for this prime minister's skill set. lee cain was one of borisjohnson's longest serving advisers. his key aide dominic cummings is giving evidence for the rest of the day. we'll have the latest from the public inquiry. and also here this lunchtime. a u—turn on the railways. the proposal to close hundreds of ticket offices at stations across england has been scrapped. nearly a month after hamas�*s atrocities, i asked the president of israel for the latest with the hostages and the rising civilian causalities in gaza. dog barks xl bully dogs are to be formally banned today. owners have untiljanuary to apply to keep their pet. and, the cast of friends

say they were a family. they've issued a statement, saying they're devastated by the death of their co—star matthew perry. and coming up in sport on bbc news, saudi arabia set to host the men's football world cup in 2034 as australia pulls out of the race to stage the tournament. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. two of borisjohnson�*s closest aides while he was prime minister have been giving evidence to the covid—19 inquiry. lee cain, who was mrjohnson�*s director of communications, said there was a lack of clear leadership at the beginning of 2020, but that the government thought it was well prepared for the pandemic by march of that year. mrjohnson�*s former chief aide, dominic cummings, has given

a scathing assessment of cabinet government during the pandemic. he said the cabinet wasn't a place for serious dicussion and that important decisions about covid had been taken elsewhere. ellie price reports from the inquiry. lee cain should have appeared here yesterday, but the drilling of another number ten adviser overran and it's an insight intojust how seriously the inquiry is taking this evidence from government insiders on how crucial decisions were made at the time. i how crucial decisions were made at the time. ., ,., , how crucial decisions were made at the time. ., , , . , the time. i do solemnly sincerely and truly declared... _ the time. i do solemnly sincerely and truly declared... he - the time. i do solemnly sincerely and truly declared... he was - the time. i do solemnly sincerelyl and truly declared... he was boris johnson and truly declared... he was boris johnson is — and truly declared... he was boris johnson is director _ and truly declared... he was boris johnson is director of _ johnson is director of communications. they'd work together to the brexit campaign. he resigned in november 2020, at the time the former pm called him a true ally and friend, but lee cain said his old boss could be hard to work with. anyone that's worked with the prime minister for a anyone that's worked with the prime ministerfor a period of time anyone that's worked with the prime minister for a period of time will become exhausted with him sometimes.

he can be quite a challenging character to work with just because he will oscillate, he will take a decision from the last person in the room. �* . decision from the last person in the room. ~ . ., room. and that, he said, meant boris johnson is not — room. and that, he said, meant boris johnson is not the _ room. and that, he said, meant boris johnson is not the right _ room. and that, he said, meant boris johnson is not the right man - room. and that, he said, meant boris johnson is not the right man to - room. and that, he said, meant boris johnson is not the right man to lead l johnson is not the right man to lead the country through covid. what johnson is not the right man to lead the country through covid. what will robabl be the country through covid. what will probably be clear _ the country through covid. what will probably be clear in _ the country through covid. what will probably be clear in covid, - the country through covid. what will probably be clear in covid, it - the country through covid. what will probably be clear in covid, it was - probably be clear in covid, it was the wrong crisis for this prime minister's skill set. which is different, i think, from not potentially being put to the job of being prime minister. eton; potentially being put to the “0b of being prime minister.* potentially being put to the “0b of being prime minister. stay at home, rotect the being prime minister. stay at home, protect the nhs, save _ being prime minister. stay at home, protect the nhs, save lives. - being prime minister. stay at home, protect the nhs, save lives. he - being prime minister. stay at home, protect the nhs, save lives. he told| protect the nhs, save lives. he told the inuui protect the nhs, save lives. he told the inquiry he'd _ protect the nhs, save lives. he told the inquiry he'd been _ protect the nhs, save lives. he told the inquiry he'd been proud - protect the nhs, save lives. he told the inquiry he'd been proud of - protect the nhs, save lives. he told the inquiry he'd been proud of the i the inquiry he'd been proud of the stay at home save lives protect the nhs slogan which he said 94% of the public understood. but he conceded the gap between deciding that a lockdown in march 2020 was inevitable, and implementing it, was too long. and that was true for the second lockdown too. indie too long. and that was true for the second lockdown too.— too long. and that was true for the second lockdown too. we have learned all these lessons _ second lockdown too. we have learned all these lessons from _ second lockdown too. we have learned all these lessons from the _ second lockdown too. we have learned all these lessons from the first - all these lessons from the first period of lockdown, why are we now trying to ignore them again and keep

