welcome to bbc news. i'm maryam moshiri. our top stories: borisjohnson says he's cautiously optimistic a brexit deal can be struck as he prepares for talks with the european commission president. but the eu and ireland say they've still not seen enough detail. we are in contact with the british government and also the european commission to explore ideas around that, but i have to say, what has been put forward so far falls very far short of what we would need. american actress felicity huffman is sentenced to m days in prison for her role in a university admissions scandal. it's one of the world's most powerful greenhouse gases, but chances are, you've never heard of it.

we look at the dangers of sf6. thousands of people turn out to pay their respects to zimbabwe's former president, robert mugabe, as preparations continue for his funeral ceremonies this weekend. britain's prime minister, borisjohnson, says he is "cautiously optimistic" of getting a brexit deal. he'll travel to luxembourg on monday for his first meeting since taking office with the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, and the eu chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier. at an event in the north of england today, borisjohnson told an audience that there's a rough shape of a deal in place for britain to leave the european union. our deputy political editor john pienaar reports.

the name's boris, borisjohnson. trust me. nice to see you. it looks like campaigning, and it is, for future votes and for trust that he's the one to deliver brexit — no more delays. an exciting time, he told one supporter. "not exciting, worrying," she said. maybe worrying for him too, wanting a brexit deal, attacked by critics for closing the commons. i'm all in favour of our mps. heckler: why are you not with them in parliament sorting out the mess that you created? get back to parliament and sort it out! he's being heckled by the commons speaker too, who's warned of more laws to ban a no—deal brexit, maybe force another extension. whatever the shenanigans that may be going on at westminster, we will get on with delivering our agenda and preparing to take this country out of the eu on october the 31st. what chance of a deal? he is hoping for a last—minute breakthrough.

i am cautiously optimistic. is that a good enough characterisation? i am cautiously optimistic. he will meet the eu commission president in luxembourg on monday, still a long way from agreement. his democratic unionist party allies want to be convinced by a brexit deal that they see as no threat to the union, and they haven't been. we are not going to vote for any arrangement which makes us different than the rest of the united kingdom and as a result forms a border between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom. as far as the irish government is concerned, our position hasn't changed. i would have to say that what has been put forward so far falls very far short of what we need. so the chances of a deal still seem remote, but that doesn't mean

it can't happen. it would certainly help borisjohnson out of a tight political corner. if he is forced to extend brexit he could expose the tories to a potentially serious threat from the brexit party. and now there is a law that could virtually out laura no—deal brexit. wanting a deal, even needing one, won't necessarily make it happen. good luck with brexit. thank you very much. where there's a political will, there's often a political way. but no—one has found it yet. john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. the american actress felicity huffman has been sentenced to 14 days injailfollowing her involvement in the us college admissions scandal. the desperate housewives actress was involved in a plan to fix her daughter's exam results and help her get into good schools. in a letter to a judge, huffman described her "desperation to be a good mum" as one of the reasons she was involved. our north america correspondent david willisjoins me

now. firstly, explained to us exactly what happened here, what she was accused of and what she was charged with? she was accused of one charge, of basically arranging to falsify the results of what is called the sat here, a test which would help or have some impact in deciding what calibre of university her daughter was able to get into. she accepted responsibility early on. she is the first parent, of 33 pa rents on. she is the first parent, of 33 parents caught up in the scandal, to appear in court. at 14 day sentence has been criticised by some. one newspaper writer here called it a slap on the wrist and a disgrace. lots of people have taken to social media to say basically that there is one rule for the rich and one rule for the not so rich. also making the point as well that this is the sort of thing that has existed in one form or anotherfor of thing that has existed in one form or another for many, of thing that has existed in one form or anotherfor many, many yea rs, form or anotherfor many, many years, perhaps somebody wealthy

decides to donate money to fund the building ofa decides to donate money to fund the building of a part of the university, for example, or to provide for some sort of endowment, and thereby gets their kids in that way. but certainly it is —— it has raised attention to the inequities of the american educational system, i think. how come she gotjust14 days, i think. how come she gotjust 14 days, then? i know she had quite a few letters of support, didn't she come from various people who had worked with her in the business? well, in actualfact worked with her in the business? well, in actual fact she got half of the sentence that prosecutors had called for, her defence team, for their part, argued she should be put on probation and serve no prison time whatsoever. they said she was a stressed mum, to which the prosecutors replied, well, what mother is stressed? and how much of a punishment is being confined to a hollywood mansion with an infinity

