the former boss of one america's biggest clothing chains, abercrombie & fitch, is arrested with his british partner on charges of sex trafficking. it follows a two—year bbc investigation into mikejeffries and his partner, matthew smith, after claims they'd sexually exploited and abused men at events they hosted around the world. also tonight... we can now report that chris kaba, who was shot and killed by a police officer, was a violent gang member, as footage shows him here, marked in blue, shooting a man at a nightclub. president putin welcomes the leaders of china, india and south africa amongst others at a major summit in russia. more israeli airstrikes in lebanon tonight — this block of flats in beirut was hit today, a0 minutes after being evacuated. an inquiry recommends an overhaul of the system for drivers over 70, after a child was killed by a 91—year—old driver. and the king and queen take charge

of a sausage sizzle in sydney, as they say farewell to australia, at the end of a six—day tour. on newsnight at 10:30 tonight we'll bring you fresh insight on the stories of the day with big interviews and our regular panel of newsnighters. and of course, a look at what the papers are saying about tomorrow's news. good evening. the former boss of the fashion giant abercrombie & fitch and his british partner have been arrested on charges of running a "prostitution and international sex trafficking business", following a two—year—long bbc investigation. the fbi began looking into the claims that mikejeffries and his partner, matthew smith, sexually exploited and abused men at events they hosted in their new york residences and hotels around the world. lawyers for both men and their middleman have previously denied any wrongdoing.

they'll appear in court on friday. rianna croxford broke the story that led to the fbi's initial investigation. here's her report. mikejeffries, the mogul behind a globalfashion brand. his vision made billions for abercrombie & fitch, drawing in teenagers with provocative ads like these. he stepped down in 2014 after running the company for two decades. he's now facing criminal charges. to anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so—called casting couch system, this case should serve as a warning. prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison. the bbc spent two years investigating allegations of sexual exploitation, unnerving

unearthing evidence spanning nearly a decade. after we broadcast our report last year, the us authorities began their own investigation. this morning, the fbi arrested the formerfashion boss and his british partner in florida. several men told the bbc they were abused in major cities around the world. bbc they were abused i think he is a deviant. bbc they were abused i think he is a predator. bbc they were abused i don't think that is what the public has seen. i was overwhelmed, like, i have never seen anything like this. what i would like to talk- about is being lied to, tricked, and traded like a commodity. evidence gathered by the bbc found there was a highly organised operation involving this middleman, james jacobson, now also arrested. in the past few months, i have spoken with more men who attended these events, 20 in total. some told me they were tricked and abused. others that they were injected with drugs. a lawyer for mrjeffries told the bbc... "we will respond in detail to the allegations "after the indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate,

"but plan to do so in the courthouse, not the media." tonight, mikejeffries was released on bail. if convicted, he and the others accused could face life in prison. rianna croxford, bbc news. and you can listen to the original bbc investigation on the podcast world of secrets: the abercrombie guys on bbc sounds. the old bailey has allowed cctv to be made public, which appears to show chris kaba shooting a man in a nightclub days before he was shot and killed by police. it's only being published now, a day after the police officer who killed him was cleared of his murder, because thejury was not told any details of chris kaba's criminal past during the trial. but it can now be reported that he was also a "core member" of one of london's most dangerous gangs. 0ur uk correspondent, adina campbell, reports.

newly released footage of chris kaba on the dance floor in a nightclub in east london, carrying a gun. a man was shot in the leg and shot again as he tried to escape. chris kaba was the gunman. doors, doors, doors! a week later, chris kaba was killed during a police stop in south london. the car he was driving had been linked to another shooting the night before. the 2a—year—old, who was unarmed, died in hospital the following day. he had gunshot residue on his sleeve, and a balaclava in his pocket. metropolitan police officer sergeant martyn blake, who we can't show for legal reasons, was cleared of his murder yesterday. today, the judge allowed chris kaba's criminal history to be revealed, following submissions in court about the community not being misled about mr kaba's character. we can now report he was a rapper

