shows the sort of dangers patients now face because some of the problems arising from underfunding in the nhs. they cite for example a roof that is not safe

ata for example a roof that is not safe at a king lends hospital, operating theatres that don‘t have ventilation in morecambe bay. they have come under pressure for the way the left on the situation of the four—year—old boy jack. jeremy corbyn was a challenge this morning, seeing you, mr corbyn, you said borisjohnson politicised the terror attack, haven‘t you done exactly the same with young jack? it is not double standards at all. i made my point is about the nhs, i made my point is about the nhs, i made my point is about the nhs, i made my point is about the underfunding of the prison service and the police service across this country. we have an nhs crisis all over the country, we have 40,000 nurse vacancies, doctor vacancies, all kind of specialist services that are not funded and a maintenance problem in many of our hospitals and privatisation. our nhs needs money and needs a government who are going

to support it. difficult to calibrate how damaging these sorts of events are in elections, whether they do seriously erode support or are they just a they do seriously erode support or are theyjust a 24—hour media hiatus that passes away and is forgotten. but, still, the tories are feeling the need to defend borisjohnson‘s conduct yesterday. he failed again and again to respond to questions about jack. this morning, and again to respond to questions aboutjack. this morning, the justice secretary said, well, it was just one of those things that happens in an election campaign. elections are really difficult things. things will happen in elections, unpredictable events. i don't think he was forced into it. when he looked at it, the reaction was clear and unforced and natural. the apology was forthcoming and full sun. i think, the apology was forthcoming and full sun. ithink, you know, that response and the response we have shown and the action the health

secretary take showed we were taking this matter incredibly seriously, as we would with any matter relating to our national health service. we would with any matter relating to our national health servicelj suppose our national health service.” suppose the bottom line is whatever the polls might say, whatever the pundits might say, despite all the predictions, borisjohnson pundits might say, despite all the predictions, boris johnson is heading to a comfortable election, it is not over until it is over. events it is not over until it is over. eve nts ca n it is not over until it is over. events can come in from all sort of directions to shape it up in the last minute. who knows what will happen next? we will wait and see. thank you very much, norman. all of the main parties are out on the road. and as we‘ve been discussing, the shadow health secretaryjonathan ashworth, has insisted he was "joshing around" when he told a conservative activist there was no way labour could win the election. and alex forsyth is following boris johnson for us this morning.

he is —— she is on the battle bus in staffordshire. what do they want the message to be today?” staffordshire. what do they want the message to be today? i will give you one guess, it is what they have wa nted one guess, it is what they have wanted the message to be from the very beginning, the focus on brexit. i think after a day yesterday when the narrative was knocked off course by the way the prime minister responded to the picture of that four—year—old boy, there was a sense of relief in the conservative campaign headquarters that that interview, leaked recording, is getting some pick—up. it has turned attention away from what was a slip in an otherwise very carefully controlled conservative campaign on to labour. that does not mean it is an easyjob for to labour. that does not mean it is an easy job for the to labour. that does not mean it is an easyjob for the prime minister today. he has got to wrestle the narrative back onto his preferred term. that is why we have been doing what we have been doing yesterday and what you can expect today and into tomorrow, during labour heartlands which are largely voted to leave the european union. we will

hear from boris to leave the european union. we will hearfrom borisjohnson to leave the european union. we will hear from borisjohnson what to leave the european union. we will hear from boris johnson what we to leave the european union. we will hear from borisjohnson what we have heard again throughout the campaign, a conservative majority, if re—elected, would get brexit done. he will warn about another gridlock if there is not a majority. he will talk about dither and delay. he will talk about dither and delay. he will talk about dither and delay. he will talk about how we can bulldoze through all of this frustration parliament has imposed on the brexit process. the challenge will remain today for the prime minister, how he gets people who perhaps never consider voting conservative to turn to him this time round. that is not an easy task. it has been quite a lot of talk about the red wall, the traditional labour stronghold is crumbling in this election campaign. there is a sense that this is no means guaranteed. it is an unpredictable contest. a big part of this is how it will voter apathy play out? there is a lot of anger at politicians across the board. although some people might say, i

