this is bbc news i'm reged ahmad. our top stories... more protests in hong kong — as demonstrators defy a ban on face masks. hong kong's leader accuses them of destroying the territory. the us secretary of state dismisses the latest attempts by the democrats, to push forward their impeachment inquiry into president trump. when the world doesn't focus on the things that are right, the things that matter, the things that impact real people's lives and instead you get caught up in some silly gotcha game. the mother of a british teenager, killed in a crash involving the wife of a us diplomat — says the uk must put pressure on her to return to face justice.

and why six elephants were found dead at the foot of a waterfall, in a thailand national park. hello and welcome to bbc news. parts of hong kong's metro system are still closed after stations and businesses were vandalised in the latest anti—government protests. the violence followed a decision by the territory's chief executive, carrie lam, to use emergency powers to ban the face coverings frequently worn by pro—democracy demonstrators. gareth barlow reports. hong kongers resist, that was the call as protesters formed human chains. thousands defiant against the ban against facemasks. everyone knows carrie lam is messing up hong kong.

this is why she is pushing through with the emergency law. we all expect the next step to be imposing a curfew. this is a tool, a way to suppress hong kong people. carrie lam has not learnt from this and has not done anything to appease us. she is just constantly suppressing us. throughout the city, shops are closed and transport hubs remain closed after a spike in violence. in a televised address, hong kong's chief executive carrie lam pledged to quash the violence. fellow citizens, hong kong had a very dark night last night because of the extreme acts of the rioters. today, the city is semi—paralysed. everyone is worried or even afraid. the government will act with the utmost determination to curb violence. months of protests have paralysed hong kong and have proven a stern

test of the laws that provide greater freedoms compared to mainland china. business groups are pressuring the government to end the protests but the authorities‘ new tactics may trigger more violence rather than stop it. gareth barlow, bbc news. the us secretary of state mike pompeo has dismissed questions about donald trump's attempts to push ukraine and china to investigate democratic rival joe biden as a "silly gotcha game." democrats leading the impeachment inquiry into president trump have issued a legal order demanding the white house hand over more documents on its dealings with ukraine. mr trump is accused of abusing his position by putting pressure on the ukrainian leader to investigate mr biden. our north america correspondent chris buckler reports. no matter where america's commander—in—chief goes there is no escape from the talk of impeachment

or the many questions about his request for a foreign government to investigate one of his political rivals. requests for documents from the white house have become demands with a subpoena issued by the democrats alongside a strongly—worded letter that accuses the president of choosing a path of defiance, obstruction and cover—up. among the many records they want is a full, rather than a rough transcript, showing exactly what mr trump said to the ukrainian president in a phone call during the summer. that is when he controversially tried to pressure for volodymyr zelensky, into launching an enquiry into the potential presidential candidate joe biden and his son, hunter, who had business dealings in the country. on a visit to greece, the us secretary of state could not hide his frustration at this latest attempt by congress to put pressure on the president. this is what is wrong when the world doesn't focus on the things that are right, the things that matter, the things that impact real people's

lives and instead you get caught up in some silly gotcha game. but democrats have still to decide on whether to hold a formal vote to impeach the president. some people say why are you doing this, he is not worth it. to divide the country this way. i said, well, he may not be but our constitution is worth it, our democracy is worth it. the battle lines are being drawn in washington and congress is preparing for yet another bitter fight with this white house. chris butler, bbc news, washington. most republicans are standing squarely behind mr trump in this, though a few republican senators have spoken out against the president. mitt romney, the republican presidential nominee who lost to barack obama in the 2012 presidential election, is one among them. i did read the transcripts. it remains troubling in the extreme. it's deeply troubling.

let's get some of the day's other news... a north korean negotiator says nuclear talks with the united states have broken down, blaming washington. the us state department says north korea's comments don't reflect the content or spirit of the talks which lasted for more than eight hours in sweden. french anti—terror prosecutors say the police worker who killed four colleagues in paris on thursday, adhered to a radical vision of islam. four police workers were killed in a knife attack at the police headquarters in paris and the attacker was later shot dead at the scene. at least four men, all believed to be homeless, have been bludgeoned to death while they were asleep in new york. a fifth person is critically ill. the night—time attacks were carried out with a metre long metal object. a suspect is in custody. tens of thousands of supporters of scottish independence have taken part in a march through edinburgh. in the 2014 referendum, 55% of voters rejected the move.

