this is the news day on the bbc. our top stories. the search for survivors intensifies in mexico city after an earthquake kills over 200 people. rescuers are focusing on the ruins of this primary school where children and adults are missing. translation: i am desperate. children and adults are missing. translation: iam desperate. i wa nted translation: iam desperate. i wanted to get the children out. i wa nt to wanted to get the children out. i want to see something. the united nations human rights chief say sanctions should be considered against me and mum over its treatment of muslim. harry kane maria —— hurricane maria knocked out power to 3.5 million people. we talk to the un goodwill ambassador. we attach ourselves to organisations like this to make sure that you carry my voice, which will be the

voice of all these kids. live from oui’ voice of all these kids. live from our studio voice of all these kids. live from ourstudio in voice of all these kids. live from our studio in singapore and london. this is bbc world news. thanks forjoining us, it is seven in the morning here in singapore, midnight in london, and six in the evening in mexico where teams of rescue workers are frantically searching for survivors after a powerful earthquake has claimed at least 200 lives. dozens of buildings have collapsed, including a primary school where 21 children are known to have died. many others are still missing. life to mexico city, who begins our coverage. desperate searches for survivors under the rubble continuing. exactly. some 40

buildings collapsed here in mexico city in the wake of that earthquake which struck the country. the rescue and relief operations in those buildings is continuing as people search for signs of life. i will show you the building behind me here it was a 6—storey office and residential building, as you can see it is now a big heap of concrete and twisted metal. to rouse the day we spent the day here, we have seen rescue teams enter that building and try on climb on top, we have heard that whistle, trying to call out in case there are still people trapped inside. what we heard is that earlier, they had already rescue to some 25 or 24 people... . we would

like to apologise, we lost our connection in mexico. we now have a report. it is today the full scale of the destruction in mexico city has been revealed. more buildings weakened by the frightening force of the earthquake collapsed overnight. this is just the earthquake collapsed overnight. this isjust one the earthquake collapsed overnight. this is just one of the terrifying drama is playing out here. children trapped under rubble, confused and scared. at first one gets pulled out, and then the other. they were among the young pupils trapped when the primary school collapsed. it happened at lunchtime, moments after the earthquake struck. at least 20 children are known to have been killed here, many more are missing. this school has become the grim symbol of mexico's lost. translation: i am desperate.

symbol of mexico's lost. translation: iam desperate. i wa nted translation: iam desperate. i wanted to get the children out, i wa nt to wanted to get the children out, i want to see something. this is my building. this is the moment the earthquake hit yesterday. those who escaped felt lucky to be alive. we got to the bottom, and everything came down. cctv footage from a shopping centre showed the roof sta rts shopping centre showed the roof starts to collapse. this woman getting out of the wayjust in time. 0n getting out of the wayjust in time. on their mobile phones, people ca ptu red cou ntless on their mobile phones, people captured countless shocking videos of buildings collapsing. many who survived wondered around in shock. it is extraordinary that even though much of mexico city appears to be ok, you can suddenly turn a corner and find something like this, a building that used to be apartments

oi’ building that used to be apartments oran building that used to be apartments or an office block, but where it is 110w or an office block, but where it is now reduced to rocks and dust, and where people lost their lives, but also, all over the town, lines of volunteers, people trying to help those who may still be alive. as we spoke, the rescue workers began to raise their hands to ask for it a few minutes of silence to hear any cries of help. no joy this time. people all over the city and beyond in the rural areas affected were joining to focus their energies on saving any life they can. translation: we are organising with the volunteers we have, doctors, nurses, and we are working with our own materials and supplies from the people. we need antibiotics, healing patches, wooden boards, ropes, blankets, food, medical help,...

some now sleep on the streets, are free to be inside, traumatised by the violence of the earthquake. there may be a spirit of togetherness now, but there is an acute sense of loss and a fear. we do have an update on the rescue effo rts do have an update on the rescue efforts that are ongoing at the school mentioned in that report. a senior official has told the bbc that rescuers believe that a least three people are still alive and trapped in that collapse. rescuers believe that a 13 year girl is sheltering underneath the table in the rubble. they did not give us any information about her condition, but they stay she is still alive. i was talking about the operation that i have been watching throughout the

day here, and i was speaking about his building behind me, they are bringing inward, trying to reinforce some of the structures here because they are also —— there are also a number of buildings here that could colla pse number of buildings here that could collapse —— bringing in ward. the rescue operations are still ongoing, but as time moves on, the window of which they can find people live and well is diminishing. i have spoken to many relatives of people who are waiting here for people to find out whether their loved ones will be rescued from this building, and for them of course it is an incredibly harrowing wait. thank you very much for that report. a major operation is under way, we showed you a little earlier, and we can show you again, that rescue operation is under way in mexico city, where as we just heard, they believe that there are people still alive that are buried

