for a meeting with president putin. a van gogh painting stolen from a dutch museum in march 2020 is back in safe hands, after a three—and—a—half—year quest to recover it. and we returnm to our top story in libya where thousands of people are feared dead after a powerful storm triggered heavy flooding in the east of the country. the red cross says 10,000 people are missing. the eastern cities of benghazi, derna and al—marj have all been affected. a minister in the eastern government said more than a thousand bodies had been recovered in the worst hit city, derna, where two dams collapsed. he described the situation as "disastrous". meanwhile, medicalsupplies from egypt have been flown into eastern libya to help survivors. the egyptian military�*s chief of staff arrived

in the city of benghazi — along with three planes full of aid. another egyptian aircraft is on hand to help evacuate some of the many injured across the storm—stricken region. earlier i spoke to dr hani shennib, an american citizen from the badly—affected area of derna. he is president of the national council on us libya relations. we woke up on the shock of what is happening in 10 too. it took a while for them to recognise that the destruction that occurred in derna is much more pronounced then what was initially reported. so that was a major catastrophe in a country thatis a major catastrophe in a country that is divided, and a country that has zero preparation for disaster relief. and blocked out completely from the world as its roads and communication tools and so on are

absent. there is no cell phones, no internet access. no physical access. there are helicopters kind of flying around the city at this point, but as far as i know, as of less than 30 minutes ago, no serious supplies have been delivered to the city. we hear about egyptian supplies, visits, turkish relief coming into benghazi and so on, it has not yet made its way inside the city. the city is still cut off completely. and doctor, we have been talking on the programme this evening and you mentioned it yourself, that this is a divided country. how much do you think the political divisions may hamper the ability of aid agencies and other intern is a national organisation to get that much needed aid into the country? itrailiiile organisation to get that much needed aid into the country?— aid into the country? while the de th of aid into the country? while the depth of it. _ aid into the country? while the depth of it, the _ aid into the country? while the depth of it, the impact - aid into the country? while the depth of it, the impact of- depth of it, the impact of the division is a lot more than what

needs to be done right now, immediately. wejust needs to be done right now, immediately. we just heard from the internationally recognised prime minister in the west, that he has released $2 billion for the relief. vaguely identified to the city of benghazi and derna. this is a welcome news, but it is preceded by the incredible amount of starvation of the east as the oil revenue has been used to play into the differences in politics between the east and the west. the result of which is the decaying infrastructure in those cities. when i was last in derna, and i wrote articles about this, the city of 100,000 inhabitants and the surrounding, about 150,000 in total, villages

around it. does not have a functioning hospital. has not had one for the last eight years at least. there is only one house, a villa of two stories has been turned into a hospital that has been receiving people from the city for the last six years. so you start with that lack of infrastructure, the incredible amount of starvation, and then you can move on to the fact that the infrastructure of the city and its stems have been neglected. there have been reports since 2008 and 2010, 2012. scientific articles that indicate that the dams that are in during a, in the valley of 10 to, need to be strengthened and nobody has ever paid attention to it. ministers would just come in and make promises and then leave the city, neglected. the result that we have today is a combination of a

natural disaster, coupled with a human disaster, human negligence. and that was doctor shannib speaking earlier. the north korean leader, kimjong un, has arrived in russia for a meeting with president putin. he travelled to the far east town of khasan where we believe the two leaders will hold talks. but there's also speculation on another possible meeting point — vostochny space centre. mr putin is already in vladivostok, which is around 200km from the north korean border. this is kim's first trip abroad in four years, since he met putin in 2019. this is the pair back then. the kremlin said this trip will "strengthen the friendship" according to the us, moscow wants to buy north korean ammunition for the war in ukraine. the new york times is reporting that mr kim wants advanced satellite technology, nuclear—powered submarines, and food aid.

