for the sake of civilians and humanity, this has got to stop. we are overdue, we are late. the biden administration believes a wider regional war in the middle east has been deterred, and the conflict is being contained to israel and hamas. broadly speaking a broader regional conflict has been deterred and we do not seek any conflict with iran. this is the scene right now in gaza from southern israel. in london, this albert... and at least 130 people have been killed in an earthquake in western nepal. houses have been destroyed and people have been digging through rubble to rescue others. hello, i'm anna foster.

this is bbc news injerusalem. antony blinken is meeting leaders today. he called for humanitarian purposesin today. he called for humanitarian purposes in the fighting but the israeli prime minister said there would be no temporary ceasefire with hamas in gaza until all israeli hostages are released. an official from the un agency for palestinian refugees once it is increasingly little the organisation can do to protect people in gaza, the un secretary general and the who had condemned an israeli attack on an ambulance in gaza. yesterday the israeli defence forces admitted striking the ambulance convoy but said the figure was being used by hamas to try and transport fighters. it comes as fighters from the hamas health ministry said an israeli strike at a school that was being used as a shelter in the north of the gaza strip, no immediate comment from a stroke. the us says it

believes the work is being contained and any broader regional conflict has been deterred. the comments from the pentagon followed the first public remarks from the leader of the islamist has birla group who did not commit his thousands of fighters to enter the conflict. our correspondent sent this report. —— hezbollah. in times of peace, a medical refuge. but after four weeks of war, an ambulance is a target, too. outside gaza's main al—shifa hospital, one was struck by israeli aircraft, killing 15, say hamas authorities, and injuring 60. israel says it was being used by a hamas terrorist cell whose command centres run beneath the hospital. hamas called that "baseless" and "zionist nazi terror". the head of the world health organization spoke of his shock at the attack, adding that patients, health workers, facilities and ambulances must be protected at all times. but a lifeline has become a battle zone for tens of thousands who have

been sheltering at al—shifa, and israel has urged their evacuation south. further north across the border in lebanon, huge crowds rallied to hear hezbollah�*s leader warn the war could spread. "american intervention", he said, "could spark a wider conflict". and he praised hamas's actions. but the speech was fiery without calling for all out war with hezbollah. there's little appetite in lebanon for it. and little sign, in his words, of imminent escalation. relief for now among many, including the us. we do see that broadly speaking, a broader regional conflict has been deterred and so we'll continue to do that. we do not seek any conflict with iran. we do not seek to have conflict across the region. ourfocus here is on containing this and getting back to a stable and secure region as quickly as possible.

america's top diplomat is injordan today with arab leaders. his calls in israel yesterday for humanitarian pauses were rebuffed by the israeli prime minister unless hostages are released. the us said dozens more of its nationals have left gaza. more british passport holders too have got out through the rafah crossing into egypt. but for those who can't leave, gaza's nightmare worsens. israeli soldiers encircling the city, facing mines and booby traps as they press on with their goal of crushing hamas. and then what? mark lowen, bbc news, jerusalem. let's talk about the impact of the conflict in the wider region. our correspondent is in beirut and people were watching closely yesterday the hezbollah leader and his speech but it wasn't as

dangerous as it could have been, was it? i dangerous as it could have been, was it? 4' dangerous as it could have been, was it? ~ ., ., ., , .,, it? i think a lot of people here in lebanon and _ it? i think a lot of people here in lebanon and israel _ it? i think a lot of people here in lebanon and israel and - it? i think a lot of people here in i lebanon and israel and washington are relieved after the speech yesterday. the first time the influential leader of hezbollah made a public speech since the beginning of the war between israel and hamas and four weeks we had been talking about fighting along the border between lebanon and israel and fear that violence could escalate and lebanon could be dragged into the conflict so a lot of people were watching the speech yesterday and i think the most important thing that came out of the speech was he did not announce any intention to escalate those attacks, step up the campaign by hezbollah against the israeli military. he did leave the door open for more attacks, he said all options were on the table and he said the actions of hezbollah will be determined by what happened in

gaza and by the actions of the struggle towards lebanon and hezbollah and he said the only way to prevent the conflict from spreading across the middle east was to stop the war in gaza. it was also important that he described those attacks that have been carried out by hezbollah is significant because he said this was forcing israel to deploy a large number of troops to its border with lebanon but again, there was no indication that hezbollah would be stepping up its attacks against the israeli military and i think the reaction that we have had from the biden administration is that they believe the possibility of an escalation of the possibility of an escalation of the crisis has been contained and that a wider conflict has been deterred, at least for now. he also talked about _ deterred, at least for now. he also talked about the _ deterred, at least for now. he also talked about the attacks _ deterred, at least for now. he also talked about the attacks in - deterred, at least for now. he also | talked about the attacks in october the 7th and called on 100% palestinian which is interesting

considering the influence iran holds amongst its proxies in the region. what should be read into that? it was interesting he tried to distance hezbollah from those attacks, he said hezbollah had no idea and had not been informed that hamas was going to go ahead with those attacks. he said those attacks have been 100% palestinian. i think it's also interesting that he describes what is happening here along the border as a second front in the sense that this is just supporting hamas in its fight. i think it is also interesting is that if you look at the bigger picture, hezbollah is part of the so—called axis of resistance which is an alliance of forces across the region supported by iran that includes hamas and we have heard from a number of leaders, hamas leaders, over the last few weeks, urging not only hezbollah but other players across the region to step up their efforts to do more to

