katya adler, many thanks. katya adler there for us and emma vardy at stormont. online at bbc.co.uk/news, including today's announcement by the government that the queen's speech will take place on monday october 14th, with parliament being suspended in readiness next tuesday. so, the details there for you. the duke and duchess of sussex are flying home from their tour of southern africa tonight, as the mail on sunday newspaper promises to "vigorously" defend itself against legal action take by the royal couple. the duchess is claiming breach of privacy after the paper published excerpts from a handwritten letter she wrote to her father shortly after her wedding last year. from johannesburg, our royal correspondent nicholas witchell has more, and his report contains flashing images. it's often been a fraught relationship between the media and the royals. stories about them, photographs of them, sell papers. so, as the sussexes, harry and meghan, visited a township nearjohannesburg on the final day of their tour, the cameramen and reporters were there in force. he

once again laura kuenssberg in westminster and katya adler in brussels.ed in court charged with the manslaughter of 39 people who were found dead in a container in essex last week. maurice robinson is accused of being part of a global network of people—smugglers. earlier today, the prime minister visited the scene were the bodies were found, and left flowers in memory of those who died, as our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. the prime minister and the chief constable remembering the 39 people who died in the refrigerated trailer at a simple ceremony in grays in essex today. in the book of condolence, boris johnson wrote that the whole world had been shocked by the tragedy and said the government would do everything in its power to bring the perpetrators to justice. a message the chief constable repeated. we will continue to try to bring justice for these families to bring these people, put them in front of the court to answer for their crimes, wherever they might be. at chelmsford magistrates, in front of the world's press, the first p

of course he is in contempt. >> what do you think, professor adler?> well, i don't know if i'd use the phrase constitutional crisis. the house has enough information to act. it has the ability to inquire further. as we know in the case of richard nixon and watergate, if the white house refuses to cooperate, refuses to respond to lawful demands for information, then that itself can be a further ground for impeachment. we have the quid pro quo with ukraine and the volker texts and so on, we have enough material on the record that shows that this white house is not following the law, that this president is not upholding his oath and that's something that the house should consider expeditiously. as your setup noted, senators should be in a position where they have to answer the question at what point does this justify removal from office? >> i would add the second -- i would add the second part of the mueller report, which quite dutifully can't say the president would be indicted from the department of justice because his instructions from the justice dep

adler rushed to the children's hospital in an ambulance. >> it felt like, how?ow is this possible? >> reporter: he remained in the hospital another 10 days. >> he wasn't able to have breast milk because they think that was causing fluid buildup again? >> yes. i wanted to breast feed so badly. it was a very emotional experience to feel like this very natural thing that i'm supposed to be able to feed my baby is actually partially what's harming him. >> reporter: finally after three weeks they took their baby boy home. the family of three quickly settling in. >> there wasn't anything that didn't feel like the most beautiful, most amazing, most special. because even if it was, well, i haven't slept at all, it was, but -- we're home. he's home. >> reporter: while they enjoy those special moments at home, fishel says she's always thinking about other parents currently experiencing heartbreak in the nicu. >> we were one of the luckier families there. you'll they have forget the faces of parents who are in that situation and are really, really struggling. >> what do yo

katya adler, many things again. katya adler, our europe editor in brussels.ow. we'll be back later in the programme. and don't forget you can find more detail on today's brexit news including background and analysis from our editors, on the bbc website. that's at bbc.co.uk/news. we can now join we can nowjoin clive for the other stories of the day. there's increasing pressure tonight on donald trump, after america's most senior diplomat in ukraine, said he was told the release of aid to kiev was contingent on the country launching an investigation, into the son of mr trump's democratic rival, the former vice presidentjoe biden. william b taylor was giving evidence to the impeachment inquiry, against the president. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant is at the white house. this seems to be explosive testimony from the diplomat on the face of it. this was congressional testimony that read like the opening of a political thriller and there were audible gasps on capitol hill as it was delivered. william taylor a highly respected diplomat, accusing rudy gi

