welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: the un is accused of failing to do more to protect myanmar‘s rohingya muslims. atrocities and abuse have sent half a million fleeing across the border. rya nair and the row over compensation — under an avalanche of criticism over cancelled flights, the airline now faces a friday deadline. german police hunt for a man suspected of poisoning jars of baby food in order to blackmail supermarkets. all america's presidents in one place. a new exhibition takes us up close and personal with the men who've shaped us history. hello. the united nations is being accused of a series of failures in the lead—up to the violence in myanmar. the un secretary—general has

described the crisis there as the world's fast—developing refugee emergency and a human rights nightmare. more than half a million rohingyas have now fled to bangladesh. around 90% of the population of myanmar is buddhist. but a million rohingya muslims, who are denied citizenship, live in rakhine state. the latest violence broke out in august, when rohingya militants launched attacks on security forces. the bbc‘sjonah fisher has seen internal un documents, outlining concerns about the way the conflict and the crisis have been handled. in the months since rohingya muslims first began fleeing into bangladesh, the united nations has been at the forefront of the response. delivering aid and making robust statements, condemning the burmese authorities. the situation remains, or seems, a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. but could, and should, the un have done more

before the killing and burning started? really disturbing to think that some of this could possibly have been prevented. caroline vandenebeele is a lawyer and aid worker, and between 2013 and 2015, she ran the office of the top united nations official in myanmar. this is her, renata dessallien, a canadian. it was a stressful time. miss vandenebeele says her boss was so afraid of upsetting the burmese government that any suggestion that they stand up for the rohingya's human rights was off—limits. even in internal meetings. well, you could do it but it had consequences. and it had negative consequences. it had consequences that you were maybe no longer be invited to meetings, or it had consequences that youe travel authorisations were not cleared. an atmosphere was created that talking about these issues was simply not on. she was labelled an alarmist and

pushed out of herjob. it was preferring to keep it good relations with the government over protecting the rohingya muslims her comments have been confirmed off the record by other senior un staff. thomas is more used to speaking out. this is in when he was for six years the un special reporter. he told me via skype from argentina that renata dessallien tried to stop him covering rohingya issues and warned him not to go to wreck on state. covering rohingya issues and warned him not to go to wreck on statem was just a state... bring trials

with the authorities, basically. the un is where it does have a problem. this report commissioned two years ago and to the bbc said the un focused too heavily on the oversimplified hope that simplified solutions will help. it was called glaringly dysfunctional. could be un have stopped this vernon hargreaves army offensive? after those damaging internal reports, the un announced

injune internal reports, the un announced in june that internal reports, the un announced injune that renata dessallien would leave herjob injune that renata dessallien would leave her job but injune that renata dessallien would leave herjob but myanmar seems to quite like her and has blocked the replacement so she is still here. translation: she is fair and unbiased. renata dessallien declined to be interviewed for this piece but ina to be interviewed for this piece but in a statement her office said, we strongly disagree with the accusations that the resident co—ordinator prevented internal discussions and stressed she had the backing of the un secretary general. in the last month, half a million rohingya have fled myanmar in the last month, half a million rohingya have fled myanmar into bangladesh. their tales of atrocity and abuse a reminder of the warnings that went unheard. hard to say which action would have been able to prevent this. but what i know for sure is that whatever was done was never going to prevent it. why not? the way it was done simply

was ignoring the issue. jonah fisher, bbc news, yangon. and don't forget for more on the refugee crisis, you can go to our website. you'll also find analysis of the accusation that the un is failing to protect myanmar‘s rohingya muslims let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news... the spanish government has defended its decision to send thousands of extra police to catalonia to try and stop an independence referendum this weekend. catalonia's devolved government has called on schools across the region to open, so they can be used as polling stations on sunday. the government in madrid says the vote is unconstitutional. the extremist group that calls itself islamic state has released an audio recording of what it says is its leader, abu bakr al—baghdadi. there've been several claims that he'd been killed. the recording includes references to recent events, including the tension between north korea and the united states. president trump has defended his administration's response

to the hurricanes in the us territory of puerto rico — insisting first responders are doing a greatjob. he's been under pressure to lift shipping restrictions, to help get supplies to the island, and has now done so. nearly 3.5 million people are struggling with fuel, water and medical shortages eight days after hurricane maria. the uk's aviation regulator has told the low—cost carrier ryanair it has less than 2a hours to sort out compensation for hundreds of thousands of passengers hit by mass flight cancellations. the dublin—based airline has been told it must make clear to customers they are entitled to be re—routed using another carrier. here's richard westcott. it is europe's biggest and busiest airline. but ryanair has been made to look a little small today. accused of persistently misleading nearly three quarters of a million customers, the uk regulator has now threatened them with legal action.