support hamas in this work and i think again, it was interesting to hearfrom the leader of think again, it was interesting to hear from the leader of hezbollah that they were supporting hamas in the conflict there was no indication that hezbollah was willing to do more and again i think he urged arab countries to cut ties with israel. and he also praised groups in iran, syria, the high theis in yemen for the attacks carried out in recent weeks, all those groups are also part of this alliance that is supported by iran. and it was also interesting that hezbollah he said would have been intimidated by warnings given by the americans, the israelis, the israeli prime minister has promised a response of unimaginable magnitude if hezbollah decided to go ahead with a full—scale war and obviously the americans have sent two warships to

the eastern mediterranean saying this was an effort to prevent an escalation of the conflict. so again, that speech very important that was followed by millions of people not only here in lebanon but in israel and people not only here in lebanon but in israeland in people not only here in lebanon but in israel and in many other capitals. he did not give any kind of suggestion hezbollah is preparing to step up its attacks against israel. ., ~' , ., to step up its attacks against israel. . ~ , ., ., , israel. thank you. i have been travelling _ israel. thank you. i have been travelling around _ israel. thank you. i have been travelling around estoril- israel. thank you. i have been travelling around estoril froml israel. thank you. i have been - travelling around estoril from north travelling around estorilfrom north to south over the last few weeks since the conflict began and that northern border as was described as extremely tense and has been for weeks that while i was there i spoke to a lady who has been evacuated from a border town and she told me how she was coping with the current violence. we how she was coping with the current violence. ~ ., ., ., , ., violence. we are organised and we know when — violence. we are organised and we know when shooting _ violence. we are organised and we know when shooting is _ violence. we are organised and we know when shooting is about - violence. we are organised and we know when shooting is about to i violence. we are organised and we i know when shooting is about to begin or when_ know when shooting is about to begin or when shooting starts, we know exactly— or when shooting starts, we know exactly what to do and we get orders

in our— exactly what to do and we get orders in our systems in all kinds of ways, we get _ in our systems in all kinds of ways, we get alarms and we know we should take cover_ we get alarms and we know we should take cover and everything and the intensity. — take cover and everything and the intensity, the blast that you hear closer_ intensity, the blast that you hear closer and — intensity, the blast that you hear closer and also the number of times a dog _ closer and also the number of times a dog when— closer and also the number of times a dog when all the roads are blocked and you _ a dog when all the roads are blocked and you cannot go in and out, and when_ and you cannot go in and out, and whenyou— and you cannot go in and out, and when you have to stay in a bomb shelter_ when you have to stay in a bomb shelter or— when you have to stay in a bomb shelter or a _ when you have to stay in a bomb shelter or a different kind of shelter_ shelter or a different kind of shelter for longer periods of time and it_ shelter for longer periods of time and it happens more and more often. youll— and it happens more and more often. youll left_ and it happens more and more often. you'll left but you have not gone too far away?— you'll left but you have not gone too far awa ? ., ., , . too far away? no, i need to be close b . too far away? no, i need to be close b , i am too far away? no, i need to be close by. i am not — too far away? no, i need to be close by. i am not used — too far away? no, i need to be close by, i am not used to _ too far away? no, i need to be close by, i am not used to leaving - too far away? no, i need to be close by, i am not used to leaving my i by, i am not used to leaving my home — by, i am not used to leaving my home i— by, i am not used to leaving my home lam _ by, i am not used to leaving my home. i am used to being in a worse, many— home. i am used to being in a worse, manytimes— home. i am used to being in a worse, many times in— home. i am used to being in a worse, many times in my life. i know exactly— many times in my life. i know exactly what to in this situation but i _ exactly what to in this situation

but i hate — exactly what to in this situation but i hate coming out of my community in this situation and in fact, _ community in this situation and in fact, it's _ community in this situation and in fact, it's the — community in this situation and in fact, it's the first time, i'm 57 now, — fact, it's the first time, i'm 57 now. it's _ fact, it's the first time, i'm 57 now, it's the first time since i've been _ now, it's the first time since i've been an— now, it's the first time since i've been an adult that i have been evacuated. i always state, even in the worst — evacuated. i always state, even in the worst situations.— the worst situations. does it feel different to _ the worst situations. does it feel different to you _ the worst situations. does it feel different to you this _ the worst situations. does it feel different to you this time? it i the worst situations. does it feel different to you this time? it is. | different to you this time? it is. first of all _ different to you this time? it is. first of all it — different to you this time? it is. first of all it is _ different to you this time? it is. first of all it is heartbreaking, l different to you this time? it is. first of all it is heartbreaking, it is really— first of all it is heartbreaking, it is really horrendous. i do not think there _ is really horrendous. i do not think there is_ is really horrendous. i do not think there is a — is really horrendous. i do not think there is a single israeli who did not get — there is a single israeli who did not get awful news about acquaintances. who had not been to a funeral— acquaintances. who had not been to a funeral or— acquaintances. who had not been to a funeral or to _ acquaintances. who had not been to a funeral or to give their condolences to people _ funeral or to give their condolences to people who were hurt. everyone is involved _ to people who were hurt. everyone is involved in_ to people who were hurt. everyone is involved in this and our children are involved in this, those who are older— are involved in this, those who are older are _ are involved in this, those who are older are drafted and they are on

