welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: face to face with facebook‘s founder. mark zuckerberg apologises to a us senate committee for allowing personal data to be misused for political ends. so we have made a lot of mistakes in running the company. i think it is pretty much impossible, i believe, to start a company in your dorm room and grow it to be at the scale we are at now without making some mistakes. shaken by a suspected chemical attack in syria. the us, france and the uk consider joint military action against president assad. exercise extreme caution — the warning from air traffic controllers to airlines in the eastern mediterranean, because of possible cruise missile strikes. and looted but not lost forever — how ethiopia is looking to recover its treasures. facebook‘s founder and chief executive, mark zuckerberg,

has apologised to a us senate committee for allowing companies such as the british data firm cambridge analytica to misuse the personal data of tens of millions of people. "my mistake," he said. he said facebook had not taken a broad enough view of its responsibility, and accepted it had been exploited by russia in the us presidential election. we are in an arms race with russia, he said, a constant battle. this from our media editor amol rajan. it was the interrogation he feared and had long resisted. mark zuckerberg has never testified before congress. the charge at his door — that in building perhaps the most

astonishing network in human history, he had created a mass surveillance tool that emperils us all. let me just cut to the chase. if you and other social media companies do not get your act in order, none of us are going to have any privacy anymore. mr zuckerberg is shy, awkward, and usually wears t—shirts and jeans. here he was looking looking like a nervous schoolboy in an ill—fitting uniform. he recognised the company made a huge error in not telling 87 million users that they had been targeted by cambridge analytica. why didn't you inform those 87 million? we did take action. we took down the app. and we demanded that both the app developer and cambridge analytica delete and stop using any

data that they had. they told us that they did this. in retrospect, it was clearly a mistake to believe them. that was the second act of repentance. next up, he accepted that he was wrong to describe the idea of russian interference in the presidential election as crazy. one of my greatest regrets in running the company is that we were slow in identifying the russian information operations in 2016. we expected them to do a number of more traditional cyber attacks, which we did identify and notify the campaigns they were trying to hack into them, but we were slow at identifying the type of new information operations. as one senator pointed out, mr zuckerberg, sorry seems to be the easiest word. after more than a decade of promises to do better, how is today's apology different, and why should we trust facebook to make the necessary changes to ensure user privacy and give people a clearer picture of your privacy policy? intriguingly, zuckerberg seemed

to leave open the possibility of moving to a paid service at some point. but his core business model will always be based on our personal data. there will always be a version of facebook that is free. it is our mission to try to help connect everyone around the world, and to bring the world closer together, and to do that, we believe we need to offer a service that everyone can afford and we're committed doing that. well, if so, how do you sustain a business model in which users don't pay for your service? senator, we run ads. amol rajan with that report. earlier i spoke to alex kantrowitz, a senior technology reporter for buzzfeed. i asked him what he thought of zuckerberg's performance at the hearing. i think that he did pretty well. he came in, he expressed remorse, he apologised, he didn't get grilled in a youtube moment at all. and facebook‘s stock went

up, so i would think, if you are mark zuckerberg, you would have to feel pretty good today. so what is the next step? at the very least, he has to stand by what he said today because he said it very publicly indeed. oh, yeah. they've made a tremendous amount of policies, expressed remorse and introduced changes. the key thing now is that they have to stick by it. they cannot go back on their word, and go back to lax developer policies or lax advertising policies. they have got to stick to it, otherwise they'll be in much more trouble than they were today. what did you make of the questioning? i'm not sure how social media savvy the senators were. he had to explain some pretty basic things to them, and there seemed to be an assumption in that room that facebook is all of social media, which is laughable to most young people, who scarcely have anything to do with facebook anymore. you're right, i think the questioning was fairly

rudimentary to a concerning level. i think it underscores a big problem here, which is that facebook was a small company founded in a dorm room not long ago, and has now escalated to a 2.2 billion user platform that shapes the world's information, shapes the way we get along with each other. and it's accelerated so fast that any legislative body is going to have a difficult time trying to figure out exactly what to do with it. and the growth will — it will sort of accelerate beyond congress's ability to learn up on it. so that's what we saw today. so it seems like they are going to survive round one without any regulation, but there's always a danger of laws being put into place by people that don't know much about the platform, that end up doing more damage not only to facebook, but to the entire internet. and that's something that is worth keeping in mind as well. you could pick holes in his testimony, couldn't you?

