this is bbc news. i'm nancy kacungira with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. optimism from health experts as a pill developed to treat severe coronavirus reports positive trial results. it could halve the chances of dying or being admitted to hospital. after the murder of sarah everard by a serving police officer, london's metropolitan police tries to regain the public�*s trust. two new streams of lava pose a further threat of destruction, as the la palma volcano forces thousands more to flee. nobody knows how much more is going to flow into the sea. there is no sign of this ending any time soon. the countdown continues. just hours to go until the culmination of europe's first mission to mercury. and it's back.

the london marathon returns on sunday. the returns on sunday. first full—scale race in more the first full—scale race in more than two years. hello and welcome to audiences in the uk and around the world. we are covering all the latest coronavirus develop its in britain and globally. there could be a breakthrough in the way we treat covid—19. interim trials suggest that a new experimental drug for severe covid cuts the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half. if authorised by regulators, the new drug — which comes in the form of a pill — would be the first oral antiviral medication for covid—19. mark lobel reports.

this is the first covid pill, trial results suggest taking cut hospitalisations or deaths by half. cut hospitalisations or deaths b half. , ., by half. the news of the efficacy _ by half. the news of the efficacy of _ by half. the news of the efficacy of this - by half. the news of the| efficacy of this particular antiviral is obviously very good news. the company, when they briefed us last night, had mentioned that they will be submitting their data to the fda imminently. the data are impressive. fda imminently. the data are impressive-— fda imminently. the data are impressive. pills were given to 775 elderly _ impressive. pills were given to 775 elderly or _ impressive. pills were given to 775 elderly or medically - impressive. pills were given to 775 elderly or medically at - 775 elderly or medically at risk patients. within five days of them showing coronavirus symptoms. the data from a phase three trial showed 7.3% of patients on the drug were hospitalised, compared to 14.1% of those who did not take the tablets. eight patients who were given a placebo or dummy pill later died of covid, but there were no deaths in the group taking the pill. the

trial was stopped early because the pill was so successful. the data still needs to be peer—reviewed. so how does it work? as coronavirus replicates itself inside your body, these antiviral pills tricked into using the drug, which then inserts errors into the virus�*s genetic code for blocking the virus from replicating. there are existing intravenous treatments, but this is the first pill, and as long as it is taken on what —— would offer an alternative at a lower price. -- would offer an alternative at a lower price.— -- would offer an alternative at a lower price. for this one, it is a simple _ at a lower price. for this one, it is a simple pill, _ at a lower price. for this one, it is a simple pill, so - it is a simple pill, so obviously a lot easier to administer it, a lot easier to administer it, a lot easier to administer as an outpatient as well. ~ . ~ administer as an outpatient as well. ~ ,,, administer as an outpatient as well. ~ , , well. merck says it is making 10 million — well. merck says it is making 10 million courses _ well. merck says it is making 10 million courses of - well. merck says it is making 10 million courses of the - 10 million courses of the treatment by the end of the year, with 1.7 million of those already paid for by the us government.— already paid for by the us government. game changers -robabl government. game changers probably a — government. game changers probably a bit _ government. game changers probably a bit of— government. game changers probably a bit of a _ government. game changers probably a bit of a stretch, i probably a bit of a stretch, but —

probably a bit of a stretch, but absolutely helps push us forward, _ but absolutely helps push us forward, and that's kind of how we see — forward, and that's kind of how we see it. _ forward, and that's kind of how we see it, is moving back to a normal— we see it, is moving back to a normal society and this is just the next — normal society and this is just the next step. normal society and this is 'ust the next stepi the next step. the us drug company — the next step. the us drug company is _ the next step. the us drug company is seeking - the next step. the us drug - company is seeking emergency approvalfor the drug company is seeking emergency approval for the drug which company is seeking emergency approvalfor the drug which us authorities say is no subsidy for vaccines. authorities say is no subsidy forvaccines. but authorities say is no subsidy for vaccines. but this is an exciting development, the first company to report trial reports of a pill that treats covid as other companies also work on similar treatments. other companies also work on similartreatments. mark other companies also work on similar treatments. mark lobel, bbc news. london's metropolitan police is trying to reassure women after a serving police officer pleaded guilty this week to the rape, kidnap and murder of a woman walking home alone in london. the officer, wayne couzens, will spend the rest of his life in prison. in court, it emerged he'd used his warrant card and handcuffs in the attack on sarah everard. daniel sandford has more. wayne couzens, the police officer turned killer who has so damaged public trust, today beginning the life

