he blames members of pakistan's current government. britain's king charles hosts a reception for delegates to this weekend's climate change conference in egypt — but how much progress is it likely to make? the rise in albanians coming to england in small boats — lured by higher wages — orforced by gangs, into the drugs trade. locals say 70% of the community has already lathered and many of those living here now i thinking ofjoining them. of those living here now i thinking ofjoining them. and from the pulpit to the polling booth — how the rise of the christian right is changing elections in america. and — the facial recognition technology that's helping to identify photos of holocaust victims — and survivors.

the social media company twitter has begun sudden and sweeping job cuts to save money. it's thought its new owner elon musk, who's the world's richest man, might reduce the platform's workforce of 8 thousand by as much as half. many twitter staff are finding out via email that they no longer have a job. here's our technology editor zoe kleinman. elon musk did not speak to any of the thousands of employees laid off today. instead he was a surprise guest at this investor conference in new york. meanwhile, many twitter staff woke up locked out of their work laptops. they were later told by an e—mail to the personal accounts that it was the last working day at the firm. some have been told they will be paid until february next year, getting some sort of certainty after months of uncertainty.

in some cases, some relief, right? because this was a thing that played out over the course of the majority of this year. there were, understandably, lots of emotional tweets. another said... for others it was simply by. elon musk made it clear last friday big changes were coming. twitter is regarded as influential but hasn't made a profit in years and it has also failed to attract new users. it makes its money from adverts and businesses are spending less on that the financial crisis bites. there have been calls for brands to boycott twitter in protest. a number of major advertisers have stopped spending. this doesn't seem right because we've made no change in our operations at all.

elon musk is planning to charge a monthly fee for verification, currently given out for free as a badge of authenticity. he is also looking up at setting up a moderation board to oversee situations about band accounts. for those staff who remain, twitter and elon musk said he expects an extreme work ethic, will be a very different environment and the platform itself may also start to feel like a new experience. he is the world's richest man and he knows how to do business. he may well be able to turn twitter around but it twitter around, but it will be done on his terms. earlier, i heard from erkko autio, co—founder of wicked acceleration labs and professor in technology venturing and entrepreneurship at imperial college business school. and i asked him if letting so many staff go so soon was a risky move. if we are firing many,

many of your employees, we don't know the exact figures but if it is up to 50%, that is a very dramatic move. you cannot do that without blood—letting and affecting the company culture and also for an established business that is going to cause a major concern amongst their customers. how will this affect company culture because i'm sure not only will that change life for people outside of twitter of twitter who are leaving, but also those who remain on twitter. they're going to be wondering what is going on? what sort of company am i going to work for that can let go of people so quickly? exactly. we know that employees had been concerned for many months with this tale of elon musk�*s acquisition of twitter has been going on. they have been very concerned and they have seen that many of their concerns have materialised. and twitter is going to be a very different company from now on so, certainly, that is going to cause concern amongst even those who still remain

in the company. is it about the company's health? can you see why elon musk might decide to do this? in this kind of business, cutting employees, we are talking about digital business, cutting employees, cutting up to half of your workforce of whatever that might be is not the best way to improve profitability. improve profitability by growing your business. talking about the social media digital business. in digital businesses, employees and payroll is not the major expense either. so why is he doing it? well, i don't know if anyone knows other than elon musk and his core group. he has declared he is a free speech absolutist and we're hearing rumours that he is cutting moderation activities. that all remains to be seen.

what i think it's a little bit of a concern, we all know that elon musk is a genius and building new technology businesses from scratch. but taking an established operation, a globally important business and re—crafting it dramatically is an entirely different thing. so we'll may hope that he knows what he is doing but it certainly looks like it is going to be quite a dramatic turn in the company's fortunes. and what you think this will mean for people who use twitter? that is what many people at home i thinking? will this mean changes within the way twitter works and you think people will potentially accept change? well, that, too, remains to be seen. on the one hand, many users of twitter are today much more

