this is bbc news. welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm aaron safir. our top stories: the un refugee agency calls for hundreds of migrants who've been rescued in the mediterranean to be granted a place of safety. new zealand's prime minister announces a partial easing of restrictions in auckland and makes masks compulsory on all public transport. for auckland, i want to say thank you for all of your effo rts thank you for all of your efforts to date but also, keep going. more protests across europe from demonstrators angry at measures designed to combat covid—19. and president trump visits areas devastated by hurricane laura as hundreds of thousands of people remain

without power and water. hello and welcome. the un refugee agency is calling for hundreds of migrants who've been rescued in the mediterranean to be granted a place of safety. nearly 200 migrants have been taken off a rescue boat that was stranded near the near the italian island of lampedusa, north of the coast of libya. the italian coast guard took 49 of the most vulnerable passengers from the the louise michel, which is funded by the british graffiti artist banksy. simon jones has more. not too sure and to safety. 49 migrants who had initially been

rescued by a ship longing to banksy, the louise michel. they we re banksy, the louise michel. they were taken to lampedusa by the italian coastguard. these are the lucky ones. the fate of hundreds more people still on the water remains unclear. the louise michel had picked up more than 200 people at sea. it became dangerously overcrowded and stranded off the coast of malta. some of the migrants had to stay on life rafts, floating alongside the boat. crew said nobody in the international community was to help. everyone that has been rescued was deeply traumatised. we will keep trying to contact the european authorities to be assigned a port of safety. one ship did come to help, another rescue vessel the sea—watch four. it was already carrying around 200 migrants. after taking on board those from the louise michel, the sea—watch crew tweeted: the louise michel

added: the louise michel had only recently gone into service asa only recently gone into service as a rescue ship, complete with its own banksy artwork. the artist has accused the eu authorities of ignoring distress calls from non— europeans. the un refugee agency says a solution must be found and saving lives is a humanitarian imperative. simon jones, bbc news. new zealand's prime minister jacinda ardern has announced the partial easing of coronavirus restrictions in auckland. the country's largest city was put back into lockdown two weeks ago after a cluster of cases. under the new guidelines, social gatherings will be allowed, but limited to ten people, and across the whole country, face masks will be compulsory on public transport. new zealand has registered just two new coronavirus cases in the last 2a hours. here's some of what the prime minister had to say. no gathering can be larger than ten.

i cannot stress how important this is. much of this cluster has stemmed from social gatherings. if we want to stop the spread, we have to stop socialising for a time. i understand that it is easy to become complacent. that if you hear a message that there are just, for instance, as you did today, two cases, you may question what the likelihood is of you coming into contact with those two cases. everyone, i am sure, who has experienced covid—i9 probably thought that same thing at some point, until it was them. a short time ago, i spoke to amelia wade, a political reporter on the new zealand herald. i started asking her if the prime minister's message is clear enough for people to know what they can and can't do. you have to remember we have done this before. after we came out of our last lockdown, the whole country went back into level two

so we are familiar with this level before, but what is new is the masking regulations. so that is what the government has mandated, that everyone on public transport has to wear a mask, included on planes as well, otherwise you could get a $300 instant fine. so, yes, that is new to us, but these restrictions aren't new to us as a population. on that point about masks, is that likely to prove controversial with people? in many countries around the world, the question of masks is controversial. and then the question of whether people should be forced to wear them is even more controversial. what is the temperature like there? you have to remember, our lockdown rules the first time around were met with about 90% support from the population, so we rely quite heavily on the health advice. however, we are not immune to the sentiments that other countries overseas also see. so it is yet to be seen

what will happen, but you have heard our minister does lean heavily on the compassion. she is asking new zealanders to wear masks in order to save others so it will really be a test to see how well that message is picked up. she also leans quite heavily on sort of pleading, because there was a sense of pleading in her tone there — telling people, "please don't get tired of this. please remember you may think your chance of contracting this virus is small, but that is what everyone who caught the virus thought". is she encountering weariness among the population who are getting a bit tired of all of this? yeah, definitely. and there has definitely been a sense of lockdown fatigue this time around. and especially because it was part of our population which was locked down, and not the entire country. last time, we had "a team of 5 million" was the messaging. so that was like we were in it together, but that has been fractured now with auckland having to go back into lockdown and the rest of the country being pretty free to move around, so that is one

