Back to the classroom. Investigators examining the shooting down of a passenger plane over ukraine, in 2014, have disclosed intercepted phone calls that they say indicate close links between senior russian officials and the rebels accused of attacking the aircraft. Nearly 300 people on Malaysia Airlines flight mh17 were killed. In the phone calls, close aides to president putin seem to be organising supplies of weapons for separatist fighters. Gareth barlow has the story. Investigators say the intercepted calls show ukrainian separatists and russian officials were in frequent contact before the attack, with russia directly aware of and influencing administrative, financial and military matters. Translation what we see are separatist leaders, almost on a daily basis, were in contact back then with officials in the russian government. They used secured phones and unsecured phones. We suspect these had been provided by the russian intelligence service, fsb. The transcripts appear to show ukrainian fighters were following russian orders. In one released call, separatist leader Alexander Borodai told an unknown figure, well, your plans are far reaching. Mine are not. Im carrying out orders and protecting the interests of one and only one state, the russian federation. Thats the bottom line. Despite a key aide to president putin being heard on one of the calls, and the Russian Defence minister being directly referenced, russia rejects allegations it was involved. 298 people died when the Malaysia Airlines flight was struck en route from amsterdam to kuala lumpur. The aircraft came down in Eastern Ukraine, and dutch investigators have worked for years to establish who is responsible for the disaster. Russian backed separatists have been linked to the attack, but moscow argues the investigation is flawed, and aimed at discrediting its international reputation. Four men have been charged and are due to go on trial, probably in absentia, early next year. Investigators have already said the Missile Launch system used in the attack was sourced from russia. Their hope now will be to ascertain who gave the orders and who pressed the button to trigger the deadly attack. Lets get some of the days other news. The Israeli Military says its launched a new wave of airstrikes against positions held by the islamichhad group in gaza. It follows palestinian rocket attacks, which israel called a very severe violation of the truce which has been in place since early on thursday. Lebanese media say political groupings are to nominate a billionaire businessman and veteran politician, mohammad safadi, as prime minister. Crowds have already gathered outside his home to protest against his appointment. The eu has launched a legal case against britain for failing to nominate a commissioner, in the midst of a British ElectionCampaign Already dominated by brexit. Britains departure from the bloc has been postponed from october 31 untiljanuary 31, so under eu rules it is supposed to put forward a candidate for the new Commission Led by ursula von der leyen. The speaker of the us house of representatives has said President Trump has already, in effect, admitted bribery, in the phone call with ukraines leader which is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. Nancy pelosi was speaking just before a second day of public hearings. And she had this to say about republican pressure on the whistleblower who triggered the inquiry. Nobody, nobody, the president is not above the law. The president will be held accountable and nobody should have the right to endanger whistleblowers and that is a system that i will defend and the American People, the American People understand that. Speaking at a Campaign Rally in louisiana, President Trump again lashed out at the democrats. This just thisjust came this just came out, big story, new remarks from top ukrainian official damages democrats impeachment narrative. Cheering and applause. Just came out. I only read it because they dont like to report stories like this, you know about that. We are fighting the democrats but much more hard to fight is the fa ke but much more hard to fight is the fake news, i call it the partnership made in hell. 0ur washington correspondent, Chris Buckler has more. President trump is already reeling against that impeachment enquiry. During the rally he has been talking about the fact that as far as he is concerned, the full story is not being reported, insisting and quoting from some news articles that as far as he is concerned, there was no quick record and that is what ukrainian officials have been efficient suggesting was not quid pro quo was up if you listen carefully to the speaker of the house of representatives, nancy pelosi, it is clear where they are going with this was she is talking about bribery. This is the whole idea that donald trump essentially tried to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid to ukraine until they launched an investigation into his clinical rival, joe biden. It is likely that thatis rival, joe biden. It is likely that that is going to be one of the articles in impeachment. Another may well be the fact that President Trump blocked or tried to stop some officials from trying to give evidence to the impeachment enquiries so you get a sense that the democrats are moving forward but you also get a strong feeling from President Trump and the republicans that they have their defence well prepared and he is pointing out time and time again in increasingly aggressive terms that first of all, no investigation was actually launched by ukraine and actually, that military aid was pace. Paid. What about the president s tax returns 7 what about the president s tax returns . This is longrunning. Time and time again people have been calling to the president to release his tax returns, right back to the 19705. His tax returns, right back to the 1970s. Pretty much every resident has done it. Donald trump has refused. But there is a criminal investigation taking place into new york and prosecutors they have managed to get a subpoenae, trying to force this to trumps accountants to force this to trumps accountants to