smiling through... this is ahmed. he is 11 years old and he doesn't let much get in his way. he is heading to the river to get water, a daily ritual. life was tough here, even before the war, but ahmed a fighter. we have come back to see this star pupil. who is also stand in teacher at his school. are you the best teacher there? that is a yes.

ahmed has been blind from birth, along with four of his siblings and he's growing up near a front line in a city under siege. it's very scary, he tells me. we are afraid of gunshots. when fighting starts we can't go to the park or the valley, or anywhere. when was the last time you heard fighting and explosions? last night, he says. it is quiet now, but there is danger in the hills where houthi snipers are most active after dark. ahmed's father, abdel, says they're are about 600 metres in front of us. a gun shot away, he tells me. for ahmed, school has always

been a refuge, of sorts. this was our first been a refuge, of sorts. this was ourfirst glimpse been a refuge, of sorts. this was our first glimpse of him been a refuge, of sorts. this was ourfirst glimpse of him in january 2021, leading morning assembly at his primary. it was bombed by the saudi led coalition when it was occupied by houthi forces. the classrooms exposed to the sun and the rain. young minds getting an education in war. ahmed was leading the class at just nine years old and he gave us his wish list. we want a new school, chairs, doors, windows, blackboards, lights and batteries. so this is the new school? and viewers responded. a yemeni donorfunded a new

block and a british charity refurbished classrooms. saudi arabia, after years of bombing yemen is building another school nearby. ahmed gives the changes top marks and he has plenty of big plans. i want to be a teacher, pilot, engineer, driver or a doctor. do you think you will be able to do all these things? sure, i will do everything and i will marry a beautiful city girl and she will make me biscuits. the girls here in the village don't know how to make good biscuits. the city girls know how to make delicious biscuits, so good, he will lick your fingers. back at the river, ahmed has a few moments of fun. but childhood

in yemen is short. he is full of hope, full of promise and he has already overcome so much. but he is still a child of war. alongside trenches and artillery, ukraine's war has been one of drones and hackers and that has led ukraine's security service to move its teams to the front lines. he, they direct the kamikaze drone to direct to camera. in an exclusive interview, the man in charge of cyber security and technology for the security service, reveals they also hack

into russian cameras to collect intelligence. into russian cameras to collect intelligence-— intelligence. using artificial intelligence, _ intelligence. using artificial intelligence, we _ intelligence. using artificial intelligence, we are - intelligence, we are surveillance cameras on the occupied territories and we understand the movement of the troops, this information is analysed and we understand which type of military and weapons they are about to use and what direction. the security _ and what direction. the security service - and what direction. the security service also . and what direction. the l security service also uses artificial intelligence to track down those responsible for war crimes. we track down those responsible for war crimes.— for war crimes. we use artificial _ for war crimes. we use artificial intelligence i for war crimes. we use artificial intelligence as well, face recognition and we understand who was exactly guilty in the different war crimes conducted by russian troops. he was the portable spotter, who was the possible traitor. this is artificial intelligence and we have thousands of people that we found exactly who they wear.

technology has been at the heart of this conflict from the start. in the opening days of the war, russian missiles hit kyiv�*s main tv tower. last year the russians attacked this tower, they were trying to deprive ukrainians access to truthful information and destroyed the infrastructure. the missile attack was accompanied by a cyber attack on the same facility. since then, the man in charge of cyber security shows me the place has been relentless. it is every day you are... something is happening, you don't have any days off? we don't have any days off? we don't have _ don't have any days off? we don't have days _ don't have any days off? - don't have days off. don't have any days off? we don't have days off. it - don't have any days off? we don't have days off. it is - don't have days off. it is often said _ don't have days off. it is often said war _ don't have days off. it is often said war spares i don't have days off. it isj often said war spares on innovation and this conflict has been no exception. what we have seen in ukraine is an incredible pace by which new technologies have been adopted. nowhere has the pace of innovation been clearer than drones, in a location we have been asked to keep secret come operators are taught not so

