welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: a temporary deal to end the us shutdown but for less than three weeks. every day we spend arguing about keeping the lights on is another day we cannot spend negotiating daca or defence spending or any of our other shared priorities. life under the rubble in syria, a report from the district of eastern ghouta, besieged for the past five years. after the sex abuse scandals, three executives resign from the board of usa gymnastics. a war on the predatory starfish, australia's multi—million dollar plan to save the barrier reef. there is a last—minute deal to keep the us government in business,

but not for long. congress has approved a temporary spending measure to fund the federal government, ending an acrimonious debate and a three—day shutdown. it will be signed by president trump later to allow government to function for another two and a half weeks. laura trevelyan reports from washington. the motion is agreed to. this was the moment the impasse was broken and the way cleared for the government to re—open. the scene in the senate was the result of behind closed doors negotiations between centrist republicans and democrats. in return for voting to fund the government for the next few weeks, democrats got this. assuming that the government remains open, it would be my intention to proceed the legislation that would address daca, border security and related issues. democrats had said they wanted a deal to protect the young people brought here illegally as children

whose temporary permits start to expire in march. what they got is agreement to vote on this and other immigration matters in february. democrats say the president was no help at all. since our meeting in the oval office on friday, the president and i have not spoken and the white house refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. the great dealmaking president sat on the sidelines. the president did take an uncharacteristically low profile during the shutdown, other than these photos released by the white house and, of course, a few tweets. but his spokesperson is making clear that donald trump is central to whatever happens next. "as i've always said, once the government is funded, my administration will work towards solving the problem of very unfair legal immigration. we'll make a long—term deal on immigration if and only if it's good for our country." the government will be funded until february eight. unless there is a plan by then to address the fate of the dreamers,

expect more drama here in washington. just to repeat the breaking news, the president has signed bad bill and we can go live to washington and oui’ and we can go live to washington and our correspondent david willis. david, where does this leave things? the president having signed it, the senate and the house reviews lee having passed it, that means the government shutdown is officially over and that will come as a huge relief to a lot of people. the democrats believe they have a concession from the republicans, and agreement to debate immigration over the next few weeks, in particular address this issue of the so—called dreamers, the young people in this country illegally through no fault of their own and who risk being deported under measures introduced

by president trump. it's by no means clear that they will be able to get some sort of protection in place for the dreamers before these safeguards run out because any bill that was agreed in the senate will then have to go to the house of representatives, there's no guarantee that it will be agreed upon their or indeed that donald trump would then sign it, mike. david, this kind of shutdown has become a regular tactic, hasn't it, by both sides, so much seems to depend on what provisions can be arisen be attached to a funding bill but also who owns the problem, who voters seem to be blaming for a shutdown? absolutely, and with mid—term elections due later this year, think neither party wanted to see a prolonged federal government shutdown. there were polls published here that suggested given the fact republicans have a majority in both

houses of congress and there is a republican in the white house, it would be the republicans and donald trump who would get the majority of the blame from ordinary americans if there was a prolonged government shutdown. but as i said, it's the sort of situation from which neither party stands to gain and they were very keen to get it sorted today. the question is i suppose what this concession actually means as far as mitch mcconnell, the republicans, are concerned, and democrats in the senate. david, thank you very much for that. for five years the syrian suburb of eastern ghouta has been attacked, pretty much without pause, by president assad's forces. about 400,000 people besieged there are now suffering what un officials describe as a humanitarian crisis. it is known officially as a de—escalation zone but the bombardment goes on. the united nations is meeting to seek a way to end the siege. the bbc‘s nawal al—maghafi reports. eastern ghouta is

a suburb under siege. airstrikes have become a daily occurrence here. racing from emergency to emergency, there seems to be no end to the violence. and when half of the population that lives here are children, it's them who suffer the most. mahamoud, just three years old, survived the attack unhurt. his brother was lost in the rubble. altogether, eight civilians were pulled out of the remains of their homes. they survived this attack, but they can't escape the siege. surrounded for the past five years, the un has recently described the eastern ghouta as the epicentre of suffering in syria. for almost 400,000 people,

that means daily misery, with little food, winter temperatures, and heavy bombardment. once the dust settles, the children are sent out to search for firewood. this woman has lost one child to this war, and she's struggling to feed the others. eastern ghouta might be 20 minutes‘ drive from damascus, but food is 15 times more expensive than the capital. translation: i have six children. how am i meant to feed them? i can't even afford to buy them bread. all they have is a mouthful each. they never get full. have mercy on us! in an attempt to escape the shelling, abu brahim has made this abandoned building his home. with no windows, he's chosen to face the cold than the bombs. his two boys exposed to the chill of winter.