swimming pool outback? so thejudge going down the middle with this one. but there are others, among these 33 pa rents, but there are others, among these 33 parents, who have decided to fight the charges, and one of them is the hollywood actress laurie locklin, whose daughter, who tried to get her two daughters, actually, placed with an elite university here by doctoring photos to make out that they were a member of a rowing team, when in actualfact they were a member of a rowing team, when in actual fact neither daughter had done any rowing at all in their lives. now, they are potentially, i would think, facing more stringent sentences, having pleaded not guilty, if indeed they are found to be guilty of subsequent trials. david, thank you. now, to an incredibly destructive greenhouse gas that can seriously damage the atmosphere. sulphur hexafluoride, also known as sf6, is used to prevent fires and accidents in electrical equipment, in power stations and wind turbines. but if it leaks the consequences

for the environment are severe, and levels of sf6 in the atmosphere have increased sharply in recent years. across the eu leaks have been equivalent to the emissions of 1.3 million extra vehicles on the road in just one year. matt mcgrath investigates what's behind the rise. we're about to witness the startling destructive power of electricity, as technicians prepare a short circuit test at this laboratory. this is why industries rely so heavily on sf6. it prevents overloads that destroy installations. but the gas is also the most powerful climate—warming substance known to science, 23,500 times more damaging than carbon dioxide, and levels in the atmosphere are increasing. it's leaking into the air faster than ever before. this is a very potent greenhouse gas, and it's very long—lived. so what we put up in the atmosphere will essentially stay there for hundreds or thousands of years. if we don't cut emissions, we'lljust continue to add to that atmospheric burden.

the main reason for the rise in the use of sf6 has been the change in the way we make electricity. in the past, we relied on a handful of large coal stations for our power, but these have been replaced by dozens of wind farms, requiring many more substations and connections to the grid. the electricity generated by wind farms is sent via underwater cables to substations on land. it travels along high—voltage lines, and the power is then converted so it can be used in homes and offices all over the uk. on every step of the journey, switches and fuses are used to prevent short circuits and fires. but around 80% of the ones in the uk depend on the powerful greenhouse gas, sf6. the eu will review the regulations on sf6 in 2020, but some energy companies are sensing that change is coming. this new wind farm being built off the coast of east anglia is one of the first and largest in the world constructed without sf6. however, there are limitations.

the turbines here are connected to the substation, and that still relies on the gas. but at this factory in the netherlands, they have been making electrical switch products without sf6 for decades. they are ready for 40 years in the field and they are reliable, they are safe and they are really working with no use of sf6. changing from sf6, a reliable and cost—effective insulating material, won't be easy. the industry regulator ofgem says it's setting targets for companies to move away from the gas. but a ban on the substance is thought unlikely before 2025. matt mcgrath, bbc news. four people have died in spain as heavy rain and flash—flooding continue to batter the south—east of the country shutting down regional airports and schools. spain's meteorological office forecast torrential downpours of up to 18 centimetres over 24 hours and warned that heavy rain was expected to affect parts of southern spain and the balearic

islands including ibiza. olivia crellin reports. a woman awoman and a woman and her family a woman and herfamily are a woman and her family are hauled to safety. one bag of positions or they could take with them, as the water steadily rose around their home. —— positions. these dramatic images of a landscape now underwater, and the urgent response to save those trapped by the deluge recorded by spain's military emergency unit, now called out to help the thousands affected. just 48 hours after some areas saw their heaviest rainfall on record, swathes spain's southern countryside were transformed. translation: i went out to buy bread and then i saw the whole town centre filled with water and i was like, how did this happen? everything filled with water, the whole site over there. and there was a submerged car as well. people in the water. i don't know! the speed with which the floods had shocked many and even proved fatal. of the handful of victims the floods have claimed so far, most perished in their cars when the water either

