the successful test brings elon musk�*s company closer to its goal of achieving the rapid reuse of rockets. president biden has visited florida to see the relief effort after the state was hit by two hurricanes. he said more than 600 million dollars would be made available for affected communities. king charles has led king charles has led tributes to scotland's tributes to scotland's former first minister, former first minister, alex salmond, who died alex salmond, who died on saturday at the age of 69. on saturday at the age of 69. it's understood he collapsed it's understood he collapsed after delivering a speech after delivering a speech at an international conference at an international conference in north macedonia. in north macedonia. hello, i'm lauren taylor. hello, i'm lauren taylor. of floridians, and the way president biden is visiting president biden is visiting florida to see the devastation florida to see the devastation wrought by hurricanes milton wrought by hurricanes milton and helene. and helene. he said more than half he said more than half a billion dollars would be made a billion dollars would be made available for restoring power available for restoring power grids damaged by the storms. grids damaged by the storms. more than three million more than three million homes and businesses homes and businesses are without power in the wake are without power in the wake of the hurricanes, of the hurricanes, which together killed more which together killed more than 200 and 50 people than 200 and 50 people across the southeastern across the southeastern united states. united states.

mr biden praised the resilience mr biden praised the resilience of floridians, and the way they had come together, not as democrats or republicans, but as americans.

it's actually more powerful the frequency is similar to what it has been in decades past, but as we introduce heat into this closed weather system on earth the result is really amplifying all extreme weather but especially its all extreme weather but especially it's her getting fed up especially it's her getting fed up and moving the states with record force recently.— record force recently. isn't the case — record force recently. isn't the case that _ record force recently. isn't the case that hurricanes i the case that hurricanes travelled further inland with hurricane helene you saw some areas less prepared, display need to change?— need to change? while researching _ need to change? while researching this - need to change? while researching this book. need to change? while researching this book i | need to change? while - researching this book i found fox that blew my mind. these storms to get as far as 1000 miles inland and incoming decades, they are growing larger and faster than we have ever seen before, they carry vastly more precipitation and wind and to speak to the original question, the infrastructure in the united states was not built for that.

it was built from 1960s, 1980s storms and we don't have those storms and we don't have those storms any more. we have more major hurricanes in the last six years then we had in the 50 years prior to that. you six years then we had in the 50 years prior to that.— years prior to that. you 'ust set it can i years prior to that. you 'ust set it can go i years prior to that. you 'ust set it can go thousands h years prior to that. you just set it can go thousands of. set it can go thousands of miles inland, quite a swathe. fix, miles inland, quite a swathe. thousand is about as deep as it could go, estimating wisconsin, illinois being susceptible from hurricanes coming in from the coast, they are completely unprepared coloured eyes north carolina was, they have not experienced that in that amplitude before and that is when you see fatalities coming in and damage done, there is no bikes, no experience, florida seen a hundred hurricanes since 1850 and they have got it down relatively well, be evacuation routes and infrastructure and whatnot, but you also see

hurricanes moving north as northern waters warm and you see hurricanes coming towards europe as her and kirk did this season by warmer water infuses the storm with more energy they last longer and penetrate deeper. last longer and penetrate dee er. , last longer and penetrate deeer. , ., deeper. tell us about the flooding _ deeper. tell us about the flooding that _ deeper. tell us about the flooding that seems - deeper. tell us about the flooding that seems to i deeper. tell us about the | flooding that seems to be deeper. tell us about the l flooding that seems to be a big issue as well this time. for every degree _ issue as well this time. for every degree the _ issue as well this time. fr?" every degree the temperature rises in fahrenheit we are getting about 80% more water in the atmosphere, warm air holds more water in the atmosphere so i'm sure you've that in regular normal weather coming across your back yard, more rain and runoff and in hurricanes it is just 1000% worse. they are dumping a0 inches of rain into days, hurricane harvey in houston. we saw similar amount in north carolina that again was not prepared for it, but very few people in country have flood insurance. it was not

