live from london, this is bbc news. can the show new can the show now go on? the writers guild of america says it's reached a tentative agreement with hollywood studios to end a [ls—month strike. nasa achieves the impossible as a capsule containing asteroid samples touches down in the utah desert. and it is a crucial week for hs2 as the uk government decides the fate of the birmingham to manchester section of the rail link amid rising costs of the project. hello, i'm sally bundock. a very warm welcome to the programme. we start with some breaking news.

hollywood studio bosses and the union representing writers have reached a tentative deal. writers have been on strike since early may. the more than 15,000 members will still have to vote to ratify the deal. in a statement, the writers guild of america said: actors are still out on industrial action, though. they have been on strike sincejuly. both strikes have hit the entertainment industry hard. live now to sandro monetti, editor in chief of hollywood international filmmaker magazine. he joins us now from beverly hills in california. you are popping the champagne, sandro, so i believe you think this is a done deal? hallelujah! it looks like it.

and here in california the cost of the economy of the work stoppages has been over $3 billion. because it is more thanjust the right billion. because it is more than just the right is billion. because it is more thanjust the right is being on strike and the actors, too, it is all the support industry. 0ne is all the support industry. one in five jobs is all the support industry. one in fivejobs in california, here in la, has something to do with the entertainment industry, caterers and drivers, so it isn'tjust the writers that to get back to work but everyone else as well so the sound you can hear is a huge sigh of relief.— sound you can hear is a huge sigh of relief. absolutely, and it is felt here _ sigh of relief. absolutely, and it is felt here in _ sigh of relief. absolutely, and it is felt here in london - sigh of relief. absolutely, and it is felt here in london too, l it is felt here in london too, in the uk. pinewood studios has been kind of mothball for the past few months, huge films that were going to be said and donein that were going to be said and done in the uk were on hold or postponed. so, do we know any detail about the agreement? the writers guild is saying this is a momentous move forward for them. do we know anything about what they've agreed? it sounds that got a better deal than the directors got. the directors were able to cut a deal without

going on strike and so they are asking for better pay and conditions and ai protections as well so it sounds like they're getting they want. it took the bosses of the studios themselves to get around the table in recent days because the studios were coming under huge pressure from their shareholders as well to strike a deal. , , ., , shareholders as well to strike a deal. , , .,, ., a deal. this gives hope to the actors who — a deal. this gives hope to the actors who are _ a deal. this gives hope to the actors who are still _ a deal. this gives hope to the actors who are still out - a deal. this gives hope to the actors who are still out on - actors who are still out on strike but maybe they have a framework here to base their own negotiations on. what's happening in the next few days is it's over to the lawyers, they have to write the contract language and then it will go to the wgea members and if they vote yes, everyone will be back to work and we will learn more about what exactly the terms are. �* , ., are. and in terms of the actors. _ are. and in terms of the actors. as _ are. and in terms of the actors, as you _ are. and in terms of the actors, as you say, - are. and in terms of the actors, as you say, theyj are. and in terms of the - actors, as you say, they are still on strike and, in fact, the writers guild said we need to support them in their fight for better terms and conditions

but actually what they've brokered at the writers guild no doubt will help to lay the groundwork for negotiations with actors, you would assume. it will, the two disputes are not exactly the same and there is a phrase called pattern bargaining which is just because you make this deal with the writers does not make the same deal with us. you know, but basically, it's about money and it's about al. it's about protections in various forms. so, there has been such a lack of hope for so long as the strike drags on but the fact that the studios were willing to come around the tables with the writers, finally, shows there is hope also for the actors who are also holding out and getting lots of star power for their support that may be, the end could be on site for them and everyone here in hollywood can get back to work. talk us through the impact. you've mentioned already the fact it isn'tjust writers but it is the impact on so many within the industry and beyond.

but in terms of the feeling in hollywood, does they need to be repair now between the big studios and writers and actors, etc? , ., , . studios and writers and actors, etc? , .,, ., .,, etc? 0h, people are losing their homes, _ etc? 0h, people are losing their homes, you - etc? 0h, people are losing their homes, you know. i etc? 0h, people are losing i their homes, you know. they have had to sell the houses. the economy is affected. no—one is going to buy a new carbon they are on strike. there is a huge knock—on effect on the industry. 0bviously huge knock—on effect on the industry. obviously it's a global industry but the world capitol of it is here in los angeles. so, it'sjust the daily site every day when your drive past any entertainment company that the strikers are outside, honking their horns and lots of public support there —— world capital. people were beginning to lose hope and suddenly here we are, they have cut a deal. so yes, it gives the hope that maybe the other labour dispute will be over as well but it has had a huge impact on finances, on the role and also on trust as well so

