welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. 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. we‘ will tell you who has won this year's bbc world news komla dumor award, named in honour of our colleague who died four years ago. 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. 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 crime, 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 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. 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's 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 non—profit organisation pave — promoting awareness, victim empowerment. 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 — we have k through 12, and some at college, at oxford, as well. and one question bothjuries in both trials asked thejudge when they were deliberating their bill cosby verdict was, what is the definition of consent? and it's a very important question. angela, 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, do 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, notjust 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 is 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 where 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. let's get some of the day's other news: the senate judiciary committee has scheduled a vote on the supreme court nomination of brett kavanaugh for friday morning, just a day after it hears testimony from kava naugh and christine blasey ford, who has accused him of sexual assault at a party in their high school years. the move has drawn sharp criticism from democrats, who question whether the process will be transparent. a deal between the vatican and china on the appointment of roman catholic bishops will mean christians suffer, according to the first public comments from pope francis on the agreement. he says he, not the communist government, will have the final say on who is named. it is estimated there are 100 million christians in china, in registered and unofficial churches. mexico's military is patrolling the

port city of acapulco. they say drug gangs have infiltrated the resort and police have been stripped of their weapons while authorities carry out background checks. authorities in switzerland have rejected a residency application from russian billionaire roman abramovich. the owner of chelsea football club had applied to live in the alpine resort of verbier, which initially said yes, but switzerland's federal police said they suspected he posed a security risk and so the application was rejected. there is no evidence of any offence, and his lawyer says such claims are entirely false. 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. 0ur north america editorjon sopel reports from new york. when roads are closed for you,

and red lights really aren't a thing, there is not much 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 0pec, 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's 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 is a sentiment that is probably reciprocated. jon sopel, bbc news, new york. stay with us on bbc news.

and the united states has imposed new economic sanctions on the venezuelan president. washington accuses them of plundering the country to help maintain their grip on power. still to come: health workers resume their battle against ebola in the democratic republic of congo. 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 world 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.

the also rejects multiculturalism. —— he also rejects multiculturalism. one of donald trump's bilateral meetings at the un will be with the israeli prime minister. will they discuss how to make peace with the palestinians? 0ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, asked the un's middle east envoy, nickolay mladenov, whether he's optimistic about any possible progress. peace between israelis and palestinians has been on the agenda yet again here at the united nations general assembly. president trump mentioned it recently in his speech 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, oi’ even a peace process? joining us is a man who has been working tirelessly on that objective, nickolay mladenov, who is the un's middle east envoy. nickolay, there is a sense that that

peace prospect is slipping away, as donald trump takes actions that diminish the role of the palestinians. well, it hasn't slipped just away, it's probably very difficult to reconstruct it in any form, as it's been known in the past. we have seen a lot of the core issues, as they've been defined by the israelis and palestinians themselves, slip away. jerusalem, the status of the palestinian refugees returning home, borders, and the very concept of two states. i think it's 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 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 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 years in this century, so there's plenty of time. i think it's very important that the americans, 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 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, because 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 a 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 as the 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's really a collective effort, in which all sides need to play their part. but one issue that i'm particularly worried about right now is that, as we have 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're on the verge of another war between hamas and israel, and in the west bank, the tensions around the palestinian village of khan al—ahmar are becoming very tangible. and ifear that the palestinian leadership, president abbas, feels that his whole strategy of negotiating, of peacefully achieving palestinian statehood, is now being threatened and undermined. and i think that is a very, very big danger, that we need to deal with very quickly. nickolay mladenov, thank you very much forjoining us

here in new york. a very stark warning there from the un's middle east envoy amid fears of another outbreak of violence, as tensions continue to rise, and there seems to be slipping hope that there could be that peace process that could lead to that long elusive peace deal between israelis and palestinians. lyse doucet there with the middle east un envoy. 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 0rganization 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. 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 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 holidays with my wife, set up to the hotel wi—fi. logged in, started a discussion with someone logged in, started a discussion with someone from the bbc. the next thing they tell me, because i thought this was another interview, is that i'm

the winner. i started shouting, screaming, it was intense. i called my wife from another room to go in and see what's coming on, so we did and see what's coming on, so we did a happy dance. ijust heard him shouting, what's going on? i'm the winner. from a personal perspective it's an endorsement. i got the feeling in terms of journalism, endorsement. i got the feeling in terms ofjournalism, i'm on the right path. welcome to bbc world news, i'm komla dumor. komla dumor meant a lot of things to me as an aspiring journalist, as a journalist and as an individual. i thought our backgrounds were quite similar, he didn't have a traditionaljournalism background, just like i didn't, but on the way we fought to get into the media because we have a passion for for telling stories. seeing komla dumor telling the bigger stories in the world on a platform like the bbc... this man was larger than life, three or four years after he passed on, this is a man most of the world knows about. for me to be

identified with him, just a bit, if ican identified with him, just a bit, if i can only achieve ten or 20% of what he did, i would feel like i have made my contribution to journalism, to tell the african story in a different way from an african man or woman's perspective. i'm looking forward to the bbc komla dumor award training programme in london, while i have been too many training programmes, no one will immerse me and help me understand what the bbc does than this one. who knows, i might be the next komla dumor. great to see him again. 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. there are fears and serious concerns brought the beluga whale, we'll keep you up to date. not much of an update at the moment, a disrespectful suggestion on twitter that beluga found out how much a 1—bedroom flat cost in zone one in central london. much more on the bbc website. you can reach me on twitter, i'm @bbcmikeembley. thank you for watching. 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 0rkney 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. this is bbc news. the 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. cosby 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. mr trump told world leaders that

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 is 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. now on bbc news, hardtalk.