this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america or around the globe. i'm lewis vaughan—jones. our top stories... celebration as nasa's space probe makes contact with an asteroid 300 million kilometres away — in a mission that could give us a clue to how life on earth began. reports of fatal shootings in nigeria as police try to clear anti government protests in the city of lagos. we have a rare interview with the top us commander in afghanistan who warns that the spike in violence is threatening the peace plan. the rhetoric should not be threatening or inciting more violence. what everybody should be doing is finding ways to bring this down. but we will defend

the afghan security forces. we can debate issues without degrading each other's character. we can disagree without hating each other. and putting aside animosity and embracing civility — we speak to two us election candidates hoping for a "better way". hello, welcome to the programme. nasa says its osiris—rex space probe has successfully touched down briefly on the asteroid, bennu. scientists have compared the manoeuvre to trying to park a remote—controlled car 300 million kilometres away, on an asteroid the size of the empire state building. the probe has been seven years in the planning at a cost ofjust over $1 billion. paul hawkins reports. joy at nasa. the osiris—rex probe lands on the bennu asteroid. we're going in,

we're going in. touchdown declared. then just seconds later... sample collection is complete... it might well have the biggest haul of extra terrestrial rocks since the moon landings 50 years ago. i can tell you that everything went just exactly perfect, which is kind of the hallmark of this team. we have consistently beaten expectations over and over again. we have overcome the amazing challenges that this asteroid has thrown at us and the spacecraft appears to have acted flawlessly. and lift—off for osiris—rex. this mission is an incredible achievement because bennu, spinning through space 330 million kilometres from earth, is bigger than the empire state building. and even though the probe arrived there in 2018, it's taken two years to find a suitable landing site because scientists thought the surface would be sandy, instead it was rocky. but eventually they did identify a site called

nightingale, about eight metres wide. now the probe has successfully landed, avoiding contact with surrounding rocks, gathered its sample and lifted off, bound for earth. on board, a sample of rocks and dust which should tell us something about the chemistry of the planets and the sun when they formed 4.5 billion years ago. the only question now is, how much did the probe gather? but it won't be until september 2023 when they can get their hands on it. paul hawkins, bbc news. dr danny glavin is leading the team that will investigate the organic composition of the samples taken from the astroid. i spoke to him just after that succesful landing. we collected samples from the surface of an asteroid. nasa has never done this before and we were all pretty nervous about it, but it was a success. 300 million kilometres seems a long way to go for a bit of dust? yeah, it is a long way to go. the challenge with this mission

is, it's 18 minutes for a radio signal to get there. so this entire collection, this tag event that happened today had to be done autonomously, there's no joysticking to put this down, it isn't a computer game. but the spacecraft performed flawlessly, we hit our target perfectly, touched down on the asteroid for about five seconds and hopefully we got a sample in that collector. we'll find out tomorrow how much we got. so if you do get what you need, these samples, this dust, what's so good about it, what do you hope it can teach you? asteroids like this are carbon rich, they are dark and like a charcoal baguette. we think they contain evidence of the building blocks of life. we think asteroids like bennu have hit the earth early on in the early stages and delivered water and the seeds of life. these organic compounds. why can't we look at things that have previously hit the earth and get

samples that way? that is a great question, i have made a career out of studying meteorites that also have these chemical building blocks, but they have been contaminated. they get through the atmosphere, they are heated, they had the ground and absorb organics and bacteria from the earth. it makes the science quite difficult. for the first time with the bennu samples we will have pristine samples that had been captured, contained and protected from the earth's environment. it is very exciting. fingers crossed we have got those uncontaminated samples, what are the timescales? we have just done the tag collection, we will find out overnight and get images back tonight to find out how much we collected. if we met our requirements, which is 60 grams, about 30 packets of sugar, we will put it into the capsule on board and then in march of next year, we will make our way back

to earth for a landing on september the 24th 2023 in utah. mark your calendars, we will have samples back on earth. obviously you will start looking at them and see soldiers have opened fire on anti—government protestors in the nigerian city of lagos during a second day of widespread unrest across the country. an eyewitness said he counted around 20 bodies, and dozens of wounded people. a 2a hour curfew has come into force in the state of lagos. nnate 0korie was briefly at the demonstration but left before there were reports of shooting. he's been in touch with his niece who works in the area. she's 0k, she's 0k. i am very much in touch with her. we have talked to the minister and from her office, you will see there is

