welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: bill cosby is jailed for sexual assault, classed as a violent predator. the judge says he will serve up to ten years in prison. president trump attacks iran and china at the un general assembly, and puts his america first policy centre—stage. we reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism. the un's middle east envoy tells the bbc we may be on the verge of another war between israel and hamas. and, a long way from home, the beluga whale spotted in the river thames. bill cosby has been officially categorised a sexually violent

predator and sentenced by a judge in pennsylvania to between three and ten years in prison. the actor and comedian, for so long a household name, is now 81. his lawyers have said they will appeal the trial result, which means he must undergo counselling for the rest of his life and be listed on the sex offender registry. nada tawfik is in norristown for us. well, thejudge, when he handed down the sentence, told earl cosby that no one was above the law, and he said that a lesser sentence would depreciate the seriousness of his crime of drugging and sexually assaulting andrea constand in 200a. now, more than ten of his accusers we re now, more than ten of his accusers were in court to see the key moment when bill cosby learned his fate, and the chief accuser, andrea constand, in a statement to the court, said while we may never know

the true impact, the true circumstances of bill cosby‘s crime, we now know that his reign of terror asa we now know that his reign of terror as a serial rapist is over. reporter: do you have any comment, sir? this will now be the image that defines bill cosby‘s life, in handcuffs, and headed to prison to pay for his crimes. for decades, he led a double life, and the man affectionately referred to as ‘america's dad' will now be officially classified as a sexually violent predator. it is a moment his victims never thought possible. outside of court, they celebrated. this is just going to show victims that they can make it through, and that there's justice at the end, and hallelujah. all: hallelujah! this is notjust about #metoo on the internet anymore. it's about a defendant having to be accountable in a court of law, and being confined in state prison as a result of his criminal acts. do you think this will lead to a real sea change? well, i think it sends an important message. more than 60 women came forward

with strikingly similar allegations, but only andrea constand's attack was recent enough to bring charges. a former university employee, the entertainer entrapped her by posing as a mentor, before drugging and molesting her at his pennsylvania home. her relief after the sentencing was visible. bill cosby has admitted to giving young women drugs before sex, but says it was done with their knowledge. and throughout the trial, he has shown no remorse. mr cosby has clearly been denied his right to a fair trial. these injustices must be corrected immediately. at the height of his fame, bill cosby was the most watched man on television. his wholesome, lovable persona on the cosby show made him an icon. the fact that he will now serve time in prison, after a long and fierce legal battle, is a palpable shift of power, and a major milestone for women and victims‘ rights. well, this case has really mirrored

america's evolving attitude towards sexual assault. in 2005, america's evolving attitude towards sexualassault. in 2005, prosecutors refused to even bring charges. fast forward to where we are now, with bill cosby serving time in prison. he is the first high—profile figure in the #metoo era to be sentenced and sent to prison. a very powerful verdict indeed. the bbc‘s nada tawfik, in norristown, pennsylvania there. we can speak to a correspondent in chicago. i know you have your own story of imprisonment and sexual assault. what lessons do you think we should draw from the cosby saga? i think what lessons we should draw is that i am hoping that this case will allow more survivors to come forward and speak out. we know that sexual assault is the most underreported crime. so many survivors are suffering in silence,

and so many times survivors fear speaking out, they fear reporting, because of this very victim blaming society that we live in, and i hope that this case will help more survivors come forward. and of course, the very definition of consent is at the heart of this, and it isa consent is at the heart of this, and it is a big issue right now, as it a lwa ys it is a big issue right now, as it always has been. absolutely. i have a lwa ys always has been. absolutely. i have always said that this case is so much bigger than bill cosby. this is about consent, and this is a ca ta lyst about consent, and this is a catalyst moment for parents to talk to their children about what consent means. you know, the non—profit i founded do a lot of consent —based education. we have k through 12 and summer education. we have k through 12 and summer college, at oxford, as well. and one question bothjuries at summer college, at oxford, as well. and one question both juries at both trials asked thejudge and one question both juries at both trials asked the judge when they we re trials asked the judge when they were deliberating their verdict was what is the definition of consent. and andrea constand made a book —— made it clear how important support was in the situation. absolutely,