who performed under the names maddix or mad itch, and was part of one of the most dangerous gangs in london, the 67 gang. he also had previous convictions for possession of a knife and an imitation firearm. mr kaba died before being charged in connection with the nightclub shooting. three other men were jailed earlier this year for their involvement. the jury did not know about chris kaba's previous convictions, his gang links, or that he had been the suspected gunman in a shooting a week before he was killed. they were only told that the car he had been driving on the night he died had been the getaway vehicle in a shooting the previous day. some senior police officers and politicians have argued that this case should never have been tried. those of us that have experience of working with our community... but for others, this has amplified a sense that there is a disproportionate use of fatal force

against black people. i know that when it comes to black suspects, there is a theme of less containment and less de—escalation. there seems to be this assumption that they're trouble, and they have to be dealt with very sternly in comparison to white people. the crown prosecution service has defended its decision to prosecute the officer, saying there was an in—depth look at all the available evidence. but since the verdict, there have been even more questions about police accountability and the strength of the legal process. adina campbell, bbc news. nick eardley from bbc verify has been taking a closer look at exactly what happened on the night chris kaba died. on september 5th 2022, police were on the lookout for an audi linked to a shooting. it was spotted by unmarked armed officers at 9:52pm in south london. police followed the car on this route, and at the time, they didn't

know it was chris kaba driving. this is dashcam footage from the unmarked police car. the trial heard mr kaba called a friend and said he suspected police were following him. officers decided to use a tactic called enforced stop extraction. the audi pulls into this road, kirkstall gardens, at 10:07pm. marked police cars were waiting. you can see the street here. it's quite narrow. this was produced by the prosecution, a reconstruction of how police attempted to block the car in. this is dashcam footage from one of the police cars. we've slowed it down slightly. officers surround the car and point their guns, but mr kaba tries to get through the roadblock police have created. martyn blake says he feared one of his colleagues would be killed. one of the officers present spoke to the today programme. the case of the defence was essentially that mr kaba was armed with a 2.5—tonne high—powered audi, which could absolutely have presented a lethal threat to the officers involved.

in this bodycam footage, one officer issues this warning. mind him, mind him! he's going to try and go! another officerjumps onto this white car to get out of the way. if we go back slightly, this is bodycam footage from officer d587. we see mr kaba here. he steers the wheel and drives away. ds87 then follows martyn blake, and this is the moment mr kaba was shot dead by mr blake. martyn blake denied he intended to kill mr kaba, and ultimately, the jury decided that mr blake was not guilty of murder. nick eardley there. president putin has spent the day meeting leaders from more than 30 of the world's most important emerging economies, who've gathered for the opening of the brics annual summit. brics stands for brazil, russia, india, china and south africa. moscow says holding the meeting in kazan is evidence that western efforts to isolate russia

over its invasion of ukraine have failed. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. for the world leaders arriving in russia today, there was pomp... there was pastry... and then, putin. for russia's president, there was a golden opportunity to show that attempts by the west to isolate him have failed. china's xijinping is one of more than 20 heads of state attending the brics summit. bell tolls. it may not be the greatest show on earth, but to mark the summit, they have lit up the ancient kazan kremlin. the brics club of emerging economies represents nearly half the world's population, and more than a quarter of the global economy. russia hopes that brics will reshape the global order, and relieve the pressure of western sanctions. so russia's main interest

is in breaking the dominance of the us dollar, the power of the us treasury. they want the brics countries to create an alternative trade mechanism, and especially an alternative cross—border settlement system that does not involve the dollar or the euro. russia is pleased to have partners, but the brics nations don't agree on everything. russia often talks about wanting to reshape the global order, and it sees brics, i think, as a means to that end. but the members of brics are not like—minded souls. there are differences of opinion and disagreements, for example between india and china. up until now, forging a common approach has proved difficult. also expected at the summit is the un secretary—general. it is two and half years since antonio guterres was last in russia and received a cool reception. his decision to come now has sparked anger in kyiv,

which claimed it damaged the un's reputation. but for vladimir putin, the more world leaders who come here, the better. it is better to play the statesman than be viewed a pariah. steve rosenberg, bbc news, kazan. a fatal accident inquiry has recommended that the current system that allows drivers over the age of 70 to declare if they are fit and able to drive should be overhauled, and says there should be cognitive tests for over—80s. it comes after the death of a three—year—old boy in edinburgh, who was hit by a car driven by a 91—year—old woman?who had undiagnosed dementia. here's catriona renton. the little boy with wild blonde curls and ready smile. that is how three—year—old xander�*s parents will remember him. he died from catastrophic injuries after he was knocked down on the pavement.