we want them to make it crystal clear that every single passenger, what they are entitled to in terms of rerouting expenses and compensation where applicable. we do not think that is a big task, the law is specific. there is no disputing the law. it is just about the willingness of rya nair. the regulator says that airlines are meant to rebook passengers on rival carriers if they cannot replace the cancelled flight. but listen to ryanair‘s ceo last week. we will not pay for flights on other airlines. it is not part of entitlement, we cannot afford the high fares of our competitors. there are many confused customers contacting the bbc. matthew, in an online chat with the airline, told them the they are obligated to reroute him. ryanair replied no, they are not. duncan says "they refused

to book me on another flight, except for the next rya nair one on wednesday, " which was three days later. kevin says nowhere did they say they could rebook the flight sith another airline. the caa has written to ryanair again tonight, setting out a series of deadlines and by five pm tomorrow they must put more information on the website about how people can reroute flights and claim back expenses. they have been told to then e—mail passengers about their rights by the end of next week. it is rare for you to go public like this. you must be angry. we are furious. we do not understand why this needs to drag on for weeks and why at the end of this process, customers still can be unclear about they are entitled to when ryanair cancelled hundreds of thousands of journeys. if the caa takes further action, it could land the airline with a multimillion pound lawsut.

rya nair say it will comply with the regulator and has issued instructions to call centre staff yesterday. 3a winter routes were suspended, including five in scotland. i have serious concerns about the decisions taken by ryanair that will cause disruption to many passengers travelling to and from scotland and london and to other destinations across europe. and passengers were concerned as well. we have to hire a minibus to go to newcastle. and then try to get a flight to barcelona. it isjust... ryanair. i am not happy with them. there is a global shortage of pilots right now. plenty of rivals are recruiting. ryanair did not have enough crews to cover the holidays. after cancelling 20,000 flights out of the blue, it is promising no more problems ahead. police in germany say

an extortionist has contaminated adult and baby food in the hope of gaining millions of euros. the blackmailer claimed to have poisoned items in supermarkets. police in the city of konstanz, close to the swiss and austrian border, have recovered a small amount of baby food contaminated with a liquid used in anti—freeze. sarah corker reports. german police want to question this man, thought to be in his 50s. cctv footage shows him with an empty basket wandering around a drugstore, in the city of friedrichshafen, near lake konsta nz. he is suspected of poisoning jars of baby food, in an attempt to extort millions of euros from supermarkets. translation: this is an extraordinary case of blackmail and we have to consider that we are chasing a very ruthless criminal who is risking very serious damage to people's health. several supermarkets received an email threatening to poison food

throughout europe unless an 11.7 million euros ransom was paid. the email said 5jars of baby foos had been poisoned, as proof the threat was serious. the jars were found to contain ethylene glycol, an odourless toxic liquid used to make antifreeze. authorities in south—west germany sais there is no need to panic — no cases of poisoning have been reported so far but shoppers should check products for signs of tampering. translation: correctly packaged food in glass jars usually have a cover which is curved due to the vacuum inside and you hear a clacking sound when you open it. this footage has been made public so that german police can, if necessary, rule this man out of their enquiries. 220 officers are working on the case and the authorities say they are taking the threat very seriously. sarah corker, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news —

still to come... a more upbeat mood over brexit — as britain and the eu complete a fourth round of talks. ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all the athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse

judgement in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the un has been accused of a series of failures in the lead—up to the crisis in myanmar. half a million rohingya muslims have left the country in the last month. more now on that story. ronan lee is a researcher at deakin university in melbourne, australia. ronan, i know you specialise in rohingya history and identity. what you make this situation? what you make this situation7m what you make this situation? it is pretty grim from the rohingya's point of view. it is desperately

sad. we are seeing strong words from the security council. but this highlights the problem in terms of the un's long—term strategy with myanmar. words have not worked. what is going to to encourage myanmar to change attitudes towards the rohingya is going to be actions, not words. what kind of actions? i think at this stage, getting rid of military corp with myanmar‘s military corp with myanmar‘s military must be given —— cooperation. secondly, something you could broadly characterise as aid and trade. we need to make sure, as and trade. we need to make sure, as an international community, that the billions of dollars that have been spent in myanmar, and that continue to be spent today, that needs to be made contingent upon the rohingya's