katya adler, emma vardy, thank you both.tour of southern africa, with the mail on sunday newspaper promising to "vigorously" defend itself against legal action brought by the couple. the duchess is claiming breach of privacy after the paper published excerpts from a handwritten letter she wrote to her father shortly after their wedding last year. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell has been following the couple — his report contains flashing images. it's often been a fraught relationship between the media and the royals. stories about them, photographs of them, sell papers. so, as the sussexes, harry and meghan, visited a township nearjohannesburg on the final day of their tour, the cameramen and reporters were there in force. he is particularly sensitive about intrusion, especially exercised about protecting his and his family's privacy. we all know the reason. there were so many moments in harry's childhood when he came to resent the media for their treatment of his mother, diana. little surprise, perhaps, when momen

katya adler for us, our europe editor in brussels.oment, we'll have an update at the end of the programme, and we'll find out what some voters made of today's events. but now, let'sjoin kate for the day's other news. thanks huw. england are into the semi—finals of the rugby world cup after beating australia 40—16 injapan. they'll play new zealand — who had a comfortable win against ireland in their quarterfinal in tokyo. andy swiss watched that one, but first our sports editor dan roan with england. their world cup's ta ken time to gather pace, but here in oita a defining moment for england had arrived. one of rugby's great rivalries, about to resume. england had beaten australia six times in a row, but this was the one that really mattered, and jonny may gave his side the perfect start. they weren't finished there. the recalled henry slade with the interception. he may not have had the pace, but he certainly had the vision, finding may for his second try injust three minutes. captain owen farrell back in form again to extend his side

adler rushed to the children's hospital in an ambulance. >> it just felt like how, how is this possible because they think that that was causing fluid buildup. >> yes, i wanted to breast-feed so badly, and it was a very emotional experience to feel like this very natural thing that i'm supposed to be able to feed my baby is actually partially what's harming him. >> reporter: finally after three weeks, they took their baby boy home. the family of three quickly settling in. >> there wasn't anything that didn't feel like the most beautiful, most amazing, most special because even if it was, well, i haven't slept at all, it was, but we're home. he's home. >> reporter: while they enjoyed those special moments at home, fishel says she's always thinking about other parents currently experiencing heartbreak in the nicu. >> we were one of the luckier families there. you'll never forget the faces of parents who are in that situation and are really, really struggling. >> what do you want to say to those families? >> first of all you're incredibly strong and you are doing an amazing job and my pray

our europe editor, katya adler, is in brussels.ve received these two letters from borisjohnson. they have received these two letters from boris johnson. what they have received these two letters from borisjohnson. what now? they have received these two letters from boris johnson. what now? well, that's right, i think we will watch eu leaders move in very slow motion, clive. the letters did arrive in brussels, to donald tusk, the president of the european council. he has said he is now going to start consultations with eu leaders, he says. but the reality is that all of those eu leaders are stopped still, they are watching and waiting to see events unfold in westminster, because whatever happens in parliament over the next few days, it could affect what kind of extension, if any, it could affect what kind of extension, ifany, eu it could affect what kind of extension, if any, eu leaders grant. for example, boris johnson promised those eu leaders that their new lead negotiated brexit deal would be approved by the majority of mps. if

katya adler there. authorities say at least 18 people across the country are now known to have died from lung problems linked to vaping e—cigarettes. the centers for disease control and prevention said 1,080 cases of probable lung injury had been reported in the united states so far. it's a jump from around eight hundred known cases reported last week. dr albert rizzo is the chief medical officer for the american lung association and hejoins me now from chicago. docter, thank you so much for your time. first of all, the cdc in the united states talks about informal sources, it talks about people who have got ill possibly using thc, cannabis, in the vaping product. do you think this could be a contamination? people using the products in an unrecognised way, or do you think it is the vaping products themselves? well, since there are 70 cases occurring a different pathology being seen when biopsies are done, it is hard to pin down one device, one substance, one chemical, is i think we need to keep an open

