by banksy was stolen from a gallery in central london on sunday. hello, i m rajini vaidyanathan, welcome to bbc news now, 3 hours of fast—moving news, interviews and reaction. the uk government says russian accusations against six british diplomats in moscow are "completely baseless". the group was expelled by the kremlin, which accused them of spying and sabotage. the russian government said london had engaged in "multiple unfriendly acts" and that actions of the british embassy in moscow aimed to cause harm to russia's people. but the government here says it believes the suspension came after it brought in measures against the russian embassy earlier in the year. these developments come on the day that britain's prime minister, keir starmer, is due to meet president biden at the white house.

on thursday, president putin warned western governments not to let ukraine target russia with western arms. we can cross live now to warsaw and speak to our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford. always good to talk to you. first of all, i wanted your reaction to the news of the expulsion. reaction to the news of the emulsion-— reaction to the news of the expulsion. yes, i think it is fair to say _ expulsion. yes, i think it is fair to say the _ expulsion. yes, i think it is fair to say the timing - expulsion. yes, i think it is fair to say the timing is - expulsion. yes, i think it is fair to say the timing is no | fair to say the timing is no accident. i think this is quite clearly, the timing of the announcement, linked to the talks are taking place. it should be allowed to use long—range western missiles. i think it is connected as a statement to what we had from the fsb, the security service in russia. they say that they remove the accreditation from six british diplomats at the british embassy in moscow, and

they are accusing them of intelligence activities and subversive acts in. i think it is the language around that which is more indicative perhaps. the fsb is claiming that the british foreign office is specifically engaged in subversion in russia, the department responsible for escalating the political and military tensions between russia and the west, basically blaming britain for everything and accusing, as i say, britain of subversive activity which it saysis of subversive activity which it says is aimed at escalating those tensions. so, i think that it those tensions. so, i think thatitis those tensions. so, i think that it is clearly lashing out at britain, which is playing a central role in these discussions and negotiations and the decision, ultimately, on whether or not ukraine will get the right to use those long—range weapons. as you said earlier, britain, the foreign office has made a statement about the allegations saying

they are baseless and that britain believes this is a move in response to the expulsion of the russian defence attache in london this year, the protection of britain's national interest was the motive for that.- national interest was the motive for that. they say that this is a tit-for-tat _ motive for that. they say that this is a tit-for-tat measure. | this is a tit—for—tat measure. i want to ask you about what is happening in washington and the talks about whether ukraine would be allowed to use western missiles to strike russian targets. the question is what reaction we could expect from vladimir putin if mr biden and others decide to give it the go—ahead. i others decide to give it the go-ahead-_ others decide to give it the go-ahead. others decide to give it the uo-ahead. ~ . . go-ahead. i think that what we are seeing _ go-ahead. i think that what we are seeing right _ go-ahead. i think that what we are seeing right now, - go-ahead. i think that what we are seeing right now, including this diplomatic expulsion and the statement from vladimir putin yesterday, when he was asked about these discussions and the possible decision, i think that this is basically russia trying to send a warning to the west, trying to scare

allies of ukraine into inaction, that is what they want to happen. i think what is interesting is to look at the response to that. there was a robust response from keir starmer on the flight over to washington, telling british reporters that ukraine has the right to and that the uk and ukraine's allies would go on supporting it, and that russia started the war and that russia could end the war. we have also seen here in poland, and don't forget that poland is on the eastern flank of nato, right on the border with ukraine, so its opinion really does matter and all of this, and the polish prime minister is also being very robust in his response. he said he doesn't think the west should set too much salt by the statements from vladimir putin, in particular warning statements. he said that ukraine has the right to self—defence and that its allies should firmly by it. i think it is a key moment and a

