emma vardy, bbc news, houston, texas.for employers would be increased in the budget, on wednesday. the source said the chancellor rachel reeves is set to raise the rate by two percentage points, and lower the threshold it's impossible to say who'll be calling on election night with a problem. emma vardy, bbc news, houston, texas. business leaders in the uk have voiced concern after a government source told the bbc that the national insurance rate for employers would be increased in the budget, on wednesday. the source said the chancellor rachel reeves is set to raise the rate by two percentage points, and lower the threshold at which employers start paying the tax. one business lobby group said the change would amount to a "tax on jobs". the number of migrants who've crossed the english channel in boats so far this year has almost reached the total numberfor 2023, according to the home office. more than 29,000 people have now arrived in the uk since january. numbers are down from the equivalent period in 2022. the governm

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.nspections after the grenfell tower fire have found a widely used cladding system has not been installed properly in a number of incidents questioning its ability to resist a fire. the system known as rented eps has become increasingly popular for building and insulating flats in the uk and was not one of the types banned on tower blocks after grenfell. phil henry has more. this is a fire test carried out in australia for a cladding product, it is rented eps. if they saw what was underneath they saw what was underneath the concrete render most people would be fairly horrified. bleep. , would be fairly horrified. bleep. y a, a, , bleep. sorry, language, it is not resisted _ bleep. sorry, language, it is not resisted anything, - bleep. sorry, language, it is not resisted anything, it - bleep. sorry, language, it is not resisted anything, it has| not resisted anything, it has gone — not resisted anything, it has gone up _ not resisted anything, it has one u. ~ , ., not resisted anything,

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.ey torture ring, has been released back into the wild. taken from the forest in indonesia when she was just days old, minis owner tortured her and filmed it for sadistic customers mainly in the us and the uk.?she and another monkey who was being held with her, were rescued after a bbc eye investigation. rebecca henschke — who spent over a year tracking down mini and her torturers — went along for her release. taken from the forest as a baby, many�*s owner tortured her and filmed it. the statistic customers in the us and uk. you want to see her? after an investigation exposed the ring, she was rescued. she was taken to a century. after two years of rehabilitation at the century, she is ready to be released. century, she is ready to be released-— century, she is ready to be released. 1, . ~ ., ., , released. back to the forest, mini. released. back to the forest, mini- happy _ released. back to the forest, mini. happy tears. _ released. back to the forest, mini. happy tears. because i mi

emma vardy reports from los angeles.h gripped the world. brothers erik and lyle menendez, aged 18 and 21, claimed they'd found the bodies of their parents shot dead in their beverly hills mansion, but they later admitted carrying out the killings themselves. the defendants are in court with their attorneys, and the people are represented. during their trial, which was televised, the brothers said they'd been physically and sexually abused by their father and argued it was manslaughter. at the time, they were not believed and were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. but last year, new evidence was revealed which backed up the brothers�* claims of abuse and there were calls from some family members for them to be released. lyle and erik have already paid a heavy price. discarded by a system that failed to recognise their pain. they have grown, they have changed, and they have become better men despite everything that they've been through. this is a case which divided america and continues t

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.s the asteroid that wiped them out 66 million years ago was not the only one. researchers have confirmed a second, smaller space rock smashed into the sea off the coast of west africa, creating a large crater during the same era. it would have been a "catastrophic event", the scientists say, causing a tsunami at least 800m high to tear across the atlantic ocean. sean goolick is co—author of the study and a research professor at the university of texas at austin. he told me why this discovery is so significant. well, it's a really interesting discovery, entirely buried under the continental shelf of west africa, and only imaged in geophysical data. but it's beautifully—imaged in three dimensions, and it's exciting that it happens to be potentially close to the same time as the chicxulub event 66 million years ago — known to be the main cause of the extinction event that killed the dinosaurs, and 75% of life on earth. absolutely fascinating. so tell me a little bit more about this second

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles. in breaking news...s in prison for a catalogue of crimes including murder, torture and rape. thomas kwoyelo is the first lord's resistance army leader to be convicted in uganda. he was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a landmark decision in august. let's speak to anne soy in nairobi. just talk us through what has happened and why it is so significant. it happened and why it is so significant.— significant. it is very significant _ significant. it is very significant because i significant. it is very i significant because as significant. it is very - significant because as you mentioned he is the first commander of the notorious army group that carried out atrocities across northern uganda for many years. having been founded in the late 80s by just some people because he himself was a victim of this movement. it captured him when he was 12, he said when he was walking to school and turning into a child soldier the group was notorious for recruiting child soldiers in their tens of

