thank you for that. | rupert wingfield-hayes live in rupert wingfield—hayes live in taipei.nsions over taiwan, with more news and analysis, at bbc news online. that's at bbc.co.uk/news, orjust use the bbc news app. the european court of human rights has refused an application by the parents of archie battersbee to postpone the removal of his life support, effectively ending the family's legal battle. the 12—year—old has been in a coma since an accident in april. doctors, who believe archie is brain stem dead, were waiting for a decision from the court before withdrawing his treatment. our home and legal correspondent, dominic casciani is here. it seems that there is a tragic story is now nearing a conclusion. that is right. we have a situation here where the european court had said it won't interfere in the decisions of british judges. said it won't interfere in the decisions of britishjudges. in essence what that means is they have rejected an argument from archie's parents that withdrawing treatment would be a breach of his life to write —— right to live. that's because th

from taiwan, here's rupert wingfield hayes.oday's meeting between nancy pelosi and taiwan president ing—wen didn't look terribly sinister. president tsai began by presenting ms pelosi with taiwan's highest civilian honour. she in turn praised taiwan's democracy and promised america would stand by the island. our solidarity with you is more important than ever, as you defend taiwan and your freedom. we are supporters of the status quo, and we don't want anything to happen to taiwan by force. so strength, and one of the biggest sources of strength is democracy. most people here are unfazed by china's threats. if anything, they're excited that the world's attention is focused on taiwan, if only for 2h hours. i think everybody is very excited here and very happy that she can come. and, more importantly, that people can show their excitement that, you know, that they're very welcome. to most people here, taiwan is a proud, independent country, with its own national flag and its own democratically—elected president. it is not some re

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo.ews. hello there. i'm sure many people have been making the most of this generally dry weather with some sunshine — we had a lot of sunshine actually around on tuesday, and we've got more of the same for today. we start, though, with temperatures on the whole in double figures early on wednesday morning. but it'll be a bit colder, i think in the northeast of scotland, could be down to 3—4 celsius here. now many places will start wednesday, dry and sunny, but there's cloud coming in off the north sea to bring a few showers into the far north of england, and with the cloud bubbling up in eastern england, there could be the odd, light shower here. but on the whole, it'll be dry for england and wales. quite windy in the south, especially through the english channel. not as windy for scotland and northern ireland, a sunnier day than it was on tuesday — but temperatures not changing very much, so again, we're likely to make 2a in southern parts of england and south wales. now high pressure e

our correspondent rupert wingfield-hayes reports from taipei. >> despite what china has been saying,ay's meeting between nancy pelosi and the taiwanese president did not look terribly sinister. the president began by granting ms. pelosi taiwan's highest civilian honor and she praised taiwanese democracy and promised america would stand by the island. >> rsr -- solidarity with you is more important than ever. we are supporters of the status quo and we don't want anything to happen to taiwan by force. one of the biggest sources of strength is democracy. >> most people here are unfazed by chinese threats. if anything, they are excited that the world's attention is focused on taiwan, if only for 24 hours. >> excited and very happy that she has come. people c show excitement that they are very welcome. >> to most people here taiwan is a proud independent country with its own national flag and democratically elected president. it's not some renegade province of china. but beijing has used considerable economic and political clout to make sure that this place is recognized by almost nobody.

from taiwan, rupert wingfield—hayes reports.gan with this barrage of rockets streaking into the sky from the southeast coast of china. it's thought these came down somewhere in the middle of the taiwan strait. but this was just the prelude. further inland, rocket forces were preparing to launch these much bigger and much more capable ballistic missiles. in all, china is thought to have fired 11 of these missiles into waters around taiwan. japan says several of them also fell inside its exclusive economic zone. in taipei, president tsai ing—wen addressed the nation, urging calm and calling on china to end its irresponsible acts. "i want to emphasise — we will not escalate this conflict," she says. "but we will firmly protect our sovereignty and our national security. " so this is exactly what we suspected might happen. this afternoon, china fired dongfeng ballistic missiles from the coast of china across the taiwan strait, and they fell into waters in the exclusion zones just here off the north taiwan coast. now, the primary obje

from taiwan, here's rupert wingfield hayes.pite what china has been saying, today's meeting between nancy pelosi and taiwan president ing—wen didn't look terribly sinister. president tsai began by presenting ms pelosi with taiwan's highest civilian honour. she in turn praised taiwan's democracy and promised america would stand by the island. our solidarity with you is more important than ever, as you defend taiwan and your freedom. we are supporters of the status quo, and we don't want anything to happen to taiwan by force. so strength, and one of the biggest sources of strength is democracy. most people here are unfazed by china's threats. if anything, they're excited that the world's attention is focused on taiwan, if only for 2h hours. i think everybody is very excited here and very happy that she can come. and, more importantly, that people can show their excitement that, you know, that they're very welcome. to most people here, taiwan is a proud, independent country, with its own national flag and its own democratically—el