people accusing him of gaslighting congress, tell me what you think. he says he found outjust two weeks ago that bad actors were harvesting information by the millions, but surely the company was aware of that long before that? i think facebook‘s sin has been overlooking this stuff. i think they have had too much faith in people's desire to be good to each other, and too little understanding of how bad actors use their platforms. it's frankly astonishing to me. i mean, they need to bring people in that company that will try to root out and identify all the bad uses of their platform, and they have to make those voices heard. there's a culture inside facebook that's very celebratory of what they're doing. they talk about how they're connecting people in need, and help drive donations for things like alzheimer's research. and it's very easy to be hyped up on your own kool aid. they hear all these good things that their platform is doing for the world, and it

drowns out the negatives. that's why you hear mark zuckerberg say that fake news is a crazy thing and didn't sway the election. if there's anything good that will come out of this, it's that the company will start taking these negative things, these vulnerabilities a lot more seriously. understanding that its future relies on its ability to do so. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news: after an official raid on its offices in london, rupert murdoch's 21st century fox has issued a statement saying it is cooperating with the european commission. there were unannounced inspections in several countries of companies involved in sports broadcasting rights. it is thought to be part of an investigation into suspected anti—competitive practices. president trump has again strongly criticised the fbi raid on the offices of his lawyer michael cohen, although mr cohen has said the agents were professional and courteous. reports in us media suggest the raid was also looking for evidence that michael cohen paid off women on mr trump's behalf, including a former playboy playmate.

yulia skripal, who was poisoned with a nerve agent alongside her father in salisbury last month, has been discharged from hospital. she has been taken to a secure location. her father sergei, a former russian spy, remains in hospital, and doctors say he is recovering more slowly than his daughter. the russian embassy in london said that moscow would consider any secret resettlement of the skripals as abduction. the us, the uk and france are thought to be considering joint military action against the syrian government, within hours, in response to the suspected chemical attack on a rebel—held town in syria. and airlines are being warned to exercise caution in the eastern mediterranean, because of possible cruise missile strikes. the pan—european air traffic control agency, eurocontrol, said strikes might be launched within 72 hours. russia has again used its veto in the un security council to help its allies in damascus, blocking a resolution for an inquiry into saturday's attack on douma. here is our middle east editorjeremy bowen. outside damascus, the war goes on.

this was the aftermath of the conventional attack in idlib, the rebel—held province to which many fighters and families from eastern ghouta have been transferred. only a small fraction of the 500,000 dead in syria's war have been killed by chemical weapons. more displaced people are being bussed out of douma, the town that the west and others say was hit by chemical weapons. a trusted bbc source, abdullah abu hammam, saw the immediate aftermath of the attack. translation: we entered the building, and all the dead bodies were still there. the ambulances couldn't reach the bodies due to the shelling. the bodies had signs of suffocation.

their skin was blue, and there was foaming at the mouth, and their eyes were popped out. but, at the un security council in new york, the russians said there was no chemical attack. instead, the us and its allies were seeking a pretext for an illegal military operation. translation: you do not want to hear anything. you do not want to hear the fact that no traces of a chemical attack were found in douma. russia vetoed an american resolution to set up a new inquiry as to who is to blame for using chemical weapons in syria. russia has abused the power of veto to protect syria from international scrutiny for the use of chemical weapons against the syrian people. russia's credibility as a member of the council is now in question. we will not stand idly by and watch russia continue to undermine global norms which have ensured all our security, including russia's, for decades. a rival russian resolution failed.

it felt like the cold war. earlier, the prime minister added her condemnation. well, first of all, this attack that took place in douma is a barbaric attack. obviously, we are working urgently with our allies and partners to assess what has happened on the ground. if this is the responsibility of assad's regime in syria, then it's yet another example of the brutality and brazen disregard for their people that they show. there are no easy options for the americans, the british and the french in syria. it has become a very crowded battlefield. president assad's men work very closely with the russians and the iranians. the western powers need to avoid making matters worse. introducing more force into such a highly militarised country increases the chances of escalating the conflict. air strikes are possible, like those a year ago after another chemical attack.