studies show that the first person a survivor tells, if that person reacts well, that is greatly going to impact the healing process. but so often well—meaning loved ones, family members, friends, they don't know what to say or do when someone discloses, and so it is so important to have that support and be a listening ear, and start by believing. and more information on thatis believing. and more information on that is on our website, shattering the silence .org. you have made it very clear what should happen, what are the chances, realistically, of change. i think that social changes happening right now. the fact that he is even serving any time in prison i think sends a strong message, notjust to survivors, but also the potential perpetrators, that this type of behaviour is not going to be tolerated. what is important for people to understand is that bill cosby, these cases are happening in homes and in communities all across the globe. sexual assault usually is committed by somebody that you know and you

trust, and for all of the cases that we've seen, all the women speak out, there's been so many times when this isa there's been so many times when this is a trusted adviser, somebody that is a trusted adviser, somebody that is known to be survivors, and we really hope that people can understand just how widespread it is. and men are survivors as well. angela rose of pave, thank you very much indeed for talking to us. at the united nations general assembly, president trump has attacked the iranian leadership, accusing it of creating chaos, death and destruction across the middle east. he again accused china of unfair trading practices, and ramped up his rejection of multiculturalism and globalism, insisting patriotism was the path to freedom. he seemed startled by laughter from un delegates when he claimed his adminstration had accomplished "more than almost any other in us history. our north america editorjon sopel reports from new york. when roads are closed for you, and red lights really aren't a thing, there is no excuse for being half an hour late

for a journey of less than a mile. but donald trump missed his speaking slot this morning, and made himself even later by stopping to talk to reporters on his way in. but when he did get under way, he went on a bit of a victory lap, with unexpected consequences. in less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. america's... so true. laughter didn't expect that reaction, but that's ok. the audience just giggled. us presidents are occasionally reviled, sometimes adored, but they're rarely laughed at. last year, he threatened to destroy north korea, and taunted ‘little rocket man'. what a difference 12 months makes. the missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction. nuclear testing has stopped. i would like to thank chairman kim for his courage, and for the steps he has taken, though much work remains to be done.

but it wasn't all sweetness and light. this america—first president rounded on opec, the international criminal court, and the world trade organization. he justified his trade war against china, and then set out a vision starkly at odds with the internationalist audience listening to him. we reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism. his principal target in the speech was iran. he called on nations to isolate tehran's rulers and support its people. not quite a cry for regime change, but it is clear where he stands. iran's leaders plunder the nation's resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the middle east and far beyond. and the iranians met fire with fire. translation: unlawful, unilateral sanctions in themselves

constitute a form of economic terrorism, and a breach of the right to development. the iranians and americans avoided each other over lunch, but as always, donald trump was the centre of attention, even if many found his message distinctly uncomfortable. and on immigration, and to those refugees fleeing persecution, donald trump said, stay at home and make your own country's great again. that was heard in icy silence, and the only time his speech was interrupted was with laughter. you get the impression the un doesn't much like donald trump, and it is a sentiment that is probably reciprocated. jon sopel, bbc news, new york. one of donald trump's bilateral meetings at the un in new york later will be with the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. will they discuss how to make peace with the palestinians? our chief international correspondent lyse doucet has been speaking to the un's middle east envoy, nickolay mladenov, about how optimistic he is feeling about any possible progress: peace between israelis and

palestinians has been on the agenda yet again here at the united nations general assembly. yet again here at the united nations generalassembly. president yet again here at the united nations general assembly. president trump mentioned it recently in his speech to the assembly, saying that he wa nted to the assembly, saying that he wanted to establish a peace, but that certain facts had to be acknowledged. president macron of france said there was no alternative to the two state solution. so what are the hopes for that elusive peace deal, even a peace process? joining us deal, even a peace process? joining us as deal, even a peace process? joining us asa deal, even a peace process? joining us as a man deal, even a peace process? joining us as a man who has been working tirelessly on that objective, nickolay mladenov, who is the un's middle east envoy. there is a sense that that he is prospect is slipping away, as donald trump takes actions that diminish the role of the palestinians. well, it hasn't slept just a way, it is probably very difficult to reconstruct it in any

