v“ ‘ur v“ ‘a5 it5 counterparts and i am willing to talk to anyone to get answers in this tragedy. reporter: given the tensions in the area for the cause of a joan strike by the united states, do you think the united states is at least partially responsible for this trashy? i think it is too soon to be drawing conclusions or assigning planes of whatever proportions. our focus right now is supporting the families grieving right across the country and providing what answers we can in april in every way. but recognising there is going to need to bea recognising there is going to need to be a full and credible investigation into what etc happen before we draw any conclusions stopping off president trump said he had concerns that a missile might have brought down the plane. he said

it was a very rough neighbourhood. i was wondering what you thought of that characterisation.” was wondering what you thought of that characterisation. i will let mr trump's words stand for in himself. back to the national post. prime minister we don't have to manage relationships with iran, the country is heavily stationed by the international community. are you worried about trying to get access to the site and participation in the investigation that canada has no leverage to force iran into better behaviour? we have consular officials who are on route to and kara, turkey at this moment and raining authorities have indicated that they would be open to issuing visas so that consular assistance can be given on the ground. —— ankara, turkey. translation: there are consular officials who are oi'i there are consular officials who are on their way to turkey and iran has

indicated that they would be open to issuing visas so that those people would be able to come to the site to support them stop it up when speaking with the iranian foreign minister, did he open to them canadians being part of the investigation? their air transport authority said that we had been invited. there has been an openness to canadian involvement in the investigation from the beginning expressed by the iranians but the minister will be holding a press comes in a few hours were he can answer those questions in more detail. prime minister, just on that same question, can you be able to more specific, how confident are you that canadian officials will be involved in this investigation? canadian expertise when it comes to air tragedies, when it comes to

crash investigation is world—class. we have much to contribute and we have lost much in the loss of so many canadian lives, so many families across this country grieving. we will be involved. we will offer all the expertise that we have to offer, we have artie been engaged with ukrainians who are part of the investigation team and iran has indicated an openness to canada being engaged as well. to which degree and what way remains to be worked out but there is an openness there. and ijust worked out but there is an openness there. and i just wonder what you think canadian families of the victims must be feeling now knowing that there is a good possibility that there is a good possibility that their wealth once have been caught up in this dispute between due net —— the us and iran. caught up in this dispute between due net -- the us and iran. as i said it is unimaginable what these families are going through right now in terms of having lost love ones. i know from conversations that have been had with government officials

with members of parliament, with my deputy prime minister who has been engaged with them in edmonton that families are asking for answers and that's why we're sharing what we know as we can with canadians right now, but there are many more answers to be given. there is much more to be found out through a complete and thorough investigation and we are certainly pushing for what we know these families will be continuing to be going through extreme and difficult moments over the coming hours, days, weeks, months and indeed years and canada will be there with them. i'm just wondering do you regret not pushing harder to recertify makaton relations with iran isa recertify makaton relations with iran is a promise in the 2015 election? —— recertified demented relations. there are many reasons why canada had many issues with iran in the past for a number of years,

but in this situation, it is clear that we are coming together in the wa ke that we are coming together in the wake of a terrible tragedy that's befallen canadians and before and many iranian citizens as well also we can't forget that the majority of victims on that airline were iranian citizens, and this is something that binds us together in our grief and i think the desire for answers from families who lost offered ones is fairly universal. we will be working together in the best way we can around the strategy. —— who lost loved ones. you mention how you spoke to the prime minister. what did he give you in terms of advice? he talked a lot about how it is important to keep families who are grieving comprised of information, even at preliminary stages which is certainly something that we are doing today. he also talked about the need for direct relationships

with all different elements involved in the crash. he talked about the fa ct in the crash. he talked about the fact that he had multiple conversations with russian authorities including vladimir putin in the days following the malaysian airlines downing. so we certainly have ta ken those airlines downing. so we certainly have taken those and other elements seriously. three path or international investigation continues even five years later, thatis continues even five years later, that is when he shared with me and he of course offered the deep friendship that the dutch have with canada to serve and share expertise and information and support as we embark upon what is going to be a difficult process of establishing the truth and the facts of what happened. good afternoon permits are. just warning if the government considers this an active or?”