aware of the potential negative consequences of social media such as societal polarisation and hate speech and so forth. on the other hand, this is also a network, a one—sided network where the network size itself creates important momentum so in the days and weeks to come, we will see whether people start quitting twitter, maybe start looking for alternatives for their twitter —like activity. the former prime minister of pakistan, imran khan, has accussed members of the current regime of being involved in a plot to assasinate him. he made the comments from a hospital in lahore, where he spoke for the first time since being shot in the leg at a protest march. since being ousted from office in april, mr khan has been demanding fresh elections. samira hussein reports from lahore,

people took to the streets a day after the former prime minister was shot at a protest rally. outside the hospital where he is recovering, supporters left flowers as security forces kept a watchful eye. members of the political party say the attack was an assassination attempt and at a press conference he pointed the finger directly at members of the current government. you maintain it is members of the government that are responsible. what evidence do you have of that and there is this just a political ploy to favour? there can be no investigation. the prime minister, the interior minister and this guy, they are involved, there can be no independent investigation. what

independent investigation. what in evidence do you have that they are involved?— in evidence do you have that they are involved? they try to disqualify _ they are involved? they try to disqualify me- _ they are involved? they try to disqualify me. that _ they are involved? they try to disqualify me. that failed. -

a group of tourists being held captive on an amazon cruise boatin captive on an amazon cruise boat in 24—hour is has now been released. indigenous people stopped the boat as part of a protest about their community being damaged by an oil leak from a pipeline in september. they were trying to force government officials to properly assess the impact. the russian private military company, the wagner group, has opened its first official headquarters, in the city of st petersburg. the company's founder said it would be used for innovators, designers and it specialists. mercenaries employed by wagner have been repeatedly accused of committing human rights abuses, in ukraine, and also in west africa. king charles has been hosting a reception at buckingham palace ahead of next week's climate change summit in egypt.

the king — who has long campaigned on environmental issues — won't be attending cop27. but the prime minister rishi sunak is now going after changing his mind about attending. our environment editor justin rowlatt reports from the palace. the king won't be attending the climate conference in egypt, so he has done the next best thing and brought the climate discussion to buckingham palace. the prime minister addressed the meeting. if we do not act today we will risk leaving an ever more desperate inheritance for our children tomorrow. there were decision—makers, environmental experts and more than 100 business leaders at the reception. the king believes it is essential the private sector is engaged in the climate challenge. buckingham palace insists the king is not disappointed that he won't be going to the conference in egypt. it says the decision was made after discussions with the then prime minister liz truss and was, it says, unanimous. but a downing street spokesperson hinted yesterday maybe the king would have been jetting off for egypt had rishi sunak been

in post at the time. the situation might have been different, she told the bbc. hearing no objections, it is so decided. last year's un climate conference in glasgow delivered a host of pledges on emissions cuts, finance, net zero, forest protection and more. egypt says their conference will be about ensuring countries actually deliver on those pledges. stella mccartney was one of the business leaders at the palace. i don't know what to do any more. the industry that i work in, fashion, is the second most harmful in the world to the planet and so being part of this conversation and representing the industry is critical. but, you know, i think i am so hugely passionate about trying to provide a positive solution here. stella mccartney won't be at cop27, but the prime minister has of course changed his mind and will be going, playing his part in the search for positive solutions.

he will bejoining more than 100 other world leaders in egypt next week. justin rowlatt, bbc news, buckingham palace. you are watching bbc news, a reminder of our headlines: the american billionaire elon musk has defended his decision to sack thousands of staff at twitter without warning. mr musk has said the cuts are essential for the financial stability of the social media platform. the former pakistan prime minister imran khan says he knew about a plot to kill him before he was shot during a protest march — he has blamed members of pakistan's current government. a bbc investigation has found that albanian drug gangs are offering to pay for migrants to cross the english channel, if they are prepared to work in the uk drugs industry when they arrive. albanians who've already travelled from their home country to mainland europe, account for almost a third of the 38,000 people who've crossed the channel to england so far this year. that's according to uk government figures.

