hello, iam none hello, i am none to thanks for joining us on bbc news. first to niger where, in the last two hours, a deadline for the militaryjunta to step down has passed. the leaders of niger's coup have hours to restore the ousted president, or face the possibility of military action. thousands of people gathered in niger's capital to support the militaryjunta — as that deadline expired. despite international condemnation of the soldiers actions, thousands of nigeriens continue to show support for the army 7 hoping it can offer the country stability. some neighbouring countries including mali, burkina faso and guinea — have voiced support for the coup leaders. and algeria, which borders niger to the north, has said it is categorically against armed intervention. france says it will support efforts by ecowas to restore niger's elected president. niger s prime minister was in paris on saturday 7 meeting lawmakers and greeting protestors outside the country's embassy. he has dismissed pro—coup protests taking place in his country. we'rejoined now by dr michael amoah, who's a senior visiting fellow at the london school of economics, and a specialist in west african security and politics. thanks for talking to us. let's start with this lapsed deadline that was given by ecowas. now, what nigeria decides to do is a very big part of this, where are we with that? ~ ., ., , part of this, where are we with that? . ., ., , ., ., , that? well, nigeria has already decided what _ that? well, nigeria has already decided what should _ that? well, nigeria has already decided what should be - that? well, nigeria has already decided what should be done. l that? well, nigeria has already i decided what should be done. the senate yesterday decided that they were not going to give authorisation to the president to actually send nigeria's troops to go and fight me share. we already know that military intervention is on the table at the moment. that puts a lot of pressure on berlin because of the bay line is the only body remaining. contributing countries like senegal are benign and will not have enough troops to go and invade niger. and if nigeria is out then it is really going to be very impossible to pursue any military intervention at this stage. it pursue any military intervention at this staue. , , , ., this stage. it begs the question, wh was this stage. it begs the question, why was the _ this stage. it begs the question, why was the deadline _ this stage. it begs the question, why was the deadline given - this stage. it begs the question, why was the deadline given in i this stage. it begs the question, | why was the deadline given in the first place then? i why was the deadline given in the first place then?— first place then? i think it was a hasty decision _ first place then? i think it was a hasty decision that _ first place then? i think it was a hasty decision that was - first place then? i think it was a hasty decision that was made i first place then? i think it was a j hasty decision that was made at first place then? i think it was a - hasty decision that was made at the time. and as to what happens to president mohamed bazoum, as i am sure you know about cruise, the coup leaders will not back down and they are not going to release the deposed president eva. they will keep him as a bargaining chip. for example, in guinea, they were not allowed to go out of the country until he had to go to abu dhabi for medical treatment. they are likely to just keep president mohamed bazoum where she is. they will treat him nicely, he can even write to the washington post, tweet, have chats with presidents on the phone and all of that, but they are not going to release him at all. so that, but they are not going to release him at all.— that, but they are not going to release him at all. so a form of house arrest. _ release him at all. so a form of house arrest. if— release him at all. so a form of house arrest. if we _ release him at all. so a form of house arrest. if we are - release him at all. so a form of house arrest. if we are not - release him at all. so a form of. house arrest. if we are not going release him at all. so a form of- house arrest. if we are not going to see military action from ecowas, what can we then expect from them in the coming days or weeks? we know that nigeria has sanctioned niger, limiting electricity. this is making it all very hard for people, but what can we expect next? what we can robabl what can we expect next? what we can probably expect _ what can we expect next? what we can probably expect is _ what can we expect next? what we can probably expect is that _ what can we expect next? what we can probably expect is that eventually - probably expect is that eventually it will get down to standard procedure. the standard procedure is what they have actually done with mali, guinea and burkina faso. and the standard procedure is ecowas will give niger 2a months to get back to civilian rule. and within three months, they will ask them for a detailed timetable of a process that leads to elections and handover of power to an elected president. that is the standard procedure which eventually looks more likely to take place at the moment.