welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories. china's red carpet treatment: president trump sees the sights — but will he get the support he needs over north korea? the british government loses its second cabinet minister in a week — priti patel quits over unofficial meetings in israel. the mother of a teenager accuses the actor kevin spacey of sexually assaulting her son last year. a public health emergency — thick grey smog choking the indian capital forces the closure of all delhi's schools. and the louvre comes to the middle east — the french president opens a new museum in abu dhabi. in the last hour china's president xijinping has welcomed

president trump and first lady melania to the great hall of the people in tiananmen square beijing. our correspondent, aleem maqbool is travelling with president trump — hejoins us from beijing. you are on the full 5—nation tour. these are the two most powerful men in the world. what do we expect to come out of this? you said it. they each see themselves, actually, as the most powerful man in the world of that is what we are getting a meeting of these two alpha male characters, who each see themselves in that position. it has been fascinating to watch donald trump's journey when it comes to china. he has spoken right through his election campaign and his time in office about china being the big

foreign currency —— policy issue to deal with. he feels america has been losing to china for many decades. now he is in this position, what will he do? he has never been clear about that. what he is not interested in is what former presidents have done, bringing american values and democracy here. that is out of the window now right across the world with donald trump. what he does want to do is redress the balance when it comes to trade. that will be one of the big talking point is. he will point to the fact that a lot of big deals have been made with billions of dollars to american business. it does not really redress some of the issues about market access and that is what people will be complaining about. businessmen back in the usa in the deals are fine. they do not really changed the game. the other thing is that north korea. earlier in this tour donald trump has spoken

directly to china asking them why they are doing business with the north korean regime. the question is what kind of love ritchie has. he has spoken about china ceasing all business with north korea. that is what he has called for. there is simply no reason china would feel it needs to do that. it is per referral that the chinese have been making a visual point, haven't they? donald trump and his wife get to dine inside the forbidden city and they getan inside the forbidden city and they get an actual red carpet which had been denied to president obama. get an actual red carpet which had been denied to president obamam is all, i am sure, working in terms of winning over donald trump. he loves to be sated with this kind of stuff. we saw that injapan and in south korea before that. there is a sense that perhaps with all of this it is china winning this battle of wits by knowing how to push the right buttons of donald trump and, maybe, meaning that he does not

really deal with a very serious things he said he would deal with when it came to china's role in the world. we will be carrying the joint address from the two of them within an hourorso. address from the two of them within an hour or so. thank you very much indeed. and to remind you that you can keep up today on president trump's journey through asia on the bbc‘s website. there's lots of analysis and guides. that's at bbc.com/ news. it's been another eventful day in british politics. the international development secretary, priti patel, has resigned following the disclosure of further unauthorised contact with israeli politicians. vicky young has more on the resignation, and what it means for the british government. her report contains flash photography. in the letter from priti patel it is clear that she acknowledges what she has done wrong, saying her actions were meant with the best of intentions but they've fell below the standards of transparency and openness that she advocated. she offers a fulsome apology to the prime minister and to the government

and offers her resignation. i guess, having had so long to think about it on the aeroplane, maybe she decided that was what she was going to do. what is interesting is the response from theresa may in which she talks about the uk and israel being close allies, but pointing out that work has to be done formally. there are ways of doing this. that is why you have a system in place and that is why you have the civil service and that's why meetings like this are documented so they are transparent and everyone knows who has access. interestingly she says that i accept your apology and i welcome your clarification about your trip to israel over the summer. now that further details have come to light it is right that you have decided to resign. clear from theresa may that if she had not resigned she would have been sacked. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the un security council has told the saudi—led military coalition in yemen that it must allow humanitarian aid deliveries to resume to ease a crisis.