sentence in prison from which he will never be released. his abduction, rape and murder of sarah everard, using his police warrant card and handcuffs, risks undermining confidence in officers right across the uk. i think it's very important that people should have confidence in policing and what the police do. and i do, let me stress that. but what i want to do is to use this moment to make sure that we deal with what i think is a huge and justified feeling, by millions of people up and down the country, and i'm afraid overwhelmingly women, that their complaints and their anxieties are not taken seriously enough by the police. the wider problem is illustrated by a whatsapp group in which wayne couzens swapped misogynistic messages with officers from the metropolitan police, the civil nuclear constabulary and the norfolk constabulary. all are being investigated for gross misconduct. two of the met officers face a criminal investigation for allegedly sending

grossly offensive messages. i am so sorry. couzens's horrific crimes have left the head of london's police force, dame cressida dick, in a precarious position. her force had failed to link wayne couzens to at least two incidents of indecent exposure, one before he joined the force and one just three days before he killed sarah everard. women who now feel concerned when stopped by officers are being advised to ask to speak to the control room on the police radio, and, if still concerned, just run, but labour want to hear more on what the police will be doing. what we need right now is clear communication to women, who are particularly concerned not about what they have to do differently but what the police are going to do to reassure them about the way that they're going to police this situation. she's ready to take action, to do the right thing. and while the force has been celebrating 100 years of women in policing, some former officers have said

misogyny, contempt for women, is widespread, and people are afraid to report it. there are some people who challenge, and they become marginalised, and they become almost like the pariahs of the team. that needs to stop. that's why i talk about, there needs to be the support network, and those officers need to be actively encouraged to come forward. the confidence issues go far beyond the capital. the force in manchester has been repeatedly criticised for how it handles domestic abuse. young women in the city today said they have lost trust in the police. they're there to keep you safe, and the idea that they're not and they're doing quite the opposite's quite scary, i feel. i don't feel like i could go to the police now. i feel like we have to kind of stand together, rather than go to the police. we have to kind of have back—up from other means. the senior officer who will lead the national effort to address those concerns said this is a watershed moment. i think this is a marked moment in society, to stand and look at ourselves about the level of violence against women and girls.

i think this is a tide that has turned and a tide that we can look at notjust in policing but across society. and the case of sarah everard, murdered by a police officer as she walked home, might also be the moment when forces have to address the toxic attitudes that some men in their ranks hold towards women. daniel sandford, bbc news, at new scotland yard. also in the uk, the military will begin delivering petrol to garages across the country from monday, to help tackle the ongoing crisis. around 200 servicemen and women are receiving training, because of a lack of tanker drivers which has caused queues at petrol stations. our political correspondent, damian grammaticas, has the latest from westminster. these drivers, 100 of them are actually drivers, as you say, will begin on monday. and as well as that, what we've actually heard

is that the government is going to make immediately 300 visas available for foreign drivers to be brought in by haulage companies to start pretty much straightaway to help as well. now, the government may be with this hoping to send a signal that it is trying to do everything it can to tackle the situation. these drivers have taken time to be trained up and will then be helping. but the danger in this is that critics, who say there's a driver shortage because thousands of drivers left after brexit and then it took time to train up more, will now point to the fact that the government is bringing in drivers from overseas and putting the army on the streets in response to this crisis. damian grammaticas reporting. president biden has been on capitol hill today, as democrats held talks for a second day about whether they have the votes to pass his $1 trillion infrastructure bill. progressive democrats are withholding their support until a deal is reached

with moderates in the party on a much larger $3.5 trillion social policy bill. president biden said that they were going to get it done. i'm telling you, we're going to get this done. it doesn't matter when. it doesn't matter whether it's in six minutes, six days or six weeks. we're going to get it done. let's ta ke let's take a look now at some of the day's other news. the former georgian president mikheil saakashvili has been arrested. georgia's president has poorly said she will not pardon mr

