Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Nine 20240714

Of five good gcses. That accounts for one in five children, 100,000 children. And, as sadly so often is the case, children who are on Free School Meals, the poorest children, and children with special Educational Needs fare the worst in the situation. And excitment builds as the Rugby World Cup gets under way in japan. Good morning and welcome to the bbc news at 9. Large numbers of british schoolchildren are expected tojoin millions of people, in a worldwide protest against Climate Change. Around 5,000 demonstrations are planned across 150 countries. Many will involve young people staying away from school, university or work. Those involved are calling for more urgent action from governments to halt global warming. The demonstrations come ahead of a un summit on climate chane the demonstrations come ahead of a un summit on Climate Change in new york on monday. The first demonstrations began in the Pacific Island of vanuatu where rising sea levels threaten communities. This was the scene in australia earlier where tens of thousands of School Children in sydneyjoined the day of action. And in dehli children and adultsjoined the protests taking place in india. In a moment well hear from our correspondent, anne soy in nairobi about the protests taking place there but first lets go to phil mercer in sydney. It has been really interesting to watch these images coming in on social media and from elsewhere of the demonstrations across australia. Clearly, vast numbers of people are joining in . From coast to coast, from darwin in the north to hobart and melbourne in the south. Tens of thousands of people have joined noisy, passionate protests across australia. We estimate about 110 events have been officially registered. There was a mammoth event here in sydney. It is estimated 80,000 people attended the rally in a parkjust behind the New South Wales state parliament, right in the heart of australias biggest city. Protesters, we spoke to, said they were angry, scared and they blamed the Australian Government for not doing enough. They are calling on australia to abandon fossil fuels. 0ne High School Student i spoke to, and 18 year old girl, said she probably wouldnt be having children because she told me that it would be too cruel to bring a child into a world that in her words was dying. Some pretty young and desperate opinions on the streets of syd ney desperate opinions on the streets of sydney and here is what some other demonstrators had to say. The younger a person is, the more that the change in climate will impact them as they grow and the less of a voice they are given today. Kidd and sid are in we have such a short amount of time to turn this issue around, its young people at the forefront of the conversation because they are impacted more than anyone else might considering. This is the most important issue of oui this is the most important issue of ourtime and im this is the most important issue of our time and im here for our childrens future. It is that important. There are concerns and fears that droughts, bushfires and tropical storms will be exacerbated by the impact of Climate Change. Will the Australian Government be swayed by all of these protests right around the country . And, throughout the day and around the world . Throughout the day and around the world . The throughout the day and around the world . The answer throughout the day and around the world . The answer is probably not. The australian economy relies heavily on coal, and that generates the lines share of australias electricity and generates billions of pounds on earnings. In the past, Scott Morrison has said that children should stay at school in relation to these protests and in the past he has said theres too much activism in the classroom. Phil mercer, some stark words from the people you have spoken to. Thank you very much, phil mercer in sydney. Lets go to nairobi, where our correspondence anne soy is there. Give us a sense of the scale of the protests there . There are hundreds of protesters here. Climate change protesters have come out. We are in the middle of nairobi and they are marching towards government offices with a petition to present. There are in number of issues they want to highlight here in kenya, the protection of water towers and the prevention of deforestation, as well as asking the government to stop a project to exploit coal for the first time in this country. They say that coal and energy is not clean and that is not how things should be going. Here in africa, the impact of Climate Change is already being felt. It contributes significantly less, though, to Climate Change itself. We are seeing recurring droughts, and in Southern Africa it means people cannot get food. Their livelihoods as farmers are threatened. There are energy problems, a lot of hydroelectric power depends on rivers and when water levels fall, it means they cannot have electricity. We are already seeing electricity rationed in several countries like malawi, zimbabwe and south africa. In the north, governments are making strides towards protecting the environment. This year they planted 350 Million Trees in one day in ethiopian, they are showing it can be done and how the climate can be preserved. Anne soy, thank you. Phil mercer in sydney too with a really strong sense of what it is like on the streets. With those protests. Joining me now thejournalist and author Maya Goodfellow and head of politics at greenpeace rebecca newsom. Thank you both forjoining us on this important day. Rebecca, there is something quite visceral about seeing these scenes of protest from around the world and the sense of anticipation as there is this wave of protests sweeping around the globe . Totally. Speaking personally, im really excited about this. I feel that this is a day of hope. We have seen a consistent failure of 0ur have seen a consistent failure of our World Leaders and our businesses to wa ke our World Leaders and our businesses to wake up to the Climate Emergency but now this is the sign that business as usual is not an option anymore. Quite frankly, the young people of today and growing expanses of the population are saying that enough is enough and this is now an issue of overwhelming importance and interest to the British Public and beyond. You talk there about a consistent failure, that was your phrasing among business and politics to wa ke phrasing among business and politics to wake up to this. Do you think that we are at a Tipping Point now, where people have woken up to this, maya . Where where people have woken up to this, maya . Where people where people have woken up to this, maya . Where people can make a change ata maya . Where people can make a change at a political level and a business level . This is one of the worries. I agree that this is a hopeful day and really powerful to see so many young people and citizens on the streets across the world but i think one of the things we need to consider here is the response to some of these protests in the last few months from political leaders. We heard from politicians in australia saying that it is unreasonable for children to be doing these things, going out on strike. I think it is very coitiitioiiseiise action strike. I think it is very common sense action from these young people. When the world is essentially on fire. We need to flip the narrative and recognise the people being unreasonable are our political leaders. If you look at the uk, in 2018 the uk government subsidised the fossil fuel industry to {10. 