this is bbc newsm with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk this is bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. personal attacks and feisty exchanges from the two men who want to be the next president of the united states. millions tune into the first presidential tv debate. bad tempered, rude, i'm not going to answer and full of interruptions — the question because... why won't you answer that question? donald trump and joe biden face each other the question is... in the first us presidential debate. radical left... will you shut up, man. listen... the president refused the two men traded insults in a debate characterised by personal attacks and bitter exchanges. to condemn white supremacy, the radical left... will you shut up, man? listen, who is...? oh, give me a break. you know what? instead saying the far right "proud boys" should "stand there's nothing smart about you. back and stand by". well, it's hard to get any supporters of the group word in with this clown. excuse me, this... are celebrating his comments. hey, let me just say... what do you want me to call them, this is absolutely not true. wait, stop. give mea what do you want me to call them, you're doing it... give me a name? stand back and stand we'll have the latest reaction live from cleveland, by... and seeing what the american

breakfast shows made of it. new restrictions come the other headlines in across the north east of england, the prime minister will lead with a ban on people a news conference later about the coronavirus, meeting other households. amid continued confusion banaz mahmod from south london over local lockdowns. was killed aged 20 by her father and uncle after they said she'd mr speaker, if the prime minister shamed their family. doesn't understand the rules 13 years on, still in hiding and his own council leaders in witness protection after giving are complaining about evidence against her own family — mixed messages, how does the prime minister expect the rest her sister has this warning do you think what happened to your sister could yet happen now? absolutely. maybe not down to the tee how my sister's situation went, but i think there is still space for error. they're not fully trained, they still don't do what they need to be doing. almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic, according to a breast cancer charity. and coming up this hour — the return of spitting image, almost 36 years after it first aired on british tv, now including harry and meghan, borisjohnson and donald trump.

the two men who want to the the next president of the united states have taken part in their first televised debate, ahead of november's election. donald trump and joe biden exchanged bitter insults during the heated debate, clashing over a range of issues including coronavirus, race and the economy. our washington correspondent gary o'donoghue was watching. it's the biggest moment of the election campaign so far. toe—to—toe, face—to—face, the virtual sparring over, the time that the gloves come off. and it wasn't long before the insults started to fly. i'm not here to call out his lies, everybody knows he's a liar. but you... you're the liar. last in your class, not first in your class. oh, god! despite the first subject being the vacant seat

on the supreme court, much of the discussion centred on healthcare, and whether the court could scrap the affordable care act. joe biden said the president wanted to take away healthcare from 20 million americans. the president said he would do a greatjob on drug prices. all of the things that we've done... i'll give you an example, insulin. it was destroying families, destroying people, the cost. i'm getting it for so cheap, it's like water, you want to know the truth, so cheap. take a look at all of the drugs, what we're doing, prescription drug prices. we're going to allow our governors now to go to other countries to buy drugs because they payjust a tiny fraction. 0k... the covid pandemic was always going to be central to this debate, and joe biden wasted no time in laying the blame for america's seven million cases and 200,000 deaths at the president's door. if we would have listened to you, the country would have

been left wide open, millions of people would have died, not 200,000, and one person is too much, it's china's fault, it should never have happened. president trump's taxes were bound to be a question, given claims he had only paid $750 in federal income tax on his first year in office. millionaires and billionaires like him in the middle of the covid crisis have done very well. billionaires have made another $300 billion because of his profligate tax, proposal and he only focused on the market. after months of protests following the killing of african—americans by police, the president has made law and order a central question in his campaign, arguing that the democrats are anti—police. you can't even say the word law enforcement, because if you say those words, you're going to lose all your radical left supporters. and then it all got really personal, when the president began his

much—anticipated attack on joe biden‘s children. the moderator interrupted, but the former vice—president bit. he was not a loser, he was a patriot, and the people left behind there were heroes and i resent... really? are you talking about hunter? i'm talking about my son, beau biden. i don't know beau, i know hunter. hunter got thrown out of the military... this was a thoroughly bad—tempered and chaotic affair. both sides will claim a victory, both sides will live to fight another day. gary 0'donoghue, bbc news, cleveland, ohio. coming up this afternoon for viewers in the uk, a look back at some of the highlights from the debate on the bbc news channel.

new coronavirus restrictions have come in across the north east of england. people are no longer allowed to meet other households indoors and are discouraged from doing so outdoors. the prime minister, borisjohnson, will hold a press conference later today to update us all on the pandemic. yesterday saw the highest number of new daily cases since mass testing began. and the number of deaths, at 71, are twice as many as a week ago. pubs, hotel bars and restaurants will have to shut at 11pm in northern ireland under new rules for the hospitality sector. they come in at midnight tonight. first minister arlene foster said there could be "no exceptions" to the rule, and it would also apply to weddings and other social events. four councils in north wales are to go into local lockdown. from 6pm tomorrow, people will not be able to leave or go into conwy, denbighshire, flintshire, and wrexham unless they have a " reasonable excuse" like work or education. they are the same restrictions as seen in most of south wales, where lockdowns cover

11 different areas. planned surgeries have been temporarily stopped at a hospital in south wales in a bid to deal with a rise in coronavirus cases. the royal glamorgan hospital in llantrisant has 82 cases linked to transmission on the site. patients who would usually be taken to the a&e department in an emergency will be sent to hospitals in bridgend, merthyr tydfil or cardiff instead. coventry university has strongly condemned footage of a party believed to have involved dozens of students. footage shows them in a private accommodation block ignoring social distancing guidelines and the rule of six. they can be seen climbing on top of table tennis tables at arundel house, close to coventry university's main campus. a spokesman said the university was aware of the incident and said any students found to be in breach of their code of conduct could face disciplinary proceedings. as one new restriction has followed another,

so, too, has the anger amongst some conservative backbench mps who are calling for the commons to be given a vote before ministers can bring in any more new laws. they're waiting to see what concessions the cabinet will make, even though their demands may not be voted on tonight. one area that's seen many restrictions to try and halt the spread of coronavirus is bolton. conservative leader of bolton council david greenhalgh joins us. you have been very critical of the government with regards to what is happening in bolton, why? because, victoria, our hospitality was com pletely victoria, our hospitality was completely put into lockdown, that is, completely closed, when our figures, three weeks ago, went up to 118. and while i accept at that time, we were way ahead of many other boroughs within the country, we have now seen at least 26 other

boroughs way surpass those figures, way up into the 200s, and yet their hospitality remains able to function. 0ur hospitality, i believe, i have got to stand up for them, my first responsibility is the residents and businesses of bolton, and our hospitality sector has been through to the lions, and for three weeks now, they have been in total lockdown. the lack of parity with these restrictions and the way bolton has been singled out and individually penalised, with the hospitality sector, in my view, is unacceptable. can you give me an example of a place where they have got a higher infection rate that bolton that does not have the same kind of restrictions as bolton does? at the moment we've got burnley, manchester, which have both surpassed us, but many, many are in oui’ surpassed us, but many, many are in our area, surpassed us, but many, many are in ourarea, and you surpassed us, but many, many are in our area, and you will know the area, victoria, it is a dense

conurbation, and we have the ridiculous situation where our hospitality is in lockdown, you can walk half a mile down the road, across a borough boundary into the rural areas into preston, into chorley, into bury, into wigan, just half a mile across a boundary and you can visit a pub that is functioning normally. and that is unacceptable. it hasn't stopped the spread, people from bolton are visiting hospitality venues outside, and our businesses are just being penalised, so we have to find a balance here that protect the economy, protects businesses. those businesses are already laying staff off and many are looking at bankruptcy. these are people that have put their life savings into business ventures that are successful but are not now being allowed to operate. and the government, i pleaded with them, they now need to recognise this huge disparity and inequality which is

unacceptable. 0ur hospitality is quite happy to work to the national rules, the curfew, there are many open, compliant, with innovation to create safe environments, with giving us a strong enforcement clampdown on those premises that refuse to comply, that we can close down immediately and take action on. do you blame the government for penalising you, as you call it?|j think the government needs to put this right, i am not in the blame game but the government now needs to recognise this year disparity of the restrictions. i've just listened to you announcing the restrictions that are happening in wales and in the north—east, the huge spikes and rates of increase that are happening in certain areas of the country, and yet none of those are being announced that hospitality is incomplete lockdown. we've been singled out, it is unacceptable and needs to be redressed. can i ask you

whether you think this is going to turn off those labour voters who switched to the conservatives in december‘s general election? switched to the conservatives in december's general election? what i do know is, it is breeding resentment, and we feel that we've been forgotten. i've had conversations at very high levels and i've received warm words, and 110w and i've received warm words, and now that needs to be acted upon. we've had three weeks, the packages of help are not sufficient, i have asked for a further package of help for bolton, the hospitality sector within bolton, and yes, of course, people start to question, are people really looking out for us and standing upfor us really looking out for us and standing up for us and our interests and what we believe in? so it doesn't do us any good locally, the decisions are sadly taken out of our hands, we are doing all we can to highlight it, talking to you about

them... that is how desperate you've got, give con on national television to make this case to your government? -- you've come on national television. yes, basically. iam pleading, national television. yes, basically. i am pleading, and national television. yes, basically. iam pleading, and i want to highlight the fact, because i still think there is an element of government, because they restrictions are so complex, that doesn't understand the huge disparities there are up and down the country. and i agree, and i see signs now that they are willing to bring ina signs now that they are willing to bring in a system which is easier to understand, a tiered system, but please solve the problem in bolton. we are being penalised, our hospitality sector is being thrown to the wolves. please now make an announcement this week to redress the terrible inequality and the way we've been treated. thank you very much for talking to us, a very clear message from the conservative leader of bolton council, who feels that

the hospitality sector there, the town there, has been forgotten by the government. some breaking news for viewers in the uk, tsb is cutting 900 jobs and closing 161i branches. for those around the world, that is a bank in this country and they are cutting 900 jobs and closing 106 to four branches. let's get some reaction to the us presidential debate, the first of three, before the november election. the bbc‘s reality check team has been watching the debate and checking the facts. here's chris morris with his wrap of the night. it was really rather hard to fact check what often became a disjointed shouting match, but there were plenty of questionable claims and false statements littered throughout this debate and by our count, the clear majority came from president trump. he said, for example, thatjoe biden didn't have any supporters from within law enforcement. not so. he said mr biden‘s son hunter didn't

have a job until his father became vice—president. also not true. for his part, mr biden said manufacturing went into a hole before covid struck. whereas manufacturing jobs actually increased by almost half a million in mr trump's first three years in office. coronavirus was inevitably one of the big themes. joe biden said the us has ll% of the world's population and 20% of coronavirus deaths. that's broadly correct, just over 200,000 people have died in the united states, about a fifth ofjust over1 million people who have now died worldwide. what mr biden didn't say is that if you look at deaths compared to the size of population, there are several countries, including the uk, where the outcome has been worse. but this is difficult political territory for mr trump. his response was simply to suggest that more people would have died with mr biden in charge.

obviously a claim that's impossible to prove or disprove. the president also said a vaccine could be ready within weeks. most experts think that is highly unlikely. mr trump said he built the greatest economy in history, and there is no doubt it was doing well before the pandemic struck, growing by about 2.5% a year. but it was also doing well in the last three years of the 0bama administration, growing by about 2.3% per year. and there have been periods of much higher growth in the past 70 years than what we saw under president trump before the covid crash. some of the most striking language in the debate, though, was on the subject of postal voting. "this is going to be a fraud like you've never "seen," said mrtrump, "a rigged election." but mail—in ballots are not new. nearly a quarter of votes cast at the last presidential election were mail—in. 0bviously, that number will increase this year because of the pandemic. but there is no evidence that postal voting produces widespread fraud.

in fact, one study puts the overall rate of voting fraud in the united states at less than 0.0009%. questioning the integrity of the entire election really isn't politics as usual. sometimes it is worth taking a step back and remembering that. and there are still two more debates to come. let's get some reaction to the debate from two women, two voters who stayed up to watch it. lisa epstein supports biden and is in new york and donna—jane crocker supports donald trump and is live in florida. what did you think, donna—jean crocker? well, it was quite the sparring event, but we have a mr trumpa

sparring event, but we have a mr trump a passionate warrior who has been mistreated rudely since he announced he was running for president. a lot of millions of dollars have been spent and wasted trying to prove him a liar, and every time he came out right. so, he has been told so many lies about him by the democratic party, that i am certain he had to defend himself. and he did a good job of it off has he ever told lies, in your view? no, he ever told lies, in your view? no, he hasn't. never? well, i say never, i have not known him his whole, but since he's been president, we have found him a wonderful leader. no need to go into the economy and all of the gazillion things that he has done, but it depends on what news channel you watch, but he tells them like it is, he does not have a hidden agenda, is not trying to

cover up hidden agenda, is not trying to cover up crooked policies that he's done, and they don't like it because they have now been exposed. let me speak to lisa epstein — what did you make of the debate? well, first of all, i couldn't call that a debate. it was a chaotic, temper tantrum free—for—all, and the moderator lost control very early in the process. and honestly, if it wasn't for this interview, i would and honestly, if it wasn't for this interview, iwould not and honestly, if it wasn't for this interview, i would not have watched the so—called debate in entirety, as it was nothing but an impudent, childlike, insulting and interrupting, example of a man who, a man child, who can't allow another person to tell his point of view,

without interrupting him with lies and propaganda and the... joe biden did his fair bit of interrupting as well, though? i think first of all, he never had a chance in any one of his opportunities, in two minutes answering two questions, to complete his answer without being interrupted and insulted. so, no, ithink you reach a point where you have to be able to speak. and so i wouldn't equate the two in anyway, shape or form, not the same at all. so, yes, joe biden did at times interject, but honestly, there wasn't one time, one time, where trump allowed biden to respond without interruption. even though the moderator asked him to. donna-jean crocker, what do you think of the way president trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic in your country? well, it was new to

all of us. we didn't know what to expect. but he reacted promptly, and ina way expect. but he reacted promptly, and in a way that i doubt that anyone else would have reacted as quickly. and tried to resolve it. and it is true that the democrats, nancy pelosi was out in san francisco wanting everyone to go to chinatown, biden wasn't on it, no one was on it but our president, and he was on it. let me go back to lisa, because i know you are registered nurse, with 40 know you are registered nurse, with ll0 yea rs know you are registered nurse, with ll0 years experience, do you agree that president trump was on it? well, in his own words, he was not. in his own words, in an interview with chris wallace, he said that backin with chris wallace, he said that back in february, he knew that this virus was a deadly virus and was a great danger to the american people, and decided not to tell us because

he was worried that we would panic, instead of the truth, which is that he did not want the stock market to crash, or to risk his re—election. so, iwant crash, or to risk his re—election. so, i want to say that i worked the pandemic in new york city, and i watched as trump did everything he could to thought efforts in anyway, shape or form, to help us, to help the country, to mobilise america —— to thwart efforts —— so that we could have shutdown the virus and actually had a chance to save lives, and he did not do that. what is the appeal ofjoe biden to you? and he did not do that. what is the appeal ofjoe biden to you? well, joe biden is a man who, what you see is what you get. he's surrounded himself by good people, he is not an egomaniac who thinks that he knows everything and has all the answers.