the borders. and the fear is unusuat _ the borders. and the fear is unusual. people who i am not used to seeing _ unusual. people who i am not used to seeing them _ unusual. people who i am not used to seeing them this way, are intimidated. because it's not only roller. _ intimidated. because it's not only roller, these atrocities that we know _ roller, these atrocities that we know of— roller, these atrocities that we know of are beyond words. that was one woman — know of are beyond words. that was one woman describing _ know of are beyond words. that was one woman describing the _ know of are beyond words. that was one woman describing the feeling i know of are beyond words. that was one woman describing the feeling of many residents who live on the northern border with israel. joining me now is dr maha yahya, the director of the carnegie middle east center which provides informed policy research & analysis on the challenges facing the middle east & north africa. thank you forjoining us. i know you were following the speech from the leader of hezbollah yesterday, what is your assessment —— assessment at the fiery rhetoric but nothing in

terms of hezbollah entering the bottle in a way cut which would have devastating impact? goad bottle in a way cut which would have devastating impact?— devastating impact? good morning and thank ou devastating impact? good morning and thank you for— devastating impact? good morning and thank you for having _ devastating impact? good morning and thank you for having me. _ devastating impact? good morning and thank you for having me. a _ devastating impact? good morning and thank you for having me. a couple i devastating impact? good morning and thank you for having me. a couple of. thank you for having me. a couple of quick points on the speech yesterday. the first is that it is very clear that they would prefer not to get involved even further in the conflict. primarily because they are fully aware of the fact of an expansion in the arena of conflict is basically and could very easily turn into a global one. it will not remain a regional conflict between lebanon, apologies between hezbollah and israel. there is no expectation of an announcement of grand strategy yesterday. it was very much about

showing empathy with palestinians. it was about stepping up and being the man of the hour, in the absence of arab leadership, everybody was waiting for his speech yesterday. palestinians that have lost, almost 10,000 lives now killed in gaza, in addition to thousands who have been injured, 30% we are hearing the housing stock already gone so it was very much about stepping up and speaking on behalf of the palestinians. when it comes to military strategy, i think the choices they have never goes from zero to 101 shot. as we have seen the altercations along the southern border, expanding quite gradually, both in terms of the intensity of the bombing on both sides of the border but also in terms of the geographic area that is being

targeted and is expanding on both sides of the border and also the kinds of weapons that are being used. which we are seeing is real used. which we are seeing is real use of phosphorous bombs during its bombing campaign, during its bombings of towns in lebanon but also gaza. hezbollah recently used a specific explosive drone that we have not seen before so i think the room for escalation is quite wide and there are different tactics that may be used before we get into an armageddon style environment. there has also been an increase in attacks from other partners of hezbollah and iran in the region, particularly the popular mobilisation forces directly coming from iraq to israel, this is the

first since the 1990s. also they have these have been involved in the battle. well, the situation for civilians in gaza remains dire. our special correspondent fergal keane who is based injerusalem has for days now been working with journalists filming for the bbc in the territory to report the impact of the war on people there. a warning — his piece contains distressing images from the start. sometimes, a face can tell all there is to know... ..of war, in the lives of the young. the brothers came to al—aqsa hospital in central gaza after a bomb hit their home. crying.

further north, in beit lahiya... ..another hospital. more of war�*s wounded. a crowded floor. who can be saved, who is beyond help? the process of checks that's become all too familiar. this woman's life, fading fast. and then gone. there are stories of miraculous escape, told to our bbc cameraman.

of five—year—old, tuleen abu alros, at al—nusrat hospital, pulled from the rubble of her bombed out home. she's physically recovering, but she's unlikely to forget. "the children who are injured, the psychological trauma stays with them for years. and the children who witness or watch what's going on also have ptsd for months." there are now more than 1.5 million displaced in gaza. creating, says the un, a vast humanitarian crisis. here, at gaza beach, they collect salt water for washing. the children, as children do, find comfort in each other. because, when they leave here, there is only the war. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem.

joining me now is colonel elad goren, head of the civil department at cogat — the coordinator of government activities in the territories. that's an an israeli defence ministry agency that liaises with palestinians on civilian affairs. thank you forjoining us. we saw a snapshot of how difficult the humanitarian situation is for civilians in gaza but what is your agency doing to try and alleviate the shortage is in difficulties affecting civilians and children as we saw in that report?— affecting civilians and children as we saw in that report? thank you for havin: we saw in that report? thank you for having me- — we saw in that report? thank you for having me- as _ we saw in that report? thank you for having me. as you _ we saw in that report? thank you for having me. as you know, _ we saw in that report? thank you for having me. as you know, hamas i we saw in that report? thank you for. having me. as you know, hamas began a war against the state of israel and they have dual strategies, one is operational and of course there

is operational and of course there is a humanitarian strategy but what hamas isis is doing is using every civil infrastructure and humanitarian infrastructure, international infrastructure even un infrastructure in order to improve the terror goes against the state of astro. but what we are trying to do is establish a tactical force in order to monitor the humanitarian situation in gaza and that we announced all the population in the northern side of gaza to evacuate to the south in order to try and distinguish between civilians and those from hamas isis because we are going to fight them and we want the citizens not to be a part of that. from a humanitarian perspective it is not working, is it because every humanitarian organisation working in gas at the moment is talking about shortages and the un says only 5% of

the gas water needs are being met but you have a responsibility as well to help the humanitarian population and that does not seem to be happening in the way that it should. . . . be happening in the way that it should. ., , , , , should. there was a responsibility to take care _ should. there was a responsibility to take care of— should. there was a responsibility to take care of our— should. there was a responsibility to take care of our own _ should. there was a responsibility to take care of our own people i should. there was a responsibility | to take care of our own people and we understand by the us administration they are working to help with the distribution of humanitarian convoys to the southern side of gaza, to its citizens and allowing accessibility of medical assistance to the citizens and we will continue fighting hamas isis and protect our people.- will continue fighting hamas isis and protect our people. again, you sa ou and protect our people. again, you say you are — and protect our people. again, you say you are doing _ and protect our people. again, you say you are doing more _ and protect our people. again, you say you are doing more to - and protect our people. again, you say you are doing more to get i and protect our people. again, you say you are doing more to get aid i and protect our people. again, you | say you are doing more to get aid in but the simple fact is humanitarian aid is not arriving in gaza at any fort near the level that is required to meet the needs so how are you going to step up to make sure the

