of sexual assault call him a monster. the day after the bbc broadcast a documentary accusing him of multiple rapes, former staff have?spoken publicly today and said they were threatened by him. he told me in no uncertain terms that i was never to breathe a word of this to anyone. if i did, i would never work in london again and he knew where my family lived. also on the programme... donations of clothing worth thousands of pounds to sir keir starmer and some of his top team were recently laid bare, but in the past hour it's been confirmed that he, rachel reeves and angela rayner will accept no such donations in future. a strike on beirut — israel says it's killed a senior hezbollah commander. a new warning for people with a peanut allergy —

to avoid eating foods which contain mustard. and as parkrun celebrates its 20th birthday, i've been finding out why the weekly 5k has become so popular. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... can anyone stop chelsea making it six in a row? the new wsl season starts with the champions taking on aston villa. we'll be live at the game to look ahead. hello and welcome to the bbc news at six. lawyers representing some of the 37 women who've accused mohamed al fayed of rape and sexual assault say the former harrods owner was a monster whose behaviour was enabled by the department store. it comes after a bbc documentary that aired yesterday heard testimony from more than 20 women who said they were sexually assaulted

by the billionaire, who died last year. harrods�* current owners say they're appalled by the allegations, and have a settlement process in place for alleged victims. earlier today, fulham football club, which was once owned by mohamed al fayed, said it's trying to establish whether anyone there has been affected. our correspondent helena wilkinson has this report — and a warning, it contains descriptions of sexual violence. mohamed al fayed, the billionaire who was a powerful figure in mohamed al fayed, the billionaire who was a powerfulfigure in british society. the former boss of harrods and one—time owner of fulham football club. he was also the father of dodi al—fayed who died in a car crash with princess diana. today at an extraordinary news conference, more shocking and disturbing details about fayed's behaviour towards female staff at

harrods was revealed.— behaviour towards female staff at harrods was revealed. mohamed al fa ed, m harrods was revealed. mohamed al fayed. my boss. — harrods was revealed. mohamed al fayed, my boss, the _ harrods was revealed. mohamed al fayed, my boss, the person - harrods was revealed. mohamed al fayed, my boss, the person i- harrods was revealed. mohamed al. fayed, my boss, the person i worked for pushed himself onto me. ifell to the floor with him still on top of me but i managed to kick free. he just laughed at me. he then composed himself and he told me in no uncertain terms that i was never to breathe a word of this to anyone. i was subjected to an unnecessary and obtrusive —— intrusive medical examination. i was never given those results. i was subjected to aids and std testing without consent and now believe in hind sight i was checked for my purity. believe in hind sight i was checked for my purity-— believe in hind sight i was checked for my purity. lawyers representing al fa ed's for my purity. lawyers representing al fayed's accusers _ for my purity. lawyers representing al fayed's accusers said _ for my purity. lawyers representing al fayed's accusers said this - for my purity. lawyers representing al fayed's accusers said this was i al fayed's accusers said this was one of the worst cases of sexual exploitation they had ever seen. we will exploitation they had ever seen. - will say it plainly. mohamed al fayed was a monster. our aim and our single aim is to seekjustice for

the survivors. single aim is to seek 'ustice for the survivorsh single aim is to seek 'ustice for the survivors. ~ ., , ~ .. the survivors. alongside, american la er the survivors. alongside, american lawyer gloria _ the survivors. alongside, american lawyer gloria all _ the survivors. alongside, american lawyer gloria all read _ the survivors. alongside, american lawyer gloria all read who - the survivors. alongside, american lawyer gloria all read who has - lawyer gloria all read who has represented dozens of victims of high powerful men.— represented dozens of victims of high powerful men. represented dozens of victims of hiuh owerful men. ., ~ high powerful men. mohamed al fayed died last year— high powerful men. mohamed al fayed died last year at _ high powerful men. mohamed al fayed died last year at 94 _ high powerful men. mohamed al fayed died last year at 94 years _ high powerful men. mohamed al fayed died last year at 94 years old. - high powerful men. mohamed al fayed died last year at 94 years old. he - died last year at 94 years old. he died last year at 94 years old. he died without ever taking responsibility for what he did too many of his victims. these victims have suffered for years, even decades. have suffered for years, even decades-_ have suffered for years, even decades. ., , ., , ., decades. accusations had been made about al fayed _ decades. accusations had been made about al fayed over _ decades. accusations had been made about al fayed over a _ decades. accusations had been made about al fayed over a number - decades. accusations had been made about al fayed over a number of - about al fayed over a number of years. in 2008 and 2009, the police did get involved in a sexual assault case of a 15—year—old girl, but the cps decided there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute. then three more times between 2018 and 2023, the police consulted prosecutors for advice on other allegations, but mohamed al fayed died before the

