Crowd of colleagues wearing masks. , you youre so sweet thank you, guys. Thank you. You are so sweet. Would you like to take off that blindfold and say hello that is really strange, hi, me. Michael that is really strange, hi, me. Michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest of michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest of Love Michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest of Love And Michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest of love and to michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest of love and to say michael here just wanted to wish you the biggest of love and to say that i the biggest of love and to say that im the biggest of love and to say that im going the biggest of love and to say that im going to the biggest of love and to say that im going to ntiss the biggest of love and to say that im going to miss you the biggest of love and to say that im going to miss you on the biggest of love and to say that im going to miss you on that the biggest of love and to say that im going to miss you on that so l im going to miss you on that so far, im going to miss you on that so far. One im going to miss you on that so far. One of im going to miss you on that so far. One of the im going to miss you on that so far, one of the only im going to miss you on that so far, one of the only things im going to miss you on that so far, one of the only things that i far, one of the only things that could far, one of the only things that could get far, one of the only things that could get me far, one of the only things that could get me through far, one of the only things that could get me through getting i far, one of the only things that i could get me through getting up far, one of the only things that could get me through getting up so biooming early could get me through getting up so blooming early it was could get me through getting up so blooming early it was knowing could get me through getting up so blooming early it was knowing i could get me through getting up so| blooming early it was knowing i was going blooming early it was knowing i was going to blooming early it was knowing i was going to see blooming early it was knowing i was going to see your blooming early it was knowing i was going to see your face. Blooming early it was knowing i was going to see your face. [it blooming early it was knowing i was going to see your face. Going to see your face. It was all too much going to see your face. It was all too much for going to see your face. It was all too much for this going to see your face. It was all too much for this person too much for this person who E Mailed. Julie edwards spoke for many when she wrote. Now come on the 31st of august, Sarah Rainsford returned to the uk, seemingly for the last time from moscow where she had been reporting for the bbc for more than 20 years. On that evenings will attend, she looked back on what had led up to her departure. This is the moment i discovered i was being expelled from russia. According to a specific lock, i have been designated a threat to national security, and as such, i am not allowed into the country. At passport control, i was told the Fsb Security Service had banned me for life. I recorded the conversation. I was returning from belarus where i had confronted Alexander Lukashenko on the Mass Repression and torture of peaceful protesters. His loyal supporters rounded on me. It was a coordinated attack. Rosalind was watching that at the time and posted this reaction. Sarah rainsford has been back in the uk now for a couple of weeks and she joins me here in the studio. Thank you so much for coming into News Watch, and as he can tell, viewers feel admitted admiration for your work. They is still bbc correspondence there, why do you think the russians expelled you . Its a good Question And One that they havent really given me a straight answer to a themselves. And suddenly they did single me out, and that happened more than a year ago when i started getting short term visas. They put me on three Month Visas. They put me on three Month Visas instead of a one year visa, and eventually got a two Month Visa which is a clear signal that they didnt like something about me or certainly they had plans for me that didnt involve me staying in russia for a long time, but i think it was when i tried to cross the border to return to reshma and they told me that i had been declared a Security Threat that it really hit home that for some reason i had been singled out. But i think this isntjust an attack on the end on the bbc, obviously its an attack on journalism and on Free Speech because its happening in a context of a real clampdown on Free Speech in russia. So i think it has to be seenin in russia. So i think it has to be seen in the context of whats happening, but certainly i think may reporting touched a nerve, i have been there long time telling a lot of stories, but it does feel like i have been singled out, yeah. That lukashenko have been singled out, yeah. That lukashenko news have been singled out, yeah. That lukashenko News Conference in particular, watching it i felt tense. At the time, did you think there may be repercussions from its . Know, because i dont think you can think about that when you are asking questions and doing yourjob. I was there at an event which gave us the opportunity to speak to the president of belarus after those mass protests in august of 2020, so that was a huge story, you know, there are hundreds of thousands of belarusians coming out onto The Street and demanding change and we hadnt had a chance to confront him with what had happened next, which was mass detentions and torture. So it was my job was mass detentions and torture. So it was myjob to asking that question. I was a wee bit nervous, and yes we were rounded on even then, there was an attack from the audience, his loyal supporters turned on the end on