the head office. soi so i have my office up there as well, so i am close. not long after i was there, he came to me. and i was lucky that the shooting had not started. so, luckily, i called my niece to find out if she had left the area. she told me, no, that she wasn't there,and she had to move away from where it was happening. but, she sent some videos to confirm what i had heard. let's get some of the day's other news... google has rejected accusations that it's breaking us competition rules, after the federal government filed a lawsuit against the company. washington says the tech giant has abused its market dominance by paying to ensure its search engine is installed as

the default option on devices. brazil says a chinese—made coronavirus vaccine will be part of its national immunisation plan, in one of the first such efforts in the world to fight the pandemic. the governor of the country's largest state, sao paulo, said they will buy 46 million doses of china's experimental sinovac vaccine. joao doria said they expect to be able to begin immunisation in january next year. the airline, cathay pacific, says it will cut nearly 6000 jobs, as it deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. the hong—kong—based company says a further 2,600 roles, that are currently unfilled, will also be lost. cathay is the latest major carrier in the asia pacific region to announce drasticjob cuts in recent weeks. with two weeks left until the us election, president trump has returned to the battleground state of pennsylvania. at a rally in erie he attacked

joe biden‘s running mate, kamala harris. kamala, by the way, she will not be your first woman president, she will not be. can't let that happen. there will be a woman president, you cannot let that happen. harris even urged their supporters to donate to a fund that bailed out rioters right out ofjail, including attempted cop killers. i will always stand with the heroes of law enforcement. so will you. 0ur washington correspondent, lebo disekojoined me to discuss this a short time ago. i think that donald trump's detractors would point out in that tweet where kamala harris made that appeal was something that was done before she was placed on the ticket, on the ticket withjoe biden as the vice president candidate. and that also the fund in question posts bail for people in minnesota regardless of what their offence is, it is not a

special fund just for protesters that were out at that time. but there were a number of quite familiar lines. interestingly, on coronavirus donald trump said the country is rounding the turn and is ending. a lot of people would argue with that, find it difficult to see. 0n friday, the us had around 70,000 new cases, new infections. it is one of the highest number since july of daily infection rates. similarly, there are 48 states that are facing rising numbers of coronavirus, including neighbouring wisconsin, which is really in trouble, lots of hospitals struggling to cope with the demand. he was in pennsylvania, why there? he said it himself, "we win pennsylvania "and we win the election." it is difficult to see

a path to that magic 270 electoral college votes, that is what you need to become president in this country. without pennsylvania, it has 20 electoral college votes. and donald trump won it by a tiny margin, less than a percent last time around. joe biden‘s campaign team as well are really, really going for pennsylvania. they both see it as a crucial state to get. quickly, what hasjoe biden been up to today? he is practising for the debate, preparing for the debate on thursday. i smile every time i speak about this because it's just been the saga. there was the first, very shouty debate and then we had the two rival town hall debates the candidates had at the same time on the same day. hopefully, this debate will go off as planned. there has been a change in procedures and rules announced by the debating committee, where at certain points, it will be possible to mute the mics of the candidates.

we will see how it turns out. as you know it is possible to pick people up on someone else's mic as well. thanks to lebo there. and — with less than a fortnight until the election you can keep up to date with the latest developments on our website — that's at bbc dot com forward slash news. you'll also find an extensive preview of the final presidential debate — which you can see live from nashville, tennessee — on bbc news, this friday at 1:30 gmt. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we'll tell you how these two candidates for governor of the us state of utah are bucking the trend for animosity among contenders. a historic moment that many of his victims have waited forfor decades. former dictator in the dark slimmer as he sat

down. dawn as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside coram, it lights up a biblicalfamine. now in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion in argentina today, it is cheaper to actually paper your walls with money. we've had controversies in the past with great britain. but as good friends, we've always come to a solution. concorde bows out in style after almost three decades in service. an aircraft that has influenced many for so long. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines... nasa's space probe has made contact with an asteroid 200 million miles away — in a mission that could give us a clue to how

life on earth began. nigerian soldiers have opened fire on anti—government protestors in the city of lagos. a witness said he'd counted around 20 bodies. there are just two weeks to go until the us election. this week the bbc is looking at how president trump's "america first" strategy has changed the world. over the course of our series, we will be talking to correspondents based across the world to find out more about the situation in their region. part of that process is to bring us troops back home from countries like afghanistan — where they've been embroiled for nearly 20 years — that comes as the afghan government and taliban insurgents attempt to broker a peace deal. 0ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has been speaking exclusively to the top us commander in afghanistan — general scott miller. from kabul, she sent this report. flying out of the heavily fortified kabul headquarters