flipped their vehicles or trapped them inside. worst hit other regions of valencia and murcia, where the water has been sweeping anything in its path along with it, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated while hundreds more are left stranded. —— are the regions. this includes tourists. for two consecutive days, torrential rain has forced local airports, train networks and dozens of roads to close. but at alicante airport, the arrivals lounge filling with travellers, who had nowhere to go. nobody gets out here, everybody is stuck in the airport. and with us are five, six planes coming in, so eve ryo ne are five, six planes coming in, so everyone has too many passengers. there are more than thousands of people here stuck in this airport. they cannot pick up our hire car, the taxis have got the message from the taxis have got the message from the police and from central not to

drive because it is not safe. so the few taxis that are coming here, of course, for money, but it is terrible. as many areas affected remain on red or orange alert, the authorities continue to recommend that citizens remain at home and avoid using their cars. but while the weather is reported to have stabilised, the extent of the damage it has caused is still unclear. and the numbers of displaced continue to grow. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, from fantasy book series to television and now to tapestry — a game of thrones—inspired artwork arrives in its new french home. 30 hours after the earthquake that devastated mexico city, rescue teams still have no idea just how many people have died. there is people alive, and there is people not alive. we just can help and give them whatever we've got. a state funeral is being held

for princess grace of monaco at the church where she married prince rainier 26 years ago. it looked as though they had come to fight a war, but their mission is to bring peace to east timor, and nowhere on earth needs it more badly. the government's case is being forcefully presented by monsieur badinter, the justice minister. he's campaigned vigorously for the abolition, having once witnessed one of his clients being executed. elizabeth seton spent much of her time at this grotto, and every year, hundreds of pilgrimages are made here. now that she has become a saint, it's expected that this area will be inundated with tourists. the mayor and local businessman regard the anticipated boom as just another blessing of st elizabeth. this is bbc news, our top story: britain's prime minister boris johnson says he's "cautiously optimistic" about a brexit deal as he prepares for his first

face—to—face talks with the european union next week. staying with brexit now and the former british prime minister, david cameron, has launched a scathing attack on his successor, borisjohnson, saying he behaved appallingly during the eu referendum campaign. in an interview to mark the release of his memoirs, the former prime minister also criticised mrjohnson's decision to suspend parliament. here's our deputy political editor, john pienaar. we have seen past prime ministers ta ke we have seen past prime ministers take potshots at their successes, but never anything quite like this. david cameron is about to release his memoirs and he has given a brutally plainspoken interview to the times. in the book he describes his now formerfriend, the times. in the book he describes his now former friend, michael gove, the cabinet minister for nodal planning, as mendacious, a liar, and otherwise. he describes him and borisjohnson as having left the truth at home during the eu

referendum campaign, having behaved appallingly. and he is scathing about the decision to expel rebels from the parliamentary party and stop them standing as candidates. and as for suspending parliament, he calls that sharp practice, an old—fashioned term for calls that sharp practice, an old —fashioned term for cheap trickery. this is a row of a kind we haven't quite seen before. it compounds the rail that is going on just at the moment. and we are now looking at a former prime minister attacking the present prime minister on top of a former prime minister, john major, challenging boris johnson in court. has there ever been a prime minister as polarising and divisive as the one we are seeing now in modern times? it's true that those closest to boris johnson in number 10 downing street believe these divisions may work for him and help convince brexiteer voters that mrjohnson is on their side, but if the prime minister hope to deliver what some have called a cleanup breaker brags that and to

reunify the country afterwards, well, surely now achieving either one of those ambitions, let alone both of them, looks like an uphill slog —— clean break brexit. the singer lily allen says her record label has not taken any action after she claimed she was sexually assaulted by someone at the company. she says she spoke to an executive at warner music last year, where her alleged attacker is still employed. the record label has called the allegations "appalling" and says it "takes accusations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and will investigate. " here's chi chi izundu. with three uk number one singles and two number one albums, lily allen is one of the most successful british female artists in music. # sun is in the sky, oh why oh why # would i wanna be anywhere else... last year, lily published her autobiography and that is also where, for the first time, she talked about being sexually assaulted in 2016 by someone in the music industry after a party. i was drunk, so i can't... all i can tell you is what i do remember which is, you know, waking up in bed with somebody that