the exact same stage which will be too slow to act, a denial of the measures that are going to be necessary to control the virus, moving too late, and allowing it to get out of control, too much virus which means a longer lockdown in the end? �* u, which means a longer lockdown in the end? �* u, . , end? and then came dominic cummings, who has been _ end? and then came dominic cummings, who has been critical— end? and then came dominic cummings, who has been critical of— end? and then came dominic cummings, who has been critical of boris _ who has been critical of boris johnson ever since he left his role as his chief of staff in november 2020. his evidence will continue this afternoon. ellie price, bbc news at the covid inquiry in london. our political correspondent, nick eardley, has been following the inquiry and joins us from central london now. these are some senior political figures giving evidence today, so what does this do for the man who was prime minister at the time? it’s was prime minister at the time? it's not the was prime minister at the time? it�*s not the first time we've heard criticism of government. it's on the first time we've heard criticism of borisjohnson. but first time we've heard criticism of boris johnson. but what is first time we've heard criticism of borisjohnson. but what is really

striking is that senior people who were in the room were critical of decisions that were being made and of mrjohnson. to talk you through a few of the really significant moments we've had this morning alone. lee cain has confirmed number ten dot the first lockdown was inevitable from the 14th of march 2020. it didn't happen for another ten days, yes, it's difficult for ministers to bring this sort of thing in practice, but lee cain admitted it was too long. we've also seen messages, whatsapp messages, from borisjohnson resisting the second lockdown in october 2020. some of these messages have been reported before, but this is the first time we've seen mrjohnson's whatsapp messages written down saying he thought the average death age was higher than life expectancy. he concluded get covid and live longer. and then perhaps most

significantly was that message from patrick vallance, the chief scientific adviser, taken from his contemporary diaries, which he says mrjohnson agreed with those in his own party, in the conservative party, who thought old people should be allowed to get the virus and others should be protected, that was in december 2020, just before the christmas lockdown. all of this paints a very uncomfortable picture for the government at the time, all of it paints a very uncomfortable picture indeed for borisjohnson. he is due to give evidence in the next few weeks. is due to give evidence in the next few weeks-— few weeks. thank you, live at the ublic few weeks. thank you, live at the public inquiry _ few weeks. thank you, live at the public inquiry into _ few weeks. thank you, live at the public inquiry into covid-19. - the proposal to close hundreds of ticket offices at railways stations across england has been scrapped. it comes after a public consultation resulted in more than 680,000 responses. but a senior source has told the bbc that rail bosses are furious, because the plans had originally been approved by the department for transport.

let's talk to our transport correspondent katy austin, who's at king's cross station in london. is this a surprise, katie? well, the train companies _ is this a surprise, katie? well, the train companies who _ is this a surprise, katie? well, the train companies who are _ is this a surprise, katie? well, the train companies who are under - train companies who are under pressure from the government to cut costs had argued that relatively few tickets are now bought at ticket offices in the smartphone area and enclosing them they would bring staff out onto the station to help passengers on a variety of ways, but there had been a fairly strong backlash to these proposals, not only from rail unions but also in particular from disability groups who argued closing ticket offices would make travel less accessible. as you say, a public consultation had drawn three quarters of a million responses. today the passenger watchdog said they objected to all these proposals, also today the transport secretary mark harper said they do not meet the high threshold set by ministers

so the government is asked train operators to withdraw them. the rail delivery group pointed out it had made changes over the past few months, for example promising to upgrade ticket vending machines, but it said the plans would now be taken forward. however, one senior rail source i've spoken to said, yes, train bosses are furious about being made to defend plans they said had been approved by the department for transport and they asked where else the government would like them to try and save money.— we'll get the latest on the latest israel hamas war. let's cross to my colleague lyse doucet injerusalem. day 25 of this war. israel says there were "large exchanges" with hamas in gaza overnight as its ground offensive continues. the israel defence forces say they struck 300 targets in all parts of the gaza strip in the last 2a hours.

