this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm rich preston. our top stories: more than a0 countries pledge to end the use of coal but major producers, including the us, india and china, are not signed up to the agreement. in ethiopia, tigrayan forces threaten to march on the capital prompting the prime minister to tell residents to prepare to bare arms. the world health organization warns that europe is once again at the epicentre of the covid pandemic. and the uk becomes the first country in the world to approve an anti—viral pill against coronavirus. and yorkshire cricket club is suspended from hosting england matches amid a row over racism.

"the end of coal is in sight," that's the word from the government here in the uk, where world powers have been meeting at the cop26 climate conference. it comes after more than a0 countries promised to phase out coal in the coming decades. poland, vietnam and chile are among the fast—growing economies which now say they'll reduce their coal use. but as our science correspondent rebecca morelle reports, other big users of coal, such china and the us, haven't signed up to the deal. a dinosaur on the loose at the united nations, but with a message for humanity. listen up, people, i know a thing or two about extinction. going extinct is a bad thing...

if we want to save our planet and ourselves, we'll need to stop climate change, but to do that fossil fuels will have to become a thing of the past. today at the climate conference, the talk is all about energy, and top of the list is phasing out coal. this fossil fuel is the biggest single contributor to climate change, and more than a0 countries have now committed to move away from it. i do believe that the end of coal is in sight. i do believe we are getting to a point where we consign coal power to history. the agreement includes coal—reliant countries like poland and south korea, but missing are the us, india and most significantly china, where half of the world's coal is burned. it has the biggest transition, the biggest challenges and needs to really drive a structural change in its energy system. today's precedent and movement really increases the pressure for them to come up with those solutions sooner than later.

moving away from coal is the future aim, but what's happening to greenhouse gas emissions now? since the 1990s, carbon dioxide levels have been mainly rising, but during the pandemic, when the world shut down, they fell sharply. this year, though, they've increased rapidly again, to almost the same amount. behind those numbers is really a big rebound in coal in particular, so probably what is happening here is that the stimulus packages to go out of covid, because they have stimulated the current economy, which is a fossil fuel economy. but if we are to get to net zero emissions, what do we do about oil and gas? they've been filling some of the gaps behind coal, but some countries like costa rica and denmark are setting a date to end their use, and other nations at cop26 are expected to do the same. but the clock is ticking for decisions about our energy future. scientists are clear — our reliance on fossil fuels

needs to end fast. rebecca morelle, bbc news, glasgow. jeehye park is coal program director for the non—profit group solutions for our climate. she's in seoul. south korea was one of the signatories. what does it mean for the country? bi; signatories. what does it mean for the country?— for the country? by signing this statement, _ for the country? by signing this statement, korea, - for the country? by signing this statement, korea, as| for the country? by signing| this statement, korea, as a major economy, it means that we have essentially committed ourselves to a coal phase out into the 2030's. south korea has been one of the slowest members of the 0ecd countries to transmission for gold. we live forfuel for a0% of live for fuel for a0% of generation so live forfuel for a0% of generation so phasing live for fuel for a0% of generation so phasing out coal into the 2030's is a huge leap.

—— transmission from coal. b, —— transmission from coal. a huge leap but is it achievable? i think it is achievable. we have been demanding phasing out coal by 2030 and that has been much discussion going on since last year to ramp up our climate goals and make necessary changes in our energy policies and systems. we have a lot of homework to do, to be true, but i think it is achievable.- true, but i think it is achievable. ., achievable. how will south korea 90 _ achievable. how will south korea go about _ achievable. how will south korea go about replacing l achievable. how will south i korea go about replacing coal in its economy with other fuel types? i in its economy with other fuel es? ~ , ., ., types? i think first of all, we have to step _ types? i think first of all, we have to stop the _ types? i think first of all, we have to stop the ongoing - have to stop the ongoing construction of new coal power projects. we have four gigawatts of construction going on and also we have to restructure our power market

