today at six: further controversy and concerns over qatar's strict laws as thousands of football fans prepare to travel to the world cup in less than a fortnight. �*it damages the mind' — the verdict on homosexuality from one of the tournament's ambassadors as the former fifa president says the world cup shouldn't have gone to qatar. the world cup, it's 32 teams. it's a big, big organisation. it needs also a big country. qatar is too small to do that. the gulf state has also been criticised for its human rights record and treatment of migrant workers. also on the programme: caring for loved ones with dementia — the families struggling to cope amid a record number

of vacancies in adult care. president biden casts his vote in the crucial us mid—term elections. how much power will the republicans regain? and tributes to the veteran actor leslie phillips, who has died at the age of 98. and coming up on the bbc news channel, cash injection or complete sale? liverpool's owners say they are considering inviting new shareholders. we ask what that might mean for the premier league club. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. there's been widespread criticism over comments made by one of the ambassadors for qatar's world cup who said fans travelling to the tournament will have to acceppt his country's rule — among them a ban on same sex relationships —

saying homosexuality was a result of damage to the mind. the controversial tournament kicks off in less than a fortnight in the gulf state. the former fifa president sepp blatter now says the decision to award it to qatar was a "mistake". our sports correspondent jane dougall has more. a protest to pressure fifa days before a world cup in a country where same—sex relationships are illegal. and fresh controversy, as former qatar player khalid salman — now an ambassador for the tournament — was asked about homosexuality. he told a german broadcaster it was "haram", which means forbidden. but he went further, denouncing same—sex relationships. but do you think gay is haram? it's haram, because why is it harem? i am not one big muslim, but it's haram why? because it's damaging the mind. at this point, a world cup official steps in, bringing the interview to an abrupt halt.

his words, though, have upset many, including helen hardy, the founder of lgbt football team manchester laces. it was so definite, what was said, and so deeply offensive, and i don't think it could be taken any other way. so we're clear on how they feel about lgbtq+ people. the 2022 fifa world cup is qatar! it's been controversial from the start. 12 years ago, when qatar was given the 2022 world cup, there was wide criticism... ..notjust on the outlawing of homosexuality, also their poor human rights record and unbearable temperatures forcing the tournament to be moved to the winter months. the then fifa president sepp blatter was a champion of the decision at the time. however, speaking to the bbc for an upcoming 5live podcast, blatter admitted it had been a mistake, not forany of the obvious reasons.

it's a big, big organisation which needs also a big country. qatar is too small to do that, i said to myself. i was right at a certain time to say it is... we should not go there. labour mp luke pollard, who is openly gay, says this cannot happen again. i think fifa has real questions to answer about how they make sure that the world cup goes to places where fans can support their team be true to themselves and not have to hide in the closet to be able to support their national team. more than a million visitors are expected to travel to qatar for the world cup. despite the words of khalid salman, the host country's organisers have said that everyone is welcome. jane dougall, bbc news. our sports editor dan roanjoins me now. a week and a half until it gets under way, no sign that controversy is going away.

there is going away. is not, sophie. after all, these there is not, sophie. after all, these comments came from an official world cup ambassador. they will cause offence to many people. i think as far as the organisers are concerned, they will be seen as very helpful as well because it comes at a time when they are desperately trying to convince and reassure gay fans that they will be welcomed in qatar, that it is safe to travel there. they also came on the same day it was revealed the football association of wales are considering safe houses for lgbt queue plus supporters of their team who make the journey to doe heart, but the organisers are also insistent that they want their local laws, their religion to be respected in a country where being gay is illegal, so i think these comments will lead to the uncertainty and the knees that has marked the build—up to this tournament. at a time when more and more players seem willing to speak out on such issues, i think the fifa