quite like boris johnson, although some people might say, i quite like borisjohnson, he is the least worst of those out of the campaign trailat least worst of those out of the campaign trail at the moment, does that mean people who have never voted tory before it will go to the ballot box and put their cross in the box for him? that is what the prime minister needs to achieve in the next few crucial days. that is why we will hear him rallying the brexit cry. whether or not he can hold the narrative there, elections are unpredictable and not always welcome. thank you very much, alex. brexit party leader nigel farage has said he will spoil his ballot at the general election on thursday. in mr farage‘s home constituency, the brexit party is not standing a candidate against the incumbent conservative. he told a press conference in westminster that because the prime minister is backing his "oven—ready deal" rather than a "super canada plus" trade agreement he would "spoil his paper" on thursday.

and the green party has been making a push in their campaign today. the deputy leader amelia womack was in central london this morning, speaking to members, activists and students, about their tuition fees policy. the headlines on bbc news... up to 14 people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. the country‘s prime minister says ‘questions must be asked‘ in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives. labour promises a ‘relentless focus‘ on the nhs if they come into power the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was ‘joshing around‘ when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation. west ham manager manuel pellegrini says he‘s not

worried about relegation, even though his side are only a point above the premier league relegation zone after they lost 3—1 at home to arsenal last night. west ham were actually the better side for an hour, with angelo ogbonna putting them ahead. but when 18—year—old gabriel martinelli marked his full league debut with the equaliser, things fell apart for west ham, and pierre—emerick aubameyang completed arsenal‘s first win in 10 games. relief for them — but pellegrini is in a tough situation. the pressure for me is the same. the pressure for me is to try to win every game and to try to grow with this club. of course, the results makes things more difficult. the head of the us anti—doping agency is among those saying the four—year ban given to russia is not strong enough. after the state—sponsored doping scandal, russia have been banned from all major sporting competitions — but that doesn‘t cover events such as football‘s european championship next year, and athletes who can prove they are clean will be able to compete under a neutral flag. so they could yet appear at next

year‘s olympics in tokyo and the world cup in 20—22. are we going to stick our heads in the sand and pretend this did not occur and try to turn the page. u nfortu nately, occur and try to turn the page. unfortunately, it appears what the ioc and the other organisation has done since 2016, trying to put this in the rear—view mirror. and so it will never be held to account. that isa will never be held to account. that is a terrible outcome for clean athletes that get robbed. it is even athletes that get robbed. it is even a more terrible outcome for any other country he might be tempted to do the same thing as the russians did. you can get caught red handed killing off the biggest fraud in olympic history and nothing is going to happen to you and you can still send a full delegation of athletes to the games to continue to win medals. that is a system that cannot survive. that is all the support for

now. more in the next hour. thank you very much. during a violent crackdown by the myanmar military. the leader who was once hailed as a human rights champion has denied all allegations. we can get the latest from our correspondence. what has happened there this morning? aung san suu kyi motorcade has just left this there this morning? aung san suu kyi motorcade hasjust left this iconic building here in the hague. some of her supporters outside the gates handed over, try to hand over roses, while the protesters chanted their opposition to her presence here today. during the course of the hearings this morning, she had to sit and listen to graphic testimony

from some of the victims, delivered by lawyers representing the gambia. they spoke of a woman with a one—year—old son beaten to death, another was eight months pregnant who was stamped on and then raped by 12 men. burning children thrown into buildings. aung san suu kyi is here to attend these hearings as the head of state to defend or deny these allegations of genocide against myanmar. you can see behind us here, at the un‘s highest court, some of the press gathered. there is an incredible amount of international attention here. actually, these three days of hearings in the hague are not dealing with guilt or innocence, but rather a request by the gambia for the judges to issue provisional measures. one from

myanmar to stop any acts that could constitute genocide and from destroying any evidence of genocide. the reason for that is, according to aun the reason for that is, according to a un fact—finding mission report, which has been mentioned a lot here today, the 600,000 or so rohingya that remain in the state in myanmar are still at risk of genocide. lawyers representing the gambia say there is no time to waste. the international community, via this international court ofjustice, must act now to prevent any further atrocities to be committed. act now to prevent any further atrocities to be committedm act now to prevent any further atrocities to be committed. it is how to reconcile, the memory of aung san suu kyi as the women he was under house arrest for years, the pin—up girl asa under house arrest for years, the pin—up girl as a freedom fighter, he won the peace prize 20 years ago to this day, that she is in court

