this is bbc news — i'm ben bland. our top stories: i will vote forjudge pratt cavanagh. brett kavanaugh is a big step closer to being confirmed to the us supreme court after weeks of bitter debate and allegations of sexual assault. i think the founders did not envision this process unfolding. a white chicago police officer who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is found guilty of intentionally killing him. desparate pleas for help in indonesia a week after the earthquake and tsunami struck, the human cost of this tragedy continues to grow. and here in the uk, a man is found guilty of pushing it looks as though judge

brett kavanaugh is moving closer to being confirmed as a us supreme courtjustice. the senate voted by the narrowest of margins to move to the next stage of the process — setting up a final vote on saturday. and earlier, republican susan collins — a key vote the white house needed — announced her support. the bbc‘s north america correspondent nick bryant reports. this uniquely american melodrama is reaching its conclusion. capitol hill now the scene of protests night and day. this is for those who love democracy! donald trump claims these were professional protesters, paid for by the liberal billionaire george soros, but they came to the nation's capital of their own will in a last—ditch

attempt to block brett kavanaugh's nomination. their pleas directed at his republican backers. so many of the fault lines in american politics converge on the supreme court — abortion, gun rights, gay marriage — which is why this debate is so very passionate. the vote in the senate was procedural, but it had the potential to kill off the nomination. so the republican majority leader made what sounded like a closing argument. the uncorroborated mud and the partisan noise and the physical intimidation of members here in the senate will not have the final say around here. the senate will have the final say. when the vote finally came, it passed, by the narrowest of margins. on this vote, the yeas are 51, the noes a9, the motion is agreed to. america has been transfixed by the allegations from christine blasey ford that brett kava naugh sexually assaulted her as a teenager, a claim he strenuously denied. i am innocent, i am innocent of this charge! tonight, a key wavering female

republican senator announced she would back his nomination in the final vote tomorrow. i do not believe that these charges can fairly preventjudge kavanaugh from serving on the court. i will vote to confirm judge kavanaugh. applause. who would have thought back injuly, when donald trump first nominated him, that this suburban dad would be the focus of such a fight? but it has ended with a major victory for the white house, donald trump will get his man. the supreme court will soon have a more decisive conservative majority. this brutal and ugly confirmation fight has felt like a clash between two divergent americas. in a washington that is ever more tribal, in a country that is ever more polarised. a white police officer who killed a black teenagerfour

years ago in chicago has been found guilty of second—degree murder. jason van dyke shot laquan mcdonald 16 times in a case that sparked outrage across the united states. he claimed he'd feared for his life, but video released by the court showed his victim walking away from officers at the scene. the bbc‘s nada tawfik has been following the trial from new york. there were really two competing narratives. prosecutors argued the shooting should never have happened and officerjason van dyke showed no regard for laquan mcdonald. jason van dyke himself took the stand and emotionally said he felt he was at threat, that laquan mcdonald was going to attack him with a knife, a pocket knife that he was holding but what was so key here throughout this 3- what was so key here throughout this

3— week trial was the video itself, a video released only after a court order and what that showed was that laquan mcdonald was walking away from officers when the shooting happened. you can see in the video that he is lying motionless on the street as the officer continues to fire. this video was really key during this trial. what's been the political fallout from it all? well, you know, this is really rocked chicago. the police chief has been fired, three other officers have now been charged with lying and trying to cover up. this crime by officer van dyke, because they put out accounts that were inaccurate, this video showed they had lied and there have been elected officials who have essentially been voted out of office. the mou, rahm emmanuel, concerned about how this

would affect his standing, said he would affect his standing, said he would not seek re—election as mao. —— the chicago mou. mao. —— mail. outside in the court, the community, what has the mood they like? the community has been really pleased with this verdict. we've seen so people outside the court charging just as the laquan mcdonald. in one process , just as the laquan mcdonald. in one process, though accounting at the number of shops, 16 times he was shot, and saying his name. but the city had the jury acquitted officer jason van dyke and could be mass demonstrations so city hall had a 150- demonstrations so city hall had a 150— page plan in place, businesses to shut down if needed, even the schools were going to close early. really, this was a city on edge. but so really, this was a city on edge. but so far, there have been orderly

peaceful protests, some saying this would be a model for other places. let's get some of the day's other news. the washington post newspaper has left a column blank in protest at the disappearance of one of its contributors. it says it's concerned about the welfare of the saudi arabian journalist jamal khashoggi. the newspaper says he went into the saudi arabian consulate in istanbul on tuesday and has not been heard from since. shares in the italian football club juventus have fallen by almost 10%. this is after a us court re—opened an investigation into rape allegations against its player cristiano ronaldo. juventus had tweeted that the allegations dating back to 2009 had not diminished their appreciation for the player. but his sponsor, nike has said it is deeply concerned. the governing coalition in ethiopia has voted to extend the chairmanship of prime minister abiy ahmed, cementing his authority as leader of the country. mr abiy was named prime minister in april and was among the nominees for this year's nobel peace prize.