5 billion, the amount of subsidy and renewables was far less. There are key things we need to think about. One, the Climate Crisis is treated as though it is inevitable or there is a lack of action. There has been a lot of action. There has been a lot of action but it is deepening in producing the crisis but also this is about power and the fact that some of the more powerful nations are some of the people who have bigger Carbon Emissions and the less powerful nations have to shoulder the burden. Who suffers our marginalised communities. We will come back to that, but rebecca, Greta Thunberg was talking to the us congress the other day saying to save your praise, dont tell us how wonderful we are and then dont do anything about it. What evidence is there that action is being taken and making a difference . We just have to look at what is happening in the uk on our doorstep. We have had parliament declaring an ecologically and Climate Emergency and as a result of the pressure of school strikers, the government this summer came out and declared a net zero target in law but that is not to say thatis target in law but that is not to say that is good enough, there is so much more that needs to be done. We need to increase the speed of getting rid of carbon from our atmosphere and restoring our Natural Environment and have a action plan in Government Investment and adjust transition to make this happen. But the landscape is shifting. The narrative is shifting. The way politicians are thinking about this issue has dramatically changed in a short period of time as a result of these inspiring kids taking to the streets and we just need to do all we can to support them. Maya, coming back to the point you were beginning to make a moment ago, you say that the impact on poorer countries of Climate Change has been disproportionate because you argue that their voices are less audible in this debate. I guess in many circumstances, it is about survival rather than making a difference on the climate. How do you bring those two things together . the climate. How do you bring those two things together . I think that one of the issues is indigenous communities in particular have not been heard in past climate negotiations, they have been locked out of rooms and concerns brushed over but we need to listen to what those people are saying and saying this is about, for some people, they will have to move now. Because of the effects of Climate Change. How can we make that movement safe and make sure these people have decent livelihoods that are situated in this economy . But recognising the fa ct this economy . But recognising the fact it is how the economy is structured. This is no accident. We are not here by a structured. This is no accident. We are not here bya mishap. It is planned and we know the causes of Climate Change, we have known them for decades but the economy has not been restructured. Adding greenjobs and decent lives around the world, and decent lives around the world, and people would not had to move on the scale that we have to if we do not see big changes that we need from government. Lets bring this back to the protests happening today. I want to ask you both, how you think and if you think these protests are making a difference and if so, how . Ithink protests are making a difference and if so, how . I think there is no doubt that these protests will make a huge difference. We are seeing hundreds of thousands of children coming onto the streets and supported by their parents and the Wider Network of people who are all fed up of the status quo. They are concerned about seeing the kinds of full scale Economic Transformation that we need to see investment in oui that we need to see investment in our communities and economies up and down the uk. Frankly, there is big news this morning even showing that the price of offshore wind now has dropped so dramatically that it is the cheapest form of new electricity and powerfor our the cheapest form of new electricity and power for our homes. The cheapest form of new electricity and powerfor our homes. So it is quite clear now, that the solutions to this problem are not technical and they are not financial. They are purely political. And, these kids taking to the streets today will directly address that problem and oui directly address that problem and our politicians have no choice but to change. Greta thunberg tweeted that more than 2000 companies have given workers time off to attend the strike in australia. Maya, is this going to make a difference . It isnt just kids on the streets, more people are getting involved. Those children are not the heads of businesses yet, or the politicians who are able to change laws to directly and immediately influence what is happening. How can, for those who are on the streets, will it make enough of a difference fast enough . I think that is one of the big concerns and i dont want to dampen what is an incredible and hopeful protest movement and incredibly necessary. These children are the future in so many ways but what we need to do is not keep de centring Climate Change in political discussions. We have days like today where we discuss a lot and we should be talking about it but in the uk, we go back to talking about brexit and its intricacies. But Climate Change is the Biggest Issue we face globally and in the uk. This protest movement is continuing to put pressure on governments and continuing to reintroduce this back into the political debate when it has been sidelined but i think political leaders in various countries around the world, including the uk, are not doing enough. They have caused this problem so we need to see fundamental and political change that will mean we have economic change all around the world. Thank you both very much. Thomas cook could go in to administration this weekend, unless it can plug a two hundred Million Pound funding gap. Britains oldest package holiday firm is in talks with stakeholders, after its banks demanded it come up with contingency financing. Without a rescue deal, the firm is likely to collapse leaving at least 150,000 uk holiday makers stranded and threatening 9000 jobs in the uk. Dharshini david. This Contingency Fund is for the firm to draw on in the winter months. People booking holidays may be concerned about their future and may not book with them so this could be self perpetuating. What are the chances of it surviving the weekend . It isa chances of it surviving the weekend . It is a conundrum, the more