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, taiwan. al-qaeda has been killed by an american drone strike in the afghan capital, kabul. ayman al—zawahiri was one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks on america, and the top adviser to 0sama bin ladin. president biden said his death would help give closure to the families of the thousands of people killed in 2001. 0ur correspondent secunder kermani reports from kabul. one of america's most wanted. ayman al—zawahiri, right—hand man and successor to 0sama bin laden. this was the drone strike that american officials say killed him as he stood on the balcony at this family home in an upmarket kabul neighbourhood. we can hear debris still being cleared up, but then we are told to stop filming. we are in the centre of the city. the house that was targeted in the drone strike is just a few minutes away, but the taliban are not allowing anyone to film nearby, insisting there is nothing to see — one even pointing his gun threateningly towards us a little earlier on. senior taliban figures must h

our correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes, reports from taiwan.on has been swirling for days, but it wasn't until this moment with her plane on final approach that we were sure nancy pelosi would defy beijing and become the most senior us politician to visit taiwan in a quarter of a century. for days, china has been making ominous threats that it would not stand by and allow it to happen. we are now beginning to see china's response. large—scale military exercises in the seas around the island, starting around thursday. translation: if the us - continues down the wrong path, we will take strong and resolute measures to ensure our sovereignty and security interests. in taipei, the mood remains calm but defiant — the island's tallest skyscraper was lit up tonight with a message of welcome. i think this time if speaker pelosi can come to taiwan, it would be a crucial time for the united states to show their support to taiwan, to taiwan's democracy. you can see that not everybody in taiwan is delighted by nancy pelosi's arrival here, but on the whole,

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.ing the family of archie battersbee have said his life support will be switched off on saturday morning. christian concern says the 12—year—old's parents had exhausted all legal routes to delay the ending of his treatment, including an attempt to move him to a hospice. the royal london hospital has not confirmed if or when his life support will be ended. the nhs in england is increasingly reliant on doctors and nurses recruited from outside the uk and eu, analysis by the bbc has found. some 34% of doctors joining the health service last year came from overseas, a rise from 18% in 2014. the government said overseas recruitment had always been part of its strategy. but unions have warned it is an unsustainable way of recruiting in the long—term. 0ur health editor hugh pym has been looking at the figures. lynette is a paediatric nurse. she came to the uk injune from barbados. hi, charlotte. how are you doing today? she moved here to gain new nursing skills and join her husband who already

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, taiwan.ional security council spokesman, john kirby, is trying to de—escalate tensions with china — reiterating that the us doesn't support independence for taiwan. the united states will not and does not — will not seek and does not want a crisis. we are prepared to manage what beijing chooses to do. at the same time, we will not engage in sabre—rattling. we will continue to operate in the seas and the skies of the western pacific, as we have done for decades. we will continue to support taiwan. joining me is monica miller, our reporter who has been watching the latest developments for us. great to get you on the programme. just to start with, we've already seen the chinese react with those warplanes in taiwanese guys. should we expect more of this? we have been very _ expect more of this? we have been very -- they _ expect more of this? we have been very -- they have been. been very —— they have been very clear and they are outraged. we hear discussions between president biden and president

rupert wingfield—hayes reports from taiwan.een swirling for days, but it wasn't until this moment, with her plane on final approach, that we were sure nancy pelosi would defy beijing and become the most senior us politician to visit taiwan in a quarter of a century. for days, china has been making ominous threats that it would not stand by and allow it to happen. we are now beginning to see china's response. large—scale military exercises in the seas around the island, starting on thursday. translation: if the us - continues down the wrong path, we will take strong and resolute measures to ensure our sovereignty and security interests. in taipei, the mood remains calm but defiant. the islands tallest skyscraper was lit up tonight with a message of welcome. i think this time if speaker pelosi can come to taiwan, it would be a crucial time for the united states to show their support to taiwan, to taiwan's democracy. you can see that not everybody in taiwan is delighted by nancy pelosi's arrival here but, on the whole, most people