big decision, but ultimately, vladimir putin threatens to respond to every step the west takes in supporting ukraine and come in a way, this is no different. come in a way, this is no different-— come in a way, this is no different. ~ ., , ., different. while i have you, we have 'ust different. while i have you, we have just got — different. while i have you, we have just got a _ different. while i have you, we have just got a line _ different. while i have you, we have just got a line coming - have just got a line coming into is to say ukraine has secured the return of 49 ukrainians from russian captivity. that is coming from president zelensky. he has issued a statement on the telegram messaging app. i wanted to get your thoughts on that information coming into us. ~ , , us. well, this is something that happens _ us. well, this is something that happens relatively - that happens relatively regularly. large groups of prisoners released by each side. it is the one avenue of communication that does remain open between russia and ukraine, between them are using intermediaries to try to return prisoners. it sporadically and periodically happens, but it does happen. certainly, for the families of the soldiers returned, it is an enormous relief, because there are many hundreds, if not thousands, of

ukrainian captive soldiers held captive in russia, and many of them return with terrible stories and proof of what ill—treatment they have faced in the presence of. obviously, thatis in the presence of. obviously, that is a key moment and something that continues in spite of everything.- something that continues in spite of everything. thank you for sharing _ spite of everything. thank you for sharing your _ spite of everything. thank you for sharing your insight - spite of everything. thank you for sharing your insight on - for sharing your insight on that developing story, sarah rainsford. the expulsion of six british diplomats comes as british prime minister sir keir starmer is in washington dc, to meet president biden. the issue of ukraine will be high on the agenda — president zelensky wants the us and other partners to give allow his military to fire western missiles into russia. president putin said if that was allowed, nato countries would be directly fighting with russia. let's speak to andrew gawthorpe now — an expert in us foreign policy and politics at leiden university. welcome to bbc news. what you think that the goal of this

meeting between keir starmer and president biden is when it comes to ukraine? will we see some kind of announcement? well, we are trying to see britain and the usa bridge the gap they have over ukraine, regarding the use of long—range missiles. keir starmer is to pressure biden into allowing ukraine to use those missiles to strike deep into russia. biden�*s goals are harder to discern at this point. there is a split in his administration. some agencies like the defence department and the intelligence agencies are opposed to this decision, and some are in favour of it and think the missiles should be used. so, the two countries are trying to hash out those differences, and they are also talking about other parts of the world as well. this takes place in the context of specific dialogue covering the middle east and china also. fin covering the middle east and china alse— china also. on the relationship, - china also. on the | relationship, when china also. on the i relationship, when it china also. on the - relationship, when it comes china also. on the _ relationship, when it comes to russia, we have heard from vladimir putin that if

president biden does go ahead and allow ukraine to use western missiles on russian targets inside russia, that would effectively mean that nato is directly fighting russia. what are the indications are that statement? what you think might come next? this statement is clearly intended scare the west out of making this decision. now, as sarah rainsford pointed out, it is important to bear in may russia has made these statements before, it has made red lines only for the west to ride over them and for nothing to happen. there seems to be a specific threat here. us officials fear pressure may provide its own long—range missiles to iran and iranian proxy groups in the middle east and that they might be used to target american assets in the middle east. so, if there is a response, then this is the kind of thing we should be thinking about. it is unlikely that

russia is about to start attacking nato countries ought nato forces, but it might take some action somewhere else in the world which is detrimental to us interests. that is possibly one reason why the mood music out of washington this morning seems to suggest the biden administration may allow britain and french missiles to strike deep into russia, but not american ones. and that may be in an attempt to protect the usa from these kinds of consequences elsewhere such as in the middle east. thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. to nigeria next, where the governor of borno state has told the bbc that up to two million people have been affected by major flooding in the region. the borno region is in the north—east of the country on the border with cameroon, which has seen thousands of homes have been destroyed by flooding. in chad, at least 300 people have died as a result of weeks of unusually

heavy rainfall. these are the latest drone pictures from the floods which followed the collapse of a dam earlier this week during heavy rainfall. thousands of people are desperately short of food and shelter. the nigerian military have used boats and trucks to rescue people displaced. state governor babagana zulum told our reporter azeezat olaoluwa that half of the region's capital, maiduguri, was under water. i can remember more than 300,000 people who were killed in borno state. thousands of thousands of classrooms were destroyed. hundreds of facilities were destroyed by the insurgency. we are just trying to get out of this problem, and now we witness another disaster. a very serious calamity. another serious humanitarian crisis, which the state government cannot shoulder. and we understand that the flood also affected prisons, and there are reports that some boko haram leaders

