welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: donald trump celebrates the strongest us economic growth in four years, despite warnings it might not last. the president takes credit for putting america first. we are the economic envy of the entire world. when i meet the leaders of countries, the first thing they say invariably, is "mr president, so nice to meet you, congratulations on your economy". a spectacular night sky show for millions, as a blood moon rises in the longest lunar eclipse this century. the cbs television network investigates allegations of sexual misconduct against its top executive. and thousands of iraqis take to the streets to protest against corruption, poor services and unemployment. hello.

welcome to the programme. president trump has described economic growth in the us as "historic", after it rose at an annualised rate of more than 4% between april and june. the growth was driven by strong consumer spending and a surge in exports, as firms rushed to beat new trade tariffs imposed on the us. the white house hopes the strong economy diverts attention away from controversy surrounding alleged russian involvement in the 2016 election. with more, here's our north america editor, jon sopel. the sun shone and donald trump beamed as he basked in the warm glow of these latest economic figures. this is what he'd promised the american people and now 18 months or so into his presidency, he can say this is what he's delivered.

these numbers are very, very sustainable. this isn't a one—time shot. i happen to think we're going to do extraordinarily well in our next report next quarter. i think it's going to be outstanding. i won't go too strong because then if it's not quite as good, you will not let me forget it. the economy is powering ahead, but these figures don't take account of the trade war launched against mexico, china and the european union and the retaliation taken against us products. and though donald trump says the economy is set fair, the effects of the tariffs are yet to feed through. i think there probably will be a lower number in the next quarter of data, just because there will be some give—back. we had such a temporary surge in net exports and that is not going to happen, that is people buying stuff ahead of the tariffs going up. the other reason why these figures are such a welcome tonic is that it allows the president to try to shift the conversation away from russia, a subject which took another

murky twist last night. the white house believes that people will be much more interested in their wages, their livelihood, and the state of the economy than they will be in whether there was collusion between donald trump and the russians over the last election. michael cohen, his long—time lawyer and personal bag carrier, has let it be known that he's prepared to testify, that donald trump was lying when he said he knew nothing about a meeting held at trump tower before the election, with a kremlin linked official promising to dish dirt on hillary clinton — a potentially explosive claim. donald trump's current lawyer was sent out to do a number on the ex—lawyer. there's nobody that i know that knows him, that hasn't warned me that if his back is up against the wall, he will lie like crazy because he's lied all his life. but this was rudy giuliani just a couple of months earlier. the man is an honest, honourable lawyer. the president entered the fray this morning, saying: thank you very

much, everybody. thank you. reporter: mr president, are you going to go to moscow? as donald trump left the south lawn, there were no shouted questions about the economy. it was all russia. the issue thatjust won't go away. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. millions of people around the world have been gazing skywards to catch the longest lunar eclipse this century. those lucky enough not to be disappointed by cloud cover can see the phenomenon known as a blood moon. at least part of the eclipse was visible from europe, the middle east, africa, australia, most of asia and south america. victoria gill reports. passing through the shadow of our own planet. in the darkest skies, stargazers took in the view of the moon during the longest lunar eclipse of the century. our natural satellite spent one hour and 43 minutes cast spectacularly

red, as it was totally eclipsed by the earth. the moon is passing right through the centre of the earth's shadow, so it's where the earth's shadow is at its widest. and so it lasts the longest. and the only light from the sun that can reach it is actually the light that's been filtered through the earth's atmosphere and that's why it goes this beautiful dusky red colour. at the same time, our solar system neighbour, mars, will be as close as it's possible to be to the earth on its own journey around the sun, significantly improving our view of it. this recent picture captured by the hubble telescope shows the detail of a dust storm on the red planet. so where it's clear, skywatchers will see a blood moon in the same sky as a brighter, redder mars. and there won't be a longer luna eclipse than this until 2123, so it's a very good night to look skywards. victoria gill, bbc news. dr ian griffin is a british astronomer and director of the otago museum.