he has plans in place, and he has all the american people in mind, not just the extremist right—wingers, and those self—serving people whose 401 ks are the only thing they care about when our country is in great dire straits. my draw to joe about when our country is in great dire straits. my draw tojoe biden is that collectively, we have a chance to bring this country back together and build a better society for all of us, notjust together and build a better society for all of us, not just white supremacists, who, by the way, donald trump would not denounce, and even asked the proud boys, an extremist, violent, right wing group, to standby. let me put that to donna—jean group, to standby. let me put that to donna —jean crocker, group, to standby. let me put that to donna—jean crocker, you would have heard him invited to condemn

the proud boys, and first of all he asked who her he was being asked to condemn, and then he said, stand back and standby, what did you make of that? well, they were trying to him into saying something that would cost him a lot of votes, and that was obvious. so, does he need the votes of white supremacists? you see, that's being racial, white supremacists, any time you put a colour in front of what you're saying... and he's trying not to do that and i admire him for that because he is under attack, co nsta ntly. because he is under attack, constantly. do you think you should have condemned the proud boys or not? -- do you think he should have condemned the proud boys or not? i think he handled it fine. and what is the appeal of donald trump for you, donna—jean? is the appeal of donald trump for you, donna-jean? well, i am so proud that we have someone that has not beenin that we have someone that has not been in the political system now running our country like a business. what a negotiator, i would have him

running my business is any day. and he is running the business of the american people, he's not even taking a salary. he has no hidden agenda that he's trying to be corrupt. you don't go in there making $174,000 a year and come out having $125 million, not as the public purse and that you are supposed to be, doing, you know, for the people. and so, he losing money doing it and the people. and so, he losing money doing itand he the people. and so, he losing money doing it and he has no reason to do except he's a patriotic american. is he out there in your face? yes. except he's a patriotic american. is he out there in yourface? yes. he's a new yorker, and he is a very passionate warrior. so, i'm thankful for him. one quick, final point, do you care about the details that have come out about how little tax he has paid in certain years?|j come out about how little tax he has paid in certain years? i think it's another life. it will come out and

he will show it. he said last night he will show it. he said last night he had paid millions, so i have to go with what he says. i have not seen go with what he says. i have not seen him in a live yet. thank you very much, both of you, i really appreciate you watching the whole debate and then getting up especially early to talk to our audience around the world. there have been fresh warnings that lebanon could face a new civil war unless its leaders agree to form a new government. over the past year, the country has been grappling with an economic meltdown, and that was before last month's devastating beirut blast. with many lebanese fearing that their country could slip into chaos, some families are now paying smugglers to take them to europe in rickety boats. but as our correspondent martin patience now reports from the northern city of tripoli, the death of one young boy has shocked the country. little sufian loved going to the beach and playing in the waves.

but earlier this month, his body washed up on the shore. the two—year—old, the latest victim of lebanon's devastating economic crash. translation: sufian started to ask me for water. he was breast—feeding but since his mum wasn't eating, her milk had dried up. mohammed couldn't find any work, so he paid any work, so he paid for smugglers to take his family by boat to cyprus. but for days, they drifted, with no water or food. translation: i filled up a bottle of sea water and he kept drinking from it, but then he was crying, he was going crazy. i thought, what am i going to do? he's going to die. sufian's tiny body was wrapped in a shroud. he was buried at sea.

days later, his parents were rescued by a un frigate. lebanon's economic collapse over the past year has been truly staggering. more than half the country are now living in poverty. and nowhere has been harder hit than tripoli, lebanon's poorest city. the growing sense of desperation felt here means some families are prepared to risk everything. across the city, more and more children are going hungry. their parents can't afford to put food on the table. "we're not scared of the sea any more," says walid. "whether we say stay or go, we're dead either way." he is planning to try and take his eight children to europe. after his body was recovered, sufian was buried in his home city of tripoli.

"the only reason we left," said his dad, "was so sufian "could have a future." martin patience, bbc news, tripoli. in one of the most popular british tv shows of the ‘80s and ‘90s, the grotesque caricatures of spitting image pulled no punches as they took regular aim at celebrities and public figures likejohn major and the royal family. now after a 24 year absence it's back on british screens, with new puppets including the sussexes, borisjohnson and russian president vladimir putin. roger law, the co—creator of the show, explained that he believes the time is right for spitting image to make a return, as politics and public life have become more divisive. it's much bigger this time. there's about 100 puppets made already, and the show is global, it goes out all over the place, you know? it's rather difficult for an old guy like me to know some of the people i'm caricaturing. we've got a great lot

of division out there, and people are really upset about a lot of things. and i think that's why, in a way, i've been allowed out of the box again, quite frankly. when i was much younger, i never could understand why people didn't see what i was seeing, you know? i mean, you won't remember this politician, richard nixon, but it was quite clear who he was from one glance. and of course you didn't have much trouble caricaturing him, really. hello this is bbc news with victoria. the headlines... personal attacks and feisty exchanges from the men who want to be the next president of the united states — millions tune into the first presidential tv debate. i am not going to answer the question because... why won't you answer that question? because the question is... ..radical left... will you shut up, man. the president refused to condemn white supremacy, instead saying the far right "proud boys" should "stand back and stand by".

supporters of the group are celebrating his comments. what do you want me to call them, give me a name? stand back and stand by... new restrictions come in across the north east of england — with a ban on people meeting other households. almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic — according to a breast cancer charity. 15 years ago, 20—year—old banaz mahmod from south london was killed for falling in love with the wrong man. her father and uncle were amongst the men convicted of the so—called honour killling after banaz left a marriage she said was abusive and met another man they disapproved of. her father accused her of bringing shame on their family. banaz‘s story has been made into a tv drama

and was broadcast this week. in her first broadcast interview since her father was convicted, i spoke to banaz‘s older sister bekhal about why she thinks the police are still failing to protect women like her sister. her words are spoken for her to protect her identity. it is not something that goes away overnight or in a few years. this is going to be hanging over my head for the rest of my life. are you even now, 14 years on, always looking over your shoulder? absolutely, all the time. sometimes it's worse, the feelings of being nervous and insecure. but it doesn't get better. there are days and times of the year when it is bad and it flares up,

worse than any other time during the year. but i am always looking over my shoulder, definitely. what do you worry could happen to you? same thing as ba naz. worry could happen to you? same thing as banaz. being attacked, tortured and killed? yes, if not worse. what do you remember most about your sister? she was very respectful of other people and their needs and wants. she was a very calm person and never lost her cool. she was always thinking about others before herself. i think that is why things happened the way it did, she a lwa ys things happened the way it did, she always put others' needs before her own. you think if she left the family home, she might not be dead now? absolutely. if she had the support of the people she went to for help, and if they had done what they should have to begin with, i do think she would have still been here, definitely. your father, his brother, your uncle did what they

did to your sister because they felt she had shamed yourfamily. what do you think about what they did to your sister? out of this well, it is inhuman. honour means protecting the people you love, your children, your family. what they did was the opposite. what they have done is unforgivable and unforgettable. banaz, your sister contacted unforgivable and unforgettable. ba naz, your sister contacted the police on five separate occasions. she could not have done any more. do you think what happened to your sister could yet happen now? absolutely. maybe not down to the tee how my sister's situation went, but there is still space for error. they are not fully train, they still don't do what they should be doing. the police may argue they have got better at understanding these kinds of crimes since the mistakes they

made when your sister turn to them for help. the risk assessment tool is now in place called domestic abuse and honour —based violence. it helps the police assess the risk to an individual and officers are trained to be aware of the science of honour —based abuse. trained to be aware of the science of honour -based abuse. but how often is this training happening? and how often is it put into practice? you know, and properly reviewed? do you think that cultural sensitivities were a factor in why the police did not take your sister's report seriously enough? they did not want to get involved in case they were accused of racism? yes i do, i do believe that. they don't do enough in general. to say we don't want to get involved in this community because we don't want to upset their beliefs and religion is not good enough. at the end of

the day, what is better, to lose a life or upset someone. bekhal talking to us from her witness protection programme. in a statement, the metropolitan police told us... "the metropolitan police service has very effective governance processes to respond to honour based abuse in all its forms. we work closely with statutory and non—statutory partners, such as charities, the nhs, crown prosecution service and other agencies, to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report it, that when they do victims are supported and feel safe, and when possible, perpetrators are prosecuted for the often horrific harm that they cause". we will now speak to dr hannana siddiqui from southall black sisters, an organisation which supports women from black and minority communities who face domestic violece, who face domestic violence, honour violence and forced marriages. welcome dr siddiqui. what do you think that bekhal has

spoken about this for the first time since she gave evidence 13 years ago? i am admiration over her courage. i admired ago? i am admiration over her courage. iadmired her courage ago? i am admiration over her courage. i admired her courage then andi courage. i admired her courage then and i admire her courage now. i think it is really important that she does speak up and give her view and give herself a voice in the debate we're having around round honour —based violence. she knows from her own experience how tragic it can be. it also, she is angry and she wants change and she wants to campaignfor she wants change and she wants to campaign for change and we are helping her to do that. do you agree with her that what happened to her younger sister banaz, with her that what happened to her younger sister ba naz, could with her that what happened to her younger sister banaz, could happen again now? yes, absolutely. there are pockets of good practice and we have had good examples of police around honour —based violence and

gender—based violence but there is a systemic failure around policing around violence against women and girls. in 2015 the h mic did an investigation and they found the police response was still very poor and inconsistent. so even now there is problems around accountability around policing on on the violence and other forms of violence against women. ok, tell us what the issues are that are making progress and not as fast as you would like it to be? 0n the one hand there is a lack of will by the police and other agencies to implement good practice. that doesn't make sense, why would there be a lack of will to implement good practice which protects women and would prosecute men, including fathers who kill their own daughters, it doesn't make sense?|j daughters, it doesn't make sense?” think it is to do with gender—based

violence, to do with the fact there are still problems around cultural sensitivities and also what i would call religious sensitivity. because there was an unwillingness to intervene in minority communities in order to protect minority women. we think that is still a problem now?” think that is still a problem now?” think it is still true now and the rise of fundamentalism in all religions, there is a sensitivity, not just around culture religions, there is a sensitivity, notjust around culture but around all religion. agencies and the governments are reluctant to intervene and that is a form of racism, because it means discrimination against minority women. the government have set up the force marriage unit which leads the force marriage unit which leads the government's forced marriage response. they provide charities like yourself and others with thousands of pounds to work on honour —based abuse. during the pandemic, they have given your

organisation, they say £51,000 so you can continue working and helping and supporting women who are suffering domestic abuse and on —based abuse. what else do you want them to do? of course, we are grateful for the money we have received from government for the services we provide, but it's not sufficient. it is notjust about black sister, it is about the whole sector. the government was very poor in responding to more services for migrant women and also who suffer on a violence. they failed to give sufficient money to support them. they are refusing to change the law so they can be prevented from being deported and face destitution because they have no recourse to public funds. 0n the one hand, the government has done good work, we

support the work of the forced marriage unit but on the other hand, they haven't done enough around migrant women and other very vulnerable minority women. the domestic abuse bill going through parliament at the moment is refusing to address things around migrant women and the national violence against women and girls strategy does not talk about the needs of minority and migrant women. and the whole sector is now facing closure because of covid—19 and because of the recession. longer term, sustainable funding has always been very ha rd to sustainable funding has always been very hard to get for the minority women sector and the future is going to be much harder. can i ask you what increase in calls your charity so during lockdown. in june 2020 we had an hundred 95% increase on the helpline nationally. we had more women needing advocacy and more intensive support and counselling,

more support group because they were isolated. increase around mental health, suicide and self—harm. there is an increased need to provide that not only the intensive support for the women, but also to reach out to them if they may not have approached you. they need access to support. thank you very much for talking to us, we appreciate it. southall black sisters face support for minority women facing abuse. we spoke to the home office about banaz mahmod's killing. the government is committed to eradicating all forms of so called honour—based abuse.

to do this we need a strong and effective police force which can protect victims and see perpetrators brought tojustice." and if you've been affected by so—called honour based violence or forced marriage, southall black sisters can provide practical support and counselling. a leading cancer charity says almost a million british women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the coronavirus pandemic. breast cancer now say thousands of cancers could be undetected, with their diagnosis delayed. breast cancer screening services were paused during the height of the pandemic to help free up emergency nhs resources. they have now resumed. one of the people affected by the delay is susan daniels, who couldn't rebook her screening earlier this year, and later discovered a lump which turned out to be cancerous. i phoned the breast test wales organisation in march to rebook the screening, but unfortunately the screening services were postponed because of the pandemic. so, whether it's subconsciously or consciously, i don't know, but i checked and found a small lump in my left breast, contacted my gp, who immediately referred me to the rapid diagnosis, whereupon it was discovered that i actually had breast

cancer in both breasts, and this was picked up obviously in the mammogram that i had through the diagnosis service. earlier, baroness delyth morgan, the chief executive of the charity breast cancer now, said there needs to be a serious plan for how to increase capacity for screening, while maintaining social distancing and cleaning measures. it is very worrying, and what i'm concerned about is, we have this backlog, almost a million women, we know that there are, you know, many cancers that could be going undetected, and of course, we're also looking at new pressures on the health system coming up. so, we really need a practical, well thought through plan for how we're going to get through this backlog and face the next stage of the pandemic, while giving women potentially with breast cancer the best possible chance of survival. and that comes with early diagnosis. indeed it does. i have got a statement here from nhs

england and this is what they say. "the vast majority of cancers detected through screening programmes, like mammograms, are at a very early stage, and so any impact on patients who were due to be screened is extremely low." is that right? well, i think that maybe not taking it quite as seriously as we really need to. there is this backlog, and even if the screening service is backed up and running, how are we going to clear the backlog? because, of course, now with the need for safety around covid—19, it will take longer to have each screening, the machines will have to be cleaned, and so there will be a reduction in capacity. so, we need a serious plan, and we need to take this very seriously. you're talking about early diagnosis, it's very important in how we tackle cancer in this country, and breast effects, we see 50,000 women diagnosed with breast in a non—pandemic year, and that's a lot of women who will be affected by this problem.

