this is bbc news. the headlines: a senior hong kong police officer has warned that unrest has brought the city to "the brink of total breakdown." in the latest clashes between police welcome to bbc news, and democracy campaigners, i'm mike embley. our top stories: the violence has spread in hong kong, as the violence to a university campus where tear gas, rubber bullets intensifies, police say the rule and a water cannon were used. of law is on the brink of total colla pse. australia has escaped raging bushfires have damaged the worst—feared impacts properties across parts of australia of the bushfires, but the threat and briefly spread to suburbs of sydney. still remains high, as more than 70 the catastrophic day feared by forecasters has largely been uncontained fires continue to burn avoided, but more than 70 in queensland and new south wales. uncontained fires are still burning in new south wales and queensland. countdown to the next crucial phase of the impeachment inquiry. washington braces for public hearings into the president's dealings with ukraine. the bolivian opposition senator an opposition senator in bolivia, jeanine anez declares herself jeanine anez, has declared herself interim president. interim president, as the former the country's former leader, leader evo morales begins evo morales, has fled to mexico life in exile. after being granted political asylum. he was forced to resign on sunday. the new appointment was not formally approved by congress.

in hong kong, a senior police officer has said that unrest has brought the territory to the brink of total collapse. in the latest clashes with democracy campaigners, the violence spread to a university campus, where police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon. some of the protesters built barricades and threw petrol bombs. our correspondent robin brant was there. yelling. "run", she is shouting in cantonese, and they are running, but not for fun. hong kong students at their university racetrack were escaping the tear gas and rubber bullets as police raided their campus. moving onto the grounds of the chinese university is a marked escalation by the police. they said they needed to stop people throwing bricks and other dangerous items from a campus bridge

onto passing traffic. by night, that bridge became the front line in a stand—off, police on one side, protesters on the other, a raging fire in between. 2a hours previously, this place had been completely normal. across the university, protesters and students formed a human chain to supply the front line with water and food. others sat in groups, preparing their supply of weapons. you're sitting here making kind of, for want of a better phrase, petrol bombs. why we are doing this? because yesterday, you know, they used real bullets, shoot our — right in the chest, and that can kill someone. so, if they upgrade their weapons, we need to upgrade our weapons to protect ourselves, too. this scene shows you how drastically the nature of this confrontation has changed. it started out five months ago

with hundreds of thousands of people marching on the streets in peaceful demonstration. now, at the entrance to a university, there is a roadblock on fire, a burnt—out car blocking the entrance to this bridge, and around me, dozens of protesters in black sitting and waiting, not knowing what's coming next. the start of this week has been different here, the stand—off at the university more dangerous. in its sixth month now, this particular part of the protest felt less like a confrontation and more like a conflict. robin brant, bbc news, hong kong. raging bushfires have damaged properties across parts of australia and briefly spread to suburbs of sydney. the catastrophic day that was forecast has so far not materialised, but there are still 7a uncontained fires burning in new south wales. fire chiefs are warning the dangers facing the state and neighbouring queensland are far from over. our correspondent phil mercer has more from sydney. this toxic haze, mike,

that smothered much of sydney and a vast swathe of new south wales has mercifully been blown away by very strong winds. this part of the country is no longer under those catastrophic fire warnings. but we now hear that, since this emergency began on friday of last week, about 200 homes have been destroyed, and sadly, three people have lost their lives. those fires you refer to in suburban sydney, about 15 km from the harbour bridge, there is a suspicion that they may have been started on purpose. so bushfires for the australian community, they're traumatic, they are devastating, and they are frightening. to hear that some of them may have been started on purpose will anger and frustrate an entire nation. so phil, what is likely to make the difference, the most difference, in the next few days? well, here in new south wales, more hot and windy conditions

are forecast for the end of the week. further north, in queensland, they're facing dangerous conditions right now. it is all hands on deck. there are evacuations in popular holiday destinations in the state of queensland. so, while firefighters in new south wales, though still battling many, many fires, are having something of a respite, their colleagues to the north are finding conditions very, very tough indeed. and we're hearing that queensland has drafted in firefighters from as far away as new zealand, because the dangers up there are so severe. let's get some of the day's other news: the former treasurer to the vatican cardinal george pell has been granted a right to a final appeal in australia's high court against his convictions for child sexual abuse. in march he was found guilty of attacking two choirboys in the 1990s and sentenced to six years in prison.

