this is bbc news. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: christine blasey ford, the woman who's accused a us supreme court nominee of sexual assault, agrees to testify against him. america's biggest cable network, comcast, submits a $40 billion winning bid for british broadcaster sky. bringing hong kong and beijing closer — a high—speed rail link opens, more than halving the journey time. and britain's anthonyjoshua knocks out russia's alexander povetkin in the seventh round to retain his world heavyweight titles. hello and welcome. it's a case that has gripped the united states this week, but now, lawyers for the woman who has accused us supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual

assault, say she will testify against him at a confirmation hearing next week. details of the allegations emerged when christine blasey ford told her story to us media last week of an incident which she says happened at a party in 1982 when they were teenagers. mr kavanaugh has denied the allegations. our washington correspondent chris buckler has more. the senatejudiciary committee had set a series of deadlines to try to get a firm answer from christine blasey ford about whether or not she was prepared to give evidence. now, we have had a letter from her lawyer to the committee and in it she says specifically that she is prepared to provide what she describes as first—hand knowledge of brett kavanaugh‘s sexual misconduct. now, judge kavanaugh denies any suggestion that he was involved in sexually assaulting her some 36 years ago at a party. but she continues to make these claims and she will now do so, it seems, at this hearing. that's provided a number of terms and conditions are met. she's understood to be concerned,

first of all, that brett kava naugh gives evidence before she does. she does not wantjudge kavanaugh in the room whenever she speaks. there is also this question about who will question her. we have had the suggestions from republicans that they might bring in female lawyers to do that. that is because of a sensitivity that there are only male republican senators on this committee. they are concerned that they might not be seen to treat her sensitively. however, from dr blasey ford's point of view, she wants to be questioned only by senators. so, there is still some negotiation to do here. but it does seem like she is prepared to go to the committee to speak. nonetheless, when you listen to the white house, there is some frustration there. certainly, they believe that this could potentially be seen as another delaying tactic. and they want to push ahead with brett kavanaugh‘s confirmation as a supreme courtjustice as quickly as they possibly can. they've also been critical of democrats who they claim are playing politics

with all of this. and, certainly, there is a political element to this because brett kava naugh could potentially push the supreme court further to the right and that's something democrats are concerned about. but away from all the politics, this is a deeply personal issue. and all are aware that it needs to be handled very sensitively and very carefully, particularly after criticism of a tweet by donald trump in which he questioned why christine blasey ford or her parents had not gone forward and made a complaint to the authorities of some 36 years ago. republicans know that people will be watching carefully if and when this hearing finally takes place. kathleen peratis is a partner in a new york law firm, and chair of the sexual harassment practice group. i asked her what possible outcomes we could expect, given this won't be a conventional court hearing. well, it is an official legal setting in the sense that everybody is supposed to tell

the truth and could be subjected to penalties if they don't. but it could not be of more highly significant political ramifications, and also for american democracy, because this person, this one or the next one, whoever is confirmed, will serve for a generation, will serve for 20 years, maybe more. so, it's of enormous consequence, and what is going to be consequential is whether what he says sounds believable and whether what she says sounds believable. is the outcome effectively the court of public opinion rather than an official verdict? well, it's definitely not an official verdict and it is for sure the court of public opinion, but on a narrower aspect, there are two or three senators, maybe four who are the real audience for this testimony. there are two or three at least republican senators whose voice or whose vote is in play,

and if he comes across as evasive as he did in the opinion of many in the first set of hearings, then this nomination could be in real trouble. the us president has questioned in this case the delay of ford coming forward with her story. how unusual is that, or how consistent is that with some historical cases of sexual assault? well, first of all, the president's statement is ignorant, it's much more likely than not that a woman who was the victim of sexual assault will not report it right away or if at all. a young woman may or may not tell friends and family, going to the police is less likely to happen than more likely to happen. i've represented many clients who never went to the police. i have a client right now who went to hospital and had a rape kit done. this happened six months ago. and this day, she won't go to the police. people, women know what a ringer

that is to go make a police report and be subjected to what this woman is now being subjected to. kathleen peratis there. with the hearing coming up next week, you can get full details on the kavanaugh case on our website. included, this piece on why the supreme court is so important. just go to bbc.com/news for all that. it's a win that the us cable giant comcast hopes will help it compete against the new kids on the block, netflix and amazon. after a long—running battle, comcast has won control of the european television company sky by beating out rupert murdoch's 21st century fox at a high—stakes auction. the us cable company's bid valued sky at $40 billion, as our business editor simonjack reports. it has been an epic battle between two heavyweights of the media world. in the final round, us cable giant and universal studio's owner comcast

delivered a knockout blow, offering £30 billion, 10% more than the disney—backed 21st century fox was prepared to pay. the prize — sky's 23 million customers across europe, 10 million of them in the uk. the final bid has come in at £17.28, which is a 17% increase on their previous offer for sky. so they certainly have. for comcast, sky is a very strategic asset, it will help them diversify outside of the us where they're seeing pressure of cord cutting, that is consumers are less and less paying for big expensive cable packages because they are preferring to watch the likes of netflix. comcast is suffering dwindling cable customers in its domestic us market. this deal brings not only new ones, but international diversification. disney wanted sky as a platform to distribute its own films like star wars, the avengers, as well as the x—men and the simpsons it acquired when it bought fox last year. so, why are all these megadeals happening now?