really necessary before, but all of a sudden the storm piles and 500 miles from the coast and 500 miles from the coast and reeks more damage there thanit and reeks more damage there than it did at the land fall site in florida. more than 1.5 million homes and businesses in sao paulo are without electricity, a day after the brazilian city was struck by violent storms. at least eight people are reported to have been killed by falling trees and collapsing walls. the storm brought wind speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour and torrential rain. the downpours gave some relief from a record—breaking drought across much of brazil. in ukraine's eastern donetsk region, russia has advanced swiftly in the past few months. fighting in this sector is particularly intense, with the ukrainian military reporting nearly 150 battles every day as it tries to stall russia's momentum. just two months ago pokrovsk was considered a relatively safe place. about 1a,000 civilians remain there. they're war weary and many of them desperate for the conflict to end at any cost. from the front line, the bbc�*s yogita limaye reports with imogen anderson and sanjay ganguly.?

just before dawn, we are taken to what's being called the hottest front line in ukraine. the darkness, a bit of cover from being spotted by russian drones. ukraine is throwing its might into defending pokrovsk. if it falls, russia would gain a gateway to central ukraine. in a bunker nearby, vadim tells us he knows what's at stake. translation: the russians are constantly attacking us. | they have more manpower and weapons. yes, we are tired, but we have to fight. otherwise it will be catastrophic. and just a few miles behind the front line, this is where the toll of battle is most clearly visible.

the first point of treatment for injured soldiers. serhii has shrapnel in his eyes, nose, skulland brain. "my friend, i'm going to take off your bandage. let me know if it hurts," the doctor says. he's in a serious condition. they work quickly to stop the bleeding. they are receiving dozens of injured every day. early this morning, two were brought in dead. under a barrage of fire, ivan and tars they are unclear of whether they were hit by mortars or grenades dropped from drones. all of the soldiers brought here, they were injured about eight to ten hours ago. but it's only now, about two hours after dusk, that it's become safe enough to evacuate them till this point,

and that's because of the constant threat of being attacked by russian drones. the delay in getting treated could have grave consequences. taras has no sensation in his arm and it might have to be amputated, his doctor tells us. this is now the third year of a grinding war. driving through pokrovsk, it's evident that most of its residents have left. "this is one of the most dangerous districts of the city," says serhii. a volunteer, finding his way through an empty neighbourhood to evacuate some of those still here. 80—year—old nadia is disabled. she's been living alone in the dark in this room. "i'm falling," she screams. serhii reassures her.

"this damn war, i'm going to die," she cries. another evacuee, viktoria, tells us she can't believe the front line moved so quickly to pokrovsk. translation: the neighbouring towns have been wiped out - and drones buzz near our windows all the time. theyjust stop and look inside. i have constant panic attacks. i'm afraid of the nights. we should negotiate. there's nothing left standing in the areas russia has taken anyway. over the past few months, ukraine has lost territory in the donetsk region at an unexpected pace. many blame this on

faltering military aid from foreign allies. after the loss of avdiivka earlier this year, russia's military has advanced very quickly towards pokrovsk. if ukraine's invasion of kursk in russia was meant to distract the russian military from here, that has not happened. even until a couple of months ago, this city was considered a relatively safe spot where soldiers would retreat to for a bit of rest, where people from further east were brought to so that they could be evacuated from the train station. among most of the people we speak to, we find eroded morale. translation: we have to negotiate. _ so many of our boys have been dying. so many have become disabled. they are sacrificing themselves and it's going on and on. a sentiment that might have once been unthinkable for ukrainians, now being voiced by many — at least here near the front line. yogita limaye,

bbc news, pokrovske. police in the indian city of mumbai are investigating the motives behind the murder of the former state minister, baba siddique. two suspects have been arrested in connection with saturday's shooting, and a weapon was seized, while the search continues for a third man. officers are investigating a possible contract killing. here's the bbc�*s mayuresh konnur with more. baba siddique was getting out of his office last night and while he was getting into his car he was shot by three gunmen. police said two of them had been arrested and the third is still on the run. mumbai police have formed five teams and two of them are travelling outside of the state because they have a lead about that but still it is not clear what was the motive behind the murder. according to police, it is still not verified. the point to note is that baba siddique, because he was a nonpolitical figure and also had connections with the indian film industry, bollywood which is based in mumbai,

