tonight at ten — a record number of people are now having to wait for routine hospital treatment in england. at this rate, according to nhs leaders, the strain on the service this winter will be unsustainable. things are already very, very difficult in the health service. it is compromising patient safety, it is compromising quality of service. we talk to one nhs front—line worker who says the public need to be aware of the reality of the situation. i've been out to people who've been on the floor for in excess of 20 hours and we've just not had the resource to go to them. we'll have more on today's warnings, with similar pressure being reported in all parts of the uk. also tonight... fw de klerk, who released

nelson mandela from prison and ended white rule in south africa, has died at the age of 85. is a deal on climate change in sight? negotiators at the glasgow summit have 2a hours get a result. and on armistice day, a two—minute silence is observed to remember the dead of two world wars. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel — steven gerrard leaves rangers, heading south to join relegation—threatened premier league aston villa on a three and half year deal. good evening. up to six million people are now waiting for routine hospital treatment in england — that's the highest level since records began. the head of the nhs confederation, which speaks for the entire health

care system in england, has warned that unprecedented demand could endanger patient safety, with the ambulance service in particular coming under extreme pressure. 5.83 million people in england are now waiting to start nhs treatment — the highest number since current records began 15 years ago. the ambulance service is on the highest state of alert. the average response time for urgent calls, such as heart attacks and strokes, is around 5a minutes. the target is 18 minutes. last month more than a million 999 calls were answered in england — that's also a record number. the picture in england is reflected in other parts of the uk. governments in all four nations say they're doing their best to support services, as our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. across the length and the breadth of the uk, ambulances are queueing. unable to hand over the sick and injured patients they have on board because hospitals

have no room. and ambulances stuck in queues aren't available to attend other emergencies, leaving patients in need waiting at home. i called an ambulance at 11.50, and they said they would send help asap. two weeks ago late one evening christina called 999 when she found her grandma, margaret, slumped in a chair, having a stroke. but after waiting three and a half hours, she called again to ask when the ambulance would arrive. they explained to me that she was already down for a blue light ambulance from the first call, they had nothing available at that time, and they couldn't give me a time when they were able to get to me and then they arrived at 5.30am. her grandma then queued for three hours outside hospital, taking her wait for care to around nine hours, which meant she was out of time to receive medication to reverse the damage done by the stroke.

and older people are facing devastating delays in north—west england, according to this paramedic who asked to remain anonymous. i've been out to people who've been on the floor for in excess of 20 hours, and we've just not had the resource to go to them. that's not because we don't care. it's just because we physically haven't got anybody to go. do you think people are losing their lives because of the delays at the moment? absolutely. we know of stories of people dying in the back of ambulances where we've not been able to off—load at hospitals. we've got experiences of going out to people who, if we'd have got to them a little bit quicker, we could have started treatment and potentially the outcome could have been different. north west ambulance service has said it's increasing the numbers of available ambulances and taking on additional staff in its 999 call centres. all 1a ambulance services in the uk have escalated to the highest level of alert and some have even gone

beyond, like south central, which recently declared a critical incident when managers said the service became unsafe. for the last three months, these handlers have answered an additional 21,000 999 calls compared to two years ago. and just before the critical incident was declared here, instead of having an average of 20 patients waiting for an ambulance, they had 120 patients waiting. they're operating right at the edge of what they can manage, in order to keep patients from harm. have you got the pain - in the chest at the moment? south central has now asked the government for military support. armed forces have helped ambulance services in other parts of england, wales and scotland, and have supported hospitals in northern ireland. and hospitals are also under immense pressure in other parts of the uk, with record waits for non urgent treatment.

