hello and welcome to the programme. the european commission president has laid out an emergency plan of action following the arrival last week of thousands of migrants on the italian island of lampedusa. ursula von der leyen said european countries had to tackle the migration issue together. the italian prime minister giorgia meloni said the influx to the island and to italy had to be stopped — it wasn't enough to just redistribute migrants across the eu. mark lowen reports. one of europe's migration choke points is gasping. more than 8,000 arriving in lampedusa injust three days this week. the migrant centre, built to hold 400, was at ten

times its capacity. congested, chaotic, some trying any futile way to get free. today, two new arrivals, rather more planned — the italian prime minister giorgia meloni and the eu president ursula von der leyen, to see for themselves the turmoil at europe's door. italy's leader is under pressure. elected with promises to curb migration, numbers are now double the same period last year. translation: what is at stake here is the future, _ the future that europe wants to set for itself, and it is very important to be able to tackle the huge, massive challenges which lie ahead for us, especially in terms of illegal immigration. the eu president offered more help from the bloc�*s border force to crack the smugglers, and more efforts to distribute migrants across europe — something several eu members have refused, prompting fears she was armed more with rhetoric than with workable solutions.

migration is a european challenge and it needs a european answer and solution. it is concrete actions that will bring change on the ground. but lampedusa has repeatedly seen promises come as quickly as the migrant boats and vanish soon after, and patience here is wearing thin. translation: as far as i'm - concerned, europe's done nothing for lampedusa so far. theyjust come here to parade. translation: we've been undergoing this extreme situation for years - and it's not fair that we continue to suffer from it. the camp is emptying out as new arrivals are transferred elsewhere, but conditions remain grim — aid agencies stretched to breaking point. face to face with the dreams of europe turning to misery, the continent's leaders will try yet again to solve it, just as countless more of the desperate will try yet again to come.

mark lowen, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news now. police in berlin arrested 14 people, after six pillars of the brandenburg gate monument were sprayed with paint. a group describing itself as a climate campaigning organisation said it had taken the action. officials in brazil say they believe all of the people who died in a plane crash during a storm in the amazon were brazilian nationals. there were no survivors among the 14 people on board the flight. first reports suggest the crash was caused by the plane starting its descent too late, and skidding off the end of the runway. the white house national security adviser — jake sullivan has held two days of talks with the chinese foreign minister wang yi in malta. the two parties were said to have discussed topics from the war in ukraine to taiwan's independence.

sullivan's meeting follows a series of high—level talks between the us and china. north korea's kimjong—un has left russia, after a six day visit. he's making the journey back to pyongyang in his armoured train — he's not expected to arrive until later on monday. ukraine is claiming to have recaptured another village, during its offensive in the east of the country. it says that the small village of klishchiivka, has now been cleared of occupying russian forces. the village is just a couple of miles from bakhmut, the city captured by russian forces in may after a long battle. since then, ukraine says it has been re—taking land surrounding bakhmut — including andriivka, which it claims to have ta ken on saturday. russia has denied ukraine's claims. you're watching bbc news. the bbc and a producution company who made programmes for channel 4 are both investigating allegations

of serious misconduct against the comedian russell brand whilst he was presenting radio and television shows in the uk in the mid—2000s. it follows allegations of rape and sexual assault in a joint investigation by the sunday times, the times and channel 4 dispatches. the report claimed concerns about brand's behaviour whilst working on shows were reported to production managers at endemol, the production company commissioned by channel 4. in a statement, banijay uk, which purchased endemol in 2020, said, "in light of the very serious allegations relating to the alleged serious misconduct of russell brand while presenting shows produced by endemol in 2004 and 2005, banijay uk has launched an urgent internal investigation and will co—operate with any requests for information from broadcast partners and external agencies." the bbc has issued a statement

this afternoon saying, "the reports contained serious allegations, spanning a number of years. russell brand worked on bbc radio programmes between 2006 and 2008 and we are urgently looking into the issues raised." brand was working for channel 4, the bbc, and acting in hollywood films during the period of the claims, all of which he denied. david sillito has the latest. russell brand, comedian, actor, political commentator accused of multiple sexual assaults and the rape of a woman that the programme dispatches called nadia. he is aarabbin dispatches called nadia. he is grabbing at — dispatches called nadia. he is grabbing at my _ dispatches called nadia. he is grabbing at my underwear, i dispatches called nadia. he: 3 grabbing at my underwear, pulling it to the side. i am telling him to get off me, he won't get. i was distraught, trying to get out of the house. with him being so much taller

