this is bbc news. the headlines... borisjohnson refuses to budge on extending free school meal vouchers for pupils during the holidays. we will make sure, we will do everything in our power to make sure that no kid, no child goes hungry this winter during the holidays. how hospitals are coping with the coronavirus upsurge — we've a special report from newcastle — where doctors say they've learned valuable lessons but the virus remains a major threat. the welsh government says tesco was "simply wrong" to tell a woman she could not buy period products — as it defends its lockdown rules. covid tests off the shelf from boots: the company says results will take 12 minutes — but cost £120. a week before the us election — anger from democrats as president trump looks set to push

through his choice for the supreme court. nasa says it has evidence that water on the moon exists in larger quantities than previously thought — it could be important for future crewed missions to the lunar surface. good afternoon. borisjohnson has refused to reinstate free school meal vouchers for pupils during the holidays — but speaking this morning he promised that no child would go hungry this winter. the prime minister said his approach —— of providing money through universal credit and local councils — was right. several conservative mps have backed a campaign led by the footballer, marcus rashford, for a rethink. our political correspondentjonathan blake reports.

donations of food for families already facing hardship in leeds, volunteers at this community centre say these food parcels are needed to ensure children don't go hungry this half term. what we have done is met the need of the community, a hungry child is a hungry child regardless of background and circumstance. at the peak of the summer we were feeding around 1500 meals a week so there is a massive need just in this area. improving hospital food was the prime minister's focus in berkshire today, so far resisting pressure to provide free school meals this half term. but he acknowledged there was a problem and pledged to support those most in need. i totally understand the issue of holiday hunger, it is there, we have to deal with it. the debate is how to deal with it. we don't want to see children going hungry this winter, this christmas, certainly not as a result of any inattention by this government, you're

not going to see that. marcus rashford's campaign to end childhood poverty has given the issue national attention but he is less than impressed with the response from the prime minister, suggesting he's heard nothing from number 10 sincejune, when the government extended free school meals over the summer. now labour and some conservatives say it's time to do so again. at the heart of this issue is the fact that there are children who are hungry. why doesn't the prime minister swallow his pride, recognise marcus rashford is onto something here, that the opposition are right when they say we need to do something right now and just give the money to feed children this half term and christmas? it is tried and tested and popular, it has been put in place before and i'm now saying that given all the difficulties and challenges we face in this winter approaching, with the pandemic continuing, let's actually work together and recognise the national picture is such that they want to support this then it would be churlish not to recognise this

is an avenue worth pursuing. there is frustration all round at how the government has handled this, including for many conservative mps who argue they should have seen this coming after the u—turn on free school meals earlier this year. they say the significant sums that are being spent to help those most in need aren't now getting enough attention. again, ministers seem to be on the back foot over the fundamental issue of helping families struggling to feed their children. the prime minister may have suggested the government will take action later this year to ensure children don't go hungry. for now, half term is here and many will be relying on donations to see them through. jonathan blake, bbc news. so, we are hearing that nottingham council leaders have confirmed that the area is going on to tier 3

restrictions. the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. nottingham, russia cliff council areas are set to move to tier 3 covid restrictions. that's after government and counsel discussions, those measures will come into force at one minute past midnight on thursday. —— rushcliffe. and they will last for 28 days, and nottingham council say they will be closely monitored by government and local partners. let's get the latest from our political correspondent, jessica parker. nottingham joining warrington, going into tier 3 tomorrow, so more and more areas of england now going to the highest tier 3. yes, we knew talks had been ongoing for these two areas last week. we were expecting some news particularly on warrington this week and met with the reason warrington really wasn't a surprise is yes, we knew the talks were going on, but also, it's between manchester, greater manchester and liverpool city region. of course, both of

those areas already in tier 3 because of concerns of high infection rates. now come as you say, nottingham are going to be moving into tier 3 regions, rushcliffe, councils coming into force at one minute past midnight. this coming thursday. i think it will be interesting to see the kind of support packages that those areas have agreed. 0bviously when it came to negotiations with greater manchester, there was a very public row, that doesn't seem to have happened in the case of these two areas. as you say, the overall picture, more and more people in england living under the very highest level of restrictions. let's talk briefly about this quilt the dog next school meals issue, the government not going to budge. 0f course, they did budge in the summer but didn't they? that famous u—turn. any chance there might be another u—turn? any chance there might be another u-turn? they did very obviously budge back in the summer by saying, yes, we will provide vouchers for children who are usually qualifying for free school meals during term

time. they are not as keen to be explicitly budging this time, but if you listen quite carefully to what borisjohnson has said today, he said that no child in england would be left hungry this winter. certainly not through government inattention. now, of course, one of the things that the minister has been talking about is the £63 million even to councils to help struggling families who are in hardship in different areas, arguing that that will help with more targeted support, but that money came about back in the summer. so i think if boris johnson came about back in the summer. so i think if borisjohnson is saying that they are not going to let any children go hungry this winter, that isa children go hungry this winter, that is a heavy hint that there will be more money to come down the line to help families with things like food for those children who would usually be eligible for free school meals over the holidays. so not quite an obvious u—turn, but it seems to me that after the last few days where ministers have come in from criticism, conservative mps have been concerned about the kind of pr, the way this whole thing has been

