john simpson, bbc news, kabul.securing a playoff place with a a 2—0 win in moldova. england are on the verge of qualification after beating albania 5—0. natalie pirks was watching. # 0 flower of scotland... belting it out like their lives depended on it, scotland's mission was simple — beat moldova and the travelling tartan army would be guaranteed a play—off spot for their first world cup since 1998. but it wasn't all one—way traffic. scotland, though, were by far the better side and finally broke the deadlock before half—time. an exquisite backheel set up in scotland for the cushion they craved. and craig gordon's penalty save was the icing on the play—off cake. the tartan army in raptures — the dream is still alive. england's match with albania began with a moment of reflection. last post plays. what followed was a stroll in the park. harry maguire got the first, harry kane's head got the second. the goals kept coming — jordan henderson made it three, kane's left foot made it four. and the perfect hat—trick wasn

john simpson, bbc news, bamiyan. of china's top communist leaders is under way that will further tighten president xi jinping's grip on power, and set the tone for his long—term ambitions. jacques delisle told me about how this might boost the status of presidency. this met president this resolution will be the culmination of something he has been doing for several years now, to elevate him into the rarefied air of mao zaodeng. it is notjust the resolution of party history, and mao's was before 1919. but it is also going to be the occasion which was also going to be the occasion which we'll see the next party conference where xi jinping will begin his third term as top leader. professor, in terms of how popular xijinping is as a leader, both within the party and with the people, is it possible to say, given the strict control over media, in china? it certainly is hard to know but there are certainly signs of his popularity with a large area of the chinese population. this is a controlled media environment and in that

john simpson, bbc news. in a career that spanned more than six decades, he created some of broadway's best known musicals — and wrote the lyrics for west side story. daniela relph has been looking back at his life. # isn't it bliss? # don't you approve? # one who keeps tearing around, one who can't move... send in the clowns, from the musical a little night music. # send in the clowns... it was stephen sondheim's only hit song — remarkably, because this was the man who revolutionised the american musical. as a young man he learned his trade from oscar hammerstein, the lyricist who wrote shows like oklahoma and the sound of music. sondheim, too, started by doing the words — notably for leonard bernstein's music in west side story. # i like to be in america! # ok by me in america! soon he was writing his own music as well. # for a small fee in america... most of the shows that followed were hits. and then in 1970 he came up with a new idea — a musical that didn't follow an obvious plot. # phone rings, door chi

john simpson, bbc news, bamiyan. taking place for almost 100 people killed in a fire on friday, abbe starting after fuel tanker collided with a drug on a busy road. the nationbuilding president has declared three days of national mourning. a west africa correspondent reports. heading to theirfinal heading to their final resting place, this mortuary was overwhelmed with bodies in the immediate aftermath of friday's blaze. now, it is sending them to a mass burial site in a country that has already suffered many disasters, this one stood out. medical emergency of this magnitude i have never experienced before and all of my career as a medical doctor. this is big, really massive, and when i saw the incident, when i came to this hospital and i was called i was really taken aback to see what happened, and we are still yet to understand what happened because it is just too soon. at because it is 'ust too soon. at the because it isjust too soon. at the scene of the accident, reminders of friday's horror. it has been more tha

john simpson, bbc news, musayyib.uation? the storm is beginning to move away, but make no mistake it is still very windy out there, and there are still gusts along the north sea coast near 60 mph or so, so big and dangerous waves and along with that some cloud, some rain and sleet and snow mixed in at times. some nasty condition still around, particularly eastern parts of england and further snow showers in northern scotland. elsewhere a little sunshine to be have, they are slowly moderating into tonight with the wind and temperature here feeling very cold out there. into

john simpson, bbc news, musayyib. sport and a full round up, from the bbc sport centre.ague where liverpool flexed their muscles for another big scoring win — this time a—nil against southampton. liverpool were in complete control. diogojota scored twice followed by one each for alcantara and van dijk. liverpool are now second in the table, a point behind chelsea who play on sunday. i think that the statistics say that southampton scored the majority of the goals in the first 20 minutes. it is a challenge. they can look rusty in the beginning. i don't want to sound disrespectful, just happens in the game. today we were there from the first second and that was helpful. eddie howe was in the dug out for the first time for newcastle but his side are still bottom after arsenal eventually broke them down at home. bukayo saka and pierre—emerick aubameyang scoring the goals for arsenal who stay fifth, while newcastle are five points adrift of safety without a single win this season. elsewhere in the premier league, norwich matched wolves in a goalless draw at carrow road. brigh