he has introduced sweeping reforms, including making peace with ethiopia's former enemy, eritrea. france has paid homage to the late singer, charles aznavour, at a national ceremony in paris. the french president, emmanuel macron, and the armenian prime minister, nikol pashinyan, led the tributes to one of the masters of french song. mr macron called him a poet who sang as if his life depended on it. mr pashinyan said aznavour, who was born in paris to armenian parents, had carried the country's name to the world. the united nations says it's urgently trying to raise $50 million "for immediate relief" to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in indonesia. at least 1,500 people have died and there fears there could be more. rescuers are still trying to reach remote, cut—off areas on the island of sulawesi. our south—east asia correspondent jonathan head has been speaking

to people in a village in one of the worst hit areas. if you want help in palu, you have to turn up and demand it. and even that doesn't always work. these men have come from a village submerged under a sea of mud. i met them yesterday after their request for government aid had been turned down. but today, when we went to see how they were living, camped in the local mosque, our arrival coincided with that of a police truck carrying some much appreciated rice and noodles, albeit enough only for a couple of days. "they showed up out of the blue", said this man, one of the men i had met in palu just as the supplies were running out. "we're really happy. " it was a welcome opportunity, too, for some community outreach by a police force accused by some locals here of insensitivity to their plight. these officers wanted to correct that impression. "this is actually our own food", said the colonel.

"but we heard about these people and we felt sorry for them." so many of palu's inhabitants are still living like this. day—to—day challenges are hard enough. but their biggest concern is over when and how they can get back to their homes. i was taken to see where the torrent of mud had swept across the village. so they are telling me there were four houses here that have just completely disappeared. yes, totally buried under the mud. there is nothing left of them at all. without heavy machinery, which they don't have, there is no hope of clearing out this much mud. and there is another worry. the bodies of those caught by the mudslide. well, we have reached a point in the village where there is a really strong smell because of a body that is buried in some of this debris. they cannot get it out.

it is really distressing the people who live here and it gives you an idea, with all this mud, just what an immensejob it is going to be to get these villages back to some kind of normal life again. that worry was brought home to them later when a search and rescue team brought a corpse to the mosque. a reminder these people really don't need of the immense human cost of this disaster. jonathan head, bbc news, palu, indonesia. this year's nobel peace prize has been awarded to two people who have campaigned against sexual violence in war. one is a yazidi human rights activist nadia murard — the other is a congolese gynaecologist. the nobel committee said it wanted to send a message of awareness — that women are being used as weapons of war and the perpetrators should be held to account.

our chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports. a peace prize to fight one of the worst weapons of war — sexual violence. 25—year—old nadia murad was brutalised by islamic state fighters. it all came back when she returned to her village in northern iraq last year — horrific memories of being raped every day for months, her mother and six brothers killed when islamic state stormed into the yazidi heartland, including their village of kojo. we visited kojo just weeks ago — a monument to a massacre, almost everyone killed or captured, women sold as sex slaves. nadia spoke of it when i met her in new york with her lawyer, amal clooney. translation: i went to visit my family home a few months ago. it was completely destroyed. isis had left nothing behind. it's going to be hard to forget, but at least we are working now to bring those

criminals tojustice. at least that is something, a tiny victory. and today, in eastern congo, sweet celebration in a place known for its pain. the clinic where gynaecologist denis mukwege treats victims of sexual violence. translation: the prize has a big meaning that although it took time for the world to recognise us, the world has started listening to women, and notjust listening but getting to know the problems that you face. cheering understanding our problems is not enough. they must realise that when you commit a crime against anyone, it's not right. they call him "the miracle doctor". in congo's war, sexual violence so severe many require surgery. they've used the world's podiums to fight for justice. now they are armed with a powerful prize — to try to end one of

the worst crimes of war. lyse doucet, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: as climate scientists meet to discuss how best to limit global warming, we report from vietnam. this was a celebration by people who were relishing their freedom. they believe everything's going to be different from now on. they think their country will be respected in the world once more, as it used to be before slobodan milosevic took power. the dalai lama, the exiled spiritual leader of tibet, has won this year's nobel peace prize. as the parade was reaching its climax, two grenades exploded, and a group of soldiersjumped from a military truck taking part in the parade and ran towards the president, firing from kalashnikov automatic rifles. after 437 years, the skeletal

ribs of henry viii's tragic warship emerged. but, even as divers work to buoy her up, the mary rose went through another heart—stopping drama. i want to be the people's governor. i want to represent everybody. i believe in the people of california. this is bbc news. the latest headline: key republican senators say they will vote for judge brett kavanaugh's nomination to the supreme court — a final senate vote is expected on saturday. un climate change scientists have been meeting all this week in south korea to decide what can be done to limit global warming, with a report due on monday.

