this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk, on pbs in america, or around the globe. i'm mike embley. our top stories: the debate begins on capitol hill over the articles of impeachment against president trump. harvey weinstein has reportedly reached a settlement with dozens of his accusers, and he may not have to foot the bill. the international court ofjustice is set to hear from gambia's lawyers that rohingya muslims still face an ongoing risk of genocide. greta thunberg accuses governments of avoiding real action on climate change, as she has named time magazine's person of the year.

in washington, dc, thejudiciary committee of the us house of representatives has been debating for around three hours now the articles of impeachment against president trump. after a spirited discussion, they will most likely vote later on thursday, ahead of a vote in the full house next week. the house is dominated by the democrats. if the president is impeached, there will be a trial in the senate, controlled by the republicans, in the new year. i spoke to our north america correspondent peter bowes about what is a constitutional but very political process. what's happening right now is that the judiciary committee are considering in detail those two articles of impeachment, essentially the charge sheet against donald trump. but it's political because at this stage it's the democrats who have the majority on the judiciary committee,

and indeed in the house of representatives. so it seems at the end of the day, when they get the vote from this committee late on thursday and the full house next week, that the democrats will get their way and the president will be impeached. and then it moves to the senate, and it is still a political process because the republicans have the majority there and there will be a trial, we are told, and the president will defend himself. but at the end of the day, with no sign of any of the republicans moving over to the democrats‘ way of thinking, it looks like the president will be found not guilty. clearly he is not going to be removed from office, so was the idea to play to voters in the election next year? as far as the democrats are concerned, the point is that they see the president as having committed a serious crime, although this is not a criminal procedure. but he did wrong. he abused his position.

they see this as a principle. clearly, with an election looming in the next 11 months or so, they will be politically charged, and people will be watching this. it will be a televised trial so, yes, you would think that the main audience on both sides will be americans at large watching this, maybe analysing the democrats‘ behaviour. have they gone too far in accusing the president in this way or, indeed, if they do get to hear from the president in his defence, is it believable? is it something that they buy? and that may well colour their decision as to which way they vote come the election next november. what is clear is that the republicans defending president trump are shifting their ground. but it is not impeachable."

precisely, what they are saying — they say the evidence is not enough, and on that basis they do not believe the president should be found guilty. we have heard phrases like a witch—hunt again, a sad day in american history. these two sides are poles apart, one trying to argue that the other is arguing black is white. there is so much distance between the two in how they see these charges facing the president. reports suggest harvey weinstein has reached a $25 million settlement with dozens of his alleged victims. but he also faces criminal trial on charges of sexual assault, and a judge has increased his bail from $1 million dollars to $5 million for violating his release conditions. the legal agreement in the civil case, according to the new york times, would not require the disgraced movie mogul to admit wrongdoing, and he wouldn't be paying money out of his own pocket. here is the bbc‘s nick bryant. it's a tentative agreement, it hasn't been signed off by a judge yet. some of the accusers of harvey weinstein are not involved. they disagree with this settlement.

but it's significant because it ends years of legal rambling. more than 30 women who've accused harvey weinstein of sexual harassment, of rape, settling it seems for this $25 million payout. but significant, as well, because so many people think that harvey weinstein has got off lightly here. $25 million is not that much when it's divided between 30 people, $500,000 each, and we thought the original settlement pot was going to be much bigger, maybe as much as $90 million. and then, as you say, harvey weinstein does not have to admit any wrongdoing in this civil case, and nor, it seems, does he have to pay any money out of his own pocket. it seems the insurance companies acting for his former studio are going to foot the bill, and it also offers him and the board members of that company some indemnity. so there's been a lot of anger, since the new york times first reported this tentative deal, that harvey weinstein here is getting off lightly in the settlement of these civil suits. in niger, at least 70 soldiers have been killed and a dozen are missing or wounded after an attack

by suspected muslim extremists. it is the deadliest assault on niger's military since an islamist insurgency began in 2015. officials say the attack on a remote base lasted around three hours. translation: a detachment of the inates military reconnaissance post near the border with mali was attacked by heavily armed terrorist, estimated to be in their several hundreds. there followed a combat of rare violence, combining artillery fire and the use of kamikaze vehicles. the woman who effectively leads myanmar has been defending her country against accusations of genocide at the international court ofjustice in the netherlands. aung san suu kyi, who is a winner of the nobel peace prize, said military action against rohingya muslims in 2017 which killed thousands and sent many more fleeing the country was necessary operations against militants. nick beake reports from the hague.

many have given up on aung san suu kyi. not these loyal supporters. they told us they'd travelled 5,000 miles from myanmar to be with her today. she'd come to tell the world there had been no rohingya genocide on her watch. are 750,000 rohingya lying, ms suu kyi? do you have any sympathy at all for the rohingya? could it be that the harrowing evidence she heard yesterday, of myanmar‘s army trying to eradicate the rohingya muslim people, had shaken her, changed the mind of someone once famous for her defence of human rights? no. regrettably, the gambia has placed before the court an incomplete and misleading factual picture of the situation in rakhine state in myanmar. aung san suu kyi claimed the rohingya exodus in 2017 was sparked by attacks by rohingya militants.

she did admit the myanmar army, which she doesn't control, had killed civilians in the security operation that followed, but that perpetrators would be brought tojustice. can there be genocidal intent on the part of a state that actively investigates, prosecutes and punishes soldiers and officers who are accused of wrongdoing? this has been another remarkable day in the extraordinary life of aung san suu kyi, the nobel peace prize winner now defending a charge of genocide. for years, the western world championed her cause. today, she accused it of failing to understand what had been happening in her country. there was no regret, there was no apology. she said simply there was no case to answer. she left thejudges to consider her words. the international court of public opinion may have already made up its mind. nick beake, bbc news, the hague.

let's go now live to myanmar and speak to poppy mcpherson, bureau chief there for the reuters news agency. thank you for doing this. what is your impression of what is going on at the hague? i think for many it's going to be amazing and distressing to see a winner of the nobel peace prize, a humanitarian figurehead for so prize, a humanitarian figurehead for so many people, flatly denying what isa so many people, flatly denying what is a well documented genocide and ethnic cleansing. of course, thank you for having me. so i suppose i will speakfrom you for having me. so i suppose i will speak from the me myanmar perspective. here in the country, people have been following the hearings, but really supporting aung san suu kyi. she is... you know, while her reputation has suffered internationally, here she remains an extremely popular figure, the internationally, here she remains an extremely popularfigure, the hope of people across the country for the future of myanmar and the transition from military rule to civilian one. and people are really, really

backing her. there's been rallies in the streets, huge rallies, thousands of people, coming out to express their unity with her, and billboards have gone up around the country put up have gone up around the country put up by have gone up around the country put up by local officers of the nld, which is her political party, saying stand with suu kyi. and that's definitely the sentiment here. so would you say it is a kind of political calculation with her, she is playing to a domestic audience? because it is the case, isn't it there, that rohingya muslims are seen there, that rohingya muslims are seen as there, that rohingya muslims are seen as essentiallyjust illegal immigrants. sure, yes, she definitely... across the country, the rohingya are seen as illegal immigrants, they are seen as foreigners. they are called by the word bengali, which implies that they are illegal immigrants who would just come across from bangladesh, while that's not the case, from people thatjournalists speak to, which they've been in this

country for many, many generations. so there is little sympathy for the rohingya, and there's a lot of sympathy for aung san suu kyi. and is unused to aung san suu kyi, the way the rest of the world sees her, 01’ way the rest of the world sees her, or is it well—known? way the rest of the world sees her, or is it well-known? her circle has been shrinking, according to people that know her. her western allies, her circle of western allies, has been shrinking. she has rebuffed people she... you know, diplomats, observers who speak to her say she doesn't like to hear about the allegations against the rohingya, that she cuts off conversations about this, and she has lost relationships with people who she was formally close to over this issue. so definitely her circle of people who are bringing her information about what's been going on in the country has shrunk. but there's no reason to think that she

hasn't been watching... that she watch the reports when everything was happening, didn't see. she also talks to the... she's been getting information from the military on what's been going on. 0bviously that's a one—sided view of events, but she has had access to the full spectrum of reporting on this, and coverage of this. thank you so much. thank you. police in new zealand are working on a plan to recover the bodies of remaining victims of monday's volcanic eruption. nine people are missing, presumed dead, but rescuers have had to stay away from white island because more eruptions are expected. they now say, despite the risks, they are going to try to get there on friday morning. eight people are confirmed dead and 21 are still in hospital in new zealand.

the patients remaining in our burns units include two new zealanders and a mix of other nationalities. they continue to require the highest level of care, and a small number are very unwell. 0ur intensive care and burns teams throughout all the burns units continue to work around the clock, putting in huge hours and showing, as we know they do, an unbelievable commitment to ensuring the very best care for patients. now, this effort across australia and new zealand is requiring unprecedented levels of co—ordination across our health system, including continued provision of supplies, moving those around the country, and also, as you know, access to skin for grafts from australia and the united states. we're also receiving a number of offers for specialist medical teams from the uk, usa and australia to travel to new zealand to assist. we are working rapidly to enable this to happen. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come: why one of europe's most ill—equipped migrant camps has finally closed its doors for the last time. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here standing in more or less silent vigil and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's facing seven charges of tax

evasion, estimated at £120 million. she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate. a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: harvey weinstein has reportedly reached a settlement with dozens of his accusers. the terms are not finalised, but he may not pay any of his own money. india's parliament has passed a much—criticised bill that will fast—track citizenship claims for immigrants, but not if they are muslim. 0pposition parties see the bill as another move by india's governing party, the hindu nationalist bjp, to marginalise the country's 200 million muslims. the government denies

it is discriminatory. this report from pratiksha ghildial in delhi. it's an issue that has divided india right down the middle. a proposed new law offers amnesty to illegal immigrants from its neighbouring countries, but on one condition — they must not be muslims. it's one of the most controversial decisions by the hindu nationalist bjp government. the government says it's not discriminatory, but aims to help minorities fleeing persecution in pakistan, afghanistan and bangladesh, all islamic countries. campaigners like these say that by excluding muslims, the government is undermining the values on which india was founded — secularism and religious tolerance — and that faith should not be a consideration for citizenship. many are suspicious and see it as a tool to marginalise the muslim community.

this just seems to be the framework for a hindu nation, and in general, if you've seen the last five years, the anti—muslim rhetoric has been huge. there's a large number of violent attacks going on against the community all over the world. this will put them in a further vulnerable spot. there have been furious scenes in the parliament as the government tried to defend the move. translation: this is not meant for taking away anyone's rights. it is to give people rights. there's a difference between a refugee and an infiltrator. but activists say this sends out a negative signal to the country's 200 million—strong muslims. clearly, you are catering to your hindu base, you know, by telling them that this country is only for hindus. the world's largest democracy had a big heart

when it could accommodate people. right now, we are coming across to the world as a petty, vindictive civilisation. that's not what india stands for. but excluding muslims is not the only reason why it's controversial. protests have broken out in the north—eastern states as people say they don't want any migrants settling there, irrespective of their religion. there are concerns about what this proposed new law means for india's secular democracy as it grapples with the complex issues of religion, citizenship and identity. pratiksha ghildial, bbc news, delhi. officials in bosnia have closed a migrant camp close to the border with croatia, saying conditions were deplorable and moving nearly 800 migrants to better accommodation for the winter. the camp, known as thejungle, had been criticised for being ill—equipped,

with no heating, running water or toilet facilities. rich preston has this report. built on an old landfill site and close to a minefield, the vucjak camp has been home to hundreds of people, mostly men, mostly from asia, the middle east and africa. it's less than 10km from the border with croatia, the gateway to the european union. the red cross says 25,000 people have passed through the camp this year. bosnia has become a key stop on the migrant route to europe, but it's struggled to cope with the sheer number of people passing through, and the camp's conditions were widely criticised. aid organisations have warned the camp was unfit for people and that deaths were imminent, especially in winter. now it's been pulled down. around 800 migrants from the area have been bussed away to new centres near the capital, sarajevo, including these former army barracks.

750 migrants that were living in horrible conditions in vucjak and who are now in the warmth and who have taken the first warm shower, have had the first warm bed for many, many nights. we are happy here. we have electricity and also a clean environment and fresh food. it's thought bosnia's currently home to between 7,000 and 8,000 migrants. it says it can't support them all, and whilst these people have been relocated for the winter, it's expected that once that's passed, they'll be on the move again, once more hoping to make it to europe. rich preston, bbc news. the environmental campaigner greta thunberg has called on world leaders at a un summit to stop making excuses to avoid taking action on climate change. her speech coincided wirth her being named time magazine's person of the year. here's our ecience editor, david shukman. to ms greta thunberg. applause

a global celebrity at the age of 16, greta thunberg was here to energise the talks, not with emotion, but instead with a calm reminder to world leaders of the latest facts about rising temperatures and melting ice. how do you react to these numbers without feeling at least some level of panic? how do you respond to the fact that basically nothing is being done about this without feeling the slightest bit of anger? she was speaking as the negotiations seemed to be in slow motion, dragging on over technical details, while the gases heating the planet are blasted into the air in ever greater quantities, with many countries accused of using loopholes to wriggle out of plans to cut their emissions. i still believe that the biggest danger is not inaction. the real danger is when politicians and ceos are making it look

like real action is happening when, in fact, almost nothing is being done apart from clever accounting and creative pr. applause so, there was applause for greta thunberg here in the great hall, but quite striking that actually a lot of the seats were pretty empty. not every national delegation was here to listen to her message. all chant: we are unstoppable! greta has inspired a movement that's losing patience. young protesters took over the hall to demand faster action. what matters is whether anyone's listening. david shukman, bbc news, in madrid. now to an invention of real ingenuity from limpopo in south africa. having struggled throughout his childhood to communicate with his deaf parents, netshi—zati lucky mashudu has created a glove which translates sign language into voice. here's his story.

hello. my name is netshidzati lucky mashudu. i'm 26 years old. i want to make sure that i bring a voice to the voiceless community. i was raised and born in a family where all my parents are totally deaf. what is your name? how are you? i used to have this kind of an anger, you know, how can i change this kind of situation of communication barrier between me and my parents? i had an idea of developing a system that will minimise the communication barrier between me and my parents, which is a glove sensor communicator. that's where the communication is based. these are the flag sensors, but in the meantime we are using all the cables... i started doing this at the time i was still in college. in the deaf community,

it's not an easy environment to live in because you find a lot of challenges because you don't know how you're going to communicate with people out there and how — what kind of system you will use to communicate with them. there are a lot of challenges in the working environment. deaf people aren't able to get employment and then deaf people aren't able to be accommodated in the education environment. because i wanted deaf people to be independent, and the reason for me to bring this glove is because deaf person, byjust wearing a glove, if he or she is signing you wearing the glove, the glove translates sign language into voice. they can onlyjust wear a glove when they sign, the glove translates sign into voice. you, as a hearing person, when you talk, while a deaf person is using a mobile application, it's going to detect your voice and translate it into south african sign language. what is your name? how are you?

we try to open some ways for deaf people in the education environment, in the working environment, because the challenges that — most of the companies aren't able to accommodate deaf people because there are no systems in place that are helping them for communication, and that's why we say the glove will create independence and it will create confidence. his very cool glove. tests are being carried out on a painting found in northern italy to determine whether it is a work italy to determine by the austrian artist gustav klimt, which it's thought was stolen in 1997. a gardener found what is thought to be klimt‘s portrait of a lady behind a trap door while clearing ivy off the walls of the gallery in piacenza, from where it had disappeared. the portrait of a young woman was completed in 1917. it is said to be in excellent condition. much more for you on all the news any time on the bbc website and on

twitter. thank you for watching. hello there. we've already had two deep areas of low pressure affecting the weather here in the uk so far this week with another on the way. this was tuesday's rain. the day on wednesday brought lots of showers and this massive cloud is coming in for the day ahead, and we've got further lumps with those weather fronts lying across the atlantic to bring us some further spells of rain. it's notjust rain for the concern for the day ahead. as it comes into the cold air, we could see some hill snow as well. we've seen snow, showers and thunderstorms have continued in the north through the night, and with those heavy showers, the potential‘s there to continue to wash the grit off the surfaces, the roads and the pavements, so quite slick conditions through the small hours and into the morning rush. it could be quite icy, notjust in the north of course. further south we've had a lot

of damp weather and temperatures are forecast even in the towns and cities to get to around freezing. so, it could be icy and frosty certainly through this morning, but already in the west, we're seeing that change. now, as this comes in across the moors and the welsh mountains, there could be a smattering of snow, more likely a few centimetres across northern ireland, perhaps in the hills of northern england into southern scotland. we could stay in the showery cold regime all day in northern scotland, but it's going to feel quite raw as the clouds increasing all the time, bringing this rain eastwards into that cold air and giving us snow over the hills in the north. it does eventually get a bit milder in the south and west and more showery as you can see through the afternoon, so the sunshine returns, but with it, also some stronger winds. so those strong north—westerly winds will blow the rain away from southern areas, but it kind of hangs around in the north through the night and into friday, with showers rushing in on that north—westerly. so another cold feeling day, but we're back to sunshine and showers for most on friday except, as you can see, northern and north—eastern parts of scotland with their persistent rain here, hill snow too, and heavy showers elsewhere, some hail, some thunder in there as well, temperatures perhaps doing a little better than the day ahead but feeling cold with that wind.

that wind which will continue to blow through friday night into saturday, blowing our weather front further southward. look at this — significant snow is expected again across the alpine regions, some really strong winds as well battering central parts of europe, another very deep area of low pressure heading towards the balkans. so, there are warnings out quite widely across parts of central and southern europe as well. look at this for turin — expecting some snow on friday and we wouldn't like to rule out some wintriness across many alpine regions over the coming few days. here in the uk this weekend, it's going to stay chilly, we'll see further sunny spells and showers, but it'll often be quite windy, especially in the south, and there could be further bouts of rain and hill snow, notjust necessarily in the north. as ever, the warnings are on the website.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the debate begins on capitol hill over the articles of impeachment against president trump. thejudiciary committee of the us house of representatives will vote later, ahead of a vote in the full house next week. if the president is impeached, there will be a trial in the senate in the new year. reports suggest harvey weinstein has reached a $25 million settlement with dozens of his alleged victims. but he also faces criminal trial on charges of sexual assault, and a judge has increased his bail from $1 million dollars to $5 million for violating his release conditions. the woman who effectively leads myanmar has been defending her country against accusations of genocide at the international court ofjustice in the netherlands. aung san suu kyi said military action against rohingya muslims in 2017 which killed thousands was the result of necessary