Hello and welcome. A delayed eu summit kicks off in just a few hours, and if the leaders didnt have enough to discuss with brexit and coronavirus, relations with troubled neighbours are moving higher up the agenda. The disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh has seen four days of deadly clashes between armenia and azerbaijan, which have been fighting over the enclave for decades. Its complicating already tricky ties with turkey as ankara embroils itself in the dispute. Frances Emmanuel Macron has called for an immediate end to hostilities after Turkish Forces were accused of shooting down an armenian aircraft. Jonah fisher sent this report from the armenian city yerevan. Nagorno karabakh is one of the worlds open sores. On the map, part of azerbaijan, but dominated and run by ethnic armenians. In the last four days, a decades old conflict has roared back to life as azerbaijan has gone on the offensive. Here, armenians are trying to shoot down drones that are targeting them. Were targeting them. Dozens, probably many more, have been killed, including civilians. War with the old enemy has led to an outpouring of patriotic fervour in the armenian capital, yerevan. Donations are being brought to a theatre, ready to be taken to troops on the front line. Some civilians have already fled in the other direction. This family left their home town on the first day of the war. I remember being shelled, she says. We were so afraid that we just cried all the time. For both azerbaijan and armenia, the long struggle for Nagorno Karabakh has become an integral part of their national identity. What appears to be different now is the willingness of other countries to get involved in particular, turkey. This is the wreckage of a plane which armenia says was shot down by a turkish f 16 jet. Turkey denies that, but it has made no secret of its support for azerbaijans ambitions. Translation we have only one condition the Armenian Armed forces Must Immediately and definitively leave our land. If they comply, the fighting will stop. When people look at the map tonight and they see that this piece of territory, Nagorno Karabakh, is inside azerbaijan on the maps, why should they believe that youre in the right . Because those who are slightly familiar with the history of this land will know about the transfer of this territory. So historically. Historically, this was the land in which the armenian population resided. Across the border in azerbaijan, a soldier is being buried. A conflict that has long blighted the region is claiming new casualties on both sides of the line. Jonah fisher, bbc news, armenia. 20 of uncomplimentary things said about the first president ial debate in the us on tuesday night. Plenty of. The committee that manages us president ial debates says it will make changes after the chaotic first head to head between donald trump and his democratic challenger joe biden. They will try to cut the frequent interruptions, mostly from the president. Since the first debate on tuesday, mr trump has also been forced to clarify his comments about a White Supremacist Group known as the proud boys. Our north america correspondent peter bowes reports. It is during one of the many heated exchanges between donald trump andjoe heated exchanges between donald trump and joe biden that the president was asked to condemn the white supremacist militias that appeared on americas street. What do you want to call them . Give me a name, give mea call them . Give me a name, give me a name. Proud boys . Stand back and stand by. The far rightanti immigrant, back and stand by. The far right anti immigrant, all male Proud Boys Group was founded in 2016. It has strict membership protocols. Tojoin, 2016. It has strict membership protocols. To join, members must declare they are a they have become notorious for violent confrontations and are frequently faced off against opposition groups. Now they are celebrating, reportedly in private social media channels, what they see as a historic endorsement from donald trump. They say they have seen a spike in new recruits. Asked to explain his refusal to condemn the neofascist group, offered some clarification. I dont know who the proud boys are and you will have to give me a definition because i really dont know who they are. I can only say they have to stand down and let Law Enforcement do their work. Mr trump did not address his call for the group to standby. Some of his supporters believe believe the president simply misspoke but his political opponents say the damage was done. He gave a fringe White Supremacist Group a new rallying cry. Stand back and stand by. It was immediately embraced by the proud boys, it is on their website. Appalling. The next donald trump joe biden website. Appalling. The next Donald Trumpjoe biden debate will be in a fortnight and many americans, some who are already casting votes, worried it will be another slanging match between the two men. Other countries in the world are watching this and what could they possibly think of our leadership . It definitely solidified the fact that we need to understand who you are voting for and what you are going to do and when i was a premises comes in office, i thought 0k, premises comes in office, i thought ok, i need to vote today. I need to vote early and i need to encourage others to vote early. An estimated 73 Million People watched the debate, 10 million fewer than tuned in for debate, 10 million fewer than tuned infoertrumps debate, 10 million fewer than tuned in for mr trumps First Encounter with Hillary Clinton four years ago. For the next two debates, the presenters say they will be changing the format to avoid a repeat of the exchanges between the president and joe biden. It may involve cutting off their microphones if they break the rules. Peter bowes, bbc news. We will wait to see. And you can find more news and analysis about the us election on our website. Theres all sorts of content. Do have a look. One million species are facing extinction across the planet, as humanity wages a war on nature that is the assessment of the un secretary general antonio guterres. He was addressing the uns biodiversity summit to call for urgent help to avoid a repeat of the failure to meet targets to save animals and plants around the world. Mark lobel reports. A million species face extinction in a degraded planet. With the global targets missed on tackling pollution and protecting our habitat, urgent calls to rebuild the planets relationship with nature and stop waging war on it. Degradation of nature is not purely an environmental issue. It spans economics, health, social justice and human rights. Neglecting