than me, holding me up against the wall. ., , ., , wall. further details have been ublished wall. further details have been published about _ wall. further details have been published about nadia - wall. further details have been | published about nadia reporting wall. further details have been - published about nadia reporting the incident to a rape crisis centre and a series of text messages investigators say russell brand sent to nadia. the exchange begins with him saying, i am sorry, i will make this up to you. and then he goes on to ask, will you everforgive me? it wasjust as to ask, will you everforgive me? it was just as these allegations first began to emerged that he arrived for a performance in london. on stage he was met by fans with cheers and a standing ovation. he has these days, millions of followers on social media. , ,., , , media. this is antiestablishment anti-authoritarian. .. _ media. this is antiestablishment anti-authoritarian. .. where - media. this is antiestablishment anti-authoritarian. .. where he l media. this is antiestablishment l anti-authoritarian... where he has anti—authoritarian... where he has cast himself as a voice of dissent against mainstream media. the catalo . ue against mainstream media. the catalogue of — against mainstream media. the catalogue of accusations about his behaviour stretch over his many years in mainstream tv and radio and the foreign secretary says it raises wider questions about the entertainment industry. i think there are some _ entertainment industry. i think

there are some real _ entertainment industry. i think| there are some real challenges entertainment industry. i think- there are some real challenges where you have _ there are some real challenges where you have these very, very acute differentials in power, whether that be in the _ differentials in power, whether that be in the entertainment industry, whether— be in the entertainment industry, whether that be in politics and we see this _ whether that be in politics and we see this in — whether that be in politics and we see this in the commercial world as welt _ see this in the commercial world as welt i_ see this in the commercial world as welt ithink— see this in the commercial world as well. i think we have to be particularly careful when we listen to the _ particularly careful when we listen to the voices of the people who are relatively— to the voices of the people who are relatively powerless.— relatively powerless. russell brand made his name _ relatively powerless. russell brand made his name on _ relatively powerless. russell brand made his name on channel- relatively powerless. russell brand made his name on channel 4's - relatively powerless. russell brand made his name on channel 4's big | made his name on channel 4's big brother. dispatches feature claims that staff helped pick out girls for him from the audience. it that staff helped pick out girls for him from the audience.— that staff helped pick out girls for him from the audience. it felt like we were essentially _ him from the audience. it felt like we were essentially taking - him from the audience. it felt like we were essentially taking lambs| we were essentially taking lambs into slaughter.— into slaughter. channel 4 says it has no evidence _ into slaughter. channel 4 says it has no evidence that _ into slaughter. channel 4 says it has no evidence that any - into slaughter. channel 4 says it has no evidence that any of - into slaughter. channel 4 says it has no evidence that any of the | has no evidence that any of the alleged incidents were brought to its attention at the time. and the bbc, which parted company with russell brand after a scandal over offensive voice mail messages, has also said it is making urgent inquiries. meanwhile, russell brand hasissued inquiries. meanwhile, russell brand has issued a statement in vehemently

denying all of the allegations. i was very, very promiscuous. during that time i promiscuity, the relationships i had were always consensual. i was always transparent about that then. and to see that transparency must pass the size into something criminal, that i absolutely deny, makes me question, is there another agenda at play? however, in 2020, a woman called alice said a relationship had begun when she was 16 and she had been assaulted by brand and contacted his agent. i assaulted by brand and contacted his auent. ., . ,., agent. i found the offices and i asked to speak— agent. i found the offices and i asked to speak to _ agent. i found the offices and i asked to speak to his - agent. i found the offices and i asked to speak to his agent. i agent. i found the offices and i i asked to speak to his agent. they sa the asked to speak to his agent. they say they now _ asked to speak to his agent. they say they now believe _ asked to speak to his agent. iie say they now believe that they asked to speak to his agent. "iie1 say they now believe that they were misled by brands denials. and as his tour continues, many others are facing questions about what they were told and what did they do? let's get more now from lampedusa, where the european commission president

