this is bbc news. i'm maryam moshiri with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. at least 25 people have been killed and dozens more are missing as america's west coast wildfires burn out of control. the afghan government calls for a ceasefire with the taliban as the first—ever peace talks between the two sides take place in qatar. stranded migrants on the greek island of lesbos spend a fourth night sleeping rough after a fire destroyed the moria camp. "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus — a warning from a leading british scientist as 3,500 cases are recorded in a 24—hour period. japan's naomi osaka fights back from a set down to win her second us tennis open, and her third grand slam title.

hello and welcome. dozens of people are missing in oregon as deadly wildfires continue to sweep through us west coast states. fires have been raging in california, oregon and washington for three weeks. the blazes have killed at least 25 people, destroyed thousands of homes, and burnt millions of acres. kathryn armstrong reports. the city of portland, almost invisible under a thick layer of smoke — the result of deadly wildfires that have been raging on the west coast for weeks. meteorologists on saturday said that the air quality here and in neighbouring states was the worst in the world, and warnings are in place in canada as the smoke travels north. so awfully kind of you guys.

thank you so much. elsewhere in oregon, these residents are now relying on the kindness of strangers after having to flee their homes, unsure when they will be able to return and what they will find when they get there. to be honest, if we have to rebuild, we have to rebuild. if we don't have to rebuild, we still have so much clean—up to do because of the ash, because when we left, like i said, the last time we pulled out, there was almost two inches, so it is what it's going to be and i am just thankful that we are alive, we are together. oh, my god! and scenes like this are what they have escaped. this part ofjust one of more than a dozen blazes in the state that firefighters are working to contain. oh, my god, babe. more than 900,000 acres have burned in oregon this week alone — more than twice the average area burned over the last decade. officials are warning the death toll could rise significantly in the coming days. meanwhile, in california,

where some of the largest fires the state has ever seen have been burning, there has been some cause for optimism — a break in the hot, dry weather on saturday enabled firefighters to make important headway in containment efforts. the president is due to visit the state on monday to see first—hand the devastation the fires have caused. donald trump has said that western governors bear some of the blame for the intense fire seasons in recent years, claiming that poor forest management has enabled the fires to spread. applause. his political opponent joe biden, meanwhile, has joined some state officials, including california's governor, in linking the current situation to climate change. he tweeted: while the cause and strength of the fires remains open for debate, the arduous task of trying to contain them continues. it is hoped that in the coming

days, parts of the west coast will see the first signs of rain in weeks, bringing some relief to a desperate situation. however, officials are warning that some fires are likely to continue burning until winter arrives. well, earlier, ispoke to crystal thornton, in portland. i asked how the fires had impacted oregon's capital city. well, for portland, if you look behind me, those are not clouds, that is smoke that you see through my windows. our air quality here has been said to be the worst in the world right now for the size of our city. i suffer from upper respiratory issues and i can literally feel and taste the ash. one of the things we've been telling people who do suffer from upper respiratory, stay inside if at all possible. obviously, several areas are under level three go

now evacuation orders. other cities nearby, oregon city can be under level two, which means get ready. the city of portland is not under an evacuation order right now, but we definitely are seeing and feeling the remnants of this. we have a lot of homeless in downtown portland and what the city has also been doing to kind of help those people out as they have opened up the oregon convention center —— people out is they have opened up the oregon convention center in portland and, that is going to be open 24—7, notjust overnight, to kind of help alleviate some of the strain that those who do not have a home have here. this is probably the worst fire in state history, according to governor kate brown. 40,000 people have already been evacuated. 500,000 are ready, set, or will be going. the weather has gotten a little bit better, the winds have died down, so hopefully that is going

to help our firefighters fight this fire, but overi million acres has been destroyed up to this point this year in the state of oregon. it's devastating, and some people have had to leave their animals behind. some people have — i have a friend who just —— some people have lost their life. i have a friend who just announced that they believe her brother may have passed away. his house completely was engulfed, his truck was found melted to the ground and the last time they saw him was in his home, so it's devastating to say the least. and i'm wondering is everyday life carrying on? our schools and businesses open? what is going on in the city? —— are schools and businesses open? a lot of people have shut down, obviously because this air quality is absolutely not breathable. it is really hard. the best thing that you can do is stay indoors, hepa filters, whatever you can do to try to sustain the clean air that you do have to breathe.