children in particular, the woman, the noncombatants in this conflict are not struggling as we are seeing now? we are not struggling as we are seeing now? ~ . are not struggling as we are seeing now? . ., ., . ., , now? we are willing to increase the humanitarian _ now? we are willing to increase the humanitarian assistance _ now? we are willing to increase the humanitarian assistance to - now? we are willing to increase the humanitarian assistance to the i humanitarian assistance to the southern side of gaza strip to the people that have been evacuated from the north to the south and are not a part of terror. we are willing to do so and we will do so with the cooperation of our egyptian friends and with the un agencies and the international community. iuntimely and with the un agencies and the international community. when you sa ou international community. when you say you are — international community. when you say you are willing _ international community. when you say you are willing to _ international community. when you say you are willing to do _ international community. when you say you are willing to do so, - international community. when you say you are willing to do so, where l say you are willing to do so, where is the blockage in the system? if you are willing, what is the problem and why are we not seeing that coming to fruition?— coming to fruition? there is no problem- _ coming to fruition? there is no problem- all — coming to fruition? there is no problem. all the _ coming to fruition? there is no problem. all the assistance i coming to fruition? there is no | problem. all the assistance that coming to fruition? there is no i problem. all the assistance that the un is asking us to facilitate we will facilitate and after we will inspect unbearable enter to the gaza strip and we are doing it, more than 400 trucks entered gaza, hundreds of

tonnes of assistance in food, water, medical assistance, we opened water pipes to the southern side of gaza, 28 million litres every day coming in gaza from israel so we are facilitating and we will continue doing so with the us administration as long as they are not a part of terror, we will continue to fight hamas isis in order to bring people back home. hamas isis in order to bring people back home-— back home. colonel, thank you for “oininr us back home. colonel, thank you for joining us here _ back home. colonel, thank you for joining us here on _ back home. colonel, thank you for joining us here on bbc— back home. colonel, thank you for joining us here on bbc news. i back home. colonel, thank you forj joining us here on bbc news. let's have a word with mark who is following the latest. remind us what the israeli military operation is right now?— right now? the israeli defence forces said _ right now? the israeli defence forces said there _ right now? the israeli defence forces said there was - right now? the israeli defence forces said there was intense l forces said there was intense shelling overnight in their words intense overnight airstrikes and uncovered tunnel shops, remember hamas it is believed has 1000 tunnels snaking on the guns in which

they store weapons and fighters and perhaps some of the 240 israeli hostages. they say they destroyed three observation posts, killed a terror cell and their words exiting the tunnel shops and our team in gaza has told us there was intense overnight shelling around the al—shifa hospital, the main gaza hospital in such an ambulance was struck and our team tells us the solar panels and water supply was targeted in buildings around the al—shifa hospital suggesting the israelis are continuing to pursue that. israel says that as a hospital under which there are hamas command and control centres and it maintains it is not striking a hospital for that sake which would be a breach of international work convention spot that they are targeting the al—shifa hospital because it is an area as is using patients and facilities as human shields.— human shields. thank you for followin: human shields. thank you for following the _ human shields. thank you for following the latest _ human shields. thank you for i following the latest developments for us. just a reminder, the bbc

news website, we have the live page running 24—hour city and you can keep up—to—date with everything happening with the israeli military operation, the humanitarian situation in gaza and also of course with the hostages, more than 240 from a variety of nationalities, still being held inside gaza and we hear regularly about the impact that is having on the israeli military operation. we will keep you posted with the story throughout the day from jerusalem on bbc news. hello. after a very wet week for many and a very stormy week for some things look calmerfor many and a very stormy week for some things look calmer for the weekend. it will not be completely dry or settled, there will be some rain at times, ratherwindy settled, there will be some rain at times, rather windy in the south but not as windy as it has been amidst

all of that there is some sunshine. the satellite picture you see this club pushing from the south—west bringing rain and in association with this area of low pressure. the centre of the low tracking east, the strongest winds on the southern flank which means the very windiest weather will be across parts of france, spain and portugal. for us it will be blustery in the south but nothing particularly stormy stop this band of rain pushing north during saturday becoming slow—moving in north wales, the north midlands, northern england and to the south sunny spells and heavy thundery showers with blustery winds especially around southern coasts. the part north of england, northern scotland, northern ireland will see the odd shower and temperatures 9-13 . the odd shower and temperatures 9—13 . saturday night we have this band of cloud on showery rain across the centre of the uk, could see heavy showers developing across the south—east and remember any rain we see could bring the risk of further

flooding. if you are of two fireworks events on saturday night perhaps showers around for as bonfire night there will be fewer showers, not gone completely but not as many because this area of low pressure will pull away eastwards. we will start sunday morning with some pretty strong winds, in fact we could see them touch gophers across the channel islands for a time. for the channel islands for a time. for the is lighter and through sunday, once we clear the only cloud and rain from eastern england, there should be a decent amount of sunshine but further showers will race in the west and some of these could be happy. temperature is around 9—13 at best. in the start of the new week we will briefly see this ridge of high pressure left to throw, things turning dry about mid week we bring this frontal system from the west, outbreaks of rain with that and behind it, things could turn a little bit more chilly by the week. not as stormy or