lucy williamson has been speaking to people in albania, france and the uk. for each boat, each migrant, there can be many smugglers — albanian fixers, uk guarantors, kurdish criminal gangs. the journey starts in towns like laknas, now marked by absence. the shuttered houses and empty streets signs of an exodus this year. most were drawn by uk wages ten times higher than here. and each departure makes business in laknas even harder. as the price of crossing to the uk has dropped the suburbs around tirana are being drained of people. locals in this neighborhood say 70% of the community has already left, and many of those living here now are thinking ofjoining them. there are many places like laknas in albania now. majlinda's son crossed to

the uk from dunkirk last month. translation: he was a seasonal worker working four months - a yearfor minimal salary in a kitchen. he had more expectations for himself, so he went to find something better. but it comes with sacrifices. we're in debt to pay back the money we borrowed. she says a lot of people from the area have gone. families as well as men. her youngest son, just 14 years old, is already planning his trip. adverts on albanian social media promise passage for around £3,000 from brussels, paris or dunkirk. they often work closely with iraqi kurdish gangs

who control most small boat crossings from france. posing as an albanian migrant, we contacted some. within half an hour we had two offers for crossings. it's easy, we're told. only those who didn't claim asylum were sent back, one says. the others didn't have any problems. the price of crossing to the uk by small boat is less than half the price of being smuggled by lorry. and there are other options for those who can't pay. there is a criminal drugs market within the uk. that's no secret. we have seen cases of trafficking and we've seen cases where people are what we call debt—bonded. they come here to work off the cost of theirjourney to the uk and they are victims of trafficking, and we look at modern slavery, human trafficking very seriously. one albanian man who paid for a place on a kurdish boat this summer, says he was approached by recruiters for the uk drugs trade in a dunkirk migrant camp. translation: they offered me lots of things to pay _ for thejourney, to give me a job, but i wasn't interested. they asked me four or five times.

driven by the promise of prosperity. each successful crossing is an advert, an inspiration, an invisible thread that tugs at the minds of albanians back home. lucy williamson, bbc news, dunkirk. the former us president donald trump has strongly hinted that he may run for the white house again in 202a. at a rally in iowa, mr trump said he would "very, very, very probably do it again". it comes as americans are set to head to the polls next week to vote in the country's midterm elections. and a key group which could make an impact are the new christian right — with a growing number of pastors and politicians urging voters to take back the country for god. barbara plett usher has more. in this divided nation the christian right has found a new voice.

the country belongs to god almighty. this isn't a church service. hundreds of people are being baptised after a rally in pennsylvania, some overwhelmed by the experience of god. thousands have turned out because they believe their christian values are under attack and that god belongs in government. you can't separate god from politics, you can't take him out of our government. these events tap into people's anger about covid lockdowns and donald trump's election loss. the man himself dialled in while his son was on stage. trump: we love you all and we are going to bring this country i back because our country has never been in such bad shape. trump! they are reframing american conservative politics as spiritual warfare against a radical left. chris and bobby foley have travelled here from north carolina. they took away the bible, they took awayjesus

in everything so now we are being run by devils, we are being run by satan because it is a spiritual war. some call this rise of the religious right christian nationalism, the belief that america was founded as a christian nation and should remain one. it has taken on a new intensity in this fractured political world. breaking cover during the storming of the capitol were christian symbols and prayers on display. good evening, global family... greg locke was one of many pastors at the capitol that day. he has millions of followers online and preaches to hundreds every week. you ain't seen the insurrection yet. he has managed to weave his political views into an apocalyptic worldview laced with conspiracy theories. you god—hating communists, you will find out what insurrection is because we ain't playing no garbage. you are calling fellow americans evil and putting it in the context of an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. there is an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. and so that is the kind of language that could be used to incite violence.

that is not my responsibility. you don't see that as a responsibility, to stay away from possibly inciting violence? no, i'm not inciting violence, i'm preaching the bible. but many christians are fighting back against this interpretation of the bible. father, thank you for this day. pastor kevin riggs is a community activist. he believes scripture teaches that god cares most about social justice. my concern with the religious right has been that they are damaging the reputation of the church. i've had friends who were pastors of churches and because they spoke out against the religious right or against president trump, they are asked to leave their church. take control of our nation! next week's election will be the first test of this vocal minority at the polls. if the republicans win big, it could become a powerfulforce, pushing the party further to the right. barbara plett usher, bbc news, pennsylvania. the nazi holocaust claimed the lives of 6 millionjewish people, ripping apart families and communities. photographs have helped to identify some of those

killed, but many people in pictures from the time remain unidentified. now in the us, facial recognition technology is being used to try to bring names to faces. our north america technology reporterjames clayton reports. as soon as my aunt heard the boots, she knew that she has to hide me. blanche fixler was a child in poland when the nazis came looking for her. germans came and they looked every little place, they looked in every corner, and i said, you'd better not breathe or sneeze or anything, or you'll be dead. blanche's mother and her siblings were murdered, but thanks to her aunt rose, blanche survived. today, she has few photos from her childhood. many pictures from the 1930s and �*aos do survive though, and hundreds are on display here in the museum of jewish heritage in new york.

