this is bbc news, i'm ben brown, the headlines. anti—government protests in china against strict covid restrictions are spreading, with some demonstrators calling for the country's leader, president xi, to go. people who use social media posts to encourage self—harm will face criminal prosecution under new government proposals. two 16—year—old boys have died after being stabbed about a mile apart in south—east london, police say they are trying to establish if the two incidents are linked. with further rail strikes expected before christmas, the transport secretary says reform is needed to fund wage rises. what has to happen is we have

to agree on a set of reforms. it's the reforms that free up the savings that then unlock the ability for companies to make an offer to the trade unions on pay. but labour argues the government needs to do more to support workers during a cost of living crisis. we think it is unconscionable that nurses and rail workers who went out and kept this country moving during a pandemic are not being paid enough to put food on the table. rescue efforts are under way to find survivors after a mudslide triggered by heavy rains swept away homes on the italian island of ischia. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world.

protests in china against the government's strict covid measures have intensified, with crowds publicly venting their anger at the communist party leaders. thousands of protesters took to the streets of shanghai, calling for president xi jinping to step down. the bbc saw people being bundled into police cars. these images are from beijing, where students gathered at the elite chinghua university on sunday. there, hundreds called for democracy, rule of law and freedom of expression. students also demonstrated at the university in nanjing. the protests began following a deadly fire in the western city of urumqi. ten people were killed, and strict lockdown rules were blamed for hampering rescue efforts. katie silver reports. earlier, i spoke with thomas hale, financial times correspondent in shaghai, who was at the scene.

about 50 metres from what remains of the protest. i would not call it a protest. it was a mass gathering of people and essentially, they've cordoned off and blockaded the road on which it was happening. but there are still very large crowds gathered close to the original site to the protest as they can get. but what is your view of the significance of these protests? how political are they? i would say they are extremely significant and i would also say that the politics of china's covid policies, not sure if you can hear, next to me is a lot of disruption going on in the streets, sorry about that. i would say that the covid policies have become a kind of lightning node for wider frustrations, political frustrations in china including over a slowing economy which has been a very significant issue for much of the past year.

i would also add that on the front line of these gatherings, which haven't really turned violent at any point, with a few exceptions, people will talk very frequently about freedom and about democracy and about the need for political change. it obviously requires quite a lot of bravery and courage, doesn't it? for these protesters to come out onto the streets at all and faced arrest. absolutely, does. and the fewer the people the more bravery it requires. as soon as you have a critical mass more people are drawn to these gatherings but it is very difficult for them to get going in the first place. there are huge, huge risks for anyone who shows up. do you think they will

spread these protest? by mid afternoon, there were hundreds of people again and people continue to show up. rescue teams have been working through the night on the italian island of ischia, which was hit one person is confirmed dead and 11 people are reported missing. our correspondent mark lowen has the latest from ischia. we just arrived in the area of ischia worst hit by the mudslide and you can see here so much damage with car is being held into each other by the force of the landslide. there one car here you can barely recognise the remains now. a lamp post has collapsed, trees have been

here see ca i’s cars we re cars were passed buses and cars that were passed into the force of the buses and cars that were passed into that the force of the buses and cars that were passed into that here. aforce of the buses and cars that were passed into that here. efor there he landslide that hit here. and there still this large and mad that e -e— the streets. the diggers have line the streets. the diggers have arrived. they've started trying to await“? tfifi’ffiffi iféfffi? ff’iflfifi efi . up arrow? tfifisgfi flak“? frslfié efi �* up this area arrow? tfifisgfi ieéreeifl er’zflfié efi �* up this area already but the clear up this area already but the damage is quite here as damage is quite significant here as your the you can see. that's where the mud cascaded down from after hours of torrential rain. the problem here in ischia as it is an idyllic island, very tranquil island but around half of the houses here are illegally built and so they can't withstand the force of landslides and earthquakes and unfortunately, this has been the impact of what the mudslide from saturday morning has done to this island. two 16—year—old boys have died

after being stabbed about a mile apart in south—east london, police have said. police and medics attended, but both boys were pronounced dead and a murder investigation has been launched. due to the closeness and timings of the incidents, police say they are trying to establish if they are linked. the met has urged anyone with information to contact them. encouraging self—harm could soon become a criminal offence, under new changes to the government's online safety bill. ministers say the decision was influenced by the case of 14—year—old molly russell, who took her own life in 2017, after viewing content about self—harm and suicide on social media. laura tra nt reports. 14—year—old molly russell from harrow in london died five years ago. the inquest into her death found she took her own life after looking at content on social media relating to self—harm. since she passed away,

