efiggflz‘uzr euer e‘fir scotland, england and wales. another mild night with temperatures about 14 mild night with temperatures about 1a degrees. a wet start to friday morning. and that's your weather. this is newsday on the bbc. i am rico hizon in singapore. our top stories: the united nations get the go—ahead to enter myanmar‘s troubled rakhine state. we will hear from one militant about his struggle against the army. translation: the army surrounded us. the people had no weapons. the army said we would die anyway, so we should die for the cause and be martyred. a nervous wait as tens of thousands of people flee as warning ofan thousands of people flee as warning of an eruption of a volcano in bali could be imminent. benign babita sharma in london. shock waves in the republican party after a hardline christian when they seek in the

senate. and we will tell you why this dog has been drawn into the debate over same—sex marriage in australia. glad you could join us. it is seven in the morning in singapore, midnight in london, and 5:30am in myanmar, where, on thursday, you and agencies will enter rakhine state for the first time since the mass exodus of rohingya muslim's began. the burmese army has been accused of ethnic cleansing

and nearly half a million rohingyas have fled to bangladesh to escape a brutal crackdown, which the army say began after attacks by rohingya militants. the bbc‘sjonathan head has tracked down a man who claims to be one of those rohingya fighters. this is his special report. this is where desperate ring of muslims started to fight back. this town in rakhine state is now a smoking ruin, with its muslim population gone. for years, rohingyas have enjoyed discrimination, abuses, and confinement to squalid camps, but unlike other minorities in myanmar, they did not rebel against the government. that has now changed. a burmese police others assured me where hundreds of men, carrying only machetes and petrol—bombs, stormed towards the police station. they we re towards the police station. they were easily driven off, he said, and many were killed. shortly afterwards, the self—styled leader of the group, calling itself the

rakhine state rohingya salvation army, positive idiot. rohingyas, he said, had now no choice but to take a buzz. overend anger that, iwent to see one of the thousands who had entered his call. we met discreetly ina quiet entered his call. we met discreetly in a quiet corner. he described how his commander, had come four years ago, and took me to the hills were training, forjihad, he said. on the 23rd of august, the attacks began, and the army immediately struck back. they heard shooting, he said, and sought has been satellite. what followed can only be described as suicidal charges by the rohingyas. ted mack the army surrendered our villages. the people had no weapons. the army said we were going to die for the cause, so should be martyred. we pick up sticks and

started fighting. and then the army was shooting at us. what we found as we have spoken to refugees in bangladesh is pretty wide supervene. especially young younger man, because this is the first group that has started to fight back against the burmese military. there are others here who are angry with the militants for bringing all of this trouble onto them will stop and don't forget, they are victims as well. in this community on the coast, there is a mix of old and recently arrived refugees. after friday prayers, we talk to some of them about asa. had it done any good? i think the act are our benefit, so this young man. but they we re benefit, so this young man. but they were not strong enough to buy the myanmar government. they complained of the many abuses by the burmese military. at least the militants tried to stand a brass, they said. but then this woman accused asa of

killing and beating of muslims. and how can a fight, there aren't enough guns and ammunition, she asks. bangladesh has accepted these refugees, that its security forces are uneasy. in this sea of human need, the radicalised movement has taken root, need, the radicalised movement has ta ken root, ready need, the radicalised movement has taken root, ready to risk all in its article struggle against the burmese military. and the international jihadist groups, there is here, perhaps, a new recruiting ground. jonathon head, bbc news, southern bangladesh. our other top story — us president donald trump has defended his response to the disaster in puerto rico, which has been ravaged by hurricane irma and hurricane maria. much of the island has lost power, while residents say they are running low on medicines and food. but puerto rico's governor says help is now coming. we are very pleased with the communication, with the president, with the administration, and with

fema. we have been working as one team. this has been quite a challenge. it is a disaster of unprecedented nature. we need to consider that it has been to category four or five hurricanes consider that it has been to category four orfive hurricanes in the past in the last two years. we are an island, and resources are difficult to come by. also this hour, results from the independence referendum in iraqi kurdistan show a ninety—two percent vote in favour. the iraqi government is preparing to block all flights to the region in protest. the former thai prime minister, yingluck shinawatra, has been sentenced to five years in prison for her involvement in a rice subsidy scheme introduced by her government. ms yingluck was not in court to hear the verdict — she fled thailand last month before the ruling was to be delivered. translation: i still don't know where to in for her. since the 25th,