our precious resources can exacerbate geopolitical tension and conflicts. But more space for wildlife is not enough. Conservationists insist land needs to be protected for animals to survive and more. We need to think holistically about land, food and health systems. Climate change, land use change, food production, and human health are all deeply interconnected. Now all eyes turned to china, the worlds biggest gas greenhouse emitter, which pledged Carbon Neutrality by 2060 and hosts next years make or break conference to save the worlds plants and animals. Translation we need to uphold multilateralism and build synergy for global governments on the environment. Synergy for Global Governance on the environment. But at a cost between 300 billion and 400 billion a year is needed, and there are political obstacles, too. There is no push from america and theres pushback from brazil, where its leader is accused of not doing enough to protect the amazon. Translation i strongly reject international greed towards our coveted amazon. And we shall defend it against actions and narratives that may prove harmful to our national interests. As action stalls, the world melts. Two massive glaciers in antarctica are breaking apart faster than ever. On the streets of new york, these activists target their political foes. So bolsonaro and trump are the faces of extinction in the world today. These sculptures are melting, just like their commitments have melted for protecting the worlds oceans and our biodiversity. As hopes drip away, during a pandemic blamed on human proximity to wildlife, there is a new push to give nature the space and resources it needs. But with Global Action postponed until next year, some question if leaders are leaving it too late. Mark lobel, bbc news. Lets get some of the days other news. New figures reveal that more migrants reached the uk by boat in september than in the whole of last year. The data compiled by the bbc shows that more than 1,900 people made the crossing, compared with 1,800 last year. The lack of agreement on an aid package for the Airline Industry in the United States is leading to some of the countrys biggest carriers to furlough employees. United Airlines Says it will put 13,000 employees into furlough, and American Airlines 19,000. United left the door open for a reversal, saying it would cancel the furloughs if congress Aid Programme is extended in the next few days. More on that in the business section. The largest study yet of coronavirus cases in england facebook is seeking to ban those having an impact on the president ial elections. Its director of product manager says the policy would apply across facebook and instagram. It will predict any adverts that cause specific methods of voting, for example by mail, as being inherently fraudulent or corrupt. The larger study at of coronavirus cases in england suggests the growth of the pandemic may be slowing. The team at Imperial College london say that could mean measures to control covid 19 are working. But they warn that levels of infection are still high. Higher in some places than others. Italy was for some weeks the global epicentre of coronavirus the first country in the west to be deeply affected by the pandemic and the first in the world to impose a National Lockdown but now, its infection rate is considerably lower than others in europe 38 cases per 100,000 people, compared to more than 100 in the uk, 230 in france and 330 in spain. So what we all want to know is how it has managed to stay on top of the virus. Our rome correspondent mark lowen reports. Coverts once global epicentre is not letting down its guard. Spotchecks by Italian Police to ensure rules on overcrowding and mask wearing a followed. It is one of the tools italy has used to get infection rates down to some of the lowest in europe, keeping the virus in check while others struggle with a fresh spike. We issue fines when needed, says this man. But none today. Usually eve ryo ne wears man. But none today. Usually everyone wears a mask. Awareness of the consequences of breaking the rules has helped instill a sense of discipline here but in reality, police have had to intervene relatively rarely as italy has on the whole followed restrictions. And now, it is reaping the benefits. Italy is taking safety as seriously as its food. Many restaurants have screens, disposable or digital menus, customers are recorded for contact tracing. It has given them the freedom to stay open and busy, unlike others in europe. The trauma of covid frightened italians into compliance. Because we were the first and we are the very long quarantine and we really felt it and it was a very strong period for everyone so we really felt it and there were many, really felt it and there were any really felt it and there were many, many people dying and we could see all the, not here but the news, all the best make those people dying alone, well, it has been very strong. The governments reward for a lower infection rate has been broad public support. But it knows success is fragile. Im really proud of italians because they did follow the rules. But, you know, the war is not over yet. It is only still to wait and see what is going to happen in october, november and even the winter but right now, things are going very well. Alert to the fact that schools reopened later here than elsewhere in europe, there is no mass testing for students and teachers. This at a high school near rome. Rapid results come within 30 minutes. Tests, rules, compliance make a formula italy hopes can hold a second wave and ease the legacy of pain from the first. Mark lowen, bbc news. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come fresh wildfires cause chaos and destruction in california. Thousands are forced to flee their homes. In all russias turmoil, it has never quite come to this. President yeltsin said the day would decide the nations destiny. The nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act here. Russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. It was his humility which produced affection from catholics throughout the world, but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. This man, israels right winger ariel sharon, visited the religious compound, and that started the trouble. He wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy sites, an idea that is unthinkable to palestinians. After 45 years of division, germany is one. In berlin, a million germans celebrate the rebirth of europes biggest and richest nation. This is bbc news the latest headlines European Union leaders meet in brussels with Foreign Affairs, including violence in Nagorno