this is bbc news. i'm martin stanford. our top stories: president trump warns iran to prepare for sweeping new sanctions — sounding the death knell for diplomacy and the 2015 nuclear deal. it's a race to the finish line in the us midterm elections. with just four days to go, the top guns turn on the style. following mass protests in pakistan, a christian woman cleared of blasphemy charges could be banned from ever leaving the country. and why did this paraplegic athlete end up having to drag himself along the floor at a uk airport? if they hadn't my wheelchair, my legs had been taken away from me. my self—sufficiency and independence was not there. hello and welcome to bbc world news. president trump has announced

the return of all us sanctions on iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. following the announcement, he tweeted "sanctions are coming," referencing the tv series game of thrones and its motto "winter is coming." however donald trump has granted some exemptions — eight countries will not be penalised for importing iranian oil. he unilaterally withdrew from the deal in may, describing it as "defective at its core". our correspondent barbara plett usher explained the significance of these sanctions. these are the big ones. these are affecting the core sectors of the reigning economy, especially the energy sector. you get 80% of its money from oil sales. —— iranian economy. the administration has said that they aim to cover as much revenue as possible. and they have been working to the past six months

since they left the iran nuclear deal to convince the while customers not to train with them. they have threatened sanctions excluding them from the us financial system. they tell us that they have had considerable success with that already, and already iran's oil sales have dropped considerably. they have still made some exemptions, especially those who are iran's biggest customers, we believe. they have not revealed the list of the eight countries that will get temporary waivers, but is expected that that will include india, and china, two of iran's biggest customers. these will be temporary exceptions. next week america goes to the polls and the vote could help define the rest of donald trump's presidency. both the president and his predecessor, barack obama, were out rallying their supporters today, in hopes that they can increase turnout. however the president seems to be hedging his bets, admitting at a rally

in west virginia this evening the democrats might have a chance of clinching a midterm win. they will try to raise our games and eradicate our progress. they will try to work hard and we will be fighting. it will be ridiculous, frankly. —— gains. it will be bad for a country. the democrats, and it could happen, we are doing well, and we are doing really well in the senate, but it could happen. and you know what you do? my whole life, you know what you do? my whole life, you know what you do? my whole life, you know what they say? don't worry about it, i would just figure it out. i'm not saying squeaker by. and i can't go everywhere will stop i can't go everywhere. but now they are talking about, i mean, you know, let's see what happens. it is going to be an interesting day at the office. meanwhile, former us president barack obama has been campaigning in florida for candidate andrew gillum in his bid for the governorship. mr obama warned against rhetoric he said was designed to sow fear and encouraged people to get out and vote. we have been a crossroads like this

before. and each time we made the right choice, not by sitting back, not by waiting for history to happen to us, but by marching and mobilising and organising. and by voting to make history happen. that is how we abolished slavery in this country. that is how we overcame the great depression. this is how we won women's rights and immigrant rights and lg bti writes. —— rights. our correspondent peter bowes is in los angeles — he explained more about the vote. is extremely close in a number of races, including florida, which is oi’ races, including florida, which is or is talked about the swing state, where it could go either way. north da kota, where it could go either way. north dakota, misery is another state where there is an extremely close

race with the incumbent democrat. why would that be significant if he we re why would that be significant if he were to win a senate seat like that one? there is a wafer thin majority for the republicans in the senate at the moment. one or two extra senators would make so much difference to donald trump as he tries to move forward his agenda over the next couple of years. it may not be so easy for him in the house, where the democrats may well make some gains. they could sneak in with a majority, or have a close majority, perhaps existing continually with the republicans. the democrats are gaining seats here. assembling california, where there are seats in republican areas that are perhaps not so republican any more. the democrats have high hopes of winning. we just open the

president that perhaps preparing his supporters for some defeat. if there is an indication of this six extremely close, acting what we deserve a new president shows that. and for the speechwriters, what do you think will be the issues that the major personalities will focus on in the coming days? as far as the republicans and donald trump are concerned, and he has been open about this, the key issues are that ca rava n about this, the key issues are that caravan of asylum seekers go from central america through mexico, still several weeks away from the border with the united states. we are to commit sending thousands of troops to do that situation. that is a kind of talk that appeals to his base, the present being strong, as he sees it, on this issue of immigration. as far as the democrats are concerned, they have been talking a lot about health issues. we have seen barack obama out on the campaign trail. we've just seen him now, he has been out of a few weeks talk about the issue of pre—existing conditions, which is getting into

