this is bbc news. i'm kasia madera. our top stories: a national tragedy — the president of sierra leone leads the mourning for over 300 people killed in landslides and floods. north korea says president kim has been studying plans for a missile strike around the american territory of guam. and — taylor swift wins a court case against a former radio dj. thejury finds he did grope her. and in business: a future without borders! the uk government pushes for a frictionless trade deal to help ease its transition towards a post—brexit future. putting america first. donald trump calls for an investigation into whether china is stealing intellectual property from american companies. hello and welcome to bbc news.

mudslides and floods are known to have killed more than 300 people in sierra leone. torrential rain caused a hillside to collapse on the outskirts of the capital city — freetown. hundreds of bodies are still thought to be trapped under the debris — with rescue and recovery efforts resuming with daybreak. greg dawson reports. while some stare in stunned silence at what is left of their home, others, with their bare hands, are still searching and hoping. the grim reality is that beneath the tons of mud, many more lives and homes lay. amid the destruction, the grief. this man says he has lost all eight members of his family.” this man says he has lost all eight members of his family. i first saw the body of my sister. i called on

people to help me. we later on the floor. then i started hearing other people crying. i've lost all of my family —— we laid her on the floor. this is an overpopulated city, with many living on the hillside in flimsy and unprotected shacks that we re flimsy and unprotected shacks that were crushed by the mud. the country's president urged survivors to stay calm and leave the area. iam very i am very distraught by this national tragedy, and with a heavy heart, let me extend my condolences to the bereaved families. this is not a tragedy for you alone. it is a tragedy for every civilian, because the people who have perished in this disaster are our compatriots. the red cross estimates up to 3000

people have lost their homes. those that aren't completely destroyed our caked in mud and debris. this is a city used to heavy rains, but the scale of the damage took everyone by surprise —— are. many roads and towns are either cut off or transformed into raging rivers. the challenge for rescuers is simply trying to reach those who are still trapped, awaiting supplies of food and clean water. south korea's president has sought to reassure his country following heightened tension on the peninsula, saying his government will prevent war at all costs. earlier, pyongyang said its leader, kim jong—un, had been fully briefed on plans to launch missiles near the us pacific territory of guam. but the state news agency said mr kim would watch american actions for a time before deciding whether to order any launch. let's go live to seoul now, the bbc‘s yogita limaye is there. are we seeing north korea trying to

defuse this escalating tension? the fa ct defuse this escalating tension? the fact that they say they are going to watch the us behaviourfor a bit more time, also in a statement they talked about how to defuse the tension and prevent any more. that will depend on the us taking some action to show them that the us wa nts to action to show them that the us wants to defuse tensions. it does seem ina wants to defuse tensions. it does seem in a way that they want to use the pause button on their stand. i have been speaking to analysts and some of them have told me that it could simply be that north korea is not yet prepared to launch that attack on guam. it could well be that it attack on guam. it could well be thatitis attack on guam. it could well be that it is not about defusing the situation, it is about buying more time to get prepared. that is an interesting point. we have upcoming literary exercises between the us and south korea. that is always very irritating for north korea?m

and south korea. that is always very irritating for north korea? it is. that is perhaps why that aggression is expected to continue next week. it is interesting what the president said on his address on liberation day. apart from saying that the country would do everything to avoid war, he also said that no military action can be taken on the korean peninsula without the consent of south korea. that is extremely important because people here have been getting worried about the stand—off between north korea and the us. the president's stands has reiterated his thoughts. the american high—ranking general yesterday used the word piece a number of times. —— peace —— stance.

let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. firefighters in greece have been battling more than 90 forest fires across the country, an outbreak fed by dry winds and high temperatures. some of the fires have been burning for days now, with homes damaged and a state of emergency declared in some areas. the british man credited with stopping hackers from spreading the wannacry computer virus has himself appeared in court in america on unrelated hacking charges. marcus hutchins denied writing and distributing code which could help steal banking details. he was released on bail, and will be allowed to continue his cyber—security work while living in los angeles. a teenage girl has been killed and eight others people injured when a man drove a car into a pizza restaurant in a paris suburb. it happened to the east of paris in the village of sept—sorts. prosecutors have ruled out a terrorist motive. ben is here with all the business news. we haven't spoken about brexit flora

wale? —— brexit for a while? the british prime minister theresa may has this morning published a blueprint for future trade relations between the uk and the european union. in the first of a series of brexit papers, the government suggested creating an interim period of trade, saying one possible approach would be a temporary customs union between the uk and the eu. that means they would continue applying the same tariffs to goods from outside the union — which can then move between them without more tariffs being added. the government's brexit committee hopes a time—limited transition period will give importers and exporters enough time to adjust to the realities of brexit. in a bid to create what it calls a seamless and frictionless border.