i have no contact with her, and i don't know where to reach, and she not been in touch. the russian president, vladimir putin, says his country has destroyed all of its chemical weapons. the global watchdog which aims to eliminate such arms, the opcw, said it had verified the destruction, describing it as a major milestone. president putin criticised the united states, accusing it of failing to meet its own obligations. for the second time in weeks, europe's biggest airline, rya nair, has announced the cancellation of a large number of flights. ryanair has denied reports that it's suffering from a shortage of pilots. a further 18,000 flights have been cancelled between november and march affecting about 400,000 passengers. a case of deja vu? well, for a second day, there's been another bust up in the ugandan parliament. yet again, chairs were thrown and punches between mps in the main chamber. it's all to do with a move by government to lift the age limit of 75 on presidential candidates. if passed, it would clear the way for the current president,

yoweri museveni, to stand again. fears are growing on the island of bali, where thousands of people living near the slopes of mount agung have been evacuated. experts say the volcano is on the brink of eruption for the first time in 50 years. hundreds of tremors have been recorded this week, in an increase of volcanic activity. an exclusion zone of twelve kilometres around the mountain has been set up, and the government has told residents to leave immediately. azhar pangesti is a bali drone operator who organised a flight to get as close as possible to the volcano — he told me more about the motivation behind the mission. hello. good morning. well, we are

join enthusiasts in a group. we are group for flying drones join enthusiasts in a group. we are group forflying drones in join enthusiasts in a group. we are group for flying drones in their join enthusiasts in a group. we are group forflying drones in their in bali. we would like to contribute to the community, to give another perspective on the view. another thing that i noticed is a bit of fear mongering in the social media about the pictures of the already erupting volcano, which is apparently, it was not erupting... right now, as we speak, we are seeing some of the amazing pictures that you and your group talk of mount agung. beautiful pictures, however, an imminent russian is likely to take place very soon. so you did this mission, basically, to help, but was it difficulties in the drones? —— imminent eruption. did

you encounter any problems? we are using hot big red equipment, basically. nothing really military spec or something. —— we are using hobby equipment. there are not many members of our group that can fly that far, actually. even the flight of the last few days, it was our friend from the other city, who came. i'm sure there is some anxiety on your part, because one of your drones almost lost power, and each of these drones costs about 5000 us dollars. share with us, you are drawing came to within one and a half kilometres of the centre of the crater, at 2500 metre altitude. what did you feel when you saw the

pictures? well, when we saw the picture, we got a crystal clear picture, we got a crystal clear picture, by the way, for most of the flight, | picture, by the way, for most of the flight, i think. picture, by the way, for most of the flight, ithink. we picture, by the way, for most of the flight, i think. we don't have any issue with the pictures, so we were like, ok... we were too busy trying to climb up to the crater before, at some point, the pilot, he decided to, like, idon‘t some point, the pilot, he decided to, like, i don't think we have enough battery to climb up to the crater, and i was like, 0k, just fly as far as you feel good, and then just come home. like no stress. i'm sure you would like to do it all over again, one of these days. it is a much forjoining us, and thank you for the photos. in the last few minutes, president trump has outlined plans for what he says would be the biggest tax cut

in american history. speaking in the state of indiana, mr trump claimed the move would boost growth but critics say inequality will rise. this is what the president had to say. but our country, and our economy, cannot take off like it should, u nless we cannot take off like it should, unless we dramatically reform america's outdated, complex, and extremely burden —— burdensome tax code. we need to compete with other countries. mr trump's initiative on tax comes after his chosen republican candidate for the senate in alabama, lost to a man even more populist than the president. so is donald trump's grip on power weakening? here's laura trevelyan from washington. meet the conservative firebrand that has given the republic and the seller should a mighty headache. roy morte celebrates his victory in a run—off election for the alabama said a seat where he was outspent by the republican powers that be.