the minutia of healthcare. that is in the democrat had been talking about, and they are mocking the republicans talk about so close to the election. but this is something where if you have a pre—existing condition, you may not be covered if you move to a new healthcare provider. that worries a lot of people. today, peter, we are learning that twitter has had to delete a lot of what they have been calling fake accounts. why had they been doing that? yes, this isjust come to light. towards the end of october, they were deleting these accou nts october, they were deleting these accounts after being alerted to them by the democrats. these were tweets coming from automated accounts, supposedly, but incorrectly, from the democrats, the democrats were not buying this, they'd spotted at happening. suggesting that people don't go out and vote. that goes contrary to the message of both major political parties. ever and is encouraging everybody to go out and vote. twitter is deleting thousands of accounts, these automated

accou nts of accounts, these automated accounts saying that they have now close relations with local election officials and other party officials for this very reason, to maintain the integrity of its service. president trump has threatened to send thousands troops to the border, to prevent a group of migrants from central america entering the united states. critics have suggested he's stoking fears over immigration, to win over voters in the elections. earlier, he pulled back on a threat to shoot people who threw stones at the military, saying instead the would be arrested. nevertheless the so called ‘caravan‘ of migrants continues to move. around seven thousand people are heading north, and have now reached wahaca in southern mexico. our correspondent will grant is travelling with them, and has sent us this special report. in the desperation to cross mexico as fast as possible, even the most dangerous of lifts will do. on this trip, a helping hand can cut the migrants' journey time by hours. for decades, one of honduras's main exports has been coffee. now it seems is coffee farmers.

translation: our crops had a disease called leaf frost. it meant they wouldn't mature at harvest so we lost our entire livelihood. no—one here has money. 66% of hondurans live in poverty but the rule poor maybe have leased a war. jose maria didn't even let his family know he was leaving forfear they might talk him out of it. now he is struggling to reach them to tell them he's ok. translation: when the coffee harvest was ruined, there was no money, no work, nothing. if there is regular work, we could try to stay but right now we just don't have enough to live on. i even had to pull my daughters out of school because i can't afford for them to study. not everyone is leaving over failing crops and poor harvests, though. others are fleeing for their lives.

we've seen samuel's family at almost every stop. they keep dragging their daughter north, insisting life in honduras would amount to a death sentence after sameul refused to join a gang. ask the migrants why they left central america and most will either say extreme violence or extreme poverty, especially those involved in honduras's decimated cofee production. ask them why now and many say they simply grabbed the opportunity when it presented itself. three weeks ago, the group set off from honduras in a wave of optimism. the caravan‘s supporters say it was a spontaneous exodus. the trump administration says it was organised, paid for by everyone from the democrats to venezuela to george soros. in reality, there are politics at play here, both from honduras and the us mid—term elections, but most of the migrants are just

caught in the middle. will grant, bbc news, oaxaca, mexico. let's get some of the day's other news. an islamic cleric known as the "father of the taliban" has been killed in pakistan. maulana sami ul—haq was killed in the city of rawalpindi, after a group of men burst into his home and attacked him with knives. pakistan's prime minister imran khan has condemed the killing. the brazilian president—elect, jair bolsonaro says there's no point in keeping diplomatic relations with cuba. speaking to a local newspaper, mr bolsonaro accused cuba of violating human rights and said the communist—run island had little to offer in terms of trade and business. the actor alec baldwin has been arrested in new york for reportedly punching a man over a parking space. police say the 30 rock star was taken into custody over the incident which took place in the east village. baldwin's been in the spotlight lately for his impersonations of president trump on nbc‘s saturday night live. the president of turkey has said that the order to kill

jamal khashoggi, came from the highest levels of the saudi government. it is the first time recep tayyip erdogan has accused the saudi government directly of the murder. the international response to the killing of the saudi journalist is being closely followed in yemen, where houthi rebels are fighting against a saudi—backed coalition. according to the rebel leader, the world can now see the true nature of the saudis, as orla guerin reports. going walkabout in sana'a with yemen's houthi leadership. they gave us a guided tour of the ancient city, showing us pictures of fighters killed in battle. after more than three years of war, the houthis still have a firm grip on the capital. this senior rebel leader, mohammed al—houthi, is keen to show he is a rebel leader who will not hide from the saudis. you think they will target you at one time with an air strike?

translation: they tried many times but they haven't succeeded. what matters is the yemeni people. we are not worried. when we sat down, he said the saudis had shown the world what yemenis is already know with the brutal killing of the journalist, jamal khashoggi. translation: theyjust unveiled the face that was already obvious to the yemeni people. how do you respond to allegations that they are guilty of human rights abuses themselves, that it wasn't just the saudis who made use of these things?