Karabakh, expected to dominate. The body that oversees us president ial debates says itll take steps to ensure there is no repeat of wednesdays chaotic and angry contest. In northern california, the authorities are struggling to contain wildfires burning through thousands of acres of land. The blazes have destroyed property and forced people to leave their homes. And they are only the latest in a series of wildfires that have caused chaos over the last few weeks. The bbcs tim allman has more. Driving through Yosemite National park, a convoy fleeing the flames. Rangers leading the way as a number of tourists had to be evacuated. It looked like a fairly perilous trip dark clouds above, burning trees never far away. This is just one of a series of fires burning through central and northern california. High temperatures, precious little rain it is a dangerous combination. Mother nature is something that we dont try to guess so were preparing for the worst Case Scenario and were hoping for the best. So our firefighters are going to be working around the clock securing those lines. The two latest wildfires called zogg and glass only began in the last few days, but theyve been busy, burning through hundreds of Square Kilometres of land. Some of it wine country, threatening lives and livelihoods. I own this vineyard over here and with a bad year and fires and no power, i havent picked a grape. I dont think were going to pick anything. Tens of thousands of people have left their homes but some are waiting to see what will happen next. How long are you going to hang out . I dont know, well see. If i see flames im out of here but until then, im just gonna hang out probably. This has been a record breaking year for wildfires in california, and with more hot weather on the way, the danger is still present. Tim allman, bbc news. It goes on and on doesnt it . Lets cross to the bbc Sports Centre now for the latest sport. Hello, im Gavin Ramjaun and this is your thursday sport briefing. Serena williams will have to wait till next year for a potential record equalling 24th grand slam after pulling out of the french open on wednesday because of an achilles injury. Williams sustained the injury at the us open earlier this month and it was clearly troubling her during mondays1st round victory in paris against fellow american kristie ahn. The american says she needs to rest for the next month at least but could miss the rest of the year. Inter milan made it two wins out of two in italys serie a with a 5 2 victory at newly promoted benevento. Inter wasted no time in taking control of the game. They were in front after only 28 seconds with a goalfrom romelu lukaku. And the Belgian International was on target again before half time. Thats three goals for him in the first two games of the season. In germany, Bayern Munich won the super cup, beating Borussia Dortmund 3 2 at the allianz arena. Joshua kimmich scored bayerns winner nine minutes from time at the second time of asking. The european champions have now won the german super cup eight times. And Manchester United sealed their place in the quarter finals of englands league cup. They beat brighton 3 0, juan mata and paul pogba on the scoresheet. Elsewhere, holders Manchester City, everton and newcastle join them in the last eight, with wins in their matches. World number one Novak Djokovic has his sights on a place in the third round of the french open. He takes on lithuanian ricardas berankis. The serb only lost five games in, his first round victory over mikhael ymer. The 2016 champion said he feels physically, mentally and emotionally ready to do well in the tournament and feels confident given his form. Iam i am definitely very confident. Imean, i i am definitely very confident. I mean, i have won every match i have played this year except obviously the one in new york where i was disqualified. Other than that, i won every single match. If you keep on winning, obviously, with every match that you win, your confidence level raises a notch higher. Number two seed Karolina Pliskova is first up on thursday though she faces the 2017 champion jelena ostapenko, for a place in the last 32. And its game 2 on thursday for the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds in their wildcard playoff mlb game. The braves took game one of their National League wild card series just 1 0 in atlanta on wednesday after almost five hours of baseball and a record 12 scoreless innings. No such problem for the marlins, in their opening playoff game they won 5 1 against the chicago cubs at wrigley field. Corey dickersons three run homer for miami, giving them the advantage ahead of this evenings game 2 in their nl wild card series. And on social media, lots talk has centred on ruben dias, who left benfica tojoin Manchester City of the english premier league. Dias broke down as he said goodbye to team mates at his boyhood club, following his final game. Visibly emotional here in the dressing room. The 23 year old was captain for benfica, and scored in their2 0 win over moreirense. The best way to end his five year spell with the team. A fitting way to say goodbye there. You can get all the latest sports news at our website thats bbc. Com sport. But from me, Gavin Ramjaun and the rest of the sport team, thats your thursday sport briefing. Thank you gavin. Dogs have helped millions of us to get through this pandemic. They cheered us up, kept us company and gave us a reason to go outside and exercise. Now it seems they might also help us to defeat the virus itself by using their incredible power of smell. Graham satchell reports. This is asher, his medical detection dog. Scientists are hoping specially trained dogs like asher be a vital help in the fight against covid 19. Dogs have this incredible sense of smell. They have 350 million sensory receptors dedicated to olfactory. Us poor humans have five million and we think we can smell pretty well. Ashers remarkable nose has already been trained to sniff out a number of human diseases like cancer and malaria. Now, number of human diseases like cancerand malaria. Now, a joint Research Project with the London School of hygiene and tropical medicine at Durham University is seeing whether they can detect covid 19. University is seeing whether they can detect covid19. We now know scientifically that diseases change body order and, you know, dogs are incredibly good at sniffing, and we all know that. But they also incredibly good at learning as well so they can learn the smell of a particular medical condition. We now know that dogs really can do this really well so we are really helpful that the will be able to do this for covid 