investigation was complete. harrods, which has been under new ownership for more than a decade, said today more accusers have come forward since the bbc documentary. they say they are utterly appalled at the allegations and have expressed sympathy for the victims. they also said they are providing a compensation scheme for ex employees who say they were attacked by al fayed. highlighted here isjohn mcnamara, harrods' then head of security. the former senior met police officer was today named as one of those who threaten some of the victims. speaking to the bbc for the victims. speaking to the bbc for the first time, a woman we are calling kate said al fayed assaulted her a number of times. she was 22 when she started working at harrods. he is an absolute monster. he knew exactly what he was doing, as did many other people throughout the organisation. i received threatening phone calls after i left harrods, threats not to speak. the police

have urged _ threats not to speak. the police have urged any _ threats not to speak. the police have urged any victims - threats not to speak. the police have urged any victims of- threats not to speak. the police | have urged any victims of sexual assault to contact them. for al fayed's accusers, there is regret he is no longer alive to face justice. helena wilkinson, bbc news. mohamed al fayed owned fulham football club from 1997 to 2013. 0ur sports news correspondent laura scott there. what is being said where you are? today in a statement, fulham football club say they were deeply concerned by the disturbing reports that have come to light about the former owner. mohamed al fayed bought this club in 1997 for a reported £30 million and during his 60 years as owner, they rose up to the premier league and european competition. al fayed backed a move for the women's side to turn fully professional in 2000 but their funding was withdrawn in 2006. lawyers for the women who have

alleged sexual abuse said they are not currently representing any women who previously worked at fulham football club but they said their investigations are ongoing and that wherever mohamed al fayed went there would be victims. the club are trying to establish whether anyone at the club was affected and have encouraged anyone with information to come forward to the club or to police. tomorrow fulham play here at craven cottage and we know there are discussions among the fans for chanting in honour of al fayed to be stopped. chanting in honour of al fayed to be sto ed. ., , ., , stopped. daniel sandford is outside harrods- we _ stopped. daniel sandford is outside harrods. we know _ stopped. daniel sandford is outside harrods. we know devious - stopped. daniel sandford is outside harrods. we know devious police i harrods. we know devious police investigations went nowhere so what are the options now?— investigations went nowhere so what are the options now? yes, there were four occasions — are the options now? yes, there were four occasions when _ are the options now? yes, there were four occasions when the _ are the options now? yes, there were four occasions when the metropolitan | four occasions when the metropolitan police _ four occasions when the metropolitan police investigated mohamed al fayed for allegations of either sexual assault— for allegations of either sexual assault or for rape. the last one ended _ assault or for rape. the last one ended when he died. the first one was perhaps the most significant, it was perhaps the most significant, it was 16— was perhaps the most significant, it was 16 years ago when that

15—year—old girl came forward. but detectives — 15—year—old girl came forward. but detectives struggled to corroborate her story— detectives struggled to corroborate her story with other employees of harrods— her story with other employees of harrods and in the end of the cps said that — harrods and in the end of the cps said that there wasn't enough evidence _ said that there wasn't enough evidence to bring a prosecution. the head of— evidence to bring a prosecution. the head of the — evidence to bring a prosecution. the head of the cps at the time was sir keir starmer though downing street said the _ keir starmer though downing street said the case did not cross his desk — said the case did not cross his desk. what are the prospects now? mohamed _ desk. what are the prospects now? mohamed al fayed is dead and there is no chance of him being put on trial, _ is no chance of him being put on trial, lrut— is no chance of him being put on trial, but so— is no chance of him being put on trial, but so many women have now come _ trial, but so many women have now come forward that it is in theory possible — come forward that it is in theory possible for the police to go through— possible for the police to go through all their accounts and see if any— through all their accounts and see if any patterns emerge, see if anyone — if any patterns emerge, see if anyone was facilitating what he was doing. _ anyone was facilitating what he was doing. and — anyone was facilitating what he was doing, and if there was somebody, they could — doing, and if there was somebody, they could be prosecuted for conspiracy or trafficking but that is very— conspiracy or trafficking but that is very much a theoretical possibility at the moment. daniel sandford, thank _ possibility at the moment. daniel sandford, thank you. _ a reminder you can see that documentary on iplayer — al fayed: predator at harrods. there is also a podcast on bbc sounds.

