you're watching to bbc news — i'm rich preston. our top stories... life in prison for el shafee elsheikh, a british fighter from the islamic state group, sentenced for his role in the murders of western hostages. relatives of his victims say justice has been done.... now we receive the best of our country. and i am very grateful, obviously, but that is what makes it a hollow victory, if you will. after turkey successfully brokered ukraine's grain export deal — can president erdogan help end russian military operations at the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant? the widow of basketball legend kobe bryant says she was left devastated by first responders�*

photographs of her dead husband and daughter after a fatal helicopter crash. and the scottish city returning cultural artefacts looted from india during british rule in the 19th century. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. we start in the us, where a former british member of the islamic state group has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in virginia. 34—year—old el shafee elsheikh was among a group of british is members who carried out a brutal reign of terror in syria. our north america correspondent nomia iqbal reports from virginia. and then they would ask me to... el shafee elsheikh claimed he was a simple is fighter who wanted to help. but it wasn't true.

he was part of the islamic state group which terrorised large swathes of iraq and syria between 2014 and 2017. beatings, electrocutions and mock executions were carried out by the jihadists on western hostages, who called their torturers the beatles due to their english accents. elsheikh, who left london tojoin is, was convicted of his part in a hostage murder plot in which four americans were killed — james foley, steven sotloff, peter kassig and kayla mueller, as well two british aid workers, alan henning and david haines. the judge described what el shafee elsheikh did as horrific, brutal, barbaric, callous, and criminal. he said the sentence had to act as a deterrent. elsheikh refused to comment when given the opportunity. none of the victim' bodies have ever been found. outside court, the families gathered. diane foley's sonjames died eight years ago today. it is a hollow victory.

our country has lost four of its very best citizens. we families lost our loved ones for ever. and now, elsheikh and kotey have lost their freedom, country and families. it is a tragic cycle of violence and heartbreak for all involved. elsheikh�*s co—conspirator alexander kotey already pleaded guilty and will serve the rest of his life injail. as part of his plea deal, he met some victims�* relatives, including the family of kayla mueller, who was raped and tortured by the leader of is. he was eventually killed in a us raid. i did meet with kotey for two—and—a—half hours. so i spoke to him at length. and i would meet him again and i hope to. elsheikh does not have to meet with us. if he would, i would want him to. but my prayer all along in all of this is i have asked

god to soften any hearts out there that know anything about any of this, that would come forward and help us. and we are getting people helping us. another member of this group, mohammed emwazi, known in the press asjihadi john, is dead. elsheikh and kotey were eventually captured in syria when is was defeated. the group hated the western world, particularly america. but these two men now face spending the rest of their lives in a us jail. nomia iqbal, bbc news, virginia. the presidents putin of russia and macron of france have agreed on the need to send inspectors to ukraine's zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as fears grow over its safety. it comes as the un secretary general antonio guiterres says he hopes �*discreet diplomacy�* can secure the safety of the plant — amid concerns it could be damanged by shelling. the un secretary general held talks with the turkish president, recep tayyip erdogan and ukraine�*s president,

volodymyr zelensky, in the ukrainian port city of odesa on friday and is due to travel to instanbul next. for more analysis i�*m joined now byjamesjeffrey, the former us ambassador to turkey. thank ambassador to turkey. you for being with us. most thank you for being with us. most nato members pinning their hopes on turkey somewhat here, what can turkey do in this situation?— what can turkey do in this situation? turkey has good relations — situation? turkey has good relations with, _ situation? turkey has good relations with, ironically, l relations with, ironically, both zelensky in ukraine and putin in pressure. turkey has, in many respects, a strong position on the side of ukraine in the side of closing... providing dramatic help. nonetheless, president erdogan has a touch with putin that most western leaders don�*t have. in some respects,