the statement goes on... "more than 200,000 people were treated for cancer during the peak of the pandemic. breast screening services are now fully up and running with over 400,000 women invited betweenjune and august and thousands more invites are now being sent out every month. we would encourage everyone who is invited to book an appointment". it doesn't sound like there is a plan, it's just that they're trying to catch—up? yes, i think they will be trying to catch up, they will be trying to do their best, and i know that everyone in the nhs is absolutely trying to do their best. but we can't just let this slip, we can't allow a further backlog to develop. how are we going to tackle this? we could be looking at 8000—plus breast cancers going undiagnosed so far through this pandemic. is that what you think? yes, absolutely. in terms of numbers, 8000 individuals where a cancer

hasn't been diagnosed? potentially, yes. because that is what it means if a million women haven't been called for screening. so, it's notjust that the screening service needs to be up and running, we have to have a plan for how we are going to deal with the backlog and make sure another backlog doesn't develop as we go into the second wave. i have got a message here from becky on twitter... "i'm overdue my first routine mammogram. i called the local pct running the programme for wiltshire and was told, there are no plans to restart the screening until at least april next year, and there were over 4000 people to be seen." that's very concerning. what i would say to anyone who is worried about potentially some abnormality in their breast, that they go and they talk to their gp. we know that the nhs is open for business, there has been public campaigns running with that message. go to your gp, and tell your gp about the symptoms, and they should be able to refer you into the system

for diagnostic tests. it's really important that women are breast aware, that they look for what is normal for them, and if they notice any changes, that they seek help from their gp and get a referral if necessary. a woman is taking legal action to prevent fertility doctors from destroying her tra nsgender daughter's frozen sperm. louise anderson wants to use the frozen sperm of her daughter, ellie, to produce a grandchild. ellie, who lived in stirling, died suddenly injuly aged 16. she had had her sperm frozen when she was 14 so she could eventually have her own biological children. her mother wants to honour her wishes posthumously, using ellie's sperm, an egg donor and a surrogate. we can speak to louise anderson now.

thank you very much for talking to us thank you very much for talking to us andi thank you very much for talking to us and i am so, so sorry for your loss, louise. iwonder us and i am so, so sorry for your loss, louise. i wonder if you can tell us what ellie was like? she was amazing, she was really so brave. in her transgender journey, amazing, she was really so brave. in her transgenderjourney, you amazing, she was really so brave. in her tra nsgender journey, you know she adopted herself with pride and bravery. she was just exceptional. she delayed taking hormone blockers so she could have her spurn collected, i understand, and stored for the future because she always wa nted for the future because she always wanted children? yes, that is right, she was one of the first at the clinic to ask if she could have her spurn frozen. the psychologist at the clinic had said she was the first and only transgender child to ask if this was possible because she

knew that any children she wanted to have would be biologically hers. did they say to you or ellie whether any circumstances that sperm could be destroyed ? circumstances that sperm could be destroyed? no. so when you were told the reason why it should be destroyed, i wonder if you could tell viewers what that reason was and how you reacted to it? it was five days after i buried ellie, i contacted the clinic to ensure they freeze sperm for ten years at a time, to ensure everything was still 0k. they said because they are governed by uk law, she was single at the time of her death, they are duty—bound to destroy the sperm. that is the key bit, if ellie had beenin that is the key bit, if ellie had been ina that is the key bit, if ellie had been in a relationship, then her partner would have had the right to ask for the sperm to be retained.

but as her mum, you can't? yes, that's right. so what are you trying to do legally now? legally, to change the law. 0bviously when i was told the information, i was devastated because ellie was quite clear when we went through the process of freezing the sperm that should anything happen that she wa nted should anything happen that she wanted to ensure her children would be born. she asked her older sister and then she came to myself and she said, mum, i know you would do this for me and i know you would make sure the children would be born. so i was quite devastated when i got the news that they wanted to destroy it. they said they could only hold onto it for about two weeks. so when icame off onto it for about two weeks. so when i came off the phone, i thought, no, something is wrong here. there has to be something in the law that needs to change so i started looking

into aspects of the law and started the ball rolling from there. and then a couple of days later i contacted my lawyer. obviously, you have considered... let say you were to be successful, potentially you would be using your daughter's sperm with an egg donor and a surrogate to fulfil ellie's wish of having biological children. but they would be being brought up, not by their mum who has sadly died, but by you? yes. 0bviously, mum who has sadly died, but by you? yes. obviously, if we were successful and a child was to be born, they would be told as soon as they could understand that i am grand, not mum. this question was raised a couple of days ago as to the biological aspect of a child

being brought up minus biological pa rents. being brought up minus biological parents. but in that sense, if you adopt a child, then there is no biological connection either. whereas if this child was to be born, you have biological grandparents, biological relatives, great grandparents, great, great grandmother. but there will be no mum or dad, or no mum and mum, or no dad and dad. that's right, but they would be grandma. you think you could do that? definitelyl. ellie had thought of names for her future children? yes, that is something i have kept to myself. when ellie changed her name legally for her 16th birthday, she did take louise asa 16th birthday, she did take louise as a middle name so she had names for her son and daughter, if she was

lucky enough to have a son and a daughter. she said the one thing is that her daughter would also have the middle name louise. this is a unique case and potentially it could bea unique case and potentially it could be a landmark case, what have your lawyer said about your chance of success , lawyer said about your chance of success, louise? they have not spokenin success, louise? they have not spoken in terms of success, what they have said is it is ground—breaking and they do agree with my opinion that there needs to bea with my opinion that there needs to be a change in the law. 0bviously the law we are referring to is the equality act 2010. i do have an appointment with the lawyer later today and based on the work they have done so far, we have stopped the clinic from destroying the sperm so they are holding onto it until the 20th of november. —— 30th of

november. time is of the essence then because it is only two months away. yes, definitely. thank you for explaining that, and telling us about your lovely daughter, ellie. thank you. louise anderson, who is taking the legal battle to allow her transgender daughter's sperm to be used to create biological children despite the fact she very sadly died aged 16 in july. crown prince sheikh nawaf al—ahmed is being sworn in as kuwait's next ruling emir, following the death of his half—brother on monday. the kuwaiti government cabinet announced his ascension to the throne after the death of sheikh sabah al—ahmed al—sabah. sheikh nawaf, who has been crown prince since 2006, is the son of the tenth ruler of the emirate, who ruled kuwait for almost 30 years.

you're watching bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather, with chris fawkes. coming next is joanna coming next isjoanna gosling. now it's time for a look at the weather, with chris fawkes. hello there. 0ur weather is turning increasingly unsettled with wet and windy weather really through the rest of this week and into the weekend as well. these are rain bearing clouds and we have seen the rain arrive across western areas where it has been a wet morning so far. the rain band, particularly slow—moving one, will gradually push eastwards so after a bright start across parts of eastern england, the clouds will gather and the rain will arrive and become

persistent through the afternoon. the rain will ease off to a degree across western areas later on, but it stays cloudy with further showers following quickly behind the main band of rain. still the risk of wet weather to end the day, even in the west. 0vernight, the rain moves away from eastern england but it loosed is in northern and eastern scotland throughout the night. clearer skies in the west so it tends to leave the temperature down into low, single figures. looking at the weather picture into thursday, still some rain to come across eastern areas of scotland, brighter weather for a time with some sunshine before the next batch of heavy downpours work into northern ireland, wales and south—west england through thursday afternoon. it will be a cooler day, 12 to 15 degrees. at the end of the week, friday, nasty area of low pressure will develop near to our shores. this looks quite likely to become a named storm, but at the moment the most damaging wind gusts looked to be across the north—west of france so it could be it is the

french authorities that name this stone. i wouldn't be surprised if we so it could be it is the french authorities that name this stone. i wouldn't be surprised if it's a coastal cuts of 70 to 80 miles an hour. a small change in the position of the low could send the strong winds into the uk but at the moment it looks like being a windy day with gales across other parts of england and southern wales. heavy outbreaks of rain as well and northern ireland and scotland having the best of the weather. it is worth staying tuned to the forecast because they could be some changes. into the weekend, low pressure is in charge and we looking at bands of rain around with some summoning spells before the bands of rain but it will stay windy through the weekend as well.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. personal attacks and feisty exchanges from the two men who want to be the next president of the united states — millions tune into the first presidential tv debate. i'm not going to answer the question because... why won't you answer that question? the question is... radical left... will you shut up, man. listen... the president refused to condemn white supremacy, instead saying the far right "proud boys" should "stand back and stand by". supporters of the group are celebrating his comments. what do you want me to call them, give me a name? stand back and stand by... new restrictions come in across the north east of england — with a ban on people meeting other

households banaz mahmod from south london was killed aged 20 by her father and uncle after they said she'd shamed their family — 13 years on, still in hiding in witness protection after giving evidence against her own family — her sister has this warning. do you think what happened to your sister could yet happen now? absolutely. maybe not down to the tee how my sister's situation went, but i think there is still space for error. they're not fully trained, they still don't do what they need to be doing. almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic — according to a breast cancer charity and coming up this hour — the return of spitting image, almost 36 years after it first aired on british tv — now including harry and meghan, boris johnson and donaldtrump

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. personal insults and interruptions have dominated the first us presidential election debate between donald trump and joe biden. over 90 minutes, the rival candidates clashed over a range of issues including coronavirus, the economy, healthcare and race. mr biden described mr trump as "a clown" and "america's worst president," while mr trump claimed the democrats were rigging postal votes in their favour. 0ur washington correspondent, gary 0'donoghue reports. it's the biggest moment of the election campaign so far. toe to toe, face to face, the virtual sparring over, the time that the gloves come off, and it wasn't long before the insults started to fly.

i'm not here to call out his lies, everyone knows he's a liar. you're the liar. i want to make sure. you came last in your class, not first in your class. oh, god. despite the first subject being the vacant seat on the supreme court, much of the discussion centred on healthcare and whether the court could scrap the affordable care act. joe biden said the president wanted to take away healthcare from 22 million americans. the president said he would do a greatjob on drug prices. all of the things that we've done. i'll give you an example, insulin. it was destroying families, destroying people. i'm getting it for so cheap, it's like water, you want to know the truth, so cheap. take a look at all the drugs, what we're doing, prescription drug prices. we're going to allow our governors to go to other countries to buy drugs because they pay just a tiny fraction. the covid—19 pandemic was always going to be central to this debate and joe biden wasted no

time in laying the blame for america's seven million cases and 200,000 deaths at the president's door. if we would have listened to you, the country would have been left wide open, millions of people would have died, not 200,000, and one person is too much, it's china's fault, it should never have happened. president trump's taxes were bound to be a question given claims it only paid $750 in federal income tax on his first year in office. millionaires and billionaires like him in the middle of the covid crisis have done very well. billionaires have made another $300 billion because of his profligate tax proposal and focus on the market. after months of protests following the killing of african—americans by police, the president has made law and order a central question in his campaign.

he is arguing that the democrats are anti—police. you can't even say the word law enforcement because if you say those words, you're going to lose all your radical left supporters. and then it all got really personal when the president began his much anticipated attack on joe biden's children. the moderator interrupted, but the former vice—president bit. he was not a loser, he was a patriot and the people left behind there were heroes and i resent. like hunter? i'm talking about my son, beau biden. i don't know beau biden, i'm talking about hunter. hunter got thrown out of the military. this was a thoroughly bad—tempered and chaotic affair. both sides will claim a victory, both sides will live to fight another day. gary 0'donoghue, bbc news. so what's been the verdict of the millions of americans who watched? we can speak now to ameshia cross — political commentator

and democratic strategist — who joins me from washington. thank you very much forjoining us. it has been described as the political equivalent of a food fight. how did you feel after watching it? that is a very proposed description. after watching it, i don't think there is much to be gleaned in terms of policy. what i can say is that there was more of a lack of actual following of typical debate rules. the moderator wasn't as focused as he public could have been in controlling those rules and making sure the person god that three—minute allotted time and having the question asked but overall i think president trump came in today exactly what he did, throwing jill in today exactly what he did, throwingjill biden in today exactly what he did, throwing jill biden of his squire, keeping him away from being able to have a lot of the policy discussion and joe biden on his part, he did a

good job of working 31 of the most chaotic debates i have ever seen. do you think anybody watching will have changed their view of either man? absolutely not, i think in america right now we have a 12% undecided vote, that is relatively low income housing to previous years. the majority of americans already know who they will vote for and i don't think even if it was a solid debate, which had changed peoples minds. but it did do, i think, was showcased again at the temperament that president trump has and just why there is a much because in considering him as a leaderfor another four years. considering him as a leaderfor anotherfour years. he considering him as a leaderfor another four years. he couldn't explain a single policy of his and refused to act questions, he was just attacking the entire night. refused to act questions, he was just attacking the entire nightm is not just just attacking the entire nightm is notjust winning about over the undecideds, it is about getting the people who would vote for you to turn out, will it have a debate on turnout? absolutely, specifically in relation to the supreme court pick

that donald trump is pushing but also because we saw something very enlightening last night. when donald trump was as specifically about calling out and shutting down racism and white supremacy, he could not do it, he refused to do it at that stage. everything we have seen with the uprising across this country, he just morally cannot find it within himself to shutdown white supremacy andi himself to shutdown white supremacy and i think that, for minority voters, that sends a message that no one wants a racist in the white house. jill biden is ahead in the polls, do you think he will win? absolutely, i think this will be a turnout race. because democrats and other voters who may not identify as democrats, they have watched the covid—19 bumbles from president trump and watch the economy becomes a serrated, they know foreclosure is on the rise. the employment rate continues to go up. i don't think there is an american right now who