plea last week to the 32 teams competing to focus on the football, as they put it, seems ever more optimistic. sepp blatter, meanwhile, he is a discredited figure, banned by fifa for rule breaches. he has said similar things by fifa for rule breaches. he has said similarthings in by fifa for rule breaches. he has said similar things in the past. i think the qataris know that this adds to the sense of suspicion that has always surrounded the tournament. they deny any wrongdoing and so you can be a ground—breaking and so you can be a ground—breaking and very successful world cup, but shifting the narrative away from this relentless negative delete that negativity is proving very difficult for them indeed. there's a record number ofjob vacancies in adult social care. the alzheimers' society says the system in england is in gridlock and there are concerns that the welfare of those living with conditions like dementia are being put at risk. one in ten carejobs in england is currently unfilled — a rapid rise since last year. wages for people working in social care start at the minimum wage of £9.50 an hour, and many find themselves overstretched and doing overtime for free. the shortages mean that more

than half a million adults are still waiting for the care support they need. earlier this year, jeremy cooke went to visit drjo wilson, who is in her 60s and has dementia. she is looked after by her husband bill at their home in newcastle. they have now lost the support carers were giving them at home. jeremy has been back to find out how they're coping. up, stand up. we first met bill and jo back in the summer. no, don't sit down again, stand up. she is living with alzheimer's. both are living with the impact. there are story struck a chord. i had the most phenomenal worldwide response to that. people will be thinking that things couldn't have got worse for bill and jo. i'm sitting here today, jeremy, saying things have got dramatically worse. worse because the carers who were coming in twice a day are not now coming at all. and the sad thing was, they had only just recognised that we needed more

care. they actually withdrew all care? everything, everything. newcastle city council tell us the care provider they use simply doesn't have the people to care forjo. the system has writtenjo off. for bill, it's a new low, but bev reed, ceo of the bradbury centre, has come to the rescue. so now, after daycare, jo is fed and dressed for bed. but then bill must take her home to cope alone. things have got to the point where i really have to consider... ..residential care forjo. it's not what i ever wanted to happen. i wantjo here with me. but the bradbury has its problems, too. they have prepared a new residential care bedroom perfect for jo but still empty. we can't have jo here

as a resident until all the approvals process is complete. frustrating delays at a time of national shortages of care home beds. it's just... ..a sin, really. approval comes from the care quality commission, which says it cannot compromise safety for speed. we can put a respite bed in here... but the bradbury also has two respite beds, also empty, also waiting for the paperwork. space that could help free up desperately needed hospital beds. when you see a queue of ambulances, think social care. that simple? it's that simple, because it is social care that is blocking those beds or preventing those beds being reused for medically urgent cases. the dramatic changes in government mean still more uncertainty. for the care sector, for bill and jo, and for so many

families like them. unless we can actually do something and force that changed to start happening now, we are going to be talking about this very same problem in 20 or 30 years' time. good night, then. there's no tomorrow forjo and me. our tomorrow has come and gone. jeremy cooke, bbc news, newcastle. downing street says it is undertaking an informal investigation into the accusations of bullying and harrassment against the cabinet minister sir gavin williamson. the prime minister, rishi sunak, is facing criticism for appointing the former education secretary to the cabinet, despite knowing he was being investigated for sending a colleague abusive messages. our political correspondent damian grammaticas is in westminster. this story isn't going away. the problem for rishi sunak is the drip drip of allegations about gavin williamson. this evening, downing

street says it has begun its own informal inquiry, following what it says were serious allegations in a newspaper. that was a civil servant claiming that when gavin williamson was defence secretary, he told him to slit your throat and jump out of a window. mr williamson has not denied the language but said he did not think it was bullying. there were already two avenues of inquiry. the former chief whip under liz truss, wendy morton, complained to the conservative party about expletive laden messages from mr williamson when he didn't get a seat at westminster abbey for the queen's funeral. she has made the same complaint now to parliament's independent bullion watchdog. in that case, mr williamson says he regrets that but he was frustrated. the problem for rishi sunak is, he has said his administration would be different, one of integrity. the opposition say he pointed someone knowing there was a complaint against them, and now we are seeing

