you're watching bbc news — i'm rich preston. our top stories: investigators uncover evidence of mass graves and other atrocities allegedly committed by russian soldiers in the kherson region of ukraine. relatives of the 298 people on board the malaysian airliner shot down over ukraine in 2014 give their reaction to the life sentences handed down to three men convicted of murder. when you look at the world, all these tragedies happen, but this one was part of me, part of my life, and it'll stay there forever. families facing higher taxes and further spending cuts — the uk's finance minister unveils plans to bolster an economy he says is already in recession.

and the end of an era in american politics. nancy pelosi says she won't seek re—election to lead the democrats in the us house of representatives welcome to our viewers on pbs in the united states and around the world. we begin in ukraine and the southern city of kherson, recently liberated after russian forces withdrew. investigators there say they've found 63 bodies of ukrainian civilians which show signs of torture. russia denies its forces have committed atrocities. our correspondentjames waterhouse has been speaking to people who were held by russian forces in kherson. a warning — you may find the details are upsetting. it's only once russia leaves...

..that you get a sense of what they've done. what allegedly happened here is a picture of brutality. this used to be a police station in kherson. after russian forces took control, officials say it became a torture chamber. anzhela, a tvjournalist, spent 31 days there. translation: on the third floor, people, men were beaten. on the first floor, we heard that it was electrocution. when a person is being tortured with electricity, you hear it. it is a peculiar sound. after hearing what anzhela's been through, you get a really vivid glimpse of what this place must have been like. there is still the smell of burning

in the air, but the silence is almost deafening, and each one of these rooms has its own story and all of them will come out over time. she shared cell number six with four other women. what she didn't know... ..was that her boyfriend was there, too. translation: there were some people i who were electrocuted. it was horrible. one guy was brought to the cell after interrogation. his tongue was black. it was so swollen, he couldn't put it back in his mouth. in kherson, daily life runs alongside grim discoveries. a mass grave was found here. elsewhere in the city, the bodies of 63 civilians were also found. they all, say investigators,

showed signs of being tortured. "there were more than 3,000 crimes committed throughout occupation," the chief investigator tells us. "90% of them are war crimes, including rape, torture and murder." as the evidence mounts, so do moscow's denials of targeting civilians, but when russia retreats, it leaves a now familiar footprint. james waterhouse, bbc news, kherson. fresh russian strikes have hit cities across ukraine. they're the latest in a wave of attacks that have crippled the country's energy plants as winter sets in. our correspondent catherine byaruhanga has the latest from kyiv. this is the second time in less than a week that russia has carried out nationwide attacks on ukraine.

moscow has conducted a series of missile strikes on this country following military setbacks, the most recent being in the southern city of kherson. ukraine's prime minister said today's strikes targeted energy infrastructure and weapons production plants. 70 shells are said to have landed around the city of nikopol in southern ukraine. thousands of homes are left without energy and water. gas facilities in eastern ukraine were also targeted. temperatures are dropping here in kyiv, and residents are braced for the worst to come. the united nations is warning that there could be a serious humanitarian crisis here in ukraine during the winter because millions face constant power cuts. we can now speak to barry pavel who's vice president and director of the national security research division at the rand corporation. thank you for making the time

for us. is ukraine failing in the printout shouldn't —— protection of this vital infrastructure? it is difficult. it is hard to defend against ballistic missiles and cruise missiles attacking cities which are larger and energy infrastructure, than it is to target particular russian combat units and in particular places. in a counteroffensive. this is why the ukrainian president has been asking for quite a while now for more air defence capabilities from its nato and other allies, more missile defence, more sophisticated and more volume and it is still a toughjob sophisticated and more volume and it is still a tough job to protect a number of cities which themselves have a wide area against missile barrages so this is vladimir putin trying to inflict maximum suffering for the winter on the civilian population of ukraine even as ukraine is still,

successfully, mounting a counteroffensive operation against russian military forces in the east and in particular the north—east near kharkiv and in the south—east. so this kind of continuing dynamic will unfold over the winter months, unfortunately. we unfold over the winter months, unfortunately.— unfortunately. we have seen success for _ unfortunately. we have seen success for the _ unfortunately. we have seen success for the russian - unfortunately. we have seen l success for the russian forces, the ukrainian forces, rather, that there are still parts of the country where russian forces are bedded in. do we think they will hold their positions or can ukrainian forces pushed them out? that is a ureat forces pushed them out? that is a great question _ forces pushed them out? that is a great question and _ forces pushed them out? that is a great question and i _ forces pushed them out? that is a great question and i think - a great question and i think unanswerable. one would put money on ukraine, they are making excellent progress with advanced weaponry that nato, the us and others are providing and they use it to great effect. on the other hand, russian forces have, in some cases in particular in donetsk and lewman, have had years and years. in and position