-- translation: independent committees showed we escaped for these crimes, they are the only ones who can produce true and accurate information. i myself that people here who said we re i myself that people here who said were victims of houthi shelling and landmines. will be sent to those people? translation: we do not deliberately harm civilians. but if they prove that we have harmed them, we are ready to compensate them. for the war—weary of yemen, a new threat is looming. starvation. the united nations has warned that within months, 12 million innocent civilians could fall victim to a man—made famine. the houthis blame a saudi blockade

and they say britain has blood on its hands because it continues to supply arms to the saudis. the uk is usually responsible because of its arms sales. the british people should know that these weapons are being used by saudis who are fighting for sectarian and extremist reasons. they being used by crazy people everywhere, preaching humanitarian law. the conflict has become a quagmire is no sign of a military victory on the horizon. the us is pushing for a ceasefire and a return to peace talks but it's unclear if either side is ready to compromise. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: at least 17 people

have been killed in italy as deadly storms sweep across the country. the israeli prime minister the architect of the middle east peace process has been assassinated, 27—year—old jewish man has been arrested and an extremistjewish organisation has ta ken responsibility for the killing. at polling booths around the country they voted on the historic day for australia. the results came in it was clear, the monarchy would survive. the american hostages there was no chance, they are being held somewhere inside the compound and there have been threats that should there have been threats that should the americans attempt rescue they will all die. this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyager one is now the most distant man—made

object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems object anywhere in the universe, and it just seems to object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems to keep on going. tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth from the enduring power of a ideas. this is bbc news, the latest headlines. sanctions are coming, declares president trump — as he confirms that agreements made with iran under the nuclear deal are dead. with just four days to go until the us midterm elections, former president obama has warned against rhetoric he said was designed to sow fear. president trump repeated his hardline anti—immigration message. a christian woman cleared of blasphemy charges in pakistan, could be banned from ever leaving the country. the authorities have started legal proceedings against asia bibi, to place her on a travel ban list, as part of a deal struck with islamists.

the agreement ended three days of violent protests across the country. secunder kamani reports from islamabad. the punishment for blasphemers — hang them. this was the chart at a demonstration in islamabad today saw thousands of protesters out on streets in cities across pakistan. they are angry this christian woman, asia bibi, had her death sentence overturned by the country's supreme court. she had been convicted of blasphemy following an argument with a group of muslim women in her village who refused to drink water from the same cup as her. after the verdict, supporters of ha rdline clerics set up these roadblocks, occupying key interchanges, causing huge disruption. but today, the government announced an agreement with the protesters, allowing them to challenge the acquittal and letting

a court decide whether asia bibi should be banned from leaving the country. we have two options, either to use force, and when you use force, people can be killed. we tried negotiations and negotiations, you take something and you leave something. tonight, here, the protests are coming to a close. for many it will be a relief but others are already criticising the agreement as being a sign of the government's weakness. for those taking part in the demonstrations, this feels like a victory. translation: if they try and set her free again, we will be back on the streets. we will sacrifice our lives. asia bibi has spent nearly a decade in prison. her family say if and when she is released, she needs to flee the country. for the moment, though,

she is still waiting for herfreedom. destructive storms have killed five more people in italy, bringing the death toll to at least 17. landslides in northern italy have cut off entire villages, and hundreds of thousands of houses are without power. tiffany wertheimer has the latest. the italian alps, usually so picturesque, but look at it now. this main road connected two villagers, but now it is broken in half. houses buried in rubble from the landslides that have rocked northern italy, following the deadly storms that swept across the region over the past few days. most of the people who died were killed from falling trees. the worst affected areas were trentino and veneto in the far north. schools are close, public transport has been thrown into chaos. and 160,000 homes are without power. on thursday the

veneto governor to the damage by helicopter. we are on our knees, he said, and fears if emergency funding is not sent quickly these valleys will be deserted. large parts of italy have been hit with gale force winds and torrential rain for most of the week. venice was overwhelmed with rising floodwaters. on monday saint marks square had to be closed. and luxury boats now broken ruins in the port near genoa. the moment veneto will stay red alert with storms predicted to continue over the weekend. here in the uk, a man who's paraplegic is suing luton airport, after staff failed to provide a wheelchair he could use himself. justin levene says the one he was offered was too rigid and could give him pressure sores. it also meant he'd be less independent, having

to rely on others. his own chair had been left behind on a flight, and so he was left he says with no option but to drag himself through the airport on the floor. our legal correspondent clive coleman has the story. what could have led to this? luton airport, thank you very much. justin levene, a paraplegic, dragging himself through luton airport after his wheelchair was left behind by an airline. aged 20, justin coughed and herniated a disc, and an operation went wrong. but it hasn't held him back. he's become an international wheelchair athlete, trainer, and mentor to disabled athletes. in august last year, justin arrived back on a flight to luton airport. stranded without his self—propelling wheelchair, the airport offered him a rigid, high—backed one which had to be pushed by someone else. i've worked very hard for a number of years to try and maintain all of my independence. and one of the biggest problems i had was,