thinks that this country is going on the right direction. you speak with great certainty but after the previous result when it was not expected that donald trump would when and he did, 0k expected that donald trump would when and he did, ok the polls were not as tight but it was not a dead cert for hillary clinton and also it went the way that it did. do you not have any doubt that will go the way you want to? i believe this is a turnout race and the luck that donald trump had in 2016 was running against hillary clinton who was not terribly inspiring for democrats. democrats came out in lower rates and for barack 0bama rigorously but one of the other issues associated as that donald trump ran in 2016 without a record in the white house. now he doesn't have that grace. people can see what his leadership has looked like, they have suffered under the weight of his pushing for

advancement in tax cuts for the wealthy, meanwhile the middle—class continue to string. —— mike shrink. i have watched a president again fumble on covid—19 and knew full well the thread was posed... u nfortu nately we have well the thread was posed... unfortunately we have lost our connection. and — coming up this afternoon for viewers in the uk, we'll be looking back at some of the highlights from the debate — in a special programme on the bbc news channel. new coronavirus restrictions have come in across the north east of england. people are no longer allowed to meet other households indoors — and are discouraged from doing so outdoors. the prime minister borisjohnson will hold a press conference later today to update us all on the pandemic. yesterday saw the highest number of new daily cases since mass testing began. and the number of deaths — at 71 —

are twice as many as a week ago. pubs, hotel bars and restaurants will have to shut at 11pm in northern ireland under new rules for the hospitality sector. they come in at midnight tonight. first minister arlene foster said there could be "no exceptions" to the rule, and it would also apply to weddings and other social events. four councils in north wales are to go into local lockdown. from 6pm tomorrow, people will not be able to leave or go into conwy, denbighshire, flintshire, and wrexham unless they have a " reasonable excuse" like work or education. they are the same restrictions as seen in most of south wales, where lockdowns cover 11 different areas. planned surgeries have been temporarily stopped at a hospital in south wales in a bid to deal with a rise in coronavirus cases. the royal glamorgan hospital in llantrisant has 82 cases linked to transmission on the site. patients who would usually be taken to the a&e department in an emergency will be sent to hospitals in bridgend, merthyr tydfil or cardiff instead.

coventry university has strongly condemned footage of a party believed to have involved dozens of students. footage shows them in a private accommodation block ignoring social distancing guidelines and the rule of six. they can be seen climbing on top of table tennis tables at arundel house, close to coventry university's main campus. a spokesman said the university was aware of the incident and said any students found to be in breach of their code of conduct could face disciplinary proceedings. in the uk, a breast cancer charity says almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the coronavirus pandemic. breast cancer now, say thousands of cancers could be undetected with their diagnosis delayed. breast cancer screening services were paused during the height of the pandemic to help free up emergency nhs resources. they have now resumed. one of the people affected by the delay is susan daniels, who couldn't rebook her screening earlier this year, and later discovered a lump which turned out to be cancerous.

i sound the breast test wales organisation in march to rebook the screening but unfortunately, screening but unfortunately, screening services were postponed because of the pandemic. so whether it is subconsciously our not, i don't know, but i checked and found a small lump in my left breast. i contacted my gp who immediately referred me to the rapid diagnosis whereupon it was discovered that i actually had breast cancer in both breasts and this was picked up on the mammogram that i had through the diagnosis service. tsb has announced it is closing about a third of its remaining high street branches, and cutting 900 jobs. tsb had already announced 21 branch closures this year, with another 164 closing next year. the bank said its customers are increasingly doing their banking online, and that the cuts were part of its three—year strategy to reduce gusts to stay competitive.

the supermarket chain morrison's has today announced it will be creating more than one thousand jobs. it said the jobs will help to fulfil orders for its services on amazon you're watching bbc news... mps will vote later on whether to extend emergency powers given to the government to tackle coronavirus.but dozens of conservative mps are demanding that parliament is given more of a say over any new restrictions. talks are continuing ahead of the vote in an attempt to reach a compromise and prevent any rebellion. 0ur political correspondent jessica parker is at westminster. what is the state of play on this? as you say, talks are going on between these rebels in the conservative party who are pushing for what they say would be greater scrutiny of what the government does in terms of national restrictions. they think that policies might emerge in better shape if they were stress tested and they are worried

as well about as basic yet the erosion of parliamentary democracy is the government has increasingly used emergency powers in recent months. the argument on the other side is that ministers need the powers to act and act quickly when dealing with a pandemic but one of the other issues that some of the conservative rebels have been raising is that whether the share volume of comic law has actually rendered things a tad confusing and you heard yesterday borisjohnson missed speaking, as he put it, and he later apologised, in terms of talking about the bill of six and its application in the north—east of england. it was put today to the business secretary as to whether things had become too confusing and what would happen with primus yesterday was a demonstration of that. the best way, if people are in areas where there are restrictions, to find out precisely what the position is for that area, they should go on to the website or the

website of the authority and they will see that it is very clearly laid out. as i said, there is an element of slightly cold about this in terms of this line of questioning. you are a flagship programme when it comes to serious news and it is not a quiz show and all i am saying to you is important... asking ministers about what the rules are, you're not saying it is a quiz show. what i am saying it is a quiz show. what i am saying to you is that what is important is that people want to understand the precise restrictions that they have in areas which are more restricted should go onto the website. i have set out for you what the overall message is, which is visible of sex indoors and outdoors, wash your hands, cover your face, maintain social distancing and i think people understand that. the business secretary there say that when it comes to asking ministers what are the rules, is not a commercial and people should go

online and find out what the restrictions are in their areas but the prime and distracted hand some ammunition to his courteix yesterday by appearing confused himself about the rules he has introduced. he is out later for a news conference with the chief medical officer and scientific adviser. what is the reasoning behind that happening today and is going to be the start of new, regular press conferences again from the three of them? there is speculation that you will see more press conferences, they have become ad hoc in england i think the prime minister later on today, when not expecting any big announcements, more of a ticking stock moment. he will be flanked by chief medical 0fficer will be flanked by chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser so there will be a presentation of the data but i think given the backdrop that the prime minster is wrestling with the concerns of his backbenchers, wrestling with the rules at the government is trying to implement, he might want to reset the narrative and reassert a sense of control.

the time of the news conference not confirmed. the headlines on bbc news... personal attacks and feisty exchanges —— from the 2 men who want to be the next president of the united states...millions tune into the first presidential tv debate new restrictions come in across the north east of england — with a ban on people meeting other households almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic — according to a breast cancer charity there have been fresh warnings that lebanon could face a new civil war unless its leaders agree to form a new government. over the past year — the country has been grappling with an economic meltdown — and that was before last month's devastating beirut blast. with many lebanese fearing that their country could slip into chaos, some families are now paying smugglers to take them to europe in rickety boats. but as our correspondent — martin patience — now reports

from the northern city of tripoli — the death of one young boy has shocked the country. little sufian loved going to the beach and playing in the waves. but earlier this month, his body washed up on the shore. the two—year—old, the latest victim of lebanon's devastating economic crash. translation: sufian started to ask me for water. he was breast—feeding but since his mum wasn't eating, her milk had dried up. mohammed couldn't find anywhere, so he paid for smugglers to take his family by boat to cyprus. but for days, they drifted, with no water or food. translation: i filled up a bottle of sea water and he kept drinking from it, but then he was crying, he was going crazy. i thought, what am i going to do?

he is going to die. sufian's tiny body was wrapped in a shroud. he was buried at sea. days later, his parents were rescued by a un frigate. lebanon's economic collapse over the past year has been truly staggering. more than half the country are now living in poverty. and nowhere has been harder hit than tripoli, lebanon's poorest city. the growing sense of desperation felt here means some families are prepared to risk everything. across the city, more and more children are going hungry. their parents can't afford to put food on the table. "we're not scared of the sea any more," says walid. "whether we say stay or go, we're dead either way." he is planning to try and take his eight children to europe.

after his body was recovered, sufian was buried in his home city of tripoli. the only reason we left, says his dad, was so sufian could have a future. martin patience, bbc news, tripoli. let's get some of the day's other news. hong kong activist joshua wong has arrived at court to face charges of illegal assembly and breaking the city's anti—mask law. speaking to reporters he called on the international community to use their influence with beijng. his arrest last week was one of scores since a new a national security law was imposed injune. the former chief executive of the german carmaker, audi, is being tried in munich over his role in the diesel emissions scandal that engulfed its parent company, volkswagen, in 2015. rupert stadler faces charges of fraud and false advertising. he denies any wrongdoing. two—fifths of the world's plants are at risk of extinction,

scientists have warned. researchers say they are racing against time to name and describe new species, before they disappear. the report by the royal botanic gardens says plants hold huge promise as medicines, fuels and foods. fighting is continuing between azerbaijani and armenian forces over the disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh, despite a call by the un security council for an immediate end to the clashes. armenia's ministry of defence reported artillery fire along the front line on wednesday morning. azerbaijan confirmed that military operations were continuing. 0ur correspondent rayhan demytrie gave us the latest from tbilisi in neighbouring georgia. this morning we woke up to reports from both sides, from the defence ministries of both armenia and azerbaijan, talking about the fighting. the azeri defence ministry said the town of terter, which is just outside the conflict

zone, was shelled overnight and civilians were injured, and infrastructure damaged. and we also heard from the armenian defence ministry saying that two combat drones were shot over the sky of stepanakert, that's the armenian name for the regional capital of nagorno—karabakh. it is also known as khankendi in the azeri language. so the fighting is ongoing. we also have the numbers of casualties, the armenian defence ministry says 80 of its servicemen were killed so far. they also gave figures for the azeri losses, and they say hundreds of azeri soldiers were killed, and many more injured. however, since the start of this latest escalation on sunday 27th of september, azerbaijan have not reported any military casualties. they reported 13 civilian

deaths and 42 azeri civilians being injured. crown prince sheikh nawaf al—ahmed is being sworn in as kuwait's next ruling emir —— following the death of his half—brother on monday. the kuwaiti government cabinet announced his ascension to the throne after the death of sheikh sabah al—ahmed al—sabah. sheikh nawaf, who has been crown prince since 2006, is the son of the tenth ruler of the emirate, who ruled kuwait for almost 30 years. royal dutch shell has said it plans to cut up to 9,000 jobs as it responds to challenges including the slump in oil demand amid the covid—19 pandemic. the oil giant said the cuts would be implemented by 2022 and included 1,500 people who were taking voluntary redundancy. it gave no indication of where the job losses would happen. shell's chief executive said the job cuts were "the right thing to do for the future of the company" as it strives to become a net—zero emissions energy business. a shipment of british beef will be exported

to the united states today — the first of its kind since 1996. american authorities banned beef from the eu in the wake of the bse outbreak, otherwise known as mad cow disease, but the restrictions were lifted in march. ministers say the export was an historic moment for british farming. helen reddy, the australian singer behind the 1972 feminist anthem "i am woman", has died at the age of 78. her family described her as "a truly formidable woman", saying "our hearts are broken, but we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever". here in the uk, thousands of people who had their holidays cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic have complained to industry watchdog. many of them claim they've been forced to wait up to five months for a refund. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent sarah corker has more.

golden beaches in the caribbean. millions of dream holidays have been ruined by the pandemic. roy and jan from wigan had their trip to barbados in april cancelled. the couple said getting a refund from the operator was a battle. it's just a shocking way to treat people. they wouldn't let you go on holiday if you didn't pay on time, but they wouldn't refund the money that rightfully was yours. roy said he spent months trying to get £2,500 back from tui. eventually he gave up and managed to claim a refund through his credit card provider instead. a lot of people could have done with the cost of the holiday money in their bank, and while tui were looking after themselves, hanging onto that money, other people were suffering. how do you feel about the way you've been treated, then? i get angry over it. that's caused by frustration. there's nowhere to go, there's no—one to talk to.

if you part with £2,500, you'd expect that your money was safe, secure. tui said it cancelled two million holidays, and its systems were overwhelmed at the height of the crisis, but it is on track to clear the backlog of refunds by the end of today. anyone whose package holiday has been cancelled has the right to a full cash refund. by law, you should get your money back within 14 days. if your flight is cancelled, you're entitled to a refund within seven days. but a huge backlog has led to long delays. how long have you been waiting to get your money back, and how much are you owed? so, i've been waiting about five months and we're owed just over £1,500. david's family holiday to turkey was cancelled in april. he had booked tui flights through lastminute.com. i didn't for one minute imagine that it would take this long to get the money back. you would allow a bit

of time for coronavirus, but not five months' worth. it's just been unbelievably frustrating as a process. when it should be seven days, it's taken five months? and still no sign. still no sign, yeah. lastminute.com said the volume of cancellations was unprecedented. it has apologised for delays, and is working through all refund requests. another frustration for travellers has been airlines encouraging them to take vouchers instead of money back. british airways certainly didn't make it easier for you to try and get a refund. teri from inverness now has two sets of vouchers from british airways for cancelled flights to moscow and new york. it was certainly made very difficult, and it still is very difficult. you have to persevere and keep calling and calling if you want money back, but they make it very easy for you to accept vouchers. it looks like this pandemic and restrictions are going to last another six months, so that's eating into the timescale that they are saying you can use them up until.

do you think they purposely made it more difficult to get a refund and push people towards the vouchers? 0h, definitely, absolutely. the airline says it will always provide a refund if a customer is eligible. the travel industry, though, has been struggling to deal with the scale of this crisis. but travellers say they shouldn't be the ones left out of pocket. sarah corker, bbc news in wigan. this is bbc news, the headlines... personal attacks and feisty exchanges from the two men who want to be the next president of the united states. millions tune into the first presidential tv debate. i'm not going to answer the question because... why won't you answer that question? the question is... radical left... will you shut up, man. listen... the president refused to condemn white supremacy, instead saying the far right "proud boys" should "stand back and stand by". supporters of the group are celebrating his comments.

