hello — i'm christian fraser. you're watching the context on bbc news... the deputy prime minister — angela rayner — has been spelling out the goveernment�*s proposals on devolution in the uk. metro mayors in england will be given new powers to unblock planning delays — and local and district councils could be merged.

to spain's supreme court — and will now serve a term of four years. austria striker guido

burgstaller had his skull fractured after being attacked in the centre of the country's capital, according to his club side rapid vienna. they added he's now expected to be out of action for several months after suffering the serious head injury at the weekend. he was attacked by an "unknown man" and was examined at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he will remain for the next few days. to cricket, where england's women are looking to build a big lead, in their one—off test against south africa. the hosts resumed on 17 without loss on day two in bloemfontein but england performed well with the ball, bowling south africa out for 281, england taking the final five wickets forjust 22 runs. that gave them a lead of 114 — which was extended to 145 by the close of play — as england closed on 31—1 at stumps. it's not going anywhere near as well for england's men in their third and final test against new zealand. ben stokes�* side are on the verge of a huge defeat in hamilton. new zealand's captain kane williamson hit 156 as his side were bowled out

453. that set england a target of 658 to win — and that looks a long way away — as they closed on 18—2 — still needing a massive 640 runs to win. it's always tough on the back end of the game and news zealand are wrecking up the runs. it is tough when you are that far behind the game after our two first innings. it is never easy, but we wanted to try and get more wickets this morning, and obviously then it set ourselves something that would be realistically that we could smash down, but we are still with in an opportunity but it is going to be pretty tough. there has been quite a lot of test cricket which has been, you know, really nice. the boys certainly love it, and that is not always the case. there has been a lot of highlights and then, obviously, some other challenging moments as well. but, i guess, we bring it back to now. and there have been some good

performances in this match, and a big job to do tomorrow. you know, the ball gets a bit softer and the wicket becomes a bit friendlier to bat on so, you know, a big push tomorrow. defeat looks likely, too, for india in their third test against australia. they closed day three on 51—4 in theirfirst innings — still 394 runs behind australia's first innings total of 445. there'll be a moment of history at next year's ryder cup — as members of the us team will be paid to play for the first time in the 98 year history of the competition. the 12 players will each receive $500,000 with $300,000 of that donated to a charity or charities chosen by each member of the team. the pga of america, which organises the event, approved the package despite saying "no players asked to be compensated". and that's all the sport for now. metro mayors in england will be given sweeping new powers to unblock planning delays under new legislation outlined by the deputy prime minister this afteroon. angela rayner says the government will be merging

local and district councils into strategic authorities across england. under newly devolved powers, these authorities will get a bigger say over housing numbers, and over key development and infrastructure projects in areas, that are needed to support growth. let's speak to henri murison, northern powerhouse chief executive. always good to see you. why do we need a reorganisation of local and district councils? what is going wrong at the moment? fist what is going wrong at the moment?— what is going wrong at the moment? �* ., , , ., moment? at the moments, if you look at the _ moment? at the moments, if you look at the place _ moment? at the moments, if you look at the place like _ look at the place like derbyshire, if you have a series of local authorities some of which don't have a lot to do with each other, if that makes sense, so part of derbyshire is really near manchester, a place called high peak, a lots of it is more closely related, and there is one consul that is at a higher level that those same things like adults and children services and another lower

consul that does other things, and residents may not know the difference, which leads to confusion which also means that the boundaries of these organisations they want to see how people lumped together but they don't have a lot in common. historically that has been the case, and that is why we need to have a more sensible and thought through structure at the local government in the country which will allow you to devolve more powers from the centre, because at the messy cement system, you know well from your home town of burnley, there a burly local counsel but also i lancashire konsa consul, if you ——... you will have to rationalize local government before you can give more powers to that area, otherwise it would become even more, get it. whether you are in high peak in derbyshire and you want to be part of greater manchester or burnley where you want to create an east lancashire

consulate that wants to bring together burnley and places like accrington and the current blackburn and darwin consulate into a consulate is more efficient that more closely resembles the right economic footprints, because of the moment lots of key decisions that affect burnley are taken in preston. that affect burnley are taken in preston-— that affect burnley are taken in preston. ~ , , i. �* in preston. absolutely, you've almost beat — in preston. absolutely, you've almost beat me _ in preston. absolutely, you've almost beat me to _ in preston. absolutely, you've almost beat me to the - in preston. absolutely, you'vel almost beat me to the question because i can see the sense, and i bow to your better judgment on these issues, but obviously when you are devolving power, councils in burnley, whatever shape and colour they are, are nearer to me than a strategic authority in preston, so do i lose representation because they are so far away? it representation because they are so far away?— so far away? it is a good challenge. _ so far away? it is a good challenge, i— so far away? it is a good challenge, i have - so far away? it is a good challenge, i have been l so far away? it is a good i challenge, i have been out so far away? it is a good - challenge, i have been out and spoken at the meeting of neighbouring councils and the issue in hibernate is similar to those in burnley, so you will not create a konsa for all