in the last hour, it emerged the prime minister, sir keir starmer, deputy prime minister angela rayner and chancellor rachel reeves won't accept any further donations for clothing. that's according to a downing street source. the prime minster has been embroiled in a growing controversy after it emerged he had repeatedly accepted gifts including sunglasses, tailoring and personal shopping for him and his wife. iain watson is at westminster now. just to give you some background to this, keir starmer has been under huge political pressure since it was revealed he took more than £16,000 from the labour peer lord harley to pay for clothing but initially declared it as simply support for the then leader of the opposition. he later clarified that. he came under further heat when it was revealed the lord had also given a donation to his wife, but downing street say he was always intending to be transparent, upfront and playing by the rules. but there have

been further developments. the deputy prime minister angela rayner did declare a donation from a designer clothing manufacturer for some of her clothing, and it also appears some donations she also received from the lord were clothing the financial times reported some donations that came from a different donor to the chancellor rachel reeves were used for some of her clothing. this has led to a huge amount of political heat at a time when the labour government is talking about tough times and tough decisions and taking money away from pensioners in their winter fuel payments. harriet harman, now baroness harman, the former deputy leader of the labour party, had urged publicly keir starmer to think about what he was doing, to say he got this wrong in retrospect and would do things differently in future. it now looks like that is what he is doing to doing to try to defuse this row but it's not clear

if this extends to lady starmer and if this extends to lady starmer and if it extends to other gifts and hospitality he has received. thank ou. lebanon's health ministry say 12 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in what the israeli military have described as a 'targeted strike' on the capital beirut. israel says it's killed a senior hezbollah commander in the attack. the militant group — proscribed as a terror organisation — was targeted in recent days after pagers used by their fighters were rigged to detonate. at least 37 people were killed in those attacks, and was blamed on israel, though it hasn't commented. let's go to beirut and our chief international correspondent 0rla guerin. this was a strike on a high—profile target in a densely populated area. israel says it has killed not only a top military leader but also his chain of command. we don't yet know if civilians have been killed in this strike. it comes after 24 hours

of intense israeli bombardment of southern lebanon. some of the heaviest strikes in the past year of cross—border fighting. heaviest strikes in the past year of cross—borderfighting. and hezbollah cross—border fighting. and hezbollah has cross—borderfighting. and hezbollah has been returning fire. an apartment block, reduced to this without warning. israel hit hard in a residential neighbourhood in the heartland of hezbollah, in beirut. here, the immediate aftermath — smoke, chaos and shock. the target was the veteran hezbollah commander, ibrahim aqil. israel says he has been eliminated. if so, it's a huge blow to hezbollah. aqil was a top military leader of the iranian—backed armed group. the us had put a $7 million bounty on his head, accusing him of links to the killing of hundreds

of american marines in lebanon in the 1980s. day after day now, hezbollah is being hit. it's been weakened and humiliated by a string of israeli attacks. we were prevented repeatedly from reaching the scene by locals and the lebanese army. well, emergency vehicles have been coming and going. we've counted at least ten ambulances coming up and down the road going to pick up casualties. the dead are still being counted. there's a lot of anger here, a lot of tension. this was another major strike on hezbollah, here in its stronghold in south beirut. this footage captures