for more on that, earlier we spoke to katie stallard, senior global affairs editor at the new statesman she started by explaining what do we know so far about this meeting, and what kim hopes to achieve from it. it does look, from my understanding that kim jong un�*s train has already passed where he would have turned to vladivostok and is still heading north. so it does look most likely that he's heading to that spaceport, the vostochny cosmodrome. i mean, we'll wait to see. but i think the broad outlines as you introduced there of what these two leaders are looking for from each other are becoming pretty clear, i think, on the russian side. fundamentally, this is about weapons. russia is desperately seeking military supplies to shore up its war on ukraine, specifically things like artillery shells, rocket launchers. it might also be introduced. it might also be interested in some of north korea's

ballistic missile systems. but from the north korean side, there's really quite a shopping list of things they would be interested in. i mean, for a start, they need food aid. north korea sealed its own borders effectively at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to very severe food crises there over the last several years. of course, we don't know how bad the situation is because there are now so few international agencies on the ground there. so north korea wants food aid. it wants hard currency to prop up the economy. it also wants russia's support in internationalforums. so it wants, for instance, to know that russia would have its back at the un, that it would block any further sanctions against north korea. and then, as you mentioned, they also want help with their own weapons systems. north korea is currently trying to develop nuclear submarines. it's also trying to develop military satellites, the last two launches of which have failed. so it would be very interested in getting some

of that technology from russia. so that's why it would make sense if the vostochny cosmodrome is going to be the meeting point, because that's something where that would be very much front and centre as something that russia has to offer that it knows that north korea wants. in israel, after nine months of protests against the hard—line government's highly controversial changes to the justice system, there are worries that a pivotal court case could lead to a constitutional crisis. all 15judges of the supreme court have been convening for the first time ever to hear petitions against a legal amendment which limits their powers. from jerusalem, here's our middle east correspondent, yolande knell. democracy — the cry went up at this mass rally on the eve of a crucial hearing, pitching the most extreme nationalist government in israel's

history against its top judges. in the shadow of the supreme court, the stage was set for an unprecedented showdown. i have to save israel. we can't let fanatics rule. my mother and her father was in the holocaust. we fought for this country. we cannot give up. israelis joining these huge, noisy protests really feel they're fighting a battle for the future of their country. in recent months, big social divisions have been opened up and israel is facing its worst domestic crisis in many years. now, for the first time ever, the full bench of the supreme court has convened. it must decide whether to allow a new law that limits its own powers to overturn government legislation and don't dare

translation: don't dare to invalidate basic laws. already far right ministers such as bezalel smotrich are threatening to ignore any court decision that goes against the governing coalition. that could lead to an escalating constitutional crisis. i see that there will be blood in the streets. they are killing the country. we will not let it be because it's the left. his aggressive right will be more aggressive. this bitter row has worried israel's international allies and it's hurt the economy and the military, with protesting army reservists refusing to turn up on duty. defence experts fear israel's readiness for war is at risk and warn the government that the security forces when there is a dilemma. they would say we obey the supreme court. it's not a netflix series.

and it's our security. with weeks or months expected before the supreme court gives its important ruling. the demonstrations continue. polls suggest that most israelis are desperate for a compromise, but this political chasm will be hard to bridge. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. bring you a line from the top story this evening, the devastating floods in libyan. in tripoli, he said to reporters, we don't need aid, not even medication or equipment, nor doctors or ambulances, but we have a problem in retrieving the bodies from the sea. the libyan navy, divers, are putting all their efforts into retrieving the bodies. that a statement from the prime minister speaking to reporters in tripoli giving an indication there of desperate situation that currently that areas in.

around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. bbc news — bringing you different stories from across the uk. they call themselves the tree amigos, three 17—year—olds busy rescuing damaged trees. there's tom, adam and owen. it all started when they came across some vandalized saplings and decided to fix them. they're now thriving. we've spent, like 17 of our 17 years around here, and it's a shame to see this environment around us fall apart. so it's nice tojust keep it going for generations to come, really. in fact, it's expanding across the community as more and more young people come down to help out. the people of potters green have already rescued trees which were about to be chopped by a developer. we've got birch, we've got a pear tree. it's been the catalyst for the creation of the tree sanctuary by tom's mum, martina. so if you see a tree that needs rescuing the tree amigos sanctuary is the place to go.