john simpson, bbc news, musayyib. the headlines on bbc news...new omicron strain of the coronavirus. all four cases were in people who'd returned from southern africa. there's also been one confirmed case in italy. several european countries take action to counter the spread — while israel which has also detected a case plans to ban the entry of all foreigners. in the uk, three people have died, as the first winter storm brought high winds, rain and snow. storm arwen caused damage across scotland, northern england, the midlands and wales, leading to road closures and severe train delays. at one point, more than 100 thousand homes were without power. at one point, more than 100,000 homes were without power. here's andy gill. storm arwen has left much of the country facing disruption and damage. there have been some near misses, road and rail travel has been badly affected and tens of thousands of homes left without power. the storm brought picture postcard scenery to the north yorkshire village of low row, but it's also disrupting life, especially

john simpson, bbc news, bamyan. in a cave in the brecon beacons for more than two days has tonight finally been resuced. he fell whilst exploring the extensive underground system on saturday. our wales correspondent hywel griffith is at the scene. the 37 mile cave complex underneath my feet here is one of the most beautiful but difficult in britain, so when news came on saturday lunchtime that someone had fallen and was trapped, volunteers started travelling from across the uk. late tonight after darkness had fallen came the news that all their hard work had finally paid off. mission accomplished. after more than two days of painstaking, exhausting work, relief all round. together, these volunteers carried the casualty through an underground assault course of boulders, streams and ledges, the longest stretch i carry ever by a british cave rescue team. it carry ever by a british cave rescue team. , ., , , ., ., team. it is absolutely amazing, the c00peration. _ team. it is absolutely amazing, the cooperation, the _ t

our world affairs editor john simpson reports from bamiyan in afghanistan.ing a bad one. camels are on the move to warmer areas. we are heading west out of kabul, through the taliban roadblocks. it's not long before we reach the snow. injalrez district, food aid is being distributed, flour to make bread. everyone here knows that things are likely to get really bad in a few weeks. "there is a real possibility we'll be frozen this winter," this man tells me. these people are so poor they can't afford to buy food orfuel for heating. a humanitarian disaster could bring the taliban down, so they are cooperating with the international aid agencies, even if they don't like them. the head of the world food programme, visiting kabul, doesn't mince his words. the winter months are coming, we're coming out of a drought. the next six months are going to be catastrophic. it's going to be hell on earth. we reach bamiyan, an agricultural centre which has been hit by drought, like many other parts of afghanistan and, of course, there was an infamous taliban crime here. a co

john simpson, bbc news, bamiyan. eight people were killed and hundreds crushed at a concert. 0ne concert—goers has accused scott and drake of inciting the crowd and are seeking $1 million in damages. scott says he is working to help the families of the vic's, the youngest of whom was 1a. we can speak now to an attorney matthew hike and who joins us. thank you forjoining us. when not too surprised that lawsuits are beginning to be filed but how does that work alongside a criminal investigation?- criminal investigation? thank ou for criminal investigation? thank you for having _ criminal investigation? thank you for having me. _ criminal investigation? thank you for having me. my - criminal investigation? thank you for having me. my heartl you for having me. my heart goes out to the family in this tragedy. the civil case in the criminal case can happen simultaneously so while the district eternal —— attorney is investigating there is nothing stopping people from filing a civil lawsuit, that can all happen at once. in c

john simpson, bbc news, musayyib.e has been rich. hello. after the damage and disruption storm arwen has brought to many parts of the uk, things are slowly beginning to calm down now. it will stay quite blustery this afternoon, but not as windy as it has been for those exposed coasts in the north—east and indeed in the west of the uk. those are the gusts we are expecting for the middle of the afternoon. still some rain, sleet and snow for eastern england. some wintry showers into parts of scotland and northern ireland. sunny spells elsewhere. it will feel really cold. highs between three and eight degrees. tonight, still some rain, sleet and snow for a time in eastern england. cloud will bring rain back into northern ireland and snow into north—west scotland. a few showers for west wales and for cornwall. in between, though, largely clear skies allowing temperatures to dip to —6 or —7 celsius, so a widespread frost and ice looking likely tomorrow morning. still some wintry showers in eastern england, some snow moving