katya adler there.th authorities say at least 18 people across the country are now known to have died from lung problems linked to vaping e—cigarettes. the centers for disease control and prevention said 1,080 cases of probable lung injury had been reported in the united states so far. it's a jump from around 800 known cases reported last week. alex clark is the ceo of the consumer advocates for smoke—free alternatives association and hejoins me now from plattsburgh, new york. alex, thank you so much for your time. the cdc says it doesn't know what's causing these injuries, but it's talking about people not taking up it's talking about people not taking up vaping if they are not already doing it. it's saying young people should be using vaping products. are we seeing the new cigarette here, where there's going to be continuing ba nsley products? where there's going to be continuing bansley products? as far as continuing bands are concerned, yes, we are seeing states react very extremely to this. new yor

katya adler there.s health authorities say at least 18 people across the country are now known to have died from lung problems linked to vaping e—cigarettes. the centers for disease control and prevention said 1,000 and 80 cases of probable lung injury had been reported in the united states so far. it's a jump from around eight hundred known cases reported last week. alex clark, ceo of the consumer advocates for smoke—free alternatives association, believes the problem lies with chemicals such as thc which are added to e cigarettes and more research is needed before an outright ban is imposed. everybody would like to see more studies about particular ingredients, the flavourings, and the long—term effects, but i think as it relates to this particular outbreak, we're talking about a new chemical that's been introduced. this is not something that legitimate vapour product manufactures, nicotine vapour manufactures can actually do in the usa can do without triggering the market application process from the

katya adler there in brussels.have accused the united states of failing to monitor a ceasefire in northeast syria, where the kurds have been besieged by turkish troops. for its part, turkey has accused kurdish militia of breaking the truce. meanwhile, a medical convoy managed to reach the syrian border town of ras al—ain, after being blocked by the fighting. gareth barlow has more. after a day's wait, ambulances return from the syrian—turkish border, bringing 30 injured people and four bodies as clashes between turkey and the kurds continue. translation: we were able to reach the hospital and we were told that in the city there were many wounded and many people under the rubble. a fragile ceasefire is in force despite sporadic fighting. but kurdish fighters have accused the us, which brokered the deal, of failing to monitor it. warning of possible ethnic cleansing. meanwhile, turkey has threatened to resume fighting if kurdish forces don't withdraw from the border. translation: if it works, it works. if it doesn't,

here's the bbc‘s europe editor, katya adler.for the eu, because they're looking more long—term. they think a new brexit extension is the most likely outcome here, giving more time for talks. but no—one here is starry eyed that i've talked to about the idea of more time. of course you still need to find an accord between the eu and the uk acceptable to the european parliament and the uk parliament as well. and of course no—one knows exactly what that accord will look like, neither now nor in two or three months‘ time. 0ur our thanks to katya adler there. the head of america's national basketball association, adam silver, says the organistation will not compromise on freedom of speech. it comes after a backlash in china against houston rockets manager, daryl morey, who tweeted an image supporting pro—democracy protests in hong kong. although mr moary later said he didn't mean to cause offence, chinese state media anounced it would block the broadcast of two nba basketball preseason games. james robinson is a senior director with t

katya adler, with the latest in brussels.elfast has ruled that northern ireland's abortion laws breach human rights. the case was brought by a woman who was told by doctors that her unborn child would not survive outside the womb, but was denied a legal termination. there's a near total ban on abortion in northern ireland, but the law is set to change later this month. as our ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. sarah ewart became the public face of a debate about a deeply personal issue. six years ago she travelled to london from her home in northern ireland to have an abortion. her unborn baby had a condition that meant the child couldn't survive outside the womb. it's not something i would ever have even dreamt of. i'd rather have the memory of seeing it move on screen and hearing the heartbeat. and see the end. she allowed her experience to be filmed, because she believed northern ireland's near total ban on abortion was wrong. today, belfast high court ruled that northern ireland's abortion laws had led to a breach