to an intensifying fight in the provinces beyond. today, the us‘ top soldier is heading west — dropping in on beleaguered afghan forces in this province. general miller knows the details of every district, but afghans in charge here raise the alarm. taliban forces are stealthily closing in on this city. it's much the same across the country. a looming us pull—out is on everybody‘s mind. his presence has meant a signal american support. i will say, not only the violence, but the rhetoric on all sides need to go down. the rhetoric should not be threatening and inciting more violence. what everybody should be doing is finding ways to bring this down. but we will defend the afghan security forces. you know, we have shown a great deal of restraint because we are trying to make this peace process work. going home is on their minds too. they've all seen the tweets from president trump — their commander—in—chief —

declaring they should be home by christmas. but the february deal between the united states and the taliban says the final pull—out is next spring. if it continues like this, can you really leave in may? well, those are political decisions. we make military recommendations. i'll leave that for policy guidance and a view on how the peace process is going. the afghan forces have to be ready. so it's not a question of are they ready, they have to be ready. the commitment i see from them, as they understand it, they are the security forces that must secure the afghan people. afghans readying for the fight. these menjust signed up. thousands of young recruits, they're put through their paces at kabul‘s training centre. the afghan army struggles with defections and desertions but for now they're keen.

translation: i lived in holland for seven years. i came back to my country. my country needs me to fight the enemy. the taliban are training, too. slick videos like this are propaganda weapons which can be as powerful as guns on the ground. both sides are preparing for war now while they talk about peace. the taliban could play smart politics and negotiate in good will. they may be good at that kind of war that instills fear into people and threatens them. it's a different ball game once they get into the more conventional warfare. what's your top worry now? my personal worry is our own failure. if we are not able to secure and save afghanistan from the civil war. how likely is the threat

of civil war right now? it's very likely. but we are doing what we can to mitigate it. north of kabul at the largest us base, they're getting ready to go. day by day, there are growing signs that american troops are packing up. this used to be part of its biggest military base, it's shrinking by the day. but this troop pull—out isn'tjust a question of military hardware, afghans say they feel its growing impact on their own lives. years ago when us forces surged, so too did life here. now the life blood in this town is draining, too. jobs are drying up. you can feel the uncertainty on the streets and fear. translation: 10096. i'm scared. the taliban are here, they are here.

they are here amongst us. how close are we to the taliban to where we are standing now? translation: i don't know if it is you or me, but they are definitely amongst us. the end draws nearfor a us engagement which dragged on for nearly 20 years. a moment now fraught with both risk and resolve. lyse doucet, bbc news, in afghanistan. the us election has been bitterly fought this year, but in one state there's been a refreshing change. 0pposing candidates in the race for the governor'sjob — in utah, released a remarkable ad on tuesday. republican lieutenant governor spencer cox and law professor chris peterson, a democrat, appear together to call for civility. i'm chris peterson. and i'm spencer cox. we are currently in the final days of campaigning against each other to be your next governor. and while i think you should vote for me... yeah, but really, you should vote for me. ..there are some things we both agree on. we can debate issues without degrading each

other‘s character. we can disagree without hating each other. and win or lose in utah, we work together. so let's show the country that there is a better way. my name's chris peterson. and i'm spencer cox. both: and we approve this message. earlier i spoke to both candidates. the republican candidate spencer cox explained how the whole idea started after a friend of his was upset at what was happening at the national level. it has become so negative, toxic in politics in the united states, and worried about what would happen on november the 4th, the day after the election, could we see violence and rioting? we said we need to do something. i have tremendous respect for chris peterson, my opponent. we started having a conversation and had this crazy idea that maybe we should cut an ad together and show that utah believes differently, show the rest of the united states there is a better way. we both agreed to do it and ten days later this was the final result. chris, what has been the final reaction?

there must have been some of your supporters who are not happy? well, there are some folks that are worried about it but overwhelmingly it has been a positive reaction. here in the united states we have had such a level of acrimony for so long, people are yearning to have civility in our politics and the recommitment to our democratic elections. i am excited and proud to be part of a positive message, encouraging folks to work together and look to our common humanity as the primary source for compromise. seeing as you are both campaigning a little differently, i will try interviewing a little differently. i will ask you both this question, spencer, what do you admire most about your opponent? if you look at chris' background he was born in poverty, difficult circumstances on the west side of salt lake city. his mother had handicaps that made it difficult,

a single mum. he was able to make it, he got a scholarship to go to college. his history is truly remarkable. he has done great work in our state and federal government as well. trying to help people with this type of need. he is the type of public servant we should have. we disagree with lots of things and the way that we would accomplish these goals but he is a tremendous human being and we are lucky he is running for office here. what is your favourite thing about your opponent? spencer is a nice guy. as spencer says, we disagree about many policy issues and we have been debating those throughout the campaign. but i believe spencer's heart is in the right spot, he's trying to find common ground with people and do the best he can to make our state successful and do well by the public. that being said we do disagree about a lot of things,