zimbabwe's central bank has introduced new bank notes. it is an attempt to ease an acute cash shortage, but there are fears it could fuel inflation, in a country where the rate is already about 300%. workers for mcdonald's in the us have filed a lawsuit alleging the fast food company has a systemic problem of sexual harassment. they accuse mcdonald's of allowing a toxic work culture. the firm hasn't yet responded. it has about 14,000 restaurants in the us. the impeachment inquiry in washington is about to go public. until now, the testimony has been heard behind closed doors, although widely leaked. the eventual trial will be in the republican—controlled senate. but for now, democrats in the house of representatives are looking at whether president trump abused his power by witholding military aid from ukraine while pressing the government in kiev to investigate his political rivaljoe biden and his son. mr trump calls the inquiry a hoax. the first two people in front of congress on wednesday are bill taylor, the top us diplomat in ukraine, and george kent, deputy assistant

secretary for european and eurasian affairs. on friday, former us ambassador to ukraine marie yovanovitch is due to testify. president trump has announced that he will "probably" release more notes from his conversation with ukraine's president by the end of the week. our north american correspondent david willis has more. this will be the first public testimony. indeed, it will be the first televised impeachment proceedings in the us in 20 years. lots of people will be watching, of that we can be absolutely sure, because there will be blanket coverage here, both on cable news networks and on the main networks here. not since watergate, of course, have we seen such interest, i think, in impeachment proceedings. and these two witnesses who are due

to give evidence tomorrow are seen as highly credible, certainly as far as democrats are concerned. william taylor, the top us diplomat in ukraine, george kent, the senior — the state department official, are both expected to articulate their concerns about a sort of shadow ukraine policy that was being implemented, in their view, by president trump's personal lawyer rudy giuliani. now, we'll hearfrom marie yovanovitch, the former ukraine — us ambassador to the ukraine, on friday. and it's been announced, mike, that there will be eight other witnesses giving testimony in public next week. and david, just on another important point, the supreme court has given a strong indication, hasn't it, that it plans to take mr trump's side on an immigration issue that affects hundreds of thousands of people. that's right. it's been hearing oral arguments today, mike, to do with that plan

by the trump administration, or that intention by the trump administration, to scrap what's known as the daca agreement. that would basically abolish protections for about 700,000 immigrants who came to the united states as children, through no fault of their own, illegally. and, of course, they were given an extension by the 0bama administration. mr trump wants to take that away. he wants to abolish the so—called daca programme. and attempts to do that have been frustrated by the court, so this matter has gone all the way to the highest court in the land, which was hearing evidence today. it has some time, though, before it will deliver its verdict. that's not expected until the middle of next year, by which time, of course, the 2020 presidential campaign will be in full swing, during which it's expected immigration will of course be a key factor. and just very briefly, david,

mr trump has sent very mixed signals on the dreamers, hasn't he? he has, yes, indeed. today he tweeted that, although some of them were in his view criminals, there would be some attempt to basically reach agreement with the democrats, were the us supreme court to vote in favour of his administration in striking down the daca programme. it remains to be seen, of course, what sort of shape that agreement would take, because previous attempts by this administration or previous assertions that the administration would actually collude with the democrats over the subject of immigration have of course so far come to nothing, mike. and be sure to tune in to the bbc‘s special coverage of those public impeachment hearings on capitol hill. we will bring those to you live, along with updates and analysis from our team in washington, starting at 3:00pm gmt. the deputy head of the bolivian senate has declared herself interim president, without the support of congress. jeanine anez said she was next

in line under the constitution after the resignation of the former leader evo morales and much of his govenrment. the former president has arrived in mexico, where he has been given political asylum. gareth barlow has more. evo morales was a socialist president. now, he is an asylum seeker. the former bolivian leader arrived in mexico, saying he fled in fear for his life. translation: they ransacked and burned my sister's house. the day before, they ransacked my home in cochabamba. they tried to burn it, but thankfully, my neighbours defended it. back in bolivia, supporters of the country's first indigenous president took to the streets of the capital, as police and the military worked to restore calm. translation: the opposition will never be able to govern

as evo morales has done. evo morales was our leader. we miss and love you, evo. we've been left orphaned. as the barricades grow higher, the power vacuum deepens. the deputy leader of the senate has declared herself interim president, despite failing to receive enough support from senators. meanwhile, at a special meeting, the organisation of american states called for fresh elections. translation: the auditor team cannot validate the results of the present election, and recommends another electoral process. likewise, we would like to point out that any future elections should rely on new authorities. as prisoners protest and soldiers stand guard to protect society, there is no doubt bolivians are walking a new path.

