welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: i will vote to confirm judge kavanaugh. 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 if our founders i think if ourfounders had i think if our founders had seen and envisioned this process unfolding like it has, some of them would have stuck with jones. a white chicago police officer who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is found guilty of intentionally killing him. desperate pleas for help in indonesia: a week after the earthquake and tsunami struck the human cost of this tragedy continues to grow. and the london tube passengers almost pushed to their deaths — their attacker is found guilty of attempted murder. hello and welcome to bbc news.

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. our 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. there's still time to stop this, please! 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—19, 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. our correspondent chris buckler is in washington.

this is a process which has been divisive, at times shambolic, and emotional, but we are nearing the end, and it seems that donald trump will get his man. i get the impression that the white house are breathing a sigh of relief at the moment. although they are waiting for the final vote. this difficult and at times only process has showed that anything can happen when you do have a couple of hours left. don't forget that about this time last week we were talking about this process potentially going to its next stage, and it was at that stage thatjeff next stage, and it was at that stage that jeff flake, next stage, and it was at that stage thatjeff flake, the republican senator, it decided that he wanted to ta ke senator, it decided that he wanted to take a break, take a pause and have an fbi investigation. but at this stage it seems that brett kavanaugh this stage it seems that brett kava naugh has this stage it seems that brett kavanaugh has got through that and we are looking towards a final vote coming up in the next 2a hours or

so. coming up in the next 2a hours or so. and you do also get a sense that in the senate there are also people who want this to go away, now. this has been a very deeply partisan and ugly has been a very deeply partisan and ' ht has been a very deeply partisan and ugly fight which is not particularly left anybody looking particularly good as a result. and certainly when you take a look at the concerns and claims that there are on both sides, there are many who feel that there are still questions about brett kavanaugh, but are still questions about brett kava naugh, but they are still questions about brett kavanaugh, but they want all of this to be finally over. as things stand, we have one democratic senator and one republican senator who are effectively voting against party lines. and it is as they cancel each other out. if that remains the case, thenit other out. if that remains the case, then it is likely that brett kavanaugh will be taken to the supreme court and, i suspect, the white house will want to see him confirmed as quickly as possible. thank you forjoining us from washington. of course will bring you right up to date with all the developments in that final vote here on saturday. 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. earlier we spoke to bbc correspondent nada tawfik who's been following the trail from new york. well, you know, this has 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 that they had lied, and there have also been elected officials who have essentially been voted out of office. the mayor, rahm emanuel himself, out of concern about about how this affected his standing,

said he would not seek re—election as mayor. so really, it's interesting to see that even the department ofjustice investigated and said the police department had a pattern of excessive use against african—americans. you know, the community has been really pleased with this verdict. you're seeing so people outside the court, at city hall, chanting, "justice for laquan." in one process, they were counting out the number of shots, the 16 times he was shot, and saying his name, saying, "remember his name." but the city had, had the jury acquitted officer van dyke, and could be mass demonstrations so city hall had a iso—page plan in place, businesses were going to shut down if needed, even the schools were going to close early. really, this was a city on edge to see what could possibly happen. but so far, there have been orderly, peaceful protests, some saying this would be a model for other places where they can seek successfully a conviction against officers. 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. cristiano ronaldo is to play forjuventus in italy's top league against udinese on saturday. this is despite a us court re—opening an investigation into rape allegations against him, which he firmly denies. shares injuventus have fallen by almost ten percent, but the club has tweeted that the claims dating back to 2009 have not diminished their appreciation for the star player. but two sponsors, nike and ea sports, have expressed concern about the allegations. 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 one thousand five hundred people have died — —— at least 1500 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 denis mukwege. 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: we'll be sampling the delights of the world's biggest drum machine — every young musician's dream and one that definately won't fit into their bedrooms. 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 headlines:

