tonight at ten — some major religious groups are criticised in the strongest terms for their handling of child abuse allegations over several decades. the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse took evidence from 38 groups, accusing some of "morally failing" children and of acting with "blatant hypocrisy". we talk to one survivor about her experience with jehovah's witnesses, and why it still affects her years later. the sense of powerlessness and hopelessness, because i didn't fully recognise what was going on at the time was wrong. the latest report follows similar inquiries into anglican churches and the roman catholics. also tonight... the subway flooded, roads and rail lines affected — hurricane ida hits new york, newjersey and the north—east of america.

regular tests, better ventilation — some of the measures adopted as england's pupils return to the classroom. and tonight's world cup qualifiers, england breezed past hungary in budapest but the march red match was marked by racist abuse from the home fans. # and now you see another me # i've been reloaded, yeah and it's abba's first album of new material for a0 years, backed up by a series of virtual concerts. and coming up in the sport on the bbc news channel, the late wicket ofjoe root leaves the fourth test between england and india finely poised, after a dramatic first day at the oval. good evening. some of the major religious groups in england and wales have been criticised in the strongest terms for the way in which they've handled

allegations of child abuse over several decades. the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse accused them of "morally failing" children, of being responsible for "shocking failings", and of acting with "blatant hypocrisy". the inquiry examined evidence from 38 religious groups, having already looked into anglican and roman catholic churches. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds has more. it's very difficult to form an identity and to be a whole person when you're on your own. this is sarah, born into the jehovah's witnesses, into a family dominated by the church. effectively, you were sexually abused by both your father and your mother? yeah. your father, when you were much younger, and your mother, when you were a little bit older. they had control over you. what was that like? i don't really have words

to describe what that was like, honestly. the sense of powerlessness and hopelessness. sarah's not her real name. she was taken into care. she settled by the sea for a new start, away from the witnesses. they teach everyone who is not a witness is part of satan's world, or satan's system, as they call it. it makes you as a young person terrified to trust anyone outside of the organisation and at the same time, terrified to trust anyone inside the organisation. it was very difficult. it's a pattern repeated across religious groups investigated by this enquiry, which has also examined the catholic and anglican churches. the way that leaders are revered. the culture of community and not taking things outside of the community, so dealing with everything internally, not making outside authorities aware, so it can be looked at in the wider sense and the root causes can be tackled.

discouraging victims from reporting, even within the organisation. an example — thejehovah�*s witnesses have a policy that all child protection allegations have a policy that have to be reported to the police. but inside the church they also follow a biblical scripture that says all allegations must be supported by two witnesses. this report says that the two witness rule should have no place in any response to child sexual abuse, which often happens with no witnesses. the church says it's committed to protecting children and will consider this report. in the ultra orthodoxjewish community, the enquiry heard about a concept of not snitching, as one witness put it, on a fellow jew to outsiders. but campaigners are concerned that this report does not hit religious organisations hard enough. they have to raise the bar for religious organisations and not give them leeway because they have

religion on their side. religion does not equal good enough safeguarding. the report is short on a solution to all this, but that's what those who suffered as children, including sarah, are now using their adult voices to demand. and tom is with me now. you mentioned it's you mentioned its short on solutions. what are the likely answer is and what are the likely kind of proposals you think we can expect? we kind of proposals you think we can exect? ~ . , kind of proposals you think we can exect?~ . , , ., , ., kind of proposals you think we can exect? . , i.” ., , expect? we are six years into this ennui . expect? we are six years into this enquiry- we've — expect? we are six years into this enquiry. we've had _ expect? we are six years into this enquiry. we've had hundreds- expect? we are six years into this enquiry. we've had hundreds of. expect? we are six years into this - enquiry. we've had hundreds of hours of evidence. we had more than 12 reports and it's a fair question, because there haven't been many recommendations in these reports. but there is a big report next year, a final report, which has on the table a possible recommendation called mandatory reporting. what effectively that would do is make it an offence for people who work with children not to report evidence or concerns about child sexual abuse. it's quite controversial. it's