said a seat where he was outspent by the republican powers that belj believe the republican powers that be.” believe in the second amendment. he defeated with a strange, who had the backing of the president. this by the snub, moore says he is in the dollar dropped out. together, we can make america great. we can support the president. and the blessing of donald trump didn't help that is strange. —— luther strange. while the result is a blow to the president, that the tweeter in chief congratulated the victor. later, he made it his final push for luther strange increase that have since been deleted. steve bannon backed roy moore all along, and how the victory as shifting power. you will see in state after state after state people that follow the model of roy moore, and do not need money from the elites and the fat cats in new

york city, silicon valley, a new city lives as roy moore road a victory promising to bring america closer to the constitution. now the republican leadership base even more of these insurgent candidates. the divide within the gop provides the democrats with an opportunity come the 2018 midterm elections. and a report from laura trevelyan. you're watching newsday on the bbc, live from singapore in london. still to come in the programme, we hear from a woman in australia who says her dog was threatened — for wearing a marriage equality scarf. also had other programme, nasa begins work at a new mission, is any approved deep into the sun's atmosphere. 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.

i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories. un agencies will be allowed to visit myanmar‘s rakhine state on thursday for the first time since the start of the exodus of rohingya muslims. another day of waiting for tens of thousands of people evacuated from near bali's mount agung volcano, which threatens to erupt at any moment. in the uk, pet owners have complained to the supermarket sainsbury‘s after their dogs became ill from eating promotional chocolate sent through the post. the dogs ate the chocolate when it arrived through the letter box. vets say dogs only need to eat a very small amount of chocolate to become seriously ill. more at bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the new york times detects a new tone of caution

in north korea's president towards the us. kim jong un's bluster, the paper says, may mask a desire to avoid war. it also notes that pyongyang did and say nothing after american bombers and fighterjets prowled along north korea's coast at the weekend. america's better links with china are the focus of the south china morning post. the paper reports on the us commerce secretary wilbur ross' visit to hong kong ahead of president trump's visit to beijing in november. but it says the two countries must deal with the many barriers to trade between them. the japan times assesses the economic implications of saudi arabia's decision to allow women to drive. it says it's good news for toyota and hyundai, who dominate the saudi market, but it's bad news for uber — and the estimated 800,000

chaffeurs who currently ferry saudi women around. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? and there's more on that news of women driving in saudi arabia. not surprisingly it's prompted a lot of discussion online. early criticism focused on the dangers of women drivers. the hashtag — "the people refuse women driving" was widely shared after the announcement. but supporters quickly co—opted the hashtags to poke fun at those who had initiated them. 16 million australians are currently being asked to vote in a same—sex marriage postal survey. the issue of legalising gay marriage is so polarising that parliament has approved new anti—vilification laws to keep the debate respectful. both no and yes campaigners have been accused of violence over the past few weeks. one lady from melbourne says the marriage debate is getting so heated, even her dog has been drawn into it! claire sutherland told me

about an incident with her dog, mack. he has been wearing a marriage equality band done for about the last ten days. most of the reaction has just been that he is getting patted more when we go for walks. two days ago, he was with a dog sitter because my husband and i were out late. she took him for a walk, and a man in a dog park tried to teach him. when she spoke to him, he responded with a bunch of homophobic, foulmouthed abuse at her, referencing the marriage equality survey that we are all going throughout the moment. hejust cold her some awful slurs. she was really ta ke n cold her some awful slurs. she was really ta ken aback. cold her some awful slurs. she was really taken aback. i picked mack up soon after it had happened, she was very shaken and couldn't believe what happened —— called. very shaken and couldn't believe what happened -- called. can you believe it? no. i mean, i have been

quite shocked by the way people have been behaving in this debate, so i suppose it is not surprising, in a sense. i don't think this grey, i don't think it represents most of the people who might be voting no in this survey, in the same way that i don't think the one man who attempted to head—butt our former prime minister in hobart last week represents anywhere near the average yes voter either. but i think what has happened with this survey is that it has allowed people who hold extreme views to feel emboldened to express them in public, whereas previously it might have been something that they might have just expressed to their friends. i am surprised and not surprised at the same time. we've been following this debate, the same—sex marriage debate in australia for some time. from its

inception through to the postal ballot. along the way, there has definitely been two sides and a very heated discussion with the people we have interviewed on this programme. given what you've just said, where do you think this is going to go moving forward? do you think there will be any resolution?” moving forward? do you think there will be any resolution? i hope so. if you had asked me two months ago what i thought the result would be, i would have thought it would be an overwhelming yes. but now i wouldn't be surprised if it is really close, or even if it was a known. in the same way that the trump election, and brexit took everyone by surprise. i feel like it and brexit took everyone by surprise. ifeel like it is really difficult to tell. people are doing surveys , difficult to tell. people are doing surveys, there is a suggestion that people don't want to tell surveys

