Say the worst Rainfall And Flood risk should be experienced in the coming 2a to 48 hours. Poland, too, has also experienced heavy rain. The government in poland has warned of a critical night ahead with the country facing severe flooding. Authorities have shut a Border Crossing with the Czech Republic after a river flooded its banks. Theyve also closed several roads and halted trains. Polish prime Minister Donald Tusk has been visiting flooded areas in silesia. Translation the low pressure that brought translation the low pressure that brought these translation the low pressure that brought these heavy translation the low pressure that brought these heavy rains i that brought these heavy rains to poland and the Czech Republic is not entirely predictable. These forecasts has changed within 48 was but generally they are not optimistic. What awaits us Tonight And Part of sunday will be heavier, record breaking rainfall in many places. Our correspondent in Warsaw Adam Easton has the latest. Well, what this cyclone is doing, catherine, is causing extremely heavy rainfall which is leading to dangerously high river Levels Water levels in the rivers across the region. Many rivers have burst their banks, and thats causing flooding in many countries particularly as you mentioned in romania, where four people have been found dead in the east of the country by the River Danube delta. 5,000 homes have been damaged in the flooding and the romanian authorities have, as you said, set up Displacement Camps and are providing blankets and food for people who have been forced to evacuate their homes. In romania and in the Czech Republic, the floods have caused Tens Of Thousands of people to lose power. They havent got power at the moment. And its disrupting transport in the Czech Republic and in poland. And the worst could be yet to come, catherine, because donald tusk, the polish Prime Minister where im talking to you from now hes visiting the worst affected areas in southern poland, which borders the Czech Republic, and he says its going to be a critical night. Full mobilisation is required because these River Levels are not at their highest. The rainfall is expected to continue and these River Levels are expected to get higher and more River Banks are expected to be breached and the flooding is expected to be worse. But what the authorities across the region are saying is, please, everyone, co operate with the emergency services, and when they ask you to evacuate your homes which is obviously a very difficult decision for people to leave their homes they say, please co operate and evacuate. Because the most important thing, as the romanian Prime Minister said, touring the worst affected areas, is to prevent more deaths. Because we have seen many deaths from flooding in central and Eastern Europe, and many people are saying the water theyre seeing, the Rainfall And River levels theyre seeing, reminds them of the massive floods in Central Europe in � 97, for example. When more than 100 people died in the czech Republic And Poland due to extremely heavy rainfall. The us national security adviser, jake sullivan, says intense conversations are still taking place among Western Allies on whether to let ukraine Attack Russia with donated long range weapons. The subject was discussed on friday at a meeting between Joe Biden and keir starmer, but no conclusion was announced. Ukraines President Zelensky expressed frustration after the meeting. But President Biden� s top Security Advisor has now insisted the issue is still on the agenda. Jake sullivan spoke to a Security Conference in kyiv by video link. He said that President Biden would use the rest of his term putting ukraine in the best possible position to prevail against russia. And i think having a conversation that puts all the pieces together, what we can offer up, what we can support ukraine with, and then how ukraine with, and then how ukraine looks at that in the context of a strategy for diplomacy, that is what we hope to bring together at The End of this in new york. President biden at that point will still have four months left on his term, and he is determined to use there is a four months to put ukraine in the best possible position to prevail. Meanwhile, natos highest military authorities have been meeting in prague, for the annual military committee conference. The final conclusion of the committee is always the highest Military Recommendation for the political leaders of the alliance. Admiral Rob Bauer is the chair of the nato military committee. In this conference, the chiefs of defence of nato talked about taking stock with regards to our readiness in relation to all the plans that were agreed last year in vilnius. However, if you look at this question from a military point of view, then it is logical from the ukrainian side to ask for this permission. Because basically, if you are attacked by a nation, then the aggressor can be attacked in its own nation in accordance with the Un Charter and in accordance with the law of armed conflict. So this militarily a logical thing to ask. It is actually the right thing to do militarily, because you want to basically prevent the attacker to continue to attack by basically ensuring that the logistics are not coming to the front weapons, fuel, things like that. So if you are able to not only defend yourself against the arrows that are being fired at you but also attack the archer, that is militarily the right thing to do. And admiral, President Putin has pre empted any decision like this, saying that this would be a Red Line that nato countries in particular would be fighting russia. This is a warning not for ukraine but for your member countries. Do you believe him when he gives this warning . What would you say to people in your country who would be worried about an escalation in this conflict . I think this shows that the russians are not achieving any of the strategic goals they want to achieve in ukraine. So i think they are frustrated, they are angry with their poor performance in itself there. And therefore, they are talking to us when they see that other nations, including nato allies, are helping ukraine theres 50 nations that do this since 2022. And of course, its