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narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> this is bbc worlds america. a breakthrough in hollywood. screenwriters and studio bosses reach a deal to end the 146 day walkout but thousands of actors are still on strike. thousands of people are fleeing the disputed region amid fears of ethnic cleansing. and time is running effort u.s. lawmakers to strike a budget deal with the government just six days away from a possible shutdown. ♪

welcome to world news america. the longest strike to hit hollywood in decades is nearing an end. screenwriters and studio bosses have reached a deal to end a walkout that has halted the film and television industry since early may. the writers guild of america says a tentative agreement was reached, but before the wga returns to work, its 15,000 members need to vote to ratify the agreement. experts say in the deal, writers were likely successful in gaining higher pay and protections from artificial intelligence. president joe biden has issued a statement applauding the writers union, saying it did not come easy but "its formation is a testament of the power of collective bargaining. there is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith towards an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve." actors are still on strike with similar demands. 65,000 members of the sag-aftra

union has been on strike since july. we break down what is in the writers' tentative deal and what happens next. >> the message from the guild is the details from the deal needs to be finalized, but that the deal is exceptional with meaningful gains and protections for writers. they will see if the members agree but this is what they will be looking at. negotiations a previously broken down over staffing levels. there are also concerns about royalties. writers argue this is only a fraction of what they would have received from broadcast tv shows. they are also concerned about artificial intelligence. concerned these could have a very impact on their jobs. whether they agree to this deal or not, this strike has already had a big impact on the economy. in fact, $5 billion it has cost the economy so far. it shut down production of popular tv shows like "

stranger things" and other films. charities have also had to step in to help workers with the rent, mortgages. so, while they wait to see whether members agree, the governor of california gavin newsom has already said he's grateful the two sides have come to an agreement and that benefits all parties, and can put a major piece of california's economy back to work. in terms of what's next, members not only have to vote on the deal, but they have to agree to a three-year contract. right now, reports suggest late-night talk shows could be the first to come back. those have no actors. actors and other behind the scenes workers, like camera operators and directors, are still on strike. so, this hollywood battle is not over yet. sumi: and for the latest, let's go to new york where we are standing by. very good to see you.

what do we know about what led to a breakthrough in negotiations now? >> we know that just before last week, there was a month-long standstill where the two sides were not talking to each other at all. but over the last five days, there were very long days of negotiations. we know the heads of the top studios, including disney's bob iger, the heads of netflix, amazon joined in directly with negotiations to hammer out the final details. the key sticking point over things like artificial intelligence, those were some of the late points they finally reached agreement on. another key issue was getting the studios and streaming services on the same page. we know that saturday night, the studios presented their best and final offer, leaving sunday for the sides to finalize a tentative agreement. now that we have that, all that is left is for the membership to then vote and ratify. sumi: we see you are in front of

a very popular late-night show. a lot of people are wondering with actors still on strike and some of the behind the scenes people still on strike, when will we see some of the shows we are used to return? >> that's right. "the late show," other late-night talk shows, daytime talk shows, those will return. but for the first time since 1960, we have both the writers and actors on strike together. now, it may be a few months yet until people can stop watching reruns and get new episodes on air. what people have to remember is the studios wanted to first negotiate with the writers so they have not begun negotiations with the screen actors guild as of yet. though, there is hope that given the actors have some of the same concerns over residual payments, over a.i., that what has been reached with the writers guild will help speed things along. the actors are still asking for

a 2% share of profits for the cast of shows. we will see if they are able to get that or if that will hold things up. but there is intense pressure right now because if there is not a deal in the coming weeks, the next month, that could put next year's box office schedule at risk. sumi: just a quick last question. we said 146-day strike. how significant has this been? >> look, i think there's a real movement right now in this country where workers are reasserting their rights. we are seeing labor movements pop up. it is something that president biden has certainly supported and that is why we saw that statement from him there saying what the writers have achieved shows the power of collective bargaining. i was here in july at the start of the screen actors guild strikes, and even then, they recognized this would impact other industries. sumi: always great to talk to you.