people are concerned about the future of thomas cook, fewer will want to book. Some of us are starting to think about where we will go next spring or think about where we will go next spring or summer think about where we will go next spring or summer but these problems stem back a long way. They have a lot of debt and a lot of competition, especially from Online Travel agents. And there have been a series of profit warnings which have blamed everything from the heatwave last summer to political problems in turkey. It was negotiating a rescue deal with a chinese tourism operator, which has a major stake in clu b operator, which has a major stake in club med, for example, anthony wolverhampton wanderers. Talks were going ahead, a vote was due next friday and lenders came up and said, we think that you need an extra £200 million in Contingency Funds in case things looks like over the winter months and to tide you three. This has taken the company by surprise. It isa has taken the company by surprise. It is a lot of money but we know they are scrabbling around, speaking to the stakeholders and trying to raise the money. They say they think there is a reasonable chance of success , there is a reasonable chance of success, that is what Company Sources are telling us but on the other hand they do admit that the next 24 hour is will be crucial. What does that mean if you have a booking with thomas cook . If you are one of those 150,000 plus people we know who are already on the holiday with thomas cook from the uk, the good news is if you have a package holiday you are covered by atol and there will be plans to bring you home if you are stranded for any reason. But we must emphasise we are not there yet but this is nail biting times for thomas cook. You touched there on what to do if you are a holiday maker and the firm goes bust. As you say we are not there yet, it is actively trying to avoid that situation. I think we should also mention the potential impact on employment. It employs 9000 people here in the uk, and thousands more abroad . 9000 people here in the uk, and thousands more abroad . Yes, 22,000 in total around the world. It is incredibly tense for them. They had their hopes pinned on this rescue deal. It is worth £900 million. It is one of those deals which, if you look at the companys share prices this morning, there are a lot of concerns about whether or not thomas cook can survive. It is looking at all kinds of ways to raise funds, like selling off bits and pieces but that makes it less attractive for a future rescue deal. That option may not be open but in the meantime it is quite uncertain, notjust for holiday makers but those employed. As you were saying earlier, it could be self perpetuating because we are looking at what is going on and you may think of booking a break with thomas cook that you may not be so confident right now. We should know more as the hours progress. The company have said they will keep us up to date. Company have said they will keep us uptodate. Thank you. The headlines on bbc news. The first of 5,000 Climate Change protests begin, as millions prepare to take part in demonstrations around the world. Thomas cooks future in the balance the travel firm could go into administration this weekend leaving 150 , 000 holiday makers holiday makers stranded, unless it can raise 200 Million Pounds. The brexit secretary heads to brussels for talks with the eus chief negotiator, after the european commisison president said a deal could be done before halloween. Japan are set to kick off in the opening match of the Rugby World Cup, they are facing russia in the next few hours. The hosts hoping to make a winning start with the country already embracing this stage in the tournament. A goal for arsenal as they beat frankfurt 3 0 in the Europa League. Five british sides in action this week. And rory mcilroy has work to do if hes to make the cut at the pga championship at wentworth. He posted a four over 76 to finish 11 shots behind leader matt wallace. More to come on all of those stories. The European Commission president , Jean Claude Juncker, has said its still possible that a new brexit deal could be reached by the end of october. His comments come ahead of a meeting between the brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, and the eus chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, in brussels today. Borisjohnson said he did not want to exaggerate progress but some was being made and the pound surged to a two month high after after mrjunckers comments. I had a meeting with borisjohnson, the Prime Minister. This was a rather positive meeting, although the British Press was reporting it in the other way. We can have a deal. You think we can get a deal . I think. You think that the chances are more than 50 50 . I dont know, but im doing everything to have a deal because i dont like the idea of no deal because this would have catastrophic consequences. Its better for britain, and for the european union, to have an organised deal. Joining us now is our Political Correspondent jonathan blake. The first question is, how much optimism, cautious optimism, is there . That this is heading in the way the government wants it to . |j would not get carried away but what is clear is that both sides at the moment are talking positively about the prospects of a deal being done. You heard Jean Claude Juncker there, the president of the European Commission, saying it is possible by the end of october and in that interview he talked about the main Sticking Point to a deal, the backstop Sticking Point to a deal, the ba cksto p to Sticking Point to a deal, the backstop to prevent border checks on the island of ireland, if a deal cannot be done. And he had no emotional attachment to it. If its aspirations and purpose can be fulfilled by other means, there is no need for it to be there. There is a shift in the eus position insignificant terms, but a shift in the way the eu has been talking. Back here, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying yesterday, pointing outJean Claude Junckers comments as to what the eu was not saying several weeks ago and saying that whilst he would not want to exaggerate, progress had been made. Stephen barclay comedy brexit secretary and Michel Barnier, that yous chief negotiator will be meeting in brussels today and before that meeting, Stephen Barclay said that meeting, Stephen Barclay said that the eu should not be rigid in its approach and in looking for a replacement to the backstop, he said the finer details may not need to be worked out until the end of next year. Have a listen to the response from that by the irish deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney who has set out how he sees the prospects of a deal this morning. What we are being asked to do by Stephen Barclay and others is to replace a guarantee around that border question, which solves us and we know that with a promise that somehow will do our best to try and solve this issue in the future but we do not know how just