more allegations and downing street must be worried that there could be yet more. in which the republicans are hoping to gain a majority in congress, something which could paralyse president biden's agenda for his remaining two years in office and, possibly, pave the way for donald trump to return to the white house. congress is made up of two houses — the house of representatives and the senate. currently the democrats have a majority in both. the entire house is up for election — which polls suggest the democrats could lose — as is about a third of the senate. the cost of living, abortion rights, immigration and crime are issues that have dominated the campaign. the us senate is particularly tight, split 50—50 between republicans and democrats. with the vice president kamala harris — a democrat — holding the deciding vote. these are six of the key races to watch tonight, with most too close to call. if any of these seats changes hands, it could decide

who controls the senate. our north america editor sarah smith has more. president biden's political future depends on today's elections. his name is not on the ballot but the results will shape the rest of his term in office. in his final message to voters, mr biden told them this is about much more than him. todd? is about much more than him. today we face an inflection _ is about much more than him. today we face an inflection point, - is about much more than him. today we face an inflection point, one - we face an inflection point, one of those moments that comes around every three or four generations. we know in our bones that our democracy is at risk and we know this is your moment to defend it, preserve and protect it, choose it. b, moment to defend it, preserve and protect it, choose it.— protect it, choose it. a record turnout is _ protect it, choose it. a record turnout is expected, - protect it, choose it. a record turnout is expected, voters i protect it, choose it. a record - turnout is expected, voters queueing at polling stations around the country, and over a0 million people had already voted before the polls opened today. had already voted before the polls opened today-— opened today. every election is important. _ opened today. every election is important, every _ opened today. every election is important, every vote - opened today. every election is important, every vote matters, opened today. every election is - important, every vote matters, every election is important for the united states, no matter what. the economy and inflation — states, no matter what. the economy and inflation are _ states, no matter what. the economy and inflation are also _ states, no matter what. the economy and inflation are also huge _ states, no matter what. the economy and inflation are also huge issues - and inflation are also huge issues right— and inflation are also huge issues right now— and inflation are also huge issues right now that put democracy second in most _

right now that put democracy second in most photos' minds, but i think it is in_ in most photos' minds, but i think it is in danger, for sure. the president — it is in danger, for sure. the president has _ it is in danger, for sure. the president has been - it is in danger, for sure. tue: president has been warning it is in danger, for sure. tte: president has been warning that american democracy is under threat. do you think that is true? t do you think that is true? i mean, hasn't every _ do you think that is true? i mean, hasn't every president _ do you think that is true? i mean, hasn't every president said - do you think that is true? i mean, hasn't every president said that? l do you think that is true? i mean, | hasn't every president said that? it is no _ hasn't every president said that? it is no different_ hasn't every president said that? it is no different than _ hasn't every president said that? it is no different than the _ hasn't every president said that? it is no different than the last. - hasn't every president said that? it is no different than the last. you i is no different than the last. you have _ is no different than the last. you have to — is no different than the last. you have to take _ is no different than the last. you have to take everything, - is no different than the last. you have to take everything, what i have to take everything, what president _ have to take everything, what president biden— have to take everything, what president biden says - have to take everything, what president biden says and - have to take everything, what president biden says and anyl have to take everything, what - president biden says and any other elected _ president biden says and any other elected official, _ president biden says and any other elected official, with _ president biden says and any other elected official, with a _ president biden says and any other elected official, with a grain- president biden says and any other elected official, with a grain of- elected official, with a grain of salt _ elected official, with a grain of salt. �* , ., ., ., ., salt. and you will head over to the scanners -- _ salt. and you will head over to the scanners... opinion _ salt. and you will head over to the scanners... opinion polls - salt. and you will head over to the scanners... opinion polls suggest| scanners... opinion polls suggest republicans _ scanners... opinion polls suggest republicans are _ scanners... opinion polls suggest republicans are likely _ scanners... opinion polls suggest republicans are likely to - scanners... opinion polls suggest republicans are likely to take - republicans are likely to take control of the house of representatives and may be the senate. they could then block almost every piece of legislation the president proposes. these elections will determine whatjoe biden can or cannot get done for the next two years, but they are also about a lot more than that. they may test americans' faith in their own democracy, and they will set the stage for 202a. willjoe biden stand again? itruiiiiii stage for 2024. will joe biden stand aaain? ., , . ., again? will donald trump decide to run? goina again? will donald trump decide to run? going to _ again? will donald trump decide to run? going to be _ again? will donald trump decide to run? going to be making _ again? will donald trump decide to run? going to be making a - again? will donald trump decide to run? going to be making a very - again? will donald trump decide to run? going to be making a very big| run? going to be making a very big announcement on tuesday november 15