for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. police in the netherlands have recovered a van gogh painting, stolen from a museum three years ago. "parsonage garden at nuenen in spring" was snatched during a covid lockdown, when thieves smashed through glass doors with a sledgehammer. a man was convicted of carrying out the crime two years ago, but the whereabouts of the painting had remained unknown. arthur brand, a detective involved in the hunt, said the painting was deilvered to his home in amsterdam, and that it was stuffed into a blue ikea bag. earlier i spoke to the lawyer and founder of art recovery international, chris marinello, who shared his thoughts on the recovery. dutch police did a fantasticjob in arranging this to be return so quickly after the theft. three and a half years may seem

like a long time, but not in my business. sometimes these things take decades. so this was, we understand, taken during a raid during the covid lockdown. as we say, the perpetrator was arrested, but the painting itself got lost. do we know where it was, where it's been for the last three and a half years? and and how do you even go about tracking something like that down? well, the dutch police announced that it had been they've been monitoring phone calls and that two criminal gangs were involved. what's rare in this instance is that they actually arrested the actual thief. and so that's a big step. and the other thing that really helped here was the media coverage at the time, this was a smash and grab type theft with a sledgehammer, it made the news, it also made this painting radioactive. no one would touch it in the art market. so, i mean, that is the question, isn't it?

but are there paintings which, as you say, describe as radioactive? what happens to them? do they sort of disappear for a few years until the kind of storm blows over? i mean, what do you do with the painting that's that's worth, well, millions? well, initially, the thieves will try to sell it. and when they realize that it's too hot to handle, they will then exchange it for drugs or weapons or try to use it, as they did in this case, as a get out ofjail free card, which means they'll try to get a lesser sentence for a criminal or somebody who's charged with a crime if they return this particular painting. now, that didn't work in this case. so the thieves had nothing to do with this, no one would buy it, no one would trade for it, no one would bargain for it. it was no choice but to return it. so as if it was effectively worthless to them, right? that's correct. and that's what you want to do in these type of types of cases. you don't want to pay criminals. you don't want to make a market for stolen artwork. now, there are a few things that we're not learning

about this case yet. and thatjust don't sit well with me is they haven't announced that that it was an unconditional return. we know a insurance company was involved. i wanted, like to know that nobody paid any money for the return of this piece. also, it doesn't sit well with me that they would return it to a detective's home. i know i would never give out my home address, even if you were going to return the mona lisa, you're not coming to my home, especially a criminal. so something isn't quite right with this case yet. any damage to the painting? we hear that it was in a pillowcase in an ikea bag, which for a multimillion dollar painting i wouldn't have said is the best way to transport something like that. 0nce something is stolen, it is suspect to damage and and it's severe discoloration, paint loss. i mean, thieves do not know how to handle fine art. so having damaged is not unexpected and it's disappointing, but it will be restored. and we happen to know that the museum is over the moon

about this recovery. these days northern ireland has largely found a way of living with its sectarian divisions. but between the late 1960s and 1990s it was riven by a conflict known as the troubles. legislation to provide a conditional amnesty for murders committed during the conflict has just passed its final stage in the uk parliament. controversially, former paramilitaries and british soldiers have been guarenteed they won't be prosecuted if they give information to a new commission. and all civil court cases and inquests related to the troubles will be stopped , something that's strongly opposed by most victims groups. earlier i spoke to patricia burns, daughter of thomas burns, who at the age of 32 was killed as he left a social club in north belfast in 1972. ms burns was six years old when her father died,

