fergus walsh has been to meet that family. hi! salaam alaikum. quite a moment. i'm good. the twins ritaj and rital meeting the surgeons who separated them eight years ago. how are you? born in sudan, they now live in ireland, where their father's a doctor. it's hard to imagine they were once joined at the head. doctors feared the girls might die unless separated, so — like safa and marwa — the division was performed over several stages.

fergus walsh, bbc news.the head, who were separated by the same surgical team. tens of thousands of indigenous australians could be eligible to join a class action to recover wages stolen from them more than 40 years ago. up until the 19705, governments across australia withheld part, and in some cases all, of wages earned by aboriginal workers. this month, the state of queensland agreed to pay almost $130 million in compensation to 10,000 people affected. now victims in other states are in talks with lawyers to launch a class action of their own. here's jan saddler, the head of litigation and loss recovery at shine lawyers, explaining why governments withheld wages in the first place. i think it is consistent with the view that a lot of colonial —type government took many years ago, and thatis government took many years ago, and that is because they believed they we re that is because they believed they were detecting the rights of aboriginal people and their entitlement to wages. 40 years they haven't been

fergus walsh, bbc news.row we'll meet another set of twins once joined at the head, who were separated by the same surgical team. let's get more now on our main story. joining me now is rina shah. she's a republican strategist based in washington dc. thank you for your time. what is it about racism, fear and hatred that works? i think tonight there is a discussion happening in washington thatis discussion happening in washington that is very much to the edges, and the fringes are winning. i think we have seen tonight a closing line vote, where republicans have said they are voting no because it is too partisan, it is controlled by democrats who don't want the best for our country. that is what many republicans, i am ashamed to admit, a great number of people believe his comments were 0k a great number of people believe his comments were ok because his intent may have not been to be racist i know you have taken some flak from republicans on this? i was one of the first republicans to speak out when i was elec

fergus walsh, bbc news.other set of twins oncejoined at the head who were separated by the same surgical team. donald trump has renewed his attack on four democratic politicians from minority backgrounds. he's rejected accusations of racism after saying they should go back to where they came from, insisting he doesn't have a racist bone in his body. he accused the four congresswomen, all us citizens, of being anti—israel, anti—usa and pro—terrorist. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant reports. race has always been the most volcanic fault line of american politics, and one that has always run right through the nation's capital. but never in the modern day has a sitting us president used such deliberately divisive language. donald trump pat himself on defying norms and manufacturing outrage, and he has intensified his attack on the four congress women of colour. he has intensified his attack on the four congress women of colourlj have a list of things here said by the congresswomen that is so bad, so h

fergus walsh, bbc news.arated, at this time tomorrow. 50 years ago, american astronauts neil armstrong, michael collins and edwin aldrin were spending their last night on earth before blasting off to the moon. it is hard to imagine, half a century on, what the three men were feeling in those final hours. i spoke with former nasa astronaut nicole stott, who went on two space flights and spent 104 days living in space, about what it feels like to float above the earth. it's one of those things, i think, you know, very difficult to describe, of course. you know, floating and flying that way, seeing the earth from space, very liberating, i would say. this freeing kind of feeling, and really great that you are up there doing good work for all of us down here on earth as well. and how long did it ta ke earth as well. and how long did it take for you to train to be up in space? well, for my first flight, which is what we call the long duration mission on the space station, that was about three year training flow, w

fergus walsh, bbc news.ll meet another set of twins, once joined at the head, who were separated by the same surgical team. it was one of the most extraordinary achievements of all time, the mission that allowed man to walk on the moon. an historic moment in 1969 that captivated people across the globe. 50 years ago, the apollo 11 rocket blasted off from the kennedy space center in florida. all thoughts were with the three astronauts in the tiny capsule. there is another side of the story — the impact it had on the millions who stayed up watching tv as the mission unfolded. the uk's space agency has been piecing together their stories and the lasting effect that the event had on their lives. here's david sillito. mission control: columbia, columbia, this is houston. here goes the mission with the television camera on it. this is the story of what landing on the moon meant to us. neil armstrong: it's one small step for man... 0ne giant leap for mankind. home movies, scrapbooks, photos — a national memory bank