there's what seen is the fatcat studios and the struggling writers, how will their relationship be better going forward? it's a truce but an uneasy one. forward? it's a truce but an uneasy one-— forward? it's a truce but an uneasy one. we shall keep a close eye. — uneasy one. we shall keep a close eye, sandro, - uneasy one. we shall keep a close eye, sandro, thank - uneasy one. we shall keep a | close eye, sandro, thank you uneasy one. we shall keep a . close eye, sandro, thank you so much. lovely to see you. sandro monetti. more on that, by the way, in our business coverage in around 25 minutes. the impossible became possible — that's how the head of nasa described an extraordinary mission to retrieve a capsule containing fragments of an asteroid on sunday. the capsule had travelled a billion miles to land on the asteroid, named bennu, before returning safely back to earth earlier after seven years in space. rebecca morelle reports from the us state of utah, where it landed. mission control: it has entered the earth's atmosphere. tracking asset. a first glimpse of the capsule

after its epicjourney through space. we have confirmed parachute deployment. applause. high up in the atmosphere, a parachute opens, slowing its descent. touchdown! i repeat, touchdown. it has touched down. a textbook landing in the middle of the utah desert. for the team who have spent decades working on the 0siris—rex mission, it's an emotional moment. so, how did it go? it went absolutely perfectly. absolutely perfect landing. we didn't move, we landed on nice, soft soil. the capsule looks flawless. i cried like a baby in that helicopter when i heard that the parachute has opened and we were coming in for a soft landing. it was an overwhelming moment for me. inside the capsule is the most precious sample — fragments of an asteroid called bennu that could reveal the story of our solar system. the team quickly secures the craft to prevent any contamination and attach it to a 30m line slung beneath a helicopter. this is the moment that nasa has been waiting for.

after seven long years, travelling billions of miles to bennu and back, the capsule is finally here. the priority now is getting out of the dusty desert environment and into the safe and sterile clean room as quickly as possible. a quick knock to say they've arrived and the capsule is in. the painstaking and meticulous process begins. they need to remove the layers like a russian doll to get to the dust and rocks inside. the whole procedure will take weeks. so, why all this effort? bennu tops the list of nasa's most hazardous space rocks, so studying its make—up could help us to stop it if we ever need to. but it could also reveal more about our origins. it's a perfectly preserved relic from the dawn of the solar system. it's going to keep scientists busy for a long time. one of the most important parts of a sample return mission is we take 75% of the sample and we're going

to lock it away for future generations — people who haven't even been born yet to work in laboratories that don't exist yet and instrumentation that you haven't thought of yet. so, it's incredibly valuable sample we are bringing back. scientists think they have a treasure trove on their hands — one that includes extraterrestrial material unlike anything we have seen on earth before. rebecca morelle, bbc news, utah. this is a crucial week here in the uk for the hs2 rail project. the government is due to give an answer this week on whether or not they will scrap the birmingham to manchester section of the line. uk defence secretary grant shapps says it would be "crazy" not to look again at the rising cost of the hs2 rail project. noor nanji reports. it's a grand project first dreamt up in 2009. the aim — to speed upjourney times and create more capacity. but hs2 has faced delays, cuts and spiralling costs.

the original plan would've connected london to birmingham, and then leeds and manchester. in 2021, the section from birmingham to leeds was cancelled. now, there is speculation the line might end in west london, rather than going all the way to euston, and the birmingham to manchester bit is in doubt as well. the last official estimate on hs2 costs — excluding the cancelled eastern section — added up to about £71 billion — although this was in 2019 prices. £22.5 billion has already been spent on the london to birmingham leg whilejust over £2 billion has been spent on preparing for the other sections. this morning, the defence secretary — and former transport secretary — said no decision has been taken yet, but that it's important to respond to the budget. every government has to look at the overall budgets and then, make serious decisions which go beyond the sort of back—and—forth in a studio like this... 0k.

