welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: deadlyjourneys — the un says more migrants are dying in the mediterranean, and calls on european leaders to act. brazil's national museum goes up in flames — 20 million objects are thought to be at risk. hundreds of thousands of documents witheld — is the white house hiding details of president trump's pick for the supreme court? and a verdict‘s expected in the case of two myanmarjournalists on trial after investigating killings by the security forces. welcome to the programme. the number of people dying while trying to cross the mediterranean sea to reach

europe has risen sharply — that's according to the united nations‘ refugee agency. over 1,600 people are known to have died so far this year alone. the agency is urging european governments to place more emphasis on saving lives than on reducing the numbers of migrants. bill hayton reports. it's three years since the little syrian boy alan kirdi drowned while trying to cross from turkey to greece. his death triggered a wave of sympathy in europe for the refugees, but that has largely disappeared. instead, anti—immigrant governments have pledged to block the old migration routes. and while the number of people trying to cross has fallen, the number of them dying has risen. the un's refugee agency says it's reached 1,600 this year so far, and it's calling for action. we are calling for the european authorities in particular to come up with a co—ordinated strategy whereby boats can be systematically disembarked in different parts of europe, and where asylum—claiming conditions and reception centres are in place ready to receive those

people who arrive. but that's easier said than done. only two months ago, european union leaders managed to stitch together a deal, but then disagreed on how to implement it. several governments weren't willing to host asylum centres on their territory. the unhcr says they should focus less on managing the numbers and more on providing safe, legal alternatives to the deadly voyage across the mediterranean. that's not a message many are willing to hear. bill hayton, bbc news. firefighters are trying to control a huge blaze which is tearing through the national museum of brazil in rio dejaniero. the fire is believed to have started after the museum closed for the day. the 200—year—old collection contains millions of exhibits and is housed in a former imperial palace. its natural history collection includes important dinosaur bones and a 12,000—year—old human skeleton of a woman —

the oldest ever found in the americas. let's go now to our south american correspondent, katie watson, in sao paulo. this looks like such a devastating fire? that's right. you look at the images and the entire building is up in flames. and the president, michel tamme, said this isa president, michel tamme, said this is a tragic day for all brazilians, and an impossible loss for the archives of the museum —— michel temer. this is a 200—year—old museum. it houses around 20 million items in its collection. so this is a devastating loss for the museum community and brazil as a whole. we

arejust community and brazil as a whole. we are just listening community and brazil as a whole. we arejust listening fair community and brazil as a whole. we are just listening fair to the sounds of sirens and firefighters presumably trying to bring the fire under control. that's right. they have been working on it for several hours now. the fire is believed to have broken out after visiting hours on sunday. it is understood that there are experts on the scene working with firefighters to see what they can save. just looking at the images and the extent of the fire it looks like there is very little of the museum. the fire is still very much under way. you know, it is farfrom still very much under way. you know, it is far from over. it is a dramatic loss for brazil. it is far from over. it is a dramatic loss for brazillj it is far from over. it is a dramatic loss for brazil. i was going to ask you that. this is just not for brazil, it is important for south america as well, isn't it? that's right, one of the biggest natural history collections in the americas and it's notjust items from brazil, it is items from very many countries, including a 12,000 —year—old skull believed to be one

of the oldest from the americas. you know, people on social media just putting up loads of pictures of all of the items that they think have been lost in this fire. and certainly, you know, it is still, as i say, very much under way, trying to understand what this loss means. but just by looking at to understand what this loss means. butjust by looking at the images coming out this evening, it doesn't look like much will be saved. indeed, people commenting on social media. and i think the director of the museum has spoken as well, hasn't he? that's right. one of the biggest concerns, and we haven't got down to the detail of how this fire started, but there is a lot of concern that funding was a problem for this museum, and people are talking about the fact that this is just a sign of the times, of the importance of, you know, cultural buildings in brazil, it you know, rio of course has had budget problems, and that's one of the big