fergus walsh, bbc news.rdinary story this weekend on the bbc news channel. ‘our world: separating conjoined twins' is on saturday and repeated on sunday at 9.30pm. house prices in london have fallen at their fastest pace since the financial crash a decade ago. new figures from the office for national statistics show that while average prices across the uk are still rising, prices in the capital were 4.4% lower in may than a year earlier. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. over the whole of the uk, on average, house prices are still rising. even at a slower rate than before of 1.2% to begin the year to may, the average price rose to £229,000. because prices have been doing that for a decade, becoming less and less affordable and forcing young families to live in rented accommodation. but in the british housing market, look london usually leads the way in booms as well as bust. prices rise first in the capital and in bust. prices rise first in the capitaland ina bust. prices rise first in the cap

fergus walsh, bbc news. and there's a special programme about this extraordinary story.ws and on bbc news in the uk. check our website for transmission times in your region. we talk a lot about our use and reliance on plastic, and often hear the claim that so much plastic is thrown away every year that it could circle the earth four times. but is it true? the bbc‘s reality check investigates. it is not an exact science, but still an awful lot of plastic. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmikeembley. hello there. parts of eastern england had temperatures very close to 27 degrees during wednesday. i don't think we'll see temperatures as high as that again, not for a little while anyway, because things have been changing from the west. this stripe of cloud brought some outbreaks of rain eastwards during wednesday. behind me here, a lump of cloud that will bring rain on friday. in between, a somewhat clearer zone of weather, so through the day ahead we will see sunshine and showers as well. and it will be quite breezy. still some rain

fergus walsh, bbc news.that's the view of the man tasked by the government to work out how to improve the network. keith williams is due to publish his final recommendations this autumn, but he's been giving our transport correspondent, tom burridge, an indication of some of the changes he's planning to recommend. driving change on our railways, a mix of privately run trains and publicly managed track, is the task of a review. the man appointed by the government to run the review once a to run the review wants a new body to manage the rail system day to day. he told me more accountability is needed at the top and more input from councils and city mayors. somebody needs to be accountable to the public for the services that they receive, and that needs to be at a national level. but what we also recognise is that the role of the regions needs to be emphasised because maybe what's been lacking in the past is regional input into the national system. this morning, some trains to edinburgh stuck in london after da

fergus walsh, bbc news. you're watching newsday on the bbc.g the dragon — the measures the indonesian government is considering how to protect the home of the world's largest lizard, from mass tourism. also on the programme: disney's mulan — the tale of a legendary female warrior is getting a live action makeover. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the eurozone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust, in the worst crisis to hit the eurozone, has been averted. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worse floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the "great white way" by americans, but tonight it is completely blacked out. it is a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris for a summit on pollution, inflation, and third world debt. this morning theyjoined the revolution celebrations for a show of military might on the champ

fergus walsh has been to meet that family. hi! salaam alaikum. quite a moment. i'm good. meeting the surgeons who separated them eight years ago. how are you? born in sudan, they now live in ireland, where their father's a doctor. it's hard to imagine they were once joined at the head. doctors feared the girls might die unless separated, so — like safa and marwa — the division was performed over several stages. and this was rital and ritaj just one month after surgery, each parent able to hold a child in their arms. i hope that they will get a normal life and be treated as normal human beings. which one are you? you get it right every time! so what do they think now? we are sitting here with two healthy twins, just like what i hoped at that time, so it's a great moment in my life. your dream came true? exactly. i'm a very proud dad now. laughter. that was very hard time. and at the same time, it was happy time because of the conclusion. we just get our girls, everyone is separated and can live her own life. and now, enas is pregnant again. one child this time? yeah. laugh

our medical correspondent fergus walsh picks up the story. hi! salaam alaikum. quite a moment.al meeting the surgeons who separated them eight years ago. how are you? born in sudan, they now live in ireland, where their father's a doctor. it's hard to imagine they were once joined at the head. doctors feared the girls might die unless separated, so, like safa and marwa, the division was performed over several stages. and this was rital and ritaj just one month after surgery, each parent able to hold a child in their arms. i hope that they will get a normal life and be treated as normal human beings. which one are you? you get it right every time! so what do they think now? we are sitting here with two healthy twins, just like what i hoped at that time, so it's a great moment in my life. your dream came true? exactly. i'm a very proud dad now. laughter that was very hard time. and at the same time, it was happy time because of the conclusion. we just get our girls, everyone is separated and can live her own life. and now, enas is pregnant again. one child this time? yeah. laught