in palm _ announcement on tuesday november 15 in palm beach, florida. he announcement on tuesday november 15 in palm beach, florida.— in palm beach, florida. he will be watchin: in palm beach, florida. he will be watching carefully _ in palm beach, florida. he will be watching carefully how _ in palm beach, florida. he will be watching carefully how some - in palm beach, florida. he will be watching carefully how some of. in palm beach, florida. he will be| watching carefully how some of his hand—picked republican candidates perform before making his move. the very tightest contests, like the race for the senate seat in pennsylvania, will be closely watched. some seats are so close, posters down to make any predictions. high numbers of postal votes may mean the final results will not be known for days. the time it took to count the votes in 2020 contributed to the rise in baseless conspiracy theories around voter fraud. normally at this point, there isn't much to report until the polls close and we start getting results. but this year, the voting process itself is being really carefully scrutinised. in a county in arizona which is like ground 0a election conspiracy theories, one in five of the voting machines is not working properly. those votes will have to be counted by hand, and that is exactly the kind of thing that could

wealth you will accusations of voter fraud after this election is finished. sarah smith, thank you. there's more information, including the big moments to watch out for on election night, and analysis on what's at stake in the us midterms, in a special section on our website. that's at bbc.co.uk/news. the time is 6:15pm. our top story this evening: further controversy and concerns over qatar's strict laws as thousands of football fans prepare to travel to the world cup in less than a fortnight. and coming up, we still you about the first rocket to be launched in to space from the uk. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel, katie boulter kicks off the british effort in the billiejean cup. they're playing kazakhstan in their opening group c encounter in glasgow. many schools in england are considering cutting teachers or teaching hours to save money — that's according to a survey carried

out by the head teachers' union. it polled 11,000 head teachers and 66% said they will have to make teaching assistants redundant or cut their hours. half said they may have to do the same for teachers. funding for schools is increasing but costs are rising fast, and independent economists say school budgets are facing an unprecedented squeeze. 0ur education editor branwyn jeffreys has the story. lovely, perfect. thank you so much. do you want to show me the second one as well? keeping subjects like music matters at this school, but savings have to be found somewhere, so this winter they will cut back on supply teachers and use more online learning. last year, as a secondary school that suffered like many others the effect of staff absence during the pandemic, we had to spend £120,000 on external supply teachers. we are hoping to minimise that with the investment in

technology and the support of our existing staff. bell rings. this sheffield secondary added solar panels. energy bills have skyrocketed. gas, double this year. and staff are feeling the pressure on pay cheques, too. fuel for myself, i'm noticing that has gone up, you know, massively. the... when you go to the supermarket to get your food shop, that has nearly doubled. gina now manages other teaching assistants. she loves herjob but understands why some people leave. we know that people are leaving the job all the time because of that reason, but it's a lot more than money. i would rather, you know, have a lower income and enjoy myjob than earn, say, like you say, you could earn in supermarkets, which is probably more. this school is managing, but some others are being hit harder, like special schools, where children with special

educational needs and disabilities need more staff and warmer classrooms. there is extra government cash going into england's schools, but costs are rising even faster. independent economists say that means a crunch. we are now in a position where we expect school spending per pupil to be lower in 202a than it was 1a years earlier, in 2010. and that's basically without historical precedent. we normally expect school spending per pupil to be growing in real terms, year on year, but we've seen a 1a year period were school spending per pupil actually declined. they are counting every pound at this primary in west bromwich. the pay increase is the biggest bill, then there's the rest. we've had the school meal prices, so an additional £18,000. we've also had the cost of school trips, the coach prices have gone up. we've then got the price of paper.