concerns, that it was a rundown museum and perhaps needed more investment than it had. and, of course, in the coming few days we will get to the bottom exactly what happened, but certainly that is a lot of talk among experts, that more funding needed to be put into this museum. thank you so much for joining us, the bbc‘s katie watson, our correspondent in sao paulo. and there's much more on the bbc website. our online team will keep you up with the emergency services efforts and the reaction from people in rio dejaniero. democrats in the united states have criticised the white house for not releasing hundreds of thousands of documents concerning brett kavanaugh, president trump's nominee to the us supreme court. senate hearings on his nomination are due to begin on tuesday. 0ne democrat senator said it was unprecedented to conceal so much of a public servant's record. here's our washington correspondent, chris buckler. long before brett kavanaugh was donald trump's pick to be the next supreme courtjustice,

he worked inside the white house for president george w bush, and it's mr bush's lawyers who've been going through these documents and they say that they want 27,000 of them restricted, effectively not giving them to the senate committee because they believe there are constitutional reasons and constitutional privilege for not doing so. beyond that as well there's about 100,000 documents that the white house says it should not be released on the basis of other reasons. now, that has angered democrats in particular. they say it's unprecedented that so much should be concealed about a public servant's time in public service, and they are pushing for more to be revealed. republicans on the other hand say that actually they got access to 415,000 pages of documents, and that should give them a real sense of brett kavanaugh the man. there are also political issues at work here too, because democrats are concerned that a conservative like brett kavanaugh could really push the supreme court further to the right, and that's worrying them

on the basis of a number of things. first of all, there's the suggestion that he's indicated in the past that perhaps a sitting president could not be indicted. also beyond that, they've got concerns about what it could mean for roe vs wade, which is the famous case in us that gives all women the right to an abortion. there's some indications from republicans that they'd like to challenge that and that brett kavanaugh may well be someone who could regard that as something that could be challenged in the future, although he has given a view, up to this point that, as far as he's concerned, it is settled law. ultimately these hearings will take place this week, but a vote will come later inside the senate. he needs a majority there, and given the republicans do have a slim majority, i suspect there's a good chance mr kavanaugh will become the next supreme courtjustice. let's get some of the day's other news. china has evacuated more

than 125,000 people in the southern province of guangdong due to heavy rains. the rains and flooding have affected more than 1.2 million residents, and have left two people dead and two missing. yemen's president abdrabbuh mansour hadi is said to be on his way to the united states for medical treatment. mr hadi is expected to stay there until the un general assembly meeting later this month. he has been living in riyadh since the yemeni capital was seized by houthi rebels in 2015, triggering a saudi—led military intervention to return him to power. firefighters in the northern english city of liverpool are tackling a huge blaze at a well—known landmark — the former littlewoods pools building. six fire crews are trying to tackle the blaze. the office complex was built in 1938 and is considered an important example of the art—deco style. there are no reports of any injuries. the building had recently been sold with a plan to redevelop the site to become a majorfilm and television studio hub. there have been more protests against pension reforms in russia,

despite concessions offered by president putin. thousands of people took part in rallies in moscow, with demonstrations in other cities too. president putin said it was financially necessary to raise the pensionable age, but the hostile reception has already prompted him to lower it from 63 to 60 for women. for men it's being raised by five years to 65. hundreds of detainees are reported to have escaped from a prison in libyan capital, tripoli. it happened just hours after the country's government declared a state of emergency, following days of unrest. caroline rigby has more. the result of days of fierce fighting in tripoli. in the last week alone, dozens of people are reported to have been killed, at least 100 injured, in clashes between rival militia. attempts at a truce have failed to stop the unrest, leading to the country's un—backed government to announce a state of emergency in the capital. adding to the woes of security forces, on sunday evening,

