welcome to newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: after myanmar‘s military is accused of genocide against the rohingya. the un security council calls for accountability. innocent human beings were raped, murdered and burned alive for no other reason than their religious and ethnic identity. the whole world is watching what we will do next and if we will act. air pollution may damage the brain and cause a massive drop in intelligence. a shock warning from china. hello. i'm ben bland in london. also in the programme: the beat goes on. britain's prime minister looks for business in africa ahead of the brexit deadline. and a final farewell to the queen of soul. fans in detroit pay their last respects to the legendary aretha franklin. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news.

it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am here in singapore, 1am in london and 8pm in new york, where the un security council is holding an open meeting on myanmar — just a day after a un investigation accused the country's military leaders of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide against rohingya muslims. the inquiry found evidence of murder, rape and torture against rohingya — mostly in myanmar‘s rakhine state. hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee into bangladesh. our correspondent nada tawfik has more from the un headquarters in new york. this was the first time that the security council met to discuss this report, which is the strongest yet out of the united nations,

and the secretary general antonio guterres said that the security council should seriously consider the conclusions in these reports. he said that accountability was necessary for any kind of reconciliation, and for stability in the region. and so, he really outlined what still needs to be done to get this crisis to be resolved. it is clear that conditions are not yet met for the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return of rohingya refugees to their places of origin or choice. and i ask members of the security council tojoin me in urging the myanmar authorities to co—operate with the united nations and to ensure immediate, unimpeded, and effective access for it agencies and partners.

we must also continue to press for the visas ofjournalists who have been deported for reporting on this tragedy. cate blanchett was also in the un's security council. the actor is an ambassador for the un's refugee agency and she was making an impassioned plea on behalf of the refugees she met in bangladesh. she travelled there and met women and children who had suffered crimes, who had had their villages burned, had seen members of their family killed before their eyes. she told the un security council that the rohingya people had been failed by the international community. she said that it was time to act to make sure that they are protected in the future and she laid out some of the vivid accounts she heard from some of those refugee camps. i have heard the gut wrenching accounts, stories of grave torture, of women brutally violated, people who have had their loved ones killed before their eyes, children who have seen

their grandparents locked in houses that were set alight. lam a mother, and i saw the eyes my own children in the eyes of every single refugee child that i met. i saw myself in every parent. how can any mother endure seeing her child thrown into a fire? their experiences will never leave me. well, myanmar‘s representative was also speaking to council members. myanmar has denied ethnic cleansing, they say that their operation was in response to an attack from rohingya rebels. he, in the council, again said that there were numerous attacks that were being ignored by the mainstream media, and he wanted that issue to be brought to the council's attention. but these facts were conveniently discounted or ignored by mainstream media. the violent attacks were not coincidence. as the terrorist and the foreign muslim minds knew too well that the myanmar military

forces would respond to the attacks with full force, they must also have anticipated the exodus of people from northern rakhine to bangladesh. these events were well planned and executed with the help of foreign terrorist organisations. this really laid bare the divisions on myanmar, because china and russia still believe that this issue needs to be addressed through diplomacy. and that is an issue that myanmar agrees with. so certainly in the days and weeks to come, when the full report is presented to the security council and the world's leaders descend on new york for the un general assembly, the conclusions of this report and the issue for the rohingya people will continue to be addressed by international leaders. we'll have more on the rohingya crisis and cate blanchett later in the programme. before that though,

let's take a look at some of the day's other news. theresa may showed off her best moves to children in cape town, as she began a three day visit to africa. mrs may says she wanted the uk to be the g7‘s number one investor in africa by 2022, with britain's private sector companies investing billions. she has called for a new partnership between the united kingdom and africa after brexit, based on shared prosperity and job creation. we want to see strong african economies that british businesses can do business with in a free and fair fashion, whether through creating new customers for british exporters or opportunities for british investors, our integrated global economy means healthy african economies are good news for british people, as well as for african people. some of the other main news today: google has strongly denied claims by president trump that its search engine is rigged to make favourable coverage of him difficult to find. mr trump said that google search results for "trump news" hid

conservative and supportive voices. in a statement, google said its search engine was not biased. police in india have arrested a number of left—wing activists in connection with what they've described as a maoist plot to assassinate the prime minister, narendra modi. they were detained following raids in several cities, including delhi, mumbai and hyderabad. the governor of puerto rico has acknowledged publicly that the death toll from last yea r‘s hurricane maria is far higher than the official estimate to date. authorities say they accept new figures putting the numbers killed at almost 3000 — up from 64, which had been the original official number. police in northern ireland say a primark store is at risk of collapse, after being destroyed by a fire. the building in belfast, which is five storeys high, dates right back to 1787. more than 100 firefighters attended the scene. fortunately, everyone was evacuated safely.

