this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm lukwesa burak. the us senate is voting on whether to confirm amy coney barratt — she is expected to become the next supreme courtjustice. —— amy coney barrett. tracking the trump wall — we report from arizona — on the role immigration is playing in the presidential campaign. a call for europe to step up its battle against coronavirus — as some hospitals in belgium ask infected staff without symptoms to carry on working. and — why patches of hidden water could boost plans to build a permanent base on the moon.

hello and welcome. president trump's reelection campaign is expected to receive a major boost within the next hour or so, with the confirmation of his latest supreme court nominee, amy coney barrett. it could be much sooner as voting has started. this is why from the senate forward democrats have been trying to delete this current vote taking place making speech after speech to stretch the debate to its maximum limit. however, the republican—controlled chamber is all but certain to confirm judge barrett to the lifetime position. that would result in a 6—3 conservative majority

on the nine—member court, tilting its ideological balance for potentially decades to come. lebo diseko is on capitol hill for us. you can see her on the screen now. here we go, the democrats took it right up to the wire, didn't they with those speeches but the voting has started. absolutely, the voting is under way now i think from the sounds of things around me, i am way now i think from the sounds of things around me, iam not sure how far we are in the process but certainly you can hear the sort of strength and feeling around this vote. conservatives are really, really excited about the possibility of another conservative justice on the supreme court, more liberal people, democratic supporters, are people, democratic supporters, a re less people, democratic supporters, are less excited and really disappointed that this is happening before the election. we started the day with

democrats protesting trying to get this stretched out longer as you said. but we also knew that republicans did have the majority they needed to push this through and we expect that to be the case. those figures are starting to come in now, so let's just give our viewers an update as to what i can see on screen. currently, the yes vote are at 52. no are at a5. those figures will change as we continue to speak. keeping a sharp eye on those why does this matter so much? well, as you know the supreme court makes decisions on the sorts of issues that really make an impact on americans wives, we are talking about brown versus board of education, row versus wade which was the ruling that set the rules that allowed the rules for women to have a right to an abortion. —— roe v wade.

there are cases coming up to have an impact on immigration and same—sex couples rights to adoption and also on the affordable care act as well. and the thing that the democrats are particularly worried about is if amy coney barrett might have a say or might be involved in any decision on the election should that go to the supreme court as well. just try and get a figures on this, yes, 52, no are a7. just to update our viewers. you mentioned some of those issues. for example, a woman's right to choose to terminate a pregnancy is there the real threat that these bills could be revisited once judge barrett takes her position on the supreme court? you will remember when she had her confirmation hearing she was asked again and again and again about exactly these sorts of issues, what would your position be if you had to rule on roe v wade or those sorts of

issues, abortion, the affordable care act, there is a case coming up in front of the supreme court in just a few weeks' time on that and again and again and again, amy coney barrett said it would be inappropriate for her to say in advance what she might do but certainly, she is a very conservative judge. certainly, she is a very conservativejudge. she had written opinions that people have seen as taking a very conservative position on abortion, also criticising a decision by the supreme court that upheld the affordable care act. and i think people are worried that she was put forward by republicans and a republican president who had said that he wants to put conservative judges on the court for precisely this reason, to reshape the sorts of decisions. i want to ask you a question. what is the feeling in the united states in terms of the motivation? because reset at the beginning it would bea reset at the beginning it would be a great boost for president

trump in his reelection campaign. why this push for judge parent? is it truly does conservative values or is he thinking ahead for any dispute thatis thinking ahead for any dispute that is coming up in the election results? what is the feeling there? —— judge barrett. i think things are so pulverize here at the moment and sony people have already made up their minds that it is difficult to get a general feeling. are so polarised and sony people have been up their minds... fortrump sony people have been up their minds... for trump this is about aligning himself up for any dispute but he did promise conservatives that he would put supreme court justices conservatives that he would put supreme courtjustices that we re supreme courtjustices that were conservative. and just to give you a bit of context, the last three presidents... just pause for because we are just hearing from the supreme court. the supreme court of the united states is confirmed. applause

0k, ok, so we dropped in at the last minute there. you may have heard some of the sound confirmed, the figures yes, 52. no, a8. so, justice amy coney barrett is confirmed for the supreme court. i should shape with the exception and, she becomes a justice when she is sworn in. let's discuss this. the swearing in ceremony. when could we expect to happen? the rumour is or what we are hearing certainly from us networks is that she will be sworn in by justice networks is that she will be sworn in byjustice clarence thomas, possibly later on tonight at an event at the white house. for conservatives, this is a huge victory. donald trump, this will be his third supreme courtjustice trump, this will be his third supreme court justice that trump, this will be his third supreme courtjustice that he has had confirmed. the last three presidents each served two terms and they each got two