police reported 400 detainees had escaped following a riot at the ain zara prison in the south of the city. in a statement, they said: many of the cells at the city are served for people convicted of so—called political crimes. supporters of the former dictator colonel gaddafi found guilty of killings during the uprising against his government in 2011. it's not yet clear whether the incident at the prison was related to the fighting close by, but authorities believe the violence on the streets at least is an attempt to derail what they described as a peaceful political transition in the country. caroline rigby, bbc news. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, says he is strongly opposed to key parts of the british prime minister's proposals for a brexit trade deal. he suggested a common rulebook for goods would kill

the european project. well, theresa may has insisted she won't be forced into watering down her plans, and insisted there will be no second referendum on britain's membership of the european union. ben wright reports. the time for talking is nearly up. theresa may is banking her hopes of a brexit deal on the plan hammered out at chequers in the summer, which is meant to keep the trade in goods moving freely after brexit. today, she insisted she would not be pushed into accepting compromises that are not in our national interest. but the fighting talk does not impress the former brexit secretary david davis, who quit the cabinet over chequers. in my view the chequers proposal — it's not a deal — we shouldn't call it the chequers deal, it's a proposal — is actually almost worse than being in. i mean, we would be under the rule of the european union with respect to all of our manufactured goods and agri—foods. worse than being in the eu? that is a startling statement from a leading brexiteer. but his contempt for the chequers

plan is shared by dozens of tory mps. 0ther brexiteers remain in the cabinet, but today, liam fox scoffed recent warnings by the chancellor that the economy would be hammered and borrowing would rise if no deal was reached with the eu. can you think back on all your time in politics of where the treasury have made predictions that were correct 15 years out? i can't. they didn't predict the financial crisis that happened. no—one could. so this idea that we can predict what our borrowing would be 15 years in advance is just a bit hard to swallow. theresa may needs to convince the eu her post—brexit trade plan is workable. but today the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, said he strongly opposed some elements of it, in his most explicit criticism of the plan so far. and all this leaves theresa may in a very difficult position. she is trying to keep the tory party together, bridge differences within her cabinet, and sell her chequers proposal to a sceptical eu.

today, theresa may tried to reassure her critics in the conservative party by dismissing calls for a second referendum on the final brexit deal as a gross betrayal of democracy. but today, a tory donor and former rolls—royce chairman joinedthe campaign for another brexit vote, and there are now mps from all the main parties who back the idea. well, she is rattled. until recently, she didn't talk about having a referendum on the final deal. she now knows that opinion is moving in favour of it. theresa may insists the chequers plan is the only one on the table. but, with the eu and parliament sceptical, it may struggle to survive the autumn. ben wright, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: fast and furious — the third world nomad games get under way with a spectacular ceremony in kyrgyzstan. she received the nobel peace prize

for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting, so... hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today, described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the un refugee agency has said that migrants trying to cross the mediterranean sea to reach europe face ever more deadly journeys, with one in 18 people now drowning. brazil's at national museum goes up in flames. an update on the fire. the president has said this is a tragic day for all resilience. a possible loss of the archives in their museum. it is a 200—year—old museum housing around 20 million

different items in its collection. this is a devastating loss for the museum community and brazilians as a whole. they've been working on it for several hours. it is believed the fire broke out after visiting hours on a sunday and it is understood there are experts on the scene to see what they can save. looking at the images and the extent of the fire, it does look like there isa of the fire, it does look like there is a very little of the museum and the fire is still very much under way, it is far from the fire is still very much under way, it is farfrom over and a the fire is still very much under way, it is far from over and a very dramatic loss for brazil. in the next few hours, two journalists are expected to hear whether they've been convicted of breaching myanmar‘s official secrets law. the pair, kyaw soe 0o and wa lone, work for the international news agency, reuters. they'd been investigating reports of a massacre of ten rohingya men. if convicted, they face up to fourteen years in jail. nick beake has more from yangon.