the coalition closed all land, air and sea ports on monday, after a missile attack on riyadh by houthi rebels. it will take a long time before rohingya refugees are able to return. the un said that it would not be right to force them to return and it could cause violence. democrats in america have scored some big victories, in the first state wide elections since president trump won the presidency a year ago. in virginia, ralph northam defeated his republican rival in a governorship race. and phil murphy was victorious in new jersey. the results will boost democratic hopes of winning back the house of representatives next year. the trial of two women accused of murdering the half—brother of kimjong—un has heard that the car used to drive them to the scene of the killing, was bought by one of

north korea's embassy officials. the north korean leader's half—brother kim jong—nam died after being smeared with a nerve agent at kuala lumpur airport in february. the women have pleaded not guilty. the mother of a teenager has publicly accused the hollywood actor and theatre director kevin spacey of sexually assaulting her son last year. the us news presenter heather unruh told a press conference that mr spacey had plied her son with alcohol and assaulted him ina bar. it's another allegation added to a growing list against mr spacey. and the actors union equity in the uk has told the bbc that the problems of sexual harassment are endemic in the industry at all levels. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. injuly 2016, actor kevin spacey sexually assaulted my son. the tears of a mother in boston today, revealing what she claimed happened to her son. the victim, my son, was a starstruck straight 18—year—old young man, who had no idea that the famous

actor was an alleged sexual predator or that he was about to become his next victim. journalist heather unruh‘s tweet about kevin spacey last month triggered all the allegations against him. today, she went public and the police are now investigating. to kevin spacey, i want to say this — shame on you for what you did to my son. the bbc has interviewed more alleged victims. kris nixon didn't have to speak out but wanted to make clear kevin spacey‘s behaviour was part of a pattern. it's not just sleazy, it's predatorial, it's... he did what he did because he knew he'd get away with it. the one—time barman met kevin spacey in london in 2007, when he alleges the actor groped him. kevin spacey sat down on the sofa next to me, asked if that was my girlfriend,

then reached over, grabbed... he then describes a sexually explicit action and words. a couple of weeks after the party at his place, he was in the bar, reached forward, grabbed my waistband and said something to the effect of, "i can make it up to you," or, "let me make it up to you." so i went back upstairs, i was standing behind the bar thinking, "what the hell just happened again?" i was in work so i couldn't make a scene about it. and told him in no uncertain terms where he could go. the bbc also spoke to an american film—maker who didn't want to be fully identified. in the 1990s, he was a junior crew member on a film kevin spacey directed. he claims the actor sexually harassed him, something he mentioned to another man working on the film. he said, "you too, huh?" and i was like, "what do you mean, ‘you too'? what do you mean?" and he goes, "he was touching you and flirting with you?" i said, "yeah, it was awful!" and he said, "yeah, he did that to me." in the first week we were all out at a bar, and he grabbed my butt,

and i turned round, and i said to him, "kevin, if you ever do that again, i will kick your ass, so leave me alone." in the uk, the actors' union says sexual harassment in the industry is endemic. i think it was every place you could imagine in our industry. every woman i have spoken to, female actor i've spoken to, can tell you a story, absolutely. and many, many of the men, both straight and gay, can also tell you stories. can those at the old vic theatre, where kevin spacey worked for ii years, really have been in the dark? the theatre initially said it had no complaints against him, but it has now appointed external advisers to investigate. kevin spacey has not responded to any of the latest allegations. previously, he said he needed to examine his own behaviour. lucy manning, bbc news. across the spanish region of catalonia, thousands of protesters have blocked roads and train lines in protest at the imprisonment of the region's separatist leaders.

and spain's foreign minister has suggested catalonia could have a legal referendum on independence after last month's disputed one — but only if the necessary constitutional changes are approved by the rest of spain. 0ur europe correspondent gavin lee reports. the streets of catalonia tonight. after a day where separatist supporters have controlled the rhythm of the traffic, blocking every major route across the region. and the railways, too. in madrid, i met spain's foreign minister, who recently claimed it was fake news to suggest there was police violence against voters during last month's banned independence referendum. now he seems to have softened his position. i'm sorry if some of them got injured, but this was not... i don't think it was a disproportionate use of force.

