joe biden has pledged to more than halve the united states' carbon emissions by the end of the decade. the president set the ambitious target during a global video summit, with many other world leaders also promising to make big reductions. hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of a young black man who was shot dead by police in the us city of minneapolis. daunte wright was killed during a routine traffic stop. the service in minneapolis heard impassioned appeals for police reform. india has recorded the highest single—day total for new covid—19 cases seen by any country so far in the pandemic. deaths from coronavirus reached a new high on thursday and hospitals are struggling to cope. at least six hospitals in the indian capital delhi have run out of oxygen. now on bbc news, it's time for newscast.

unlike the italian man who didn't go to work for 15 years but got full pay, we have come back to work! and we have been here! oh, yeah! we have just not been doing this. we have just not been doing this, and now we are! which is great. terrific, isn't it? i was trying to think what productive use i had made of my thursday evenings, and i can't really account for it. laughter. all those wild nights out on a thursday night? speak for yourself, chris! blimey! but it is very nice to be here. and it's great that you're back for this edition of newscast. newscast. newscast from the bbc. hello, it's adam in the studio. and laura in the studio, two metres apart. and chris, down in the corridor, glad to be back in the socially distanced lair of news. and to help us celebrate our return to television, we have a special guest.

it's sir alan duncan, former foreign office minister, former mp and now diarist. chuckling. welcome, sir alan. thank you! chris, have you got the book in the cupboard? i have the book in the cupboard here _ i have the book in the cupboard here and — i have the book in the cupboard here and it _ i have the book in the cupboard here and it even says signed by the author, which is terrific. i went to the shops today to buy a copy. it's incredibly entertaining because one of the things we have all missed through lockdown basically is going out for a good drink and a good meal and having a good... i'm not going to say "bitch" but having a good old chinwag about colleagues. and reading your book, alan, that is what it's like. i wouldn't say so! it's more generous than it is critical of people. . i think the nice people - will love it, but i am tough on some people. and i'm tough on them - where i think that they may have behaved badly and that they - have sort of undermined the interests _ of the country and overpromoted

themselves, which politics - should notjust be about. goodness me! come to a little later. and there's loads of this week's news that we can discuss with you, because you have experience of a lot of this stuff. so for the last few weeks, westminster has been gripped by the whole concept of lobbying. so what's the relationship between business, other outside interests, former and current politicians. laura, you got a big scoop about — a new example of the prime minister texting james dyson, the tech magnate. engineering magnate? vacuum cleaner magnate? before we come to the new one, let's talk about the old one. david cameron, who used to work for greensill, the financial services firm. today, two of the senior mandarins — civil servants from the treasury — were speaking at a parliamentary committee that were being grilled about this. and sir tom scholar, the most senior of the civil servants of the treasury, said this about who he gets calls from. i have also, from time to time, had calls from other senior people, — maybe private sector people who i have previously worked

with in another capacity. i think it's natural when somebody that you know asks to speak to you, it's natural to take that. laura, lots of people were saying that's the whole thing in a nutshell. it is. it is because it is natural. it is natural human behaviour. something goes wrong or something is happening that is interesting and you think, "what can i do? i will phone the person that i know". but that is at the core of what the concern has been here. and some background on the greensill thing — greensill was a financial company that is now defunct. that is absolutely key. this is a big project that failed. lex greensill, who was the supposed whiz kid behind this, was an adviser to david cameron's government when he was in power. but the roles reversed a few years later and david cameron was lobbying on his behalf, trying to get the company access to emergency covid loans. and he texted the current chancellor about it. he now says, "maybe i shouldn't have texted him". and we now know he was also lobbying the treasury,

reaching out to people he knew from his time in office like tom scholar. and we also know in the last couple of hours that he was also sending a lot of e—mails to some powerful people at the bank of england too. these conversations are legal. and we should remember. these conversations are legal. phoning your local mp and talking about their constituents' concerns is lobbying of a form, but it's meant to be transparent, open and the same level of access to anyone, whether it's you wanting complain about something to your local mp or a business trying to talk to a minister. the curious thing is the extent to which it is possible to regulate human interaction between people who know each other. but then the other element of this — and your story this week involves the 'vacuum cleaner tycoon', as i saw him described in a paper, which made me laugh, james dyson, is that we saw the prime minister's texts, which is always interesting. it is always interesting.