xander and his mum were walking slowly up the street, looking in the shop windows. meanwhile, on the other side of the road, edith duncan was getting into her car after she had been shopping. she tried to do a u—turn, but somehow, she accelerated and mounted the kerb here, colliding with xander and his mum, pushing them into this shop front, where xander was trapped. he was taken to hospital, but could not be saved. miss duncan was facing prosecution for the incident, but died a year later. a fatal accident inquiry was held into xander�*s death, where his parents paul and victoria called for a change in the law to force unfit drivers off the road. today, the report was published. it highlighted a serious failure in the present system, describing the set—up which allows over—70s to self certify their fitness to drive as significantly defective. the sheriff's recommendations include a more thorough self—certification form which might

pick up signs of undiagnosed dementia, and compulsory cognitive assessments for drivers over 80. today, xander�*s parents welcomed the sheriff's findings, saying they hope their son's story would change both the system and attitudes towards driving in older age. catriona renton, bbc news, edinburgh. another wave of prisoners have been released early from jail to try to ease overcrowding in england and wales. just over 1,000 more inmates have been allowed out — this time, it includes those serving sentences of five years or more. the prison population in england and wales has been growing by around 11,500 a year, much faster than available places. the current prison population in england and wales isjust under 87,500, with just over 1,600 spare places. sima kotecha reports. they came out gradually, 1,100 or so.

i've only been in for six months. it has not been too long. yeah, it was jail. it's not supposed to be nice, is it? some were inside for more serious crimes, serving longer sentences than those let out early in september. it is a positive. everyone is going home so everyone is happy. are you confident you are going to stay out? i am 100% staying out. many came out of open prisons where inmates are given more freedom before being let out for good. these early releases are expected to create more than 5,000 spaces, but officials say prisons will be at crisis point again byjuly. releasing people early is an emergency measure, taken by the government to deal with the overcrowding crisis. but ministers admit it is not a long—term solution. so what is the long—term solution? we do need to do things differently in this country. we know that we are going to build... but that is going to take months. yes.

and meanwhile, the prisons arejust filling up. well, i will be setting out some more measures to manage those capacity pressures over the coming year, to make sure that we are ahead of when we think those capacity problems might hit the system. today, thejustice secretary launched a review into sentencing which will consider alternatives to prison and scrapping shorter sentences. ministers will also increase the time people can be on house arrest, and look at the way low—risk offenders recalled to prison are assessed for release. the government says there won't be another round of early releases. it knows it is a tall order to reform the system and that its actions now will determine how full prisons will be in the future. sima kotecha, bbc news. the lebanese capital, beirut, is being hit by fresh israeli air strikes again tonight. 18 people were killed in a single strike last nightjust outside a major hospital, according to the health ministry. almost 2,000 people have been killed so far since israel went to war

in lebanon on the 23rd september. last night's attack happened near the rafik hariri university hospital, the main government hospital in beirut�*s south. just over a mile away, another hospital, al sahel, has also become the focus of israel's attention. it says hezbollah stashed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in a bunker complex beneath the building. our senior international correspondent, orla guerin, visited both sites. explosion. broad daylight in beirut. a multistorey building brought down. as always, israel said the target was hezbollah. here, it gave a warning. and here, it didn't. a crowded neighbourhood, right across the road from lebanon's biggest public hospital, rafik al hariri.

among the 18 people killed, four children. and a short distance away, the al sahel hospital has been evacuated after israel claimed it is sitting on a hezbollah goldmine. where is the bunker located? directly under al sahel hospital in the heart of beirut. there are hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold inside the bunker right now. we evacuated instantly. we could not risk anyone. we were invited in today by the general manager to check the hospital for ourselves. what was your feeling last night when the israelis suddenly announced you had a bunker under the hospital with millions of dollars in gold? it was a shock, really, it was a shock.