defending the country on these allegations of genocide. exactly. human rights groups here have described this as the ultimate fall from grace. others, rohingya refugees have said they used to admire her, too. lawyers in fact, the gambia justice minister who is responsible for bringing this case told me how he used to admire aung san suu kyi, how he marched in support of her release. in fact, hundred 49 states are party to the genocide convention, which the gambia has used to bring myanmar to court to face these accusations of genocide. and yet, none of them acted, something that was referenced by the gambia justice minister today. the pressure is really increasing on the international community to stand by the gambia in this action, the first and only court case in existence today that accuses myanmar of genocide. british

lawyer representing the gambia used aung san suu kyi words against her. she spoke of every man and women, humankind, having the right to evaluate anti—dignity. he told the judges here at the un‘s highest court, that is not the situation in myanmar today. —— make the right to have dignity. this being the international day of human rights, it will stand in front of the same judges and deny any genocide took place, or see the action taken by the military were part of a campaign to preserve peace. she may deny any genocide and human rights groups say that will be the final nail in her coffin. the ultimate fall from grace for someone who is recognised

worldwide as someone who spent her life fighting for justice worldwide as someone who spent her life fighting forjustice and human rights. thank you very much. those who survive one justice but are losing hope they will ever be able to return home safely. the bbc has been hearing their stories in the refugee camps. driven out of their homeland, wanted by no one. hundreds of thousands stuck in the world‘s largest refugee camp. fear has given way to hopelessness. grief is often just a heartbeat

away. this lady tells me, the military snatched her baby and through him in a fire. she says her pa rents through him in a fire. she says her parents and most of her siblings we re parents and most of her siblings were shot dead. she says she was gang raped by four soldiers. everyone she is with in this photo was killed. she wantsjustice everyone she is with in this photo was killed. she wants justice for them. aung san suu kyi is lying in front of the world. if she takes me to my village, i can show her where and how my family were killed. i can prove everything, she says. one of her brothers managed to escape. his son and wife were killed in front of him. translation:

looks like i am in but inside am dead. they are killing us. the world is not doing enough to give us our rights. thousands were killed in buddhist majority myanmar. the un called it textbook ethnic cleansing. myanmar denies genocide. here in bangladesh, they found shelter. it is not a life of freedom. their movement is restricted. mobile phone services are banned. in a country where poverty is widespread, patients is now running out. two attem pts patients is now running out. two atte m pts by patients is now running out. two attempts by bangladesh‘s government to facilitate the return of the rohingya to myanmar have failed, people are too scared to go back they do not believe they will be safe there. each day they continue to live here, tensions between them

and locals who feel outnumbered by the refugees are rising. outside the camps, villagers are angry and resentful. we helped the rohingya but now our land has been taken. our jobs are being taken. they are given food, shelter, everything. what about us? for the rohingya, life is an endless cycle of waiting, for food, water, dignity. forjustice. and above all, a safe return to their home. at least six people have been killed in a shooting at a hospital in the czech city of ostrava, and two people are seriously injured.

the attacker —— a 42—year—old man —— shot the victims in a waiting room of a trauma ward of the faculty hospital 190 miles east of prague. he then fled the scene in a car and later killed himself as police closed in on him. his motive for the shooting remains unclear. let‘s go back to the election campaign. jeremy corbyn is visiting a school in markham. over to you, jessica. it looks like a wet day out there. it is very pleasant here in markham this afternoon. we are waiting for the labour leader to arrive. he is darting through a part of the north—west this afternoon. quite interesting visiting a number of tory marginal seats, as well as visiting labour held seats as well. of course, what we have seen from the labourcampaign is of course, what we have seen from the labour campaign is that they are keen to talk about public services,

the nhs. i am sure today on the school visit here he will want to talk about their plans for investment in education. we have not yet heard from jeremy corbyn regarding those comments from jon ashworth, the shadow health secretary, a recording saying labour have been abysmal in parts of the north and some people cannot stand jeremy corbyn. jon ashworth has said it was banter. no doubt we might hear from the labour leader later today. the other interesting thing about this area, or constituencies across lancashire voted to leave and of course one of the problems that has been highlighted from some people, some of the criticisms have been levelled are their brexit policy, perhaps jeremy been levelled are their brexit policy, perhaszeremy corbyn will be having those conversations with people as he travels up through lancashire, talking about labour‘s

