this is bbc news. our top stories... more pressure on the uk government as thousands of doctors back the footballer marcus rashford's campaign for free school meals during the school holidays. uk ministers consider reducing the 1a days isolation period for those in contact with people who have the virus as six us states see record numbers of infections, the vice president's chief of staff tests positive for coronavirus. a mass mobilisation of police officers is ordered in nigeria — as violence and unrest continues across the country. lee kun—hee, the korean businessman who turned samsung into one of the world's biggest electronics companies, dies at the age of 78.

sequins, samba and social distancing — strictly come dancing returned to our screens last night with a special tribute to the nhs. we bring you the highlights. hello and welcome to bbc new, with news and analysis for viewers here in the uk and around the world. the uk government is facing mounting pressure over its decision not to fund free meals for vulnerable children during the school holidays. more than 2000 doctors, including many leading paediatricians, have written an open letter to the prime minister, urging him to reverse the decision and backing a campaign led by the manchester united and england footballer marcus rashford. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley reports. at old trafford yesterday, marcus rashford back at the day

job for the goalless draw against chelsea. but his work off the field, campaigning for free meals for schoolchildren over the holidays, is getting him just as many headlines. with businesses queueing up to offer meals and many local councils stepping in too, he tweeted last night, "the compassion and empathy i've seen over the last 48 hours has really blown me away. "i am so, so thankful and so very proud." he also condemned unacceptable abuse mps and their families had faced after days of charged debate online. the government is saying its position won't change, it isn't funding free meals over the holidays, instead saying tens of millions is being given to councils to support families and billions is available for welfare support. but some conservative mps are worried about that position. the former children's minister tim loughton said on facebook he wanted a change of policy. he wrote, "i will now lobby ministers to reverse this decision

for the christmas break. " this man, tobias ellwood, another tory mp, said providing meals was simple and practical in the holidays. labour has said today it will keep up the pressure, and force more votes on the issue if the government doesn't change its mind. and 2000 doctors working with young people are backing a change in policy too, writing today, "childhood hunger is an issue that should transcend politics. few would disagree that one of our most basic human responsibilities is to ensure children have enough to eat." scotland, wales and northern ireland have set up their own schemes. in england, on the eve of half term for many, the government is standing firm, but the debate goes on. with me now is our political correspondentjessica parker. marcus rashford is a thorn in the side of defences around the country

but also the government. ministers have been praising his work and his ability to raise the community spirit but obviously downing street today may be weighing up the worthwhile nurse of pursuing the policy because there is a pr issue which conservative mps are deeply unhappy about behind—the—scenes you have community group they will step in over half term to provide free school meals for children eligible and the government we are providing support through money to councils which will be targeted at more longer term and increasing the amount of welfare support but politically the issue may come when labour tried to bring a vote again on the subject at some point in the coming weeks was the parliament is not sitting next week so we don't know when that would be. conservative mps have been getting flak, they want to queue up again

and vote against school meals again when it will not be half term around the corner, it will be christmas. now the isolation period for those that have been in contact with someone that have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. there is talk of it being reduced. so under consideration it seems reducing it from the current 1a days if you have come into contact with a positive case or suggestions if you have come back from abroad where you have to quarantine from to something like ten or seven days. it was put this morning to one government minister, brandon lewis. we are learning more about the virus every single day, it is still a relatively new virus and as we learn and the scientists are able to gauge it, we will look at whether we are able to reassess that. we cannot make an announcement on that yet but we want to move with the science and allowing people to live and work with the virus as best as we can whilst i was making sure

we protect people's health and the nhs. test and trace has been coming under a lot of scrutiny recent figures showing... so bernard jenkin, a senior conservative mp this morning raising his concern, suggesting the head of test and trace should take a well earned break, which i think is code for her to either stand down or be sacked. brandon lewis was defending her this morning but boris johnson brandon lewis was defending her this morning but borisjohnson has said things need to improve. for the moment, thank you very much. two advisers to the us vice president mike pence have contracted covid—i9. his chief of staff, marc short, has tested positive and is self—isolating, as is another aid. but mr pence himself has tested negative and will stick to his election campaign schedule. coronavirus infections are continuing to surge in the united states — with new record numbers in six states.