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 a chicago police others who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is a chicago police others who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is found a chicago police others who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is found guilty a chicago police others who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is found guilty of a chicago police others who shot dead a black teenager four years ago is found guilty of intentionally killing him. a criminal investigation is under way after hundreds of tons of medical waste, including body parts, were left to pile up at several sites in the uk. healthcare environmental services has a contract for disposing of much of the hospital waste from england and scotland. the government has been urged to explain why it didn't tell parliament it had convened the cobra emergency committee last month to discuss the problems. here's our health editor hugh pym. one of the main sites at the centre

of this medical waste saga, at normanton in west yorkshire. the company allowed a backlog of waste to build up at centres in england and scotland which should have been sent for incineration. the regulator, the environment agency, told the government injuly, ministers discussed it at a meeting of the cobra emergency committee last month, but it was only revealed yesterday, and the local mp yvette cooper told me mps should have been informed sooner. i think it's irresponsible that the health department and the environment agency still haven't told us the full facts about what on earth is going on, on an issue where there are environmental health questions being raised and we still don't know the full facts. it's completely unfair on the local community. the other main site is at shotts in lanarkshire. the company, healthca re environmental services, is run from here. a new facility was opened only in april by princess anne. the managing director is garry pettigrew, who wasn't available for comment today. the company had a contract to remove and dispose of medical waste, including body parts,

from hospitals. now unions are questioning whether this sort of work should ever have been outsourced. this is a really solid example of what happens when we start to regard services that should be central to our public services, services like cleaning, catering, portering, as those that can easily be contracted out and we can devolve ourselves of responsibility. the department of health and social care covering england said in a statement... industry experts agree but say the cost of incineration is rising. we still have the same number of incinerators, we have more or less the same amount of waste going through them, but what has changed is the market price for that capacity. it fluctuates a lot over the years but over the recent 12— 18 months the pricing has increased quite considerably. the department said

in a statement... the environment agency said as part of its enforcement action it had partially suspended the company's permit here at the normanton site. that means it will not be able to receive any more hospital waste for incineration while it concentrates on trying to reduce the backlog. with enforcement action under way, it's not clear what this will mean for the compa ny‘s future and the ability of the nhs to dispose of its medical waste. a man who tried to push two people onto the tracks on the london underground has been found guilty of attempted murder. paul crossley said he had chosen his victims at random and hadn't intended to kill them. one of the people he pushed was the 91—year—old former boss of eurotunnel, sir robert malpas, who was left with a

fractured pelvis. richard lister‘s report contains some shocking images. watch the man in the mac, sir robert malpas, aged 90, and he never saw this coming. sir robert is badly hurt. commuters try to raise the alarm. eventually one of them pulls him to safety. a little earlier, another attack at another station. tobias french just avoids the train pulling in, but his assailant escapes. when passengers finally grabbed paul crossley, he said he knew what he had done was wrong. he told the court he'd had an allergic reaction to his schizophrenia medication. this was a most shocking incident and the victims in this case were extremely lucky to have survived. this could easily have been a double murder investigation. and more victims. crossley said the attacks here and at tottenham court road station were not planned, and he didn't

intend to kill anyone. the jury disagreed, but the judge says crossley‘s mental state will be considered before he passes sentence. the police stress this kind of attack is extremely rare, but for these two men it could easily have been far worse. in many ways, the drum machine is an unsung hero for music lovers across the globe. along with the synthesiser it helped make electronic music possible. now a group of engineers in germany have built the world's largest drum machine — and they're letting pretty much anyone have a go with it. this is dance music do—it—yourself style. dance music plays. outside a nightclub

in berlin, the world's biggest drum machine, or sequencer, is unveiled to the public. ten metres long and weighing more than half a ton, it was built as a tribute to dance culture. the sequencer was developed so beginners can step up and create music on the fly, or pro musicians can use it as a proper instrument. and where better than germany, essentially the birthplace of electronic music. it was here that bands like kraftwerk pioneered a new sound using new technology. these designers and engineers employed the same principles, albeit on a much be a scale. principles, albeit on a much bigger scale. the sequencer has a lot of buttons.