19. That the will be able to do this for covid19. Helsinki airport in finland. Trials have already started here with dogs sniffing passengers as they arrive. These dogs are able to doa rapid, arrive. These dogs are able to do a rapid, non invasive test to see if somebody is smelling, carrying become a 19 odour. That is if they are symptomatic or pre symptoms unless of course could be a game changer. So whether you wherever you get a public space where people are moving rapidly, a dog and a. 5 of are moving rapidly, a dog and a. 5ofa are moving rapidly, a dog and a. 5 of a second sniff can be able to say if you have got the odour of the virus and you need to get tested and isolate. This is hip, one of the dogs being trained to detect covid 19. He lives with satin. I think it is a fantastic project. The capability of dogs to be able to do mass screening initial period of time is going to be truly important because is going to be with us for a long while yet so they will be a massive part to play. The dogs are trained to sniff pieces of clothing with people who currently have covena nting. Researchers say they just really need more samples and are appealing for help. And particularly, many people who are positive, have had a recent test and what we were there will basically send a pack. It is really simple. We have got three items, when being a pair of stockings, a facemask and a shirt or a t shirt. And basically we are asking people to wear those for a few hours, p0p to wear those for a few hours, pop them back in an envelope thatis pop them back in an envelope that is prepaid and send it back to us. We need as many people as possible, particularly those who are positive. Once the Research Project is complete, Scientists Say these dogs could be sniffing out the virus in Public Places in a matter of weeks. Graeme satchel, bbc news. Stay with us, businesses coming up. We will be talking pubs, jobs, books, mobile phones. Coming up injust a moment. Hello. Thursday offers up the promise of a drier day for the majority of the uk in comparison to wednesday. There should be some decent sunshine and the winds will be a little light as well. How are we managing that when our weather is dominated essentially by this massive area of low pressure for the coming days . One with actually seven centres but we are getting quite close to a little hill in the isobars. That is a brief ridge of High Pressure that we will sit in through thursday. Its not plain sailing though, there will still be some more persistent rain across northern and eastern scotland through the day and coming into the south west through the afternoon, some sharper showers that will push into wales, some for northern ireland, perhaps some more generally across southern britain later on in the day. But in contrast to wednesday, lighter winds, and the rain nowhere near as widespread temperatures 1a 15 degrees. We head through thursday evening, and we will start to notice something developing to the south of the uk. The rain towards the north pulls away, it becomes quite quiet here, skies clear, its a largely dry night across scotland and northern ireland, and actually chilly in some rural spots. But to the south of the uk, weve basically got a hook thats formed, and this is a deep low Pressure Centre that is set to spin up across brittany, ploughing its way into france the worst of the weather think on the way to france. The French Met Service have given it a name, its storm alex, and it looks like it will also affect southern britain, so hence our concern for friday, particularly through the early part of the day for heavy rain across southern counties of england pushing into south wales, and very strong winds, jersey maybe gusting up to 70 mph. Even in land, though, 30 35 mph as that low centre spins away to the south of us and this weather from swings north. Quite a contrast between the north and south on friday. England and wales, wet and windy. Scotland and northern ireland, largely dry with some decent spells of sunshine. But for the weekend, we are still dominated by low pressure, and as such, it looks like further bands of rain will sweep around this larger low with its centre to the south. I think some wet weather for all areas through the weekend, some strong winds at times too. The detail on this low, somewhat complicated, so its very hard for us to pinpoint exactly when your area will get wettest of the weather. But that trend, im afraid, is very clear. This is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. Edging towards a deal us lawmakers to vote later on a new stimulus plan to pump another 2 trillion into the economy. Smaller, simpler, slower and cheaper google launches its flagship new phone, designed for the economic downturn. We start in the us, where two of the Largest Airlines american and united say they are beginning to put over 32,000 workers on furlough as the governments current Financial Aid package expires. In washington, the house of representatives will vote later on a new Coronavirus Relief plan that could pump another 2. 2 trillion into the us economy. The vote had been planned for wednesday evening but as yet, there is still no agreement between democrats and the Trump Administration on the scale of the plan. Just how many dollars go in the pot. Optimism about the prospects of a new economic rescue package boosted stocks on wall street. They ended higher after a turbulent september that has seen the first month of stock market losses since the pandemic took hold in march. Lets just show you how they ended now. Up, up, up and the dow is up 1. 296 up, up, up and the dow is up 1. 2 which is significant and the s p 500, more tech, well up as well. The nasdaq, they are allup, in as well. The nasdaq, they are all up, in positive, which is not something we have been able to say every day of the week, is it . Joining me now is russ mould, investment director at aj bell. Good to see you there. I know the Financial Times is talking about Steve Mnuchin the treasury secretary suggesting 1. 5 trillion dollars being the sum of this stimulus package. That has gone up even in the last hour or so on bloomberg saying actually it is 1. 6. It is moving all of the time presumably. Are you optimistic about a deal now . It sounds like there is scope for some compromise and originally the republican senator leadership Mitch Mcconnell said 2. 2 trillion is outlandish so the fa ct trillion is outlandish so the fact that it seems to be a trump or republican backed plan now at1. 61. 7 does trump or republican backed plan now at 1. 61. 