molly's family have been campaigning for legislation to be passed to better protect young people online. earlier this week, molly's dad, ian russell, spoke to the bbc and expressed his frustration at delays in changes to the law. i think the online safety bill... it's something i care deeply about because without a change that regulates the companies to operate their platforms more safely, these tragedies will continue to happen. it's too late for me. so in a way, it's not a huge personal investment. i'm just frustrated that an opportunity for change and an opportunity for greater safety for children has been delayed for so long.

it's been confirmed the updated online safety bill will be put before parliament with some further changes. now the encouragement of self—harm online is to be criminalised, ultimately with prison sentences and fines, so companies which do not remove illegal content could face fines and perpetrators will be sentenced through the courts. this is the government trying to show that it is strong, that it can clamp down on this behaviour, particularly when it targets children. but in fact this is a very complex area with lots of grey space in between where a lot of predators and others will continue to act. and frankly, it's going to be very difficult to enforce, both for a regulator and for a government eager to act. the molly rose foundation, set up by herfamily to campaign for better online safety, says the update to the online safety bill is a significant move. but stress it's important other harmful but legal content is also within the scope of the bill. it's expected the amended

online safety bill will be put before parliament in early december. laura trant, bbc news. across the uk, public sector workers are voting to strike over pay, with industrial action planned by rail workers and nurses in the run up christmas. the government has said it can only pay workers what is affordable. but with uk inflation at forty—year highs, politicians are coming under pressure to promise pay deals which match the cost of living. today the transport secretary, mark harper, told the bbc there were limits to what the government could offer workers. we have to balance what is affordable, so that is why in the health service we have accepted all the recommendations of the independent pay review body which would give, for example, nurses at least £1400 pay rise this year and it is why nurses, for example, got a 3% rise last year when the general public sector had a pay freeze, but a 19% pay rise simply isn't

affordable. a19% pay rise simply isn't affordable.— a 19% pay rise simply isn't affordable. ., ., , affordable. hung on a second... element we _ affordable. hung on a second... element we have _ affordable. hung on a second... element we have to _ affordable. hung on a second... element we have to balance - affordable. hung on a second... l element we have to balance what affordable. hung on a second... - element we have to balance what is affordable. the difficult decisions we are having to make to keep the public finances under control and the perfectly reasonable request people have got to keep up with the cost of living. i people have got to keep up with the cost of living-— cost of living. i accept that people are not going _ cost of living. i accept that people are not going to — cost of living. i accept that people are not going to be _ cost of living. i accept that people are not going to be able _ cost of living. i accept that people are not going to be able to - cost of living. i accept that people are not going to be able to have i are not going to be able to have what they want. shadow levelling up secretary lisa nandy was asked whether labour would support pay rises which match inflation. we want to see people paid enough money to live on and rewarded very for the contribution that they make but what you are asking me is, not, would we match inflation, you are asking me to commit to a specific number without being involved in the negotiations and seeing the books. we think it is unconscionable that nurses and rail workers that went out this country moving during a pandemic are not being paid enough to put food on the table. we are looking at every single way that we could help with that including the long—term health of the economy and getting more resources very quickly in the first 100 days of a labour

government into the national health service by scrapping the non—dom status. there is a problem that people are burned out in the nhs and that is compounding the cost of living crisis. we are going to do everything in our means of disposal to help people because they deserve this. police are investigating whether the fatal stabbings of two �*laughing gas is no laughing matter�* — that's the warning from healthcare professionals who say more needs to be done to control access to nitrous oxide here in the uk. it is one of the most widely used recreational drugs by young people — but doctors say it could cause serious harm. audrey dias reports. evidence of people inhaling nitrous oxide for kicks but causing serious concern the medical community. we