might have escaped. are you worried? i'm worried, yes. i'm seriously worried. but you also have to bear in the mind that borno state government established what we call a borno model of rehabilitation, that has allowed many insurgents to repent. within the last two years over 200,000 boko haram members have repented. and i think that's also yielded positive results in ensuring the return of peace and stability to borno state. for more on this, we're joined by arjunjain, who is representative for the united nations' refugee agency in nigeria.can you give us an update can you give us an update on the situation? this must be an incredibly busy period for you and your colleagues. tell us about the work and the needs you are

seeing on the ground. finki work and the needs you are seeing on the ground. anki so much. seeing on the ground. anki so much- the — seeing on the ground. anki so much. the needs _ seeing on the ground. anki so much. the needs are - seeing on the ground. anki so much. the needs are just - much. the needs arejust enormous, right now. —— thank you so much. hundreds of thousands of people are displaced in my area alone will stop as you said, this isn't just about that area, it is about the whole country. overi million people are affected according to the government. the region as a whole, people in chad, niger, mali, burkina faso, they are all affected by heavy rain. right now, people are displaced and are living in school buildings, old camps that were closed just as they were getting back on their feet. they are back in the settlements and they need water, food, shelter, material, mosquito nets, an array of things that we are providing ground but we need to do more far quickly.

ground but we need to do more far quickly-— far quickly. these are the worst floods _ far quickly. these are the worst floods seen - far quickly. these are the worst floods seen in - far quickly. these are the worst floods seen in the l far quickly. these are the - worst floods seen in the area for three decades. is the area equipped to cope with this? well, we do have a large presence there as a humanitarian community, but we are not prepared to respond to the size and magnitude of this crisis unless we get more resources in. we need to fly and more resources to provide assistance people need, now. and when they do go back home and the flood water recedes, they need a lot more support in rebuilding and most of the city is under water, and many people have lost a lot of what they built up just as they were getting back on their feet. find getting back on their feet. and eo - le getting back on their feet. and people who — getting back on their feet. and people who stayed in their homes are now trapped, are you finding... only people displaced. tell them about the stories you are hearing on the ground. stories you are hearing on the round. ,, , stories you are hearing on the round. w, , , stories you are hearing on the round. , , ., . , ground. say, this is a city that was _ ground. say, this is a city that was getting - ground. say, this is a city that was getting back - ground. say, this is a city that was getting back on | ground. say, this is a city l that was getting back on its feet. the floodwaters came in in the night was a lot of

people were caught unaware. a number of our staff belonging to the government and the un were also affected and evacuated. they have gone back into their communities to support people who are far more vulnerable, and they are seeing communities that have been displaced, people who have been trapped under the floodwaters, people who are unable to access urgent medical care. and the government has been in the lead. they have been helping with the evacuations and relocating them to schools and shelters. these are people affected by conflict for decades. these are people who are vulnerable as they are prior to the floods. there is a situation of malnutrition affecting food insecurity, affecting food insecurity, affecting a number of them, so this is a community that has been repeatedly displaced for decades which has again been placed in a very precarious situation.— placed in a very precarious situation. �* w w, situation. and before we let ou to, situation. and before we let you go. we _ situation. and before we let you go, we understand -