it's awful. there have been calls for an urgent ceasefire in afghanistan at the end of the first day of long—awaited intra—afg han peace talks in qatar. these are the first formal negotiations between the afghan government and the taliban and are aimed at ending a ao—year conflict. the afghan government delegation says the country must respect free speech, women's rights, and it was time for the violence to end. as one of the topmost issues in the minds of the people, reduction in violence in a significant way, in a way that it is palpable, and also getting to a humanitarian ceasefire and, hopefully, a permanent ceasefire. earlier, i asked journalist and political commentator jehangir khattak what he thought the sticking points in the negotiations would be. i think that it's going to be a long, complicated and challenging process,

which may continue for a while. and in terms of sticking points, we may come across many roadblocks but i find two major sticking points — one of them is the ceasefire, which dr abdullah abdullah referred to as well in his speech, and the second is the future dispensation. what kind of government will afghanistan have? because, remember, there — this process has started, even though it is a intra—afghan dialogue, but the parties at the table identify themselves differently. like, for example, the afghan government is representing the islamic republic of afghanistan, whereas the taliban identify themselves as the islamic emirate of afghanistan. now, these are two different programmes and political thoughts and ideologies and we don't know exactly what will be at the table, so i feel that in the coming days, if the government insists on just the ceasefire

without giving details of the plan that it has, the road map that it has for the future, bearing how the afghan government, the current government or any other government in the future with share power with the taliban. and what kind of role will they have? and then there's key questions about human rights, women's rights and other issues that have been around the taliban's thinking, so we have to see down the road. but i feel these are the major sticking points that will see, i think, right in the beginning. where, you know, the first call for a ceasefire and then the demand from taliban, "ok, what will we get in return?" because the taliban, they feel they are strong in their position. the afghan government has the support of the international community. and... and the taliban also have some support. but i feel that they are coming from some positions of strength, so we have to see

down the road how it unfolds. absolutely. and you mentioned very briefly there about the role of women — the role of women a very hugely problematic position, isn't it, given the taliban's very entrenched position on women and where they see women? that's very true. the thing is that ever since this whole process started between the united states and the taliban, the primary focus was to bring negotiations to a stage where there is an intra—afghan dialogue and then from that, civil society. remember, afghanistan is not the afghanistan of the 1990s. we have seen eight presidential and parliamentary elections during the past two decades and afghan society has changed a lot, so if the taliban bring of the table something which is against women's rights, which does not accommodate for women's rights, i am not sure how such a deadlock will be broken and i am not sure how the afghan civil society will accept it. so i think it will be a very challenging environment

where they will be negotiating and flexibility and accommodation may be the key to finding some solution. jehangir khattak there. in greece, some of the thousands of people from the moria migrant camp on the island of lesbos have begun moving to temporary accommodation being built nearby. more than 10,000 people were left without shelter when fire devastated the camp on wednesday. greek authorities say the most vulnerable asylum seekers, including families, will be given priority housing in tents. on saturday, police on lesbos fired tear gas during a protest by migrants. it was the second such demonstration since friday, sparked by anger over their conditions. martha roussou is a senior advocacy officer for the international rescue committee. it's working to deliver basic supplies to those in need. she says lots of organisations are working together to help. all the response is coordinated by the minister of migration and asylum, as well as international organisations and the ngos.