..to say, "is this affordable, under current circumstances?" i'm absolutely confident, for example, that when those statements were made, no—one knew we'd be in a war in europe right now. 0k. all of the consequences, all of the costs and all of the inflation. of course, if you... and any government that doesn't go back and then look at it is crazy. labour has so far refused to confirm it would fund the hs2 line to manchester if the conservatives axe it, despite pressure from some local mayors. this was the parliament when they said they would level us up. if they leave a situation where the south, the southern half of the country is connected by modern, high—speed lines and the north of england is left with victorian infrastructure, that is a recipe for the north—south divide to become a north—south chasm over the rest of this century. this weekend, business groups and political voices have been lobbying the government not to truncate hs2 further, with pressure mounting for decisions to be made. noor nanji, bbc news.

now, let's talk you through the latest on what is happening in niger. niger's military leaders have welcomed the news that france will end its military presence in the country with 1500 troops leaving by the end of this year. in a televised interview, french president emmanuel macron also announced plans to withdraw the french ambassador and several other diplomats. it comes in the wake of a military coup injuly that saw the ousting of the country's elected president. macron has refused to recognise the junta as niger's legitimate authority but said paris would coordinate the troop withdrawal with the coup leaders. translation: france has decided to bring back its ambassador- and so, in the coming hours, our ambassador and several diplomats will return to france. and we are ending our military cooperation with the de facto authorities to niger

because they no longer want to fight against terrorism. let's discuss the implications. live now to james barnett, a senior fellow with the conservative think—tank, the hudson institute. he's usually based in nigeria butjoins us today from boston. james, good to talk to you again. is this a victory, then, for thejointer? again. is this a victory, then, for the jointer?_ again. is this a victory, then, for the jointer? for the “ointer? thank you for havin: for the jointer? thank you for having me- — for the jointer? thank you for having me- -- _ for the jointer? thank you for having me. --junta. - for the jointer? thank you for having me. --junta. i- for the jointer? thank you for having me. --junta. ithinkl having me. ——junta. ithink so. forthe having me. ——junta. ithink so. for the past two months there has been a kind of very tense stand—off between france and the deflector authorities in nige and thejunta has been playing hardball against france playing hard ball against france which playing hardball against france which has been assisting but —— insisting that president bazoum be reinstated and the french have not taken the military option of the table so as long as they were french forces within niger and the french were insisting that their ambassador remain within niger, it was kind of this questions around the whole situation of may there be a french military intervention or a french

supported west african military intervention via the ecowas regional block and so now i think eventually france has kind of admitting, at least for the time being, that it's kind of lost its influence in the region that it is unable to alter the political dynamics in the country and unable to achieve its objective which is to reinstate the democratically elected president mohamed bazoum and so now i think the junta is going to see this as a victory, they've been holding out for two months under intense pressure, diplomatic pressure, under economic sanctions from the ecowas block and so the fact that the french have now agreed to draw down their military presence and also withdraw their ambassador i think is very much a victory for the regime in niger. what does it mean _ for the regime in niger. what does it mean for— for the regime in niger. what does it mean for the - for the regime in niger. what does it mean for the ousted l does it mean for the ousted president mohamed bazoum? he is said to be held hostage right now so what does that mean for him? ., , . .,

him? nothing is certain, right? ithink it him? nothing is certain, right? i think it was _ him? nothing is certain, right? i think it was always _ him? nothing is certain, right? i think it was always going - him? nothing is certain, right? i think it was always going to i i think it was always going to be very unlikely, i would say, after the first — after the first few days after the coup at the end ofjuly, thejunta in the army was consolidating its control and i think at that point i think it was unlikely that mohamed bazoum was going to be leah stated as the leader —— niamey the longer the coups have two materialise and the longer that the junta has to consolidate control the less likely that the former leader in this case mohamed bazoum could reassert authority so the debate now or the negotiations in recent weeks have really been over the safety, the physical safety of mohamed bazoum and his family and i know it's an important element of the negotiations that are under way with ecowas and the junta is my guess is now there is going to be some sort of discussion about whether bazoum can exit the country with his

family and get exile somewhere out of the country because of course while he is in the country the junta will use him as a bargaining chip and while he is in the country and held hostage, his own safety and life is in danger so i think the french would have preferred to have secured bazoum's exit and secured bazoum's exile, if you will, prior to agreeing to anything like the withdrawal of their ambassador or the drawdown of their forces but i think the fact that they are doing that now, i would guess, you know, but thejunta doing that now, i would guess, you know, but the junta will feel some pressure to reciprocate with some sort of confidence building measure and they may be in discussions with them in the coming weeks for kind of a negotiated exile of bazoum but certainly not his reinstatement as the president of niger. unfortunately, but has not really been on the cards for a while now because the junta cards for a while now because thejunta has cards for a while now because the junta has a time to consolidate their control.