it used to be pretty rare. but in the last couple of weeks, it seems to be becoming more common. one of the problems with how you regulate this stuff is these things, because so much business is done in politics on people's mobiles, and there is an issue about all the rules that are meant to govern this behaviour. it doesn't really cover the issue of modern digital communication. you must have received quite a few texts from boris johnson. was he a prolific texter? do you think he still is? i haven't had that many! but, i mean, i have had some texts exchanged. | but i have to say i'm not with you on this lobbying issue. i look, i think that the issue is not about access, - it's really about how it's - handled when the representation has been made. and that is where therel should be transparency, where it should - be immediately referred to civil servants. so whenever i got lobbied i by someone — a pr company or something — _ i would take a screenshot from the phone and i would e—mail it to my— private secretary, - so it was then immediately in the bloodstream of the civil service. -

and actually, the issue i with david cameron is not about david cameron. the issue here is why- was lex greensill, in the first place, in numberteni with a number ten car, given special access i to the whole of the uk procurement process by jeremy heywood ? that is actually the . mystifying side here. and i don't think that he i should have been allowed to bypass — the business department or the treasury by somehow going into the heart - of numberten_ through the cabinet secretary. so i think that david cameron. is very much collateral damage here and i think that- the focus on him is wrong. but when it comes to the behaviour of current politicians or former politicians like david cameron, if you were still an mp and a small business came to you in your constituency and said, "hang on a minute. i can't text the prime minister or the chancellor. i can't get that kind of access to make my case"? this would only be a scandall

if it were somehow bypassing a proper process of scrutiny and civil service advice. - laura, do we have any clarity on whether the prime minister is going to publish his personal correspondence on covid contracts? and also, what more can you tell us about how text—happy he is? 0k, well, answer one, no. downing street keep saying things like, "we are just starting to pull it together". i am told that there were raised eyebrows inside government when the prime minister appeared to say, "i will publish all my texts about covid contracts". well, there are rather a lot of covid contracts, and i understand there are rather a lot of texts. and somebody who is a senior whitehall figure said this to me about the time. "in general, there was great anxiousness about the prime minister doing deals on whatsapp. nobody trusted it, nobody knew what was improper and everybody everything." —— was worried that he was promising everybody everything." now, we should also say that the government keep saying nothing was wrong. they keep emphasising this was a time

of great national emergency. but it is the case that there were worries in government about what the prime minister was doing on his personal phone. we know that simon case, the cabinet secretary, there were nerves about people having too ready access to borisjohnson. and downing street did not deny today claims that actually, he was advised to change his phone number because he was just too happy on the phone. from a political point of view, lots of the public would think, "so what? "this was an emergency and he was getting things done." fine. but for people who criticise borisjohnson, it confirms their view that he thinks the rules don't apply to him. but it's the kind of drip—drip of this kind of thing that the risk politically creates an atmosphere where it looks like things are not quite fair. i can see why tony blair said he didn't have a mobile phone in office and he is now very thankful! he famously didn't have a mobile, actually.

that time was different, not everybody did, but he famously didn't. sir alan, talking about your book, do you think it could be used as maybe a bit of a textbook for people in government now, that there are lessons that you spent many years learning that are maybe being forgotten by this current generation? well, i hope so, because far from it being a revenge - document, or score—settling, it's not, if you read it. - obviously, the serialisation picked out a load of sort. of colourful insults. - speaker hobbit! wel, hansard, on the last day, i said, "mr speaker, _ i hope you don't- mind that i have been for a long time". so it is on the record - of the house of commons. that was quite open. i don't — i probably- called him worse as well. but that's another thing. go on! bear in mind that this tv programme is quite late. well after the watershed! i can't imagine there is anything left to get off your chest after reading about the book!

but is there is... you asked about the book. yes, i mean, it's a diary. it is an open, honest diary. which i hoped... i never intended to publish it, | but it was designed to be read by someone who would say, "that's interesting, - that is what a foreign minister does, that is how you balancel your work in parliament. that is really what went . on a by day, blow by blow during those three or four years- between the referendum and leaving the eu." - because essentially, - it was parliamentary civil war. and it's very difficult when i looking back as an academic, say, to catch the mood of the moment. - well, this, i hope this - captures the mood of the real misery and fury- of a horrible parliament. just looking at some of these extracts to which you refer — "jacob rees—mogg is a cheap nationalist.