are finding people moving from taking the small silver cylinders, may be hundreds of those in a week, moving to bigger cylinders, you know, 800 grams and thenjust moving to bigger cylinders, you know, 800 grams and then just last week i... 3.9 kilograms of nitrous oxide. that on its own would kill you. this really is not a laughing matter. it you. this really is not a laughing matter. ., , , you. this really is not a laughing matter. ., , ., ., matter. it does play a legitimate role in hospitals _ matter. it does play a legitimate role in hospitals in _ matter. it does play a legitimate role in hospitals in the _ matter. it does play a legitimate role in hospitals in the catering i role in hospitals in the catering industry but it is illegal to sell it for recreational use. the most recent statistics and abuse come from the crime survey released at the end of 2020. the report found thatjust under 9% of 16—24 —year—old had used nitrous oxide in the previous year. that makes it the second most popular drug amongst young people. dan works with a substance abuse charity. the re . uisite substance abuse charity. the requisite education around itjust isn't there — requisite education around itjust isn't there. so what we try to do and what — isn't there. so what we try to do and what i — isn't there. so what we try to do and what i was doing this morning was in _ and what i was doing this morning was in front— and what i was doing this morning was in front of a year ten group, an

audience, _ was in front of a year ten group, an audience, delivering this information en masse, making sure the information is accessible, factual— the information is accessible, factual but also where can people access _ factual but also where can people access support? the factual but also where can people access suspect?— access support? the british compressed _ access support? the british compressed gases - access support? the british i compressed gases association access support? the british - compressed gases association has also to the government asking for a ban on retail sales. to prevent young people being put at risk. to prevent young people being put at risk. buckingham palace has announced that camilla, the queen consort, won't appoint the traditional ladies—in—waiting to support her in her role. instead, she'll be helped by what are called "queen's companions" — six women who will support her at official engagements and public events. unlike the ladies—in—waiting, this slimmed—down role will not involve correspondence or administration. they won't receive a salary but their expenses will be covered.

all. good afternoon. protests have erupted in cities across china, as people call for an end to strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. in a show of defiance in shanghai, china's biggest city, some protestors were bundled into police cars amid calls for president xijinping to resign. millions of people have been living with the restrictions to daily life for months. 0ur china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, reports from beijing.

it's not unusual to see acts of defiance in china, but this was something different. a crowd of protesters in shanghai chanted, calling for the country's leader xijinping to stand down and for the communist party to give up power. a fire which killed ten residents in changsha last week has prompted widespread anger in china. zero—covid restrictions have been blamed for hampering people's escape and slowing the access for fire crews. whether this is true or not, it's sparked waves of protest in the regional capital, urumqi. this has now spread to other cities and university campuses, as spontaneous memorial services for those who died in the fire have transformed into demonstrations, calling for an end to lockdowns, mass testing and other coronavirus measures.

people are also blaming xi jinping personally for not easing the zero—covid approach which is tanking the economy. protests have been building in china all year, with people here increasingly sick of zero—covid restrictions. the government seems to have drastically underestimated popular discontent, yet for the moment has no easy way out of the zero—covid corner it's painted itself into. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, beijing. the transport secretary, mark harper, has said there's a need to reform the rail system to free up money for a pay offer in the long—running dispute that has led to nationwide train strikes. speaking to the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg, he warned he didn't have a "bottomless pit" of taxpayers' money to throw at the problem. 0ur political correspondent, helen catt, reports.

there have been repeated walk—outs on the railways for months. just yesterday it was the driver is out on a daylong strike. guards and signallers among the staff held another series of walk—outs this time for 48 hours each time in december and january. this morning the transport secretary mark harper said he wanted to see the dispute resolved but insisted a deal on pay must be funded by reaching agreement on changes to working practices. train operating companies and network rail will have the ability to reach a deal but we have to be able to have the reform package negotiated because it is only that that throws up the savings. i do not have a bottomless pit of taxpayers' money to throw out the problem. the rmt union general secretary mick lynch met with mr harper early this week in what has been seen as a more conciliatory approach from the government, in turn at least. unions want assurances ministers are not pulling the strings.— want assurances ministers are not pulling the strings. what the unions need to know _ pulling the strings. what the unions need to know is _ pulling the strings. what the unions need to know is whether _ pulling the strings. what the unions

