a very warm welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: back on the road. president trump rallies his base, as critics claim his leadership and policy making in the white house is out of control. confrontation at the un. russian and british diplomats trade accusations of criminality and deceit over the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy. they tried to murder the skripals. they played dice with the lives of the people of salisbury. they work in a parallel universe, where the normal rules of international affairs are inverted. british airways investigates the theft of bank card details from its website and mobile app. hundreds of thousands of customers have been affected. and tributes to an icon. after an acting career that spanned six decades, the movie star burt reynolds has died. he was 82. hello to you.

one by one, many of president trump's closest aides have been publicly denying authorship of the anonymous editorial in the new york times, which has painted such a damning picture of the trump white house. the writer — described by the times as a senior official — describes an "erratic, impulsive, amoral" president, whose "misguided impulses," it claims, need to be controlled or blocked by his senior staff for the good of the country. addressing a rally in montana, the president complained again about the way he's been portrayed in the press. i mean you look at the washington post or the new york times, i can never get a good story. i mean you look at this horrible thing that took place today, it's really — is it subversion, is it treason?

it's a horrible thing. the good thing about that, even liberals that hate me say that that is terrible, what they did. our correspondent chris buckler says the newspaper editorial has caused huge speculation in washington. is the trump is concerned, it is very firmly on his mind. —— as far as donald trump is concerned. he denied some media reports that he is stomping around the white house, screaming. he denied that was true. he has referred to the author of this opinion piece as a coward. we have at the official lining up in the white house. the list is frankly too long to read out, of officials saying that it was not them, because there is a feverish guessing game going on inside washington, dc and

indeed inside the white house and they have been looking very closely at this editorial which is damning about president trump and what is happening inside the white house, to try and see if they can find any clues, any phrases that might give a hint of who wrote it. we are going to play you just a few of the individuals who have made such denials, the first of which is vice president mike pence, who uses the word lodestar very often in speeches and that was a phrase that was used very often in this article itself. it means a guiding light, but he says it was not in stock but the anonymous editorial published in the new york times represents a new low in americanjournalism new york times represents a new low in american journalism and new york times represents a new low in americanjournalism and i think in yourtime in americanjournalism and i think in your time should be ashamed, and i think whoever wrote this anonymous editorial should also be ashamed as well. anyone who would write an anonymous editorial smearing this president, who has provided

extraordinary leadership in this country, ought to do the honourable thing and they ought to resign. i come from a place where if you are not in a position to execute commands you have a singular option, and that is to leave. the efforts of the immediate battling media in this regard to undermine the president are incredibly disturbing and i know someone will say i did not answer the question so i will answer directly, it is not mine. someone who works in the administration serves at the pleasure of the president. it's a person who was living in dishonesty. it does not help the president so if you are not interested in helping the president, you should not wait for the president, as fas as i'm concerned. —— work for. —— as faras. i guess it is completely

understandable that people should be going crazy trying to work out who it is, an apparently senior figure who wrote something so damning, but it is also quite convenient for the administration that the focus should be on that, rather than was said. yeah, but you can imagine the atmosphere inside the white house as well. it is certainly worrying for donald trump, this suggestion and the fact that we have had this line of senior officials all standing there saying it was not me, has in some ways given credibility to this opinion piece. and of course next week, there is the publication of bob woodward's book, here. extracts have already been published, and bob woodward was one of the journalists who broke the watergate scandal. —— fear. again, this idea of a dysfunctional white house but we are getting a real sense tonight from montana, where donald trump continues to deliver the speech, that he is going to

fight back extremely hard. and suggesting once again that these individuals who are deliberately anonymous, were staying in the background, and that this is some kind of plot to try and undermined him. and in some respects, that is an interesting strategy. —— undermine him. in some respects, this is attacking donald trump and even attacking his supporters, and he is going to use that in the elections coming up. chris buckler in washington for us. world leaders have backed the british government's assessment that the novichok attack in southern england on a former russian spy and his daughter was carried out by officers from russian military intelligence. the us, france, germany and canada have all agreed the poisoning of sergei and yulia skripal in salisbury in march was "almost certainly" approved at a high level in moscow. this from our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. these are the pictures the government believes show russia's responsibility for the first use of chemical weapons on european soil in decades. two russian military intelligence officers, alias alexander petrov and ruslan boshirov, flying to britain in march,

taking the train to salisbury, allegedly laying a trail of deadly nerve agent on orders, ministers say, from the very top. all of which british diplomats in new york said was reckless and malign behaviour by one of the five permanent members of the united nations security council. one p5 member has undertaken a pattern of behaviour which showed that they tried to murder the skripals, they played dice with the lives of the people of salisbury. they work in a parallel universe, where the normal rules of international affairs are inverted. russia insisted that its military intelligence service, known as the gru, had nothing to do with the attack, nor had president putin, seen here on a visit to its headquarters. russia's ambassador claimed the british allegations were unfounded and mendacious. translation: the russian federation categorically rejects all unfounded