us, the bbc and accused us of all sorts, but i didnt think about the consequences until the point when i was at that border trying to get into russia and i wondered if perhaps there was a link with what it happened in belarus. Im not sure it was linked to that, i think its a much broader attack on Free Speech, on journalism as a whole, but certainly an unusual timing stop by thinking more long term over your whole time in russia, how and when did you start to feel the change that it was becoming harder to do yourjob . I would say on the one hand, its quite easy to operate in russia. I had worked previouslyjust before i return to Russia And Brecht in cuba and it was a lot harder and it was a lot harder in cuba to get access, for example, so we do have Conference Calls with the kremlin spokesperson. He did get to ask questions, we can speak, or i could speak to the Foreign Ministry, for example, but we did have problems. We would be detailed in the provinces, Security Agents obviously were keeping an eye on us on occasion, we would get harassed sometimes, particularly back in 2014 and 15 when russia was annexed from crimea, that became a particularly hostile environment for those operating inside of russia commit was a real change in atmosphere and we felt that as journalists, but we could work and i think thats why i was so shocked by what happened in the airport, because i certainly didnt expect to be banned from entering russia again and i definitely didnt expect to be called hostile or as Security Threat to russia which is still not been explained to me this day and that is the fsb, the successful agency for the fsb, the successful agency for the kgb that says that as a journalist i am somehow a threat to russia and that was a real shock. Now Steve Rosenberg is now essentially trying to cover all of russia and the region on his own. I wonder can the bbc barely cover russia effectively now . I wonder can the bbc barely cover russia effectively now . Russia effectively now . I think steve will russia effectively now . I think steve will obviously russia effectively now . I think steve will obviously do a russia effectively now . I think steve will obviously do a Veryl Russia effectively now . I think steve will obviously do a very good job in as much as he can but it is a vast country but so many stories and i think its obvious that our coverage will be impacted, and i tried to explain that to the Foreign Ministry as they were telling me that i was being kicked out that we are there is the bbc providing Objective Reporting from a huge and important country. So they were really shooting themselves in the foot by having the bbc� s presence in russia because the story needs to be told. Russia thinks its important, we think russia is important and we were trying to tell the truth about russia. I think, were trying to tell the truth about russia. Ithink, you know, it will reduce ra reporting footprint, obviously. Steve cannot do everything. Its impossible. But you know he is continuing to report right now im what is a big story, which is the huge crackdown on freedoms and on opposition and on the media i wish i was there reporting it, but steve will obviously have to do it all on his own. I obviously have to do it all on his own. ~. ,. , i. Obviously have to do it all on his own. ~. ,. ,. ,. ,. , own. I know that you have already said that you own. I know that you have already said that you feel own. I know that you have already said that you feel there own. I know that you have already said that you feel there is own. I know that you have already said that you feel there is a own. I know that you have already said that you feel there is a wider| said that you feel there is a wider attack on independentjournalism. How far can Ration Journalists Operating Anything thats regarded as independent . Its Operating Anything thats regarded as independent . As independent . Its really difficult as independent . Its really difficult. Its as independent . Its really difficult. Its getting as independent . Its really| difficult. Its getting harder as independent . Its really. Difficult. Its getting harder all the time. They try and there are many brave russian report is doing a very good job, but they are really up against this, and that has been throughout the president put ins time in power since he came 20 years ago which is when i first started reporting from russia and there was a crackdown on the television stations, particularly they gradually came under state control, they gradually had to tell the kremlin line. Independent places have been squeezed out over the crest of the 20 years, but now there is a real sustained and deliberate and focused attack on independent Ration Journalists. And focused attack on independent rationjournalists. They and focused attack on independent Ration Journalists. They are getting labelled foreign agents, they are getting links to suppose that western sponsors. Getting called the enemies of state inside their own country, so they are up against it, many of them leaving the country, so some of them are still trying to carry on and they are sort of arguing that been called a foreign ancient are being labelled an enemy is somehow a badge, the fact that they are doing something Thats Neededin they are doing something thats needed in russia, so they are the brave ones, they are the important ones and all of this, i think. What ones and all of this, i think. What about you ones and all of this, i think. What about you now. Ones and all of this, i think. What about you now, what ones and all of this, i think. What about you now, what will ones and all of this, i think. What about you now, what will you ones and all of this, i think. What about you now, what will you be doing . About you now, what will you be doinu . , , about you now, what will you be doinu . , about you now, what will you be doinu . ,~~ ,. ,. , doing . Hopefully carrying on Doing M