handled with the communication strategy, there is going to be more money likely coming down the line. just, thank you very much indeed, jessica parker there come our political correspondent. parts of england could face an even higher level of restrictions, if the current system doesn't control the spread of the pandemic. the health secretary matt hancock says the government will "rule out nothing" in the worst—affected areas. the rise in cases is piling more pressure on hospitals. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh, cameraman adam walker, and producer nicki stiastny were given extensive access to the royal victoria infirmary in newcastle, and this is what they found. the royal victoria infirmary is part of the fabric of life in newcastle. 15,000 staff work at the trust, they are always busy they are always busier as winter approaches, but this will be the first with coronavirus.

we've got a very tired workforce. we know the beast that is covid pneumonia. it's devastating if you get a setback. for a couple of months in summer, there were no covid patients in intensive care, now staff are back in full ppe. covid continues to make people critically ill. it's continues to make people's organs fail. it continues to cause death. that is still a frightening prospect for many people out there. but patient numbers are half that compared to the first wave, and very few are on ventilators. to me, this feels very different from the peak in april. doctors now know so much more about covid and how best to treat the disease. that means many more patients are surviving intensive care. we feel we can offer every patient the best possible opportunity to get through it — based on some much firmer science that we can draw

on now compared with april. half the patients, like brian, are on clinical trials. the 62—year—old is usually behind the bar at a local social club, then he got covid. terrified. absolutely terrified. the amount of trauma you feel, you just have to build your strength up, get better. i will get better. they will get us ——better. i know that. covert patients in intensive care are given remdesivir, an antiviral drug, plus medications to stop potentially fatal blood clots. they also get dexamethasone, a steroid. trials in the uk showed it reduces the risk of dying by up to a third. mohammed came to england from pakistan in the 50s, a former bus driver, he's 87 and suffers confusion. so his daughter, who has also had

covid, is allowed to stay with him. very close to dying, he was, honestly. it was very scary. he lives with his son and grandchildren, his daughter is on the next street. covid has swept through the extended family. thank god. he's going to thank god. he is going to thank everybody that's helped him get home as well. the hospital is confident it can cope with coronavirus this winter and could expand its intensive care fivefold if needed. but the more covid there is, the greater the impact on other nonemergency care, the hip replacements, eye operations and myriad of other conditions, and like everywhere else, patients are waiting longer. we've got a really significant backlog.

cataracts and eye operations are a good example. small, relatively simple procedures, but if you are an elderly frail person isolating, fearful in covid times, then, you know, we're pushing those patients into deeper anxiety. we've got 73 covid itu beds. i think they are a bit tight on non—covid itu beds. for now, they have some spare capacity, but it's finally balanced, ——for now, they have some spare capacity, but it's finely balanced, and social distancing means the hospital can't admit as many patients as before. a handful of theatres have had to be closed to free up nurses for intensive care. but surgery that was suspended in the first wave is taking place. waiting around, wondering if you are going to get the operation. kathleen should've had her thyroid operation in march, she feels fortunate it's now happened.

it's been a little bit intense waiting around, you know, i'm thinking, "am i going to get the operation, am i not? but now it's happened. i'm absolutely elated, it's great. around 1 million women in the uk missed out on breast screening in the first wave of coronavirus. the trust is determined to keep it going this time. well done. the hospital is very much open for business, and staff want to continue all services this winter. but so much depends on whether coronavirus can be kept under control. fergus walsh, bbc news, newcastle. more now on the news that nottingham, broxtowe, gedling and rushcliffe council areas are set to move totier three covid—19 restrictions. 0ur correspondent dan johnson is in nottingham.

dan, we saw all that bad blood over tier 3 restrictions being imposed on manchester, has this been agreed chemically between the council leaders there and the governments? it seems so. there certainly hasn't been that open bitterness, that open wa rfa re been that open bitterness, that open warfare that we saw in greater manchester, but the togs here have been going on for sometime. i was here two weeks suggesting that extra restrictions were about to be announced, even before the simple 53—tier system came in. we know there have been three rounds of talks between local leaders here in nottingham, and nottingham share and in other local burros with the government because they've had to discuss exactly which burros would go into the very high level restrictions. so we are talking about nottingham, the city itself, and then some of the burros in nottinghamshire. gedling, rushcliffe, just across the river trend here. but that means other parts of nottinghamshire county, particularly in the north of the cou nty particularly in the north of the county areas like mansfield won't be

