the headlines: the approach of hurricane lane is causing flash flooding and landslides in parts of hawaii. the islands are being hit by winds of 170km per hour and heavy rain. president trump has cancelled next week's planned trip to north korea by his secretary of state. in tweets, mr trump complained that not enough progress had been made in dismantling pyongyang's nuclear programme. he blamed china for the stalled process — suggesting a link with current trade tensions. pope francis is due to arrive in ireland for the first papal visit there in four decades. the centrepiece will be a mass on sunday in front of half a million people. the sexual abuse scandal has dominated the catholic church in recent yea rs. there is no safe level of alcohol consumption — that is the stark message from one

of the most significant studies into alcohol use and its health effects to date. researchers looked at the drinking habits of people in 195 countries, including the uk. our health correspondent dominic hughes reports. just how much alcohol is it safe to drink? it's confusing when different studies produce apparently contradictory results. now the latest research says while alcohol might protect us from heart disease, overall there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. alcohol‘s linked to seven types of cancer. we know about liver disease, which has risen over decades in the uk. so those risks actually outweigh any benefits. so what the study is saying is for health overall, the best thing we can do is not to drink at all, which is clearly not gonna happen for most people. but if we want to give advice, that's probably what we should be giving. nhs guidelines say we should restrict our drinking to just 14 units of alcohol each week.

that's around six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine. but today's report suggests many people are drinking more than that and posing a risk to their health. the study looked at global drinking habits. around the world, one in three people drink alcohol. the study showed that british women drink an average of three drinks a day and rank eighth in the world of highest drinkers. british men drink a similar amount but ranked 62nd, because drinking levels internationally are generally far higher among men. and in this st albans pub, customers weren't especially alarmed by these new findings. i think everything comes with a risk, doesn't it? and you've just got to make the decision. be aware of what you're drinking and go from there. conflicting advice all the time, isn't there, about how many units you can drink or are supposed to drink? i think it must depend on the individual, surely. drinking alcohol is pleasurable, so it's a case of don't overdo it. it's the degree of risk that we may suffer ill—health linked to drinking

that we all have to weigh up. the study shows that the risk of drinking within current guidelines is very low indeed, so it's no argument for abstention just because there's no safe level. after all, there's no safe level of driving, there's no safe level for going on holiday. there's no safe level for getting up in the morning, but it doesn't mean we should abstain from these activities. and in the end, this is what the debate around alcohol consumption comes down to, the level of risk we are each willing to live with. now here on bbc news, it's time for witness. hello and welcome to witness with

me, razia igbal. in this programme, we will hear from five witnesses about their involvement in extraordinary moments in 20th—century history. we will talk to the man who helped rewrite african history, and meet the lesbian protester who invaded a live news studio. we will travel to burma to follow a story of one woman's involvement in the burmese uprising. and had to italy to hear how one of your‘s most daring engineering projects helped bring the french and italians together, atjust 20 years after the second world war. we start with an individual whose mission has been to make the world a better place animals. up until 1998, an horrific tradition that was centuries—old could be seen in town squares across bulgaria, chained bears being forced to dance to music. after this horrendous

practice was finally bands, the retired and often alcoholic bears needed a place to go. a doctor has been telling witness how he convinced his government that he could rehabilitate the bears. in 1998, it was clear that brown bears area 1998, it was clear that brown bears are a protected species, for me it was a huge challenge. in the heart of the bulgarian capital's commercial and political centre, aside from mediaeval times, a 1k —month—old brown bear. she is muzzled and chained by rings through the nose and upper lip to her master. it was a cultural problem in bulgaria, over 300 years, tradition. these bears were trained, by taking the bear cub and working them on a

metal hotplate, very hot, like fire. they started to play with small, instrumental music and there would be above this fire, but the hotplate and he would start to move his leg up and he would start to move his leg up and down because it is burning. and over many times that there would hear this music and start to move his leg, and this is how they would start dancing bear. the bears were also alcoholic. many hours per day, at the bear have to also drink alcohol, like its owner. i have met many bears that would be drinking whiskey or vodka or beer, sometimes up whiskey or vodka or beer, sometimes up to 11 day. so we tried to work with the public, we tried to make a lot of publicity about the situation and step by step, month by month, a lot of hotel owners in selfie