look no further than the new kids on the block, netflix and amazon. both are winning new subscribers around the world, both are pouring billions into making their own original content. in the short term, sky customers will notice little difference. both bids had agreed to fund loss making sky news for at least the next ten years. putting up prices will be hard given the red—hot competition for eyeballs. comcast may have won, but they had to pay £30 billion. the real winners this weekend are the sky shareholders, which include the family of one rupert murdoch. he may not have succeeded in buying all of sky, as he once wanted, but he won't be going home empty handed. simon jack, bbc news. state media in iran say the government has summoned the envoys of the netherlands, denmark and britain, accusing their countries of harbouring iranian opposition groups. it follows a deadly attack on a military parade in the south—west of the country, in the city of avahz, near the iraqi border. alanjohnston has the story. a warning, though — you might find some of the pictures in his report distressing. fear and chaos amid the gunfire.

moments ago, these soldiers would have been in the parade, marching proudly. now, suddenly, they're under attack. they're desperate for cover, scrambling to survive. bullets whistle overhead, and there are dead and injured all around. then, in the thick of the danger, terrified civilians run for their lives. the gunmen had attacked as officials would have been watching the parade. anyone in this place filled with troops and spectators was at risk. inevitably, there were women and children among the dead and wounded. but the security forces fought back, and four militants were killed.

local ethnic arab separatists say they carried out the attack, but the islamic state group has also claimed responsibility. 0n the streets, there was anger. translation: in the middle of the parade, we realised that a group wearing fake military clothing attacked our children from behind us and then fired on women and children. they fired completely blindly, meaning they weren't taking targets, just firing. meanwhile, iran's foreign minister said the gunmen had been armed by a foreign regime and its us backers, an apparent reference to either israel or saudi arabia, but he produced no evidence of this. another parade, in the capital tehran, passed off peacefully, watched by president hassan rouhani. he has promised what he called a "crushing response"

to the attack in ahvaz. let's get some of the day's other news. people in the maldives are voting in a presidential election that international observers and opposition groups fear will not be free and fair. president abdulla yameen is seeking a second term in office despite allegations about his record on human rights. mr yameen, who's backed by china, is being challenged by ibrahim mohamed solih, seen as being closer to india and the west. the chinese communist party and the vatican have signed a landmark deal to cooperate over who has the right to appoint the country's bishops. in future, china will propose candidates and the pope will approve them. the accord could work to unify china's 12 million catholics who are currently split between state—supervised churches and underground congregations loyal to rome. meanwhile, pope francis has started a baltic tour in lithuania. he honoured victims of the region's nazi and soviet occupations. the pontiff will travel to latvia

on monday and estonia on tuesday as all three baltic states mark 100 years of independence this year. the venezuelan authorities have welcomed a chinese hospital ship, which will be docked for the next week, attending local patients. the defence minister thanked china for the gesture of friendship and said that both countries would benefit. venezuelans have been struggling to access food and medical care in the current economic crisis. lebo diseko has more. some welcome help from a powerfulfriend. the chinese hospital ship, the peace ark, docked in the venezuelan port of guaira. for venezuela, it is a chance to say "we do not stand alone." translation: starting now, they'll be here this week, attending to and receiving patients of all nationalities. i've spoken to the state governor

and there are people who are interested. on board, there are 300 beds, eight operating rooms and a medical helicopter. but it's a lifeline for the government in caracas in more ways than one. it's a political gesture from an ally helping to rebuild venezuelan‘s crumbling economy. a week ago, president nicolas maduro visited beijing, where he signed a number of trade and investment deals. and it's a reply, of sorts, to the us, sending its own hospital ship to neighbouring colombia in august to help venezuelan migrants who fled their country. this is what is pushing those people to leave — hyperinflation, food and medical shortages, families struggling to eat. and in this country with the world's biggest oil reserves, petrol shortages mean queuing for days just to fill up a tank. president nicolas maduro says the problems in his country at a result of a plot