the moment of the attack. explosion. the skyline looks like a city at war. many lebanese fear that's where their country is headed. 0rla guerin, bbc news, beirut. the food standards agency has warned people with a peanut allergy to avoid eating foods which contain mustard — because they may be contaminated with peanuts. 0ur health editor hugh pym is with me. that is a pretty broad warning. that's right. yesterday the food standards agency announced 50 food products were being recalled including sandwich fillers and salads because they contain mustard, mustard flour or powder for example, which in turn had been contaminated ljy which in turn had been contaminated by peanuts and of course posing a health risk to some people. today

they broadened that advice to say anyone with a peanut allergy should avoid food products with mustard, should look very carefully at the labelling on items. and parents and carers of children should be particularly vigilant, and if out at a restaurant are getting a takeaway, they should ask the provider whether mustard might be an ingredient, just because of the potential concern. but the fsa do say it is one company supplying in the uk from one company sourced in india.— sourced in india. hugh pym, thank ou. there is a huge variation in waits for treatment of different cancers in england, according to analysis carried out for bbc news by cancer research uk. patients with the disease in the head and neck, and the bowel, are the most likely to face long waits — onlyjust over half are seen within the 62—day target. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports. amy gray knows what it can mean when cancer treatment is delayed. her mum, jayne, seen here on the right, waited for more

than 70 days to be seen after suffering pain in 2021 despite a 16—year history of cancer. by the time she saw a specialist, it was too late. the cancer had spread. it was so frustrating. every single day that went by, it was like a form of torture. every single delay, every day that passes where you're waiting on a scan, you're waiting on treatment, it's just so frustrating. now, an exclusive analysis for bbc news of data for england injuly this year reveals some significant variations in waiting times for different types of cancer. the nhs target is for 85% of patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. but for gynaecological cancers such as ovarian or cervical, just over 56% of patients were seen within the target time. for lower gastrointestinal cancers, including bowel, it was even worse — just over 55%.

and for head and neck cancers, it was fewer than 55%. some cancers, like head and neck, can be harder to diagnose, but experts say there's also a shortage of specialised staff and equipment. services are also facing increased demand because of greater awareness of the disease and an ageing population. clearly, any wait for cancer diagnosis and treatment is agonising, but we also know that a four—week delay to surgery, we estimate about a 6% to 8% increase in your risk of death, so treating cancer quickly is incredibly important. some cancers — blood, bone marrow and skin — do meet the target. nhs england admits there are some unacceptably long waits, but says the overall number starting treatment within 62 days is showing some improvement. amy and herfamily, though, live with the knowledge that faster treatment could have made all the difference for her mum. dominic hughes, bbc news, leicestershire.

our top story this evening. (read 0n) our top story this evening. lawyers representing some of the thirty—seven woman who have accused mohamed al fayed of rape and sexual assault say the former harrods owner was a monster. harrods current owners insist the business is very different now coming up on bbc news... surrey are cricket's county champions again, winning the title for the third time in a row after their nearest challengers lost today. not since the 19605 has a team finished top for three consecutive seaons. memorabilia. can you guess where it is from? —— to a boy's neck. more than 70,000 people fighting in russia's military have now died in the war in ukraine, according to new research by the bbc. working with the independent website mediazone, bbc russia has analysed the names of the dead published on social media, in obituaries and official publications — and they've discovered that more

russian civilians are dying on the battlefield than soldiers. 0lga ivshina has this report. the faces of russian fighters killed in ukraine are changing. now more and more men in their 405, 505 and even 605 are volunteering for the front line. this 62—year—old was one of them. before he volunteered, he had two jobs — fighting for russia, he owned seven times what he did before. russian authorities have repeatedly increased bonu5e5 before. russian authorities have repeatedly increased bonuses to attract men like him. he died in february this year. we don't know where exactly, but thousands of kilometres away from his home in russia. la5t kilometres away from his home in russia. last month, russian forces ru55ia. last month, russian forces face the ukrainian offensive in kursk, the first on russian territory. the russian government claims this has encouraged more