included in the extra restrictions. tier 3 which will come in from midnight on thursday, know what we haven't had as detail of exactly what the tier 3 restrictions here will actually be. the local authorities are promising more detail tomorrow and exactly what will have to close. but if these restrictions fall into line with what we have seen in other parts of the country, then other people should expect about perks want to close, soft play centre swept a close, soft play centre swept a close, but the expectation is that gyms will stay open along with education, but we will get more detail about tomorrow, along with exactly what sort of financial support local leaders have been able to negotiate with the government. support local leaders have been able to negotiate with the governmentlj know to negotiate with the government.” know this news has onlyjust broken, dan, but as you say, it's been on offer for quite dan, but as you say, it's been on offerfor quite a while dan, but as you say, it's been on offer for quite a while now. what do you think the reaction will be in nottingham to these restrictions? you think the reaction will be in nottingham to these restrictions7m will be really interesting because the virus numbers here absolutely surged in early — mid september. and

lots of people link that to the return of students to the city. it's interesting that the burros that are affected of a city centre itself and the burros that are in the immediate vicinity, closest to the city centre, and that is where some stu d e nts centre, and that is where some students live. so people saw those numbers increasing, and there was a call here for further restrictions. two weeks ago, the city went into tier 2 restrictions, but that may not be enough. at the latest figures out today show that the virus transmission rates and the city have dipped in the last week, have almost halved in the last week, but numbers for nottingham still stand at a50 and 100,000, and that is still high. soi and 100,000, and that is still high. so i think people were expecting further restrictions would come in, the question was about exactly when, and although people have been calling out a week or two back, when is this going to happen, there's a sense with some people know that they may have come through the worst of it, and perhaps these restrictions are needed. that's perhaps why they might be being limited to the areas closest to the

city centre. it in a statement, the bit of detail that's been given by local leaders just bit of detail that's been given by local leadersjust in the bit of detail that's been given by local leaders just in the last few minutes, they say, "these measures will be formally announced tomorrow and have been agreed to achieve a sustained reduction in infection rates, especially to help protect our venerable residence, the nhs and social care services." and we did see the hospitals here having to suspend elective surgery over the weekend so that they could cope with more coronavirus cases. so i weekend so that they could cope with more coronavirus cases. so i think everybody was braced for further restrictions across the city and into nottinghamshire, and they will come in now from early morning thursday. all right, dan, many thanks for that. our correspondent reporting live from nottingham. a covid test that can provide a result in 12 minutes will be made available at high street pharmacy boots. the nasal swab, which will cost £120, will be sold in selected stores in the uk to people who are not showing symptoms but want a test. trials suggest it is accurate enough to identify cases, although, like any covid test, there are some false results meaning they are not 100% reliable. professor paul hunter is a professor of medicine at the university

of east anglia and joins me now. paul, good to have you with us. it sounds, well, quite expensive, but very quick. i absolutely, expensive, but as you say, very quick. i think it will certainly find some value for people who really do need to know whether they are positive today. you know, if they are going to, i don't know, go to a meeting or visits elderly and infirm relatives on that day, it will give them some reassurance, although, at a cost. the problem, of course, is that actually come to reassurance today doesn't tell you a lot about whether you are going to be positive tomorrow or the day after. any reassurance of and by a test is very time—limited. the other issue of course is the risk of false

positives. the data that i've been able to find would suggest that about 3% of tests in negative people come up about 3% of tests in negative people come up as about 3% of tests in negative people come up as positive. now, if you are investigating people who are symptomatic, then that is quite a a cce pta ble symptomatic, then that is quite a acceptable specificity, but if you are screening people who are asymptomatic and who the prevalence of the infection should be substantially lower, and particularly at the moment, it's about less than 1%, what that means is that the majority of positive tests may actually be false positives in this sort of thing. so, yes, it's a value, but it's not going to be a big game changer. and people can't really rely on the results for many days after they've had the test. but some people may be scratching their heads and say when they go for an nhs test at one of

they go for an nhs test at one of the testing centres, you know, we have heard all the stories that it can take days to get your results back. indeed. suddenly boots can do it in12 back. indeed. suddenly boots can do it in 12 minutes flat. yes, but it's a different test. it's an antigen test rather than the pcr, the genetic test, and because of that, it's not as sensitive and specific as the pcr test. typically, you get about one false positive in 1000 with the pcr tests compared to about 30 per thousand with this test if the figures that i've been able to find are correct. so it is quick, but it comes at a price, not only at its cost, in money terms, but also in terms of its accuracy. but i suppose long term, you know, the more kind of testing there is like this, if it is quick and easily available on the high street, that's got to be a good thing, hasn't it? if we are going to find a way out of

this whole pandemic, if lots of people are getting tested off their own bats, that's a good thing. yes, everything that we can do to identify who is infected and enabling people who are infected to self—isolate is a good idea. but if you have symptoms, you should not be turning —— you should not be leaving your house and going into a high street shop or supermarkets to be tested, because then the risk is that you could spread that infection on. so, if you are symptomatic, you really should be going through the current nhs scheme, which enables you to do that in no way that won't actually make or put you at risk of spreading the infection of other people. that's a very important distinction, yet. absolutely, absolutely. paul, good to talk to

