hello. own helena humphrey. it's good to have you with us. fears are growing for the survivors of the catastophic flood in the libyan city of derna, where there is a lack of medicine and clean water, and worries that a cholera outbreak is looming. some international aid has begun to arrive in the city, including an italian ship with tents and blankets, and the world health organization says it has delivered medical supplies. more than 11,000 people are known to have died after two dams collapsed, inundating the city with water. thousands more are still missing. the head of the libyan search—and—rescue efforts has said the operation could take months or even years. our correspondent, anna foster, is in on the ground in derna and filed this report. a landscape changed

beyond recognition. a bustling city, now a wasteland. the destructive power of water has ripped the heart from derna. its survivors left wracked with grief and anger. translation: we were told to stay inside our homes. . why? they should have told us there was a storm, told us the dam was old and crumbling. some of these destroyed buildings were 100 years old. this man lost five members of his family in the raging current. one was his ten—month—old daughter. he shows me their pictures... first, alive... ..and then their bodies. this was what brought him here. a convoy of ministers from the eastern government, one of libya's two opposing authorities. fighting has decimated the country's infrastructure.

he says it's proved fatal. i spoke to the eastern prime minister, osama hamad. how could this happen when the dams were supposed to keep people safe? "it was a very strong cyclone", he told me. "too strong for the dams". here in the centre of derna, the destruction is total. and when you look down this valley at an area that used to be filled with apartment buildings, homes, cars, thousands of people with lives that have all been picked up and swept out to sea, you wonder how a city like this can ever recover. down at the port, derna's dead are still returning to the city. recovery teams watch the waves and wait for them. this morning, three more bodies were pulled from the debris, but thousands of others swept far from here will never come home. anna foster, bbc news, derna. turning to the war

in ukraine now. two civilian cargo ships have become the first to safely navigate a maritime corridor to reach one of the country's black sea ports. the two ships have docked in chornomosk and are expected to load almost 20,000 tons of wheat destined for africa and asia. the united nations and other groups have warned that the russian blockade could drive up global grain prices, putting millions of the world's poorest at risk of malnutrition or even starvation. ukrainian naval ships have been defending the corridor since august, after russia said it would once again treat all ships sailing to the country as potential military targets. meanwhile, ukraine says it's retaken the small but strategically located village of andriivka, south of the city of bakhmut. fighting has been raging in this area of eastern ukraine for more than a year. the russian military still controls what's left of bakhmut. but ukrainian forces have been

slowly regaining ground to the north and south of the city. here in the united states, the united auto workers union resumed " reasonably productive" talks with three of the us�*s largest car makers. more than 12,000 workers are participating in the strikes that began shortly after midnight on friday. the union is targetting plants owned by general motors, ford, and stellantis. president biden has sent two officials to detroit, michigan to assist with the negotiations. until a deal is made, targeted strikes are taking place at a general motors assembly facility in wentzville, missouri, a ford motor assembly plant in wayne, michigan, and a jeep stellantis assembly complex in toledo, ohio. a short while ago, i spoke to auto reporter for the new york times in michigan, neal boudette. thanks for being with us.

neal, the union and three car makers have resumed negotiations. do we know how those talks are progressing? well, we know that they met with the three different companies today and the union did put out a statement that they said they made reasonably good progress with ford, which is not really high praise, and obviously they pointedly left out any mention of gm and stellantis. so i think you can assume that from today they made a little bit of progress with ford and no progress with the other two. so neal, talk to us about what those on strike are calling for and what's the mood among them as well? well, certainly the mood among the workers is very upbeat and energised. they had a large rally in downtown detroit last night. senator bernie sanders who's always been outspoken in support of the working class appeared. there were several hundred workers there. so they're energised. what they're looking for is a substantial increase in pay of about a0%.

their reasoning is that the ceos of these three companies have seen their pay go up roughly by about 40% over the last four years, but they want many other things that are fairly contentious — shorter working hours, they want more workers to qualify for lifelong pensions, they want healthcare for retirees paid for by companies, so there are a lot of things on the table that are going to take a lot of time to hammer out. and there's also been concern about electric vehicles. why are workers so concerned about that? well, they're concerned, and probably rightly so. it takes a lot fewer workers to build an electric car than it does a standard car. there's no transmission, there's no fuel system, there's no exhaust system, so there are a lot fewer parts — and what they're concerned about is that as these companies produce more and more electric vehicles they will be looking to close plants and eliminatejobs, american jobs, union jobs, and so that's a very

contentious point. i just want to touch on what you think the level of support is that they are seeing, and i want to bring in a tweet from the former us president barack obama, reading: neal, how much support do you think are workers seeing? i think there's much more support for the workers now than there have been in years past, and as the former president pointed out, these companies are making record profits. stellantis, for example, in the first six months of the year, made $12 billion which is an unheard of amount. so there is some pretty