people to sign up. there are no official figures people to sign up. there are no officialfigures on the people to sign up. there are no official figures on the numbers of russian 5kill, so since the start of the war, the bbc and its partner, media zone, have been trying to build a picture of what is happening on the front line. we have been using information from graves, social media po5t5 using information from graves, social media posts and news articles to measure the scale of russian lo55e5. thi5 to measure the scale of russian lo55e5. this graph shows the debts we have been able to verify since the start of the war. 70,000 lives lost. the realfigures will the start of the war. 70,000 lives lost. the real figures will be significantly higher. it tails off a bit in recent months because we are still gathering the data. it doesn't necessarily mean that fewer people are dying. let's now bring the numbers of volunteers we have been able to identify that have died. at the start, the numbers were pretty low as losses were inflicted on regular soldiers and convicts. at the number of volunteers dying has dramatically increased, shown with a spike in last october. since then, more than 100 volunteers have died each week, and in some weeks that has more than doubled. the spike in

the number killed coincides with a russian offensive in the east of ukraine, one of the war�*s deadliest confrontations. ukraine, one of the war's deadliest confrontations.— confrontations. they are fighting a battle where _ confrontations. they are fighting a battle where they _ confrontations. they are fighting a battle where they are _ confrontations. they are fighting a battle where they are not - confrontations. they are fighting a | battle where they are not prepared and might not have the required equipment. there isn't sufficient preparation, and there are also equipment shortages, or nonexistent equipment. has equipment shortages, or nonexistent ea-uiment. r ., equipment shortages, or nonexistent ea-uiment. a ., ., , equipment shortages, or nonexistent ehuiment. m ., ., i, ., , equipment. as our account only shows deaths reported _ equipment. as our account only shows deaths reported publicly, _ equipment. as our account only shows deaths reported publicly, the - equipment. as our account only shows deaths reported publicly, the true - deaths reported publicly, the true figure is significantly higher. asked for comment, the russian government did not respond. earlier this year, ukraine went public with its losses, acknowledging 31,000 of its losses, acknowledging 31,000 of its soldiers had been killed. us intelligence suggests that number is higher. moscow continues to push on, willing to exchange thousands of lives for small pieces of scattered land. the leader of reform uk, nigel farage, has told his party's conference in birmingham that his party has "come of age" after "teenage tantrums" during

the general election campaign. he said it needs an army of supporters now at constituency level. joe pike sent this report. this party wants to professionalise. where is he? is he not here? but today, the confusion began even before the leader arrived. let's go. how are you feeling, mr farage? happy, joyous. it was third party lucky for nigel farage's westminster ambitions. he now wants to build a slicker election winning machine. it means weeding out candidates that are totally inappropriate and damage the work of thousands of others. you had a few of those. oh, i mean, let's face it, the last election, a lot of those candidates hadn't been vetted at all. we are about building branches, about fielding candidates. and you actually think you can win the next election? i think, if ever there is going to be a seismic sea change in politics, it's in the next few years. with you as pm? me or somebody younger and better looking. reform uk claim this conference is their biggest, and the members seem to be enjoying it. i have been a lifelong conservative voter, from

the 1970s. to me, they've let the country down. it's wrong. people have been brought - to our country to take cheap jobs, if you like, and the only people who benefit from it _ are the people at the top having a cheaper labour force. - reform's support may be substantial, but it is not focused enough to take advantage of the first past the post voting system. nigel farage's party won 4.1 million votes at the general election, considerably more than the liberal democrats, but ended up with just a 14th of their number of mp5. 0ne perennial challenge, there seems to only be a single star in this political solar system. 0ur our first 0urfirst big test our first big test of fire comes on the first thursday in may next year. we will need over 2000 candidates. we will need over 2000 candidates. we will need you organised behind

them, helping them. i genuinely believe that if we get next may right, we can produce a result that is truly astonishing. reform uk may be on a high, but labour's massive majority means their big battle is to stay relevant. joe pike, bbc news, birmingham. nearly a million people in the uk live with dementia. now, the former manchester united manager sir alex ferguson has been speaking about his work with families impacted by the condition. he's been talking to nina warhurst. you're here today, then, to talk about national playlist day. so this is encouraging all of us, whatever stage of life we're at, to pick the tracks that sort of run a thread through our history. and then if dementia comes our way, they're there as a sort of grounding for us. what is it about dementia that you think is important? well, i think it's a present—day challenge for all of us, you know? and i've not got a great knowledge about the whole operation of dementia, obviously, but i think we know someone who's, you know,