of the challenges that the government is trying to get over with as well. and finally, one of those big changes that was announced earlier, one of the big impacts of coronavirus was that postponement of the general election. do we think the coronavirus and the government's handling of it is going to be a big factor in the campaign when it does begin in earnest? absolutely. the delay of the election was because of covid—i9 and, with it, inevitably with the population and the world for the next few years, of course it is going to dominate everything that political parties put their policies on. and what is more, sort of the reaction and the political — the government's response to it has really transformed the popularity for labour, which is jacinda ardern‘s party. so their popularity skyrocketed at around 50—60% support mark. it really has changed the game heading into this election. but a week is a long time in politics and six weeks is even longer so that's a lot of time and a lot could go wrong.

it will definitely be one to watch, for sure. indeed, we will check back in with you and see how that campaign goes. amelia wade from new zealand's herald. staying with the coronavirus pandemic. across europe, there have been protests in opposition to measures designed to combat the virus. there were demonstrations in berlin, paris and london, amongst other cities. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. like the virus, anger can be infectious. here in berlin, hundreds of arrests took place, police accusing far—right extremists of throwing stones and bottles. singing. earlier, at another protest in the city, it had been a much more peaceful affair. thousands of germans taking to the streets, arguing that the restrictions now in place are no longer

necessary. translation: i am taking the virus very seriously but i have also seen the numbers and i know that the situation is long past its peak and there really isn't any serious danger anymore. it's better when people walk around in the fresh air, without masks, and breathe. similar sentiments in paris. no masks, no social distancing at the place de la republique, only a sense of unease that the authorities are going too far in fighting the virus. translation: i came here because i believe in the need forfreedom, because we have been putting up with oppressive laws, with the authoritarianism that we have seen from the start. this concentration of power in the hands of the executive scares me. in london's trafalgar square, they go even further. chanting: choose your side! choose your side!

anti—mask, anti—vaccine and claims the whole thing is a conspiracy to control the people. all across europe, governments insist they are doing what is necessary to protect their citizens. but it seems some of those citizens, perhaps a growing number, aren't so sure they need protecting. tim allman, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. donald trump is to visit kenosha in wisconsin, on tuesday. the city has seen widespread unrest after a white policeman shot a black man, jacob blake, in the back, paralysing him from the waist down. the white house says the president will meet law enforcement officials but not be drawn on whether president would meet jacob bla ke's family. for the 10th consecutive week, there have been demonstrations across israel demanding the resignation of prime minister benjamin netanyahu. the biggest protest was outside his official residence injerusalem. protesters want him to stand down because of his indictment

on corruption charges, which he denies. they are also upset with the government's handling of the pandemic. japan's chief cabinet secretary yoshihide suga, has announced he intends to run in the ruling party leadership race to succeed prime minister shinzo abe. mr abe, who's japan's longest—serving premier, said on friday he was stepping down due to a worsening of a chronic illness, setting the stage for a leadership election within his liberal democratic party. tributes have poured in from across the world for the actor chadwick boseman, who has died from colon cancer at the age of a3. the star of the superhero film black panther didn't publicise his diagnosis four years ago and continued to work throughout his treatment. the bbc‘s entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba looks back on his life. over the last four years,

throughout his appearances in black panther, avengers: infinity war and avengers: endgame... yibambe! ..chadwick boseman chose to keep private that he'd been diagnosed with bowel cancer... hey, mike. i want to be a great king, baba. like you. ..and that in between and during the making of the emotionally and physically demanding films, he'd also been undergoing surgical operations and chemotherapy. one, two, three, four. one, two, three... get up! boseman first came to prominence playing some of history's most influential black figures, including the legendary soul singer james brown in the biopic get on up. woo! let's go! it was perhaps inevitable that he would later do the same with the comic book world's biggest black superhero. black panther shattered barriers, taking more than $1 billion at the box office.