— eventually looks more likely to take place at the moment. thank you very much for that — place at the moment. thank you very much for that analysis, _ place at the moment. thank you very much for that analysis, good - place at the moment. thank you very much for that analysis, good to - place at the moment. thank you very much for that analysis, good to have | much for that analysis, good to have you on the programme. severeal western nations will be keeping a keen eye on events, now that deadline in niger has passed. our reporter nicky schiller has been looking at why. why is niger so important? first of all, geographically, it is the largest country in west africa. it is also part of the key strip of land known as the sahel which runs from the red sea through to the atlantic ocean. secondly, politically. until recently, niger had been seen to have relative democratic stability, especially as its neighbours mali and burkina faso had had military coups, whilst the president bazoum was seen as a key partner of some european countries who've been trying to stop migrants getting across the mediterranean sea. he has also cracked down on human trafficking. next, strategically. niger hosts both us and french military bases, and was seen as a key partner in the fight against islamist militants. indeed, the us state department said it was important as a linchpin for stability, adding that it was a reliable counterterrorism partner in the fight against those insurgents linked to islamic state and also al-qaeda. the wagner mercenaries, acted elsewhere in the region, have also been seen as having a malign influence in niger. you may have seen this picture student some recent protests in support of the coup, holding russian flags as well as flying the flag of niger. economically, the country is rich in uranium, indeed it is one of the world's biggest producers. it provides around 5% of global uranium supplies. indeed, the radioactive metal is so important that one of the main thoroughfares through the capital is actually named after it. but it is worth remembering that the people of niger consistently rank among some of the poorest in terms of living standards anywhere in the world. at least thirty passengers have been killed after an express train derailed in southern pakistan. a police officer supervising the rescue operation said more than a hundred people had been injured in the incident. the hazara express came off the rails near nawab—shah in sindh province, as it travelled from karachi to abbottabad. it's not immediately clear what caused the derailment. these are the latest pictures from the scene as dusk fell, in a remote area. emergency workers battling to rescue passengers trapped in at least five overturned carriages, with more rescue teams deployed to the scene. caroline davies reports. thrown on its side, taking passengers with it. the force of the derailment was enough to send carriages clear of the tracks. hanging precariously on a bridge flipped, unstable. chaos and confusion as those that survived and those that live close by worked out how to help. some smashed glass to rescue those caught inside. the train was full of passengers travelling from karachi to rawalpindi when it derailed. the army and rescue services arrived to help. translation: after the terrible accident, all the rescue teams . arrived at the scene. they helped the passengers stuck in the overturned train. and now we are taking the injured people to different hospitals for treatment. at the hospital, some were treated outside. tens of people have been injured. nearby hospitals in sind declared an emergency. the cause of the accident isn't clear. the district police officer told the bbc that contrary to local media reports, the track was not flooded. there is a fear that the death toll may rise further as the rescue continues. caroline davies, bbc news, islamabad. let's turn to the war in ukraine. there have been reports that two bridges which connect mainland ukraine with crimea — were damaged by ukrainian missile strikes. one is the bridge next to chonhar and the other one — near henichesk in the southerm ukraine. this video from the russian state agency, tass, showing henichesk bridge on fire. russia claims the gas pipeline nearby was also damaged and one person has been killed. ukraine previously struck the same bridge in chonhar, one of a handful of links between the peninsula and mainland ukraine, injune. andrew malkinson — a victim of one of the uk's worst miscarriages ofjustice — has welcomed a decision to scrap rules which require people wrongfully convicted to pay costs towards their time in prison from any compensation they receive. mr malkinson — who served 17 years injailfor a rape he didn't commit — said the rules amounted to asking people to "hand over cash for their own torture". sarah campbell has the story. as if being wrongfully imprisoned wasn't bad enough. andrew malkinson could have ended up being docked compensation money to pay for the cause of his food and accommodation while in jail. to pay these people for doing what they have done to me is the most sickening and abhorrent thing i can imagine. the guilty don't pay, why should be innocent? that is ridiculous.— should be innocent? that is ridiculous. ,, , , ., _ ridiculous. sentiments shared by man , ridiculous. sentiments shared by many, including _ ridiculous. sentiments shared by many, including emp— ridiculous. sentiments shared by many, including bmp sir- ridiculous. sentiments shared by many, including bmp sir robertl ridiculous. sentiments shared by - many, including bmp sir robert neill who has welcomed the scrapping of the rule. or when the state makes an error, it is right and proper that the state accept that as swiftly as possible and secondly that the state then doesn't try to put on needless obstacles in the way of somebody seeking recompense. and obstacles do remain according to mr malc and singh and his legal team. firstly, there is a £1 million cap on compensation and they expect to secure a payout to take another two years for the process. he secure a payout to take another two years for the process.