Julie edwards spoke for many when she wrote. Now, 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 bulletins, 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 law, i have been designated a threat to national security, and as such, i am not allowed into the country. Pulled aside 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. Ben added. 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 newswatch, and as you can tell, viewers feel great admiration for your work. They is still bbc correspondents 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. Given me a straight answer to themselves. And certainly 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 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 russia 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 isnt just an attack on me ad on the bbc, obviously its an Attack Onjournalism 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 seen in the context of whats happening, but certainly i think my 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 News Conference in particular, watching it, ifelt tense. At the time, did you think there may be repercussions from it . No, 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 myjob to ask 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 me and 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 had 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 unusual timing. 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 previously just before i returned to russia and in cuba 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 tailed in the provinces, Security Agents obviously were keeping an eye on us on occasion, we would get harassed sometimes, particularly back in 2014 15 when russia annexed from crimea, that became a particularly hostile environment for those western journalists operating inside of russia there 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 a Security Threat to russia which is still not been explained to me this day and that is the fsb, the Successor 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 really cover 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 as the bbc providing Objective Reporting from a huge and important country. So they were really shooting themselves in the foot by halving 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. Ithink, you know, it will reduce our reporting footprint, obviously. Steve cannot do everything. Its physically 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 before the elections taking place now. I wish i was there reporting it, but steve will obviously have to do it all on his own. I know that you have already said that you feel there is a wider attack on independentjournalism. How far can ration journalists operating anything thats regarded as independent . Its really difficult. Its getting harder all the time. They try and there are many brave russian reporters doing a very good job, but they are really up against this, and that has been throughout the president put in� s 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 toe the kremlin line. Independent places have been squeezed out over the course of the 20 years, but now there is a real sustained and deliberate and focused attack on independent rationjournalists. They are getting labelled foreign agents, they are getting links to supposed 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 being called a foreign ancient are being labelled an enemy is somehow a badge, the fact that 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 about you now, what will you be doing . Hopefully carrying on doing myjob, but probably somewhere else. I mean, its a big part of my life that im losing. Ive been going to russia since i was a student, since i was 18. I first went 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 wrench for me. So its left a big hole, but i am a 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. Sarah rainsford, thank you so much, and all the best. Thank you. Finally, the Bbc News Website showed a photograph this week attached to an article about Covid Boosterjabs for for the Over 50s which prompted a couple of different reactions, first, this point made by an anonymous era, that photo being used to illustrate this article shows an elderly 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 on 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 Newswatch at bbc. Co. Uk or you can find us on twitter. Or you can call us. Thats all from us. We will be back to hear thoughts about Bbc News coverage again next week. Bye bye. Hello there. Many of us yesterday had a decent day of weather. Temperatures reached 22. 3 Degrees Celsius in the warmest spots, but it wasnt like that everywhere. In argyll and bute, cloudy for much of the day with Rain And Mist and fog patches over the high ground until this happened. Late on, as the Weather Front started to clear through, some of the cloud from the front was lit up by the setting sun, and it was a glorious end to the day. There is that Weather Front on the satellite picture, this stripe of cloud you can see here. The Weather Fronts associated with this cloud are particularly slow moving, and theyre going to take the whole of the weekend before they reach right the way across to the eastern side of the country. So, this weekend, mixed picture could be a bit of rain around on saturday, but for many areas, its a dry day. By sunday, outbreaks of rain become a bit more extensive, heavy and thundery as well for some. So, as i say, a mixed fortune, really. For southern and eastern scotland, Western Areas of england and wales, its a cloudy start to the day with outbreaks of Light Rain and drizzle, probably some Mist And Fog patches mixed in as well. To the east of our Weather Front, perhaps east wales, but definitely central and eastern england, therell be a lot of dry weather, sunny spells and warm in that September Sunshine highs up to 23. Brighter slice of weather as well for West Scotland and northern ireland, but here, a fresher feel to the weather, temperatures 17 19. Now, Saturday Night sees heavy, thundery Rain Start to break out across wales, moving in across northern england, into scotland as well, so there will be some heavy downpours around. And then, through sunday, this area of heavy and potentially thundery rain will continue to push eastwards and become really slow moving across parts of central and eastern england. Theres a risk of some localised flooding, 30 A0 Mm possible in one or two areas. In the wettest areas, thats enough to cause some localised surface water flooding. At the same time, the Western Side of the country will turn brighter and drier and a Bit Sunnier through sunday afternoon. By monday, could still be a little bit of rain left over across East Anglia and the far southeast of england, but otherwise, pressure will be building across the country for a time for monday and for tuesday as well, and that means for most of us, were looking at a fine spell of weather with sunny spells. Temperatures into the high teens or even the low 20s. However, its not going to stay that way because, into the middle part of next week, were going to see low Pressure Move in, bringing some heavy rain across the country and some much windier weather on the way as well. This is Bbc News. Our top stories the us military admits one of its Drone Strikes in afghanistan killed ten innocent civilians, including seven children. We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with Isis K or where a direct threat to us forces. After australia, the us and britain agree a new security partnership, france recalls its ambassadors to washington and canberra. England eases restrictions for international travel, scrapping the need for expensive covid tests for fully vaccinated people arriving from abroad. And, algerias former president , abdelaziz bouteflika, dies at the age of 8a