i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore, the headlines. international condemnation of venezuela after the arrest of two opposition leaders. the un says the escalating crisis makes a peaceful solution more difficult. a message to north korea from the us secretary of state: america is not seeking regime change, but dialogue with pyongyang. we are not your enemy, we are not your threat, but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us and we have to respond. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme. turkey puts almost 500 people on trial — they're accused of taking part in last year's failed coup. and — can a bit of beyonce save this australian bowls club from oblivion? good morning.

it's 8am in singapore, 1am in london and eight in the evening in venezuela, where political tensions are escalating. two prominent opposition leaders were dragged from their homes overnight and taken to a military prison, accused by the government of inciting violence. the un secretary general is now warning that a peaceful solution could now be more difficult. katy watson reports from caracas. antonio ledezma screams for help as he is taken away in his pyjamas by the venezuelan intelligence service. there's panic while someone else yells that venezuela is now a dictatorship. he wasn't the only one to be taken

away, officers also seized leopoldo lopez, an opposition leader released from prison a few weeks ago but placed under house arrest. tensions are running high in venezuela after the election of a new assembly that will effectively rewrite the constitution. there have been violent protests in recent months and on monday former mayor mr ledezma released a video on social media criticising the weekend's vote. he called the vote a fraud, saying public powers had become a political machinery at the service of a totalitarian regime, a tyranny. leopoldo lopez also made his voice heard while under house arrest. the supreme court said on tuesday it had revoked their house arrest because they have made political statements and they'd also received intelligence the two men were trying to flee. but one of the men's

lawyers said they haven't broken any restrictions. at a press conference, mr ledezma's wife warned of what was happening in venezuela. translation: be assured that what is happening in venezuela is nojoke. the fact they've seized two fundamental opposition leaders, the events of the last three months, let that be a message to the entire world that venezuela is experiencing a massacre. it's a huge attack against human rights and human rights abuses are being carried out openly in our country. the un also weighed in, saying it was concerned about the escalation of political tensions. in this critical moment for the future of the country, the secretary general urges all venezuelans, especially those representing the powers of the state, to make all possible efforts to lower tensions, prevent further violence and loss of life as well as find avenues for political dialogue. but this is a country divided. avenues for political dialogue seemed to have been exhausted. with these rearrests, just like the vote, the maduro administration is clearly doing what it once without outside pressure. it is, as they say, venezuela's issue and no one else‘s

but the concern is a global one. katy watson, bbc news, caracas. our other top story — a blame game is under way regarding north korea's nuclear tests. president trump says he's very disappointed in china for not putting more economic pressure on pyongyang which relies on beijing for 90% of its trade. china responded by saying the situation wasn't of their making and now, the us secretary of state has weighed in. we've been very clear with the chinese, we certainly don't blame the chinese for the situation in north korea, only the north koreans are to blame for this situation. but we do believe china has a special and unique relationship, because of this significant economic activity, to influence the north korean regime in ways that no one else can, and that's why we continue to call

upon them to use that influence with north korea to create the conditions where we can have a productive dialogue. tillerson also said the us had no interest in regime change and instead wanted dialogue with north korea — as suzanne kianpour explained a little earlier. it's been six months since mr tillerson took his role as secretary of state and a lot of foreign policy hotspots are kicking off, but most notably north korea, as we know, and mr tillerson seemed to find it necessary to reiterate the position and policy he's had all along, which is to continue to work with china. but also to speak to pyongyang and to tell pyongyang that the us doesn't have an interest in regime change and they do have an interest in bringing them to the table for diplomatic talks, but that that's not going to be able to happen unless they get rid of their nuclear arsenal. i'm a bit confused.

didn't the president says something very different a few days ago? yes. he tweeted that he was very frustrated with china and that all they do is "talk", they do nothing for the us, he was very "disappointed' was another word he used. mr tillerson was asked about that but his response was very stoic and matter of fact. he said the president expresses himself in that way, in tweets, and they manage and it's a result of the environment and he didn't steer one way or the other to indicate the president's tweets are any sort of policy shift or anything different to what mr tillerson has already been working on. he didn't show that these tweets are any indication of a specific policy change. and later we'll be looking at how the tensions over north korea are making it more difficult forfamilies divided between north and south. also this hour — a suicide attack at a shia mosque in the afghan city of herat has killed

