welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: dramatic falls on the stock markets. japan's nikkei index sinks 5% in early trading after the dowjones finishes nearly 5% down. the political crisis in the maldives deepens. its former president is detained after the introduction of a state of emergency. a warning from the eu, britain will face "unavoidable" barriers to trade if it leaves the customs union and single market after brexit. and 100 years since women in the uk got the right to vote. we look at the actions and sacrifices of those who made it happen. hello.

stocks in china, hong kong, and japan have opened sharply lower as asian markets react to a record fall in the dow, the main american stock market index. the dow closed down more than 4%, over 1,000 points, the biggest one—day point fall in history. briefly, it fell more than 10% from its record high injanuary. investors are reacting to the latest data on wages in the us, which suggest bigger interest rate rises might be on the way. katie silver reports. litter did they know they were ringing in the bell of what was to be the worst day on wall street in a decade. —— little did they know. the dowjones industrial average, measuring 30 major companies, fell by an unprecedented 1175 points. it was not the only one to. the nasdaq composite dropped almost 8%. the snp 500 dropped 4.10%, the biggest since

2011. the trouble began last ride a win new figures showed wages in the us were growing faster than expected. investors predicted a rise in salaries will cause more people to spend more, pushing up inflation. and if there is a rising inflation, the us federal and if there is a rising inflation, the us i rates, is not—7 .-...- is nota— .-.. is not a good 7—7”— é not a good look. é not a good look for donald plunge is not a good look for donald trump, who has repeatedly touted its su ccesso i’s trump, who has repeatedly touted its successors during his 13 months as president. —— successes. they said this. the malays has spread to asian markets —— malaise. australia was down at the open. the benchmark has already lost almost 41 billion us dollars, and the trading day is only halfway done. the nikkei index of

japan dived more than 5% in early trading. it is coming off a 26 year high and was expected to correct its self, but not as steeply. in hong kong, stocks have plunged at the opening. how the markets will fare as the trading day continues, though, remains to be seen. katie silver, bbc news. live now to singapore and rico hizon from our very live now to singapore and rico hizon from oui’ very own live now to singapore and rico hizon from our very own asia business report. this is odd. the dowjones has been at record highs and is correcting. the data that triggered this was actually good news for the economy. absolutely. economic fundamentals are positive on both

that the unemployment rate reported that the unemployment rate is ata 17 reported that the unemployment rate is at a 17 year low of 4.1%. wages saw their largest rise in more than eight years. look at the fundamentals here in asia. it is growing at its best levels in years, with china expanding by 6.5%. vietnam, 6.8%, the philippines, 6.7%. all of this growth is due to strong and rising demand and rising exports. investors are trying to weigh the pros and cons. with all of this growth, will it mean rising inflation? will it lead to more interest rate hikes? the theory is that interest rates in the us will, umm, they will go up perhaps three

01’ umm, they will go up perhaps three orfour umm, they will go up perhaps three or four times umm, they will go up perhaps three orfourtimes in umm, they will go up perhaps three orfour times in 2018. everyone umm, they will go up perhaps three or four times in 2018. everyone was already talking about that in 2017. from some of the traders and people who do analysis i have been talking to in the last 2a hours, they say this is a healthy correction because of the steep gains in us and asian financial markets in the past year. mike. many people are saying it is a herd mentality, the underlying point is about most of these economies, the us and asian economies, they are strong. very strong. very strong economic fundamentals. that is why we are seeing most of the asian indices at multi—year highs. the nikkei 225 is at a 26—year high, according to that previous report.

it is because of a recovering economy and robust corporate earnings. but markets cannot always go north. they always have to go through a correction. so, this may be the time for market to come back a bit because of overbuying, overheating, in the markets, and perhaps valuations are too high, so people are rethinking their strategy, if a high interest rate outlook has an impact on corporate earnings, not only in the us, but also here in asia. thank you very much indeed for that, rico hizon. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. the disgraced former doctor, larry nassar, has been sentenced to an additional a0 to 125 years in prison for the sexual abuse of young female athletes. he's already facing a lifetime injailfor two prior sentences. the latest sentence ends the criminal proceedings against nassar, who abused girls and young women