that they are voting no. my position as an editor of a website, i might have a bit of a skewed view of what people are thinking, because online comments do tend to be the extremes. i think people that are more sense left of centre right may not feel like arguing with other people on the internet about this stuff. i really couldn't tell you what the result is going to be. nasa has been working on this spacecraft for almost 60 years and nextjuly it will be finally launched. it's called the parker solar probe and it's a mission that will almost touch the sun, travelling deep into its atmosphere. here's more. we are going into the corona which

has baffled scientists for decades and decades, we are finally going to have a mission that will unlock those mysteries for us. on launch day, i will be a mess and have very mixed emotions, i have grown to love the spacecraft because i have seen her so much. she has been part of everybody‘s lives. it is kind of like sending your kid off to college. but i know she is going to write and send lots of data, it is going to be extremely exciting and i am pretty sure i'm going to cry. a quick look at something coming up on bbc world news. what if you could improve the lives of women with one great idea? sometimes the smallest ideas can make the biggest difference. this october, 100 women will design, develop and create ways

to tackle the glass ceiling. they will also tackle sexual harassment, sexism in sport and other issues. send us your ideas online and join us send us your ideas online and join us in the 100 women challenge. you have been watching newsday. stay with us, we'll be looking more closely at that new tax plan from president trump. he calls it the biggest in history, but can it help the economy? and before we go, we'll leave you with this scene in paris and the eiffel tower which is being lit up in bright pink to mark breast cancer awareness month. look out for those pink ribbons all the way through october. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. i dare. it's's been over a week now

since hurricane maria devastated the caribbean, leaving more than a0 people dead and many still remain missing —— hi there. since then, it has been working party is quest of the united states. a category one storm now, it could come closer to home over the next few days. it is going to work northwards, getting tangled up with low pressure. not a hurricane, but the remains of maria could be heading our way through sunday night and into the early hours of monday, potentially bringing wet and windy weather to the northwest uk. before we get there, this is how we start the day on thursday. a lot of cloud, outbreaks of rain left over from a night—time. a mild start to the day. rain band still with us across north—eastern scotland with a fairly brisk wind. a lot of low cloud and misty conditions around some of the hills. northern ireland starting today on a cloudy node. some sunny spells early in the morning, across

central and eastern england, some cloud. through the day, outbreaks of drizzle which could be extensive. misty over the hills. cloud will be slow to break across east england, eastern scotland, probably only breaking up in the afternoon. but then most of us would see some sunshine coming through. rain setting in through the northern isles, picking up. a cool day, but otherwise some decent temperatures. 20 degrees in london, on the warmer side of average. the next atlantic system making its presence felt on thursday, working into northern ireland before spreading to scotland, western england and wales. tied in with this area of low pressure spinning in of the atlantic. some fairly strong winds coming into the far north—western coast. on friday, rain to start the day. pushing east across scotland, england and wales. heavy at times, behind that, some sunshine but also

some blustery showers in northern ireland. with the showers, looking at temperatures coming down. feeling at temperatures coming down. feeling a bit cooler, but still relatively mild across eastern england. rain clearing. saturday, a decent start to the weekend. many dry areas with some sunny spells. some showers around, maybe some lengthy showers around, maybe some lengthy showers around wales. on sunday and into monday, the remains of maria could be coming our way and bringing some heavy rain to the northern parts of the uk. and that's your weather. i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story: the un is given permission to enter myanmar‘s rakhine state for the first time since the mass exodus of rohingya muslims began. the un has been demanding access since august, when myanmar‘s military launched operations against rohingya rebels,

causing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighbouring bangladesh. more than 75,000 people on the indonesian island of bali have now left their homes near the mount agung volcano as they prepare for it to erupt. vulcanologists have been recording hundreds of earth tremors each day. and this video is trending at bbc.com. fights have broken out in the ugandan parliament for a second day. mps threw chairs and microphone stands — angry about a move by government supporters to change the constitution. you are up to date. stay with us, there is more to come. i'll be back