and she told me why she is opposed to the legacy bill. be absolutely devastating for my own family and many other families in the same position as mine. we have done everything through the law, the courts, legal aid to try and get a proper inquest into the killing. and we have now got to the stage with one has been granted. now, what that means is we have campaigned for years to get an inquest into his killing supplies told and other things which were a cover up at the time and we have been granted an inquest. but with this bill going through, it means that any inquest not at a very good stage by the time next may comes, it would be wiped out. so on one hand, we've got the inquest and on the other, there's a possibility we'll lose them. and patricia, this is because, as we were just saying there, that if the inquest is happens, it will effectively stop all inquest processes once this legacy bill is enacted. that's correct. yes. the inquest willjust start now will not get

through the hearing stage at all. you are one of many families. most of the victims groups are opposed to this. it's also opposed by all the northern ireland political parties and indeed by the irish government. just to let our viewers know what the the current secretary of state, chris heaton—harris, talks about this bill. he says this is never going to be a perfect solution to this particular problem because no perfect solution exists. but they believe the british government believes this is the best mechanism to help sort of to help families and i guess to get greater understanding about what's gone on in the past. how do you react to their point of view? i have to totally disagree with that. as it stands, the process that is in place at the minute with inquests and civil cases are getting results. families are getting results. they are getting answers. and that is the sole purpose for why

this bill is getting pushed through, because the answers do not. the people, the british government do not want the answers to come out. you've only got to look at the volume of ballymurphy case where all those people who died are proven innocent. it was a trip to hell in my eyes. a lot of these inquests will uncover the truth of the cover ups and everything else. it's devastating. my father was an innocent man. he was shot down, dead. there were lies told about him, they said he was a gunman. and the inquiry a few years ago uncovered lies and justice and the soldiers statements. and in my opinion, the government wants to shut these cases down before the truth doesn't matter. patricia burns talking to me about the legacy bill a little earlier. now it's not often we have a positive story about climate change, but the international energy agency mayjust have provided one. it says world demand for oil,

gas and coal is now forecast to peak this decade. according to the iaea, oil demand is expected to peak according to the iea, oil demand is expected to peak before 2030 thanks to the growth of electric vehicles. gas demand will drop later this decade in advanced economies as heat pumps and renewable energy are increasingly used. that in turn will bring forward the peak in greenhouse gas emissions, although we should remember the world is currently not on course to meet its globally agreed climate targets. earlier i spoke to mark sommerfeld, deputy director of policy at the renewable energy association who gave me his thoughts on this news from the iaea. on this news from the iea. certainly good news. it is not necessarily a surprise in the fact that so much of the world has now committed to meeting the 1.5 degree target under the paris agreement. this 194 countries that are looking at their energy situations there's19li countries that are looking at their energy situations and wanting to reduce the amount of oil, gas and coal that they are using.

but we should remember that this is still running too late. really, we're still not a lot aligned with our 2050 targets. so it is great news. it's good news. it sets a position where we should meet peak use, but really it is about how quickly can we withdraw and draw down on our overall demand for those of those resources so that we can move on to using renewables and low carbon energy. but it is good, isn't it, mark, to hear that it seems the message is getting through the growth of electric vehicles, the increased use of heat pumps and renewable energies. 0h, absolutely. and it demonstrates that it can be done, but that things that were only ten years ago, people were saying it will be impossible to decarbonise our transport, impossible to cover our heat, demonstrates that we can do these things, that these policies do have real impact on a global scale, and that they are ensuring that we're moving in the right

direction when it comes to changing how we how how we power our energy systems to changing how we, how we power our energy systems and what resources we use. however, again, it still means that we need to be moving faster and doing more. we certainly can't lie on our laurels. the regulators of england's water companies are being investigated — over whether they failed to enforce the law over sewage discharges. the office for environmental protection says they may have misinterpreted the law — allowing sewage releases to take place too frequently. raw sewage was discharged into england's waterways more than 300,000 times last year our environment correspondent jonah fisher reports. spills into rivers, sanitary products on our beaches. private water companies making both