has promised a detailed plan of action to help italy deal with a surge in irregular migration across the mediterranean. alongside the italian prime minister, ursula von der leyen was speaking on the island, where thousands of people arrived on small boats from north africa this week. italy's giorgia meloni says europe's future is at stake. earlier i spoke to andrew geddes, director at the migration policy centre, which conducts research on the governance of international migration, asylum and mobility. he explained the signifgance of todays visit? for the italian prime minister, giorgia meloni, being able to engage with the european union in what is a key policy challenge for the italian government is fundamental. and i think what we've seen today is a commitment from ursula von der leyen really to align the efforts of the european union with those of the italian government and to focus in particular on border control and border security. we were just hearing,

andrew, you were just saying big promises, we were just hearing in mark lowen�*s report that promises to lampedusa, they come and they go, does this feel like this visit could bring change to the island? that said, that is the big question because actually, we are talking about the pressures today but really you can go back eight years until 2015 and the arrival of large numbers numbers of syrians, again, in italian islands but also in greece. and ever since 2015 the eu member states have been arguing fundamentally about what is called solidarity, about the sharing of the responsibility. the italian government has wanted to share responsibility but the member states, and some other member states have been extremely reluctant to do that. so member states like hungary and also poland has been quite resistant to the idea of sharing responsibility for arrivals in countries like italy. one of the big problems people have been discussing here on bbc news

today is that how you combat migration at sea, because currently it's a case of helping people at sea. but how do authorities deal with that kind of issue? i suppose it becomes like a pressing issue of our time. for most people observing these images, it's very difficult to understand what is actually going on, why are people leaving? i suppose one of the things that governments are trying to do is intercept at source, which is to try to stop people making these journeys. but that means cooperating with governments like that of tunisia. so the eu recently entered into an agreement with the tunisian government to try and stop people leaving. but i think that is, for many people, this is almost becoming the most alarming aspect of the issue is the boat crossings. it would be for a large number of years now and member states have tried to deal with the problem at source.

but is it a case of those people encouraging those crossings taking money from people who are desperate? is it a case of targeting those instead of the people making the crossings? how do we go about trying to truly address this issue? i am not asking you for one fits all solution, but like you were saying there are so many push and pull factors for immigrants here, how can leaders truly address issue? that factors for immigrants here, how can leaders truly address issue?- leaders truly address issue? that is the fundamental _ leaders truly address issue? that is the fundamental question. - leaders truly address issue? that is the fundamental question. for- leaders truly address issue? that is the fundamental question. for one | the fundamental question. for one thing, we can look at what eu member states are doing and they focus quite a lot on people smuggling and we are quite familiar with the rhetoric of smashing the gangs and breaking the business model of smugglers. others might say it is a symptom of a series of deeper problems and the deeper problems are perhaps to do with the cost of living, conflict, instability the effects of climate change on the natural disasters we have seen

recently as well as political conflict and instability in africa. i think what we can see is that governments are very focused on smuggling and attacking smuggling gangs. others, and i think there is quite a lot of research evidence would point to this, the smuggling gangs are symptoms of a deeper set of problems and at the moment what we can see is those problems becoming more severe. and those are more difficult, probably longer term issues which are far more difficult to address. justin rowlatt has been following the story about sea ice. isolated at the story about sea ice. isolated at the end of the earth and surrounded by strong ocean currents, antarctica has its own weather system. indeed, untila has its own weather system. indeed, until a few years ago, sea ice cover was growing prompting

scientists to hope the continent was resistant to the effects of climate change. that hope is now fading. this graph shows the area of ice around antarctica each year. look how it shrinks to almost nothing in the antarctic summer and then grows backin the antarctic summer and then grows back in the winter. let's add in the ice cover this year, that is the blue line. you can see the continent has seen record lows in summer and now in winter. it is another way of looking at it. this shows how much ice there was around antarctica a couple of days ago on the 14th of september this year. compare that with this. the dotted yellow line shows the average sea ice area on the same data over the last few decades. this year's ice cover is about 1.5 million square kilometres smaller than average. that is an area almost five times the size of the british isles. so area almost five times the size of the british isles.—