"nicky morgan, not up to much." "michael gove, unctuous freak. " "philip hammond. . . " that is quite a long quote. "mike penny, what a dumbo." "nadine dorries — mad mad." "james not—so—cleverly. shameless neophyte". i can see why the publishers were keen to publish it! was there a moment where you thought, hmm? i get that these were your authentic thoughts in the moment, and that is the joy in reading it, that contemporaneous account. but did you think, "maybe some of these, i would like to have something to do with in the future"? 0r or maybe not! in the book, it blows hot and cold about boris, . because it's the same with everybody. - sometimes he is exasperating and sometimes he is brilliant. j and i always pleaded with him tojust knuckle down, - be serious and be brilliant. i have one regret which is that in the frustration of _ the period, i used language i which was perhaps excessively critical of theresa may. where, you know, i was a total supporter and it was _ frustration _ rather than criticism.

i said "come on!", you know? i felt she was being outgunned, badly treated, being attacked . by the party within the party, which was the erg. - and ijust wanted her to fizz up and go. - but she was very placid. i found the introspective i nature of her character very frustrating, because i wantedl to rev her up to go out and do some political killingl to defend her corner. now, i also feel thatl i was perhaps slightly excessively rude about michael gove — so, i have a mild... have you made it up with him? actually, we have . communicated since. what about gavin williamson — "a venomous, self—seeking little. . . " i think he behaved badly about michael fallon. i i know that a lot of people in the ministry of defence | found him absolutely potty. and i'm sorry, ijust think- he was absolutely doing things for himself with no adequate political foundation for doing a good job—

as a senior minister. goodness me! i would say the same about priti patel. - "a dolled—up nothing person". well, that is the least of it, really. - laughter. it is her conduct that matters. thank— it is her conduct that matters. thank you _ it is her conduct that matters. thank you so_ it is her conduct that matters. thank you so much _ it is her conduct that matters. thank you so much for- it is her conduct that matters. thank you so much forjoining| thank you so much forjoining us and would you like to give us and would you like to give us and would you like to give us a little cheeky cheers with that wineglass bay see sitting there! i that wineglass bay see sitting there! .. ., , i. that wineglass bay see sitting there! ., , there! i cannot believe you saw my little wineglass! _ there! i cannot believe you saw my little wineglass! this - there! i cannot believe you saw my little wineglass! this is - my little wineglass! this is the launch _ my little wineglass! this is the launch party! - my little wineglass! this is the launch party! it - my little wineglass! this is the launch party! it is! - my little wineglass! this is| the launch party! it is! talk today about _ the launch party! it is! talk today about carbon - the launch party! it is! talk today about carbon emissions. the united states sets out on the road to cut greenhouse gasesin the road to cut greenhouse gases in half, in half by the

end of this decade. that's where we're headed a nation. laura, this is off the back of some quite hefty claims by the uk this week? that's right, and 'ust in uk this week? that's right, and just in terms ofjoe biden, it. just in terms ofjoe biden, it is a big change, right, from the previous administration, so something the democrats talked about a lot of the campaign and they say big, eggs which in terms of the american direction but you're right, earlier this week and actually it leaked before the government wanted it to, the uk also made a commitment to speed up its commitment to speed up its commitment to speed up its commitment to cutting carbon and carbon emissions in this country so borisjohnson also country so boris johnson also has the context of this big climate summit coming up in november, cop 26 in glasgow, a huge test of the promises that the countries is a ready—made but what the uk government hopes to do hand in hand with the us really is to start pushing other nations to start being more aggressive in the fight against global warming.