engineered by hostile forces, but he's almost completely isolated on the international stage. the issues in his country are increasingly affecting his neighbours, with thousands pouring in to colombia, peru and brazil. for maduro‘s government, this very public show of friendship is something of a buoy, a gesture in a relationship it hopes will help keep this nation afloat. lebo diseko, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: how family loyalties are being tested to the limit in the upcoming us mid—term elections. benjohnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all the athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions

along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service, which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world. and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: christine blasey ford, the woman who has accused us supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual assault, has agreed to testify against him next week. america's biggest cable network comcast submits a $40 billion

winning bid for british broadcaster sky, ending a dramatic 2—year battle with rupert murdoch's 21st century fox. a new high—speed train service linking china with hong kong has opened for business. the massive project has been eight years in the making and cost $11 billion. but with beijing now just nine hours away, some fearfor the territory's freedoms. andy beatt reports. all: si, san, er, yi! dramatic music. launching hong kong's fast track to the future: the bullet train riding the rails for the first time as much a symbol of political power as passenger transportation. 80,000 people a day are expected at west kowloon‘s sleek new station, housing 15 platforms

and a bewildering array of shops and restaurants. translation: in the long run, the railway will make life in hong kong easierfor everyone, especially for young ones to work, live, and invest, and start up their own businesses in—land. the high—speed railway will bring us all closer. the new line stretches just 26 kilometres, but connects the territory to china's vast 25,000 kilometre rail system — its fleet of trains travelling to more than 40 destinations at up to 380 kilometres an hour. the railway and bridge will transform the travel infrastructure that already sees more than half a million people shuttling between the two sides daily. but it's also raised fears for some of hong kong's cherished freedoms. part of west kowloon station and its trains will be under chinese law, with mainland chinese police and immigration officials. pro—democracy campaigners say it gives a part of the city's independence. translation: the high-speed rail violates hong kong's basic law.

to many hong kong people, this has damaged one country, two systems, and the rule of law. 0ther massive infrastructure projects are in the pipeline, aiming to boost the economy, worth around 1—and—a—half trillion dollars. critics say they are just more signs of beijing's tightening grip on the city. andy beatt, bbc news. at least one person has been killed in severe flooding in texas. the worst affected areas were arlington in the north of the state, which saw 20cm of rain fall overnight. police say they rescued dozens of people who were trapped in their vehicles. weather forecasters say the area has received more than four times the normal amount of rainfall so far this month. and more rain is forecast next week. now, we all know that politics can divide families, but rarely to this degree. republican congressman paul gosar is standing for re election in arizona. but he's having to contend

with opposition from his own siblings who are campaigning for his democratic rival. rylee carlson has the story. paul gosar the congressman isn't doing anything to help rural america. they're presented as average arizona residents with regular concerns — nothing you haven't seen before in a political attack ad. but in a surprise twist, the six people here asking for voters to not re—elect congressmen paul gosar are his own siblings. paul gosar is my own brother... my brother. it's a knockout punch as far as campaign ads are concerned, and it's going viral online. but it isn't the first time mr gosar‘s siblings have taken issue with his politics. seven of them once wrote him an open letter in a local paper, but two more have stayed mum throughout his tenure.

mr gosar has since responded on twitter, saying in part: and while this add is generating a lot of buzz for his opponent, dr david brill, mr gosar has held his seat since 2011, and own his district with 71% of the vote in 2016. he's considered likely to keep it again. in boxing, britain's anthonyjoshua has retained his three world heavyweight titles with a win over his russian opponent, alexander povetkin, at london's wembley stadium. joshua knocked povetkin out in the seventh round, extending his unbeaten professional record to 22 fights. 0ur sport news correspondent, david 0rnstein, was at the fight. the home of english football forum

one night, the centre of the boxing world. normally it takes two teams to build the stadium. here, it was done by one man. anthonyjoshua is fast becoming the biggest draw sport has ever seen, but with that, there is added pressure —— pressure. these are not just want to see is added pressure —— pressure. these are notjust want to see him compete. they expect him to win, and to do so in style. joshua power is the task was to follow a spectacular entrance with fireworks of his own. in wet conditions, such hopes were initially taos, alexander povotkin landing brutal blows, raising the possibility of an almighty upset. but the response was that of a true champion. not for the first time in his career, joshua kirkup coming adversity to devastate the russian and maintain his unblemished record. his supporters more than satisfied. i think i've got to deeper depth, i

know how to dig deep. i wasn't looking for a knockout but my instincts told me he was hurt and i knew i had to follow up on it. the focus now turns to joshua's knew i had to follow up on it. the focus now turns tojoshua's next opponent. the same venue has already been booked for april, but who will it be? motor racing is widely recognised as one of the few sporting activities in which men and women can compete alongside each other on an equal footing. but women are still hugely under—represented among competitors, although there's hope for the future. take a look at this. i want to compete against the top talent, and whether that be male orfemale, i don't care. i'mjamie chadwick, i'm 20 years old, and i race in british formula 3. becoming the first woman to win a f3 race was obviously cool and something that we have been chasing for a long time i think. mainly i wanted to win the race. my name's hallie and a race karts.