what do you want to call them? proud boys, stand back and standby. new restrictions come in across the north east of england — with a ban on people meeting other households. banaz mahmod from south london was killed aged 20 by her father and uncle after they said she'd shamed their family. 13 years on, still in hiding in witness protection after giving evidence against her own family, her sister has this warning. do you think what happened to your sister could yet happen now? absolutely. maybe not down to the tee how my sister's situation went, but i think there is still space for error. they're not fully trained, they still don't do what they need to be doing. almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic — according to a breast cancer charity

let's hear some more from last night's tv debate between the us presidential candidates donald trump and joe biden. 0ne topic that proved to be contentious was race, with both candidates making scathing attacks on each other. we have to go back to the core values of this country. they were teaching people that our country is a horrible place, it is a racist place and they were teaching people to hate our country. i'm not going to allow that to happen. vice president biden? nobody's doing that. he is the racist. here's the deal. i know a lot more about this. you don't know. let him finish. the fact is that there is racial insensitivity. people have to be made aware of what other people feel like, what insults them, what is demeaning to them. it is important people know. many people don't want to hurt other people's feelings, but it makes a big difference. it makes a gigantic difference in the way a child can grow up

and have a sense of self—esteem. it is a little bit like how this guy and his friends look down on so many people. they look down their nose on people like irish catholics like me, and look down on people who don't have money, they look down on people who are of a different faith, and those who are a different colour. president trump was asked to condemn white supremacists, but would only say that the self—styled "proud boys" — a right—wing extremist group that has engaged in violence and been vocal in its support for the president — should "stand back and stand by." he then turned his criticism on left—wing activists. i would say almost everything i see is from the left wing, not from the right wing. what are you saying? i'm willing to do anything. i want to see peace. then do it, sir. do it. say it. you want to call them... what do you want to call them? give me a name. white supremacists. proud boys. proud boys, stand back and stand by. but i will tell you what, i will tell you what, somebody‘s got to do something about antifa and the left.

the coronavirus pandemic — and the white house's response to it — was one of the major issues aired during the debate. joe biden accused the president of not having a plan, and claimed that if he had acted more swiftly, fewer americans would have died from the virus. and a lot more are going to die unless he gets a lot smarter a lot quicker... mr president? did you use the word smart? so you said you went to delaware state, but you forgot the name of your college. you didn't go to delaware state. you graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. don't ever use the word smart with me. don't ever use that word. 0h, give me a break. because, do you know what? there is nothing smart about you, joe. 47 years, you have done nothing. let's have this debate... let me tell you something, joe. if you would have had the charge of what i was put through, i had to close the greatest economy in the history of our country. and by the way, now it is being built again and it's going up fast. we're talking about the economy in the next segment. as the debate neared its conclusion, president trump appeared reluctant to committing to accepting the election outcome.

i am urging my people... i hope it's going to be a fair election. if it is a fair election, i am 100% on—board. but if i see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, i can't go along with that. and i tell you what... what does that mean? does that mean you're going to urge people to go take to the streets? it means you have a fraudulent election. you're sitting on 80 million ballots. these people aren't equipped to handle it. number one. number two, they cheat. they cheat! hey, they found ballots in a wastepaper basket three days ago and they all had the name... military ballots, they were military ballots. ..they all had the name trump on them. in contrast, joe biden said he would respect the outcome of the election, even if he lost. once the winner is declared after all the ballots are counted, all the votes are counted, that will be the end of it. that will be the end of it. and if it is me, in fact, fine. if it is not me, i will support the outcome. and i will be a president not just for the democrats,

i will be a president for democrats and republicans. so what were the facts behind the accusastions? the bbc‘s reality check team was watching the debate. here's chris morris with his wrap of the night. it was really rather hard to fact check what often became a disjointed shouting match. but there were plenty of questionable claims and false statements littered throughout this debate and by our count, a clear majority came from president trump. he said, for example, thatjoe biden didn't have any supporters from within law enforcement. not so. he said mr biden's son hunter didn't have a job until his father became vice president. also not true. for his part, mr biden said manufacturing went into a hole before covid struck, whereas manufacturing jobs actually increased by almost 500,000 in mr trump's first three years in office. coronavirus was inevitably one of the big themes. joe biden said the us has 4% of the world's population and 20%

of coronavirus deaths. that is broadly correct. just over 200,000 people have died in the united states — about a fifth ofjust over a million people who have now died worldwide. what mr biden did not say is if you look at deaths compared to the size of population, there are several countries, including the uk, where the outcome has been worse. but this is difficult political territory for president trump. his response was simply to suggest that more people would have died with mr biden in charge. obviously a claim that is impossible to prove or disprove. the president also said a vaccine could be ready within weeks. most experts think that is highly unlikely. mr trump said he built the greatest economy in history and no doubt it was doing well before the pandemic struck, growing by about 2.5% a year. but it was also doing well in the last three years of the 0bama administration, growing by about 2.3% a year.

there have been periods of much higher growth in the past 70 years than what we saw under president trump before the covid crash. some of the most striking language in the debate, though, was on the subject of postal voting. "this is going to be a fraud like you have never seen," said mrtrump, "a rigged election." but mail—in ballots are not new. nearly a quarter of votes cast at the last presidential election were mail—in. 0bviously that number will increase this year because of the pandemic. but there is no evidence that postal voting produces widespread fraud. in fact, one study puts the overall rate of voting fraud in the us at less than 0.0009%. questioning the integrity of the entire election really isn't politics as usual. sometimes it is worth taking a step back and remembering that. and there are still two more debates to come. the sister of a woman who was killed in a so—called ‘honour killing' has told the bbc

that 15 year's after her sister's death, women face the same risks. 20 year old banaz mahmod from south london was killed after leaving a marriage she said was abusive. her father and uncle were amongst the men convicted of her murder. victoria derbyshire spoke exclusivley to ba naz‘s older sister, bekhal. her words are spoken by an actor to protect her identity. it is not something that goes away, you know, overnight or in a few years. this will be hanging over my head for the rest of my life. are you, even now, 14 years on, looking over your shoulder? absolutely, yeah, all the time. sometimes it is worse, you know, the feelings of being nervous and insecure. but it doesn't get better. there are days and times of the year where it is bad and it flares up. you know, worse than any other time during the year. but i am always looking over my shoulder, definitely. what do you worry could happen to you? the same thing as banaz.

what, being attacked and tortured and killed? yeah, if not worse. did you ever think your family was capable of what they did to your sister? yes, idid. i used to picture that. but i didn't think they would actually go to that extent. it is unforgettable and hard to live with daily. what do you remember most about your sister? she was very respectful of other people and their needs and wants. she was a calm person and never lost her cool. she was always thinking of others before herself. i think this is why everything has happened the way it has. she has put over people's needs before her own. so you think if she had left the family home she might not be dead now? absolutely. if she had the support of the people

that she went to to help, and if they had done what they should have to begin with, i think she would have still been here, definitely. your father, his yourfather, his brother, your uncle, did what they did to your sister because they felt that she had ashamed your family, sister because they felt that she had ashamed yourfamily, she had left the husband that she had been. to marry in an arranged marriage and she had full in love with a young iranian man. what do you think about what they did to your sister?m iranian man. what do you think about what they did to your sister? it is out of this world. it is inhuman. 0n that means protecting the people you love, your children, your family. that means protecting the people you love, your children, yourfamily. —— on their means. what they did is the opposite. what they have done is unforgivable and unforgettable. the effect it has had on me and on others that were close to banaz mahmod... this is

others that were close to banaz mahmod. .. this is your very first broadcast interview since the trial which was 13 years ago, the summer of 2007. why do you want to speak out now? the situation hasn't really changed much. the way things are being dealt with the police, social services, other groups and organisations, it has not changed as much as it should have by now. i think the more light was shed on the situation, the more we learn from it and that everyone will be. but you think even now not enough has changed since the murder of your sister? no, i do not think it has. so what else needs to change? so much. helplines, and so much is underfunded. they need more funds.” wa nt to underfunded. they need more funds.” want to ask you about how much the police has progressed in terms of dealing with honour based abuse and violence. banaz mahmod, your sister,

and contacted the police on five separate occasions. herfather, your father had tried to kill her previously on new year's eve 2005, 430 during a bottle of brandy. she escaped by smashing a window and went to the police who thought she was making it up and thought she was a fantasist. was making it up and thought she was a fa ntasist. —— was making it up and thought she was a fantasist. —— forcing her to drink a fantasist. —— forcing her to drink a bottle of brandy. she could not have done any more. do you think what happened to your sister could yet happen now? absolutely. maybe not down to the tea how my sister's situation went, but i think there is still space for error. they are not fully trained and don't know what they are doing. the police could argue they have got better at understanding this kind of violence and these kind of crimes since the m ista kes and these kind of crimes since the mistakes made when your sister turned to them for help. a risk assessment tool is now in place

called that helps the police assess the risk to an individual and officers are trained to be aware of the signs of honour based abuse. but how often is this training happening? and how often is it put into practice? you know, and properly reviewed? do think that cultural sensitivities were a factor in why the police did not take your sister's report seriously enough? they did not want to get involved in case they were accused of racism. yes, ido case they were accused of racism. yes, i do believe that, and they do not do enough in general. but to say we don't want to get involved in this community because we do not wa nt to this community because we do not want to upset their beliefs or religion is not good enough. what is better, to lose a life or to upset someone? according to the un, there are estimated to be 12 to 15 such

killings in the uk each year. honour based killings. do you believe that figure or do you think it could be higher? i think it could be higher because it is not always happening on british soil. it could be that family members are taking young females abroad for arranged marriages. what if something happens to them over there? people think it is only cases that are reported in england where this is happening. 12 of 15? i don't believe that to be the right number, to be honest, i think it is higher. when you look back at you giving evidence against members of your own family, against your own father, against your uncle, to explain how they treated you and your sister, and the fact that you have had to go into witness protection and will have to be in hiding for the rest of your life, do

you think you did the right thing in giving evidence? absolutely. yes, i wish i could have done more at that time. i couldn't do a lot more at the time, but i wish i had done more in terms of taking her away from the situation. and if there's someone watching now and listening to you speak who thinks they are in a family, ina speak who thinks they are in a family, in a relationship, a partnership with someone who is oppressing them, abusing them, physically hurting them, what would you say to them? build up the courage to work away —— walk away. that is no kind of life. i couldn't put up with it any more and i had to step away. i got the courage one day to put one in front of the other and keep walking. we were all put on this planet to have a life. who is to say you can live like this? you cannot live like this. you can't

wear this, you can't go there. as long as you are being a decent human being and living the right way, you have to have some kind of life you can enjoy. in a statement, the metropolitan police told us: "the metropolitan police service has very effective governance processes to respond to honour—based abuse in all its forms. we work closely with statutory and non—statutory partners such as charities, the nhs, crown prosecution service and other agencies, to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report it, that when they do victims are supported and feel safe, and when possible, perpetrators are prosecuted for the often horrific harm that they cause." the headlines on bbc news... personal attacks and insults from the two men who want to be the next president of the united states — millions tune into the first presidential tv debate

new restrictions come in across the north east of england, almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic — according to a breast cancer charity. as you've just been hearing, a leading cancer charity says almost a million british women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the coronavirus pandemic. we can discuss this now with dr jeanette dickson, who is president of the royal college of radiologists. welcome. college of radiologists. thank you forjoining us. what welcome. thank you forjoining us. what do you think the impact of that could be? ithink what do you think the impact of that could be? i think it is very difficult to know the precise impact, but the worry we have is that those ladies who have not have their screening mammogram will not have their small la cancers diagnosed and will come and present when the cancers are larger and less treatable and potentially not as curable. what difference does time make in the early stages of breast cancer detection? that is a difficult one to pin down completely, but generally, smaller cancers mean that you can have less

damaging to cancer and there is less treatment used and also that the chances of a qr higher. earlier is better. breast cancer now has calculated on the basis of statistics that based on those almost million women missing their scans, 8600 of them could have undetected breast cancer. that will cause real fear undetected breast cancer. that will cause realfear among undetected breast cancer. that will cause real fear among those women. what would your advice be?” cause real fear among those women. what would your advice be? i think my advice to any person, woman or man who has symptoms that are worrying them, come to their gp and seek an appointment and go for investigation. the nhs is open for business and the screening services are now opening again. it is safe to come and have your problems look at and an answerand come and have your problems look at and an answer and find an answer to your symptoms. it is a big backlog,

though, and obviously the service is reduced because of the restrictions that are in place. how long will it ta ke to that are in place. how long will it take to get through that backlog?m isa take to get through that backlog?m is a huge backlog, the screening services are working very hard to get to the maximum capacity they can. prior to covid, there was a lack of capacity in the breast cancer screening service cross all of the workforce elements, the radiology people who take the mammograms are a group who have a significant number of vacancies. the radiologists who interpret the mammograms, they are one in four trusts have a vacancy for a breast radiologist. the capacity for the system for workforce was limited before covid. the restrictions placed on the service by covid, the social distancing and infection prevention measures, they mean that that capacity is reduced. but the services are working hard to

reconfigure maximising the capacity and access those patients who have been put on hot pause. much has been said about the potential legacy of covid on cancer outcomes. what are your thoughts? what your thoughts on how much this period might have put things backwards i think it is a lwa ys things backwards i think it is always certain that in a crisis, those people who have other health conditions do less well than you would anticipate because of quite rightly the resources being drawn towards the crisis. how big that is going to be, nobody really knows. there are lots models out there. we know there will be a problem and it will be a problem for many to come. thank you very much. a snapshot of victorian life in britain has been revealed within a collection of some of the oldest

photographs ever taken. captured by a local man, they show the town and people of horsham in west sussex and now the privately owned album is going up for auction. tim muffett reports. sussex life in the 40s and 50s. that's the 18405 and 50s. these are the oldest photographs of southern england that are known to exist. i never really imagined that i would have the opportunity to handle a catalogue and sell something this special. the photographs were taken by captain thomas honeywood who lived in horsham in west sussex. less than ten years after what most considered to be the world's first ever photograph was taken in 1839, honeywood captured local scenes and people. his first picture is believed to be from 1848. most are from the early 18505. the use of light and shade, the composition,

it's like an oil painting. he's basically creating old masters with this new form of art. people who are photographed here, they didn't know what a camera was, and so you're getting an intimacy there which you don't get later on. it's so interesting looking at photographs from this time because some people just don't know what to make of the cameras, they look at them like it's some sort of witchcraft. i think this really communicates well that, the suspicion, perhaps, of looking at a photographer and looking at the camera, this newfangled piece of technology, this lady looks like she doesn't quite believe what's going on and is very cynical and suspicious of it and i think that's just a fascinating image. the album was owned privately, it's thought, by a descendent of honeywood until ten years ago when it was snapped up at an auction. now it's being sold again. the big question, then, how much do you think this is worth? personally, i think they could fetch up to six figures, perhaps,

i think a £50,000-£70,000 is an attractive estimate. if you look at some of the french master photographers from the same period, one photograph, one landscape can fetch up to £250,000. this jeremy knight runs the horsham museum. unsurprisingly, the photographs are causing quite a stir. we in britain don't value photography so much as art, or didn't, whereas other countries like france and america do. that's now changing and we're now seeing what these early photographs are. they are portraits. they're as good a quality portraits as an oil painting and they should be seen as art. some scenes haven't changed that much, many buildings remain, but other views are barely recognisable. to stand here where he stood with his camera, he must have had some weird looks then, mustn't he? yeah, like people looking at yourself, thinking, what are people doing here? yeah, exactly the same. photography we take for granted but in those days it was something special. would have been a tripod and mahogany box, life's come

on so fast, so much, and he himself just wouldn't recognised it. when these come up for auction, are you tempted to put in a bid? we would love to but reality is that they are of national significance. honeywood's photographic techniques would earn him widespread acclaim in later life. he died in 1888 but his early pictures give a unique snapshot of life in britain 170 years ago. tim muffett, bbc news. one of the most popular british tv shows of the 80s and 90s, spitting image, is back. it famously mocked politicians and celebrities. now it's back on british screens, with new puppets including harry and meghan, borisjohnson and russian president vladimir putin. roger law, the co—creator of the show, explained that he believes the time is right for spitting image to make a return. it's much bigger this time.