themselves so that is the crux of the question my money will continue to be on ukraine making progress for many weeks now and we have underestimated them since the very beginning. it is time to stop underestimating them on the question is where does that end “p question is where does that end up and how does vladimir putin respond? up and how does vladimir putin resond? ~ ., up and how does vladimir putin resond? a, ., up and how does vladimir putin resond? a, . ':: ., respond? more than 10 million ukrainians— respond? more than 10 million ukrainians are _ respond? more than 10 million ukrainians are without - respond? more than 10 million ukrainians are without power. ukrainians are without power and there are water shortages and there are water shortages and civilians have been killed in recent hours. one of the plans over recent weeks and months? he plans over recent weeks and months?— plans over recent weeks and months? . ., ., months? he will continue what he is doing _ months? he will continue what he is doing and _ months? he will continue what he is doing and that _ months? he will continue what he is doing and that is - he is doing and that is attacking civilians and energy infrastructure to inflict maximum damage and suffering among the ukrainian people, try to break there will and even as he tries to defend the territories that he legally

annexed, including donetsk and lewman where forces have been for many years, i am not sure how many missiles he retains in his arsenal in order to keep attacking those cities. —— luhansk. i heard that russian factories are at full force trying to produce missiles as much as they can but we will see what happens. i'm not sure that there won't come a point where they will have to be, they will have to husband there missiles that they have left, in particular, the precision guided ones.— in particular, the precision guided ones. thank you very much. in the netherlands, a court in the hague has found three men guilty of murdering 298 people after shooting down a malaysian airlines plane over ukraine in 2014. the men — two russians and a ukrainian — were tried in absentia and given life sentences. the court said the missile that took down flight mh—17 was supplied by russia's military, and fired from territory controlled by kremlin—backed militia. moscow denies any involvement. our correspondent anna

holligan, sent this report. speaks dutch. thejudges ruled that the three men had set out to bring down a plane, even though they had intended to shoot down a military, not a civilian aircraft. the court found the surface—to—air missile was supplied by a russian military brigade and fired from territory controlled by russian—backed separatists. for the relatives at the epicentre of this disaster, this long—awaited judgment day brought mixed emotions. when you listened to what was said in there, what was your feeling?

the first casualties of a conflict which is still raging today. this verdict is a reminder that russia's military presence in ukraine started long before this year's full—scale invasion. many of the victims' families feel this is a vindication of their sentiment, but if the world had taken a tougher stance against russia eight years ago, that invasion and the geopolitical instability that followed documents, recovered intact from it is extremely important to me. that feeling ofjustice to be done

anna holligan, bbc news, schiphol. our russia editor steve rosenberg has more from moscow. russia's foreign ministry has said it wants to study the verdict of the dutch court very carefully before it issues an official statement. but the russian state media, they haven't waited before commenting, and no surprises here — the state media in russia have condemned the outcome of this trial — using the kind of arguments we've been hearing a lot from russia, basically, since 2014. in other words, accusing the west, accusing investigators

and the international court of russophobia, of anti—russian sentiments, complaining that russia wasn't part of the investigation and basically trying to dismiss the whole process as illegitimate. now, after what was a painstaking international investigation into this disaster and a two—year trial, i think these russian arguments will convince few people in the international community. but i think they are aimed principally at a domestic audience to try to sow doubt in the minds of the russian public. two of the three men who were convicted of murder today were russian citizens, igor girkin and sergey dubinskiy. they were not in court, they are at large, and i think there's virtually no prospect of moscow handing them over to serve their sentences. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: as the cop27 climate summit in egypt reaches its final day with a deal still to be done,

we speak to a special advisor to the un secretary general antonio gutteres. benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistan's general election and she's asked pakistan's president to name her as prime minister. it was the biggest i demonstration so far that it's opening the country's remaining whites—only beaches to people of all races. in this country part of the centuries—old windsor castle, - one of the queen's residences,

has been consumed by fire for much of the day. - 150 firemen have been battling the blaze, - which has caused millions. of pounds' worth of damage. this is bbc news. the latest headlines — the bbc hears details of alleged atrocities by russian soldiers before they left the liberated region of kherson in ukraine. a dutch court sentences two russians and one ukrainian to life in prison for shooting down a malaysia airlines plane — killing all 298 people on board. the hours are counting down to hammer out a deal at the cop27 climate summit in egypt. negotiations have been going on for almost two weeks. friday is supposed to be the final day when the most important commitments and decisions are made, but there's concern the talks could collapse. the un secretary general antonio gutteres urged delegates to reach an "ambitious and credible" deal.