refused. —— sofia. the owner of the bears came to dancing front of his hotel. these bears born in captivity, they did not have the chance to learn how to survive in the wild, so we cannot leave them to the wild, so we cannot leave them to the wild. it was very clear that we needed a century. for me, it was a huge challenge. how to convince and to prove to the government that this project is possible. this is a retirement house for all the dancing bears. so the first time i have the chance to bring some bears here to the dancing bear part, at first i was very excited. we had to wait all the night outside. i had to remove the night outside. i had to remove the chain and to bring the bear inside the enclosure. to be honest,

i was very scared because i do not know how the bear will act, what he will do. he is a wild animal still, asi will do. he is a wild animal still, as i was scared. backing the bear also was scared. so when he woke up, i never forget this also was scared. so when he woke up, i neverforget this moment. when he stood up, he was looking and he was afraid to walk, even he was able to walk, he was afraid to step on his foot. and how he stood and smelt, you just meld. he is free in. in bulgaria, there are no more dancing bears. the last dancing bear in bulgaria was rescued in september 2000 seven. this tradition was from the middle ages, it no longer exists and it will never come back again. sadly, the practice still goes on in some places across the globe. now let's travel back hundreds of years to great zimbabwe, this ancient city

was thought to have dominated southern and eastern africa with its trading gold. but when its ruins we re trading gold. but when its ruins were discovered by white colonial explorers, they claimed it could not have been built by black africans. in the early 1980s, the newly independent zimbabwe look to shake off this version of events and asked a doctor who grew up in near the sight to write a new history of the city. this is one of the most remarkable sites in africa. these are the corridors of power of an ancient african civilisation. this is great zimbabwe. everybody in power wants to control history. the europeans said the africans did not build the ruins. they belonged to somebody else, the phoenicians, the arabs, anybody else except the

africans. great zimbabwe at was the greatest civilisation of that era, it carried about 10,000 people, so that was quite a large city. it was also the centre of religion and the economy of zimbabwe and was called. it could be traced back as far back as 1100. i was raised about ten miles away in. i was obsessed with history, so i visited it as a child. there was a bus to great zimbabwe but this is as tourists, blacks were not allowed there. but we would just turn up and if there were no white visitors, you could just wander. the structures are massive, the stones are chiselled to exactly the same size and they not connected by a mortar or cement. we felt in some

ways deprived of what belongs to us, that we belongs to a great people but we are oppressed by the colonial regime. when europeans first saw great zimbabwe in the early 1980s, they could not believe that so imposing structure could have been built by the ancestors of the africans they found living there. the people who built it were semitic, they were brown in colour and there was evidence that the people were a mix of arabs and jewish people. the europeans are going there to civilise europeans, who ignore history. so if they accepted that some of these africans have these wonderful civilisation is, their reasoning would fall apart. on aprilthe 18th, is, their reasoning would fall apart. on april the 18th, 1980, zimbabwe became independent.

apart. on april the 18th, 1980, zimbabwe became independentm apart. on april the 18th, 1980, zimbabwe became independent. it was a great moment for us. history became important. they were going to find a new identity by going into the past. i was the first black director of the national museums. i was supposed to use my abilities as a writer to write a new, new manual for great zimbabwe, getting away from the eurocentric interpretation. so that that heritage could be reclaimed. it was one of my happiest times, but it was also full of challenges because the politicians, they insisted, that i must say that great zimbabwe was built by revolutionaries. and i refused, i said no, there is nothing revolutionary there, just ordinary people doing as they were told by the king. they were angry with me,

andi the king. they were angry with me, and i had to leave zimbabwe in a hurry. the doctor showing why it is important to question our interpretation of history. in 1998, new laws were being introduced in the uk limiting gay rights. section 28, as it was known, banned the teaching of homosexuality in schools. evening the proposal was due to become law, the main bbc news studio had some unexpected visitors. the six 0'clock news on the bbc. studio had some unexpected visitors. the six 0'clock news on the bbcm the house of lords, a vote is taking place now on a challenge... tory rebels have said that... in general, britain was quite a hostile environment in the 1980s for the lg btq environment in the 1980s for the lgbtq community. environment in the 1980s for the lg btq community. about environment in the 1980s for the lgbtq community. about 80% of people