things are already very, very difficult in the health service. it is compromising patient safety. it is compromising quality of service. ministers in england say they're helping by providing more money. we put extra funding in, £54 billion, for this winter period, just to basically help with the processes, help to get extra staff in, and you know, also help with more ambulance staff, but of course, it's difficult to do that at short notice. governments in all parts of the uk say they're aware of the challenges and are doing their best to support ambulance services, but with winter coming, the pressure is likely only to get worse. and sophiejoins us now. two points, sophie. how bad could this get, given what you've seen so far? and are there any ready solutions on offer?—

far? and are there any ready solutions on offer? how bad can it net? solutions on offer? how bad can it et? i solutions on offer? how bad can it get? i think— solutions on offer? how bad can it get? | think that's _ solutions on offer? how bad can it get? i think that's what _ solutions on offer? how bad can it get? i think that's what lots - solutions on offer? how bad can it get? i think that's what lots and i get? i think that's what lots and lots of nhs staff are asking themselves at the moment. staff i've spoken to on the front line, some of them tell me they are dreading the next few months. the nhs isn'tjust facing a busy time, it's facing pressure like it's never seen before. there has been a huge rise in demand from 999 calls and it's just seen the busiest 0ctober ever in a&e, and you've seen the impact of busy a&es on ambulances when they can't get patients into hospital. 0ne can't get patients into hospital. one patient waited 23 hours in a hospital outside —— in an amulet outside hospital. winters are notorious lee difficult in the nhs with january being the absolute peak of that. what's the solution? the military has been helping in some areas, driving ambulances, supporting medical staff. areas, driving ambulances, supporting medicalstaff. nhs areas, driving ambulances, supporting medical staff. nhs staff

themselves are being asked to work extra shifts but many of those staff are absolutely exhausted after the pandemic. what the nhs really needs its fresh doctors, nurses, paramedics, but it takes years to train them, so there is no easy solution. , . h, train them, so there is no easy solution. , . ., solution. sophie hutchinson, our health correspondent, _ solution. sophie hutchinson, our health correspondent, thank - solution. sophie hutchinson, our| health correspondent, thank you. the latest coronavirus figures for the uk show there were almost 42,500 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means on average, there were 34,600 new cases reported per day in the last week. 195 deaths were reported, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 163 related deaths were reported every day. and more than 11.4 million people have received their boosterjab. austria looks likely to introduce a strict lockdown for anyone not fully vaccinated after a surge in infections.

unvaccinated people are already banned from restaurants, cinemas, hairdressers and from using ski lifts. those not fully jabbed would have to stay home and only go out to work, get food and exercise. critics say it will be unenforceable. the man who ended white rule in south africa, fw de klerk, a key figure in the country's transition to democracy, has died at the age of 85. mr de klerk, who served as president for five years, ordered the release of nelson mandela from prison, a decision which led eventually to mr mandela's election to the presidency. in a final message, recorded before his death, mr de klerk repeated an apology for the pain and hurt caused to black and minority south africans during the apartheid era, as our correspondent andrew harding reports. we did not only admit the wrongness of apartheid...

fw de klerk was terminally ill when he recorded this farewell message, released today — a man still wrestling with his place in south africa's tortured history. i, without qualification, apologise for the pain, and the hurt, and the indignity and the damage that apartheid has done. back in the 1970s and �*80s, south africa was drifting to all—out conflict. the security forces of a racist white minority government battling against an increasingly defiant black majority. when fw de klerk came to power in 1989, nobody expected this conservative figure to change much. after all, his government ran a nation where black people were treated as inferior, to be kept apart. but within months, de klerk announced a shocking u—turn. the prohibition of the african national congress, the pan african congress,

the south african communist party and a number of subsidiary organisations is being rescinded. the anc, the outlawed liberation party of nelson mandela, was unbanned, and soon after that, mandela himself was released from prison after 27 years. cheering. applause. soon, the two men, once bitter enemies, were sharing the nobel peace prize as south africa inched towards democracy. what nobody can take away from him is his foresight. he seized the moment, he showed the courage, and he was the figure that eventually saw the end of apartheid, and nelson mandela elected as president in those heady days of the new rainbow democracy. but the transition was not peaceful. thousands of black south africans died during political violence that was, it turned out, deliberately stirred up by white security forces.