release his corporate and personal tax returns mr trump. They dont want to do that and they wa nt to ta ke they dont want to do that and they want to take this case now to the Supreme Court. They were they say this is a constitutional issue because a president or at least a sitting president should not be the subject of prosecution or investigation in a criminal case. They say it is about president ial immunity. However, whether the Supreme Court actually takes the court case, we have to wait and see and beyond that, democrats are putting on this issue time and time again and there is a separate legal case in which congressional committees are also demanding to see the tax returns. The already crowded race to be the democrat who takes on President Trump next year is getting more crowded still. Deval patrick, former governor of massachusetts, has entered the fray less than three months before the iowa caucuses. His pitch is for the centre ground. He says hes running for people who want a Better Future but feel left out by what the current candidates are offering. Another shooting at an american school. Two students have been killed, several more were seriously hurt. Los Angeles Police say a student, identified as nathaniel berhow, pulled a semi automatic pistol from his backpackjust as the school day was beginning at saugus high, in the town of santa clarita. After firing on fellow pupils he turned the gun on himself, but survived. It was his 16th birthday. He has been arrested and taken to hospital, along with three of his victims. Now were going through the very lengthy process of conducting a thorough investigation to figure out what happened and why. At the same time, were busy now doing the reunification with the students with their parents, and all the affected students have been notified. Theirfamilies have been notified and theyre with them currently. These students from the school talked to reporters shortly after the shooting. This marks, like, a really important time, especially in santa clarita, where we all need to come together and rally for the students and for our own safety, because i dont want to go to school and be scared for my life. I want to go to school and get my education, focus on my career, being with my friends for my senior year, and not worry about whether or not. The chaos wasnt bad at all. Obviously everyone was feeling their own inner chaos, feeling scared, terrified. I was personally absolutely terrified, hoping that my friends were 0k, trying to reach my mum. But i was i was ushered out of school completely. I was safe, i knew i was safe with all the cops, and yep. Italys cabinet has declared a state of emergency in venice, over the serious tidal flooding which at its highest in the past few days, engulfed more than 80 per cent of the historic city. Venice is a unesco World Heritage site. Prime minister Giuseppe Conte has allocated 22 million as the first bloc of emergency funds. Jenny hill is in venice for us. Even as they clear up, the flood alarms are going off. In a few hours, it is feared venice will be deluged again. Its a disaster, for ourfamily and for all the venetian people. A really, really, really big storm. They havent seen anything this bad since the 1960s. 0ne couple filmed as they tried and failed to keep the water out. Water coming from everywhere, and we we found ourselves surrounded by water. The beauty of this ancient city fragile now. Inside st marks basilica, they are still assessing the damage. The crypt was full filled of water. Venice lies low, prone to floods, vulnerable to the effects of climate change, a planned flood defence scheme delayed for years by corruption, scandal and overspend. Little comfort for those watching as the tides rise, fall, and rise again. Jenny hill, bbc news, venice. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come no longer the stuff of comic books, we meet the british inventor who smashed his own record for the fastest flight inajet suit. The bombastic establishment outsider, donald trump, has defied the pollsters to take the keys to the oval office. I feel great about the election result. I voted for him because i genuinely believe that he cares about the country. Its keeping the candidates name always in the public eye that counts. Success or failure depends not only on public display, but on the local Campaign Headquarters and the heavy routine work of their women volunteers. Berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced around their liberated territory. And with nobody to stop them, it wasnt long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. Yasser arafat, who dominated the palestinian cause for so long, has died. Palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning. After 17 years of discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. Women ministers whod long felt only grudgingly accepted in the ranks of clergy suddenly felt welcomed. This is bbc news, the latest headlines an International Inquiry into the downing of malaysian Airlines Flight mhi7 over ukraine says russian officials directed the rebels linked to the attack. Moscow has rejected the allegation. The democrat speaker of the us house of representatives says President Trump has in effect admitted to bribery in his dealings with ukraine. After 5 months of increasingly violent protests, chinas president has publicly called on hong kong to restore order and bring violence to an end. Earlier, pro democracy protesters barricaded themselves in university campuses, anticipating more police raids. So are they worried that some of their tactics have gone too far . Heres elaine yu she covers hong kong for the new york times. This kind of debate has been happening throughout the movement. Each time you have seen a bit of escalation, you will see debates happening online, you know, conversations between friends asking have we gone too far, when some people resorted to physical retaliations. So the movement has had, you know, mechanisms for self correction in the past. But now were seeing this escalation taking place, driven by, you know, anger over a Police Shooting on monday, and also unprecedented