brexit policy. labour are seeing within six months they will not renegotiate in new labour brexit deal and put it to a referendum of that deal verses remain, in which jeremy corbyn would remain neutral. jeremy corbyn would remain neutral. jeremy corbyn would remain neutral. jeremy corbyn expected here very sharply to the school as the continues his whistle—stop tour across the uk. thank you very much, jessica. for the first time in a decade, the uk economy has failed to grow for three months in a row., the office for national statistics says. the figures show that the economy didn‘t see any growth month—on—month in october, after a previous two months of declining output, known as gdp. the statistics also revealed that the economy grew by 0.7% year—on—year in october — which is the worst performance sincejune 2012. the airforce in chile says a military cargo plane with 38 people on board has disappeared in en—route to antarctica. in a statement, it said operators lost contact with the plane as it was flying over the sea, just over an hour after its departure

from the southern city of punta arenas. a search and rescue team has been activated. the man who helped inspire the global fund—raising phenomenon known as the "ice bucket challenge" has died at the age of 34. pete frates was diagnosed with als — a degenerative condition that affects the nervous system — seven years ago. in 2014, he was instrumental in starting the ice bucket challenge, where people poured cold water over themselves and posted footage on social media. an estimated one—hundred—and—sixty million pounds was raised worldwide. now it‘s time for a look at the weather. thank you. more went, more rain today. again, the winds are really lively at the moment. if you combine this with the areas of rain, you can see this other band following behind. only a small gap in between.

heavy at times. this cold front, 20 millimetres of rain by the time the day is done. those gusts of wind, up to 50 mph inland. higher on the coast and in the hills. a terminal gales and severe gales, but it comes on top of what has been in wet and windy spell. it is a one day spell of mild weather. we are into colder air overnight and are chilly at night. just enough wind to prevent a widespread frost. in the country, tipping down to freezing. ice is a concern. shower after shower coming in here. tomorrow is a sunny day with showers. it a very unsettled period. hello this is bbc newsroom live with joanna gosling. the headlines:

up to 14 people are now feared to have died after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. the country‘s prime minister says "questions must be asked." in a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives. labour promises a ‘relentless focus‘ on the nhs if they come into power. the shadow health secretary, jonathan ashworth, insists he was "joshing around" when telling a friend there was no way labour could win the election — in a secretly recorded phone conversation. he was saying, the tories were going to lose. i was saying, know it will be fine. josh income as old friends do, he has only gone and licked it all to a website. he selectively lea ked all to a website. he selectively leaked it, and i thought he was a friend. six people have died in a shooting in ostrava and the government has fatally shot himself.

myanmar is called to a un court to answer charges of genocide against its rohingya minority — nobel peace prize winner, aung san suu kyi, will defend her government. the economy has been a key issue for the political parties throughout their election campaigns, but have their claims stacked up? our economics correspondent dharshini david has been examining the main parties biggest promises. well, brexit may be grabbing the headlines, but a decade after the financial crisis, the economy continues to be a key factor when deciding how to vote. whatever happens — remain, borisjohnson‘s deal, a no—deal brexit — the major parties have set out plans that will shape our prosperity. of their current plans, both labour and the conservatives want to push up the living wage and, both claim to be turning the page on austerity. in fact, all the major parties want to invest more in the fabric of the country and spend more on public services like health and education. but the gap between their plans is the biggest in living memory.

let‘s take a closer look at some of their manifestos. for example, when you look at the conservative manifesto, their spending promise on schools, hospitals, childcare plus tax cuts adds up to £6 billion per year by 2024. meanwhile, if we take a look at labour‘s manifesto, they also want to scrap tuition fees, make changes to welfare, meaning a bill that‘s set to top £80 billion by 2024. on top of that, their plans to compensate the so—called waspi women — those who lost out when the pension age was raised. plus nationalising industries such as the railways, water and energy. it would make the state the largest proportion of gdp since the second world war. what about the lib dems? well, this is what they‘ve got planned — more money for spending on things like schools and also in work poverty, infrastructure and they tap on a fund of £50 billion, what they‘re calling a brexit bonus, which they claim would be delivered by faster growth if the uk remained in the eu.