justices confirmed. so, this his historic for one term, a president in one term to get three supreme court justices president in one term to get three supreme courtjustices is absolutely huge. as to what it might do in terms of the election, how people might feel about that, there is a feeling that it about that, there is a feeling thatitis about that, there is a feeling that it is his base, conservatives that might have already been in his corner that will be really pleased by this and maybe it might energise democratic supporters to come out but certainly, yeah, donald trump's message has been promises made, promises fulfilled, and he will certainly be telling his support is that this is another example of that. is it then came over in terms of the democrats now trying to change because once you had that seat, thatis because once you had that seat, that is at? there is no appeal? what is so interesting is watching these proceedings, it is just so clear for both republicans and democrats both know how to hold a grudge. so

the republicans are saying we are in this position because of things the democrats have done in the pass and chuck schumer, the leader of the democrats in the leader of the democrats in the senate saying, "we are not going to forget this. when we controlled the senate, we will not forget what has happened today." now, there has been some talk about expanding the number of supreme court justices ifjoe biden was to win and democrats were to win. very difficult subject forjoe biden. at first he tried to say that he would tell people what he would do after the election. a lot of people were not happy about that and has not said he would set up a committee to discuss expanding the supreme court after he is elected if he gets elected. but yet the options are to expand the number of justices or possibly to bring in limits to the amount of time that they spend on the supreme court. so, that is hard to do. i wonder if you can explain to viewers this

issue of reach using and white many people are saying that this is something thatjudge barrett should do if she is elected? we barrett should do if she is elected ? we know barrett should do if she is elected? we know now she has got that phone. should she read cues herself from any cases regarding the presidential election? what are people saying about this and could you explain to our viewers what this means? the democrats certainly want her to do that and she said that she would not comment about whether she would oi’ comment about whether she would or would not do that. but for viewers at home, book, watson democrats regard this process as not which admit, whacking which admin c. ruth bader ginsburg, thejustice who passed away who's a seat that amy coney barrett is taking on her deathbed said that she wa nted her deathbed said that she wanted this bill after the erection, so people very angry that this has been done or before the election that this is not fair before the election that this is notfairand before the election that this is not fair and she could influence what might happen if the election results went to

the election results went to the supreme court. republicans for their part said what why should she recuse herself? she has been but there which admit they also just because the democrats don't like the process doesn't make it illegitimate. so, yeah i think thatis illegitimate. so, yeah i think that is the central issue. democrats say that this isn't fair, she was put there by a president who has already said that he would be willing to ta ke that he would be willing to take a close call to the supreme court. we spoke to a gentlemanjoel supreme court. we spoke to a gentleman joel goldstein earlier this evening here on bbc world news. and he was concerned about fairness within the supreme court and where it was going. so, just explain to us was going. so, just explain to us how the supreme court and these moves along partisan lines, how that is sitting with americans. there are nine supreme courtjudges americans. there are nine supreme court judges and americans. there are nine supreme courtjudges and with justice amy coney barrett,

there will be six conservatives and three liberal judges, justices. and there you have quite different ways of looking at the law. justice amy coney barrett is an originalist, she believes that you have to look at the text exactly how it was written. justice ruth bader ginsburg was someone who believe that you have to kind of interpret it for the time that we are in. so that really impacts or makes an impact when you look at decisions like for example the affordable care act or same—sex rights when it comes to adoption which is a case that would be coming up as well. but i think increasingly over the last few decades, we've seen the court becoming increasingly partisan. it wasn't always that way, there wasn't always that way, there was a time when supreme court justices were just seen as supreme courtjustices. justices were just seen as supreme court justices. but perhaps now, that is less the case. lebo diseko, think you very much. i know it is getting quite noisy behind you there but thank you for sticking with

us but thank you for sticking with us for that. lebo diseko speaking to us from capitol hill. and just to remind than ever the wrist the breaking news from the united states is that the senate has approved the appointment ofjudge amy coney barrett to the supreme court. it is a lifetime position and the vote went 52 in favour, a8 against. you are watching bbc world news. the world health organization has called for europe to "seriously accelerate" its fight against coronavirus. a string of countries have reported record increases in cases, led by france, which registered more than 50,000 daily infections for the first time. the czech republic has followed spain in introducing a nationwide night time curfew. the who's emergencies expert mike ryan said europe now accounts for a6% of global cases and every citizen needs to take responsibility. if every individual did

everything today to reduce their exposure to this virus and reduce the chance that they may expose others to this virus and if every individual did that through physical distancing, through wearing masks, through ensuring they avoid crowded spaces, through hand hygiene, and they were supported in doing that and if every person who was a contact or who knows themselves to be a contact of a case was to quarantine themselves and be supported in that by government, then we would have significant success as has been demonstrated in many countries in containing this virus. the lockdowns and all these huge measures are in effect a replacement for what is a comprehensive approach to containing, controlling this virus and mitigating its impact. that was mike ryan speaking earlier. several hospitals in the belgian city of liege have asked doctors and nurses who test positive for covid—i9 to carry on working anyway if they have no symptoms. 0ur correspondent in

