welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: still the desperate search for survivors in california, as people try to come to terms with the scale of the massive mudslides, and the damage inflicted. president trump uses crude and insulting language to attack legal protections for immigrants from african countries, as well as haiti and el salvador. more violent protests in pakistan over the rape and murder of a six—year—old girl, and the 12 similar murders over the past two years. the new york times was barred from publishing any more classified documents dealing with the vietnam war. and steven spielberg speaks to us about his new film, the current climate in hollywood, and donald trump. rescuers are using helicopters, search dogs and thermal imaging

equipment to try to find eight people missing in california since the devastating mudslides on tuesday. 17 people are known to have died when a torrent of mud carrying boulders the size of cars smashed through the town of montecito. at least 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed. james cook reports. turn around! the flash—flood's right there, the flash—flood's right there! get out of here, go! this was the moment it began. oh, my god, mom! and then panic. close the door! it was a million miles an hour, in slow motion, if that makes sense. i clicked into survival gear, survival mode. wake dad up! every second, it's just roaring

and banging against the house, and the most vicious, violent sounds you've ever heard. montecito is onlyjust beginning to grasp the scale of the disaster which will bear its name. for this idyllic little town ofjust 9,000 people, recovery will be long and hard. people walk their dogs through here, there's trails, my kids have grown up riding their bikes. noelle strogoff fled with her three children just before the storm, but many of her neighbours did not. two young boys were swept out of their home, along with their mother, in the middle of the night. and their dog is gone. and they're lucky to be fine. it's just like a war zone here. there's homes that are just missing. and i walk down the street and i see balls, and toys, and bicycles, and shoes and socks, and knives and hammers. and it's like people's lives are just washed to the ocean. much of that debris ended up

clogging the main coastal motorway. we were told that the people in this car escaped. above the town, the scorched hills are scarred by rivers of mud. well, the mudslide came roaring down here, sweeping everything before it and if you want to know how houses can be swept from their foundations so easily, well, this is the answer. just look at the size of the boulders that were pushed down from the mountains. to drive through this little town is to be stunned by the power of this mudslide. southern california was once famed for its agreeable climate. these days, it reels from drought, fire and flood. james cook, bbc news, montecito. president trump is likely to impose new sanctions on iran, according to the us treasury secretary, steven mnuchin. the president must decide by friday whether the sanctions on iran, lifted in 2015 as part of an international nuclear deal, will again be waived.

they allow iran to sell oil, and mean its central bank can operate worldwide. european powers, who signed the deal along with china and russia, say it is vital for international security. iam i am expecting new sanctions on iran. we continue to look at them. we have rolled them out, and i think you can expect there would be more sanctions coming. well, in a deliberate display of unity, britain, france, germany and the european union have all urged president trump not to impose sanctions, saying the deal is working and iran is in compliance. joining me now from our washington studio is behnam ben taleblu, senior iran analyst at conservative think tank the foundation for defence of democracies. i know you have made a study of this. what do you think the president is most likely to do, and how significant would be?m president is most likely to do, and how significant would be? it is highly likely that the president

will seek to waive nuclear sanctions, to keep the us are party to thejoint sanctions, to keep the us are party to the joint conference of plan of action nuclear deal, while setting a predicate to target tehran‘s non—nuclear threats, be they ballistic missiles, human rights, terrorism and whatnot. i think ultimately the administration is still working out where it wants to go with the future of the deal but in the interim i think they will keep it, waive nuclear sanctions and impose new non—nuclear ones. keep it, waive nuclear sanctions and impose new non—nuclear onesm there anything that other signatories to the deal, and there are many of them, and they are powerful, anything they can do? absolutely, i think within the european coalition it would help to bridge the trans— divide over the lingering non—nuclear threats that her aunt imposes, such as human rights, money—laundering and terrorism. in particular the french have been leading this coalition on ballistic missiles. the more america and europe walk in single these consensus opinion on these threats and use non—nuclear measures to deal with these threats, the less likely

iran will be able to create cleavages within this coalition in the long run. given what you think mrtrump is most the long run. given what you think mr trump is most likely to do, what you think will be the reaction in iran to that? anything i think that the trump administration does, the president and the country's supreme leader will cry foul even if there are new non—nuclear sanctions. they will try to frame those as nuclear sanctions, claimed the us is violating the deal. however the fa cts violating the deal. however the facts remain on the us‘s side, tehran's adherence to the deal is porous best and it continues to escalate its non—nuclear threat. so tehran will cry foul but it will be up tehran will cry foul but it will be up to the europeans and international organisations to adjudicate between tehran and washington. and given the current climate i suppose mr trump is not going to lose any votes in the united states by being as he sees it tough on iran. likely not, much of the response the president is considering notjust to the nuclear deal but to the protests in iran are conditioned by the failures of the