a lot of money then, but can people afford these big spending pledges? the big three parties want to raise more tax from companies. labour also wants to tax higher earners more too. but the institute for fiscal studies say neither labour nor the conservatives‘ plans are actually credible. we know that the conservatives over the last two electoral cycles have ended up spending and borrowing a lot more than they said they would in their manifestos. i think that will happen again, because they‘re suggesting essentially nothing in the way of additional spending this time around, beyond what‘s already announced. labour has got an enormous manifesto, vast spending increases and tax increases, which probably can‘t be delivered within a single parliament. so, all the major parties have set out their priorities on what they think is the key to our living standards. the question for voters is how big a role the state should play and who can manage our finances the best?

and you can find out more on what all the parties are pledging on this issue and other policy areas, by going to our online guide at bbc.co.uk/news. with political campaigning now across many platforms, some party tactics have been criticised. a new survey suggests that 87% of adults in the uk think that it should be a legal requirement that all election adverts are fact checked. joe tidy had a look at some of the election advertising we‘ve seen in this election. thanks, everybody. the general election campaign trail has clocked up hundreds of handshakes, speeches and miles on the bus. it‘s all been fairly well stage—managed and conventional. online, it‘s been anything but. doctored videos have gone viral. this controversial one from the conservatives made labour‘s keir starmer look tongue—tied. this one from labour—supporting group momentum, almost got

them sued by coca—cola. but the real battle ground has been in paid—for ads, particularly on facebook and instagram. nearly 20,000 have been launched since the election began, with at least £2 million spent so far. most are highly—targeted and use the social network‘s digital tools to hone in on specific voters. certain ads are being chosen for us based on age, location, interests and gender. so, how much of a difference with all of this political advertising actually make? well, we won‘t start to know the answer to that until thursday, when this building, along with about 50,000 others turns into a polling station. we‘ve come here to speak with people about the ads they‘ve seen and the ones they haven‘t. here‘s an advert that i‘m sure you wouldn‘t have seen. this is aimed at 18—34—year—old women and it‘s only being aimed at 45—year—old men and older. it‘s fast. it's not particularly appealing. laughter it‘s making you laugh. boris johnson: let's get brexit done! there's the tag line.

what do you think of that? not aimed at you, but what do you think about the message? aw, dunno. so how do you feel about the fact that the parties are aiming very different messages and very different adverts to different people in the country? well, it‘s all marketing, isn‘t it? i think that's the modern age, isn't it, really? i think it's quite worrying because itjust means you have to find the best message for you and for me, which doesn't really have any relation to what's best for the country. herfears are mirrored by a growing number of groups calling for reform in political ads, particularly around fact—checking which isn‘t currently a legal requirement. we need some rules in line with the mantra that governs all other advertising, for it to be legal, decent, honest and truthful. that sets out what you can and cannot say in an ad, and specifically some rules around material claims. these changes have been called for for years, and it‘s up to whoever‘s in power next to take on the challenge.

that was joe tidy reporting. that wasjoe tidy reporting. time now for a business update. in the business news... the two top bosses at fashion chain ted baker have resigned after yet another warning that profits won‘t be as good as hoped. chairman david bernstein and chief executive lindsay page — who was only appointed by bernstein in april — have both gone. the firm is struggling with falling sales and calls this year the "most challenging in our history". shares fell by 36% this morning. pubs chain wetherspoons by contrast is in positive territory. it says it will create 10,000 jobs in new and enlarged pubs and hotels

in the uk and republic of ireland over the next four years. downside for the company has been rising costs including the minimum wage and property prices and energy bills. it has also faced shareholder unrest over £95,000 of pro—brexit spending. the economy suffered its worst three months for more than a decade — official figures show output failed to grow once again in october. office for national statistics data showed the economy flatlined month—on—month in october, after two months of declines.it was the weakest three months since early 2009. the figures come ahead of thursday‘s general election, with the main parties all promising to boost growth. more trouble for the clothing chain ted baker — another warning on profits and two bosses are stepping down. it‘s been a bad year for the compnay last week it