although they are geopolitical rivals, they are kind of i9th—century people who understand each other. president erdogan doesn�*t lecture putin about human rights or democracy or anything, they basically cut deals, and we think that is helpful and it may open the door to an inspection of the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is very important right now. ., ., ., ~ which is very important right now. ., ., .,~ , now. you have worked closely with president _ now. you have worked closely with president erdogan - now. you have worked closely with president erdogan and i now. you have worked closely| with president erdogan and mr putin before, and he is notoriously difficult to negotiate with. notoriously difficult to ne . otiate with. , negotiate with. putting needs someone in — negotiate with. putting needs someone in the _ negotiate with. putting needs someone in the nato - negotiate with. putting needs someone in the nato camp i negotiate with. putting needs| someone in the nato camp he negotiate with. putting needs - someone in the nato camp he can talk to. mr erdogan is his preferred candidate because he doesn�*t lecture him about human rights are other progressive western values that neither mr erdogan or putin takes very seriously. more importantly,

putin realises, and we saw this on the green deal that the terrorists... putin realises that he is getting a real bad public relations black eye around the world for some of the things he�*s doing, blocking food shipments was one thing, allowing this nuclear plant to perhaps go out of control is another, another chernobyl. and therefore, putin is looking for ways out and erdogan is a good person to turn to. if ways out and erdogan is a good person to turn to.— person to turn to. if he is looking — person to turn to. if he is looking for— person to turn to. if he is looking for a _ person to turn to. if he is looking for a way - person to turn to. if he is looking for a way out, - person to turn to. if he is l looking for a way out, what might that mean for the areas of ukraine that russia has already captured?- of ukraine that russia has already captured? these are step-by-step _ already captured? these are step-by-step things. - already captured? these are step-by-step things. first, | already captured? these are i step-by-step things. first, you step—by—step things. first, you let the grain shipments out, even that puts pressure on the west and the rest of the world, then you do something about the nuclear plant. i think they are

all trial balloons by putin who is very, very smart, he understands military affairs and he must know by now that he�*s going to succeed in overrunning all of ukraine. so, sooner or later, he has to find a way out of this crisis. i don�*t think that time is now but i think he is building, block by block, a basis for shifting to that kind of compromise, ceasefire, peacekeeper solution, when and at the time comes. do peacekeeper solution, when and at the time comes.— at the time comes. do you think president erdogan _ at the time comes. do you think president erdogan can _ at the time comes. do you think president erdogan can seal - at the time comes. do you think president erdogan can seal this| president erdogan can seal this deal? i president erdogan can seal this deal? ~' ,., ., , deal? i think the temporary deal? i think the temporary deal on the _ deal? i think the temporary deal on the inspection - deal? i think the temporary deal on the inspection of i deal? i think the temporary l deal on the inspection of the nuclear plant, i think that he and antonio guterres and president erdogan has played an important role and we will see success there. whether we can work more, i think they really hope they can find some kind of

ceasefire, a possible way out of this crisis.— of this crisis. thank you for our of this crisis. thank you for your insights, _ of this crisis. thank you for your insights, appreciate . of this crisis. thank you for| your insights, appreciate it. state media in somalia say security forces are trying to contain an attack on a hotel in the capital, mogadishu. the assault on the hayat began with the detonation of at least two car bombs followed by a fierce gunfight. dozens of guests and staff are reported to have been rescued. the islamist militant group, al—shabab, says it is carrying out the attack. sir salman rushdie continues to recover in hospital with severe injuries a week after the author was stabbed on stage. in a show of support for the indian—born british novelist, hundreds of writers gathered at the new york public library to read extracts from his works and pay tribute. our north america correspondent nada tawfik has this report. new york has been sir salman rushdie�*s home

for the past decade and a half. as he lies in hospital on the road to recovery, the literary community here is still reeling from the attack on his life and the attack on his freedom to write. salman, my dear old friend... in a show of support, authors gathered on the steps of the public library to read aloud passages from his body of work, including the controversial novel the satanic verses, viewed by some muslims as blasphemous, as well as books such as midnight�*s children, his memoirjoseph anton and the golden house. i crawled before i could walk. i walked before i could run. the organisers hope this rally raises sir salman�*s spirits. they say he knows it has taken place and intended to watch. equally, they hope this is a galvanising moment and that others stand up to fight for freedom of speech. amanda foreman, a british biographer and historian, wasn�*t surprised to hear that the suspected attacker