but the scottish national party has been demanding a second referendum on the issue. at least five people have been killed in the latest clashes between anti—government protesters and the security forces in iraq. hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of the capital, baghdad, despite a heavy security presence and an appeal for calm from political and religious leaders. our middle east editor sebastian usher reports. despite heavy security, young iraqi protesters have come out onto the streets for the fifth night in a row. once again, the police responded with force, firing tear gas into the crowd in an effort to keep them away from the main squares. hundreds have been injured in the days of protest, raising the prospect of a wider and more dangerous confrontation. the demonstrations are fuelled by anger and frustration at the politicians‘ failure

to tackle rampant unemployment some two years after the islamic state group was declared defeated. one of the demonstrators lamented the government's inability to provide him with even the lowliest job. i have a masters degree, but the government would not even hire me as a street sweeper. all of these young people are treated unfairly. others railed at the culture of corruption that has a scene the infrastructure of iraqi cities crumble. for now, the demonstrators remain without any clear leadership while their demands cut across sectarian lines. the government seems to be taken by surprise by the fury on the streets. an effort to hold an emergency session in parliament to tackle the crisis had to be abandoned after key political blocs stayed away. the security forces may be able to contain the protests by force, but the anger of the demonstrators is increasingly directed at the political class as a whole, which so far has shown no sign of having a plan to deal with the underlying causes of the unrest. sebastian usher, bbc news.

a british—australian woman and her australian boyfriend say they're relieved to be home after more than three months in an iranianjail. it's reported thatjolie king and mark firkin were freed as part of an exchange, afteran iranian man was released by australia. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. the views here are just epic. jolie king and mark firkin were travelling the world, recounting their adventures to thousands of followers on social media. it has honestlyjust blown us away. but three months ago, the british australian woman and her australian boyfriend were arrested in iran, allegedly for flying their drone without a permit near military installations. yet more foreigners detained in tehran‘s jails. yeah, so we've been driving for a couple of kilometres now... but after what the australian authorities describe as "sensitive negotiations", the couple from perth have been released and have returned home.

forjolie and for mark, the ordeal they have been through is now over. they are being united with their loved ones, which is a source of great relief and joy to everyone. i can tell you that they're in good health and in good spirits. later it emerged that australia had released an iranian student, reza dehbashi kivi, who had been arrested in 2018 for allegedly sending us—made military equipment to iran. this prompted speculation both countries had negotiated a prisoner exchange — something the australian authorities refused to comment on. they said they were still trying to secure the release of another british australian — an academic called kylie moore—gilbert, who has been held in iran for almost a year, charged with spying. today's release will prompt questions about why the british government has yet to secure the freedom of nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, the british iranian mother detained in iran, despite denying

accusations of spying. the foreign office wouldn't comment tonight but the cases are different. iran has a much more hostile relationship with britain than australia. mrs zaghari—ratcliffe is considered by tehran to be iranian and it's thought she has greater diplomatic value to iran in its confrontation with the west. and unless that changes, mrs zaghari—ratcliffe looks set to remain injail — and now without any visits from her five—year—old daughter, gabriella, who she is sending home to start school in the uk. james landale, bbc news. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... after 500 editions, it's still a leading title in the competitive world of publishing — the magazine that's been serving the lgbtq community for almost 50 years.

this was a celebration by people who we re this was a celebration by people who were relishing their freedom. this was a celebration by people who were relishing theirfreedom. they believe everything is going to be different from now on, they think their country will be respected in their country will be respected in the world once more as it used to be. the dalai lama, the exiled spiritual leader of tibet has won this year's nobel peace prize. a group of soldiers jumped from... and ran group of soldiers jumped from... and ra n towards group of soldiers jumped from... and ran towards the president firing kalashnikov rifles. after 437 years the skeletal ribs of henry viii's tragic warship emerged. but even as divers work to haul 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 more protests in hong kong — as demonstrators defy a ban on face masks. hong kong's leader accuses them of destroying the territory. the us secretary of state dismisses the latest attempts by the democrats to push forward their impeachment inquiry into president trump. britain is calling on the united states to hand over the wife of an american diplomat who's left the uk, after she was involved in a fatal road crash. police say they want to question the woman about the death of 19—year—old harry dunn. the foreign secretary, dominic raab, says he's disappointed that the us has refused to waive her diplomatic immunity. duncan kennedy reports. this is how local people have reacted to the death of harry dunn, a teenager from their community,

killed on a country road. harry had been on his motorbike when he was hit by a car. he died of multiple injuries. the car had been driven from this nearby air force base by the 42—year—old wife of an american diplomat. the base is a centre for us intelligence gathering. the woman, who lives on this american airforce base, told the police that she would co—operate fully with their enquiry and that she had no plans to leave the country. it's now been confirmed she has left britain. in a statement, northants police said, "harry dunn's family deservejustice. the force is now exploring all diplomatic channels to ensure that the investigation continues to progress." harry's mother, charlotte, says the woman involved must come back to the uk. we're really hoping to try and get her back.