yet. That does not sound like a fair deal to just yet. That does not sound like a fairdealto me. Just yet. That does not sound like a fair deal to me. The just yet. That does not sound like a fair dealto me. The irish just yet. That does not sound like a fair deal to me. The irish position is that we want to find a solution and geta is that we want to find a solution and get a deal, and we want to allow the uk to leave the eu in an audible orderly and sensible matter but we cannot allow the Collateral Damage of that and i think for britain to ask us to do that is a very unreasonable request and wont be the basis of a deal. Simon coveney, the irish deputy Prime Minister there speaking on the radio this morning. Pouring cold water, really, on any hopes from Stephen Barclay comedy brexit secretary, that a deal can be reached with the detail of a replacement to be worked out at some point Stephen Barclay, the brexit secretary. A reality check from ireland, a key eu member state in these negotiations ahead of mr buckleys meeting with Michel Barnier later on today. Apologies, you probably observed as you were looking on that clip that that was not a picture of Simon Coveney, but hilary benn. But it was Simon Coveney speaking. Apologies for that. A number of conservative Party Members have been suspended for posting or endorsing islamophobic material online. The bbc highlighted more than 20 new cases to the party, who said all those found to be members who shared or supported anti muslim posts on twitter and facebook were suspended immediately. However, the officials would not reveal the exact number of members suspended. A tory spokesman said they were now establishing the terms of an investigation into the wider issue. The Current System for fining people in england who wrongly claim free prescriptions is not fit for purpose, according to a group of mps. In a scathing report, the Commons Public Accounts Committee say £1. 7 million penalty charge notices have been issued incorrectly about a third of all fines imposed. Sean coughlan has more. This highly critical report from a cross Party Spending watchdog says the system of nhs penalty fines is not fit for purpose. Fines of £100 are levied if someone falsely claims free dental treatment, or dishonestly avoids paying a prescription charge. But mps say that the finding system is so chaotic that 1. 7 million fines have been unfairly issued in the past five years. The committee chair, meg hillier, said the system was utterly confusing, and needed to be completely overhauled. Its a very complex system that has grown up like this over time, and it really isnt fit for purpose so they need to consider it from the point of view of the patient and dentists and pharmacists, who are having to also process this. At the moment, it is so complex its not surprising people make mistakes. Of course, we must clamp down on fraud, but too many innocent people are being caught up in the system at the moment. The British Dental Association says that many vulnerable people, such as the very elderly and those with serious illnesses, are being caught up in the finding system. The charity mencap, which works with people with learning disabilities, says the fear of being fined had become a huge source of unnecessary stress. Mps say that the system of deciding who doesnt have to pay for treatment is too complicated, and the system of fines to often catches the wrong people. In their report, mps showed that a single page of eligibility form needed a 2k page handbook to explain what it meant. The department of health has promised to introduce extra checks, which should reduce the number of incorrect fines. Sean coughlan, bbc news. Theres a warning that thousands of teenagers in england are leaving education without the equivalent of five good gcses. The government says maths and english gcse results have got better and its working to improve standards. However the childrens commissioner, anne longfield, says the problem of children with outcomes for 16 year olds has increased by 28 in the last four years something she describes as shameful. This is not, of course, just a piece of paper but their roots, to their career, employment, their income for the rest of their lives and it means that they are limited if they do not have that basic set on the kind of progression that they can have. Many will not be able to start basic apprenticeships without that basic set of qualifications. Joining me now is martin lennon, a policy analyst for the childrens commissioner. These figures are stark. 0ne these figures are stark. One in five children, nearly one in five children, nearly one in five children, 18 , not getting this basic attainment level at gcse and also that the figure is going up by 2496 in also that the figure is going up by 24 in the last three years. What is going wrong . Well, i think we need to investigate what is going wrong. We spend a lot of time in the Education System looking at what happens when you are 16 and how many children get five gcses. The pass rate is fairly static at about 20 and will be because of the nature of the gcse system. What is the option for the other 30 . What other options do they have with low level friendships, technical politic occasions and resets at college to get the qualification that will open up get the qualification that will open up other doors make resets. The situation for these children is getting significantly worse and they are most invisible on the radar with an Education System obsessed with data, statistics and attainment but nobody is looking for these children. You are talking about other options at that age. But actually, dont we need to go back much further to see why this is happening . Youve got geographical disparities, and clearly Socio Economic disparities, like children who earn Free School Meals who are more likely to be part of this u nfortu nate more likely to be part of this unfortunate statistic . Absolutely, this is broader than what is happening with secondary schools or happening with secondary schools or happening afterwards. I think we need to look below five, really, and what is happening to children before they start school. Are they ready to start school . Interventions then . At that point and the childrens commissioner is concerned about 15 of children who get to the end of reception, just before they start proper school, with really high levels of developed issues. There is an assessment, a teacher led assessment at that point, picking up on 15 of children with High Development needs, meaning that they cannot sit there and listen or interact with adults, and increasing numbers are not toilet trained. Their ability to engage in education is compromised from an early age and that shows through when you get to level two attainment. They never catch up . Level two level two attainment. They never catch up . Leveltwo attainment is about a set of skills which is why you can do it for gcses and technical qualifications, the point is it is the minimum expectation that we should have for any child but numbers are increasing and that is really worrying. It is interesting looking at the figures for london. It is not perfect but it does a lot better than other parts of the country. What is being done differently in other parts of london thatis differently in other parts of london that is not being done in other areas . Thats the Million Dollar question, the childrens commissioner has tried to answer that. What we see in london and disadvantaged pupils who get Free School Meals, they do better from an early age. The attainment gap for five year olds is lower and it sits right through. Certainly, the improvements in london has been quite radical. 