emma vardy, bbc news.d now, more than 60 years later, a series of newly unearthed recordings is set to offer another perspective on the profumo affair. at its centre was the model, christine keeler, and her flatmate, mandy rice—davies, whose first—hand account is the feature of a new radio 4 series. our reporter, joe inwood, takes up the story. # do you love me? it was the sex scandal of the �*60s. the profumo affair brought down the secretary of state for war. helped end the macmillan government. marked the end of the age of deference. and at the heart of it all were two young women, christine keeler and mandy rice—davies. they both worked as dancers, enjoying a libertine lifestyle just as �*60s london was getting into its swing. these talented hands belonged to dr stephen ward. they moved in with dr stephen ward, osteopath to the rich and famous, and an amateur artist. it was a life of promiscuity and partying. one of christine keeler�*s lovers wasjohn profumo, the secretary of state for war. # while i'm

emma vardy, bbc news, houston, texas.who've crossed the channel in boats so far this year has almost reached the total number for 2023, according to the home office. more than 29,000 people have now arrived in the uk since january. numbers are down from the equivalent period in 2022. the government says it's working to disrupt people—smuggling gangs. the prominent far—right activist, tommy robinson, is in police custody, charged with terrorism offences, after refusing to tell police the code to access his mobile phone. the 41—year—old, whose real name is stephen yaxley—lennon has been urging his supporters to gather for a rally in london later today. new figures show that the amount of illegal meat seized at uk borders has doubled in a year — raising concerns about a spread in disease. the home office data suggest more meat is entering the country in fewer vehicles, which experts say indicates a rise in organised crime. the climate change watchdog has set out what it calls an ambitious target for the uk to cut emissions o

emma vardy reports from los angeles.parked a murder case which gripped the world. brothers erik and lyle menendez, aged 18 and 21, claimed they'd found the bodies of their parents shot dead in their beverly hills mansion, but they later admitted carrying out the killings themselves. the defendants are in court with their attorneys, and the people are represented. during their trial, which was televised, the brothers said they'd been physically and sexually abused by their father and argued it was manslaughter. at the time, they were not believed and were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. but last year, new evidence was revealed which backed up the brothers' claims of abuse and there were calls from some family members for them to be released. lyle and erik have already paid a heavy price. discarded by a system that failed to recognise their pain. they have grown, they have changed, and they have become better men despite everything that they've been through. this is a case which divided

emma vardy, bbc news, houston, texas.ich the israeli defense forces they were in response to months of continuous attacks from iran, and after a barrage of iranian missiles hit israel on the 1st of october. in response, iran is saying it has a right to defend itself. this is bbc news. hello there. the weather's looking pretty mixed this weekend, but i think a lot of places should see some dry and sunny weather. a greater chance of seeing some sunshine around tomorrow for england and wales. eastern scotland not doing too badly, but we will see most of the wind and rain across scotland and northern ireland both today and tomorrow, and for all areas compared to the last few days, temperatures will be a few degrees down. so this weather front working its way into scotland and northern ireland will bring the heavy rain, the strong winds, whereas further south it should be drier with lighter winds. best of the sunshine towards northern and western england and for wales, a bit more cloud towards the east and south—east, but it s

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.otest against small boat crossings has been found guilty of attempted murder. callum parslow stabbed a 25—year—old in the chest and hand at a hotel in worcestershire, last april, after buying a specialist knife online. there are hopes that a new area of science — called engineering biology — may help make the things we use every day more sustainable. from designer handbags made using bacteria to muffins containing algae, the government's chief scientific advisor says it's sparking a �*big revolution�* in the way goods might be manufactured in the future. here�*s our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. a designer handbag made using bacteria. they grow in a dish to produce this, which is a bit like wood pulp but much stronger. it�*s mixed with a natural textile and dyed to end up with a material that ends up looking and feeling like expensive leather. and because it�*s not made from cows, it�*s much better for the environment. they give off huge amounts of planet—heating gases when they

our los angeles correspondent emma vardy reports.ld. brothers erik and lyle menendez, aged 18 and 21, claimed they had found the bodies of their parents, shot dead in their beverly hills mansion. but they later admitted carrying out the killings themselves. the defendants are in court with their attorneys and the people are represented. during their trial, which was televised, the brothers said they'd been physically and sexually abused by their father, and argued it was manslaughter. at the time, they were not believed, and were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. but last year, new evidence was revealed which backed up the brothers�* claims o

