this is bbc world news today. i'm samantha simmonds. our top stories. theresa may fires off a warning to the european union. britain's prime minister says she won't accept any deal offered by europe that would break up the uk, and says it's up to the eu to make the next move. we need serious engagement on resolving the two big problems in the negotiations. and we stand ready. european council president donald tusk says he remains convinced that a compromise is still possible. president trump seeks to discredit the woman accusing his supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh, of sexual assault. a group of all—female supporters rally behind him. several people are arrested — as the number killed in the lake victoria ferry disaster rises. more than 130 people are now confirmed to have died. and us secretary of state mike pompeo tells the bbc that north korea is still a threat — but that risk has been reduced. when we took office, the world was

closer to war with the than it is today. that is a big step forward. —— to war with north korea. hello and welcome to world news today. the british prime minister theresa may has delivered a defiant message to the european union — saying it needed to show the uk more respect when it came to brexit negotiations. eu leaders had earlier labelled mrs may's plans to leave the eu ‘unworkable‘ at a summit in salzburg, but the european council president, donald tusk says he's still confident of reaching a compromise on brexit that works for everyone. the financial markets, however, have not reacted so optimistically, with the pound on course to see its biggest one—day fall in over a year. our deputy political editor john pienaar has more. theresa may is in a hurry,

some say getting nowhere fast, landing a brexit deal. so, how to come back from her diplomatic battering? the chorus of eu leaders telling her her brexit plan wouldn't fly. her answer in downing street? defiance. it's their turn to compromise. britain had rejected the eu's basic demands. uncontrolled immigration from the eu would continue. and we couldn't do trade deals we want with other countries. that would make a mockery of the referendum we had two years ago. she was prime minister of great britain and northern ireland. on no customs border with ireland or on the mainland, there would be no backing down. it is something i will never agree to. indeed, in my judgment, it is something no british prime minister would ever agree to. if the eu believe i will, they are making a fundamental mistake.

mrs may was prepared to walk away from negotiations, though eu citizens settled here would have rights guaranteed. but after the headlines reporting the prime minister's rejection and humiliation, she came back with her own final demand. throughout this process, i have treated the eu with nothing but respect. the uk expects the same. a good relationship at the end of this process depends on it. european leaders lined up against her, this week. now she was keen to show she'd face them down. but there are potential dangers behind her, at home. brexiteer tories demanding no compromise. they are campaigning to adopt the so—called chequers plan, which leaves the uk tied to some eu rules and standards. it was making it apparent that no deal remains better than a bad deal and that she is not going to give in to the bullying by the european union. and that's very important.

however, it's a mistake to persevere with chequers, that's not really brexit. the eu doesn't like it because it leads us to tied in to their rules but without respecting their institutions. from my point of view and from the point of your brexiteers, it isn't properly leaving the european union. in parliament, they say your enemies are behind you but here, mrs may's labour opponents are also preparing to defeat any deal she comes up with. their wish list, an early election, maybe another referendum. to them, every bad day for mrs may is an opportunity to make it worse if they can. the prime minister's negotiating strategy is collapsing around her. and now the country is staring down the barrel of no deal. the prime minister's chequers proposal was never going to be accepted, either in the eu or by her own party. so, she is in denial. and simply repeating the mantra that nothing has changed isn't going to convince anyone. the prime minister's back in her berkshire constituency. it won't count as an escape, she couldn't get away from her troubles over brexit

if she tried. john pienaar, bbc news. the bbc‘s europe editor katya adler has more on the reaction from the eu. well, there has been no official eu reaction directly to her speech. it is seen very much in eu circles as an attempt to bolster her political position at home because she really looked rather weak at the end of the salzburg summit yesterday. so it is seen in those circles very much in that context. off the record, eu diplomats say that those who have been working directly with their uk counterparts in brexit negotiations have never been disrespectful. they say they continue to work for what they can find as a compromise solution between the eu's brexit red lines on one side, and uk's brexit red lines on the other. eu leaders said that they would like to offer the uk an unprecedented partnership after brexit, so the kind

