i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: more questions about us naval operations in the pacific after the commander of the seventh fleet is sacked. new revelations from the defeated us presidential candidate, hillary clinton, who describes donald trump as a creep. it was incredibly uncomfortable. he was literally breathing down my neck. my skin crawled. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: south africa holds an online auction of rhino horns drawing criticism from conservationists who fear it will encourage poaching. live from our studios in singapore

and london. this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 7am in singapore and midnight in london. the us navy is facing increased pressure over whether it's been stretched too thin after the commander of the seventh fleet was relieved of his post following a series of collisions. in the latest, the ussjohn s mccain struck an oil tanker in the waters off singapore. as many as ten sailors are feared dead and a wide—ranging search continues for the missing, both in the sea and inside the ship itself. rupert wingfield—hayes reports from singapore. these are the faces that have lost the us seventh fleet commander his job.

they are the seven young sailors who died aboard the uss fitzgerald when it was struck off the coast ofjapan injune. now there are almost certainly ten more faces to be added to these, the victims of the latest collision of the ussjohn mccain, off the coast of singapore. vice admiraljoseph aucoin was due to retire next month, instead he's been very publicly sacked. this is the man who today fired him, the us pacific commander, admiral scott swift. he said he had "lost confidence" in his ability to command. for 70 years, the uss seventh fleet has been the embodiment of american military might in this region, a reassurance to america's allies from korea to japan to here in singapore and a warning to america's potential foes, but seeing these two destroyers, run down by cargo ships, barely limping back in to port with massive holes until their sides, right now the seventh fleet looks anything but invisible.

but is the reason poor command or a us navy that is stretched to breaking point? over the last 30 years, it has shrunk from nearly 600 ships to just 276 today. it's a question i put to admiral swift. is there an issue of negligence here or is itjust that your men and women are exhausted from overwork? i was on mccain this morning, looking at the eyes of those sailors, even after their heroic efforts yesterday, i didn't see exhaustion. so that view is not a view that i see reflected to me by the 140,000 sailors that man the pacific fleet. admiral swift will need to move fast to restore credibility. china is already saying these accidents show us power is declining here. america's allies are looking on anxiously. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in singapore. dutch police have ordered the last

minute cancellation of a rock concert in rotterdam after a tip—off from spanish police. the city's mayor said they had been warned that an attack was being planned on a concert by an american band. he said police then stopped a spanish—registered van containing gas canisters near the venue. tim allman has more. 0nce once again armed police on the streets of a european city. a local music venue called off, people being told to go home. a concert that was cancelled after a warning of a potential terror attack. translation: the information we received from spanish police suggested there was an attack planned on a concert by an american band. the information was so serious that the police consulted with the

owners. two options were considered. let the event go ahead with increased security or possibly cancelling it. they thought it was justified to cancel the concert. the band who were meant to perform are called the allah—las. they come from california and have had some controversy from california and have had some c0 ntrove i’sy over from california and have had some controversy over their name and use of the arabic name for god. they we re of the arabic name for god. they were escorted away by police while concert—goers were turned away. translation: we're from around here so translation: we're from around here so it's not a big problem. it's a bummerfor those so it's not a big problem. it's a bummer for those who came from afar. they basically came here for nothing. i'm curious to hear the reason for the cancellation. i'd like to know exactly what's going on. what information this decision was based on. not far away, the van was found with spanish number plates containing gas canisters. it's not clear if this was linked to the cancellation of the concert but the van is being

examined and the driver, also believed to be spanish, is being questioned by police. this may have been a tragedy averted, this may have all been a false alarm, but it's now being reported this incident is not linked to last week's terror attacks in and around barcelona. tim allman, bbc news. also making the news, the authorities in egypt say they have broken up a criminal gang who were trafficking human organs. police have shut down a medical centre near cairo that specialised in kidney transplants and have arrested 12 people, including medical staff. the doctors are alleged to have removed organs for use by wealthy egyptian and foreign patients. charges have been withdrawn against a bbcjournalist in a criminal defamation case in thailand. the bbc‘s south east asia correspondentjonathan head faced up to five years in jail if he had been convicted. danish police say that a headless torso found in waters off denmark has been identified as that of a missing swedishjournalist kim wall. she was last seen alive on august