the number of people is really large. there's 12,000 people, so not very much one organisation can do on its own. so as the irc, we have moved some chemical toilets that we had in moira that were left unburnt to this —— that we had in moria that were left unburnt to this new camp, as well as the community centre that is about to host single women. we also provide blankets and sleeping bags, as well as psychological firstaid. we've set up a hotline where people can actually seek psychological support in english, french, farsi and arabic. let's get some of the day's other news. women protesting against the re—election of president alexander lukashenko in belarus have confronted security forces arresting demonstrators in minsk. some tried to rip the balaclavas from the heads of unidentified agents in green fatigues. the women chanted their support for a 73—year—old great—grandmother at

the forefront of the protests. two former british prime ministers — tony blair and sirjohn major — have condemned plans by the current prime minister borisjohnson to override elements of the brexit withdrawal agreement relating to northern ireland. writing in the sunday times newspaper, the two former leaders say the bill could prompt damaging retaliation from the european union. the us secretary of state mike pompeo says he is deeply concerned by turkish activities in surveying for oil and gas in eastern mediterranean waters claimed by cyprus. mr pompeo was speaking in the cypriot capital nicosia, where he's had talks with president nicos anastasiades on the regional tension involving turkey, cyprus and greece. a leading scientist has warned that the uk is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus as infections rise. professor sir mark walport, a member of the british government's scientific advisory body, says people need to limit their socialising to ensure children can remain at school and students

at university. lauren moss reports. on the final weekend before new restrictions are introduced, there's a stark warning about what could lie ahead. 3,500 more coronavirus cases have been diagnosed for the second day in a row. scientists say although the rate of infection is lower than it was at the peak of the epidemic, covid—i9 is growing in the community. i think one would have to say we're on the edge of losing control and you've only got to look across the channel to see what's happening in france and what's happening in spain. the figures in the uk — on september 5, it was around 1,800 people identified with the infection. on the 11th, it was 3,500. there's been an increase in coronavirus cases across all age groups. it's most pronounced among 20— to 39—year—olds. but there's also been a steep

rise recently in people over the age of 80 testing positive. those numbers declined over the summer but, as you can see, they're now going back up. to try and keep a lid on infections, the rule of six will limit the numbers we can socialise with in england from monday, and people are getting their heads around the new rules. why is it monday? why not bring it in straight away? i do think it's bit of a funny system. if it's saving lives, then i think it makes sense, to be honest. it's a lot clearer. i think the rule of six, i think people understand it. so i have to say, i'm probably in support of it. in birmingham and nearby sandwell and solihull, where the rate of infection is among the highest in the country, 1.5 million people will be banned from mixing with other households from tuesday. everyone is warned they have a part to play. the onus is on all of us to do everything we can to make sure that we are abiding by those rules. and those rules, of course, ensure that we can, with close family members and close

friends, socialise in appropriate circumstances. and those rules also stress the vital importance of making sure that children are at school, that students can study at university, and that we can work in a covid—safe environment. restrictions on two households mixing were expanded into lanarkshire at midnight, and from monday in the rest of scotland, there will be a limit of six people from two different households allowed to meet. and in wales, indoor gatherings of more than six will be banned. there's positive news that the vaccine trial by oxford university is restarting after being paused when one participant became unwell this week. an independent investigation has concluded it is safe to continue, but any vaccine is likely to be several months away. for now, we'll walk a fine line between maintaining a way of life and containing the virus that's changed it for so many. lauren moss, bbc news. a british—iranian woman,

nazanin zaghari—ratcliffe, who is serving a 5—year sentence in iran, is due in court later on sunday to face a new charge. mrs zaghari—ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 and accused of plotting against the regime — a charge she denies. her husband richard says she's being used as a pawn to put pressure on the british government to repay a ao—year—old debt of $500 million related to an unfulfilled military deal. this is bbc news. the headlines: dozens of people are missing in oregon as deadly wildfires continue to sweep through the us west coast. at least 25 people have been killed and thousands of homes destroyed. the afghan government has called for a humanitarian ceasefire with the taliban, as the first—ever peace talks between the two sides take place in qatar — so far the taliban haven't mentioned a truce. the authorities in pakistan's punjab province say they've identified two suspects in connection with the rape of a woman who was stranded with her children on a