accusations regarding its involvement in poisoning with toxic chemicals. london needs this story forjust one purpose — to unleash a disgusting anti—russian hysteria. today, the leaders of britain's closest allies, the us, france, germany and canada, issued a joint statement, expressing theirfull confidence that the operation was almost certainly approved at a senior level in russia. —— was almost certainly approved at a senior government level in russia. they also agreed to disrupt together the hostile activities of foreign intelligence networks on their territories. but we will respond robustly when our security is threatened. the ambassador called for greater use of sanctions, for the chemical weapons convention to be strengthened, and more powers for international authorities to name and shame countries that use nerve agents. and around the table,

there was some support. today, our british friends and colleagues are providing us with a masterclass on how to stop the spread of chemical weapons. they are creating accountability for those who use chemical agents, and providing vital support for the international norm against the use of these deadly illegal weapons. the question for the foreign office here is can all this diplomatic support be translated into real action against russia, such as sanctions? now, that's unlikely to come from the united nations, where russia has a veto, so the uk is going to have to rely on the eu, and the problem is that some european allies are reluctant to antagonise russia. so this will be a real test of british diplomacy and european unity. james landale, bbc news, at the foreign office. let's bring you more the day's news briefly now.

the far—right candidate who's leading the polls in brazil's presidential race has been stabbed at a campaign rally, a month before the election. jair bolsano's son has tweeted that he's recovering in hospital from a "superficial" injury. doctors say he is out of intensive care and his condition is grave but stable. the remains of 166 mexicans have been found in a mass grave in the gulf state of veracruz. state prosecutor, jorge winckler, said the bodies were found after a tipoff. they'd been buried at least two years ago. he's called on relatives of missing people to supply dna samples to help them identify these bodies. twitter has permanently banned the conspiracy theorist alexjones and his infowars website for violating its policy on abusive behaviour. youtube and facebook deleted his content last month, citing hate speech. he was seen this week berating senators and journalists in congress, and is being sued for claiming the sandy hook school shooting was staged and the bereaved families were actors. british airways is investigating the theft of customer data from its website and mobile app. it says personal and financial

details were compromised between august 21st and wednesday night. ba says the stolen data did not include travel or passport details, and that its website is now working normally. lebo diseko has the story. "a sophisticated attack", is how british airways described the theft of customer data from its website and mobile app. around 380,000 credit cards were compromised in the two weeks between the 21st of august and the fifth of september. the personal and financial details were stolen as people made bookings online and through the app. when asked why it took so long to detect, the airline said it took action as soon as it realised there was a problem. we found out the extent of the damage and that's why we immediately began to communicate with our customers. it is most imperative that we tell our customers to please contact their credit card

issuers and their bank, to make sure that they can proceed and follow the recommendations with regards to their credit card details. this is the latest in a series of customer relations issues the airline's had recently. in may last year, 75,000 passengers around the world were left stranded for days after an it failure. the airline was criticised for its handling of the problem, with some people blaming the outsourcing of its it staff. and injuly this year, it issues meant dozens of flights in and out of heathrow airport had to be cancelled. ba has apologised for the latest problems, saying it takes the protection of customers' data very seriously, but it might take more than an apology to restore customer confidence. lebo diseko, bbc news. india's supreme court has ruled that being gay is no longer a criminal offence. it is an historic decision,

reversing a colonial era law that classed homosexuality as an "unnatural offence". our correspondent divya ayra reports. it's a wave of relief, the end of two decades of legal struggle to take out a victorian law that made gay sex criminal. the court struck off the law and said it was a weapon for the harassment of india's lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community. two consenting adults have sex of any type, in private. if there is consent and it is in private, it will not be an offence under 377. i haven't come out to my parents, so i'm going to do that tonight. yeah, so... this was like a huge turn of events and i didn't really expect, like, the whole... ijust came here to listen to whatever the verdict was, and now i'm out.