still, de klerk and mandela kept negotiating, nudging their nation forward — not that they were ever close. so help me god. then, in 1994, history was made, as mandela was sworn in as democratic south africa's first president. de klerk retreated backstage. later he apologised for his role in apartheid but insisted he'd never authorised any criminal acts. within my knowledge and experience, i never included the authorisation of assassination, murder, torture, rape, assault or the like. many south africans found that hard to swallow and today there is a lukewarm tone to some tributes. he had the courage to step away from the path that his party that he led had embarked upon from 1948, and we will remember him for that.

de klerk was a divisive figure, and an unlikely revolutionary, but history will record his key role in bringing freedom to south africa. so, above all, de klerk was a pragmatist and a very necessary one. he latched onto this role as as elder statement but the truth is that south africans never really warmed to him. that's partly because he always seemed to imply that apartheid was never really as bad as evil as people made out and also because he failed to acknowledge his own responsibility in it. andrew harding with the latest thoughts injohannesburg. the chief executive of yorkshire county cricket club, mark arthur, has become the latest seniorfigure to resign in the row over racism

that's engulfed the club. earlier, the former yorkshire captain, azeem rafiq, who's made allegations of institutional racism at the club, said he was "incredibly hurt" after the england test captain and yorkshire player, joe root, denied ever witnessing racism at the club. from headingley, our sports editor dan roan reports. he's trying to prepare to lead his side into the ashes next month, but even here in australia, joe root can't avoid the crisis that has engulfed his county side. a report found his former yorkshire team—mate, azeem rafiq, was a victim of racial harassment and bullying at the club. but addressing the issue for the first time, england's captain today insisted he could not recall any racist behaviour there. not from my... not that i can recall, no, no, ican�*t. but the thing is, what i will say is that it's clear that things have happened at the club and we have to make sure that we eradicate it. you know, we look to find ways to make sure this never happens again in the sport and beyond that

as well, within society. but those comments dismayed rafiq who an hour later tweeted, "disappointed is not even the feeling, incredibly hurt, but uncomfortable truths are hard to accept, it seems". having sparked outrage for failing to take disciplinary action against any member of staff, yorkshire has lost sponsors, the right to host international cricket at headingley, and is now embroiled in further investigations after more allegations. root admitted the scandal at the club at which he's spent his entire career had fractured the game. it's obviously deeply hurtful that it's happened at a club that i'm so close to and it means so much for me to go and play for yorkshire. it's really important that we recognise what's happened and we make sure that, moving forward, we never see this happen again. we've got to find a way of confronting this and stopping it and making sure that absolutely we are, you know, getting rid of racism from society. tonight, another yorkshire board

member, chief executive mark arthur, whose resignation rafiq had demanded, became the latest in a host of senior figures at the club to step down as the fallout continued. having risen through the academy ranks here at yorkshire alongside rafiq, the england captain himself has now become the latest high—profile cricketer to be drawn into this controversy. and with the whistleblower set to give evidence at what promises to be an explosive parliamentary committee hearing next week, this is farfrom over. dan roan, bbc news, headingley. at the cop26 climate summit in glasgow, negotiators have just 24 hours to agree a deal that will limit global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. there was a gloomy message today from the head of the un, antonio guterres, who said governments were unlikely to make the pledges needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the targets set. 0ur science editor david shukman is in glasgow and considers

what still needs to be done, as the conference draws to a close. the endgame of the conference — urgent consultations with governments back home, checking the agreement line by line, assessing every word. the warnings about rising temperatures are clear, but national interests are at stake, so the talks go on. we are not there yet on the most critical issues. there is still a lot more work to be done and cop26 is scheduled to close at the end of tomorrow. so, time is running out. so, to try to maintain momentum, relatively easy decisions were passed tonight, and this follows initiatives by groups of nations last week. a plan to cut methane, a potent greenhouse gas, though some important countries aren't taking part. a promise to end deforestation by 2030. but we have heard this kind of thing before.