it is 427, plus 78 lights, is built out of aerospace ship materials. and wood. and wood and glue. and cables, 2.5 kilometres. there are plenty of popstars who started out in their bedroom with a synth or drum machine. although with this one you might need a bigger bedroom. crowds have been on the streets of liverpool to watch giants striding through the city. the huge puppets are there as part of a street theatre festival. it's their third and final visit to liverpool. our correspondent danny savage was there. it's thirsty work walking the streets of liverpool, even if you're a giant. this extraordinary, huge mechanical dog went down a storm. operated by a team of nearly 20 artists, the giants here are becoming the stuff of legend. hound and master woke up

in the centre of liverpool this morning before setting out. there are huge and they have all these mechanical bits. and the design of the vehicles that drove them is amazing. the dog, whose name is xolo, had a great time, climbing on a bus shelter and stopping to be a pampered pooch. what was it like to manicure a giant dog? very difficult! but we did our best and it was excellent. it was a wonderful experience. we're so happy that they've come to liverpool and included us. there's also a third giant, washed up on the shore of the wirral. the operators, known as lilliputians, from the land of tiny people, are mainly french. but some locals are involved, too. so i'm controlling the rope, which is attached to the giant's right hand. so helping him to walk in the most natural way possible. it's quite a physically demanding role, i've never done anything like this before. this is all about a moving spectacle of street theatre on a grand scale.

sound, light and vision. for the next 48 hours, merseyside really is the land of giants. just before i go, the mystery of more than 1000 us dollars that disappeared from a utah family was solved when they discovered the money in pieces in the home's shredder. they found the culprit was their two—year—old son. ben and jackie had been saving money to pay back ben's parents are afoot all season back ben's parents are afoot all season tickets, but were left searching the home when it disappeared over the weekend. —— for football season tickets. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ lvaughanjones. hello.

some of us will have good weather on saturday, for others it is not going to be quite so pretty, in fact cloud and rain and cold weather on the way. the reason for that is a weather front is slicing the uk in half right now. there is a bit of a battle between the cold in the north and warm in the south taking place. this is what it looks like first thing saturday. the milder weather in the south—east and below freezing in scotland, and in between we have a weather front. this will bring soggy weather to wales, yorkshire and parts of the midlands, and the south—west in the morning and then come lunchtime that weather front will sweep into east anglia and south—east london is in for some rain. in scotland, northern ireland, northern england on saturday is looking absolutely fine, it is fresh but at least it is sunny. cloudy across the midlands, it will feel cold with winds blowing out of the north, and then that rain from central southern england to london, all the way to norwich. this rain could be really heavy indeed, really soggy out there. that also means temperatures will struggle on saturday. we had 23 in london on friday,

saturday is looking like 1a. in the north of the country there will be sunshine with temperatures around 12— 13. the weather forecast for sunday, the wet weather from the south—east clears away and actually a bit of a reversal in fortunes. in the morning it is going to be clear and cold, this is the temperature on sunday morning, 2—3 degrees, a touch of frost in rural areas. and then sunday morning itself, a lot of sunshine across england and wales, and in the north—west of the country, there is a jetstream that is blowing in a weather front, cloud and rain, gusty winds, gale force around the western isles. very unsettled in the north—west of the country on sunday. sunday in england and wales is looking absolutely fine, the temperatures will recover a little bit as well, 15— 16 celsius. not looking too bad across england and wales on sunday at all. sunday night into monday, weather fronts keep pushing in and pushing through the north—west of the country, it looks like northern ireland, parts of scotland are into some rain. this is monday now, look at the north of scotland, it get some

sunshine on monday. then england and wales on monday are also looking fairly sunny, partly cloudy skies, but crucially the winds are starting to blow out of the south—west, so that means the temperatures will be picking up, we are back up to 16 in belfast in newcastle, and the good news is for some of us next week, the week ahead, it is looking like there is a bit of an indian summer on the way with temperatures well into the 20s. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump's controversial supreme court nominee, who's facing sexual assault claims, looks likely to be appointed this weekend after two previously undecided senators tonight said they would back him. susan collins, who was regarded as a republican waverer, announced she would support brett kavanaugh. a court in chicago has convicted a white police officer of the murder of a black teenager in 2014. jason van dyke shot laquan mcdonald 16 times in a case that sparked months of protests in the american city. van dyke is to appeal.