it sounds magical, doesn't it? the government has suggested either creating a brand new arrangement that includes a new customs border or a special partnership which would negate the need for a customs border at all. we will talk about all of this in a bit more detail in the world business report. donald trump has asked his top trade official to review china's practices regarding intellectual property. it is a very sensitive time for washington as they are leaning on china to assist with the nuclear threat posed by north korea. according to the us government, intellectual property stolen by china is estimated to be worth more than $300 billion. china is set to account for between 50— 80% of intellectual property theft from around the world. we will have more on the in about 20 minutes time. in the meantime, you can find

me and most of the team on twitter. in the wake of the weekend violence in virginia, centred on the planned removal of a confederate—era statue, a statue commemorating a confederate soldier has been toppled by protesters in north carolina. the statue — in the town of durham — was yanked down by the crowd on monday evening. and in kentucky, a mayor has announced that plans to remove other statues will be accelerated, because of events in virginia. time to turn to india where people are marking a 70th year of india's independence from british colonial rule. the british unionjack was lowered 70 yea rs rule. the british unionjack was lowered 70 years ago to be replaced by the indian flag. it was from there that prime minister narendra modi made his speech. today is

india's day to mark independence. sanjoy majumder is in delhi for us. narendra modi choosing a very symbolic backdrop for his speech? yes, in fact, symbolic backdrop for his speech? yes, infact, 70 symbolic backdrop for his speech? yes, in fact, 70 years ago, the crowd was celebrating the moment when they achieved independence. it is where every single prime minister has addressed the nation on the 15th of august. it is a tradition which also symbolises how india's ability to sustain itself as a functioning democracy against the predictions of many who felt india might disintegrate, it is a tribute to what it has achieved in the 70 years since it gained independence. the prime minister used the occasion to reflect on that. he paid tribute to the country's freedom fighters and spoke of his dream of turning india into a prosperous and

technologically advanced nation in the next two years. india is not the same country was in 19117. per capita income was $26, it stands at over seven and a half thousand dollars today. the country itself is a nearly $10 trillion economy, one of the largest in the world. the prime minister also talked about issues of concern, including india's ability to defend itself against what he described as external forces, the problems it has with its neighbour, pakistan. also china, where four weeks troops have been locked in a bitter border dispute. they spoke about the tragic deaths of more than 60 children in a hospital in north india last week, an allusion to the fa ct india last week, an allusion to the fact that although it has come a long way, there is far to go. what more can we expect in terms of events with this anniversary? more can we expect in terms of events with this anniversary7m more can we expect in terms of events with this anniversary? it is a public holiday. the mood is one of

festivity. we have been out for several hours on the street, we have seen several hours on the street, we have seen people on motorcycles, carrying the national flag. that seen people on motorcycles, carrying the nationalflag. that is seen people on motorcycles, carrying the national flag. that is the celebration that is taking place in every pa rt celebration that is taking place in every part of india. that is to address people of india from here, celebrations of a similar nature are taking place across all of india's state, across schools and just about everywhere. this is seen as a day of celebration, not so much as a day in which people ought to remember the tragic events of partition of the country more than 70 years ago. hindus came towards india and the country's muslim residents moved towards pakistan. thank you for your time. a verdict has been reached in the court case between an american dj

and the us singer taylor swift. jurors in denver agreed that david mueller had groped her at an event in 2013. his claim for damages, on the grounds that his reputation had been destroyed by false allegations, was thrown out. from los angeles, peter bowes reports. a high—profile trial pitting one of the world's most high—profile singers against a dj. when david mueller lost hisjob, he blamed taylor swift for losing his career. his mother called his employer to report that he had groped swift at a photo shoot. she countersued for the assault, which she described in court as a very long grab under her skirt. it was a very shocking thing, she said, that she had never experienced before. last week, the judge threw out mueller‘s lawsuit, saying that the dj had not shown that swift set out to have him fired. but her case against him continued, and the jury sided with the pop star.

she had been assaulted, and in keeping with her wishes, mueller was ordered to pay $1 in damages. in a statement, swift thanked the judge and her legal team for fighting for her, and anyone who felt silenced by sexual assault. she said she wanted to help those whose voices should also be heard. it gives courage and inspiration to all people, notjust women, but to all people, to have the courage to draw lines, and to know where those lines are, lines of mutual respect between people. taylor swift, who is one of america's top—selling singers, said in future she would be making donations to multiple organisations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves. stay with us, we've got lots more still to come. including three saudi arabian princes who disappeared in europe in the past two years. human