turbulent as it has been but still unsettled.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the un declares there is increasingly little the organisation can do to protect gazans sheltering from the fighting, saying there are no safe spaces there. for there are no safe spaces there. the sake of civilian

they for the sake of civilians wherever they are and for the sake of humanity, this has got to stop, and it has got to stop now. the biden administration says a wider regional war in the middle east has been deterred and the conflict is being contained to israel and hamas. broadly speaking, a broader regional conflict has been deterred. we will continue to do that, we do not seek any conflict with iran. at least 130 people have been killed in an earthquake in western nepal. houses have been destroyed and people have been digging through rubble to rescue others. russell brand is facing fresh allegations of sexual assault. the claims have been filed in a civil lawsuit in new york and date back to 2010. a british based doctor who's been trapped in gaza since the conflict broke out is now back in the uk.

dr abdelkader hammad — who's a surgeon in liverpool — had been volunteering at the al shifa hospital in gaza city. he was able to use the rafah crossing into egypt on thursday. our reporter sam harrison was at heathrow as he became one of the first uk nationals to arrived home last night. a moment to savour. the relief of a man back from a war zone and back with his family. dr abdul qadir hammad, a surgeon at the royal liverpool hospital who's visited gaza for the last ten years. his work largely revolved around training doctors at gaza city's biggest hospital, al—shifa. his latest trip began just a day before last month's cross—border attacks by hamas gunmen. but finally, he's safe. big, big relief to see my wife and my sons here. i mean, it's been four weeks waiting for this moment really to happen. and, i mean, at some stage, i wasn't sure that this will happen, really.

but thank god i'm here. it was this, the rafah border crossing, which dr hammad was able to pass through in order to reach egypt. as he found, though, his exit wasn't smooth. we went twice to the crossing, the first time we were turned back because the crossing closed. it was chaotic. and the second time we were lucky to get out. i mean, even on that day, some people have been turned back. the journey back to the uk is a long one and it's one that others are hoping to make. and with more people expected to cross from gaza into egypt over the coming days, there's hope more reunions like this one will take place. a lot of times we're wondering, are we going to get this moment because it's been so long and so many ups and downs. and i know you sometimes feel a bit guilty about, you know, being lucky to be able to get out. a family reunited at last. but for others, the

agonising wait continues. sam harrison, bbc news, at heathrow. at least 130 people are reported to have been killed in an earthquake in western nepal. the shallow quake of magnitude 5.6 hit the remote hill district ofjajarkot, 500 kilometres west of kathmandu. strong tremors were felt in the capital and in indian cities including delhi. hospital officials in jajarkot said they were treating more than 40 injured people rescued from the rubble of their homes. our south asia correspondent samira hussain, who is in delhi, told us about the impact of the quake on residents there. we know that rescue officials have made their way to the affected area, but of course what makes it difficult is just how remote the area is. if you are looking at some of the videos that we have seen, you will see that there have been homes that have been completely flattened,

others that are severely damaged, and residents that are trying to pick through the damage to see if there are any injured that they could help. now, as you mentioned, more than 130 people have been reported dead, there are several that have been injured. this area is not... it is accustomed to earthquakes, this region at the foothills of the himalayas sees quite a bit of seismic activity, but you have residents that have been spending the night, have spent the night outside because of the earthquake, but then of course there are the aftershocks. they have felt at least three aftershocks in the evening. european commission president ursula von der leyen arrived in kyiv on a surprised visit —— in kyiv on a surprise visit and will speak to the ukrainian parliament. von der leyen's visit comes ahead of a report the european union will present next week about ukraine's progress in its membership bid. comes ahead of the report next week of the commission into progress made by ukraine and other countries in

their bid for membership. he hopes that despite the ongoing war against invading russian forces, eu leaders will agree to open formal accession negotiations at a summit in december. that would require the unanimous approval of all 27 eu nations, something that is not certain. live now to our reporter abdujalil abdurasulov, who is in kyiv. first of all, this eu assessment is due on wednesday, it is expected to detail how far ukraine has come in various legal, economic and other criteria in order tojoin various legal, economic and other criteria in order to join the various legal, economic and other criteria in order tojoin the eu. is this visit indicating that kyiv has met those criteria?— this visit indicating that kyiv has met those criteria? there are signs that show that _ met those criteria? there are signs that show that eu _ met those criteria? there are signs that show that eu politicians i that show that eu politicians believe that ukraine have met the criteria to start the accession process. in fact, the german foreign minister has said she believed that

there will be back ukraine will start formal process after the summit. many in ukraine are expecting this report, and they believe that finally their goal to join the eu will have a certain framework and timeframe. they will start this process. there were seven conditions that were indicated by the european union that ukraine must meet in order to become a formal... in order to start the formal process. in the past, they said that two of these requirements were met, but ukraine were still supposed to make more efforts to work on reforms of the constitutional court, to change its legislation, to work more on fighting the oligarchs, and supporting minority rights. so on wednesday we will hear the report from the european commission. if it is positive, it is very likely that the eu will start this formal