legally tricky. you could see professionals being prosecuted. but people who watch this enquiry very closely believe it's a solution which is justified closely believe it's a solution which isjustified by the closely believe it's a solution which is justified by the size of the problem that the enquiry has identified over the years. tam identified over the years. tom symonds. _ identified over the years. tom symonds. many _ identified over the years. tom symonds, many thanks, - identified over the years. tom symonds, many thanks, our home affairs correspondent will evacuation flights from afghanistan could resume very soon, according to the foreign secretary dominic raab, who's held talks with leaders in qatar. more british nationals and afghan allies are waiting to leave afghanistan, and the airport in kabul could be set to reopen in the coming days. qatar says it's working with the taliban to ensure the airport is up and running "as soon as possible". our chief international correspondent lyse doucet has been speaking to one contractor who worked at the british embassy in kabul. 0h, there's christmas. christmas parties, diplomatic dinners. daily meals. head chef hamid was part of british embassy life in kabulfor 13 years. this was the last meeting of kitchen

staff, with the british ambassador sir laurie bristow. he spent days at kabul airport overseeing the massive airlift. hamid and about 60 others were left behind, because they weren't employed by the foreign office, but through a private contractor. translation: we worked so hard, i even during the covid lockdown, l and we're left behind. ifeel i have been betrayed. if they don't take us out of here it's a big betrayal. now this family of five young children is hiding at home. today, in the gulf state of qatar, the bbc asked the foreign secretary about the contractors. he admitted many need help. we will not be recognising the taliban any time in the foreseeable future, but i think there is an important scope for engagement and dialogue, and to test the intentions, and indeed the assurances that have

already been made by the taliban. safe passage out of afghanistan for, and i am afraid to my friend from the bbc i didn't mention it, but to those afghan workers or contractors who are eligible and still want to come do the uk, or indeed other countries. here's a battle at home. brave women take to the streets in the western city of herat. "don't be scared, we are all together", is their rallying cry. worried the taliban will stop them from working or studying, as they did before. maryam has moved from one safe house to the next, ever since the taliban swept into kabul. she had been working on issues like gender and human rights. the taliban told her "don't come to the office, for now." many fear they will never be allowed to go back. as a human, it is my right to get education. it's my right to have a good job.

unfortunately, this situation, that came in afghanistan, all of my dreams are destroyed. kabul looks much the same, but it's not. a nation at war now seems to be a nation in waiting. so many afghans wondering, worrying what kind of new government will emerge, with all of its rules and regulations. many others still asking ever so anxiously how can they escape. for now, so many lives are on pause. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. at least 20 people have died after hurricane ida brought severe flash flooding and tornadoes to north—eastern parts of the united states. new york and newjersey declared a state of emergency, as people were trapped in flooded basements and vehicles were swept away. president biden tonight said this latest disaster proved the climate crisis was happening right now. our correspondent nada

tawfik is in newjersey. well of this has been a day filled with disbelief and despair. it was not long ago as people watched in shock as hurricane ivor devastated louisiana, never anticipating they'd be next and there was no warning the storm's remnants would be this destructive and life—threatening. throughout the day the death toll has climbed. the youngest victim, just two years old. cascading waterfalls rushed through the platforms, down to the tracks of new york city's subway. the sudden deluge from ida's move up north shut down the network and didn't stop there. a state of emergency was called as the city became paralysed by record—breaking rain and flash flooding, turning wide boulevards quickly into waterways. motorists and a few out working despite the obstacles waded

through the water to get home. officials warned residents to remain indoors, but in parts of new york houses were no longer a place of safety. some were urgently saved from the rising waters on their doorsteps. i can't go home just right now. but, this all, you know, we're all going to come together and figure out a solution and we'll go from there. it was the same story from philadelphia, where there was no telling where the delaware river ended and suburbs began. rescuers went door—to—door by boat, helping people escape who took shelter in the upper floors of their homes and on their roofs. others weren't so lucky, and today officials are still discovering the true death toll. after a year of extreme climate events that have shocked the nation, a warning from the president.