john simpson, bbc news, musayyib.ological complex east of lima, and could be up to 1,200 years old, from the pre—inca chaclla culture. archaeologists found the mummy in an oval underground structure, tied with ropes in a fetal position, and surrounded by various offering materials, such as pots, ceramics and gourds containing botanical remains. that is fascinating. let's have a look at what the weather is doing now. it is causing severe problems in parts of the country. what is storm arwen bringing?- in parts of the country. what is storm arwen bringing? yes, thank ou. storm arwen bringing? yes, thank you- large — storm arwen bringing? yes, thank you. large swathes _ storm arwen bringing? yes, thank you. large swathes of _ storm arwen bringing? yes, thank you. large swathes of the - storm arwen bringing? yes, thank you. large swathes of the uk - storm arwen bringing? yes, thank you. large swathes of the uk have been affected by disruptive and damaging winds. there's been snow around in places as well but the story for

our world affairs editor john simpson is there — and he sent this update.ttended by the british ambassador and other commonwealth ambassadors. not this year. there is no british ambassador and scarcely any british people left in the country. there are some wreaths but most of them are from previous occasions. the one in the middle arrived on the 11th of november. this was from canada. although this is a british cemetery many countries have buried their dead here. south africa, spain, france, and other countries. a lot of people naturally would say a50 british deaths and all the others in a war that was lost was just a complete waste of time. i don't think many afghans would think that. they would see how their lives have been transformed in the last 20 years in every way, economically, education in ordinary social life. they will be demanding that the taliban should continue to provide those kind of freedoms. the last british troops left afghanistan in august. today, on remembrance sunday we can share the stories of sergeant rick clements, who was left with

our world affairs editor, john simpson, has been to afghanistan numerous times over the years — includingy, and gave his thoughts about life under the new regime. the first thing that you feel when you drive in from the airport is a kind of sense that nothing very much has changed, and then you look a little bit more carefully and you realise that everything has changed. i suppose the two major differences are firstly the men are guarding the check points and standing on duty of the roads are the very people that the previous regime was trying to keep out of the city and trying to capture and kill if they possibly could. that is quite a big change. going into one of the big hotels in the centre of kabul, we were checked by a sniffer dog. i remember very well being checked by the same sniffer dog who was there to catch taliban bobmbers, now he's working the taliban he and his handler. so you can see that there are those kinds of changes and there is another very important change. we drove around for about half an hour, and our, this morning, we drove around for about half an hour, and hour

our world affairs editor john simpson is there — and he sent this update.en used and is being used by the british to bury their soldiers since the 1839 war. and throughout the times since then. but now, it has become the place to commemorate the people who have died, they are not buried here, but who have died since the 2001 war which throughout the taliban and has been fought quite bitterly ever since. what is different this year is that there is no official commemoration. no british presence whatsoever. the british embassy is entirely empty. and there is, among these five reeds, four of them are old, from years past, but the one in the middle, the fresh —looking one with the red flowers on it, was put here only three days ago on the 11th of november. ordered, apparently, bite somebody from canada. there is a large number of canadian names on the wall over there. canadians were second only to the british, apart from the americans, in the deaths in afghanistan. and there are others, south africans commemorated there. spanish, and so on. but these are the br

our world affairs editor, john simpson, reports from the afghan city of bamiyan.eas. we are heading west, out of kabul, through the taliban road blocks. it's not long before we reach the snow. in this district, food aid is being distributed, flour to make bread. everyone here knows that things are likely to get really bad in a few weeks. there is a real possibly we will be frozen this winter, this man tells me. these people are so poor they can't afford to buy food orfuel for heating. a humanitarian disaster could bring the taliban down, so they are cooperating with the international aid agencies even if they don't like them. ahead of the world food programme, visiting kabul a head of the world food programme, visiting kabul doesn't mince his words. the winter months are coming, we are coming out of a drought. the next six months are going to be catastrophic, it is going to be hell on earth. we reach bamiyan, an agriculture centre hit by drought. like many other parts of afghanistan. and of course, there was an infamous taliban crime here. a couple of hundred yard