are. just warning if the government considers this an active or? i think it is too early to draw definitive conclusions like that one. -- an act of war. can you walk us through when you became aware of the recent allegations about the aircraft and also going forward, what canada, will will you speak to leadership in iran and yourself to convey candida fox views on this and should it be an international commission for investigation? we got confirmation over the course of last night and this morning on this particular set of conclusions that i've shared today. obviously there is much more today. obviously there is much more to be done, much more data to be analysed and that's why the credible investigation is so important. i think there is a call and there are incidents of tragic crashes like these ones, multiple parties who are

mandated to be involved for manufacturers of the aeroplane, france being the engines of the aeroplane being manufactured in france. that gives a certain authority for the french to be involved as part of the international investigation process. countries that have victims on the plane also have standing in an investigation. candida of course is the country outside of iran that has lost the most citizens. —— candida of course. an ownership of the aircraft is also responsible, it has aircraft is also responsible, it has a response but in the investigation that involves ukraine. there are many different international elements in an investigation of this type and that is what we will be drawing on as we move forward. —— canada. we have time for last two questions so one for rosemary barton

and then we'll go tom iverson. prime minister you feared the worst when you were asked whether you could rule out that this had happened. it may have been confirmed overnight but you obviously had her own concerns. can you just talk a little bit about what your reaction was when it was confirmed, were you outraged, just a swing to me what went through your head knowing that innocent lives were ta ken? went through your head knowing that innocent lives were taken? my first thought is for the families, the families that we have been getting to know over these past 24 hours through news articles and reports back from the various conversations we've had with mps, government officials. they are already going through a terrible grieving process and to further have an understanding that this may have been caused by a surface to air missile strike is

compounding and that my thoughts instantly went to how much harder this must be —— must make if it is families for expressing just a terrible amount of grief right now. translation: my first thoughts were for the families who were already suffering terribly after losing their loved oi'ies. terribly after losing their loved ones. but knowing that there may have been this additional aspect of the missile strike only makes things harder for them. the missile strike only makes things harderforthem. so, we will the missile strike only makes things harder for them. so, we will be there for them in this difficult time. if it turns out to be a missile strike, canada's options would be pretty limited. would a certain act be... it's too early to draw conclusions about what tools can be eventually used depending on

the final assessment or final conclusions of a complete investigation, ourfocus conclusions of a complete investigation, our focus right now is on giving immediate support to the families working with them to ensure the remains of their loved oi'ies ensure the remains of their loved ones are brought home to canada if thatis ones are brought home to canada if that is their wishes and indeed move forward on the full and complete investigation so that we convey look at next steps in the healing, accountability, and justice process. these are things that will come in due course but right now, we are standing firmly and entirely with the families. thank you very much. canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau addressing the media there in ottawa after that ukrainian aircraft came down with 176 people on board, 63 of them canadians hence justin trudeau's press conference there. he said it was "too soon to be drawing conclusions or

apportioning blame or responsibility" but he wanted canada to have involvement in investigating this crash to find out exactly what had happened but at the moment he said all of the priorities should be focusing on the families who need support following this terrible accident. gary o'donoghue is a correspondent in washington. and gary, justin trudeau there saying that canada is drawing the same conclusions as washington. tell us why the americans are convinced it was an iranian missiles macro missile. they are not saying a bsently missile. they are not saying absently publicly at this stage about the evidence behind that. we arejust about the evidence behind that. we are just hearing attributive comments from officials but it seems to be some kind of satellite imagery, some kind of picking up of these explosions and the launch of potential missiles in the area. they can also detect when radar is turned

on, that seems that may be one of the possibilities they notice that the possibilities they notice that the radar walked on to this plane in some way 01’ the radar walked on to this plane in some way or other. you can tell that with pretty sophisticated satellite, etc. so, that seems to be where the information is coming from. of course there's been a firm denial by the korean equivalent of the civilisation authority in iran. they firmly denied at this stage. but you're getting a groundswell encoding of course justin trudeau publicly saying that's what they believe happened. and when you look at the context of that night, there were air strikes being conducted, missile strikes being conducted, missile strikes being conducted, missile strikes being conducted from iran on those american bases. iran would have been on pretty high alert for any retaliation coming in its direction. and so you can envisage, conger inspected of terms a situation where

some system, some person, some particular group who were watching for threats coming in may have made some awful, terrible mistake. now, there saying that there was a passenger jets there saying that there was a passengerjets in there saying that there was a passenger jets in the there saying that there was a passengerjets in the sky at that time of night. there was no problem, we could tell what was what. but thatis we could tell what was what. but that is obviously one of the possibilities that something mechanical or human walked onto this asa mechanical or human walked onto this as a potential threat. mechanical or human walked onto this as a potentialthreat. gary, for mechanical or human walked onto this as a potential threat. gary, for the moment think very much. gary o'donoghue in washington. was speak to where and real let's talk now to rear admiral dr chris parry, a former director general in the ministry of defence. thank you forjoining us. early days in the investigation. what are the tentative thoughts that you're having about what has happened here? i think everybody is so far is said that everything is speculation. we don't have access to the black boxes. i am afraid that in itself is

suspicious and something is going on clearly. if it were a missile system, i think the circumstances in which the aircraft came down ten to suggest there has been an accident in some way related to a missile system and with the sophistication of modern anti—aircraft systems, they could be in automatic mode in which case if they have detected and are —— target, it could have brought the tory or a sibyl switching era by a human. i think what we have learned from this if it is a missile and also from the downing of the malaysian aeroplane over ukraine is that russian anti—aircraft systems aren't very good at identifying between friend info. and that would appear to be the issue in this case if it were a missile. —— friend or foe. it seems extraordinary to an onlooker that this could happened as mistake. as i said, if the system had been in on it would engage in