saakashvili. a us supreme court judge has refused to block a requirement that all schoolteachers, students and public employees be vaccinated for, 19. justice sonia sotomayor rejected the appeal. —— for covid—i9. the coach of a us women's soccer team has been sacked for allegations of harassment over years. he faces a string of allegations, it says riley denies any sexual misconduct. red hot lava from a volcano erupting on the spanish island of la palma continues to flow into the sea, sending out vast clouds of steam and toxic gases. many homes and crops have been destroyed and thousands of people forced to flee since the eruption began 11 days ago. our correspondent danjohnson is in la palma.

that volcano is still really active, and there is fresh lava flowing from new vents. there's an emergency team that's just driven up the road here with loudspeakers, warning people that the wind direction has changed and that the sulphur levels are increasing in the air here, that people should go home and keep their windows closed. and this relentless eruption is notjust affecting daily life here and people's livelihoods, it's actually changed the lay of the land. welcome to the newest part of la palma — a volcanic island extension that's growing all the time. and all this lava has destroyed 900 homes and forced thousands more to be abandoned. emily and augustine are the latest to pack up, ready to leave, fearful it's heading their way. it won't stop. that's my one big fear, we are onlyjust seeing the beginning. and there's augustine's mum and aunt — 96 and 97. they've both lived through

two previous eruptions — i949 and 1971 — but now, they've had enough. "this is much worse than the other eruptions," she says. "i'll be much calmer when i've reached the other island." everything's horrible. i mean, we are still lucky. we have the house — i mean, hope is always stronger than fear, and we hope we'll stay. i have so many friends who lost their houses and everything. around the clock, the lava keeps flowing, and new vents have opened up, threatening other villages. ash is continually clouding these skies. so janet's work is never done, because this volcanic grit just keeps falling. translation: it's not easy. we never imagined this could happen. it's hard to see people without anywhere to live. on this island, we are family. there's a huge exclusion zone being patrolled by the coast guard because, although that's mostly

steam being given off when the lava hits the water, there's also the risk that toxic gases are released as well. and nobody knows how much more lava is going to flow into the sea. there's no sign of this ending any time soon. fishermen can only watch and wait. it's said the fish all swam awayjust before the eruption. translation: we don't know what the future . will be like because there are fewer fish. i don't see a future here if they don't help us. do you think you'll leave la palma? si. others are adapting to this strange new way of life, dominated by the deep rumbling of the volcano and the unpredictable threat of its everflowing lava. danjohnson, bbc news, la palma. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the return of the london marathon. more than 40,000 runners prepare for the first

full—scale race in more than two years. in all russia's turmoil, it has never quite come to this. president yeltsin said the day would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility which produced affection from catholics throughout the world, but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. this man, israel's right—winger ariel sharon, visited _ the religious compound - and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy- sites, an idea that's- unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one. in berlin, a million germans celebrate the rebirth of europe's biggest

and richest nation. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: optimism from health experts as a pill developed to treat severe coronavirus reports positive trial results. after the murder of sarah everard by a serving police officer, london's metropolitan police tries to regain the public�*s trust. texas now has the strictest anti—abortion law in the us, with the procedure effectively banned after six weeks. we hear from michelle, who has chosen to get an abortion and tries to navigate a new reality for women there. and we also hear from makayla, who says she's been flooded with cries for help since texas introduced a strict anti—abortion law. angelica casas met

them both and has this story from san antonio. someone's coming over right now because they're a little scared about the aftercare for their abortion because they've never had an abortion, they don't know anybody who's had an abortion. makayla helps people in texas access abortions. how have you been doing? how has accessing abortion right now been for you? i feel a little stressed, but very relieved. i'm here picking up, like, my care package, so i feel a little bit more safe, especially because you're more knowledgeable in sexual health. everybody needs to have a plan in place right now. a controversial new law in texas is now the strictest in the country. it made everything so much more intense and so much worse. we want to see an end to elective abortion - in our state from the moment a fertilisation, that moment l the new human being is created. it's crazy, to think about how we had access to safe abortions and now that's taken away from us.