7 does increase the chance of a deal. In all likelihood if there is not a deal this week, you will be worrying whether there is one before the election on november three so markets dont seem hopeful and donnie given the ongoing Economic Uncertainty people would be looking for a rapid resolution. I suppose we cannot just know at the rapid resolution. I suppose we cannotjust know at the moment and you mentioned the election, what the parties are thinking, because is it in their interest or not to get this done . All thatis or not to get this done . All that is the risk of a bipartisan situation that you have with a big election coming up have with a big election coming up and there seems to be an element of gainsaying, one party suggesting one thing and the other one counteracting it but the American Airline situation is interesting because as you mentioned two airlines threatening 32,000 fellows a nd airlines threatening 32,000 fellows and a lot of those potential fellows will be key battleground states furlough. It may certainly make the Trump Administration think twice, given they will be key on november three. I think it kicks in from midnight so from midnight so any minute now. Very double edged because it looks dreadful without some sort of deal and then the moment a deal is done, United Airlines at least are saying we will take all of those workers off furlough immediately. Will take all of those workers off furlough immediatelym will take all of those workers off furlough immediately. It is a big threat, the potentialjob losses are a serious problem for the Trump Administration. But in the end, the other question is is it main street was myjob to bail out the airlines . It is wall streets job really. Wall street is there to provide Equity Funding by buying shares or lending money. If wall street does not wa nt to money. If wall street does not want to do it you have to wonder why main street should be left on the hook. And dont forget united, delta and american have all been in administration before between 2002 2011 and it administration before between 2002 2011 and it does not mean they stopped trading, it means they stopped trading, it means they get a chance to restructure their debts and potentially emerge stronger. The people who lose money, well, that is wall street and the Management Team which is probably why they are aggressively calling out for a bailout in the first place. They put the vote off for a day because the talks seem to be progressing i suppose. Is it enough do you think for markets to be optimistic about it, which they seem to be, or other markets, frankly, scouting around for things to be optimistic about . I think there is an element of that. Anytime you offer someone cheap or free money they will be interested and stock markets are greedy things. I guess the issue is the world bank is suggesting there will be attempts and dropping global gdp this year, around 9 trillion us dollars. Research from bank of America Merrill lynch says the government and Central Banks have pumped around 20 trillion or more into the Global Economy with more possibly coming from the us so when people ask how on earth can we stop markets going belly up when the Global Economy is in reverse gear, it is probably why stock markets are looking forward to the governments support getting through the pandemic and the recession and then hopefully the better times on the other side when growth begins again. We wait to see, russ, thank you for your insight. Lets stay in the us where, as of wednesday, restaurants in new york city can open for Indoor Dining but only at 25 capacity. How many people are braving those restaurant interiors, after a summer of kerbside Table Service . Samira hussain investigates. You are prohibited from providing indoor bus service. The staff of four different manhattan the staff of four different ma nhatta n restau ra nts have gotten together to go over covid 19 safety protocols because they open their doors to customers. Nobody can order a drink from the bar, nobody can wait at the bar. Ravi owns them all. He is taking no chances at any of his restau ra nts, chances at any of his restaurants, doing what he can to make sure people have a safe meal out. We are going to put these little decorative room dividers in between each table. We will have to take up the middle so that air cannot pass through. These dividers may help keep people safe but they could be the difference between survival and going out of business. Ravi hopes Indoor Dining will be enough to make his restaurants viable. Dining will be enough to make his restaurants viablelj dining will be enough to make his restaurants viable. I think the idea now is we do this as a test and if come november the first it is working and there has not been an increase they let us go to 50 . I can make it work. I wont make a profit but ican get work. I wont make a profit but i can get to a breakeven point at 50 capacity. I can get to a breakeven point at 5096 capacity. Until now city restau ra nts at 5096 capacity. Until now City Restaurants have been restrict to Outdoor Dining only. But in a place like new york, where real estate can sometimes be ha rd to real estate can sometimes be hard to come by, people have been getting creative. Some restau ra nts been getting creative. Some restaurants have brought their business to the street. The places on this block are able to ta ke places on this block are able to take advantage of the road that has been closed to traffic and they can create Outdoor Dining space. It works really well because the weather is nice but winter is just around the corner. This outdoor space was a financial lifeline for hunky dory but come winter, it will not be easy to entice customers to sit outside. New york is now allowing people to eat inside with capacity capped at 25 . For Restaurant Owner claire spruce, it is not worth it. We would not be able to survive, we would be losing more money than we would be bringing in. We did not seem like a bringing in. We did not seem likeafair bringing in. We did not seem like a fair trade off for an equitable trade off to compromise our safety. Being in the Restaurant Business in new york is tough. The pandemic has made it tougher. The industry lobby group says if things dont get back to normal soon, as many as two thirds of the restau ra nts as many as two thirds of the restaurants in new york state could be gone byjanuary. Restaurants in new york state could be gone by january. It would be an incredible evil of our culture and our society here. I dont know of any other way to put it. These are your local neighbourhood restau ra nts, local neighbourhood restaurants, places that you see every day. And walk by and hopefully walk into. So the restart of Indoor