and russia has announced that it will hold its biggest military exercise since soviet times next month. the defence minister, sergei shoigu, said the vostok war games would involve nearly 300,000 troops, 36,000 tanks, and more than 1000 aircraft. its northern and pacific fleets will also be deployed. the exercises will take place over five days. now, air pollution may cause a drop in intelligence — that's according to new research in china. the four year study found that the longer people were exposed to dirty air, the greater the damage to their cognitive abilities. and it seems men are affected more than women, as our science editor david shukman reports. a wave of pollution rolls into the centre of beijing. dirty air is a reality of life for many in china. in fact, for billions of people around the world. and scientists now know how it can damage the lungs and the heart, how it can shorten lives.

some of the pollution we breathe in gets trapped in the nose, but tiny particles can slip into the lungs and then make their way into the bloodstream — and there's evidence they can even reach the brain. so pollution may not only have a physical effect, but a mental one as well. to explore what pollution might be doing to the mind, scientists in china embarked on a massive investigation. people's mental abilities can be affected by so many different fact is that this task was never going to be easy. this was one of the largest studies of its kind. it looked at levels of air pollution in dozens of cities across china. and at the results of tests of verbal reasoning and maths taken by 25,000 people in those places. the researchers conclude that long—term exposure to air pollution impedes cognitive performance. that is a bold claim, and it doesn't provide direct evidence of cause and effect,

but it does follow a few other studies that have also suggested that polluted air may affect the brain, so a link is thought to be possible. we asked one of britain's leading pollution scientists to look at the chinese research, and he says it's another red flag warning that pollution may undermine mental ability. what they find is that older men were more susceptible, other studies have shown older women, so there's a few things that we need to resolve. but certainly, the — those red flags, there's more of them and itjust adds to the weight of evidence that air pollution has a wide range of effects in your body. this matters because most of the world's population lives in air that's polluted. india, for example, has some of the dirtiest conditions. and as the research into pollution advances and we learn more about the impacts, it may turn out to be that they're not only physical, but mental as well. air pollution is a threat

from africa, to here in britain. and its true implications may only become obvious in the decades ahead. david shukman, bbc news. assistant professor xi chen from yale school of public health is one of the authors of the report and, on the line from beijing, he told me more about his findings. this study build up from the previous study and is quite innovative in terms of we looked at all age cohorts. previously, people more focused on children or the elderly but we say that in fact, it develops a lung age, so it will get even worse as people

get older and there is a clear gender pattern. this is a factor that is also missing in the previous study. but the gender pattern is very important, we find a large impact, a much larger impact for men compared to for women, so it could have implications for the labour market because people are taking state exams. if during polluted days they are taking those exams, and they are affecting the males and females differently, then it will affect the efficiency of the labour market. also, people who are receiving lower education, so this is worrying because as we know the environmental stresses may affect the social equality. if that is the case, then the government should address this as one of the agenda... really fascinating study,

professor chen, and as you say men being impacted by this more than women, and obviously the fear that air pollution causes mental as well as physical damage is hugely worrying when you take into account that 91% of the world's population actually lives in places where air quality exceeds guideline limits, according to who. so what can people do about this, how can people protect their children in cities that are polluted? so this is the worrisome part from this report, because we not only find a short—term impact but a long—term impact, so if there's only a short—term impact, then people can take more effective actions like wear facemasks and install airfilters, but if it is long—term, then people have to stay outdoors every day sometimes. so that means they cannot totally avoid this impact, so that means the government should take more responsibility to clean the air, because that will have long—term consequence. that's right.

you speak of the government there, professor chen, and we know that your president, xijinping, declared war on pollution just a few years ago, but we know that the problem is still rife in many chinese cities. so how will you use this report to lobby for less pollution? now, i think that things are getting better and according to the official statistics, the chinese air quality is improving by 30%. so that's a very good signal, and i think there are a lot of good opportunities for us to further clean the air. and i think the deeper the way we go and the more difficult — because the first mile is the easiest way to go, but the last mile is more difficult. but there are some chances to do that. for example, beijing will host another 0lympic games. that will another very important

opportunity to lobby this, and also in china people care about their health. basically, everyone is more focused on their health behaviour in their daily life. assistant professor xi chen from yale school of public health talking to me a short time ago. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... actress and un goodwill ambassador cate blanchett tells the un of her emotional meeting with rohingya refugees. also on the programme... thousands of aretha franklin fans have gathered in detroit to pay their last respects to the queen of soul. he's the first african—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared "i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the south—eastern sky. an orange glowing disk that is brighter than anything save the moon — our neighbouring planet mars.