of lancashire, including places like blackpool and blackburn with darwen, which are so dependent with lancashire county council. if you read organise counsel in lancashire, you create a consul for east lancashire, and there's already a consulate —— chamber of commerce over there that was affects local services there, and makes more sense, and it means less decisions taken in preston than they are now, but you still create a legacy for all of lancashire just for the current district. all of lancashire 'ust for the current district._ current district. would that mare have _ current district. would that mare have ultimate - current district. would that mare have ultimate power| current district. would that l mare have ultimate power to block anything they disagree to? , ., ., ., , , to? they would have the ability to? they would have the ability to net to? they would have the ability to get more — to? they would have the ability to get more involved, - to get more involved, particularly with the consent and that consent of the new three councils in that part of the world, but at the problem is there's no new mayor in lancashire but lots of different consuls trying to do positive things, and all the

people involved are good and well—intentioned people, not that they have any metal mesh wishes but there set up against each other, so if there are discussions about devolution, the county council and district councils of different views and district councils want to get involved, legitimately, the problem is it makes it so competent because there's so many of them. the simplification here is to finish devolution, so most of the north now apart from lancashire and cheshire has mayors, so would be far along this road, but they're small number of places left alongside cumbria where you'd want to put a mirror in. cumbria has downed a mirror in. cumbria has downed a route of getting rid of its konsa consul and it gets into for them it is an easierjob, they would be able to get there quickly. my reflection would be you can get very bogged down in structures, and these things are important, with the point is why you are doing it, so we'd want to create a mayor for

greater lancashire because they are currently decisions made in whitehall that should be made in lancashire. it's got huge opportunities, and there relative with a few experts all the things you could do to unlock lancashire's potential. there was a review... the powers sit in london and they have to come back to lancashire, and the point is you have to set a few local counsellors, do some reorganisation to get the powers, it is the price worth paying. powers, it is the price worth -a inc. ~ ., .,~ powers, it is the price worth -a in. ~ ., paying. we would take your word for it henri _ paying. we would take your word for it henri murison, _ paying. we would take your word for it henri murison, he - paying. we would take your word for it henri murison, he always . for it henri murison, he always takes me back to burnley. thank you. we will take a short break, you are watching are on the uk. bbc news.

welcome back. it is time for the security brief it is just over a week

since hts and rebel fighters arrived in damascus. a week since the syrian army abandonned its positions, leaving a security vaccum behind. the rebels sought to fill some of that space, but their numbers are minimal, and their capacity to co—ordinate matters in the major cities in the west, as well as a complex desert campaign in the east is limited at best. we don't talk about much about the renewed isis threat in syria. but by some conservative estimates, islamic state have conducted hundreds of attack in syria since january — over double the number of last year. us forces responded in the last week, hitting more that 75 isis targets throughout central syria. there's an awful lot we don't know about the security situation in different parts of the country, so it is a good time to take stock. to consider the risks the country is now facing. back with us tonight, our resident security expert mikey kay, who flew assault helicopters for 20 years. he is a strategic planner, a reminder we do this as he would have done it

the top brass. good evening. let's start with the general feel about what hts does control, because i don't feel a week on that i know how the country is parceled up at the country is parceled up at the moment.— the country is parceled up at the moment. syria, over the ast the moment. syria, over the past week. _ the moment. syria, over the past week, it's _ the moment. syria, over the past week, it's a _ the moment. syria, over the past week, it's a rapidly - past week, it's a rapidly dynamic moving situation. we have a myriad of opposition forces all vying for power and representation, but the head of thatis representation, but the head of that is hts. they are the reptile opposition group that were pending and live up in the northwest of syria for five years, and since this vulnerability of the syrian — arab army, and basically went for it last week. when i say went for it, they started to expand territory, took an apple

first, look at this like i'm actually here, easier to identify, the top northwestern corner, a lib, expended northeast into aleppo, took the syrian— arab army by storm, they kept elated, and that road you know going from aleppo down to damascus, that is where they started moving down, firstly it took, and then they took homs, took, and then they took horns, and then the started to expand, you see the map on the western side of the country you have a region there in a northwest, the south of that is tartarus, that territory no which will come onto later i strategic russian assets and it it is no inhabited by hts. the russian assets and it it is no inhabited by hts.— russian assets and it it is no inhabited by hts. the guy who runs hts. _ inhabited by hts. the guy who runs hts, he's _ inhabited by hts. the guy who runs hts, he's an _ inhabited by hts. the guy who runs hts, he's an interesting l runs hts, he's an interesting character. i was reading today the comments he made about the is really moving to this buffer zone near the golan heights and

it was remarkably restrained, we don't need any more fighting, he said, we need to rebuild, norm or crisis. that is incredible restraint given you see where he has come from. golan heights is key, and here's a slight, that is a picture of the man himself, he is a leader of hts, born in saudi arabia to syrian parents that came from the golan heights he fought against us forces for arcata and iraq, so he has been doing this for some time, but more interesting, he was arrested by us forces and incarcerated in us pow camps in iraq stop remember where those pictures of torture immunity from, but the really interested one was camp booker, a us pow camp that backfired on itself that a house people like i'll daddy, the collie for the leader of islamic state, and it

housed guy called heidi back, the strategic mastermind of islamic state and gelati, and ended safety of kemp booker, not being targeted by us strikes or marines, it allowed them to discuss how could the exploit not only the security vacuum in iraq but the impending security vacuum in northern syria. hts was born out ofjoe on the zero, and 2016, july and he said he would distance himself from that and in 2018, the us and the uk and nato all designated hts as a terrorist group and then we hit today and the uk are now discussing, he spoke about it earlier in the programme. there is a decision _ earlier in the programme. there is a decision submit _ earlier in the programme. there is a decision submit because - is a decision submit because david lammy send earlier today that they're going to send david l