my name's hallie and i race karts. some people would think that they can't do it because they're a girl. but that's wrong. both boys and girls can do it. i think it's nice that, you know, it's being recognised by young girls, and they want to go on to achieve similar things.

i'd like to be like jamie chadwick, because she is really fast, and they want to race in the f3. i'mjamie. i'm hallie. nice to meet you. are you going to be driving one of these one day? want to see? are you ready? you're going to go out. do you like beating the boys? yes. yeah, ido. i think that's part of it. i think if more girls get into it from a young age, we will see the rise to the top. from an outsiders perspective, it doesn't seem like a sport that accepts women as much as men, and it's a shame,

because from my experience, it it does. i fell into the sport completely by accident, and had i not, iwould have found the sport i love the most and i've had so much fun and enjoyed so much. try it, see how you get on, and if you love it, dream big. there is nothing stopping you. and that was british formula 3 driverjamie chadwick. before we go, let's remind you of oui’ before we go, let's remind you of our top story. lawyers for a woman who has accused us supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual assaults a siege —— say she has agreed to testify before the senate judiciary committee. it cavanagh denies the allegations and says he wa nts to denies the allegations and says he wants to give evidence to clear his name. some republicans, it —— including president trump, have accused doctor ford and democratic politicians of deliberately trying to o bstru ct politicians of deliberately trying to obstruct the judge's confirmation. hello there.

we've already seen some big contrasts in the weather north to south through the first half of the weekend and that will continue on into sunday too. now, this was the scene as we ended the day near leeds. some clear skies around there. under those clear skies, it is set to be a fairly chilly rest of tonight. those temperatures certainly well down in single figures. during the day on sunday, a mix of sunshine and showers for many areas. but there will be some heavy rain and more cloud across the southern half of the uk, and that's all down to the fact that we have got this frontal system shifting its way eastwards across england and wales too. higher pressure holding on towards the north. so, for sunday morning then, initially, a soggy start to the day for much of wales, central and southern england too. to the north of that, though, much clearer skies after that chilly start. there'll be some sunshine and a peppering of showers working in particularly for northern parts of northern ireland into the north—west of scotland too. eventually, this rain willjust start to push towards the south—east and it's not going to be just heavy

rain to contain with, but also, some brisk winds blowing in from the north or the north—west. we could see gusts of around 50mph around the english channel coast for instance. further north, though, still that breeze coming in from the north, blowing in one or two showers across wales and northern england. but some sunshine in between. the showers moving through quite quickly on that breeze. a similar picture across northern ireland. and for the bulk of scotland too, a real day of sunshine and it's sunglasses one minute, brollies up the next minute, i think, with those showers moving through, as well. but with that northerly breeze, it's not going to feel particularly warm. temperatures at best only around about 11 to 15 degrees for the rest of us. could be that little bit warmerjust down towards the channel isles. now, later on sunday, eventually we will lose the wet weather from the south—east,

then most places are largely dry as we end the day. just still one or two showers continuing in the north. but under those clearer skies, it's going to be a chilly night, chilly first thing monday, but high pressure moving in, so that should quieten things down as we start the new working week after that fairly chilly start to monday. should be some sunshine for many of us. an improved day, particularly in the south after a pretty soggy weekend. more sunshine. still a few showers on the map, especially for parts of northern and western scotland, but under those lighter winds with a bit more sunshine, temperatures should start to creep up a little bit. so, we're looking at highs for most places around 14 to 17 degrees or so. this is bbc news. the headlines: lawyers for christine blasey ford, the woman who has accused us supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual assault, says she will testify against him next week. she gave details of an incident, which she says happened when they were teenagers. mr kavanaugh has denied the allegations. iran's supreme leader has ordered security forces to find the people behind the attack on a military parade that left at least 29 people dead. the state news agency says tehran

has summoned the envoys of britain, the netherlands and denmark, accusing their countries of harbouring iranian opposition groups. the american cable giant, comcast, has won its fight for control of the broadcaster, sky, after beating 21st century fox in a blind auction. the $40 billion bid will make comcast, which owns the nbc network and universal pictures, the world's largest paytv operator with around 52 million customers. now on bbc news, inside out has an exclusive report on the latest idea for dealing with plastic pollution. hello and welcome to inside out. bury it, dig it up, recycle it. what can we do about plastic? scientists have found a way to make a new greener fuel