— years for the process. he has to go throu~h a years for the process. he has to go through a hole _ years for the process. he has to go through a hole of _ years for the process. he has to go through a hole of a _ years for the process. he has to go through a hole of a process - years for the process. he has to go through a hole of a process a - years for the process. he has to go i through a hole of a process a second time, proving beyond reasonable doubt that he is innocent. and that is wicked. mr doubt that he is innocent. and that is wicked. ~ a, . doubt that he is innocent. and that is wicked. ~ . , , is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 ears is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 years old. _ is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 years old. he _ is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 years old, he is _ is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 years old, he is living - is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 years old, he is living on - is wicked. mr malc in sin is 57 - years old, he is living on benefits and is currently homeless. he just wants help from the system that has let him down. ihla wants help from the system that has let him down-— let him down. no more stress, no more concerns — let him down. no more stress, no more concerns about _ let him down. no more stress, no more concerns about bills - let him down. no more stress, no more concerns about bills and - let him down. no more stress, no i more concerns about bills and trying to survive and having enough to eat. just to be re—liberated in its fullest sense so i can take as much enjoyment from what is left of life as i possibly can. i think that is the least that they are me. the very least. ., . ., , ., least. the fight to clear his name ma be least. the fight to clear his name may be over. _ least. the fight to clear his name may be over, the _ least. the fight to clear his name may be over, the struggle - least. the fight to clear his name may be over, the struggle for- may be over, the struggle for justice continues. sarah campbell, bbc news. donald trump says he will be asking thejudge in his election fraud case to step aside, claiming that he would not get a fair trial unless she does. the former president took to his social media platform, truth social, to attack the lead prosecutor, thejudge, tania chutkan, and the department ofjustice, which he described as "highly partisan and very corrupt". our correspondent, sean dilley, who's in washington, has more on this. i think it is fair to say that donald trump has questioned the legitimacy of any and all of his cases, no matter thejudges. the latest issue beyond previous statements that the judge has made about january six attackers is that she turned down a defence application to delay the response time that the defence had. the prosecution have been saying that, look, we would like to restrict what donald trump is able to say about this case once we disclose evidence. that was something that the defence said, well look, the date set by the judge isn't enough time and now what we would like to do his have the opportunity to meet the prosecution to see if we can sort this out without a court intervention. but jack smith, the lead prosecutor, here is the thing, this is important, he is saying that we are ready to hit send on the e—mail with all of the evidence and a disclosure so that the two sides can decide when a try would be likely. jack smith, the lead prosecutor, has said that donald trump himself is now delaying the disclosure of evidence. and we have been hearing quite a bit from donald trump's lawyers haven't we? what have they been saying? thea;r we? what have they been saying? they have been we? what have they been saying? tie: have been speaking on we? what have they been saying? ti21: have been speaking on a variety of us networks this morning and earlier in the week and it is limbering up what essentially appears to be setting out their defence strategy. it is going to be around free speech. so he said for instance this morning that donald trump is aspirational in his ask of others to do things. he said that the first amendment tax donald trump in the same way as it does with any us citizen to lobby anybody including state legislators and his vice president. he is the thing, this case around the election fraud claims is going to revolve totally around what donald trump said and did in the two months after the election result. and crucially, what he was entitled to say and do. the defence lawyer said the prosecution is not going to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that donald trump did not believe that he won the 2020 election because he also told us audiences are better donald trump believed in his of heart that he was the winner. fik. heart that he was the winner. 0k. and while he _ heart that he was the winner. 0k. and while he has _ heart that he was the winner. ok. and while he has taken aim at the judge for his case, he has also argued that he shouldn't be tried in washington. tells about that. he had an ued that washington. tells about that. he had argued that all _ washington. tells about that. he had argued that all along. _ washington. tells about that. he had argued that all along. one _ washington. tells about that. he had argued that all along. one of - washington. tells about that. he had argued that all along. one of the - argued that all along. one of the rights that people have if they are on trial in the state is to argue that the local community is not able to give a fair trial. in donald trump's case this is going to be interesting because if you look to historical cases of this, this is often where a very small community is involved in something that has a very local resonance and everybody in the area knows a little bit about the topic or knows every one of the parties. of course, everyone knows who donald trump is, whether they like him or loathe him. he is suggesting that washington, dc is stacked up against him. i am going to be slightly cynical here if you would forgive me on this point, whatever he does and doesn't think about it, it could certainly be that lawyers are looking notjust at the trial itself but whether they would be grounds for any appeal. in the event that he were convicted and at the moment he is of course presumed innocent. , , , ., innocent. lets bring you some breakin: innocent. lets bring you some breaking news _ innocent. lets bring you some breaking news now. _ innocent. lets bring you