hello, i'm tom donkin. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories this hour: a new ballistic missile launch from north korea, flying overjapan and crashing down into the pacific ocean. a special report from sierra leone, where 1,000 people are still missing a month after a devastating mudslide. russia fires cruise missiles into syria and invites the bbc to come and watch. and after nearly 20 years in space, the cassini space probe will send back its last pictures of saturn before burning up in the planet's atmosphere. north korea has again defied world opinion by firing a ballistic missile over northern japan.

the japanese government said the missile was fired without advance notice, and was a "provocative action" that raised regional tensions. south korea's military said the missile was launched towards the east from the north korean capital pyongyang. it flew 3700km over the island of hokkaido and crashed into the pacific ocean about 2,000km east of cape erimo. the un security council is to meet in emergency session later on friday to discuss the crisis. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonell is in the south korean capital, seoul. stephen, we know that some of the reaction from various countries involved in this crisis, but what more do we know about the missile itself? —— we know about some of the reaction. this is the first missile fired by north korea since the latest round of sanctions imposed on that country for its nuclear weapons

programme. the south korean military estimated it travelled about 3700 kilometres across japan and into the pacific ocean. here in seoul, the national security council is meeting as we speak. there has again been global condemnation of north korea, certainly in this part of the world. for example, the japanese prime minister has said his country would never tolerate these types of provocations, and the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has said that this will further increase north korea's isolation, leading up to another emergency meeting of the un security council. you cannot help at think this is exactly what north korea would like. —— but think. they seem to launch these missiles at a time and in a way which would cause maximum concern. they want to draw

attention to this programme. in japan, this missile flies across and sirens go off, people get warnings on their phones to seek emergency shelter, and this is the way we are all talking about north korea again. it doesn't want to have a nuclear capability on less it can, i guess, scarer other countries into thinking that they cannot threaten that regime. —— unless it can. that is really north korea's long play here. stephen, thank you. the bbc‘s rupert wingfield—hayes is in tokyo, and earlier he explained that this missile flew considerably further than previous north korean launches. the difference between this and last month's missile appears to be how ha rd month's missile appears to be how hard it flew and how far it flew. —— how high. it looks like it flew about 3700 kilometres into the ocean, considerably further than the

missile which was fired last month. it is what we expected to see. both the united states and its allies, japan and south korea, have been watching for this launch. it was first expected on saturday the ninth of september. that wouldn't happen. they have been watching the setup of missile from satellites. this was not an unexpected launch, but obviously it came as a shock to people here in japan. obviously it came as a shock to people here injapan. alarms went off across northern japan, and in hack either this morning people were told to get to shelter. —— in hokkaido. so people were woken up early this morning by this injapan. some analysis now, and joining me is dr balbina hwang, who is a visiting professor at georgetown university. she previously served as a senior special adviser to the us state department on east asian and pacific affairs. the latest word from the state department and us secretary of state rex tillerson is a call for russia and china to take direct actions themselves against north korea and

these launchers. how likely is that, do you think? i think we may have lost the line to washington. that seems to have frozen on dr hwang. we will try to get her back and get the latest from washington and the american response. for now, we will move on. up to 1,000 people are still missing in sierra leone after the devastating mudslide that hit the city of freetown last month. more than 500 people are known to have died in the disaster. thousands more have had to leave their homes. 0ur correspondent umaru fofana has been to freetown, to meet some of the survivors and find out how they're coping. the scale of this disaster is immense. no warnings, no time to escape. they all died. the whole family, they all died. one month on, a steady stream of grieving people still return to thing site, with photographs of those who were killed. the country had never

seen anything like it. it's rained for days. the mudslide was accompanied by flash flooding in several areas. with no proper emergency service, volunteers took the lead. chaos ensued. in a matter of minutes on 14th august, thomas lost eight members of his family. he takes me back to the pile of mud and rubble that was once his family home. i headed south and called for my youngest sister. marion, marion, marion. i heard a voice, calling... in pain? yes, she was in deep pain. i was so depressed. i started to remove the sticks aggressively. i ran into this place to get a pickaxe, shovel and hammer also bar, to remove the nails from things

around and then i started to use my bare hands on the ground to remove the mud. then i found the full hand of my younger sister. dozens of families in this middle class neighbourhood have their own harrowing stories to tell, following what happened here and in what is now sierra leone's ground zero. it's believed about 1,000 bodies still lie beneath the mud and rubble, in the wake of what is the latest tragedy to befall sierra leone. unlike most of the teams, whose bodies were mangled by mud and rocks, thomas can give his sister, nephew and niece a proper burial. even time has not consoled the bereaved families.