but international inspectors could travel to syria anyway, which would complicate western military plans. more important than reprisals, and much harder to find, is a convincing strategy for syria's future. jeremy bowen, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: acapulco is known for its natural beauty. but there is an ugly side, dominated by the drug war. we have a report from the front lines. 25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power, the power to influence. today is about the promise

of a bright future, a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's works were beautiful, they were intelligent, and it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: mark zuckerberg has apologised to a us senate committee for allowing firms to misuse personal data gathered by facebook. russia blocks a un vote to investigate the suspected chemical attack in syria, increasing the likelihood of us—led military action against president assad. injust two months, mexico

will select a new president. the election comes as a surge in violence linked to organised crime and drugs has pushed the national murder rate to the highest level since records began two decades ago. last year there were nearly 30,000 killings. clive myrie and cameraman darren conway have been to the seaside town of acapulco in one of the states worst affected by the violence. a warning, his report contains some very distressing scenes. two worlds exist in acapulco. two realities. one is a paradise of sand and sun. the other, where paradise is lost. in that world, murder is the norm and you can stumble upon a crime

scene at any time. just five minutes‘ drive from our hotel, a taxi driver's been shot in the head. the latest gang hit, another victim for the morgue. meet luis flores, one of the hardest working men in acapulco, he's a body collector and his latestjob is a corpse, dumped in a residential neighbourhood. the deaths, gang—related murders, turf wars for control of the streets. disposed of with the rubbish, in broad daylight, this man shows signs of being tortured. there have been so many murders here in the last week, luis has run out of body bags. 20 minutes later he returns to the morgue, a place reserved for those with strong stomachs.

the epidemic of murders in acapulco is putting unbearable strain on the city's resources. there simply aren't enough freezers here, so bodies rot in bags on the floor. just noticed the tag here on one of the body bags, "nombre desconocido", which means it's unidentified. and at the bottom it says 13th of july, 2017, so that's when the body was found. more than six months ago, no identification, no—one knows who it is and nobody‘s come to claim it. last year, close to 30,000 people were killed in gang violence. how difficult is it dealing with the numbers of homicides here? translation: of course it affects us because we can see the magnitude

of the situation that we are living in. how is it possible for there to be so many bodies? and the murders are getting more savage and more depraved, as a warning to others. a taxi has been left abandoned in the middle of a busy highway, the driver has fled, but left behind in the car is a package. yeah, we'vejust arrived here. it's, what, lipm, rush—hour here in acapulco, pulled up here and the authorities are investigating this taxi. they open the boot and there, in a cooler box, was a head, a severed head. it's actually the third severed head we've come across in three days. foreigners used to flock to acapulco, but there are few

americans after state department advice that mexico is more dangerous than afghanistan or syria. military patrols look after mainly the mexican tourists, who've braved coming here. the sun sets on another killing. this time right on the beach. the federal government's 12—year war on drugs has seen high—profile arrests and the splintering of the big cartels. smaller gangs now fight among themselves. and it's when night falls that there's money to be made. i got some coke, some ecstasies. this former dealer didn't want to be identified. break the code of silence of the gangs and you could end up dead. you can get it from a cartel. why do the cartels kill people?

for a while it was a good cartel here and acapulco 1,000 miles north of acapulco there is a single all—powerful cartel, in the state of sinaloa. they agreed to meet with us, but we were never told the exact location for our midnight rendezvous. and the man who agreed to speak is a top lieutenant in the sinaloa cartel. translation: if you go to jalisco or guerrero the fight is between criminal groups, no cartels. it's because they are small groups they murder each other,

they kill innocent people, they decapitate innocent people, they hang innocent people. they are not cartels, they are criminal groups. we challenged him on the devastation caused by the drugs trade, the ravaged communities and lives lost. but he defended his business, saying no—one forces people to become addicts and he claims politicians understand the benefits of a single, powerful cartel. none of the candidates in mexico's upcoming presidential election would ever admit that and all say they want to destroy the cartels. but this highlights mexico's dilemma, how should it fight the war on drugs? back in acapulco, on the front—line of this battle, luis has another grim collection to make. a man's been shot in the head, a mother's only son. it's believed the dead man may have refused to pay a criminal gang extortion money.

his name was elvis mendoza. he was 25. now he's in luis‘s care. clive myrie, bbc news, in acapulco. there's an irony that some of the most beautiful things the african continent has produced can only be seen in european museums thanks mostly to colonial plunder. london's victoria and albert museum is trying to address that, and is offering some of ethiopia's looted treasures on loan. but that has set off a heated debate. lisamarie misztak reports. beautifully written manuscripts. a meticulously crafted golden crown.