we must have agreed solutions in front of us to respond to russian damage, close the emissions gap and deliver on finance. the climate clock is ticking and trust keeps eroding. the parties at cop27 the chance to make a difference here i urge them to act, and act quickly. rachel kyte is dean of the fletcher school at tufts university. she is also a senior climate change advisor to the un secretary general antonio guterres. she has just flown back from cop27 in sharm el sheikh a few hours ago and joins us now from massachusetts. thank you very much for being with us. calling for an ambitious deal there, where are we at? ~ , ambitious deal there, where are weat? we at? well, it is always the -h sics we at? well, it is always the physics of — we at? well, it is always the physics of negotiation - we at? well, it is always the physics of negotiation it - we at? well, it is always the i physics of negotiation it comes down to the wire. this time

around, the egyptian presidency introduced their cover text very late in the day. it is still really a laundry list without some detail but there are important, significant details, in particular on loss and damage, whether european union seems to be moving its position, not everywhere, and there is some tension within there is some tension within the european union but there is the european union but there is the possibility of if not a complete agreement on a financial facility complete agreement on a financialfacility for complete agreement on a financial facility for loss and damage, which is what the developing world really wanted coming into the talks, but substantial movement in that direction. so it is still all to play for. direction. so it is still all to play for-— direction. so it is still all to play for. direction. so it is still all to - for. . ., ., to play for. what are some of the main _ to play for. what are some of the main sticking _ to play for. what are some of the main sticking points - to play for. what are some of the main sticking points at i to play for. what are some of| the main sticking points at the summit? a, , ., , the main sticking points at the summit? , ., , ., , summit? money, money, money, mone , summit? money, money, money, money. money! — summit? money, money, money, money, money! at i summit? money, money, money, money, money! at the i summit? money, money, money, money, money! at the end i summit? money, money, money, money, money! at the end of- summit? money, money, money, money, money! at the end of the| money, money! at the end of the day, the longer we don't act the more it is going to cost us, it is going to cost the transition to renewable energy, the more it will cost the damage we are already incurring from climate impact on the more it will cost rich countries that should and can afford to

help developing countries, it is going to cost them more to do so. so all the way through these talks, the question of who is financing, with what finance and how has come up. but there has been important movement away from the text of the negotiations, big deals for for egypt, and also some reframing of what we are supposed to be financing. prime minister modi and the indian delegation very interestingly after last year had been seen blocking language in glasgow around phasing out fossilfuels basically calling for a phase—out of fossil fuels, so india are busily taking up the mantle of leadership now. {line mantle of leadership now. one ofthe mantle of leadership now. one of the observations i mantle of leadership now. one of the observations with the cop summit in egypt is that many western countries especially in europe have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to climate change because of more pressing problems in their home turf. how much are things like the war in ukraine detracting from talks at cop27? it has clearly changed in some respects the energy dynamic. we

have an energy supply shock. europe has responded to that by pivoting away from russian hydrocarbons but the european commission is not watered down its commitment to climate change, in fact it has extended its commission. what it has done is. the price of energy by buying a lot of gas, forcing a number of developing countries into debt distress. there is a feeling that the developed world because the problem and is not coming with enough assistance quickly enough, and thatis assistance quickly enough, and that is what is really eroding the trust that you had the secretary general refer to in his remarks mr we are still on track, there is still more renewable deals on the margins of cop27 that there were casteels even though the oil and gas industry was at sharm el—sheikh en masse, very differently from glasgow but you can't change the science, you can't change the science, you can't change the science, you can't change the markets. at the end of the day, renewable energy will be the cheapest, quickest way for us to be able to meet our 1.5 goals. the how—to and he was