translation: when it comes to food, we can't afford to buy that much. we eat day by day. we can't afford to buy wood, so we burn whatever we can find. i've burnt most of my belongings that i took with me when we were displaced. no aid has been allowed into the area since november. without vital supplies, tens of thousands of children face the threat of malnutrition. as the attacks continue, the syrian and russian governments say their forces only attack islamist rebels in the area. for many children here, they've been born into this brutal siege, and if something isn't done soon, it's all they will ever come to know. nawal al—maghafi, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. two reuters journalists are due back in court in myanmar to face charges under the official secrets act.

wa lone and kyaw soe oo were detained last month after a dinner meeting with police officers. the two had been working on coverage of the rohingya refugee crisis in western rakhine state. venezuelan security forces have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators gathered to pay tribute to a rebel helicopter pilot shot dead last week in a shootout with soldiers. the protesters were trying to move to the cemetery in eastern caracas where oscar perez was buried on sunday. three executives have resigned from the governing board of usa gymnastics. it comes as the former team doctor larry nassar is about to be sentenced for sexually abusing those under his care. statements are expected from more than 120 women. the bbc‘s rajini vaidyanathan has been following developments at the court house in michigan. she explained what us gymnastics had been saying over the resignation of these senior officials. there is no mention of this ongoing

case, they say that this is part of a change at the top. of course it's connected to what's going on and what's been going on in the courtroom at the end of the corridor from where i'm standing. now, i've been speaking to a lot of the young women whose been sharing stories in the past week and all of them of course want to make sure that larry nassar, the man who they say sexually abused them when they were much younger, is given justice. sexually abused them when they were much younger, is givenjustice. they wa nt to much younger, is givenjustice. they want to make sure he spends life behind bars. but the other thing they will want to make sure it is usa gymnastics is held accountable because they believe that there was in many senses a sense of enabling, a culture of enabling is the phrase one woman used, where usa gymnastics was given many complaints about larry nassar‘s behaviour. now, he was the team doctor for the us gymnastics team, he also treated a

lot of state—level gymnasts here and around the country and he used his medical treatment under the guise of medical treatment under the guise of medical treatment under the guise of medical treatment to abuse these young women. now, the concern is that usa gymnastics covered up what was going on and didn't address it. so in many ways they would say that they are addressing this with the resignation of these three top board members but many women here will say there needs to be a complete reorganisation of that. they believe the culture runs deep in usa gymnastics and they hoped, code things can change for others even after two decades working with larry nassar that means things won't necessarily change for them. australia has announced a mass cull of coral—eating starfish that have been destroying the great barrier reef as part of a $50 million package for the 1,500 mile stretch of coast. the great barrier reef, off the north—east coast of queensland, has suffered from bleaching as the water

temperature warms, killing an estimated 50% of the coral. and the starfish as well as agricultural water pollution make the problem worse, as andrew plant reports. it covers an area bigger than italy. beneath the waves of the south pacific australia's great barrier reef home to countless species, but warming oceans have caused bleaching, a once rare event which has now happened two years in a row and is expected this year too. now new plans, a pledge of almost 50 million us dollars, much of it to tackle agricultural water pollution and this, the crown of thorns starfish, a creature which destroys the coral. but many say the funds won't go far enough and the government needs to tackle climate change that's causing the warmer water. what we are seeing from this government is shutting down of all of the really good options that we would have had to tackle climate change, and instead they put this

paltry amount of money on the table. let's not forget the great barrier reef is the size of italy and 50% of the remaining coral cover of the reef has died in the last two years. the scale of this announcement frankly is insulting to those of us who love the reef. it's estimated half the coral has been lost to bleaching. last july this year missed those site was almost placed on the danger list. the organisation warning the australian government's plans to tackle water quality didn't go far enough. it's now hoped the new funding will start major research into preventing the impact of global warming and helping to repair the damage that's already occurred. andrew plant, bbc stay with us on bbc news, still to come: how tea plantations in assam are destroying elephant habitats and bringing big problems for their own workers. the people of saigon

have just heard that, at last, there is to be a ceasefire. the reaction of american servicemen was predictable. i'm going home. demonstrators waiting for mike getting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they called him the butcher of lyon. klaus altmann is being held on a fraud charge in bolivia. but the west germans want to extradite him for crimes committed in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief klaus barbie. millions came to bathe as close as possible to this spot, a tide of humanity that is believed by officials to have broken all records. them