twenty nine people. the attacker opened fire and then detonated explosives as hundreds of worshippers were taking part in evening prayers in the city, close to the border with iran. the us senate has voted to confirm christopher wray as the new director of the fbi. the post had been vacant since james comey was sacked by president trump in may over the investigation into alleged russian interference in last year's presidential election. at least three suspected gang members have been killed during a shoot out at a court in moscow, where they were standing trial for a spree of drive—by killings. reports say the men tried to overpower security guards in a lift and grab their guns, despite being handcuffed at the time. several police officers were injured. china has formally opened its first overseas military base in djibouti in east africa. the event was timed to coincide with the ninetieth anniversary of china's people's liberation army. authorities have dismissed concerns about china's expanding military prowess, arguing the base will be used for defensive purposes. high heels — now, do we love

them or loathe them? according to a study into shoes, women feel pressure to wear them. researchers at aberdeen university in scotland found evidence linking heels to back pain, sprains and bunions — but they also found two thirds of women thought high heels made them more attractive and gave them self confidence. more than 80% of all liver cancer cases are seen in asia, but now patients here — and worldwide — could be about to benefit from more effective drugs. that's because scientists from hong kong and singapore have discovered a missing gene that is a key factor in the way the disease develops. to tell us more about the study, i spoke to one of the lead researchers, doctor toh han chong. so this is actually a gene that we discovered.

if you lose part of this gene or delete the gene, people are more likely to get liver cancer. so in the singapore cohort, about 50% of all the liver cancers actually don't have this gene, and in the worldwide cohort based on international data it would be 70%. this is actually a very significant finding because that means this gene plays a very keen role in the achilles heel in the development of liver cancer. in terms of the medical benefits, what are they precisely? i think the way this gene works is critical for normal cell development, particularly liver cells. if you lose this gene the cells go a bit disorganised, they grow rapidly and it's rather chaotic. so what we're doing right now, and we've published some of that

data, is to show the disorganised way in which a cell causes problems downstream. it would mean the additional targets we can actually intervene with therapeutic drugs. as it stands, there's only one drug available for treating advanced liver cancer it's ten years old, and it is time for a new drug to come on—board. only one drug, you say. tell us about why liver cancer is so common amongst asians and what is the ultimate goal in your research? actually it's quite common globally. it's the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. it's actually the fifth commonest cancer in the world, it just doesn't seem that way. the reason why 80% of all liver cancers are seen in asia is because there is a high carrier rate of two viruses, hepatitis b and c. if you look at north asia, hepatitis c is endemic, japan, korea and north china. looking at southeast asia and southern china, it is hepatitis b. even though there's childhood vaccination for hepatitis b,

we don't see the effects until a lot later, so people with this virus tend to get inflamation, cirrhosis and leading to liver cancer, that's why it's so high in asia. your ultimate goal is to create a new form of medication to address this problem? absolutely. i think any new way of looking at why people get liver cancer opens up new opportunities for targeting these defects in the liver cancer. it is a complex disease. there have been dramatic scenes outside a courthouse near the turkish capital, ankara, where the trial has started of nearly 500 people accused of plotting to overthrow the government in last yea r‘s attempted coup. a0 of the plot‘s alleged leaders were booed and heckled as they were marched into court. the bbc‘s middle east analyst sebastian usher reports. one by one, the alleged leaders of a coup were marched up to the court.

an angry crowd, including both relatives of those killed during the coup and some of those wounded during the violence, chanted demands for the return of the death penalty, which was abolished in turkey years ago. for some in the crowd, the treatment of the accused was already too lenient. translation: it is not normal that the state is feeding these assassins. we want to see them with chains around their feet. they shouldn't even come with civilian clothes on but instead with their prison clothes. the last time some of the suspects, like the air force commander, ak n 0zturk, was seen in public of the coup when their faces were bruised and bloody. there's no doubting the anger the attempted coup provoked, not only amongst president erdogan supporters but many other turkish people as well. with the streets of ankara and istanbul coming under attack, and more than 250 people killed during the night ofjuly

the 15th last year. the first anniversary of the defeat of the coup was celebrated just two weeks ago with a huge rally in istanbul that was addressed by president erdogan, who inaugurated a monument to those who died. his position has been strengthened by the coup. his critics say that he's used it to target all his opponents. some 50,000 people remain in detention in connection with the coup. but the man the turkish government accuse of being behind it, the muslim cleric fethullah gulen, remains in the united states — despite ankara's repeated demands for his extradition. he is being tried in absentia in this, the biggest trial so far of coup suspects. for now, they face life imprisonment if convicted, but the calls for them to receive the ultimate punishment are only likely to grow as their trial continues for the rest of this month. sebastien usher, bbc news. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: heartbreaking scenes