hadn�*t read the satanic verses beyond a page or two. freedom of expression isn�*t easy, it�*s not simple. it�*s highly problematic. people do get offended. terrible things are sometimes said. this is not a perfect society and freedom of expression is not a perfect principle, but it�*s the best one we have, and if we are frightened, if we are silent, then the bullies and the silencers have won. censorship has got to go! the demonstration today is reminiscent of another held in 1989 after iran�*s ayatollah issued a religious ruling calling for sir salman�*s death. writers then also stood up for the indian—born british author and criticised stores that refused to carry his novel. but how much has changed since then? so much of our public discourse now happens in the digital arena. we face online harassment, the viral spread of disinformation. here in the united states, we�*re dealing with a pandemic of book bans and curriculum

bans in higher education across the country. so it�*s a different environment. it�*s also the case that in 1989, you would have thought an attack like this on us soil was really unheard of. sir salman�*s friends and colleagues hope this will be a watershed moment for free speech, and they say they look forward to hearing his voice again soon. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. stand with salman! stay with us on bbc news — still to come... home invasion — why this seal caused something of a stir for one family — and their cat — in new zealand. washington, the world�*s most political city, is assessing the political health of the world�*s most powerful man. indeed i did have a relationship with monica lewinsky that was not appropriate.

in fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people have been killed today. over the last ten days, 500 people have died. chanting: czechoslovakia must be free! _ russia is observing a national day of mourning for the 118 submariners who died. we are all with them now in our hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of more than 2.5 million people in his home town of krakow. stay with us, stay with us, chanted this ocean of humanity. "well, well," said the pope, "you want me to desert rome?" this is bbc news, our top story... el shafee elsheikh,

a former british member of the so—called islamic state group, is jailed for life for his role in the murder of western hostages. the widow of the basketball star kobe bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 2020, has testified in court that she had panic attacks after learning that emergency responders took photos of the crash that killed her husband. kobe bryant, their 13—year—old daughter gianna, and six family friends, died when their helicopter crashed in thousand oaks, california in january 2020. vanessa bryant is suing los angeles county for an unspecified amount after first responders allegedly circulated pictures from the accident. 0ur correspondent in la, peter bowes, has been following the story. this was a particularly horrific crash, and you have just described the circumstances. it was a very foggy day. but it was a short time afterwards that it emerged, the los angeles times did a story about the fact that these photographs, particularly gruesome photographs, had apparently been taken at the crash scene

by members of the sheriff�*s department and also firefighters — los angeles county employees. and it is through the media coverage of that that vanessa bryant actually found out about the existence of these photographs. now, last november, she and anotherfamily were offered a sum of money, $2.5 million, in compensation for the distress that was caused but she turned that down, preferring instead to bring this federal case, an invasion of privacy case, and we are now roughly about 50% of the way through that case and she, as you have reported, appeared on the witness stand just a short time ago. peter, what did vanessa bryant have to say when she took the stand? it was very emotional testimony, she was sobbing as she appeared, she said she was blindsided, she was devastated, she was hurt, and betrayed by the fact that these photographs had apparently not only been taken but distributed

amongst the colleagues of those people who took them. and she says that she lives in fear that one day they will pop up in social media. now, so far in this case we haven�*t heard the defence for los angeles county but i understand that one of their arguments may well be that this was an accident scene and during the normal course of events of an investigation, photographs are taken, and that in fact none have appeared in social media, none have appeared on the internet. we will get more detail about that when the defence presents its case through its lawyers next week. the authorities in mexico have arrested the man who was serving as attorney—general when one of the country�*s worst human rights atrocities took place — the disappearance of 43 student teachers in 2014. jesus murillo�*s detention comes a day after a newly established truth commission concluded that the incident constituted a state crime.

the students, all men, had been heading to mexico city for a demonstration when they disappeared in the city of iguala in the southwestern state of guerrero. mr murillo has been arrested on charges of forced disappearance, torture, and the obstruction ofjustice. a man has died and a woman is in hospital after a shooting at a shopping centre in sweden. police cordoned off the emporia shopping mall in the southern city of malmo after around 20 shots were fired. police have arrested a teenage boy and believe the shooting is gang—related. officers say it is no longer an ongoing incident. sweden is gearing up for a general election next month, where gang violence tops voters�* concerns. finland�*s prime minster, sanna marin, says she has nothing to fear after taking a drugs test, following the emergence of a video of her, at a party. the 36—year old took the test, after some in finland, interpreted comments by partygoers in the footage, as referring to drugs.