sierra leone is still burying its dead. god be with you... let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. suicide bombers and gunmen have carried out attacks on a highway near the southern iraqi city of nassiriya, killing at least 60 people and wounding dozens more. 0ne attacker detonated an explosive vest in a restaurant, as his accomplices opened fire at people inside. a nearby police checkpoint was targeted with a car bomb. a second set of criminal charges has been filed against brazilian president michel temer. brazil's top anti—corruption president michel temer. brazil's top anti—corru ption prosecutor has charged him with obstruction of justice and racketeering at the supreme court. michel temer has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and earlier this week he angrily criticised the move to charge him. there have been disturbances at arsenal's emirates stadium in north london, after thousands

of cologne fans turned up for a match without tickets. the europa league game was delayed by an hour when scuffles broke out between supporters and stewards. five people were arrested. arsenal eventually won the match 3—1. let's move back to our top story, and go back to washington, where we can speak to dr balbina hwang, a visiting professor, and as i said, before that worked at the state department. dr balbina hwang, thank you for hanging on and speaking to us. you for hanging on and speaking to us. the latest word from the state department and rex tillerson is a call for china and russia to respond directly against these actions. how likely is that, do you think?|j think likely is that, do you think?” think it is highly unlikely that russia and china will do what we think is necessary, but which may eventually not even be able to

change north korea's behaviour. this is clearly... it comes down to whether or not russia and china view these missile tests is enough of a threat to change their strategic additions. —— positions. it is clear that so far they do not. how are we reading this from the north‘s perspective? would you interpret this latest launch as a response to the latest round of sanctions imposed by the un? that is certainly pa rt imposed by the un? that is certainly part of the message that is being sent. in a way, north korea is declaring to everybody, including russia and china, that un sanctions really are quiet... v/line seems to be breaking up there with dr hwang. —— the line. yes, we seem to have lost that line. dr hwang was assessing her interpretation of this latest launch. we will try to get her back but for the moment we will

move on. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, cuba is struggling to recover from hurricane irma still to come, cuba is struggling to recoverfrom hurricane irma last week. but we have learned there are not many countries willing to help. freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here — of the blacks in soweto township, as well as the whites, in their rich suburbs. we say to you today, in a loud and a clear voice, enough of blood and tears — enough! translation: the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great and exceptional courage. it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people, caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe.

iam free! this is bbc news. the latest headlines... north korea has fired a second ballistic missile over northern japan. south korean officials say it flew 3700 kilometres — far longer than previous launches. a month after the landslide disaster in sierra leone, around a thousand people are still missing under the mud and rubble. russian submarines have fired a number of cruise missiles at so—called islamic state targets in syria, where the war has now been raging for six years. two years ago, russia entered the conflict on the side of president assad. since then, his government forces have been steadily regaining ground. meanwhile, kurdish forces backed by american air power, have been making gains

against is in the north. 0ur correspondent, steve rosenberg reports from the syrian city of latakia. we're off the coast of syria with the russian navy. this is the admiral essen. the russians will show us something they've never let foreign journalists film before. combat alert. then, emerging from the sea, cruise missiles from a russian submarine. their target is hundreds of miles away. the so—called islamic state. there's a second submarine and another launch. it's two years since russia launched its military campaign in syria and the fact that the russians invited foreign journalists here today, shows just how confident they are that the war in syria is going their way. the submarines surface.

we're told — mission accomplished. translation: the missile strike destroyed command and communication posts, ammunition depots and groups of militants south—east of the syrian town of deir el—zour. this week the russian army took us on a guided tour of syria, presenting its view of what's happening here. it's russian firepower which has kept president assad in power and that's caused criticism in the west but today moscow wants the world to see it as a peace maker in syria, not a problem. near the city of homs we were shown russian soldiers handing out humanitarian aid. there was a crush and chaos. many of these people had made their way here from an area controlled by the syrian opposition. nearby, russian sappers were training syrians to remove

mines, preparations for making post—war syria safe. the russians believe it could take up to ten years to rid this country of all the explosives that were planted here. for now, russia's military operation continues, in the air and at sea. with is under growing pressure, moscow believes the conflict here could soon end. but don't expect the russians to step away. in this war of many global players, russia is key to deciding syria's future. steve rosenberg bbc news, syria. returning to top story and the latest missile test in north korea. live now to washington, dc and to eric cam. thank you forjoining us. the un security council is meeting