10th, leaving on a trip with submarine inventor peter madsen, who's now been charged with manslaughter and could face life in prison. england's record goal—scorer wayne rooney has announced his retirement from international football. the 31—year—old has scored 53 goals for england in a career that has lasted 14 years. he's also the country's most capped player, with 119 appearances. and here are two pampered cats, they've just inherited $300,000 after their wealthy owner died in new york. the bequest formed part of a $3 million estate left by ellen frey—wouter which included her home in the bronx. two carers who used to look after the elderly widow are now caring for the cats and all grooming and pampering will be paid for out of their trust fund.

a maximum category ten storm has made landfall on the southern coast of china's guangdong province. typhoon hato has brought hurricane force winds and downpours. earlier hato hit hong kong and neighbouring macau, where it was classed as the worst typhoon in five years. five people died in macau, and one in hong kong. for more let's go over to hong kong and we are joined for more let's go over to hong kong and we arejoined by for more let's go over to hong kong and we are joined by the bbc‘s juliana liu. what is the latest in the aftermath of typhoon hato? good morning, rico. what we understand from the official news agency is that the storm is centred around quang arshid province in western china at the moment, so lots of rain, lots of rain buffeting that region but it does seem to have weakened considerably since making landfall. businesses are shut,

construction has stopped in that area but we aren't hearing of any fatalities so far in guangxi province. we have heard ten people have died, five in macau, juan imhoff, and four in china itself. through the day yesterday we certainly saw a lot of pictures of how people are responding to the storm, which is the most serious this region has seen in five years. i can't overestimate or over explain to you, rico, what it feels like to be in the middle of a storm like this. certainly five years ago i remember being lifted up from the streets by a strong gust of wind and really having to hold onto a nearby sign so i'm not swept away. let me show you how the story is being reported in hong kong by the newspapers. let me first show you

the south china morning post, which is the english language newspaper here, got a really large photo of the central harbourfront yesterday. you can see big waves crashing up, certainly there was a lot of flooding in the seaside and low—lying areas. the headline, battered city cleans up after killer hato pounds the region. the low is another photo of a small community in hong kong. you can see lots of flooding around a home and someone trying to clean up —— below is. that me show you apple daily, one of the big selling chinese language dailies, it shows a building, lots of windows that were affected by some of the gusts. juliana liu in hong kong, thank you so much for the update. the defeated us presidential candidate, hillary clinton, says donald trump made her skin crawl during a televised debate last year. the debate took place soon after a recording emerged of mr trump boasting

that he could grope women with impunity because of his celebrity status. mrs clinton made the revelations in her new book. this is not ok i thought. david willis is following this story for us from washington. david, good to see you. that was one minute and 36 seconds, an excerpt from hillary clinton's book, more of that i'm sure, how is this going down in the states? hillary clinton has said, babita, that that second debate with donald trump was one of the toughest moments if not the toughest moment for her of the campaign. she said in the past that it presented her with a dilemma, whether to lash out, as she put it in the extract you just heard there, oi’ in the extract you just heard there, or to keep her calm. and she is firmly of the view, she said, in the

past, that women in public life can appear irritated, they can appear frustrated but they cannot afford, she believes, to appear angry. so, of course, ironically this was an election all about anger, anger she felt she was unwilling to express. but there's no doubt i think on the pa rt but there's no doubt i think on the part of anybody who watched that debate, as many did here in the united states, that donald trump did attempt to use his considerable physical stature, six tall, to attempt to essentially intimidate his rival. how is this news from hillary clinton being viewed in america? is it causing a lot of shockwaves and grabbing the headlines there? there's a lot of interest and i think there will be a lot of interest in this book because ina lot of interest in this book because in a month's lot of interest in this book because in a months time it is due to come out and she has said it's been an

excruciating process writing it, as she put it. but there will be a lot of a nswered she put it. but there will be a lot of answered questions that people here will be hoping she goes some way towards answering in this book, given how controversial the election was with all the talk of course of russian interference. the feeling that she was a polarising candidate. even those who say that bernie sanders could have been a better candidate perhaps for the democrats. how she goes about addressing those issues and of course the rumours of internal dissent amongst those working on the campaign, of the competing voices, and of course the fa u lty competing voices, and of course the faulty ground game that her campaign has been accused of running in certain states here. also of course it will be very interesting to know what she has to say about the former fbi directorjames comey, sacked by donald trump, and a man, babita, that she blames for costing her the election. interesting indeed. thanks