system because until now the system because until now the system is geared towards fossil fuels, and also we have to improve policies to accommodate more renewables. an event we have enough renewable potentials for the country. —— i think. potentials for the country. -- i think. �* . potentials for the country. -- ithink. . , potentials for the country. -- ithink. . i think. big coal produces and uses did not _ i think. big coal produces and uses did not sign _ i think. big coal produces and uses did not sign up. - i think. big coal produces and uses did not sign up. does i i think. big coal produces and uses did not sign up. does it| uses did not sign up. does it make you feel futile for you to sign up other countries are not going tojoin in? sign up other countries are not going to join in?— going to 'oin in? actually, it is ve going to join in? actually, it is very unfortunate - going to join in? actually, it is very unfortunate but - going to join in? actually, it is very unfortunate but i - going to join in? actually, it i is very unfortunate but i think somebody has to move first and beyond to the grid target makes it clear we cannot rely on coal anymore. and being the first mover, we can even claim for a competitive advantage much neededin competitive advantage much needed in the market free world. i hope korea's

movements, signing on to this document, it gives a ripple impact in the region, like japan, china and the rest of asia to follow.— japan, china and the rest of asia to follow. thank you very much for _ asia to follow. thank you very much for being _ asia to follow. thank you very much for being with _ asia to follow. thank you very much for being with us. - friday is used today and we will later talk to a leader in youth activism later in the programme. let's turn to coronavirus and a warning from the world health organization that europe is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic. the who says europe could face another half a million deaths before the end of winter if the outbreak isn't brought under control. the continent has recorded a 55% rise in cases over the past four weeks, despite the availability of vaccines. courtney bembridge has this report. romania's hospitals are at breaking point as the country struggles to deal with a fourth wave of coronavirus infections.

more than 3000 romanians have died with covid—i9 over the past week. most of them unvaccinated. the country has the second lowest vaccination rate in the european union, just over one third of the adult population has had to doses. population has had two doses. the rate of vaccination has slowed across the continent in recent months. the world health organization says people have become complacent. european countries have the capacity, they have the vaccine access, they have the money, they have the systems in place that they can enact. they have the systems in place that they can react. many other regions don't necessarily have those capacitors that capacity is in place. so i think it is a warning shot for the world, to see what is happening in europe despite the availability of vaccination. infections are up right across europe. germany had a record number of cases this week. in the netherlands,

hospitalisations were up by almost one third, and latvia, lithuania and estonia are recording some of the highest daily figures. if we stay on this trajectory we could see another half a million covid—i9 deaths in europe and central asia by the first of february next year. several european countries are now bringing back some restrictions, including mandatory face coverings, limits on nonessential shops, and encouraging people to work remotely. courtney bembridge, bbc news. the uk has become the first country in the world to approve an anti—viral pill against coronavirus. in trials, the drug was shown to cut the chances of dying or being hospitalised in half. british authorities have bought enough supplies to treat nearly half a million people. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. a pill that can stop covid in its tracks — it's been the goal of scientists since the pandemic began.

now there is molnupiravir, and it's likely to be the first of many antiviral treatments. anne—marie tested positive for coronavirus on tuesday and has just started a five—day course of molnupiravir as part of a trial in liverpool. she's had cancer, and so is more vulnerable to covid. it's absolutely a life—and—death situation. i do have a family that i need to think about, and i need to be here for them. and if this gives me the opportunity to be around for my son's wedding and everything else, then so be it. when coronavirus infects cells, it makes multiple copies of itself. molnupiravir, originally designed to treat flu, introduces errors in the virus's genetic code, which hampers its ability to spread. it's over a year since the clinical research facility at royal liverpool university hospital began testing molnupiravir on patients.