it is really exciting because we are joined it is really exciting because we arejoined by it is really exciting because we are joined by someone who was there at the beginning of the paris climate agreement. hello. 0h hello to all three of you. thank you for having me on a very exciting day. hearing laura talking about what iris johnson is doing —— doris johnson. johnson is doing -- doris johnson-— johnson is doing -- doris johnson. , , , , ., . johnson. this stepping forward with 50-52 _ johnson. this stepping forward with 50-52 emission _ johnson. this stepping forward with 50-52 emission reduction| with 50—52 emission reduction cuts _ with 50—52 emission reduction cuts by— with 50—52 emission reduction cuts by 2030, it is the largest additional national reduction proposed in this redoubt —— round — proposed in this redoubt —— round of— proposed in this redoubt —— round of climate target updates. it really is a complete switch, 180 degrees.

does _ complete switch, 180 degrees. does it — complete switch, 180 degrees. does it make borisjohnson's pledge look a little bit small now? ., ., , now? no, no, this is not about comparing and seeing who is small— comparing and seeing who is small force this is about comparing and seeing how we are moving _ comparing and seeing how we are moving forward. the point is that— moving forward. the point is that every— moving forward. the point is that every country starts from where — that every country starts from where they are and the important thing is to find each of the — important thing is to find each of the country leaders moving forward — of the country leaders moving forward. we do have a deadline here~ _ forward. we do have a deadline here the — forward. we do have a deadline here. the immediate deadline is 2030 _ here. the immediate deadline is 2030. that might not sound like very immediate if we don't stert— very immediate if we don't start putting in the policies, the regulations, the emission reduction _ the regulations, the emission reduction efforts, right away, we're — reduction efforts, right away, we're not _ reduction efforts, right away, we're not going to to 2030 with half the — we're not going to to 2030 with half the emissions. that is why it is so— half the emissions. that is why it is so important that these leaders _ it is so important that these leaders by and large very few exceptions this morning, have actuatty— exceptions this morning, have actually taken 2030 as a

reference point. that in and of itself — reference point. that in and of itself is — reference point. that in and of itself is a _ reference point. that in and of itself is a huge step forward. i itself is a huge step forward. ijust— itself is a huge step forward. ijust wonder for a new castor i just wonder for a new castor —— newscast are, how to countries go about trying to deliver them sequences it has for the ordinary person the street in terms of their day—to—day life. it street in terms of their day-to-day life.- day-to-day life. it is positive. _ day-to-day life. it is positive. we - day-to-day life. it is positive. we will. day-to-day life. it is. positive. we will have day-to-day life. it is - positive. we will have less pollution, less conjunction, less— pollution, less conjunction, less premature deaths. we know that there — less premature deaths. we know that there is a recent report saying — that there is a recent report saying 8— that there is a recent report saying 8 million premature deaths _ saying 8 million premature deaths around the world are due to carbon — deaths around the world are due to carbon pollution which means burning — to carbon pollution which means burning of— to carbon pollution which means burning of fossil fuels mostly in cities _ burning of fossil fuels mostly in cities. through cars and coat— in cities. through cars and coal plants. we look forward to a much, — coal plants. we look forward to a much, much healthier future and also — a much, much healthier future and also one that is much more efficient — and also one that is much more efficient i_ and also one that is much more efficient. i don't think we realise _ efficient. i don't think we realise how much time we waste in inefficient transport.

christina, for quite a lot of people and quite a lot of governments, the journey to get there, the public has to go on, to what you say is eventually a much more positive situation. but there's a lot of cost for people along the way, isn't there? and also, do you think the political debate in all these countries, this is almost like the easy bit, to sign up to big targets, and actually, once you start having people who are winners or maybe even losers, then it all gets a bit more complicated to bring the public with you? so once we realise that - actually, we will have much better lives, much betteri health, at the end of this, i think we are going - to have more and more people coming along. i used to live in london - and i very much miss public transport but i do know that most of the buildings - and schools and offices i in london are pretty old, beautiful, historical buildings, that are, however, totally inefficient. so insulating homes, buildings, offices, actually cuts down - on your energy bill and makes living or using those _