come as ever, professor paul hunter there, professor of medicine at the university of east anglia. many things for your time. my pleasure. more than 60,000 people have signed a petition to object to supermarkets in wales having to close aisles that sell products from clothes to electrical goods. health minister vaughan gething said he was saddened to hear women couldn't access essential sanitary products — he said the rules had been mis—interpreted — tesco has apologised for the error. tomos morgan has been following the story from cardiff. the welsh government, well, the firebreak started on friday, there has been confusion from retailers and frustration, growing frustration on social media from some members of the public, of what can and cannot be sold in supermarkets over this two—week lockdown. there isn't a definitive list, but the welsh government have said supermarkets can sell products if they are sold in other shops that are open at the moment, such as pharmacies, they are open, pet stores are open, so they can sell those products, but they can't sell things from shops that are closed, such as books and clothes.

today this morning there was a tweet from a woman in south wales, where she says she was refused by a tesco store from being sold sanitary products, tesco said they were following the welsh government guidelines. however at the welsh government said, that's not in the guidelines, you can buy those products at a pharmacy, you should be selling them. tesco have apologised, vaughan gething and began his briefing today by addressing this specific point. i was very saddened to see this particular exchange on social media this morning from a supermarket telling a woman she could not buy period products. this is simply wrong. it is an incorrect reading of both the regulations and the guidance. and i am very sorry this woman was given this information. supermarkets are open and trading, as are many other shops. and are able to sell a wide range of everyday items that we all need. the welsh government say

they will not be changing this rule because the reason it has been put in force is to limit the amount of people that go out to mix, potentially, in the shops, to browse, and limit the potential of people catching the virus and limiting transmission. it is also in fairness to smaller businesses that have had to close during this period. there will be meetings with retailers to clarify and maybe show some discretion in certain circumstances from now on but, as i say, there will be no change on the rule, but we can expect some sort of detail on what the clarification may be for retailers later this afternoon. thomas morgan reporting there. a final confirmation vote on donald trump's choice for the vacant seat on the us supreme court is expected to take place in the senate later. amy coney barret is poised to take up the lifetime appointment, despite opposition from democrats. judge barrett's appointment strengthens the panel's conservative majority which could have far

reaching implications for american life for a generation. now let's get more on this story from darlia lithwick, who has covered the supreme court extensively newsweek. thank you very much for being with us. thank you very much for being with us. this is hugely significant, isn't it? a lot of people are angry that it's being rushed through just before the election, when, of course, we could see a complete change in power in washington. yes, in some sense, it's a culmination of a decades long effort in the united states for what's known as the conservative legal movement, fearing that they couldn't effectuate the changes they wanted in the legislative branch come in the executive branch, to do it in the courts, and they really, i think i'm at this point, very successfully locked down, as you said from a 6—3 majority of the us supreme court's, not just for the next ten years, majority of the us supreme court's, notjust for the next ten years, but possibly for the next generation. and that majority, just tell us what sort of issues that could really

affect. 0bviously, things like abortion. yes, one of the paradoxes of the united states but supreme court as there is almost no hot button issue that the court hasn't intruded upon in the last few decades, so abortion is certainly affirmative action, but also guns and gun regulation. environmental protections, voting rights, it's really the list is extensive. and i think that we will now see a court thatis think that we will now see a court that is not just think that we will now see a court that is notjust to the rights of american public opinion on most of those issues, but to the far right of american public opinion on those issues. and if the court strikes down progressive legislation that attem pts down progressive legislation that atte m pts to down progressive legislation that attempts to help workers, to help unions to help african—americans who wa nt to unions to help african—americans who want to vote, if the court strikes it down, there's not much that can be done to remedy that. for that reason, president from may see it as his greatest legacy, i suppose. i read talk that the democrats, if they seize the white house and sees

congress could try to extend the number of people on the supreme court, and therefore, watered—down conservative majority. is that a possibility? joe biden announced last week that he was going to set up last week that he was going to set upa bipartisan last week that he was going to set up a bipartisan task force, which is the mostjoe biden initial way of saying to him at least he's thinking about its, but i think it's probably the case that if democrats take the white house and take the senate and do not do something to recalibrate the balance of the courts, then as i said, they are not going to get much of their progressive legislation through. they will see a lot stymied. so i think that the conversation while it's not a popular notion to do what's called court packing, i think that evenjoe biden is coming around to the realisation that a failure to do that will mean right out the gate, he can't get much done in the next four years. i suppose in the long term, for the american constitution, if you do that kind of court packing, as you describe it, the