he's been viewing the blood moon from the mountjohn observatory in lake tekapo, in the south island of new zealand. talk to them, how was it to you?m was absolutely spectacular to be here ina was absolutely spectacular to be here in a beautiful backdrop you can see. here in new zealand, the eclipse took place as the moon was setting in the sun was rising, so we had the moon setting, going red, against the alps, and it was just one of the most fantastic sites i have ever seen stargazing. it was a fantastic sight to see. doctor griffin, ithink fantastic sight to see. doctor griffin, i think we've got some of the pictures you took a kindly sent to us, we are going to show them now and it absolutely amazing. do you think you got one of the best views in the world there on the south island of new zealand? well, we did not see the whole eclipse because we

saw setting as it went into totality but what we got was the sun rising at the same time, so as the moon went red, it eats into the sky and then started turning this wonderful pastoral colour. it was just, then started turning this wonderful pastoral colour. it wasjust, a group of us were standing on this mountain top of new and said this is absolutely stunning. —— in the middle of new zealand. victoria just had a go at explaining it for us to try again for us. why does it look like it is read? well, if you are a national spending on the moon, what you would see as all the sun rises and sunsets of the earth the same time because that is the only light is passing towards you on the moon. —— red. so if you can't be an astronaut, i think one of the best things to do is to be here in new zealand what it like this because by golly, zealand what it like this because by golly, it was something. and i gather that mars is getting close as

well so you have more treats in store. that is right, we are also observing mars with the big telescopes here at tekapo. it will be very exciting, lunar eclipse and brilliant views of mars, which is the closest it has been since 2003. 0k, doctor griffin, the closest it has been since 2003. 0k, doctorgriffin, ithink the closest it has been since 2003. 0k, doctor griffin, i think we will leave it there but a fantastic view behind you and some fantastic views in your pictures. we do appreciate your time. doctor griffin there in new zealand. let's get some of the day's other news. british mps are warning that democracy has been plunged into crisis by the spread of fake news, with voters being systematically manipulated by campaigns which rely on hate and misinformation. in a leaked report, they've criticised the behaviour of big tech companies such as facebook and google, and called for new laws to make them responsible for content published on their sites. greece's prime minister, alexis tsipras, says he assumes full political responsibility for the bushfires which killed more than 80 people around athens.

the government has faced calls from the opposition to apologise forfailing to respond quickly enough to the disaster, but mr tsipras said the authorities would act quickly to tackle unlicensed residential building development. austria's chancellor is understood to have backed an idea put forward by the british prime ministerfor european union leaders to hold formal talks about brexit at a summit in september. theresa may has been speaking to sebastian kurz and the czech prime minister, as she seeks support for her plans. from salzburg, our diplomatic correspondent, james robbins, sent this report. a warning: it contains repeated flash phtography. this way, please. arriving for a night at the opera, at the end of yet another bruising brexit week. theresa may is finally starting her holidays with mozart's the magic flute, in the city of his birth. she's the guest of austria's

chancellor, sebastian kurz. in a session of talks earlier, she tried to persuade him to urge a softer brexit stance from the entire eu side. but, at this particularly tense moment, both deliberately said very little publicly. and i hope that we can find a way that also after the brexit, the relations between the uk and austria and the uk and the european union remain very strong. we are delivering on the vote that the british people made. they chose to leave the european union and we will deliver. so, could austria prove to be a british ally? this is a country both highly conservative and eurosceptic. hostile to migrants from outside the eu, but not to freedom of movement inside it. tonight, austria's foreign minister told me brexit has now pushed her country deeper into european unity. the current uncertainty

on what brexit will be like, has in a different way shaped austrian public opinion, that interestingly enough, people have become a little bit more pro—eu than they used to be. a little bit more supportive of the 27? exactly. but it doesn't look as if theresa may got much comfort from the czech prime minister either. another leader she's been meeting here in salzburg. the overwhelming problem for theresa may is this — some other eu leaders may be sympathetic, but, and it's a big but, when britain says "you must blink first", they tend to stand solidly together and say "no, after you". so, for mrs may, tonight's mozart, a serious fairytale, offers an escape and her holiday in italy does start tomorrow, but it's only an interval before the hardest bargaining britain has ever faced. james robbins, bbc news, salzburg. there's been more protests in iraq

as demonstrators rally against widespread corruption and social inequality. on friday, thousands of people took to the streets of basra and other cities across the country, calling for political change. stefan levy reports. for three weeks now, angry protests have rocked basra. the southern city is iraq's main oil hub, home to over 70% of its reserves. but few living here reap the rewards. people lack basic amenities like clean water and electricity. jobs are hard to come by. these placards read "i want my rights, i want my country." rallies over these issues are not new, but this time around the unrest has been more widespread. protesters are demanding reform to the parliamentary quota system installed after the us invasion of iraq in 2003.