hamas, which is classed as a terrorist organisation by the uk government, says it's been firing anti—tank missiles at israeli soldiers and vehicles. as the military operations intensify that, the humanitarian crisis deepens. the united states now says it hopes around 100 trucks of aid will soon be able to enter gaza each day after its discussions with israel. our middle east correspondent, yolande knell, reports. trudging into gaza, backed by tanks, israel's army released these pictures describing its ground operation going slowly and meticulously. there have been exchanges of fire with hamas fighters. and still the air attacks go on. the israeli military says it has hit some 300 hamas targets in the past 2a a was. indie

has hit some 300 hamas targets in the past 24 a was.— the past 24 a was. we are doing everything _ the past 24 a was. we are doing everything we — the past 24 a was. we are doing everything we can _ the past 24 a was. we are doing everything we can to _ the past 24 a was. we are doing everything we can to minimise l everything we can to minimise collateral damage to civilians. but sadly, hamas are hiding behind their civilians and conducting their war. firing from mosques, from schools, from international establishments inside the gaza strip. find from international establishments inside the gaza strip. and residents of gaza feel — inside the gaza strip. and residents of gaza feel nowhere _ inside the gaza strip. and residents of gaza feel nowhere is _ inside the gaza strip. and residents of gaza feel nowhere is safe. - inside the gaza strip. and residents of gaza feel nowhere is safe. here | of gaza feel nowhere is safe. here in the north, carting away the corpses of families killed in the latest bombing from the local hospital. inside, these images showed surgeons as they battled overnight to save the wounded. medics said they were fighting the shortage of fuel.— shortage of fuel. from seven this mornin: shortage of fuel. from seven this morning we _ shortage of fuel. from seven this morning we received _ shortage of fuel. from seven this morning we received a _ shortage of fuel. from seven this morning we received a large - shortage of fuel. from seven this i morning we received a large number of injured patients who needed immediate surgery. their operations here in the commodores as well as those in the surgical suites. the doctors performing these operations are tired and exhausted but someone needed to do —— corridors. ilustith

are tired and exhausted but someone needed to do -- corridors.— needed to do -- corridors. with so much destruction, _ needed to do -- corridors. with so much destruction, nearly - needed to do -- corridors. with so much destruction, nearly 1.5 - needed to do -- corridors. with sol much destruction, nearly 1.5 million people in gaza are now displaced the un says and there are more warnings about the dire humanitarian situation with severe shortages of food, water and shelter. irate situation with severe shortages of food, water and shelter.— food, water and shelter. we are seeinr food, water and shelter. we are seeing an _ food, water and shelter. we are seeing an increase _ food, water and shelter. we are seeing an increase on _ food, water and shelter. we are seeing an increase on water - food, water and shelter. we are - seeing an increase on water -related seeing an increase on water —related disease _ seeing an increase on water —related disease due — seeing an increase on water —related disease due to the lack of water. a lot of— disease due to the lack of water. a lot of sewage water being pumped out. lot of sewage water being pumped out it's_ lot of sewage water being pumped out. it's starting and it's going to -et out. it's starting and it's going to get worse — out. it's starting and it's going to get worse-— get worse. for now, its reign as rulin: get worse. for now, its reign as ruling out _ get worse. for now, its reign as ruling out a _ get worse. for now, its reign as ruling out a ceasefire _ get worse. for now, its reign as ruling out a ceasefire here. - get worse. for now, its reign as ruling out a ceasefire here. and| ruling out a ceasefire here. and these pictures released by her mass show fighters engaging as many troops in the north of gaza in the weekend. more fierce combat is yet to come —— hamas. nearly a month after hamas's atrocities in southern israel, the president of israel, isaac herzog, told me this morning that israel was now a different nation, at a time of unprecedented agony.

he said his meetings with families of hostages were the most difficult he's had in his life. he emphasised that israel was doing everything it could to bring the more than 200 hostages home. but he told me no progress has been made with negotiations. we spoke after un officials raised the alarm at the security council about rising civilian casualties in gaza. something i put to president herzog. is mass civilian casualties in gaza an acceptable price to pay to defend israel? i am not measuring, god forbid, blood for blood. i'm not. and i think that's a wrong assumption because the family of nations... it's an accident? if the family of nations wants to operate, it has to fight this bitter enemy. let us look at the numbers. more than 8,000 dead and last night we heard nearly 70% are women and children. why have they had to pay the price?