next time the republic and source summary like donald trump is back in power, he could do even more court packing, and you know, change it towards the conservatives again. absolutely. i wrote a piece two weeks ago saying there's going to be 137 justices on the supreme court's, because it's mutually assured destruction, but i think of the alternative is to do nothing and really allow the courts, the judicial branch, to pretty much stymie every single effort to pass laws, i think that the risk is probably going to be worth doing its, understanding that you are going to lose, and that this is going to lose, and that this is going to lose, and that this is going to be really a pendulum, a very destructive pendulum that will ultimately be legitimised in the courts, regardless of what happened. that's been a while since i read the us constitution. what does doesn't cite any limits on how manyjustices there actually be on the supreme court? not at all, i think that americans have a lot of magical thinking. they believe that the number nine is written into the

constitution, but historically, we have had seven, we've had five, we fed six, so the number hasn't been static, it has been fixed in statutes, but not in the constitution. but we can say because fdr tried 100 years ago to pack the court when his new deal legislation was being stopped abruptly by the courts, he almost destroyed his presidency. so whether or not it's in the constitution, americans very very strongly believe that court packing is really fundamentally thermo nuclear option that no one should undertake. really interesting to talk to. thank you very much indeed. not often we explore the us constitution and not much depth here on the bbc news channel, but there you go. now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello. some of you will remain dry for today, for others the showers remain frequent into the evening for parts of scotland and northern england — further south and west, fewer showers, but feeling cool tonight. as the showers continue to fade

into the night and the skies clear, for northern and eastern areas it will be chilly in particular. temperatures rising later in northern ireland and south—west as rain arrives. there could be a touch of frost for eastern areas tomorrow morning. the day starts dry and sunny but turning cloudy and wet in the afternoon. the south and west start with wind and rain, heavy at times but brighter for the afternoon with sunshine and showers to end the day. far north—east of scotland is the driest of all, but staying cool. and the rain will push in on tuesday evening into tuesday night. as for the rest of the week, it remains rather mixed, further heavy rain at times, blustery conditions as well before something milder later in the week. at the weather with matt.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines... nottingham and three surrounding boroughs will enter tier 3 covid alert level from midnight on thursday. the prime minister's been defending his refusal to extend free school meal vouchers for pupils during the holidays. we will make sure, we will do everything in our power to make sure that no kid, no child goes hungry this winter during the holidays. the welsh government says tesco was "simply wrong" to tell a woman she could not buy period products — as it defends its lockdown rules. there's a prospect of covid tests off the shelf from boots. the company says results will take 12 minutes — but cost 120 pounds. a week before the us election — anger from democrats as president trump looks set to push through his choice for the supreme court. nasa says it has evidence that water on the moon exists in larger

quantities than previously thought — it could be important for future crewed missions to the lunar surface. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's 0lly. good afternoon. there are two premier league matches this evening. the first of them is under way 16th against 17th in the table, brighton at home to west bromwich albion. no goals yet. burnley have had a poor start, they're in the relegation zone at 18th in the table and have a tough match at tottenham later but the spurs manager doesn't think the visitors you will feel how strong they are when buy, march, april, when lots of teams will be fighting for validation, they will be already safe. they will be of 88, nine, ten,

co mforta ble safe. they will be of 88, nine, ten, comfortable in the tail of the season. and the fact that they had only one point doesn't tell me much. the way they play, the players they have, their style of play, the manager, nothing changes them. the manchester united and france midfielder, paul pogba says he will take legal action against the "publishers of 100% fake news." there were reports that he was going to quit the international team because of comments made by the french president emmanuel macron about islam. the world cup winner, who is muslim, wrote "i am appalled, angry, shocked and frustrated some ‘media' sources use me to make total fake headlines in the sensible subject of french current events and add the french national team and my religion to the pot." england have named their 36—man squad for saturday's six nations match against italy and the autumn nations cup that follows it. wasps‘ uncapped dquack willis and jacob umanga have been included. the match in rome will be england's

first test for seven months after the weekend's game against the ba ra barians was cancelled. a big blow to england preparations, but the head coach eddiejones says they took it in their stride, just as they did when extreme weather affected their world cup this time last year. i quicklyjust went up to my room and worked out a plan b. i didn't get involved in the emotion of what happened. did a plan b, then got our logistics manager, and charlotte, and our captain, 0wen up. we quickly had a plan in place about an hour after the postponement of the game — or cancellation of the game, should i say. and we were onto the next thing, mate. we're pretty good at these things. you know, we had the same situation with the typhoon injapan. so we moved on. this time it was just a bit

of a different typhoon. staying with rugby union, wales will play their autumn nations cup matches, including the match against england next month, away from the principality stadium in cardiff. the venue is being used as a coronavirus field hospital. they'll play at scarlets home ground in llanelli. at the tour de france next year after winning the giro d'italia, sir bradley wiggins says he hopes tao geoghegan hart gets a tilt at the tour de france next year after winning the giro d'italia, becoming only the fifth and the youngest british winner of a grand tour. the 25—year—old's role in the ineos grenadiers team was initially to help the leader geraint thomas, but he crashed early in the race. and they're racing more aggressively, they are racing more openly and a bit of flair and a bit of panache. so that's held them in really good stead and the way he's managed himself through the entire race, he sort of became, "0k, i might be able to do this."