fergus walsh, bbc news. it has been fascinating and so moving to follow their story.me to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i‘m gavin ramjaun, and this is your wedsnesday sport briefing. tiger woods has admitted his game isn‘t where he would like it to be as we count down to the open championship in royal portrush in northern ireland. woods won his 15th major earlier this year, but has played just ten competitive rounds since. the american is a three—time open winner, but his last victory in this tournament came in 2006. it‘s not quite — not quite as sharp as i‘d like to have it right now. i still need to get the shape of the golf ball a little better than i haveit golf ball a little better than i have it right now, especially with the weather coming in, and the winds are going to be changing. manny pacquiao‘s publicist has denied that a deal has been agreed to fight amir khan. the british boxer claims that terms have been signed off and done to face pacquiao in saudi arabia in november. but pacquiao‘s spokesperson fred sternberg told bbc sport man

fergus walsh, bbc news. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre.briefing. the 148th open championship gets under way shortly on thursday at the royal portrush golf club in northern ireland. and the favourite to win the claretjug is northern ireland's very own rory mcilroy. the world number 3 has pedigree at portrush, setting the course record as a 16—year—old. but he hasn't won a major title for five years. having the (this country is a massive thing for golf, and i think as well it will be a massive thing for the country. sport has an unbelievable ability to bring people together, and we all know that this country sometimes needs that, and this has the ability to do that. nigeria came third at the africa cup of nations in egypt. odion ighalo scored the only goal afterjust three minutes, as they beat tunisia 1—0 in the bronze medal play—off in cairo. it's their best finish in the competition since they won it in 2013. algeria and senegal play in the final on friday. frenchman julian alaphilippe wil go into stage 12 of the tour de france with the le

fergus walsh, bbc news.l have the second half on the briefing tomorrow. facebook says it won't go ahead with the launch of its libra crypto—currency until regulatory concerns are addressed. later today, the social media giant will face some tough questions from us lawmakers in congress over how its new digital currency will be governed. us treasury secretary steve mnuchin expressed his fears on monday, saying libra could be misused by money launderers and terrorist financiers. james hughes from axitraderjoins me now. good to see you. ever since they announce the launch or the intention to have a digital currency, they have had just so much backlash from regulators. we mentioned steve mnuchin, but also jerome regulators. we mentioned steve mnuchin, but alsojerome powell, the head of the us central bank. there isa head of the us central bank. there is a real worry about how this will work. absolutely, there is a worry about how this will work from facebook‘s point of view but it is not just the facebook‘s poin

fergus walsh, bbc news. twins once joined at the head — who were separated by the same surgical team. regular pay is growing at its fastest rate for a number of years, according to official statistics. the boost to the national living wage in april provided a lift for wages. the conservative party needs to be more honest and open when it comes to tackling islamophobia according to some of its members. the party has come under fire in recent months over its handling of anti—muslim behaviour in its ranks. 0ur political correspondent alex forsyth has been speaking to current and former muslim party members about their experiences — and just a warning, her report contains offensive language. keeping pace with the changing face of britain has at times been a challenge for political parties, and 110w challenge for political parties, and now the conservatives have been accused of failing to tackle anti—muslim hatred in their ranks. the way you look at the family you come from, the ethnic background you come from, t

fergus walsh, bbc news.ter on wednesday we'll meet another set of twins once joined at the head who were separated by the same surgical team. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the moon mission and the millions who watched. how apollo 11 captivated viewers in the uk and around the world. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the eurozone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust, in the worst crisis to hit the eurozone, has been averted. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worse floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the great white way by americans, but tonight it's completely blacked out. it's a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris for a summit on pollution, inflation and third world debt. this morning, theyjoined the revolution celebrations for a show of military might o