here�*s caroline hawley. these are the pictures that have put the finnish prime minister in an uncomfortable spotlight, sanna marin in the black top enjoying herself with celebrities at a weekend party. with the leaking of the footage came calls for her to take a drugs test. and today she announced she had. though she said she considered the calls unfair and was doing it for her own legal protection. she had, she said, always been in a fit state to lead the country. we didn�*t have any government meetings during that week and i had time off and spent it with my friends and did nothing illegal. when she was elected in 2019, she was the world�*s youngest head of government, applauded by her supporters for combining the topjob with an active social life. 0n instagram, you can follow her celebrating her wedding anniversary, at pride events, visiting ukraine. finland neighbours russia

and has applied for nato membership, so emit a crisis in europe, herjudgment is being called into question, not for the first time. last december, she went clubbing after her foreign minister tested positive for covid and missed a text that she needed to isolate. she had to apologise then for her actions. the 36—year—old prime minister said she would have left the latest party had she needed to work. but she has always insisted that she is a real person, as well as finland�*s youngest ever leader, with a right to a night out. caroline hawley, bbc news. apple has released an update for iphones, now, imagine this. you�*re come back to your house, you�*re about to put the key in the lock, and you notice something�*s not quite right. something in the porch isn�*t where you left it. and is that a noise you can hear inside?

you tentatively open the door and find you�*ve been the victim of breaking and entering. and the culprit is still there, staring back at you. that�*s exactly what happened to one family in new zealand, and this was their unwelcome house guest. this is 0scar. he made himself comfortable at one family home in new zealand, at their house in mount maunganui — a coastal town about 200 kilometres south of auckland. it�*s thought 0scar got in through two cat—flaps — and had a bit of a nosey round. let�*s speak to some of the family members who were playing host to oscar. philip and jenn ross join us live from mount maunganui. philip live from mount maunganui. and jan, good to see you. philip and jan, good to see you. first of all, tells what happened. you. first of all, tells what happened-— you. first of all, tells what ha ened. ~ ., , happened. well, as i had been headina happened. well, as i had been heading out — happened. well, as i had been heading out first _ happened. well, as i had been heading out first thing - happened. well, as i had been heading out first thing in - happened. well, as i had been heading out first thing in the i heading out first thing in the morning, i had a bit of a bach and i thought there was a dark and i thought there was a dark and this little lovely cat has and this little lovely cat has a tendency to bail dogs out so i thought, oh, a tendency to bail dogs out so ithought, oh, and in think anything more than, than i did

grounds and i saw a seal. then when i came back, as you said, things went quiet, there were things went quiet, there were things knocked over and i thought the cat had been up to something, there is no way a seal to get to that cat flap, no way, and as i opened the door, i pump something and i heard something, and i thought, oh my goodness, that is going to be a seal. i opened the door really carefully and sure enough, i saw the seal head off down the hallway and into the guest bedroom. you down the hallway and into the guest bedroom.— down the hallway and into the guest bedroom. you mention your cat, is that — guest bedroom. you mention your cat, is that cocoa, _ guest bedroom. you mention your cat, is that cocoa, i _ guest bedroom. you mention your cat, is that cocoa, i believe? - cat, is that cocoa, i believe? i hear that coco was traumatised by this. i hear that coco was traumatised b this. ~ ., , , traumatised by this. we assume, because she _ traumatised by this. we assume, because she was _ traumatised by this. we assume, because she was out _ traumatised by this. we assume, because she was out in _ traumatised by this. we assume, because she was out in the - because she was out in the morning with me, i think she, she often sees a of the property, and i think she might have been, had a go at doing that for the sale, and the seal might have been a bit curious,