much how to fly the drones, but how to stay alive themselves. risks are increasing as they move closer to the fighting. right now the distance is getting shorter, shorter and shorter because of enemies jamming systems.- shorter because of enemies jamming systems. hackers and drone operators _ jamming systems. hackers and drone operators are _ jamming systems. hackers and drone operators are now- jamming systems. hackers and drone operators are now on - jamming systems. hackers and j drone operators are now on the front lines with both sides knowing that technology could give them a vital edge in a hot ford four. —— hard fought war. injapan home to the world's second biggest music market, one company has dominated for decades. johnny and associates is the biggesthop star maker but for years, rumours of sexual abuse has surrounded the

founder of the agency, who has died. now in a sign of respect and remorse in a significant moment. before stepping down as ceo, he admitted that abuse of young boys had taken place in her uncle's administration. translation:— her uncle's administration. translation: �* ., ., i , translation: both the agency itself recognises _ translation: both the agency itself recognises the _ translation: both the agency itself recognises the sexual - itself recognises the sexual abuse taking place byjohnny himself and i apologise to the victims from the bottom of my heart. ., . , victims from the bottom of my heart. ., i , ., victims from the bottom of my heart. ., i, i, , ., , heart. the agency had promised to compensate _ heart. the agency had promised to compensate the _ heart. the agency had promised to compensate the victims. - heart. the agency had promised. to compensate the victims. some of whom had been watching. translation: i of whom had been watching. translation:— of whom had been watching. translation: i believe that an aien translation: i believe that an agency that _ translation: i believe that an agency that retained _ translation: i believe that an agency that retained johnny's i agency that retained johnny's name should not exist. translation: name should not exist. tuna/mom- name should not exist. translation: ,, ., translation: she acknowledged and sincerely _ translation: she acknowledged and sincerely apologise _ translation: she acknowledged and sincerely apologise for- and sincerely apologise for what happened, but it is not like the emotional scars have gone. it like the emotional scars have one. , , ' . ., gone. it is very difficult to

overstate _ gone. it is very difficult to overstate the _ gone. it is very difficult to overstate the clout, - gone. it is very difficult to overstate the clout, the i gone. it is very difficult to - overstate the clout, the power and influence thatjohnny held overjapan's entertainment over japan's entertainment industry. if overjapan's entertainment industry. if you are a young japanese teenager who wanted to become a pop star and wanted to break through, his agency was your gateway. pressure grew on the agency when the allegations resurfaced this year in a bbc documentary, where one of the victims, who wanted to remain anonymous, told our colleague that their career would have been harmed if they did not comply with his sexual demands. translation:— comply with his sexual demands. translation: johnny tell me, go and have a bath. _ translation: johnny tell me, go and have a bath. johnny— translation: johnny tell me, go and have a bath. johnny filled - and have a bath. johnny filled up and have a bath. johnny filled up the bath. i thought, isn't he kind. but then he reached for my trousers. later, several boys told me you have to put up with it or you won't succeed. more people came forward with their stories after the documentary, including this pop star, who says he was abused by johnny when he was 15. last

week, an independent investigation found the entertainment mogul had abused hundreds of boys repeatedly over six decades in the family's management of the firm had allowed the assault to continue. it is not clear how this will change japan's entertainment industry, with an empire and the brand that has been synonymous with the country's pop culture so synonymously disgrace. there is no other option for many children here but to grow up many children here but to grow up fast. hassan has been working for two years, helping to sell cigarettes. he comes here have the school. translation: i here have the school. tuna/mom- here have the school. translation: ., ., translation: i am here to get some money — translation: i am here to get some money and _ translation: i am here to get some money and because - translation: i am here to get some money and because it - translation: i am here to get some money and because it is l some money and because it is better than being in the