from two years ago. but with tensions rising over north korea's nuclear programme, will families divided by the korean war pay the price? also on the programme: the australian women who became an internet sensation to save their bowls club — cheering the us space agency nasa has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armargh, once an everyday part in the soldiers' lot, drudgery and danger, now no longer after almost four decades. if one is on one's own in a private house, not doing any harm to anyone,

i don't really see why all these people should wander in and say you're doing something wrong. six rare white lion cubs are on the prowl at worcestershire zoo. already they've been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they're lovely, really sweet. yeah, really cute. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: venezuela is facing international condemnation after the arrest of two opposition leaders. the un says the escalating crisis makes a peaceful solution more difficult. the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, says his country is not seeking to topple the north korean government, but wants to open dialogue. and a candid opinion piece

describing the growing difficulties of living in beijing appears to have become the target of chinese government censorship, after going viral in china. that story is on bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the china daily reports on president xijinping's praise for his nation's military history. the chinese leader was marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the people's liberation army. he said beijing had the confidence to defeat all invasions. the new york times reports on the ancient vase that has been confiscated from the metropolitan museum of art. the greek antiquity, which is over 2,000 years old, was removed following reports that it was looted by tomb raiders in the 1970s. the front page of le figaro looks at the dramatic return of chinese tourism to france.

the paper says each tourist spends an average 200 euros per day, a third of which is devoted to shopping. now, sharanjit, have you heard the one about the priests who walked into a bar, only to be mistaken for being a bachelor party and asked to leave? well, a pub in the welsh city of cardiff has apologised after making that exact mistake. the seven trainee priests were asked to move on when staff assumed they were in fancy dress. but they did see the funny side, and ended up getting a free round of drinks. the south korean red cross had proposed talks with the north to discuss trying to reunite families separated during the korean war in the 1950s. it is something that has happened before, but it is rare, and the meetings are brief. but north korea's latest missile tests have hardened international opinion against any contact, and separated families may pay the price, as karen allen

reports from seoul. imagine not seeing each other for half a century. brothers, sisters and other loved ones separated, now united, if only for a few precious hours, before another goodbye. this was two years ago. plans were in the pipeline for more reunions like these soon. then this happened. north korea tested a second ballistic missile just last week, blasting apart any hope of further humanitarian gestures. the border with north korea lies beyond this barbed wire, and this vast wall of ribbons, with messages to loved ones on the other

side, really only a sign of hope. but after the missile test last week expectations of more family reunions have been pretty much dashed, and for some people, this would have been the final chance. but for pensioners, like 90—year—old kim, watching developments unfold, time is marching on. he arrived here just before the war erupted in the 1950s, and like many on the divided korean peninsula, he has been trying to find family members ever since. most are now dead, but there is a niece who survived. translation: just when i was about to give up, i received a message from my niece, that she was looking for the family here in the south. then in 2007 he received a letter, and with it a treasured photo of his niece. "she looks just like her mother", he says. "uncle, i am writing this letter to my uncle, that i miss so much.

uncle, how is your health? i finally talked to you, in your 80s, when you told us that you would come back after graduating from college." after the korean war in the 1950s, the country was divided. tens of thousands of families torn apart, forced to lead separate lives, as the cold war persisted over competing ideologies. the legacy is some 13,000 people on the waiting list, should the reunion programme be revived. but every week, more and more die. soon, an entire generation could be lost, and with it mr kim's hopes of seeing his niece one last time. for many single ladies out there, that beyonce song has become an anthem. but three women from australia have become an internet sensation by creating a unique version of their own.

it was all in the name of saving their local bowls club. the council wanted to knock down their club to build an indoor stadium, but the bowling ladies took matters into their own hands, and the video has received a million views on facebook in just three days. a short time ago, one of the ladies in the video, wyn hewett, told mejust how important the club is to their melbourne community. firstly, the bowls club isn't just for bowling. it's a community hub. localfamilies, residents, visit daily. over a period of 12 months, we would have 600 people. so we call them all members.