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, taiwan.rity council spokesman, john kirby, is trying to de—escalate tensions with china, reiterating that the us doesn't support independence for taiwan. here he is speaking at a press briefing just a short while ago. the united states will not and does not — will not seek and does not want a crisis. we are prepared to manage what beijing chooses to do. at the same time, we will not engage in sabre—rattling. we will continue to operate in the seas and the skies of the western pacific, as we have done for decades, and we will continue to support taiwan. our north america correspondent john sudworth says there is a lot at stake here for the biden administration. they have been warning against the wisdom of this trip for days and weeks. now that it's gone ahead, as you heard from john kirby, they're taking a more neutral tone, as you might suggest. but those concerns remain — not over the risk of invasion, most analysts believe the risk of that for now remain small — but simply because i think t

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.to dr stephen naghee, he's a senior associate professor at the department of politics and international studies at the international christian university in tokyo. hejoins me now from calgary. it's great to get you on the programme. just looking at that report, really worrying times. i think it's an understatement, actually. ms pelosi is now injapan — increasing concerns from there and around the region about china's actions and the live military drills — how real is the risk here of actual conflict? i think the real risk is from the state in their region, japan, taiwan south—east asian countries is the disruption in the lines of communication and the disruption in those critical technology supply chains that provide semiconductors to the region and to the world. any kind of friction, any kind of disruption in these lines of communication will have fundamental economic repercussions for the entire region and the world. this is a worry. whether it's flying at taiwan of flight missiles a

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.ed our news reporter azadeh moshiri, what more we know about these military drills. we know these drills will involve long raise ammunition shooting. they will happen in what is about ten miles or 16 kilometres from taiwan. it is one of the most busy waterways in the world. taiwan has also said that china has sent about 27 warplanes in its air defence zones prior to these drills beginning. they are arguing given the zones that china is covering, the fact it is in circling the islands, it affect the effectively amounts to a blockade. china is arguing this is wholly justified blockade. china is arguing this is whollyjustified based on the us visit saying the us violated its sovereignty and anyone who offends china will be punished. anyone who offends china will be punished-— anyone who offends china will be punished. how about china and other— be punished. how about china and other countries _ be punished. how about china and other countries like - be punished. how about china and other

from taiwan, rupert wingfield hayes reports.n with this barrage of rockets streaking into the sky from the southeast coast of china. it's thought these came down somewhere in the middle of the taiwan strait. but this was just the prelude. further inland, rocket forces were preparing to launch these much bigger and much more capable ballistic missiles. in all, china is thought to have fired ii of these missiles into waters around taiwan. japan says several of them also fell inside its exclusive economic zone. in taipei, president tsai ing—wen addressed the nation, urging calm and calling on china to end its irresponsible acts. "i want to emphasise — we will not escalate this conflict," she says. "but we will firmly protect our sovereignty and our national security. " so this is exactly what we suspected might happen. this afternoon, china fired dongfeng ballistic missiles from the coast of china across the taiwan strait, and they fell into waters in the exclusion zones just here off the north taiwan coast. now, the primary object

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.come: no respite in sight, as europe endures the worst drought on record. the question was whether we wanted to save our people, and japanese as well, and win the war, or whether we want to take a chance on being able to win the war by killing all our young men. the invasion began at 2 o'clock this morning. mr bush, like most other people, was clearly- caught by surprise. we call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all the iraqi forces. 100 years old, and still full of vigor, vitality and enjoyment of life. no other king or queen in british history has lived so long, and the queen mother is said to be quietly very pleased indeed that she's achieved this landmark anniversary. this is a pivotal moment for the church as an international movement. the question now is whether the american vote will lead to a split in the anglican community. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: at least ten people are killed in israeli air strikes on gaza, including a top commander of