and for more on the agreement between writers and studio executives, we spoke to howard rodman, screenwriter and former president of the writers guild of america west. it is great to have you back on bbc news. i want to get your reaction to this news of a tentative deal between the union and the studio bosses. howard: i think at the moment, i'm exhausted and numb, and i suspect within a few hours, the elation and celebration will kick in. but mostly, i am really relieved. it has been a long strike, 146 days. there has been a lot of pain. i cannot tell you how grateful i am and how grateful all of us are that the studios came round to negotiating seriously. sumi: we actually spoke when the strike first begin. from what you know about this agreement, do you know if writers got what they wanted out of this deal? howard: i don't know if we got

everything we wanted, but we certainly got what we needed as far as i can tell, in terms of protections on artificial intelligence being used to replace writing. in terms of questions of writers rooms, in terms of streaming residuals. all of the things that were making writing for streaming television unsustainable careers have been corrected in this contract. or enough of them have been to enable us to proceed. sumi: it still has to get the stamp of approval from wga members. do you foresee any hurdles? howard: there is a process, as you say. first, it has to be approved by the board of directors of the writers guild west and the council of the writers guild east. and it has to be submitted to the members for a vote. but, given the fact that the negotiating committee so

beautifully represented the membership and so beautifully communicated with the membership when it could, i don't really foresee this being one of those cases where the rank-and-file is more militant and the leadership says get back to the table. that does not feel like that's what's happening today. sumi: you said you were exhausted. can you give us an idea of what it has been like for writers that have been on strike for all this time and what it will be like to go back to work? howard: what it's been like is a strange combination of frustration because for 100 day s, the company stayed away from the table. the deal that was made last night could have been made 100 days before last night and that is frustrating and angry making. i think no one likes being out of their employment and creativity. but at the same time, the spirit i saw on the lines when i walked around netflix, around

paramount, disney, universal was one of extraordinary community and solidarity, and real -- i will use the word rejoicing on being in each other's company in such a solid way. so, even though nobody wanted this strike, given that there was one, i think that the membership of the writers guild of america saw it, among other things, as a time to understand we are all in this together. sumi: there has been a lot of solidarity with actors as well, but we should say actors remain on strike there are no scheduled talks right now between their union and the studios. do you think this agreement with the writers guild set some sort of precedent for the actors to move forward with that agreement as well? howard: you are absolutely right, there is no agreement with sag-aftra, the guild that represents actors.

we, writers, will be on the picket lines with them this week and next and for however long it takes. they had our back. we had each other's backs, and now we will have their back now that they are on strike and we are able to go back to work. absolutely. the hope would certainly be that some of the things that we achieved would be applicable to them and that would help set a precedent for the negotiations. and then, they have concerns that are separate from ours. we are not worried, for instance, about artificial intelligence capturing our performance for one day and using it in perpetuity without compensation. that is an actors issue. the hope would be the companies understood from their negotiations with us that they really have to step up in their negotiations with the actors. and we will be behind the actors in every conceivable way

possible until they get a deal that is as acceptable to them as ours is to us. sumi: last question, looking at the big picture, this has been the longest strike to affect hollywood in decades. it has cost california's economy billions. are you worried about the long-term impact that this strike might have cost? howard: of course, i am. but, i don't understand, for instance, why warner bros. discovery thought it was worth taking a 300 million dollars to $500 million loss for themselves in order to get something like $50 million worth of savings. it is income principle why the companies chose to throw us out of work to jeopardize the lives and livelihoods of so many people in new york, los angeles, all around the country whom their actions affected deeply. i don't know how they do that. are they like hairy lime and the

third man that looks down from the first wheel and sees so many moving docs? it is income principle -- incomprehensible that they see things and only in terms of cost and not the cost of human lives. finally, they came around and i am glad they did. sumi: really good to get your perspective. thank you for joining us. howard: thank you so much. very glad to be here and thank you for the time. sumi: now to the growing crisis where thousands of ethnic armenians are trying to flee the region after azerbaijan forces tried to seize control. hundreds of people have been reported injured in a blast and a fuel depot. the breakaway enclave is recognized internationally as part of azerbaijan but it has been controlled by ethnic armenians for the past three decades. last week, azerbaijan seized the disputed region. fears of ethnic cleansing and