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles. let's speak to our guest. thanks for talking first.that we've been hearing about this letter that was purportedly sent from eric to his cousin talking about the abuse by his father, what are the chances or the likelihood that these two men could be released on parole early? i could be released on parole earl ? ., ., , ., ., early? i mean, that is not a question. — early? i mean, that is not a question, the _ early? i mean, that is not a question, the decision - early? i mean, that is not a question, the decision willl early? i mean, that is not a l question, the decision will be made by a judge. this is obviously a gatekeeper because should the judge make a decision to give them release, they still have to go before parole court in california. beyond that, it is up to the governor so thejudge is beyond that, it is up to the governor so the judge is the first step in the process. certainly, they are getting a hearing which i take from the standpoint as a positive development but there are no guarantees and i think it is risky to put odd

let's talk to our los angeles correspondent emma vardy. what are the latest allegations?—profile parties that sean combs held. in one of these lawsuits, a man who said he was 16 at the time alleges sean colmes groped him, telling him he could help him into the music business. in another woman alleged he raped her in a hotel room. the latest allegations linked to new york and sean colmes property in the hamptons. there are also a series of lawsuits, lots of those linked to los angeles and the high—profile parties he held that lots of celebrities attended. in the last few months, a picture has been built of sean combs is someone who allegedly used his power and influence in the music industry to pressure men and women into sex and he is also now facing a criminal case alongside these lawsuits in which he is accused of sex and of dragging his victims. through his legal team he has denied all the allegations against him but one of the big questions hanging over this now is who the facilitators were at this alleged behaviour and who else might be held to account for this in th

means the brothers, now in their fifties — could soon walk free. 0ur los angeles correspondent emma vardyrik and lyle menendez, aged 18 and 21, claimed they had found the bodies of their parents, shot dead in their beverly hills mansion. but they later admitted carrying out the killings themselves. they are in court with their attorneys and the people are represented. during their trial, which was televised, the brothers said they'd been physically and sexually abused by their father, and argued it was manslaughter. at the time, they were not believed, and were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. but last year, new evidence was revealed which backed up the brothers�* claims of abuse, and there were calls from some family members for them to be released. lyle and erik have already paid a heavy price. discarded by a system that failed to recognise their claim. they have grown, they have changed, and they have become better men, despite everything that they've been through. today, the district attorney for la recommended that the brothers should be given a li

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.ek of september, according to new figures. the high street faced the biggest slump of 4.5%, while shopping centres and retail parks suffered less severly. it's thought wet weather and widespread flooding is likely to have contributed. the bank of england could cut interest rates more quickly than expected if price rises remain under control — according to its governor andrew bailey. he made the comments in an interview with the guardian. the pound has since fallen by more than 1% against the dollar. older people, care home residents and anyone with a health condition will begin receiving their nhs flu and covid—19 vaccines from today. some 11—million people have been offered protection but the latest roll—out comes after health officials raised concerns about a fall in the uptake of the flu vaccine. more than a0 years sincejohn nettles first graced our screens as detectivejim bergerac in the hit bbc series, the show is getting a remake. the new six—part version is being filmed injersey

our correspondent emma vardy is in los angeles with the details.he notorious parties that sean combs held, and in one of these lawsuits a man who was 16 at these lawsuits a man who was 16 at the time claimed that sean combs groped him at one of these parties, saying he could help it into the music business. in another lawsuit, a woman alleges she was raped by sean combs in a hotel room. a lot of the latest allegations are centred around new york and a sean combs property in the hamptons, but there are also previous claims linked to la and to the parties that he held here in la that a lot of hollywood celebrities had attended too. in months there has been this picture of sean combs as somebody who had allegedly been using his power and influence to coerce people into sex, and alongside the civil lawsuits, he is also facing a criminal trial too. he is accused by the criminal authorities of sex trafficking and of drugging his alleged victims. and now he is going to be facing trial next year for that. his legal team have denied the allegations against

development means the brothers, now in theirfifties — could soon walk free. 0ur los angeles correspondent emma vardyich gripped the world. brothers erik and lyle menendez, aged 18 and 21, claimed they had found the bodies of their parents, shot dead in their beverly hills mansion. but they later admitted carrying out the killings themselves. they are in court with their attorneys and the people they represented. during their trial, which was televised, the brothers said they'd been physically and sexually abused by their father, and argued it was manslaughter. at the time, they were not believed, and were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. but last year, new evidence was revealed which backed up the brothers' claims of abuse, and there were calls from some family members for them to be released. lyle and erik have already paid a heavy price. discarded by a system that failed to recognise their claim. they have grown, they have changed, and they have become better men, despite everything that they've been through. today, the district attorney for la recommended that

our la correspondent, emma vardy, has more on those new cases. retain their anonymity, but we had the seven new civil lawsuits that have now been filed, and the lawyers representing these victims say they expect to file more each week that goes by. one of the key significant parts of this new tranche of civil lawsuits and these accusations against sean combs is that other celebrities are mentioned within them, specifically in one allegation there is the alleged victim, who says she was 13 years old when she was sexually assaulted by sean combs at an after party that he was hosting, and she alleges there were two other celebrities present at that time, and that one of those celebrities also sexually assaulted her too. now those celebrities aren't named in this lawsuit. of course we imagine that between the alleged victims and lawyers, that the names of the celebrities are being discussed there but haven't yet been mentioned publicly, just called celebrity a and celebrity b in the lawsuit, but of course this now takes that into even more different