beneath the rubble that. as you can see, many people are there, and that rescue operation has been under way for a number of hours is set to continue as we now know that the death toll has reached over 200 people. our other top story this hour, there were tense scenes at the united nations where the president of iran gave a rebuff to donald trump. the us president said iran was a rogue state and a corrupt dictatorship. iran responded calling that speech ignorance, absurd and hateful. the nuclear programme should stand. translation: it will bea should stand. translation: it will be a great pity if this agreement we re be a great pity if this agreement were to be destroyed by rogue newcomers to the world of politics. the world will have lost a great opportunity. what such unfortunate behaviour will never stop iran's

advancement. also making the news this hour, staying in the year when, shinzo abe said the time for dialogue in north korea was over, and rallied behind the us, warning that all options were on the table for dealing with pyongyang. there is not much time left to take action following the two recent missile launchers by north korea over japanese territory. the government of south korea will decide in the coming hours to offer aids to north korean. spanish prime minister has called on catalan separatist to stop what he called the escalation of radicalism and disobedience. this as thousands joined a day of protest against government attempt to stop a referendum on independence. spanish police seized nearly 10 million ballot papers in barcelona. here is

one very happy little schoolboy, his name is... he has won a legal battle to where he is certain to school. the school band head covering some of their required by christian faith. the boy's father persuaded tribunal that that was discrimination, pointing out that in australia turbans are allowed in the police force and the army, so why not at school? me and mark continues to bea not at school? me and mark continues to be a strong focus —— myanmar as international concern grows over the plight of the rohingya was once. myanmar blames rohingya militants for instigating the conflict that has led to thousands of civilians flowing into bangladesh. we went to see how much or little eight

refugees are getting a bangladesh. we have had torrential rain for several days and several days before. this is termed the cat into a sea of glutinous sticky mud, sometimes almost up to your knees, and that marred extends notjust to the paths, but goes right out into the paths, but goes right out into the flimsy shelters that people have. this is one of the better established camps, up on the hillsides where people are hacking out the bits of land for themselves, or in the forest where we have seen people setting up camp with just a plastic shelter, the conditions are worst. there are literally no facilities. we have seen impromptu aid efforts for these people, charities coming in from a car, —— dhakar, and the aid efforts are absolutely chaotic. we are not sure if the people who need it are

getting at, but we saw it bundle of clothing and a packet of bread, and people do not need more clothing. people lined up in squabbles to get the stuff as it was handed out, there is nothing being organised, there is nothing being organised, there is nothing organised relief effort. that is striking. there appeared to be political reasons why the united nations is being kept at arm ‘s length, and not being allowed to scale up to the massive kind of operation you expect. it has not happened yet, there are still negotiations going on, we have seen individual vehicles and delegations, but not that visible, organised effort that you expect to see in 80 disaster like this. the longer the conditions go on, the greater the conditions go on, the greater the risk for the people, the general health and well—being. newsday on

the bbc, live on singapore. nukejo new zealand prepares to go to the polls in a few days time, and the two front—runners are neck and neck. also ahead, how people in mexico city are using social media to search for missing friends and relatives, and also support those affected. ben johnson, the fastest man on earth, is flying home to canada in disgrace. all the athletes should be clean going into the games. i'm just happy that justice is served. it is a simple fact that this morning, these people were in their homes. tonight, those homes have been burnt down by serbian soldiers and police. all the taliban positions along here have been strengthened, presumably in case the americans invade. it's no use having a secret service which cannot preserve its own secrets against the world.

and so the british government has no option but to continue this action, and even after any adverse judgement in australia. concorde had crossed the atlantic faster than any plane ever before, breaking the record by six minutes. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. thanks for staying with us. i'm in london. our top stories: a powerful earthquake has killed more than 220 people in mexico. at collapsed buildings in the capital, they are still searching for survivors, including at a primary school. hurricane maria has torn a path of destruction across puerto rico. flooding and severe winds have knocked out power