countries around the world have continued to tighten anti—covid measures, as mark lobel reports. a flag for every death. this washington art installation capturing america's coronavirus casualties. just as six states suffer record numbers of infections. it was only three weeks ago that donald trump himself tested positive. he is fully back on the campaign trail, downplaying the dangers of the pandemic. now it is his vice president's health in the spotlight. mike pence's chief of staff marc short has tested positive, as well as another aide. but pence, along with his wife who have tested negative, will continue campaigning despite his proximity to his chief of staff. prior to that, the polish president had become the

latest public figure to test positive. the 48—year—old sci—fi slating premier said he felt fine and were still on the job. but there we re and were still on the job. but there were protests at his country faces record infection rates and has instituted the partial closure of primary schools and restaurants. columbia became the latest country, one of eight worldwide, to record a million concerned covid—i9 cases on saturday. what you are seeing to the rest of the world, but in colombia, it is more complex because you have this long stretch in quarantine and also mixed with a lot of economic factors where lots of people have been hit really disproportionately here and across south america. france another country to hit the million mark hit a record of more

than 45,000 million mark hit a record of more than 16,000 infections in a day. it's government extended an overnight curfew now affecting 46 million people. a night—time curfew in parts of greece has also begun, covering athens and the wider region, home to almost half of the population. with face masks are now mandatory there also. meanwhile, in panama, at least they are turning the tide on some restrictions. its beaches are back open. alexis pineda says his son woke him up at six again because he wanted to come to the beach. they are delighted at the beaches have reopened and hope coronavirus cases will decrease so they can continue to enjoy all these places. right now, though, this places. right now, though, this place looks and feels more like an oasis in a world full of restrictions. the welsh government will review its ban on supermarkets selling non—essential items during lockdown following

growing pressure for the decision to be reversed. the measure was introduced as part of the tougher restrictions which came into force in wales on friday, asjohn mcmanus reports. behind bars and definitely out of bounds. this is the scene now greeting shoppers in welsh supermarkets, with a ban on selling nonessential items in force. the welsh government says sticking to purchases such as food and medicine while ignoring toys, clothes and gifts will encourage people to spend as little time as possible in shops. but as the lockdown gets into full swing, not everybody is happy. a petition signed by more than 42,000 people has described the measure as disproportionate and cruel and calls for its reversal. in response, the first minister matt dra keford tweeted that he would review with supermarkets how the weekend had gone, but reminded people to only leave home if they had to. meanwhile, a 28—year—old man has

been charged with criminal damage and contravention of coronavirus regulations following an incident at several cordoned—off shelves in a supermarket in bangor. and the cardiff government will be watching the financial impact of the lockdown closely, with some saying the price tag could reach £500 million. the chairman of the south korean multinational samsung electronics lee kun—hee has died. mr lee, who was 78, helped grow his father's noodle trading business into south korea's biggest conglomerate, with dozens of affiliates stretching from electronics and insurance to shipbuilding and construction. by the time he stepped back from the company in 2014, after suffering a heart attack, samsung was the world's biggest maker of smartphones and memory chips. it is also a major global player in lcd displays. samsung's overall turnover is equivalent to a fifth of south korea's gross domestic

product, making it crucial to the country's economic health. in a statement, the company said, "chairman lee was a true visionary who transformed samsung into the world—leading innovator and industrial powerhouse from a local business.". it also said "his legacy will be everlasting." we can now speak to geoffrey cain, the author of samsung rising: the inside story of the south korean giant that set out to beat apple and conquer tech. thank you for being with us. how did he do it? an amazing transformation as we said there into one of the worlds biggest companies. yes, so the story of the life of chairman lee kun—hee is incredible. he was a visionary leader who realised early on, when the world were starting to globalise that samsung was vulnerable, it was a small company that did not have a big imprint

around the world so he started the process of rejuvenation, inviting all his executives to give long speeches and tell them to change everything, that was his big motto. he was a man of spectacle, he would hold the big spectacles and he would for example organise a bonfire and they would gather all these faulty cell phones back in the day, back in 1995, and hold a bonfire, set them on fire and then bulldoze them, run them over and then he would tell his executives that they had to do better, that they had to create a company that can only build quality products. it was with his vision that samsung really surged ahead and south korea into this obscure maker of electronics that no one really cared about to defeat sony, japan, and then take on apple and steve

jobs with the galaxy line of smartphones. having done all that and built up some sun, what happens 110w and built up some sun, what happens now to samsung 7 and built up some sun, what happens now to samsung? how big is the loss? i would say it is a pretty big class. the samsung chairman he has beenin class. the samsung chairman he has been ina class. the samsung chairman he has been in a hospital suite for six yea rs been in a hospital suite for six years leading up to his death today so years leading up to his death today so there have been other people running the show since then. in his absence it has been unclear a lot of the time what the next big business area is going to be vous up you have to understand samsung makesjust about everything you can imagine in the world of technology. it makes conductors, displays, smartphones, all kinds of components used, supplied to companies all over the world. samsung prepares to pass the company to the chairman's son, and what comes next? samsung now exists ina