strong popular support behind the union and whether that factors into their success at the bargaining table, that remains to be seen. i want to talk a bit about the economic climate that we're currently in, because we've seen strikes in hollywood go on for months now. you've been covering this industry for a very long time. do you think there is a possibility that we could see industrial action go on for that long, similar to what we're seeing hollywood right now? given how far apart the two sides are, i think this is not something that will be solved in three days or a week. i think it will go on for several weeks. the strikes are very targeted. so it's only one plant at each of the companies — that doesn't hurt the companies a lot. it does, it cuts into their profit, but it doesn't shut them down. and the same for the workers. there's about 12,000 workers

who are out of work, they get about $500 from the union in support a week but it is not the whole uaw population that is out of work and reduced to $500 a week. so both sides can probably go on for some time. thank you, neal boudette from the new york times talking to us from michigan. great to have you. thank you so much. thank you for having me. the comedian russell brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse over a seven—year period at the height of his fame. that's according to a joint—investigation by the sunday times, the times and the uk channel 4 documentary programme, dispatches. the paper claims that four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 while he was a presenter for bbc radio 2 and channel 4 and acting in hollywood films. the newspaper also reported that others have made

a range of allegations about brand's controlling, abusive, and predatory behaviour. brand has denied the allegations and said his relationships have been "always consensual." our correspondent, lizo mzimba, has the details. over the course of the evening, some of my accoutrements could make their way onto your body. laughter in the late 2000s and early 2010s, russell brand was one of britain's best known faces... announcer: russell brand! famous as a comedian and presenter on both sides of the atlantic... i am famous in the united kingdom! even appearing in hollywood movies. july first, 2012, was when my rape happened. it was in los angeles that he met a woman the investigation by the sunday times, the times and channel 4's dispatches are calling nadia. she says they had a brief sexual relationship but that on a later occasion, he raped her. the women speaking out have had their identities disguised. he pushed me up against the wall.

i'm like, "what are you doing?" and he's like, "i have a friend here and i... "i want you to come into the bedroom." i'm like, "no, that's not happening. "we're not doing that." and i tried to get away from him. and at this point, he's grabbing at my... ..my underwear. i'm telling him to get off me and he won't get off. and he has that glazed look in his eye again. i was very distraught, trying to get out of the house. the following year, brand met a woman the investigation is calling phoebe. again, she says that they did have a sexual relationship but that it had ended when she found herself alone with him in his house. and he grabbed me and got me on the bed. i was fully clothed and he was naked at this point and he held me down. i was screaming and i was like, "what are you doing?", like, "stop". "you're my my friend". "i love you, please don't do this, i don't want to do this." a third woman says she met and had a brief relationship

with brand when he was in his 30s and she was 16 and still at school. she says he later sexually assaulted her. i was pushing him away and pushing him away and he wasn't... he wasn't backing off at all. and so i ended up having to punch him really hard in the stomach to get him off. and then he like, finally then he, like... ..moved, fell backwards and i was crying and he said, "oh, i only want to see your mascara run anyway." the allegations have been denied by russell brand in a video message. these allegations pertain to the time when i was working in the mainstream, when i was in the newspapers all the time, when i was in the movies. and as i've written about extensively in my books, i was very, very promiscuous. now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships i had were absolutely always consensual. what i seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. the comedian who achieved fame with his risque humour

and who was once married to music star katy perry, is now facing the most serious of accusations. lizo mzimba, bbc news. in a statement, a bbc spokesman said, "russell brand worked "for a number of different organisations, of which "the bbc was one. "as is well known, russell brand left the bbc "after a serious "editorial breach in 2008, as did the then—controller "of radio 2. "the circumstances of the breach were reviewed "in detail at the time. "we hope that demonstrates that the bbc takes issues "seriously and is prepared to act. "indeed, the bbc has, over successive years, "evolved its approach to how it manages talent and how it deals "with complaints or issues raised. "we have clear expectations around conduct at work. "these are set out in employment contracts, "the bbc values, "the bbc code of conduct and the anti—bullying "and harassment policy. "we will always listen

to people if they come forward "with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual "working at the bbc, past or present." russell brand went ahead with a scheduled performance in london on saturday evening. these are pictures of him on stage at the troubador theatre in wembley park during his sold—out performance, which lasted about an hour after being delayed by several minutes. the bbc�*s chi chi izundu was at that performance and shejoined me a short time ago. chi chi, thank you for being with us. we were just talking about that late start to the show. what happened ? well, it wasn't just a few minutes that it was late by, it was by more than an hour. russell brand blamed being stuck in traffic. he thanked the audience. it was about a 2,000 seat capacity theatre and he kept thanking them and saying that he appreciated them turning up. he did not refer to the allegations. the only, if you like, reference that he made was when he said, i want to do the best show that i can for you and i've got a lot of things to talk to you about, but there are certain things that i absolutely cannot talk