close to us who's got dementia. and when you look at the impact on some of the united legends — bobby charlton, denis law, nobby stiles — can you reflect on how it affected them as men? well, you know, i think the main bearing on it is theirfamily. i think we're outside the door of it all. i was a great friend of bobby, a great friend of denis law. nobby worked for me, you know, he was one of my coaches. so therefore, when you're confronted with the knowledge of it, you know, you look at, "what can i do?" so do you think football is doing enough to play its part on research between the links between football and dementia, and supporting former footballers? i don't know whether we are at the moment, you know, but i think i know that there is an interest. i know there is a care about it,

because we don't like to see it. particularly when bobby...and bobby was very close to me, he was a wonderful man. absolutely superb human being. can we hear some tracks from your playlist, then? mm. let's listen to this first one, then. moon river. # moon river # wider than a mile...# where's that one taking you? well, when my old team come up from glasgow to visit me, they're great guys, you know. and that's my song. but they don't listen to me. there was one time, honestly, i was singing away to it, and i'm in another world. will you give us a quick blast now, then, of moon river? no! my son says to me, "don't you dare sing! "i'm telling you, i'm walking out!"

sir alex ferguson. if you ve spotted a group of runners in your local park every saturday morning, chances are it's a parkrun. it's the free 5km event that began with a handful of friends in london and now sees 200,000 people taking part every week?in towns and cities across the uk. a5 parkrun celebrates its 20th birthday, ive been finding out what keeps runners, and the volunteers who make it possible, coming back week after week: ready? three, two, one, go! well done, guys. every saturday, across the uk, there are nearly 1,300 parkruns, like this one in southall. but they wouldn't happen without people like jags and tunde, who's volunteered more than 200 times. what is it that you love so much about parkrun, then? i think the benefits really is just a very positive feeling. it's something where you have quite simple tasks so you can contribute and you can benefit, and you can see the effects of what you do. it's a sense of belonging that

you have, literally. meeting people, different walks of life, diverse backgrounds, and you have a common interest. what began as a few friends running together 20 years ago now has more than a million registered participants worldwide. in southall, everyone has their own reason for being here. yeah, i'm doing it for health reasons, but also for social reasons. and i enjoy being here, meeting people, and the sense of achievement is great. i've been recovering after losing my husband and so i needed to do something with other people, not be isolated. thanks, marshall. i was 96kg and i started doing the parkruns, - and i've come back to 74 now. 22kg in two and a half years. well done! yeah. i am 12 years old and i've done over 100 parkruns. i cheer other people along when i'm finished. and, yeah, it's really nice. you don't really have to think about your pace that much because everyone here is so lovely.

parkrun is now in more than 20 countries and keeps growing. we really won't stop until everyone has got access to a parkrun in their local community. we want to share the joy of parkrun with as many people as possible. there's no right or wrong way of doing parkrun. and those who prefer to walk the course agree. i can't run that much! but still we try to walk, you know, yeah. so maybe after some time, over a couple of weeks, we can try more a little bit run. come on! walk, run or volunteer — organisers believe this is a winning formula for the next 20 years. a capybara which escaped from a zoo in shropshire has been caught. cinnamon, the giant rodent, has been on the run in nearby woodland for the past week, prompting a search which included drones. she was found safe and well in a pond this afternoon and is now back in her enclosure at hoo zoo near telford.

time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz. iamso i am so pleased that cinnamon is safe and sound. i adore capybaras. they adore rain, and we will have a lot of that over the next few days. we had 25 at kew gardens in london today. i don't think we will see temperatures like that for a long time now. here is thejet stream and the weather systems sweeping across the atlantic on our way. the jet stream is taking a southerly drag, meaning most of the rain the state of the south, so that is where we will see the wettest weather. 0ver will see the wettest weather. over the weekend, you can see from the rainfall accumulation, the weekend, you can see from the rainfallaccumulation, it the weekend, you can see from the rainfall accumulation, it is across parts of wales, the south west, the midlands, 50—70 millimetres of rain. we had storms already in the south—west, going to swindon, gloucester, into southern wales. later in the night, heavy showers moving into southern areas. quite murky in the north—east. not a cold

night, temperatures around 14 celsius in