what comes next? samsung now exists in a world of trade was, of de—globalisation, of china versus the us, other sanctions, technology sanctions. where does samson fit into the new world emerging? they have announced big measures in the area of 5g data networks in telecommunication networks. they have published a white paper in which they promised to make a 6g network by 2028 and the goal behind this would be to supply american companies, the american government, european union with the big data networks of the future of the stuff thatis networks of the future of the stuff that is one area they are betting on but we're still not totally sure i'm aware the massive corporate empire is headed. geoffrey, thank you so much. a look now at the headlines. more pressure on the uk government as thousands of doctors back the footballer marcus rashford's campaign for free school meals during the school holidays. uk ministers consider reducing

the 14 days isolation period for those in contact with people who have the virus as six us states see record numbers of infections — the vice president's chief of staff tests positive for coronavirus. a mass mobilisation of law enforcement officers has been ordered in nigeria. tensions have risen in recent days over allegations of police brutality. last week, in the commercial capital lagos, witnesses said the security forces shot dead protestors. now curfew restrictions have been reintroduced in parts of the central city ofjos after a government food warehouse was looted, as russell trott reports. in defiance of calls for calm, the authorities are overwhelmed as sporadic looting continues. this government warehouse in central nigeria is now emptied of food aid earmarked to help during the pandemic, but that's not how the people here see it.

translation: during the lockdown, they were just hiding the food. it makes me wonder what kind of government we have. we've been suffering and many people have died from hunger. responding to the looting, the states governor brought back a round—the—clock curfew. he said in a statement, "this looting has spread, threatening the peace and security of the state." the looting comes after two weeks of angry calls for change from young nigerians. it has become necessary for me to address you. president buhari's initial response on thursday failed to placate them. on saturday night, he blamed hooliganism for dozens of civilian deaths. but amnesty international says they include at least 12 peaceful protesters who were killed by the nigerian army and police at two sites, including this toll—gate in lagos

on tuesday night during demonstrations against police brutality. this protester‘s injuries means the 24—year—old has been told he needs his leg amputated. and david remembers running away as a bullet hit his leg, breaking a bone. luckily, he says, those around him quickly dragged him to hospital. they're awake and they don't want to go back to sleep. i'm not happy with the government. they can kill me now right now for all i care, but the fact is that i am not happy with whatever they have been doing. right from childhood to this age, i have nothing to write home about. lagos' curfew has now been lifted, but the clean—up won't sweep away the tensions. unrest and looting has spread to several states. the head of nigeria's police force on saturday told his officers to use

all legitimate means to halt a further slide into lawlessness. he's also called for nigerians not to panic and help protect their communities from what he called criminal elements. but his call may well fall on deaf ears. russell trott, bbc news. donald trump has voted in the us presidential election, in his adopted home state of florida. with nine days to go until the vote on november 3rd, a record 57 million people have already cast their ballots. this is largely due to fears over coronavirus, with the country seeing record daily highs. both mr trump and his democratic challengerjoe biden have been campaigning in crucial states that could swing the contest in their favour. lebo diseko reports. thank you, sir. thank you very much. donald trump moments after casting his ballot. no surprises for who. i voted for a guy named trump.

after that he was off on a whirlwind of stops in battle ground states. he's hitting rallies in north carolina, ohio and wisconsin. 2016 saw donald trump gaining momentum in the last two weeks. no doubt he's hoping to pull that off again. but today, the candidates presented two contrasting messages on the issue overshadowing this election. turn on television. "covid, covid, covid, covid, covid, covid. " by the way, on november 4th, you won't hear about it any more. forjoe biden, a drive—through rally in pennsylvania, a chance to hit what he sees as his rival‘s achilles' heel. on friday, america reported its highest ever daily number of new coronavirus infections, more than 80,000. what i told in that debate, we're not learning how to live with it, you're asking us to learn how to die with it! and it's wrong! there's going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways! joe biden is ahead in a number

of these key swing states, but it's not something he can take for granted. in 2016, hillary clinton, too, was ahead at this stage in the race, and so he's pulling out all the stops, bringing out his greatest weapon, his former boss. hello, florida! we can'tjust talk, we can't just imagine a better future, we've got to go out there and fight for it! we've got to outhustle the other side! we've got to vote like never before, and we've got to leave no doubt! more than 54 million people have taken up the option of voting early, so they've already had their say. but ten days is plenty of time for president trump and mr biden to make their closing arguments for those that haven't. lebo diseko, bbc news, washington. a major clean—up has begun at one of syria's most iconic castles. a team of volunteers started clearing vegetation from the fortress, which dates back to 12th century.