going to finance it is really what is the sticking point. let's talk more about oil and gas, what roles have those industries played in sharm el—sheikh? industries played in sharm el-sheikh?_ industries played in sharm el-sheikh? , , , ., industries played in sharm el-sheikh? ,, , ., , el-sheikh? the best estimate is that there were i el-sheikh? the best estimate is that there were about i el-sheikh? the best estimate is that there were about 670 i that there were about 670 lobbyists of one kind or another from the oil lobbyists of one kind or anotherfrom the oil and lobbyists of one kind or another from the oil and gas industry, a big change from recent climate negotiations. they were there mainly badged as other people. some were badged as a country, and some were badged as a non—governmental organisation, so they were a little shy. they didn't want to turn up with their corporate budgets on. —— badges on. but next week the total move to the united arab emirates, how do these companies transition themselves and how do these companies play and how do these companies play a role in sparing the transition? they can't deny the science, they don't deny the science, they don't deny the science, but importantly in most countries in the world, an oil company is nationally owned so how do you help nationally owned companies make the transition that the shell and bps of this world would already

tell you they're beginning to make? ., , make? here in the uk, a big announcement i make? here in the uk, a big announcement from i make? here in the uk, a big announcement from the i make? here in the uk, a big i announcement from the finance ministerjeremy hunt. various cuts and measures introduced. do you have any reaction as to what he had to say? i do you have any reaction as to what he had to say?— what he had to say? i was in the air as — what he had to say? i was in the air as he i what he had to say? i was in the air as he spoke i what he had to say? i was in the air as he spoke but i i what he had to say? i was in the air as he spoke but i am | what he had to say? i was in. the air as he spoke but i am a little puzzled i have to say from a climate perspective, and from a climate perspective, and from a climate perspective, and from a green growth perspective. why were still demure when it comes to onshore wind energy and solar energy. we need all of the above when it comes to renewable energy. i was glad to see the windfall tax is tight and a little bit more, i think there's probably even more that could be done and i think the government has to speak to people about energy efficiency and support them to be efficient, so i still think there's more to be done. thank ou. there's more to be done. thank yon speaking _ there's more to be done. thank you. speaking of i there's more to be done. thank you. speaking of britain's i you. speaking of britain's

economy... the uk chancellor, jeremy hunt, has announced tax rises and spending cuts to bolster an economy that he says has already entered recession. two months on from a disastrous mini—budget that dented britain's economic credibility, mr hunt outlined a 65 billion dollar package to reduce government borrowing. this includes additional windfall taxes on oil and gas firms. our political editor chris mason has been speaking to mr hunt. chancellor, what you say to people tonight who are facing the biggest drop in living standards since the 1950s? it standards since the 19505? if we stick with 5tandard5 since the 19505? if we stick with it, we can make the recession shallower than it might otherwise have been and give hope to families that we can get back to more normality. in truth they can be have ducked the difficult decisions until after the next election

when you might be gone. i have been accused i when you might be gone. i have been accused of i when you might be gone. i have been accused of many i when you might be gone. i have been accused of many things, . been accused of many things, but ducking difficult decisions? ., decisions? postponing some of them. a conservative i decisions? postponing some of. them. a conservative chancellor standinu them. a conservative chancellor standing up _ them. a conservative chancellor standing up in — them. a conservative chancellor standing up in the i them. a conservative chancellor standing up in the house i them. a conservative chancellor standing up in the house of i standing up in the house of commons and saying they're going to be £25 billion of tax increases, that is facing up to difficult decisions, but it is facing up to them in a balanced way that recognises that for the next 18 months we are going to be in recession. can the next 18 months we are going to be in recession.— to be in recession. can we ever trust a conservative i to be in recession. can we ever trust a conservative politician l trust a conservative politician again who talks about being about low taxes because we have the highest tax burden for about 80 years?— the highest tax burden for about 80 years? well, only conservatives i about 80 years? well, only conservatives understand l about 80 years? well, only i conservatives understand that successful economies need to be lightly taxed if they're going to be dynamic and innovative. you say that, and yet they keep going up. you say that, and yet they keep auoin u -. , you say that, and yet they keep auoin u. , , , you say that, and yet they keep uu-oinu. , , , ., going up. yes, because we have had a very _ going up. yes, because we have had a very exceptional— had a very exceptional situation, we have had a once in a century pandemic, the fuel price hikes caused by vladimir putin. ., ., ., ., putin. you are a tax raising chancellor i putin. you are a tax raising chancellor presiding i putin. you are a tax raising chancellor presiding over. putin. you are a tax raising chancellor presiding over a | chancellor presiding over a government, and spending not

