welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lewis vaughan—jones. our top stories: donald trump's supreme court choice, brett kavanaugh, says he won't step aside after another allegation of sexual misconduct. speculation about the future of us deputy attorney—general, rod rosenstein, as a crunch meeting with the president is set for thursday. raised hopes of a second summit between north korea's leader, kimjong—un, and the us. the white house says details to be announced pretty soon. and a lucky ecape. the indian yachtsman rescued over 3,000 km off the australian coast during the golden globe race more allegations and more denials are increasing the political drama

surrounding brett kava naugh's supreme court nomination. a day after another woman came forward accusing judge kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in college, he hit back, saying the allegations are smears and a character assasination. he and his wife, ashley, have been speaking to fox news. here is some of what he had to say. did you guys ever look at each other and say, "i'm out, this is enough, this just isn't worth it"? i'm not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process, and we're looking for a fair process, where i can be heard defending my integrity and my lifelong record, my lifelong record of promoting unity and equality for women, starting with the women who knew me when i was 1a years old. i'm not going anywhere. live now to our correspondent chris buckler in washington.

so chris, defiance there, but with more allegations coming out, what difference do you think these will make? i don't think it is going to change people's views on either side of this debate. as they watch brett kavanaugh sit of this debate. as they watch brett kava naugh sit with of this debate. as they watch brett kavanaugh sit with his wife and give these denials, many will feel some pathetic towards him, others will feel sympathetic towards his accuser, oi’ feel sympathetic towards his accuser, or as it turns out now, his accusers. but what is really remarkable about all this is you are watching a man who is nominated to become a us supreme courtjustice who now suddenly finds his character on very public trial, and that is what we are seeing here. he chose to give this interview to fox news of giving evidence on thursday to the senatejudiciary giving evidence on thursday to the senate judiciary committee. of course, he is going to testify and we are also going to see one of his accusers, christine blasey ford,

give evidence as well, and essentially what they will have to do is test what she says against what he says. that is a very sensitive process and the senators are very aware of that, but it is going to be watched very carefully. and you have to say that really, even listening to that interview that took place with fox news, some of it was really quite remarkable, incredibly personal. they talked, for example, about when he lost his virginity, at some stage, and also with his suggestion that there is a third accuser to come forward, the lawyer who also represents stormy daniels says he represents that woman and he is planning to go public in 48 hours. he even had to deny allegations coming from michael ave natti deny allegations coming from michael avenatti that he may have been involved in gang rape. it is really quite an extraordinary interview and an extraordinary set of circumstances. and of course, this is donald trump's choice, and he has come out and said that these allegations were totally political. yes, andi allegations were totally political.

yes, and i think there is undoubtedly a political element to all of this. because the supreme court justice is all of this. because the supreme courtjustice is incredibly important in terms of american law. mr kavanaugh is a right wing, he is a conservativejudge, he is somebody who for example has very strong views on lgbt issues, on abortion, and that is partly why president trump has nominated him. so it is political in the sense that democrats and republicans have very defined views on him. but aside from all of this, this has become a deeply personal issue, and for an accuser and the accused, it is going to bea accuser and the accused, it is going to be a very difficult process whenever they face this judiciary committee on thursday. and chris, i just want to change tack slightly, it isa just want to change tack slightly, it is a mark of the political climate over there where i can rarely talk about one major story, but i want to switch to rod rosenstein, the us deputy attorney general. questions all day about his position. yes, and it gives you a sense of the many issues that are swirling around the white house at the moment. rod rosenstein

essentially went to the white house today with speculation that he was either going to resign or be fired following comments he made in the new york times, all were reported by the new york times last week. it was suggested that, in a private conversation with other members of the department ofjustice, officials, he had suggested perhaps secretly taping president trump to show that he was unfit for office. now, that is something he says is factually incorrect. there were others who are close to him who suggest that he was onlyjoking, it was never intended to be taken seriously. but president trump, i suspect, did not find it funny, and it looks like he is now facing real questions about his future as deputy attorney general. already, president trump was, i suppose, angry towards rod rosenstein because he is an individual who is currently looking after and overseeing this whole investigation into russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. as it is, they are set for a showdown on thursday as well. all eyes will be on washington that day. president trump has said he expects a second summit with north korean