at the heart of this case are two young journalists who say their only crime was doing theirjob, and plenty in the international community believe it is free journalism that is really in the dock here. for the past eight months, wa lone and kyaw soe 0o have been brought to court in handcuffs, accused of possessing these secret documents. they have always said that they were framed because they were investigating a massacre of rohingya men by the burmese military — crimes the army later admitted to, but still these reporters have remained in prison and, if they're convicted later today, they face up to 1a years in jail. the un says that the courts here in myanmar are not free and independent. they are overseen by a government department which is run by the military, so really, the decision today will tell us a lot about the role of free journalism in aung san suu kyi's myanmar. and, of course, it comes just a week after those un investigators said that the top military officers here in myanmar should stand trial for genocide because of the treatment of the rohingya people last year.

aung san suu kyi herself was accused of failing to speak up for the rohingya, and so allowing some of these crimes to take palce. for the rohingya, and so allowing some of these crimes to take place. so it is in the contest of this chorus pf international condemnation that the burmese courts and the burmese authorities will be able to send their own message later today. a private burial service for senatorjohn mccain has taken place in the us state of maryland. dozens of people lined the streets waving american flags as a motorcade brought senator mccain's coffin to the us naval academy chapel, in annapolis. his final resting place will be next to his lifelong friend, admiral chuck larson. on saturday former us presidents barack 0bama and george w bush spoke at a memorial service in washington for senator mccain. it's a country with one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and now the government of singapore is introducing a numberof novel measures to try

and encourage people to have children. 0ur reporter katie silver explains what's on offer, and why it matters. young singaporeans enjoying a night out. all the table tags, guys, when you all rotate, do me a favour... speed dating is all the rage, but here, it is being subsidised by the government as a way to get young people to meet. the government really wants to get guys and girls to get together to form families. coming here, i hope to, like, expand my social network, and coming to make friends, and hopefully i can meet someone who is suitable. these dating nights are just want of a number of solutions, including tax breaks, baby bonuses and preferential housing, that the government is using to combat the country's low birth rate. morning, doctor. morning. ivy and her husband are in their fourth cycle of ivf, and half the costs were subsidised by the state. ijust get emotional.

ijust start crying for no reason. it's also financially difficult. if we don't have a subsidy, we wouldn't even think of going to the ivf. despite years of intervention, there is little progress in getting the country's birth rate up. it is partly down to women marrying later, but the increasing cost of living here, and cultural expectations that women will take care of ageing parents, are also putting them off. it is these sacrifices that mean women like boon siew, who received government—subsidised ivf, are still unlikely to have more than one child. i'm the sole caregiver of this baby. it's not easy for me, and i think one is — i'm really contented with one. in just 18 years, singapore will shrink from having six workers for each elderly person down to just two, and the consequences of this for the country's future are dire. fewer people of working age makes it harder for the economy to grow, and they'll face the increasing

burden of having to pay for a growing number of elderly people. 0ne population expert says the reason government interventions aren't working is they don't get to the heart the problem. in singapore, you have about 17—18% of young people never married, so that's one of the highest, probably, in the world in terms of singleness rate. so you really need to think about why people are not getting married. but time is running out. policymakers are now targeting the other end of the age spectrum, getting older people to work longer. katie silver, bbc news, singapore. the opening ceremony of the third world nomad games has taken place in kyrgyzstan. this is a modern event devoted to ancient sports, such as archery, wrestling and horse—riding. dozens of countries, mostly from asia, are taking part. the bbc‘s tim allman has more. the olympic games it is not,

but in its own way, the opening ceremony of the world nomad games is just as distinctive. was just as distinctive. issyk kul is a traditional setting for nomadic sport, and the host venue for this event. since horseriding plays such a central part in nomad sports, it is no surprise horses and their riders played a very big role in the opening ceremony. this isjust a glimpse of what the spectators will get to see once the games begin in earnest. the event may be relatively new, but the tradition it celebrates is anything but. nomad culture stretches back hundreds if not thousands of years — a proud, resourceful people, renowned for their equestrian skills, rugged, determined, competitive. back at the opening ceremony,