so, we use plenty of paper in primary schools, and we've gone from £1.95 a box of paper to £3.87 a box of paper. as ministers consider spending plans, schools want to make their case, uncertain about the years ahead. branwynjeffreys, bbc news. a former detective inspector with sussex police has been jailed for three years for four counts of sexual assaulting a teenage girl. lia dumbrill has waived the anonmity offered to victims of such crimes, and says she was failed by police and the court system. she was just 16 when she was attacked by dominic 0'brien, who was then on bail for another sexual offence involving an 11—year—old girl. our special correspondent lucy manning has been talking to her. because he was a police officer, he thought he was untouchable. he's always given off that vibe, that no—one can touch him, he gets away with whatever he wants.

it took lia dumbril to stand up — to her attacker, to the system that had allowed him to get away with it, waiving her anonymity after seeing him finally go to jail. i'm glad that i've managed to get him convicted. i'm glad that i managed to stop him. so many people didn't. today, former sussex police detective dominic 0'brien was imprisoned for sexually assaulting her multiple times when she wasjust16. but there were missed opportunities. in 2006, then—detective inspector 0'brien was investigated over sexual messages sent to the 1a—year—old daughter ofa murdervictim in a case he worked on. the following year, he resigned from the police days before a disciplinary hearing. a decade later, he was caught by an undercover officer sending messages about wanting to rape an 11—year—old girl. he was only given a suspended sentence. while on bail, he sexually assaulted lia. it's frustrating, because if they'd

dealt with it then, then that's years of people not having anything happen to them. that's years of offending that wouldn't have happened. my life would be completely different now. and despite promises of change, taking on a sex attacker is still dramatic. i felt like i was the criminal, even in court. and there's defence lawyers calling you liars and things like that. it's horrible. i understand why people don't do it. it's hard, because when you're going through traumatic experiences, you want to block it out as much as you can. but are you pleased that you did stick with it? it's going to be a bit of ease because he deserves to go to jail. that's the important thing, is that he didn't get away with it this time. sussex police, where 0'brien once served, said the allegations made then were fully investigated and prosecutors decided there would be no criminal prosecution. so it took one victim, just a teenager, to make sure he finally went to jail. lucy manning, bbc news. at the cop27 climate summit in egypt, china has said it

will plant 70 billion trees by the end of the decade to help counter climate change. but a report backed by the un has made it clear that developing countries and emerging economies will need far more than that to slow global warming and cope with its impact. 0ur climate editor justin rowlatt reports. you can't move for global leaders here in egypt. there'sjohn kerry, the us climate envoy, and the former governor of the bank of england. billionaire philanthropist michael bloomberg isn't talking, but nicola sturgeon is. she says developed countries have a duty to help on climate. i don't think any of us are doing enough yet. island nations in places like the caribbean are already battered by hurricanes. climate change is likely to make those storms even more intense. producers of fossil fuels have benefited from extortionate profits at the expense

of human civilisation. the prime minister of barbados is leading efforts to reform international financial institutions, like the world bank and the international monetary fund, to make it easierfor developing nations to access cash for climate. justice and solidarity. justice is simply about fair play and solidarity... without solidarity, small countries, small people like me can't make it. i believe that this is a conversation whose time has come. today, the work of the conference begins in earnest, an army of diplomats and lawyers seeking agreements. this is the main conference hall where the leaders speak, and as you walk around this truly vast convention centre, you get an idea of the range of issues under discussion. there are lots of representatives of the fossil fuel industry here too. there is pressure to have gas

defined as a green fuel — yeah, because it's lower carbon than coal and oil — and there are hundreds of businesses here too. today, the un announced an effort to stop greenwashing, companies pretending to be environmentally friendly when they're not really. with so many issues on the agenda and so many opposing views, finding compromises is going to be hard. but it will be the only way to make progress here in the desert sands. justin rowlatt, bbc news, egypt. the united nations has called on egypt to release the jailed the uk should soon have its first rocket launch. but this one will happen at 35,000 feet from under the wing of a jumbo jet. virgin 0rbit�*s mission will lift off from spaceport cornwall at newquay airport and is the start of a race to make the uk a leader in delivering satellites to space as our science editor rebecca morelle reports. there's a lot riding on this rocket. in a few weeks' time, it should blast off for the first of a launch from british soil.

