this is bbc news, i'm maryam moshiri. our top stories: us media reports that donald trump has decided to nominate federal judge amy coney barrett to the supreme court. but the president remains tight—lipped. so that decision will be made, it is made on my own mind but we will be announcing it tomorrow, five o'clock. the nominee will fill the seat made vacant by the death ofjustice ruth bader ginsburg; today she became the first woman in american history to lie in state in the capitol building in washington. two people are wounded in a knife attack outside the former offices of the french satirical magazine charlie hebdo. and look away if you don't like rodents, but this rat is officially a hero — and he's got a gold

medal to prove it. hello and welcome to bbc news. us media reports say president trump has decided to nominate the federaljudge amy coney barrett to fill the supreme court seat left vacant by the death of ruth bader ginsburg. the bbc‘s us partner cbs has been told by multiple sources involved in or familiar with the selection process that she will be nominated by mr trump tomorrow. supreme court justices are nominated to the bench by the us president, but must be approved by the senate. with the death ofjustice ginsburg, a liberal stalwart, mr trump was given the chance to cement a rightward ideological tilt of the nine—member court by replacing her with a conservative.

so, what do we know about his reported pick, amy coney barrett? she's a judge on the circuit court of appeals, a position she was nominated to by president trump. she's 48 years old, was born in new orleans, and has seven children. previously, she served as a clerk for the conservative supreme courtjustice antonin scalia, who died in 2016. and she's described as a devout catholic, making her a favourite among religious conservatives. speaking to reporters earlier, president trump said he'd made his decision but refused to confirm a name. well i haven't said it was her, but she is outstanding, they are all outstanding. they are all very outstanding people. top—of—the—line academically, and every way possible. so... our north america correspondent david willisjoins me now.

david, it looks, doesn't it, like this is going to be the person that he nominates. it does indeed, and amy coney barrett is a devout catholic, she is the mother of seven, and 48, if she is the mother of seven, and a8, if indeed this does proved to be the case, then she would be the youngest member of the united states supreme court. —— supreme court panel. she would be replacing ruth bader ginsburg, a liberal icon, and the two women could not be more diametrically opposed as far as their political views are concerned. ms ginsberg of course was profoundly and unequivocally pro—choice, amy coney barrett has called abortion "illegal", i'm sorry, she has called it a moral, twice since she was appointed to the us court of appeals back in 2017 she has voted in favour

of restricting access to it, hence liberals are concerned that her appointment to the highest court in the land could lead to fundamental changes in american life, not least overturning that landmark ruling back in 1973, roe vwade, which legalise abortion nationwide here in the us. and of course even if she has nominated it is not a done deal, or is it? it is not, but it is more or less, because the republicans hold the majority, albeit a slim majority in the senate, and it will be up to the senate to approve donald trump's nominee. they want to do it, the republicans that is, as quickly as possible, possibly even before the presidential election in november, and president trump has thrown his hat in the ring, saying he would like to see whoever he nominates approved in that sort of timeframe. that is significant because as well

as such issues as abortion rights, immigration, universal healthcare and so on, the us supreme court could be called upon to weigh in to decide or determine the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election, should the outcome prove contentious, and disputed, as of course it may well. david willis as always, thank you very much indeed. meanwhile, senior officials, friends and family paid their respects today to the late supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg. she became the first woman to lie in state at the us capitol building. 0ur correspondent ba ra ba ra plett usher reports from washington. ready, step... this was a solemn pause in the political tumult that has engulfed the capitol since justice ginsburg died a week ago. and she was still breaking barriers — the first woman ever to lie in state

here, her casket placed on the platform that supported america's most famous president, abraham lincoln. i have the high honour to welcomejustice ruth bader ginsburg to lie in state in the capitol of the united states. singing. the democratic speaker of the house arranged the memorialfor this liberal icon. it was a simple service, punctuated by the music she loved. a family friend, rabbi lauren holtzblatt, led the tributes, praising the life and work of someone who changed the course of american law. justice did not arrive like a lightning bolt, but rather through dogged persistence all the days of her life. real change, she said, enduring change, happens one step at a time.