process after the summit in december. process after the summit in december-_ process after the summit in december-— process after the summit in december. ~ ., , , . , ., december. we are seeing pictures of ursula von der— december. we are seeing pictures of ursula von der leyen _ december. we are seeing pictures of ursula von der leyen and _ december. we are seeing pictures of ursula von der leyen and president | ursula von der leyen and president zelensky holding talks together. with accession talks due to be launched in december, what sort of timeframe are we talking about? when could ukraine realisticallyjoin the eu? could ukraine realistically 'oin the eu? ~ ., could ukraine realistically 'oin the eu? . ., ., could ukraine realistically 'oin the eu? ~ ., ., ., eu? we do not have the exact timeframe _ eu? we do not have the exact timeframe at _ eu? we do not have the exact timeframe at this _ eu? we do not have the exact timeframe at this moment. i eu? we do not have the exact l timeframe at this moment. this eu? we do not have the exact i timeframe at this moment. this is exactly what ukraine will demand from the eu, give ac timeframe it so that we will know when we will be able to join the european union. that we will know when we will be able tojoin the european union. at least what they will get now, they will have this formal process to start talks with the european union and become a member in the future. that will be the starting point. as for the timeframe, i believe we might hear something in december, but probably even later. it is not necessarily coming during the summit. some of the eu countries were quite sceptical about ukraine

joining the eu, particularly hungary, the prime minister of hungary, the prime minister of hungary were saying he does not believe ukraine can join the european union while it is at war. so it is very difficult to predict when it will happen, and also it is not certain, of course, that all 27 members of the european union will agree to start this formal process. we need to wait for the summit in december, even if this report that is coming out next week will be positive and well confirmed that ukraine has met all the requirements that they set up for this country. finally, this is a ursula von der leyen's sixth visit to ukraine since the russian invasion, is there anything different about this visit? yes, this is her sixth visit to wartime ukraine. it is different in the sense, as we have just discussed, that we expect this

report and ukraine is quite close to start this formal process ofjoining the european union. in terms of the activities at the front line, things are changing compared to what it was like last year. if you look at her first visit to ukraine, at that time ukraine was defending its territory and russian forces were heavily advancing, they were still deep inside in the south, in the east, and also still in some parts of the territory in the north. now things in that sense have changed and many territories ukraine managed to take back, and they are trying to launch a counter offensive. it has stalled, of course. but still, in terms of the project —— progress compared what it was like last year, ukraine militarily is doing far better than it was in 2022. at that time, many people around the world were still expecting that russia would manage to take kyiv. now it is very

unlikely possibility, of course. thank you very much. the british actor and comedian russell brand, has been accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed in the us state of new york. the accuser is a woman using the alias "jane doe" who claims mr brand assaulted her when she was an extra during filming of the romantic comedy arthur in new york 13 years ago. a number of women have recently accused russell brand in the british media of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour, but this is the first accusation filed in court. he has denied taking part in any non—consensual sexual activity. david willis reports. an investigation by the times, the sunday times and channel 4 reported claims of sexual assault on the part of russell brand involving four women, one of whom alleged he raped her at his home in los angeles. he denies all the allegations. these and this latest

allegation all relate to a period when russell brand, seen here at the premiere of his film get me to the greek, was at the height of his hollywood stardom. now, an affidavit filed in new york alleges that russell brand exposed himself to an extra on the set of the film arthur. "the sexual assault happened later that same day when i was in the bathroom", the affidavit continues. "mr brand entered after me and assaulted me as a member "of the production crew, guarded the door from outside." it's the first such allegation to be levelled against russell brand in a lawsuit. he has yet to respond. what i seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations... shortly before the initial allegations came to light, he took to his youtube channel to maintain that all his relationships had been consensual. his latest accuser, who has maintained a career as an actor, is reported to be seeking unspecified damages in return for psychological injuries suffered

as a result of the assault. david willis, bbc news. the son of former us president donald trump, eric trump, has finished giving testimony in the new york civil fraud case against him, his family and their business. prosecutors grilled eric trump about his involvement in his father's financial statements and what steps he took to verify those numbers before signing bank documents. eric trump said he "believed everything in the statements was accurate" and denied any wrongdoing. outside the court, he spoke to reporters. what this state is trying to do to my father is absolutely inside. —— what this state is trying to do to my father is absolutely insane. we have one of the greatest companies anywhere in the world. we employ thousands of new yorkers. these people, they make their living relying on us. they feed their families relying on us. we've never missed a note, we've never missed a payment, we've never defaulted on a loan.

we've got some of the greatest properties in the world, and because you have an attorney general that plays politics with everything... you've seen that time and time again. she effectively went after the last governor and threw him out of office because she wanted to run, and then she got 2% in the polls. all of you saw that. she's come after my father ruthlessly. every single day a trump is in this court, guess what? she shows up. why? because it's her press moment. that's what she does. this is the type of person that's running new york state. our north america correspondent, nada tawfik, has been following the case in new york and says former president trump is expected to appear next week. donald trump himself is expected to testify on monday. now, the attorney general has come out and said that she fully expects donald trump to try to hide his wrongdoing with name—calling and taunts, but she says she will not be bullied out of uncovering the truth. donald trump himself, even though he has not been here in person this week, has continued to rail against this case as a witch hunt, telling the attorney general and the judge to leave his children alone. so, everyone will be watching to see how he defends himself on the stand and whether if at any point

he invokes his fifth amendment against answering questions. now, several legal experts have said that he would be wise to do that because of all of his pending criminal investigations. but this is a civil case, and so a judge can look negatively on a defendant invoking their fifth amendment when deciding the case, so it is certainly a minefield for donald trump when he is planning to take the stand. and then just to note, ivanka trump has lost her appeals to avoid testifying in this case, so we are expecting to also have her on the stand next week on wednesday. in colombia, the search continues for the father of liverpool footballer luis diaz, who the government says has been kidnapped by left—wing rebels. the colombian forward's mother was released a short while after being seized by gunmen in the town of barrancas on saturday, but his father remains missing. officials say they expect him to be freed soon, but it's still a difficult time forfamily and friends.