for over two decades. the south african president is under mounting pressure to step down as senior members of the governing anc meet in emergency session to discuss his political future. party leaders are thought to want jacob zuma to leave office ahead of the state of the nation address to parliament on thursday. the british—born actor who played one of tv‘s most popular screen dads in the us sitcom "frasier," john mahoney, has died in chicago aged 77. he was famous for his role as martin crane, a grumpy, down—to—earth retired policeman who often outwits his two pretentious sons. the role earned him two emmy and two golden globe nominations. a state of emergency is in force in the maldives, and security forces have detained a number of opposition politicians. the political crisis comes during the country's peak tourism season when tens of thousands of foreigners visit the maldives' tropical beaches. bill hayton reports. this is the moment police detained

the former president of the maldives. neighbours came into the street to shout good wishes as he was taken away. reportedly, he was taken to a prison island. before the arrest, he posted this statement to support us on line. translation: police are here to arrest me. are remains that fast in my resolve. i do not know the charges. i urge eve ryo ne do not know the charges. i urge everyone to be strong. we will not give up the reforms we started. stay courageous. police were also sent to the supreme court in the country, arresting the supreme justice and one otherjudge. the current president ordered the move is against the court after terrorism charges were notjustified, and ordered they were freed. —— moves. instead of complying, the president ordered a 15 day state of emergency,

the sacking of the commission, and a political crackdown. opposition supporters made their feelings known. one mp called the event a purge. and the american and british governments have called for the president to obey the law. but the two biggest players in the politics of the maldives, india and china, have so far remained silent beyond the warning tourists could be in trouble. this is the peak season for the main industry of the country, and the consequences of the actions of the president could be very costly for the maldives. bill hayton, bbc news. here in the uk, the prime minister theresa may's decision to rule out being a member of any kind of customs union after brexit will result in new trade barriers on british goods and services. that was the stark warning delivered by the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, in downing street on monday. he went further, saying the time had come for the uk to choose what sort of relationship it wanted with the eu after leaving. our political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports. in a hurry.

notjust to catch the 1056 from brussels to london. we have not a minute to lose, because we want to achieve a deal. but the eu's chief negotiator wants to press on. it is time for bargaining, he says, as the next round of brexit talks loom. the first priority for him and his host david davis is to agree what happens straight after brexit. do you know what the british government wants? the two years or so timeframe, not much will change but the real posturing is about the longer term. theresa may popped in for a drink after reminding her party that she wants out of the single market free trade area and the current customs union. but she knows, along with these two, there might be mishaps along the way. our negotiating team is starting straightaway, tomorrow certainly, on an intensive period of negotiation and are confident we can get that agreement.

yet while this might sound elegant in a french accent it is still a warning. without the customs union, outside the single market, barriers to trade and goods and services are unavoidable. time has come to make choice. in other words, foreign secretary and others, make your mind up. the eu has consistently said we can't keep the best bits of the eu without losing somewhere. but that has always been rejected by brexiteers. what my side wants, what most of the country wants is a good deal. the way to get a good deal is to be very clear that we are leaving, we are leaving the single market, leaving the customs union. the fear of others in the tory party and parliament

is that the eurosceptics are too close to no ten. this week the prime minister hopes to get the cabinet to find a compromise. what is more important, sticking close to the eu or making the most of freedom outside? we've heard a lot of, we are not going to do this, we are not going to do that. what are we going to do? that is what we're waiting to hear, that is what the 27 countries the uk's negotiating with are waiting to hear. in the meantime this uncertainty is really, really bad for business. number 10 has to make bargains within its party as well as with the eu outside. today's talks were about the eu and the uk plugging back in before the next charged round of negotiations really gets going but arguably for there to be meaningful progress any time soon the uk ministers have to speed up their decisions about their overall approach. none of the questions are easy but after months of squabbling time to discuss becomes time to decide.

laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. stay with us on bbc news. this is what is still to come. a report from syria amid claims that rebel held areas were targeted by a suspected chemical attack at the weekend. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, after 27 years injail, is to be set free unconditionally. the aircraft was returning from belgrade, where manchester united had entered the semi—final of the european cup. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it "a piece of cake". thousands of people have given the yachstwoman ellen macarthur

a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: share prices plummet in the united states and asia. the dowjones finished down more than 4% down. japan's nikkei index sank 5% in early trading. the maldives arrests a former president as a crackdown on the opposition intensifies. maumoon abdul gayoom was detained after the declaration of a state of emergency. in syria, government and russian forces have intensified air strikes against rebel—held areas. that's after opposition forces shot down a russian fighterjet over the weekend. there are reports that chemical weapons were used in one

of the assaults — a situation the us state department is "gravely alarmed" by. syria's government has previously denied using chemical weapons. this report by nawal al—maghafi's contains distressing images. a hospital in flames. here in idlib, a night of intense violence. rescue workers raced to the scene of the attack. inside, premature babies now being rescued from the bombing. exposed to the smoke, they struggle to breathe. medics attempt to resuscitate them. only just introduced to the world, they're now fighting for their lives. elsewhere, these men are being hosed down after a reported chlorine gas attack.