the athletes enter the arena. around 2,000 of them, from some 80 different countries, have been invited to take part — oh, and some dogs, too. one of the dignitaries watching on — turkey's president, recep tayyip erdogan. nomad culture spreads as far as the borders of europe. the games will continue until 9 september, a chance for the whole world to marvel at the prowess and the skill of the nomad. the world famous irish band u2 was

forced to cancel a concert after the lead singer lost his voice. it is thought that fumes from the smoke and sheen may have affected his vocal chords. a reminder of the main breaking news: firefighters in rio dejaneiro breaking news: firefighters in rio de janeiro at tackling breaking news: firefighters in rio dejaneiro at tackling flames at breaking news: firefighters in rio de janeiro at tackling flames at the country ‘s oldest scientific institution, the national museum of brazil. it once served as residents to the royal family. it has more than 20 million items. it is one of the largest of its kind in the americas. it celebrated its 200th anniversary earlier this year. thank you for watching you. bye—bye. hello.

that wasn't bad for the first weekend of september. summer warmth continuing for many of us, especially where you had the sunshine, temperatures into the mid—20s in the warmest places. but it is turning cooler this week as this weather front, a cold front, pushes south across the uk in the next 48 hours. now already, as monday begins, northern ireland and north—west scotland in the cooler air. under clear skies, some spots will be as low as four or five degrees, and also a few single—figure temperatures in east anglia and south—east england, with one or two mist and fog patches to start the day, because skies have been clear here overnight. but our weather front has cloud from south—west england, wales, the west midlands, northern england, into southern and eastern scotland. some patchy rain, some heavier bursts to begin the day in south—east scotland, clearing away. any rain on the front, though, turning increasingly light into the afternoon, showery in nature. north, north—west scotland here with sunny spells, and northern ireland lighter winds than the weekend. so yes, it is cooler, but still pleasant in the sun. much cooler through eastern scotland, north—east england, where some patchy rain continues into the afternoon,

compared with the weekend. some sunny spells developing through western counties of wales. the east midlands, east anglia and south—east england with sunny spells, and you're on the warm side of the weather front, so temperatures here still in the low and in some spots mid—20s. now, our weather front monday night and into tuesday, it's this area of cloud, barely budges. hardly any rain on it, though. underneath it, temperatures are holding into double figures. but now most of scotland and northern ireland is on the colder side of the front, so temperatures readily dipping down into single figures under clear skies through the night and into tuesday morning. and then on tuesday, here's our weather front, still barely budging from england and wales, still hardly any rain on it. maybe in the far south—east still some sunny spells to be had, lifting temperatures into the low 20s, whereas for most of us, we're in the mid—to—upper teens. so tuesday's a fairly quiet weather day, for many of us on wednesday too, though there may be some rain just edging towards parts

of northern ireland and western scotland. as we go deeper into the week, it's looking increasingly likely as though our weather will be impacted by low pressure. but there is a lot of uncertainty about where the area of low pressure is going to sit. this is thursday into friday. and because there's uncertainty about where it's going to be, there is uncertainty about who's going see the rain from it, so keep watching for the detail. we do know, though, this week is turning cooler, and there is a chance of rain, both early in the week and then later in the week, as low pressure moves in. and that's your forecast. this is bbc news. the headlines: the united nations refugee agency has said that migrants trying to cross the mediterranean sea to reach europe are facing ever more deadlyjourneys. unhcr says one in 18 people trying to make the crossing now die. in total, some 1,600 are thought to have drowned this year. democrats in the united states have criticised the white house for withholding hundreds of thousands of documents relating to president trump's nominee

to the us supreme court. senate hearings on brett kavanaugh's nomination are due to begin on tuesday. he must be endorsed by a majority in the senate. firefighters are trying to control a huge blaze which is tearing through brazil's largest and most historic museum. tv pictures are showing much of the national museum in rio de janeiro in flames. the 200—year—old collection contains millions of exhibits and is housed in a former imperial palace. now on bbc news, dateline london.