Dining is a crucial milestone in the citys recovery from the pandemic. But this vital part of new yorks culture and economy is not safe yet. Samira hussain, bbc news. Farfrom far from safe, farfrom safe, i think far from safe, i think you could say. Here in the uk, 100 companies in the Hospitality Industry have written to the Prime Minister this week asking for urgent help. The pubs, restaurant chains and Hotel Operators say the 10pm curfew imposed on drinking and dining out have made this fight to survive even harder. They are warning hundreds of thousands ofjobs will be lost this winter. Steve alton is ceo of the British Institute of innkeeping, which speaks for over 9000 people running pubs across the uk. Hes one of the signatories of the letter. Steve, very good to see you. Starting with the nuts and bolts. What are the specifics of what you actually want the Prime Minister to do for you . Good morning, david. The fragility of the hospitality and Public Sector is significant and as you have intimated, the impact of recent restrictions, further restrictions, further restrictions on top of significant guidelines that our members, pubs, hospitality operators across the uk uk are doing a fantasticjob of implementing and giving the staff safe and the impact of these further restrictions has seen initial drops of 30 of trade on top of hugely impacted trade on top of hugely impacted trade already. Many operators we re trade already. Many operators were trading and profitably and not forgetting some in the sector have not opened, one in ten have not opened, unable to meet guidelines and hospitality has certain sectors that are not open such as nightclubs so these are vibrant, viable businesses that can operate under these government restrictions so to answer your question, we are looking for a number of things. One, thejob support scheme that was announced that mike and we applaud the intent of the chancellor to retain these viable jobs chancellor to retain these viablejobs chancellor to retain these viable jobs but chancellor to retain these viablejobs but it chancellor to retain these viable jobs but it doesnt work, thejobs dont viable jobs but it doesnt work, the jobs dont stick up for hospitality. In essence it would be bringing people back to pay them a premium for the hours that they work. Where these businesses are already losing significant amounts of money whichjob losses losing significant amounts of money which job losses will come through. We did a survey a few days before the additional restrictions have come in and one infour restrictions have come in and one in four businesses are predicted to fail by the end of 2020. Hospitality as a whole employs 3 Million People in viablejobs. Employs 3 Million People in viable jobs. Right, so you want listen purse strings, you think it would become more and more challenging as the months go by and at least even with the taking the 10pm curfew. I went out for a meal earlier this week and the place was full from quite early. And, ok, come 10pm everyone had gone but they we re 10pm everyone had gone but they were busy. There is isolated cases of places being busy, of course. But you are losing whole serving times of the day. It isnt just whole serving times of the day. It isntjust one hour, a couple of this places trade into the evening and they trade does not start till later in the day and overall it is the Consumer Confidence as well. We avoid incredibly hard as an industry to show that we are covid secure and you can have a fabulous experience but went very safely with a family and we have always done that and stepped up to the challenge but we need the support with jobs because the scheme does not work to protect those jobs and we are talking around about 675,000 jobs that will be put at risk and will be lost. That will happen without any change to thejob will happen without any change to the job support scheme as it currently is put together. Just a quick point because it is high profile, this. We have seen some of the breaking of cu rfews or breaking seen some of the breaking of curfews or breaking of restrictions with these massive street party is taking place in various cities around the country. It is a fact of life that beer and social distancing dont go together very well. And it does put an added burden on you, doesnt it. It is an interesting point. We have operated these highly regulated professional spaces for years successfully. We are one of the most regulated parts of the spaces most regulated parts of the s pa ces to most regulated parts of the spaces to go on socialising and if you look at the amount of people we have had through our venues and the Science Behind it, we see less than 3 of cases that are tracked back directly hospitality. The data and the evidence supports this, it is about household transfer. We are saying we are the place to come and socialise safely in your community. But we have the data to back that up. And you should feel confidence to do it. What is really unfortunate is when these people leave these venues where our operators are doing such a good job, as you have illustrated, they go off and have these huge gatherings where there is no regulation or professional management and that is where u nfortu nately, we management and that is where unfortunately, we see those issues. The issues keep coming, dont they, steve. Thinking indeed and to see you. Thank youindeed indeed and to see you. Thank you indeed and good to see you. Lets talk tech now because the trend in top end smartphones has for years been in one direction bigger, better, faster, and more expensive. But on wednesday, google unveiled its latest flagship model, the pixel 5, which is simpler, smaller, with a slower chip and a lot cheaper than its predecessor 699 for the pixel 5, compared to the 999 for last years top end pixel axl. It is not a giveaway but nonetheless. Google has told the bbc its a phone designed for the economic downturn. Priya lakhani is ceo of century tech. She has been examining. Good to see you. Out of the studio. What do you make of it, first of all . Well, yes, it is sleek and looks great and comes in a sage colour as well as the black colour. I sat in the launch event google held last night and a little of the products they brought to the market. And youre right, it is definitely a pixel five that is aimed for the mid range phone market. By the mid range phone market. By the price is still high i think for some people, it is still lower than that of those flagship phones with the apple iphone coming in at over 1,500 pounds. I have a smart move with people not wanting to be locked into long expensive contracts at the