>> can you please read it for the record, please. >> e-mail from john simpson. september 1st meeting the executive director told you to give a self-evaluation. that is no evaluation. when it comes to answering questions how you are investing our money, give yourself a failing grade. when it comes to investing because in the past 10 years you have not outperformed a passive investment on the sec500. b minus. at the september meeting a member sent you a letter to read in public comment. you refused to listen to the contents of the letter because it contained more than 150 words. it took the executive director a longer time to count the words than it was read. i hope next year i can give you a better evaluation. 46 year member. callers if you have not done so press star 3 to be added to the q. those on hold wait until you have been unmuted. do we have callers on the line? >> madam secretary. there is one caller on the line. >> thank you. police say your name. your two minutes begin when you speak. >> commissioner cassie o this the mic. san francisco police officers

john simpson reporting there. now — the heroic story of one man and his dog.ombarded and sank and it left everybody in the water. the dog managed to get to shore, but there was no handler with it, but he could hear the handler in the water, my father, so he ran down and jumped back in, got him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him out. i think it was about 200 yards from shore. after the war, khan had to be returned to his owners. he was awarded the animal's victorian cross and jimmy went to the ceremony. there was that much affection between them that they decided to take him home. he has been rewarded as a local hero. in the strathaven butcher shop, they allocated him meat free of charge, so he was well looked after. what do you think your father would make of that? he would be over the moon. it is going to be a strange feeling heading to the pub and having him there watching me from a statue. it is going to be very strange. aileen clarke, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise. —— susan. it's pretty quiet out there and for much of

the next few months will decide. john simpson, bbc news, bamiyan. ogramme. let's take a look at today's papers. many of them leading on the fallout of the attempted overhaul on standards rules for mp5. the times' headline describes "anger as pm skips sleaze showdown" — referring to him missing a commons debate. the paper also says tory mps are calling on him to apologise. "just say sorry for the mess, prime minister" says the daily express on its front page. the paper says there's been "fury from the opposition and deep misgivings from many on his own side". the guardian carries this picture of sistersjill and louise who were reunited in new york after spending two years apart. the first double—jabbed foreign travellers arrived at us airports yesterday, after a 20—month covid—19 travel ban was lifted. that photo is brilliant. and one of the most read stories on the bbc website. the best time to get some sleep. researchers say the optimal bedtime is between 10pm and 11pm and if you go to sleep at that time it reduces your risk of heart attacks and str

john simpson, bbc news. now to sierra leone.ncing monday to wednesday the tenth of november 2021 throughout the republic of sierra leone —— sierra leone. flags shall be flown at half mast. the explosion happened at half mast. the explosion happened at 10pm on a friday night. it was in freetown's densely populated wellington suburb. it happened at a junction close to about that neck busy supermarket. these are pictures of the two vehicles in the aftermath of the two vehicles in the aftermath of the two vehicles in the aftermath of the explosion. you can see the supermarket there. they collided when the tanker was ending a petrol station. the drivers noted the link and warned people to stay away. this man is at the scene. translation: i man is at the scene. translation: i heard that tank driver warn those who wear around taking fuel from the tank to stay away. he then got inside the truck and started it but was unable to move at. and he told people again to stop. mast was unable to move at. and he told people again to stop.— peopl

our world affairs editor john simpson reports from bamiyan, about 175 kilometres west of kabul.buted. flour to make bread. everyone here knows that things are likely to get really bad in a few weeks. at the moment there is no panic but make no mistake these people are scared for their families. "there's a real possibly we'll be frozen this winter," this man tells me. these people are so poor, they can't afford to buy food orfuel for heating. even the taliban seem worried. they certainly don't stop us filming. a humanitarian disaster could bring the taliban down, so they're cooperating with the international aid agencies, even if they don't like them. the head of the world food programme visiting kabul doesn't mince his words. it is as bad as you can possibly imagine. we are looking at the worst military in crisis on earth. 95% people don't have food and we are now looking at 23 million people marching towards starvation and almost 9 million are knocking on the door of famine. the winter months are coming, we're coming out of a drought. the next six months are going to be catastr