of relationship they don't have with any other outsider country, if you like, but they've insisted again, as they have done it right from the beginning, that they will not sign up to anything that can harm the european union in order to have this special relationship with the united kingdom. more of those comments from the british prime minister later on the programme. president trump has attempted to discredit the woman who has accused his us supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh, of sexual assault. christine blasey ford, a psychology lecturer, said judge kavanaugh tried to rape her in 1982, when they were both teenagers. mr trump said if the assault was as bad as she said, then she or her parents would have filed charges at the time. today, a group of all—women supporters backed brett kavanaugh‘s nomination. here's what they had to say. women from every phase ofjudge kavanaugh‘s life, those who know him best, step

forward to say that the allegations being leveled against him is false, and we are proud to stand with him. i'm here to tell you about the brett kavanaugh that i have known for 38 years. a man who was in high school and is still a gentleman of the highest calibre who always treated women with decency and respect. in both public and private, brett treated me and everyone i know with respect. he has always been kind and good—natured. i first met brett in 1997, when we were young lawyers in dc. we socialised in some of the same circles. he was single at the time and dated a couple of good friends of mine. who to this day still count him as a very close friend. there are no two people who are more humble, more honourable, more generous or more gracious and in his case, more qualified to serve this country in the role for which he has been nominated. earlier i spoke to anthony zurcher

who is in washington for more on donald trump's comments. four tweets so far this morning, varied levels of questioning christine ford's stories that have complicated things. according to the wall street journal, one white house official who said this may not have been entirely consistent with their approach to put it lightly. also some reaction from republicans in the senate, the ones that will be voting on the nomination. susan collins, a decisive vote in this, said she was appalled by donald trump's tweets, particularly the one saying that if it was as bad as she says, and also called it inappropriate and wrong to comment on that. she was pointing towards the fact that unlike what the president said, studies show only about 25% of women who have been sexually assaulted actually go forward and report their stories to the police.

brett kavanaugh is of course a nominee nominated by president trump himself. how significant is the potential fallout from this? well, i think what is going to happen, what we see now is manoeuvring for what will be the big showdown next week. this hearing, where christine ford may present her testimony, and accusations in person. in front of the senators who will vote in the committee. and brett himself saying he will be willing to appear and present his own defence. this is all attempting to establish the character and veracity and the believability of both parties, that is what you saw the group of women come out today and talk about him, saying they have known him for quite some time, it is going to be up to the senators to pass judgement on who they think is more believable, based on the testimony.

we haven't had a confirmed date yet of this hearing might take place early this week look like maybe it would not even take place, but things to be moving toward negotiations to make that happen in the details are getting worked out and then it is high drama because this is a seat on the us supreme court. nine justices, they have the final say on us laws and the constitution of us laws, the enforcement of them, and he will be on that score for the rest of his life, or until he chooses to retire if he is confirmed. let's return now to our top story — and the uk prime minister theresa may has said the eu must treat the uk with more "respect" in brexit negotiations. let's speak now to our bbc political correspondent leila nathoo in westminster. welcome. the prime minister was clearly a ng ry welcome. the prime minister was clearly angry and frustrated when she gave the statement a little earlier. what you think she was hoping to achieve with this?|j earlier. what you think she was hoping to achieve with this? i think that this was really the sort of no option for her. she had to come out fighting after the response she got

asked that eu summit. this was an attempt to get back on the front foot had been humiliated and embarrassed and undermined by the eu our right dismissal of her proposals would she have invested heavily and personally. this is an agreement that she has brokered between different camps of our own cabinet here. and one that she was happening as the only one option and only for them to be dismissed as unworkable by the eu yesterday. i think theresa may fell she really had to come in and get another final word may fell she really had to come in and get anotherfinal word on may fell she really had to come in and get another final word on that summit yesterday. and it really struck a very defiant tone and stern word we heard from her. interestingly, earlier this week, the tone that she struck around the summitahead of the tone that she struck around the summit ahead of the talks that were going on in austria, that ruffled some feathers eu among leaders. they fell she was giving them an ultimatum saying it was her proposals or no deal at all, and i