this, the reaction of one class when they were told they were about to see boseman‘s film, a generation who'd rarely seen heroes that looked like them. the conversation we're having today about diversity and representation and the myth that's been pedalled out that black content, black heroes, black leads, black films can't sell and won't engage audiences across the world — black panther really tore that up. it wasn't a small budget movie, it was a massive budget movie that you could go to the cinema — i took my kids there and they came out feeling different, they came out feeling special, they came out feeling like, you know, they could be super. he was well aware of the power of a film where the main stars, including his nemesis, were played by black actors. i know what it means to see somebody that looks like you and play the hero and the villain, and to have the freedom to be both things. leading the tributes, barack 0bama said: "chadwick came to the white house to work

with kids when he was playing jackie robinson. to be young, gifted and black, to use that power to give them heroes to look up to, to do it all while in pain, what a use of his years." a sentiment that will be shared by the millions who watched and loved chadwick boseman‘s films. the actor chadwick boseman, who's died at the age of a3. the authorities in belarus — a country swept by mass unrest in the wake of disputed presidential elections — are stripping accreditation from a large number —— are stripping the accreditation from a large number ofjournalists who report for the western media. they include bbc russian language journalists. the bbc has called on the belarusian authorities to revoke the decision. 0ur correspondent steve rosenberg has retained his accreditation, although he was detained by security forces in minsk. well, it's clearly an attempt to interfere with coverage of events here, to make it

harder for international media organisations to talk about what is happening in belarus. as you say, we still have our accreditations and we will continue to cover events here. a few days ago, 50 journalists were detained in the centre of minsk. we were among them. we were told it was for a document check but it was the strictest document check i've ever experienced. it included a body search, my bags were searched, equipment was looked at. i was told to show the police the most recent photographs on my mobile phone, so it was document check plus, but also clearly intended to increase pressure on the media here. there was a protest today — quite a large one — several thousand women marching through the centre of minsk, shouting "freedom" and "disgrace" and "lukashenko — into the police van with him!"

and they were holding flowers and the white, red and white flag which has become a symbol of the protest. but we're expecting another major rally — another a large rally tomorrow. last sunday, there were more than 100,000 people, i think, who came out into the centre of minsk. it will be interesting to see how many people come out tomorrow. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the un refugee agency is calling for hundreds of migrants who've been rescued in the mediterranean to be granted a place of safety. to the americas, where the devastation caused by hurricane laura is becoming clearer. officials in haiti, where the storm hit last weekend, say 31 people are now known to have died. in the us, at least fourteen people in the states of lousiana and texas were killed. the hurricane is one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the region as rebecca bailey reports. the skies are calm and clear now though there is plenty of evidence of the force with which laura tore

through these streets on thursday. we started clearing the roads to get to my house in sweet lake and it was total devastation down there. i mean, it is a war... but there is work to be done and, for some, the prospect of no power or water potentially four weeks. residents in coastal areas are particularly badly affected. officials said more than 400,000 were without electricity on saturday morning, and 200,000 have no water. the president was on the ground in louisiana, meeting volunteers and local officials, though not, it seems, residents. our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones. how many — what is the number would you say, john, right now? inaudible. amazing. well, it is a tremendous number but you were thinking it could have been a lot worse. there are in fact fears

the death toll might rise. more remote areas have not been reached yet by rescue workers. the white house has declared a major disaster in parts of louisiana, which will mean federal funds can be sent to the hardest hit areas urgently. never one to stay sombre for long though... who's going to get this one? ..the president could not resist a personal gift of his own... sell it tonight on ebay, $10,000. ..an autograph. away from the presidential visit, the clean—up continues by population now sadly accustomed to dealing with the aftermath of extreme weather. i've been in multiple hurricanes, katrina, gustav — i mean, this is part of living down here and louisiana is great, and there's a reason it's great — you see all this damage, you see all this destruction, but you see the best in people right now — everybody coming together, trying to help each other out. and we're alljust looking out to make it out to the next day and ready for the next sunrise. rebecca bailey, bbc news. dan halyburton is a volunteer and spokesperson for the american red cross,