there's about 100 puppets made already, and the show is global, it goes out all over the place, you know? it's rather difficult for an old guy like me to know some of the people i'm caricaturing. we've got a great lot of division out there, and people are really upset about a lot of things. and i think that's why, in a way, i've been allowed out of the box again, quite frankly. when i was much younger, i never could understand why people didn't see what i was seeing, you know? i mean, you won't remember this politician, richard nixon, but it was quite clear who he was from one glance. and of course you didn't have much trouble caricaturing him, really. lets to show you pictures of boris johnson leaving downing street and heading to the commons for prime minister's questions, which start at midday. he has got a busy day, because he will have pm queues and that will be followed later this

afternoon with a news briefing alongside the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser for the latest on the covid—19 restrictions. coverage of both of thoseif restrictions. coverage of both of those if you are watching in the uk, elsewhere, we will say goodbye. now it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello there. 0ur weather is turning increasingly unsettled with wet and windy weather really through the rest of this week and into the weekend as well. today and into the weekend as well. wet and windy sums weather today wet and windy sums of the weather forecast because we have low pressure just to the north—west of scotla nd pressure just to the north—west of scotland and the cloud here pushes eastwards a cross scotland and the cloud here pushes eastwards across the uk is rain bearing clouds. we have seen that rain arrived across western areas where it has been a wet morning so far. cloud will gather and rain will arrive and become persistent as we

head through the afternoon. the rain tends to ease off across western areas later on but stays cloudy with showers along quickly and our main band of rain. still the risk of wet weather to end the day even in the west. 0vernight, the rain slowly moves away from eastern england but motors in northern and eastern scotla nd motors in northern and eastern scotland throughout the night. —— but reuters. temper just scotland throughout the night. —— but reuters. temperjust getting down to low single figures. the weather page into thursday, still rain to come across eastern areas of scotland, brighter weather for some time before the next batch of heavy downpours work into northern ireland, wales and south—west england on thursday afternoon. a cooler day, temperatures 12 to 15 degrees. a nasty area of low pressure on friday will develop need to our shores. this looks quite likely to become a named storm, but for this moment, it looks to be

across the north—west of france. it could be the french authorities that it name this storm. i wouldn't be surprised if we saw coastal gusts of 70 to 80 mph. a small change in the position of that bloke could send the winds into the uk. but at the moment —— in the position of that low. northern ireland and scotland having the best of the weather. worth staying tuned the forecast as they could be some changes to that nasty looking low. well looking at bands of rain around and some heavy erect sunny spells between the bands of rain but it will stay pretty windy through the weekend as well. —— some sunny spells.

this is bbc news. the headlines... personal attacks and feisty exchanges from the two men who want to be the next president of the united states. millions tune into the first presidential tv debate. i'm not going to answer the question. why won't you answer that question? the question is... radical left... will you shut up, man? the president refused to condemn white supremacy, instead saying the far—right "proud boys" should "stand back and stand by". supporters of the group are celebrating his comments. what do you want to call them? give me a name. white supremacists. who would you like me to condemn? proud boys. proud boys, stand back and stand by. new restrictions come in across the north east of england — with a ban on people meeting other households. banaz mahmod from south london was killed by herfather and uncle after they said she'd

shamed their family — 13 years on, still in hiding in witness protection — her sister has this warning. do you think what happened to your sister could yet happen now? absolutely. maybe not down to the t, how my sister's situation went, but i think there is still space for error. they're not fully trained. they still don't do what they need to be doing. almost a million women have missed a mammogram appointment because of the pandemic — according to a breast cancer charity. the speaker is making a statement. the speaker is making a statement. the government must make a effort to prepare marks more quickly. the use

of statutory instruments under the statutory gives significant concern. i will give very sympathetic consideration to applications for urgent questions or emergency debates in such cases regarding ministers to come to the dispatch box to justify ministers to come to the dispatch box tojustify the ministers to come to the dispatch box to justify the use of such powers. i hope that all members will have the chance to express their views through substantive motions. but i turn now to the motion to be considered later today, which invites the house to make a narrow, binary choice as to whether temporary privations of coronavirus 2020 should or should not expire.

unfortunately, as it is an item in the debate, under 5 oh 16,1 unfortunately, as it is an item in the debate, under 5 oh 16, i am disappointed that i can't give additional time to discuss the issues, and also members will be disappointed. when i became speaker, i made it clear that i would take decisions for matters relating to procedure guided by professional advice. i have concluded on the basis of the advice i have received that any amendment to the motion before the house gives risk of uncertainty to the decision the house has taken. this then risks decisions that are rightly the responsibility of parliament, ultimately being determined by the courts. lack of clarity on such important matters risks undermining the rule of law. i have therefore decided not to select any new amendments to the motion, as i have

my early comments show i have not taken this measure likely to leave and look to the government to remedy the situation. i now look to the government to rebuild the trust to this house and not show it is the contempt that it has shown. now turn to questions to prime minister. mr speaker, i know the whole house will wa nt to speaker, i know the whole house will want tojoin speaker, i know the whole house will want to join me speaker, i know the whole house will want tojoin me in expressing my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of sergeant matt montano, who was tragically killed in croydon on friday. it is a reminder of the huge debt we owe to those who put their own lives at risk to keep us safe every day. mr speaker, tomorrow shows the star of black history month. for countless generations, people of african descent have been shaping our story and making a huge difference to our

national and cultural life, and helping to make britain a better place to be. and this is a fantastic moment to celebrate their contribution to our country. mr speaker, this week i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and love further such meetings later today. thank you, the events sector supports nearly 1 million jobs thank you, the events sector supports nearly1 millionjobs and is worth over £13 billion to the uk economy. it has been devastated by covid. revenue is down 90% since last year. but the premise look at financial support, focusing on grants, not just loans, especially for freelancers, grants, not just loans, especially forfreelancers, including grants, not just loans, especially for freelancers, including musicians and performers? and will the prime minister support covid secure testing events to help the events industry support itself? mr speaker,

my honourable friend is exactly right to champion the actor in the way that he does. the culture recovery fu nd way that he does. the culture recovery fund is intended to support those organisations, and the freelancers that he mentions. i think the proficiency lays out for people going to events, where people can be tested before they go, is absolutely right, and i hope that when that day comes the public will show that support for this vital sector by visiting theatres as they reopen. thank you, mr speaker. can i join the prime minister in setting my deepest condolences to the family and friends of sergeant matt tanna. this was a truly appalling incident, andi this was a truly appalling incident, and i have to say that every time i contemplate the circumstances i shudder. i suspect i'm speaking to a lot of people when i say that. he reminds as the huge debts that we oh, and the risks they take everyday to keep us safe. mr speaker, over 60

million people, about in four, now living under local restrictions. in recent months, 48 areas in england have gone into local restrictions. but only one has ever come out and state out. that is luton. why does the prime minister think that is? well, mr speaker, the right honourable gentleman is absolutely right to draw attention to the importance of local lockdown measures, and i canjust tell the house that since i last updated the house that since i last updated the house he is absolutely right to say that there is a serious and growing problem with the resurgence of the virus, and that's why we put followed the package of measures that we last week. i think the reason behind the success of newton is that local people pulled together to follow the guidance, and that is the way forward for the entire country. and that is what we did

before, in march and april, and i have no doubt that that is what we are going to do again. mr speaker, when local restrictions were introduced, the prime minister described them as they whack a mole strategy. that implies that at some stage the mole goes down and restrictions are lifted. but, in fa ct, restrictions are lifted. but, in fact, some lockdown areas infections are still going up. towns like bradford, restrictions have now been in place for months. for many of those community that are affected, thanks for like they are getting worse, not better. i ask a question on their behalf. what is the prime minister's strategy for bringing these places out of restrictions so they can see their families again? mr speaker, nobody wants to impose restrictions of this kind, whether in bradford or anywhere else in the country. and we work very closely with local authorities to ensure that we have the right mix of the

approach that we adopt, but frankly when you have the virus coming up in the way that it is... in some parts of the country, you have to take strong local action. the one important difference between the way the virus is behaving this time and in the spring is that it does appear that at the moment the illness is more localised. that's why you need to direct local action of the kind that we are taking, in addition to the strong national measures that we announced last week, in which he supported, and whose effect we hope to see in the coming days and weeks. mr speaker, one of the major problems we have seen in the last 24 hours is widespread confusion about the local restrictions. and i don't just mean the prime minister in not knowing his own rules. having sat opposite the prime minister here every week, that didn't come as a surprise to me. but let me quote to

him the conservative council leader in bolton. he said this about the government's handling of restrictions. "it is breeding resentment. it has become too complex, too complicated. people feel very let down. very forgotten. very frustrated. mr speaker, if the premise doesn't understand the rules, and his own council leaders are planing about mixed messages, how does the prime minister expect the rest of the country to understand and follow the rules? mr speaker, actually, ithink understand and follow the rules? mr speaker, actually, i think the people of this country do understand and do follow the rules. and that i may say is in spite of the efforts of the leader of the opposition to continually try to snipe from the sidelines, to undermine what we are trying to do, and he mentions the

restrictions in the north—east. and i cleared that matter up as fast as i could. it's very clear that you shouldn't mix indoors, either at home or in the hospitality setting, and you should avoid socialising outdoors. we need to apply that in the north—east because that is where it is spiking. i think people do understand why we are doing that. i think people do get it. i think people want us to defeat this virus and they want to see us doing it together, mr speaker. can i invite him now... sometimes he backs the government, sometimes he snipes from the sidelines. can i ask him to be a little bit consistent, show some support. let's hear him have confidence in the british people come in the measures that he supports, mr speaker. mr speaker, the idea that anybody who asked the prime minister a question at prime

minister's questions is undermining the government is wearing a bit thin. we have openly supported the restrictions, but it is perfectly reasonable to ask why they are not working. mr speaker, ispoke reasonable to ask why they are not working. mr speaker, i spoke to the leader of newcastle council yesterday. he said that the other big problem, apart from government messaging, is the lack of economic support being provided to local communities under restrictions. newcastle council indicate that by the end of the year thousands of jobs in hospitality will be lost. many businesses are forced to stay closed. premise, but forthese extraordinary restrictions, these are viablejobs. extraordinary restrictions, these are viable jobs. these extraordinary restrictions, these are viablejobs. these businesses are viablejobs. these businesses are doing the right thing. why has the government decided that these jobs aren't worth saving? well, mr speaker, as i've said repeatedly, we are putting our arms around the whole of the uk economy. we will do everything we can to save everyjob.

i must say, i saw the labour leader of newcastle. i'm rather surprised by what he said. because, actually, to be the best of my knowledge, they we re to be the best of my knowledge, they were calling for the measures that were calling for the measures that we put in. and the best way to protect our jobs we put in. and the best way to protect ourjobs and our economy is to continue to work together to comply with the measures, to drive down the virus, to keep our children in education, which is an absolute priority for this country, and to keep the economy moving. that is what we want to do. that is the strategy. that is approach that he supported last week. he now says... which is it? he has got to make up his mind. if he supports the government policy, if he supports these restrictions, will he say so now? i support these restrictions. i have done so every single time the

prime ministers introduce them. the question i've asked is, because of the restrictions, lots of people's jobs are at risk. lots of people's jobs. 10,000 people'sjobs in newcastle in hospitality. i support the restrictions, but i'm asking the prime minister, can the economic support go in for those who will lose it? he didn't ask that. there's 10,000 people wanted an answer to that last question because they are going to lose theirjobs by christmas. prime minister, you really should have answered it. just lie has made a political choice to reduce economic support just as lie has made a political choice to reduce economic supportjust as the new health measures are coming in. if the prime minister doesn't accept that for me, maybe he will listen to the following example from the chancellor's own constituents. this is the business owner, prime minister. " we own a wedding venue in north yorkshire. the chancellor's latest plan does nothing to help us. we can't employ people to work in

events that the government are not allowing to take place. our events tea m allowing to take place. our events team are looking in the face of redundancy as we simply can't afford to pay wages in lockdown. thesejobs here are viable, if only the government would allow us to turn to work. our events team are fantastic, and it's an insult to suggest that theirjobs are not worth saving close macro. it's about what's the premise has to say to those who are at risk of losing theirjobs. it is very important, butjust remember everybody, it is pmqs, but opposition questions. i'm grateful, mr speaker, because i think the a nswer mr speaker, because i think the answer is very clear. last week the labour party supported the package of economic plan the chancellor put forward and i think most people looking at the £190 billion we have

invested in supporting people across this country will recognise... which is, by the way, furlough plan alone is, by the way, furlough plan alone is far more generous than any other european country. people can see that we are putting our arms around this country and we will help. i know the wedding sector has had a tough time and of course i feel for the gentleman that he refers to in richmond in yorkshire who once his business to go ahead, but the best way forward for him and all other business in the country is if we all pull together now, get the virus down, keep the economy moving. in the meantime, yes, of course, this government is able to supply the support that is needed, which by the way is only possible because we had a prudent, sensible one nation conservative party in power over the last ten years. the labour party would have bankru pted last ten years. the labour party would have bankrupted the country.