about was the only thing that you could infer that he was referencing, which, as we know, he denies those allegations. he went on to do his gig for one hour. it was supposed to be a two hour show, but it only lasted one hour. and then he ended the show and he got a standing ovation for a number of minutes. the crowd were clapping and jeering. they laughed throughout the show and then he left the stage. now, russell brand, this is not his only gig in the uk — he's got several coming up over the next couple of months as he tries out new material and tries to get back onto the standup circuit. and whether he appears in those in the coming weeks is another question. and so overall, chi chi, i mean, you started to touch on it, but what was the reaction from the crowd there? it was a very welcoming crowd. they laughed at his jokes. they shouted out things in support, if you like, like "we love you, too, russell." one woman at the start of the gig held up a banner that said, "we support you", and then asked the security

to give him that banner. they laughed, as i said, throughout, and they gave him a standing ovation for a number of minutes afterwards. and as we were leaving, they were more angry at the presence of the media there than anything else. they, as you know, russell brand talks a lot about being very anti mainstream media. and there was a lot of media trying to get footage or pictures of him leaving the theatre. and the crowds were quite angry and antagonistic towards members of those media. but apart from that, they seem to thoroughly enjoy the show. and i'm sure that there were people that would not have enjoyed the show, but that wasn't part of the crowd. it was sold out. 2,000 people or thereabouts were in that theatre. and russell brand does deny these allegations. our correspondent there, chi chi izundu. chi chi, thanks for your reporting.

impeached texas attorney—general ken paxton was acquitted by the texas senate on 16 impeachment articles relating to allegations of corruption. despite the texas house overwhelming supporting here by at this moment reinstated to office. despite the texas house overwhelming supporting impeachment, paxton's republican colleagues in the senate voted against removing him from office. mr paxton was reinstated as attorney general once the vote concluded. protests are being held in iran and across the world to mark one year since the death of mahsa amini — a 22—year—old woman who died in iranian police custody. amini was arrested for allegedly violating iran's strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab or headscarf. an un human rights expert said the evidence established that she died "as a result of beatings" by the morality police. the iran's state coroner said her death was a result

of pre—existing medical conditions. amini's death sparked mass protests across the country with women ripping off their headscarves and cutting their hair in solidarity. authorities have not released an official death toll from the crackdown, but activists and human rights groups have helped to give a picture of what's happening on the ground. a western diplomat in tehran estimates that about 20% of women are now going outside without a head covering. and that at least 20,000 iranians have been arrested with reports of torture and rape while in police custody. human rights groups claim the regime has killed more than 500 people. a short while ago i spoke to iranian—american author and women's rights campaigner, masih alinejad — for her thoughts on the demonstrations happening in iran and around the world. masih alinejad, thank you so much forjoining us here on bbc news. on the anniversary of the death of mahsa amini, how would you assess the impact of the protests that we have seen in iran over the past year? has anything changed

forwomen in iran? i have to say that the flame of the revolution is still burning in iran. right now that i'm talking to you, people, especially the youth, took back to the street because they believe that more than 700 people got killed, 20,000 of them got arrested and many of them got executed, so there is nothing to lose for the young generation in iran, especially women saying that the revolution itself happened inside our heart and we're not going to take a step back, we will end this regime. they want to have a normal life, they want to have dignity, they want to have freedom and the islamic republic actually cracked down on the protesters right now in the streets. talk to me about that mood among those young protesters who are continuing to come out, who are continuing to defy the law in different

ways that they can. how do they feel when they are being faced with that crackdown? it's unbelievable. some of them writing on their own social media, saying goodbye to their friends and family and saying that maybe we won't be able to get back to home but we will sacrifice our life for iran. thatjust breaks my heart because it reminds me of the time when hadis najafi, a 22—year—old woman, took to the street last year. she made a video of herself saying that, four years later, i'm going to be happy when i see free iran. today, after one year, the islamic republic arrested whole family members of hadis najafi. they arrested the father of mahsa amini. they arrested the family members of more than 70 protesters who got killed or executed in last year's uprising. that actually shows you how the regime is scared of any potential uprising but i want to tell you that the iranian people did everything, they sacrificed their lives to free iran, to have freedom and dignity inside.