about seven seconds if it is the missile system i suspect that the iranians have. if it were human error, people were jumpy that night, the just launched missile attacks against american bases in iraq, they probably were expecting some retaliation as your correspondent just set and people just got trigger—happy. i think the only way the iranians can clear this up is by being honest about it. that doesn't seem to be a feature of either the regime or the reaction to the incident at the moment. the iranians are saying that there seem to have been a problem with this aircraft and that the pilots hadn't made any distress calls. so, how do we establish who is right? how quickly can that be established?” establish who is right? how quickly can that be established? i think we need access to the black boxes and asi need access to the black boxes and as i said the fact they are being evasive about that not handing over the evidence in getting people in there from other countries and straightaway is pretty suspicious to tell you the truth. and of course if they shot down an airliner, they would say that, wouldn't they? that

it is nothing to do. if you're hit bya it is nothing to do. if you're hit by a missile flying at twice the speed of sound, you don't get much chance to put out a mayday or anything like that. so, i wouldn't put any credibility in that particular statement. what conclusions if any should we draw though the fact that there are these heightened tensions at the moment between iran and united states if it isa between iran and united states if it is a mistake, the timing of this couldn't be more unfortunate, and a huge loss of life. any loss of life is regrettable and any circumstances but particularly when you have this confusion, this sort of fog of war people in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's entirely reg retta ble wrong time, it's entirely regrettable and tragic that this should have happened. what i think though happened now is that tensions between the united states and iran are probably going to defuse themselves. i think everybody is really reg retful themselves. i think everybody is really regretful about what's happened. the iranians really can't continue retaliation while they are under a cloud like this. they put in

token retaliation for their own internal audience. i suspect that the whole tragedy will actually lead toa the whole tragedy will actually lead to a de—escalation of what is happening now. rear admiral doctor chris parikh, former tractor general of the ministry of defence, thank you for your time. —— chris perry. and we'll find out how this story, and many others, are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 and 11:30 this evening in the papers. our guestsjoining us tonight are the talk radio presenter daisy mcandrew and former scottish labour leader, kezia dugdale. the queen, prince charles, and prince william have instructed their staff to try to find a way to accommodate prince harry and meghan's wish to go it alone. the couple's decision, announced last night, left the royal family scrambling to cope with the implications of the unprecedented move. their announcement has raised a series of questions that go to the heart of how the royal family works — everything from finances to whether the sussexes will face a conflict of interest as they try to carve out what they call a new and progressive role. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. and so what now for the couple who

want to do being royal their way? last night, the sussexes stunned britain's royal family by issuing their own statement saying they wanted to step back and find what they called a progressive new role which would involve them becoming financially independent and dividing their time between britain and north america. senior royals from the queen down were said to be disappointed and hurt. for that read shocked and exasperated. yet today those feelings have moved on to a willingness to see whether a new arrangement can be worked out. the queen, the prince of wales and prince william and their senior staff have conferred during the day and directed their staff to work with the sussex household to find a solution acceptable to all sides. the issues are complex, it won't be easy. i think it's going to be very hard if not impossible to find a future modus operandi which involves being royal and not

royal at the same time. i can understand why they want to do it, but history has shown us that royal duty is not really open to compromise. either you are part of the working royal machine or you're not. there is no halfway house. these are the questions about the sussexes which must be decided. first of all, their title. a hard—line approach by the palace would be to remove their his and her royal highness styling on the basis that you cannot be half in and half out of the royal family. there is no appetite to do this. harry remains sixth in line to the british throne. second, their accommodation. there is no suggestion they would need to leave their home close to windsor castle. it is owned by the crown estate, it underwent a costly renovation for their use. third, security. at the moment the british taxpayer pays the considerable costs of royal security. the men around the couple here in south africa are all metropolitan police officers.

would the taxpayer be expected to pay for the security of a semidetached royal couple? that's another issue to be worked out. finally, by far most complex issue, finance. at the moment the sussexes are financed largely by harry's father the prince of wales from his duchy of cornwall estate. to become financially independent, the sussexes would surely need to engage in commercial activities of some kind. that is a path fraught with difficulties for the royal family. others, the earl and countess of wessex, for example, tried it and it eventually posed serious reputational issues for the royal family. the palace will resist any repetition. yet there is support for a couple who have clearly been struggling in recent months. julie montague is an american who married into the british aristocracy. she feels sympathy for meghan. meghan even said she tried to adapt to this, you know, british stiff upper lip