we don't understand how she can just get on a plane and leave our family just utterly devastated. today, the foreign secretary dominic raab urged the americans to act. he said he had called the us ambassador in london to express his disappointment that the woman had left the country. the options open to the government and the police are limited, but harry's family say they cannot grieve properly until this tragedy has been resolved. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in northamptonshire. six elephants have fallen to their deaths in thailand while trying to save each other from a notorious waterfall. a warning — this report contains some upsetting images. vince soodin reports. motionless, still, and lifeless, the bodies of six elephants lie dead at the bottom of a waterfall known

as hell's abyss. among them is the body of a three—year—old calf. the discovery was made in thailand's khao yai national park, when rangers heard two surviving elephants crying close to the heartbreaking scene. it is feared the adult elephants died too when they tried to rescue the infant. the elephants were trying to cross the river. one of the smaller elephants might have slipped, and the adults were swept away by the current when they tried to rescue. a rescue mission was launched to save surviving elephants trapped on rocks above the churning waters. rescuers threw food laced with supplements to boost their energy and give them the strength to climb back up into the forest. at the moment, the elephants are taking a break. they are quite tired from trying to cross over from the other side.

they are just resting by standing still, because they have used up a lot of energy wading through the water. the waterfall, which claimed the lives of eight elephants in 1992, was closed to tourists as the operation took place. now six more of the selfless, majestic beasts have fallen victim to hell's abyss. vince soodin, bbc news. a cinema in the united states has cancelled two screenings of the new psychological thriller — ‘joker‘ — after police revealed what they called a "credible" threat to those with tickets. freya cole reports. twist wicked and cruel, the joker is returning to screens around the world as dark as ever before. one falls thing, when you bring me out

can you introduce me asjoker? the warner brothers film depicts the story of the mentally deranged joker before batman. now reopened, the huntington beach police department has said it will provide patrols for the rest of this weekend. the need for heightened security stems from the 2012 shooting attack inside a colorado cinema. 12 people were killed and 70 injured when a gunman dressed in body armour and a gas mask opened fire during a midnight screening of the dark knight rises. their families have written to warner brothers urging the corporation to do more to tackle gun related violence. i believe that if someone

is trying to copy—cat, a movie like thejoker would be a place where that could happen. i think people need to be aware of it. inevitably, some moviegoers will hold off seeing the film. i am conflicted about it, because of the issues in america right now with gun violence. but the joker has a cult—like following. it isjust a movie, you don't have to act what you see in the movie. already the film has broken box—office records, making more than 30 million us dollars in its debut. freya cole, bbc news. the competitive world of publishing has seen many titles come and go, but one monthly magazine has just launched its 500th edition — after almost half a century. gay times is now europe's longest running lgbt publication, and ben hunte has been looking at how it's changed through the decades.

glossy magazines fill the shelves, but this one, which looks like coffee table material, started 47 years ago as a monthly voice for gay activists. here in the national lgbt archives in east london, you will find a treasure trove of queer history. almost half a century later, some of the page still feel relevant today. one of the things we have seen within this magazine, within the first edition, is media watch. take me through what media watch was. it was basically a look at what was being said in the national media about the lgbt community at the time. "loonies who want a sense of family life." and even more relevant, "save the children from sad, sordid sex lessons." reading some of the headlines here, they aren't too dissimilar to some of the headlines that we actually see today. of course, predominantly targeted at what was called the gay community then, but within lgbtq communities, some of these headlines being targeted towards people with a trans experience now, quite

often in well—known media titles. today, the 500th edition has changed quite a bit. the magazine has diversified, and so has the business model. the magazine now really only represents a tenth of the gay times organisation. we work much more with the community and content channels across social and digital platforms, with the biggest lgbtq partner on instagram. in a woke world full of specialist publications, competition to represent communities, and make more money, is getting tougher. but activists say the platforms are more important than ever. ben hunte, bbc news. in the world athletics championship sifan hassan defended herself after winning 1500m world championship gold, saying she is a clean athlete despite her coach being banned for doping violations. the bbc‘s ade adeoyin has more. well, sifan hassan created a bit of history tonight. she became the first athlete to win the 1500 metres and the 10,000 double. it has been a difficult week for the athlete from the netherlands

after she claimed that gold in the 10,000 last saturday, her coach alberto salazar was banned by the us anti—doping agency. and when i spoke to her after the semifinal, she said people have questioned her integrity, and that she had worked very hard to be here. a few days ago, the ioc president asked for all athletes associated with alberto salazar to be tested. to that, she reacted angrily when i spoke to her at track—side after the race. she said she is open to be tested every day. she said they are clean, and she said she would never do anything to tarnish her reputation. shelly—ann fraser—price of jamaica claimed her second gold medal at these games. herjamaican quartet one victory in the 4x100m relay, that set the world's fastest time ahead of britain. and in the men's 4x100m relay, it was gold for the usa, a very, very strong quartet that included christian coleman and justin gatlin, the gold and silver—medallists in the 100 metres, and the 200 metres gold—medallist making amends for their disappointment in london 2017 when they finished behind the british quartet. five years ago she thought

it was the end of her career but on saturday night loo—chia lucas made a little bit of history, the first performance by a transgender singer on the london opera stage. she appeared in orpheus in the underworld at the english national opera. however, on stage because of her deep baritone voice, she continues to play male roles. our arts correspondent, david sillito reports. hi. my name is lucia lucas and i am a professional opera singer. she sings opera. i am not trying to be a pioneer. i am trying to see how far i can get this to go and how long i can stay in the business because i hope that people in the future won't have the difficulties that i have had.