need to know is whether the - need to know is whether the companies have authority to do a deal because we know that every train _ deal because we know that every train operating company has a clause in its _ train operating company has a clause in its contract written by the government on dispute handling, but the unions _ government on dispute handling, but the unions do not know what is in it. . ., , the unions do not know what is in it. labour has said it wants to see --eole it. labour has said it wants to see people paid _ it. labour has said it wants to see people paid fairly _ it. labour has said it wants to see people paid fairly but _ it. labour has said it wants to see people paid fairly but it _ it. labour has said it wants to see people paid fairly but it has - it. labour has said it wants to see people paid fairly but it has not i people paid fairly but it has not said it would commit to inflation matching pay increases if in government.— matching pay increases if in covernment. ., government. you're asking me to connect to _ government. you're asking me to connect to a _ government. you're asking me to connect to a specific _ government. you're asking me to connect to a specific number- government. you're asking me to i connect to a specific number without having _ connect to a specific number without having been— connect to a specific number without having been invited _ connect to a specific number without having been invited into _ connect to a specific number without having been invited into the - having been invited into the negotiations— having been invited into the negotiations and _ having been invited into the negotiations and seeing - having been invited into the negotiations and seeing thej having been invited into the - negotiations and seeing the books. what _ negotiations and seeing the books. what i _ negotiations and seeing the books. what i can— negotiations and seeing the books. what i can tell_ negotiations and seeing the books. what i can tell you _ negotiations and seeing the books. what i can tell you is— negotiations and seeing the books. what i can tell you is we _ negotiations and seeing the books. what i can tell you is we think- negotiations and seeing the books. what i can tell you is we think it. what i can tell you is we think it is unconscionable _ what i can tell you is we think it is unconscionable nurses - what i can tell you is we think it is unconscionable nurses and i what i can tell you is we think itl is unconscionable nurses and rail workers — is unconscionable nurses and rail workers who— is unconscionable nurses and rail workers who went _ is unconscionable nurses and rail workers who went out _ is unconscionable nurses and rail workers who went out and - is unconscionable nurses and rail workers who went out and kept i is unconscionable nurses and rail. workers who went out and kept the country _ workers who went out and kept the country moving _ workers who went out and kept the country moving in— workers who went out and kept the country moving in the _ workers who went out and kept the country moving in the pandemic. workers who went out and kept the | country moving in the pandemic are not being _ country moving in the pandemic are not being paid — country moving in the pandemic are not being paid enough _ country moving in the pandemic are not being paid enough to— country moving in the pandemic are not being paid enough to put- country moving in the pandemic are not being paid enough to put food l country moving in the pandemic are. not being paid enough to put food on the table _ not being paid enough to put food on the table. ., ., ,., , the table. next month will also see nurses to the table. next month will also see nurses go on _ the table. next month will also see nurses go on strike _ the table. next month will also see nurses go on strike in _ the table. next month will also see nurses go on strike in england, i nurses go on strike in england, wales and northern ireland. as a winter of more industrial action looms. helen catt, bbc news. the business secretary, grant shapps, has written to energy suppliers,

telling them households shouldn't see their direct debits rise when their energy use falls. he's calling on energy companies to find a way to respond quickly to changes in household use and asked the regulator, 0fgem, to report to him on how this can be achieved. our business reporter noor nanji is here. noor, what's the background to this letter? lots of us have been making efforts to cut down on energy use but despite this there have been reports of people saying direct debits are still soaring. grant shapps says he is disturbed by the reports and says people's bills should reflect use. 0fgem, energy regulator, conducted a review into this earlier this year. we have reached out to supplies to see what action has already been taken. two things to note. energy bills are already going up. we know that. even if you have reduced use, your bills will be on average higher this year than last year. some firms may have been caught out by the milder weather, calculations could have been factoring in a colder winter. finally worth mentioning,

you have the right to challenge your direct debit. if you think you are paying more than you should, you can reach out to your supplier. good advice. thank _ reach out to your supplier. good advice. thank you. _ two 16—year—old boys have died after being stabbed about a mile apart in south—east london. the metropolitan police say they are trying to establish if the stabbings are linked. 0ur correspondent, simonjones, is at the scene of one of the incidents in thamesmead. simon, what are you hearing from the police? the simon, what are you hearing from the olice? ,., . .., simon, what are you hearing from the olice? ,., . .. , police? the police were called 'ust after five o'clock i police? the police were called 'ust after five o'clock yesterday i after five o'clock yesterday afternoon to reports two young men had been stabbed, one here and won mile from here at abbey wood. the air ambulance mile from here at abbey wood. the airambulance was mile from here at abbey wood. the air ambulance was sent with several ambulances but paramedics could not save their lives. i have been speaking to neighbours here who have been telling me of their shock, one said they heard screaming, looked out of the window and saw a huge amount of activity. another told me he had tried to give cpr to the boy

who was killed here. given that the attacks happened so close to each other and at a very similar time, the police are now trying to establish whether they are indeed linked. 0ffices here in london say they are determined to crack down on knife crime and a recent week—long operation saw 500 arrests and 100 knives seized.— operation saw 500 arrests and 100 knives seized. thank you very much. simon jones — knives seized. thank you very much. simon jones reporting. _ rescue teams in italy are searching for around a dozen people who are missing after a huge mudslide on the island of ischia. houses and cars were buried in rivers of mud after torrential rain. at least one person has been killed. the italian government is expected to approve a state of emergency and give money to help rebuild damaged homes. at the world cup in qatar, today's early game saw costa rica beatjapan1—0.