street. i better than being in the street. ., r' street. i asked him if he prefers _ street. i asked him if he prefers school _ street. i asked him if he prefers school or - street. i asked him if he prefers school or work? | street. i asked him if he - prefers school or work? school. his father _ prefers school or work? school. his father sells _ prefers school or work? school. his father sells vegetables - prefers school or work? school. his father sells vegetables for l his father sells vegetables for living, but prices have risen so fast, these are now a luxury for people in lebanon. the global crisis has already hit a country suffering and economic meltdown and a currency collapse. according to the un, nine out of ten families cannot afford the basics any more. translation: iii afford the basics any more. translation: if i afford the basics any more. translation:— afford the basics any more. translation: ifi could afford it, of translation: ifi could afford it. of course — translation: ifi could afford it, of course i _ translation: ifi could afford it, of course i would _ translation: ifi could afford it, of course i would prefer- it, of course i would prefer him to study. working is not the best thing for him, but it brings in some money. together, the hel brings in some money. together, they help to _ brings in some money. together, they help to make _ brings in some money. together, they help to make sure _ brings in some money. together, they help to make sure the - they help to make sure the whole family has what they need and growing numbers of children are having to do the same. lebanon's poor are getting poorer. this family never had much, but until three years ago, she used to enjoy school, then even that became a luxury.

she dropped out to start cleaning other people's houses. she is m now, two of her sisters were married at the age of just 13. ofjust 13. translation: i ofjust 13. translation: ., , ofjust13. translation: ,. translation: i was in school, but i had translation: i was in school, but i had to _ translation: i was in school, but i had to leave _ translation: i was in school, but i had to leave because - translation: i was in school, but i had to leave because i- but i had to leave because i could not afford to go. when i was at school i used to dream of becoming a teacher. ihind was at school i used to dream of becoming a teacher. and now, i asked of becoming a teacher. and now, i asked her? _ of becoming a teacher. and now, i asked her? i— of becoming a teacher. and now, i asked her? i stopped _ i asked her? i stopped dreaming. _ i asked her? i stopped dreaming. i— i asked her? i stopped dreaming. i couldn't . i asked her? i stopped - dreaming. i couldn't continue my school year. nine-year-old karim and _ my school year. nine-year-old karim and six-year-old - my school year. nine-year-old karim and six-year-old adaml my school year. nine-year-old i karim and six-year-old adam are karim and six—year—old adam are getting ready for school. their 14—year—old brother is already at work at a supermarket. their mother has two jobs and is looking for a third. a once decent salary is now worth very little and middle—class people have fallen into poverty. this

child works at the school in the kitchen, part of a programme which employs people in the school kitchen. so programme which employs people in the school kitchen.— in the school kitchen. so many students ask _ in the school kitchen. so many students ask us _ in the school kitchen. so many students ask us for, _ in the school kitchen. so many students ask us for, can - in the school kitchen. so many students ask us for, can i - in the school kitchen. so many students ask us for, can i have this tomato for my mum. they knock on the door of the kitchen every day. dozens of students, not one or two. ihind students, not one or two. and it never used _ students, not one or two. and it never used to _ students, not one or two. and it never used to be _ students, not one or two. and it never used to be like - students, not one or two. and it never used to be like this? no, i have never seen that in lebanon before.— no, i have never seen that in lebanon before. the un says one in ten families _ lebanon before. the un says one in ten families don't _ lebanon before. the un says one in ten families don't send - in ten families don't send their children to school any more because they cannot afford to. it is a sensitive issue which brings embarrassment, even shame. most of the street sellers here are syrian refugees, but more and more

lebanese children are joining them. in homes up and down this country, families have had to sell belongings, as well as send their children to work. mohammed, who is 15, provides for both his little sisters and for both his little sisters and for the whole family. their father cannot work after he injured himself falling from a ladder. mohammed has been out of school since he was 11 and there is no time any more to see his friends. translation: i see his friends. translation: ., 4' see his friends. translation: ., ~ ., ., translation: i would like to go to school, translation: i would like to go to school. of— translation: i would like to go to school, of course, _ translation: i would like to go to school, of course, but - translation: i would like to go to school, of course, but in - to school, of course, but in this situation, i need to provide for my family. i asked him how that _ provide for my family. i asked him how that felt? _ provide for my family. i asked him how that felt? i _ provide for my family. i asked him how that felt? i am - him how that felt? i am suffocating. _ him how that felt? i am | suffocating. suffocating. him how that felt? i am l suffocating. suffocating. i have to put up with it. some people curse me when they pass. they tell me not to get any closer. some people humiliate