being what you have to would be, do you have any hope of winning the next election? well, conservatives win elections when they are trusted with the economy and what you have seen today is a conservative chancellor outlining a very difficult path that gets us through this crisis. ., ,, ., it's been more than a week since polls closed in the us mid terms — and we now know the result. the republicans will take control of the house of representatives. the seat that handed them the majority was california's district 27, with the republican incumbent mike garcia re—elected. it means they have passed the 218 seat threshold. although our partners cbs, project the republicans majority will be five seats at most. and that means there will be a new speaker — most likely kevin mccarthy. it also marks the end of an era, with the democrat nancy pelosi today announced she's standing down. my friends, no matter what title you all, my colleagues, have bestowed upon me — speaker, leader, whip — there is no greater official honour for me than to stand on this floor and to speak

for the people of san francisco. this i will continue to do as a member of the house, speaking for the people of san francisco, serving the great state of california and defending our constitution. and with great confidence in our caucus, i will not seek reelection to democratic leadership in the next congress. for me, the hour's come for a new generation to lead the democratic caucus that i so deeply respect, and i'm grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility. before we go, re—churches say a new species of turtle recently discovered in north—east spain —— researchers say may have been one of the largest ever to have lived, in northern spain. scientists believe it was more than 3.5 metres long, more than 11 feet, and weighed nearly two

tonnes, making it roughly the size of a small car. it inhabited europe's subtropical seas of some 83 million years ago. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ richpreston. hello. our very unsettled spell of november weather is set to continue for some of us, particularly towards the north and east. there's some fairly heavy rain in the forecast over the next 21! hours or so. further south and towards the southwest, things are tending to dry out through the day on friday, so it's going to be a day of mixed fortunes. let's look at the expected rainfall accumulation over the next 21! hours. not much for southern england, wales, northern ireland, but take a look at scotland — this green zone here — that is where we're going to see the heaviest and most persistent rainfall. in fact, the met office have issued an amber warning for heavy rain in eastern scotland, particularly for aberdeenshire, angus, perth and kinross, as well. could be up to 150 mm perhaps over the cairngorms, certainly enough to cause some flooding issues.

so, we've had this low pressure drifting its way northwards overnight, continuing to bring all of this heavy rainfall. through the early hours of friday morning, still a pretty soggy scene in the north and east of scotland. most of us frost—free to start the day — we could just see a touch of frost, though, earlier on across northern ireland. through the day on friday then, there's that persistent rain driven in by these easterly winds across parts of scotland, drifting its way westwards. elsewhere, a few showers around, but they're tending to peter out through the day. best of the sunshine for parts of southern england, wales, perhaps into northern ireland later in the day. it's not quite as warm as it has been — temperatures generally around nine to 12. then, overnight into saturday, we've got more cloud and rain sitting in the east, so overnight temperatures by saturday morning around about four to six, but further west, we're looking at a touch of frost for parts of northern ireland, into western wales, for instance, as well. but through the day on saturday, the next front will move its way in from the west. we've still got that front in the east as well, so something of a frontal sandwich, i think. we've got cloud and patchy rain moving in from the east, another area of cloud and rain from the west, and in between, there will be

some sunshine and some drier weather on the cards. it's going to be a little cooler than it has done recently, with temperatures generally only around seven to nine around that east coast, perhaps up to around 12 down towards the southwest. it looks like the front in the west winds out as we head into sunday. it pushes its way east across the uk and it's followed by scattered showers. so, early on, perhaps a band of persistent rain, slowly clearing eastwards, some heavy, potentially thundery showers and turning colder — could even be a little bit of snow on top of the mountains in scotland. top temperatures by this stage around six to 11 degrees. bye for now.

doing stuff more this is bbc news, the headlines: details have emerged of more mass graves and atrocities allegedly carried out by russian soldiers before they left the liberated region of kherson in ukraine. war crimes investigators say the torture was even worse than in other areas. kyiv believes the abuses are continuing in territory russia still occupies. a dutch court in the hague has found three men guilty of murdering 200 and 98 people on board a malaysian airlines plane shot down over ukraine in 2014. the two russians and a ukrainian were tried in absentia and given life sentences. moscow has denied any involvement. the outgoing speaker of the us house of representatives — nancy pelosi — has decided not to seek re—election as the chamber�*s democratic party leader. the 82—year—old's been

in the role for nearly two decades, but is stepping down as republicans prepare to take