well, nobody wants them to pay the price. but they are. my heart goes out truly. truly my heart goes out. but when you deal with the right of self defence, what kind of self defence do i have when people went in to our territory? the rule that was set by our founding father david ben—gurion was first and foremost protect the nation. make sure that we are not threatened again. the president of israel, isaac herzog, speaking to me earlier. you can hear more of that interview on the bbc throughout the day. now it's back to jane in the studio in london with the rest of the day's news. thank you. the labour leader sir keir starmer has been defending his decision not to demand an immediate ceasefire in gaza, despite calls to do so from within his party. in a speech in london, he said such a move would embolden hamas, and insisted a humanitarian pause was the only credible

approach to the conflict. our deputy political editor vicki young was listening to his speech, and joins us now. explain more about what he has laid out on what his thinking is. he explain more about what he has laid out on what his thinking is.- out on what his thinking is. he was treadin: out on what his thinking is. he was treading very _ out on what his thinking is. he was treading very carefully _ out on what his thinking is. he was treading very carefully as - out on what his thinking is. he was treading very carefully as you - out on what his thinking is. he was| treading very carefully as you might expect talking about the two tragedies which have unfolded in the middle east, that original attack by hamas which he said was the biggest slaughter of dues since the holocaust and the thousands of palestinians who have been killed in gaza and since then —— jews. you want to talk about a longer—term solution, a two state solution about resurrecting diplomacy but of course it is not call for a ceasefire, the fact he doesn't want one right now which he is under pressure over, saying the reason is i wanted to happen now is because it would lead hamas to be emboldened and able to launch similar attacks to the one they launched on israel on the 7th of october but of course, plenty in his party who do disagree with him, lots of even shadow ministers, who

have been really expressing their concern and saying they do want this to happen now. this is what he said when i asked him whether, if he was prime minister he would be happy to tolerate ministers going against party policy? it is for me to address collective responsibility, i recognise that that is my duty. it matters and i take that duty extremely seriously, but i do it in the context of understanding what is driving people in the call for a ceasefire, which is, in myjudgment, not the call that we should be making as things stand for the reasons i set out. so for now he seems to be saying no blanket sackings, that he understands that people have strong views on all of this, but tolerating that kind of dissent i think is possible if you are the leader of the opposition. i'm not sure he would get away with it, though, if he was prime minister.— would get away with it, though, if he was prime minister. thank you very much — he was prime minister. thank you very much for— he was prime minister. thank you very much for now. _ our top story this afternoon:

two of boris johnson two of borisjohnson top eight during the pandemic and been giving evidence to the covid inquiry. and still to come: king charles and queen camilla have begun a four—day state visit to kenya. coming up in sport on bbc news: a hero's return. south africa land injohannesburg welcomed by thousands, as they begin their celebrations back home, after retaining the rugby world cup. the number of companies going bust this year is on track to be the highest since the depths of the financial crisis of 2009. the latest official figures show there were more than 6,200 corporate insolvencies betweenjuly and september, in england and wales. with the details, here's our business editor, simonjack. going, going, gone.

wine merchant dean euden is packing up the last of his stock as he shuts down his business. 2023 is shaping up to be a little shop of horrors. his is one of over 6,000 businesses to close down in the last three months. he went from a shop to online, but rising costs and cash—strapped customers spelt the end. there wasn't the same spending power in the market, so i couldn't make ends meet. i couldn't pay my suppliers, pay myself and pay all the additional costs. so that's when i realised itjust wasn't a valid business any more. you worry about the bills, you know, kind of you do get sleepless nights, and that does affect, does creep into your family life. the number of insolvencies has been rising fast and, this year, is on track to see more company failures than any since the depth of the financial crisis in 2009. wage bills, material costs, borrowing costs, all higher, the same time as customers have faced a cost—of—living crisis. add that to covid—era loans that

need paying back and a taxman less patient than in those years, it's little wonder there's been a surge in the number of companies either being forced, or choosing, to throw in the towel. the construction sector is under particular stress. that comes as no surprise to ceri lee. he has enough work to survive, but says it's one of the toughest times his family firm has seen in its 30—year history. them timber panels out there we bought, i mean, last year, you're talking £56 and they're £120 a sheet these days now, you know, and they're only going up. you sort of go to some jobs blind. you know, you wake up in the morning, things have gone up, you daren't go back to your customers. you go back to your customers, you mightjust lose the job. so sometimes, you've just got to take it and swallow it. the massive part of it is people's interest rates. if people are spending more money on their mortgages, they're less likely to spend more money on building works.