brussels gavin lee told us the health system in the city is overwhelmed. that is the state of crisis point that hospitals will live that is the state of crisis point that hospitals in the wallonia region around liege have got to to say that they no other choice. i was in one of the hospitals juts a few days ago, montlegia hospital in the centre of liege. they had quadrupled the size of the wards in the space of a week of covid patients and basically by saying to everybody else, all nonurgent surgeries to leave and that they had to cancel so they could maximise space. and they say, that one particular hospital, within about 2—3 days' time, they will collapse, they will not be able to cope. so what you're looking at now is ten hospitals in that position are saying to — well, they're basically looking at the amount of staff of sick. 25% of doctors and nurses are now off sick with coronavirus. on top of that, there is about 10% of staff who have

tested positive in the past few days, they are asymptomatic. all of those hospitals are saying "you have no choice, "we are giving you no choice, you have to come in and work." that was gavin lee. stay with us on bbc news — still to come. not so inhospitable after all — scientists reveal there may water on the moon. indira gandhi, ruler of the world's largest democracy, died today. 0nly yesterday she'd spoken of dying in the service of her country and said, "i would be proud of it. "every drop of my blood will contribute to the "growth of this nation." after a6 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day might bring. boost to ignition and lift off of discovery with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one american legend. this is beautiful.

a milestone in human history. born today, this girl in india is the seven billionth person on the planet. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines. in a major victory for donald trump — amy coney barratt is confirmed as a justice on the us supreme court. a call for europe to step up its battle against coronavirus — as some hospitals in belgium ask infected staff without symptoms to carry on working. now let's stay with the us presidential election. and this week — in a series of special reports from

the key state of arizona — clive myrie will be looking at some of the issues preoccupying voters, as they make their choices. he starts today with illegal immigration and president trump's signature promise to build a wall along the border with mexico. the heavens were no barrier to american idealism. but, on earth, how best to protect what it means to be american? a nation of settlers that, for some, is turning on outsiders. as america votes, immigration is high on the ballot. build the wall! the biggest beneficiary maybe happens to be arizona. that wall, how good is the wall? it is the iconic idea of trump's america. and this... cowboys and big skies, part of the iconography of america. all right, all right, guys, 0k.

bill mcdonald's ranch in arizona is just a few miles from the border with mexico. illegal immigration and drug trafficking are live issues here, yet for him, a republican, billions spent on a border wall is a waste of money. people think, well, you build a wall, you've solved a problem. they've already got saws that cut through that wall. you can do it with technology and do it just as well. it's political, he made a promise, he was determined to keep it. he thought, if he kept it, he'd get re—elected. it's the only reason he does anything. i'm not crazy about everybody that crosses the border, but i'm not crazy about everybody that already lives here either. i mean, there are good people and bad people in all stripes. but secure borders are a necessity. we saw drug cartel spotters across the wall in mexico, checking if the coast is clear to send over human mules. these ones went that way, so yesterday i followed these guys... tim foley often spots them too, videoing the mules camouflaged with their backpacks of drugs.

from his remote base in southern arizona, he leads a group of armed volunteers that patrols the border. is the wall making america great again? it's making it safer. tim represents a strain of american patriotism donald trump tapped into, giving up everything he knew in san francisco to come to arizona. why are you involved? what is it about this situation that gets you angry? i didn't trust the government or the media to tell the actual truth of what was going on. some apple sauce... but what is the truth? there's another group of volunteers on the border. they are from a charity that leaves water and food supplies for people crossing over from mexico, asylum seekers fleeing persecution in migrant families with children reaching for a better life. in this one area, the remains of 181 people have

been found this year. you see young... young people, old people, you see everybody. and you see their families. their families just reach out to us, desperately looking for their loved ones. it's an unimaginable pain and anguish. donald trump's wall speaks to us all. we project on the barrier our own values. this election sees millions of americans casting their votes, in line with who they believe they really are. clive myrie, bbc news, in southern arizona. let's get some of the day's other news. up to 78 people are reported to have been killed in russian air strikes in northern syria. the attacks are said to have targeted a training base for turkish—backed militia fighters in the province of idlib. the strikes put at risk a cease—fire in the province, brokered and monitored by russia and turkey, which back opposing sides in the war.