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.claimed responsibility for a deadly blast in the capital kabul on friday. afghan police said that eight people were killed and 18 wounded. they say the explosives were attached to a cart loaded with vegetables and parked in a shopping area. ukraine and russia have blamed each other for the shelling of the russian—occupied zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in europe. the attacks are said to have also hit nearby high—voltage powerlines. ukrainian and western officials have accused russian forces of using the complex to launch attacks, leaving the ukrainians unable to respond for fear of causing a disaster. ukraine's president zelensky said the kremlin must take responsibility for what he called a terror attack. translation: today, - the occupiers created another very dangerous situation for all of europe. they shelled a nuclear power plant, and have done it twice in one day. this is the largest nuclear station on our continent and any shelling is an overt, blatant crime, a te

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.rry has said china's decision to suspend bilateral talks on climate does not punish washington, it punishes the world. let's discuss the implications of china's decision with daniel kammen, professor of energy at the university of california, berkeley — and a former climate change advisor to the us government. good to have you with us. thank you forjoining us. just looking at mr kerry's tweets there, and talking about that he expected china to continue with its plans for climate action with the us no matter what else was going on. but what else was going on. but what exactly did the us and china agree on in glasgow at the climate change conference, cop26, last november? actually, the us and _ cop26, last november? actually, the us and china _ cop26, last november? actually, the us and china agreed - cop26, last november? actually, the us and china agreed on - the us and china agreed on quite a lot. and i think that envoy kerry is quite in line. there are a number of areas where the us—

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.e heard, china says that it is halting key climate talks with the us following nancy pelosi's trip to taiwan. the move is a set back for dialogue between the world's two biggest emitters and comes in the run up to the cop27 climate summit in egypt in three months�* time. at the last summit in november, china and the us unveiled a joint pact aimed at ramping up co—operation. it focused on reducing methane emissions, protecting forests and phasing out coal. i'm joined now by todd stern, who was president obama's chief climate negotiator and led the us in it's efforts to sign the landmark paris agreement in 2015. very grateful to talk to you. but on a sad day, really, in terms of the hopes for further progress in this area. how significant is china's decision, would you say? first of all, decision, would you say? first of all. thank _ decision, would you say? first of all. thank you — decision, would you say? first of all, thank you for _ decision, would you say? first of all, thank you f

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.ity council, has been speaking to the bbc about china's reaction to ms pelosi's visit to taiwan. we are certainly watching this as closely as we can. we've made it clear that we do not want to see any tensions escalated that the united states is going to not going to participate in sabre rattling. there's no reason for beijing to amp up the tensions here and escalate things and to turn this into some sort of military event. we knew and we said so on monday that we expected them to conduct exercises. they've done that it appears as if they're going to do some work comments were going to watch this very closely and we have security commitments throughout the region, five or seven treaty alliances and the indo—pacific, we take this very seriously and nothing is changed, either about our commitment step taiwan and this of defence but also to support their self—defense, rather. and our one china policy. we have said all along that there is no basis, nojustification all along that there is n

this report from taipei is from our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes.ing into the sky from the southeast coast of china. it's thought these came down somewhere in the middle of the taiwan strait. but this was just the prelude. further inland, rocket forces were preparing to launch these much bigger and much more capable ballistic missiles. in all, china is thought to have fired ii of these missiles into waters around taiwan. japan says several of them also fell inside its exclusive economic zone. in taipei, president tsai ing—wen addressed the nation, urging calm and calling on china to end its irresponsible acts. "i want to emphasise — we will not escalate this conflict," she says. "but we will firmly protect our sovereignty and our national security. " so this is exactly what we suspected might happen. this afternoon, china fired dongfeng ballistic missiles from the coast of china across the taiwan strait, and they fell into waters in the exclusion zones just here off the north taiwan coast. now, the primary objective is obviously intimidation, but th

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.te change? and what is it that the us and china agreed at the cop26 climate change conference? that's what i discussed with daniel kammen. he is a professor of energy at the university of california, berkeley — and a former climate change advisor to the us government. well, actually, the us and china agreed on quite a lot. and i think that envoy kerry is quite in line. so there's a number of areas where the us—china dialogue is critical, but when it comes to forefront is the so—called global methane pledge. and that's something the us and china have had a critical role in to encourage our own countries, but also other countries that want to join to find opportunities to cut the amount of methane that is released, which is a particularly potent greenhouse gas. we get it from flaring natural gas, from agriculture, from other industrial actions. and this is something that really can't go ahead unless the us and china are partnering, because they are the two biggest economies in the two bi