the colonial—era law, known as section 377, categorised gay sex as an unnatural offence, and was decriminalised in 2009, only to be made criminal again in 2013, after an appeal. in its finaljudgement, the supreme court has now said that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of fundamental rights. singing cheering the rains clearly haven't dampened the spirits here. they all want to soak in the moment and celebrate their freedom. the is7—year—old colonial law meant that there was a sense of fear, and it pushed many into the closet. but today, they're out and proud. activists say there is a tough battle of social stigma and homophobia still to be fought. it will take a lot of time. we have to fight the stigma in our home, in the neighbourhood, the friend circle, in offices. that — i mean, it's a long battle. this victory came after a long legal

fight with religious groups and the government, and it's only the beginning. now, they dare to dream of the right to marry, adopt, and inherit property — just like heterosexuals. divya ayra, bbc news, delhi. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: as montana's farmers lose trade with asia, we ask how president trump's supporters are fairing as the tarriff war with china escalates. freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes the spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here, of the blacks in soweto township as well as the whites in their rich suburbs. we say to you today,

in a loud and a clear voice, enough of blood and tears. enough! translation: the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great and exceptional courage. it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people, caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: back on the road, president trump rallies his base, as critics claim his leadership and policy making in the white house is out of control.

britain is backed by the us and france as it tells the un that the salisbury nerve agent attack was almost certainly approved by moscow. russia says it is a lie. as we have been reporting, president trump has been on the stump for republican candidates in montana. he won the state by more than 20 points in 2016, but some of the president's most ardent supporters are now feeling the effects of the escalating trade war with china. our correspondent james cook sent this report from broadview, in montana. on the great plains, the harvest is coming to a close. farming is entwined in the american identity. spacious skies and amber waves of grain. a land of plenty. so much, in fact, that half of the nation's major crops are sold abroad — a figure that is even higher here in montana. 75% of our wheat is exported. most of our top customers

reside in the pacific rim. so we are very heavily export—dependent on — and rely on those international customers to keep moving our product. country life ain't so simple when it is tied to international trade. when the us slapped tariffs on china, beijing stopped buying us wheat, and farmers here are also losing access to their biggest customer, japan. montana's democratic senator is campaigning for re—election in the shadow of yellowstone park, deep in trump territory. as a farmer, he just wants a fair crack of the whip. access to market is a big issue. that's it, period. if we have access to the japanese market and the south korean market, if we have access to the eu, if we have access to all these markets, we can outcompete anyone in the world in agriculture. but, if we don't have access to those markets, we're done.

the trump trade strategy does involve absorbing pain, with the aim of winning better deals for the us. across the border in wyoming, at the cody rodeo, they may not be following every twist and tweet, but they think they are in safe hands. glad we have trump to probably stand up for ourselves. for us, and maybe make a better deal for us than what we've had in the past. well, american farmers need help, and whatever he can do to help us is fine. and what would you need? you know, what would you ask him for, to help you? 0h, he'll do the right thing. we like him. you trust him ? we trust him. it is a great divide here in the north—western united states between protectionism and free trade, but it doesn't seem to be eroding loyalty to mr trump. support for donald trump here runs deep and wide. of course, voters have concerns, not least about trade. but, in the wilds of

the american west, we've heard the same sentiment time and again. people trust the president, they say, to do the right thing. but, as autumn beckons, concerns remain. michelle erickson—jones is harvesting this year's final field of wheat. she says tariffs have pushed down profits, putting the future of her family farm in doubt. we're ok for a couple of years, yeah, but... but you want to get back to free trade? yeah, we definitely want to get back to free trade. ithink... you know, a lot of my concern's based on how long it's taken us to build these markets. it's easy to tear them down, and tearing them down has a pretty big impact on, you know, the future of my kids' ability to farm. as the last grain is hauled away, the direction for america's farmers is farfrom certain. james cook, bbc news, at broadview in montana. for decades, it seemed impossible to mention his name without adding

the two words "mustachioed megastar." burt reynolds was both those things, one of the biggest film stars of the 1970s, and he has died aged 82. he shot to fame in deliverance, and starred in films such as smokey and the bandit, boogie nights and cannonball run. he died in hospital in florida, from a heart attack. earlier i spoke to hollywood producer david zappone, and i asked him if burt reynolds was his mentor. yes, he really was. i mean, i knew burt as a teacher, not an actor — as you said, as my mentor. i owe everything i have achieved in this business to him. my story is not unique. many people say meeting bert reynolds is one of the greatest things that happened to them.