not helping them if we help ukraine. To us about this. What nato does is nothing else than basically help ukraine in accordance with the Un Charter and international law. And admiral, where do you go from here . This would be a big step forward in terms of western commitment towards ukraine. If it doesnt work, what more can you do when it stops stopping the russian forces in ukraine . How much further are you able to go from here . The decision in washington set up this command in germany, is to make sure the coordination of training has being done by nato, the coordination of all requirements that ukraine has are reaching ukraine, including logistics to the border, and working with the ukrainians on the future armed forces. That is the command, what we are going to do. And the discussions were about how we are moving towards the set up to make sure the command becomes operational as soon as possible. Another development on the war between russia and ukraine the countries have exchanged Prisoners Of War a move mediated by the united arab emirates. The russian Defence Ministry said its freed servicemen were currently in belarus and receiving help. Uae state media said 103 prisoners from each side were handed over and that it was abu dhabis eighth such mediation. On Friday Ukraine said it had received a further 49 captives from russia; they included former defenders of the now ruined city of mariupol. Yuriy sak is adviser to the minister of strategic industries of ukraine. Now, it has been the case with pretty much every Weapon System that we have been requesting from our western partners, and of course at this stage of the aggression or this war, we need long range capabilities because ukraine has constantly and relentlessly being attacked. Last night, we were attacked by more than 70 Iranians Drones launched by russia. To be able to receive long range missiles to strike russia and destroy their airfields and launching pads, their Ammunition Depots all of this will go towards degrading the War Machinery of russia used to terrorise ukrainian cities and kill ukrainian people and continue the war. And is there a feeling of frustration perhaps, i was listening to an interview with the former head of the cia that said russia could preempt this decision by moving some targets further away from its rotor with ukraine. This may come too late for ukraine. Late for ukraine. There are still according late for ukraine. There are still according to late for ukraine. There are still according to our still according to our information, there are numerous military objects within the reach of the long range missiles that we received from our partners such as the Storm Shadow missiles from the uk, the french partners, of course if we get that permission it will be easierfor us if we get that permission it will be easier for us to disrupt the logistics of the army of the aggressor. It will be more difficult for them to amass more weapons with which they attack ukraine, so of course we always say that such permissions, they are a little bit overdue and the sooner we get them the better, but we have to make do with what we have to make do with what we have and we hope that that decision will still come and we will make the most of it. But how much will make the most of it. But how much does will make the most of it. But how much does it will make the most of it. But how much does it help ukraine in terms of winning this war against russia . How effective with this policy be for your country . Winning this war, of course will consist in The End on the one hand our military operations, and for example our Kursk Operation resulted in the possibility of us replenishing our exchange of Prisoners Of War, and we have successfully returned today 103 ukrainian Heroes Yesterday 49. Militarily is one thing, the diplomatic front is another important front where our diplomats are on a daily basis trying to impose pressure on russia to make it unsustainable, to make this War Unsustainable for russia. Its not any one simple or single factor that will determine the outcome of the war but taken together and permission to use long range weapons will be an important factor to bring us closer to our victory. That was the adviser to the government of ukraine. In the uk, a man freed from prison On Tuesday under the governments early Release Scheme, which is aimed at easing overcrowding injails, is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman later that day. He has been recalled to jail and is due in court next month. A spokesperson for the Ministry Ofjustice said the early Release Scheme was necessary because it had inherited prisons in crisis and on the brink of collapse. Simonjones reports. Prisoners celebrate with friends as they are released from jail early. The government says its scheme is necessary to stop the collapse of the criminal justice system. But one man let out On Tuesday from this prison in kent is already back behind bars. Amari ward is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in sittingbourne on the day he was freed. He is alleged to have touched her without her consent. On tuesday, around 1750 prisoners were released early in england and wales. That policy sees the proportion of sentences which some inmates must serve behind bars are temporarily cut from 50 to 40 . The latest government figures suggest more than a quarter of prisoners will go on to reoffend within a year of being released. The problem is there are no guarantees that anybody who is released early will not reoffend. Because we have got to do our job in our prisons of trying to rehabilitate people. We simply cannot do that if we are used as Human Warehouses and we are overcrowded. We must be given a chance to give people hope. The ministry for justice says it cannot comment on individual cases, but it insists that anyone who breaks their Licence Conditions upon release or who commits further crimes will be punished. And the government says without the early Release Scheme police would not be able to make arrests and the courts would not be able to hold trials. The Prison Population in england and wales has dropped by more than 2000 in a week following the measures that deal with