he had got death threats a few days back which were reported to police and then he was given the wide category of security. he was still attacked and are breaching that security, the gunman reached him so how that was possible, that is a point of debate, but baba siddique, a venerable political figure as far as mumbai was concerned, a three—time member of the assembly and also once a member of the cabinet and he was a well—known bollywood figure. so many friends among the bollywood celebrities and his party is used to be attended by many celebrities, especially from the film industry. more tributes have been paid

to scotland's former first minister alex salmond, who died suddenly yesterday at the age of 69. he was a formidable campaigner for independence and has been widely praised for his dedication to the country and its people. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports from glasgow. alex salmond believed in scottish independence. it was the dream that drove his decades in politics. today remembered at the parliament where he was once the dominant force and in the area he used to represent. i always thought he was really interested in the local community. it was sad to hear that he passed away. really sorry for his family and friends. didn't agree with a lot of the things he did for scotland but it is sad he has passed too soon. it is a sad day for scottish politics. he done well for scotland. as first minister alex salmond led the snp into government at holyrood and pave the way for a the snp into government at holyrood and paved

the way for a historic referendum. his opponents saw a formidable politician, his supporters a leader that made a nation believe in itself. as well as being a strong leader he had an ability to reach out to people who disagreed with him. that is why he had so many cross—party friendships. and when he was first minister he didn'tjust surround himself with those who agreed with him on everything. he had people in his cabinet who had perhaps been political adversaries in the past. scotland's first minister emotional as he recalled the snp's first win back in 2007 when alex salmond said the party triumph had to change scotland forever. i rememberfeeling at that moment that all the years of endeavour we had all put in had suddenly reached fulfilment because we had the opportunity to shape the future of our country in a way we had never had before, and it is an extraordinary privilege that we are able to build on today. alex salmond died while at a conference in north macedonia.

amongst his last public reflections, a belief that democracy and the will of voters be respected was as evident as ever. respect for a legitimate democratic aspirations leads to good outcomes. disrespect in one way or another can surprisingly lead to bad outcomes for everyone. thank you. lorna gordon reporting there. andy collier is a political commentator and former speech writer to alex salmond. he also knew the former scottish first minister for more than a0 years, and explained what he was like to work with. i saw him grow from really not even being an mp, to being first minister and taking scotland to the very edge of independence, but he was a really multi—faceted character. 7 he was intellectually very capable. he knew an awful lot,

but he was a very sociable person, in many ways, a very kind person. i know people said he had a temper, that is not something i really ever saw, to any great extent. he challenged you, but he loved being, he loved conversation. and he loved talking about politics, and i worked for a few years as a political editor, i worked at one stage as scottish political editor of the sun, and alec and i went out for a few long lunches and he loved gossip. he said "what is going on out there?" and i was telling him about other parties and things, and he loved it. so he was a very curious kind of individual, and very very multifaceted, as i say. he knew about everything. i remember even before he went to westminster, when he was only, i suppose part—time, if alec has ever been part—time in politics. he was working still as an economist at the royal bank of scotland, i think it was at the time. i remember i was completely baffled by economics, but it became part of myjob, and he explained it to me,

which is really nothing do with politics at all. he said, "this is how it works". it was great, it was fabulously useful, and he made me understand it. so he knew an awful lot about an awful lot, and that came across in so many different ways, and i suppose in some way, unexpected ways like that. a new charity calendar featuring 12 survivors of breast cancer has been launched in a bid to raise funds for more research into the disease. each of the women involved in the campaign are at a different stage in their cancerjourney but say they have found the experience empowering. 0ur reporter chrissie reidy has been to meet them. women of all ages, from all walks of life, who've all had breast cancer.