said that it was mostly always wrong to be gay. you could get abusejust for being. are obviously do not want children taught that the gay and lesbian lifestyle is natural and normal, it is not, it never has been, and it never will be. my concern is the promotion of positive images of homosexuality in school, and that is what is causing many pa rents and that is what is causing many parents real concern and defence. the sort of catalyst moment, about a girl who lives with her two dads. —— a book about. and it sort of kicked off a moral panic in parliament, what we were told we were doing was destroying the heterosexual family. so that caused this clause to be enacted. section 28 and legal authorities from promoting homosexuality, the second part of

that bans the teaching of homosexuality in schools. basically, it meant closing down services, so young people became very vulnerable, particularly, and schools could not protect people from being bullied. all kinds of groups all over the country began to protest. and actor was at the head of the procession which stretch nearly two miles. group of lesbians dressed as suffragettes, a group of lesbians abseiled into the house of lords. do all of theircampaigning abseiled into the house of lords. do all of their campaigning prior to the announcement, we could not get the announcement, we could not get the media to understand what the impact is going to be on our community and on our children. so really, the only thing left was to actually be the news i being on the news. we met outside the television centre, we managed to get through this security. the whole thing was timing really. as soon as the lights

changed we barged into the studio. the whole place went mad, i got smacked to the ground by our don't know how many people. one of our members managed to handcuff herself toa camera, members managed to handcuff herself to a camera, and the other got behind the news desk, where she was violently behind the news desk, where she was viole ntly subdued by behind the news desk, where she was violently subdued by nicholas witchell, who has since apologised. they carried on trying to read the news. i apologise if you are hearing quite a lot of news in the studio at the moment. i am afraid we have rather been invaded. in the four digit has all got rather muffled. you can hear muffled shouts of "top section 28". eventually we were all arrested. it did get huge media cove rage. arrested. it did get huge media coverage. the headlines were all about loonie lesbians, but over time, and beyond that, i have heard from quite a lot of people what it meant to them as young lgbt people in theirown home, meant to them as young lgbt people in their own home, knowing that they we re in their own home, knowing that they were gay but maybe not out, just feeling empowered by it. section 28 was repealed in 2003 in the uk.

remember, you can watch this every month on the bbc news channel, or you can catch up on all of our realms, along with more than a thousand radio programmes in our online archive. —— watch witness. just go to the bbc news website. now we had to burma, to look back as a revolt against the military government that happened 30 years ago this month. the uprising led to the emergence of a new opposition leader, aung san suu kyi. the protest reached its peak on the eighth of august, 1988. mark kedar was a young radicals —— medical student in rangoon at the time. the main cause of the writing is burma's economic crisis. —— rioting. the demonstrations are led by students demanding economic reform and a return to democracy. it was like the whole country was in the mood of the protests. today, there have been

more clashes with troops in the suburbs of rangoon. several times, troops opened fire on the crowd. the way the government took action against this was very violent. very militant. some students were killed. 0ne militant. some students were killed. one of my friends was shot. the medical professionals, they were taking the lead. and then the rangoon general hospital became the central place for the protests. it was a very big rally inside the rangoon general hospital, and the truck arrived, and the government army shot, just randomly, into the hospital. we tried to help some injured people. i never treated a gunshot wound patient in the past. it was shocking to treat gunshot wound injured people. so many

patients at the same time, it is a little bit difficult to handle. at rangoon general hospital, aung san suu kyi addressed tens of thousands of people who had gathered.- suu kyi addressed tens of thousands of people who had gathered. at that time, aung san suu kyi was not well known by the international community. a woman who, for the last 20 years, has lived in england. her father was assassinated when aung san suu kyi wasjust father was assassinated when aung san suu kyi was just two. father was assassinated when aung san suu kyi wasjust two. she returned quietly to burma in april after years away. that was the very emotional moment, her speech was really groundbreaking, i think. a commitment, her vision for our country. — — commitment, her vision for our country. —— her commitment. with the army on the streets, there isa with the army on the streets, there is a mood of fear in rangoon tonight. the situation after the