justice ginsburg made groundbreaking advances in securing women the same rights as men, systematically eviscerating the obstacles thrown up by a male—dominated legal profession. 0n the supreme court, she established a reputation as a strong liberal voice. amidst all the goodbyes, a brutal partisan battle has taken shape overjustice ginsburg's vacant seat which is set to cement the supreme court's conservative shift for a generation. notably absent here were republican leaders, who are plunging forward with president trump's controversial plan to move quickly in an election year. and from female members of congress, an honour guard of women, acknowledging that their world was shaped by her pioneering work. this marks the end of the mourning period forjustice ginsburg, and president trump is ready to nominate her replacement on saturday, setting off an unprecedented sprint to get a justice on the supreme court by the election, and triggering

a political and cultural battle that will continue no matter who wins the presidency. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. let's get some of the day's other news. a military plane has crashed in ukraine's eastern kharkiv region on friday evening, killing at least 22 people, the state emergency service of ukraine said in a statement. rescue workers were on the scene. israel has tightened restrictions on its population in the fight against coronavirus, just a week after a second lockdown came into effect. from friday afternoon, businesses not officially considered essential were ordered to close, and travel restricted to 1km from people's homes. the united states has now recorded more than 7 million cases of the coronavirus, according to statistics from johns hopkins university. the tally is reached on the same day that the the governor of florida lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions on businesses with immediate effect.

let's turn to paris, where two people have been wounded in a knife attack outside the former offices of the french satirical magazine charlie hebdo. the victims — a man and a woman who are staff members of a television company — were seriously wounded, although both are reportedly out of danger. two people have been ta ken into custody. 0ur paris correspondent, lucy williamson reports. sirens in central paris today, the familiar scenes of a recurring nightmare — a knife attack that left two people seriously injured at a building once occupied by the satirical magazine charlie hebdo. the victims are employees of a television production company with offices there. translation: outside the metro, i saw a machete with lots of blood and people shouting. it was a bit of a panic. in the passageway that is right next to my work, i saw a victim lying there covered in blood. that's when i panicked,

and then people started panicking and shouting. the police arrived and asked us to stay locked up. all in all, on the way, i saw two victims with lots of blood. ——all in all, on the way, i saw two victims and lots of blood. one man — believed to be the attacker — has been arrested and a suspected accomplice has also been taken into custody. police told the bbc that one of those detained was found with blood on his clothes. the sight of police cordoning off these streets will bring back painful memories for france. just around the corner from here, the former offices of the satirical magazine charlie hebdo, target of a deadly terrorist attack five years ago. those suspected of involvement in that attack are currently standing trial at a court here in paris. the place and timing of this attack has meant prosecutors are treating it as a terrorist inquiry. charlie hebdo, which now operates from a different location, has tweeted its support to the victims. "the entire team offers its support and solidarity

to our former neighbours and colleagues and to the people affected by this odious attack," it said. arriving after a government crisis meeting, the prime minister, jean castex, said the symbolism of this attack, its location and timing, was clear. translation: this is the time for the government of the republic to reiterate its unwavering commitment to freedom of the press, its resolute will by all means to fight against terrorism, and to affirm to the nation that we are fully mobilised. france has been reliving the horrific attack on charlie hebdo five years ago as survivors give testimony in the trial of those suspected of involvement. earlier this month, charlie hebdo reprinted the cartoons of mohammed that originally made it a target for islamist violence — echoes of an attack that continues to leave its mark on france. lucy williamson,

bbc news, paris. tributes have been paid to a police officer shot dead by a detainee at a custody centre in south london. he has been named as 5a—year—old sergeant matt ratana. a 23—year—old suspect, who was being processed in croydon after being arrested, is believed to have turned the weapon on himself. daniel sandford reports. examining the scene of the murder of one of their own colleagues. forensics officers working at the croydon custody centre in south london today. a suspect was brought here at around at around 2:15am this morning in a police vehicle, but he was carrying a concealed revolver and, still handcuffed behind his back, appears to have shot the custody sergeant in the chest before shooting himself. the dead officer, 5a—year—old matt ratana, who'd served his whole career in the metropolitan police and was about to retire, was rushed to hospital, but couldn't be saved.

he gave 29 years of his life to the public of london. he has now tragically been killed on duty. his service will never be forgotten and we are deeply gratefulfor it, and it is a really distinguished service from a lovely, lovely, much respected police officer. welcome to east grinstead rugby football club. i'm matt ratana, head coach. sergeant ratana, who was originally from new zealand, was a much loved colleague, but was also well known as a first—class rugby player and the coach at east grinstead rugby club in sussex. just before last night's shift, he whatsapped about how great the last training session had been. his assistant said that was typical of his enthusiasm. he affected so many people positively. so many people have gained something great from matt. and he's going to be a huge loss to the gym,

to the rugby club, to just anyone that knew him, yeah. matt ratana leaves behind a partner and an adult son from a previous relationship. his colleagues knew him as a big guy. big in stature, big in heart. friendly, capable. a lovely man, highly respected by his colleagues. we begin our minute's silence for our fallen colleague. this afternoon, the metropolitan police held a minute's silence in tribute to the dead officer, led by the head of the force and the mayor of london. the prime minister sent his deepest condolences to his family. to think that a police officer can be killed in a police station is a source of huge concern notjust to the police, notjust to those of us politicians who are charged with giving the police the tools they need, but everyone. the suspect is in a critical