some l breaking news now. participants innocent. lets bring you some - breaking news now. participants in the meeting injeddah over the ukraine conflict have underlined the importance of continuing consultations to build common ground that will pave the way for peace. we are hearing that from the saudi arabian authorities. of course, there were senior officials from about a0 countries meeting injeddah in an attempt to draft key principles on ending the war. there have not been any concrete results from this but of course that wasn't expected. this was a conversation and not really finding a conversation and not really finding solutions at this point. that meeting in saudi arabia now concluded and there are plans for more peace talks. today marks six months since a huge earthquake hit turkey and syria, killing overfifty thousand people and leaving many more homeless. but amidst the tragedy there were stories of hope, such as baby afraa who was born beneath the rubble of her collapsed home before being rescued. the bbc has caught up with her and herfamily. hanan razek reports. it was seen as a miracle, a moment of hope. following february's devastating earthquake in syria and turkey. baby afraa was rescued after being born beneath the rubble of a collapsed building. all over her close family including her mother were killed. but now afraa has a new life. adopted by her uncle, the man who pulled herfrom the rubble. translation: i started to dig with my hands . and i heard a voice, so i carried on. i thank god that afraa came to my hands. she was still attached to her mother by the umbilical cord when i found her. the video of her rescue went viral around the world. the attention was intense and offers to adopt her flooded in. her relatives were worried about her safety, even in hospital. after a dna test proved the family were related to afraa, they were able to leave with her. their home was destroyed in the earthquake so for two months he moved to this camp with his wife and their seven children. thanks to help from well—wishers they have been able to rent this house but they say it is very expensive and they don't know how much longer they will be able to stay here. translation: i lost everything, it | was like going back to square one. i can't even afford to send my kids to school but there are people in the worse conditions. the road ahead might be difficult, but the family are grateful for the chance for a new start. following a disaster which killed a,000 people in north—west syria alone. now it's time for a look at today's sport with hugh. defending champions usa have been knocked out of the women's world cup by sweden after a dramatic penalty shoot—out, sealing the team's worst performance at the tournament. it finished 0—0 in melbourne after normal time. despite the americans dominating, lindsey horan coming close. the sides couldn't be separated in extra—time either. and so it went to penalties. with the shoot—out tied at a—a kelly o'hara missed for the usa. that gave arsenal's lina hurtig the chance to win it. it looked like alyssa naeher had kept it out, but the goal line technology stepped in to show the ball had just crossed the line. so sweden go through to face japan in the quarterfinals whilst the four—time champions are out. us legend megan rapinoe missed one of the penalties in her last game before retiring. it doesn't matter if you dominate. i felt like we controlled the game better is it doesn't win at the end of the day, i didn't put the ball in the back the net. so yes, it sucks. it is tough. because we finally played with a lot ofjoy and were able to express ourselves and i am so proud of the group for that. i thought we played so well and controlled the game and there were so much more in it for us, but it is never given. so yes, it is a tough one and there is just some dark comedy in this. this is a huge win for us. let's start_ this is a huge win for us. let's start with _ this is a huge win for us. let's start with celebrating this win. tomorrow— start with celebrating this win. tomorrow we will have recovery and start to _ tomorrow we will have recovery and start to focus on japan, which i think— start to focus on japan, which i think is— start to focus on japan, which i think is may the most exciting and a really— think is may the most exciting and a really good — think is may the most exciting and a really good opponent. that will be a tough _ really good opponent. that will be a tough game for us. in the day's other last—i6 tie... the netherlands beat south africa 2—0. new manchester city record signing jill roord scored the opener. lineth beerensteyn doubled the lead in the second half. they will face spain in wellington on friday. iam100% i am 100% convinced about our ability to fight and play good matches, to play good football. if you have that quality in your team, you have that quality in your team, you will feel relaxed as a coach. after the second goal, i was really happy and i think you have seen it. my happy and i think you have seen it. my hands were not in my pocket and i left the ground. arsenal have won the traditional curtain—raiser to the english premier league season, beating manchester city on penalties in the community shield. cole palmer, replacing erling haaland, put his side ahead after 77 minutes, curling an effort past aaron ramsdale. leandro trossard's equaliser then came in the 11th minute of injury time, and via two deflections. in the shoot—out, both kevin de bruyne and rodri missed their penalties before fabio vieira converted the decisive spot kick to give arsenal the victory. to the world cycling championships in glasgow, where the highlight on sunday was a dramatic men's road race won by matthieu van der poel. the race was held up for almost an hour after environmental protesters glued themselves to the road. police made five arrests. the race ended with ten laps around glasgow. rain made the conditions treacherous and caught out van der