to the entire island. jake lamotta, the american boxer, has died at the age of 95. he was played by robert de niro in the martin scorsese film, raging bull. that story is popular on bbc.com. let's ta ke let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the south china morning post leads on the devastating earthquake in mexico. 0n the front page, it also has a story about china banning new north korean students from attending universities there, with extra surveillance for those already studying. the japan times asks whether president trump's fiery rhetoric against north korea at the un is a win for japanese prime minister shinzo abe, who has called for a tough response to pyongyang's nuclear tests. or, the paper asks, will the victory come a too high a price, and reinforce north korea's belief that nuclear weapons remain the sole

means of securing the regime's safety. and the new york times reviews an exhibition by chinese artists set to begin at the guggenheim in new york, where artists question authority and, in some works, the concept of nationality. and those are the top stories in leading publications around the world. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? #mexicounido has been trending both on twitter and the bbc news site. the hashtag "mexico united" is being used to organise volunteers. posts include instructions for people who want to help, including offering a place to stay. others have used the hashtag to post the faces of loved ones who may be missing. the whole of puerto rico, where 3.5 million people live, is without power. that's damage caused by hurricane maria, the second major storm to hit the caribbean in two weeks. it hit the island with winds of over 160 miles an hour. the us virgin island of st croix is also being hit. communications with the island of dominica, which was hit yesterday, remain largely cut off, but aerial photographs show flattened buildings and fallen trees. 0ur correspondent, will grant, is in puerto rico, and sent this report. there is still no end in sight

to this uncommonly powerful hurricane season in the atlantic. and the longer it goes on, the more records it seems to break. hurricane maria, now the strongest storm to make landfall in puerto rico in almost a century. when it hit, it certainly felt like it. maria struck the island with winds of up to 165 miles per hour and dumped as much as 25 inches of rainfall in some areas along its path. that was on top of everything hurricane irma did here barely a week ago. the tiny island of dominica was directly in the path of the storm and apparently suffered some of the worst of the damage. the country's prime minister described the situation as it was unfolding, calling the damage "mind—boggling." maria is slow—moving, creeping its way over puerto rico, meaning the window for potential damage and destruction lasted for many hours. the islands authorities had

tried to prepare as best they could with thousands housed in evacuation shelters, others took refuge with friends and family. this is absolutely the worst hurricane experience i've had. we've lived in puerto rico for about the last 30 years, so we have experienced some. it was very loud, we heard a lot of glass breaking. we heard the waves or water hitting against the window. puerto ricans were relieved to have avoided the worst of hurricane irma, but it looks like they've not been so lucky this time around with hurricane maria. many here fear the same kind of devastation seen elsewhere in the caribbean, all of this happening on an island that is, lest we forget, currently essentially bankrupt. manpower from the us emergency agency, fema, is on hand and millions in federal funds will be needed,

particularly in the days to come. but most people in puerto rico can't get think about the clean up until they're sure it's safe to step out from their homes and shelters. 0nce maria eventually moves on, they can begin to assess the extent of the damage left in her wake. for many communities, though, maria has already finished off what are left behind. will grant, bbc news, puerto rico. ten days to go to the new zealand elections and it looks like it's all to play for. voters are choosing between bill english‘s ruling national party or the opposition labour leaderjacinda ardern. she's riding a wave of popularity that's been dubbed "jacinda—mania" since becoming leader just six weeks ago. and clips of her answering tough questions on her personal life and being a woman in politics have been doing the rounds on social medias, like this. for a number of years i have been asked the question and i made a personal decision a long time ago to

a nswer personal decision a long time ago to answer those questions. that is for answer those questions. that is for a different reason. people often would tell me about their own personal dilemmas with making choices between having tojuggle demanding jobs, and i don'tjust mean high—profile jobs, multiple jobs, part—time work, justjuggling care, constantly having to think about these issues. i thought perhaps by talking about my own struggle with those questions, that might be helpful. we have with us a columnist with the new zealand herald and she knows jacinda ardern. welcome to the programme. we have a lot of wind in the newsroom and they said new zealand politics is not that interesting. —— kiwis. zealand politics is not that interesting. -- kiwis. it is interesting. -- kiwis. it is interesting to see how the campaign has unfolded. there have been so many twists and turns. we said there

we re many twists and turns. we said there were ten days to go in the introduction, we got that wrong. it is actually two. why has jacinda ardern gotten so much support in such a short space of time, just six weeks? there are a few things i played. 0ne weeks? there are a few things i played. one is thatjacinda weeks? there are a few things i played. one is that jacinda ardern asa played. one is that jacinda ardern as a person is very likeable and is as a person is very likeable and is a talented communicator. she gets through to people both in person and through to people both in person and through the media. i think also potentially there is an appetite for change. we are at the end of three terms of this particular government, and we see in new zealand politics that we do tend to swing at the end ofa that we do tend to swing at the end of a third term government. that is driving it. what will be at the top of the voting agenda? a number of issues have kicked off over the last few weeks. there are things like