buildings much better. on the food systems, - we have delayed way too long the transition over- to plant—based protein, that is much better for us, | much better for our health, and certainly much better for the planetary health. i so i think gone are the days in which we say, well, - this is a huge cost, this is a burden. i we are actually turning - the page on that and realising a decarbonised economy, a decarbonised life, - is much better for us. having said that, having said that, we have to really be i very, very mindful of those - homes, families and individuals that currently depend - on the fossil fuel industry and that is what we call the just transition. - we have to be able to provide alternatives to those people i and not leave that behind. as you were just touching on there, you are advocating pretty significant changes to people's lights, people

who might love going fora burger giving it up to eat something vegetarian. where do you strike the balance between being sunny and optimistic and then just some home truths about the scale of changes that are needed? i don't see what the sacrifice is, going in and ordering - a plant—based burger that tastes... - i do because i quite like a beefburger! and it's more expensive, ifind. well, then, you have not tasted the alternatives . because you can have your. burger that tastes like meat, smells like meat, looks- like meat, has that structure but does not... jokes aside, though, it is taking choices away from people, isn't it? no, it's actually opening | more choices for people, it is actually being a much better... i really? yes, absolutely, - a much better society. not if you're telling them they can't have something that they currently have. do you think people will really see it as giving them more choice? no, i don't think we are saying you can't have this, _ i think what we're saying is, there is a meat option-

and there is - a plant—based option. now you have those two options so take a look and figure out. what is better for your i health and what is better for your planet? nobody is taking the cow—basedj hamburgers off the market right fiow. they are still there. we are opening options up i so that people can take much more control of their health. and of their daily behaviours. now, you have got a lot of experience of sitting in the big chair at the summit and you have become a bit of a global superstar in this world as a result. is alok sharma, the current cop chair, going to become a global superstar? is he going to do as good a job as you did in the chair? does he get good reviews? you know, alok sharma,| i'm speaking to you today from costa rica and we had the pleasure of having - alok sharma here in costa rica just a few weeks ago and i had | a very long — conversation with him. i think it was four- hours and we reviewed all of the preparations - that he is having for cop 26

and i was impressed. i was impressed how even under very trying circumstances, - because of the difficulty - of travel and communicating directly with people, _ how well thought out everything is from here until cop 26. how he is actually making this huge effort to be able to do i some limited travel| but to key countries and bring everyone aboard. now, christiana, this is going to sound like a ridiculous question but this week in the uk, we have been obsessed with vacuum cleaners for various reasons. do you think we are going to have to get rid of vacuum cleaners? should we just all have wooden or stone floors or tiled floors so you don't have use any electricity... dustpan and brush. ..sucking up dust? it would be very cold. ok, this is one of the moments in which i wish i was still- in london so i could know| what you're talking about! ok, don't worry, don't worry! it was a dreadful segue i was trying to do to another item and it does not work but that is quite trademark for us. maybe we should leave it there. it's going to be very interesting to see how the government actually

manages all of this. they're going to have to deal with nicola sturgeon in glasgow, if the scottish government, for example, said actually, they didn't want bits of it to go ahead but we know boris johnson wants to create this sort of big feel—good moment. apparently, i'm told he keeps texting people, saying, "i want it to be like the olympics!" a kind of national moment where people come together and it makes you feel good. but just very briefly, one of the interesting things is the uk's role was described to me as being a bit like the wedding planner. right, this is the coordination, this is trying to get everything all sorted in advance. it is not quite the same as sort of political leadership. so it is quite an interesting thing and it will be fascinating to see and fascinating to hear from you. no, i actually have a very. different view on that one. actually, it is - the other way around. a lot of the logistics| and the preparations are in the hand and| the responsibility of the secretariat, the climate secretariat i used to head. i the political strategy is one - that the cop presidency defines and designs, and then - is helped by the secretariat to implement that. so let's not call the uk.