rupert wingfield hayes, bbc news, taiwan.c news app. the ministry of defence says close to 700 migrants were intercepted trying to reach the uk in small boats yesterday. that�*s the highest daily figure this year. so far more than 17,000 have arrived from france in 2022, that�*s compared to just around 9,500 at the same point last year. let�*s get more from our correspondent, simonjones, who�*s on the coast at ramsgate for us this evening. with all of the good weather we have had recently, more crossings were inevitable, weren�*t they? yes. had recently, more crossings were inevitable, weren't they?— inevitable, weren't they? yes, 14 boats were _ inevitable, weren't they? yes, 14 boats were brought _ inevitable, weren't they? yes, 14 boats were brought into - inevitable, weren't they? yes, 14. boats were brought into ramsgate yesterday on an average each boat was carrying around 50 people so the boats are certainly getting bigger. the government had been hoping its plan to send some asylum seekers to rwanda would already be a

he has been speaking exclusively to our correspondent in taipei, rupert wingfield—hayes.hina has continued its military intimidation of taiwan. at least 68 chinese fighterjets are reported to have crossed into taiwanese controlled airspace. this video broadcast on chinese television this evening shows just how close some of them came to the taiwanese coast. in the background, those are the mountains of central taiwan. china has also announced a long list of retaliation against america, including personal sanctions on nancy pelosi. but in taipei, foreign minister joseph wu told me he has no regrets about inviting the us house speaker to come to the island. the taiwanese government, especially the ministry of foreign affairs, has been working very hard in expanding taiwan's international space, making friends with important international leaders or trying to connect more with like—minded partners around the world. like speaker pelosi, who had an opportunity to visit taiwan, which is very significant, to allow the international community to understand that taiwan is a democr

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.art of the tensions over taiwan is the fact that beijing hasn't ruled out using force to take control of the island. so why is america caught in the middle? well, taiwan sits here, in the so—called "first island chain" close to several us—friendly territories crucial to american foreign policy. if china took taiwan, there's concern over beijing extending it's influence in the region maybe even threatening us military bases as far away as guam and hawaii. china insists its intentions are peaceful and it could opt for reunification, in the form of closer economic ties with tapei. but if push comes to shove... look at this. from naval power to aircraft to sheer manpower, china's military capabilities dwarf those of taiwan. tapei would need help defending itself and that help could come from america. and in may, president biden gave the clearest indication yet that the us would defend the island if it's attacked. let's talk to our north america correspondentjohn sudworth who's in washingto

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.the finding of the bbc�*s independent director, sir nicholas serota, following an internal review into allegations of sexual misconduct. the veteran dj left the bbc in 2013. the bbc is in contact with the metropolitan police and have said they will pass on any relevant information. our correspondent chi chi izundu has been investigating the story, and has this report. 19 years at the bbc, at one point commanding more than 700,000 listeners to his weekly radio i rap show and once described as one of the most influential people in hip hop in europe. now, tim westwood's time at the corporation and what the bbc knew about his conduct is to be investigated independently. it follows allegations made by 17 women who, as part of an earlierjoint investigation by bbc news and the guardian, made accusations against the 64—year—old ranging from sexual misconduct to sex with a 14—year—old over three decades. when questioned after the first documentary was broadcast back in april, the bbc�*s directo

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.ng john sudworth is in washington. with those issues rupert, along with those issues raised by rupert, what response has there been to china saying it is suspending cooperation with the us on some key issues? ~ . , ., ., , ., ., , cooperation with the us on some key issues? ., ., ., , , issues? washington has already been makin: its issues? washington has already been making its displeasure _ issues? washington has already been making its displeasure over _ issues? washington has already been making its displeasure over china's i making its displeasure over china's military action is very clear, including summoning the chinese ambassador here to the white house, and i think there is no doubt that this letters mac latest list of measures announced by the chinese foreign ministry will further fuel concern —— this latest list. a host of measures on cross—border crime, narcotics, and on climate change, and issued so many people and governments had hoped might surpass diplomatic wrangling.