persecution have driven more than 6000 people to cross into armenia, that is according to the armenian government. roads leading towards the armenian border are jammed with traffic as people leave in search of shelter, safety and humanitarian aid. our reporter is on the ground and sent this update. >> we are in a village right on the border between armenia and the country. you can see refugees are coming through the border to armenia. people are fleeing with their belongings because they don't believe they can be safe in nagorno-karabakh. some people told me that don't expect to be home ever. azerbaijan is promising not to attack civilians. the problem is lack of trust. armenians simply do not believe they can be safe under azerbaijan rule.

that is why they are fleeing with all their possessions. sumi: in washington, state department spokesperson matthew miller emphasized the u.s.'s concern over the situation at a briefing on monday. >> we do believe there should be an international mission to provide transparency, assurance, and confidence to the residents, and the international community that their rights and security will be protected consistent with the public statements that azerbaijan has made. in terms of what we think is important, number one, that the cease-fire that exists now is maintained. that there is no further military action. number two, that the humanitarian needs of the people are addressed. and number three, that azerbaijan and armenia reach a lasting peace agreement. sumi: ukraine's special forces are claiming that the commander of russia's black sea fleet was killed on friday in a missile strike on the navy's headquarters in crimea.

in a statement, a military spokesman said the admiral died in the attack, but would not name him directly when approached by the bbc. the building suffered a direct hit by western supplied missiles. our correspondent in kyiv, james waterhouse, has more. james: last friday's attack on russia's naval headquarters was without a doubt dramatic. western supply missile hit the building but it was also significant not just for ukraine in terms of its attempt to try to weaken russia's control on a peninsula it has occupied so firmly for the last nine years. but it was also significant for russia too, because it is through its black sea fleet that it has exerted such dominance in terms of how it launches continued missile strikes across ukraine. it has blockaded ukrainian ports. until now, it has been unclear what the operation's significant

strike was for russia. today, we had a flurry of claims from ukrainian special forces alleging to have killed 34 senior officers who were having a meeting at the time, including the commander of the black sea fleet. we got in touch with the military spokesman in ukraine who refused to name him directly, but they stand by their reports and a lot of pro ukrainian channels are taking delight from this. the kremlin has yet to comment on these latest claims and we don't expect them to. i think we can expect to continuation of kyiv's tactic here of targeted, precise strikes inside crimea on military targets, as it looks to both weaken russia's control in this area, but also support its own counteroffensive further. sumi: the united nations has found what it says is continuous evidence that russian armed forces are committing war crimes in ukraine. during a presentation to the human rights council in geneva,

the commission reported unlawful attacks with explosive weapons, attacks harming civilians, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and attacks on energy infrastructure. u.n. investigators have claimed some of the war rhetoric and propaganda appearing on russia and media could insight genocide. and the leaders said it was also looking into moscow's policy of deporting ukrainian children to russia. let's take a look at some other stories making the news. france's president macron has announced his country will withdraw all military cooperation in niger by the end of the year. the decision will remove the roughly 1500 french soldiers who help fight islamist militants. niger's military assumed power back in july. deaths among members of new york city's fired apartment linked to 9/11 related illnesses has risen to 343.