mr speaker, it is refreshing to hear the prime minister try to take the chancellor out of a hole for a change. i do not think that will wash. the prime ministerjust does not get it. the problem with his ardent is this, these are viable jobs but for the restrictions. the vacancies for new jobs jobs but for the restrictions. the vacancies for newjobs do not exist and the training scheme the prime minister announced yesterday does not start until april. there is a gap and the prime minister should not be so to need to those whose jobs are at risk. finally, tomorrow marks the start of black history month. as well as celebrating the huge contribution but people have made to the uk, we must also reflect on the present and the structural inequalities and discrimination that sadly persist. for example, black women in the uk are five times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth. that is truly shocking. will the prime minister committed to addressing this and wanting an

investigation into the issue? you knows full well that this government has launched an urgent investigation into inequalities across the whole of society. we will certainly address them in a thoroughgoing way. iam address them in a thoroughgoing way. i am amazed that he seems ignorant of that fact. absolutely amazed. mr speaker, it is quite extraordinary state of affairs and the right honourable gentleman's general line of questioning, because one, one moment he is supporting the restrictions and the next he is seeming to opposing them. one day they are theoretically marching side by side with the rest of us trying to defeat corona, the next they are in the undergrowth firing from the sidelines. i must repeat, it was the right honourable lady, the shadow education secretary who really revealed what the opposition is all about. she said this was a good

crisis which they intended to exploit. we see this as a moment for the nation to come together and that is what we are doing. we are taking the tough decisions that will get this country forward. notjust the tough decisions that will get this country forward. not just the life time skills guarantee which he was kind enough to mention, but also huge investments we are making in the nhs, community, affordable housing. this is the government and party taking the tough decisions to ta ke party taking the tough decisions to take this country forward while i am afraid, mr speaker, once again all they want to do is snipe from the sidelines. thank you, mr speaker. does he agree with me that it is essential that the tariffs the us has placed on scotch mould whiskey be removed during the current presidential term and therefore will he commit the government as a matter of urgency to reach a bilateral agreement with the us on the airbus

boeing dispute so that that can happen? mr speaker, i am gratefulto my friend back for raising this important matter and i have raised several times myself with president trump and others in the us administration. we will continue to ta ke administration. we will continue to take a robust line and it cannot be right that american consumers should continue to pay over the odds for scotch and it cannot be right this discrimination continues and we will fight it every step of the way. the leader of the snp. can i associate myself with the remarks over the remarks about matt ratana and we should applaud the efforts of the police and all of our emergency services doing a wonderfuljob keeping the rest of us say. i thoughts and with his friends and family andi thoughts and with his friends and family and i would also like to associate my myself with the remarks

of the opposition on history month. yesterday the scottish social attitudes survey revealed thatjust 1596 attitudes survey revealed thatjust 15% of people trust the uk government to work in scotland's interest. last night, scotland's mps voted overwhelmingly against the tory power grab bill, but the prime minister. through anyway in the biggest attack on our scottish parliament in the history of devolution. so can i ask the prime minister if he cares to listen, and it is not a difficult question, why does he think the people of scotland have no trust in him or his government? mr speaker, i am afraid that he is completely wrong in what he says about the internal marketability. and perhaps the people of scotland deserve to hear a clear accou nt people of scotland deserve to hear a clear account of what it does from him. this bill devolves, which is i

believe supported by the leader of the opposition, actually devolves power back down to scotland, gives power back down to scotland, gives power back down to scotland, gives power back to scotland, enables scotla nd power back to scotland, enables scotland not just to take power back to scotland, enables scotland notjust to take back control of scotland's spectacular fisheries, but also opens up markets for scottish agriculture around the world. i may tell the house today, it isa world. i may tell the house today, it is a historic day. after 23 years after successful governments have failed, this government has managed to lift the ban on british beef in america. scottish beef will be going to the united states thanks to the effo rts to the united states thanks to the efforts of the british government, mr speaker! that is a fact he might with advantage in form his electorate in scotland.” with advantage in form his electorate in scotland. i do not know what that was, but it certainly was not an answer to the question. it is little wonder the trust of the government is at 15% and falling after that performance. here we go

again. yapping, bumbling, mumbling, but no answer. since he cannot a nswer but no answer. since he cannot answer these straight questions, i will tell the prime minister... order. i expect the prime minister to be head and i certainly want to hear the leader of the snp. we are used to scottish voices being shouted down by the tories in this place. a tory government that casually and arrogantly breaks international law and breaks devolution has shattered any remaining trust in this broken westminster system. mr speaker, last night was a defining moment stop if this attack on devolution fails to gain the consent of the devolved parliaments of wales, northern ireland and scotland, will be prime minister withdraw this legislation or will he force it through against aloysius? is the prime minister not demonstrating again that the only way to defend our parliament and powers despite scotland becoming an

independent country? —— through against our wishes. i think it demonstrates once again his ambition is simply to ferment grievance weight no grievance should exist. all this bill actually does is devolve power back from brussels to edinburgh, it gives powers back to edinburgh, it gives powers back to edinburgh which he should welcome. more importantly, the people of this country are interested in wrangling, what this bill does is protectjobs, growth, trade in the united kingdom and that is the most important thing. that is why he should support it. -- thing. that is why he should support it. —— the people are not interested in wrangling. despite the challenges of the pandemic, noise and air pollution from the m25 during lockdown has been difficult. my constituency greatly benefits from motorway connections but comes at a

cost. does my friend might agree with me that as we build our economy, we must ensure our infrastructure, the backbone of our country, is sustainable and minimise impact on communities? my honourable friend is spot on and it is one of the reasons why when he talks about the reasons why when he talks about the noise and pollution from the m25, we have a vision on the side of the house, this government wants to accelerate the introduction of elected vehicles, of zero emission vehicles, quietervehicles elected vehicles, of zero emission vehicles, quieter vehicles —— electric vehicles. notjust vehicles, quieter vehicles —— electric vehicles. not just to produce elite might reduce a look pollution, but also noise. from tomorrow, 2.3 million people in wales will not be able out of county without good reason. yet people from lockdown areas in england can still visit rural wales. travelling from two places in wales could land you a fine. but an english place to wales,

no problem. i raised it last week. leisure travel from lockdown areas has got to stop and will he make good on this today? am grateful to the right honourable lady. there are different measures in places as we have discussed already. but overall, the uk is proceeding with the same approach and i am very grateful to eve ryo ne approach and i am very grateful to everyone in the welsh government for the way we are working together to defeat the virus. yes, there will be some differences and they will be some differences and they will be some seeming illogicality is, there are inevitable things in attacking a pandemic, but i am gratefulfor the cooperation she is giving. my constituency will be worst affected by the construction of phase one of hs2. by the construction of phase one of hsz. the by the construction of phase one of hs2. the best mitigation for the

village would be a channel, but that has been refused. does my honourable friend agree with this decision. will he ensure they work between each other to minimise noise pollution and not damage the village? as a prime minister, i totally support hs2 and the ambition of linking our country up better as a localmp, i of linking our country up better as a local mp, i feel of linking our country up better as a local mp, ifeel his pain. i understand exactly where he is coming from. i have been assured in my conversations with hs2 that they are having extensive engagement with the wendover group. i know it well as he knows. i will ask the relevant minister to make contact with him. thank you, mr speaker. the prime minister has reportedly said that improving the lives of disabled people is a personal mission. but his coronavirus act has watered down the right to care for the mosul

ruble, particularly disabled, children with special needs, and those struggling with mental health problems. —— for the disabled. how does it stack up with his conscience and will he finally committed to working cross party to replace draconian laws to ensure that we both protect our most vulnerable and safeguard our liberties? mr speaker, we are making sure that everyone in our society gets all of the protections that they need. i am aware of the things she refers to in the care act and we are determined that people should, and the necessity that we temporarily had to put them in, week now need to make sure we give everybody the protection that they need. that is what this government will do. —— we now need. can i welcome the prime minister's announcement today on the uk's first hydrogen transport hub in teesside, which would see the uk

embrace a hydrogen fuelled future developing this energy source. does he agree with me that under this government we will build back better and greener, creating newjobs and putting britain at the forefront of this world leading industry? i thank my honourable friend. i must say, i think i am hearing a lot of good stuff about the green clean future and green industrial revolution this country is embarking on and i am delighted that the tees valley will be the uk's best hydrogen transport hub and! be the uk's best hydrogen transport hub and i look forward tojoining him there before too long. thank you, mr speaker. the prime minister will know that next may there are elections to the scottish parliament. i'm sure he will agree with me that the question of how scotland is governed will be central to that campaign. i know the prime minister isa to that campaign. i know the prime minister is a keen student of the

democratic principles. if the conservative party and other unionist parties are successful in that election in securing a majority of the seats in the scottish parliament, would he regard that as a mandate for the union? a simple yes or no would suffice.” a mandate for the union? a simple yes or no would suffice. i am a keen student of democratic principles, as the right honourable gentleman rightly says and i recall that there was a referendum in 2014 which the people of this country and the people of this country and the people of this country and the people of scotland voted overwhelmingly or by a substantial majority to give the union. it was a once ina majority to give the union. it was a once in a generation event, as the leaders of the snp acknowledged and i think they were right then and we should stick with that. the prime minister and i were both elected on a manifesto pledge to increase home—building and level of our country. and there's lots to welcome in the planning white paper. but the formula that is being used

to allocate the homes seems to be doing the opposite. it is overshot in terms of numbers, and the investment is concreting down rather than levelling up. so could my right honourable friend commits that when the consultation closes tomorrow he will pledge to change some of the elements of this dare i say it algorithm. i'm grateful. we will ensure that there is a planning system that is fit for purpose, that allows us to give young people, for the first time in a generation, the chance of home ownership, which currently millions and millions of people are shut out from. but we think we can do it in such a way to avoid decimating our beautiful countryside, avoid desecrating our green belt. that is what we are

going to do, and i have very much that she supports it. thank you, mr speaker. with over 7000 new cases and 71 deaths from covid yesterday, and 71 deaths from covid yesterday, and a seven—day case average of a hundred and 53 per 100,000. could the promise to tell my constituents what he thinks his biggest mistake has been to date? the billions wasted on backroom deals with private sector on ppe that doesn't fit, test and trace the doesn't work or more, all of the above? mr speaker, i'm grateful for what or more, all of the above? mr speaker, i'm gratefulfor what she said. there will be plenty of time, of course, to go over all of the decisions that the government has made, for which i take full responsibility, but what we are engaged on now, and she is right to draw attention to the incidents in her constituency, that is a serious

increase. the position is not the emergency of march but it is serious, and that is why i hope she will encourage her right honourable friend, the leader of the opposition, to support more consistently what the government is doing. and encourage her constituents that the best thing we can all do is to follow the guidance. hands, face, space. get a test if you have symptoms. and, where there are local measures that need to be in place, look at the website and follow that advice. mr speaker, we have the honour of representing place that support refugees. how will he mark the successful conclusion of the five year assyrian resettlement scheme?

providing safe legal routes to the uk and bolstering our efforts to reduce human trafficking. mr speaker, i think that the uk can be incredibly proud of what we have done to resettle syrian refugees. we've resettled more than 25,000 through safe and legal, from con conflict zones. we will continue to meet our obligations. thank you, mr speaker. the hospitality sector has already suffered hugely as a result of this crisis. and is now facing further damage because of the chancellor's decision to withdraw support. nearly 200,000 jobs in the hospitality sector across london are now at risk. this includes over 800 jobs in my constituency of lewisham

east. working people deserve a government that works for them. instead they are being told that therejobs are instead they are being told that there jobs are unviable. what does there jobs are unviable. what does the chancellor and premise to think that these jobs just aren't worth saving? mr speaker, we are doing everything we can to save everyjob in the country, and that's why the chancellor set out the winter economic plan that he did. that's why we have the job retention bonus at the end of january. but of course things are tough. as the chancellor has said, we cannot save everyjob. but we have the kick—start funds. £2 million to support young people into work. plus, we now have life time skills guarantee, so people can retrain for thejobs skills guarantee, so people can retrain for the jobs that will be treated by this economy. as co-chair of the midlands engine parliamentary group, iam of the midlands engine parliamentary group, i am determined to champion the midlands engine and make sure

that the midlands, the largest regional economy outside of london, is not left behind in the government's levelling up agenda. will the premise to show a commitment to investigating in the heart of our country and fire up the midlands engine? my honourable friend is completely right in his call for the midlands engine. and thatis call for the midlands engine. and that is why we are investing another £200 million in the building fund into the midlands engine region, and i'll be happy to write more to him about what we are doing in the course of the next few days. thank you, mr speaker. last week, the chancellor made a political choice to write off a million jobs as unviable. my constituency have ever thousand jobs at risk, and in the north west is 141,000 jobs. this would be an employment on a scale even worse than under thatcher. can the premise to tell the house, by the premise to tell the house, by the sea and the chancellor think

thatis the sea and the chancellor think that is a... ? mr speaker, this com plete that is a... ? mr speaker, this complete he represents what the chancellor is trying to do. as i just told the house, we've already put hundred and £90 million into supporting livelihoods, supporting people, supporting families. we are continue to put our arms around this country. but the most important thing is to get the economy moving. get people into work. and, at the same time, to get kids in school. but the only way we can do that is if we suppress the virus in the way that the government has set out, with lockdown measures, local lockdown measures, and the national measures that i hope are the subject of cross—party support. measures that i hope are the subject of cross-party support. thank you, mr speaker. does the to believe in the value of local accident and emergency units? will he work to ensure the return of the amd for cheltenham general hospital. the