ob, doing . Hopefully carrying on Doing My job. But doing . Hopefully carrying on Doing My job, but probably doing . Hopefully carrying on Doing My job, but probably somewhere l doing . Hopefully carrying on Doing My job, but probably somewhere else. Myjob, but probably somewhere else. You make its a big part of my life that im leasing. Ive been going to russia since i was a student, since i was 18. I as the Soviet Union collapsed, so the fact that i have been banned for life is notjust about my reporting, and its also quite a personal range for me. So its quite a personal range for me. So its left a big hole, but Diana Journalist and im a bbc reporter. I worked in other countries before, and i guess hopefully i will be reporting from another one soon. Perhaps on Russias Role more broadly in the world, but, yeah, i wish it were russia, but. Thats not in my hands any more and. Sarah rainsford, thank not in my hands any more and. Sarah rainsford, thank you not in my hands any more and. Sarah rainsford, thank you so not in my hands any more and. Sarah rainsford, thank you so much, not in my hands any more and. Sarah rainsford, thank you so much, and All The Best. Rainsford, thank you so much, and All The Best All The Best. Thank you. Finally, the Bbc News All The Best. Thank you. Finally, the Bbc News website All The Best. Thank you. Finally, the Bbc News website showed l All The Best. Thank you. Finally, the Bbc News website showed a photograph this week attached to an article about Covid Boosterjabs for it the Over 50s which prompted a couple of different reactions, first, This Plaint Made by an anonymous era, that photo being used to illustrate this article shows an elderly gallant gentleman wearing a mask incorrectly, covering his mouth, not his nose. This isnt actually that common among the general public and its actually unhelpful to normalise it. Al and twitter had a different observation. Thank you for all your comments this week. If you want to share your opinions about what you see or hear on Bbc News On Tv, radio, online and social media, E Mail News Watch at bbc back code at uk, or you can find us on twitter at new sites bbc. He can call us. Do you have a look at our website for previous interviews. Thats all from us. We will be back to hear thoughts about Bbc News coverage again next week. Bye bye. Hello there. Well, it was a decent end to the working week across eastern areas of the uk. Across East Anglia and South East England, quite warmer temperatures, well up into the 20s with broken cloud. Some spots got up to about 22 celsius earlier. However, for Northern Ireland and scotland, its been a different picture. Here, weve seen a lot of cloud, outbreaks of rain working across Argyll And Bute from this slow moving Weather Front. Indeed, its going to be dragging its heels as it slowly pushes eastwards across the uk during this weekend, with these Weather Fronts bringing some wet weather our way. Now, looking at the charts, overnight tonight, weve got that rain still affecting scotland, but tending to push into eastern areas for a time. Wales and western england also seeing some damp drizzly weather, with some Mist And Fog patches developing around the coast and hills. Otherwise, its a dry night with some clear spells. Temperatures, for most, between 10 14 degrees celsius. Now, looking at the weekend as a whole, saturday is probably the better of the two days of the weekend. Not entirely dry, there will be a few showers around, but not a bad start nevertheless. Its on sunday that were going to see some thicker cloud, more widespread and heavy rain, could even see some big thunderstorms around as well. Now, saturday, we start off with that weak Weather Front bringing a bit of drizzly weather to parts of scotland, wales, western england, with some Mist And Fog patches over high ground. Eastern wales, central and eastern england, a lot of dry weather with sunshine, and a slice of brighter weather, too, for West Scotland and for Northern Ireland, at least for a time. The best of the sunshine, temperatures reach 23 celsius, but later in the day, well probably start to see a few storms break out across the Western Areas of england, may be wales as well. And then overnight, it turns increasingly wet with some heavy, thundery downpours driving their way northwards. And then into the second half of the weekend, as i say, probably the wetter of the two days of the weekend for many of us, with Cloud And Rain turning heavy and thundery in places, could even bring some localised surface water flooding. But then at the same time, through the afternoon across Western Areas, the weather will try to cheer up, brighten up, fewer showers, bit more in the way of sunshine. Temperatures about 17 20 degrees. Now, we may still have a bit of rain left over from that system in East Anglia and South East England on monday, but otherwise, pressure will be building just ahead of the next system that will be bringing some Rain Mid week. So, monday and tuesday actually decent weather, sunny spells, temperature high teens to the low 20s, but some wet and windy weather on the way towards the middle of next week. This is Bbc News with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. Im Lewis Vaughan jones. The us military admits a Drone Strike in afghanistan last month against a suspected Car Bomb killed an innocent Aid Worker and nine members of his family. We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with Isis K or were a direct threat to us forces. England eases restrictions for international travel, scrapping the need for expensive covid tests for fully vaccinated travellers arriving from abroad. The un warns the world is failing to cut Greenhouse Gas emissions. It says global temperatures could be on course to increase by nearly twice the agreed limit. And tenniss teenage sensation returns home from the Us Open to re watch her victory On Tv with her Mum And Dad in london