overcrowding. Next month, up to another 1700 prisoners are due to be released early. The government will be monitoring the latest reoffending figures, too. Simon jones, bbc news. Thousands of people have attended the funeral for ugandan olympic athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, who was killed by a former boyfriend this month. The service was in her familys home town, bukwo. She received full military honours, having been a member of the ugandan armed forces. The 33 year old marathon runner, who competed in the Paris Games last month, died after being doused with Petrol And Set alight. Rebecca Cheptegeis Body was brought in from kenya, where she lived and trained. Her death has renewed concern about the level of violence against women in kenya and uganda. Herformer partner has since died of his injuries. Our Correspondent Anne Soy has more. Full military honours as uganda Bid Farewell to one of its finest ambassadors. Sergeant Rebecca Cheptegei flew her countrys flag high across the world in long distance races. But back in her home, she fell victim to domestic violence. Thousands of local residents here turned up for the funeral. They said rebecca was a much loved member of this bukwo committee, and who inspired many children of this bukwo community, and who inspired many children to take up athletics. She died in neighbouring kenya after Herformer Boyfriend poured petrol on her and set her On Fire. We are guilty as a government, but also the community is guilty. It is not true that we did not know, even in the local community, that rebecca was facing family problems. Domestic violence is endemic in the community where rebecca lived, and so many people are hoping that her death will mark the beginning of The End of this vice so that elite athletes like her and women generally will feel safe in their homes. We have a right to live, and no one has a right to take over Someones Life someones daughter, someone who the family depends on. Local leaders here say they will name a road and a Sports Venue in her honour. Anne soy, bbc news. South sudans cabinet has endorsed a two Year Extension of the transitional government, which means national elections will be delayed. The polls were due to take place this december. President salva kiir� s office said the Election Delay was necessary in order to complete essential tasks, including writing a new constitution. Some south sudanese see the postponement as further evidence of a political elite being reluctant to give up power. Edmund yakani is the Executive Director at the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation he gave us his reaction. My reaction is an extension to further suffering of the citizens in this phase of the pressing economic situation, flooding in the country, political instability in some parts of the country and as an extension of practices that some of our leaders are really enjoying. They are in a transitional process where the citizen has no power to hold them to account. Mps are working away with thousands of dollars in terms of medical allowances, transform refund. Why civil servants have gone for ten months without any salaries . And they have families that are now breaking down simply because of a lack of political will and political commitment from the top leadership of the country, so i do not think the big issue is they do not have money or time. Simply they do not have the Will And Commitment to deliver the country from the current political instability. Severe Drought And Food shortages in zimbabwe have led authorities to announce they will cull 200 elephants. The meat from these elephants will be distributed to people struggling to feed themselves. Neighbouring namibia also carried out a Wildlife Cull last month because of the drought. Zimbabwe is home to an estimated 100,000 elephants the second largest population in the world after botswana. The countrys previous cull was more than 35 years ago. Adam cruise, a Wildlife Investigative Journalist based in cape town, south africa, argues there are better ways to tackle Drought And Food shortages than by Culling Elephants. I mean, this is unprecedented. And like you said, i mean, this is the first time they started culling in 30 years. And this includes all the Southern African countries. So, and theres been droughts since then. Um, theres not an excess of elephants, 100,000, that figure thrown around in the news is not true. We were talking more like 50,000 elephants in zimbabwe. And these elephants arent contained in zimbabwe. They are tra nsboundary elephants. So they move between botswana, zimbabwe, zambia, namibia and mozambique. All those countries. Um, the cull, i think is probably more to do with scoring political points. Um, its certainly the meat provided to people is not going to be enough anyway. And besides, those people dont eat elephant meat. I mean, these are, these are Livestock Herders mainly that are affected by the drought. These are people that traditionally lead cattle and goats and things like that. Meat is not part of the thing. So if there is supposedly a drought relief programme, there are other ways of doing it, many other ways of doing it, and not killing elephants, which are endangered. And do you think part of the issue is the contest between wildlife and humans . Of course, if there is a drought, therell be a shortage of vegetation, of water. Is that some of whats playing out at the moment there . Yeah, look, human Elephant Conflict is a real thing in places like zimbabwe. These are free roaming elephants. Even in national parks they dont have fences, so the elephants regularly come over into Human Settlements and destroy crops and water sources. But, again, a cull of 200 elephants is not going to solve that problem at all. I mean, if were talking 50,000 elephants, its going to make hardly a dent. And in actualfact, Culling Elephants will just make the surviving elephants more aggressive. So its in fact exacerbating the problem. The trailblazing ballerina, michaela deprince, has died at the age of 29. A Family Statement said she was an inspiration to everyone who heard her story. Deprince was born during sierra leones civil war, which took the lives of both her parents. She