and she tried and it didn't work. of course it's not going to work. we are american, we have grown up in a world that we were told you can be anything you want to be, you can do anything you want to do from day one. the sussexes have made their wishes known, albeit in a most imprecise fashion. the british royal family will try to find a way to satisfy those wishes. these are complex matters. more detailed proposals are expected within a matter of days. nicholas witchell, bbc news. counter—terrorism police from scotland yard are investigating an assault on five prison officers by two inmates at whitemoor top security jail. it's understood one prison officer was stabbed and slashed with a blade during the attack. our home affairs correspondent june kelly is with me now. june tell us more about what happened. but we understand is these two inmates were waking —— wearing fa ke two inmates were waking —— wearing fake suicide vests and were carrying

improvised bladed weapons. one of them we are told is in whitmoor because he has been convicted of a terrorism offence was of the other is infora terrorism offence was of the other is in for a crime of violence but has converted to islam while in whitmoor. and there is a shot of a macro shot of allahu akbar when this happens i bite what happened to these prison officers? we had five that were attacked. one was stabbed in the face, he appeared to be the target the attack and then for collea g u es target the attack and then for colleagues went to his assistance, three men and a woman and they were also assaulted. normally in any event, a prison would be investigate by local force, but in this case it is going to scotland yard counterterrorism command. but also to give background, whitmoor is a category a top security prison and it does have a number of inmates who have been convicted of terrorism offence is simplyjune, think you very much. june kelly.

new figures show that accident & emergency departments in england experienced their worst month since the target for treating people within four hours was introduced 16 years ago. just under 80% of patients were seen within the time limit in december. the target is 95%. it's the third month in a row that performance has sunk to a new record low. the figure for england is lower than in scotland but still ahead of wales & northern ireland. our health editor hugh pym reports. we actually walked past george originally because we didn't see him there. we were just sort of hit with patients on trolleys in the corridor. mark's 83—year—old father—in—law george waited 25 hours in hospital corridors, much of it on a trolley, before he was finally given a bed on a ward — even though he'd had major surgery recently and another potentially serious condition. it was mayhem. there were trolleys everywhere, there were people trying to move trolleys in between the corridors to take people into x—ray and other

departments to get them seen. we were quite distressed by it all. mark doesn't blame staff at shrewsbury hospital, who he says were working flat out. a trust spokesperson said there was very high demand on services and apologised that some patients were waiting longer than they should. with pressure across the system, the number going through the doors the numbers going through the doors with pressure across the system, the numbers going through the doors of a&e have gone up from just over 1.5 million a month a decade ago to more than 2 million last month, but the proportion treated who are assessed within four hours in england has been falling steadily from the 95% target to just below 80% in december. what do you say to some patients who have waited many hours, over four hours to be assessed, then maybe more hours on top of that to get treated? i would say our staff are working incredibly hard to ensure they treat patients as quickly as possible. of course they always prioritise the sickest patients first and ensure that

treatment is delivered. more patients are ending up in hospitals partly because of shortcomings elsewhere. difficulties getting gp appointments for example and delays getting the social care they need to be looked after at home. this winter, it feels as though that really positive impact of social care hasn't been there as much, so we are seeing delays in the system for our patients and we are seeing real pressure across the health and care system. if more beds are needed for emergency care, that means delays for patients like paul needing nonurgent operations. he has been waiting months for a hip replacement. i have seen doctors and specialists, physiotherapy teams, and you know it's now got to the point where, oh, the operation will be done on easter 2020, now they're telling me it could well be christmas 2020. whatever the promises made

about more hospitals and nurses and higherfunding, this is the state of the nhs in england right now. hugh pym, bbc news. doctor ian higginson is vice president of the royal college of emergency medicine. he is in our plymouth studio. thank you forjoining us this evening. the factors contributing to this new record low? i think this is a cumulative failure of health policy and leadership within the health service over the last decade or more and in fact probably longer. multiple factors resulting from that are contributing to the miserable situation we are seeing right now. leadership, or money or staff? so, policy defines how we are going to fix problems. the staff in emergency departments are really working ever so hard to try and treat our

patients as best we can under new impossible conditions now. the crowding we are seeing in our departments is really difficult for patients who have to experience it. and our staff are working so hard. there simply aren't enough staff and many of our emergency department are now outdated. we keep hearing we've gotan now outdated. we keep hearing we've got an ageing population with that comes greater health problems for some how much of this demand is just down to that? some of it is in some of the demand is because other part of the demand is because other part of the demand is because other part of the systems can't cope. but none of the systems can't cope. but none of this should be a surprise. this has been happening for years and yea rs. has been happening for years and years. winter happens and recently years. winter happens and recently year so what we need to do is to plan effectively for what is happening and then to put real plans, real action into place rather than just whatever time and initiatives and at times empty profit —— promises. initiatives and at times empty profit -- promises. how safer accident and emergency departments which i miss that, can you say can?