lucia lucas. it has been more than five years before she decided the time had come to be her true self. the director of the opera at the time said... "just one question — what happens to your voice?" i've done some research on that and for better or worse it doesn't change. and so with that baritone voice she makes the journey each evening from she to he. tonight, a debut for english national opera. ladies and gentlemen, you have 15 minutes. there you go. thanks. on stage you play male roles. is that uncomfortable? no, not really. it actually, in a certain way, justifies the difficulty that i had

as a child because i knew that i was not team boy. because you've always been acting. i'v always been acting but now ijust do it on stage. if it had been a choice of singing or being yourself? be myself. 100%. i never envisioned that i could do both at the same time. you thought it would be the end of your career? yes, of course. five years on, rather than ending her career, it has blossomed. transitional hormones haven't affected that extraordinary voice and tonight, a debut on the london opera stage, another barrier broken. david sillito, bbc news. stunning voice. you can reach me on twitter. i'm @regedahmadbbc.

year hello. after a thoroughly wet night across many parts of the uk, there could be a lot of surface water, a lot of big puddles around if you are about to head out onto the roads on sunday morning. the greatest concern — parts of central southern scotland, northern and eastern england, where the rain will be at its heaviest and most persistent first thing. and of course, with the ground saturated, that flooding could be a little bit worse. so be prepared for some travel disruption. this is the culprit, a weather front which has been pushing its way eastwards over night. ahead of it, some stronger winds, strong winds developing in its wake. but a lot more in the way of dry, clearer weather to the south and west later on. but let's focus on the rain band for the morning. it is going to be across much of scotland. heaviest and most persistent through central and eastern areas, particularly towards those eastern coasts where there will be gusty wind.

maybe turning a little bit more showery towards western scotland. wet weather to the east of the pennines too. and the heaviest and most persistent rain will be down those eastern counties towards lincolnshire and east anglia. some of the rain will have eased the east midlands and the south—east, but don't let your guard down. some of that rain may return later on. west of that, a blustery day. the strongest winds at the south—west and south wales. a few showers drifting through western scotland, north—west england, north wales, and the midlands throughout. but here, generally a lot more in the way of drier and brighter weather compared with what we saw on saturday. a bright day towards the north east. but the north east to the south—west, their windy conditions. and temperatures at the levels they should be for the time of year. they will feel cooler down those eastern coast with the wind off the sea. still some rain for a time as we go into sunday evening across central and eastern parts. that will fade away. try it with some mist and fog forming. and then, later in the night, more wet and windy weather arrives back into the west. that will lift temperatures up into the start of monday morning rush hour. a little bit cooler, but at least drier to the east of the country. as we start monday, this is the chart. a big area of low pressure to the south of iceland.

it doesn't look great, does it? and these weather fronts will bring persistent rain to start the day in western areas. strong to gale force winds. they could become severe gale force in the north west of scotland. outbreaks of rain, heavy and persistent in the morning. turning a bit lighter and more fragmented as it heads eastward into the afternoon. so some eastern areas not quite as wet. but again, given the rain we have had, there could be some other minor flooding issues. brighter weather to finish the day in the west, even though it still remains pretty windy in places. and a rather cool day too. and it sets us up for a really changeable autumn week. this is the jet stream pattern. a fairly vigorous one charging across the atlantic in this rough snaking pattern. around each little dip in the jet stream, we will see a subsequent area of low pressure. one after the other after the other. so it does mean wherever you are across the uk, rain will feature in many parts through this coming week. so never be too far away from those waterproofs. bye for now.

this is bbc news.

the headlines... most of hong kong's metro system remains shut after a day which saw stations and businesses attacked in violent anti—government protests. demonstrators defied a ban on face masks dring the unrest. chief executive carrie lam has defended her decision to invoke emergency powers. the us secretary of state mike pompeo has dismissed questions about donald trump's attempts to push ukraine and china to investigate democratic rival joe biden as a "silly gotcha game". leading democrats have issued a legal order demanding the white house hand over more documents on its dealings with ukraine. the british foreign secretary, has urged america to reconsider its decision to let a diplomat‘s wife — who was involved in a fatal car crash — claim diplomatic immunity to leave britain. 19—year—old harry dunn died in the collision in august.