until now many countries have agreed to take steps to limit the rise in average temperatures to 2 degrees. but scientists are concerned that even that is too high. our science editor david shukman reports from vietnam, one of the world's most vulnerable countries. i'm in the incredibly hot mekong delta in the south of vietnam. this region is described as one of the most vulnerable anywhere in the world to the effects of climate change. i'm on board with a team of scientists, so let's find out what they're investigating. one of the scientists on board is professor dan parsons from the university of hull. just to interrupt for a second, what are you trying to find out here? we're using this acoustic sonar technology to map the flows of water, of sand, silts across this large delta plain. how much is this region changing? it's changing rapidly and changing very significantly. you found out the amount of silt carried by the river has reduced dramatically. the silt is what actually builds the land up here. how serious is the situation?

absolutely right, the silt and the sands that are delivered from the basin upstream are the only thing that is offsetting sea level rise across the entire delta, which is home to 18 million people. i mentioned this is a hotspot for climate change. what makes it so vulnerable? it's low—lying, it's a large delta plain and it's sinking. the sea level is coming up. it's essentially drowning. serious stuff. many, many thanks indeed. let's go see what else is happening. one of the really big concerns is food supplies, because the mekong delta is one of the world's greatest regions for producing rice. professor steve darby, university of southampton, you're looking into this. what are the risks to rice production? well, there are a number. the first and most important is with rising sea level we are seeing a flow of that salt water onto the agricultural soils in the delta. the sea water's getting into the fields? that's right. during the flooding periods and during the dry season that salt water can flow over onto the rice growing areas and seep into the soils.

it can contaminate them for productive rice agriculture. presumably rice can't grow when the water is too salty? that's right. some species or some crop varietals are very intolerant to that salt content. long—term, what are the implications? if you've got the land sinking, sea rising, sea water getting into the fields, what happens? unless there's a switch to some more tolerant varieties that can withstand that kind of salt pollution, then the current system of agriculture will have to change dramatically in order to be able to continue. to try to end on a positive note, what can be done? all of us need to do what we can to limit climate change, but also we need to find ways to learn how to live with the worst impacts. many thanks for that. professor steve darby there of the university of southampton. we're waiting for a report from the un climate panel looking

into the implications of trying to limit global warming in the way vietnam and other countries want. we'll see if that is going to be possible. cameroon heads to the polls on sunday to elect a president. the central african nation faces immense challenges — unemployment, corruption, the fight against boko haram in its far north region. but it is the conflict in the anglophone regions that has emerged as the defining issue. bbc‘s killian chimtom ngala reports from yaounde. there is excitement in the air. turnout at opposition rallies is reminiscent of the 1992 election, cameron's first after it legalise multiparty politics. the president

is seeking his seventh term in office. he has hit the campaign trailjust once in the north region. he has been in power since 1982, before many of these use were even born. the president faces eight opponents, at several of them in their first opponents, at several of them in theirfirst bid, including the ex— vice president. talk of the anglophone crisis is neverfar away. we will wipe up their tears. i will go there to ask them to come out from the bush. i will send a delegation to nigeria to ask why the refugees come there. i will come down. ! conflict has engulfed the two english—speaking regions since 2016. separatist rebels are

attacking government forces. this has been the result: shattered homes, shattered lives. hundreds killed. thousands displaced. governments have announced that most polling regions in the north—west regions are close to different from rebels. the anglophone crisis may go beyond the electoral regions in the south—west and north—west. if they are not able to vote, they don't see how they are able to influence the decisions of the eventual victor, and this may reinforce the sense of marginalisation. a hard line has been drawn on the rebellion. translation: obviously, we need to restore the peace in our north—west and south—west regions. wounded by

the actions of the succession is. by by giving both regions satisfaction that they would expect by protecting them from the so—called liberators. on the campaign trail, his opponents have proposed various reforms to resolve the crisis. the most radical proposal is perhaps that of this man, running from the position as head of the main opposition party. despite the new challenges and i'm president had difficulties, people expect a splintered opposition. killian chimtom ngala, bbc news, yaounde. many children enjoy the idea of a treasure hunt — but an 8—year—old girl in sweden has