by between 20 and £25 million and today it said its full—year profit — previously estimated at £28 million — was now likely to be about 5—10 m, depending on how well it trades over christmas. chana baram is a senior retail analyst at mintel. what retail analyst at mintel. is going wrong at ted bak to what is going wrong at ted baker, 20 to £25 million of stock disappears? there are several things that are the matter right now. as you said, the matter right now. as you said, the company has suffered since the founder and ceo have left the company. he really was ted baker and gave a lot to the brand. it suffered from his departure and there are signs because of the stock issues that ted baker just signs because of the stock issues that ted bakerjust isn‘t giving customers exactly what they want at the moment. is it to do with where it sits at the market, it is neither

prime marco armani, is that it issue? precisely, that is a big issue? precisely, that is a big issue for it at the moment. a lot of the other retailers within that space have also suffered. we have seen within the last couple of yea rs, seen within the last couple of years, lk bennett, a retailer with similar price points, that has suffered, we have coast and karen millen and they have suffered and they were ted baker‘s competitors. it isa they were ted baker‘s competitors. it is a difficult place to be. this ted baker have the right products, are they products people desire or is it the price is too high for most people? or could it cut those prices and maintain profits, do you think? there are signs the product is what is the matter at ted baker. notjust the price and where it sits. we have just had a lot of its competitors have left the market and that should have left the market and that should have been a big opportunity for ted baker. instead, what we have seen is

it has had to reduce its prices by quite a lot. we have seen in the last black friday sales, there was a discount of 30% off all of its products and that is not a sign of items that people have been rushing out to purchase. thank you very much for joining out to purchase. thank you very much forjoining us. and thomas cook‘s collapse — an apology. not from the travel business but the civil aviation authority — it‘s repaying money owed to thomas cook customers after the firm‘s collapse in september. some 150,000 travellers had to be repatriated back to the uk. some 50,000 customers are still owed money. paul smith explained part of the problem was attempted fraud — and he apologised on the today programme this morming. this is the biggest refund operation in uk travel. we have paid out 160 million, expecting over the next couple of days to get it above 180 million. they are about 250,000

bookings here. we have had to put some extra checks in because we were concerned about fraud and we had challenges with the data we receive from the company. we are making progress and we are sorry to those people who we have yet not paid. let‘s look at the markets. down about 1%. ted baker was down 36%, now down 10%. still hammering in one day. back to you, joanna. the headlines on bbc news: ona on a crucial day of campaigning, borisjohnson warns of a hung parliament if voters don‘t support the conservatives.

the shadow health secretaryjonathan as hworth the shadow health secretaryjonathan ashworth insists he wasjoshing around when he told a friend there was no way labour could win the election in a secretly recorded phone conversation. senior democrats in the united states are due to hold a news conference later to reveal the articles of impeachment against president trump. these will, in effect, be the charges that will be voted on in the house of representatives, where the democrats are in the majority. if passed, they would then go to the republican—led senate, where the president would be put on trial. laura trevelyan reports. raise your right hand... the impeachment inquiry is hurtling forward and today the judiciary committee was centre stage. lawyers for democrats and republicans were sworn in and immediately the arguments began. i haven't removed my objection... i will not recognise a parliamentary inquiry at this time. is this when we just hear staff as questions of other staff and the members get dealt out of this whole hearing? the gentleman will not yell out and he will not attempt to disrupt the proceedings. this hearing is the chance

for democrats to present the evidence they‘ve gathered before they formally produce their articles of impeachment against president trump. the evidence shows that donaldj trump, the president of the united states has put himself before his country. he has violated his most basic responsibilities to the people, he has broken his oath. democrats are facing criticism for rushing to impeach the president without trying to subpoena key witnesses from the white house. their response is, they cannot wait. president trump's persistent and continuing effort to coerce a foreign country to help him cheat to win an election is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections and to our national security. republicans say democrats are just trying to rerun the 2016 election and the case against mr trump is nonexistent. to impeach a president who 63 million people voted for over eight lines in a call

transcript, is baloney. as this argument was raging, along long—awaited report into the origins of the russian investigation against mr trump was released. the inspector general, michael horowitz, did not find evidence that political bias affected how the fbi conducted that investigation and said officials had sufficient evidence to open their enquiry. but there was a sharp criticism of how the fbi handled an application for a wiretap targeting a former trump adviser, carter page. some think the president seized on. this was an overthrow of government, this was an attempted overthrow and a lot of people were in on it. and they got caught, they got caught red—handed. democrats say there could be a vote on articles of impeachment against the president later this week. the stage is set for a partisan battle royale. laura trevelyan, bbc news, washington.