condition in st george's hospital, tooting, after having surgery. he was originally arrested on suspicion of possession of class b drugs and possession of ammunition. how he then managed to smuggle a gun into the custody suite is at the heart of an investigation. today all those involved in policing are in deep shock. once again, an officer has been killed on duty. once again, they remember the hidden risks they face when they come to work each day. daniel sandford, bbc news, croydon. well, staying with that story — new zealand police have issued a statement. police where he was born have responded. commissioner andrew coster said that: "while sergeant ratana spent most of his career in the uk, anyone who serves here will always be a part of our new zealand police whanau." and prime ministerjacinda ardern has also issued a statement — saying that it was "incredibly sad to hear the news" and offered her condolences to sergeant rata na's

whanau across the world. here in the uk, this is the east grinstead rugby club this evening. the club's flag is flying at half—mast in tribute to the life of their much—loved head coach. us media reports that president trump has decided to nominate federal judge amy coney barrett to the supreme court. i'm joined by ilya shapiro who is the director of the robert a levy center for constitutional studies at the cato institute. he also recently published a book about the supreme court — ‘supreme disorder‘. he is in washington. thank you very much for talking to us. i can see lots of copies of your book behind you. slight overkill, but i appreciate it. now, i know exactly what your books leave looks like. tell me, ilya, you have written

about "supreme disorder", we will get a name tomorrow. if reports are correct. how smooth you think that process will be, given how things are now? that's the rub. whenever there isa that's the rub. whenever there is a supreme court vacancy in recent decades, i mean, it's a cata clysm. recent decades, i mean, it's a cataclysm. the problem is the supreme court has amassed so much power, there are only nine seeds and you have a divergence of interpretive theories that map onto partisan preferences ata time map onto partisan preferences at a time when the parties are more ideologically sordid than they have been since the civil war, if ever. that is why you have these big battles. we are 110w have these big battles. we are now six weeks before the election. there are going to be some twists and turns that i may be civil unrest. this is an unusual year for the united states, and this is not going to be smooth sailing for the nominee who is going to come tomorrow. it is not smooth sailing for her and not smooth

sailing for her and not smooth sailing for her and not smooth sailing for the democrats. looking at their position and, if she is nominated, it will be tricky for them to undermine this nominee at the same time not being seen to attack her catholic, conservative background, because they don't wa nt to background, because they don't want to alienate voters. this is purely a political issue. historically, the main determinant of whether a nominee gets confirmed is whether the same party controls both the white house and the senate. and that is accentuated even more in presidential election years, as is this one. 29 times, about to be 30, a president has nominated someone toa president has nominated someone to a vacancy, a rising in an election year. and when there is united government, as there is united government, as there is now, donald trump is a republican and republicans have majority in the centre, 17 out of 19 times historically that nominee has been confirmed. conversely, four years ago we

had parties opposed to each other in the senate and white house. under those circumstances, historically, it doesn't say what is going to happen now, only one of ten times was confirmed. that is a big deal and the democrats don't have a filibuster, a historic block, you need to get more than 50%, 60% was the most recent, but was eliminated for justice in your —— neil gorsuch it's stop so they will make the announcement. but at the end of the day, it is going to come down to the roads. whereas, i said, the republicans have the majority. ilya shapiro, it has been a pleasure to talk to you. thank you for taking the time. thank you for taking the time. thank you. the annual united nations general assembly got under way this week, with the world's leaders giving recorded video addresses because of the coronavirus pandemic. president xijinping, says china had "no intention of entering a cold war with any country," after president trump

said the chinese must be held accountable unleashing covid—19 on the world. the un secretary general warned everything must be done to avoid a new cold war. so, what is the current state of the relationship, between beijing and washington? our world affairs editorjohn simpson gives his assessment. china's new—found strength is everywhere, confronting taiwan and hong kong. taking on australia, japan, india. sparring with donald trump. they let the plague out. they shouldn't have done it. china uses its economic muscle right around the world. this week it was accused of ordering barbados to ditch the queen. in the years when china was building up its strength and wealth, its official slogan was a modest one, "hide your light and bide your time."

but in the past ten years as china's strength has grown, the official slogan has changed. now it's, "strive for achievement". should we be worried? the leading chinese dissident, ai weiwei, now in exile in cambridge, thanks the west is so dependent on china, it's incapable of resisting. the west should really worry about china from decades ago. and now is already be too late. it's almost no way for the west to stop this, kind of, profit—making business and to simply cut it off, it will hurt, deeply. that's why china is very arrogant.