the plan aims to protect the unesco—listed structure from forest fires which destroyed huge swathes of the coastline earlier this month. soumer daghastani has more. with pickaxes and shovels, this group of young volunteers have been working tirelessly to clean up at one of the worlds best preserved crusader castles. years of neglect and fighting had left their marks on these balls. but recent forest fires in the region ignited fears of further damage and prompted conservationists to act. translation: the wild fires that broke out in the area pushed us to make this plan because they were everywhere. the fires were successfully put out on the 16th of this month. we were scared for the castle, which is like a home to us, so we launched this plan. the fortress was built in the 12th century by a medieval catholic

military order called the knights of stjohn. and, like in medieval times, the castle became a major battle ground during the country's long civil war. it fell into rebel hands in 2012 and endured heavy bombardment. before it was recaptured by government forces. translation: the castle is now recovering and we can say that we moved one step in that direction. in 2018 the castle opened its doors to visitors and around 23,000 people visited. it might be some time before tourists return to snap pictures from the top of its massive walls, but for now it has been given a makeover which will hopefully preserve it for generations to come. the race for strictly come dancing's glitterball trophy began last night with the first live show of the new series.

stringent measures have been put in place to ensure everyone involved is safe — including a socially distanced audience. but despite the new rules, the show‘s hoping it can preserve the old sparkle. andy moore reports. hello and welcome to strictly come dancing, and our first live show of 2020. the sequins and razzamatazz were still there, but coronavirus has forced some changes to the show‘s winning formula. the smaller audience were chosen from front line nhs workers. the dancers won the normal praise and criticism. what a way to open the show, with all that glitz and glamour. it was all very flat—footed, i am afraid, and very stiff of hip, darling. the arms are totally wild. very tight, very restricted. former home secretaryjacqui smith chose a political theme for her performance.

when you consider theresa may, darling, and her dancing, i think you are ten times better than that. so well done. the show‘s professional dancers will all have to live on their own for the duration of the show so that they can form a coronavirus bubble with their celebrity partners. one half of the couple will be living on their own — at least one half, and in some cases they are both living on their own — and in the other half could remain with their household. eastenders' maisie smith wowed the judges with her samba, while boxer nicola adams showed some fancy footwork as one half of strictly‘s first same—sex couple. i was very curious — how will it all happen, how will it work? and you haven't disappointed me. but the best came last, as the singer hrvy got the highest score of the night for

this energeticjive. this season may be shorter, with fewer celebrities because of covid, but the magic is still there. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav. hello there. low pressure is sticking close by for part two of the weekend, so it's set to remain fairly unsettled with sunshine and blustery showers, and some of these showers will be heavy, like we've already seen, some hail and thunder across southern england this morning — it'll affect mainly southern and western areas. it's all tied into this area of low pressure, which yesterday brought us that band of pretty heavy rain which moved through. lots of blustery showers rattling in from the west, fairly strong winds as well. the strongest of the winds tending to be across the northwest of the uk, but a blustery day wherever you are. so, like i mentioned, most of the showers will be across western areas, merging togetherfor longer spells of rain across western scotland. lots of showers across southern and western wales and into western

and southern england as well. some of these heavy with hail and thunder. gusty winds for all but these are the mean wind speeds. we'll see gusts in excess of these values, around 50 miles an hour perhaps across western scotland. probably the best of the sunshine central eastern england, north—east england probably in particular, and eastern scotland. but it's going to be a cooler day than yesterday, ten to 14 celsius. now, as we move through this evening and tonight it stays blustery, further showers at times, longer spells of rain across western areas. this is where we'll see most of the showers. some eastern areas could stay dry with lengthy, clear skies. this is where we could see temperatures dropping into low single figures there. but generally for most seven to nine celsius further west where we have the cloud, the rain and the strong wind. into monday, it stays unsettled. 0ur area of low pressure is anchored across scotland, but it's here where we'll start to see the winds turn lighter and probably fewer showers into the afternoon. that also goes, i think, for northern ireland later on. most of the showers, i think, will tend to affect parts of england and wales. some good sunny spells in between, but still a cool thing

to things — 10 to 13 celsius. it's a chilly, bright start to tuesday, but it's very short—lived because the next frontal system will sweep in from the west to bring strong winds and a bout of pretty heavy rain at times, with sunshine and showers following. those temperatures ranging from around 10 to 14 celsius. that moves through as we move out of tuesday and then we look to the west to more areas of low pressure, which will bring further strong winds and rain as we move to the end of the week. so a very unsettled, very autumnal week in store, but there are signs across england and wales, particularly in the south, something a little bit milder moving up from the south—west for a time.

this is bbc world news, the headlines: more pressure on the uk government as thousands of doctors back the footballer marcus rashford's campaign for free school meals during the school holidays. uk ministers consider reducing the 14 days isolation period for those in contact with people who have the virus. as six us states see record numbers of infections — the vice president's chief of staff tests positive for coronavirus. lee kun—hee — the korean businessman who turned samsung into one of the world's biggest electronics companies — dies at the age of 78. sequins, samba and social distancing — strictly come dancing returned to our screens last night with a special tribute to the nhs —