20 years ago, it was one of the worst areas of the country and now it has improved. There is improvement through the system and we have seen that notably in secondary school, but it is not just what happens there. Ucb london change right through. It is finding out what is going on there. Interesting speaking to you about that, martin lennon. Ina in a moment, we will take a look at the weather but first, lets join joanna to see whats coming up in the Victoria Derbyshire programme. Today, we meet Rhys Williams, the 13 year old boy with a life limiting condition that leads him in constant pain. Sometimes i struggle to move because im really sore. Is painful every day. 24 7. Just pain. Because im really sore. Is painful every day. 247. Just pain. One night he was in so much pain, he said, i wish the butterflies would come and take me. He had had enough, he had had enough of the pain. That was that was heartbreaking. Now his friends have got together to show him how much they care. We will bring you that film at around 10 30am, watches from 10am on bbc two, the bbc news channel and online. Goodbye. We will see joanna shortly but first, the weather with simon. Good morning. Afine shortly but first, the weather with simon. Good morning. A fine spell of autumn weather coming up for today and tomorrow. Feeling pretty warm for the time of year, lots of sunshine expected after any fog patches that you may have experienced this morning across scotla nd experienced this morning across scotland and northern parts of england clears away. So, you can see not a great deal going on, a bit of cloud developing across east anglia, the midlands, moving northwards but it wont spoil the sunshine too much in temperatures reaching 19 21dc, ready for degrees possible in the north east of scotland. Tonight, clear skies again, one to mist and fog patches but not as dense or extensive as it was last night and a bit of cloud drifting towards eastern parts of scotland. 0therwise, clear skies, temperatures down to 9 11d and into the weekend, plenty of sunshine expected on saturday, going to feel quite warm but by sunday, a change, turning cloudy with rain in the west. Hello, this is bbc news with annita mcveigh. The headlines. Worldwide Climate Change protests begins in sydney, toyko and bangkok. Around 5,000 demonstrations are planned across 150 countries including here in the uk ahead of a un summit on monday. Thomas cooks future in the balance the travel firm could go into administration this weekend leaving 150 , 000 stranded unless it can raise £200 million. The brexit secretary heads to brussels for talks with the eus chief negotiator after the european commisison president said a deal could be done before halloween. And coming up well be hearing more about an icebreaking ship planning to drift with Arctic Sea Ice for an entire year. Time now for the morning briefing, where we bring you up to speed on the stories people are watching, reading and sharing. Climatestrike is the top global trend on twitter as millions of people around the world are expected to participate in protests demanding an end to the age of fossil fuels and Climate Justice for everyone. Images and video of large crowds taking part are among the most widely shared. This tweet by the campaigner Greta Thunberg, showing the protests in sydney in australia, has been shared over 16,000 times. She says the aussies are setting the standard. Shell be attending the march in new york later. Earlier, on the bbcs today programme, youth Climate Change activist anna taylor asked why the uk government isnt treating Climate Change with what she desribes as the utmost priority. If you accept what were doing this right and if you fundamentally believe it, why arent you treating it as your utmost priority . Why are you so busy talking about other things when actually this is the greatest threat we are facing . If we do not act now then we wont have time and we are running out of time rapidly so id say if they really do agree with us, then why arent they doing anything . But dont you have to convince them and Political Parties and convince voters that you are right and do it in that direction, if you see what i mean . So the protest is important and draws attention to it but at some stage, you are going to have to do it through the political system, arent you . Which may mean getting the greens elected in bigger numbers or it may mean actually, the parties themselves changing their policies . Certainly, we do need a large amount of system change and also, i think, we have seen some success with parties getting on board. We have had the first round table all Party Meetings on Climate Change this year, as a result of the climate strikes. And they are considering policy changes to help meet our demands. But theyre just simply not enough. We are calling for much more drastic changes than that. The name of embattled travel Company Thomas Cook continues to trend on twitter amid speculation about its future. Worried customers are tweeting at both the corporate and Customer Service accounts in a bid to get more information and to locate their atol certificates in case the firm collapses. Critics dubbed his album the boldest and best brtish rap album in a generation, and now rapper dave has won the coveted Mercury Prize for his debut relase, psychodrama. Fans have been tweeting all through the night about the 21 year olds success heres how the world found out. The winner of the 2019 Mercury Prize is. Dave i want to personally thank god, i wa nt to i want to personally thank god, i want to invite my mum up onto the stage the streatham born star went on to dedicate the award to his family and friends, especially his brother, christopher, who is serving a life sentence for murder. The album was inspired by the therapy his brother is receiving in prison. And lets look at what you are reading and watching the most reading and watching the most read is a story from the us about two muslim men who say they were racially profiled leading to the cancellation of a flight they were on from alabama to texas. They were travelling separately although they didnt know each other it was on the flight, didnt know each other it was on the flight, they got on the fly, recognised each other and they say the crew was uncomfortable with the flight the crew was uncomfortable with the flight going ahead because they