form as it has been done in the past. we have seen a lot of the core issues, as they have been defined by the israelis and palestinians themselves —— themselves, slip away. jerusalem, the status of the palestinian refugees returning home, orders and the very concept of two states. i think it is critically important for the international community, for the united nations, for all countries that want to see a solution to this conflict, to recognise that there is no other alternative except the alternative ofa alternative except the alternative of a two state outcome. because no other idea really addresses the historic, the religious, the national aspirations of both peoples, palestinians and israelis alike. they have to separate in order to be able to live together in a meaningful relationship off —— afterwards, to be masters of their own fate. otherwise we have a recipe for perpetual violence going well beyond the old city ofjerusalem, the holy land, going across the middle east. and president trump is

promising a new peace plan, the deal of the century, as he calls it. any sign that it is about to be made public? well, there are another 82 yea rs public? well, there are another 82 years in this century, so there's plenty of time. i think it is very important that the americans, whenever they come up with their proposalfor whenever they come up with their proposal for how to move forward, they really base it on what is the international consensus still on the final transition. but international consensus still on the finaltransition. but he international consensus still on the final transition. but he seems to be breaking away, moving the embassy to jerusalem. exactly, they need to move back to that consensus in order to have a meaningful engagement with both sides. it is both sides really wa nt to both sides. it is both sides really want to find a way out of this impasse. i have never seen an israeli who has not said to me that they worry that process, a peace process , they worry that process, a peace process, in the traditional way of defining it, just leads to more violence at the end of it, or a palestinian who doesn't feel that a peace process leads to them losing

more land. we need to find new forums, but they must be based on the conflict. president mahmoud abbas, the palestinian president, has described president trump's move asa has described president trump's move as a slap of the century, meaning to say that his position is so in line with israel that the united states no longer can be an honest broker. the united states has a role to play in this, and you can't have an agreement without the united states. but certainly you need more than just the united states. you need to have the european union, the european countries on board, you need to have russia on board. certainly the united nations, because the un security council resolutions are the basic rules that define the parameters of resolving the conflict. you need the arab countries to play a much more visible and prominent role in this. so it is really a collect his effort, in which all sides need to play their part. at one issue that i am particular worried about right now is that as we have had these meetings in new york and we discuss

these issues, the situation on the ground is slipping very quickly, both in the west bank and gaza, tensions are rising. in gaza we are on the verge of another war between hamas and israel and in the west bank the tensions around the palestinian village are becoming very tangible. and ifear that palestinian village are becoming very tangible. and i fear that the palestinian leadership, president abbas, feels that his whole strategy of negotiating, of peacefully achieving palestinian statehood, is now being threatened. and undermined, andi now being threatened. and undermined, and i think that is very, very big danger that we need to deal with very quickly. nickolay mladenov, thank you very much for joining us here in new york. a very stark warning here from the un's middle east envoy among fears of another outbreak of violence, as tensions continue to rise, and seems to be slipping hope that they could bea to be slipping hope that they could be a peace process that could lead to that long elusive peace deal between israelis and palestinians. the united states has imposed

new financial sanctions on the wife of the venezuelan president, nicolas maduro, and other members of his inner circle. washington accused them of plundering the country and helping mr maduro maintain his grip on power. president maduro said the sanctions were a badge of honour for revolutionaries like himself. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: health workers resume their battle ebola in the democratic republic of congo. 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: bill cosby has been sentenced to between three and ten years in prison following the us comedian's conviction for drugging and molesting a woman. president trump addresses the un on everything from iran to north korea. he also says he rejects globalism in favour of the doctrine of patriotism. let's return now to our top story:

geneive abdo is with the atlantic council think tank. shejoins me now from washington. what did you make of what the president had to say about iran, specifically, just after describing the leader as an absolutely lovely man? well, i think that we have two consider his tweet to be somewhat sarcastic. and i think that, you know, he has made very clear that iran isa know, he has made very clear that iran is a threat to middle east peace will. has made it very clear that the united states is concerned about the iranian ballistic missile capability, and there will be no deal with iran until other issues are addressed. and i had to say that, you know, ithink are addressed. and i had to say that, you know, i think that the policy of the us administration is

working. with very few options on the table, the united states is basically trying to weaken the arabian economy and the sanctions that have been imposed and those that have been imposed and those that will be reimposed in november are definitely having a significant effect on the iranian economy. —— iranian. if you're sitting in donald trump's shoes, he seems to be successful. anti-us, of course, is not the only one concerned about iran's progress and the support of progress in the region. -- and the us. absolutely. the congress are very concerned about this. i was recently in iraq, and i can tell you they are using all the elements and tools at their disposal to try and influence the formation of the next iraqi government. the revolutionary guards are making deals with iraqi

politicians and making threats. the iranians allah to say about their own role as supporters of proxies who are terrorists in the middle east, but will be heard today from president rohani, you would think that it president rohani, you would think thatitis president rohani, you would think that it is the united states that is the supporter of terrorism. -- rouhani. on that specific point, let's try to be evenhanded about this. it depends on your political view and where you are in the world. when donald trump describes the iranian leaders as sowing chaos, death, and destruction, say they do not respect their neighbours all borders or the sovereign rights of nations, there are many people who would see that as a description of american foreign policy. no, indeed, but i think we are not assessing american foreign policy in the middle east at the moment. that is obviously a subject of great redditors at the moment, if you even

ta ke redditors at the moment, if you even take the invasion of iraq, which has led to, you know, more than a decade of violence and chaos. but if we are going to talk about president rouhani's speech, we need to take into account that he has issued this beach to completely devote attention away from what the iranians are doing in the middle east. and he has mentioned in many television interviews the attack this past weekend, in the capital of the khuzestan province, that is populated by arabs. it is now accusing saudi arabia of the attack. the iranians have not produced any evidence. —— he is now accusing. thank you forjoining us. health workers are to resume their operations against ebola in the eastern town of beni in the democratic republic of congo, after restrictions

were put in place following a deadly attack by rebel militia in the area. it comes as the world health organisation has warned that conflict and community fears over the disease could lead to a "perfect storm" for its spread. caroline rigby has more. preventative measures such as this go some way in fight against a bowler in the ebola. health workers have been carrying out extensive education and vaccination programmes. “— education and vaccination programmes. —— against drc in ebola. there is also the threat of conflict. health workers were forced to suspend their activities in recent days following a rebel attack is remitted to the lives of democratic forces, which killed 20 people. local authorities say there will be allowed to continue their work on wednesday, but the world health organization has warned that it is increasingly concerned about several factors coming together to make it even more difficult to contain the disease. a perfect storm

of active conflict limiting our ability to access civilians, distrust by segments of the community already traumatised by decades of conflict and of murder. driven by a fear of a terrifying disease. more than 100 people have died since the start of the ebola outbreak. with some experts warning neighbouring uganda faces an imminent threat, the need to control its spread could not be more urgent. calen rigby, bbc news. the senatejudiciary committee has scheduled a vote on the supreme court nomination of brett kavanaugh for friday morning — just a day after it is set to hear testimony from kavanaugh and christine blasey ford — the woman who has accused him of sexual assault during a party in their high school years. the move drew sharp criticism from democrats, who questioned whether the process would be transparent. a whale has been spotted

in the river thames estuary, off the coast of kent. it's thought to be a beluga whale, a species usually found thousands of miles away, in the high arctic. marine life rescuers have urged the public not to get too close, but our correspondent robert hall has been trying to get a proper look. thousands of miles from the arctic, just 2a from the centre of london. when a bird—watcher on the salt marshes east of gravesend caught a glimpse of a white shapejust offshore, he couldn't believe his eyes. it was a beluga whale, lost and far further south than any previous british sighting. within hours, the news had spread across social media, bringing whale—spotters out onto the riverbanks for a glimpse of the visitor. well, as soon as i arrived i saw a glimpse of it, but it has only been resurfacing once every 15, 20 minutes.