china sees it differently. it regards itself as a developing country, only now taking its rightful place in the world. hello, sorry for the wait. this newspaper owner is closely linked to the top chinese leadership. translation: the situation is tense. that's a fact, but we're not confronting not confronting the west as a whole, the west does not equal the usa. i think the hard—line attitude of the usa is, in part, caused by its election politics. yet, he is pretty hardline himself. he told me that under certain circumstances, china could use military force to invade taiwan. as for hong kong... translation: if the violent protesters threaten police lives by throwing projectiles and petrol bombs, i believe the police should be allowed to use their guns

and they should open fire. power is being fragmented between nations... do such threats imply a new cold war? 0ne former british foreign secretary thinks not. there are areas where china needs to be confronted, but there are other areas where there is room for cooperation. we have to take very seriously, a robust analysis, but one which doesn't fall for the easy, but i think false idea that a, "cold war" is the right way to analyse and understand china's rise. the key seems to be the us election. directly that over, we'll see if the winner wants further confrontation with china oi’ more coexistence. john simpson, bbc news. now, his name is magawa. he's a rat, an african giant—pouched rat. he's also a life—saving hero. he's just been awarded a gold medal for his work detecting

landmines in cambodia. he's the first rat to receive this honour. duncan kennedy tells his story. this is magawa, the mine—clearing, medal—winning, mind—blowing rat. he is actually a giant african pouched rat, capable of clearing an area the size of a tennis court injust 30 minutes. something that would take a human four days to do. and now for the first time in their 103—year history, one of britain's leading animal charities has given him their highest award. magawa is a true hero rat and we're thrilled to celebrate his life—saving devotion by awarding him the pdsa gold medal. it took a year to train magawa to work in cambodia. he walks up—and—down sniffing out the chemicals in the mines and gently taps it when he finds one. he's discovered 39 mines and 28 bits of explosive ordnance,

making him a most reliable rodent. tell me, why is magawa so special? magawa is, year after year, he searches the biggest amount of square metres, he finds more mines than any other rat. like i said, he is the one of these rats that each handler wishes to work with. magawa is one of a5 rats who've cleared enough land in cambodia for a million people to live on. so his handler, says he is due to retire in november but is fit enough to work for another year. a cuddly rat? well, perhaps. an effective one — certainly. magawa, the mega mine clearer. duncan kennedy, bbc news. still don't like rats, to be honest with you. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter. and of course our

website, bbc.com/news. all the latest news headlines to be found there. bye—bye. hello. the last weekend of september won't be a particularly warm one, but for much of the uk it will be dry, they will be some occasional sunshine. but there is one significant fly in the ointment. this area of low pressure has pounded parts of north—east england, especially norfolk, with wind and rain. by the end of the week it was to be close by. it will be windy, there is still a chance for rain, cloudier compared with elsewhere. so, this is how the weekend is shaping up. on the chilly side, some sunshine but those strong winds particularly across parts of eastern england. they will still be there as we start on saturday, still with some outbreaks of rain lincolnshire into east anglia. a touch of frost to

start the day, and that is for scotland, northern england and northern ireland. winds are comparatively low in england, some sunshine. the ease of england, some sorry outbreaks of rain at times, especially the further east you are. temperatures, welcome amid the low teens, may be a few spots on the south coast reaching as high as 16 celsius. these are the average speeds here, of course they are higher the further east you are. we will look at wind gusts. 50—60 miles an hour along the coast, may be easing a little later in the day. make no mistake, these will still be strong winds with big waves and again cloud and some outbreaks of rain. and there will be more, generally across central and eastern parts of england on through saturday night into sunday, could see a bit of drizzle may be south—east england out of that, where you are clear it will be chilly again and again parts of northern ireland and scotland, one or two spots in northern england will get close

to freezing with a touch of frost as we start sunday. some sunshine to follow. we'll keep afairamount of sunshine to follow. we'll keep a fair amount of code across the midlands, because the eastern side of england, you can see a few spots of light green but still doesn't like light rain, but still not as strong as it has been. lighter winds elsewhere. you get to see a bit of sunshine, things are turning hazy. northern ireland may be a degree also higher. as winston south—westerly, it will turn milder, some rain heading to northern ireland on monday and further spells of wind and rain across the uk coming our way from midweek.

daniel sandford, bbc news, croydon.

this is bbc news, the headlines: us media reports say president trump has decided to nominate the federal appeals courtjudge amy coney barrett to fill the supreme court seat left vacant by the death of the liberal icon ruth bader ginsburg. the nomination comes weeks before the us presidential election. the late us supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg has become the first woman in american history to lie in state in the capitol building in washington. she was honoured during a private ceremony that was attended by family members and some officials as well as invited guests. french investigators say seven people have now been arrested in connection with an attack outside the former offices of the satirical magazine charlie hebdo in paris. reports say the prime suspect is an 18—year—old pakistani. two film company employees were attacked with a large bladed weapon.