it is nearly impossible to get an abortion in texas. the texas law bans abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. it also allows anyone i who helps a woman get an abortion to be sued. people are panicking a lot right now about possibly being pregnant, because they don't know what that's going to do, they don't know what that access is going to look like if they are pregnant. me and my partner came to a mutual agreement, where we honestly thought it was the best to get an abortion. one, two, three... abortion! 2021 has seen the most abortion restrictions enacted nationwide since the roe v wade decision in 1973. the law passed in texas, called sb8, is the most severe yet. this is a controversial issue. it's one that people i disagree on ardently. but at the end of the day, the question we ask is, i "what is the pre—born child? what is in the mother's womb?

is it a human being worthy of legal protection - and inherent with - moral value and dignity?" and if so, that's what we're fighting for. - that's why we're fighting to end abortion. - the demand for makayla's help has increased exponentially since the law went into effect. this person says they're going to have to move to oklahoma because of the new law. this person was six weeks and one day, and they said, "i want more information on travelling expenses, because i have to go out of state." her biggest challenge, though, is to help people access abortion care in texas before it's too late. "i was sexually assaulted and i'm terrified of being pregnant, especially with the new abortion law. please help me." when i was 18, i had gotten pregnant and needed to access an abortion and had a lot of trouble. people helped me access an abortion, and i owe the rest of my life to my abortions. i know what opportunities abortion can give to people, so why notjust spend the rest

of my life doing it? europe's first mission to mercury is expected to reach its destination in the next half an hour. the bepi colombo spacecraft will fly by the planet at high speeds, taking pictures of the planet and sending them back to earth as it does. it's moving too fast to go into orbit but will begin more detailed observations in four years' time. mark mccaughrean is the european space agency's senior adviserfor science and exploration and is one of the scientists working with the first pictures as they come in from the probe. he explained what they are expecting to find. the only cameras we've got onboard during this flyby are like webcams, really, small monitoring cameras which are actually onboard help us understand onboard to help us understand whether the spacecraft, bits and pieces, all deployed after launch. the main science camera is sandwiched between the two big spacecraft, which are in a stack of three.

they don't separate until we actually finally arrive at mercury at the end of 2025. so we'll be taking these black—and—white pictures, relatively low resolution, so they won't add too much to the science on the picture taking side, but many of the other instruments will be on and we are really looking forward to getting some early mercury science back. this is the first of six flybys, so there's lots more work to do before we get there in 2025, but it's very exciting. after such a long time... this mission's been in preparation, being built, for over 20 years, and we launched it three years ago, so it's certainly very exciting today. that's a long time coming, but could you just explain to us, what are the questions around mercury that are so fascinating? and what are you trying to achieve from this mission more specifically? mercury's the innermost planet in the solar system. it's roughly a third of the distance that we are from the sun, so it gets very hot. it's about 450 degrees centigrade on the sunlit side — that's the temperature

of the inside of a pizza oven — and that's an incredible challenge for the spacecraft to operate there. but it also is part of the science we're trying to understand about mercury. it's got a very interesting surface, with some materials on it which should've been burned off billions of years ago, and yet they're still there. and we don't understand how they're getting on the surface. mercury also has a very dense metal core which extends quite a lot further towards the surface than our iron core here at earth does. we don't really understand yet how mercury formed. was it hit by something else that stripped away much of the crust in the early phases? or was it something to do with where it was born? and it has a magnetic field on the inside, which is quite curious for an object which is so small. the earth has one, but mars — which is smaller than the earth but bigger than mercury — doesn't have one. so there's lots of mysteries about the planet mercury, and it's one of the least visited planets in the inner solar system because

it's so hard to get to. could you just explain why it is so hard to get to? because we understand it's going to take years to get into a stable orbit position. why is that? most people would understand that if you want to go a long way from the sun, you need a lot of energy to get there. but actually you need a lot of energy if you're going close to the sun, and that's to slow down. actually, if you just let the sun pull you in, you would be going past mercury so fast, you couldn't stop, so we're using the planets — we've flown past earth, we flown twice past venus and now these six flybys at mercury. that will help us bleed off some of the excess energy and kind of help coast to the right speed at the end and kind of help coast to the right speed at the end of 2025. i was speaking there to mark mccaughrean from the european space agency. one of the uk's major sporting events is back this weekend — the london marathon. last year, covid restrictions meant only elite runners took part on a enclosed circuit.