there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it'll take months and billions of dollars to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clock maker john vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. welcome back. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. good to have you with us. i'm ben bland in london. our top stories: after myanmar‘s military is accused of genocide against the rohingya,

the un security council calls for accountability. new research in china and the us claims air pollution causes a significant reduction in intelligence, and the longer the exposure, the worse it gets. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the front page ofjapan times is dominated by japan's assessment of the threat from north korea. the defence ministry says, despite recent us—north korea summit and ensuing denuclearisation talks, the threat posed by nuclear armed north korea remains unchanged. it warns that pyongyang already has hundreds of missiles that could reach japan and they may have succeeded in producing small nuclear warheads to fit on those missiles. the philippine star reports on a new complaint against the country's president. for the first time,

relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings have filed a complaint before the international criminal court that duterte‘s war on drugs amounts to crimes against humanity. we always hear stories on how durability of plastics pollute the environment. but the international edition of new york times has a story that talks about transitory nature of plastics. layers of plastic in space suits, worn by neil armstrong, the first man to walk on moon, are turning brittle with age. so the conservationists are in a race to save these artifacts for the history of humanity. those are the papers. as we've been reporting, un investigators urged the security council to refer the situation in myanmar to the international criminal court. the actress cate blanchett, in her role as the un refugee agency's goodwill ambassador, spoke exclusively to nada tawfik and said that council members must fulfil their duty to protect the rohingya people.

well, i think that they're — you know, part of the security council's remit is to highlight and to continue unveiling, not give up. just coming from speaking to the secretary general, when the situation is impossible, you have to push harder, and despair is something we cannot give into. and when you see the resilience of the refugees themselves, and when you sit in a school with children who have lost parents, you know, children who have seen their grandparents pushed back into burning buildings and set on fire — you know, i sat with one particular girl who was 14, who had her three—year—old brother dismembered and thrown into a fire in front of her. and when you see them, you know, moving forward, positively, trying to go to school, it galvanises me, and makes me want to not forget those individual faces in the magnitude of the numbers that we hear.

and i think it's beholden upon the international community to shine a spotlight on it. it may seem impossible, but it's not an excuse for not doing anything. have you been disappointed that aung san suu kyi, as the de facto leader, and with the moral authority from her nobel prize, has not done more? i think it's imperative that the government of myanmar now set about concrete paths towards giving the rohingya citizenship. every human being has — we're sitting here, and we have a nationality. we're able to vote, we have the right to an education and basic healthca re, and these people have none of those rights. and so i think it's absolutely vital that the government of myanmar now, a year on from the crisis, starts to make positive, concrete steps towards making sure these things happen.

it is, you know, of paramount importance. and after visiting the camps, being here to speak to international leaders, iwonder, have you reflected at all on the fact that there had been warning signs for decades, incitement to violence against the rohingya for decades, and yet international leaders did not prevent this from happening? i think when we're dealing with a stateless people, the problem can often be invisible, and you can feel, you know, particularly in the west, that there's cultural barriers. but when you sit with a mother, newly arrived, who has not even unpacked her bags, because she's worried that the latrine she's built right above us will collapse when the rains come, you realise that there are human beings inside this crisis. and i think it's really important that, even though we talk about the numbers, that we don't lose sight of the human beings. and i suppose part of my role as a goodwill ambassador

is to restore that human face. actress and un goodwill ambassador cate blanchett speaking. thousands of fans of aretha franklin have been paying their last respects to the queen of soul, in her hometown of detroit. aretha franklin's body is lying in an open casket for two days at the city's african—american history museum. rajini vaidyanathan joined the crowds celebrating her life. # the moment i wake up, before i put on my make—up. # i say a little prayerfor you... for fans of aretha franklin, it has been the ultimate pilgrimage. # what you want, baby, i got it. # what you need, you know i got it... crowds lined up in the early hours as they waited to say a final farewell to their beloved queen of soul. but, before she said goodbye,

she made one last entrance. ever the diva, a white vintage cadillac transported her in a golden casket. for those waiting patiently to see here, the mood here was melodic, not morose. # r-e-s-p-e-c-t, that's just what it means to me. why have you decided to queue up here to pay your last respects? i couldn't have did it for a better person. she is all of that and a bowl of soup. i am honouring her today. she means a lot to me, to my family, you know, to everyone. she is the queen of soul. she paved the way for a lot of black singers, and the d has turned it out for aretha. she will lie in state at the city's african—american museum for another day, her style, her grace and her ruby—red heels on show for one last time. it was beautiful.