was taken to the us as a four year old, where her adopted family nurtured her love of ballet. She became the youngest ever principal dancer at the Dance Theatre of harlem and worked with the Dutch National Ballet before joining the prestigious boston ballet. She spent much of her career promoting the inclusion of black dancers in ballet. Our reporter Emer Mccarthy talked me through her Moon Life and legacy. She was only 29 years old. She was only 29 years old. It she was only 29 years old. It was announced on her Instagram PageLast Night with this beautiful picture and the caption read, all her life was one defined by grace, purpose and strength. Purpose and strength, her unwavering commitment to her art, her humanitarian efforts and her courage in overcoming unimaginable challenges will forever inspire us. Though her time with us was far too brief, her Brilliance And Legacy will continue to shine in the hearts of all who were touched by her story for generations to come. As you said, she really was a trailblazer in making history at the Dance Theatre of harlem before moving to the netherlands to dance with the Dutch National Ballet. Back in 2017, she actually spoke to our very own Stephen Sackur here on hardtalk. Lets have a listen to that interview. I think its very important for people not to forget about the struggles they have been through, because it creates who you are. And if i did not go through those things, i wouldnt be as strong as i am today. Because i go through horrible things every day in my dance career, and people say things to me that maybe i would cry about. But it doesnt necessarily faze me any more because of the things that have been said to me before. You can use the things you have been through to connect with the audience, and that is what art is and that is what makes us so passionate. It means its sometimes hard, but at the same time you have got to have the same support system, the right people who can help bring you back into reality. And in addition to that stellar dance career, she also wrote a number of books, including a memoir reflecting on her early childhood in sierra leone. As we heard in that interview as well, she really dedicated so much of her time really advocating for black Ballet Dancers in the us. No cause of death has been reported, but it is such a sad loss for the ballet and greater arts world. Catherine. On the Life And Legacy of the Ballerina Michaela Difference who has died at the age of 29. Hello. In the forecast for sunday, we both have sunshine and some rain, but the Rape Isnt going to be particularly rain, but the Rain Isnt going to be particularly widespread. And with a bit of luck, most of us will have a fine, dry day. Lets have a look at the satellite picture. Here is the Weather Front sweeping towards us earlier on. That has brought the damp weather to parts of wales and northern england. And through the course of sunday, the Weather Front will drift a little bit further south and then eventually will rain itself out. So, through the early hours, the damp weather from northern wales, merseyside, parts of lancashire, yorkshire, to the north and to the south, the skies will be generally clear. And our Temperatures early on Sunday Morning in the range of 8 13 celsius. So here is the Weather Front, then, through the irish sea, northern wales, most of northern england. Occasionally it will be wet. Some of the bursts of rain could be at least for a time heavy, but i think as we go through the course of the afternoon that rain should eventually petered out. We will also have showers across scotland, and then for most of us it should be at the very least a bright day. Really quite sunny in the south and the south east, where we will have the highest Temperatures. 20 celsius. Here is that Weather Front as it moves southwards and also drift gently towards the east, it eventually rains itself out. The forecast for monday shows fine conditions across most of the uk. A large area of High Pressure with light winds, feeling very pleasant in the sunshine. And i think widely Temperatures are reach the high teens, probably exceed 20 celsius in one or two spots. So a beautiful start to the week for most of us. Now, the High Pressure is indeed going to stick around for the next few days. It will anchor itself over the uk. We are right in the middle of it. And it is not in a hurry to budge. Now, the very far north west of the uk will be potentially clipped by Weather Fronts, so maybe thicker cloud here at times and some spots of rain. But the vast majority of us are in the centre of that high, so sunny conditions, light winds. Look at these Temperatures. Whether you are an author south, it will be around the high teens or perhaps even in excess of 20 celsius. Now, the high will change in shape and they will be changes in the wind direction, so there might be one or two showers sneaking in, particularly into southern parts of the uk. But overall, the message is looking dry, bright and really quite warm. Goodbye. This is bbc news, the headlines. Central and Eastern Europe is under a major flood alert. Romania is setting up camps for thousands of people forced from their homes. At least four people are dead. The us says intense discussions are continuing on whether to allow ukraine to fire western, long range missiles at russia. The subject was discussed betweenJoe Biden and keir starmer, but no conclusion was announced. A prisonerfreed under the Uk Governments early Release Scheme is rearrested, accused of sexually assaulting a woman on the same day. And the funeral has been held in uganda for the olympic athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, who was set On Fire and killed by a former boyfriend. Those are the latest headlines. Now on bbc news, political thinking with nick robinson. Hello, welcome to political thinking. Only one candidate to be the next leader of the opposition has held any of the great offices of state. My guest on political thinking a conversation with rather newsy interrogation of someone who shapes our political thinking, has, in fact had two of those jobs. James cleverly was Foreign Secretary and then home secretary. He is the great survivor of the years of tory turmoil