translation: luis is very much affected by this situation. - he is very attached to his father, and a blow like this is hitting him very hard, as it is hitting all of his family members, as it is hitting all of us. this situation isn't easy for anyone. this is the first time we've been in a situation like this, and here we are waiting to see what is going to happen. the information we have is that he will be released. and, yes, we are waiting and waiting for things to be solved in a good way. tonight, thousands of people are expected to attend a special ceremony in tribute to him. a two minute silence will also take place at nottingham's motorpoint arena. an inquest has now opened into his death, as angela rafferty reports. a sea of flowers for a city and the sport in morning. adam johnson's death has touched so many lives.

the outpouring of love and emotion that we have seen from across the world has been incredible, overwhelming, but really comforting at the same time. thousands are expected at a memorial service at the nottingham motorpoint arena, a chance for those touched by the tragedy to unite in their grief. i'm a football fan, really, i don't follow ice hockey, but to hear that someone has gone through that... it's sad. he was 29. it hasjust been a tragic accident and, you know, what can you say? wonderful flowers at the scene, here. it'sjust awful, really. for those who knew him, and thousands who didn't, everyone wants to pay their respects. a fundraiser in his memory has already raised thousands of pounds to be spent on projects injohnson's hometown in america. 2500 memorial pucks bearing his name, and the same number

of memorial shirts have been sold in less than 24 hours. more than would usually sell in an entire season. his team—mates will hold a private service here, before thousands of fans are expected to turn up at 5:30pm, to sign a book of condolence. a two—minute silence will be held later in the evening to mark the moment the incident happened last weekend. i imagine it will bring it flooding back for a number of people, but i think it is really important that we marked that moment as we all come together as a ice hockey family. i think it will be incredibly respectful. incredibly moving. and incredibly emotional, as well. and it is that opportunity. we will have lots of charities, mental health charities, looking to support people, because, for some people, they will find it very traumatic. the book of condolence will be sent to the player's family. a lasting memory of the legacy has

left a special service will be held, —— a lasting memory of the legacy has left behind. a special service will be held, seven days after he died. a chance for the ice hockey community to come together. a chance to mourn a much loved friend, a chance to remember one of their own. around 40 flood warnings remain in place across the uk after storm ciaran battered the south coast and the channel islands with heavy rain and up to 100 mile an hour winds on thursday. dozens of people who were evacuated from their homes on the island ofjersey are returning to deal with the destruction caused by a mini—tornado. louisa pilbeam has this report. hurricane winds and a mini tornado have leftjersey in pieces. these homes on the east coast had their roofs sliced off. many are still without power. the damage is being assessed by residents returning home like sharon marquer. the kitchen's not too bad, actually. i think it's just initially coming back again today. it's just suddenly hit me again because it's

a bit traumatic, really. in neighbouring guernsey, trees have blocked off roads and homes. carnage, really. there's a couple of big pines down, which is cut off a lot of people. but this is definitely... this is definitely the largest trees that have come down that we've seen so far. a yellow weather warning for rain is in place in the south of england all day today until midnight. not what people living near the river test in hampshire want to hear. there's already severe flooding. water has been cut off in areas in the south with care homes, schools and vulnerable people relying on southern water delivering bottled supplies. and just look at these enormous waves that hit the southeast coast at the height of storm ciaran. sea defences will need to be repaired and preparation now for more flooding in areas like kent. definitely an increase of flooding. we're going into a period now where there is going to be a constant alert. those living in portadown,

in northern ireland were already dealing with the worst flooding in 30 years, despite storm ciaran being downgraded in the area. oh, my house is a complete wipeout. everything will have to be skipped. it's terrible, because my fridge freezer was floating... it was floating in the kitchen. homes have been wrecked by water. and what this does to people is clear. you've worked all your life to make your house as good as you can. i and you just come in and it's devastating. | devastating. and we have lived here for 30 years, and i've never faced _ the like of this in my life. and like in other areas such as downpatrick, this damage will take months to repair. the cost has been estimated at tens of millions of pounds here alone. as the weather eases in northern ireland today, it's the south of england which will see more of this as heavy rain keeps coming. louisa pilbeam, bbc news.

a new foundation to help those struggling with addiction has been set up in the name of the late friends actor matthew perry. he was best known for playing chandler bing in the tv sitcom but had battled with addictions to alcohol and drugs for much of his life. he was found dead last week at the age of 54. the family of the late former italian prime minister, silvio berlusconi, are reported to have stopped the payments he'd set up for each of 20 young women who took part in his notorious "bunga bunga" parties. mr berlusconi is said to have arranged the payments as compensation. each woman received nearly $2,700 a month for more than a decade. hundreds of public swimming pools have closed since 2010, but today some of them are getting a lifeline to help stay afloat. the first £20 million of government funding is being spent to help those most

at risk of closure — but campaigners say much more needs to be done. celestina olulode reports. a quick last swim for families at newquay leisure world. this pool is closing for winter. we bring our two children here quite regularly, obviously it has got all the slides and that. so it is very sad it will be shut down during the winter because we love coming here. you have a great time, don't you? yeah! i can see both sides. i see that costs have gone up, but certainly the fun pool was an excellent for children to enjoy, so i can see how a lot was an excellent facility for children to enjoy, so i can see how a lot of people would be upset by it, yes. if that is what they have got to do, they've got to do it, but it would be nice for them to keep going over the winter, especially with the dark evenings and the shorter days, it's something nice to do. whilst the smaller poll next door remains open, closing this facility for six months will save about £30,000. swim england say more than 1,000 pools have closed since 2010, but only 667 were built in the same period. it estimates that 75% of local