while no—one was killed, attacks like this spread fear among the population. the escalation was a response to rebels shooting down a russian jet in the area this weekend. but this year has seen a sharp increase in reported chemical attacks. a us draft resolution that would have allowed an independent un body to investigate the chemical attacks, was vetoed by russia late last year. it was the ninth time russia used its un power to block action targeting its ally, syria. today, the us expressed his frustration. it is a true tragedy that russia has sent us back to square one in the effort to end chemical weapons use in syria. the besieged damascus suburb of eastern ghouta has seen for reported chemical attacks since the start of the year. without weapons inspectors on the ground, activists have taken to documenting them. this is one of them. three were hit today, in the morning.

now we'rejust... boom! along with shelling and air strikes, they have become a terrifying prospect for civilians. translation: we were sleeping. my wife woke up and said, "i can smell the chlorine." we closed the windows and covered ourselves with blankets. we can withstand it but the children can't. we had to be rushed to hospital. the syrian government denies using chemical weapons. this war, now entering its eighth year, has devastated the country and its people. and with international diplomacy failing, syria's war seems far from over. nawal al—maghafi, bbc news. the us house of representatives is expected to vote later on tuesday on a short—term measure

to avert another shutdown. the us government partial shutdown lasted for three days injanuary until republicans and democrats voted for a temporary funding bill. according to republican representatives, funding would be provided for most government agencies as well as defence spending and two years of funding for community health centers. a north korean spy who blew up a korean airlines aircraftjust months before the 1988 seoul olympics has issued a stark warning ahead of south korea's winter games. kim hyon says the regime that recruited her and trained her to murder 115 south koreans has not changed. and she believes pyongyang's current offer of peace during the winter olympics is part of a propaganda plan. she's been recounting her extraordinary story to our seoul correspondent laura bicker. news reel: she was under heavy sedation with her mouth covered with adhesive tape... translation: i was told that i was on the front line to unify korea, that i would be free in south korea like a revolutionary hero. i was full of pride and dignity.

but i realised it was murder, killing my own people, innocent, everyday people. it was a japanese radio, a small radio, and that's where i put the detonator. next to it was the liquid explosive in a liquor bottle in a plastic bag which i placed on the shelf in the plane. in the north, we are told that the south is a colony of america, poor and corrupt, that the us is an aggressor. we are told they are the arch enemy and we cannot live under the same sky. news reel: in a blaze of publicity this morning,

the south koreans paraded the woman they claimed was a north korean agent. kim hyon—hui apparently told intelligence officers she'd blown up the south korean airliner to disrupt the olympic games. do you think right now all of this is fake? do you think the run—up to the olympics, the overtures of peace coming from kim jong—un, do you think it is fake? translation: of course it is fake. the ultimate goal of north korea is to complete its nuclear programme. they have nothing in their mind but nuclear weapons. north korea will not change through dialogue. north korea cannot be changed by soft words. i believe only pressure will work on north korea. so, you have life, you have love, and now i believe you have children.

umm, do they know what you did? translation: my children are not old enough to know the story, and i have not tried to tell them the details yet. but these days, with internet readily available, and my interviews on media, i suspect they must know something. my son is quiet, but i think he knows. as the bomber, i have a lifelong work of atonement. it is my cross to bear for the rest of my life. tuesday marks 100 years since the british parliament passed the representation of the people act, giving women the right to vote.

but only if they were over the age of 30 — and owned some property. it would be another decade until all women over the age of 21 got the vote. our correspondent sarah smith reports now on that momentous moment in the struggle for equality. the palace of westminster was built as an exclusively all male club. no women allowed. so suffragettes often targeted parliament itself. four of them chained themselves to these statues in 1909. their militant behaviour was then used as an argument for why votes for women would be "exceedingly dangerous". hidden beneath those corridors of power, there is an intriguing memorial to the suffragette movement. in 1911, thousands of women tried to avoid being registered in the census. emily davidson said: "if women don't count, then neither shall we be counted." emily davidson spent the night hiding behind this door in a broom cupboard underneath westminster hall.