poel, but the dutchman's determination saw him get back up and increase his lead, crossing the line a minute and a half ahead of wout van aert, with tadej pogacar third. and australia have won the netball world cup, beating england 61—a5 in cape town. in a game which ebbed and flowed in the first half, australia pulled away in the third quarter with the diamonds winning the competition for a record 12 times, overcoming a rare failure four years ago. and that's all the sport for now. thank you very much. here in the uk — the first asylum seekers are expected to go on to the bibby stockholm barge tomorrow — after a series of delays amid safety concerns. immigration minister robertjenrick said around 50 people will go to the vessel in the coming days — the barge is docked in portland port in dorset. our political correspondent jonathan blake has the story. floating accommodation for migrants seeking asylum in the uk. the bibby stockholm barge has been moored at portland in dorset for nearly three weeks but stands empty. safety concerns have delayed getting people on board, but it's now expected the first 50 or so men to be housed on the barge will move in very soon. we expect it to be in the coming days, so you won't have long to wait. and this is an important step forwards. up to 500 people could be accommodated here. the barge has medicalfacilities and a recreation area. it's one way the government hopes to cut the cost of hotels for those attempting to claim asylum, the bill currently running at about £6 million per day. but it's prompted protests from local residents who don't want the barge on their doorstep and campaign groups who argue it's inhumane. shaving foam. 0k. others are doing what they can to welcome those who'll be housed on board. labour has pledged to speed up asylum claims but admit they would still need alternative accommodation for migrants at first if the party came to power. because of the complete and utter chaos and shambles of the tory asylum crisis, we are going to have to continue in a very short—term period to use the infrastructure that's there, including the barges and the hotels. more than 15,000 people have crossed the channel in small boats so far this year. yesterday, 77 made thejourney. accommodating those arriving is only part of the challenge facing the government. to entertainment news now. warner brothers says that the barbie movie has now made over one billion dollars at the global box office. no movie in the studio's 100 year history has sold so many tickets so fast — the film based on the famous plastic doll has only been out for 17 days. what's more it's director greta gerwig has made history — becoming the first solo female director of a movie to make a billion dollars. that is all from me. you are watching bbc news. stay with us. hello. there have been some hefty showers around today, but on the whole it has been a drier, brighter and calmer day than yesterday was, because storm antoni, this swirl of cloud here, has been easing the way eastwards. clearer skies following on behind, albeit with a speckling of shower cloud. most of those showers fading as we go through the evening and the night. some will continue across parts of scotland, maybe coastal parts of northern ireland and north—west england, but otherwise dry with clear skies, the odd mist patch, and actually quite a chilly night for the time of year, 6 degrees in aberdeen, 9 in birmingham and cardiff and some spots in the countryside will get a little chillier than that. so, a fresh start to monday morning, but under this ridge of high pressure, a largely dry and bright start, some spells of sunshine around. we will see some showers popping up through the day, but they shouldn't be quite as many as there have been today. but this weather system running in from the west will eventually bring more cloud into far south—west of england and the far south—west of wales, misty murky conditions developing and some rain very late in the day. temperatures 16—21 in most places. through monday night, this frontal system pushes eastwards, taking cloud and some rain with it, not a huge amount of rain but there certainly will be submitted into murky conditions for coasts and hills, whereas for northern ireland and scotland, mainly dry, fine and sunny, albeit with cooler breeze in scotland, 13 for lerwick and even further south, 19 or 20. as we move into wednesday, some increasingly humid air spreading from the west that will give rise to some sea fog, some fog over the hills as well, some areas of cloud, sunny spells, but temperatures beginning to climb, and that process will continue into thursday. high pressure will be to the east of us, low pressure trying to come in from the west, and that will bring us a flow of wind from the south, bringing some warmer air across oui’ shores. you can see the orange colours spreading across the temperature chart for thursday. quite widely we will be in the middle 20s in celsius, some places could get to 27 or 28. but it may not last that long, we will see more unsettled and cooler weather returning as we head towards the weekend. this is bbc news, the headlines... thousands gather in niger's capital to support the leaders of the military coup — as the deadline to return power to the country's president passes. west african leaders had threatened military action if the junta refused to step down. the search for survivors after a train derailment in southern pakistan continues. at least 30 people have died. the train was heading to karachi when several carriages overturned. in the uk — the immigration minister says the first asylum seekers to be housed on a barge docked in dorset will be moved on board in the coming days. their arrival had been delayed over health and safety concerns. and — the usa are knocked—out of the women's world cup in dramatic style — after losing against sweden. three us players, inlcuding their star, megan rapinoe, missed in the deciding penalty shootout.