and putting pressure on himself. he rode beautifully, he really did. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport still goalless between brighton and west bromwich albion. jed dougal is going to be back with sports day at half past six. ali, many thanks indeed, thank you for that. while we were listening to 0llie they're the latest coronavirus figures were just coming to it was for the uk. in terms of the number of cases, 20,890 new cases reported of covid—19 in the uk. that is up slightly from 19,790 on sunday, and in terms of the number of deaths, 102 deaths within 28 days of a positive covid test. that is, again, down slightly

from 151 deaths on sunday, although there is often a lag in reporting of deaths on the monday, so 102 deaths reported in the uk and 20,890 cases. also, some breaking news coming in to us from ireland. our ireland correspondent emma va rdy to us from ireland. our ireland correspondent emma vardy is telling us correspondent emma vardy is telling us that three bodies have been found ata us that three bodies have been found at a farm in ireland after reports ofa at a farm in ireland after reports of a shooting. these are three men, the body of a man in his 20s was found ina the body of a man in his 20s was found in a bedroom and the bodies of another man in his 20s and another man in his 50s, late 50s, were found ona man in his 50s, late 50s, were found on a jointing land. this is in cou nty on a jointing land. this is in county cork. last year the irish broadcaster reporting that the men area broadcaster reporting that the men are a father and two songs. police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident.

—— father and two sons. so that is three bodies, bodies of two men, found at a farm in ireland after reports of a shooting. there is even more water on the moon than previously thought. we have known there is water on the moon for over a decade, but now nasa has said getting at the water will be easier than previously recognised. the discovery comes from the world's largest airborne observatory, sofia. hannah sargeant is a fellow of the royal astronomical society as planetary scientist at the open university, and says this opens up the opportunities for finding and accessing this water. i spoke to her ealeri. for a long time we've known that is frozen water in the polar regions of the moon, but this new research is really exciting because it tells us there's more water than we realised and actually in these areas that are sunlit, which means it's going to be more easily accessible than we previously thought, so itjust opens up the opportunities for finding and accessing this water.

and how can we access it? what do we need to do in terms of missions and further exploration and experiments? yeah, so currently we have missions heading to the polar regions to look for this water ice but these are quite hazardous, you have to go to extremely dark and extremely cold craters, but now this opens up areas where we can send landers and rovers which don't require such difficult restrictions on where they can access, and they can simply dig it up. and i think what's interesting is, how is this water stable? because we thought that this water on the moon with no atmosphere would just vaporise, so how is it stored? that's the next question and what these next experiments on the lunar surface will need to understand. can you extrapolate a little further from this? what could it mean in terms of life in outer space,

if i can use that very broad kind of phrase, because this is quite an exciting development, isn't it? i think, so, it's exciting. we're not really thinking about life on the moon, but the really important thing for us is resources, because we want to have these longer—duration missions on the lunar surface and water is critical to that, so if we can access that water we can have long—term missions on the surface with humans, and we can also use that water, the hydrogen and the oxygen and use that as rocket propellant for onward missions to, say, mars, so it really opens up the solar system for us. psychiatric services for pregnant women and new mothers have told the bbc they're concerned some patients are turning down specialist care due to strict covid—19 restrictions. mother and baby units brought in measures to prevent the virus spreading on the wards — including isolation periods for new arrivals and dramatically reduced visiting, meaning some mums have been more reluctant to accept help.

nhs england says its 19 units treat around 800 women a year — and people should seek help if they need it. anna collinson has been granted rare access to one unit in nottingham and spoken to staff and patients — including a new mum who believes the pandemic caused her a psychotic episode after she spent 13 hours in labour separated from her partner. becoming a mum can be the happiest time of someone's life, but for a small group of women, who experience serious psychological problems, places like this are a lifeline. they may be actively suicidal and absolutely want to die. there may be times where they may have thoughts to harm their baby. clinicians say separating a mum and baby can affect their relationship, so they focus on keeping them together while the mother receives psychiatric treatment. but in a time of upheaval, building trust is harder than ever. due to coronavirus restrictions,

catherine went through 13 hours of labour without her husband. she believes this triggered her postpartum psychosis symptoms just days later. i had hallucinations and delusions, i had urges to do things i would never normally want to do. i ended up actually reliving my birth at one point which, again, was very traumatic. and there were times where i thought that, actually, myself and ollie didn't actually survive labour. catherine was admitted to the margaret 0ates mother and baby unit in nottingham. if you want to come this way, i'll just show you to a patient bedroom. new patients must isolate in their rooms until a coronavirus test gives them the all clear. so, it can be really, really difficult for some mums, just being in these four walls with their baby. and it can be, you know, that ladies don't particularly want to come into hospital because they're going to have to isolate for the first 24 hours. nhs england says admissions

to mother and baby units are now close to pre—covid—19 levels but services have told us they're concerned some women are turning down psychiatric care because of strict coronavirus restrictions, including limited visiting. the lack of community services, or face—to—face community services, can have an impact. early intervention is really important. it stops anything lingering. a month after leaving the unit, catherine has come to thank those who helped her. aside from a few visits, husband chris had to miss the first weeks of his son's life. at the start, there were obviously concerns, i didn't understand the illness fully. it is really good to have them home. it's sort of nice, and i know it's not over, but, you know, the worst bit is and now we're just home, i'm just trying to get back to normality, really. gentle road to recovery, yeah. as much as we can, yeah. anna collinson, bbc news.