global trials have shown it halves the chances of dying or being hospitalised with covid. to have a drug like this, to have an antiviral that's potent, that's able to be taken orally, is a very important moment and does mark a milestone in our discovery of effective medicines against covid. the uk has ordered a80,000 courses of molnupiravir, with the first doses expected to arrive here later this month. it's being approved for people with at least one risk factor for covid, such as being over 60, obese or having heart disease. it's most effective when given within five days of symptoms appearing. the cost of the drug hasn't been revealed, but in the us it's £500 per patient. the uk was the first country in the world to authorise

the pfizer and astrazeneca vaccines, and now regulators here have again led the way by approving molnupiravir. it will be months before doctors know how effective it is outside trials. but antivirals look set to play a key role in keeping covid patients out of hospital. fergus walsh, bbc news. in east africa, in ethiopia, tigrayan forces have warned they'll march on the country's capital, addis abbaba, to prevent what they call a genocide being carried out by federal forces against the northern tigrayan people. it comes on the one year anniversary of the start of the war there. the tigray people's liberation front or tplf have taken two towns in recent days, prompting the country's prime minister to warn the capital's residents to take up arms. samuel getachew is a journalist in addis ababa and gave us this update.

there has been lines of people heading to local government officers to register their weapons. they think that the government has told them that they need to protect themselves if the tplf comes to addis ababa and attacks them, abuses them, they haven't come yet, and attacks them, abuse them, they haven't come yet, but from what we have heard, the government is ready to defend the capital. addis ababa is notjust the capital of ethiopian, it is also the diplomatic capital of the continent. it hosts the most diplomatic embassies in the continent. so it is an important city, and ethiopian out, as was said by the state department spokesperson in washington, dc, it is one of the most important nations in africa. you know, it needs to be protected. it needs the protection that it deserves. but how much that protection is going to be intact is an open debate.

stay with us on bbc news. still to come: defending the earth — nasa says it will test a new system that could deflect asteroids. the israeli prime minister, yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. a 27—year—old jewish man has been arrested and an extremistjewish organisation has claimed responsibility for the killing. at polling booths throughout the country, they voted on a historic day for australia. as the results came in, it was clear — the monarchy would survive. of the american hostages, there was no sign — - they are being held somewhere inside the compound — - and student leaders have threatened that, should i the americans attempt. rescue, they will all die.

this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyager one is now the most distant man—made object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems to keep on going. tonight, we prove once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: more than a0 countries pledge to end the use of coal, but major producers, including the us, india and china are not signed up to the agreement. it's youth empowerment day at cop26 on friday and young people participating in the conference have highlighted that more needs to be done to ensure the voices of youth across the world are taken seriously. leading activist, greta thunberg, is expected to take to the streets of glasgow to demand action

on climate change from leaders and politicians. she's criticised the summit, tweeting that "cop26 has been named the most excluding cop ever. "this is no longer a climate conference. this is a global north greenwash festival. "a two week celebration of business as usual "and blah blah blah." a little earlier i wasjoined byjimena ojeda, an environmental scientist and activist from peru. i asked her whether world leaders who attended the summit heard the voices of young people. it's hard not to criticise when she says, we have been here before, i think there are some very good ideas. i think the will is there. however, the only way that it is going to work is if we all work together, you know? governments, private sectors, civil society, all hands

are needed with our leaders, there is not much that we can achieve, and the goals that have been set are ambitious, and we need to get there, there is just no other way. there is this phrase that has been used, "youthwashing," which is politicians acting like they listen to young people, acting like they care, but not necessarily taking action. do you agree with that analysis? it's something that we see a lot, just bring youth, give them a picture, give them a seat and let them speak. many of my colleagues feel this a lot. it depends where you are at, it depends where you're sitting. there are some places where we are heard, thankfully my organisation is one of them, however, i do think when it comes to government and politicians, it isn't the case, i am afraid, i wouldn't put it any other way.