us. , ., us. he is out here day in, day out, us. he is out here day in, day out. all _ us. he is out here day in, day out, all hours. _ us. he is out here day in, day out, all hours. one _ us. he is out here day in, day out, all hours. one of- us. he is out here day in, day out, all hours. one of so - us. he is out here day in, day. out, all hours. one of so many falsity fend both for themselves and their families. their childhood, stressful, daily grind. injune, an unusual group of people gathered in the kremlin. they were russia's provo social media influences and president vladimir putin wanted to see them. they were allowed to ask questions. but putin also had a favour to ask. who are these

people and why did putin ask for help? raw influences have been part of a ship is macro propaganda ecosystem for some time, but after ukraine, their popularity skyrocketed with some of their followings growing several times in weeks. while putin relied on television to spread propaganda to an older generation, this is the most popular social media platform in russia for young people and one of the few to survive a ban since the start of the war. we reviewed hundreds of the videos and post to understand how they became so powerful and encourage young russians to support the war that killed thousands and turn millions into refugees. why are they so popular? a world away from the traditional propaganda and tv shows, they are bold,

brash, funny and use hate speech to gain followers. they make the war relatable and binge ready, toasting constant updates from the front line. in russia, they are called z blockers. one of the most popular ones is known as war gonzo with more than a million followers. anna is another, he writes poetry. one of her most popular is called all wagner fighters go to heaven. they in bed with the russian army and have exclusive access to the front line. they tell the truth the military wants to hide, which makes them a unique

source of information from the russian trenches, even the western media quote them. military bloggers with furious, they accuse the army are failing to hide its ribs. military bloggers have been publishing reports from ukraine. but they also spread this information to millions of russians. they shared this cam video with their followers. it is dated the 24th of march 2023. they said it was a perfect example of how ukraine treats civilians. it apparently shows a civilian vehicle being cut off by ukrainian military suv on a country road. two gunmen in ukraine in uniform get out of the car. one of them a tasty question a woman who is in the car with a small child. they call her a pig for speaking russian and fire the gun next to the car. but look at these trees. we can see them

on a satellite image. and these electricity towers. and this intersection. this footage can be geo— located to a district, a suburb in the donbas region, an area of ukraine occupied by russia since 2014. it is impossible for the ukrainian soldiers to operate openly in this occupied region. also, these have— cams is illegal in ukraine. it was banned after the russian invasion to keep the russian invasion to keep the troop movement secret. the cross on the vehicle is different from the one used by ukraine's armed forces. together, all these elements indicate the video was staged. it is one of many fakes spread ljy it is one of many fakes spread by z blockers. among those who spread this video is alexander.

with more than 6000 followers on his channel, he is one of the most popular war influences. in a rare interview, he told the bbc how he made the war seem close to home for his followers. but for his talk of ordinary people, he also has friends in high places.

z blockers are often invited to clubs, colleges, museums, libraries and book shops across russia. young people from moscow to vladivostok turn up to see them. some fans buy t—shirts with logos of the channels. others say they have enlisted in the army because of the posts. this man says he did so after he watched a lot of reports by war gonzo. despite international condemnation of russian aggression, they believe the government is not being violent enough. criticism of government tactics is punished very swiftly in russia, but the z blockers get away with it. they

say the generals are corrupt and incompetent and their strategy is timid and outdated. they publish complaints from the mobilised, who feel betrayed by the officers. hundreds of people have been prosecuted for discrediting the army in russia. but for war influences, the rules are different. i leading russian political scientist told the bbc they receive special treatment.— bbc they receive special treatment. ., , , , treatment. the only dissenting voices which _ treatment. the only dissenting voices which are _ treatment. the only dissenting voices which are allowed - treatment. the only dissenting voices which are allowed and i treatment. the only dissenting | voices which are allowed and go unpunished of the pro—war voices. you cannot criticise the president of the military for waging the war orfor killing people, but you can criticise them for not killing enough people and not waging the war in an effective manner. to pay for their more brutal war, bloggers ask for funds from theirfans in war, bloggers ask for funds from their fans in telegram pose. they say it is to deliver