authorities could have a shortage of swimming pools by the end of the decade. surrey�*s rainbow leisure centre has seen a 150% increase in its utility costs. we have to look at temperatures where we can, make slight reductions without affecting the service. we've reduced hours very, very slightly. so, we have made some slight adjustments to how we operate, but there is only so much that you can adjust that and so much you can do without affecting the local community. the government has announced the first phase of a £60 million fund to support swimming pools. the first 20 million is to help in the short term with the particular pressures that some of the pools have been facing with the increase in energy costs and maintenance costs. then there will be a further £40 million to help pools become more innovative about being sustainable for the future. but not everyone is set to benefit. we have run a process that really wanted to identify those pools that were most at risk of closing and those pools that

have the highest number of people going through them. five—time olympic swimmer mark foster says pools like this are beneficial for communities. every sport has grass roots. for swimming, it starts here, it starts in the local public pools or school polls. the learning to swim phase. without having these pools, or without having a pool near you that is open, you will not have that experience. it is notjust about creating olympians. the bigger picture is the mass amount of people that get to benefit from that sport. £200,000 of government funding has provisionally been awarded to surrey�*s rainbow leisure centre, but it will still be tough to run. this funding is vital to help us get through to next year. next year will be challenging. it's going to assist us in bridging the gap to next year. the customers are returning to the centre after covid, so the numbers are good, the income is going up, but we cannot meet the cost of utilities. as costs remain high, pools will need to continue to adapt

quickly, butjust how much of the burden will customers have to shoulder? celestina olulode, bbc news. a new image of a very young star captured by nasa is enabling scientists to see for the first time what our own sun it looked like in its infancy. the star is thought to be no more than 50,000 years old, whereas the sun is some 4.5 billion years old. we will be back to jerusalem and my colleague and and a foster shortly. you're watching bbc news. —— anna foster. after what has been a very wet week for many and a very stormy week for summer, things do look a little calmerfor the weekend. summer, things do look a little calmer for the weekend. it is summer, things do look a little calmerfor the weekend. it is not going to be completely dry or completely settled, there will still be rain at times. rather the south,

but not as windy as windy as it has been. amidst all of that, some sunshine. on the satellite picture, you can see this cloud pushing in from the south—west bringing outbreaks of rain. any association with this area of low pressure. the centre of the low tracking eastwards. the strongest winds on the southern flank, which means the very windiest weather will be across parts of france, spain and portugal. for as it will be blustery in the south, but nothing particularly stormy. this band of rain pushing northwards during saturday morning, becoming slow—moving in north wales, north midlands, parts of northern england. to the south, sunny spells and heavy thundery showers with some rally westerly winds around southern coast. the far north of england and northern ireland and scotland will see lighter winds, spells of sunshine once any early fog has cleared, just the odd shower. temperatures of 9—13. during saturday night, we'll have this band of cloud and cherry rain across central part of the uk. could see some heavy showers developing across the south east corner. any rain that

we do see could bring the risk of further flooding. we do see could bring the risk of furtherflooding. if we do see could bring the risk of further flooding. if you're off the fireworks event on saturday night, there will be showers around. by sunday night, bonfire night, there will be fewer showers. they will not be gone completely, but there will not be as many because this area of low pressure will be pulling away eastwards during sunday. we will start sunday morning with some pretty strong winds. in fact, we could see winds touching gale force across the channel islands for a time. further north, the wind is that bit lighter. through sunday, once to have clear this early cloud and rain away from eastern england, there should be a decent amount of sunshine around. however, further showers will race in from the west. some could be on the heavy side. temperatures around 9—13 at best. into the start of the new week, we will briefly see this ridge of high pressure coming through. things will turn a little drier, but then mid week we will bring this frontal system in from the west, outbreaks of rain with that. behind it, things could just turn a little bit

chillier by the end of the week. not as it stormy or turbulent as it has been, but still unsettled.

this is bbc news. the un declares there is little you can do to protect people in gaza sheltering from the fighting saying there is no safe spaces. for from the fighting saying there is no safe spaces-— safe spaces. for the sake of civilians and _ safe spaces. for the sake of civilians and humanity, i safe spaces. for the sake of civilians and humanity, this| safe spaces. for the sake of.

civilians and humanity, this has safe spaces. for the sake of- civilians and humanity, this has got to stop and it has got to stop now. the biden administration believes a wider regional war in the middle east has been deterred and the conflict is being contained to israel and hamas.— conflict is being contained to israeland hamas. �* , ,, .«r israel and hamas. broadly speaking about a regional _ israel and hamas. broadly speaking about a regional conflict _ israel and hamas. broadly speaking about a regional conflict has - israel and hamas. broadly speaking about a regional conflict has been i about a regional conflict has been deterred. and so we will continue to do that, we do not seek any conflict with iran. . . do that, we do not seek any conflict with iran. , , ,. ., with iran. this is the scene in gaza from southern _ with iran. this is the scene in gaza from southern israel. _ with iran. this is the scene in gaza from southern israel. i— with iran. this is the scene in gaza from southern israel. i am - from southern israel. i am journeying from london. at least 130 people have been killed in an earthquake in western nepal, houses destroyed and people digging through rubble to rescue others. russell brand is facing fresh allegations of sexual assault, claims filed in a civil lawsuit in new york dating back to 2010.