rights being guaranteed. suggesting that myanmar‘s government should change genocidal policies towards the rohingya as a guarantee for continued international aid funding, i don't think that is setting the bar unreasonably high. the next step if that is unsuccessful should be a consideration of whether or not the international community should considered trading with myanmar to be acceptable. myanmar is showing itself to be a pariah state. it is out of step with international standards and should be treated as such. looking on the ground, there seems very little chance that those who have fled would be allowed back 01’ who have fled would be allowed back or would want to go back, and every chance that thousands more would come out? i think is guaranteed that thousands more will come out, the policies that have driven a million people out of their homes and into

bangladesh, those policies are still in place. in terms of the military action we have seen over the last six weeks, that is one factor. this comes on the heels of decades of systematic discrimination against the rohingya. that is why this is called a genocide. it is a process of genocide. it has been going on for decades. what we are seeing now in terms of images on television and the current catastrophe is the logical consequence of many decades of discrimination. thank you for your time. after a fourth round of brexit talks, negotiators for both britain and the european union are sounding more upbeat. the eu's michel barnier said the meetings had been constructive, although there'd not been sufficient progress yet, while britain's david davis talked of decisive steps forward. 0ur political correspondent ben wright reports from brussels. the british minister's car is the same, ajag, of course, but the tone of these

brexit talks has changed. a month ago it was fractious, frosty. the divides were wide. today, reporting back on the week's negotiations, david davis and his counterpart were conciliatory and for the first time mr davis spoke first. i believe, thanks to the constructive and determined manner in which both sides have conducted these negotiations, we are making decisive steps forward. david and i, as well as our teams, worked well together. mr barnier said the two sides managed to find clarity on some points and it does seem the prime minister's speech in florence last week has helped unblock the talks. in particular, her candour about the cash the uk is willing to pay the eu. the uk will honour commitments we have made during the period of our membership. the uk has yet to spell out exactly what it thinks its commitments are,

and the financial settlement is one of the key three issues on the table and it remains very contentious. the current eu budget period runs until the end of 2020, two years after we've left. the uk has said that other eu countries should not lose out, but mr barnier said the uk's spending promises stretch further into the future. translation: if you're only talking about two years, that's not the end, is it? the commitments entered into by the uk, while they were a member of the union up to the time of their withdrawal, all those commitments will have to be honoured. protecting citizens' rights after brexit remains another disagreement. the two sides seem closer, but the question of how eu citizens in the uk can pursue disputes is unresolved. a major question remains open between us. it relates to the enforcement of citizens' rights after we leave the european union. the uk has been clear that there is a third country outside of the european union, and it would be not right

for the role to be performed by the european court ofjustice. but the eu is adamant it should. that the role of the court of the european justice was a stumbling block. the future of the border between the northern ireland and the republic of ireland is the third issue being discussed. david davis said both sides were trying to find solutions but it is not clear what they are. what is not being negotiated now is the future trade and security relationship between the uk and the eu, as the talks can only move on when the eu decide that progress has been made, to the frustration of david davis and his team. michel barnier, can you define clearly for us, please, the phrase "sufficient progress"? it is very vague. translation: it will take weeks or months before we can say, that there has been is sufficient progress on the principles of this orderly withdrawal. so it may be months before we know

what sufficient progress means. tonight, the eu leaders have having an informal dinner to map their future. a future with one less chair at the table. tomorrow, theresa may will have the chance to discuss brexit with angela merkel. and the eu leaders will decide whether or not the brexit talks can move on. ben wright reporting. a three—year—old girl has been appointed as a divine being in kathmandu. she will only be allowed to leave the temple on special occasions. now — the most recognisable figures in us history are ready for their close up. yes, the american presidents are on display at the national portrait gallery here in washington dc — after the exhibit was renovated. jane 0'brien reports. few individuals have defined

america's history as much of the nation's 45 presidents, but this is no hallowed hall of veneration. these portraits are intimate encounters with men who were deeply human and mired in contradiction. they are very important to our identity as americans, to consider those contacts and to understand the president is not as these glorified men, but as individuals who had flaws and defects of character like everybody else. that context is provided in various ways throughout the gallery. this is the andrew jackson page, offering additional information and images, including a caricature of jackson as a shakespearean villain. the museum doesn't shy away from controversy. here we learn that jackson ‘s famous