better equipment to the army and they appear to be succeeding. alexander said he raised more than £250,000 for an artillery unit. it is not totally altruistic. those make a tidy profit for themselves, they sell ads for cryptocurrency, to fashion and to find out how much they earn, we pose as hotel owners interested in posting ads on major war influencer telegram channels. we were told it would cost from £443 to over £1500 for a single post. top z blockers post at least one ad per day, making their possible income much higher than the average wage of £550. somewhere and continue _ average wage of £550. somewhere and continue to _ average wage of £550. somewhere and continue to be _ average wage of £550. somewhere and continue to be in _ average wage of £550. somewhere and continue to be in a _ average wage of £550. somewhere and continue to be in a pay - and continue to be in a pay group. and continue to be in a pay irou -. �* , and continue to be in a pay irou. �* , ., , group. putin's endorsement means politicians _ group. putin's endorsement means politicians are - group. putin's endorsement means politicians are keen l group. putin's endorsement l means politicians are keen to appearas means politicians are keen to appear as guests on their

television channel is hoping to built a recognition with a younger crowd. look at these clips, mps are dancing with artillery shells and playing ping—pong with the bloggers. their efforts and loyalty have been rewarded by putin, who gave their medals, official positions. but their prominence has made them targets. this is one of the most vocal bloggers. he was at a meeting with fans in saint petersburg when he was killed by a bomb. the kremlin blamed the killing on kyiv, but the ukrainian government deny involvement.

so what happens next? they know their future is closely linked to the war. spreading propaganda gives them fame and money. and while the world push to hold russia's invasion, z blockers insist the war must go on. good morning, all.

wow, what an incredible week of weather we have just experienced across the uk! for six consecutive days, we saw temperatures on, or above, 30 degrees. that was a september record, and on saturday, we saw the highest temperature we've seen this year, with 33 degrees. the weather story will change, though, over the next couple of days with the introduction of this pretty slow—moving weather front. it will gradually change the wind direction to more of a north—westerly, which is going to introduce, slowly, some fresher air from the north. but before that, we've got quite a muggy feel out there and some sharp, thundery downpours pushing in from the south—west over the next few hours. temperatures first thing sunday morning will be sitting mid—to—high teens quite widely across england and wales. a little bit fresher, particularly to the north—west of the great glen. but please bear that in mind if you have got a ticket for the start line for the great north run. it's going to be a muggy old story and there will be

a lot of sunshine around as well, both for the spectators and for the athletes as well. we run the risk of some thundery downpours continuing to move their way steadily north as we go through the day, so it's going to be sunny spells and sharp showers. the showers pretty hitand miss, though, and with the sunshine, we will continue to see some warmth. now, some of those showers could once again be heavy and thundery as they're moving their way steadily northwards. into scotland, central parts of scotland and northern ireland, largely fine and dry, and here is our weatherfront into the far north—west, still producing some outbreaks of rain here. so a fresher feel here but, elsewhere, we could still see temperatures in the mid—to—high 20s, perhaps peaking in the south—east — 32, possibly 33 degrees once again, depending on how much sunshine we see. as we go through the evening and into the early hours of monday morning, we'll see some sharp thundery downpours again drifting their way steadily northwards. the thunderstorms will gradually ease and that weather

front will gradually slip its way steadily south. temperatures perhaps into the mid—teens ahead of it, but it's monday when we will start to see the signs of more of a significant change. so, as we go through the week ahead, it turns a little bit fresher and certainly more unsettled. that's it, take care.

live from washington,

this is bbc news. more than 2,000 people are dead after a powerful earthquake in morocco, as rescuers struggle to reach the hardest—hit areas. g20 leaders agree on a joint declaration in delhi but the language on ukraine is watered down. hello, i'm helena humphrey. good to have you. we begin in morocco, where more than 2,000 people are dead and many more are missing following the earthquake that struck the country early on saturday. entire villages are reported to have been flattened, like here in taroudant. rescuers are scrambling to save families trapped under the rubble. it's a challenge made harder by the fact that roads to many of the worst—hit areas have been blocked by landslides. in many remote towns, like here in tansgart, buildings are made of traditional materials

like mud brick, and nearly every one was damaged.