area almost five times the size of the british isles. so what we have seen is really _ the british isles. so what we have seen is really mind _ the british isles. so what we have seen is really mind blowing. - the british isles. so what we have seen is really mind blowing. we l the british isles. so what we have i seen is really mind blowing. we are way below anything we have seen in our satellite record going back to 1979. it isjust our satellite record going back to 1979. it is just outside of any reasonable normal or norms we have seen. ~ . , reasonable normal or norms we have seen, ~ ., , . ., , reasonable normal or norms we have seen. . ., , , seen. what is causing this? scientists — seen. what is causing this? scientists who _ seen. what is causing this? scientists who study - seen. what is causing this? i scientists who study antarctica seen. what is causing this? - scientists who study antarctica say lots of factors are likely to be involved. including the fact that this year saw the highest global sea surface temperature ever recorded. they fear if the trend of shrinking ice cover continues, it will have far—reaching effects. bea ice cover continues, it will have far-reaching effects.— far-reaching effects. sea ice is su er far-reaching effects. sea ice is super important _ far-reaching effects. sea ice is super important because - far-reaching effects. sea ice is super important because it - far-reaching effects. sea ice is| super important because it acts far-reaching effects. sea ice is - super important because it acts like a mirror reflecting incoming solar energy and that keeps the antarctic climate but also the whole globe's climate but also the whole globe's climate relatively cool. it also impacts ocean currents and weather patterns. if we lose sea ice it can have significant local, regional and global consequences.— have significant local, regional and global consequences. doctor gilbert sa s global consequences. doctor gilbert

says antarctica _ global consequences. doctor gilbert says antarctica acts _ global consequences. doctor gilbert says antarctica acts like _ global consequences. doctor gilbert says antarctica acts like a _ says antarctica acts like a refrigerator for earth, says antarctica acts like a refrigeratorfor earth, but says antarctica acts like a refrigerator for earth, but lose the reflective sea ice and much more of the sun's energy is going to be absorbed by the darker ocean, driving up temperatures. the worry is, the refrigerator could end up acting more like a radiator. justin rowlatt, bbc news. the united nations says the number of people killed in last week's floods in libya has reached more than 11,000. another 10 thousand people are still missing. two dams failed in a storm a week ago today which saw large parts of the eastern city of derna washed away. our correspondent anna foster is there and has this update on the situation. it is one of the most vitaljobs in derna. they gather in this hospital car park to process the dead. a

black body bag is carefully unzipped. expert hands gently probed, taking measurements or finding identifying marks. many victims are now beyond recognition, but their dna is taken and locked in case there are still families alive to find them. many thousands are officially missing, like mohamed's sister and her husband. when he went to find them after the floods, their house had been washed away. he's heard nothing from them since. translation: i heard nothing from them since. translation:— heard nothing from them since. translation: , ., translation: i saw cars coming down, i came out translation: i saw cars coming down, i came out running _ translation: i saw cars coming down, i came out running and _ translation: i saw cars coming down, i came out running and i _ translation: i saw cars coming down, i came out running and i thought - i came out running and i thought thatis i came out running and i thought that is it, i am going to die. our neighbours, we could see them waving flashlights. injust a neighbours, we could see them waving flashlights. in just a few moments, the lights went out and they disappeared. that was the hardest thing. he showed me a video he took that night as the water gushed in. they ran up to the roof to escape the raging torrent. international aid is

now arriving in derna in earnest. flights are carrying vital medical supplies from around the world and although earth and debris have enveloped the streets, there are still points of light. this is such a stark contrast to the mode and that that cover so much of the city. piles of colourful clothes brought here to be donated to people who really need them. this is libyans helping libyans in one of their worst moments of crisis. translation:— worst moments of crisis. translation: ., , , ., translation: praise be to god. eve hint translation: praise be to god. everything is _ translation: praise be to god. everything is good. _ translation: praise be to god. everything is good. they - translation: praise be to god. everything is good. they have i translation: praise be to god. | everything is good. they have sent lots of aid. abs, everything is good. they have sent lots of aid. �* ., everything is good. they have sent lots of aid. �* ~' ., everything is good. they have sent lots of aid. . ~ ., ., , lots of aid. a week on from this disaster, survivors _ lots of aid. a week on from this disaster, survivors are - lots of aid. a week on from this disaster, survivors are finding l disaster, survivors are finding comfort where they can, in a place that has lost so much. anna foster, bbc news. wales has become the first uk nation to drop the speed limit

