BBC News

Today, the UK's secretary of state for justice David Lammy has confirmed plans to get rid of jury trials for crimes with sentences of less than three years.

The reforms to the justice system include creating "swift courts" under the government's plan to tackle unprecedented delays in the court system. Serious offences including murder, robbery and rape will still go before a jury. Lammy has said the reforms were “bold” but “necessary”. Adam is joined by home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani.

And, amidst all the noise around last week’s budget you may have missed the prime minister's suggestion that he will accept all the recomendations made in a report that criticised the UK’s nuclear power industry as expensive and “overly complex”.

The man who wrote it, John Fingleton, tells Adam about what he found and what he thinks it tells us about the UK’s approach to regulation.

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The White House says a top US Navy admiral ordered a second round of strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in September. The Washington Post reported that two people survived the first blast and were still clinging to the burning vessel when they were killed, raising questions about legality.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the strikes but did not give an order to "kill everybody".

We speak to the BBC's Latin America online editor Vanessa Buschschlüter.

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Disney star Calum Worthy’s AI start-up claims to help memorialise loved ones by creating interactive digital clones of the deceased. But is this innovation comforting—or dystopian?

With the recent AI app going viral and sparking global debate, the AI Decoded team dives into the controversy, ethics, and future of ‘talking to the dead.’

Joining presenter Christian Fraser is AI Decoded co-host Stephanie Hare and AI Correspondent Marc Cieslak.

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The death toll has continued to rise as rescue operations in four countries hit by severe flooding in South East Asia continue.

Indonesia, along with Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka have all been hit with torrential rain and storms in recent days.

Rescue workers are still battling to reach affected areas in Indonesia, where the death toll has climbed to 631, and nearly 500 people remain missing.

About one million people have been evacuated, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Across South and South East Asia, about 1,200 people have been killed in the last week. In Sri Lanka, at least 390 people died, while in Thailand the death toll has reached at least 176.

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The White House has defended its Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over allegations he authorised a second round of strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in September.

It has been reported that two people survived the first blast, and were still clinging to the burning vessel when they were killed, raising fresh legality questions.

Some US politicians and former officers have said the "double tap" strike would constitute a war crime.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the strikes but did not give an order to "kill everybody", adding that a top US Navy admiral ordered the strikes “within his authority and the law”.

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Pope Leo XIV has been in Lebanon during his first foreign trip, the week after Israeli air strikes hit the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Pope paid his respects by holding a silent player at the site of the 2020 explosion in the Port of Beirut and met relatives of the victims.

About 150,000 people are thought to have gathered for Pope Leo's mass in Beirut.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, after the White House said it was "very optimistic" about reaching a deal to end the Ukraine war.

The summit comes after two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials, including Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, aimed at refining a US-backed peace plan which had been viewed as favourable to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the talks as "constructive", but said there were "some tough issues that still have to be worked through".

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The UK government is set to announce plans to restrict the ancient right to a jury trial in England and Wales, in an attempt to clear a record backlog of cases.

It is thought that the plan would see the end of jury trials other than for the most serious cases including murder, and the proposals will be laid out in Parliament later on Tuesday.

David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, insisted that juries would remain a "fundamental part of the criminal justice system".

There are currently 78,000 cases waiting to be completed in Crown Courts. In practice, this means that some suspects being charged with serious crimes today may not have a trial until late 2029 or early 2030.

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Today, the Prime Minister has defended Rachel Reeves saying she did not mislead the public.

Pressure has been building over the chancellor this weekend after Reeves was accused of misleading the public and the cabinet, something she denied.  She is accused of of not giving the upsides to forecasts in a speech on 4 November. Adam and Chris is joined by Dharshini David deputy economics editor. 

And, the UK and US have agreed a deal to keep tariffs on pharmaceutical shipments from the UK to America. Under the agreement the UK will pay more for medicines through the NHS in return for a guarantee that US import taxes on pharmaceuticals made in the UK will remain at zero for three years. Adam is joined by Simon Jack, business editor. 

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Sir Keir Starmer has denied his chancellor misled the public about the UK's finances ahead of last week's Budget.

The Conservatives have accused Rachel Reeves of giving an overly pessimistic impression as a "smokescreen" to raise taxes, with Kemi Badenoch claiming she "lied to the public".

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has resigned following the Budget day error which saw a key document published early.

Richard Hughes said in his resignation letter that he took "full responsibility" for the issues that were identified in the OBR's investigation into the mistake.

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