i am not denying that there were some ugly images that we would not like to see repeated, but by all means, and with all due respect, this was no bloody sunday. you think it might be a better system to actually have a referendum to change the constitution for the spanish people? we have created a committee in the parliament to explore the possibility of amending the constitution. i think we are ready. we acknowledge that there is a political situation that deserves to be looked at. but, in any case, it is clear a decision will have be taken by all spaniards. this proposal from the spanish government appears to offer an olive branch to separatist supporters, but it means that 47 million people across spain will decide whether to legally make it possible or not to have the right to self—determination, and, if so, once again it will be down to the entire spanish population to decide if they want to see independence. i think catalonia have to decide the referendum, not spain. spain does not have anything to say.

a new constitution may be a good thing for catalonia. maybe. it was only days ago separatist ministers were declaring independence here in the catalan parliament. their seats are empty now. some are in prison, or on the run. there are more in court tomorrow. gavin lee, bbc news, barcelona. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: it's the stuff of science fiction — a boy's life saved by scientists who grew him new skin. berliners from both east and west sing and dance throughout the liberated territory. with nobody to stop them, it was not long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. it is keeping the candidate's name always in the public eye that counts. success or failure depends not only on public display but on the local campaign headquarters and the heavy routine work by women volunteers.

yasser arafat, who dominated the palestinian cause for so long, has died. the palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning for the leader who symbolised the hopes of his people for independent statehood. in the wake of the colombian volcano disaster, rescue teams are trying to reach thousands of survivors who clambered onto rooftops and trees. after 17 years of discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers who had long felt only grudgingly accept that had in the ranks of clergy suddenly felt welcomed. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: day two of his trip to china, and president trump has been welcomed into beijing's great hall of the people ahead of talks with president xi. another senior member of the british government has resigned — the second in a week.

we will quickly take you live to the great hall of the people, we expect to ta ke great hall of the people, we expect to take you there in an hour or so is the two leaders give a joint address. more to come on all of that. for a second day the indian capital, delhi, is enveloped in thick, grey smog. it has forced all schools in delhi to shut. pollution in some areas is 70 times the world health organization's safe level. air quality is worsening because of coal—fired power plants and farmers burning stubble. sarah corker reports. just imagine trying to drive to work through this. for days now, toxic smog has choked the indian capital, delhi. in some areas, air—pollution has

topped a maximum reading of 999. that is the equivalent of smoking 50 cigarettes a day. it has been declared a public health emergency. pollution is a problem for everyone, you know? everyone is breathing. maybe have sometimes problems with coughing, you know. all schools have shut, affecting 5 million students. and the demand for facemasks and air purifiers is so high, some shops have sold out. delhi is one of the most polluted cities on the planet, and conditions worsen every winter when farmers in nearby states burn left over crops. a report by the lancet medical journal found that pollution had claimed as many as 2.5 million lives in india in 2015. pollution affects everybody — like, urban air pollution

hits everybody. but the poor are less able to protect themselves. and they walk, bike or ride the bus to work. polluting industries are never in wealthy neighbourhoods. they're almost all always located in poor localities. in neighbouring pakistan, trains and flights were disrupted in lahore, and the number of patients in hospital with breathing problems has quadrupled. the authorities warn the situation is unlikely to improve in the next few days. the white house has announced new measures that will make it harder for americans to visit cuba and do business there. it wants to stop the cuban military, intelligence and security services benefiting from us tourists and trade. from havana, our cuba correspondent will grant. what a difference a year makes. in november 2016, the bilateral relationship between cuba and the united states was at its best point in decades. and now, with this latest announcement from the trump administration, things are almost back on a cold war footing.