katya adler.r the eu because they are looking more long—term. they think a new brexit extension is the most likely outcome here, giving more time for talks. but no—one here is starry—eyed — that i'd talked to — about the idea of more time. of course you still need to find an accord between the eu and the uk acceptable to the european parliament and the uk parliament as well. and of course, no—one knows exactly what that accord will look like. neither now, nor in two or three months‘ time. katya adler. a spokesman for turkey‘s president has said turkish forces will "shortly" cross the border into kurdish—held areas in syria. dozens of military vehicles have been sent there since donald trump ordered the withdrawal of american troops. the turks want to establish a "safe zone" there to send back some of the millions of refugees from syria‘s civil war. but it‘s feared this could also mean a turkish attack on the kurds, long—time american allies who the turks consider terrorists. our international corr

katya adler in brussels there. for a no—deal brexit and today the cabinet minister in charge of that, michael gove, said that even with every possible preparation in place, risks and challenges for businesses still remain. today, the think tank the institute for fiscal studies issued a stark warning about the impact of a no—deal brexit on the economy — predicting that national debt would rise to levels not seen since the 1960s. this could lead to future governments imposing more spending cuts, raising taxes — or both. 0ur economics editor, faisal islam, reports as the brexit deal looks increasingly log—jammed, the planning for and consequences of a no—deal brexit, and its immediate impact on trade up and down the country matter more than ever. the government has not updated its numbers, but the likes of the institute for fiscal studies has. the ifs predicts that the public finances will be heavily impacted by a no—deal brexit, that the annual level of borrowing, the deficit, would double over two years, approaching

katya adler in brussels, thank you.ing. 39 people are found dead in the back of a container lorry in essex, one was a teenager. the 25—year—old driver has been arrested. and coming up, there's fresh concern for thousands of workers at british steel, as a deal to save the company is in doubt. coming up in sportsday in the next 15 minutes on bbc news, we'll have the latest from tonight's champions league football, including liverpool's match at genk. the future of fracking in the uk is hanging by a thread today. the bbc understands there are no plans to increase the level of earth tremors permitted during fracking, but the industry says it cannot continue with such limitations. back in 2013, there were promises that gas extracted from fracturing shale rock — with water under high pressure — could revolutionise our energy supply. a report out today by the public spending watchdog casts doubt on whether those promises can ever be delivered. our business editor simonjack reports. deep beneath these fields in lancashire lies

katya adler and laura kuenssberg, thank you both.straint amid escalating violence in hong kong after a teenage protestor was shot in the chest by a police officer and left in a critical condition. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, condemned the use of live ammunition as "disproportionate". it's the worst violence in the last four months of protests against china, which is today celebrating 70 years of communist rule. so, how did it all start? in 1997, hong kong, which had been governed by britain, was handed back to china, but on the condition that hong kong would retain some self—government, independent courts and its own flag — the so—called ‘one country two systems‘ rule. but this year protests were sparked over a proposed law making it easier to extradite suspects from hong kong to china. demonstrators fear that beijing is trying to re—establish control over the peninsula and bring it under chinese authority. today china has celebrated the 70th anniversary of communist rule with a huge display of military might. we'll hear fro

katya adler, we will let you know.ent erdogan has said turkish forces will shortly cross the border into kurdish—held areas in syria. dozens of military vehicles have been sent to the area after donald trump ordered a us troop withdrawal. ankara says it wants to establish a safe zone there to send back some of the millions of refugees from syria's civil war. but it's feared this could mean a likely turkish attack on the kurds, long—time american allies who the turks consider terrorists. 0ur international correspondent 0rla guerin reports from the border. tonight within a military buildup here at the border, two convoys arrived at a base nearby in the space of about one hour. a source close to intelligence of turkeys at the events that will begin in the morning. that's unconfirmed, but someone oui’ morning. that's unconfirmed, but someone our courses believe it is imminent. and we've had reports they are appealing for civilians to act as human shields and they are pitching tends near the borderfor those human shields. a