from 30 miles per hour - to 20. the new legislation applies to thousands of roads in built up and residential areas. spain introduced a similar law in 2021. so what are people making of the change in wales? tomos morgan reports. from today, driving slower will be the norm in built—up areas across wales, but not everyone's happy in the slow lane. jane is a carer in barry, drives around four to five hours a day and is concerned with the impact it will have on her. i'm afraid myself and my staff are going to bed thinking, gosh, if we just take our concentration off that speedometer for two seconds, whether we've got a colleague in the car, whether the in—car phone goes, are we just going to go up to 25 by mistake? are you aware of the national changes coming in in september? if you are pulled over doing more than 20, then you could be fined. but the response from officers will be proportionate and reasonable. for the first 12 months,

there will be more focus on education, with police officers allowed a level of discretion. however, when it comes to fixed speed cameras, they'll operate using the current tolerance threshold of 10% above the speed limit plus two miles per hour. although most roads in urban areas across wales will now have a reduced speed limit, every council across the country have picked out exemptions, roads that will remain at 30 mph, roads like this one, that are busier with vehicles and have fewer pedestrians and fewer cyclists. over a third of roads will now be 20 mph, and these changes have been made according to the welsh government to reduce collisions. one in four fatal crashes involve somebody driving too fast, so speed matters on everyjourney, and the faster we drive, the greater our risk of crashing. a last—minute ditch to scrap the proposals by the conservatives was voted down in the senedd on wednesday, but the welsh

government did say they would constantly review the impact of the change. the prime minister has said it wasn't something he was considering but speed reductions are being trialled by some councils in england. in scotland, slower speeds will become the norm within a few years. so, for now, wales becomes the first uk nation to adopt 20 mph as the rule and not the exception. tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. let's take a look at today's sport now. there was just one goal in sunday's two premier league games. this second half shot from leandro trossard gave arsenal a 1—0 victory at everton. it moves them into fourth place, two points behind the leaders manchester city. everton remain in the bottom three. and it finished goalless at bournemouth. that result means chelsea are in fifteenth place — just one spot above their hosts. there were three more group games at the rugby world cup.

fiji suprised australia, beating them at the tournament for the first time. south africa thumped romania — and england overcame japan to remain unbeaten. with the details, here's andy swiss. it was all smiles and selfies beforehand, but the fans flock to france knowing this trip to the seaside could be anything but simple. g0 seaside could be anything but simle. _, ., seaside could be anything but simle. ., ., ., simple. go england and go japan. encland simple. go england and go japan. england know _ simple. go england and go japan. england know if _ simple. go england and go japan. england know if they _ simple. go england and go japan. england know if they beat - simple. go england and go japan. england know if they beat japan l simple. go england and go japan. i england know if they beat japan they will be in sight of the quarterfinals but they are up against a team who know how to cause an upset. japan had beaten south africa, ireland and scotland that recent world cups. for england, the challenge was clear. and japan were soon ahead via the boot. their fans enjoyed that. by contrast, england look rattle. other they crashed over for their first try of the

tournament, the errors were everywhere as england led just 13—9 at the break. and whenjapan slotted in the penalty, they were only one point behind. but when england needed some good luck, they got it. it looked like they had knocked the ball on before courtney lawes went over. but replays showed it came off the head and remarkably it was a try. it summed up a scrappy display but freddie steward made sure it was a winning one. plenty of work to do, but for england another victory and another step towards the knockout stage. andy swiss, bbc news. in formula 1 — red bull's winning streak came to an end with ferrari's carlos sainz taking the singapore grand prix. he had led the way in qualifying and despite virtual safety cars being deployed, maintained his place at the front until the end. it was close — just a few seconds separating him from the mclaren