how safe are our emergency departments? they are working so ha rd to departments? they are working so hard to keep our departments as safe as we can. but we know that when patients are treated in overcrowded emergency departments it isn't good for them. there is a loss of dignity, patients can get sick of than they were otherwise and they certainly have to wait much longer for treatments than if those department were not overcrowded. we know during the run—up to the general election in december, the nhs wasa general election in december, the nhs was a huge issue for a lot of people. the government saying they will be putting more money in. how satisfied are you with what they are promising? well, it's really welcome to see some promises around investment but we should make it clear that none of this are going to be quick fixes. and now with a new decade we really want to see some real action rather than just promises of investment that will ta ke yea rs promises of investment that will take years to materialise because right now, it is really difficult in our emergency departments as our patients and staff are telling us all over the country. and just

finally, what is the impact on the staff present because we know morale is low but you say the same time they are working flat out. our staff andi they are working flat out. our staff and i was at work this afternoon and i cannot tell you how proud i was of the staff i was working with despite all the pressures up and down the country, emergency department teams managing to deliver really good care where they can to patients and to keep chief a and to keep patients front and centre of their efforts. so, ithink front and centre of their efforts. so, i think we could be —— should be really proud of our emergency staff all across the country working under difficult conditions. doctor ian higginson, vice president of the royal college of emergency medicine. thank you. let's just return to the plane crash involving the ukrainian aircraft and downing street have just issued a statement regarding this crash which us officials believe was a result of the the technician or a arraignment surface—to—air missile hitting the plane after he took off from tehran

airport. borisjohnson said "the loss of life on ukrainian international airlines flight 752 is a tragedy and my thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones. four british nationals were among those who were killed and we are providing support to their families at this most terrible time. there is not a body of information that the fight was shot down by an arena surface—to—air missile. this may well have been unintentional. we are working closely with canada and our international partners and the now needs to be a full transparent investigation. it is vital that there should be an immediate and respectful repatriation of those who have lost their lives to allow their families to grieve properly. the uk continues to call on all sides urgently continues to call on all sides urge ntly to continues to call on all sides urgently to de—escalate to reduce tensions in the region." that statement just issued in tensions in the region." that statementjust issued in the last few minutes. by downing street. time for look at the weather forecast now with lucy. hello, today brought sunshine for

some and rain for others and even some and rain for others and even some hill snow. and it looks like it will remain changeable as you move to the next few days. tonight we will see cloud and outbreaks of rain in the south cleared towards the east. there will be clear spells feeding in from the north, a few showers perhaps for western scotland and under clear skies the temperatures will dip away for the north half of the uk where it will bea north half of the uk where it will be a frosty start of the day tomorrow, perhaps a few patches of ice. but it will be a bright stretch mall, looking at a largely dry day through much of the daylight hours. we could see coastal showers in the morning but they should tend to ease but then later cloud and rain will push to the north and west, the wind strengthening here as well. temperatures around 6—9 degrees celsius. and then into the weekend, saturday looking like a windy day across the board. dry weather found in the south and east but rain and the north and west. sunday brings a day of sunday spells and showers. bye— bye.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. bridge in canada and the usa there's a body of evidence that an iranian missile brought down a canadian —— ukrainian passenger plane. the evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by entering into surface to air missile. this may

well have been unintentional. the queen instructs senior royals to find a way to make harry and meghan's go—it—alone plan work, after they announced they would be stepping back from royal life. left in a hospital trolley for more than twenty four hours — a&e departments in england record their worst ever performance the anti—terrorism police are investigating a serious incident after two inmates ranked fake suicide vest attacked five prison officers with bladed weapons. one officers with bladed weapons. one officer has been severely injured. the sound of 2020 — 25—year—old celeste tipped to follow in the footsteps of adele and sam smith. and coming up, the post—brexit future of the erasmus education scheme, suggestions that a vote in the commons last night could see the uk's participation come to an end.

back to the news that duke and duchess of sussex are stepping back from royal duties. harry and meghan say they want to become financially independent. but who pays for them currently? 95% of their income comes from the prince of wales who pays for their public duties and some of their private costs. in 2018 to 19 this stood atjust over five million pounds. in addition, about 5% of the sussexes' income comes from the sovereign grant. this money is paid from the government to the royal family to cover the cost of official duties and looking after royal palaces. what other wealth do they have? princes william and harry received the bulk of the £13 million fortune left by princess diana. on top of that meghan earned a reported $50,000 per episode of suits. she also ran a lifestyle blog and designed her own fashion line for a canadian brand. so what will it mean when they go "financially independent"? well they will no longer receive funding through the sovereign grant,

but it's unclear whether they will give up their other sources of funding. earlier our royal correspondent nicholas witchell explained the most complicated area of this move is finances. by that i mean ranking, hrh royals — do not mix with the commercial world. if you are a member of the british royal family, you cannot capitalise on your royal status. remember, that for the royal family there is the spectre of another royal duke and do. the winters. the former king edward viii his american bride wallis simpson who turned his back on duty and went off to america and elsewhere, and who of course never really found happiness. well to look at how all this might work is sean mandell, senior news producer at tmz. hejoins us from la.