rupert wingfield-hayes reports. >> the speculation has been swirling for days.s not until this moment, with her plane on final approach, th we were sure nancy pelosi would defy beijing and become the most senior u.s. official to visit taiwan in a quarter-century. for days, china has been making ominous threats that it would not stand by and allow it to happen. >> taiwan is now braced to see how beijing might respond. the rhetoric from china's foreign ministry was less aggressive. >> if the u.s. continues down the wrong path, we will take strong measures to ensure her sovereignty and -- interests. rupert: in taipei, the root -- the mood remains calm. the islands tallest skyscraper lit up with a message of welcome. >> this time, if speaker pelosi can come to taiwan, it will be a crucial time for the united states to show their support's democracies. rupert: not everybody in taiwan is delighted by policy's arrival appeared on the whole, most people welcomed the visit by such a senior u.s. politician. the taiwanese government would like more such visits. but ms. pel

our correspondent rupert wingfield-hayes sent a report from the capitol, taipei. >> china has continueditary intimidation of taiwan. at least 68 chinese fire jets crossed into taiwanese airspace. this video on chinese television this evening shows how close some of them came to the taiwanese coast. in the background, those are the mountains of central taiwan. china announced a long list of retaliation against america including personal sanctions on nancy pelosi. in taipei that foreign minister joseph wu says he has no regrets about inviting her to visit the island. >> the chinese ministry of foreign affairs has bn working hard expanding taiwan's international space, making friends with important international leaders, trying to connect more with like-minded populations around the world, like speaker pelosi, to have an opportunity to visit taiwan, it's very significant to allow the international community to understand that taiwan is a democracy. >> it's not just democracy threatened by china, it's a big that -- a chunk of the world's democracy. these e the huge sabbath plants of the wor

from tokyo, rupert wingfield—hayes reports.ondom during sex. she then had to ask his permission to get an abortion, which he didn't want to give. translation: it's strange that i had to ask him - to use contraception. and when he decided not to use a condom, i needed permission from him to abort the baby. i felt completely powerless. i couldn't make my own decision about my own body. japan was one of the first countries in the world to legalise abortion, all the way back in 19118, but it's always had this very paternalistic twist, japanese women must get the written consent of their husband or partner. now japan is finally set to approve the so—called abortion pill, something that's been france since 1988, abortion pill, something that's been available in france since 1988, and britain since 1991. but japan's health ministry says women will still need the consent of their partner. it could be very expensive, as much as $700—800. this doctor spends most of his time treating women who want to be pregnant, but he will also prescri

from tokyo, our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes reports.m during sex. she then had to ask his permission to get an abortion, which he didn't want to give. translation: it's strange that i had to ask him - to use contraception. and when he decided not to use a condom, i needed permission from him to abort the baby. i felt completely powerless. i couldn't make my own decision about my own body. japan was one of the first countries in the world to legalise abortion all the way back in 19118, but it's always had this very paternalistic twist, japanese women must get the written consent of their husband or partner. now japan is finally set to approve the so—called abortion pill, something that's been france since 1988, and britain since 1991. but japan's health ministry says women will still need the consent of their partner. it could be very expensive, as much as $700— 800. this doctor spends most of his time treating women who are pregnant, but he will also prescribe the new abortion pill. inaudible. translation: �* . inaudible. translation: ,

our correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes, is in taipei.oday is that it believes the last four days of china's military drills around the island have been a dry run for a future invasion. interestingly we have also heard from the people's liberation army eastern command in china, effectively saying almost the same thing. perhaps the most significant statement has come from washington over night. the white house released a statement saying it believes the drills from china are an attempt to change the status quo in the taiwan strait. that language is very significant, because for the last a0 years or more the fundamental bedrock of the relationship between america and china has been that america will oppose any unilateral attempt by taiwan or china to change the status quo in the taiwan strait. for the last few days, we've been hearing loudly from china from the foreign minister and other officials that it is america that is to blame for this crisis, nancy pelosi's visit has provoked this. this is washington really pushing back against that,