but i believe the west abandoned iranian people and that is why the islamic republic have no reason to stop killing its own people. tell me more about that then. what more do you want to see from the international community? a year ago there was so much attention glued on these protests. what do you want to now see from other countries? first of all let's start from the uk. people took to the street in the uk a lot to echo the voice of the iranian people, asking the uk government to designate revolutionary guards as a terrorist organisation. so the uk government denied that simple demand and now people are risking their lives tonight in the street, chanting against the revolutionary guards. and the united states of america, right on the anniversary of mahsa amini, the biden administration announced that they handed out $6 billion which i believe is more than this to the islamic republic. this is a gift to a murderous regime of iran. last year we've seen a lot of female politicians

from the european parliament cutting their hair but none of those cut their ties with the murderous regime of iran. so for that i believe empty condemnations are not going to save the lives of iranians. we need strong action to support the iranian people, unarmed people who are getting killed and face rape in prison. how do you foresee the situation evolving for your country when we've seen this wave of protests and then in response to it, we have seen a strong crackdown on people, particularly women there in iran? how do you foresee this evolving in the coming months, the coming years? i believe that the resilience, civil disobedience, that the protests against the islamic republic will continue. as i told you, iranian women

have nothing to lose. cameras are everywhere to identify unveiled women. right now, cameras, security forces are everywhere in the streets across iran but people with open arms walking towards the security forces and cameras and saying that we want to free iran and they are chanting against the dictators, so i believe that the islamic republic took everything from us but not hope. i have hope that one day we will see an iran without the islamic republic. in response to the demonstrations that sparked

mahsa amini's death — the biden administration did impose visa restrictions on 13 iranian officials and other individuals involved in the detention or killing of peaceful protesters. scientists have released new measurements of polar sea ice, showing levels near antarctica reaching a new record low for the winter season. according to recent satellite data, ice cover in the antarctic ocean is about 1.5 million square kilometers less than the september average. that's an area about five times the sie of the british isles. australian scientists say the data may reflect a quote "regime shift," with the antarctic entering a new era of significantly lower ice cover. a renowned indian restaurant in london — that has close links to india's struggle for independence — is closing down today after the owners of the building its housed in say they plan to demolish it. the india club situated on the first floor of the hotel strand continental was founded in 1951 —

by the uk—based india league which had advocated for india's freedom from british colonial rule. it became a social hub for south asian migrants and for decades served those craving indian food — especially in the early years, before it became widely available. the owners say news of its closure has sparked fresh interest in the club and they're searching for new premises. stay with us here on bbc news. that's all from us here in washington, we leave you with these live pictures of london as we hand off to our colleagues there. hello. the weather story for the first half of the weekend was one of big temperature contrasts. it felt like summer's last gasp in the southeast of england, 28 celsius there in london. compare that with a much more autumnal 1a or 15 in belfast and edinburgh. the second half of the weekend i think will be less about temperature contrasts and more about heavy downpours.

you can see all of this cloud swarming to the south of us on our earlier satellite image. those showers and thunderstorms will make their move during the day on sunday. in the north of scotland, the day getting off to a cold start under clear skies. further south, significantly milder. generally a lot of cloud around away from northern scotland, some bits and pieces of rain for northern ireland, western parts of scotland but then we turn our eyes down to the south, because this is the heavy, thundery rain that will be drifting across southern counties of england into wales and the midlands. we could see some really intense downpours with a lot of rain in a short space of time, some hale, some squally, gusty winds, could potentially cause a little bit of disruption. temperatures north to south between 15 and 23 degrees in most places. during sunday night the showers and thunderstorms will drift erratically northwards across parts of england and wales into southern scotland, possibly northern ireland. here a separate band of rain pushing its way

in from the west. plenty of wet weather around to take us through the night into the first part of monday. a mild start to monday, 11 to 16 degrees. through monday we'll see this band of rain pushing its way eastwards, essentially scooping up all the thunderstorms and taking them all away with something brighter following on behind. still though with a scattering of hefty showers, temperatures 13 to 22 degrees. but that band of rain sweeping through is associated with a weather front and that is a bit like opening the door to autumn, because behind that we see a run of westerly winds from the atlantic, various areas of low pressure moving through, so on tuesday, expect some outbreaks of rain, some quite brisk winds actually, particularly i think on the southern side of this weather system. temperatures of 1a to 19 degrees and through the middle and the end of the week, we will see further bouts of wet

and potentially rather windy weather, so it certainly is going to feel like autumn through the week ahead.

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. as children, they dreamt of becoming professional ballet dancers... what it felt like was just being bullied on a daily basis. ..training at two of most prestigious ballet schools in the uk. the ballet world is a brutal place but telling people that

you're too fat, i don't think that's preparing you for anything. now speaking out about what, for years, has been left unsaid... it is a culture of silence, a culture of not breaking ranks. there is something cultish about it, i cannot avoid that word. ..a world where eating disorders are common... i hadn'tjoined the school looking like that. it had been a change that had happened quite quickly. ijust kind of stood there whilst my peers gave me a round of applause for losing weight. ..producing wonderful dancers but also leaving a legacy of emotional problems. the school were not equipped to deal with mental health problems at the extent mine was at. nobody should be spoken to in a way that makes them walk away feeling worthless.