profit and pollution. the outrage about what happens to our sewage is proving very difficult for the government to flush away. this latest sewagey headache comes from an organisation that's just been set up post—brexit. it's called the office for environmental protection and it's looking at whether the government and the regulators have been too soft on the water companies and have broken the law by allowing them to spell raw sewage too frequently from overflow pipes like these. storm overflows are allowed to discharge after rain to stop the system being overwhelmed. if the tunnel can't cope with the capacity... that's what happened on sunday. 79—year—old bob latimer filmed as a mixture of sewage and rainwater flowed onto the beach in sunderland. that's quite a lot. that's quite shocking, really.

bob's evidence is part of the office for environmental protection case. it hinges on how hard it has to be raining before the water companies can legally spell sewage. when it is exceptional, and that's written into the original permit, due to exceptional rainfall. so what you're saying is, if it is a normal amount of rain, it shouldn't be spilling? no, it has to be exceptional. as bob and the 0ep argue, then many of the 300,000 spells in england last year are likely to have been illegal. responding today, the government said there are different interpretations of the law on spills, but that all sewage discharges are totally u na cce pta ble. jonah fisher, bbc news, sunderland. now here's the weather with louise lear. hello there. tuesday certainly brought

with it a day of contrast. we had heavy rain across northern england, but after a chilly start, some lovely sunshine. further north in aberdeen, it was a beautiful afternoon. if we take a look at the satellite picture, you can see where the sunny spells were through scotland and northern ireland with a few isolated showers. but the heaviest of the rain certainly across parts of east yorkshire, lincolnshire, north norfolk and a few sharp showers ahead of it. now, this weather front will gradually drift its way south and east and clear that humidity from the south—east corner. high pressure will build, keeping things largely fine and quiet. so a murky start in the southeast. chilly start once again in scotland, but a lot of dry, sunny weather around to begin with and then eventually clouding over from northern ireland and into western scotland. some of that rain turning quite heavy. so temperatures here 14—16 degrees notice to fresher as we've lost that so temperatures here 14—16 degrees noticably fresher as we've lost that humidity in the south—east as well, 21 the high. so through wednesday evening some of that rain will turn quite heavy

as it pushes its way steadily east. and there will be some gale force gusts of winds at times just as we move through thursday. that weather front will continue to slip its way steadily south and east and will weaken considerably. and down to the southeast corner. and down to the south—east corner. once again, we're going to tap into a little bit more heat and humidity. so temperatures will climb again. we could see 2a degrees, that's 75 fahrenheit. but further north and west, we keep that fresher feel 14—17 celsius. now, as we move into thursday, we're going to see that weather front lingering and pushing up from the south—west. the position of the front still potentially subject to a little bit of change, but it's certainly the dividing line between this warmer, more humid air pushing in from england and wales again and the fresher air through scotland and northern ireland. so you'll notice the difference with the temperatures as we go through friday. so friday we'll see some rain and some of that pretty slow—moving. so there could be some issues with rainfall totals totting up,

to the north of that cooler and fresher to the south, we could see temperatures as high as 25 degrees, 77 fahrenheit. that frontal system will still cause some issues as we move into the weekend. so it looks likely that the weekend is going to stay showery with heavier rain at times further north.

hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones. you're watching the context on bbc news. the death toll is huge. it might reach to

thousands, really but we don't have a definite number right now. the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 persons. you can see the devastation, you can see the destruction and you can see a very distinctive building. this l—shaped building here which is a school. it's a state of chaos i have to say. obviously rescue operations - are still under way while people are still trying to locate their family- members, not knowing whether they are alive or not. in libya, thousands are killed, caught in the flooding. we'll have the latest on the damage. also on the programme... new impeachment proceedings are starting in the united states. but this time, it's republicans, bringing them against president biden. north korea's leader kimjong—un has arrived in russia to meet putin.