this hospital was founded 40 years ago on an old house, built on it. so it is impossible, it is impossible to have any tunnel or any infrastructure underneath the hospital. then, down to the two levels below ground. nowhere was off limits. well, we are at the morgue now. all of the drawers have been opened to show us there is nothing concealed here. this is level —2, and we have been told by the hospital staff that there is nothing beneath this, no basement, no bunker, no cash, no gold. we continued the search at this building across the road, identified by israel. and here, too, we got access below ground. there is a doorway here, an entrance to a lift shaft, and we can't open that. it seems like the lift

isn't working. now, according to the israeli claim, beneath this building, there is an entrance to the bunker. if there is, we didn't find it. doctors here insist there is nothing to find. orla guerin, bbc news, beirut. an investigation is under way after a man in his 60s has died and 15 others were taken to hospital after two passenger trains collided at slow speed in mid—wales last night. the trains were travelling in opposite directions along the same single track. the bbc understands the service carrying passengers west from shrewsbury failed to stop at a passing point. increased wages and interest payments on public debt helped push government borrowing to £16.6 billion last month, one of the highest september figures on record. it comes as the chancellor, rachel reeves, prepares

for next week's budget. she has already warned that she will have to make tough decisions on tax and public spending, as she looks to fund a number of priorities. but, earlier today, the international monetary fund raised its growth forecast for the uk economy, saying it is set to accelerate. our chief economics correspondent dharshini david is here to look at what it all means. dharshini. .. it's a stark reminder of the challenges we face. billions of pounds of public money are spent every month, for example on education, benefits and roads ? but in the last six months, we ve overspent. spending does typically exceed the governments income, so a shortfall, a deficit ? this blue line —?was predicted, funded by borrowing. but the overspend means the actual deficit? this red line is higher.

it's nearly £7 billion more than expected in the spring ? just one factor rachel reeves needs to bear in mind for her budget plans. add in her decisions on public sector pay rises, manifesto pledges such as boosting policing, and a pledge to avoid a return to austerity and she may have to find £40 billion. the majority of that could come from large tax rises. but even then, the budget for many services mayjust keep pace with inflation. why? well, take a look at how government spending breaks down. this is 2010. we've split out health and social care, welfare and interest payments on debt. focus on the red section, which is everything else the government spends. now look at last year. that red section gets squeezed, in part because interest payments account for e1 in every £12 spent, currently more than the entire education budget. and here's what may happen in 20 years.

as we get older, and sicker, even more will be swallowed up by healthcare and benefits. budgets for other services may be squeezed. growing the economy could ease that funding crunch ? in the meantime, however, next week's tax hikes may not be the last. let's turn to a story that's breaking tonight in the united states. donald trump's presidential campaign team has filed a complaint against the labour party here, for what it claims is "interference" in the us election. our north america editor, sarah smith, is in detroit on the campaign trail. explain what this is all about. the trum explain what this is all about. tie: trump campaign is explain what this is all about. ti9 trump campaign is alleging explain what this is all about. ti9: trump campaign is alleging that explain what this is all about. ti9 trump campaign is alleging that what they call the far left labour party has been inspiring dangerously liberal politics and rhetoric from carmela harris because they have been advising her campaign. they say

this amounts to blatant foreign interference in the american election and so they are asking that some of this be investigated to see whether it amounts to illegal campaign donations. what we do know has been happening is that senior labour party officials have been talking to the harris campaign. some of them came to the democratic convention in chicago which is entirely normal and has happened in many previous elections and it happened with the conservative party and the republican candidates as well. there has been some controversy because campaigners have been coming over here to some key battleground states. the labour party says it is after they have taken leave, they are paying for their own flights and car hire but there was a social media post that said housing would be arranged. we understand that means democratic volunteers in these states would help out by putting up some of the campaign volunteers but it started a bit of a row about whether the labour party was basically paying people to come over here and campaign. there is no evidence that they are but the trump campaign are obviously wanting to use this for their own ends and if it tells you