silver jewellery. these are some of the items that were plundered in ethiopia during the battle of magdala in april, 1868. the royal and religious treasures were taken when a british expeditionary force laid siege to the mountain fortress of emperor tewodros ii, in what was then abyssinia. this was in response to the emperor's imprisonment of europeans. but now there is some hope for those fighting for the treasures to be returned home. the history of these items in our collections are legally complicated. the easiest way in order to have these items in ethiopia is a long—term loan, and we've done that with other items in our collection with other parts of the world in the past. the ethiopian government lodged a formal restitution claim for the treasures in 2007, which was denied. the suggestion of a loan was first welcomed by the ethiopian embassy in london, which has partnered

with the museum on this exhibition. loans are not a new thing. that in itself is a good beginning, a good start, for the continued dialogue, discussion and engagement of our two countries regarding cultural artefacts. there's been contradicting statements on exactly what ethiopia's position is for the return of the magdala artefacts. the uk ambassador applauded the move to loan the collections to ethiopia. but the country's culture and tourism minister has rejected the loan, and will now intensify efforts to return the treasures back permanently. calls to return the treasures have been ongoing for years. i think it's a most welcome proposal. i think barring the possibility of the return of some of these treasures held by institutions in britain, it would be wonderful

if a long—term loan of these treasures could be arranged. i think it would be greatly welcomed by the ethiopian people. in the meantime, an exhibition like this continues to shine a light on the plight of many countries around the world that are still fighting to have sacred and precious items returned. lisa—marie misztak, bbc news. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbc mike embley. goodbye. hello, good morning. there is warmer weather

on the way for all of us in the outlook eventually. but it was along the south coast and in sussex, with some sunshine like this, that we had 18 degrees, compared with around six or seven along some north sea coasts. that was thanks to that wind off the north sea. and similar contrasts, really, through the rest of this week. in general a lot of cloud around, and some further bursts of rain, too. now, the pressure pattern looks like this. low pressure to the south of the uk, some very wet weather again across iberia into southern france. higher pressure extending across the north from scandinavia, and that easterly wind. we have seen some heavy rain, though, across parts of the south overnight, and that will tend to head its way away from the south—west, keeping, though, a cloudier zone through wales, the midlands, east anglia, parts of southern england, and maybe a few showers towards the south coast, where we may get some warm sunshine again. sunshine across north—western parts of england, maybe northern ireland, the north and west of scotland, where we're sheltered from that easterly wind which keeps it cold and grey around some north sea coasts, and still pretty misty overnight.

some further bursts of rain as we head towards the end of the night, into thursday morning, but nowhere particularly cold. and, if anything, that rain is tending to move its way a bit further north on thursday, so it should be drying off across much of wales and the midlands. rain pushing northwards, patchy rain, across northern england into northern ireland, but turning wetter across south—east scotland and north—east england, and with that that wind from the north sea, it really will feel pretty cold. get some sunshine, it's a bit warmer, especially in the south—east, although there could be one or two showers around. not a great deal of change as we head into thursday, from thursday into friday. again, lower pressure to the south, higher pressure to the north. an easterly wind, which is going to be stronger to the north of the humber, and this is where we've got most of the rain. so friday, again, it's the northern half of the uk that sees the wetter weather. this time, the rain could be wetter on friday. watch out for some sharp showers in the south and south—west, but again some warmth in that sunshine when it comes through, but not everywhere getting it just yet. we start to see some changes as we head into the weekend. a big area of low pressure

approaching from the atlantic, but it draws up more of a southerly wind as we head through the weekend. still got some rain, though, in north—eastern scotland. cold and wet here, but otherwise, more of a southerly. we're losing the onshore wind for most of us, and that means some sunshine coming through, lifting the temperatures. one or two showers, but not as cold across south—east scotland and north—east england. and the higher temperatures move across the whole of the country as we head into the beginning of next week, as we get that southerly wind. most places will be dry, and there'll be some sunshine too. the latest headlines for you from bbc news: mark zuckerberg has apologised to a us senate committee for allowing firms to misuse the personal data of tens of millions of people. he accepted facebook had not taken a broad enough view of its responsibility. the markets liked his testimony — facebook shares closed 4.5% up. the us, the uk and france are thought to be considering joint military action against the syrian government, within hours, in response to the suspected chemical attack on a rebel—held

town in syria. earlier, russia used its veto in the un security council to block a resolution for an inquiry. airlines have been officially warned by the european air traffic control agency to "exercise caution" in the eastern mediterranean, in the next 72 hours, because of possible cruise missile strikes. in a statement, eurocontrol said one effect might be the disruption of radio navigation equipment.