she was discovered in here, so she was registered in the census as being resident in the house of commons. commentary: a woman runs out. there is a fall. davidson did not live long enough to see women win the vote. she died in 1913, after running into the path of the king's horse at the epsom derby. but she may not have intended to kill herself. this is the actual scarf emily davidson had with her that fateful day at the derby. and it is thought now it might have been her intention to try and attach it to the bridle of the king's horse, rather than to actually bring the horse down. the scarf is owned today by a collector, who let me see a telegram she has never shown publicly before — sent from queen alexandra to the injured jockey. it says: "queen alexandra was very sorry indeed to hear of your sad accident caused by the abominable conduct of a brutal, lunatic woman." this is really strong language — a brutal, lunatic woman?

well, people had mixed feelings about the militant suffragettes. half of them thought they were crazy, and half often thought that was the only way, by destroying property, that they would actually achieve the vote. as mps, women continued campaigning for equal rights. edith summerskill, on the left, was first elected in 1938. her daughter, shirley, followed her into the commons in 1964. women who got to anywhere in their career are very conscious, and should be, of the women who went before and paved the way and made it possible. that includes saffron dickson, 20 years old, who, because she lives in scotland, has already voted six times — thanks to the suffragettes, who fought for her rights. hopefully, i like to think i would have been on the front line, you know, totally involved.

but that's coming from a privileged perspective of somebody who has a political voice just now, because of the women that made those sacrifices. but actually we've got so many different issues still happening in the workplace — sexual assault, sexual harassment and pay parity — that are still affecting women today. 100 years of remarkable change since women got the vote. but any suffragettes surveying the political scene today would undoubtedly see much that still needs to be done. sarah smith, bbc news. and there is much more on the suffragette in a special section of our website, including this article on the female protesters who fought against giving women the vote. you'll find the latest headlines and analysis on the website. that is it now. thank you for watching. well, it's remaining cold for much of this week.

there is some snow in the forecast. that's going to be causing maybe a few problems on the roads to start tuesday. it is going to be a very cold, frosty one elsewhere. but a good deal of sunshine around too. this is the weather front bringing the sleet and snow to scotland and northern ireland over the course of the night. by tuesday morning, it will be lying across northern england and wales. maybe some rain to lower levels. sleet and snow to the high ground with plenty of showers behind it. skies will be brightening up gradually through the morning across scotland and northern ireland. these are snow showers, also some hail showers, adding to accumulations of snow across scotland and northern ireland. a very cold start. you can see the blue hue. temperatures, sub—zero for many, even by 8am. that weather front lying across northern england, into parts of wales, the north—west midlands, some sleet and snow could cause some problems. further east, a cold and frosty but largely dry start

with some sunshine. certainly scraping those cars first thing before heading out. looks like that band of rain, sleet, and snow, will gradually fizzle out as it reaches the midlands. ahead of it, continuing to be sunshine for east anglia and the south—east. and further north and west, apart from a few wintry showers, sunshine but it will be cold. the weather front may invigorate again and take some snow to east anglia before it clears out. behind it, widespread clear skies. and a very cold night to come tuesday night and wednesday morning, probably the coldest night of the week. temperatures well below freezing out of town. it does mean a ridge of high pressure should bring spells of sunshine on wednesday. that's before this weather system brings strong wind and cloud and rain to the north and the west of the uk. with it, slightly milder air, but it will be brief, cold air will make a return by the end of the week and into the weekend. a very cold and frosty start

across the board on wednesday. plenty of crisp, winter sunshine for england and wales. scotland and northern ireland, cloudy with outbreaks of rain. mainly of rain, with some sleet and snow to the hills. the air starting to get milder. into thursday, slightly less cold air. temperatures, 6—9—10 degrees. cloudy day with outbreaks of rain and quite breezy. by friday, a ridge of high pressure builds in. plenty of winter sunshine but that colder air begins to move in from the west. this is bbc news. the headlines. share prices in the united states have plunged by more than 11,100 points in the biggest one—day fall since the financial crisis a decade ago. the dow closed 4.6% lower. the malaise spread to asia, with stock markets injapan and hong kong falling by about 4%. a former president of maldives, who was in powerfor three decades, has been arrested at his home as a crackdown on the opposition intensifies. maumoon abdul gayoom was detained

after the government declared a 15—day state of emergency, suspending parliament and sending police to the supreme court. the eu's chief brexit negotiator has warned britain that it will face "unavoidable" barriers to trade if it leaves the customs union and single market. speaking on a visit to downing street, michel barnier said the "time had come" for the uk to choose what it wanted after its 2019 exit. now on bbc news, a look back at monday's events in parliament.