in a match where japan had dominated, keysher fuller's goal for costa rica ten minutes from time has left japan facing a tough challenge to advance from the knockout stages. wales will need to beat england in their final group match on tuesday to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the world cup alive. it's been a disappointing tournament so far for wales who have picked upjust one point from their opening two matches. 0ur correspondent hywel griffith is at their training camp in qatar. i have been hearing from some of the players today talking about their real disappointment over the performance against iran on friday. a game which realistically gave wales their best chance of a first world cup win since 1958. instead they were barely a minute, the goalkeeper wayne hennessey was sent off opening the floodgates. two goals right towards the end of the game. the final whistle, they looked

disconsolate, defeated, they did not have much to offer. how do they bounce back? the hardest game of the group and may be the game of their lives. wales have to win and depend on another result going their way. wales have not beaten england since 1984. mission impossible? that was put to wales defender ben davies earlier on. i don't think it's a question of trying to find that belief. we've got it in our squad. everybody knows that's we've got quality in there and we really do believe that we can win the game. we know it will be hard and we know we have to be at our best to do it, but we have to give everything we've got. there is a sense among the welsh camp they have not shown the best and this might be theirfinal opportunity, otherwise they will be booking a flight home by the middle of the week. ., ~ booking a flight home by the middle of the week-— of the week. thank you very much, that is it from _ of the week. thank you very much, that is it from me. _ of the week. thank you very much, that is it from me. more _ of the week. thank you very much, that is it from me. more on - of the week. thank you very much, that is it from me. more on today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news here at 3:15pm. goodbye

for now. cloud and rain pushing eastwards across the uk and that rain has been in no mood to clear quickly. lingering close to the south—east corner with sunshine and showers elsewhere to take us to the west of the day. this is the earlier satellite picture. the dry of clive has brought the outbreaks of rain and rather than clearing through swiftly, it is going to hang around across the channel islands and close to south—east england. some rain is likely to continue through the west of the day. further north and west more in the way of sunshine with scattered showers. particularly for northern ireland in western scotland for some of the heavy and potentially thundery. lastly western scotland but not as windy as it was

yesterday. mild with highs between ten and 13 degrees. the rain in the south—east corner should eventually clear during tonight. elsewhere, clear during tonight. elsewhere, clear spells with quite a few showers from the west and some fog patches developing across parts of north—east england. some of that file could be quite dense. touch of frost as possible in the north—east of england especially but most places will be between four and 8 degrees. tomorrow, that fog could be slow to clear. for scotland and northern ireland they will tend to fade. it should be mostly dry and sunny here by the afternoon. some showers will continue for parts of wales and through the english channel and islands as well. temperatures 8 degrees for newcastle, 12 for plymouth. fog likely to be widespread on tuesday morning. dense patches here and there and with very late wednesday will be nothing to help to lift that

folks are some of it could linger. it will feel chillier than it has done of late. later in the week we will see this frontal system trying to push on from the west. it makes very little progress. it has been deflected by this they carry a high pressure that is becoming increasingly dominant across eastern europe. cold air across eastern europe. cold air across eastern europe. some chillier air moving in a direction but nothing exceptional for the time of year however it is going to feel colder than it has done of late. not as much rain in the forecast. it is going to be a bit drier.

hello, this is bbc news, i'm ben brown. the headlines... anti—government protests in china

against strict covid restrictions are spreading with some demonstrators calling for the country's leader, president xi, to go. people who use social media posts to encourage self—harm will face criminal prosecution under new government proposals. two 16—year—old boys have died after being stabbed about a mile apart in south—east london. police say they are trying to establish if the two incidents are linked. rescue efforts are under way to find survivors after a mudslide triggered by heavy rains swept away homes on the italian island of ischia. now on bbc news, click.