you are a member of the youth ecozone in peru. what are some of the particular climate change concerns in your home country? well, as you know, we have a large percentage of the amazon and a huge value of diversity, but there's just so much illegal deforestation, illegal mining, and all these things affect greatly to our climate. not too long ago, in may, we had a thunderstorm in lima, that has not happened ever here. so we're living it, we're seeing it, we have the droughts, we have the mud sliding from the huge big cranes, and our current sea level rises just going insane. so i think we have all the resources that we need,

we are a country very rich in resources, we are dreaming them and it is horrible. but i hope the world that has been presented by our delegation over there, by our previous environmental minister, has some sort of impact and we start to get better. and on the bigger global scale, what element of climate change concerns you the most, and do you think enough is being done to tackle it? that is a tough one. well, i think one of the big ones to me, sea level rising, is that we're just going to see coasts disappear. i've seen the change over the years. it's so noticeable, and it worries me a lot. ocean acidification is coming to levels we have never seen before.

the ecosystems there have been destroyed, and i do not think we are doing enough. it's rough and we talk about fossil fuels and stuff, because everything that we used to take, technology and the laptop that i connect with to talk to you, you know, it comes from it. but there are ways to restore it, everything we're doing, we are definitely not doing enough, and the un has proven that if we continue this way we are not going to make it, we're not going to stay below 1.5, it is not going to happen. so we definitely need to do more, and this is where the big companies and to be governments need to step up. let's get some of the day's other news: here in the uk, the mp owen paterson has quit after a row over his conduct led to a government u—turn. the conservative was found to have broken rules while lobbying for companies who paid him thousands of pounds in salaries.

he was was facing suspension, until the government blocked it by calling for an overhaul of the mps' standards watchdog instead. there'll be a by—election for his seat. for the first time in south africa, the governing african national congress has won less than 50% of the vote in monday's municipal elections. voters punished the party for repeated corruption scandals and poor basic services in areas that have traditionally been anc strongholds. new york mayor—elect eric adams says he would take his first three pay—cheques in bitcoin, and signaled his intention to make the city the "center of the cryptocurrency industry" after he takes office in january. miami mayor francis suarez has also tweeted that he would take his first pay—cheque in bitcoin. the us space agency, nasa, has unveiled a system it hopes it might use to protect the earth from asteroids. in what's being described as the first planetary defence test mission, a satellite will be launched into space and crashed into a pair of asteroids, to try and change their course.

the bbc�*s tim allman has the story. space is vast and full of wonder. countless stars, cou ntless pla nets and countless lumps of rocks streaking through the cosmos. earth has always been a potential target, exposed and vulnerable — until now. this is a computer simulation of dart, the double asteroid redirection test, which could be our first line of defence if one of those lumps of rock comes heading our way. nature has given us a set up where we have an asteroid, a nearby asteroid, approaching close to earth, so that we can observe from earth—based observatories, but this is a test. and this is how the test will work.

astronomers have long been aware of a pair of asteroids called didymos and dimorphos. some time late next year, dart will target them, smash into them, trying to alter their course. these asteroids are of no danger to us but others might well be. if there was an asteroid that was a threat to the earth, what you would want to do this technique many years in advance, decades in advance such that you would just give this asteroid a small nudge which would add up to a big change to its future position and then the asteroid and the earth wouldn't be on a collision course. of course, earth has not always been so lucky. around 65 million years ago a large asteroid crashed into our planet, killing off the dinosaurs. it has happened before, it could happen again. but dart may come to the rescue. tim allman, bbc news. the england and wales cricket board has suspended yorkshire county cricket club from hosting international and major matches, amid a row over racism. it comes after an investigation found azeem rafiq had been the victim

of racial harassment. well, it has been clear that over the last few days the situation which has emanated from what's been going on at yorkshire has become a very significant issue for the wider game. and once the situation became one which was clear there was going to be significant reputational damage for the wider game, the ecb felt compelled to step in and take this supplementary action which we have done this evening. here's our sports editor dan roan. well, today the ecb said yorkshire's handling of this situation had been wholly unacceptable, and that there were questions over its governance. headingley here was meant to, next summer, be hosting two big lucrative england matches, but they could now go elsewhere. costing the club potentially millions of pounds in lost ticket revenue on top of the huge financial hit it has already taken with yet more sponsors today deserting the club. the unprecedented nature of the ecb's punishment