she looked like she was just sleeping. she had on red shoes, her dress was so elegant. she looked really pretty. herface isjust like she was relaxed. aretha franklin will be remembered as america's voice in more ways than one. she fought for gender and racial equality, supported charities and communities she cared about, and remains a role model to so many in detroit and beyond. she was a global superstar who never forgot her hometown roots, and this week, her hometown is showing the world they will never forget aretha franklin. the queen of soul, ben, it you must

have a favourite aretha franklin song. there are so many to choose from, it has to be the classic say a little prayer for you. what about you? i love respect. you have been watching newsday. i'm ben bland in london. and i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. stay with us. we will be back with asia business report. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. landing a plane is never easy, and if it's something you always dread, look away now. this ana flight was trying to land at tokyo airport during typhoon cimaron last week, which caused winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour throughout japan. as you can see, the pilot had some trouble with the initial descent but did eventually get everyone on the ground safely. that's all. we'll see you soon. hello. wednesday starts with a bit of umbrella weather across some parts of the uk, but it should turn dry and sunny for many of us as the day goes on.

two weather systems to talk about early on. this one clipping parts of south—east england and east anglia, with either showers or some rain, could be some heavy bursts. and this one moving out of scotland and northern ireland, taking some increasingly light and patchy rain further south through england and wales. starting temperatures double figures for england and wales, but something fresher for scotland and northern ireland, and it's less humid behind this weather front, and there'll be some sunshine around. a few showers pushing into north—west scotland, maybe along to the west of northern ireland. rain clears east anglia and the south—east lunchtime at the very latest, and then a weakening weather front takes a few late—day showers towards this part of the world. sunny spells developed elsewhere in england and wales. here is a look at things at ii:00pm in the afternoon, and on the breeze, a feed of a few showers into north—west scotland. but most other parts here in scotland, and indeed in northern ireland, it'll be dry. you mayjust catch the odd shower in the west. good sunny spells developing across northern england, wales, the midlands and into the south—west. but a weakening weather front, with still maybe the odd shower associated with it, moves into east anglia and the south—east towards the end of the day. but hardly any rain left, really, and then it clears away and we've got clearing skies.

and there mayjust be the odd patch of mist and fog as we go into thursday morning, but overnight into thursday, our weather systems have cleared away — clearing skies, and temperatures dip away. a much cooler night to come going into thursday morning, and into low single figures in some spots. under those clearing skies, we have an area of high pressure starting to build into the uk, which means although it's chilly first thing on thursday, there'll be plenty of sunshine to come first thing. it may not last all day. you see the band here showing that we've got clear skies. as we go deeper into thursday, you could see some cloud starting to build. it may produce the odd shower, maybe more so into western scotland. most will be dry, just expect a bit more cloud to come, but still some sunny spells, and temperatures high teens, for a few into the low 20s. so, once we get past that chance of umbrella weather in the day ahead, for the rest of the week, it's looking mainly dry. but do note — again,

the night will be chilly. and then, as we go into the weekend, we'll see a theme of cloud coming into western parts of the uk. that may produce a bit of patchy rain. the emphasis is on the plenty of dry weather, but as the weekend goes on, it will start to warm up a little bit too. that's your latest forecast. hello. i'm ben bland with bbc news. our top story: the un security council has been holding an open meeting on myanmar. it comes a day after un investigators accused myanmar‘s military leaders of crimes against humanity and genocide. the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, said those found responsible must be held to account. a new study from china finds air pollution is causing a huge drop in our intelligence. researchers believe the negative impact increases with age, and affects men

with less education worst. and this video is trending on bbc.com. this ana flight was trying to land at tokyo's narita airport during a typhoon last week. winds were up to 200 kilometres an hour throughout japan. as you can see, the pilot had some trouble with the initial descent, but eventually got everyone down safely.