think there will be surprise she has continued to strike such a defiant tone. we heard from donald tusk this evening saying that she had in fact been surprisingly tough and in fact uncompromising and her approach but theresa may clearly calculating that it is that way she has to stay in order to get the eu to move towards her witch and her view is the other way that talks will get going. donald tusk also saying that in the past few hours he is convinced a compromise can be reached but if both sides think the onus is on the other to budge, where does that leave negotiations now? and a very fragile position. we arejust leave negotiations now? and a very fragile position. we are just weeks away now. we talk about the brexit crunch moments. this is coming to a head now there is a summit in october and mid october. that is where the final outline of the deal is supposed to be agreed. they could be an extraordinary brexit summit in

november, that could be scheduled depending on how progress goes in october but really now there is a matter of weeks for the eu and uk to come closer together. and i think thatis come closer together. and i think that is looking very difficult so far, theresa may has had on the issue of the irish border there is an insurance policy that both sides wa nt an insurance policy that both sides want in case no deal can be reached. they wanted, with some proposal they can legally agree on which would outline how the irish border with northern ireland would work at the brexit. theresa may has rejected the eu proposal saying britain will come out with their own new proposal shortly. so potentially that could be some room for compromise. but i think it does seem as if both sides are digging in but remember here that theresa may is also acutely aware for domestic political situation, she's in a very vulnerable position within her own party, different camps who also intensely dislike the proposal that she has put forward to brussels and

her party will gathering in over a week's time for a crucial party conference. much of what we heard todayis conference. much of what we heard today is positioning herself to try and read assert her authority here so and read assert her authority here so that will be she what she will focus on. and in a few weeks ago before the negotiations to we have. thank you. more than 130 people have drowned after a ferry capsized in lake victoria close to the tanzanian shore. it's thought around 400 people were on the vessel, meaning it was heavily overcrowded — so there are fears the death toll will rise. the bbc s senior africa correspondent anne soy has more. they stand and watch, helpless. just a few hundred meters away, the upturned hull of the mv nyerere. rescuers who arrived by boat recovered bodies from around the capsized vessel. back on shore, relatives waited anxiously for news.

translation: we can't reach my brother. yesterday morning, he spoke to our mum. we've not heard from him, since. translation: my nephew's on the island. he told me the news that his father, my brother, was on the ferry. translation: i was told that i lost my aunt, my father and my younger sibling. it's a huge cost to us. the ferry was on its usual route, taking people and goods from two of lake victoria's islands, ukora and bugolora. it's unclear how many people were on board the mv nyerere. witnesses say it could be as many as 400, four times its official capacity. translation: when the captain was trying to slow down and about to dock, the passengers were already running to the other side, ready to get off. so, now, the weight was too much on one side of the ferry. so, it capsized and sank. although accidents aren't uncommon on africa's biggest lake, this latest sinking

was particularly deadly. but ferries are central to the lives of people here. many were back on the water, even as rescue teams continued their search. anne soy, bbc news. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: anthonyjoshua's weighs in for his heavyweight title defence against alexander povetkin at wembley on saturday. elected so they had come to fight a

war. but their mission is to bring peace to hear. nowhere on earth needs a more badly. the governments case has been forcefully presented. the justice minister. campaigning vigorously for abolition. having once witnessed one of his clients being executed. hunt is the pilgrimage are made here every gear. now become decent in the click to this area is inundated with torres. the mayor and local business regarding anticipated boom as yet another blessing of saint elizabeth. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines. theresa may says she won't accept any deal offered by europe that would break up the uk,