that was catty and slow there. —— katya adler there.ight on donald trump, after america's most senior diplomat in ukraine said he was told the release of aid to kiev was contingent on the country launching an investigation, into the son of mr trump's democratic rival, the former vice presidentjoe biden. william b taylor was giving evidence to the impeachment inquiry, against the president. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant has been following developments. this first congressional testimony that read like the opening of a political thriller. apparently, there were audible gasps on capitol hill as it was delivered. william taylor, this highly respected diplomat accusing rudy giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, of running a shadow foreign policy that was contrary to us national interests. he said he'd been told of a quid pro quo, that military aid to ukraine was conditional on the government there launching an investigation that could potentially be damaging to donald trump's democratic rival joe biden. and also saying tha

let's go live to our europe editor katya adler in berlin.ing up from the european union on the likelihood or not of a deal? that's right, huw, i'm in berlin today and i will be in paris tomorrow for background checks ahead of the eu's leaders' summit this week. just to get the idea of whether they think there can be a deal with borisjohnson whether they think there can be a deal with boris johnson or whether they think there can be a deal with borisjohnson or not. it is confusing from the outside, because last week we got the feeling there was an understanding between there was an understanding between the irish prime minister and boris johnson, there was hope in the air. right now there is no sign of smoke that a brexit deal is nigh. the main sticking point remains replacing the irish backstop, and particularly when it comes to customs. the eu has got two main priorities here. one, protecting the northern ireland peace process, so protecting the northern ireland peace process, so berlin and paris say they are delighted that ireland and the

katya adler.this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10.30pm and 11.30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the financial times chief feature writer, henry mance, and the uk correspondent at the french broadcaster, france 2a, and president of the foreign press association, benedicte paviot. a double murder investigation is underway in milton keynes after two 17—year—old boys were stabbed to death late last night. police and paramedics were called to a house in the emerson valley area just before midnight. the teenagers have been named locally as dom ansah and ben gillham—rice. katy austin reports. forensic investigators gathered evidence today at a crime scene that started as a party for friends. on the front door of this house, a visible reminder of the violence that unfolded. police and the ambulance service were called to archford croft, a residential street, just before midnight last night, after reports there'd been a stabbing. the two

our europe editor katya adler in brussels.nt trump has said the turkish assault on kurdish forces in northern syria "has nothing to do" with the united states. his abrupt decision to pull out us troops last week has led to russian and syrian government forces advancing into positions they once held. mr trump has faced intense criticism at home and abroad after turkey invaded to create what it claims is a "safe zone" on the syrian side of the border. our international correspondent orla guerin reports from turkey's border with syria. urban warfare in northern syria. fighters backed by turkey still battling for control of the border town of ras al—ain. they are facing fierce resistance from the kurds, women fighting alongside men. it's rare to get a glimpse of this side of the battle. but one week into turkey's invasion, president erdogan has taken a swathe of territory from the kurds and says he won't stop until he completes his so—called safe zone. translation: operation peace spring will last until we reach a depth of 30—35 k

you've got the lovely katya adler, who's your european correspondent.just not necessary to have the london people go over there, wasting money when the bbc‘s constantly saying it can't afford this, it can't do that. well, we also asked bbc news for an explanation for this practice of sending london people over there. they told us... and if we've been down that road before, what about the thorny issue of what our prime minister should be called on air? a couple of weeks ago, we mentioned mrjohnson being referred to as boris on the news at six — and your thoughts about that. here's europe reporter gavin lee speaking on the news channel on thursday afternoon. the music yesterday from the likes of steve baker and the other. brexiteers from the european research group suggested that they had faith in boris. there will be no caveat today. there will be no sense of, we give a thumbs up but you have to get a deal, boris, in westminster on super saturday. he will be asking for the eu to categorically say that there should not be an extension that they will give.