rights campaigners want to know where they have gone. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a hugejob of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutalformer dictator, has died at the age of 80. he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. two billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millenium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later when the sun set over the bay of bengal.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: mudslides and floods in sierra leone are now known to have killed more than 300 people in the capital, freetown. thousands have been forced from their homes. north korea's president has been briefed on plans to launch missiles near the us pacific territory of guam, but said he would watch american actions before deciding whether to order a launch. three princes from saudi arabia who have been critical of the kingdom's ruling family have disappeared in the last two years. all of them have had been living in europe. one was jailed in saudi arabia without trial, while the whereabouts of the other two are unknown. looking at the story, bbc arabic‘s reda el mawy reports. these three saudi princes were

outspoken critics of the saudi royal family. all have disappeared. prince sultan bin turki bin abdulaziz was once an officer in the saudi police, which gave him access to highly sensitive information. in june which gave him access to highly sensitive information. injune 2012 he began posting videos on youtube, in which he called for reform in saudi arabia. he also claimed to have highly damaging documents and threatened to expose corruption at the highest level. prince turki was later arrested in morocco and deported to saudi arabia at the request of the saudi authorities. another prince, saud bin saif al—nasr, was a relatively minor royal with known in political activities. but in 2015 he began to

eating attacks on the saudi monarchy. to those who say i am criticising people from my family, i say it is obligatory to state the truth. in september 2015, and an on the saudi prince wrote two letters calling for a coup to overthrow king salman. the letters went online and we re salman. the letters went online and were read why millions. this was an astonishing display of opposition. prince saud was the only royal to endorse the letters. this was tantamount to treason and may have sealed his fate. a few days they to his twitter account fell silent. prince sultan bin turki was one of the grandsons of prince abdulaziz, the grandsons of prince abdulaziz, the founder of saudi arabia. he was abducted twice, the first time from geneva in 2003, after which he was placed under house arrest in saudi arabia. years later, he was allowed

to leave saudi arabia for medical treatment in the united states. he contacted treatment in the united states. he co nta cted a treatment in the united states. he contacted a lawyer who placed a criminal complaint on his behalf to the swiss authorities. it belies any credibility that this was anything other than the abduction described by prince sultan. i interviewed some witnesses, collected some medical evidence, including a medical record from king faisal hospital, where he was admitted the next day, it in june 2003, which indicated he had aspirated and had been integrated in geneva, and was put on a medivac plane which for some reason was already waiting at the airport. prince sultan was never able to play shoes case. he was kidnapped again in 2016. in january shoes case. he was kidnapped again in 2016. injanuary of that year, he boarded ajet in 2016. injanuary of that year, he boarded a jet offered to him by the saudi consulate in paris. two of his staff told us what happened on the flight. staff told us what happened on the flight. the plane never made it to

cairo. the pilots diverted the flight cairo. the pilots diverted the flight to riau, were armed soldiers we re flight to riau, were armed soldiers were waiting. —— riyadh. they dragged him off the plane. call the embassy! it was an astonishing situation. a saudi prince and his tea m situation. a saudi prince and his team of european and american nationals were kidnapped and taken to saudi arabia. the foreigners were allowed to leave three days later. sultan has not been heard from since. callard and farhan ellis told this another dissident prince who 110w this another dissident prince who now lives in germany. he says the fate of the dissident princes is decided at the very top of the saudi government. we tried to contact the three princes without success. their

whereabouts are unknown. when we asked the government of saudi arabia to respond to the allegations, they declined to comment. that was saudi prince khaled bin farhan al—saud ending that bbc arabic investigation. and for more on this story, you can go to the bbc website and find an article in the online magazine section titled saudi arabia's missing princes. head to bbc.com/news/magazine. we start the sport with disturbing news from germany, where a first round match in the cup had to be halted twice because of crowd trouble. hansa rostock and hertha berlin were the teams involved and at one point it looked like the game would be abandoned. however, eventually order was restored, with hertha berlin eventually winning 2—0. although the football authorities may not see that as the end

of the matter. police will hope for more peaceful scene on tuesday night in germany where hoffenheim take on liverpool in a champions league qualifier. philippe coutinho has been left out of the squad for the game. he put in a transfer request last week, just days after liverpool had rejected a $115 million bid from barcelona. he missed saturday's premier league match against watford with a back injury. i have nothing to say about it. i really understand everybody‘s interested in this but i can't say that in this moment, i'm really thinking about it. i'm here and i answer questions but in the car, on the way to this press conference, i did not think what can i say if they asked or whatever because really i have to think about the team, we have a session in a few minutes. and i always was like this. i work with the players i have, i don't think about the players i do not have...