and says it's up to them to make the next move. and president trump has sought to discredit the woman who accused his us supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh, of sexual assault. the us secretary of state mike pompeo says north korea is still a nuclear threat, but the risk has been reduced. he was speaking to the bbc‘s barbara plett usher, after a week of diplomacy on the korean peninsula that revived stalled talks on dismantling pyongyang s nuclear weapons. she asked mr pompeo what it would take for kim jong un to get another summit with president trump. two leaders are going to have to make a lot of things happen. they are the decision—makers. i will travel to pyongyang before too long, if everything falls in place, if schedules all work, we will continue to work to solve this vexing problem. and then the two leaders will continue to build upon the negotiations they are having at other levels into other channels. it is in the works? it is in the works. we're hoping everything falls together and makes good

sense before too long. given the way things are moving, do you think you can say there is no longer a nuclear threat from north korea? there is still a threat. we still have work to do. but the good news is the threat is reduced from where it was. no tests, no missile action. to complete a nuclear programme, any good engineer will tell you that you have to conduct tests. we still have work to do. when we took office, the world was closer to war with north korea than it is today. that is a big step forward. but we will keep the economic sanctions in place until such time as north korea is fully verifiably denuclearized, that is the agenda president trump set out when he agreed to meet kimjong—un. and we are on our way to carry that out. it was also he who tweeted that there was no longer nuclear threat from north korea.

i know the tweet very well. the president was saying that the risk is reduced, that the effort that north korea had been engaging to rapidly seek to perfect their missile system, and weapon system, that risk had been greatly reduced as a result of the efforts of this president. but by expressing his views in real—time publicly, everybody can see, isn't there a danger that he gives away the game? it seems like kim jong—un has picked up on that. he gets ahead of the policymaking. that's the view of allies anyway. that is not what the allies tell me. let's step backjust one moment. whatever means or modality this administration used, to achieve the denuclearization of north korea, has proven more effective than any time in america's history. one critic my style or the president's style, are different modes of operating, this much we can say. for the first time yesterday, the north korean party paper talked

about denuclearization and a peaceful korean peninsula. that is just one example of the progress we have made today. so i'm very proud of what we had done and the means which we have done it. i think president trump is putting us in a position to get to the in, ——end, which the world so richly deserves. you mention your position at the cia director, in order to do a deal, you need to know when kimjong—un is lying. how will you know that? i would not talk about what we know or don't know. the best way to know if we are at the end is what we talked. this is the end of the discussion. when we can fully verify that the north korean peninsula and country has made a strategic decision to take all other nuclear weapons programmes and stand down and then at that time, sanctions will be relieved. steven wyeth has all the sport now. hi, steven. i, samantha.

golf history has been made at the portugal masters. englishman oli fisher shot the first sub—60 round on the european tour. fisher's won just one tournament in his career, and the 59 was all the more remarkable, as he only shot a level par round yesterday. it feels great to make history here imported oil. it is a great tournament. a great mark for the european tour and myself. that's here in portugal. i went out, try to make the cut, and shooting that is a great day all around. the american rickie fowler is leading the tour championship in atlanta, mid—way through the second round. he's picked a shot today to move to seven under par — but he's being pursued by one tiger woods, who's just a shot behind alongside john rahm and justin rose. rory mcilroy is a further shot back, in a group with tony finau. england's options to open

the batting in the post—alastair cook era have been revealed after the test squad to tour sri lanka in november was named. without cook there will be a very different look to the top of the order, and two of the three new players called up are openers. one of them is a man in form. rory burns has scored over a thousand runs for surrey this season, helping them to the county championship title. with an average of almost 70 it's perhaps a surprise that this is the first time he's been included in an england test squad. it's a i6—strong touring party, which also includesjoe denly. he's 32 and played limited overs cricket for england eight years ago — he's helped kent gain promotion to the top division this season. he could open the batting with burns although keaton jennings, cook's partner over the summer, has been retained. there's also a first test call up for seamer olly stone and a recall forjack leach, one of three specialist spinners on that list. rory burns who's been the leading