anything, it tells you that if president trump wins this election, his relationship with keir starmer might be a little tricky.— might be a little tricky. sarah smith, thank— might be a little tricky. sarah smith, thank you _ might be a little tricky. sarah smith, thank you for the - might be a little tricky. sarah i smith, thank you for the latest. well, with two weeks to go, the race for the white house is gathering pace, with donald trump and kamala harris putting the economy at the heart of their campaigns, and donald trump is roping in the pulling power and cheque book of elon musk. our economics editor, faisal islam, has travelled to pennsylvania to weigh up how the pitch of the two campaigns is going down with voters. gettysburg, pennsylvania, steeped in presidential history. and at this time of year, of more modern americana, too. as starkly different visions of economics take centre stage in this election, voter perceptions of the us economy have been a case of trick and treat. the gettysburg halloween parade, we are down about $8,000 in sponsorships this year, so there were certain things we had to cut from the parade.

but i think everyone is feeling that. and has that affected how you see the election and who is the right person to lead the country? it does affect how i see the election. the economy is doing pretty well, but i still think that president trump is going to win the election. pennsylvania and other rust belt states have had hundreds of billions of dollars to set up new green industry factories to compete with china under biden and harris. but trump instead wants to tax every single import at perhaps 20%, even from allies such as britain, to help protect us industry. the current us treasury secretary is aghast. i think it would have a very negative impact on the united states, on americans who work in export industries, on consumers, and it is a misguided approach. and here, in this most election critical, knife—edge state of pennsylvania, which argument is winning? the factory investment boom that has

helped the whole of america outpaced the world in terms of growth, almost like there has been no economic crisis in this country? or has it been lingering memories of high prices and inflationary shocks? and into this, in this state, has come the world's richest man, making an unprecedented and controversial intervention with a very large cheque book. tesla owner elon musk has been touring the state, campaigning for trump. any voter here who had registered by midnight and signed his petition received $100, and then one of them every day, $1 million. its lawfulness has been questioned by democrats, raising the prospect of a post—election legal quagmire but it is clearly turning some heads. fight, fight, fight, fight... he is a multi—billionaire. he is a part of this, like, upper 1% echelon of people and again, i don't agree with all of his views. but at the same time, a lot of what he was saying did seem like it came from a place of care. main street pennsylvania

and the billionaire classes, too, are split down the middle in this election. who wins here and likely enters the white house will change the shape of global trade and so the world economy, too. faisal islam, bbc news, pennsylvania. newsnight is coming up shortly on bbc2 and victoria derbyshire will have more on that breaking story about the trump campaign and the labour party. yes, tonight, as keir starmerfinds himself drawn into the us presidential election, we will speak to the man tipped to be donald trump's secretary of state if he wins. that is newsnight, in five minutes. commonwealth games in 2026. but it will be a streamlined event featuring 10 sports and about 3,000 athletes. sports including rugby sevens, squash, hockey and cricket have been axed as part of the deal to rescue the games, after the australian

state of victoria withdrew as host last year. and we finish with the final day of the king and queen's tour of australia. here's our senior royal correspondent, daniela relph. an iconic backdrop, a crowd of 10,000 people and a familiarface — the actressjoanna lumley, currently working in sydney, met the king and queen on theirfinal engagement in australia. this was the biggest crowd they'd drawn by far during the trip, with many waiting for several hours. welcome, charles. welcome. he shook my hand and i wasjust like, i wasjust silent. _ and then he goes, "i hope i didn't keep you waiting long." _ and i go, "oh, i would wait forever for you. my majesty" _ this is the king and queen's big

goodbye to australia. this tour has had its challenges, from whether it would happen at all because of the king's cancer treatment, to yesterday's protest. but it draws to a close today in front of huge, supportive crowds. earlier, at sydney's national centre of indigenous excellence, yesterday's protest in canberra was acknowledged by elders, but there was pride that the king had visited. i'm just so happy that he came to the community, because they choose to go wherever, and he chose to come here, and we have to be respectful of that, and i'm happy to have him here. he also had melanoma in the brain... meeting two doctors developing pioneering cancer treatment, an engagement of great personal interest to the king as he navigates his own cancer journey. it is australia, of course, so no trip would be complete without some barbecuing royals. this is the most prolonged period we've seen the king on duty this year. buckingham palace will be relieved

he has coped ahead of the next stage of this trip, to samoa.