situation. and before we let you go, we understand that| situation. and before we let - you go, we understand that this is of course caused by the breaching of a dam. do we know how long it may be before the floodwaters recede?— floodwaters recede? well, we exect floodwaters recede? well, we exoeet the — floodwaters recede? well, we expect the floodwaters - floodwaters recede? well, we expect the floodwaters to - expect the floodwaters to recede in the next two or three weeks. we don't know how long it will take to get back on their feet. it will take to get back on theirfeet. we are it will take to get back on their feet. we are desperate to support the people now. but, there is an urgent need also to provide early recovery. unicef is on the ground. undp is getting ready to help them with the recovery. we are providing essential services. who is out there providing essential services also. we are all on the ground desperately working 20 47, but the ground desperately working 20 a7, but we need to do much more much faster. 20 47, but we need to do much more much faster.— more much faster. ar'un jain “oininu more much faster. ar'un jain joining us * more much faster. ar'un jain joining us live fi more much faster. ar'un jain joining us live from h more much faster. arjun jain joining us live from nigeria, | joining us live from nigeria, thanks very much. this is bbc news.

now, to the usa. donald trump has said he won't take part in another televised debate with vice president kamala harris in the run up to the us presidental election in november. he claims to have won tuesday night's debate — although several opinion polls suggest his rival performed better. jenny kumah sent this report from washington. # from the lakes of minnesota... donald trump back on the campaign trail. speaking to supporters in the key battleground state of arizona last night, he confirmed something he'd posted on social media a few hours earlier. so because we've done two debates and because they were successful, there will be no third debate. this decision came just a few days after his first live presidential debate with kamala harris. he's claimed victory, even though several snap polls suggest his rival did better. when a prizefighter loses a fight — you've seen a lot of fights, right? — the first words out of that fighter's mouth

is, "i want a rematch! i want a rematch!" and that's what she said. "i want a rematch." polls clearly show that i won the debate against comrade kamala harris. donald trump's not normally one to back off a fight, but he's decided there'll be no more tvjousts with his political opponent. kamala harris, at her own rally last night, said she was ready for round two. two nights ago, donald trump and i had ourfirst debate. cheering. and i believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate. cheering. the abc news - presidential debate. some 67 million viewers tuned in to watch tuesday night's debate — the first time the pair went up against each other — and now we know it will be the last. she's a marxist. everybody knows she's a marxist.

people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. it was a debate that sparked some interesting moments. in springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. they're eating... polls suggest the two candidates are in an extremely tight race, with just two months to go before november's election. jenny kumah, bbc news, washington. time to take a look at some of the other news around the world. the director of ecuador�*s biggest prison has been shot dead. witnesses say gunmen intercepted her car in the city of guayaquil, firing several shots. mar a daniela icaza was the director of the litoral high—security jail. it's been the scene of several deadly riots in recent years. ms icaza is the second prison governor to be killed this month in ecuador, which has become one of the most violent countries in latin america. the violence is being widely blamed on mexican drug cartels

operating in the country. north korea has, for the first time, released photographs showing the machines it uses to make fuel for its nuclear bombs. the images show the north's leader, kimjong—un, visiting a uranium enrichment facility. he called for an exponential increase in the country's arsenal of nuclear weapons. it's not clear exactly where or when the photos were taken. but it's thought north korea has two sites at which it produces highly enriched uranium. china has announced that it will raise the age at which people retire, as it looks to temper a looming demographic crisis. it currently has one of the world's lowest retirement ages. the government says men will in future stop working at 63 not 60. the age of retirement for most women will be raised from 55 to 58. china has a rapidly growing number of old people and a declining birthrate. staying with china... is it possible for a sport like football to lift a poor region? well, that s what seems to be happening in the remote

mountains of south—western china where a competition between villages has captured the attention of the entire nation. it's even boosted tourist revenue by nearly 75%. our correspondent stephen mcdonell went there to meet the players — and their fans. these are the farmers, shopkeepers and students who've become the stars of the guizhou village super league. a weekly grassroots spectacle which has drawn national attention largely through social media. it's free to attend, but a bit of a hike to get here. the mountains of guizhou have been isolated for centuries. and, until recently, all they had was farming. now, poor communities are getting a boost from the millions of big city tourists who've come through in just over a year to watch the football. translation: it has improved

our economic prospects, - like for vendors where families have small businesses, it has increased their income. shen yang is a hospital maintenance worker — after pulling an all night shift, he's still in high spirits, preparing to run on for dongmen village in this year's final. his friend on the other team is the son of itinerant labourers. lu jinfu just finished high school, but he's been kicking a ball since he was 11. translation: when i started playing footy, i didn't - expect us to have such an amazing football atmosphere. that fans dress up in traditional ethnic costumes has added to the allure of the matches, played over many months. translation: when we watch the game, it's so exciting. - we are really nervous, you feel your heart pumping and when we win we are so happy.