a list has been published by the departments of state and treasury which essentially lays out 180 different state—owned and military—owned entities in cuba with which americans can no longer do business. they include 83 hotels on the island where american citizens may not stay, according to the us government. they range from big, five—star resorts to small, state—owned boutique hotels like this one in old havana. as well as that, a key part of the 0bama administration's policy, something called people—to—people exchanges, have been made much more complicated. now, americans must come here with organised tours that have jurisdiction in the us. no longer can they come here simply of their own accord,

in quite the numbers and in the ways they used to. essentially, though, this is about a new relationship of hostility rather than engagement. and, when we add it to what has been happening with the supposed health attacks on us diplomats in cuba, things are already on a much more frosty footing than they were a few months ago. a child suffering from a rare genetic condition which leaves skin as fragile as a butterfly‘s wings has been given new, genetically modified skin in a series of life—saving operations in germany. using experimental therapy, skin was taken from the boy, its dna repaired in a laboratory, and the new skin was then grafted back on, covering more than three quarters of his body. it is a medical first. james gallagher reports. when hassan was just a week old, his skin began to tear and blister. he hasjunctional epidermolysis bullosa. the separate layers of his skin should be held together like velcro. but hassan‘s dna is missing vital instructions, that leave his skin

as fragile as a butterfly‘s wing. there is no cure, and around four in ten patients do not reach adolescence. hassan‘s dad said it was an upsetting time for the family. translation: he was in severe pain. he was asking me a lot of questions. i couldn't answer them. for example, "why do i have this disease?" "why do i have this life?" injune 2015, hassan was critically ill at the children's hospital in bochum, germany, and doctors did not think he would survive. more than half his body looked like a red—raw open wound. in an experimental therapy, a patch of hassan‘s skin was taken to a lab in italy. there, it was infected with the virus. viruses are good at getting inside cells, and this one was used like a postman to deliver the missing instructions for binding layers of skin together. large sheets of the skin were then grown and grafted back onto hassan‘s body. this breakthrough

is exciting doctors. i got goosebumps when i heard this. it was just incredible, really — very, very exciting. and is this going to make a difference for patients today? this treatment is not available, and it's not going to be available in the next few months. but this is a massive advance in research. four—year—old tia is just one of 500,000 people living with epidermolysis bullosa worldwide. it's gave us a lot of hope. if it's going to make her better, and make her have a normal life, we would definitely go for it. every birthday that she has, i dread it sometimes, because i always sit and think, "is she going to die this year?" "is she going to live?" and i don't want to think that anymore. but this is not a proven therapy. it is experimental.

clinical trials are underway, to see if it can be used more widely. james gallagher, bbc news. one of the best—known names in the art world now has a second home in the middle east. the louvre abu dhabi has been formally opened. the name is on loan for 30 years. the new museum will show hundreds of works from every culture and era, half of them from france's most prestigious museum collections. 0ur arts editor will gompertz has been to see it. the hit—and—miss architecture of abu dhabi's recently built high—rise skyline, which sits alongside the impressive sheikh zayed grand mosque, perhaps the emirates' most famous landmark. well, it was. but now there is this — the brand—new louvre abu dhabi with its 180—metre, 7.5—tonne domed roof,

designed along with the 55 individual buildings in its bounds by the prize—winning french architect jean nouvel. i wanted also, when you look at the building, that you understand it is a spiritual building. the symbol of spirituality here is the cupola. for me, it is cosmographic. it is kind of a sky under the sky. and when you have the light through, because by perforated this dome, i thought that we could play with the movement of the sun and the ray of light has to go through eight layers and, of course, with the movement of the sun, one spot disappears. but, at the same time, two others appear. the project is a collaboration between abu dhabi and the louvre in paris, which is being paid around 1 billion euros for lending its name, expertise and collection to the new museum. masterpieces such as leonardo da vinci's la belle ferronier sit alongside works lent by other

french institutions. monet, from the musee d'0rsay. giacometti from the pompidou and this sculpture, horses of the sun, from versailles. did you need to do the deal with the louvre? couldn't you just have borrowed works from museums around the world? well, we have a saying in arabic, which is start with other civilisations. and, instead of starting all the way from scratch, instead of going through all the learning curves of thousands of years of their experience. the partnership is about getting their experience, learning from them, but also working together to create something that is new for abu dhabi, but also new for france and new for the world. the emirates says its louvre will be joined by a national museum and a guggenheim abu dhabi in due course, creating, it hopes, a new global cultural hub. will gompertz, bbc news, abu dhabi. look who has turned up forjury duty. president 0bama arrived at a chicago courthouse on wednesday, answering a summons. he joined other prospective jurors waiting to see if they would be chosen to serve in a trial. he shook a few hands and signed some autographs and books. the former president was not required, and was dismissed,