in a moment, we will talk to katia adler in brussels but first, emma vardy, our correspondent in stormontl have a say but it is not even sitting at the moment. that is not the first time in bbc news where the prime minister has been with —— referred to by his first name. it is a practice that irritates a number of viewers. here is tom young. karen poynton agrees. thank you for all your comments this week. if you want to share your opinions on bbc news and current affairs or even appear in the programme, do e—mail us. 0ryou can find us on twitter. you can call us. and you have a look at our website. forwards so mary will be back next week. for me and the rest of the team, thank you for watching. goodbye. me and the rest of the team, thank you forwatching. goodbye. —— me and the rest of the team, thank you for watching. goodbye. —— samira will be back next week. today, we have watched the remnants of hurricane lorenzo falling apart before our eyes. the cloud is associated with that rapidly —— rapidly weakening area of low pressure and pushing out into the continent. this area of low pressur

europe editor katya adler.ess leaders have spoken of their relief that a deal is on the table. our economics editor, faisal islam, is at the international monetary fund summit in washington, he told us what the mood was like there. a place like this, full of finance ministers and bankers, the sense is relief that one of the big clouds on the world economy might be lifting, but the economic destination implied by the paper signed where you are in brussels is importantly different from the direction of travel we saw a year ago, from the direction of travel we saw a yearago, and from the direction of travel we saw a year ago, and that's because boris johnson wants the full freedom to sign trade deals with the likes of the us. but that has implication in terms of a more distant relationship with the european union and that has consequences for manufacturers, for example. they were promised car manufacturers that rely on no checks on the origin of their parts, that has now gone from this deal. when you add up fricti

katya adler is there.e eu will not rush to take any action. as far as it is concerned it has negotiated a new brexit deal as requested by the uk government and now it is up to that government to sell that deal and its opinion. this can be summed up in a tweetjust now by the polish prime minister who says, we take note of the vote in the house of commons but not as a rejection of this new brexit deal, but a postponement of the approval of the new brexit deal. there is a zero appetite in the eu to renegotiate the deal itself and if the eu receives a request for an extension, don't expect a rush under the eu side to grant it. absolutely not. as far as the eu is concerned, the legal deadline before the uk it leaves the eu is the 31st of october. in order to approve or discuss a new brexit extension, all eu leaders will have to come back to brussels. they just left less than 2a hours ago. they could potentially hold an extraordinary summit to discuss that extension on the 31st of october itself because the dead

here's our europe editor katya adler.k tonight's not yet an official position but a suggestion and it has been made by the uk government and it would see customs infrastructure on the island of ireland, so not exactly on the border but set back five or ten miles. there would be hecks on goods as well and gps tracking systems on traders as well. what the eu has said to date is, you want to be in the backstop, what the eu has said to date is, you want to bin the backstop, that is fine, boris johnson, as long as you come up with an alternative that meets our main criteria, respecting the single market, number one, and number two, safeguarding the northern ireland peace process. for the eu, this means no customs infrastructure, not on the border, not near the border. it means no checks at all. i've spoken to the european commission tonight. the bbc has spoken to the irish government. their response is that this is not an official uk position yet so they can't officially comment on it but were these customs posts to become the

[applause] chairman liebert adler. [applause] the 11th yeararks sponsoring the $100,000 prize. please give ira and kim a round of soup -- a round of applause for their support. [applause] person i would like to recognize is university of pennsylvania president, dr. ayman guthman -- amy guthman. she could not be with us tonight. but people know the many contributions she has made. she has shared -- chaired for many years and we thank her for her service. who hasank everyone made tonight possible. [applause] justice kennedy tonight, we also celebrate our mission to education. there are many individuals who support of the constitution center's important work over the years and i would like to take a moment to recognize three individuals who are no longer with us. threeast year, we lost trustees of the center. , vogel, and president bush. all three were strong believers in the united states constitution and in the importance of civic education. their accomplishments are too numerous to list but those who had the pleasure of spending time with them know the profound legacies they le

here's a tweet from katya adler to manage expectations. here is more from katia.his is in the back of three years a brexit process. the eu has negotiated three brexit deals, has negotiated three brexit deals, has spoken to three prime ministers, and if brexit is going to happen, the eu really wants to get on with it. in katya adler's latest brexit blog, she describes the extension from the eu's point of view as "an excruciatingly "long and confusing political dance to get there. "and the dance is not over yet." the final decision was made in brussels today. here's the eu's chief brexit negotiator afterwards. it was a very short and efficient and constructive meeting, and i am very happy that the decision should be taken. was the extension to long? will this drag on and on? let's bring on naomi again. i want to understand what borisjohnson's best case scenario is. he gets his election, does well in it and then thinks he has time to get his deal through before the new deadline. is that its? that is it, and i think that its? that is it, and i think that does call int