later on friday, the general assembly meets next week. it is president trump's first appearance at the general assembly. are there any avenues left for the un to explore? i do believe that the sanctions that were recently placed upon north korea, those sanctions we re upon north korea, those sanctions were watered down and they were watered down as a result of pushback from russia and china. i do believe that if there is one avenue... if there is any avenue left or the un security council it would be to step up security council it would be to step up those sanctions. however, considering how sanctions typically work and that it takes so much time for the sanctions to begin to take effect, i do believe that it will not deter pyongyang's nuclear ambitions at all. if we look at where they are, particularly with

the continuation of missile testing, i think they are so far down the road that they would be where they wa nt to road that they would be where they want to be before the sanctions even took hold and took effect on the country, let alone if they would even have impact on the north korean leaders. we heard from two man, senior in the us administration in the last half an hour, rex tillerson said that russia and china must indicate intolerance for these missile launchers and take direct action of the own. jim matters who, in contrast, says we have done a round of calls that we normally do, steady as she goes. that indicates that there is not much of an appetite for the us to go it alone here. that is correct. what you see taking place is secretary to listen... the chief diplomat, if you look at this situation from the us stand port and us engagement it does

appear that many in washington, and particularly around the trump administration... are leaning heavily on secretary matters —— mattis on the us response. president is completely comfortable with a military response occurs if you look at secretary tillotson, the secretary of state and what is to ta ke secretary of state and what is to take place next week, we hear, at least my sources tell me within the state department, that they want to see the us with a toe print and not a footprint. it looks as if they wa nt to a footprint. it looks as if they want to expand their engagement diplomatically in trying to resolve this situation. that needs to give eve ryo ne this situation. that needs to give everyone around the globe halls in how we try to negotiate a peaceful solution to this problem. in your

opinion, do you think that president trump and his administration have given up on this action of pressuring countries like china to use their influence on the north?” believe that there is a role for china to play. however it requires a delicate touch and we have not seen this president... he is not known to having a delicate touch. and also, diplomacy is seen more as a mirror on and not a spring. if you look at what is going on, particularly with the state department, you see secretary to listen and the trump administration call for a 30% cut to the state department. what that means is that they are... they do not see the state department, they do not see diplomacy as a priority in engaging in us foreign policy. that also means that if you look at what is going on in the state department there are not as many

leathers for rex tillerson to pull in order to try to grapple with this problem. what i mean is that he does not have the people in place to actively engage and be able to massage the situation, that is co nsta ntly massage the situation, that is constantly engaging with his cou nterpa rts constantly engaging with his counterparts in china, counterparts injapan, counterparts in china, counterparts in japan, counterparts... even counterparts in china, counterparts injapan, counterparts... even in russia. we just injapan, counterparts... even in russia. wejust do not injapan, counterparts... even in russia. we just do not have those leathers. we do not see the under secretary of state for asian affairs orfor secretary of state for asian affairs or for china secretary of state for asian affairs orfor china engaging like they should. the state department currently is hollowed out and so that limits the options that are on the table for the us to really begin to use all of its entire foreign policy toolkit to bring to bear to be able to stave off any type of nuclear confrontation with north korea. that is eric cam joining us

from washington. many communities are still struggling in the aftermath of hurricane irma. more than 80 people were killed during the storm, at least ten in cuba. the government is rebuilding as best it can but there is still no power in parts of the island and there are not many countries rushing to help. days after irma struck cuba, some are still clearing up the water. the ferocious storm flooded whole swathes of havana, contaminating systems with sea water. now, house by house, they must be emptied. one of the worst affected areas was this poor neighbourhood directly next to the sea wall. today, the floodwaters have receded but mark has been left in every sense. local resident alexander took me around his damaged neighbourhood. hava na's alexander took me around his damaged neighbourhood. havana's iconic waterfront is battered and broken,

the void of its usual hordes of tourists. buildings and homes which we re tourists. buildings and homes which were already precarious before the hurricane and are now in danger of com plete hurricane and are now in danger of complete collapse. some are being demolished before they crumbled. translation: we have to help ourselves. there is no help coming. aid from the state takes time but we need to have faith and hope. the flooding may be gone from these streets but for many, the aftermath is just as streets but for many, the aftermath isjust as bad. with streets but for many, the aftermath is just as bad. with thousands still without power or clean drinking water, the longer this crisis goes on, the more cuba may need help of its own. from abroad. the cuban state is tackling the initial cleanup unaided and is even sending doctors to assist other parts of the caribbean. close ally venezuela has donated ten tons of emergency supplies but with no wealthy benefactor to turn to, the rebuild