first of all, what's the reaction beenin first of all, what's the reaction been in the united states particularly in the media to this announcement from the royal couple? and has dominated headlines are in the us, a lot of major papers in the us had this on the front page along with the major coverage of chorus of everything going on with president trump and iran. this was following it in the number two spot. the new york daily news said britt hits the fan. the chicago tribune which was noticeable because meghan went to her undergraduate university at northwestern. they said rails took a step back in their new role and there's the new york times which calls them part—timers in his new role. calling the most stunning which it certainly wise. shocking to many people. the new york post which was known for the flashy headlines and covers have a headline thatjust

says brexit ——. .. and covers have a headline thatjust says brexit ——... and rather interesting cartoon they have created of meghan and harry. yes we have been taking a look at those headlines as he talked her through them. how do you think they will support themselves financially?” think that they will probably model themselves after something like the clinton foundation which president clinton foundation which president clinton created after his presidency and to continue his philanthropic work. some organisation like that which is nonprofit but does continue their endeavours and going after their endeavours and going after their objectives in the world and philanthropic causes, and it will ta ke philanthropic causes, and it will take an income as executive officers of the organisation. we should also note that prince harry has been announcing that he's working with opera on an apple tv series, so he may not be able to make income from that whereas before this announcement he would not have. there's also possibilities in terms

of speaking engagements, things of that nature but it really does seem to be undecided right now from everything i've been hearing that they are not particularly set a course to exactly how they will finance their lives. if you got a royal title or have had one and you've got that background, how many doors as a going to open in the states ? doors as a going to open in the states? it will open all of the doors in the united states. it is a commodity that you cannot get here because we don't have a royal family, and it is treated as something that's basically catnip to people looking for access to exclusive celebrities to high—profile individuals. it will be highly sought after, so i imagine it will be tricky for them to try and navigate needing to make money and support themselves financially. also appearing to trade off on their royal titles and be appearing to benefit from it. they could be

accused of opportunism. if you look at other royals who have taken a step back either willingly or unwillingly look at sarah ferguson for example, the duchess of york she's had a very frost time and finances and declared bankruptcy in the past and declared scandals, and the past and declared scandals, and the countess of wessex tried to have a normal relationship with the commercial world and endeavour to have your production company and a pr firm but they had to step back from that because it created too many problems from them, to any conflict of interest which i think is what buckingham palace is worried about. how likely is it that they will need security around the clock? i think it will need absolutely essential. even though there will be in this new second—tier role or royal role, they are still going to be absolutely essential and to the

monarchy in the sense of that if something were to happen to them it would be devastating. it will still have security and if you read the statement on their website they are implying it will still get security protection from metropolitan police and the british government, even if the company united states that won't necessarily receive secret service protection but would be entitled to protection but would be entitled to protection from the us state department if they accepted it. because they are considered foreign dignitaries. they have both complained about how they particularly she has been treated by the british press. how free of media intrusion will they be in the united states ? intrusion will they be in the united states? that is the big question. and i have to say it was somewhat confusing to me as well to think about them coming to the us. i think if they come to canada, which makes more sense, they are more likely to be left alone. they will still be pursued in the sense that people will still be interested in them and still be people taking photos of them, and wanting to see them and wanting to know about their lives.

if they are in the united states certainly in meghan paul's my hometown of los angeles, they will be under a microscope. los angeles is definitely a place where celebrity culture is thriving and they will be sought after by paparazzi emma by photographers and i'm not sure that los angeles would make sense for them. i imagine there we re make sense for them. i imagine there were to choose some of the more remote like many other celebrities do that want to step out of the limelight. lots of questions to still be answered. thank you very much for talking to us. with hotter weather predicted tomorrow — and high winds on saturday — authorities in australia are warning residents in high risk areas to leave home. the australian prime minister has confirmed 27 people have died in the bushfires so far. hundreds of firefighters are deployed in the worst—affected areas of victoria and new south wales. our correspondentjonathan head reports now close to the town of tom—erong in new south wales.

in the fire—bleached bush along australia's south—eastern coast, gary simpson's backyard has taken a beating. some of his tallest trees, badly charred, have had to be felled and dragged a safe distance from his house. he's been clearing up ever since a raging fire swept through last saturday, and preparing for more fires once the weather heats up again. when this happens, i mean, do you ever have second thoughts about living in a place like this, surrounded by bush? er, sometimes you do, but it's such a great place to live. you're self—sufficient, you've got plenty of space. it... ..it was fine, it's fine, and we won't be going anywhere, we'll stay. this was what was happening here last weekend. the whole forest around his house was ablaze. at one stage i said, "this doesn't look good." this whole area was