here's 0ur europe editor katya adler on the reaction of eu leaders.tark contrast here in the eu to the times of theresa may when she wanted an extension because then, you still had leaders like president tusk and angela merkel of germany and they thought maybe they would change their minds and choose to stay the eu. if the uk that, now the main concern for eu leaders is basically to move on. they want to put the uncertainty behind them and they sailed far too close to the possibility of a note to brexit as of late, so they would like in peace to vote in favour of the steel some of the uk in the eu can go forward now. also making news today — donald trump has abandoned a plan to host the g7 summit at one of his resorts in florida, after he came under criticism for potential conflict of interest. president trump had originally offered his doral resort for the summit, apparently at cost price. distancing the white house from the offer, the white house acting chief of staff, mick mulvaney, told us media that the offer resulted from donald trump's business

posts in zones around the border between northern ireland and the republic. 0ur europe editor katya adler not yet an official position, but a suggestion that has been made by the uk government. and it would see customs infrastructure on the island of ireland, so not exactly on the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, but set back maybe five, maybe ten miles. there would be checks on goods, as well, and there would be gps tracking systems on traders as well. now, what the eu has said to date is, you want to bin the backstop, borisjohnson? that is fine, as long as you can find an alternative that meets our main criteria — respecting the single market, number one, and number two, safeguarding the northern ireland peace process. for the eu, this means no customs infrastructure, not on the border, not near the border. it means no checks at all. i've spoken to the european commission tonight. the bbc has spoken to the irish government as well. their response is that this is not an official uk position yet, and therefore they can't officially comment on it. but, were thes

with more, here's our europe editor katya adler.od can probably best be summed up in a tweet today from the president of the european council, donald tusk. he said he spoke to the irish prime minister and to borisjohnson today. his message to dublin was that the eu fully stands behind ireland, menaing that it will not abandon irish interest just to get a deal. to borisjohnson he said that the eu remains open to his proposals but unconvinced. the prime minister's main eu envoy is in brussels tonight and tomorrow, trying to do some heavy convincing. and the eu chief brexit negotiator has a string of questions for him. you see, the eu worries that the prime minister's proposals are not legally watertight, that they expose the single market to smuggling, and that they put the northern ireland peace process at risk. also making news today: police sources have confirmed to the bbc that the man who stabbed to death 4 of his colleagues at police head quarters in paris had converted to islam some 18 months ago. though police say they have ye

our europe editor katya adler joins me now from brussels.r say already so what actually happens now? that is a good question, george, because what it very much looks like is both sides, the eu and the uk, desperately trying to throw the ball into the other one's court, saying, "it's your turn to copper mice". basically, the prime minister has presented the eu with his proposals on how to replace the irish backstop ina on how to replace the irish backstop in a brexit deal. "now it is your turn to comment and compromise", says the prime minister but the eu says, "no, we compromised with theresa may when we came up with the backstop, if you don't like it, prime minister, it is up to you to come up with legally watertight, realistic proposals, not science fiction", as one eu diplomat put it to me this evening. as we speak, the prime minister's main eu envoy, david frost, is in a huddle with the chief brexit negotiator for the eu, michel barnier, in brussels. michel barnier has a lot of questions for david frost and has told eu countries, germany

here's our europe editor, katya adler.t the end of the road for the eu because they are looking more long—term. they think a new brexit extension is the most likely outcome here, giving more time for talks. but no—one here is starry—eyed — that i'd talked to — about the idea of more time. of course you still need to find an accord between the eu and the uk acceptable to the european parliament and the uk parliament as well. and of course, no—one knows exactly what that accord will look like. neither now, nor in two or three months‘ time. alpesh patel, chief executive of praefinium partnersjoins me now. good morning. you've been looking at all of these latest comments, the irish taoiseach saying he's going to work extremely hard as is the uk government to see how they can move forward , government to see how they can move forward, if possible. give us your ta ke forward, if possible. give us your take on how all of this is going? this is particular important for us because we are a business that exploits, an investment comp