health, some hospitals are posting, you know, messages on doors saying the emergency department is so full, go elsewhere. that is a big one. housing is key. we are in a housing crisis. we have had the highest number of homeless people in the oecd number of homeless people in the 0ecd recently. those things are high on the agenda for people from new zealand. with that in mind, if we had bill english‘s party here, they would say it is fine, it is not all to play for, we have it locked up. but jacinda ardern is saying she is getting a lot of votes from younger people. i will put you on the spot, how will it go? polls are so volatile. it will be hard to tell the people at what is astounding is where the labour party has come from. all bets are off, it can do to

anyone. thank you forjoining us. we will of course be covering the new zealand elections in two days' time here on bbc news. the un general assembly isn'tjust a meeting for world leaders, celebrities also make an appearence including priyanka chopra. the indian actress, singer, and film producer is also the goodwill ambassador for the united nation's childrens fund. she's been speaking to our north america correspondent, laura trevelyan. i started working with unicef 12 yea rs i started working with unicef 12 years ago. i had a great relationship with them. i have been an advocate and voice too many girls and boys around the world. being from a developing country like india, ifi from a developing country like india, if i did not have the advantages my parents gave me, to be advantages my parents gave me, to be a woman of the world, i would be like many of those voiceless girls, get married at 13, have children at 16, and don't get to go to school because they are young mothers, not children. you have been around the

world on behalf of the un's children's fund. is there a story that fans out to you about a girl who did not get her childhood because she was married so young?” was in jordan because she was married so young?” was injordan recently meeting syrian refugees. many of the girls get married at 13—14. they were having conversations about how much they want to go back to school, but society stigmatises them and says you should be ashamed of yourself, you should be ashamed of yourself, you are of two children, you want to go back to school, but they are 15— 16. what changed me was that she said my husband and i will never let that happen to our daughter be it is absolutely generational, because her mother got married young as well. and before we go, a leopard has been discovered in a wildlife reserve in northern nigeria where the big cats were thought to be extinct. and in mexico city, a huge rescue operation is under way after an earthquake struck the centre of the

capital. at least 200 have died. this is a primary school, it is believed adults and children are stuck in the rubble. we will keep you updated on that. stay with us on bbc world news. the same weather system that produced a very wet wednesday in northern ireland is gradually pushing further east across the uk. at least to begin today, there will be heavy rain in western areas. we are looking at things at eight o'clock in the morning. you can see it in the west of wales into south—west scotland. all points east of that should be fine and dry. a mild morning compared to wednesday. but the overnight rain is pushing

away from northern ireland. sunny days not far away. it is a bit like the further north you are. some of us the further north you are. some of us in eastern scotland will start the day dry. it is very slowly going east. ahead of this weather system, in some sunshine, quite warm. the sun will come out. northern ireland, scattered heavy showers. some pushing in the western parts of scotla nd pushing in the western parts of scotland through the day, especially into the western isles. that weather system is creeping into western parts of eastern england stay in dry on thursday. thursday night, a chilly night into friday morning. low single figures in some spots, a few patches of mist and fog. northern ireland, another system of weather coming in with rain. a gale

in the irs is. that is edging into other western and northern parts of the uk. again, leaving much of central and eastern england dry. pulling away from northern ireland, with sunny spells coming back. the weekend starts with a frightening area of low pressure, but most of the energy is pushing away to the north. a week a weather front heading our way as the weekend slowly goes on. a gale in places. a mild breeze blowing elsewhere across the uk. sunny spells developing from the uk. sunny spells developing from the south. the odd spot of rain shifting north through the day. a weather front weakening in the west of the uk. ahead of that, higher temperatures. some spots are in the low 20s perhaps. hurricane maria is out of mexico and is moving close to the dominican republic. it could be

a major hurricane cloe to the cacos islands by friday. 0ur our top stories on bbc world news. volunteers have dug through the rubble with their hands. 230 people are now known to have killed people across the country. including 21 children at a school. puerto rico, hurricane in the rear has cut power to the entire population of three and a half million people. it is the second maximum strength storm to hit the caribbean in two weeks. history is -- the caribbean in two weeks. history is —— on this story is trending on bbc .com. boxing championjack has died at 95. robert de niro won an 0scar died at 95. robert de niro won an oscar for playing the boxer in raging ball. more to come here on bbc world news. half—past midnight, more from me