the past few days of hurricane ida and the wild fires in the west and the unprecedented flash floods in new york and newjersey, is yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here. we need to be much better prepared. we need to act. this storm for many is a wake up call that nowhere is safe from extreme weather. powerful tornadoes, the like seen normally in the midwest, obliterated multiple homes in newjersey. with the devastating impact of these events coming into view, it does feel like this is one of the greatest challenges of this generation. nada tawfik, bbc news, newjersey. and now for the latest uk figures on the pandemic. they show there were just over 38,000 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means an average of 33,736 per day in the last week. the latest figures show there were over 7,500 people in hospital being treated

for coronavirus yesterday. 178 deaths were reported in the latest 24—hour period — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. that takes the average deaths per day over the last week to 111. on vaccinations, 88.6% of people aged 16 and over have now had theirfirstjab. and just over 79% of the population aged 16 and over have had both doses. after 18 months of disruption to schools in england, the education secretary gavin williamson says he expects a greater sense of normality this term as pupils start to return to the classroom. masks and bubbles may have gone, but secondary pupils are still being encouraged to take regular covid tests, and schools are being asked to ensure spaces are well ventilated. our education editor branwen jeffreys has the story. circle five times on each side. the first test is the hardest.

for these year sevens, the first time in secondary school, too. the parents told me it is worth it, as a step back towards normality. we were happy to comply with what we need to do. i think it is the best for everyone. i think because of the last year we have had has been so unsettling, just to be normal, get back to it. certain things coming in today for our first ever day. - she is coming in and having to do a lateral flow test. _ the sooner we move away from that stuff, the - better. i appreciate they have got to do it at the moment. . i hope corona doesn't spread any more like how it did last year, how itjust happened so quickly and largely. school staff have been vaccinated. precautions today were to get accurate results. after this, teenagers will be asked to test at home.

testing is now the main precaution in england's schools. masks have gone for pupils and so have big year group bubbles. but both of those could be back on a local basis if cases rise. it is now much more up to schools to decide what precautions to put in place. there is a lot less signage up. no one—way signs any more. for head teachers, more leeway to make decisions. what we do know now is what has worked over the last years, we can draw on may be putting bubbles together again, we can introduce masks in different areas, making sure seating plans are set up in the right way. there is lots and lots of different things that we can draw on from what we know has worked in the last year. for year 11, it is a crucial gcse year, so what are their hopes?

exams at the end of the year. hopefully not another lockdown. i am quite relieved, because i felt quite trapped in the mask, it was annoying going round school in the mask all the time. i hope it helps people's mental health, because i know lots ofi people in my friendship groups, i they have had a hit on their mental health. pupils went back to school in scotland two weeks ago. they have kept masks for the start of term but even so, cases have risen rapidly. a reminder the same may happen at schools open happen as schools open in the rest of the uk. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. dame sarah storey has become great britain's most successful paralympic athlete of all time, after successfully defending the women's c4—5 road race title that she's held since london 2012. dame sarah's remarkable ride in tokyo brought her the 17th gold medal of her career, across two disciplines. our sports correspondent andy swiss

was watching in tokyo. hurtling into history, the moment dame sarah storey went where no british paralympian has gone before. amid torrential rain though, how she had to work for it. storey stayed out of trouble before surging clear with team—mate crystal lane—wright and sprinting to glory. the result? an unprecedented feat for british sport. i7th paralympic gold medalfor her. it is the culmination of a remarkable career. born without a functioning left hand, storey started as a swimmer. she was just 14 when she won her first paralympic gold before she switched to cycling with now record—breaking results. her i7th title, so special. to be britain's most successful paralympian, how does that sound? i like the sound of that, it is something i never anticipated happening to me. if you had asked me that when i was 14 i would have been,

oh well, maybe, but to go on to eclipse the record is something i could never have imagined happening. it's now nearly 30 years since storey made her paralympic debut, but those closest to her say her drive and determination are stronger than ever. she isjust amazing, how she manages to find new ways, being in different environment chambers at high altitude, just to push her body even more, and she is able to do that. i think there are very few people in the world able to do that. the very british weather here has seen a landmark moment for british sport, and with dame sarah storey already targeting the next games in 2024, who knows how many more titles she could win. it wasn't britain's only cycling success, victory for ben watson in the road race. there was also gold in the pool as bethany firth took the 100 metres backstroke.