but there is no clarity as to where it will end. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the king and queen of spain begin an historic visit to cuba, the first by a spanish monarch. the bombastic establishment outsider, donald trump, has defied the pollsters to take the keys to the oval office. i feel great about the election result. i voted for him because i genuinely believe that he cares about the country. it's keeping the candidate's name always in the public eye that counts. success or failure depends not only on public display, but on the local campaign headquarters and the heavy routine work of their women volunteers. berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced around their liberated territory. and with nobody to stop them, it wasn't long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. yasser arafat, who dominated

the palestinian cause for so long, has died. palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning. after 17 years of discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers who'd long felt only grudgingly accepted in the ranks of clergy suddenly felt welcomed. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: hong kong police warn the rule of law is on the brink of collapse, as the spiral of violence intensifies. bushfires across much of eastern australia are still burning out of control, as some of the blazes reach the suburbs of sydney. more than 1,000 migrants have died trying to cross the mediterranean sea into europe this year. it's one of the most dangerous routes for refugees anywhere in the world. for many, the journey begins

in libya, where our international correspondent orla guerin met with a family determined to make their way across. here's how the european dream ends for some. the word crescent collect them with care from the beaches of libya. —— the red crescent. the unknown date of the mediterranean. but this extended family from cameroon are planning to risk the crossing. they've already tried it twice. little khadija and her brother reno are in the care of her auntand brother reno are in the care of her aunt and cousin. their mother gave her all trying to get them to europe. this is delphine, this is khadija and this is reno. this is a picture one week before they died.

when we lose this picture, we tried to remember them and we pray, rest in peace. this was delphine a year earlier. 3a and determined to find a better life. her relatives tell me she gave them the strength to flee the poverty at home and travel to libya. assisted danielle tells me delphine gave birth locked in a detention centre without medical ca re detention centre without medical care and, she says, their long journey with the people traffickers was a journey through hell. translation: the rapes would happen like this. they would demand we take oui’ like this. they would demand we take our clothes off in front of the men and boys. they would take us and do

what they wanted with us. the men we re what they wanted with us. the men were beaten, really beaten, if they did not do what they were told. there was one strong guy, we really thought he might be the one to break out of the prison. they took a machete and they cut his ligaments so machete and they cut his ligaments so he couldn't move. in the end, he died. for delphine, death came after two days at sea on a smugglers boat. she and the children were caught and put back in detention where she died in agony. translation: she was crying out. i woke and asked what was wrong. she said she had a headache. we were locked in. there was nobody there at night. i was praying that the sun would rise and people would come. she was dying in

front of me and i was powerless. delphine's dream was for ii—year—old macro “— delphine's dream was for ii—year—old macro —— renault to be afoot alone europe. i know if i got there, macro —— renault to be afoot alone europe. i know ifi got there, i would be somebody tomorrow. how long has it been since you went to school? two years since i went to school. and you miss it? yes. renault admits he is scared to cross the mediterranean but he is still clinging to his mother's dream. orla guerin, bbc news, tripoli. the israeli leader, benjamin netanyahu has warned there could be a protracted flare—up of tension with militants in gaza following israel's killing of a senior islamichhad commander. sirens sounded in ashkelon in the last few hours, as palestinians militants launched another rocket attack into the israeli city. at least 150 rockets have been fired.

and dozens of israelis have been treated for injuries as an indirect result of rocket—fire. israel says air and ground forces hit sites inside gaza throughout the day. the hamas—run health ministry says three palestinians have been killed and about 30 wounded in the attacks. tom bateman has the latest from the israeli—gaza border. well, the firefighters have spent really all of today trying well, the firefighters here have spent really all of today trying to douse these flames and still as you can see, there is smoke emanating from this building. it is a warehouse that took a direct hit from a rocket fired from gaza. i was speaking to the owner who said it was only really a matter of luck, that it was just too early for his staff to have been in the building so they had a very lucky escape. as we arrived here, we heard several loud blasts. it has been hard to distinguish the anti—aircraft fire or the anti—missile fire from israel's missile defence systems from very

powerful air strikes israel has been carrying outjust a couple of miles away on the eastern side of the gaza strip. we've seen smoke rising from some very loud blasts in what has amounted to one of the most serious exchanges of fire between militants in gaza and the israelis in the last 18 months, all starting with that targeted killing of al—ata this morning. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu described him as a ticking bomb, posing an imminent risk to israeli civilians and soldiers and that's why he said this operation took place. as for the palestinians, the dominant militant group in gaza, hamas, said this action crossed a red line, vowing a response and so we've had rocket attacks from islamichhad all day into israel, sirens continuing, and those air strikes, with israel now targeting militant sites, killing another three palestinians according to health officials in gaza. what happens now, i think, in the next few hours or so will be decisive, to see whether or not

this escalation continues. the militants in gaza have vowed to resist, to respond. the israelis have said that they don't seek an escalation but they are prepared for one. protests in chile have entered their fourth week as thousands vent their anger at the cost of living and inequality and call for the resignation of president pinero. andy beatt reports. santiago at a standstill. more mass protests in the capital and across the country, with no end in sight. president pinero's recent promise to rewrite the constitution to help the poorest and struggling middle classes doing little to calm the mood. translation: we are no longer comfortable with this government. we want to change it completely and get new people with new proposals. our protests will continue until the government gives in.

what began as an outcry against a hike in metro fares has spiralled into a state of emergency. clashes have left nearly 20 dead and thousands injured. that's prompted an investigation by the un into allegations of human rights abuses against demonstrators. translation: the truth is that i have more anger than fear, more hate than grief, and it's against those people who are out there shooting, mutilating people, torturing them. there is massive damage as well to the country's economy, widespread disruption costing billions of dollars, the peso slumping to an all—time low. politicians are also unable to work, blockades forcing congress to close for the day. but as chile's crisis continues to deepen, it's the voices on the streets, not in the corridors of power, that seem to hold the most sway.

andy beatt, bbc news. venice has been hit by the second highest tide recorded in the lagoon city. as tourists and locals managed to cope with the rising water — city officials said the level peaked at i.87m on tuesday night, just short of the all—time record, set in 1966. raised wooden walkways are in position in the piazzas for tourists and locals to keep relatively dry. king felipe and queen letizia of spain have arrived in cuba for the first official visit by a spanish king to the island. the trip is taking place in the week of the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city of havana, and on their trip the royals will see much of the restoration work of the city's colonial architecture. from havana, will grant reports. it's a visit heavy with historic symbolism.

when king felipe stepped offf the plane with queen letizia, he became the first spanish king to make an official visit to cuba. the upcoming 500th anniversary of havana seemed a good opportunity to the communist—run government to show them the island which christopher columbus once described as the most beautiful land ever seen. for years, havana has been slowly restoring its resplendent architecture, like the capitolio building, and the government is keen to show its best face to the spanish royals. among those to be honoured during the trip is eusebio leal, the man responsible for hava na's preservation. translation: we will illuminate the lamp at the top of the central dome as it was originally, and a ray of light which along with the del morro castle, represents a symbol of havana for the ages. in that regard alone, this spanish royal visit is important to the cuban government. as the spanish king laid a wreath to cuba's national hero, jose marti, the island once known as the pearl of the caribbean

needs international support at the moment, even if does come from their former colonisers. will grant, bbc news, havana. a giant mural of greta thunberg will gaze down at people in san francisco when it's unveiled later. (00v)it's 60 feet tall, 30 feet wide, ide mural was created by argentine street artist andres petreselli. he says he hopes it will remind residents of the city of the dangers posed by climate change. one of his previous works was a giant mural of the late actor robin williams which he also painted on a building in san francisco. now a meteorfalling from the sky in missouri — and captured on a home security camera. the american meteor society has received at least 120 reports from 8 us states from people who say they spotted the object. most reports are from missouri, but people in illinois, kansas, minnesota and nevada also registered sightings. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @bbc mike embley.

hello once again. after so much wet weather in recent weeks, it looks as though wednesday for much of the british isles is going to start at least on a drier, brighter, colder note, although there's no disguising the fact there is in fact another set of fronts to bring some rain to western areas later in the day. but it's a cold, crisp start, a frosty one for many northern parts of the british isles. a run of showers over the north sea through south—west scotland to the north—west of england. but as you see, even on into the afternoon, many central and eastern areas will end up with a dry, sunny but not overly warm day. temperatures down into single figures. where we will see a significant change through the afternoon is rain getting into northern ireland, wales and the south—west of england.

and just be advised that, in the more intense bursts over the moors of the south—west and the brecon beacons, you could well end up with a covering of snow. here we are on into thursday. that same band of weather's still producing an awful lot of rain across the southern counties, and as the day progresses, so this more southern feature is joined by a more northern feature. and that's the concern, because the rain looks set to return to some of the flood—affected areas. there are already met office warnings out and available on our website. from thursday on into friday, the big area of low pressure still close by over the near continent, and it's still a north to north—easterly feed off a cold north sea that will generate an awful lot of cloud across the greater part of england, wales, maybe the southern parts of scotland too. and enough about the cloud for there to be the odd bit and piece of rain. the best of the sunshine across much of northern and western scotland, through northern ireland, the western side of wales, maybe down into the west country as well. but again, it is a cold,

and underneath those weather fronts a miserable, dank sort of day. here we are at the start of the weekend. what's changed ? really, not very much at all. the low pressure ever closer towards the south—eastern quarter. still the onshore feed into the eastern side of the british isles, still the suggestion of enough cloud for there to be bits and pieces of rain falling from that. no great intensity, but of course, any rain into some areas is really not very welcome at all. here we are as far ahead as sunday. no signs of mild air creeping its way towards british isles, so sunday is another dank, chilly sort of day. the best of the sunshine perhaps behind a more westerly feature here, out into parts of northern ireland, and still that stripe of thicker cloud all the way from the north—east of england down through wales, the midlands and on towards the south—west. and again, single figures are the order of the day. so further rain to come, some hill snow, often windy, 00:28:46,595 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 and a bit cold too.