so election. interesting indeed. thanks so much for that. david willis there live in washington. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: controversy in south africa as it holds an online auction of rhino horns. we make the man who has amassed a huge collection of propaganda posters from one of the world's most secretive nations. washington, the world's most political city, is today assessing the political health of the world's most powerful man. indeed, i did have a relationship with miss lewinsky that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people have been killed today, in one of the worst days of violence between rival black groups. over the last ten days, 500 have died. chanting: czechoslovakia must be free! russia is observing a national day of mourning for the 118 submariners who died on board the kursk. we're all with them now,

within our hearts. the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of more than 2.5 million people, in his hometown of krakow. "stay with us, stay with us," chanted this ocean of humanity. "well, well," joked the pope, "so you want me to desert rome?" this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: there have been more questions about us naval operations in the pacific, after the commander of the seventh fleet was sacked following a series of accidents. new revelations from the defeated us presidential candidate, hillary clinton, who describes donald trump as a creep. the mediterranean island of sardinia

has hit back at holidaymakers who have been pinching sand from its glorious beaches. under a law which has come into force this month, four tourists have been fined $1000 were trying to take sand, stones or seashells home. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the south china morning post leads with this image of waves slamming into hong kong's central harbour front, and a story about the destruction caused by typhoon hato. it describes the clean—up operation now under way. five people were killed in macau when it struck there. the japan times is covering that dismissal of the commander of the us seventh fleet following collisions between american warships in asia. before the most recent collision, seven sailors were killed when the uss fitzgerald collided with a container ship in japanese waters. and the financial times details a bad mistake by the british government

while delicate brexit talks continue in brussels. about 100 eu nationals were recently sent letters in error by the agency, telling them that a decision had been taken to remove you from the united kingdom. it is time now for trending stories. babita, what stories are sparking discussions online? well, rico, a beautiful sight in northern chile is getting a lot of attention. parts of the usually arid atacama desert have turned into a carpet of flowers after an intense burst of rain. the phenomenon usually occurs every five to seven years, but this flowering desert comes just two years after a particularly colourful bloom.

south africa is holding its first online auction of rhino horns, despite strong opposition from some conservationists who fear it will further encourage poaching. hundreds of horns, which can fetch tens of thousands of dollars a kilogram, are up for sale, though they cannot be exported because of a longstanding global ban on the international trade. nomsa maseko reports from johannesburg. south africa's environmental affairs department was ordered by the court to allow 264 rhino horns to be auctioned off, starting today. this comes auctioned off, starting today. this co m es after auctioned off, starting today. this comes after a high court ruling set aside a moratorium on the domestic trade of rhino horn. in 2009, before south africa hosted the football world cup, the government issued a temporary moratorium on the domestic

trade in rhino horn due to international pressure by conservationists. are also walking up conservationists. are also walking up towards the feeding ground...m 2015, a rhino pharma approached the court to set aside the moratorium, arguing that it had been in place for too long. and the court ruled in his favour, to once again allow domestic trade in rhino horn. his favour, to once again allow domestic trade in rhino hornlj firmly believe that this is the way to save rhinos from extinction. to breed them better, to protect them better. one of the ways to protect them better is not to make the horn com pletely them better is not to make the horn completely unavailable to everybody. before 2009, when you could buy horn legally in this country, there was virtually no poaching. after 2009, it has escalated out of control. the poaching is out of control in this

country. the government is still in the process of finalising policies for the domestic trade in rhino horn. this means they could potentially issue export permits under the personal effects provision. the option has been organised by the biggest rhino owner in south africa, and his website says the auction will take place over three days. potential buyers have to pay a refundable deposit, after which they still need to apply for a government permit. mr hume says he hopes to target the 400,000 south african chinese population. but conservationists are against this auction. according to the convention, there is no legal international trade in rhino horn for commercial purposes. that means that this auction can only be done within the borders of south africa, this trade. however, as far as we are aware, there is very little demand for rhino horn in south

africa. it is also published in chinese and vietnamese and it does appearas chinese and vietnamese and it does appear as if it has been angled for some kind of exporting trade. since the beginning of this year, more than 500 rhinos have been poached in the country, and all eyes will be on this option to see what effect it will have on rhino conservation. propaganda is a key tool for kimjong—un keeping power in north korea. information in the country is highly controlled, and propaganda posters are a common sight. getting posters out of the country is a process fraught with difficulty, but the bbc met a south korean who has one of the biggest collections in the world. i collect north korean art.