found a sword believed to date from 1,500 years ago — that's before the viking era. saga vanecek stepped on the sword while playing in a lake this summer. the discovery was kept secret until now, to give archaeologists time to search the lake for other artefacts. richard galpin has the story. despite the approach of winter, this lake in southern sweden is still a popular destination for those in search of ancient treasures. because earlier this year there was an extraordinarily discovery here of something that had lain under the water for up to 1,500 years. and this is it. a sword dating back to the sixth century, before the vikings, and it's surprisingly well preserved. translation: scientifically, culturally and historically it's very important for us. it's an important piece of history for this area and it's attracted attention abroad. and the discovery was made not by a seasoned archaeologist or treasure hunter, but by an eight—year—old girl who had been playing in the water here while on holiday with her family. translation: i felt around

with my hands and knees when i noticed something that felt like a stick. so i was on the verge of throwing it away but i didn't. then i picked it up and i said to my dad, "i have found a sword". it felt very cool and also a bit scary. since then, archaeologists have found a relic dating back to the third century. but it's the discovery of this iron age sword which is now the prize exhibit at the nearby museum. three decades after the nuclear disaster at chernobyl in ukraine, a solar plant has been unvieled at the site. it's built just across from where the power station, now encased in a giant sarcophagus, caused the world's worst nuclear disaster. the solar plant is in a contaminated area, which is still unsuitable

for people to live in and where visitors are accompanied by guides carrying radiation meters. nearly 4,000 panels produce energy to power 2,000 apartments. and before we go, we should tell you that giants are taking over the streets of liverpool. to be a bit more precise, they are massive marrionnets, brought to life — orjust about — by a french street theatre company. thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of the creations, which include a boy and his dog, cholo. the plus—sized puppets will be roaming the streets throughout the weekend as part of liverpool's ongoing street festival. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @benmbland. hello. saturday for some of us is

not going to be too good. in fact, cold and rainy weather on the way brought by a weather front which is slicing the uk in half right now. we had mild weather to the south, calderwood in scotland and northern ireland. temperatures have really tipped away. play the early hours of saturday morning, we are talking about barely above freezing in some areas, while it is told in london. and a bit in between, the cloud and rain. saturday morning, rain in yorkshire, down into the midlands, south and central england, then by lunchtime the rain reaches the south—east, too. lunchtime the rain reaches the south-east, too. in the north, the weather is fine. across scotland, sunny fresh weather on the way. this simple northern ireland. western wales, too. the winds blowing out of the north, here, east and ortiz. that means it will be chilly. temperatures will struggle in some

areas. in fact, temperatures will struggle in some areas. infact, in temperatures will struggle in some areas. in fact, in one or two spots, it could be as low as nine or 10 degrees. in london, it went 1a. that is chilly enough. up to 23 degrees on friday, so a big temperature drop. into sunday, deep or whether she's into the continent. percy on sunday we will have clear skies in the morning. that also mean sunday morning is going to be chilly. temperatures in many areas will be two or posting. on sunday, a reversal of fortu nes. two or posting. on sunday, a reversal of fortunes. many parts of england and wales on sunday at looking sunny and fairly fresh with temperatures mostly in the low broadmead teens. in the north—west of the country, fresh rain seeping in the atlantic, causing strong winds up to gale—force. you considers weather front moving through on saturday into sunday across north—western parts of the uk. in the south, high—pressure. so very much split into next week. in the north—west we still have cloud in the north—west we still have cloud and rain, but notice the very

far north of scotland on monday probably hanging onto some sunshine, where is in the south it is actually going to warm up because the winds will shift direction and winds will blow out of the south—west, the woman direction, so temperatures rise up into the middle high teens, even as far north as northern england. in the week ahead, it is warming up. an indian summerfor some of us on the way. goodbye. this is bbc news. the headlines: judge brett kavanaugh now looks likely to be voted on to the us supreme court, despite accusations of sexual assault against him. two key republican senators say they will support him in the final vote on saturday. a white police officer who killed a black teenager in chicago four years ago has been found guilty of second—degree murder. jason van dyke shot laquan mcdonald 16 times. it caused outrage and mass protests.

the united nations says it's urgently trying to raise $50million "for immediate relief" to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in indonesia. at least 1,500 people are confirmed to have died. the nobel peace prize has been awarded to two campaigners against sexual violence. denis mkwege has a clinic in the democratic republic of congo, and nadia murad campaigns for the yazidi people in northern iraq. now on bbc news, it's inside out.