this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. 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. and lee kun—hee — the korean businessman who turned samsung into one of the world's biggest electronics companies — has died at the age of 78.

hello and welcome to bbc news, 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 in england 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. we can now speak to one of the contributors to the letter, dr max davie from the royal college of paediatrics and child health here in the uk. dr davie is also a community paediatrician. thank you for being with us. why do you feel they need to add your name

to that letter and essentially get involved in what many would say is a political decision? i think the reason for the latter is that child food poverty, food insecurity is a public health issue, it has a big impactand we public health issue, it has a big impact and we have a dated that it can impact and we have a dated that it ca n affect impact and we have a dated that it can affect mental and physical health and we feel it is a valid issue for the college to speak on. saying we are politicising an issue that shouldn't be political, it seems to me to be nonsense because the government has a responsibility to its citizens and we are doing is asking that the government to look after its most vulnerable citizens. if that is politicising an issue then we are guilty of that. i would say that is doing ourjob as paediatricians who are interested and concerned for the welfare of children of the uk generally. let me put you what the government are saying and they are saying they are helping children in this position, the government says they have

expanded eligibility for free school meals to more to children than any other in decades, they provided free school meals when schools were partially closed, increasing welfare support by 9.3 billion, giving counsel 63 million more forfamilies facing financial difficulties and saying they provided vouchers to the summer saying they provided vouchers to the summer food fund. they say they have done a lot but you say they need to done a lot but you say they need to do more? it is what we saying to stop the 63 million was injune, for a different category of children and has gone because local authorities around their knees financially. there is always an argument about figures around welfare but what i see on the ground and from figures is the people a year on year, the people at the bottom of the pile get less money and even before the pandemic, the afs was saying that 30% of low—income families were going to be unable to meet expenses if they lose income, a source of income and that is what is happening in the pandemic. we have pressure on

everyone. we're not saying that eve ryo ne everyone. we're not saying that everyone isn't under pressure, when there is pressure on everyone in society, those at the bottom feel the pressure most acutely and suffer most. if the government to change its mind, is this something that should be that duration of the coronavirus pandemic or a permanent change? it should certainly be for the duration of the pandemic, but there is an acute change in the pressures of families, the trussell trust have noted a huge interest of 60% plus application for food parcels. there is a current acute crisis but also an ongoing crisis of the disproportionate poverty and the impact of poverty and health in this country that does need long—term solutions to it and that is absolutely true as well. thank you so absolutely true as well. thank you so much. the isolation period for those who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive

for coronavirus could be reduced. at the moment people in england must quarantine for 14 days, but ministers are considering shortening this to ten or seven days. it's after senior conservative backbencher, sir bernard jenkin, joined those criticising the speed and effectiveness of the test and trace system. the welsh government has said it will review its ban on supermarkets selling nonessential items following calls for the decision to be reversed. items such as clothes and toys were no longer available to shoppers when new restrictions came into force on friday. more than 40,000 people have signed a petition for the ban to be lifted. 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 aide. 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. meanwhile 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 mike pence, who along with his wife have tested negative, will continue campaigning despite his proximity to his chief of staff. prior to that, the polish president

andrzej duda had become the latest public figure to test positive. the 48—year—old self—isolating premier said he felt fine and was still on the job. but there were protests as his country faces record infection rates and has instituted the partial closure of primary schools and restaurants. colombia became the latest country, one of eight worldwide, to record a million confirmed covid—i9 cases on saturday. a lot of fatigue, similar to what you are seeing in the rest of the world, but i think, in colombia, this fatigue is kind of more complex because you had this long stretch in quarantine and also mixed with a lot of economic factors where a lot of people have been hit really disproportionately here and across latin america. france, another country to have hit the million mark,

just hit a record of more than 16,000 infections in a day. its 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 now mandatory there too. 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 6am because he wanted to come to the beach. they are delighted the beaches have reopened and hope coronavirus cases will decrease so they can continue to enjoy all these places. right now, though, this place looks and feels more like an oasis in a world full of restrictions.

meanwhile in the past hour us infectious disease expert anthony fauci has told the bbc‘s andrew marr show a vaccine could be ready as soon as early december. the question is, once you have a safe and effective vaccine or more than one, how can you get it to the people who need it as quickly as possible? so the amount of doses that will be available in december will not certainly be enough to vaccinate everybody. you'll have to wait several months into 2021, but what will happen is that there's been a priority set so that individuals such as health care workers will very likely get first shot at it, as will then likely people who are in the category of being at an increased risk for complications. that could start by the end of this year, the beginning — january, february, march — of next year, but when you talk about vaccinating

a substantial proportion of the population so that you can have a significant impact on the dynamics of the outbreak, that very likely will not be until the second or third quarter of the year. 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." people in chile will head to the polls later to vote on whether or not to re—write the country's constitution. president sebastian pinera agreed to hold a referendum after major anti—government protests broke out last year. joining me now is professor lucia dammert who is a sociologist at the university of santiago. thank you for being with us. the demonstrations that led to this where huge, a million people in one. is there going to be a change in the constitution which will give those people who protested what they want? this is an historical day for sub thank you for having me. it is a really hysterical day in chile. todayis really hysterical day in chile. today is a year from the one and a

half people on the streets in chile and they were requesting a specific social changes and the first step is being done today but we will have a long time to rewrite not only the constitution but also public policies that have weakened the state, that have weakened the social protection network. so we will have a long—term process of political discussions regarding policies here in chile. and this constitution they are seeking to re—wait, it really dates back to the dictatorship, back to the 1980s, so tell us how a new constitution would change all of that. this is a constitution that was originally written by the dictatorship, so it is very much in the idea of the dictatorship that