james, really, what does this mean for france, in terms of its operations in the wider sial region now, where it is trying to fight against islamist militants —— sarhel? the locus of its counterterrorism efforts have beenin counterterrorism efforts have been in nigerfor the past six months or so, since the drawdown, their eviction from mali, where you had a coup. so niger was the realfocus mali, where you had a coup. so niger was the real focus of their efforts. the french are not going to be as engage now they have lost that in the cantering of the al-qaeda and islamic state linked affiliates in the sahel, just because they don't have a presence in there. they still have a presence in chad, which is a somewhat more peripheral country, but even in chad you have these issues where there is a lot of popular resentment against the french military presence. the leader

is not democratically elected, in a very precarious position politically so i think the french are in a position now where they are trying to negotiate with a fragile regime in chad to maintain some of their influence in the region, even a diminished level of influence, so everything looks very uncertain france right now, in terms of its military presence. now, in terms of its military presence-— now, in terms of its military resence. , . , a, ., presence. james barnett from hudson institute, _ presence. james barnett from hudson institute, thank- presence. james barnett from hudson institute, thank so - hudson institute, thank so much. authorities in kosovo say they've taken control of a serbian orthodox monastery in the north, bringing to an end a stand—off with a group of heavily armed men. the gunmen are suspected of carrying out an attack overnight, in which a policeman died. here's our balkans correspondent. the shooting appears to be over and the monastery is once again and the monastery is once again a place of quiet contemplation and pilgrimage but the mutual recriminations between serbia

and kosovo have onlyjust begun. serbia's president alexander prcic has made a televised address to the nation. he described the killing of a kosovo police force officer as absolutely reprehensible, an event that could not be justified. however, he also made it clear that he thought the prime minister of kosovo bore ultimate responsibility for the shooting and the events which followed, after a campaign of provocations against the ethnic serb minority who live in north kosovo. the authorities in pristina unsurprisingly are having none of that. prime minister alban carty has minister alban ca rty has described minister alban carty has described the armed group who carried out the attacks was being supported logistically and financially by official belgrade. partners of kosovo and serbia have expressed their outrage at the events. the european union said the shooting of the kosovo police officer was a hideous attack,

and foreign policy chiefjoseph borrell has called on serbia and kosovo to return to the negotiating table in brussels to de—escalate tensions. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. staff at universities across the uk will strike forfive days, later this month, in a long—running dispute over pay and working conditions. at 50 out of 134 universities, ucu members are due to strike for five consecutive days, from today. strikes will hit four scottish universities, on slightly different dates, to coincide with local action by other unions. the first buses brought back into public control in nearly a0 years have begun running services in parts of greater manchester. the bee network fleet of electric buses started operating in bolton, wigan and parts of salford and bury over the weekend.

the mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham, says he hopes it will lead to cheaper fares and better services. the liberal democrats have agreed to the first draft of their manifesto for the next general electionm including a pledge to give people the right to see a doctor within a week, or a day, if it's urgent. members at the party's conference in bournemouth approved the document. you're live with bbc news. hundreds of ethnic armenian refugees, from the disputed enclave of nagorno—karabakh, have started arriving in armenia. they're the first to cross the border since it was captured by azerbaijani forces, earlier this week. the territory is at the heart of one of the world's longest—running conflicts. nagorno—karabakh lies in the mountainous south caucasus region of eastern europe and asia, between the black sea and the caspian sea. it's recognised internationally as part of azerbaijan, but has been controlled by ethnic armenians for three decades.

olga ifzhina and her team are there, and havejust sent this report. as gu ests as guests of the military, we enter a region that has been cut off from the outside world since the start of recent hostilities. no sign of civilians. only the relics of fighting. this is a key azeri stronghold since 2020. we are led up to a viewpoint from where we can see this. they have claimed this is the capital for the past 30 years but now it is surrounded by azeri forces. on show are the seas its arms of the other side. we are being shown armoured vehicles and ammunition that was surrounded by karabakh armenians. it seems

that azerbaijan want to show they are the victim in these complex and their actions are only in response to provocations by karabakh provocations by kara bakh armenians, provocations by karabakh armenians, who they call separatists. our tour ended there and we were not allowed to go any further. but with more than 100,000 people are unable to leave nagorno—karabakh, this is what we found out. nagorno-karabakh, this is what we found out.— we found out. hello, all thanks for reaching — we found out. hello, all thanks for reaching me. _ we found out. hello, all thanks for reaching me. now - we found out. hello, all thanks for reaching me. now the - for reaching me. now the residents here don't have food, so it is really hard for everyone actually. we are all, all of the country is a big refugee camp now. we still don't know how many missing persons we have killed and injured. persons we have killed and in'ured. ., , injured. tonight in the past few hours. _ injured. tonight in the past few hours, hundreds - injured. tonight in the past few hours, hundreds of - injured. tonight in the past - few hours, hundreds of karabakh armenians have made it out and began arriving in armenia. children, the elderly and the sick. speaking to the bbc, one refugee said it has begun.