moment. No, i would be a bit disheartened if there wasnt a new gadget or something on the phone but i appreciate the drop in price. Im wondering were not in lockdown but we have been restricted. We are doing a lot more from home anyway. The mobile isnt quite the must have that it was even six nine months ago . That is a really good point but there was some actually some small pleasa nt some actually some small pleasant surprises with some of the features of the phone. They have screen sharing which is, google has been thinking about covid and lockdown and they have some snazzy features you mightfind have some snazzy features you might find will come handy. But the absolute right. The question is, how many of us are using our phones . Were so to them on commutes and for example, we see on trans people staring at their phones and using and catching up on e mails. But now were working from home, the idea that you can actually roll out of bed and get straight into a laptop ora and get straight into a laptop or a desktop. So there is a big question about how much we are actually using them but we have seen that some people are finding when they are out and about on hopefully socially distance walks and runs that they are using their smartphone, using the Technology Available to them. But google have been quite forceful i think with the new features for the phone which will be welcome for some of the google users. Are they pushing google users. Are they pushing google tv as well. What is that all about. Google tv, ithink this is more of a pleasant some flyers to fans of google that they have got this chrome cast products which isjust they have got this chrome cast products which is just now coming up to par with what else is available on the market. They are rivalling products like amazon scholastic we can plug it into the smart tv, have netflix or youtube directly on tv in front of you. Google has a snazzy feature we can send content from your device up to your television very quickly. I think that is fantastic and welcome from all google users and fans of chrome cast. Angus is coming up to pipe the market. The question is, what amount of money people going to spend on these devices . It is a really smart move for them considering were spending so is what im at home. That true, thank you. Lets go to asia now, where many of the regions stock markets are closed for the golden week chinese public holiday. The Tokyo Stock Exchange isnt meant to be one of them, but theres no trading going on. Shara njit leyl from our asia team has been trying to find out whats going on. Sharanjit, what can you tell us . No business, david, can you believe it. Its all being blamed on a Network Problem according to the people who control the exchange. That is the Japan Exchange group. And essentially, we have been told that it essentially, we have been told thatitis essentially, we have been told that it is not going to be operating for the rest of the day. This has been described as the most historic glitch the exchange has ever had. It is a big deal of cost because the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the nikkei to 25 is described as one of the largest stock exchanges in the world. It is the Third Largest in fact behind only shanghai and new york. It is worth about 6 trillion we are told according to the World Federation of exchanges. Scibilio big bell and has to suspend trade. So we could have actually happened and ata could have actually happened and at a worse time. It really meant that buying and selling and thousands of Companies Shares were suspended just as key Economic Data was being published this morning. We had the Japanese Central bank releasing its survey which gauges confidence among japan positive manufacturers and really closely watched by traders allows a measure of how the economy is doing going forward. And those numbers actually came in worse than expected. The trading halt closed one of the few major markets, as you said david, that was aptly open in asia today. Reporters in hong kong, taipei, shanghai, or close holidays. Take a break, that i can say. Laughs stay with us on bbc news. Still to come boom time for booksellers. How super thursday is unleashing a wave of new titles for hungry readers. And now for some news here in the uk. All nhs staff should be tested weekly for coronavirus as a matter of urgency, according to a group of mps. The health and social Care Committee say the government and nhs england must set out by the end of october what current capacity there is for testing all nhs staff, what further capacity may be needed and how long it is likely to take to offer routine testing. Well, we know from the first wave of the pandemic that around 20 of staff got the virus in many hospitals. And up to 11 of patients who died of coronavirus actually caught it in their own hospital. So, regular testing of staff is absolutely essential. The government has conceded that it is necessary to do it in the hot spots where the prevalence is rising but it is not happening there either. That is why we urgently need to address this. For those stories and more breakfast is coming up at six oclock with Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt. This is bbc news the latest headlines European Union leaders meet in brussels, with Foreign Affairs including violence in Nagorno Karabakh expected to dominate. The body that oversees us president ial debates says itll take steps to ensure there is no repeat of wednesdays chaotic and angry contest. Lets turn the page now and immerse ourselves in books. Lots of them. 790 to be precise all coming out in hardback today here in britain on what the publishing trade is calling super thursday. The rush of new books to the market is down to the months bookshops were closed during lockdown, when the release of new titles was put on hold. And now theyre all launching, in the hope of catching the lucrative christmas market. The trade has already celebrated a record september, and is hoping october will be even bigger. Joining me now is meryl halls managing director of the Booksellers Association here in the uk. Very good to see you and nice to be reporting on what sounds like a good news story here. To be reporting on what sounds like a good news story harem isa like a good news story harem is a good new story. 790 titles is a good new story. 