motorway on thursday. both men are on the run. protests have been taking place across the country over the way police have handled the case. paul hawkins reports. chanting. pakistan's women have had enough. thousands took to the streets across the country after a woman was gang—raped in front of her children. she ran out of fuel while driving on a motorway outside the city of lahore. while waiting for the police, two men pulled her and her children out of the car at gunpoint and then proceeded to attack her. police and are looking for two suspects in connection with the attack. both are on the run. translation: i am hopefulthat very soon we will reach the two suspects and god willing, we will arrest them. as the chief minister has said, we request the public to help us in finding them. but the police have been heavily criticised

after the lead investigator blamed the victim for travelling at night, not having enough fuel and not using a busier motorway. he also said victim seemed to think pakistan was as safe for women as france, where she lives. what kind of medina state is this? what kind of an islamic republic is this, where a woman gets gang—raped in front of her children in a big metropolitan city of lahore, and the chief police officer blames her instead, and says she shouldn't be out on the road at night, she shouldn't be driving alone, she should have taken this road, not that road, et cetera, et cetera? i think it's a shame! the country's human rights minister has strongly criticised the police for blaming the victim, while pakistan's government says the protection of women is a priority.

violence against women and girls remains a serious problem in a country which is still very patriarchal. we have been facing a lot of rape cases that have actually been normalised in pakistan. they have been ignored by the government, on and on again. we see the government coming out for whatever the mullahs want to say. they come out in protest and the government just listens to them. you can't walk on the street for more than five minutes without being molested by a bunch of guys. you could be wearing a burka, it's not enough. the fact that i need to think twice before deciding whether i want to go somewhere or not isjust beyond me. because this is my country too, these are my streets, this is my road, just as much as it is of any man. meanwhile, the police continue to search for the two suspects, and the country continues to search for answers. why this keeps happening, why victims are held responsible, when will it stop, and why justice is so hard to come by. paul hawkins, bbc news. the international olympic committee has expressed its shock at the execution

in iran of a champion wrestler, navid afkari. afkari was sentenced to death over the murder of a security guard during a wave of anti—government protests in 2018. according to amnesty international iran executed over 250 people last year alone, the world's second highest toll after china. ishleen kaur has more. "is this the knife you used to kill the person," an official quizzes navid afkari. afkari replies in the affirmative. he was taken to the site where he was allegedly forced into confessing to killing a water company security guard. in a broadcast, the iranian state television also showed what appeared to be written confessions by afkari. but in a report circulated on social media, afkari said he was coerced into signing the documents.

iran denies those allegations. human rights watch issued a very detailed press release which went into detail of the torture and how this conviction, which was obtained through coerced confession. so, we're satisfied, based on that and based on the work of other groups such as the centre for human rights in iran, that navid is innocent of the charges. afkari, who was just 27, was a national champion in wrestling. he was hanged following his conviction for the killing of a security guard during anti—government protests two years ago. the case sparked an international outcry. there had been many calls to stop the execution. the concept for us that an athlete who is involved in peaceful protest, who is convicted

of crimes pursuant to coerced confessions, who has suffered torture and then been subjected to execution, is... is just horrifying. chanting. in the past two years, iran has seen some of the biggest demonstrations since 2009, with thousands of protesters arrested and hundreds executed. russians are voting on sunday in dozens of local elections japanese tennis star naomi osaka has won her second us open title — defeating victoria azarenka 2 sets to 1. it was the first grand slam final played under coronavirus restrictions. jack kilbride reports. come on! umpire: game, set and match, osaka. a win in an empty stadium but a win all the same — japan's naomi osaka has clinched her second us open title atjust 22 years old. announcer: 2018

champion, naomi osaka. but her first point of the match was a political one. the young star once again wearing a mask baring the name of a black victim of alleged police violence. this time, 12—year—old boy, tamir rice. he was shot and killed in clevela nd he was shot and killed in cleveland in 2014. once the match was under way, it was victoria azarenka that started the strongest. quickly snapping up the first set, 6—1, as osaka struggled to find her rhythm. it wasn't until midway through the second set that osaka started to find form, eventually taking it 6—3, to even things up. the third set was a tough battle, but the young japanese star eventually came through on top, claiming it 6—3. come on! umpire: game, set and match, osaka. and with her trademark politeness, was full of praise for her opponent. i want to congratulate vika. i actually don't want to play you in any more finals. i didn't really enjoyed that.