we sing and dance. and their teams certainly give it all. the secret of the success here is the combination of football and local culture, all presented in a pretty raucous fashion. no wonder it's so popular, and it's all done in a pretty good spirit. in the most important game of the year, lu jinfu scores twice and his younger, faster dongsheng village win the final. my team—mates and i have played together since primary school. we are like brothers. but the second team also gets a prize. we won two pigs. that's not bad. and you wouldn't know from the party of the losers

that they're not champions. to their neighbours, the players from dongmen village are still their heroes. and there's always next year. stephen mcdonell, bbc news, guizhou province. report in the us media suggest israeli special forces have attacked... the operation but syrian state media say 18 people were killed by israeli strikes near the city of massey aft on monday. before we leave you this half hour, we will show you some incredible pictures of the northern lights. clear skies made for ideal viewing conditions despite the colder weather. normally, in the northern hemisphere, most of the colourful displays take place near the arctic circle but when solar activity is strong it can expand

to cover a greater area — which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the uk. just look at those pictures. they are incredibly beautiful. that is it for this half hour. i am rajini vaidyanathan, i will return after a short break. stay with us here on bbc news. hello again. you may have noticed it was pretty cold this morning, the earliest september frost across england and the temperature down to —2.7 degrees in yorkshire this morning. through the next few days, that colder air disappearing. you notice on this air mass picture, we switch to a southwesterly by saturday and into sunday, so the temperatures rising, we won't see that frost again for a while. for today, staying pretty sunny for the rest of this afternoon.

a few showers affecting northern scotland, perhaps some down the north sea coast as well. more cloud across northern ireland later but otherwise, with light winds and that sunshine, feeling pleasant, milder than the last few days. through tonight, the cloud increasing across scotland and northern ireland. the southwesterly wind picking up with rain pushing in and, crucially, because of the southwesterly wind and that cloud, temperatures perhaps staying in double figures, so a much milder night compared to last night. whereas, for england and wales, with clearer skies, perhaps chilly but not as cold as this morning. sunshine to greet us first thing across england and wales. the cloud increasing across scotland and northern ireland with rain and turning gusty here as well. temperatures up a little, up to 19 celsius, but in that sunshine in the south east, feeling pleasant. sunday, the wet weather across northern areas moving

southwards gradually on this weather front. during the day, rain in scotland, northern england into wales. it will take a while but will eventually push into the far south. for much of a day, dry with sunny spells. as rain clears northern areas, some sunny spells and temperatures up by a degree or so with that milder air pushing in from the atlantic, up to 20 degrees. next week, high pressure becomes dominant and that keeps the weather settled through the week. there will be sunny spells, dry weather around and temperatures up to 23 celsius, more typical for the time of year in september. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines: the uk government says russia's claims that six british diplomats were spying are "completely baseless". the united nations estimates more than 600,000 students in gaza are being deprived of access to formal education for another year. and "bring on the next decade". prince harry tells the bbc he's excited about turning a0 on sunday.

hello, i'm rajini vaidyanathan. returning to our top story and russia says it is expelling six british diplomats, accusing them of spying and sabotage. it says london engaged in "multiple unfriendly acts" and that actions of the british embassy in moscow aimed to cause harm to russia's people. state television showed footage of what it said were the diplomats leaving the country. their expulsion comes on the day that britain's prime minister, keir starmer, is due to meet president biden at the white house. let's speak to sir adam thomson now. he was the uk permanent representative to nato between 201a and 2016 and is now working as the director of the european leadership network. welcome to bbc news. first of all, how shocked are you about

news of these expulsions?