the bbc�*s emma vardy has the very latest from los angeles.ey had found the bodies of their parents, shot dead in their beverly hills mansion. but they later admitted carrying out the killings themselves. they are in court with their attorneys and the people they represented. during their trial, which was televised, the brothers said they'd been physically and sexually abused by their father, and argued it was manslaughter. at the time, they were not believed, and were eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. but last year, new evidence was revealed which backed up the brothers�* claims of abuse, and there were calls from some family members for them to be released. lyle and erik have already paid a heavy price. discarded by a system that failed to recognise their claim. they have grown, they have changed, and they have become better men, despite everything that they've been through. today, the district attorney for la recommended that the brothers should be given a lighter sentence, which means they could now walk

here's more from our los angeles correspondent, emma vardy.tims are claiming they suffered rape, sexual assault, violence, accusing him of drugging his alleged victims. particularly significant in the latest set of new civil lawsuits that have just been filed are accusations that other celebrities were present. and in one of these civil lawsuits, there is someone who says she was a 13—year—old girl at the time of the offences. she says that she was sexually assaulted by sean combs at an event he was hosting as an after show party. and all of the latest accusations surround sean combs' parties, that he was allegedly hosting at the time. and particularly in this lawsuit, she alleges that there were two other unnamed celebrities who were present at the time of the offences. now, those names haven't been made public in these lawsuits. clearly, they are known behind the scenes to alleged victims and the lawyers that are handling this, so we can expect more on that to be revealed in the weeks to come, because there are these mounting allegations now

here's our la correspondent emma vardy. a warning that her report contains flashing images.ns centre around the notorious parties that sean combs held, and in one of these lawsuits, there is a man who says he was 16 at the time, who claims that sean combs groped him at one of these parties, saying that he could help him into the music business. in another lawsuit, there is a woman alleging that she was raped by sean combs in a hotel room. now, a lot of the latest allegations are centred around new york and sean combs' property in the hamptons. but there are also a series of previous claims too, lots of those linked to la and to the parties that he held here in la that a lot of hollywood celebrities had attended too. now, in recent months, there has been this building picture of sean combs as somebody who allegedly had been using his power and his influence to coerce people into sex. and alongside these civil lawsuits, he's also facing a criminal trial, too. he's accused by the criminal authorities of sex trafficking and of drugging his alleged victims. and now he's going to

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.han £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality received since becoming prime minister, after a backlash over donations. our political correspondent harry farleyjoins us now. morning, harry. take us through why he has taken this decision now. the auestions he has taken this decision now. tue: questions continue he has taken this decision now. he questions continue around he has taken this decision now. tt2 questions continue around labour's accepting of gifts. the prime minister said he will pay back some of the gift he has received since the election, £3400 worth of taylor swift tickets for example, tickets to see the racing in doncaster and a clothing rental agreement used by his wife but he is not paying back other gifts like tickets to see arsenal since the election and the thousands of pounds of clothing donations he received before the election. keir starmer tried to draw a line under this before by saying he would no longer accept gifts for clothing now that he was prime minister but

emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles.in some outdoor areas could be dropped by the government, according to reports this morning. the plans which would have included pubs and beer gardens — faced opposition from hospitality groups. 0ur political correspondent harry farleyjoins us now. morning to you. there was a time when pubs and hospitality groups were objecting to smoking being banned indoors and this is a next phase, isn't it? these warnings have been heeded. it phase, isn't it? these warnings have been heeded-— been heeded. it seems like that. back in august _ been heeded. it seems like that. back in august keir _ been heeded. it seems like that. back in august keir starmer - back in august keir starmer confirmed this is something the government was looking out, toughening the rules around outdoor smoking, including a ban on smoking in public gardens, outdoor restaurants and so on. as you say, the hospitality industry expressing their concerns. uk hospitality, the body representing the industry, said it threatens ser

trump is also campaigning in the traditionally republican state. 0ur north america correspondent emma vardyt... entering the stage is the presidential race nears its final act, beyonce is the latest musical icon to bring her star power to the kamala harris campaign. cheering and applause . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm not . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm rrot here — . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm rrot here as _ . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm rrot here as a — . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm not here as a politician. - . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm not here as a politician. i'm - . i'm not here is a celebrity. i'm| not here as a politician. i'm here as a mother. not here as a politician. i'm here as a mother-— not here as a politician. i'm here as a mother. , ~ , ~ ~ ,, as a mother. cheering and applause" a as a mother. cheering and applause.. a mother who _ as a mother. cheering and applause. . a mother who cares _ as a mother. cheering and applause. . a mother who cares deeply _ as a mother. cheering and applause. . a mother who cares deeply about - as a mother. cheeri