when this is bbc news. our top story this hour: as we've just heard, in the last few minutes, president trump has signed a congressional budget deal suspending the us government shutdown for the next three weeks. the trial of darren osborne has now started. the prosecution says he was trying to kill as many people as possible in an act of terrorism. the pandemonium on a summer night in north london after a large box van smashed into a crowd of worshippers at speed, leaving them strewn across the pavement, some with life—changing injuries,

and leaving 51—year—old makram ali dead. today, his family were at woolwich crown court to watch as 48—year—old darren osborne from cardiff went on trial. jonathan rees qc for the prosecution said osborne had deliberately driven into a group of muslims, trying to kill as many as possible. the prosecution say darren osborne became enraged after a bbc drama about sexual abuse by pakistani men in rochdale, and by the attacks on london and manchester. his partner said he was a ticking time bomb who followed on twitter tommy robinson, the founder of the far right group the edl. the day before the attack he hired a large van. that saturday evening darren osborne came here to his local pub, the hollybush, and the prosecution say that witnesses remember him writing on a piece of paper, and then becoming increasingly loud and abusive about muslims. the prosecution say that after the attack a misspelled note

was found in the cab of the van osborne hired. part of it reads: the prosecution say that this pro—palestinian march may have been darren osborne's original target, but when that didn't prove viable he instead started looking for mosques. their case is that it was an act of terrorism designed to intimidate the muslim community. daniel sandford, bbc news. the north—eastern state of assam in india is one of the world's biggest tea producers. but workers who spend their day picking the leaves are facing a new threat. continued expansion of the tea plantations into the forests around them is putting them into conflict with the elephant population.

navin singh khadka reports from assam. the tea leaves these women are picking will end up on supermarket shelves across the globe. it is a beautiful part of the world, but also a dangerous one. those mountains are in bhutan, bordering this indian state, assa m. wild elephants keep moving between these two places, as they always have. but, when they find their forests have been cleared by tea gardens like this, they become hostile to people. nearly 800 people have been killed by elephants in assam over the past decades. mariam kerketta lost her 26—year—old daughter last october. her friend shows me where she jumped off her scooter and tried to run away from the elephant. translation: both sides of the tea garden had fencing, so my daughter couldn't escape. i never got to say goodbye to her.

i couldn't even see her when she was still alive. government officials say small growers are illegally taking over forest land, but a community leader says big tea companies are involved too. but the organisation representing most tea firms, the indian tea association, rejects this. it says it is not encroaching on forest land. the warden of uralgudi forest says his hands are tied, as tea gardens have taken over part of the forest that he has no control over. translation: there was plenty of food and water for the elephants.

but later, because of the increasing population, tea plantations began in these areas, and because elephants don't eat tea leaves, they now enter villages, and we see these conflicts with humans. a government official told me they had recently recovered some land which was being used illegally for tea gardens. it is a small step, but the bigger issue remains of how people and elephants can live together. mariam kerketta wants no other family to go through her loss. navin singh khadka, bbc news, assam, india. one worker has been airlifted to hospital after a fire in oklahoma. the wide perimeter has been set up.

the wide perimeter has been set up. the first blast was nine o'clock in the morning near the town of clinton in pittsburgh co. it's expected the blaze will burn the night. a brawl has broken out in hanover airport in germany. a pro— turkish group arrived at the check—in in front of the turkish airlines counter. nearly 200 people were involved in all. tens of thousands of liberians have witnessed the swearing—in of george weah as the new president of liberia, at a packed stadium on the outskirts of monrovia. the former international footballer was chosen by voters last month to replace ellenjohnson sirleaf. it's the first time liberia has seen a peaceful transition of power in more than 70 years. the bbc‘s tamasin ford reports from monrovia. it's going to be the biggest match of his life. from africa's first elected female head of state as to the continent's first football head

of state, expectations are higher but his fans are confident. of state, expectations are higher but his fans are confidentlj of state, expectations are higher but his fans are confident. i am here because of george weah, i love him so much. that is why i am here. iam here him so much. that is why i am here. i am here because of my country.|j am so i am here because of my country.|j am so happy. george weah made his fame in europe in the 90s. when liberia was battling 14 years of civil war. as liberians pack this stadium, they support the president of liberia and what better place to do it than a football stadium? africa's most celebrated footballer is now the formal president of liberia. fans are euphoric, sleeping overnight to capture a glimpse of the country giant yze is called here but they are concerned the football success but they are concerned the football su ccess ca n but they are concerned the football success can be translated off the pitch. -- as he is called here. to