butjust like many other museums devoted tojewish heritage, a lot of the people in the photos here are unnamed. often whole families were killed. no one was left to identify people. the pictures only have numbers. software engineer daniel patt has been working to help solve this problem using artificial intelligence and facial recognition tech. he calls the project from numbers to names. let's say, for example, you're looking for a photo of yourfamily member and we scan through hundreds of thousands of photos, millions of faces in seconds. using the programme, daniel believes he's found a picture of blanche that she's never seen before. the algorithm only gives probabilities of matches, so today, dan is going to meet blanche to see whether the picture he found, taken in france, is really her. hi, nice to meet you. so, here we go, this is a picture that i found of you. this picture, i don't know if you've seen this before. does this look...

that's me, yeah. the one here? yes. you can tell? yeah, that's me, yeah, for sure. i'll zoom in so you can get a closer look. oh, wow. oh, some of these guys i remember. one was my boyfriend! and in the picture her aunt rose — the aunt that saved her. wow, so i think to the best of my knowledge there's only three people in this group that have been identified so far. we do know who these children are, but in hundreds of thousands of other photos people murdered by the nazis remain nameless. the hope is this tech could help. scott miller is not part of the from numbers to names project, but says trying to identify victims —

even 80 years later — is vital. evenjust to name somebody, to give somebody a name, i you're restoring some semblance of dignity to them. _ for blanche, the pictures bring back memories — a song that she learnt in her brief time in france. # quand j�*etais mademoiselle, mademoiselle, mademoiselle. # quand j'etais, mademoiselle, mademoiselle j�*etais.# you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbc maryam. a ridge of high pressure brought a cold and frosty start, but it beautiful that right across the country, hardly a cloud in the sky for many. temperatures did recover to highs ofjust under 14 degrees, in swanage in dorset.

it is all change as we move into the weekend, the satellite picture showing this area of low pressure, the isobars tightly squeezed around it, and it is going to throw yet more cloud, wind and rain in our direction. ahead of it will see the temperatures falling away but as the night progresses, c will continue to build on the rain arrives so here not quite as cold. it does mean sheltered, rural parts of eastern scotland could see a touch of frost in low single figures. that is where the best of the morning sunshine is likely to be on saturday. the cloud, wind and rain will continue to push in from the west and that is going to spread its way steadily eastward. by the afternoon, it will be sitting across scotland, down through the spine of the country and it will weaken a little bit but it will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain. blustery winds as that is going to spread its way steadily eastward. by the afternoon, we will be

sitting across scotland, down through the spine of the country and it will weaken a little bit but it will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain. blustery winds as the rain pushes through, the best of the brighter to the last couple of days, 10—14 degrees. if you have plans for bonfire night, draw a line from let's say south—east england through the wash, down to the isle of wight, anywhere east of that could be cloudy. we could see that the drain pep up through the south—east of the headings of the early hours of sunday morning and linger for a time. whatever happens on sunday, low pressure not far away as well throw in bands or showers which may merge together for longer spells of rain for a time on that sunday. be prepared for a little bit of everything for the second half of the weekend. there will be some drier, brighter interludes and those temperatures similar values, 11—14 celsius. into monday and tuesday, it stays blustery with plenty of showers around. the wind turning southerly and it will be milder. have a lovely weekend.

and military leaders this is bbc news, the headlines: the american billionaire elon musk has defended his decision to sack thousands of staff at twitter without warning. mr musk has said the cuts are essential for the financial stability of the social media platform. advertisers have expressed concerns about what the layoffs might mean for regulating hate speech.

pakistan's former prime minister, imran khan, has accused senior political