awash with flames. it's a pretty scary feeling. yeah, it can be scary, yeah, most definitely. we've been very lucky, we saved the houses. there were people down the coast, off the coast of new south wales, they've been completely devastated. they've got only the clothes that they stand in. his voice breaks: that's a horrible thing. it has been cooler this week, though the hazy skies and the smell of smoke are still there. it's given gary and his neighbours a very welcomed break, and they're not letting the thought of what might happen this weekend spoil theirfun. jonathan head, bbc news, tomerong, new south wales. the headlines on bbc news. the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, says there's evidence an iranian missile brought down a ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near tehran,

killing everyone on board. the queen instructs senior royals to find a way to make harry and meghan's go—it—alone plan work, after they announced they would be stepping back from royal life. left in a hospital trolley for more than twenty four hours — a&e departments in england record their worst ever performance. has the government ended the uk's participation in erasmus? that's been the suggestion repeated thousands of times on social media today after mps voted against a clause that would have required the government to make staying part of the erasmus scheme a priority in brexit negotiations. but last night's defeat of the clause does not necessarily mean we won't stay in the scheme. a department for education official told the bbc that the government is "committed to continuing the academic relationship between the uk and the eu" including through the next erasmus programme "if it is in our interests to do so". they added: "the vote last night does not change that."erasmus is an eu programme that helps

students study in other countries. currently, 53% of uk university students who study abroad do so through the scheme. in 2017, more than 16,500 uk students participated in erasmus while more than 31,700 eu nationals came to the uk that year. let's get more on this with eline sibia she went to berlin in 2014 to 2015 as part of the erasmus scheme. she now lives in amsterdam. and also i'm joined by emma meredith, international director of the association orwe are not or we are notjoined by emma meredith, i'm so sorry, you've got it all to yourself. these precious minutes on the telly. telus, where you went and what you did on your erasmus programme.” you went and what you did on your erasmus programme. i went to berlin in 2014 until 2015 and i studied law

where he visited, and it was transformative where he visited, and it was tra nsformative and enjoyable. where he visited, and it was transformative and enjoyable. it made lifelong friends and a bunch of them are set here. yes, that's what idid. them are set here. yes, that's what i did. how was it beneficial to you? i think studying in a foreign language is an incredible experience. it's really tough. going toa experience. it's really tough. going to a foreign country and living there is just something that builds a resilience and increases your mobility. it's also way to have ties with another country but also equally with other erasmus students. my equally with other erasmus students. my network now expands across europe which i think it's a beautiful thing. why was erasmus so important to you. there's probably other ways that you could have done this sort of exchange. it was offered at the university, i think it's also really important because you get a stipend, so that means that you're able to be self—sufficient but based off the

grant you get from the eu, and that was really important. it's also really structured way of going abroad for when you meet other erasmus students. i'm really disappointed by this vote, i think it shows that we are having an island mentality in the uk which i think is really disappointing. because i would really love future generations of higher education stu d e nts to generations of higher education students to be able to have the same incredibly gear that i've had. stay with us, because it was a bit premature but emma meredith this journey is now. international director of the association of colleges. thank you. just hearing how she used the erasmus programme and how it benefited her. what with the uk be losing out on if we did not participate in erasmus in the future? well, the erasmus programme isa future? well, the erasmus programme is a really well structured programme, and where the great benefits of it is it allows opportunity for a whole range of students to take part in colleges,

and universities through youth and support activities, so we would be losing out on a funded opportunity that the uk college sector has been worth 77 million euros of the last six to seven years. the government said they were look at a replacement programme if they cannot negotiate to stay in, but if it's not broken why try to fix it? how popular is britain as a destination for foreign students. the uk is the biggest house destination for the erasmus programme. there's the two sides to consider, notjust the uk sending our students on these programmes into europe and also receiving incoming students from other european countries who are very keen to see that we would stay in the programme in the future. how can stu d e nts programme in the future. how can students from less well—off backgrounds participate? where they might not if it did not exist. as a

symbol for comedic at the grant which depends which country you go to as far as what i did, that really helps their maintenance cost of your living and rent and food, and on top of that you also get your normal student loan if you take one. i think it's really important we carry on with this programme because people from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to go into other european countries to study and make friends, to have cultural ties, andi and make friends, to have cultural ties, and i think that's so important no matter what that places you come from. it improves your employability and it's a good way of making friends and getting the most out of yourself. it's very hard to go to another country and it's giving you a bunch of skills that you won't getjust by doing a standard three—year degree course the uk. what would you say to someone that's listening saying to get money to go into this. you the one to benefits, why should we continue to be part of something and find something like that? because it goes both ways, doesn't it? like the

lady said people come to the uk as well, and they get time with us. i think it's so important. it's the erasmus exchange. also bringing those skills into the uk market and it's important for trade in terms of the fact that there is cultural ties that are so important in language skills that are so important. not just something that we as an individual are benefiting from but benefiting the higher education systems and eventually into the workplace. how optimistic are you that the negotiators from the uk will make this a priority? after all, they've got other massive issues to resolve such as a trade deal. think they are very much aware that the government are the benefits and there will be losing out so i think it will look at that very carefully. the universities minister today reiterated that the government remains committed to looking all