throughout the pandemic conspiricy theories have been spreading across the internet. but one man has been speaking out — against his own mother — after after she became one of the leading proponents of fake news. she's collected tens of thousands of followers with false claims — including denying coronavirus exists and blaming the symptoms of covid—19 on 5g radio waves. now sebastian shemirani says he's worried about the impact his mother is having — and he's had enough. marianna spring has been speaking to him. my brother rings me and he says, "sebastian, i think we've got a problem, er, you know, mum's got a0,000 youtube followers." and at that point, my facejust dropped. i knew immediately what was going on. sebastian is 21, from east sussex and his mum, kate shemirani, has become notorious for spreading conspiracy theories during the pandemic. what she's doing is dangerous. you nurses dancing, i'm coming foryou. this is herfive minutes of fame.

you will stand trial for genocide. i don't want to be here talking about, you know... but it's something i think we've got to do before these ideas get bigger and more people fall down the same route that she's trying to take them down. you can only prevent it before it happens. now a suspended nurse, she has become a headliner at anti—lockdown rallys. this is all a lie, this covid—19! and promoted baseless conspiracy theories about 5g, vaccines, and the pandemic. that's going to go into your dna, it's going to change you forever, which means that you are no longer of the creator. they can put a patent on you and you cannot be genocided. sebastian's concerns are about public health. there is no evidence to back up claims his mum makes about 5g and coronavirus, which have been linked to real—world damage. and she encourages followers to ignore health guidance. the bbc put sebastian's claims to kate shemirani. she did not directly respond to what her son said. she did tell us...

as a child, he says he was frequently exposed to conspiracy theories. at 17, he left home and they are now only in touch via text. when this is over, in three orfour years' time, and everything she said is forgotten and the global genocide hasn't happened, people will forget about it. but, you know, the disaster that goes on with... within my family, and the relationships that she's losing now, that stuff stays forever. staying with the us election, early voting turnout continues to shatter records. in key battle ground states, democrats could benefit significantly more than republicans if young people show up to the polls in large numbers. there are more than 23 million eligible generation z voters— those born after 1996 — in the us.

so will this year be the year of the young voter? the bbc‘s nada tawfik went to the battle ground state of pennsylvania to see how engaged the younger generation is. in the contest for pennsylvania, philadelphia and its suburbs will be key. democrats are counting on high turnout in this densely—populated area to counter president trump's advantage across republican red towns. lining up for the election are young voters who are leaning toward joe biden by an even larger margin than they did for barack 0bama in 2008, even though they're less excited by the former vice president. i'm not super enthusiastic. i prefer one candidate so much over another one and it's basically, at this point for me, it's about getting trump out of office. i don't like trump, to put it bluntly. i want to get biden in,

get trump out, make sure that's signed and sealed. we deserve a better candidate. he's going to do the things that we need him to do now, but he's not going to do everything that we're going to need in the future. more than half of the nation's population are now millennials or younger. and for the first time in a presidential election they make up the same share of the electorate as baby boomers — and could even surpass them. that means they could wield significant political power if they turn out. now it's election season and the next hero is you... there are numerous social media initiatives to get the group more engaged in the process. the poll hero project... and the poll hero project is something i'm very curious about. this one, poll hero, has signed up thousands of college and high school students as poll workers to overcome voting barriers caused by covid. it is so important that we participate as much as the boomers do, as much as our grandparents do. it makes all the difference. and i think, you know, it's about correcting

this trend of voter, you know, young people not participating. chanting: we demand a green new deal! activists hope that energy on the streets moves to the ballot box. young kids should not have to be scared of what their futures will look like. millennials and gen z are more diverse and educated than the boomer generation that has dominated politics, and they have grown up with a different set of priorities. 0ur generation hasjust been, like, crisis after crisis after crisis. young people want, like, radical change to every factor of our society, because none of it is working for us. 2020 could be their chance to finally have their say. nada tawfik, bbc news, in philadelphia. now, the bbc has been covering the story of 80—year—old paul harvey — a former music teacher who has dementia, who played this piece off the cuff after a

challenge from his son. that went viral, and now it's to be released as a charity single after he recorded it with the bbc philharmonic orchestra. and yesterday paul heard his creation come to life for the first time, as graham satchell reports. note plays. there is your four notes. he sings the notes. it started with just four notes. paul harvey, who's 80 and has dementia, improvised a tune that went viral online. dad is, at heart, a performer and an entertainer and a musician and a pianist, and when he sits at the piano and either plays a classical piece or one of his own compositions, or improvises, it brings him back — it brings him back. and it's vitally

important in his life. after paul's tune was played on radio a's broadcasting house, the bbc‘s philharmonic orchestra was asked to get involved. it's a wonderfully nostalgic, romantic piece of music, and the fact that it was improvised, as well, just makes it more special, really, doesn't it? it reallyjust highlights the power of music, i suppose, doesn't it? and the importance of music to mental health. dan has adapted paul's tune for full orchestra — individual parts were recorded locked down at home, the final version given its world premiere — again on broadcasting house. everyone involved wanted this moment to be the first airtime of four notes, paul's tune. piano piece plays.