seeing the beluga whale, which i've never seen, never ever imagined i would see in britain, let alone virtually in london. patrols from the port of london authority have kept vessels clear, and monitored the whale as it searched for food. the advice from us is to — for the navigators particularly to keep an extra eye out, and keep their distance from the animal. it is still swimming very healthily. the last time a whale swam into the thames, a bottlenose whale, was back in 2006. it got into difficulties and rescuers couldn't save it. tonight, there are fears for the beluga. the experts on board the patrol boat told me that after feeding they had hoped it would leave these busy shipping channels and head back out to sea. but there are still sightings, and that clearly hasn't happened. it too may be at risk. robert hall, bbc news, gravesend. we will let you know on that one. that is it for now. thank you.

hello. tuesday was a day of contrasts across the uk. cloudy and windy for northern ireland and scotland, with some outbreaks of rain. across much of england and wales we saw a good deal of sunshine, and it's a similar day on wednesday. we keep this piece of cloud over the atlantic, extending into northern ireland and scotland. the heaviest of the rain through wednesday looks likely to be across the western isles and the scottish highlands. the odd spot of rain, some patchy drizzle at times for northern ireland, under cloudy skies, and we'll see a bit more cloud sinking its way across northern england, maybe with the odd spot of rain. but there'll be some sunshine across eastern scotland, north—east england, and that extends all the way down across much of england and wales. now, these are the average wind strength through wednesday afternoon. gusts once again will be higher, but not as strong as we saw on tuesday — a0 mph at times across scotland and northern

ireland. in the sunshine, temperatures quite widely up to 20 or 21 celsius, including aberdeenshire and murray, which should see some sunshine through wednesday afternoon. through wednesday evening and overnight into thursday morning, our area of rain across the western isles and the scottish highlands moves its way a little bit further northwards, into orkney and shetland, so some clearer skies across eastern scotland. a bit more cloud across the far north of england, but clearer skies further south, where it will be another fairly cool night. some rural spots getting in the low single figures for a time. so this is the general setup as we go into thursday. we still have the influence of high pressure across central, southern england and wales, these fronts still fringing northern ireland and scotland, and bringing further cloud and outbreaks of rain through thursday. now, very slowly this will be slipping its way south and eastwards through thursday, but running into an area of high pressure, so the rain slowly starts to fizzle out. and ahead of it, we've still got a good deal of sunshine across much of england and wales on thursday, and a warm day here. last day of the warmth, though, for a while, i suspect — temperatures on thursday afternoon across east anglia, south—east england getting up to 22 or 23 celsius.

but behind that front, we're going to be in the mid—to—high teens. a sign of something fresher to come as we head towards the end of the week. so, from thursday into friday, here's our front sliding its way south and eastwards. high pressure starts to build in as we head towards the weekend. so, across northern ireland and scotland, we should see a return of some sunshine, but for all of us by the end of the week we're back into something much fresher. so, after those temperatures getting up to 22 or 23 celsius on thursday, by the time you to friday, things will be starting to turn cooler. and into the weekend, some cool days, some chilly nights, but for most of us it will be generally dry, with some spells of sunshine. that's all from me. bye— bye. the latest headlines: bill cosby — once one of the biggest names on us television — has been sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison for aggravated indecent assault. thejudge in pennsylvania branded him a sexually violent predator. cosby was found guilty of drugging and molesting andrea constand in 200a. president trump has launched another

broadside against globalism and multiculturalism in his speech to the united nations general assembly. he told world leaders the us would always act in a spirit of patriotism — choosing independence and cooperation over global governance. he called for radical change in the international trading system. a whale's been spotted in the river thames estuary, off the coast of kent. it's thought to be a beluga whale — a species usually found thousands of miles away in the high arctic. marine life rescuers have urged the public not to get too close.