in the athletics, there was javelin joy for dan pembroke, and just look what it meant. but the result of the day was in the 200 metres, a paralympic proposal from for cape verde's keula nidreia pereira semedo, from her guide runner, manuel. and to everyone's delight she said yes. talk about a fairy tale finish. andy swiss, bbc news. the us federal aviation administration has grounded virgin galactic flights as it investigates the course of sir richard branson�*s recent journey to the edge of space. injuly, space ship two, carrying the british billionaire, landed safely but it's emerged the flight deviated from its planned trajectory. a journalist who alleges she was sexually assaulted while working undercoverfor the bbc on an expose about the fashion industry has given a statement to french police about the incident, more than two decades later. lisa brinkworth says she was attacked by one the world's biggest model agents,

gerald marie, who has denied the allegations and says they are false and defamatory. our correspondent chi chi izundu has the story. i wantjustice for the women who were very, very young at the time, who have spoken to me, have told me about how being a model was a dream, it was a dream come true, and then how that very quickly turned to horror. 20 years ago lisa brinkworth went under cover to expose sexual exploitation in the fashion industry. posing as a model, the former bbc journalist spent a year collecting evidence, much of it focussed on this man — gerald marie, the former head of elite, one of the biggest model agencies in the world. 5th october, 1998. but during the filming, lisa says she herself was sexually assaulted by him. immediately after, she recorded this account of what happened. i tried to push him off,

and i told him no, and there was absolutely nothing i could do, he had me pinned to the chair. lisa's assault wasn't broadcast in the documentary, and elite models sued the bbc, alleging misrepresentation. a confidential settlement was reached, and the bbc agreed never to show the documentary again. i feel responsibility myself, because i started doing that work, and i feel that the settlement with elite sort of, sort of halted progress, really. but 20 years later, and galvanised by the #metoo movement, lisa decided to revisit this story. it meant coming here, to paris, where gerald marie was based, in order for her to launch a formal complaint of sexual assault against him. a year ago, she was accompanied by three other women making similar accusations. now that number stands at 1a. and he had me pinned down on the bed. he was on top of me, and he tried to rape me. and the question is, why did it take so long

for women to be heard, for women to feel comfortable, to come forward and tell their story? i sat on the couch thinking that the others might arrive. he did say then that we were meeting them for dinner, and then he sort of pounced on me. but the main thing is, you know, he doesn't exist in a vacuum. people knew he was doing that. despite more than a dozen women coming forward, because the allegations date back more than 20 years, according to french law they have ran out of the time to bring criminal proceedings against gerald marie. but lisa is the only one allowed to bring a formal complaint because her lawyer argued she was prevented from reporting her assault to the police at the time, and bbc says, though, it is doing everything it can to help her pursue her complaint. that's why my clients want to send

a message to say if you have been victim of any fact, just, you know, come forward. gerald marie refutes all the allegations, which he says are false and defamatory, but the former models say they feel this is fashion�*s #metoo moment, and that even if their evidence doesn't lead to a prosecution, they hope their experiences highlight that fashion isn't all glitz and glamour. chi chi izundu, bbc news. northern ireland have won the first match in their world cup qualifing campaign, beating lithuania 4—1 tonight. it was a must win for ian barraclough�*s side and they lived up to the pressure with an impressive victory. daniel ballard opened the scoring with his first international goal. northern ireland now play switzerland at home on wednesday. there was a hostile atmosphere for england's 4—0 win in budapest tonight, with gareth southgate's team being subjected to racist chants and missiles thrown from the crowd. despite the home fans being banned from uefa competitions for homophobic and racist abuse, they were allowed to attend this fifa world cup qualifier. our sports correspondent

natalie pirks reports. the euros may have been a wild ride for england, but world cup qualifying had so far been plain sailing. hungary represented a tough proposition, both on and off the pitch. with no england fans allowed to travel, the 60,000 strong crowd was hostile, and after homophobe owe and racism from hungarians during the euros, pleas not to boo england fell on deaf ears. england players aren't strangers to hostility from even their own fans, but after an uneventful first half their first goal saw the atmosphere switch. switch.sterring was pelted with plastic cups for his troubles, kpmg doubled england's lead and it was clear some parts of the crowd weren't wtoered by the threat of more sanctions. by now the missile

throwing was becoming too frequent but the intimidation wasn't working. the crowd had turned from hostile, to disgraceful. england's fourth goal was the least they deserved has the i took a giant stride towards qatar but this will be a game remembered yet again for all the wrong reasons. remembered yet again for all the wrong reasons. the legendary pop group abba have announced their first studio album for a0 years. abba voyage will be released in november , released in november, it comprises ten tracks, two of which were premiered during a global news conference earlier today. the quartet split up in 1982, but they're now preparing for a tour with a difference, as our arts correspondent david sillito reports. # i still have faith in you # i see it now #. a0 years after recording their last album, a new abba song. indeed, a new abba album and this video of the group finally back together.