john simpson, bbc news, bamiyan.ough the nhs has negotiated a confidential discount. having it as a syrup, that really makes a difference, doesn�*t it? oh, yes. doctors say the drug works by boosting the levels of a protein crucial for keeping nerve cells healthy. it really alters the outlook for these people. ten years ago, we had no treatments available for sma, and things have moved on now to having three available treatments. hello, everyone. i am melville. three years ago, i was the first child in england to test- a new medicine that helps with my sma~ _ nine—year—old melville takes risdiplam once a day after breakfast, as part of a medical trial. his parents hope he may never need a wheelchair because he�*s now so much stronger. yes! basically, he has now more stamina, he�*s able to endure stairs better. i have a lot of hope and i'm very happy that it's now available for other families. on a day—to—day basis, it�*s great to see melville improving a little bit every day. there is no cure yet for sma, but the out

john simpson in kabulfor us this morning on remembrance sunday.. a lot of cloud across the west of the uk at the moment, thick enough for some light rain and drizzle, especially east anglia and the south—east. that continues this morning, easing up into the afternoon. only a few showers left around, it should brighten stop some drizzle across eastern scotland and western coast of england and wales, where it could be a little bit este and grey all day long. heavy rain through the day across the north—west of scotland, the highlands and ireland in particular. many other areas dry this afternoon. sunshine around the murray coast, sunshine across parts of england and is as well and temperatures still higher than normalfor temperatures still higher than normal for the temperatures still higher than normalfor the time of temperatures still higher than normal for the time of year, 1a or 15 degrees in northern ireland. in northern ireland and scotland we are likely to see some better weather for a time, heavier bursts of rain working their way eastwards.

john simpson there, who hasjust arrived in kabul. lk us through it. yes, and a full weekend _ to talk us through it. yes, and a full weekend at _ to talk us through it. yes, and a full weekend at old _ to talk us through it. yes, and a full weekend at old trafford. . to talk us through it. yes, and a full weekend at old trafford. it| to talk us through it. yes, and a | full weekend at old trafford. it is the kind you look at through your fingers, the last time that united fans were home to liverpool. the first time in 18 months the manchester derby will have a crowd, and a big crowd. i manchester derby will have a crowd, and a big crowd-— and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and who am _ and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and who am i— and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and who am i to _ and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and who am i to know— and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and who am i to know this, - and a big crowd. i can't imagine, and who am i to know this, but l and a big crowd. i can't imagine, an

the bbc�*s world affairs editor, john simpson is in bamiyan, in central afghanistan.een the international community and the government here, trying the outside world, the world bank, being the latest example, trying to force the taliban to be different in the way they govern, less extreme, less conservative. but the fact is it is like a dance where the music certainly caught up with things and it is going faster and faster. i suspect we are getting fairly close to some kind of... perhaps a change of attitude by the taliban. i don't have any information about age, it is very hard to get inside the taliban but there is a taliban delegation going to pakistan led tomorrow —— tomorrow led by its foreign minister and i think there is at least a possibility that the taliban will tell the pakistanis that they will change their attitude towards women in education, for instance, and if they do that, that could start to unlock some of the really quite hostile attitudes of the outside world. this is only guesswork on my part but i think it must at least be a possibility. poland s

our world affairs editor, john simpson, reports from the afghan city of bamiyan. the head of the world food programme, visiting kabul doesn't mince his words. the winter months are coming, we're coming out of a drought. the next six months are going to be catastrophic, it is going to be hell on earth. which has been hit by drought, we reach bamiyan, an agricultural centre, which has been hit by drought, like many other parts of afghanistan. and of course, there was an infamous taliban crime here. a couple of hundred yards along the cliff from the place where the statues of the buddhas used to stand, until the taliban destroyed them, a woman called fatima lives. she's a widow, raising her seven friendly, intelligent children on her own. before the taliban took over, she got by with occasional food aid and the money she and her eldest boy earned from weeding the fields and herding sheep. but the drought has put an end to all that and food aid doesn't reach here. within weeks they could all be starving. some women sell their daughters for marriage, i say, would she?