fergus walsh, bbc news. the confirmation of an ebola disease victim inside the crowded congolese city of goma could be a game—changer — requiring a heightened global response. goma is a major trade crossroads and sits right on the border with rwanda. more than 1600 people have died of the disease in eastern congo in the outbreak that began a year ago. it's now the second biggest outbreak ever. here's more from the bbc‘s gaius kowene is the capital kinshasa. the patient is a pastor who travelled to the town of butembo, which is one of the epicentres of the ebola outbreak and there, he taught worshippers during prayers. now, he had been showing symptoms last week and was taken care of at home by a nurse. on his way to goma, he changed his name on papers so that it was very difficult for health officials to track him as he was trying to conceal his identity. when he arrived in goma on sunday, he went to a health clinic where lab results proved that he had the ebola virus. he was directly put in isolation and 18

fergus walsh, bbc news.f komodo, home to the world's largest lizards, because of the pressures of mass tourism. authorities say visitor numbers to see the unique species are rising on a scale that's becoming unsustainable. rebecca henschke reports. there is just one village here on komodo island and despite the dragons having a poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite, the community here say they do not live in fear. they believe they have a spiritual connection with the dragons and tell a story of a dragon princess who gave birth to twins. a baby boy and a baby dragon. translation: if you are a true komodo ancestor, then there is nothing to worry about. they will not disturb you. the dragons also provide an income for this community. most villagers are now working in the tourist trade as an increasing number of visitors are flocking to see this unique species. the central government is now heavily promoting the area and labuan bajo, the gateway to the national park, is a city undergoing

fergus walsh, bbc news. report as the twins are finally separated, tomorrow night. how do you stop children from seeing online pornography? today was supposed to be the day when the uk became the first country in the world to bring into force a law — that would block under—18s from viewing porn online. it's been delayed for months — and now the bbc has learnt there are concerns over a potential conflict of interest between the online pornography sites and the age verification technology developed to protect children. our correspondent, sangita myska has more. watching, sharing, stumbling across explicit sexual material online is a problem. the children's charity the nspcc says its latest research shows that two thirds of 15—16—year—olds have seen pornography. the affect can be damaging say campaigners childnet. they interviewed children and teenagers, their thoughts have been voiced by these actors. once i started i wanted to see more. i couldn't stop myself. it was actually really horrible, people started c

fergus walsh, bbc news.rating conjoined twins is on saturday and repeated on sunday at 9:30pm. in america, the house of representatives has formally condemned president donald trump after a series of attacks aimed at four congresswomen in which he told them to go back to their own countries. the resolution — which is very rarely used — denounced mr trump‘s comments as racist. this afternoon, the president went on the offensive again, calling the politicians "the four horsewomen of the apocalpyse". nick bryant reports from washington. 0n capitol hill, fierce words of condemnation for the president‘s racist tweets. i know racism when i see it. i know racism when i feel it. and at the highest level of government, there is no room for racism. these comments from the white house are disgraceful and disgusting, and these comments are racist. the republicans tried and failed to get nancy pelosi‘s rebuke scrubbed from the record. can i ask for the words to be taken down? i make the point of order that the gentlewoma

fergus walsh, bbc news.wins are finally separated, tomorrow night. environmental protesters have used boats to block roads in five uk cities. in london, the campaign group extinction rebellion targeted the road outside the royal courts of justice. campaigners said it was the start of a five—day summer uprising. a serial thief who drugged and robbed victims after meeting them on gay dating apps has been convicted of murdering a businessman at his home in south london. a jury at the old bailey found gerald matovu guilty of killing eric michaels with an overdose of the dangerous sedative ghb. matovu, who is 26, had previously admitted selling ghb to the serial killer stephen port. daniel sandford was in court. murdered for his bank cards, his phone and a few bottles of wine — business executive and part—time actor eric michaels. his killer was gerry matovu. they'd met using the gay dating up grindr. they'd met using the gay dating app grindr. they're seen here shopping in sainsbury‘s on the way back to eric mic