more than 160 people have been detained in belarus, as workers and students across the countryjoined a national strike called by the opposition. it came a day after an ultimatum expired for alexander lu kashenko to resign as president. the opposition figurehead svetla na tikhanovskaya has hailed what she described as the great solidarity shown. but the government insists businesses are running smoothly. thousands of people have blocked roads in cities across poland in the fifth consecutive day of protests against a court ruling introducing a near total ban on abortion. demonstrations took place in 50 polish cities, despite coronavirus restrictions which ban gatherings of more than five people. the court ruling outlawed abortion on the grounds of severe foetal defects, which accounted for 98%

of all legal pregnancy terminations last year. nasa has announced that there could be even more water on the surface of the moon than previously thought. hidden pockets of ice might cover the surface, patches which may have gone without any sunlight for billions of years. the discovery could be a boost for plans to build a permanent base on the moon, as our science correspondent victoria gill explains. we're right where we wanted to be for station two. it looks like a great place. half a century since humans set foot on its surface, we've mapped every boulder and crater. but a series of discoveries that nasa revealed today have shown that the moon's surface has been hiding an abundant supply of water. one of the discoveries comes

from a telescope onboard a modified boeing 7a7. by flying above much of the earth's atmosphere, by flying above 99% of the earth's atmosphere, it has a clearer view of the solar system. this infrared telescope was able to detect the signature of water molecules on the lunar surface. in another simultaneously published discovery, researchers mapped shadowed areas called cold traps, where frozen water might be stored permanently. what these papers are telling us is that, actually, that the water could be trapped in slightly more easier to access areas that aren't so hazardous. and this is really important, especially if we want to send crewed missions to the moon. and it gives us slightly more options in terms of where we can go and making sure that it's safe for all those involved. to go farther, we must be able to sustain missions of greater distance and duration... these discoveries will be a boost for nasa's plan to send the first woman and the next man to the moon by 202a. because while the apollo missions already took humans there and back,

future missions will aim to establish a base there as a gateway to explore the rest of the solar system. the next generation of crewed missions to the moon are going to have to be far more sustainable, so that means finding and learning to use natural resources, particularly water, that's already there. plans to return to the moon are already in progress. but these discoveries raise the tantalising possibility that our natural satellite isn'tjust somewhere to visit but a place to stay. victoria gill, bbc news. a fantastic story. a reminder of our top story. the united states senate has approved the appointment ofjudge amy coney barrett to the supreme court. the republican—majority senate voted largely along party lines to confirm ms barrett to the lifetime post. she is president trump's third appointment to the nation's top judicial body.

we are awaiting news of her expected swimming in. more on bbc world news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ lukwesa burak. hello there. pretty powerful jet stream will be racing across the atlantic for much this week, generated by some big temperature contrasts across the united states. that will bring areas of low pressure to our shores, bringing rain and gales and huge waves crashing up against western coast lines. but it will be turning milder the end of week in the south. this very deep area of low pressure contains the remnants of what was hurricane epsilon, sending a weather front out in our direction, fairly strong winds as well, to start the day tuesday for northern ireland, wales and the southwest of england. this band of rain will continue to journey its way eastwards. a bright, chilly start across northern and eastern areas before the cloud and the rain arrives. not reaching the far north east of scotland till after dark. the skies will brighten. some sunshine, some heavy showers but it will be the blustery with winds 35,

a0 miles an hour across the south. 1a degrees or so here. chilly across the north and east after that cool start. as we head through tuesday night, it will turn a blustery one, strong winds in the west, lots of showers, some of these will tend to be heavier but central and eastern areas turning drier with clear skies. the temperatures range from five to around eight or 9 degrees. this area of low pressure will continue to dominate the central north atlantic, got a long fetch of strong winds across the north atlantic and that will bring some very big waves to western areas, in excess of ten metres across the west of ireland, dangerous coastlines walking on across the west through the course of wednesday. take care of that. the day will be another one of sunshine and showers. blustery heavy showers at that, hail and thunder mixed in, the best of any brightness will be in the east. and temperatures on the cool side, 10—13 celsius. another low—pressure system bracing up from the southwest to our shores on thursday,

that will bring another round a pretty heavy rain, heavy rain for northern or western areas, strong winds touching gale force, the rainfall totals will really be mounting up across parts of southwest scotland, northwest england and northern or western wales. we could see some minor flooding care by the time we move to thursday and friday. some sunshine in the south and signs of things getting milder. the mid—teens celsius there. turns mild on friday across the south, but still quite wet across northern and western areas.

this is bbc news —

the headlines... the united states senate has approved the appointment ofjudge amy coney barrett as a justice on the supreme court. the republican—majority senate voted largely along party lines to confirm ms barrett to the lifetime post. she is president trump's third appointment to the nation's top judicial body. belgian officials are warning that the country risks going into a second lockdown due to a worrying increase in the number of coronavirus patients in hospital intensive care beds. ten belgian hospitals have asked medics who've tested positive for covid 19 — but shown no symptoms — to keep working. scientists at us space agency nasa say there's probably more water on the moon than previously thought. lunar researchers think there are many small patches of pristine ice — hidden in nooks and crannies on the moon's surface — that haven't been exposed to direct sunlight for billions of years. now on bbc news...