being photographed for the calendar�*s not only been a chance to feel confident about their body again, but to support other women on the breast cancerjourney. we're all glammed up and all made to look good and feel good about ourselves, which hasn't always been the case, obviously, because of all what we've been through. i wanted to get that message out there that there is life after cancer, during treatment, everything you know. so, to have the opportunity to share the images that are in the calendar was what drove me, i think, to actually go, yeah, let's do this. sharon was diagnosed two years ago. my way of dealing with it was to put in a box and i then google it late at night. and then i was introduced to breast cancer uk, - then i met a lady there. and what i found out i is these support groups are so invaluable. everyone is at a different stage in their recovery. myjourney was sort of i had an operation, my mastectomy in may.

and then the photo shoot was sort ofjune, july, so i pushed myself, i just wanted to feel more feminine. # i love you, honey! february. march. april. but, like in the movie, the idea of being photographed was nerve racking. even the day before, ijust wanted to bail and be like, "no, i can't do this". like, because in the calendar i've got my mastectomy scar out. i'm proud of myself for not bailing. i wasjust surprised at how much emotional healing went on, you know? everyone had such a good time, and that's kind of what i wanted. i think that breast cancer takes away some femininity, and i wanted to give that back to them. sales of the calendar will raise money for breast cancer research. up and down the country, - we're trying to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. _ and that's so important - because we know early detection really improves - people's outcomes. every picture tells a story and shows the invaluable support of friends and loved ones. chrissie reidy, bbc news.

many uk towns and cities have seen a drastic reduction in live music — because bands are playing half as many gigs on tour as they did in the 1990s. new research by the music venue trust says a typical tour used to have 22 dates — now that figures is often only 11. chi chi izundu reports. # i see how this is going to go.# making the news this year has been the huge artists and their huge tours. and whilst they're being credited with bringing in billions to the uk economy, fans flocking to see top names at large venues may be neglecting small local clubs and grassroots musicians. this pub once upon a time used to be a music venue which played host to some of the biggest names in rock — queen, the rolling stones. it was on the list for 0asis's first tour 30 years ago... ..but according to the music venue trust, 23 of the 3a venues who took a punt on 0asis have since closed down. it's found that, back in the �*90s, on an average tour, an artist would perform 22

dates, but that's now dropped down to 11. i know for a fact that it's going to be much harderfor me to fiscally afford to do the length of touring that i would like to do, and there's no way that i would be able to keep up with the historic touring circuit that i had the benefit of at the very start of my career. the trust now wants a £1 levy on all arena and stadium concerts to help grassroots venues and artists thrive. others in the industry have other ideas. the biggest single thing the government could do to help us to make those shows more viable is to reduce the 20% rate on vat that we have on tickets in the uk, and that reduction would put more liquidity into the sector, would keep venues open, would make more shows in more towns more viable, and stop us from sort of following a path where actually the only way to guarantee you're going to have a profitable tour is to restrict yourself to the major cities.

last week, the culture secretary, lisa nandy, said music venues were absolutely the top of her agenda and the industry should expect to hear from the government within the next month. chi chi izundu, bbc news. a genetic study of the remains of the explorer christopher columbus strongly suggests that he wasjewish. the finding is based on more than 20 years of research by spanish scientists. he's likely to have been born in western europe, possibly in the spanish city of valencia. it's thought colombus — whose voyages began the spanish conquests in the americas — concealed hisjewish ethnicity, or converted to catholicism to escape religious persecution. practising jews were expelled from spain in 1a92, the same year columbus landed in the americas. professor emeritus of mediterranean history at the university of cambridge,

david abulafia, gave us his analysis of the genetic study. if you were to go to genoa, and you can go to what is said to be his house, it was part after he died, but you can see photographs of documents in the archives which do refer to a christopher columbus he was born in the city, who came from a family of weavers. so, one would really need to make sure this is not the same person because it has always been assumed that it is the same person, and this genovese connection, that is his identity. it is very complicated. i am not an expert in dna, but as faras i canjudge, a lot of the evidence is based on statistical comparisons,