fergus walsh, bbc news. more on that extraordinary story $0011.rism police in northern italy have seized an air—to—air missile and other sophisticated weapons during raids on far—right extremist groups. neo—nazi propaganda was also seized, in the raids. three people have been arrested. the raids were part of an investigation into italian far—right help for russian—backed separatist forces in eastern ukraine. south africa's former president jacob zuma has told an inquiry that allegations of corruption against him were a conspiracy aimed at removing him from the political scene. the inquiry is investigating allegations that mr zuma oversaw a web of corruption during his term in office. the former south african president has denied breaking the law. apollo 11's historic mission paved the way for space exploration and apollo 12 was the first to follow in november of 1969. on board that rocket was astronaut alan bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon. his wife and daughter have spoken to the bbc about life as an astronaut‘s family. men were leaving t

fergus walsh, bbc news.t as the twins are finally separated tomorrow night at bbc news. and a look at our latest headlines: england's world cup winning cricket team have been meeting the prime minister at downing street this evening as they continue their celebrations. the four democratic congress women told to go back to where they came from by president trump have accused him of openly violating his oath and american values. and as you have just been seeing, in pioneering surgery, just been seeing, in pioneering surgery, doctors in london have separated twin girls who were born joint at the head. environmental protesters have used boats to block roads in five uk cities. in london, campaign group extinction rebellion targeted the road outside the royal court ofjustice targeted the road outside the royal court of justice and targeted the road outside the royal court ofjustice and campana said it was part of a five—day summer uprising. they want the government to declare a climate emergency. a serial thief wh

fergus walsh, bbc news.rdinary story this weekend on the bbc news channel. our world: separating conjoined twins is on saturday and repeated on sunday at 9.30pm. the world health organisation has declared the ebola outbreak in the democratic republic of the congo an international public health emergency. it comes after 2,500 cases and more than 1,600 deaths. ebola started in the north kivu region in the east of the country last summer, moving into ituri, and then most recently into the provincial capital of goma, which is a major international transport hub bordering with rwanda. our global health correspondent tulip mazumder is with me now. tulip, what does this mean? the declaration means that there needs to be a more intensified global response on the ground. ebola is expensive and labour—intensive, and they need a better response. the declaration is a clear call for countries around the world to step up countries around the world to step up and contribute to the response. the uk has been a leader in term

and fergus walsh is with me now...d there is a major operation to come. it happened in february and the girls took three months to recover from the second major operation that lasted 30 hours. they had already gone through 35 hours of surgery had already gone through 35 hours of surgery before they became physically separated. without operation where they were physically apart for the first time in the lives took 17 hours in february. witnessing that was really extraordinary and talking to the surgeons after they had physically separated these girls. the relief on their faces was extraordinary and then at half past one in the morning they were going to tell the family. they then had a lot of hurdles to face. they have had months of physiotherapy and were only discharge from hospital earlier this month so they have been in great ormond street for almost a year. this is incredible surgery. and a very, very rare condition but it is taking up huge resources. tell us about the funding of it, but also what lessons medical sc

fergus walsh, bbc news.e the 71st year the awards have taken place and there are multiple nominations for british programming with talk show host james corden and game of thrones stars emilia clarke and kit harington all receiving nominations. phoebe waller—bridge has picked up nominations for her comedy fleabag as well as her drama killing eve and the bbc‘s political drama bodyguard was also nominated for 0utstanding drama series. jodie comer picked up a nomination for her lead role in killing eve and hugh grant was also nominated for his role in a very english scandal. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba is with us. i think game of thrones is the big winner, the final series which finished airing early in the year divided fans across the globe but it is leading the way at the emmy awards and has a record 32 nominations in one year. so while some fans may not have been keen on it the voters as far as nominations are concerned have really got behind it. as we just saw its lead actors and actresses in

fergus walsh's report includes pictures of the operation on the girls.s have already undergone two complex operations at great ormond street hospital to prepare them for separation. now, finally, that day has come. their brains, lock together since birth, are eased apart. so this is safa's brain, that's marwa's brain. so they are now separate, apart from that piece of dura? after seven hours, the final connection of bone and tissue are severed. fantastic. at last, after three major operations, the twins are no longerjoined. what was the moment like when they were separate for the first time? what did that feel like? it's a very emotional moment. we've been working a long time to get them here, they've been through so many operations, and now it's worked! so you still got, what, four or five hours to do? yes, we have to put them together now. so we've taken them apart, and we have to reconstruct their heads. marwa are still in the operating theatre through here while safa has been moved just next door. for the first time, the survival of each of the twins