it was a young pup, that ten months old, and koko must have hightailed it inside to have a go. and then she got followed in so we didn�*t actually see koko for another hour or two and the last few days she has been hiding upstairs not wanting to go down into the area with the seal. i wanting to go down into the area with the seal.- area with the seal. i think she's done _ area with the seal. i think she's done with _ area with the seal. i think she's done with her - area with the seal. i think she's done with her five l she�*s done with her five minutes of fame. phil, you are annexed but in this area, is this normal?— annexed but in this area, is this normal? so, yes, part of it is normal, _ this normal? so, yes, part of it is normal, seals _ this normal? so, yes, part of it is normal, seals coming i this normal? so, yes, part of it is normal, seals coming on to the — it is normal, seals coming on to the coast, particularly young _ to the coast, particularly young seals, that is quite a usual— young seals, that is quite a usual sight, but it is a pretty unusual_ usual sight, but it is a pretty unusual thing for them to be quite — unusual thing for them to be quite so _ unusual thing for them to be quite so adventurous and wonder up quite so adventurous and wonder up through the dunes on to the sidewaik— up through the dunes on to the sidewalk and down someone's driveway, _ sidewalk and down someone's driveway, first time i have come _ driveway, first time i have come across this. | driveway, first time i have come across this.- driveway, first time i have come across this. i should say, ou are come across this. i should say, you are an _ come across this. i should say, you are an expert _ come across this. i should say, you are an expert because - come across this. i should say, you are an expert because you | you are an expert because you are a my reen biologist. is this a trend? are we likely to

see more seals going into people�*s homes in your part of the world? people's homes in your part of the world?— the world? so, so i guess for new zealand, _ the world? so, so i guess for new zealand, it's _ the world? so, so i guess for new zealand, it's a _ the world? so, so i guess for new zealand, it's a bit - the world? so, so i guess for new zealand, it's a bit of- the world? so, so i guess for new zealand, it's a bit of a l new zealand, it's a bit of a conservation success story, these — conservation success story, these seals almost went success -- extent— these seals almost went success —— extent in the 18005 after being — —— extent in the 18005 after being hunted for food, for pelts, _ being hunted for food, for pelt5, and for oil, and they effectively disappeared from most — effectively disappeared from most of new zealand but now they— most of new zealand but now they are — most of new zealand but now they are becoming more abundant and the _ they are becoming more abundant and the population is expanding in the _ and the population is expanding in the areas. a5 they recover and — in the areas. a5 they recover and increase, they will probably be increasing interactions with people as we compete — interactions with people as we compete for the same coa5tal real estate. compete for the same coastal real estate.— compete for the same coastal realestate. ., , ., , real estate. what should people do in a situation? _ real estate. what should people do in a situation? seals - real estate. what should people do in a situation? seals are - do in a situation? seals are definitely — do in a situation? seals are definitely wild _ do in a situation? seals are definitely wild animals - do in a situation? seals are definitely wild animals and | definitely wild animals and they— definitely wild animals and they have got a mouthful of sharp— they have got a mouthful of sharp teeth so you really want 5harp teeth so you really want to give — 5harp teeth so you really want to give them 5pace, 5harp teeth so you really want to give them space, so 5harp teeth so you really want to give them 5pace, sol 5harp teeth so you really want to give them space, so i guess the message is if you see a seal, — the message is if you see a seal, which would usually be on 5eal, which would usually be on the beach, _ 5eal, which would usually be on the beach, give it 5pace, keep

your— the beach, give it 5pace, keep your dogs— the beach, give it 5pace, keep your dogs away from it, but if they— your dogs away from it, but if they are — your dogs away from it, but if they are in _ your dogs away from it, but if they are in your house, that is a hit _ they are in your house, that is a hit of— they are in your house, that is a hit of a _ they are in your house, that is a bit of a different situation, and — a bit of a different situation, and for— a bit of a different situation, and for us, we have the department of conservation and they have ranger5 department of conservation and they have rangers who can deal with these sorts of events, so we gave — with these sorts of events, so we gave the ranger at call, he was _ we gave the ranger at call, he was having a busy morning dealing _ was having a busy morning dealing with quite a few 5eal call—out5 but he came around, june _ call—out5 but he came around, june had — call—out5 but he came around, june had opened the door, let the seal— june had opened the door, let the seal out, and it was hanging _ the seal out, and it was hanging out in the garden, and he came— hanging out in the garden, and he came and dropped it into a net and — he came and dropped it into a net and took it to a quiet part of the — net and took it to a quiet part of the estuary to be released and have _ of the estuary to be released and have a rest before heading back— and have a rest before heading back out— and have a rest before heading back out to sea. | and have a rest before heading back out to sea.— back out to sea. i am glad that our back out to sea. i am glad that your visitor _ back out to sea. i am glad that your visitor has _ back out to sea. i am glad that your visitor has returned - back out to sea. i am glad that your visitor has returned to - your visitor has returned to wildlife and that koko has not been too scarred. thank you very much, a pleasure to talk to you. the city of glasgow in the central belt of scotland has reached an agreement with authorities in india to send back seven cultural artefacts looted from india during british colonial rule in the 19th century.