translation: the government are making the same promises time and time again, and they tell you that they could not fulfil demands because of the quota system. the prime minister cannot even meet the smallest demand. i challenge him to meet the smallest demand. the protests come at a sensitive time. different political factions are currently trying to form a coalition government, after may's elections were tainted by allegations of fraud — and the pressure is on. iraq's top cleric, ali al—sistani, has echoed the cause of protesters to establish a new government. translation: the current government must work hard to implement the demands to reduce their suffering and misery. second, the next government must be formed as soon as possible on a sound base, and must be credible and efficient people. the fear is without sweeping changes to the political system as it currently stands, the corruption will continue,

and the wealth generated by the oil—rich country will remain in the hands of the few rather than the many. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: it makes me feelm i'm in syria, being back eating falafel with my family. from syria, to the royal albert hall here in london. the child refugees turning their experiences into poetry. the us space agency, nasa, has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armagh. once an everyday part of the soldier's lot — drudgery and danger — now no more after four decades.

if one is on one's own in a private house, not doing harm to anyone, i don't really see why these people should wander in and say you're doing something wrong. six rare white lion cubs are on the prowl at worcestershire park, and already they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they are lovely, yeah. really sweet. yeah, they were cute. this is bbc news, our main story this hour. donald trump celebrates the strongest us economic growth in four years — despite warnings it might not last. and a spectacular night sky show for millions as a blood moon rises in

the longest luna eclipse the century. —— lunar. the directors of cbs, one of the big us television networks, say they will investigate claims of sexual misconduct against the chairman and chief executive, leslie moonves. the allegations have been published by the new yorker magazine. shares in cbs fell more than 6% on news of the claims against mr moonves, who is one of america's highest—paid business executives. let us get more on this from chris buckler in washington. he is not necessarily a household name but he is incredibly powerful and entertainment? yeah, leslie moonves has been with cbs for almost a quarter of a century and during that time he has been responsible for a series of digg entertainment hits and has really made his mark on the network. —— big entertainment hits. he is seen —— big entertainment hits. he is seen as —— big entertainment hits. he is seen as the most important executives in us television. it

cannot will be understated how important he has been to cbs itself. yet these are serious allegations which have come from the new yorker. the piece was written by ronan farrow, you may remember he was involved in the harvey weinstein expose and he has now written about these allegations about moonves. in them, he says he spoke to six women who described various different encounters with mr moonves in which they say they were forced to kiss him in some cases, in which they say that there was forced touching another cases, and in which they claim, in many cases, that they have their careers derailed or threaten to be derailed by mr moonves. he has denied all these allegations. nonetheless, they are being taken very seriously by cbs itself. cbs has released a statement making it clear that an investigation is ongoing. in that statement they say that all allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously. the independent directors of cbs have committed to investigating claims that violate

the compa ny‘s clear investigating claims that violate the company's clear policies in that regard. upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action. now, it should be said that this investigation was actually started a long time ago, amid concerns about the culture of cbs. you may remember at the end of last year they fired one of their top centres, charlie rose, over allegations that he had been involved in inappropriate behaviour. —— top presenters. he denied that inappropriate behaviour but he was removed from his post and he apologised to anybody who felt that he had acted inappropriately around them. of course, i guess the me too movement has focused heavily on the entertainment industry, but cbs has not been the television network in the us to see these allegations? yes, ironically leslie

moonves himself was a big supporter of the me too movement. in fact, he was involved in setting up organisations to address some of these concerns and was very much seen as these concerns and was very much seen as somebody leading the charge there. here find himself facing these allegations. he has released a statement himself and it was given to the new yorker and it is very clear, but again, he also makes some apologies if people have been concerned about his behaviour and his pass. he says, "i recognise there were times decades ago when i may have made someone uncomfortable by making advances. those were m ista kes by making advances. those were mistakes and i regret them immensely. but i always understood and respected and abided by the principal that no means no and i have never miss use my position to harm or hinder anybody‘s korea. the issue here for cbs goes well beyond the man at the top. there have also been questions in this article about how they handled previous allegations of harassment, of sexual

misconduct in the workplace, and it seems that this lengthy article is going to have to lead to a real widening of that investigation that is taking place by cbs. chris buckler in washington, thank you go much. in pakistan, members of the former ruling party say they won't boycott the new parliament. that's despite rejecting the results that show imran khan's party winning. they say they'll fight their cause from the opposition benches. the united states has expressed its concern about "flaws" in the election, including what it calls constraints on freedom of expression and association during the campaign. the bbc‘s secunder kermani is in islamabad. he told us more about the dispute and what the opposition parties plan to do now. yes, it is not quite clear what is going to happen. certainly, according to the results, imran khan's party will be the biggest party in the next parliament. they will easily be able to form a