i trusted, in a position that i really did not want to be, or had never given any indication that i did want that. but lily says she didn't leave the matter there, and feels it was brushed under the carpet. in a bbc interview with her friend, miquita oliver, she says she also talked to a boss at her label, warner music. i went out for dinner with one of the label bosses and he said to me that he had no idea about this incident until he read about it in the book. did he say, now that we know, boy, are we going to do something about it? no? warner music says these allegations are appalling and adds: "we take accusations of sexual misconduct extremely seriously and investigate claims that are raised with us. we are very focused on enforcing our code of conduct and providing a safe and professional environment at all times. " lily allen is one of the few british artists to have gone public about sexual harassment in the music industry. but is there a code of silence? is there a blanket of fear?

perhaps those are the reasons why the industry has not quite had its public #metoo moment, and that fear could be around the destruction of a career. i did not get a particularly good run at festivals this season. i didn't get, you know, particularly big gigs offered to me. i didn't get a big marketing push behind my album campaign, even though it was probably one of the best records that i have ever written. and you think it is directly linked? yeah, i really do. yeah. i really do. the bbc understands lily allen's alleged attacker continues to work with the label. she says she didn't go to the police about the assault and according to those who represent survivors of sexual assault in the workplace, that isn't uncommon. i think the difficulties can be because they perceive the perpetrators to be very powerful. i think they think that women who are victims of sexual assault, and indeed men, will struggle to find people to support them in that industry. lily is currently working

on her new album, but it will be her last with warner. chi chi izundu, bbc news. the popstar sam smith has asked fans to use the pronouns they/them rather than he/him after coming out as non—binary. the british singer, famous for songs such as too good at goodbyes and promises, made the announcement on instagram, describing enduring "a lifetime of being at war" with their gender. well, for more on this we're joined now by matthew lasky, director of communications for the lgbtq campaign group glaad. thank you so much forjoining us on bbc news. first of all, explained to me what exactly non—binary means, when someone talks about this what are they saying? we are seeing more and more people will identify beyond the binary gender system. so not as male norfemale. and people self

identify in many ways and non—binary is one of those ways. so why is it so important that someone like sam smith is coming out with this and being honest and open about it are making this request to their fans and the media in general? of course. we know that it is so important to see ourselves reflected in the media, whether that is a celebrity or mtv orfilm, it media, whether that is a celebrity or mtv or film, it can give media, whether that is a celebrity or mtv orfilm, it can give hope media, whether that is a celebrity or mtv or film, it can give hope and inspiration to those who are non—binary to see themselves reflected in an authentic ways. what do you think it means in terms of attitudes towards gender neutrality, towards gender identity? do you think things are changing? yes, we think things are changing? yes, we think things are changing? yes, we think things are changing for the better. as more and more people are brave enough to self identify and make their lives public as sam has, we hope it will be more and more beneficial. some people might argue

that a pronoun or how you describe yourself, why does that matter so much to you? why is it important to you do not be seen as male or female? well, it comes down to mutual respect. i use he/him pronouns and then i expect the world to use he/him to describe me. it is about expecting the world to respect that. you think there is a greater a cce pta nce that. you think there is a greater acceptance of this amongst younger people these days compared to before? do you think the old generation have a lot of catching up to do? i think so. it is usually the case. we are seeing more young people being open about their identities and able to show them in new ways. we work very extensively with brett millennials and generation z. —— with millennials. what you hope in future for people who are basically modern non—binary,

identifying this way, will this help them? —— basically non—binary. identifying this way, will this help them? —— basically non—binarym identifying this way, will this help them? -- basically non-binary. it is such a crucial and less anything for young people. so we are very happy about sam's decision and we are excited that more and more people will gain inspiration from it. ok, matthew lasky, thank you for talking to us. thank you. game of thrones is one of the most popular television programmes of all time. it may involve dragons and zombies, but many of its themes were inspired by events in medieval history. now the story is being retold in a form that may seem a little familiar. the bbc‘s tim allman explains. this is the bayeux tapestry and this isn't. this depiction of the norman conquest isn't more than 900 years old. this version of a song of ice

and fire is a little younger but no less ambitious was not the tapestries over 87 metres long. less ambitious was not the tapestries over 87 metres longm condenses over 90 hours of tv into 87 metres of tapestry. it was made and worked on by 30 embroiderers from the national museums of northern ireland who worked in top—secret. northern ireland who worked in top-secret. game of thrones was not so much a series of books or a television programme, but a cultural phenomenon. millions of people washed around the world and the awards just kept on coming and coming —— watched. this tapestry is, perhaps, even more impressive for those who appeared in the show. it's amazing. to see the scene actually recreated makes my heart sing. because this is where i am, this is where i began, and this is where game of thrones began. so for me this is a very proud moment and to see this as a legacy is fantastic.