there will be more. at the military ceremony in azerbaijan has not capital, they are mourning for more lives lost in this conflict. their family has just buried their son. he was 29 years old. translation: for us he is still _ 29 years old. translation: fr?" us he is still alive, he has our hero. can we make peace with armenians? yes, of course, but we shouldn't be at war forever. in the end we have to learn to live peacefully together. ijust wish learn to live peacefully together. i just wish this war hadn't taken so many lives. while new graves are being dug on both sides, will this ceasefire hold with so many lives lost, peace seems only possible if both sides are ready to learn from each other pelvic pain. in the next hour for our global audience we will be live there to get the very latest on that

story. a rare octopus has been filmed, live, in the deep ocean. dubbed "dumbo", because of its ear—like fins, similar to the 19405 disney cartoon, it appeared on the ev nautilus livestream. it was caught on camera by a remotely operated ocean exploration trust vehicle in the north pacific ocean. the octopus can live at depths of up to 7,000 feet. really quite fascinating. lovely to watch. if you are struggling to sleep, get that one on a loop on your device. we have so much more to come for you. top business stories ie next. we will talk about all sorts, including the story, which we had right at the top of this programme, the hollywood writers in a deal to end us studio strike. so this is the breaking news that has just occurred in the last few hours, which is great news of course for the uk as well,

because hollywood productions are a critical part of britain's film and entertainment industry so we will talk about that at the moment. hello. whilst most of the week will be a story of sunshine and showers, we could see some stormier weather, wednesday into thursday. more on that in a second. first of all, though, it has been quite windy so far, and overnight, strong winds attached to these weather fronts pushing their way eastwards. strongest of the winds will have clipped the northwest of scotland, before easing later. that does leave many of us with clear skies into the start of monday, 12—15 degrees. not a cold start, by any means. still some cloud and one or two showers in the southeast first thing. that will clear through. some heavier showers across central western scotland, northern ireland through the morning rush hour and potentially again later. but, actually, very few showers in the forecast on monday. even if you do see a shower, it should be a fleeting one. only one or two in your day. for many, especially across england and wales, the day will be dry, 17—22 celsius. nice enough in the sunshine.

the breeze will still remain a little bit on the fresh side in the west, and strengthen further, as we go through the night and into tuesday morning. some showers and thunderstorms pushing out of northern france into southern counties of england, and a small chance into some south—eastern parts of wales, too. a little bit cooler than monday morning. but for tuesday itself, we're being drawn in this weather front to the west, and this one will work its way across many parts of england, first thing in the morning, again, risk of showers and thunderstorms short—lived, and then fewer showers, a lot more in the way of dry weather, but some fairly frequent and heavier showers for northern ireland during the morning and more particularly across scotland through the afternoon. in the sunshine between the showers, again, temperatures like monday, around 16—22 celsius. but as you go into the middle part of the week, all eyes are on this developing area of low pressure, potentially a quite stormy one rattling its way in through wednesday and into wednesday night. let me show you how things develop on wednesday, because it's going to be quite a bright start, dry start, quiet start for many. but cloud increases from the south and west. the rain starts to push in and with it, widespread gales developing as we go through the afternoon and into the evening. temperatures on the cool side,

where the winds are strongest, in the north. 0k. the position of that area of low pressure open a bit of question at this stage, but at the moment, it does look like we could see, later wednesday into wednesday night, worse the winds around some irish sea coast and then later into parts of southern scotland and north—east england. the area of low pressure with it taking that rain northwards. pretty stormy night wednesday night into thursday, and as we start thursday, even though things turn quieter, there could be some residual damage and travel disruption. take care.

live from london, this is bbc news. trade talks between china and the european union begin in beijing with the eu concerned after beijing's move to strengthen ties with moscow despite the war in ukraine. a breakthrough in hollywood: marathon negotiations lead to a deal with writers that could end the near 5—month strike. plus, two—wheeler fever hits india: how motogp�*s debut in the country has accelerated demand for premium motorcycles. let's now get down to business. if you have justjoined let's now get down to business. if you havejustjoined us, i

am sally bundock. we start in china, where the chinese vice premier he lifeng