here's our europe editor katya adler with the latest on the talks.al. but the question is, when? you see, germany, france, and all the other eu member states need a deal that they can actually live with. and they worry that getting something done last minute just to get it done and over with can leave them with problems in their single market, orfor the northern ireland peace process for years to come. negotiations did continue today, and the main stumbling block remains how to replace the irish backstop, particularly when it when it comes to customs? so you have to ask, if all of that can really be solved in three days' time when eu leaders all descend on brussels for their summit? now the political will really is there in dublin, such a crucial player in all this, as well as the big powers france and germany — but actually, their eyes are firmly on london, and on the mounting pressure on boris johnson. he's the one who promised a new brexit deal this week, and he's the one who said he would not be asking for a new brexit extension. here's rob watso

our europe editor, katya adler is in brussels with reaction from there.act that the prime minister has an accompanying letter tonight, ——sent an accompanying letter tonight, expressing again his opposition to an extension, that will help eu leaders drag their feet a little bit. first and foremost they are going to look to the prime minister to make good on his promise to them, just two days ago here in brussels, that their newly negotiated brexit deal would definitely pass through parliament. and time, relatively speaking, is on borisjohnson and the eu's side, because the brexit deadline is not today, it is at the end of the month under eu law. and eu leaders want to keep pressure on mps, they want to help focus their minds before they say yes you absolutely have a lot of time. in fact if they wanted to, eu leaders could hold their emergency brexit summit to decide a new extension even on the morning of the 31st of october. but all of that said, if push comes to shove and time is running out, no deal looks like the only option, then after all these years,

more now from our europe editor, katya adler.t to digest this proposal and many of them feared before they saw it that it would show that the prime minister is focussed on a domestic audience, on an upcoming general election, and not on engaging with the eu. but i have spoken to a number of eu diplomats tonight who say that some of those proposals were a lot better, they said, than expected, although they said, they emphasised that very big differences remain between the two sides. the eu has a number of concerns when it comes to the prime minister's offer and the european commission says, before it can think of compromise, it has a number of detailed questions for the government when it has probably digested the paper. another main concern for the eu, the big flashing red light, comes down to customs. it fears that the prime minister's offer could pose a threat to the northern ireland peace process and also leave the single market exposed after brexit. two big no—nos for the eu. demonstrations have continued in hong kong where t

here's our europe editor katya adler.t an official position but a suggestion and it has been made by the uk government and it would see customs infrastructure on the island of ireland, so not exactly on the border but set back five or ten miles. there would be hecks on goods as well and gps tracking systems on traders as well. what the eu has said to date is, you want to bin the backstop, that is fine, boris johnson, as long as you come up with an alternative that meets our main criteria, respecting the single market, number one, and number two, safeguarding the northern ireland peace process. for the eu, this means no customs infrastructure, not on the border, not near the border. it means no checks at all. i've spoken to the european commission tonight. the bbc has spoken to the irish government. their response is that this is not an official uk position yet so they can't officially comment on it but were these customs posts to become the official uk position it would be dismissed and rejected by the eu as insufficient.

well, our europe editor katya adler gave this update to my colleague huw edwards in the last hour onrussels. the lights are still on in the building behind me. the european commission building, where these negotiations are taking place. for the eu, this really is so near and yet so far moment. after three years of the brexit process, there is enormous brexit fatigue here, and a big political will to get this deal done. that said, the eu is not under the same political pressure and time pressure as the prime minister to get things done. he is the one who says it needs to get done this week, because he does not want to ask for another brexit extension. the eu is insisting it is not going to sign up to anything until it is really co mforta ble to anything until it is really comfortable with the new deal. the prime minister meets eu leaders here in brussels tomorrow. it is a regular summit, but i've been told, ifa regular summit, but i've been told, if a new legal text, new brexit text, appears in the next few hours here, that will be the first topic of discussion amongst the eu leaders