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei. has ordered a prominent far—right conspiracy theorist to pay more than $4 million in damages to the parents of a child killed in the shooting at sandy hook elementary school in 2012. alex jones was accused of causing emotional distress to the parents by repeatedly insisting the massacre of 20 children and six adults at the school was a "hoax" manufactured by gun control activists. the jury still has to decide on the amount of punitive damages. our north america correspondent, peter bowes, told us more. we are halfway through the story and it depends on who you listen to in terms of analysis post—case in terms of what it means. alexjones has been talking about this on his website in the last few hours, saying that as far as he is concerned when you consider those hundreds of millions of dollars that the parents have been hoping to get and so far we are at $4.2 million, he is framing this as a victory for himself and he makes the point that yes, he said what he said — he accused, essent

rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in taipei.ondent john sudworth. nancy pelosi will have been acutely aware, of course, of the long—standing us position that it does not support taiwan's independence. and that's why we heard her refer to the democracy of taiwan, rather than the country of taiwan. but as she heads off over the horizon to her next stop, south korea, on her tour of asia, she leaves in her wake a sense that that old ambiguity over the status of taiwan — a formula designed, of course, to keep the peace — is as tattered and fraying as it has ever been. and the reason, clive, i think for that is because taiwan has changed over the decades. it is now a vibrant democracy with a free press, independent courts and an emerging and very strong sense of its identity, while china has moved in the opposite direction — now increasingly authoritarian. whereas it once could hold at the prospect of peaceful unification as a somewhat distant but still realistic prospect for its people, that now looks like an increasing possibility,

accused beijing of using military drills to change the status quo. 0ur correspondent in taipei, rupert wingfield—hayes of chinese military drills around the island have effectively been a dry run for a future invasion. interesting, we have also heard from the people liberation army eastern command in china who released a statement effectively saying almost exactly the same thing. perhaps the most significant statement has come from washington overnight, the white house released a statement saying it believes china's drills and an attempt to change the status quo in the taiwan strait and that language is a very significant because for the last 40 years or more a fundamental bedrock of relationship between america and china has been america will oppose any unilateral attempt by taiwan or china to change the status quo in the taiwan strait. for the last few days we've been hearing loudly from china, the foreign minister and other officials, it's america that is to blame for this crisis, nancy pelosi's visit has provoked this. this is washington pushing back against that and saying to beijing, no, it is y

from taipei, here's the bbc�*s rupert wingfield—hayes.idation" of taiwan by china. it's due to run through until sunday lunchtime here. 0n the first day on thursday, we saw china firing lots of missiles across the taiwan strait. the second day, on friday, we saw chinese military aircraft and ships intruding into taiwan—controlled waters, coming very close to taiwan's coast. and what's very clear now is that taiwan has decided it's not going to respond. we've seen taiwanese naval vessels going out and shadowing the chinese ships, but not challenging them. taiwan is basically doing everything it can to not escalate this crisis and make it more dangerous. analysts say that is the right thing to do, but it has a big downside for taiwan, in that it is allowing china to set new baselines. for example, it looks very possible now that, on thursday, china did fire ballistic missiles over the top of the island into the pacific ocean. that's certainly what china is claiming, and it seems that's also what the japanese defenc ministry thinks happened.

we begin our coverage with this report from the bbc�*s rupert wingfield—hayes, who's in taipei.a metaphor but we have a storm rolling in over the skyline of beijing, as you can no doubt see, but all weekend, these live—fire drills will be continuing around taiwan in what is pretty obviously a dress rehearsal for a blockade of that island, should the mainline decide at some point to retake it by force. now, given the increased tensions we now have in the taiwan straits, all around taiwan, some are asking whether or not the visit there by the us house speaker nancy pelosi has been worth it. also, on all these other fronts, areas where the us and china were cooperating, beijing has cancelled all these initiatives. so, cross—border crime, including narcotics, cancelled, no more cooperation on that front. high—level meetings between officers from the military, us and china, cancelled. and, crucially, it includes even climate change talks. so the impact of this visit from nancy pelosi to taiwan has definitely been felt. there is no doubt that we are in a state of increased tensions, a

rupert wingfield hayes, bbc news, taiwan.tries right now, very high? igrate countries right now, very high? we know taiwan is at the heart of the us and _ know taiwan is at the heart of the us and china relationship. the us and many— us and china relationship. the us and many experts are saying that they kicked the ball over and say it's in_ they kicked the ball over and say it's in your— they kicked the ball over and say it's in your court and that you are standing — it's in your court and that you are standing by your allies and with express— standing by your allies and with express of taiwan and will call your bluff and _ express of taiwan and will call your bluff and what you do. beijing has so far— bluff and what you do. beijing has so far reacted by sending more planes — so far reacted by sending more planes and announcing six areas around — planes and announcing six areas around taiwan for live fire drills and taiwan _ around taiwan for live fire drills and taiwan is being surrounded in the coming — and taiwan is being