wow, wow. fantastic. i was just listening to a wonderful piece of music and then all of a sudden i say to myself, "i wrote that! i wrote that! " you wrote it on the spot. you didn'tjust write it, you improvised that! wow. i won't... i won't forget that. that was... that was very. . .very wonderfully special. and you've got nick van eede

from the cutting crew! yeah. that's right. wow. he was one of my pupils. paul harvey has had a remarkable life — concert pianist, composer, inspirational teacher. his favourite modern composer and musical hero? stephen sondheim. you know, he... he writes the words and music, you know, which is ridiculous. i think it's... people shouldn't have that sort of talent! but he has! so one final surprise. hello, mr harvey, this is stephen sondheim, and ijust wanted to thank you so much for the compliments you gave me, and also thank you for that lovely tune that you invented... dear, oh, dear. ..which i can't wait to steal. he chuckles. wow! thank you so much. wow. dear, oh, dear, oh, dear. i didn't think there

was any more surprises. the great man himself — the great man himself, wow. tell him — for him, he can have that tune with pleasure! anybody else i'd charge for it, but, you know. wow. oh, my goodness. oh, dear! that's wonderful. that is deeply wonderful. thank you so much for doing that. paul's track will be released as a single next week, the money going to two charities — the alzheimer's society and music for dementia. what do you reckon, christmas number one? oh, my goodness, yes! oh! well, we're going to aim for that. in the video, we could get you dressed up as father christmas. they laugh.

hello. the fairly changeable conditions we will see in the uk this week has actually been driven by some massive temperature contrasts across the usa and canada at the moment. we have seen record—breaking cold, record—breaking snowfall across some northern parts of the us, that is fighting it out with some very warm air towards the south, and in between a very active jet stream, which are charging across the atlantic is picking up areas of low pressure. this one, as we go into the middle part of the week, contains the remnants of a hurricane. around the centre of that, we could see winds touching 100 mph, but the good news is that stays way to the north—west of us. but it will influence our weather and it will push some rather windy conditions at times, but nothing untoward. some heavy rain, too, and rough seas in the west. later in the week, things will turn milder. so the rain later in the week probably warmer than the rain you will see at the moment. plenty of showers into the rest of the day, parts of scotland, northern england, only one or two showers further south.

we finished the day with some drier weather. this evening, a rather cool feel out there, temperatures already dropping back into single figures. then, as you go into this evening and overnight, still a few showers dotted around to begin with, becoming fewer in numberfor a while before rain starts to arrive towards the south—west, south—west wales and also northern ireland. many northern and eastern areas will have clearer skies, could be a touch of frost around into tuesday morning. as we go into tuesday, it is almost like you will all see two different sides to the day. to the south and the west, you will all see some rain at times, some of which will be heavy, bit of a blustery start before sunshine and showers later. to the north and east of the country, you start with the sunshine, but the rain will push and later in the day. brightest of all is the far north—east of scotland, 0rkney and shetland. but here we will see temperatures fairly similar to the rest of us, only around 10—1a. but as i said, you finish with sunshine and showers towards the south and west. the rain then moves towards the north—east of scotland as we go into tuesday evening and overnight. and then back to this big

area of low pressure, it is between us and iceland really, but on the southern flank of it with winds coming along a long stretch of ocean, we will see some pretty rough seas around the west on wednesday. to the west of ireland could see some phenomenal waves way offshore. but with those winds coming in from a south—westerly direction, it is going to be a mixture of sunshine and showers on wednesday. to the south and the west, they will be most frequent, heavy and thundery. some eastern areas will stay dry and bright, but a fairly cold day in the breeze whether you see the showers or not. and some longer spells of rain returned into thursday with an even stronger winds, particularly for england and wales,

today at six: the pressure on hospitals, with covid admissions on the rise and difficult choices for the nhs. we get access to a busy hospital in newcastle, where doctors say they've learned valuable lessons, but the virus is still a major threat. it continues to make people critically ill. people's organs fail. it continues to cause death. and while the pressure intensifies, hospitals seem to be managing tojuggle their demands more effectively. doctors now know so much more about covid and about how best to treat the disease, and that means many more patients are surviving intensive care. we'll have the latest as nottingham and other parts of nottinghamshire are set to become the latest to enter tier 3, the highest alert level in england.