run scorer in captain birsa read the titles of the year, comes in, yet to make his debut and joe delete from kenneth to make a return to international cricket. he played a few one days quite a long time ago, it's been a big gap for him. he comes back and out but a very different cricket player now than when he used to be. there'll be an 80—thousand sell—out crowd at wembley tomorrow night for anthony joshua's heavyweight title defence against alexander povetkin. at today's weigh—in, joshua was almost two stone heavier than his russian opponent. he's been taking a new approach to training recently, waking up naturally before hitting the gym, rather than setting an alarm clock, and feels better for it. joshua is the favourite but his camp have warned him that povetkin is a threat, with a record of 3a wins and just one defeat. he is strong. no doubt about it. he isa he is strong. no doubt about it. he is a good fighter. i kid go on my

back but and do the uk style boxing, but you have to do also lead mexican style. you have to defend a comeback. you get stuck in a bit. don't be scared to get a bloody nose archive. you were there for a fight. you have to go through that to get victory. i'm willing to do that. a big night. that is the sport for now. thank you, more from you later. that is it for now. keepin from you later. that is it for now. keep in touch on twitter. my team on twitter — i'm samanthatvnews. thank you for watching. headlines coming up shortly. goodbye. hello again.

in the wake of storm bronagh, it's been quite a showery kind of day today. the storm itself working its way toward scandinavia, but casting an eye on this ribbon of cloud out to the atlantic, looking at this next pulse bringing some outbreaks of rain. before we get there, showers continue to push in overnight with more general rain at times in the far north. it will be quite a chilly night, temperatures down into single digits, perhaps double figures for london. for saturday morning, it will be a cool start to the day. some sunny spells, showers will continue to feed in on these brisk winds, quite windy conditions for northern scotland, later in the day cloud thickens and we will start to see some rain arriving across parts of wales and england before spreading into central southern england, maybe in the southeast towards the end of the day. and it could be more rain on the way on sunday in the south as well. at ten o'clock fiona bruce will be here with a full

round up of the days news. first it's time for disclosure, examining the issues affecting the lives of people around scotland. this is the untold story of a children's home and its secrets. you can't try to have him what's been going on. a placement to be a safe heat —— haven but where children live in fear. and where the caller provided the perfect cover for years of child abuse. there was no point in struggling or fighting, of child abuse. there was no point in struggling orfighting, it became pa rt in struggling orfighting, it became part and parcel of life. can i ask you whether you feel ashamed ? part and parcel of life. can i ask you whether you feel ashamed? breaux i think is a very dark time in this

history. for years, we have been learning the scale on which children would —— we re scale on which children would —— were abused in scotland. inquiries here and in the rest of the uk are under way piecing together the dark secrets of our institutions. but an idyllic video —— village by the water, a story has been waiting to surface. you've probably never heard of lake erie children's home but between 1949 and 82, hundreds of children were sent to be pure. they we re children were sent to be pure. they were the children of seafarers, taken in by the sailor society of christian charity supporting the families of men working at sea.

every one of these children need skier, needs love, and that is what they receive. this grand old house and its grounds were supposed to be and its grounds were supposed to be a sanctuary for many of the children it was anything but. one of them was ready austin, his father was at sea and he was sent to the house as a toddler. i was there between 60, 61 and december 67. my very first day asi and december 67. my very first day as i was three and there was a white—haired ladies sitting at upgrade the table —— at a great big table and to me she was a grandma andi table and to me she was a grandma and i ran up shouting grandma and the next thing i knew i was flying across the floor after she belted me across the floor after she belted me across the floor after she belted me across the face. she then stood over

me and that's the nightmare i had for years, telling me i am not your granny. she was the boss for want of a better word. i was in the home for just over 25 years. my dad's job was a navy seaman, we got put down in that home because my mum and dad split up and it all started from there. she had soap on her fingers, pulled my head back and had her fingers down my throat and i was joking all the time.