and a call to end the use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. but what matters is agreements that governments can't wriggle out of. so, in this final stretch, what are the big arguments that still need to be settled? well, the first is how often countries should update their plans for going green. some say that's needed every year. others say that's too often. then there's the fundamental question of cutting the gases that are heating the planet. they're still heading up, when the science couldn't be clearer that they've got to be falling fast. and then aid for the poorest nations. they were promised it more than a decade ago. it still hasn't been delivered. it's a relief that people are recognising that we need to help communities on the front lines of the climate crisis, but it's a frustration that rich governments aren't yet doing what it takes to help them out. even now? even now. they hear the sounds, they're putting fine words on paper, but no real mechanism to address this crisis.

and as a reminder of what this is all about, torrential rain struck the indian city of chennai. floods spilling into a hospital. scientists have long warned that even more violent extremes are possible, but acting now could head them off. so, some countries want to move away from fossil fuels entirely. the uk and many others say it's not the right time. another example of different perspectives in these last hours. david shukman, bbc news, in glasgow. the uk economy slowed down over the summer, with problems with supply chains affecting growth. the latest figures show gross domestic product grew by 1.3%, less than many analysts expected, as our economics editor faisal islam explains. polishing metal in the midlands. this west bromwich manufacturer can see the growth in the economy since the depths of the pandemic lockdown. but some of the shine is now coming off. we've seen month—on—month growth.

we did see in august and the early part of september that it dropped slightly, but a lot of that was because our customers physically couldn't get hold of the material. it was stuck at ports, it couldn't come into the uk to be processed. now that's all since come in, causing bottlenecks in production. and that is exactly what's seen in the big economic numbers, too. the pandemic rebound beginning to fade with normal service not quite resuming. we're on the right path, but of course there are global challenges ahead, and that's why the budget set out a plan to build a stronger economy with support for working families at its heart. but the net result of that, say the bank of england, is two years of declining living standards after inflation and after tax. so that includes all the measures you have mentioned. well, what it doesn't include is the spending on public services,

and that does bring value to people's lives. so, the uk is finally emerging from the economic heart attack of 2020, but growth is now a little slower than was hoped. in the last quarter, the economy expanded by 1.3% and forecasts predict a further slowing of growth in the coming months. the rebound from the pandemic continued partly thanks to the vaccine roll—out. but we are in a new phase now, with higher prices and taxes hitting people's pay packets and the supply chain crisis continuing to affect what businesses can manufacture. there are risks ahead from around the world and closer to home, too. the uk and eu have been arguing about brexit, with the government here suggesting it might end the special northern ireland trade arrangements and some eu voices in turn suggesting a suspension of the whole brexit agreement. when you're trying to deal with the cost of living crisis,

why would you get involved in any way with some sort of trade war with our biggest trading partner? we are not at that point. and what we should be doing and what we are doing is working constructively with our european friends and partners to explore every opportunity that we have to try and resolve some of our differences around the operation of that protocol. back in west brom, it is stability on trade and some sort of normality that this exporter is yearning for. the rebound may be ending, but the economy is yet to settle. faisal islam, bbc news. british and iranian diplomats have been meeting in london, and high on the agenda were the cases of british citizens held in iran, including nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who's been held since 2016 on charges of spying, which she has always denied. her husband richard, who is now on the 19th day of a hunger strike, described his meeting with a foreign office minister this afternoon as "depressing." 0ur diplomatic correspondent

james landale has the story. for 19 days now, richard radcliffe has camped outside the foreign office, eating nothing, still fighting for the release of his wife nazanin who was detained in iran five and a half years ago. his body now weak but his spirit undimmed. today, he and his team met a foreign office minister and officials. hoping for a breakthrough, he came out saying he was deflated, depressed, without hope. we're still stuck in the same status quo, we're still stuck in the same problems that led us to end up on hunger strike, and i don't feel they have given a clear enough message to iran that hostagetaking is wrong. one potential obstacle is the £400 million debt britain owes iran for tanks sold but never delivered, after the revolution in 1979. burying our heads in the sand is not going to help. we've got to make sure we do pay the debt but when this was raised in the meeting it felt like no one