were on board. American Airlines Says its investigating this. The second most read, the brexit secretary Stephen Barclay meeting the eu chief negotiator afterJean Claude Juncker said a deal could be done by the end of october and having a look at the most watched, top is a story you can see more about on the Victoria Derbyshire programme about a boy with a rare skin peeling condition. And the second most watched, you can watch these images of Hinkley Point c, and its all about building the uk s epic power as its described. Time lapse photography there, time lapse images giving you an idea of how work is progressing. Thats it for todays morning briefing. Sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, heresjohn. Are you beginning with rugby . Good morning. We are indeed. England, scotland, ireland and wales all in action over the next few days. England named their team to play tonga on sunday this morning. Katie kernel is live in tokyo for us, katie, japan clearly embracing the world cup. Yes, a real sense of excitement, fans heading into the stadium, thousands here, streaming in, they seem to be embracing this, its significant because this is the first time that the Rugby World Cup is being held in asia, there is excitement around and weve seen japanese fans earlier this week, 15,000 turning up to watch wales training so they seem to be really enjoying this and when you walk around tokyo as well, you see posters of the big stars, screens replaying the highlights from four yea rs replaying the highlights from four years ago when japan replaying the highlights from four years ago whenjapan pulled off what has gone down as the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history. They beat south africa, the two times champions in their opening game and that really has given them a platform ahead of this world cup. Its something their captain was talking about, he said that game ca ptu red talking about, he said that game captured the nation s imagination and he wants to come here and make history and get japan and he wants to come here and make history and getjapan out of and he wants to come here and make history and get japan out of the group for the very first time. He says all eyes will be onjapan for this match. They are expected to beat russia here this evening in tokyo, russia ranked 20th in the world, they werent expecting to be at this world cup, they qualified by default when some other teams, romania included fielded an ineligible player in a warm up game and that meant they were deducted points so russia took romania s place in this so they are expecting a victory, japan, that will be good for local people. If japan a victory, japan, that will be good for local people. Ifjapan can do a fraction of what people hope they can do, they will achieve something special. If few issues with the line, will attempt another question. It appears as though this tournament could well be the most open tournament in the history of the Rugby World Cup. Potentially six or seven Rugby World Cup. Potentially six or seven teams could win it, who are the favourites . Yes, you could make a case for a number of teams, john, as you say. The challenge from europe has never really been stronger, the home nations, ireland coming into this tournament in the rankings at least, at the top of the tree, theyve knocked new zealand off the perch in that sense but new zealand, despite that, will be the favourites for this world cup. I won it twice already, going for a third here in japan. It twice already, going for a third here injapan. Theyve got a formidable team. And a formidable squad and talent there. But, as you say, a lot of people saying this is going to be the closest world cup yet, they have a tremendous opening game against south africa, the springboks, who some people are tipping for this tournament, incredibly powerful squad, blockbuster opening game. And then of course, the challenge from the home nations, i mentioned ireland, england as well, that will be a country that people here are tipping to do well. Eddiejones who has experience of coaching injapan, having taken experience of coaching injapan, having ta ken japan experience of coaching injapan, having takenjapan to that experience of coaching injapan, having taken japan to that world experience of coaching injapan, having takenjapan to that world cup four years ago. Scotland, having takenjapan to that world cup fouryears ago. Scotland, on having takenjapan to that world cup four years ago. Scotland, on their day, capable of beating anyone and wales as well come up with their defence, so difficult to become a grand slam champions as well. Its perhaps not a case of new zealand s power is waning as much as the rest of the world, the top nations anyway, closing that gap on new zealand which all adds to the excitement of course. Really makes it difficult at this stage to try and pick a winner. Going to be thrilling stuff, katie, live in tokyo ahead of the opening match, japan against russia in the next few hours, thank you. England, scotland, ireland and wales all in action over the next few days. England named their team to play tonga on sunday this morning. Head coach eddie jones naming an attacking side, with captain 0wen farrell playing at centre alongside manu tuilagi. That means that george ford will play at fly half. In the last half an hour ireland have named their side to face scotland on sunday. Captain rory best will lead out the team in what will be his final tournament before retirement. And as for scotland, sam johnson will play alongside Duncan Taylor at centre for only the second time. Head coach Greg Townsend has also stuck with Tommy Seymour on the wing, ahead of the in form darcy graham. Plenty of great preview reading in this mornings newspapers. Its time for action says the telegraph they say theres blockbuster fixtures, contenders galore and a glorious backdrop too. The guardian says japan is fired up for the first Rugby World Cup to be held in asia. And the times has a big picture of Billy Vunipola on the front of their rugby pull out he says england are ready to lead the charge against tonga, the country where his parents are from. It all kicks off at 11 45 this morning, and you can follow the whole tournament on bbc radio 5 live, which has exclusive radio coverage of the Rugby World Cup. No fewer than five british sides in Europa League action last night, and a couple of teenagers stole the show. 18 year old bukayo saka score his first goal for arsenal and set up the other two as they beat eintract frankfurt 3 0 in germany. Manchester uniteds Mason Greenwood is even younger. Hes just 17, and got his first goal for the club as they beat the kazakh side astana 1 0 at old trafford. It was a disappointing night for wolves back in european action for the First Time Since the early 80s. They were beaten 1 0 at molyneux by the portuguese side braga. Rangers meanwhile were 1 0 winners over the dutch side feyenoord. This great strike from sheyi 0jo giving Steven Gerrards side all three points. Celtic