it was a really tough match for me, um. and, yeah, it's really inspiring for me because i used to watch you play here when i was younger, so just have the opportunity to play you is really great, and i learned a lot, so thank you. it had been seven years since azarenka played a grand slam final and this was her third in new york. i thought the third time was a charm but i guess i will have to try again. but congratulations to naomi, congratulations to your team. it has been an incredible two weeks for you, i'm very happy for you and i hope we can meet in some more finals again. the hope for all is that next time the trophy is lifted at flushing meadows it will be in a stadium full of adoring fans. jack kilbride, bbc news. many congratulations to naomi osaka. but is it from me, thank you so much for watching.

bye— bye. hello there. on saturday, we finish the day with some pretty big weather contrasts. now, across england and wales, we have a sunny day, and it was a fine end to the day as well. this was one of our weather watcher pictures sent in from the surrey area. thanks to debbie w for that. further north, in scotland's stirling, it was a soggy saturday, certainly through the afternoon. thanks to graham for sending us that picture of the rain coming down in stirling. and the rain was all courtesy of this weather front, this area of cloud that stretches thousands of miles

out into the atlantic. this is rain—bearing cloud, and it's going nowhere very far, very fast. so, at the moment, it's pouring down in scotland. around western scotland, the rain continues. notice over the next few hours, there is a tendency for the heaviest of the rain to start to nudge away from northern ireland. still an odd patch for north—west england and perhaps the western side of wales as well, but a mild start to the day for sure. now through sunday, we're going to continue to see the rain pouring down across those western mountains in scotland. now, by the end of the weekend, we could see over 100 mm of rain, so there is a risk of seeing some localised flooding in western scotland. the rain clears away in northern ireland. there should brighten up here with some sunny spells, and probably some sunny spells to end the day for southern and maybe central scotland. england and wales, that's where the best of the sunshine will be, with ea rly—morning cloud melting away, certainly through the afternoon, and temperatures up to 26 across parts of eastern england. that warming trend continues into the first part

of the new week as well, briefly turning hotter as this area of higher pressure in the continent, just drifts a little bit further eastwards to allow our winds to start to flow in from the south. and that'll be dragging in that hotter air from france. but it's across eastern england that we'll see the day's highest departures — up to 30 degrees in the london area. so, a brief hot spell of weather here. now, we will stay pretty hot across parts of eastern england as we go on through tuesday. again, afairamount of sunshine for most of us. temperatures again pretty widely into the low 20s, with those highest temperatures again for east anglia and south—east england. but from there, really, as we go on deeper into the week ahead, temperatures will tend to get close to normal, as easterly winds start to blow in across the uk and we start to see cloudier skies.

this is bbc news. the headlines:

dozens of people are missing in oregon as deadly wildfires continue to sweep through the us west coast. at least 25 people have been killed and thousands of homes destroyed. more than 500,000 people have now been ordered to evacuate because of wildfires. the afghan government has called for a humanitarian ceasefire with the taliban as the first—ever peace talks between the two sides take place in qatar. so far, the taliban have resisted a truce. the us has urged both sides to reach an agreement, telling them "the entire world wants you to succeed". stranded migrants on the greek island of lesbos are spending a fourth night sleeping rough after a fire destroyed the moria camp. efforts to build alternative accommodation for thousands of residents of the moria camp have been delayed by objections from local authorities. coming up at 6 o'clock, breakfast with chris mason and rachel burden.