scenes of police just throwing over 1,000 teargas rounds into a campus. So i think people are still processing what theyre seeing, but i think right now the emotions are running extremely high. Its nearly two years since Robert Mugabe was deposed as president of zimbabwe. Emmerson mnangagwa took over on a wave of optimism and goodwill. But it was short lived, and his government has just presented an annual budget in the midst of the worst economic collapse in years. The Bbcs Shingai Nyoka examines how so much went so wrong and the impact it is having. This should be one of harares busiest clinics, but the economic crisis has brought the Public Health system to its knees. Normally this clinic would be a hive of activity. It serves about 100,000 people in the community. But there is only one qualified nurse at work, and so everyone is being turned away. The sick are not sure where to turn for help. This baby has the flu. Her mother tells me there is no help here. There is no medicine. For others, the consequences are far worse. This woman didnt want to be identified. Her niece had died of Heart Failure a few nights before. They cannot bury her. There are no doctors around to certify her death. We couldnt take her to the clinic, because the clinics, they are closed. And also the hospitals like harare hospital, there are no doctors there. So, after two days, she passed away. For over two months, hundreds of doctors have been on strike. Triple digit inflation has slashed their salaries by 80 . At the moment you can see we have nothing in ourfridges. At the moment you can see we have nothing in our fridges. This doctor has now been fired. He was not only after better pay. We were given provinces that the government had purchased new supplies but there was nothing in the hospital. Mcgivern promises. The hills system the hills system is just one symptom of a wider collapse. 0nly hills system is just one symptom of a wider collapse. Only one in five people have formaljobs. The government blames economic sanctions but its critics say rampant corruption, failed policies and excessive spending are to blame. Just two years ago, Emmerson Mnangagwa deposed Robert Mugabe. His presidency was greeted by optimism and celebration. He pledged to set zimbabwe on a new path to prosperity, but the reality is that life has worsened. At a township on the outskirts of harare, it is plain to see. Thousands queue for food handouts. Half the population is in need of food aid, compounded by the worst drought in living memory, and even the most vulnerable dont always get it. This 72 year old is one of them. She collects discarded plastics to try to sell to buy medication and food. How much do these cost . 2. And where did you get the money from . Just asked some people. If they could give me money. How does that make you feel . When you have to ask people . I have to cry. Some of these stories are. You have to be detached as a journalist that some of these stories are so difficult to hear. The government has asked for more time to improve the economy. But for many people, like them, time is running out. South korea is running out of children. It has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. The impact is being keenly felt in rural areas where schools are struggling to fill classrooms and stay open. Facing a year without any first graders, one school in the south west has opened its doors to grandmothers whod never had the chance to learn to read and write. This from our correspondent, laura bicker. We will study hard, these grandmothers tell their teacher. For decades they dreamt of learning to read and write. Now that they have their chance, every moment in this First Grade Class is special. Translation i never went to school because we were poor. Now i am learning new things and realising it is really nice to go to school. Translation now i know how to read and write. I can thank my teacher 100 times. That is how good i feel. Theyve lived most of their lives sacrificing for their families, usually male siblings. There was a culture of sending sons to school but not daughters. The root cause was poverty. This rural school once had 90 pupils in each grade. Now there are 22 in total. Last year there were no new first graders. So the grandmothers asked if they could come. Translation when i was young i couldnt go to school because i had to raise my siblings. Now that i am older i heard this was a good opportunity. That is why i am doing it. Babies are becoming an increasingly rare sight in rural areas as south koreas birthrate plummets to one of the lowest in the world. Im the first scottish person you have met. To try to help, officials have built a new baby unit to support new mothers and encourage them to stay in the area. Translation the trend for young people is to just to live happily with themselves and their husbands. I think the economic factor is the biggest concern in raising a child. But Family Finances are not the only concern. A demanding work culture makes it difficult for many women to balance their career with family life. As a result, south korea is running out of children. In this class there is only two students and they are in different grades. But amidst this crisis has come a rare opportunity. To offer an older generation a chance to make up for lost time and lost education. Translation now i can write my name. It is fun. It is just fun to walk to school. Police in london have foiled an attempt to steal two paintings by rembrandt worth around 100 Million Pounds each from englands oldest public art gallery on tuesday. But police managed to stop them after alarms went off at the dulwich picture gallery in south london. An intruder was chased but was apparently able to get away. A british inventor, who calls himselfjetman, has smashed his own record for the fastest flight inajet suit. Richard browning shot through the sky above Brighton Beach at more than 130 kilometres an hour. Ian palmer was there. We have lift off, but can he break the jet propelled bodysuit world record . Ive shouted so loudly before ive been heard over myjet engine noise, on the gopro on my head as i was just