i have been in pyongyang about 20 times. i have been collecting about 300 propaganda art. the message is peace is possible only by fighting. the dove says the piece, i think. the children are very happy with the rifle, kalashnikov gun. i think, first of all, the posters like this, viz are the real remnant or real history of what is going on now,

today, in recent times, in north korea —— stands for peace. well, in pyongyang, there are many creative artist groups, and they own their own shop. they are known to be army, they are more focused on propaganda art. the fine art painting is part of the... a very strong tool to achieve socialistic revolution. 0n the way to the paradise named communism, the painting is a powerful tool for them. so it does work. iam sure i am sure the collection is worth a lot. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. we will be looking at

samsung and safety — whether the company's latest device, the note eight, will suffer the same pitfalls as its last one. you will remember the seven had a problem of, well, there's no better way to put this, catching fire. more on thatjust ahead in asia business report. and, before we go, how about going out for dinner, but you don't quite know where you're heading to. well, that is what happened to 5,000 people who made their way out for a bite to eat in new york, carrying their own table and chairs in the august heat. lucky for them, the unknown location was the lincoln centre, in manhattan. it‘ is all part of the annual white dinner, or le diner blanc, a tradition that began in france. and to get a seat at the dinner table to this unique event? well, it is by invitation only, or if you are lucky enough to be selected from a waiting list of 60,000 people. hello there. as we head towards the bank holiday weekend, there is a much quieter weather on the way, which isjust as much quieter weather on the way, which is just as well after all the heavy rain and flooding that we have in northern ireland and here in north yorkshire, as well. rain, on the last of the muggy air that swept

across the uk. behind it, fresher conditions follow and we saw the cloud braking and some sunshine. and over the next few days there will be some more sunshine. there will be a few showers around, more particular towards the north—west of the uk. now, the wet weather came on that weather front there. that has long gone out into the north sea. still dawdling perhaps towards the northern isles for a while. towards the north—west, this is where we will see most of the showers. higher pressures towards the south. not a big high—pressure but high pressure. this has drier weather. a sunny start across the midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england and some sunshine further west, as well, across the south—east of england and wales. just the chance ofa england and wales. just the chance of a little bit more cloud, maybe a few late showers. the odd shower coming into the north—west of england as well. much of north—east england as well. much of north—east england and indeed eastern scotland study dry and sunny. still some ran up study dry and sunny. still some ran up towards shetland, and a few showers arriving towards the highlands. most of northern ireland starting the day dry, but i think we will see some more showers or even longer spells of rain pushing in closer to that area of lower pressure in the north—west, and turning weather again in western

fringes of scotland. a few sharp showers in the north—east of scotland, and possibly also the north—east of england. most of england and wales in the afternoon, though, will be fine and dry with some sunshine. doesn't in a full light when the for the most part in temperatures at the normal for this time of year. it will turn chilly, though, in the evening, especially across much of england and wales, where we will have clearer skies. in the north—west a bit more of a breeze, perhaps, and still a chance of more cloud and some rain. temperatures will be a little bit lower than they have been recently. into friday, lots of sunshine, for the midlands, east anglia and lincolnshire. bubbling up the north a few showers for scotland, some of these could be rather heavy and some longer spells of rain arriving in the northern ireland as well. temperatures are lower, but warming up temperatures are lower, but warming up towards south—east, with more sunshine. properly getting into them midtwenties. towards the north and west, though, we have that area of low pressure as west, though, we have that area of low pressure as we west, though, we have that area of low pressure as we head towards the weekend threatening to bring the more showery rain here. this area of low pressure in this gate could bring the odd shower the southern and eastern england, particularly on

saturday night, but on the whole it looks like it will be dry for much of england and wales. some sunshine and feeling pleasantly warm in the sunshine, with light winds as well. further north, some showers. most of the showers for scotland and across northern ireland. i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story: there are more questions about us naval operations in the pacific after the commander of the seventh fleet was sacked. concerns have been mounting that the us navy could be overstretched in the region. in the latest mishap, ten sailors are presumed dead after a destroyer collided with an oil tanker near singapore on monday. there have been new revelations from the defeated us presidential candidate hillary clinton who describes donald trump as a creep. in her new book she says she was disgusted by his behaviour during last year's election. and this story is trending on bbc.com. the mediterranean island of sardinia has hit back at holidaymakers who have been pinching sand from its beaches. under a new law four tourists have been given fines of 1,000 euros for trying to take the sand.

that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk.