this is bbc world news today. i'm simon pusey. our top stories: iran has again rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down a ukrainian passengerjet killing 176 people. but the picture remains far from clear. new sanctions against iran, including action against eight senior officials involved in targeting us troops in iraq. we don't want war, we want iran to behave like a normal nation. a political breakthrough in northern ireland — the main parties agree to restore a power—sharing administration, after three years of deadlock. tens of thousands of people join climate change protests across australia, as hot, windy weather threatens to fan new bushfires.

hello and welcome to world news today. iran has again rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down a ukrainian passengerjet on wednesday killing 176 people.the the picture remains unclear but what we do know is that: (ani the flight took off from a tehran airportjust after 6 in the morning — butjust two minutes later, the data on the flight stopped. the plane came down to the southwest of the capital. 63 of the victims were canadian. our north america correspondent aleem maqbool reports from toronto. the sense of complete disbelief now is palpable. at the shocking revelations about how this disaster may have happened. compounded, of course, by the huge sense of loss here. i have been praying since yesterday, we lost one of the students from the school.

it is so sad, so sad. some people say it wasjust engine failure, some people say it was done by missile. really, it's very confusing. iran says it may take one or two years to resolve the confusion, and for its crash investigation to reach any conclusions. but these pictures show it has already chosen to clear much of the crash site, potentially burying important leads. and even before the data has been analysed from the flight recorders, its officials already say they are sure of one thing. translation: the aviation authority cannot speculate, we aren't sure of the causes yet. but what we can say for certain is that a missile did not strike the plane, but the fire and its causes, we still need to work out.

but this mobile phone footage does appear to back up the theory that the plane was struck by a missile. a small outgoing speck of light suddenly exploding. with the impact following. the iranians insist, if it really was a missile strike, the debris would have been spread over a larger area. it's not what us secretary of state mike pompeo think‘s. we do believe that it is likely that that plane was shot down by an iranian missile. he announced new sanctions on iran. we want iran to simply behave like a normal nation. we believe the sanctions that we impose today further that strategic objective. but forfamilies in iran, ukraine, britain and more than 60 in canada, the focus is on grieving, though they do want answers. what are some of those here who have been affected by this unspeakable tragedy have told us is that

even though they're in canada, even though they've suffered such loss, they are still reluctant to criticise the iranian regime openly, partly because of the possible repercussions that could have for relatives back in iran. there's no question, though, that the sense this tragedy could have been a consequence of those regional tensions has only added to the despair. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in toronto. the us has stepped up its sanctions. the us has stepped up its sanctions. the treasury secretary said it has targeted eight officials, and mike pompeo has defended the decision to kill qasem soleimani, because they had been plotting attacks on

american interests. the islamic state has also welcomed his death, saying it has helped jihadists. we have some information here from gary donohue. there has been a lot of discussion over the past few days about what this imminent attack, or attacks were that soleimani was planning, along with the iranians, as a justification, if you like, for taking him out, well, the president has floated the idea yesterday that there was a plan the president has floated the idea yesterday that there was a plan to attack the baghdad embassy. this morning, the secretary of state talked about embassies being potentially some targets that were going to be attacked. now the president, we are expecting him to say in an interview, that is going to be broadcast later on, that there were four embassies that might have been targeted by plans that soleimani was hatching. now, he doesn't name, as far as we know, at this stage, doesn't name which ones they were, but it is getting gradually more

specific, and the reason for that is there has been a lot of pressure, notjust in the media, but from members of congress, as well, to be more specific about these justification for taking soleimani out at that moment in time. well, i mean, he has been slightly more specific, hasn't he? does he have any evidence for this? no evidence that we have seen so far, and, you know, to be frank, their evidence would be intelligence based, and there are few governments that would publicly publish that kind of detail, but they have been a bit all over the place, quite frankly, about how imminent these attacks were, how specific the intelligence were, how immediate the threat was, so i think they are trying to get their ducks in a row a little bit on this, and give something that people can actually latch onto in terms of the idea of the specific targets being looked at, but they are still very reticent to say what they meant by imminent. when asked about that today, the secretary of state just said it was going to happen. that was his definition of imminent.

meanwhile elsewhere in washington — nancy pelosi, the speaker of the us house of representatives, says the house will send the articles of impeachment against president trump to the senate next week. in a letter to democrats, mrs pelosi said she was proud of the work done by her party colleagues in defending the constitution. the house passed two articles of impeachment against president trump last month. the next step will be an impeachment trial, in the senate. president trump has spoken about the divisions in the royal family here in the uk. in an interview with fox news he was asked about the decision by prince harry and his wife meghan, the duchess of sussex to step down as senior royals — and what that might mean for the queen. be able to give her any advice for the rogue royals? i think it's sad, i do. she is a great woman. she has never made a mistake, if you look.

do you think harry should come back? i don't want to get into the whole thing, but ijust have such respect for the queen, i don't think this should be happening to her. a deal aimed at restoring power sharing in northern ireland has been agreed by the main political parties, sinn fein and the democratic unionists. it paves the way for devolved government to resume in northern ireland three years after the assembly there was suspended, when the parties clashed over a green energy scandal. emma vardy reports. after three years of resistance, the final steps to an agreement. in places from northern ireland's past, here to witness a new future. i believe that powersharing can work. that requires everyone to step up. sinn fein‘s commitment is to do all in our power to make this happen. it marks the end of a bitter stand—off between sinn fein and the democratic, who had already given their endorsement to the deal.

late last night, the ultimatum was given in dramatic fashion. secretary of state for northern ireland and the irish government's deputy prime minister chose to go public before all parties were on board, saying, it is on the table, take it or leave it. not all the documents are agreed by all the parties, some are commitments by each government. but i believe we have a deal that all parties in northern ireland can support. the deal contains wide—ranging revisions for the health service, education, policing and other areas. but the biggest ask was getting agreement for the much fought over legal protection for the irish language. well, it is my community language, it is the language that is spoken at home, it's the language i speak with my friends. the decades of conflict

in northern ireland mean even today, issues over british and irish identity often lead to tension. i don't see how one identity can erode another. i think if you're secure enough in your own identity, it shouldn't be an issue. we kind of moved into a new era, which does respect identity and culture here. giving the irish language legal status has faced opposition within unionist communities. it was once said, every word spoken in irish was a shot fired for irish freedom. people would say that would be a blunt instrument for irish unity and the irish identity, against other identities. the secretary of state tried to reassure voters in loyalist heartlands today that the deal is fair. it brings relief for many after three years, but in this city, compromise never comes easily. what is the problem with having laws to protect the irish language?

we don't want the irish language. isn't it time to have it back? we need it back, so we do. it had to be done, it has been going on for three years i'iow. northern ireland's nurses are striking for the first time in their history, and for them, the deal today will bring an end to these picket lines. there is extra cash from the british government for wages and measures to reduce the crippling waiting lists at hospitals. the parties know the devil is in the detail, and no doubt, the new provisions for northern ireland will provoke plenty of rows to come. but now, that will happen within a devolved government, not outside it. )let‘s take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the united states has announced further restrictions on flights to cuba. charter flights will only be allowed to fly to havana,

not other airports, a step already taken with commercial flights. the us says it's part of an attempt to reduce cuban government revenue. scientists say vegetation is expanding at high altidutes in the himalayas — including the everest region. the research didn't look at what's caused these changes, but it does back up findings made by other researchers, who've looked at glaciers and water systems. a boy in mexico, thought to be as young as 11 years old, has shot and killed his teacher in the northern city of torreon. the child injured six other people before turning the gun on himself. state officials say he had been a good student and shown no behavioural issues. the boy lived with his grandmother, and police are still trying to locate his parents. gale force winds in australia have merged two big bushfires creating one huge single blaze. the fire on the border of the states of new south wales and victoria border is said to be four times the area of greater london. almost a quarter of a million people nationwide are being urged to flee their homes as the blustery, changing winds create

unpredictable conditions. lucy hockings is at the headquarters of the new south wales rural fire service. i'm in the regional nerve centre for the response to the bushfire crisis, and if you can imagine in the middle of winter, it is it is empty behind me, but for the past few months there day has been about 150 people on a busy day, or responding to the all responding to the fires in the state. if you look at the big map that they are watching, those blue and red dots are the 144 active fires here in new south wales at the moment. they've been lucky today, they say. temperatures are hot, but it's this dangerous southerly wind that is going to be picking up in the evening that everyone is waiting to see what the effect of that will be. so, let's talk now to the deputy commissioner here. what you need most at the moment when you have been so busy, your staff are exhausted and tired and you have got weeks more of this to go? a lot of rain. a lot of steady rain for a couple of weeks. we don't want hard rain, because catchments have been burnt, so, where the water supply is,

we don't want to rush silt into that, so, just long, steady rain. i think that is the only thing we need right now to calm things down. more boots on the ground? would that help? we have got a lot of people, a lot of interstate people, we have got us and canadians that are helping us with incident management team and specialist roles, aviation, so we have got a lot of people helping, so we have got a lot of firefighters, it's just those incident management people that we burn through very quickly. everyone has a theory here in australia, but why do you think we are looking at the worst bushfire season in years? well, it's a combination. we have had a three drought, so the landscape is incredibly dry, so as soon as a fire takes hold it burns very aggressively. so, that's problem number one. problem number two is, we've had some extraordinarily hot days, record hot temperatures, a combination of strong winds, very low humidity. there has been no moisture at the other side of the country in western australia. normally moisture comes through, it has been very dry, so it's all these combination of elements just creating the perfect storm for us.

what about arson? well, look, arson, some fires have been started by arson, but most of the fires that have caused most of the problems for us our lightning strikes. it's on at the mountain ranges that run up and down state. they get lightning, and those lightning cause problems in really remote areas, and we struggle to get to those fires, and they are the ones that cause major problems. britain has requested the extradition of anne sacoolas, the american woman at the wheel of a car involved in a fatal accident in the uk. 19—year—old motorcyclist harry dunn died in the collision outside an raf base in august. mrs sacoolas, who's the wife of an american diplomat, returned to the us after the crash, claiming diplomatic immunity. she's since been charged by british police with causing death by dangerous driving. radd sieger — a spokesman for the dunn family — told us how his parents had reacted to the news.

the circumstances, and let's not forget his parents lost their lovely sun, so, can we forget his parents lost their lovely sun, so, can we say we are forget his parents lost their lovely sun, so, can we say we are pleased? look, actually, that was the reaction in the circumstances, given all they have been through. they are pleased, they are relieved, but unlike a lot of the nonsense that is coming out of the united states administration at the moment that anne sacoolas will not be returning, the parents continue to be dignified and measured and respectful, and will sit back now and allow the legal process to unfold. i would simply urge everyone in the administrator in the united states to come off the airwaves, roll up their sleeves and get the lawyers onto it. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: the teenage gamer who may have had his life saved by an online friend 5,000 miles away.

this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines. iran has again rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down a ukrainian passengerjet killing 176 people. but the picture remains far from clear. the us secretary of state has announced new sanctions against iran, also saying the drone attack against general soleimani was necessary to save american lives. chetan patak has all the sport. we are going to start with something ofa we are going to start with something of a shock in tennis. davitt got out produced one of the biggest wins of his career, beating rafael nadal.

djokovic also had to fight to secure serbia's passage into the semis. with just one serbia's passage into the semis. withjust one more serbia's passage into the semis. with just one more win needed to get into the semifinals, rafael nadal is not a bad person to call on. david goffin had other ideas. the belgian was on his game, and dominated. belgium back in the tie, natal beaten but not done yet. straightaway he was back on the doubles still. still belgium were more of a match, taking the first set. note nadal had redemption, and spain into the semis. the hosts face australia there. it's only in the

final that nadal could come up against novak djokovic. the serbian face canada in the last game, and like nadal, jack richard and got off toa like nadal, jack richard and got off to a good start. after losing the first set, djokovic came back, serbia with the lead. serbia was into the final four. before the tour, some said the atp cup wasn't needed. try telling them that. one match in the english premier league on friday, sheffield united, who have extended the manager's contract until 2024, take on west ham. they lead i—0 until 2024, take on west ham. they lead 1—0 with until 2024, take on west ham. they lead i—0 withjust until 2024, take on west ham. they lead 1—0 with just over an hour played jute to oh mcburnie's goal.

brighton's goalkeeper mat ryan is the latest to support australian bushfire relief efforts. he is also australia's number one. he is donating 500 dollars australian for every goal saved at the weekend. two—time marathon winner has been suspended for doping violations. he is bench sanctioned for not informing testing authorities of his whereabouts and tampering with samples. he is the sixth fastest marathon runner in history, with a personal best... he denies any wrongdoing. the dakar rally on friday has been one, finishing over a minute ahead of the spaniard. the

leaders increased to nearly eight minutes. saturday is a rest day. finally, juergen klopp and jose mourinho will lock horns again on the touchline tomorrow as the league leaders liverpool take their team to turn to transit hotspot. i'm not sure if he was a better footballer thanl sure if he was a better footballer than i was, but the good news is we don't play. i thought he was a goalkeeper. does anyone know what jose mourinho played? don't blame me, if you don't know it. does anybody know the position ofjose mourinho? i think it was a goalkeeper. i want to know it now, google it. we have time. sorry, jose! that is all your support for now. back to you, simon. parents are always warning their children to be careful

about who they speak to online — but for one teenager in cheshire here in england befriending a stranger may have saved his life. 17—year—old aidan jackson was chatting to a woman in texas — 5000 miles away — when he suddenly fell ill. his family were downstairs and had no idea. aidanjackson spends hours playing video games against opponents from around the world. 0nline gaming can be a test of fast reflexes. luckily for him, it was one of his gamer friends from texas who did the quick thinking and called for help when aidan started to feel unwell. that caller was dia lathora, who lives 5,000 miles away from aidan‘s home in cheshire. today, we spoke to her online.

i could hear him and seizing and breathing really hard. it sounded like he was choking and crying. automatically, that sets off the red flag of he's in trouble, what's going on? aidan had passed out. used to him being a silent teenager, his parents thought nothing of him being quiet upstairs until the police turned up. i'm sitting there watching tv, then seeing two police cars outside with flashing lights. when they came in, the police, what did they say to you? theyjust said they had had a call from america, that there was an unresponsive male, possible seizure. so then i ran upstairs to check on aidan. since this has all happened, have you had the chance to thank dia and tell her what you think? i thank her every day. chuckles because life could have been over like that. and seizures are dangerous things. sometimes, obviously, we don't know, had it gone on for longer, we don't know what would have happened. one day aidan would like to meet his online saviour

and thank her for staging a real world rescue. judith moritz, bbc news, widnes. a reminder of our top story. iran has again rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down a ukrainian passenger jet on wednesday killing 176 people. western powers said they had strong evidence that the plane was hit by an iranian missile. the crash of ukraine international airlines flight ps752 near tehran airport came just hours after iran carried out missile strikes on two airbases housing us forces in iraq. fifty ukrainian experts are in iran to take part in the investigation, and the ukrainain foreign minister said they'd been given access to the flight recorders, the aircraft's fragments and the crash site. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of my team on twitter —

i'm @sipusey. thanks for watching, stay tuned on bbc news. thanks for watching, stay tuned on bbc news. for many, friday offered a spell of warm when the weather, gusts of wind of around 60 miles an hourfor the western isles, and that's only half the story. we also have heavy and persistent rain spilling in, pushing its way into parts of cumbria and north wales. after a chilly start the night, temperatures were actually rise as we head towards dawn as we had to into warmer air, and it will be windy across the board on saturday. the strongest of the winds through parts of scotland, northern england and wales. behind it turns but a little brighter, but with showers of a ground. it will be

a mild day was double digit temperatures. as we head into sunday, the rain in the wind gradually clear towards the south, a cold day on a blustery day. the wind is not a strong saturday. some shine around, but also some showers which can be wintry over the hills of scotland. at ten o'clock and i look at the tour let's be pa rt part of the body society is obsessed with. if you don't like yours, it can hit your self—confidence hard. with. if you don't like yours, it can hit your self—confidence hardlj hate them, because i lost a lot of weight. i would definitely get a bootjob. weight. i would definitely get a boot job. more symmetry. i lost weight quite rapidly, so i would get a breast lift. i want a bigger,

obviously! so much so that around 7000 get breast implants every year. i was 7000 get breast implants every year. iwasa 7000 get breast implants every year. i was a 302g wow. for some, getting the surgery can turn into a nightmare. physical pain, allergies, even mental health problems. just so much pain. the fatigue isjust... they call it breast implant illness. i thought, they call it breast implant illness. ithought, i'm they call it breast implant illness. i thought, i'm dying. they call it breast implant illness. ithought, i'm dying. i'm really dying. there is something, and it's really horrible. nobody would listen to me. but it is still a mystery. no one can agree on what took causing it. some are convinced of their own plans, but as most surgeons... there is no proven breast implant...

what more proof do we need? and many say the uk is lagging massively behind other countries, leaving some women taking huge risks just to try and feel normal again. i'm really nervous, to be honest. the stakes are a lot higher this time. a bit emotional. this was obviously before you had your surgery. it doesn't look like you had much to worry about, really. no. i think, obviously, what you are not seeing is probably the toilet tissue underneath, stuffing the bra. we've come to meet beth, who had breast implants put in when she was 23. i was never bothered, particularly, about the size. i was kind of a b cup. but the shape of them i just always felt was weird. the underneath, it seemed to fall away too soon. and without a bra or anything they would literally kind of point to the floor. yeah. i said to my mum, since probably about the age of 16 or 17, i don't feel normal. i want breast implants.

everyone had these perfectly round sort of breasts, and mine didn't resemble anything like it. a few years later, beth got engaged, but she was so self—conscious she never even that her fiancee see her naked. he was offended at that point as well. he was like, how can you not trust me? so i guess that caused a few problems, intimately? it was kind of self—loathing, i suppose. i was just not comfortable with him seeing them as they were, and ijust really felt like... ..deficient in being a woman. and it was in the build—up to their wedding that she decided to take the plunge. i knew that having the breast implants would make me feel a bit differently about things. millions of women around the world never experience any problems with breast implants, which are still the most popular choice when it comes to cosmetic surgery.

women have been getting them since the early ‘60s, and they