the idea of the dictatorship that the state was supposed to be really small in terms of doing stuff are the people so the new model that was introduced here in july the people so the new model that was introduced here injuly is pretty much presented throughout the constitution, not only that, but for insta nce constitution, not only that, but for instance the water, the rivers, everything is being open for privatisation, so one of the things people are requesting now is to have a more state led development programme allowing pupils to have rights over health, education, pensions reform. there is a huge discussion over the role of the state and i think covid—i9 has even opened up the da more in order to discuss why these huge disk in chile have been been growing so fast. and the constitution hasn't important

role that the police and that is something that has to also change. role that the police and that is something that has to also changelj have seen opinion polls saying about 70% of people support the new constitution. you expect it to go through with the referendum? yeah, i think so, i think the large majority of people will actually support the change of the constitution and not only that but they will support the idea of the opening 100% of those being in the assembly represented by citizens, not the parliament. that is going to open for a huge renovation of political leaders in chile. 0f renovation of political leaders in chile. of course every time you have a renovation of leaders, you have some turbulence in terms of political discussion and issues, so this is going to be a very interesting time here in chile and in latin america. great to talk to you. thank you very much indeed.

thank you. now i look at the headlines on bbc news. 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. more now on our top story. the uk government is facing mounting pressure over its decision not to fund free meals for vulnerable children during the school holidays. with me now is our political correspondentjessica parker. marcus rashford has been a thorn in the side of the government and i think they have been talking about it, one of the ministers, what are they saying? the government view on this is that they are providing

support in other ways, so they continue to follow a campaign by marcus rashford in the summer, continuing free school meal provision over the summer holidays but will not do it over half term and labour have called on them to do it until easter as you see in scotla nd it until easter as you see in scotland and wales. mr sadie are providing support through money to local councils which they say can be more targeted and an increase in welfare support. very much defending the position this morning, the northern secretary brandon lewis. businesses and organisations that are putting these out there in the holidays to support families i think are doing a great thing for their community, i congratulate them for that and thank them for that. i've seen that in my own constituency in northern ireland, but i think it's complementary to what we're doing as a government. we are supportive of that, we support local authorities to do it, that's what the £63 million is there for and it's not just the £63 million, of course, andrew, it's on top of the hundreds of millions we've put into local authorities to support those most in need. brandon lewis talking about businesses that have been stepping

in. marcus rashford has shared this extensively on his twitter feed about groups across england saying they will step in over half term to help feed the children eligible for free school meals. in terms of that council support, labour raising questions on how effective that will be because different councils may choose to do different things with the money they are being allocated. earlier we heard from tulip siddique. let me remind you that not every council has stepped up, which means it becomes a postcode lottery for some children. so some children will benefit from sitting and living in a council where they've decided to prioritise free school meals but other councils, for various reasons, mightjust decide that money needs to go elsewhere and those children will miss out. labour are saying they are at some point at recess next week, going to ring a vote to the house of commons again on the issue of free school

meals and there are certainly disquiet on the conservative benches, some conservative mps saying the government should rethink this issue so the question is, if labour do manage to bring a vote, well conservative mps who have been feeling the pressure in recent days wa nt to feeling the pressure in recent days want to line up again in the voting lobby and vote down the idea of free school meals over the holidays when christmas is around the corner? the other big political story today is the government thinking about reducing the coronavirus self isolation period. reports emerging last night that they were looking at whether to cut back the self isolation period from 14 days to ten, even seven days and that is if you have come into contact with a positive case. brandon lewis confirming this morning they are looking at that, he said no decision has yet to be made and they are being led by the science was that i think one of the concerns has been over compliance for example and it is one of the issues raised by a

senior conservative mp generally raising his concerns about the way test and traces operating and even suggested that dido harding should resign or be sacked as well was the suggestion he was making. thank you very much, jessica parker. 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. the coronavirus pandemic has meant many countries have closed their borders and few people actually want to fly. in singapore, they're encouraging customers to return to airports — but they'll be staying firmly on the ground. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. doesn't this all look reassuringly familiar? check in at the airport, elizabeth covid—i9 didn't exist. but these passengers know they will not be travelling very far. instead they have paid for the pleasure of in—flight food, without the actual flight. in—flight food, without the actual flight. the food is pretty amazing. it is better than the one cell

usually. as with any normal plane, there are different levels of service on offer. for $40 you can slum it in economy, for the best pa rt slum it in economy, for the best part of 500, you will have a first—class suite all yourself. looking forward to ringing some singaporean lines hospitality back to the sky but we are underground. but it will be a wonderfuljourney today. everyone has allocated seats today. everyone has allocated seats to make sure no one gets too close to make sure no one gets too close to one another and in—flight entertainment is available to distract the youngsters. let's face it, this is unlikely to be the salvation of the airline industry, but it is a start. and some heart—stopping pictures to show you now of a close call for swimmers in sydney. this drone footage shows swimmers

just metres above circling sharks off the coast of bondi beach. it's thought they had no idea the predators were below. the sharks were pursuing some salmon. now it's time for a look at the weather. 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 feel 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.

hello. this is bbc 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. a mass mobilisation of police officers is ordered in nigeria — as violence and unrest continues across the country. and lee kun—hee — the korean businessman who turned samsung into one of the world's biggest electronics companies — has died at the age of 78. now on bbc news — when bury football club collapsed last year, a group of locals made it their mission to bring football back to their town against massive odds. bury fc is one of the oldest clubs in english football.