local hospital's trust is said that it will return. but can he try to return that it returns sooner rather than later? yes, indeed, mr speaker. iam than later? yes, indeed, mr speaker. i am assured that the closure to which he refers is only temporary, andi which he refers is only temporary, and i will just which he refers is only temporary, and i willjust remind him that this is the government that is putting on the record, the biggest ever capital investment in the nhs. to say nothing of the investments being made in the last nine months. thank you, mr speaker. in january, made in the last nine months. thank you, mr speaker. injanuary, the government was still pretending there were only 5000 rough sleepers across the whole country. during the lockdown, 15,000 were supported under the everybody in programme. will the premise to ensure that the homeless charities, councils and others that have stepped up are funded for every single person they helped? he raises a very important point. i think actually it was one of the consolations of this crisis, that we were able to prevent so many

rough sleepers from succumbing in the way that happened in other countries. i think that was a great effort by the communities department, and the charities working together. of course, we will continue to do what we can to support those vital charities to prevent rough sleeping and homelessness. the rotary club would like to pass on their thanks to the uk government for being one of the top donors to the global polio eradication initiative. this has made africa free from wild polio. will the prime ministerjoined me in congratulating rotary and their supporters for their monumental contribution to this effort, contributing over $2 million in helping to vaccinate over two and a half million children across around the world. i thank my honourable friend, because that is a classic and afine friend, because that is a classic and a fine example of the philanthropy and public spirit of the british people, which has been shown clearly throughout this crisis. thank you, mr speaker. i

know the premise to refused to recognise my figures last week. but my local housing provider has a waiting list of more than 7000 households. shelter are saying that 200,000 renters are at risk of covid eviction. will he prevent an even bigger housing crisis in stockport this winter? well, mr speaker. we've changed the law to ask landlords to provide tenants with at least six months notice before eviction. we are not going to have evictions in lockdown areas, and there won't be any enforcement of evictions over christmas. we are also putting 180 millions into discretionary payments for local authorities to help urgent cases. but what we are also doing is embarking on a huge programme to build hundreds of thousands more homes, particularly affordable homes, particularly affordable homes, and i hope his constituents will want to buy and to part by. mr

speaker, the a47 is the main road, the only road, that links great yarmouth with the great city of norwich. it is a bottleneck, and it is notoriously dangerous. there's been a is notoriously dangerous. there's beena campaign is notoriously dangerous. there's been a campaign to jewel it for at least 30 years, and yet the highways authority have just announced that they have no plans even to consider it for upgrade until 2030 at the earliest. what can my right honourable friend to hope to the people of brundtland and norfolk more widely that this inexplicable decision will be reconsidered?” more widely that this inexplicable decision will be reconsidered? i can assure my honourable friend, and i appreciate the temporary disappointment that he is experiencing, but this is a government that is immensely ambitious for the improvement of our transport infrastructure, and active consideration is now being undertaken of that project. i

understand that parliamentary collea g u es understand that parliamentary colleagues are meeting with the roads minister this week to discuss the options for additional schemes from 2025 onwards. in order to allow... prime minister's questions. the real drama came before the start of p and q's when the speaker made quite a dramatic intervention with a statement on the government's handling of legislation on covid—19. he said that the way the government has introduced emergency covid measures was totally unsatisfactory, and that the government had treated the house with contempt. he had been asked to accept an amendment to the motion to renew the covid—19 regulations, to give mps more power in deciding the regulations in the future. he said he couldn't select that motion on the basis of the advice he had been given. he said he was disappointed by that. and he did

go on to say, as i say, that the government has treated the house with contempt. so let's hear what he said. when i became speaker, i made it clear that i would take decisions on matters relating to procedure guided by professional advice. i have concluded, on the basis of advice that i've received, that any amendment to the motion before the house risked giving rise to uncertainty that the house has taken. this then risks decisions that are rightly the responsibility of parliament ultimately being determined by the courts. lack of clarity in such important matters risks undermining the rule of law. i have therefore decided not to accept any of the amendments to the emotion. i have not taken this decision lightly. i am looking for

the government to remedy a situation that i regard as completely unsatisfactory. i now look to the government to rebuild the trust of this house and not treated with the contempt that it has shown. our political correspondentjessica parker is at westminster. that was a dramatic intervention for a speaker who has been pretty understated. yes, the speaker regarded as being mild—mannered in parliament in terms of his role as the speaker. really giving it both barrels with his statementjust a short while ago. pmqs, all of the action was before the questions began as audiences were just hearing. saying the government basically treated parliament with co nte m pt basically treated parliament with contempt and the way ministers have been using their emergency powers was, he said, totally unsatisfactory and called on government to remedy the situation. crucially he revealed as expected that he would not be

selecting this amendment put forward by the senior conservative mp sir graham brady were just trying to give mpsa graham brady were just trying to give mps a greater say over national restrictions. he said it was not legally viable to do that. what he did say is he would treat sympathetically mps' efforts to bring ministers to this place to a nswer bring ministers to this place to answer urgent questions and take place in —— take part in an emergency debate and justify the powers being used. he called on the government to remedy the situation. talks have been ongoing between conservative backbenchers and the government. sort of compromise ahead of the brady amendment. as to what the compromise might look like, one conservative mp! spoke to elliott said he would like to read the small print before he is happy with it. —— spoke to earlier. a familiar theme in the dialogue between keir starmer and boris johnson. yes, a thinly

feeling at pmqs. keir starmer questioning initially whether local restrictions where really working in local areas and the workable strategy was doing the right thing. borisjohnson defending strategy was doing the right thing. boris johnson defending the government's approach and we will hear more from borisjohnson at this press co nfe re nce hear more from borisjohnson at this press conference later today with the chief scientific adviser and chief medical officer. we trying to give the public health picture and really for boris johnson to justify the measures he is taking. there was afamiliar the measures he is taking. there was a familiar exchange with keir starmer saying it is right that as the opposition we question what you are doing and interrogate what the cove na nt is are doing and interrogate what the covenant is doing, and borisjohnson kong on keir starmer to stop sniping from this sidelines. —— the government is doing. let me bring you the latest covid—19 details from scotland. nicola sturgeon has been giving her daily briefing and she has said that seven deaths after a

positive covid tests have been reported in scotland since yesterday. she said that is the highest daily figure since the 17th ofjune. she said it is a sharp reminder that the virus is continuing to spread and she also said that 94 people have been admitted to hospital in scotland last week. that is up from 58 of the week before. that is in spite of those localised lockdown measures. some speculation that there may be more stringent measures as those cases continue to go up. let's get more on last night's tv debate between the us presidential candidates, donald trump and joe biden. one topic that proved to be contentious was race, with both candidates making scathing attacks on each other. we have to go back to the core values of this country. they were teaching people that our country is a horrible place, it is a racist place and they were teaching people to hate our country. i'm not going to allow that to happen. vice president biden? nobody's doing that. he is the racist.

here's the deal... i know a lot more about this. you just don't know. let him finish. the fact is that there is racial insensitivity. people have to be made aware of what other people feel like, what insults them, what is demeaning to them. it is important people know. many people don't want to hurt other people's feelings, but it makes a big difference. it makes a gigantic difference in how a child can grow up and have a sense of self—esteem. it is a little bit like how this guy and his friends look down on so many people. they look down their nose on people like irish catholics like me, and look down on people who don't have money, they look down on people who are of a different faith, and those who are a different colour. president trump was asked to condemn white supremacists, but would only say that the self—styled "proud boys" — a right—wing extremist group that has engaged in violence and been vocal in its support for the president — should "stand back and stand by."

he then turned his criticism on left—wing activists. i would say almost everything i see is from the left wing, not from the right wing. what are you saying? i'm willing to do anything. i want to see peace. then do it, sir. do it. say it. you want to call them... what do you want to call them? give me a name. white supremacists. proud boys. proud boys, stand back and stand by. but i will tell you what, i will tell you what, somebody‘s got to do something about antifa and the left. the coronavirus pandemic, and the white house's response to it was one of the major issues aired during the debate. joe biden accused the president of not having a plan, and claimed that if he had acted more swiftly, fewer americans would have died from the virus: and a lot more are going to die unless he gets a lot smarter a lot quicker... mr president? did you use the word smart? so you said you went to delaware state, but you forgot the name of your college. you didn't go to delaware state. you graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class.

don't ever use the word smart with me. don't ever use that word. oh, give me a break. because, do you know what? there is nothing smart about you, joe. 47 years, you have done nothing. let's have this debate... let me tell you something, joe. if you would have had the charge of what i was put through — i had to close the greatest economy in the history of our country. and by the way, now it is being built again and it's going up fast. we're talking about the economy in the next segment. so what were the facts behind the insults and accusastions? the bbc‘s reality check team was watching the debate. here's chris morris with his wrap of the night. it was really rather hard to fact check what often became a disjointed shouting match. but there were plenty of questionable claims and false statements littered throughout this debate and by our count, a clear majority came from president trump. he said, for example, thatjoe biden didn't have any supporters from within law enforcement. not so. he said mr biden's son hunter didn't have a job until his father

became vice president. also not true. for his part, mr biden said manufacturing went into a hole before covid struck, whereas manufacturing jobs actually increased by almost 500,000 in mr trump's first three years in office. coronavirus was inevitably one of the big themes. joe biden said the us has 4% of the world's population and 20% of coronavirus deaths. that is broadly correct. just over 200,000 people have died in the united states — about a fifth ofjust over a million people who have now died worldwide. what mr biden did not say is if you look at deaths compared to the size of population, there are several countries, including the uk, where the outcome has been worse. but this is difficult political territory for president trump. his response was simply to suggest that more people would have died with mr biden in charge. obviously a claim that is impossible to prove or disprove. the president also said a vaccine could be ready within weeks. most experts think that is highly unlikely.

mr trump said he built the greatest economy in history and there is no doubt it was doing well before the pandemic struck, growing by about 2.5% a year. but it was also doing well in the last three years of the 0bama administration, growing by about 2.3% a year. there have been periods of much higher growth in the past 70 years than what we saw under president trump before the covid crash. some of the most striking language in the debate, though, was on the subject of postal voting. "this is going to be a fraud like you have never seen," said mrtrump, "a rigged election." but mail—in ballots are not new. nearly a quarter of votes cast at the last presidential election were mail—in. obviously that number will increase this year because of the pandemic. but there is no evidence that postal voting produces widespread fraud. in fact, one study puts the overall rate of voting fraud in the us at less than 0.0009%. questioning the integrity of the entire election really

isn't politics as usual. sometimes it is worth taking a step back and remembering that. and there are still two more debates to come. there have been fresh warnings that lebanon could face a new civil war unless its leaders agree to form a new government. over the past year, the country has been grappling with an economic meltdown, and that was before last month's devastating beirut blast. with many lebanese fearing that their country could slip into chaos, some families are now paying smugglers to take them to europe in unsafe boats. but as our correspondent martin patience now reports from the northern city of tripoli, the death of one young boy has shocked the country. little sufian loved going to the beach and playing in the waves. but earlier this month, his body washed up on the shore.

little sufian loved going to the beach and playing in the waves. but earlier this month, his body washed up on the shore. the two—year—old, the latest victim of lebanon's devastating economic crash. translation: sufian started to ask me for water. he was breast—feeding but since his mum wasn't eating, her milk had dried up. mohammed couldn't find any work, so he paid for smugglers to take his family by boat to cyprus. but for days they drifted, with no water or food. translation: i filled up a bottle with sea water and he kept drinking from it, but then he was crying, he was going crazy. i thought, "what am i going to do? he is going to die." sufian's tiny body was wrapped in a shroud. he was buried at sea. days later, his parents were rescued by a un frigate. lebanon's economic collapse over the past year has been truly staggering.

more than half the country are now living in poverty. and nowhere has been harder hit than tripoli, lebanon's poorest city. the growing sense of desperation felt here means some families are prepared to risk everything. across the city, more and more children are going hungry. their parents can't afford to put food on the table. "we're not scared of the sea any more," says walid. "whether we say stay or go, we're dead either way." he is planning to try and take his eight children to europe. after his body was recovered, sufian was buried in his home city of tripoli. the only reason we left, says his dad, was so sufian could have a future. martin patience, bbc news, tripoli.

now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. i know some of you have spelt the bulk of the day dry and bright but all of us are seeing wet and blustery conditions before the day finishes. the wet weather pushing its way eastwards and means in the west of the country things brighten up west of the country things brighten upa west of the country things brighten up a little through the rest of the day. some thundery showers developing but this weather front will bring the strongest winds, especially as it pushes its way towards eastern counties. 15 or 16 degrees, not cold, but turning fresher and brighter for a time, degrees, not cold, but turning fresher and brighterfor a time, but some showers could be heavy and thundery as we see the day out. overnight persistent rain and east anglia were clear, stays wet in the far east of scotland. showers in the west will combine with more rain in the east of scotland later. in the west with clear skies, south—west scotla nd west with clear skies, south—west scotland and northern ireland a greater chance of frost in the

morning. a fresh start but also morning. a fresh start but also morning. it should be bright for most. more persistent rain in the far north—east of scotland to begin with before brightening up. most will be dry and brighter than today with lighter winds. there will be a few showers here and there and those will be more prevalent towards the west later across the channel islands, south—west england, wales and northern ireland. a fresh end today and the showers push their way eastwards and whether takes the turn. thisjet eastwards and whether takes the turn. this jet stream eastwards and whether takes the turn. thisjet stream goes eastwards and whether takes the turn. this jet stream goes across the atlantic and takes a dip to the south of the uk and low pressure gets trapped in and this low pressure interacts with the jet strea m pressure interacts with the jet stream and determines how this low— pressure stream and determines how this low—pressure system develops. it will have the biggest impact across france and it has been called storm alex. it is drifting northwards and could have impacts for us too. gale force winds, perhaps gust of 60 or 65 miles drier and heavy persistent

rain with risk of flooding. if that area of low pressure develops southwards, it will be less windy but still pretty wet. in the southernmost counties, if it drifts northwards, they will be bigger impacts to be had. either way, it looks like the northern half of the country will have a drier brighter day on friday. but even here, over the weekend, low—pressure like a car will stop in the mud, it revolves round and potential for strong winds and we will keep you updated. —— like a and we will keep you updated. —— likea car and we will keep you updated. —— 02:58:34,979 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 like a car tyre stuck in the mud.