790 titles is quite something. And it is quite a challenge for bookshops to cope with that onslaught but it isa to cope with that onslaught but it is a fantastic story. Lockdown was very hard for bookshops. Obviously, they were close for three months and they are about to content with a slew of difficulties on reopening. But incredibly, they are resilient, the people as well. Yes, it is an embarrassment of riches really. It isa embarrassment of riches really. It is a great unit to have. That is the point, an embarrassment of riches. Ijust wonder, if i go looking for a book, i do well to come up with a couple because i am surrounded by books i would love to buy but i cant. 790, how do you swing through that lot . Well, what you do is go to a local bookshop because there is no one better to help you sort through those titles in your local bookseller. They have to curate their own lists and a very good at choosing titles for their own customers. They have done all of the hard work for you. I mean, they have done all of the hard work foryou. I mean, a they have done all of the hard work for you. I mean, a lot of those books are not what we would call trade titles. They may be Academic Publications or whatever but clearly the Publishing Community is Publishing Community is publishing before christmas. It is bookshop day on saturday which is an annual celebration of bookshops across the high street. And we reallyjust encourage people to start the Christmas Shopping early, go and buy your books and see what is out there. There is the most fantastic range. Went up to your bookseller because they will help you to navigate that enormous range of stuff. And you can be intimidated, you dont necessarily know what you wa nt dont necessarily know what you want but there is a book for everyone. I am want but there is a book for everyone. | am sure want but there is a book for everyone. I am sure that is true. Theres going to have to be with that man isnt there. Particularly with the smaller bookshops, and independence as well, they have had to struggle through the last six nine months obviously. How they coped with paying their rents, keeping on top of their staff et cetera. Are they in a buoyant position now . It has been incredibly hard. It has been incredibly hard. It has been incredibly hard to watch what happened because like all retail, they have to close down. We had a very positive area with independent booksellers in particular because we had three years of growth after 20 years in decline. In january, growth after 20 years in decline. Injanuary, we are telling a story and then cover make it. Like you did with eve ryo ne make it. Like you did with everyone else in the economy. They have coped a lot of them got online. So very quickly, they deftly managed to set up online bookselling operations of their own. Sadly, a lot of the book sales went online to non booksellers well, to amazon mainly. They have been incredibly resilient. They were doing home delivery, developing online events. They have kept in touch with their customers incredibly effectively. And they have been innovative and really because they are such a pa rt really because they are such a part of their community, they are part of their community, they a re often part of their community, they are often at the heart of their community. Their Retail Community. Their Retail Community and the book Club Community and the book Club Community that they have kept that visibility up. It has been very ha rd that visibility up. It has been very hard paying rent because they havent had any income and bringing staff back from fellow is also very problematic because you do not necessarily have the turnover for so many people. Lets hope super thursday makes a difference. I will have to draw a whole there. Good luck and thank you for joining there. Good luck and thank you forjoining us. And thank you forjoining us. And thank you for watching bbc news. Hello. Thursday offers up the promise of a drier day for the majority of the uk in comparison to wednesday. There should be some decent sunshine and the winds will be a little light as well. How are we managing that when our weather is dominated essentially by this massive area of low pressure for the coming days . One with actually seven centres but we are getting quite close to a little hill in the isobars. That is a brief ridge of High Pressure that we will sit in through thursday. Its not plain sailing though, there will still be some more persistent rain across northern and eastern scotland through the day and coming into the south west through the afternoon, some sharper showers that will push into wales, some for northern ireland, perhaps some more generally across southern britain later on in the day. But in contrast to wednesday, lighter winds, and the rain nowhere near as widespread temperatures 1a 15 degrees. We head through thursday evening, and we will start to notice something developing to the south of the uk. The rain towards the north pulls away, it becomes quite quiet here, skies clear, its a largely dry night across scotland and northern ireland, and actually chilly in some rural spots. But to the south of the uk, weve basically got a hook thats formed, and this is a deep low Pressure Centre that is set to spin up across brittany, ploughing its way into france the worst of the weather think on the way to france. The French Met Service have given it a name, its storm alex, and it looks like it will also affect southern britain, so hence our concern for friday, particularly through the early part of the day for heavy rain across southern counties of england pushing into south wales, and very strong winds, jersey maybe gusting up to 70 mph. Even in land, though, 30 35 mph as that low centre spins away to the south of us and this weather from swings north. Quite a contrast between the north and south on friday. England and wales, wet and windy. Scotland and northern ireland, largely dry with some decent spells of sunshine. But for the weekend, we are still dominated by low pressure, and as such, it looks like further bands of rain will sweep around this larger low with its centre to the south. I think some wet weather for all areas through the weekend, some strong winds at times too. The detail on this low, somewhat complicated, so its very hard for us to pinpoint exactly when your area will get wettest of the weather. But that trend, im afraid, is very clear. Good morning. Welcome to breakfast, with Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty. Our headlines today some of the toughest new covid restrictions in england are expected for 1. 5 Million People in merseyside as the region responds to soaring infection rates. A major Study Suggests growth of the pandemic may be slowing, but the government warns the country is at a critical moment. Not only cases going up, but were already seeing an increase in deaths, so things are definitely headed in wrong direction. Good morning