government by forming alliances, either with small parties or with other independent candidates joining them, which we are hearing that they are already in the process of doing at the moment. so depends, really, on what the opposition parties do now, particularly the plmn party which has been in powerfor the past five years. as you said, they have rejected the vote, but some of them is the this morning we heard the son of the leader, shah was sharif, saying that they would sit in opposition benches and be contesting it through legal and political means, one assumes. “— it through legal and political means, one assumes. —— shawaz sharif. at the moment, the plmn party is in a meeting with a number of other parties discussing the way forward , of other parties discussing the way forward, because they have all been claiming that this vote was rigged. now, this eu election observer observation mission came forward with some interesting statements earlier today. they were quite critical, not necessarily about what

took place on the election day itself, but about the election campaign and the buildup. 0ne itself, but about the election campaign and the buildup. one of the state m e nts campaign and the buildup. one of the statements they said was that they had been told there was a systematic campaign to undermine the ruling party. that would be the plmn party, at the time. that chimes with one of the complaints that the plmn has long made, which is that they say the pakistani military has been trying to dominate the election campaign and ensure that the plmn are not brought into power and that the pti are. imran khan says that is just a cover—up for their decreasing popularity. what he has said he is willing to look into any incidences of alleged vote rigging. —— but he has. after surviving the brutal war in syria, a group of child refugees and their classmates will take to the stage in london on sunday. they'll be performing a poem about the conflict, written for the bbc proms.

caroline hawley went along to rehearsals. it's a long way from the rubble of war to this. welcome to royal albert hall! what do you think? it has been a tough but extraordinary journey for these children. this is sajeda, who is 1a. several of her family members were killed in syria and her story is not unique. mohammed is also 1a. he escaped lebanon before coming here and still dreams of home. for the first time, the voices of child refugees are being heard here at one of the country's most prestigious venues, with a poem they have written themselves. it makes me feel i am in syria, eating falafel for breakfast with my family. what you want people to take away from the poem? to understand syria is a very nice country, that people would like to live in all their lives. but because of the war, everything is gone now. neither mohammed nor sajeda spoke english when they arrived. it was hard settling in. some children was bullying me, like,

go away, go back to your home, we don't want you here. iremember iraq. iremembersyria. iam, isaid... like, when i was small i didn't think, i am going to be on stage in front of all these people. very exciting, and i hope that the audience will really enjoy it. if you've not been lucky enough to catch a sight of tonight's blood moon eclipse, here's a collection of images from around the world. hello there. violent thunderstorms broke out across southern and central parts of the country late on friday. this marks the end of

the current heatwave. the thunderstorms continued to clear northwards and eastwards and then things turn cooler, with showers following on behind. that is the culprit for the change to our weather, the big area of low pressure that has been moving in off the atlantic. you see the thunderstorms, a line of them across east anglia and into england and eastern scotland. as we head into the early hours of saturday, most of the thunderstorms will clear off into the north sea. they could, however, mingle on a bit longer into the north—east of scotland. behind those, further pulses of rain pushing in to start saturday morning. it is going to be slightly cooler and fresher here but for england and wales, again, another warm and humid night. saturday, we start off with showery rain, maybe some of the country. quite a wet start for north—east scotland. some of these producing longer spells of rain in northern ireland. could be even heavier thunder across england and into the west of wales. this is something we have not seen for a while, blustery winds. i have got the wind areas on here because it is going to be quite gusty, 20 to a0 miles an hour in some places. it is going to be a lot cooler and fresher to what we have

been used to. 10 degrees cooler now than what we saw thursday and friday. the low pressure is still with us as we head into part two of the weekend. in fact, this feature running up in the south—western parts of england could bring a spell of storms. windier and cooler pretty much across the board. some of this rain will be pretty heavy and prolonged, good news for gardeners and growers, as it continues to push its way northwards into much of scotland. behind that, we could see a few sunny breaks, but it is going to be another windy day, particularly across england and wales, and even fresher on saturday, temperatures at best 21 or 22 across southern areas.

closer to the high teens celsius further north. yes, it is going to be a cool, fresh week, with some strong outbreaks of rain. high—pressure continues to push in and these temperatures are going to be on the rise again. this is bbc news, the headlines: donald trump is celebrating the strongest us economic growth in four years, despite warnings it might not last. the increase of 4% between april and june was driven by strong consumer spending and a surge in exports. the president has described the figures as "historic". millions of people have been gazing skywards to catch the longest lunar eclipse this century, as the moon passes through the shadow of the earth causing it to glow red. the phenomenon — known as a "blood moon" — coincides with the closest pass of mars for fifteen years. a sexual misconduct investigation

has been launched at cbs, one of the big us tv networks. claims going back several decades have been made against the broadcaster's chairman and chief executive, leslie moonves. shares in cbs fell more than 6% on news of the claims he denies the allegations. now on bbc news, westminster in review.