here'sjoe wilson. spring 2019, the old world. nostalgia? well, that london marathon is back this sunday, more or less. competitors will be covid tested, yes, and they'll start in staggered waves. but it's mass participation again. for the organisers, it's not just safe, it's inspiring. outdoors is the best place to be, looking after your physical and mental health by taking exercise is the best thing to do for you, and it'sjust great to be here. seven times the champion here, david weir! david weir agrees. he was ready to retire after the paralympics, but can't resist the london marathon. he's back for yet more. i've just got this bug for it. and to, you know, get on the start line in 2000, and still be here now, is truly amazing. and weir will win once again in london. so, 40,000 will try to get to the traditional finishing line here on the mall.

another 40,000 will be competing wherever in the world life finds them, running the london marathon virtually. for example, in germany. hello, guys. my name is nader al masri, from palestine. i've been training for the london marathon. he's part of the international refugee team. ifeel so happy, because this is my favourite sport. it's your favourite sport, to run marathons, anas? favourite sport, marathon. i feel so happy, because... oh, my god. it's ok, it's good. well, sport is the world's language, isn't it? and more competitors than ever before, one way or another, one place or another, will be part of this london marathon. joe wilson, bbc news.

good to see that back! you can of course get in touch with me on twitter. thank you for your company and goodbye. more rain and wind on the way. it is autumn, after all, but for some of us, saturday may end up being a bit of a write—off. and in fact, over the next few days, the weather will remain very unsettled, spells of heavy rain, gales at times and even the possibility of some travel disruption. and the atlantic is looking a lot more vigorous in its weather patterns in the last few days. we're seeing low pressures forming, propelled by a powerful jet stream. and you can see a low pressure anchored just to the northwest of the uk, another one to the south forming, and that's the one that's going to bring the particularly wet spell of weather on saturday. so through the early hours, we're already expecting some rain across western areas of the uk.

but ahead of that, there is plenty of clear, dry weather. so eastern and central areas may actually wake up to some sunshine. that sunshine may even last until mid—morning or perhaps early afternoon in the extreme east, but very quickly, those clouds will increase and we've got some particularly wet weather there for the south and the southeast, and some strong winds too. further northwest in the afternoon, it's going to be a mixed bag. so for belfast and glasgow, i think some sunny spells certainly in the forecast. so here's saturday night. that low pressure and its extensive rain front moves out of the way, and then the weather opens up a little bitjust in time for the marathons on sunday. so for the london marathon, expect some sunshine, the marathon in belfast as well. nowhere will be completely dry. in fact, showers are expected on sunday with a keen westerly breeze, but at least we're not going to have that really prolonged rain. now, the temperatures both on saturday and sunday will be around the mid—teens, not that it will feel like it because of the strength

of the wind and also the prolonged rain. and then on monday, the next area of low pressure heads our way. so early on monday, there could be some sunshine around, but certainly by monday afternoon and evening, we'll start to see the next area of wet weather approaching southwestern parts of the uk. so a very unsettled spell of weather over the next few days — quite typical for october, really. here's the summary. you can see a lot of rain shower icons there, temperatures mostly in the mid—teens. there's just a hint that sometime later next week, things will settle down at least for a bit. bye— bye.

this is bbc news the headlines. provisional clinical trials of a new experimental drug for severe covid suggests it cuts the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half. if authorised by regulators the new drug which is a pill would be the first oral antiviral medication for covid—19. after the milder of sarah everard the british prime minister has urged the public to trust the police despite the revelation that her killer was a serving officer. borisjohnson is said the government is examining how the government is examining how the criminaljustice system could be improved to better handle cases of violence against women. the volcano that's been erupting for over a week on the spanish island of the public is a spewing out to

new streams of