and the bbc‘s fergus walsh has had exclusive access during that process.this journey together. in order for one of them to do well, they have both got to do well. joined at the head, they have never seen each other. this is the start of an incredible journey, aimed at giving them independence. it is october 2018 at great ormond street hospital. their mum has been praying for this day for nearly two years. they are what is known as craneopagus twins, their skull is one long tube. it's incredibly rare. the 21—month—old girls have separate brains, but are misshapen. the surgery is so complex, it will happen in three stages over several months. the twins won't be physically separate until the final operation. so we can see the artery but to do anything to it we will use the microscope. each twin is supplying the other‘s brain with blood. cutting these connections is dangerous and will take two operations to complete. so the artery has been clamped. the twins have been in theatre now for more than seven hours, and there are still several hours of this operation

fergus walsh, bbc news.ng conjoined twins on saturday at 9.30pm. a man has accepted responsibility for the killing of a heavily pregnant woman, the old bailey has been told. he is the former partner of 26—year—old kelly mary fauvrelle, who was eight months pregnant when she was killed at her home. her baby riley was delivered at the scene but died four days later. 0ur correspondent leaned on her was at the old bailey for the hearing earlier. 25-year-old aaron mckenzie arrived at the old bailey today wearing a black tracksuit, charged with the murder of his pregnant ex—girlfriend macklin. inside the courtroom, he expected stomach —— he accepted response ability —— his ex—girlfriend kelly fauvrelle. kelly, pregnant, a months pregnant, who had just been stabbed to death. the indolence cruise could not bring her back to life, but they did manage to deliver her little baby boy who was named riley by the family, but in first after spending five days in hospital, he sadly passed away —— the ambulance crew. this inc

fergus walsh, bbc news.bbc news. we are going to discuss this extraordinary operation now with dr brian cummings, chair of the paediatric, ethics and associate chief of paediatrics at the massachusetts general hospital of children and joins us now for boston. thank you for being with us. ground—breaking surgery, as we have seen, pioneering surgery, but what are the ethics of this, in your opinion? these are very challenging cases, as your story detailed. these cases, as your story detailed. these cases are very rare and always gather a lot of interest. throughout history, how can we separate them and try to create when we have this unusual situation of people join together, how can we create two separate individuals? sometimes it is straight forward and sometimes it isn't, and we have to ask ourselves that even technically we can separate them, is it something we should pursue? and this is a very challenging situation where the children arejoined challenging situation where the children are joined together a

fergus walsh, bbc news. emmy nominations are out, with game of thrones reigning supreme.ime—time show. —— emmy awards. killing eve's star has been nominated for leading actress. jodi faces competition from her co—star, sandra oh. i asked jodi faces competition from her co—star, sandra oh. iasked her jodi faces competition from her co—star, sandra oh. i asked her how it feels to be nominated?” co—star, sandra oh. i asked her how it feels to be nominated? i am feeling overwhelmed, it hasn't quite sunkin feeling overwhelmed, it hasn't quite sunk in yet. i had kinda forgotten about it and put it to the back of my mind because i didn't think it was going to happen so i actually came out of the gym and had a load of messages, so it was a nice surprise. it has been quite a year for you, hasn't it? you have been a ba fta for you, hasn't it? you have been a bafta winner, and finally enough you are coming up against sandra oh again. i know, that is always the way! i sometimes feel like people try to play you off against each other but i think it is such a wonderful problem to have.