leader kim jong—un to be announced pretty soon, but that the location has yet to be determined. speaking during a meeting with south korean president moonjae—in at the united nations, mr trump said mr kim wants to see something happen. it will be similar to the format we had before. most likely a different location. again, it will be announced pretty soon. i think a lot of progress has been made. i see tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of chairman kim for making a deal, and i think that is something that is very good. we are in no rush. all eyes are on the united nations in new york this week as leaders gather in the general assembly to discuss the world's most pressing problems. 0ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, spoke to the un high commissioner for refugees and asked about his hopes for the 2018 general assembly. you're in, year out, the issue of

world refugees is on the agenda of the united nations, when world leaders meet here in new york. a year in, yearout, leaders meet here in new york. a year in, year out, the situation just seems to get worse. in the last year, says just seems to get worse. in the last yea r, says world just seems to get worse. in the last year, says world leaders met here in new york, there are 2 million more refugees. 68.5 million worldwide. and with destructive wars continuing, what are the chances of finding some solution to the plight of refugees, particularly when, for many of the world leaders meeting here, the issue of refugees has become so politically sensitive. joining us here is the high commissionerfor joining us here is the high commissioner for refugees. it is a tough week for you. what are you expecting to get from the world leaders gathered here, whose support you need if you have any chance of helping the world's refugees?” you need if you have any chance of helping the world's refugees? i was going to say some attention for the

refugees, but no. i would say rather some attention on the conflicts that provoke the flight of the refugees. this is the place where those 68.5 million people look at, hoping, at least in some of those situations, there will be meaningful cooperation, real co—operation, between states to try and address some of the wars that cause the flight some of the wars that cause the flight of millions every year. but some of the wars, the libya, be it yemen, be it syria, are intractable wars. in the meanwhile, you have the money going to keep refugees in camps and displacement centres is going down. what is the solution to that? yes, and two years ago here in new york, at the same general assembly meeting, there was a commitment to create a global compact don refugees. now, this seems at odds with other trends, politicisation of conflicts. but actually this is an important one. states committed to creating new

instruments, finding new resources, new ways to respond to the refugee crisis, paying more than attention to things like education, local communities, environment and so forth —— more attention. so paradoxically, in this difficult environment something good is growing and this year, i hope, after this general assembly meeting, we will be able to have adopted in the same institution this global compact. and of course, the global compact. and of course, the global compact came in the last months of president 0bama's administration in the united states. a very different approach now for president trump's administration, but are you still see hope that this kind of compact, for people to share the burden, share the responsibilities, is going to show progress? i think that no matter their political colour, governments, and it is clearfrom what they say here in new york, want solutions, what a way forward in addressing this complicated issue thatis addressing this complicated issue that is causing a lot of political problems to some of them. so i count

on that preoccupation to urge them to work together. i really hope, i really trust, that at least in these important matters, that everybody is talking about, this does not become simplya talking about, this does not become simply a parade of the powerful, right? this big general assembly meeting. but a place for people with humility, with determination, with concrete ideas, to find a way forward to address this global phenomenon. filippo grandi, high commissionerfor phenomenon. filippo grandi, high commissioner for refugees, talking about some glimmers of hope in what is otherwise a very, very difficult, demanding, and sometimes dangerous environment for the world's refugees. we will see what the week brings for resolving one of the most important of the crises facing the world today. for more on the un general assembly meeting this week, and all our stories, just go to our website — bbc.com/news. let's get some of the day's other news: the united states says it has found evidence of systematic violence by myanmar‘s military against the rohingya minority, including widespread killings and rape. the attacks by the myanmar military

last year saw more than 700,000 people driven across the border into bangladesh. at the un, the united states announced it would be doubling its aid for displaced rohingya muslims. at some point, the international community really has to stop tap—dancing around this, and they have to hold burma to account. terrible things happened to the rohingya. the military are at fault. the fact—finding commission came out and gave pure examples of what happened. these are not terrorists. this was the military that did this to them. these people just want a place to live. that's all that they want, and that is not happening right now. the prominent russian opposition

figure alexei navalny has been detained, just moments after he had finished serving a 30—day sentence. he is accused of violating a protest law, and his spokesperson says he has been sentenced to another 20 days injail. mr navalny is a prominent critic of president putin, and has accused his system of sucking the blood out of russia. the hong kong government has banned a political party that advocated for independence from mainland china, on the grounds of national security. it is now illegal to be a member of the hong kong national party, and anyone who associates with it could face up to three years in prison and fines of up to $12,000. a sailor stranded in the the indian ocean for several days has been rescued. abhilash tomy, from india, injured his back when his boat hit 80 mph winds nearly 2,000 miles off the coast of western australia. he was picked up by a french patrol vessel, despite concerns that bad weather would delay his rescue. rachel wright reports. are confident, capable sailor, this