a wedding planner at all. this is very much . about diplomatic... the diplomatic acumen i that the uk has in order to bring everyone on board, helped hugely by the bidenl summit today, as well as more opportunities that will be - on the calendar, such - as the g7, the 620 and other meetings that will also help. christiana, thank you very much. also, in cop—related news... yes. the prime minister's press secretary, allegra stratton, who was going to be hosting daily televised briefings from the brand spanking new television suite in downing street, which we saw pictures of, where there was a little henry hoover stuck in the corner which has been moved away. very energy—efficient, i'm sure. so she is actually not going to do the daily briefings and she is going to be the spokeswoman for the cop conference instead, what is that all about? well, the bigger news is not

that she is going to cop, it is that these briefings are not happening at all. the government spent more than £2 million... what on earth could have put the government off being scrutinised every day on camera? ijust don't get it. chris! really? this was a surprise to almost no one in the westminster village. it was meant to be a big, exciting new thing but there were people with very strong views who have big jobs, shall we say, who thought that actually as time went on, it felt like this was going to be a bit of a hiding to nothing, so they are binned but the big blue room is still going to be used for ministerial briefings so the government says that £2.6 million was still well spent but it is one of those things, it comes around every now and again, people think about doing it and then they think better of it. i can't imagine why! so the daily briefings will not be on your tv screens, unlike us, who will be on your tv screens every thursday again! thank you so much for watching and listening. we will be back with another episode very soon. goodbye. newscast. newscast, from the bbc.

hello. we're seeing big temperature differences from night to day at the moment. we started yesterday morning at around —6 in a few spots. thursday afternoon, under clear skies, sunny skies, you can see from the satellite imagery, we got to 17—18 degrees. problem is, as soon as you lose that sunshine, the temperatures plummet again. and this morning, another widespread frost across the country, maybe as low as —3 or “i! in some spots of england and south—east scotland. frost—free towards the north but that's because we've got more cloud, even though we're under this same area of high pressure. that's what's keeping things dry at the moment. but around it, we are seeing some blustery conditions, particularly towards the far south and the west. most, though, light winds through friday, early morning mist and fog patches quickly clearing. that cloud stubbornly persistent across the far north—east of scotland, maybe a few showers for shetland. high cloud may turn the sunshine hazy in one or two spots, but overall, it's a sunny day for many. a windy one, though, through the english channel and the south—west.

the winds could gust in excess of a0 mph, whipping up some rather choppy seas, and that will limit the temperature rise here to between around 12—14 degrees for many. it may get up to 18 on the north coast of devon and around these western areas — 18 celsius quite possible. northwest england, north wales could get to around 20 degrees during the afternoon. but for all, just about, away from where we've got the cloud in the north—east of scotland, it's going to be a day of high tree pollen. now, as we go into friday evening and overnight, we could see the odd mist or fog patch form. the cloud still there in the far north—east of scotland, but for most, it's clear skies into the weekend. and high pressure is still there as we start it. now, with that high pressure strengthening a little bit to the north—east of us, it does mean the winds across the south and the west will start to strengthen a little bit more, so it will be another blustery day

across southern and south—western areas of the uk. breeze picks up a little bit for the rest of us. still some cloud in the north—east of scotland. a bit of patchy cloud forming elsewhere but for most it's another sunny day. cool down some of those eastern coasts, but in the west, we could still get up to around 17—18 degrees. the frost becoming less abundant as we go through this weekend as the breeze picks up. and it will pick up further into sunday, bringing more cloud across the country. cloudiest of all, central and eastern parts of england, best of the sunshine in the west, with the highest of the temperatures. but a cool day down those eastern areas, especially where the cloud lingers. and there'll be more cloud and cooler conditions next week, too.

welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: president biden urges world leaders to unite and fight —— dozens of people hurt in violent clashes in east jerusalem during rival demonstrations by palestinians and the far rightjewish group. there are running battles now between the palestinians and the israeli security forces. they are trying to move them back here but that's done grenade... —— that stun grenade... president biden urges world leaders to unite and fight climate change together as he pledges to cut us emissions by 50% of past levels by 2030. this is the decisive decade. this is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis. the funeral of daunte wright,