who's been helping with aid efforts on the ground. of course, everybody has seen a lot of the damage along the coast, and are now we are up further in the centre part of the state where the very strong eye of the hurricane tracked through, and there are pockets of devastation, downed trees, houses destroyed, and just without electricity. a lot of pockets of misery. when people are left without their homes, without power, without water, what is the most important thing that organisations like yours do and the first thing that you try and do? the very first thing we want to do is get somebody to a place that is safe. a lot of people in central louisiana sheltered in place but, if their home was destroyed, then we would make sure they have a safe place to stay. that is job one, is getting them a place to stay. we have seen some of the pictures of the destruction. we have also heard officials

say that this could have been a lot worse. what is your overall assessment of the damage that's been caused ? well, it is devastating along the coast and so many people have seen the pictures of that. but as you go inland, if it is your devastation, if it's your home that's been destroyed, then it is very difficult on the people they are, but they are resilient. people in louisiana and texas, they are very used to hurricanes, but it's never, neverfun. today, we were out, going into the neighbourhoods with some supplies. meals that are ready to eat, some snacks and water, of course, because people in a lot of cases can't get out to the stores and there is no electricity to operate the stores. we can put a price on the cost of rebuilding, we can make donations to organisations like yours, what about the psychological costs, the emotional cost that 5—10 years from now people may still be feeling? well, there is a bit of weariness. we have gotten some big storms

in louisiana and we have an eye on the atlantic and the gulf because it is hurricane season, more could be on the way. but people love louisiana, they love all of the lifestyle of being here and they know it kind of comes with the territory, but it can be tough and it can be wary and covid—19 makes it a big challenge too. thousands of people have been protesting in mauritius, at the government's handling of an oil spill. a warning, the bbc‘s catherine byaruhanga's report contains some distressing images. some are calling this a historic moment for mauritius. one of the biggest demonstrations the country has seen. protesters calling for accountability, after a massive oil spill threatened wildlife and people's livelihoods. i am present here today because we want the truth on wakashio. we don't know what happened. why didn't anyone do

anything when this ship was coming in our waters? 12 days, they didn't do anything. the oil spilled, and now thousands of people are being affected and marine life is being affected. we're not going to stand for this. translation: we are protesting against this government which has been incompetent in recent years, and it's so sad to see how far we have fallen. we are afraid for our future, and all of our children's future. the japanese mv wakashio hits a coral reef, near the island, at the end ofjuly. nearly two weeks later, it started leaking hundreds of tonnes of fuel. the oil spill happened close to protected marine ecosystems, putting thousands of species at risk. mauritians quickly mobilised to clean up the oil. the ocean and its wildlife are vitalfor tourism, a major industry for the country. this week, there was widespread concern when dozens of dead or dying dolphins were found on the shoreline.

some environmentalists believe that the oil spill and the deliberate sinking of part of the shipwreck led to these deaths. the government says a preliminary autopsy resort on two carcasses show they had bite marks, and no traces of fuel. a final analysis is expected in the coming days. the government insists it has followed expert advice in its handling of the crisis. but mauritians are angry and they want answers. catherine byaruhanga, bbc news. one of the world's great galleries, the metropolitan museum of art, has reopened in new york. its two million artefacts have been off limits owing to the coronavirus pandemic. gail maclellan reports. the excitement is palpable, and the met staff happy to be home.