but i have respect for him as a person, he is an upstanding gentlemen and if he is governor i am confident he will have the best interests of the state in mind, as he goes forward. as will i. both of you have kind of changed the discussion and thrown the spotlight of the world's attention on utah. you have 20 seconds each, spencer, what should the world know about the great state of utah? the world knows utah, the winter olympics in 2002 it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. people come from all over the world, obviously not during the pandemic, five national parks, but it is the people. what you see today is representative of what the people in utah are. it may be unique in the rest of the world, but not here. chris, your pitch to the world for utah? utah people are hard

workers. we have a work ethic, we are entrepreneurial but we work together to try to solve problems. often times that means one political party over another, but today the key message is we are willing to work together to solve problems. that is a positive role model for the rest of america and for many places around the world where we have division. it is important to overcome our differences to try to solve problems. 0k, before i let you both go, this is a competition, this is an election. spencer, who do you think will win? i hope i am victorious at the end of this, but whatever happens on november the 3rd we will find ways to work together to solve problems. chris, ten seconds to you? spencer is up in the polls but i am nipping at his heels and i'm closing. maybe this was a strategic mistake and i can come from behind and win the election. whatever it is, i hope to do so

graciously and with civility. good luck to both the candidates there. the british guitarist spencer davis has died. he was 81 and had been undergoing treatment for pneumonia in california. undergoing treatment # keep on running undergoing treatment #. the band, named because he was the only member who enjoyed giving interviews, were best known for their 1960s hits keep on running, gimme some lovin‘ and i'm a man. the group split up in 1967. but spencer davis continued touring in later decades, often playing more than 200 shows a year. a reminder of our top story.... nasa says its 0siris—rex space probe has made contact with asteroid bennu. the mission of the probe is to collect a rare sample of dust, that could reveal how our sun and solar system came into being billions of years ago. that's it. you can reach me on twitter.

i'm @lvaughanjones. i'm louis vonjones. this is bbc news. bye—bye. hello. tuesday may not have been the sunniest day of the month thus far, but it ended on something of a high. water contrast there as we move into the new day to see some really quite heavy rain moving into parts of england and wales. it will feel a little bit cooler across some areas. low pressure certainly dominating the weather through tuesday, throwing the weather front across the northern and western scotland, but down towards biscay that we look for the next development. that, in fact, is all tied in with storm barbara. the air is coming in from the south, so, it's not a cold start to the new day on wednesday, but it really will be a wet one across the southern areas and the rain just keeps on coming through the morning, easily 30 to a0 mm quite widely. bits and pieces of the rain further to the north and the old weather fronts still producing rain across the northern western isles of scotland

and the northwest of the mainland. but the odd drip and drab getting into northern ireland. come the afternoon, top temperatures 17 rather than 19 of tuesday, the rain becoming a little bit lighter as that area of low pressure and its energy gradually move away towards scandinavia. as you move into thursday, the isobars begin to open up a touch, a little ridge of high pressure just meanders in from the atlantic. that is not to say that it will be a completely dry day, certainly much drier for the greater part of england and wales, but the northerly ushers in showers to the eastern side of scotland, some getting into the north of england, the odd shower a little bit further towards the south of wales and maybe to the southeast. the highs of the day, if you're lucky, around 16. in lerwick, closer to 8 degrees. make the most of the dry weather on thursday, if that's the way, because here we are on friday with a new set of weather fronts bringing in the cloud and wind and rain back in from the atlantic and i'm really not promising anybody a dry day through friday, the rain starts off across northern and western

parts but you'll see, yes, the band weakens as it works its way down towards to east anglia and even here, there will be a spot of rain. brighter skies falling off behind, temperatures pretty much where we would expect to see them for this time of year. and a quick look at the weekend, another set of fronts working their way across northern and western parts, trying to get across towards east anglia in the southeast. just to make it, open for some doubt.

this is bbc news. the headlines.

nasa says its 0siris—rex space probe has made contact with asteroid bennu. the mission of the probe is to collect a rare sample of dust, that could reveal how our sun and solar system came into being billions of years ago. nigerian soldiers have opened fire on anti—government protestors in the city of lagos. it comes after a second day of unrest. a witness said he'd counted around 20 bodies and at least 50 people who were injured. demonstrators have been calling for widespread reforms. google has rejected accusations that it's breaking us competition rules, after the federal government filed a lawsuit against the company. washington says the tech giant has abused its market dominance by paying to ensure its search engine is installed as the default option on devices. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.