past administration to put america's strategy and values in concert with the protests in tehran. thank you very much indeed. pakistan has suspended military and intelligence cooperation with the united states, following washington's decision to freeze more than $1 billion worth of security assistance to islamabad. washington wants pakistan to take more action against islamist militant groups. this is what pakistan's ambassador to the us told us earlier. well, we are disappointed and we are surprised. disappointed because the language used is an affront to all that pakistan had done, all the contributions that we had made to counter—terrorism, and made pretty good successes, working with the us and also on our own. and surprised because we were having conversations with the us

leadership, and the two secretaries, and to use mr mattis's words, we were searching for common ground. and then this comes this, so we're trying to see how we can best handle the situation. staying in pakistan, police have offered a ten million rupee reward for information leading to the killer of six—year—old zainab ansari. the discovery of the young girl's body has led to violent protests in the city of kasur, where around a dozen other children have been killed in the past two years. secunder kermani reports from kasur. more anger on the streets of kasur. police and protesters clashed after the funerals of two men killed in the unrest. residents of the city have reacted with fury to the murder and sexual assault of six—year—old zainab ansari. she went missing last thursday, whilst walking alone to a koran class. cctv images showed her being led

away by the hand by an unknown man. her body was found in this rubbish dump on tuesday. her killer did not even bother to try and bury her. zainab's father attended prayers in the mosque opposite his house, asking god to ease his family's suffering. translation: it's like the world has ended. i was away in saudi arabia, and only come back last night. i have no words. he did not agree with the violent scenes elsewhere in the city, but he understood the protesters' anger with the police. translation: if the police had done theirjob properly, then they would have found her as soon as they got hold of the cctv. but they weren't interested. the violent reaction in the city is notjust about the killing of zainab. around a dozen young

children have been murdered here in the past two years. at least half of the cases are believed to be connected. there is still a lot of anger here today. these vehicles have been set alight outside one of the offices of a local provincial assembly member. people here want answers about why more was not done to stop this spate of killings earlier. asif baba's daughter was murdered almost exactly a year ago to the day. he has kept all her belongings in the room the family shared, including the teddy bear she gave him the day she disappeared. he believes the man who killed his daughter also killed zainab. translation: anger doesn't describe what i feel. my home is not a home anymore. it's a graveyard. when we heard about zainab's death, it was like i had lost my daughter all over again.

in the face of huge public pressure, politicians have flocked to meet zainab's family, promising justice will be done. the local police chief has been suspended, and a special investigative team has been set up. people here want the killer caught before he strikes again. secunder kermani, bbc news, kasur. at a white house meeting, president trump has reportedly shocked some members of congress by using crude and insulting language to attack legal protections for immigrants from the african continent, and also from haiti and el salvador. according to the washington post, he asked why the united states could not take in more people from countries such as norway. peter bowes is our north america correspondent. peter, tell us more. well, this was a meeting, as you say, in the white house, in the oval office, to discuss immigration reform. and it was during that discussion that the president is reported as saying. why

are we having all of these people from these countries come here? now, he didn't say these countries, he used a crude expression to describe the countries that he is talking about, haiti, el salvador, and african countries as well. and, if you want to read in detail as to what the president said, there is full story on the bbc news website. but i can tell you a few other phrases that the president came with. what do we want patients here for? why do we want all these people from africa here? —— haitians. and as you said, he said we should have people from places like norway. in the president did meet the prime minister of norway in the white house earlier this week. you will find the offending word, of course, onjust about find the offending word, of course, on just about every other news outlet as well. as you say, he went on to say why can't we admit or people from countries like norway? for people who thought their president was racist, it isjust going to be more ammunition, isn't

it? yes, and that has been the tenor of the huge amount of criticism that there has been in the last few hours, since this was first reported, that these comments are extremely racist. and i willjust read you a few of the comments from people who have been talking about it. the republican congresswoman mia loveis it. the republican congresswoman mia love is haitian, and she called on the president to apologise, saying the president to apologise, saying the president's comments are divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation's values. she says this behaviour is unacceptable from the leader of our nation. a democrat from merrylands, the larger cummings, tweeted i condemn this unforgivable statement and this demeaning of the office of the presidency —— elijah cummings. demeaning of the office of the presidency -- elijah cummings. the white house has not denied the president used the phrase, of course, but has released a statement saying that certain politicians try

to fight for foreign countries, and president trump will always fight the american people. just worth noting the new york times reported backin noting the new york times reported back in june that noting the new york times reported back injune that president trump said all haitians have aids. this is becoming something of a pattern. yes, now that comment was denied by the white house. but as you say there is a certain history here, and it is interesting that the white housein it is interesting that the white house in a statement in the last few hours does not challenge the use of certain words. it doesn't actually deny what the president said. it is quite a long statement talking about his values, in terms of immigration policy. peter, thank you very much indeed. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: coastguards search for at least 20 people who have been missing following a sea crossing from venezuela. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war.

tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. huge parts of kobe were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice by the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws, passed by the country's new multiracial government, and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running play, the mousetrap. when they heard about her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would have been the last person to want such a thing. good to have you with us.

the headlines: rescue workers are searching for survivors following the deadly mudslides in southern california. 17 people are known to have died. president trump has used crude and derogatory language to describe african countries, haiti and el salvador, in a meeting on immigration. a woman hospital patient in baltimore was escorted out of a hospital wearing only a gown and seemingly left on the street in near—freezing temperatures. the university of maryland medical center has issued an apology and is investigating the incident. imaru baraka was passing by, and intervened. he also video'd what was going on. are you 0k? are you ok? you need it for the police? why do you go and sit down,

ma'am, you don't look well. i am at a local hospital where individuals have left the patient, half naked, on the city streets and it's about 30 degrees out here right now. that is not ok. you need to call the police. is there a supervisor available? so you are ok with living that woman out there like that? i'm a psychotherapist you're in the city and clearly, there are some mental health issues that appear to be going on with this individual. come on, sit right here. come and sit down. come on, you've got to smile for me... there you go. you're going to be ok. there is the ambulance behind me and i'm really wondering if this is going to be the end

result. at least four people have drowned and dozens are missing after a boat carrying venezuelan migrants sank on its way to the dutch caribbean island of curacao, police said. the coastguard have reported a growing number of vessels carrying migrants from the south american country, which is suffering a severe economic crisis. sarah corker reports. this is all that is left of the small wooden boat used by up to 30 venezuelan migrants heading for the dutch jail and —— dutch island of curacao. in rough seas and overloaded with people, the boat broke into pieces and sank. police say they found the bodies of two women and two men. the search for the missing continues. 0pposition leaders said people were leaving venezuelan as an act of desperation as the economic crisis there

worsens. translation: it gives us deep sadness to see how our young people fleeing terror because it is no longer a migration, people fleeing terror because it is no longera migration, it people fleeing terror because it is no longer a migration, it is a flight, no longer a migration, it is a flight, an escape, a state of total despair which reached this sad and tragic end. the boat left from northwestern falcon state to make the 80 mile journey to curacao. venezuelan has already closed eireann see traffic to the island as well is to neighbouring aruba and bonaire because of alleged smuggling. food and fuel in venezuelan is heavily subsidised but in caracas, empty shelves in severe shortages are common. spiralling inflation and low prices have crippled this economy. translation: it is painful to see the shelves because there isn't anything to eat. i bought three things, what could get, and honestly, heart hurts.

translation: this seems critical to me because honestly, we are going through a very serious crisis. crisis so severe, opposition —— opposition politicians say the poorest are willing to risk dangerous journeys in search of work and the future. sarah corker, bbc news. let's turn to australia, where amy everett‘s funeral is to be held shortly. the 1a—year—old, better known as dolly, committed suicide on january the third following constant online bullying. as a child dolly was the face of the iconic australian outback hat firm, akubra. her family have since spoken out and have launched the hashtag #stopbullyingnow campaign. 0ur correspondent in sydney, hywell griffith, says this tragic case has brought so many different australians together. absolutely. it's a tragic story for the family of amy everett and it's caused national reflection on the

issue of bullying on line, which is a global issue. it's estimated one in five australians has suffered some form of cyber bullying so eve ryo ne some form of cyber bullying so everyone from the prime minister down as spoken about the need to look at how this situation is managed and how everyone has a shared responsibility, not parents but all teachers and society. a few keyissues but all teachers and society. a few key issues across the globe. perhaps young people loans which allow anonymous is to be posted. the parents of some children who've been bullied have called for those to be looked up by the big internet companies and banned. likewise talk of a better provision in schools. while bullying is in the national curriculum here in australia, it is not mandatory across the school and so people say more needs to be done. but i think, just for today, a lot of the reflection will be on this young girl who decided to take her own life. her family have asked people, mourners going to the service in katherine, in the northern territory, to wear blue, and they want to start an trust in her memory, called dolly's dream, that wil try and address some of these issues of bullying,