exclaiming with joy. It is like this unparalleled degree of freedom when youre flying. It is super fun. Richard browning is on his second adjudicated run. Can he go any faster . The british inventor didnt just go faster, he obliterated his own world record reaching a top speed of more than 85 miles an hour. It did start out for no practical reason at all and its still not how you will take the kids to school any time soon. But as a first stepping stone that opens the door to a whole new way that it might inspire. It already has. These air scouts travelled all the way from northamptonshire to witness this extraordinary event. Its a wonderful opportunity. You dont get to see a jetpack every day. It was amazing. Its a wonderful chance to be able to come down here and watch it. We really passionate about aviation but this is something really different. This is great, actually. I was very surprised to see a guy just take off and go into the sea, so, yeah. Yeah. Today is Guinness World records day, with more than 650,000 people taking part worldwide. Whats certain is that none of them will have stimulated the imagination quite like the british inventor, richard browning. Ian palmer, bbc south east today, brighton. Now heres an interesting attempt at a world record. 101 people from Different Countries trying to be the most nationalities ina sauna. It was a succesful attempt by finland to reclaim the title from china, where the record had been broken in 2013 for 99 nationalities in a sauna. The organisers asked foreign embassies in helskini to help in their efforts to recruit people from other countries. International investigators investigating the shooting down of a passenger plane over the ukraine in 2011 passenger plane over the ukraine in 2014 have disclosed intercepted phone calls that they say indicate close links between senior russian officials and the rebels accused of attacking the aircraft. Nearly 300 people on board the flight were killed. Hello. The weather caused yet more flooding and disruption across parts of the uk during thursday. For a few, it was snow that fell from the sky, thats how it looked in staffordshire doing thursday evening over high ground. For many more, it was rain that fell, that rain falling on sodden ground, so no surprise we had more flooding problems. Check the latest flood warnings for where you are on the bbc weather website. The low pressure is the culprit, its been spinning around the continent, this particular stripe of cloud here is what brought persistent rain through the midlands, Northern England, a little bit of snow for some as well. That particular weather feature is moving westwards and weakening but our area of low is still in charge. There will be more outbreaks of rain pushing from the east towards the west as we go through the next few days. Now through the day ahead, expect a lot of cloud across england and wales. Some rain at times, much of it quite light and patchy but there could well be some heavier rain pushing into east anglia and the south east later in the day. Some showers across scotland, particularly towards the east and the south. The further west and north you are across scotland, and also in northern ireland, things should be mostly dry by afternoon with some spells of sunshine. Still quite breezy but not quite as chilly as it has been. Now, through friday night into the early hours of saturday, more cloud and patchy rain feeding its way westwards across england and wales into eastern scotland. For north west scotland, northern ireland, some clear spells, although there could be some quite dense patches of fog to start saturday across northern parts of scotland. So our area of low pressure still with us into the weekend, but look at the light lines, the isobars, there arent many of them on the chart. That means the winds will be a lot lighter. But it also means theres not much the atmosphere to push these various areas of rain around, so its a little tricky to nail on the details at this stage. On saturday, expect a lot of cloud and rain at times but not all the time. The best chance of brightness to be found down towards the south. On sunday, there is a greater chance of seeing heavier, more persistent rain pushing in from the east. That could affect parts of Northern England and the midlands that have of course already had such problems with flooding, so we will have to keep a close eye on that. Best chances of dry, bright weather in the west, single digit temperatures for most of us. It looks like next week will start on a mostly dry note but ran we would turn at times. It will often be windy but eventually it will turn milder. This is bbc news. The Headlines International investigators looking into the downing of malaysian Airlines Flight mh17 over ukraine say high level russian officials were directing separatists in Eastern Ukraine linked to the attack. Moscow has rejected the allegation, based on intercepted phone calls. The russians claim investigators have manipulated the inquiry. The speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, says she believes wednesdays live televised hearings in the impeachment inquiry against President Trump show he has admitted to bribery in his dealings with ukraine. The president denies acting improperly. Two students have been killed and several others wounded when a classmate opened fire on the campus of their school near los angeles. It was the gunmans 16th birthday. He later turned the gun on himself but survived, seriously wounded. Hes been arrested and taken to hospital. Now on bbc news, panorama. We are flying more than ever before. During our trip we took around 20 flights. It was like 15 tonnes of carbon that we created. 0ur passion for plane travel is warming the planet. Climate change is a really pressing issue, and were absolutely clear that we have to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Tonight, we investigate how the industry is trying to clean up its act. Nappies, plastic, cardboard. Well take that and well turn it into Sustainable Aviation fuel. And ask, how much can we trust their environmental promises . You have to understand their motivation