wanted to acknowledge it. but look who was also at the foreign office today, iran's deputy foreign minister, here to set out his country's demands ahead of crucial nuclear talks this month. he wants to talk about lifting economic sanctions. but western powers want the talks also to focus on curbing iran and its nuclear activities, stopping their scientists getting enough know—how and enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon. the foreign office said it urged iran to back a deal to revive the nuclear agreement and it also pressed the minister to release all british nationals unfairly detained in iran. the iranian minister in there, richard ratcliffe just out here, his frustration almost tangible, at being so close to a member of the government that is holding his wife, but also at what he sees as the lack of action by the british government. his fear is that the fate of his wife is part of a bigger geopolitical picture, one in which she is not

always in the foreground. james landale, bbc news, at the foreign office. the chancellor, rishi sunak, says the government must improve its way of handling standards of mps' conduct. ministers were forced into a u—turn last week following an attempt to block punishment of the conservative mp 0wen paterson for paid lobbying. the chancellor said rules must be followed. we do have established independent parliamentary processes that govern all of these things and it's absolutely right that those are followed to the letter, but reflecting on all of these things over recent days, you know, what i can say is that for us as a government we need to do better than we did last week, and we know that. buckingham palace has said that the queen will be attending the annual remembrance day service at the cenotaph on sunday morning. the announcement was made earlier today, as a two—minute silence was observed across the uk

for armistice day. last year, commemorations were reduced in scale because of the pandemic, but this year people were determined to gather in all parts of the united kingdom, as our correspondent sarah campbell reports. big ben chimes 0n the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns of the first world war fell silent. more than a century later, the nation paused to remember those who sacrificed so much in service to their country.

reveille last year, the pandemic prevented people from coming together to remember. not so this year. sydney, australia, on november the 11th. it's also france's national day of remembrance. so many lives were cut short in french fields. many soldiers never returned home. walter tull was one of them. britain's first black army officer, he was killed in 1918. today, at the cenotaph in london, his great nephew laid a wreath in his honour. this is a fantastic event to come

to the point where i'm able to lay a wreath on behalf of my grand uncle at the cenotaph. it's a great honour and a great honour to him. armistice day, ensuring those who were lost are not forgotten. sarah campbell, bbc news. that's it. now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. have a very good night. hello. a windy friday will bring some rain at times, heaviest and most persistent in scotland. a few pulses of rain moving through here. there'll also some heavier bursts of rain in northwest england. for northern ireland, a wet start, but then it will turn dry with a few showers. for wales, and across much of england away from the northwest, it'll be showers occasionally but also some drier, brighter moments at times too. and at temperatures, after a mild start,

getting up to around 14, 15 degrees, gales around some of the coasts in the north and west. winds easing getting into friday night. still quite breezy along this north sea coast, still a few showers around here going into saturday morning. clear spells in scotland, a few fog patches here as saturday begins. high pressure on saturday, so a calmer, drier day. a few showers across eastern parts of england on the breeze here. mayjust see some patchy rain reaching towards western parts of northern ireland by the end of the afternoon. a lot of cloud around, a few sunny spells here and there, a mild day, as it will be on sunday.

hello, i'm shaun ley with the latest headlines from bbc news. the president of the cop26 climate summit, alok sharma, has said time is running out to reach a deal. the un has warned more needs to be done to drastically limit the impacts of climate change. the bbc has filmed queues of people and families in the belarusian capital minsk waiting to travel on to the border with poland. the european union has threatened to blacklist airlines that bring migrants to belarus. up to six million people are now waiting for routine hospital treatment in england — that's the highest level since records began. the head of the nhs confederation has warned that unprecedented demand could endanger patient safety. and fw de klerk — the last white president of south africa — has died at the age of 85. in a speech released after his death, he apologised for the hurt of apartheid.