of lando norris in second, with lewis hamilton taking third place after his mercedes team—mate george russell crashed on the last lap. max verstappen could only make it home in fifth — after ten successive victories. here's carlos sainz on his win. an incredible weekend and a perfect race and execution. we didn't get it easy, we had our own challenges today but we nailed everything we had to nail today and we put together a very good race to bring home the victory that tastes as good as it can taste. and in tennis — in the davis cup — great britain came out on top in their winner takes all tie against france. the match was tied going into the deciding doubles — after a victory for dan evans, and defeat for cameron norrie. dan then teamed up

with neil skuppski, and the pair had to come from a set down to take their match — winning the tie break in the third set. the victory puts great britain into the last eight for the finals — which will be played in malaga in spain in november. it is shaping up to be an autumnal weekend of weather. talking of heavy rain, part of south—west england had localised flash flooding because of some intense downpours and thunderstorms that drifted from the south. we also have a couple of different frontal systems pushing in from the west, so whichever way you slice it, a wet start to monday for many others. slice it, a wet start to monday for many others— slice it, a wet start to monday for many others-— many others. still some heavy showers across _ many others. still some heavy showers across parts - many others. still some heavy showers across parts of - many others. still some heavyl showers across parts of eastern england first thing and here comes our band of rain, some particularly wet weather across parts of scotland. behind the rain band we see a mixture of sunny spells and showers, some of those could be on the heavy side and also behind the

rain bands are cooler, fresher feel so temperatures north to south, 13 to 20 degrees. cool and fresh as we head into monday night, some clear spells, still some showers and then here comes the next weather system, a zone of cloud and outbreaks of heavy rain across northern ireland, south of scotland, north—west england, parts of wales turning very mild towards the south—west and rather chilly across north—eastern parts of scotland. here comes the next frontal system for tuesday and thatis next frontal system for tuesday and that is going to bring some heavy bursts of rain, particularly wet over high ground in south—west scotland, north—west england and parts of wales. to the south of that's in patchy rain a fair amount of cloud. but it is going to be windy, vertically for england, wales and northern ireland and inland spots could see us a 50 mph and a ransom of the coast the winds could be stronger than that. temperatures could get to 20 or 21 degrees if the cloud breaks towards the south of england and south wales. tuesday

night into wednesday vcds ice bars on the chart and that shows as it is going to be windy still, windy and wednesday particularlyjust going to be windy still, windy and wednesday particularly just ahead going to be windy still, windy and wednesday particularlyjust ahead of this band of cloud and rain. this cold front which will be pushing its way southwards and eastwards through the day. to the north and west of that we see a mixture of sunny spells and showers returning and temperatures of 111 to 22 degrees. for the end of the week it does stay very unsettled, showers or longer spells of rain and it will often be windy, particularly in the north—west of the uk as we head next weekend. this is bbc news, the headlines the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, and italy's prime minister have visited the italian island of lampedusa. it's seen huge numbers of people arriving from north africa this week.

the bbc and banijay uk, the company who employed russell brand whilst he was presenting shows for channel 4 in the mid—2000s, have launched an �*urgent investigation' after allegations of rape and sexual assault are made against him — he denies the claims. and anger grows among survivors in libya's flood—ravaged city of derna — as authorities in the east of the country blame nature for the disaster. the united nations says the number of people known to have died has reached around eleven thousand three hundred. the antarctic sea—ice has declined to its lowest winter level on record — according to satellite data. now on bbc news. this cultural life: margaret atwood margaret atwood.

one of the world's best—selling critically acclaimed authors, she's published more than 60 books, and has won the booker prize twice. the winner of the first booker prize of the 21st century, margaret atwood. cheering and applause. her stories often centre on oppression and brutality. most famously, her 1985 novel, the handmaid's tale, a dystopian vision of america, in which women are enslaved. now an emmy award—winning television series. there's an eye in your house. in this episode of this cultural life, the radio 4 programme, she reveals her formative influences and experiences. and how even in high school, her creativity was clear. i put on a home economics opera. it was about fabrics. can you remember how it goes? # fabrics need a swim in the suds. # it makes them feel just like new. # plink—plink, plink—plink. i want to make sure the mics are recording us.