had to come from behind against rennes. Ryan christie levelling things from the spot after the french side had taken a first half lead with a penalty of their own. Some great goals last night. All eyes on the Rugby World Cup. You can follow it all on bbc radio 5 live, coverage getting underway from 11am. Thats all the sport for now. Its sure to be a spectacle. The conservative party has been targeting older facebook users with political adverts about brexit, according to research by bbc news. In contrast, younger facebook users are being shown ads by the party on issues such as policing and Mental Health. Lets get more on this with our reporterjoe tidy. The bbc has been looking at these ads for a while, what did you find . The first thing to notice the conservative party were running way more ads than other parties, about 700 from them during this period, around mid september compared to almost 300 for the labour party and lib dems only 100 adverts running at a time. Other parties had even fewer ads running but the other trend we noticed was the conservatives were mainly going on brexit and they were mainly going on brexit and they were mainly using age to distinguish between the different advertisements. They were going for over 45, between 45 and 55, targeted with adverts like this, the messaging is things like these politicians want to ignore a brexit, dont let them get away with it and then as you say, the other messages they were doing on Mental Health, policing, they were aimed at younger people on facebooks are under 45, interestingly there was a big gender disparity as well, around Mental Health for women, for new mothers, it was, sorry. Women under 45 make up it was, sorry. Women under 45 make up 90 of the audience for videos promising better at Mental Health support from others. We also saw interestingly on the lib dems side, there was also an age distinction, there was also an age distinction, the adverts for them were also mainly brexit but going for the stop brexit message and they were aimed at definitely under 45 audience. And in terms of the labour party, we saw brexit was a major issue but there was much more of a mix between age and gender. We did see there was some more distinction in terms of gender, particularly around fox hunting, interestingly result 73 of ads about fox hunting were being shown to women and this gearing up towards the election, those sorts of adverts were being shown to men. Targeted facebook ads are nothing new of course. Whats new in this . Yes, i mean facebook has made its billions on the fact that it can target people so granular in the detail they are going to. Thats how theyve become such an incredible advertising network. Thats not new but what is new, of course, is this Facebook Ad Library started in march, facebook attempting to make political advertising more transparent on the platform, you can search for whatever organisation you wa nt search for whatever organisation you want and itll show how many ads they are and where those are being seen, what age, gender, or thereabouts those people are as well. Which gives us an insight into what exactly the parties are doing behind the scenes and of course, during what we are going through now with the brexit crisis and possibly preparing for an election. Some breaking news coming in. A teenager has been arrested after a woman because my body was discovered in staffordshire. Police said the 19 year old woman was found dead after officers went to roman way in tamworth shortly after 9pm last night. West Midlands Ambulance service saying they received reports of someone in the water near edgar close and sent two ambulances and a paramedic officer to the scene. The woman was found when they arrive, the Ambulance Service said nothing could be done to save her. Staffordshi re could be done to save her. Staffordshire police said in a statement that a 19 year old man has been arrested in connection with her death and is in custody. Doctors at the Royal Marsden hospital and the institute of Cancer Research say targeted drugs used on adults with cancer are not being given to children. They claim the rules governing these treatments are too cautious and that, as a result, young Cancer Patients are missing out. Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has faced the cameras for a second time to address further accusations of racism. It comes after more images emerged of him wearing racially offensive fancy dress. In a fresh statement to reporters, he said he deeply, deeply regretted his behaviour. The revelations come amid campaigning for an election at the end of october, when mr trudeau hopes to win a second term. 0ur north america correspondent david willis reports. Working the crowd, just a week into his run for election, Justin Trudeau Plasma Campaign is reeling from a scandal that may yet engulf it. 0ther blackface photos have emerged, along with this video from the early 90s showing a young Justin Trudeau sticking his tongue out and pulling faces. And the candidate admits there could be more to come. Faces. And the candidate admits there could be more to comelj faces. And the candidate admits there could be more to come. I am wa ry there could be more to come. I am wary of, of being definitive about this because the recent pictures that came out, i had not remembered. And i think the question is, how can you not remember that . The fact is, i. I ididnt understand how hurtful this is to people who live with discrimination every single day. I have always acknowledged that i come from a place of privilege but i now need to acknowledge that that comes with a massive blind spot. Seen here will Syrian Refugees into canada, Justin Trudeau had cultivated the image of a champion of diversity stop at the blackface row with its racist overtones has energised his opponents. Who are now calling into question his fitness to govern. Canada goes to the polls in just over four weeks time. At least a thousand people have been rescued and hundreds of flights cancelled, as heavy rains pummel parts of texas and louisiana. Tropical depression imelda is slowly weakening but has caused widespread flash flooding. In houston, roads became rivers. Flash floods inundated the region, amid forecasts that tropical depression imelda could dump close to a metre of rain in some areas. The states governor, greg abbott, declared a state of emergency in more than a dozen counties, as the storm knocked out power and left people stranded in their homes and cars. Wherever you are, please stay where you are. Do not think, because, you know, you look out and the weather is bad, oh, let me get home. Because essentially youll be leaving a safe place, getting out on the road, where theres a lot of water, and you will be heading into dangerous conditions. 