narrow the gap between rich and poon narrow the gap between rich and poor, to ensure proper resources would not end up in the pocket of government officials. george weah's presidency marks the first peaceful handover of power in liberia for more than 70 years. an inspiration on the pitch, huge pressure to do the same in politics. if you've ever strolled down hollywood's walk of fame you'll have no doubt seen some very big names. hundreds of actors, pop stars and celebrities have been honoured with a star. the latest recipient is a ninety—year—old lady — who certainly doesn't look her age — as the bbc‘s tim allman explains. and a warning — his report contains some flash photography. for minnie mouse, it was most certainly a case of better late than never. 0h, certainly a case of better late than never. oh, it's beautiful! thank

you, everyone. thank you so much. 90 yea rs you, everyone. thank you so much. 90 years after making her film debut and a0 years after mickey was given his own star, minnie mouse got her moment in the spotlight. you are an icon and an inspiration and the best leading lady in the business and after 90 yea rs leading lady in the business and after 90 years in showbiz, it is certainly about time you got your star. also there to celebrate minnie's special day, nicky of course and popstar katy perry, dressed in matching polkadot is. she paid tribute to america's sweetheart. seeing minnie is like returning home. it's a special skill to bring joy to so many and she'd does it with an effortless back of a lash, don't you, girl? there were plenty of bands in attendance, some of them pointing out that this was a moment of female empowerment. it's good she finally got it. it took so many years but she has sown hard

work throughout the years. its slow progress but we are getting there to get a quality in hollywood and it starts with minnie, i guess. minnie mouse, film star, entertainment and feminist icon. president trump has signed a bill to end at 3— day government shutdown. the federal government will run for another 2.5 weeks. the democrats agreed to drop objections in return for republican assurances that they will try to solve the fate of thousands of migrants bought illegally as children and now facing deportation. much more on the bbc website. you can reach me and most of the team on twitter. i am @bbcmikeembley. thank you to watching. hello there.

we're sticking with a mild theme for the next couple of days, and if anything, today looks very mild in places. we import that air from the south—west. it's going to bring about a considerable fall of any lying snow across central and northern areas too. and with weather fronts bringing outbreaks of rain and the thawing snow, we could see standing water around. it's going to be a very mild start. those are the temperatures we're expecting this morning. but it's going to be a breezy one, a lot of cloud through tuesday, maybe a little bit of brightness here and there, and there could be a couple of weather fronts straddling the country. we start off with rain in england and wales and another one pushing into northern ireland and scotland. this is going to produce some moderate bursts of rain. it's going to be quite persistent across western parts of scotland. add on to the snowmelt, with temperatures between 9 and ii degrees, like i mentioned, a lot of standing water around. a warm weather front across the eastern side of england gradually clearing away. a bit drier in between, pushing into wales and the south—west of england.

there's going to be a lot of low cloud, mist and murk with these weather fronts too. always the case when we pick up these mild south—westerlies. a bit of brightness at times across central, southern and eastern areas. that will really push the temperatures up, but there'll be more rain into western areas, and some heavy showers into scotland and northern ireland. look at these temperatures, though, into the afternoon — double—figure values for most. we could even make ia in one or two of the brighter spots. and then on into tuesday night, it stays blustery. becoming very windy, with gales across western areas. an area of persistent rain moving in. briefly some snow on higher ground, but with milder air continuing to push northwards, it's going to be a very mild night across the south, just 10 or 11 degrees at the lowest. this area of low pressure will move through on wednesday, could cause some disruption. it's going to deepen and bring about some severe gales to scotland. maybe gusts of 70mph here. but it's going to be a very windy day elsewhere, widespread gales, a band of heavy, squally rain spreading southwards and eastwards through the day. brightening up behind it, but it is a cold front. it's going to start to introduce cooler air, which will eventually

reach the south—east by the end of the day. and then on into thursday, we're all into this cooler air mass. that's through thursday and also friday. quite a blustery day again on thursday. perhaps some sunshine, though, across england and wales, before some showers, maybe even long spells of rain. those temperatures back into single figures for most of us. so, to end the week, we're back into the cooler air briefly. there'll be sunshine and showers, and it will be quite windy. but then, as we head on in towards the weekend, it looks like things are set to turn milder once again. this is bbc news, the headlines: president trump has signed a bill temporarily ending the us government shutdown. the three—week deal was approved by democrats in congress after republicans agreed to try to solve the fate of thousands of migrants brought to the us illegally as children who are now facing deportation. fwfifiétai fgéciuci, i::;;;;, w- , three egecutives have resigeegjrr ~ . , fl

the organisation's managers have been under intense scrutiny over a sex abuse scandal involving the former team usa doctor, larry nassar, who was jailed last month. now on bbc news, a look back at monday in parliament.