if you want to ask still, i have no other answers, sorry. andy murray's reign at the top of the world rankings is about to come to an end. he'll be replaced by rafael nadal who will reach the top for the first time since july 2014 regardless of the results at this weeks tournament in cincinnati. the spainard is the only player in the world's top six to be competing after roger federer withdrew. it also means he's certain to go into the final major of the year, the us open, as the world's top ranked player. australian surferjulian wilson has won a dramatic final in the tahiti leg of the world surf league championship tour. even if you don't follow surfing, this video is impressive. this is the final part of his final leg and it gave him big scores to seal the victory. a box filled with essentials for newborn babies will be arriving

at the homes of new mothers in scotland from today. the baby boxes are inspired by a scheme in finland to give all new mums a starter pack of things like clothes, a blanket and toys. from edinburgh, lorna gordon reports. a first look at a scottish baby box for these mothers and mothers to be. from today, all expectant mothers in scotla nd from today, all expectant mothers in scotland will receive a box like this. it doubles as a crib and contains dozens of the essential items. i think it is excellent. as first—time parents we are probably thinking, what do we need? what do we not need ? thinking, what do we need? what do we not need? it is good to know they have covered everything that we will need for the start. i really like the idea of it being a safe sleeping space. i would the idea of it being a safe sleeping space. iwould probably the idea of it being a safe sleeping space. i would probably use it more

in today at night—time, for bedding down for naps during the day. more than 50,000 baby boxes will be handed out every year, as well as plenty of practical items, they will also include advice on safe sleeping environment is for a newborn child and the scheme will be monitored to see whether it helps reduce infant mortality. one of the causes of cot death is actually when parents share a bed or sofa with their baby. and that might be because there is nowhere else for the baby to sleep. so we think that this box providing us so we think that this box providing us with an alternative safe place to sleep may actually reduce the rates of cot death. we are going to evaluate that. at 106 to pounds per ox, evaluate that. at 106 to pounds per 0x, concerns have evaluate that. at 106 to pounds per ox, concerns have been raised that offering one to all new parents regardless of need might not be the best use of public money. —— £160 per box. the scottish government says every child should have the best start to life in a matter what the circumstances. well, tuesday's looking pretty good

across most of the uk. the rest of the week, however, overall is still looking rather changeable. and actually, as we head into the weekend, it looks pretty blustery, as well. this is a gloomy picture from yesterday in aberystwyth, from monday. tuesday is going to be a lot sunnier across this part of the world. now, this is the satellite picture, from the last 12 hours or so. we had some rain sweeping across many western and northern areas. really quite heavy rain in some areas, and towards the early hours of tuesday morning, there still could be some heavier rain around across the far, far north—east of the country, and possibly the far south—east as well, and maybe even a crack of thunder. and the start to the day is a relatively mild one. 14,16 degrees, even up to 17 during the rush hour across the south. and really, it is starting pretty nice nad bright across most areas. there are a few showers around, here and there, but on balance, fine start from the south—east, the midlands, wales.

a couple of showers there around the lake district, maybe a few dotted around in northern ireland and western scotland, but on the whole, a nice start to the day. and here is that overnight rain moving away towards the north—east, off the edge of the screen — good riddance. now, as far as tuesday morning, and the second half of the morning and the afternoon is concerned, showers are actually going to be brewing inland. so it is not a completely dry day. take a brolly if you are out for any lengthy period of time. sunny spells — plenty of them, yes, and feeling quite warm, but there will be showers breaking out. how are we doing compared to the rest of europe? well, london will be warming up to 2a degrees. we're on a par with paris, but some storms around here, similar to warsaw and moscow. but hotting up across spain and portugal, and in italy and rome, there, temperatures up to around 35 degrees celsius. anyway, back home, tuesday into wednesday, there will be a ridge of high pressure. high pressure usually

means fine weather. so for many parts of england, i think, and eastern scotland, wednesday morning and afternoon is looking fine. but you can't miss this. this is the next low pressure, next weather front, moving in during wednesday morning and afternoon. so the weather will go downhill in belfast, in glasgow, around the irish sea, liverpool, western wales, and down into cornwall. but london is looking fine. temperatures could even be a little bit higher than 23 degrees celsius. but that rain will move through during the course of wednesday into thursday, and then it is a fresher day, i think, for most of us on thursday. this is bbc world news, the headlines. rescue and recovery efforts are due to resume at first light in the sierra leonean capital, freetown, following a devastating mudslide and floods which killed more than 300 people. president koroma has appealed for calm.

north korean media has said president kimjong—un has been briefed on plans to launch missiles near the us pacific territory of guam. however, it said mr kim would watch american actions before deciding whether to order any launch. firefighters in greece are battling more than 90 forest fires across the country — an outbreak fed by dry winds and high temperatures. homes have been destroyed and damaged and a state of emergency declared in some areas. the american singer, taylor swift, has won her court case against a former radio dj she accused of assaulting her.