crackdown in september was the situation for further protests. crackdown in september was the situation for further protestsm does seem most of the army is racking the coup. —— racking. does seem most of the army is racking the coup. —— rackinglj does seem most of the army is racking the coup. -- racking. i had no choice, i already believed in the revolution, i couldn't stop any more. i expected one day i might be arrested. i was arrested in 1993. more. i expected one day i might be arrested. iwas arrested in 1993. it was a couple of days, just before my twitter seventh birthday. i was a little bit excited to be in prison, because i really wanted to write my own prison one day. i spent five years and six months in prison, in solitary confinement, throughout the prison term. after i was released i we nt prison term. after i was released i went back to the hospital. a quite unforgettable moment. aung san suu kyi, a free woman, walking to meet

her people. we are having such a high expectation to aung san suu kyi. i want to run for president, andl kyi. i want to run for president, and i quite frank about it. if we go back 20 years ago the situation was really that the current situation is still not yet enough, so we still are hoping. in our finalfilm still not yet enough, so we still are hoping. in our final film we still not yet enough, so we still are hoping. in our finalfilm we had to the italian— french alps, for a story of post—war union and cooperation. by the time of its completion, the mont blanc tunnel was three times longer than any previous tunnel in the world. franco klass was the project's first operations manager. a road tunnel under mont blanc, the dream of decades has come through and the parasite and remoterjourney is cut by300 parasite and remoterjourney is cut by 300 miles. to both france and italy this was a historic occasion, and thejoint italy this was a historic occasion, and the joint opening ceremony was performed by general the ball and

the italian president. —— general the italian president. —— general the ball. —— de gaulle. from here, this looks a pretty big coal, but when you think of the size of the mountains through which it is being driven, it is rather like trying to drive a needle through the granite foundations of edinburgh castle. a great story of international cooperation and engineering. that is all from witness this month here at the british library. we will be back next month with more first—hand accou nts next month with more first—hand a ccou nts of next month with more first—hand accounts of extraordinary moments in history. but for now, from me and the rest of the witness team, goodbye. hello.

loads of showers around on friday, some really heavy with hail and thunder. also cold right across the board. the cool conditions continue into the weekend and of course for many of us this is a bank holiday weekend. we will see further showers at times but also some sunshine. friday's showers clearing away with this low pressure during the early hours of saturday. a few showers still remaining across northern and western areas, a few pushing into the midlands, there. but with lengthy clear skies, a chilly start to this morning, with temperatures widely in single figures. some sheltered spots could get close to freezing. we start the morning on a chilly note, but largely dry and bright with lots of sunshine. breezy across the north—east. elsewhere, showers developing here and there, but nowhere near as many as we saw on friday. with slightly lighter winds across the south and the west, despite the fact it will still be quite cool for this time of year, with below—average temperatures,

it should feel a little bit better. heading through saturday night, it will be another chilly one. a veil of high cloud pushes in off this weather system. i don't think it will be as cool to start sunday as we were expecting this morning. double—figure values across many areas. this area of low pressure will come hurtling in on sunday. it will spread east throughout the day to bring wet and windy weather. a bit of brightness across the far east for a while, but a cool start. very soon the cloud will thicken up. wet and windy weather spreads to all areas. some of this will be heavy. in western areas, it could be blustery with winds of ao—asmph in the south and the west. it will feel disappointingly cool with all the cloud, wind, and rain. temperatures generally in the mid—to—high teens celsius. 0ur area of low pressure pushes into the near

continent, then for monday it looks like we are into a ridge of high pressure, so a bit quieter. still breezy in the west and north—west, but that will feed in further clouds to england and wales through the afternoon. so a few showers, but for most places, drier and quieter, temperatures ranging from 17 to 21 or 22 degrees in the south—east, so a touch warmer. heading through tuesday, a fine and settled day, with a ridge of high pressure and feeling a little bit warmer with some sunny spells. hello. this is bbc news. i'm ben bland. our top stories: hurricane lane heads closer to hawaii. some areas are dealing with catastrophic flooding. hawaii is going to be impacted by hurricane lane. the question is how bad. president trump cancels his envoy‘s trip to north korea, saying there's not enough progress in denuclearisation.

—— being made in. pope francis is heading to ireland — a country where the catholic church is in steep decline. a british couple die suddenly in an egyptian hotel. their family don't believe the official explanation. an online sensation. two youtube stars go head to head in the boxing ring, and millions of dollars are at stake.