it�*s thought to be the first repatriation deal with india from a british museum. six of the objects, which include a ceremonial sword and an ancient door jamb, were looted from temples and shrines. glasgow officials says it showed the city�*s commitment to redressing wrongs of the past. speaking from glasgow, the first secretary for trade and commerce at the high commission of india, jaspreet sukhija welcomed the return of the objects. we would like to see almost all items returned back to india, almost all items, and we are working towards that. in the past three years, we have had three occasions where items and other artefacts have been sent back home by various partnerships and to the efforts of the high commissioner of india. this, although it stands out, because this is the first time that a british museum is restituting back some artefacts, historical artefacts which came here decades back, to india. much more in the bbc website,

including an article about the seal breaking and entering in new zealand. thanks for watching, goodbye for now. hello there. we ended the week with some warm sunshine but some showers, mainly in the north, close to an area of low pressure. and that same area of low pressure is sitting in the same place for the start of the weekend. but around the base of it, we�*ve got this weather front thickening the cloud, bringing some rain and some stronger winds as well. ahead of that, with some clear skies in england and wales, it�*ll be a cooler start on saturday morning, significantly cooler than the previous night in south eastern parts of england. some sunshine for england and wales, one or two showers pushing across in the morning, ahead of this main band of rain that�*s heavy for a while, accompanied by some strong and gusty winds, sweeping away from scotland and northern ireland, followed by sunshine and a few showers. that rain band is quite narrow, but it could be quite heavy rain as it gets stuck in northern england. elsewhere for england and wales, some sunny spells, just one or two showers, but most places will be dry.

and temperatures very similar to what we had on friday, so getting up to the mid—20s at best. that area of low pressure will keep the showers going into the first part of the night. across scotland, another area of low pressure moving very slowly in from the atlantic will push a lot of cloud ahead of it. it means the sunnier skies probably further north this time on sunday. those showers easing in scotland. sunny spells here, some sunshine for northern ireland, the far north of england for a while. other parts of england and wales probably turning more cloudy, the cloud thickening to give a bit of rain and drizzle, mostly for western wales and southwest england, where temperatures will struggle to around 20 degrees. once again, we�*re 18 or 19 for scotland and northern ireland. the cloud continues to thicken on sunday night. we start to see a bit more rain proper coming in from the atlantic as that low pressure heads in from the west. having said that, there will be little or no rain for northern parts of scotland, some patchy rain elsewhere, the odd heavier burst for a while. nothing particularly organised, mind you. and some western areas should turn drier and brighter through the afternoon. temperature—wise, making 23

again across southern england and south wales and 18 in the central belt of scotland. now, into next week, this is where the jet stream is going to be positioned. it may start to buckle a little bit, but it does mean that any warm air is stuck in the southeast of england, confined to the southeast, and no heatwave on the way by any means. temperatures near normal for this time of the year. monday looks the wetter day. after that, it looks mostly dry, and there will be some sunshine from time to time.

this is bbc news. the headlines: a former british member of an islamic state terror cell has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murder of western hostages in syria. el shafee elsheikh was part of a group — nicknamed the beatles — involved in torturing, beating and executing prisoners. the french president emmanuel macron says his russian counterpart, vladimir putin, has agreed on the need to send inspectors to ukraine�*s zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as fears grow about its safety. the site has been under russian occupation since early march and the area has recently come under heavy fire. in a show of solidarity for sir salman rushdie —

authors have been gathering in new york to demonstrate