australia‘s biggest city, sydney, is in the grip of a thick blanket of smog, caused by bush fires burning out of control in surrounding areas. health warnings are in place and there are fears worse is to come. our correspondent phil mercer is living in the smog and sent this report. sydney is again a hostage to a thick, toxic haze that‘s been blown in from nearby bushfires. this is sydney harbour, people come here to get married and to enjoy glittering views of one of the most picturesque harbours in the world. but some of australia‘s most recognisable land marks, the upper but some of australia‘s most recognisable land marks, the opera house and the sydney harbour bridge have disappeared into this smog. health authorities are warning of hazardous air quality levels. ship fog horns sound. the noise, as you can hear, are the ships sounding their fog horns because visibility is so bad. residents are being urged to stay indoors and officials say, a combination of the heat and the smoke is a recipe

for severe illness. now, i‘ve never smoked a cigarette in my life, but i now imagine what it feels like to be a heavy smoker. clearly, you can smell the smoke, you can taste it and you can feel it on your chest. from today, the people of sydney are subjected to the toughest water restrictions seen here in ten years because of a very serious drought. it‘s that long, dry spell that‘s making the fires here in eastern australia far, far worse. today could well be another dangerous day for firefighters. there are 2,000 of them on the ground here in new south wales. later today, there are thunderstorms and lightening forecast that could well exacerbate existing fires and start new ones. australia is bracing for what could well be a brutal summer. phil mercer, bbc news, on sydney harbour. a landslide in peru, after heavy rain has demolished homes and bridges,

sweeping away several vehicles. no deaths are reported but many injured are receiving medical attention in the northern province of huanca bamba. authorities report around 300 people have been left marooned by swollen rivers. around one in ten people aged 65 or over—are being left to fend for themselves, as the social care system is "on the brink of collapse." that‘s according to the charity age uk, who are calling for major reforms to help people who don‘t have family or friends to support them later in life. phil bodmer reports. i‘m an only child, of an only child. it‘s a very singular sort of family. we used to be a very extended family but gradually people have died off. i have no children, so i am the last of the line and i have no nephews or nieces or family support ofany kind. jean was the main carer of her mum in her latter years. vera lived at home before moving into residential care. now, at the age of 70, jean wonders

who will look after her. i think it was particularly when i started to become an advocate for my mother, i became the person who had to speak on her behalf. and it was then that i realised, as i‘m ageing, who is going to do that for me, who will speak for me? we live in an ageing society. according to the office for national statistics, the number of 85—year—olds is set to double to 3 million within the next 25 years. the institute for public policy research estimates most care is currently provided by children or family members rather than by the state, saving the government £55 billion. here, people are having children and also we have smaller families. so i think that by 2020 almost half of families will be single child families. so all of those factors mean there will be less family care for people as they get older in future. the subject of adult social care

dominated the 2017 general election, but has been less prominent during the current campaign. however, there is acknowledgement the present system is simply unsustainable and urgent reform is needed. the one in ten older people over the age of 65 who currently don't have children, were wondering how they are going to cope, especially in social care system that's on the brink of collapse. forjean and the 1.2 million over 65s in the uk with no children, the prospect of facing old age alone is a worry. very scary to think that you are going into your later life without any obvious support, but as you get older and those

the ethiopian prime minister abiy ahmed, has received the the laureate of the nobel peace prize, in oslo. the prime minister won the coveted award for "his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation" and for his "decisive initiative" to end the long—running military stalemate with neighbouring eritrea. a falklands veteran who had his war medals taken off him when was forced out of the royal navy for being gay is to have them returned. 68 year—old joe ousalice, who is bi—sexual, has now received an official apology from the ministry of defence. he was discharged from the navy in 1993 when there was a ban on lgbt people serving in the armed forces. he explains his joy at the outcome, and reflects on the treatement he received.