will be costly. alexander takes me to visit a neighbour who was one of those underwater. role is trying to salvage what he can but the floods washed away nearly everything, even photos of his children. translation: no help has come at all. none. i don't as they are to other houses first. i know there are many other people who were affected in this neighbourhood so we have to wait and see if they come. may be tomorrow. as cu ba ns see if they come. may be tomorrow. as cubans dry out their homes and possessions, this is now a final test of castro's presidency. in past crises, the state has reacted quickly. this time there is a sense that cuba has almost nowhere else to turn to. and unlike other nations affected by the hurricane, they must rely totally on themselves. now, as i speak to you, far above us on the surface of saturn, the cassini spacecraft has started another transmission. as it has done many times,

during its eight billion kilometre mission, it is sending a stream of information back to earth. this time, though, things will be different. it will be broadcasting its own fiery demise. cassini is ending its 13 years of exploration by throwing itself into saturn's atmosphere. earlier we spoke to canberra to ask what part the tracking station played in this mission. nasser entrusted our tracking station here in canberra throughout the 20 year journey. we were the first station in the world to contact the spacecraft when it first launched. we handled its arrival in 200a. and now we will be with her until the last breath of data tonight as it plunges into the atmosphere at 1100 thousand kilometres per hour. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @tom donkin bbc. we will return shortly with more on

our top story, the latest missile test on north korea. we do know that that fired over the north—eastern pa rt that fired over the north—eastern part ofjapan, like a similar launch that happened last month. this launch was much longer and it went much higher. we know that there has been a reaction from across the region and also the us. rex tillerson has called on china and russia to indicate their tolerance for these reckless missile launchers and take direct actions of their own. the japanese prime minister has called on the un to impose firmer sanctions. we know that the general assembly will meet next week and a special service session will meet later on friday. but for now, that is it. we willjoin you again very soon. hello there.

our weather has taken on a decidedly cool and, dare i say it, quite autumnal feel. as we head on through friday, it will remain cool, after quite a chilly start, and we will see a mixture of sunshine and showers. showers from the word go across northern england, into wales and the south—west. these gradually drifting further south and east, and as the showers arrive in east anglia and south—east england, they will turn very heavy indeed, with some hail and some thunder. all the while, showers keep going across northern ireland and a good part of scotland. so let's take a closer look, then, at a:00pm in the afternoon. a mixture of sunny spells and hefty showers to the south—west of england. 15 degrees there in plymouth. could get to 16 in southampton, in the dry spells. but bear in mind, as the showers drift through, the temperatures will drop away by a good few degrees. maybe just 12 or 13 degrees in some of the showers across the south—east and east anglia — very heavy, with hail and thunder. a mixture of sunshine and showers for northern england. quite a few showers across north—east scotland,

a fair old breeze blowing here, as well. but south—west scotland a better chance of seeing more in the way of dry weather, and some spells of sunshine. sunny spells and hefty downpours for northern ireland, and a similar story for wales, and particularly close to the west coast it will be fairly windy. now, as we go on through friday night, many of the showers will fade away. but some will continue, most likely across north—east england, into wales, the south—west, some showers continue across north—east scotland, as well. many other places will turn dry, with some clear spells. maybe the odd mist patch, and temperatures easily down to eight, nine, or 10 degrees, but some spots in the countryside cold enough for a touch of grass frost. so we begin the weekend between this area of low pressure to the east and this area of high pressure trying to push in from the west. it leaves us with a northerly wind — never a warm wind direction. yes, there will be some spells of sunshine, but again, some showers, some of them heavy, and those temperatures around 13 degrees for aberdeen and glasgow. 12 in belfast, maybe 15 for cardiff, and 16 for london. but as we go through saturday night,

as the showers fade, we see clear skies and light winds, it is going to turn very chilly indeed. our towns and cities perhaps down into single digits. but, out in the countryside, particularly out west, we're looking at lows of one, two, three degrees. there could well be a touch of grass frost to start sunday morning, but sunday should see some improvements, certainly in terms of the showers. fewer showers, more dry weather, more sunshine. 15 to 18 degrees. and that is the story for the weekend. the showers, slowly but surely, will ease. there will be some sunny spells, but the nights will be decidedly chilly. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: north korea has fired a ballistic missile of the north—eastern japan and. —— over north—eastern japan and. —— over north—eastern japan. it flew much further than previous north korea launches and comes just four days after a un security council meeting adopted further sanctions against north korea. one month after the devastating landslides that is occurred in the capital of sierra

leone, about 1000 people lost or missing. more than one —— more than 500 people and to have died in the disaster and thousands more will force the leave their homes. in the weeks leading up to the disaster, the city had tripled its annual rainfall. two russian ships have fired targets at islamic state in syria. russia's defence ministry says several missiles were fired and all of the targets were destroyed. now on bbc news,