if i didn't have my wheelchair, my legs had been taken away from me. all of my self—sufficiency and all of my independence was no longer there. and to be in one of those chairs, it made me feel humiliated and degraded. if you are in those chairs and they insisted on trying to strap me down in it, i wouldn't have been able to adjust myself. and i would have been at risk of getting a pressure sore. pressure sores can occui’ very quickly, sojustin asked if he could be transported by a motorised buggy. but luton airport doesn't have them. at the heart ofjustin's dispute with luton airport is his claim that, by failing to provide him with a self propelling wheelchair, the airport was in effect leaving him only one viable option, to haul himself along these floors for hundreds of yards, denying him both his independence and his dignity. once outside the terminal, justin used a luggage trolley to wheel himself to his taxi. his own wheelchair was returned a day later. in a statement, luton airport said:

a significant number of international and uk airports do provide self propelling wheelchairs. paralympian anne wafula—strike, who has also faced problems at airports, understands justin levene's actions. i would feel like my independence was being taken away, and honestly, as a disabled person we are still in charge of the type of people we want to be. are we the people thatjust want to be pushed around, you know, for people to be feeling sorry for us? no. justin levene's story is at the cutting edge of thinking about disability issues. is it enough for service providers like airports to give some assistance,

even if what they offer denies the disabled person independence? a towering figure in the hong kong film industry, raymond chow who introduced the world to martial arts legend bruce lee has died, he was 91. raymond chow gave lee is first movie, catapulting him to global fame. known as the godfather of hong kong film, chow produced more than 600 films. you can get in touch with me on twitter, you can find a lot more from bbc news on our website. friday was a chilly day, as sunny

day for many, generally speaking quite a quiet day. at the weekend sees things turning a little bit more lively, in fact they have restarted to live another reason ours, the wind has been strengthening and through the weekend we will see some rain at times. this is the satellite picture from a little earlier, you can see this well of cloud here, this was a hurry came, hurricane sky, —— oscar, not a hurricane any more it still a lot of low pressure pushing to the west of the uk, bringing a surge of mild airfrom the west of the uk, bringing a surge of mild air from the south—west. a mild start is they compared with recent mornings, particularly in the west where we will see outbreaks of rain continuing across northern ireland scotland, 50— 80 millimetres of rain across parts of western scotland, later in the day that spilt out into north—west england and parts of wales. and it will be windy, wind just got 60 or 65 at times close to

the western isles of scotland, but north—east scotland with some shelter from that south—westerly wind and some sunshine, could get to 17- 18. wind and some sunshine, could get to 17— 18. quite gusty winds for northern ireland, but brightening up through the afternoon as rain slides into north—west england and parts of wales, flirting with the west of cornwall, for the southeast it will be breezy but not as windy as further west and it will be mild. into saturday evening it will be the central slice of the country that will continue to see outbreaks of rain, so the fireworks displays in cardiff and edinburgh as well are likely to see some rain. rain tending to clear away from belfast, london mostly dry, mild brawl and quite windy as well. in this overnight into sunday morning, that —— into saturday night. it will be some clear spells either side, but minimum temperatures 8— 11, considerably more mild that has been

of late. this is the weather set up going into sunday morning, still with this slow—moving weather front providing rain across some central parts of the uk the rain quite light and patchy and italy at picking up later in the day across the south—west, particularly as a new area of low pressure spins inwards. elsewhere there will be some sunshine, still windy in the north—west but not as windy as it will have been on saturday, temperatures still doing 30 well for this time of year, 11— 1a. most of the rain will be found in western areas, more dry weather further east, it will be often windy and will stay mild. this is bbc news. the headlines: the us is reimposing all sanctions on iran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. the measures — which the white house say are the toughest ever imposed — target the country's energy, shipping and banking sectors and will come into effect on monday. with just four days to go until the us midterm elections, former president barack obama has warned against rhetoric he said was designed to sow fear. president trump repeated his

hardline anti—immigration message. control of congress and many state governorships are at stake. pakistan authorities have reached agreement with protesters who've been demonstrating against the acquittal of asia bibi, a christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy. under the agreement, asia bibi will be barred from leaving the country — but it's unclear for how long. now on bbc news, some of the world's most important news stories in 2018 have been brought to us by freelance journalists, often working in difficult and dangerous places.