was abhilash tomy as he set off on the golden globe race back injuly. i'm very relieved to be at the start of the golden globe race. it is his second time in the 30,000 mile challenge, which he completed back in 2013, becoming the first indian to circumnavigate the world. but, on friday, his yacht hit a storm and rolled 360 degrees, breaking the mast and leaving him in agony. it triggered a new race to reach the stranded sailor, who was found still conscious and able to talk. today, just a few hours ago, there was an indian aircraft, navy aircraft overhead. a french fisheries surveillance vessel arrived on scene. they launched two zodiacs, made it to tomy, the conditions were pretty good. they got on board, they applied immediate first aid to tomy,

and were able than to put him into the zodiacs, get him back to the ship. the rescue mission was an international operation, co—ordinated here in australia, some 2000 miles from the damaged vote. co—ordinated here in australia, some 2000 miles from the damaged votem is one of the most remote areas of the planet, almost equities than from any of the search and rescue facilities, so the fact we got something there as quickly as we haveis something there as quickly as we have is really good news. the rescue was also picked up the irish sailor roughly 30 miles away, who had been on his way to help his co— competitor after his yacht was also damaged in the storm. both men will be taken to hospital on nearby amsterdam islands. 0nly be taken to hospital on nearby amsterdam islands. only then will the full extent of abhilash tomy‘s injuries become clear. but, for now, the sailing fraternity is simply relieved that he has been found alive. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the pioneering electrical implant helping paralysed people to walk again. ben johnson, 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: donald trump's supreme court choice, brett kavanaugh says he won't step aside, after another allegation of sexual misconduct. intense speculation about the future of us deputy attorney—general, rod rosenstein. the white house says the president will meet him on thursday. an american man who was paralysed from the waist down after crashing his snowmobile has made medical history by walking with the aide of an electrical implant. doctors in the us used an electrode to stimulate nerves in the spinal chord, allowing the patient to walk, by issuing commands from his brain. welljoining me now,

is dr kendall lee, one of the neurosurgeons who co—led the research from the mayo clinic in rochester, minnesota. can you explain to us in simple terms, how this actually works? certainly. thank you very much for having me on your show. this is a surgical procedure whereby an electrical simulator is placed in the package are all space just above the package are all space just above the spinal cord. —— epidural. this was placed actually below where the injury was. is patient, who was com pletely injury was. is patient, who was completely paralysed before the implant, with electrical stimulation, was able to regain his volu nta ry stimulation, was able to regain his voluntary control over his paralysed legs. we can just see the pictures now. what kind of events does this represent? —— advance.

now. what kind of events does this represent? -- advance. as a neurosurgeon i represent? -- advance. as a neurosurgeon i can represent? -- advance. as a neurosurgeon i can tell you that often when patients are paralysed from spinal cord injuries, really, previously there was very little hopein previously there was very little hope in regaining involuntary control through the legs again. what this advance demonstrates is that the spinal cord is able to regain control of the legs, even below the level of the injury. i think this gives great hope to, really, over a million patients, at least in the us, who have spinal cord injuries, who are paralysed, to be able to in the future, regain at least some of their motorfunction. the future, regain at least some of their motor function. feel free to be honest, when you are going through this and designing it, we are in early stages, did you think this would actually work? you know,

this would actually work? you know, this was a study that i think was quite, almost miraculous. no. to be honest, when we first initiated this study, we would have been very happy if all we got was for the patient to getjust a little bit of contraction with the control from his brain. but indeed, what we got was much more than what we expected, which was that the patient was able to stand from the stimulation and take independent steps using a walker. and what was the reaction of the patient here? i think the patient was also extremely happy and certainly more emotional about this finding. is it a case of the patient thinking and it happening, is that all that happens? there. we have

done numerous studies to verify that, that this is indeed that the patient‘s brain or mind is controlling the movement and not just simply the contraction of the muscle from the electrical stimulation. the way we confirm that that we ask the patient to do different kinds of movement, controlled by either vision control, auditoria control and simply asked asking him to do different kinds of movement, which he was able to follow. how widespread using this technology could be used?” follow. how widespread using this technology could be used? i think that the important thing is that this is still early to make sure that patients recognise that. however, the results are quite striking in that we were able to get a very functional response back with