fergus walsh is here. tell us more about these twins. let me introduce you to rital.ather works as a doctor. we can see some pictures. those girls, it is hard to believe. here they are at the front door with the two surgeons who separated them since they lost hospital eight years ago, giving them a set of teddies. looking at them, it is hard to believe they we re them, it is hard to believe they were once like safra and marwa that they were joined at the head. i spoke to their father. we are sitting here in a different area with two healthy twins and it isjust like what i hoped at that time. it is a great moment in my life. it makes you so emotional. how does their case compare with safra and marwa? like safra and marwa, they were separated over several operations. but the difference is that they were separated as less than a year old. safra and marwa, there were delays, they were two. the lead surgeon told us they were two. the lead surgeon told us that doing it in that first year of life is the optimum time. so we feel the ideal time is between six and 12 months. wh

fergus walsh, bbc news.ill also explore more of safa and marwa's incredible story on tomorrow's programme. you can also read the full story of their separation on the bbc news website. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm charlotte franks. plans for a controversial new skyscraper nicknamed the tulip have been thrown out by the mayor. the tower proposed for the city of london included a viewing platform with rotating pods, and would have been the second—tallest building in western europe. it was designed by the same architect behind the gherkin. sadiq khan has said the scheme has limited public benefit. police are investigating a series of sexual assaults in the same area in havering. throughoutjune there were seven separate incidents reported within half a mile of harold wood station. many of the victims were followed from there. detectives say they want to hear from any possible witnesses. childcare costs during school holidays have increased by 5% in

over the course of three major operations, lasting more than 50 hours. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh how the twins were finally separated, and the months of rehabilitation that have followed. and just so you know, it includes pictures of the operation on the girls. safa and marwa share a single skull. the two—year—olds have already undergone two complex operations at great 0rmond street hospital to prepare them for separation. now, finally, that day has come. their brains, lock together since birth, are eased apart. so this is safa's brain, that's marwa's brain. so they are now separate, apart from that piece of dura? after seven hours, the final connection of bone and tissue are severed. fantastic. at last, after three major operations, the twins are no longerjoined. what was the moment like when they were separate for the first time? what did that feel like? it's a very emotional moment. we've been working a long time to get them here, they've been through so many operations, and now it's worked! so you still got, what, four or five hours to do? yes, we have to put them together no

fergus walsh has followed the extraordinary story. safa and marwa share a single skull.o prepare them for separation. now finally, that day has come. two whole brains laid out. their brains, locked together since birth, eased part. after three major operations the twins are no longerjoined. we're joined now by the neurosurgeon who performed the lifechanging operation — 0wase jeelani. good to have you with us. i read today about how you did this, you separate the brain without separating their heads, doing it internally and at the same time clamping blood vessels. how do you know you are clamping the right ones? well, we do not know so it is an educated guess based on previous experience and experience of others. we the anatomy, the vascular anatomy in quite some detail and then it is a best guest estimate in terms of what we should do and at what stage we clamp the vessels. the surgical insult is relatively limited and small and the children have a chance to recuperate between the stages. you created a vr model to get as close as you could before the operation to know wh

our medical correspondent, fergus walsh exclusively followed the twins' journey, and hejoins us now.hey have to learn how to roll, how to try and sit up, how to move about, how to try and be separate individuals but they are doing that now with a remarkably very little medical care. they have been discharged from hospital. the surgeons are very happy with how they are getting on. we spoke to two of the surgeons yesterday, one principally looking after the separation and one rebuilding, separating the brains and sorting out all those arteries. you think about the detail that goes into those operations. that must have been incredible for you to witness first hand ? have been incredible for you to witness first hand? it was, i have sat through, stood by a lot of operations, haven't fainted yet! but this, 35 hours, the first two operations, just to separate their blood vessels. the two twins' brains we re blood vessels. the two twins' brains were feeding each other, the veins and arteries. it took an extraordinary amount of time just to separate those and each twin had a brain that was d

our medical correspondent fergus walsh and producer rachael buchanan have had exclusive access to theons and now it‘s worked. so you‘ve still got another four or five hours to do? yes, we have to put them together now. so we've taken them apart, and we have to reconstruct their heads. marwa is still in the operating theatre through here, whilst safa has been moved just next door. for the first time, the survival of each of the twins is not dependent on the other. and that‘ll make it easier for the two surgical teams to regulate their heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs. this means both teams can begin reconstruction. a patchwork of skull pieces are shared between theatres. piece for me, piece for you. to have enough to cover their heads, they had to divide each bit in two. everything is good. at 1.30 in the morning, the surgeons bring the good news to the girls‘ family. # hello, safa. # hello, marwa. # how are you today? then begins the long road to recovery. the twins have daily physiotherapy. this will help them reach some basic milestones — learning to roll, sit and ho