the tapestry was created in northern ireland, where much of game of thrones ‘s films, and is now on display in normandy until the end of the year ——is films. from bayeux to winter fell, with a the year ——is films. from bayeux to winterfell, with a bit more blood and guts thrown in. tim allman, bbc news. a big fan of game of thrones. excited about it. what do a chilled outjab, a jolly owl, and a dancing grizzly having common? they hate to think. it might sound like this set up think. it might sound like this set up to think. it might sound like this set uptoa think. it might sound like this set up to a children's story or a bad joke, but no. neither of these things. they are finalists in the comedy wildlife photography awards. the competition sees photographers compete to find creatures in the most adorable and at times compromising positions. a quick reminder of our top story. britain's prime minister boris johnson reminder of our top story. britain's prime minister borisjohnson says he is cautiously optimistic of getting

a brexit deal. that is all we have time for on bbc news. more coming up throughout the night. from me here in london thanks for watching. bye. hello there, the kind of weather you can expect this we depends on where you are. you can expect plenty of sunshine. it will be dry and turn warmer. the further north you are across the uk, well, there will be some outbreaks of rain at times. not all the time. it will feel a bit cooler and it will be windy, particularly across the far north of scotland. because low pressure will be muscling its way in across here. adb be muscling its way in across here. a db area of pressure with a set of frontal systems. towards the south high pressure will hold on giving a lot of dry weather. underneath that high quite a cool start to saturday morning. one or two spots in the countryside hovering around 2—3d.

further north and west, northern ireland and scotland alsojulie to start the day because more of a breeze will be blowing —— chilly. legally across the far north of scotla nd legally across the far north of scotland where it will be very witty throughout the day. further south across england and wales, once mist is clear, you can expect a lot of sunshine and the temperature is not doing badly at all for this time of year. 23—24 in the south—east. 16 — i9 year. 23—24 in the south—east. i6 — 19 for scotland and northern ireland. still not bad. into saturday night, windy weather across the far north. as jutland the far north. asjutland because the far north. asjutland because the gusts of up to 70 mph, perhaps a touch stronger ——in shetland we could see. to the south of that some clear spells. generally speaking, not quite such a chilly start to sunday morning. sunday's weather will be ‘s lit, essentially, by this frontal system here. this will wriggle around through the day. there is uncertainty about exactly

where its wrinkles will take it. it looks like we will see some cloud and rainfor looks like we will see some cloud and rain for northern ireland, that rain may be fringing into southern scotla nd rain may be fringing into southern scotland at times —— wriggles. to the north of that we will see spells of sunshine, but again a brisk wind across northern scotland and a rather cool field to the weather, 15 in aberdeen. to the south of the frontal system it will be pretty warm. 25— 26 degrees with a lot of sunshine. as we go through sunday night into monday, that front, a weakening feature, will put away southwards. high pressure building backin southwards. high pressure building back in from the south—west. that brings us a flow of air from the north or the north—west. generally speaking, as we head into next week, things are going to feel rather cool things are going to feel rather cool. there will be a lot of dry weather, one or two showers here or there. temperatures around the high teens although at best.

this is bbc news, the headlines: britain's borisjohnson says he's "cautiously optimistic" about a brexit deal ahead of his first face—to—face talks with the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, in luxembourg next week. but the eu's chief brexit negotiator said he did not have "reasons to be optimistic" about whether progress would be made on the issue. the hollywood actress, felicity huffman, has been sentenced to 14 days in prison in a college admissions scandal. the desparate housewives star admitted to paying $15,000 to have her daughters answers secretly corrected in 2017. the scandal has ensnared dozens of wealthy families.