will was recognised as the genocide and removal of native americans. the indian removal act, signed by jackson in 1830, makes the seventh president had to comes to terms with. the exhibition highlights the debate through art and artefacts. this is an indian peace medal created during jackson's administration for a gift for indian americans during treaty negotiations. because jackson removed so many native americans from their land, it is a hollow gift. that's why it's here, we wa nted gift. that's why it's here, we wanted to tell that side of the story. other poor to display different aspects of humanity. we see the poor pillars of grover clevela nd, see the poor pillars of grover cleveland, a surprisingly happy richard nixon and add a femoraljohn f. kennedy. 0ne richard nixon and add a femoraljohn f. kennedy. one of only two porters by women in the show. we also discover that the often overlooked number11, discover that the often overlooked number 11, james pope, was arguably

the most influential president, securing land that turned america into a pacific nation. the centrepiece remains the famous lansdowne port should of george washington. fittingly, it stands at the entrance, inviting us to explore the entrance, inviting us to explore the presidency and perhaps gain a better understanding of the current white house occupant. better understanding of the current white house occupantlj better understanding of the current white house occupant. i think context is everything. the more we learn about all 44 presidents, the more we are prepared to judge the present. and their's more to come. the gallery has commissioned a portent of barack 0bama and it will $0011 portent of barack 0bama and it will soon hang here. so, watch this space. conservationists have warned that laos is the fastest growing ivory market in the world, undermining international efforts to stop the illegal trade. a charity based in kenya, save the elephants, says lax enforcement of laws on the sale

of smuggled ivory is to blame, along with increased demand from chinese visitors. let's end the programme with cute pictures of new baby animal arrivals. 0n the tv news and finally cuteness index, singapore zoo has one of the best babies by far. a baby white rhino, a three—week old male, bringing the rhino herd to seven. the rhino, who is yet to be named, will spend time bonding with his mother, donsa, at the back of house before being presented to the public at a later date. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbcmikeembley. and the un is standing accused of a series of failings in the crisis in myanmar. half a million muslims left the country in just the past month. the un secretary general has spoken about it as the fastest developing refugee emergency and human rights nightmare. hi there. over the last few days,

we've been carefully tracking the progress of hurricane maria, which wrecked puerto rico. lots of weather in the atlantic. a big area of low pressure and a powerfuljetstream over that, a big swell of cloud that looks like a massive ear pushing a band of rain eastwards over the uk over the next 12 hours or so. we will see some rain as we start friday, our main weather front across west scotland and western england and wales. ahead of that, patches of light rain, drizzle and foggy conditions over the hills of southern england, particularly salisbury plains and the downs. a mild start to the morning, temperatures 16—17 degrees even at eight o'clock in the morning. rain beginning to clear away from western england and wales, some sunshine coming out. the rain could be heavy for a time across north—west england. wet weather with us for some, and a soggy commute to work. most places have the chance of seeing some morning sunshine. through the day, brisk winds pushing rain eastwards across the country. eventually clearing away from east anglia, lincolnshire and yorkshire as well. some blustery showers into northern ireland and western scotland, some quite heavy.

starting to feel a good deal cooler across the north—west. temperatures 111—15 degrees. potentially reaching as high as 20 degrees, some sunshine across eastern england. further clumps of showers coming in across north—western uk, wind staying up overnight. wetter skies across central and eastern england. where those winds fall, it could turn quite chilly. temperatures potentially getting down into single figures in the countryside. the weekend, a mixed bag. a reasonable start, but turning wet and windy during the second half of the weekend. starting off with the forecast for saturday. for most of us, a decent start with some sunshine. quite windy across north—western areas. not entirely dry everywhere, one or two showers mostly across the western side. 1a degrees the top temperature in glasgow, 18 in london. those temperatures coming down a little bit. as for maria, it could bring heavy rain to southern parts of england on monday. quite a bit of uncertainty. getting mixed up in that weather system on sunday, in any case, bringing wet

and windy weather to the uk. gales, evem severe gales across the coast across the southwest of the country. blustery showers feeling cool once again across the south—west. so, saturday the better of the two days the weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines: the burmese government has invited the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, to visit myanmar. the un set the general describes the crisis as a human rights nightmare. after million rohingya muslims have fled across the border to bangladesh. the uk's aviation regulator has told ryanair it has

less tha n regulator has told ryanair it has less than 2a hours now to sort out compensation for hundreds of thousands of passengers hit by flight thousands of passengers hit by flight cancellations. the airline based in dublin has been told it must make clear to customers they are entitled to be rerouted using another carrier. police in germany are hunting an "extortionist" who threatened to plant poisoned foodstuffs in supermarkets in the south of the country and elsewhere in europe, unless retailers paid millions of dollars. now on bbc news, hardtalk.