depression, anxiety and, tragically, youth suicide. steven spielberg believes the trump administration is using the same tactics as president nixon to "try to silence the press." friday sees the release of his latest film, ‘the post', which tells the story of the leaking of confidential papers during the vietnam era. the veteran director spoke to our arts editor, will gompertz. this is a devastating security breach. before the watergate scandal, there were the pentagon papers, the first expose of a cover—up in the richard nixon government led by ben bradley and kay graham. do you have the papers? set in 1971. yes. you described it as a timely movie. well it is obviously... you flip it and really get to see the great arc of the pendulum that has brought us right back to the same tactics richard nixon

used to try to silence the press. i am talking about the current administration and the absolute broadsiding of media, social media, news, anyone that offends, there is a label that is immediately attached to them which is called "well, that can't be true because they're all fake news." it is more insidious now than in 1971. if you publish, we could be in the supreme court next week. meaning? we could all go to prison. there has been another massive press expose in the last six months. what looks like the endemic sexual harassment and exploitation of women in hollywood. you are a senior figure in hollywood and have been around a long time. do you think you could have

done more to stop this? we have... i can only basically react to that question in my own workplace environment. with in my organisation, there were no instances except a few years and years ago that gave me any experience to be an authority on that question. what happened in those instances? a couple of instances. i will not go into detail, but they happened years and years ago. we had to let somebody go. people are concerned about having a woman in charge of the paper. that she does not have the resolve to make the tough choices. thank you, arthur, for you frankness. my prediction is that this watershed moment for women, in extolling the courage of wome who, like with katharine graham with the pentagon papers, when she decided to publish, so many women have found their voices and have been given so much support, not just by other women, but by certain men.

i think this is notjust another news cycle. i think this is a permanent change in the culture. maybe, but as kay graham showed in her leadership at the washington post, exposing deeply rooted corrupt behaviour is one thing, changing it is quite another. will gompertz, bbc news. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures from france where avalanches and record snowfall have buried roads beneath metres of snow. the pictures here are from the savoy region of france. up to six feet of snow fell in the area injust 36 hours this week. clearing the snow created a six metre wall of ice on either side of the road, just wide enough for one vehicle at a time to pass through. more on the website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbcmikeembley. thank you for watching. hi there.

i'll be the first one to admit the weather has not been exciting in the last few days. take yesterday, many of us had cloud, mist and fog. just a few cloud breaks, the best of these in south—west england and wales and across western scotland. they could remain there for friday. the cloud was low enough to touch the top of the tallest buildings in london. more of the same for friday. here's the picture. low pressure in greenland, high pressure near finland. a long way away from the uk. and that means, for us, there is barely a breath of wind. that is why the weather is not changing a great deal. for many of us, a cloudy start. yes, there will be a few mist and fog patches dotted around. some of the worst of these in northern ireland and the somerset levels. poor visibility. down to below 100m in a few places. hill fog elsewhere. don't expect any major changes elsewhere. a few sunny spells coming through. i think the best of these in parts of south—west england and wales and running up into

western scotland. perhaps northern ireland as well. but across central and eastern england, that is where the cloud is likely to be rather thicker. there could be occasional brighter spells. but on the whole, quite a cloudy day. it could even be thick enough for the occasional spot of drizzle from time to time. heading through friday night, little overall change, cloud in central and eastern areas. to the west, there is a change. this atlantic front begins to slowly move through bringing rain towards the end of the night towards northern ireland. that takes us to saturday. the start of the weekend. this is a slow—moving weather front. stuck underneath this band of rain, it could rain most of the day. some coming and going. further east, cloud. bright and sunny spells. perhaps more of these in east anglia in south—east england thatn than we have seen.

sunday, another pretty cloudy affair. this band of rain eventually will its way swing south and eastwards as we go on through sunday night and into monday, clearing out of the way. then, the weather gets more exciting next week, you will be pleased to hear, as cold air comes surging back in. yes, it could be turning much colder. it could be windy, perhaps very windy at times, quite early on in the week. and cold enough for some snow, especially in the north, on the hills, and especially on northern hills. that's your latest weather. this is bbc news. the headlines: in california, rescuers are using helicopters, search dogs and thermal imaging equipment to try to find eight people who are still missing after the devastating mudslides. 17 people are known to have died. more than 500 homes have been damaged or destroyed. president trump has used derogatory language about african countries, haiti and el salvador, while dismissing proposals for a bipartisan agreement on immigration.

at a white house meeting with lawmakers, mr trump asked why the us should take in people from these places, which he dismissed using a vulgar term. police in pakistan have offered a ten million rupee reward for information leading to the killer of six—year—old zainab ansari. the discovery of the young girl's body has led to violent protests. around a dozen other children have been killed in the past two years. now on bbc news, thursday in parliament.