on the brighter side, inflation has fallen over the last year, prices are rising less quickly, but keeping your head above water is the challenge many thousands of businesses are expected to fail this year. simonjack, bbc news, cardiff. and of course, it's notjust businesses feeling the pressure. from today, millions of households across the uk will start to receive a second cost of living payment. eight million people on means—tested benefits — like universal credit — will automatically get £300 directly into their bank account by the 19th november, without the need to make a claim. however, people are also being warned about scammers using the situation to try to trick people into handing over personal information. well, there are more details about these payments, including who is eligible, on our website. now, the 2034 men's football world cup is set to be staged in saudi arabia, after australia decided not to bid to be the hosts. it pulled outjust hours before fifa's deadline, leaving saudi arabia as the only nation in contention.

our sports correspondent hugh ferris is in salford. so is that definite, is it definitely is saudi, what does this mean? it definitely is saudi, what does this mean? , ., . , ., ., , mean? it is a decision that will be ratified in the coming _ mean? it is a decision that will be ratified in the coming months, - mean? it is a decision that will be | ratified in the coming months, but saudi arabia remain as the only bidder. this is because fifa have recently introduced this tradition of awarding tournaments on a rotational basis to each confederation. because the immediately preceding events to 2034, 2026 and 2030 have been given to nine countries over four continents, that left countries only from asia or oceania with a chance to bid for 2034. football australia have decided to not go ahead with a bidder. they say because they have decided to make a very detailed analysis of what their chances would be. ultimately, that has left the way clear for saudi arabia. should

the hosting be confirmed, it would take place 12 years after another middle eastern country qatar stage the competition. unlikely, there will be many of the concerns that came with qatar in a possible bid for saudi arabia being successful 2034. g ., for saudi arabia being successful 2034. g . ., ~ _, xl bully dogs are to be formally banned later today. the breed will be added to the existing list of four banned breeds in the uk, under the dangerous dogs act. it means owners of xl bullies have untiljanuary to apply for an exemption to keep their pet. if that is granted, they will have to keep the dog muzzled and on a lead when it's out in public. all our correspondent zoe conway joins me with more details. this follows a number of very serious attacks? there have been some horrific attacks recently. the there have been some horrific attacks recently. the beginning of this month, _ attacks recently. the beginning of this month. a _ attacks recently. the beginning of this month, a man _ attacks recently. the beginning of this month, a man in _ attacks recently. the beginning of this month, a man in sunderlandl attacks recently. the beginning of. this month, a man in sunderland was killed after an attack by what is

suspected to be an xl bully. and another man in walsall, he also died after being attacked by two suspected xl bullys, he was trying to protect his elderly mother from them. and then there is the 20—month—old toddler who had to be hospitalised after being attacked by what the police believe was an xl bully. the reason the government is introducing this ban is because they say this dog is a danger to our communities and what it means is the police or the local council can take an xl bully dog from its owner even if it is not acting dangerously and evenif if it is not acting dangerously and even if there have been no complaints against it. shall even if there have been no complaints against it. all right, thank ou complaints against it. all right, thank you for— complaints against it. all right, thank you for now. _ complaints against it. all right, thank you for now. zoe - complaints against it. all right, | thank you for now. zoe conway. shops and businesses in newry have been damaged after heavy rain caused extensive flooding in northern ireland. counties down, armagh and antrim have been affected, after an amber weather warning for rain was issued yesterday. the police have advised people to avoid newry city centre.

world leaders, tech bosses and researchers are gathering this week at a global artificial intelligence summit, being held at bletchley park in buckinghamshire, home to the codebreakers who helped secure victory during world war two. the attendees, are set to include elon musk — the owner of x, which was twitter — to discuss the potential and risks of ai. in the run—up to the conference, our bbc young reporter competition winners theo and ben have been asking their classmates how they've used the technology in their school work. hi, i'm ben and i'm a bbc young reporter winner, and i'm going to be looking at how ai's going to be used in schools. and i'm theo. i'm also a young reporter winner and, together, we will be looking at the pros and cons. to do this, we've set ourselves a challenge. i have answered the same question twice. one is my own work and one was written by chatgpt, and i'm going to send them to theo to see if he can see which one is which. i'm doing the same, but my second