i had sent my head shot in for a movie, and the producers called him and he said hire me. hi david, don't even audition him, and sure enough i got the role. and i've heard all sorts of stories from the burt reynolds film institute. his acting classes were legendary, weren't they? yeah, i had no idea is what i was in for. they were evening classes, and we would start at 7:30pm, and very often burt would go until 2:00am or 3:00am in the morning. and it was a mix of study, anecdotes, his incredible stories, and the people he has known. he was a wonderful storyteller and i have to say, working in the business for so many years, i have never heard a bad

thing about burt reynolds. anyone who met him, anyone who he touched, really loved him. he seemed to be a guy who did not take his work or himself very seriously. he talked about his career looking like a heart attack, and he said nobody had more fun than he did. the comeback movie, boogie nights, got him an oscar nomination. but he did not much like the movie, did he? he did come to appreciate it. but i have to say, burt's public persona — i grew up watching him on the tonight show withjohnny carson, and he was a riot, so much fun. but, as a teacher, that was something that meant a great deal to him. people don't really know how important the burt reynolds acting company was to him. when he would get a film

or a television show in florida, he would hire all his students. so again, as i said earlier, he took acting incredibly seriously, and he was an incredible mentor. i know he is also famous too for turning down some big roles, including james bond, han solo and richard gere. but he was about to appear in a quentin tarantino film. he had a wonderful film that came out earlier this year, which i saw, and it was a natural and honest performance which he always gave. but the other role he told us he turned down was the jack nicholson role in terms of endearment. wow. he was not a man who lived with regret, i can tell you that. not at all, not at all.

thousands of people have joined a royalfeast in bangkok to celebrate that rescue injuly of 12 boys and their coach from a flooded cave system. 10,000 guests, including foreign divers and cavers involved in the rescue, joined the boys at dinner in bangkok's royal plaza. the football team and their coach were exploring chiang rai's tham luang cave when they got trapped by rising water. that menus again. president trump has been telling supporters in montana the white house is running smoothly, as one by one his closest aides deny authorship of that anonymous editorial in the new york times which painted such a damning picture of his administration. vice president mike pence has said the article was a new low in american journalism, and the president claims it attracted more supporters. thank you very much for watching. hello, good morning. the details for this weekend

still look a little uncertain. things are more straightforward, though, for friday. a lot of the rain and earlier thunderstorms have been fading away. skies have been clearing, which is why it's turning quite chilly out there, and it will feel a little cooler for many places with a north—westerly breeze, but for the most part it'll be dry. there's going to be some areas of rain still around, very close to this area of low pressure that's in the north sea. this is where we'll see most of the rain, so perhaps northern parts of scotland, eastern scotland for a while, and the north—east of england. maybe a little bit of rain heading towards the wash, but for the most part, this rain will head its way out into the north sea. one or two showers coming in that north—westerly breeze, patchy cloud bubbling up, still some sunny spells, and most places will have a dry day. it may feel a little warmer across the northern half of the uk, with some sunshine, but a little cooler in the south, temperatures not really making 20 degrees. into the evening, a lot of that cloud melts away. temperatures fall away, and then we've got increasing cloud coming in from the atlantic. and this is the start of the uncertainty —

how far north or south that rain's going to get. but it should be a milder night on friday night into saturday morning. but, across england and wales, it looks like we're going to see cloud and a spell of rain. that rain could affect southern parts of northern ireland and southern scotland for a while. it's more likely that southern counties of england should see very little, ifany, rain. and across the northern half of scotland, this is where we'll see the best of the sunshine. those temperatures not changing very much, 17—19 degrees. uncertainties arise because we've got a chain or a string of weather fronts sort of buckling their way across the uk. and if there's a bit more amplification to that buckling, so the rain goes a little bit further north, which it looks like doing for sunday. but a lot of that rain will peter out through the day. we'll see a bit more sunshine developing, with some showers continuing across the northern half of scotland. most places in the afternoon, may well be dry, and there's a warming trend for england and wales, with temperatures 21 or 22 celsius. as we head into next week, there's a strengthening jet that's propagating across the atlantic.

that's going to pick up areas of low pressure, these weather fronts, too, and steer them towards the uk. now, it looks like it's going to be more north—western parts of the uk that will see the wetter weather into the early part of next week. that rain beginning to gather during the second half of the day. one or two showers ahead of it, but some sunny spells as well. and it should be a bit warmer, too, temperatures 22 or 23 degrees. and that warming trend continues across the south—east into tuesday and wednesday, temperatures peaking at 2a or 25 degrees. again, towards the north—west, there'll be more cloud, stronger winds and rain at times. the latest headlines: president trump has been telling his supporters at a rally in montana his white house is running smoothly as, one by one, his closest aides deny authorship of the anonymous editorial in the new york times, which painted a damning picture of his administration. the writer — described by the times as "a senior official" — claims senior staff try to control the president's "erratic, impulsive, amoral" behaviour for the good of the country. several world leaders have backed the british government's assessment that the nerve agent attack in salisbury was carried out

by russian military intelligence. the us, france, germany and canada agreed at the un that the poisoning was "almost certainly" approved at a high level in moscow. the kremlin has denied it. british airways is investigating the theft of customer data from its website and mobile app. it says details of 380,000 bank cards have been stolen, but not travel or passport details.