the crowd had turned from hostile, to disgraceful. england's fourth goal was the least they deserved has the i took a giant stride towards qatar but this will be a game remembered yet again for all the wrong reasons. # there was a union # , # they haven't been that interested in doinu a # they haven't been that interested in doing a new _ # they haven't been that interested in doing a new abba _ # they haven't been that interested in doing a new abba record - # they haven't been that interested in doing a new abba record for - # they haven't been that interested in doing a new abba record for 35 i in doing a new abba record for 35 years— in doing a new abba record for 35 years but— in doing a new abba record for 35 years but now_ in doing a new abba record for 35 years but now they— in doing a new abba record for 35 years but now they said, - in doing a new abba record for 35 years but now they said, oh, - in doing a new abba record for 35 years but now they said, oh, 0k.j years but now they said, oh, 0k. # i believe — years but now they said, oh, 0k. # i believe it— years but now they said, oh, 0k. # i believe it is— years but now they said, oh, 0k. # i believe it is in— years but now they said, oh, 0k. # i believe it is in there. - # i believe it is in there. i remember when we stood the first day, in. _ i remember when we stood the first day, in. in— i remember when we stood the first day, in, in front of the mixing console, _ day, in, in front of the mixing console, the four of us, looking at each _ console, the four of us, looking at each other, — console, the four of us, looking at each other, and everything came rushing _ each other, and everything came rushing back, if in seconds, that was so _ rushing back, if in seconds, that was so amazing. # _ was so amazing. # waterloo # waterloo # i was defeated... it is a7 years since waterloo and since they split up since waterloo and since they split up they have been asked if they would ever perform on stage again

and today they said yes. sort of. # you can dance # you can dance # you canjive... and the reason the announcement is taking place here in the olympic park is because this is where the abba concerts are going to be taking place, but you won't be seeing abba as they are today, but rather with a degree of digital youthful enhancement. the group has been performing in a studio and with the aid of motion capture digital effects, the image we will see and hear on the stage will be the band members in their 70s heyday. to create after the musicals and movies another abba experience. but what makes this moment different, is the new music. the new album. the reunion, a0 years on. david sillito, bbc news. that's it. now on bbc one, time

for the news where you are. hello there. it's been another day of mixed fortunes with regards to sunshine. scotland, northern ireland, northern england saw the sunniest skies today, but it was much cloudier further south. our area of high pressure's still with us. it's going to feed in more cloud again across the uk through the course of the night. parts of that cloud will be thick enough for the odd spot of drizzle, but most places will be dry. and there will be further clear spells for western scotland, parts of northern ireland and maybe southern england as well. where we have the clear skies, again, it could turn quite chilly. otherwise, for most, it's double—figure values. so, for friday, then, very little change. we start off rather cloudy once again, but into the afternoon, good sunny breaks will appear across scotland, parts of northern ireland, maybe north west england, and perhaps southern england and into south wales. where you get the sunshine, low 20s celsius. where you hold onto the cloud, mid to upper teens. now, as we head into the weekend, saturday looks like being pretty

similar to friday — a lot of cloud around, limited sunshine. sunday, we could see a bit of rain across the north, but signs of it starting to warm up in the south.

this is bbc news, the headlines. the national guard have been called up to help with major rescue efforts on the east coast of the united states. at least 20 people have died as a result of flooding caused by remnants of hurricane ida. president biden hasjoined leading politicians in new york state in blaming global warming for the intense rainfall. new york city's mayor, bill de blasio said the brutality of the weather was the biggest of wake—up calls. biden is launching a "whole—of—government effort" to ensure women in texas have access to safe and legal abortions. the state implemented a law that bans almost all abortions from six weeks into a pregnancy. and, one of the most successful pop groups of all time, abba, are reforming. the swedish superstars have revealed their first new song in forty years and will perform as holograms in concerts in london from may.