a very warm welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: bill cosby is jailed for sexual assault, classed as a violent predator. the judge says he'll 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. we'll tell you who's won this year's bbc world news komla dumor award — named in honour of our colleague, who died four years ago. and an awful long way from home, the beluga whale spotted in the river thames. hello.

bill cosby has been officially categorised as 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'll 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. thejudge, when he handed down the sentence, told bill 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 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 that while we may never know the true impact — the true circumstances of bill cosby‘s crimes,

we now know that his reign of terror as a serial rapist is over. reporter: mr cosby, 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 classified as a sexually violent predator. it's 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. amen. 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 clearly has 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, 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, very powerful message indeed. earlier i spoke with angela rose, founder and executive director of dc—based nonprofit organisation, pave — promoting awareness, victim empowerment. i asked what lessons could be drawn from the cosby saga. i think what lessons we should draw is that i'm 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, isn't it, and it's a big issue right

now, as it always has been. absolutely. i've always said that this case is so much bigger than bill cosby. this is about consent, and this is a catalyst moment for parents to talk to their children about what consent means. you know, for pave, the non—profit that i founded, we do a lot of consent—based education. some in k through 12, and some at college, at oxford, as well. and one question both juries at both trials asked thejudge when they were deliberating their bill cosby verdict was, what is the definition of consent? and andrea constand also made it clear how important support was in this situation. absolutely, studies show that the first person a survivor tells, if that person reacts well, that's 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's so important to have that support

and be a listening ear, and start by believing. and more information on that is on our website, at shatteringthesilence.org. angela, you've made it very clear what should happen. what are the chances, you think, realistically, of change? i think that social change is happening right now. the fact that he even is serving any time in prison, i think sends a really strong message, not just to survivors, but also to potential perpetrators, that this type of behaviour is not going to be tolerated. what's 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 it's committed by somebody that we know and we trust. and for all of the cases that we've seen, all the women who speak out, there's been so many times when this is a trusted adviser, somebody that's known to these survivors, and we really hope that people can understand just

how widespread it is. and men are survivors, as well. 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 administration 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. laughter 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 countries great again. that was heard in icy silence, and the only time his speech was interrupted was with laughter. you get the impression that the un doesn't much like donald trump, and it's a sentiment that's probably reciprocated. jon sopel, bbc news, new york. staying with the un now. genieve abdo is from the arabia foundation. she says president trump's recent tweets complimenting the iranian leader shouldn't be taken seriously. i think that we have to consider his tweet to be somewhat sarcastic, and i think that he has made very clear that that iran is a threat to middle east peace. he has made it very clear that the united states is

concerned about iran's ballistic missile capability, and that there will be no deal with environmental other issues are addressed. and i have to say that 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 iranian economy and the sanctions that have been imposed are those that have been imposed are those that will be reimposed in november, are definitely having a significant effect on the iranian economy. and so, if you are sitting in trump's shoes, he seems to be successful. so, if you are sitting in trump's shoes, he seems to be successfulm the us, of course, is not the only one concerned about yvonne's increasing influence and support for proxies in the region. no, absolutely. the us congress is very concerned about this and as a matter

of fa ct, concerned about this and as a matter of fact, i was recently in iraq and ican of fact, i was recently in iraq and i can tell you that the iranians are using all of the elements, all the tools at their disposal to try and influence the relation of the next iraqi government. the revolutionary guards are making deals with iraqi politicians, they are making threats, and so the iranians have a lot to say about their own role as supporters of proxies who are terrorists in the middle east, yet what we heard today from president rouhani, you would think that it is the united states that is the supporter of terrorism. citing needs to be definitely a reality check. let's try and be evenhanded about this. it depends of course on your political view and where you are in the world. but when it you president trump describes iran's leaders are sowing chaos and destruction, he says they do not respect their

neighbours, at their sovereignty or the borders, there are many people in the world who would see that as a description of america's foreign policy. no, indeed, buti description of america's foreign policy. no, indeed, but i think we are not assessing america's foreign policy and middle east at the moment, which i think is obviously a subject of great criticism if you ta ke eve n subject of great criticism if you take even the invasion of iraq, which has led to more than a decade of violence and chaos. what if we are going to talk about president rouhani's speech, i think that we need to take into account that he hasissued need to take into account that he has issued this speech to completely divert attention away from what the iranians are doing now in the middle east. the senatejudiciary committee has scheduled a vote on the supreme court nomination of brett kavanaugh for friday morning — that's just a day after it hears testimony from him and christine blasey ford, who's accused him of sexual assault during a party in their high school years. the committee, led by republicans, has also hired a female lawyer, described as an "expert

sex crimes prosecutor" to question dr ford. democrats question whether the process will be transparent. the world health organization has warned that conflict, and people's fears about ebola, in the democratic republic of congo could lead to a "perfect storm" that helps spread the disease. health workers are about to resume operations in the eastern town of beni. restrictions were put on the area in response to a deadly attack by rebel militia. caroline rigby reports. preventative measures such as this go some way in the fight against ebola in the drc. health workers have been carrying out extensive education and vaccination programmes, but communities in the eastern city of beni, one of the areas worst affected by the latest outbreak, also face the threat of conflict. health workers were forced to suspend their activities in recent days, following a rebel attack attributed to the alliance of democratic forces, which killed 20 people.