100 km east of houston, a hospital in the town of winnie was evacuated as rising waters threaten the wards. Some areas experienced the worst flooding since Hurricane Harvey killed more than 60 people two years ago. Further rain is expected throughout thursday and friday. A german icebreaking ship is setting off for the north pole on whats being described as the biggest arctic science expedition of all time. The plan is for the German Research ship, polarstern, to drift with the sea ice for an entire year allowing hundreds of scientists to visit and study the climate. 0ur science corresponent, Jonathan Amos is here. Jonathan, a very basic description of what the aim of this expedition is but tell us more. This is an enormous undertaking by the germans and of course they cannot do it on their own so they need the support of the international community, the russians, chinese, the swedes are all ending icebreakers to support this ship but its going to leave norway this evening, it will head to the russian side of the arctic, the siberian side and then it will find a suitable place to lock itself in the ice. The ice is very constrained at the moment, its midsummer, we are about to announce probably the Second Lowest arctic ice extent in recorded history so its very slim at the moment but they will find a place and then they willjust drift, they will cut the engines and drift. So when you say they are going to lock themselves in place, they will not be deciding the direction of travel, they will go where the ice ta kes travel, they will go where the ice takes them. With the ice. The general drift from the siberian side to the north east of greenland, they must get it right, they must get the right place because theres kind of like a magic point near the north poll and if you far to the west you will get dragged into what they call the beaufort giles, this clockwise direction of current and if you are in that they will struggle to get out. That would put paid to other plans but what exactly will they study . The arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet but we know very little about what goes on in the arctic and one of the reasons as we dont go there in winter, its brutal, permanently dark and only if you are a polar bear do you live and work up there so we wanted scientists there with their instruments to try and understand the different processes, how the atmosphere interacts with the ice, the ocean and then we can ta ke the ice, the ocean and then we can take that information, put it in our computer models and decide how is the climate going to very in the coming decades. Because if you look at the models today, they are very uncertain about whats going to happen in the arctic and we need to understand it. Very soon ships, containerships will be going right across the north poll to cut the journey times between asia and europe and north america. Finally, ona europe and north america. Finally, on a practical level, are they taking all the supplies with them that they need for this because at some point, they are going to be absolutely locked in the ice, and the in the depths of winter . The support icebreakers will take supplies and relief teams for a while but midwinter, the ice will be much too thick and at that point, they will try and fly a plane in. They are going to prepare a runway next to the ship and if that doesnt work they are going to have to arrange use long range helicopters and if that doesnt work they have got enough supplies on board to last a couple of months and then they will get relief when the ice starts to break in the spring and summer. Really good to hear about this. Im sure theyll be much data coming from this expedition, jonathan, thank you. A reminder that throughout the day will be bringing you details of the climate protests happening around the world including here in the uk. We will be looking ahead to what happening politically as well with the brexit secretary Stephen Barclay involved in meetings with Michel Barnier. 0k, Stephen Barclay involved in meetings with Michel Barnier. Ok, now its time for a look at the weather, we head into the weekend, lets see what simon has in store. Yes, lots of fine weather over the next couple of fine weather over the next couple of days. Weve seen lots of blue skies and sunshine recently. And its been a glorious start to the day, this is the scene this morning in greater london. Barely a cloud in the sky. We had a patchy mist and fog first thing this morning. That has tended to clear away and you can see from the satellite imagery, just the cloud all around an area of high pressure. Thats whats keeping things quite clear and settled at the moment across the uk. Some cloud developing across east anglia, that will drift further north and west into the midlands, northern parts of england but really lots of sunshine and its going to feel pretty warm, temperature is above the average for the time of year, especially in the north east of scotland. We have a fair effect developing, that means as air passes over the grampians it modifies and warms up, 19 degrees towards the south west, 24 degrees in the north east. Through this evening and tonight, not a great deal going on, cloud around the north sea lingering across eastern parts of scotland into tomorrow. Elsewhere, a bit more of a breeze tonight, less likely to seek mist and fog in temperatures down to about 8 11d. Into saturday, a south or south easterly wind bringing much warmer conditions on saturday, you can see that extending all the way towards iceland and scandinavia but its towards the west where we have low pressure and these weather systems bringing change to the weather on sunday. So, saturday starting off cloudy across scotland, dry and sunny weather during saturday, the cloud increasing slightly around the west and with that, there could be a few showers later in the day but temperatures for many of us will be higher and they will be today, about 25 perhaps 26 degrees in the south east but widely temperatures into the 20s. Going into sunday, this weather system out to the west moving its way further eastwards, you can see a change for many of us for the second half of the weekend, heavy rain at times on its way roots. The part north east staying largely right with sunshine, sunshine coming through to the south and west but temperatures here robbing a little bit, 17 19d, certainly a change on sunday and then into next week, well, we lose the sunny symbols and weve now got these rainy symbols soak definitely an unsettled look next week, temperatures lower, wince stronger, temperatures six and, 17 degrees but that will be good news for the farmers and the growers and the gardeners. Goodbye. Hello. Its friday, its ten oclock im joanna gosling. Millions of children are expected to join a global protest today calling for the governments of the world to take action on Climate Change. In school, im learning about the effects of Climate Change and im learning that we need to do something, yet im seeing the people in charge and the people who are running our country arent doing anything. To me, this is confusing, so im here today to step up and say no more. In todays exclusive film, well meet Rhys Williams the 13 year old boy with a life limiting condition that leaves him in constant pain