so you can never be absolutely sure. and when you actually look at the historical evidence, not the biological evidence, there really are questions that arise in connection with these claims. the idea that she came from valencia... there is a real problem there because they were expelled after the pogram from in 1391, surface family converted then, as manyjewish families did, that would mean that he did not convert. it would be his grandfather, probably, who converted. so we would really need to dig deep into the records from valencia. that seemed to me that was a rather fantastic addition. also the fact that she wrote in spanish. many people have pointed out the why didn't he write in italian?

well, why isn't he writing in valencia? the dialect of catalan? now, after the northern lights — pictures of another spectacular treat have been captured in the night sky. stargazers from around the uk last night spotted what's being described as the "comet of the century". comet a3 — was last seen from earth around 80,000 years ago. the nasa earth observatory say it could be visible in the northern hemisphere until the 30th of october. hello there. sunday developed into a rather cool and cloudy story pretty much across the country, and there's some rain that's going to push in and some of that turn quite heavy across south—west england. this frontal system, though, is also starting to introduce some milder air, and it's going to push that cooler northerly flow we've seen just recently out of the way. so as we go through the week ahead a change is coming. yes.

it might not suit all of you, but it looks likely that for the rest of this week it's going to be a milder story, and there will be some heavy outbreaks of rain around at times, particularly from midweek onwards. so let's take a look at the details then. here's that frontal system. during the early hours of monday morning, drifting its way steadily eastwards, probably by the early morning rush hour, it will have cleared away and leave a trail of cloud in its wake. northern england, northern ireland and scotland largely fine and dry, some scattered showers moving their way across the northern isles. top temperatures between 10 and 12 degrees here, 13 or 1a elsewhere. but look at this 17 in the south—west, tapping into that milder air already, we could see some sharp, possibly thundery downpours developing on tuesday as that mild air continues to move through quite a lot of cloud and murk around potentially on tuesday, but a good deal of dry weather. the showers potentiallyjust staying across the southwest and running up through wales and into the irish sea. here we'll see highs generally between 12 and 17 degrees once again. but it's wednesday when the winds will strengthen further still from the south. but we could see a spell of very wet weather. a lot of uncertainty

as to where that rain will be sitting at the moment. heaviest bursts potentially look likely to be along the west coast and then moving its way steadily northwards with gale force gusts of winds in scotland. but if we continue to see some breaks in the cloud and some drier weather in the south—east, that wind is tapping into some very warm air. we could get highs of 21 degrees 70 fahrenheit, way above the average for this time of year. little ridge of high pressure keeps things quiet on thursday, before the next area of low pressure threatens to bring yet more gales and another spell of heavy rain. so if you're lucky enough to have the drier weather on thursday, make the most of it because we close out the working week, potentially with more wet and windy weather to come. so if you're lucky enough to have the drier weather on thursday, make the most of it because we close out the working week, potentially with more wet and windy weather to come.

live from london. this is bbc news. the un secretary—general warns any attacks against peacekeepers "may constitute a war crime", after israeli tanks forced their way into a peacekeeping base in southern lebanon. more than 60 people have been injured in a hezbollah drone strike targeting the binyamina region of northern israel. us police have stopped a man armed with guns and fake passes

outside a donald trump rally. a world first for spacex, as it achieves a successful fifth launch and return of its starship rocket booster. tributes have been paid to alex salmond, scotland's former first minister, who has died at the age of 69. hello, i'm lauren taylor. in the last few minutes, the united nations secretary—general has warned that any attacks against peacekeepers "may constitute a war crime", and he said they would be a breach of international law. it follows as series of incidents in lebanon over the last week in which peacekeeping troops were injured. antonio guterres said peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. "they may constitute a war crime," he said. a spokesman for the un peacekeeping agency has accused israel over a series

of incidents over the last week in which peacekeeping troops were injured.