that it was the numbers of firefighters who died on the day of the attacks. two first responders passed away on sunday due to illness related to their work at the world trade center. this september march of 22 years since the attacks. the philippines announced it removed a floating chinese barrier on monday in the south china sea. a move that could stoke tensions in asia's most disputed waters. manila sets china violated its fishing rights and post a hazard to international law by installing the barrier. beijing claims expensive sovereignty over territory in the sea, causing tense disputes. the speaker of canada's house of commons apologize for praising the ukrainian man who served in a nazi unit during world war ii. the 98-year-old man received a standing ovation after the speaker called him a hero during a visit by ukrainian president zelenskyy. he said he regretted his decision to recognize the man and accepted full responsibility. a survivor of a lethal mushroom

poisoning that has gripped australia has been released to the hospital -- from the hospital. he was in critical condition after beating a beef wellington cooked by a man who said it was an accident. three people died after the meal which contained lethal mushrooms. here in washington, house republicans are set to advanced four party line funding bills on tuesday amid a looming government shutdown, but the bills likely would not been considered in the senate because they contain dramatic cuts that da democrats will not support. kevin mccarthy said he believes progress has been made but a potential shutdown is less than a week away if lawmakers do not strike a deal soon. president biden has blamed what he calls extreme republicans for the budget deadlock that will disrupt vital services. so, what exactly is a government shutdown? it is when congress fails to pass a funding plan that the president has signed into law. if there's no agreement reached by the start of the fiscal year,

the government has to shutdown. a federal agency has to stop all work deemed non-essential, and this impacts federal government agencies that rely on this annual funding. usually when a deadline is looming, lawmakers from both parties agree on temporary funding but this has not happened yet because of disagreements over federal spending. what happens if no deal is reached and the u.s. government has to shutdown? it means millions of federal workers may not get their paychecks on time, but they are still expected to work without pay. some workers will temporarily but put on unpaid leave known as furlough. services like the processing and issuing of social security payments will officially come to a halt. for those of us in washington, this means the national zoo along with some museums usually open and free to the public will be closed. bob menendez, the u.s. senator from new jersey, says he's confident he will be cleared of f corruption charges.

he was speaking for the first time since being indicted on bribery charges. prosecutors claim he and his wife accepted cash, gold and luxury gifts in exchange for political favors. federal agents found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in his home. he says his decision to keep that money in his house stemmed from his cuban parents' fear their money might be seized by authorities and rejected calls from both parties to resign. >> on friday, the southern district of new york bore charges against me. i understand how deeply concerning this could be. however, the allegations leveled against me are just that, allegations. i recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as i have stated throughout this whole process, i firmly believe that when all the facts are presented not only will i be exonerated, but i still will be new jersey senior senator. sumi: this is not the first time menendez has faced bribery charges. our north america correspondent

has more on the new jersey senator's checkered past and the key takeaways from his first public appearance since the charges. >> at the end of the day, he cannot stay senator if he goes to jail. in the moment, he is innocent until proven guilty. bear in mind, bob menendez is a pretty robust character. he has been here before. he was prosecuted back in 2015 on bribery charges. that ended in a hung jury. those charges were all dropped, so he is no stranger to this process. you can hear from his words that he is taking a pretty strong stance but some of the detail of the indictment that we have is quite extraordinary. you heard him trying to explain why he has hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash lying around in closets in his house. he says that is how he operates. he draws money in cash. also, prosecutors alleged he seemed to be in possession of gold bars, luxury cars, and they

quote a number of text messages that have connected him to these various items and local issues in new jersey itself. sumi: one more item for you. samples collected from an asteroid are being moved to a special laboratory in texas on monday. the material was taken from what is being described as the most dangerous rock in our solar system and brought to earth in a nasa capsule that touchdown in utah. scientists hope the samples will provide answers on how life began more than 4 billion years ago. it marked only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest ever to return to earth for analysis following two similar missions by japan's space agency, ending in 2010 and 2020. remember that you can find more on all of the days news at our website, bbc.com, and on your

social media channels. don't forget to follow us on twitter. thank you for watching world news america and do stay with us. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i am geoff bennett. on the newshour tonight, hollywood writers reach a tentative deal to end the months-long strike that upended the industry. amna: congress barrels toward a deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown as republicans struggle to reach consensus. geoff: and a nasa spacecraft returns with samples from an asteroid that scientists hope could provide clues to the beginnings of life on earth. >> it's incredibly dark, darker than asphalt. and we believed that that meant