the electrical stimulations. what we have reported is that even the first day that we turned it on after the surgery, day that we turned it on after the surgery, the patient was able to get volu nta ry surgery, the patient was able to get voluntary control. and other aspect of this study that was very important is that the patient continued to improve and the part that was important in that improvement, in addition to the electrical stimulation, was multi— motor rehab. and intense rehabilitation that he underwent at the hospital. it is a remarkable development, thank you so much for coming on and explaining that. and you can find much more on this new development on our website, with more information from the university of louisville. just log on to bbc.com/news we usually think of cultural traditions as something that enhance people's lives, but sometimes they bring suffering too. yayut ciswas is the last living tribesperson in taiwan with a traditional full face tattoo. she still remembers the painful experience and has been telling

the bbc why she's glad the practice has died out but thinks it's important that people remember this part of their culture. a huge chunk of popular queensland beachin a huge chunk of popular queensland beach in australia has collapsed and sunk into the sea. it has happened not far from where another sinkhole appeared a few years ago that swallowed up a caravan, a car and hence. this time, the large hole near rainbow beach hasn't injured or damaged any property, thankfully. —— tents. my my name is lewis sionjones, you can reach me on twitter. —— lewis vaughan jones. hello.

for a time this week, temperatures will be on the rise. not just yet. it's a cold night for much of england and wales, under clear skies. meanwhile, this stream of cloud in the atlantic continuing to extend across parts of northern ireland, northern and western scotland, strengthening the winds through tuesday and also bringing outbreaks of rain. but away from the far north and west, after a cold start, there'll be plenty of sunshine. some early—morning mist and fog to clear. that will soon lift, and then for much of england and wales, plenty of sunshine to be found. just light winds, and very little cloud, even into the afternoon. somewhat different further north and west. more on that in just a moment. here's a closer look at 4:00pm on tuesday afternoon. as you can see, lots of sunshine, very little cloud, temperatures generally across england and wales between 15 and 17 celsius. but notice our wind symbols are turning to black. this is indicating the strength of the gusts across northern ireland, western and northern scotland through the afternoon.

quite widely 40 to 50 mph, with outbreaks of rain pushing their way eastwards. perhaps dryer across the far east of scotland, with some sunshine, but still a windy day here, and temperatures not much higher than 13 or 14 celsius. and it's this area, really, from northern ireland, northern and western scotland, which will keep further outbreaks of rain and some strong winds into tuesday night and through into wednesday morning. eventually, some of that rain is inching its way further southwards and eastwards into the far north of england. ahead of this, not quite as cold at night, but some rural parts of southern england perhaps getting down to two or three celsius. through the middle part of the week, we've still got high pressure across much of england and wales, those fronts still to the north and the west bringing strong winds and outbreaks of rain, again slowly starting to sink its way south and eastwards. so a bit more cloud, with the odd spot of rain across northern england, maybe the far north of wales. still quite cloudy for northern ireland, the lion's share of the rain across scotland. these are the averages, gusts will be higher. holding onto the dry, sunny weather across southern and eastern parts of england and wales, where temperatures on wednesday could get up

to around 20 or 21 celsius. and that front continues to make its progress south and eastwards through wednesday and into thursday. as it runs into our area of high pressure, all it has left on it isjust a band of cloud. but what it will do later in the week is slowly start to replace the one that we find across england and wales with something much cooler further north and west, so some changes to come through this week. some warmth for a time through wednesday and thursday, slowly being replaced by something cooler and fresher, but mainly dry by the weekend. goodbye. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump's choice for supreme courtjustice, brett kavanaugh, has been forced to defend himself again in public, against accusations of sexual assault. judge kavanaugh insisted he was completely innocent and that he would not step aside. mr trump said he hoped the confirmation would happen quickly. amid intense speculation about the future of us deputy attorney general rod rosenstein, the white house has

announced the president will meet him on thursday. mr rosenstein was responsible for appointing robert mueller to head investigations into allegations of russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. raised hopes of a second summit between north korea's leader, kim jong—un and the us. president trump said he expected a second meeting to be announced pretty soon. now on bbc news — hardtalk.