options for the partnership and participation in erasmus. i think it's up to organisations such as mind and the association of colleges and others to keeping that message forward. she says the best known ambassadors of the students themselves. it's important to hear from students whether programme has changed their lives, brought them better employability prospects and why it's so important to uk colleges and universities. emma meredith from the association of colleges and in lena former erasmus student commit think you both forjoining me this evening. the soul singer celeste has topped the bbc 5 sound of 2020 poll, which aims to predict the biggest musical talents tipped for success in the coming year. celeste, who's 25 and was raised in brighton, follows in the footsteps of previous winners adele, sam smith and ellie goulding. she was chosen by a panel of 170 music industry figures. here's our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba. # it wouldn't move

# what could i?do...# the soulful sound of celeste. # i touch your? head...# the young singer raised in brighton, who's been named the bbc‘s sound of 2020. well, i can't wait now to see what the rest of the year looks like. i think you can never predict, even though sometimes you really want to, like, look into a glass ball and see what's going to happen. but, no, i'mjust, like, so thrilled and excited and, yeah, i can't wait. # i don't want to put on pressure when i'm talking to you...#. she's already made appearances on shows like later withjools holland and now she's following in the footsteps of previous sound of winners, the likes of whom include ellie goulding, sam smith and adele. one of the most important things for me is that it will hopefully

mean that more people hear my music and are aware that i'm making music. a confident live performer who played glastonbury‘s introducing stage in 2019, 2020 will bring different pressures. there's an element that, like, now there's a heightened expectation, potentially, that you really want to make sure you live up to it. but ultimately, like i said, it is encouraging, so, yeah, it's cool. the new year will bring new music, which she hopes willjustify the industry's faith in her. lizo mzimba, bbc news. # from strangers to friends, friends into lovers...#. but just butjust remind but just remind you butjust remind you of the statement that downing street have issued within the last hour or so.

regarding the accident involving the ukrainian international airlines fight they came down over iran shortly after take—off from tehran. the prime minister borisjohnson said the loss of life on the flight isa said the loss of life on the flight is a tragedy in my thoughts are with those that have lost loved ones. for british nationals are among those that killed and we are providing support to their families at this most terrible time. the flight was shot down by an iranian surface to this was may well have been unintentional. working closer with canada and our international partners in there now needs to be a full transparent investigation. this is vital there should be an immediate and respectful repatriation for those that have lost their lives to allow their families to grieve properly, it concludes the uk continues to call on all sides urgently to de—escalate to reduce tensions in the region without a statement issued by downing street on behalf of the

prime minister boris johnson. in the last hour we heard from the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau as he paid tribute to those who died in the crash and said new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation. what happened yesterday was a tragedy. a tragedy that shocked not only canada but the world. before we go any further i want to extend once again the most sincere condolences of the families of the victims and their loved ones. i, and we are, all standing with you. since last addressing canadians there have been ongoing discussions, since i last addressed canadians, there's been ongoing discussions with foreign ministers, senior intelligence and military officials including the fourth meeting of our incident response group. there have been important developments regarding the potential causes of this deadly crash, developments of which

canadians should be made aware. the news will undoubtedly come as a further shock to the families who are already grieving in the face of this unspeakable tragedy. we have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence, the evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by and iranian surface—to—air missile. this may well have been unintentional. this new information reinforces the need for a thorough investigation into this matter. canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau. now it's time for a look at the weather with lucy martin. now it's time for a look to the bright sunshine for some to marin for others and even some hell snow. it looks like it is going to remain changeable as we move through the next few days. through tonight will continue to see the cloud in a

bricks of rain in the south cleared towards the east, clear spells feeding in from the north. a few showers perhaps arrested in scotland and under clear skies the temperatures will dip away particularly for the northern half of the uk where a front to start the day tomorrow and perhaps a few patches of ice. it will be a bright start of the day tomorrow, looking ata start of the day tomorrow, looking at a largely dry and fine day through much of the daylight hours, few coastal showers in the morning but they should tend to ease, then later in the day cloud and rain will push into the north and west, the weights strengthening here as well. to purchase around six and then into the weekend saturday is looking like a windy day across the board, but for any a windy day across the board, but forany dry a windy day across the board, but for any dry weather to be found in south and east. sunday brings a day of sunny spells and showers.

hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. canada's prime minister says the plane that crashed in iran, was shot down. we have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies and our own intelligence. the evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an iranian surface—to—air missile. all 176 people on board, including 63 canadians died in the incident. canada is calling for a full investigation. iran denies it, saying it's scientifically impossible. the queen has called a meeting of the royal households to try and find a "workable" future role for the duke and duchess of sussex after they announced they were stepping back. and we'll put the spotlight on australia's fossil fuel industry as the bushfire crisis continues to worsen.