local authorities say they 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 two months ago. and with some experts warning neighbouring uganda faces an imminent threat, the need to control its spread could not be more urgent. caroline rigby, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news. still to come... going solo — the duchess of sussex makes a royal appearance

at a new show celebrating the art and cultures of the pacific region. 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: bill cosby has been sentenced to between 3 and 10 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. you will very likely remember this face behind me. komla dumor sat in this chair and filled this studio so often and so well, and then died suddenly four years ago. he was just 41 years old. he was ghanaian, and among much else he became a kind of posterboy for a modern africa.

it's a legacy we honour with the annual komla dumor award. the idea is to uncover fresh talent from the continent — and we can reveal right now that the winner of this year's prize is kenyan tv presenter waihiga mwaura. he tells us about the moment he found out. i was out of town, on holiday with my wife. i logged in, the next thing they tell me because i thought this was another interview with the bbc, that i was the winner. started shouting and screaming and told my wife who was in another room to come and see. ijust had his shouting. what does it mean? i am the winner. i got the feeling that in terms of journalism i am on the right path. komla dumor meant a lot of things to

me as an inspiring journalist and also as an individual. he did not have a traditionaljournalism background like i did. but along the way we thought to get into the media because we had a passion to telling stories. reporting from an talking about some of the biggest stories in the world on a platform like the bbc. this man was a man bigger than life. a man the whole world knows about. the need to be identified with him, if i can achievejust io% of what he did, i feel i have made a contribution to journalism, to tell the african story in a different way from an african man or woman's perspective. i have been privileged to attend several training programmes but none will allow me to be as immersed in the work as this

bbc one. i believe i will be a better person and, who knows, the next komla dumor, as a result. the rocket has been a dominant player on the international market but now it is facing aggressive competition from american entrepreneurs. for the first time, a major exhibition celebrating the art and cultures of the pacific region is opening in britain. the show at the royal academy of arts in london also marks the 250th anniversary of captain cook's first voyage to the pacific on board the endeavour. the duchess of sussex was there, in herfirst solo royal engagement. our arts editor will gompertz was too. we're used to a bit of a song and dance being made about an exhibition opening, but not quite on this scale.

this is the pacific islanders' way to mark the first—ever show of their art and culture at the royal academy in london. a special event that was made even more memorable with the arrival of the duchess of sussex, for her first solo official engagement. she appeared particularly taken with this 18th—century costume of the chief mourner from the islands of tahiti. the exhibition covers around 600 years of oceanic artworks, from this centuries—old maori carving to these photographic portraits of life—casts taken in 2010. it's actually these treasures from the past, as well as the contemporary works, that are building connections and understanding between pacific islanders and people in britain and in europe. the exhibition tells many stories. obviously there is captain cook's

pacific expeditions in the late 18th century, and their impact on the indigenous islanders, and on europe, where many of these objects were brought back and displayed in museums, where they were seen and studied by leading modern artists. for example, this fabulously decorated wooden beam, which depicts a comic tale, inspired the german expressionists. and carvings such as this male deity figure clearly influenced those artists working in paris in the early 20th century, who made those stylised, abstracted sculptures. and picasso was so mesmerised by this deity that he had a bronze version in his studio. the show of such wealth of pacific island treasures, or taonga, as they are known, held by european institutions, raises the question of ownership, and whether any of these objects should be returned to the countries from which they came. for indigenous peoples all around the world, if they came back and were shared, they would actually accrue more knowledge, research from on the ground, and that these gifts would probably

come back again, too. sometimes we don't necessarily want to repatriate these taonga. for the duchess of sussex, the exhibition serves as a useful introduction to the cultures of the pacific region, where she is going on an official visit with prince harry next month. will gompertz, bbc news. 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. the rather serious concerns and we have in trying to find out what the latest is. the best i can do is to eat saying the whale is headed out to sea again after it discovered how much it cost to rent a i—bedroom flat in zone one in london! you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ bbc mike embley much more news on our website as well. thank you forjoining us. 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. like maybe with the odd spot of rain. tuesday, stronge per like tuesday, stronger us. a0 miles per hour. in the sunshine up to 21st celsius. in the first day, cloud and

ran extending further north into orkney and shetland. the amount of cloud into northern england. clearer skies across southern areas of england and wales. on thursday, we still have an area of high pressure across much of england and wales said it will be slowly sliding its way south and east. further outbreaks of rain across scotland and northern ireland top more cloud into northern england with the odd spot of rain. a head of the front, some good spells of sunshine. noticed these orange colours. by thursday afternoon, ahead of the front, it will feel very warm indeed. up to 23 degrees celsius. fresher air behind it and we will all be in it by friday as the front

clears south and east and high pressure developing into the weekend so for most of us it will be mainly dry but we will notice at deep in the temperature so back to some fairly chilly nights as we go through the weekend. temperatures of 23 celsius, some chilly nights at the most dry with some sunshine. the latest headlines: bill cosby — once one of the biggest names on us television — has been sentenced to between three and ten years in prison for aggravated indecent assault. thejudge in pennsylvania branded him a sexually violent predator. he was found guilty of drugging and molesting andrea constand in 200a. president trump has launched another broadside against globalism in his speech to the united nations general assembly. he told world leaders america 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 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. it's just aftr 3:30am. time now for panorama. contains scenes that some viewers may find upsetting. our children are facing a mental health crisis. at least one in ten kids is struggling to cope. i'm never going to get better, i'm going to stay in this dark hole for my whole life and eventually i'm going to do it, i'm gonna take my life. overstretched health services are turning kids away — leaving families desperate. i had a bit of a mini—breakdown and said if she is not admitted it is going to be a complete and utter blood bath at my house. just how sick do our children have to be to get treatment? you feel like you need to be

completely and utterly the illest you could ever be without dying just to receive help.