it will deliver satellites into orbit and mark the start of a push to make the uk space flight central. for the maiden mission, newquay airport has been transformed into spaceport cornwall. we build, you know, the majority of the world's small satellites here in the uk, and every one at the minute is getting shipped overseas to launch. to build our own launch capability here in the uk, i think, is just crucially important going forward. this is a launch with a difference. instead of taking off vertically from the ground, the rocket is hitching a ride on a jumbojet for a midair blast off. this is the rocket. it's called launcher 1, and final preparations for its launch are under way. after it detaches from the plane, it fires its own engines and begins itsjourney to space. release, release, release... the drop happens at 35,000 feet.

until now, the company behind the rocket, virgin 0rbit, have been carrying out these launches from california. now, the team has decamped to cornwall, setting up a new mission control. we basically have three different launch systems out there. we have our ground hardware, we have an entire aeroplane and a rocket, and so we have people that kind of specialise in each area of expertise here in the control room. so, they are kind of looking at the data, making sure everything's healthy. consistent checking throughout the day to make sure everything is going really well and then we kind ofjust take it from there. the final tests are under way. the mission, though, still needs approval from the authorities before it gets the go for launch, and there has been some opposition to the plans. but this flight will be a first, and it won't be the last. several other space ports around the uk are set to join in the race to space. rebecca morelle, bbc news, spaceport cornwall, in newquay.

the actor bill treacher who played arthur fowler in eastenders has died at the age of 92. he was one of the first actors to appear in the soap in 1985. , ., , first actors to appear in the soap in 1985. , . , first actors to appear in the soap in 1985. , . y .,, ., in 1985. his family said he was a brilliant actor, _ in 1985. his family said he was a brilliant actor, wonderful - in 1985. his family said he was a i brilliant actor, wonderful husband and father and a very fine human being. the actor leslie phillips who was known for his roles in the carry on films, has died aged 98 after a long illness. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba looks back on his life. # take a look at me... # hello. hello! he was the cad, the bounder, the ladies' man. it made him a star. hi, girls. i'm available. mr bell? ding—dong! you're not wrong! this way, please. his comic technique developed in the theatre, but it worked just as well in three early carry on films, on television and on radio. surely i don't have to go to bye—byes? the navy lark ran for

18 years from 1959. the navy lark, with our three stars, stephen murray, jon pertwee - and leslie phillips. upa bit. to me. to you. think of a number and double it. despite the posh accent, he'd been born a cockney, before achieving huge success with his rakish on—screen persona. but he felt he became typecast. it was marvellous, really, to get those sort of roles, and they seemed important then. it was only later that i realised i was getting into a kind of a rut. i'm sorry to know that kenya will be losing you. in his mid—50s, he reinvented himself as a serious actor... if i were in a hole, you'd be the sort of chap i'd turn to. ..and also delighted a new generation of fans as the voice of the sorting hat in harry potter. well, if you're sure, better be...gryffindor! but for many, he'll always remain the old—fashioned flirt...

ding—dong! ..with a twinkle in his eye. oh, you sexy beast. leslie phillips, who has died at the age of 98. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear. what a beautiful picture. i hope you found the pot of gold with somebody enjoying the sunshine and sharp showers. this was the isle of man, with plenty of showers today and probably plenty of rainbows, and the showers have merged together into longer spells of rain in these defined lines. if you got caught in those, you probably had an hour of rain and another behind, and they will tend to fade away over the next few hours but the only exception is likely to be across the south coast. through the night tonight we will see the showers clinging on to channel coasts and they will drift

steadily eastwards overnight. in terms of the feel of the weather, because the winds have