the metropolitan museum of art is clearly loved and has been missed, and its opening brings a sense of relief. there is some semblance of normalcy. the met has been a part of the new york history for over 150 years and it's been a consistent part. 0nly closing for what — max three days prior to covid, so this is a big first step. a first step and a careful one. today is not normal. we are reopening in the context of a pandemic that still has its grip on the entire planet, but are we are learning how to manage through that more effectively and we know that we can reopen safely. if everyone does what they are supposed to do, we'll be fine. to minimize the danger from the coronavirus, tickets are timed to regulate the stream of visitors who must follow predetermined routes through the rooms. staff and visitors must

wear face coverings, and there are sanitising stations throughout. and for those who do not want to use the subway or taxis to get there, a bicycle valet service is provided. people queue outside, under yoko 0no's dream together artwork. new york may be curiously devoid of tourists, but local enthusiasts make up for that. our first date was here and then we got married. yeah, it wasn't that fast but it was our first date here and it isjust nice to be back to the met, honestly. it is our favourite place to go. kind of a nice way to reintroduce us back into the real world a little bit. the met usually sees 6 million people a year, and the closure has cost the museum $150 million in lost revenue.

only a quarter of the usual numbers will now be allowed through its doors but, with new york having been hit so hard by the coronavirus, the visitors see the met‘s opening as a sign that the city is slowly making its way back. gail maclellan, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter, i'm @aaronsafir. i'll i'm @aaronsafir. be back in a few minutes with i'll be back in a few minutes with the headlines. thanks for watching. hello. in the sunshine on saturday, it looked like summer but, with a brisk northerly wind, it did not always feel that way. temperatures in places struggling to get above the low teens in celsius and for others no sunshine to speak of, just cloud and rain through parts of northern and eastern england, the midlands, east anglia, and south—east england. all tied in with this area of low pressure, continuing to pull away eastwards through the early hours of sunday. high pressure to the west of the uk and, in between, the squeeze in the isobars. still some gusty winds down the eastern coasts. it's a cool if not chilly start to sunday, particularly across rural scotland, where we could see temperatures

getting close to freezing, perhaps a touch of frost through the glens. but a good deal of sunshine to start the day on sunday. what we'll find through the morning is cloud will tend to build and eventually spread out. so bright or sunny spells through the afternoon. maybe one or two showers across scotland and northern ireland. most will be dry. lighter winds compared to saturday. but still a noticeable northerly wind down eastern coasts, just taking the edge off temperatures which, at best, are going to be 1a or 15 celsius. we could get up to 18 or 19 across central, southern england in the best of the sunshine. now, most of us will see some sunshine to end the day and then, through the night, as we go into monday, a mixture of variable cloud and clear spells but, once again, it's fairly cool if not chilly. temperatures widely in single figures, and low single figures across rural parts of northern england, scotland, and northern ireland. now monday, away from scotland, is a bank holiday. high pressure the dominant feature, this frontal system out to the west. friday more clouds and maybe some rain later in the day into northern ireland and western scotland. but let's just cast our minds back to this time last year, to the late august bank holiday, where it was the warmest on record — 33 celsius in both london and cambridgeshire. something much different this year. but it will be dry, quiet,

some spells of sunshine through the morning on monday. once again, cloud tending to build, and certainly increasing across northern ireland and western scotland. a bit of patchy rain here by the end of the day. most will be dry but temperatures at best 16—18 celsius. this year it could be the coolest late august bank holiday on record. then looking ahead through tuesday and wednesday, oui’ eyes once again turn to the atlantic, particularly on wednesday. a fairly deep area of low pressure tracking to the north of the uk, bringing some wet and windy weather. but probably not to the south of england. so some rain in the forecast in the week ahead and still not feeling particularly warm. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the un refugee agency is calling for hundreds of migrants who've been rescued in the mediterranean to be granted a place of safety. nearly 200 people have been taken off a rescue boat that was stranded near the italian island of lampedusa, north of the coast of libya. new zealand's prime minister jacinda ardern has announced the partial easing of restrictions in auckland as the country continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic. social gatherings will be allowed, but limited in number. face masks will be mandatory on public transport across the whole country. police in berlin have arrested 300 demonstrators during protests against germany's coronavirus restrictions. about 200 were arrested at one rally, which the authorities blamed on right—wing agitators, who were said to have thrown stones and bottles. there were also protests in other european cities.