a reflection of the gravity now of this crisis which has engulfed yorkshire. their batsman, meanwhile, gary ballance, he's been handed an indefinite international ban by the ecb after he yesterday admitted using a racial slur against rafiq, and tonight a second former yorkshire player admitted they were named in the report. former england captain and prominent pundit michael vaughn saying that he had been accused by rafiq of in 2009, using and making a racist comment towards him and two other asian players. he categorically denies the allegation, he says. meanwhile, tomorrow, the board here at yorkshire will hold an emergency meeting and i have learned that a number of those board members are now preparing to announce the resignation as the fallout continues. there is much more on that and all our stories

there is much more on that and all our stories on there is much more on that and all our stories on the there is much more on that and all our stories on the bbc there is much more on that and all our stories on the bbc news website and of course you can download the bbc news app. you can reach me on twitter, i'm @richpreston. thank you very much for being with us, from me and the team, goodbye for now. hello there. after the rather chilly conditions of the last few days, things are going to feel a little bit different as we head towards the weekend. some milder weather in the forecast, but with that, quite a lot of cloud feeding in from the west. and for some of us through the weekend there is some wet and windy weather on the way. this warm front has been working its way southwards and eastwards, introducing more in the way of cloud, but also introducing a westerly wind, so that is bringing a milderfeel. a milder start to friday for many. the coldest conditions down towards the south and the east where the skies have remained clear. and that's where we will see the best of any sunshine through the morning. for many other places there is going to be a lot of cloud. that cloud, at times, producing some spots of light rain and drizzle. especially over high ground

in western scotland. we will hold onto a little bit of brightness at times across eastern scotland, north—east england, parts of east wales, the midlands, and down towards the south—east. and the temperatures a little higher than they have been. double digits for almost all of us. 10—13 degrees at best. as we head through friday night, bonfire night of course, expect mild conditions, a lot of cloud, some spots of rain and drizzle, and then through the early hours of saturday, some heavier rain starting to push in towards the western side of scotland. there will be quite a mild start to the weekend. seven, eight, nine, 10 degrees. but for saturday, while high pressure will hold on down towards the south, low pressure is pushing close to the north of the uk, and this frontal system here will bring some outbreaks of quite heavy rain southwards and eastwards across scotland, and northern ireland. some of that rain eventually getting down into north—west england and north wales. ahead of that, southern and eastern parts of england largely dry, but quite cloudy. brightening up eventually up towards the north—west where it will also be turning very windy. but we stick with that milder theme — i2—ia degrees. now through saturday night as this area of low pressure passes close to northern scotland, notice the white lines, the isobars squeezing together. there will be a swathe of really strong winds.

quite widely it will be windy, but wind gusts could get up to 70 mph or even a touch more in the most exposed spots in northern scotland. but for sunday, we can expect more in the way of sunshine. showers continuing in the far north where we keep a fairly brisk breeze. it will feel a little cooler by this stage, but still top temperatures of 10—13 degrees.

this is bbc news — the headlines: at the cop26 meeting, a major step towards eliminating the use of coal — one of the most harmful energy sources — but most of the big polluters are not on board. the host nation says a6 countries had signed up to end coal use. the ethiopian government has said it will continue its fight against tigrayan rebel forces, despite growing international calls for a ceasefire. the government says it's on the brink of victory but tigrayan forces have been advancing towards the capital and seizing key towns in recent days. the world health organisation has described the current surge of coronavirus cases in the wider europe region, as a warning shot for the entire world. europe saw almost 1.8 million new cases last week alone the who says europe is again becoming what it called the epicentre of the pandemic.