essay is based on ideas chatgpt has given me, which i then wrote up. chatgpt is a popular type of ai. it's an online tool that can answer questions in human—like language, including producing essays. how many of you have used ai specifically in school work before? we were learning about america. i understood the content, and then i put it into this amazing ai tool, where it generated a quiz for me, so ijust kept on revising that quiz. when you're doing homework, - there's no teacher in the classroom, so it's like a teacher. when you're at home. have you guys ever used al to cheat in schoolwork, or to write an entire piece of work for you? i've got it to write a creative writing english assignment. | i used it in a geography assignment that was due next period. i didn't know anything about it, and then i got caught by the teacher later on. bcs, the chartered institute for it, wants al to be taught in schools. do you feel like ai such as chatgpt could be abused or misused? it becomes easier to, you know, find information and essentially be able to cheat. so does that mean that we can't trust young people to create

their own work any more? well, of course it doesn't mean that. back to those essays. we are going to write one with and one without chatgpt. the question we're answering twice is, write a story about a life—saving rescue. he's never going to be able to guess which one's which. the story containing james is the one that involved chatgpt. i don't feel like it was completely written. i feel like he implemented some aspects of it. you had it the complete opposite way round. the james essay was written by me, and the second essay, i used chatgpt to plan and help me structure it. shocked. i should have seen that coming. which of ben's essays is using chatgpt? and i think it's his second essay. i mean, although i think some of the wording has got a human element, so i'm going to say that he used chatgpt for an element of structure. so i used the chatgpt. it wrote it all out for me, so... i mean, thatjust really, that caught me off—guard. this has been ben, with a little bit of help from al, signing off for bbc young reporter.

over and out. i'm theo, logging off now. bye! and you can find out more about bbc young reporter — and reports by other young people — online at bbc.co.uk/youngreporter. the cast of friends have said they are "utterly devastated" by the death of their co—star, matthew perry. in a joint statement, david schwimmer, lisa kudrow, courteney cox, jennifer aniston and matt leblanc said they'd been more than just castmates, they were a family. matthew perry was found dead at his home in los angeles at the weekend. our entertainment correspondent, lizo mzimba, reports. hey. i got you a present. oh, my goodness. where did you hide it? since the news of perry's death was announced at the weekend, fans have been fondly remembering how much he made them laugh.

ijust want to be married again. and ijust want $1 million. perry was only 24 when he was cast in friends, meeting five then unknown fellow actors for the first time. this is everybody. this is chandler and phoebe. perry was the only cast member to work in the show�*s writers' room, writing jokes for his friends. last night, they wrote a few words for him. "we are all so utterly devastated by the loss of matthew. we were more than just castmates. we are a family. there is so much to say. but right now, we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. in time, we will say more, as and when we are able. for now, our thoughts and our love are with matty�*s family, his friends and everyone who loved him around the world." the actor often spoke candidly

about his issues with addiction, hoping it would help others. i'm in control of the first drink, and so i do all these things to protect myself from not having the first drink. but once i have that drink, the allergy of the body kicks in. this is all documented. alcoholism—proof. then i... then i can't stop after that. and in the 2021 friends reunion, he spoke about his enduring bond with his cast mates. after the show was over at a party, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it. that was the end of the night. you just sat with. .. sat with the person all night long. they're mourning someone who they shared so many special moments with. the king and queen are on a state visit to kenya — their first trip to a commonwealth country since charles became monarch. the east african nation is marking 60 years of independence and the king is facing calls

to apologise for abuses during british colonial rule. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell sent this report from nairobi. it is his first visit as king to a commonwealth country. not to one of the so—called realms — the nations of which he is also head of state — but to east africa, to the republic of kenya. soldier shouts commands band plays but much as the diplomats want to focus on the positive aspects of the current relationship, britain's colonial past in kenya still casts a shadow. in the 1950s, kenya was in the grip of an uprising against british rule. it was known as the mau mau rebellion. there were excesses on both sides, but the uprising was brutally suppressed. mau mau fighters were tortured and more than 1,000 were sentenced to death.

it was the most aggressive use of capital punishment in any british colony. archive: the garden party _ at government house was an informal farewell to british rule in kenya. kenya became independent in 1963 and, since then, relations between the two countries have generally been good. trade and other ties are strong. but the king knows that one of the challenges for his reign is to address issues from britain's past, such as the handling of the mau mau uprising. he will do so tonight, in a speech here at state house, in nairobi. king charles is expected to acknowledge the mistreatment that occurred during british colonial rule, but he's not expected to issue an apology for it. the king must be guided by the british government's view. it's paid £20 million in compensation for the handling of the mau mau uprising and expressed regret, but it will not accept further liability for events which occurred 70 years ago.

nicholas witchell, bbc news, nairobi.