i feel very happy about it. it is one step forward. only one step? there are problems with it. i would like an apology from somebody in high authority. it was a rear admiral that gave me the medal. it was an admiralwho admiral that gave me the medal. it was an admiral who took the middle of me soi was an admiral who took the middle of me so i would like it off somebody of equal importance. every couple of years they would drag me in and make some story up in an attempt to get shut of me. they knew i was bisexual and by hook or by crook, every two years they dragged me in. on one occasion i came back from two and a half years with the nato fleet. i haven‘t been back in the uk for two and a half years and yet the day i got back in, they claimed they had seen me in a pub in portsmouth doing drugs. i have never touched drugs in my life. christmas trees can be

a controversial topic at this time of year ? whether to get one or not, real or fake, or the decision to chop one down versus getting one in a pot that can be re—planted, all in the name of sustainability. a national park in the netherlands is encouraging people to come and help themselves to a free tree ? all in the name of the environment. rich preston has the story. the rangers in this park are desperate for you to come and take the trees away. so says the sign. christmas market, cut your own tree. they will not charge you a penny. turn up, grab a saw and start cutting. that is because the scots pine is an invasive species here and is threatening to take over the natural heathland habitat. for example in this area we have several lizards, crickets, lichen, and they are rare, they are on the european rare list, so when this area becomes a forest,

all these rare species disappear. the rangers have been struggling to control the spread of the trees. they say transport fumes and over fertilisation of farmland has boosted nitrogen levels. the nitrogen has an effect of the growing of plants. at the same time, we saw that the total area with the forest becomes bigger. so, also, the influence from all the pine trees became much bigger. fortunately, at this time of year, there are plenty of people happy to help themselves to a free christmas tree. and it has been made all the more easy knowing they are also helping the local habitat. it isn‘t a complete free for all, however. trees are limited

to one per visitor. in a moment the one o‘clock news with sophie raworth but now it‘s deep area of low pressure which is producing exceptional weather across iceland. snow in the next 24 hours in hurricane winds. gusts of 60 or 70 miles an hour and enough to bring down trees and affect high sided vehicles and the combination with the severe gales making a pleasant driving conditions throughout the rest of the guest of the afternoon and evening rush—hour. gusts of wind inland are unusually strong, particularly in the south. up to severe gale force around the coast and the hills and particularly further north and west. windy and wet for all, mild at least after the frosty start in southern and eastern

areas after a taste of rain. this is the cold front on its way and as it suggests, behind the cold front it is getting colder. the air turns chilly and a touch of frost in the glens overnight. showers follow but mostly to southern and western coasts and in the north—west as well. a quieter night although the winds are very slow to ease. it will remain windy which avoids a frost for many away from the glens of scotland. it does mean a different feeling day tomorrow, we have lost the wedge of mild air across today and instead we are back into something more akin to winter. which means the showers that come out tomorrow will follow as sleet and snow over the hills, even across the cumbrian fells and to north wales. potentially showers gather momentum to the day but they will be sunshine in between. a windy day and particularly squally, i think the winds near the showers but not as windy as today. it won‘t be as mild, temperatures four or 5 degrees. brief edge of high pressure begins on thursday so another cold start and we have our next deepening area of low pressure to bring you, more

wet and potentially windy weather as well. maybe escape with sunshine and showers across scotland but as this rain comes into the cold air, we could see a smattering of snow temporarily across the pennines, and into scotland as well but we could see wet and windy weather in the south by the afternoon. milder air but still actually feeling day for most. as for friday and the weekend, it looks more sunshine and showers but again it remains unsettled. there are warnings out for ice as well tonight. those are all on the website.

six people are now known to have died and eight are missing after the volcanic eruption in new zealand. dozens of tourists were on the island. almost all of the injured have at least 30% burns to their bodies. rescuers say the scene was devastating. it was like i have seen the chernobyl miniseries. everything was just blanketed in ash. there was a helicopter on the island that had obviously been there at the time, with its rotor blades off it. two british women are among those being treated. most of the tourists were australian. also this lunchtime: the penultimate day of campaigning as party leaders criss cross the uk in a last ditch attempt to persuade the undecided.