to get people shopping, the big stores like m and s and john lewis have released their festive ads — as our business correspondent emma simpsonen. a heart—warming tale of a space traveller crash landing on earth. today, a blizzard of blockbuster ads. last christmas was a wash—out, thanks to covid—19. retailers hope we'll celebrate in style this time. we are ready. we are pulling out all the stops. and here at m&s, they say shoppers have started early. it's a very big moment. customers have told us they want a bigger and more magical christmas than ever this year. and we can see them getting organised earlier than ever too. you know, about half of our customers have said they are going to have all their presents bought by the end of this month. can you believe it? is already looking festive in this big mall. have you started your christmas shopping? i have. i'm nearly finished because i've got four kids. and they all asked for big items, so, yeah. i'm nearly done. are you a bit worried about shortages? i was, yeah. because of what they wanted. definitely not, it's too early, sorry. i yeah, i started in september. boy, we could

and today two of the big hitters — john lewis and marks and spencer — released their christmas ads to try to boost business. here's our business correspondent emma simpsonaveller crash landing on earth. today, a blizzard of blockbuster ads. last christmas was a wash—out, thanks to covid—19. retailers hope we'll celebrate in style this time. we are ready. we are pulling out all the stops. and here at m&s, they say shoppers have started early. it's a very big moment. customers have told us they want a bigger and more magical christmas than ever this year. and we can see them getting organised earlier than ever too. you know, about half of our customers have said they are going to have all their presents bought by the end of this month. can you believe it? is already looking festive in this big mall. have you started your christmas shopping? i have. i'm nearly finished because i've got four kids. and they all asked for big items, so, yeah. i'm nearly done. are you a bit worried about shortages? i was, yeah. because of what they wanted~ _ definitely not, it's too early, sorry. i yeah, i started in september. boy, we could all do with a good christmas this t

john lewis for popular shops likejohn lewis and marks & spencer are already trying to lure people into the stores, after last yea r�*s into the stores, after last year's covid gloom. our business correspondent emma simpson this report. you know christmas is coming when thejohn lewis ad hits the screen. a heart—warming tale of a space traveller crash landing on earth. today, a blizzard of blockbuster ads. last christmas was a wash—out, thanks to covid—19. retailers hope we'll celebrate in style this time. we are ready. we are pulling out all the stops. and here at m&s, they say shoppers have started early. it's a very big moment. customers have told us they want a bigger and more magical christmas than ever this year. and we can see them getting organised earlier than ever too. you know, about half of our customers have said they are going to have all their presents bought by the end of this month. can you believe it? is already looking festive in this big mall. have you started your christmas shopping? i have. i'm nearly finished because i've got four kids. and they all asked for big items, so, yeah. i'm nearly done. are you a bit worried about shortages? i was, yeah. because of what they wanted. defini

simpson trial which was really the first time that criminal trial.d be there during these are real lives, john. to your point about amplifying the narrative it's untrue, it has the ability, the potential to destroy livelihoods forever. secondly it matters actually legally. when i talked about the provocation analysis, if that narrative have been accepted by the jury that this vigilante kid had crossed state lines illegally with a gun he obtained illegally for the purpose of engaging in nefarious felonious violent conduct, he was avenging -- protecting property and the like. those are things that play into legally that instruction that was given the jury for provocation. the jury could have bought it and said this guy came there looking for a fight. therefore extinguished his right to self-defense. it has a very real potential for impact on as you slide the wheels of justice. here, judge schroeder singh i don't know if i ever want to have another live trial again because of the frightening aspect obviously, it weighs against the criminal code in the public code in wisconsin. the impact is very

john simpson, bbc news, musayyib. now it's time for a look at the weather, let's cross the newsroom. nick, what is the latest with that situation? the storm is beginning to move away, but make no mistake it is still very windy out there, and there are still gusts along the north sea coast near 60 mph or so, so big and dangerous waves and along with that some cloud, some rain and sleet and snow mixed in at times. some nasty condition still around, particularly eastern parts of england and further snow showers in northern scotland. elsewhere a little sunshine to be have, they are slowly moderating into tonight with the wind and temperature here feeling very cold out there. into tonight, we continue with this feed of showers running towards the north sea coastal counties of england, more snow to the north york moors, many places dry and clear with a penetrating frost into the breeze still with us, and icy patches as well, especially across northern and eastern england to start the day tomorrow. another zone of rain and s