it's a wonderful environment, especially for the older people. we don't want to lose it, because then where would we go? we'd have to travel, and most of the ladies are older than i am. i'm 72. it's their second home. everybody cares. who came up with the idea to do this video, wyn? one of our younger members, denise, she'd obviously been in pr, just cottoned on to the song, beyonce's song. and two of us had heard of beyonce, but two of us had not any idea about that song when we made the video. and wyn, this is all, of course, as you said, an attempt to stop the council

from building an indoor stadium on the site of your club. we have been speaking to the council, we've got a statement from them and the mayor. i wonder if we can read this out for you. they've said the council is struggling to keep up with increasing demand for sporting facilities, especially the needs of women's sport, which is currently under—catered for. they added that they are listening to the community, and no final decision has been made. what is your reaction to that? my reaction to that — that is true, that no final decision has been made. that is what is bothering us, and we've been fighting this since last november, actively, actively. we've recently encouraged them to look at to other sites that would not destroy another club. we're an existing club, since 1958. we just want to remain there. and i acknowledge their need for sporting stadiums,

indoor sporting stadiums, but not on our site. and, from sporting superstars to another eight—time 0lympic gold—medallist — usain bolt is due to run his last race at the world athletics championships in london. since his first gold, in beijing in 2008, he has been an unstoppable force. he was even described by the international 0lympics committee as the greatest sprinter of all time. so what is next for the world's fastest man? i don't know what i'm going to do. this is why i think i wanted to play football, to change it up. you never know which direction i might go. i might go into acting and do some action movies. that would give me a rush,

so you never know. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. we will be taking a look at apple's juicy results. its stock has soared to a record high, after posting better—than—expected earnings. and finally, who hasn't dreamed of being a rock star, or maybe looking like one? well, here is a new twist on that. a baby cow in texas has become an online sensation because it looks like gene simmons of the band kiss. the black—and—white face, the tongue — the resemblance is uncanny. local tourism officials posted the image on facebook, joking that simmons himself could be the father. the cow's name — genie, of course. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. hello, there.

most of our rain over the last couple of days has come in the form of showers, drenching downpours, that bring a lot of rain in a short space of time and then clear away. but the day ahead is looking a little bit different, because we have a more organised area of cloud that's been working its way in from the atlantic, associated with an area of low pressure. frontal systems moving in which will bring rain. and notice the tightly squeezed isobars as well. pretty windy weather, especially around the coasts of the south—west as we go through the morning. so through south—west england and other southern counties, through wales, parts of the midlands, northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland, there will be some outbreaks of rain. the further north you are, that rain quite patchy, with brighter spells in between. across the far south of england, though, that rain will be on the heavy side. close to english channel coasts we could see a lot of rain through the day.

could give some fairly poor travelling conditions, and a lot of cloud and mist and murk across the south—west. humid air in place, despite temperatures only getting up to 17 degrees for plymouth. across wales, patchy rain into the afternoon, but northern ireland is brightening up through the afternoon. sunshine, the return of showers, but not persistent rain. that'll be moving across southern parts of scotland. northern scotland has some of the best weather through the day. spells of sunshine, 15—16 degrees. we're back into patchy rain across northern england, albeit with something a little brighter showing its hand in the north—west later. east anglia seeing a fair amount of dry weather. into the south—east the rain sets in through wednesday evening. in fact, further pulses of wet weather pushing across the south—east and east anglia as we go through the night and the weather fronts still hanging on across northern scotland. so here we will have persistent rain through the first part of thursday morning. but across much of the country, by the start of thursday, we're back to square one, we're back to that mixture of sunny spells and showers. the closer you are to this area of low pressure,

so across northern areas, that's where we'll see the heaviest showers, the most frequent showers. quite slow—moving across scotland and northern ireland, so we could get a lot of rain in a short space of time. with some thunder and lightning possible. some showers in northern england, wales, the midlands, the south—west. the further south—east you are fewer showers and more sunshine. in fact, many parts of south—east england will get away with a completely dry day on thursday, and perhaps again on friday. again, most of the showers up towards the north—west, where some could be heavy and thundery. quite a cool and a blustery day for many. and more of the same through the weekend. plenty of showers, particularly towards the north. a little bit drier towards the south—east. i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story. as the venezuela crisis escalates, two opposition leaders are forced from their homes at gunpoint by security services. antonio ledezma and leopoldo lopez have reportedly been taken to a militaryjail, in a move that has attracted international condemnation. in a message to north korea, the us secretary of state said america is not seeking regime change, but dialogue with pyongyang. a pub in the welsh city of cardiff

has apologised after asking seven trainee priests to move on when staff assumed they were in fancy dress. but they did see the funny side — and ended up getting a free round of drinks. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news.