although he is well qualified. he is a harvard law school graduate and a constitutional law professor. he is not the first former president to be summoned forjury duty. george w bush was called to serve in 2015. he wasn't selected either. the main news: president trump is meeting chinese president xijinping at the great hall of the people in beijing on the second day of his visit. he is on a five—day tour of asia. he is trying to persuade china to put more pressure on north korea to put more pressure on north korea to abandon its nuclear programme. that is the main purpose of his age trip. they will also address the thorny issue of trade. president trump has repeatedly accused china of unfairtrading trump has repeatedly accused china of unfair trading practices and called it a currency manipulator. hello, again.

there's some colder weather on the way for this weekend. but overnight, it's not going to be quite as cold, because this area of cloud is moving down from the north—west, bringing with it a bit of rain and drizzle. as the cloud clears away from northern scotland, it will turn chilly later. perhaps the lowest temperatures for a while, ahead of that cloud, more towards the south—east. but here, those numbers will be a bit higher by the morning, as we start the day with cloudy skies and some light rain or drizzle, and temperatures six or seven. for much of southern england, wales, the midlands, perhaps up into yorkshire and lincolnshire, it'll be a bit of a dull start on thursday. a lot of low cloud. a little rain or drizzle here and there, no great amounts. already, it's brightening in northern england, and some sunshine to greet the day in northern ireland, and particularly scotland,

where there will be a chill in the air here. and we've got some sharp showers to run into northern scotland. they'll continue pretty much all day, and it will be quite windy here, too. much further south, some slow improvements through the day, as we see the brighter skies and sunshine filtering southwards, pushing away the dull and damp weather eventually into the english channel. it will take a while to get the sunshine out significantly across southern england in the afternoon. further north, in the sunshine, temperatures about 10—12 degrees. those showers continue, though, for northern scotland. still quite windy here, as well. clear skies in the evening will see the temperatures dipping. but then we get another spell of rain and cloud, and some stronger winds this time, pushing that wetter weather down quickly across the uk on thursday night into friday morning. the skies clear to the north, again the temperatures will dip away, and it's cold enough in northern scotland for the showers to be wintry in the hills. quickly, we'll see some sunshine developing further south, one or two showers, perhaps, but then later in the day we'll see the cloud increasing again. and we've got some rain on the way, that's going to be particularly ahead of that, quite a cold day in scotland,

seven or eight degrees. that rain that's coming in is coming from what's left of tropical storm rina, and that will move its way quickly to bring some rain mainly for england and wales. some stronger winds through the english channel, but it doesn't last long. by the time we get to the weekend, the wind direction is changing, we're going to draw down a northerly wind as the weekend goes on and it will be turning colder, day and night. so this is saturday — some spells of sunshine. some showers, though, for northern ireland, running through the irish sea, into wales, wintry showers for northern scotland, some showers down the north sea coasts, and it will be feeling cold in the wind. strongest winds again around coastal areas, both in the west, the north and the east, and that's where we'll see the showers. for many inland, yes, it's going to be a cold day, but it should be dry and quite sunny. this is bbc news. the headlines: china's president xijinping has welcomed president trump to the great hall of the people in tiananmen square beijing for talks. the us is hoping china might put more pressure on its ally and neighbour north korea to abandon its nuclear programme.

the world's two most powerful leaders will also oversee a signing ceremony for billions of dollars of trade deals. britain's international development secretary, priti patel, has resigned, the second cabinet minister to do so in the past week. she'd held unauthorised meetings with israeli leaders while on holiday in israel. ms patel said that her actions were meant with the best of intentions. the actor and director kevin spacey is facing fresh allegations of sexual misconduct. the us journalist heather unruh has told reporters that her son was sexually assaulted by mr spacey last year. the hollywood star has not responded to any of the allegations. now on bbc news, it's time for click. this week, we're talking emojis with weather stations,