i'm rico hizon in singapore, the headlines: britain names two russian nationals as suspects in the poisoning of former spy sergei skripal and his daughter yulia. the two individuals named by the police and cps are officers from the russian military intelligence service, also known as the gru. a daughter enslaved by islamic state is freed. we report on the plight of the yazidi community in iraq. i was scared to come back. i was scared my family would kill me. i was so scared my family would kill me. i was so surprised at the welcome i bought. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: warnings of a global health threat as a deadly new superbug sweeps hospitals across the world. and love scooters, hate smog. can taiwan's two wheelers ditch petrol — and go electric? live from our studios in singapore

and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 7 am in singapore and midnight in london where two russian military intelligence officers have been named as the suspects in the attempted murder of the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter yulia. british police have released images of alexander petrov and ruslan boshirov after going through 11 thousand hours of cctv footage. but moscow has denied any knowledge of the men as our security correspondent gordon corera reports. these two russians now stand accused of the salisbury nerve agent attack. it is claimed that in march they deployed the nerve agent which poisoned sergei and yulia skripal, and which months

later accidentally contaminated charlie rowley, and killed dawn stu rg ess. police say they came to the country as alexander petrov and ruslan boshirov, but those are thought to be false names, used by two undercover operatives. the government has concluded that the two individuals named by the police and cps are officers from the russian military intelligence service, also known as the gru. the gru is a highly disciplined organisation, with a well—established chain of command. so this was not a rogue operation. it was almost certainly also approved outside the gru, at a senior level of the russian state. the two men, police say, carried out a remarkably sophisticated attack. they flew in from moscow, and are seen here in salisbury, shortly after it is alleged they smeared nerve agent on sergei skripal‘s front door.

and this was what is believed to have been their weapon — the perfume bottle used to carry the novichok nerve agent. today's announcement by the crown prosecution service marks the most significant in the investigation. we now have sufficient evidence to bring charges in relation to the attack on sergei and yulia skripal in salisbury, and domestic and european arrest warrants have been issued for the two suspects. we'll be seeking to circulate interpol red notices. prosecutors say they have enough evidence to charge the two with conspiracy to murder sergei skripal, attempted murder of sergei skripal, his daughter yulia and detective sergeant nick bailey, a police officer who went to their house, use and possession of novichok contrary to the chemical weapons act, and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to yulia skripal and nick bailey. so what is the gru? based in this building, it is the intelligence arm

of the russian military, with a long track record of undercover operations around the world. undeeradimir putin, seen here visiting its headquarters, observers say it has become even more aggressive, accused of hacking america's 2016 election, operations in ukraine, and now using nerve agent in britain. its prime target in salisbury was sergei skripal, himself a former officer in the gru. sergei skripal, it is thought, was targeted by former colleagues in the gru because they viewed him as a traitor for working for the british secret service, mi6. today was about much more than just naming two individuals, but also, in the government's eyes, exposing the role of the gru. and the prime minister made clear that, as well as the public accusation, british intelligence would be asked to do more to counter the gru's activities out of sight. today, russia's deputy ambassador was summoned to the foreign office.

moscow has said it doesn't recognise the names of the two men accused. the british government acknowledges there is no real chance they will be extradited, but it will be hoping that today increases the pressure on moscow. gordon corera, bbc news. a short time ago i spoke to professor brian taylor, an expert on russian state organisations. he explained more about moscow's military intelligence service. vgru has v gru has its roots in the soviet period and was the military intelligence arm that reports through the general staff. it persisted after the collapse of the soviet union and has had ups and downs over the last decade that now seems to be quite active in a wide range of activities around the globe. we heard from the british prime minister earlier stating that

any orderfor them prime minister earlier stating that any order for them to act would have had to have been at the very top level. are we looking right up to vladimir putin on this? it is hard to know for certain but it seems likely, at least in general terms, that vladimir putin and the people around him would have known that a decision had been made to go after skripal although i highly doubt that vladimir putin new specific details. were you alarmed when you heard this news? it is alarming that the russian state feels it can use chemical agents to attack and kill someone chemical agents to attack and kill someone without regard for the lives of other potential bystanders outside russia. i think this reflects how much, to a certain extent in the foreign policy sphere, the russian feel they are on a semi— war footing with the west and they feel like they are plunging back.

that includes not only this attack but the hacking of the american electoral system with the attacks on the democratic national committee. operations in the ukraine and other operations around the world. what can be done than to stop this from happening again on british soil, for example? i think there will be a series of efforts among british intelligence and other foreign intelligence and other foreign intelligence services to figure out ways to go after them or directly, perhaps. not only the expulsions we have seen as a result of this attack but also perhaps other economic means to go after the gru. cyber means to go after the gru. cyber means and other efforts to try and disrupt their activities and make the price higher for these disrupt their activities and make the price higherfor these sorts of attacks. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. facebook and twitter have said that they took too long to tackle foreign campaigns to meddle in us elections. testifying before the us senate intelligence committee both companies said they're now fixing the problem. the vice chair of the committee

explained the scale of the problem to the bbc. some of the techniques that the russians have used in the american political process, we have seen that indication in the uk political process. this is trying to get this right throughout the west, how we make sure that social media, where the majority of at least americans receive their news from, is not being corrupted nor it manipulated by foreign entities. also making news today, a powerful magnitude 6.7 earthquake has rocked japan's northern island of hokkaido, triggering landslides. a number of people are reportedly injured and trapped beneath collapsed structures. there are said to be widespread power outages and a number of blocked and damaged roads. no deaths have been reported and officials say there is no tsunami risk. a major international airport in western japan has been closed, with thousands of people evacuated in the wake of deadly typhoonjebi. kansai airport, a major

transport hub serving osaka, kobe and kyoto, was cut off when an ocean tanker hit and damaged its bridge to the mainland. at least twenty people have been killed in two separate explosions at a sports club in the afghan capital kabul. four people were killed in a suicide bombing. a second, larger blast killed at least sixteen people as emergency services and journalists arrived at the scene. naomi osaka has become the first japanese woman to reach a grand slam semi—final in 22 years after winning her quarter final match in the us open. the 20—year—old japanese—american has been earmarked as a future star. fresh attempts are being made to restart talks on persuading north korea to give up its nuclear weapon programme. south korean special envoys have arrived in the north korean capital pyongyang to smooth the way for another meeting between president moonjae—in and the north korean leader

kim jong—un later this month. laura bickerjoins us now from seoul. how different is this gathering compared to the past meetings between the north and the south?” think when it comes to north and south, what this gathering seems to show, and certainly from the photos we have, is that there is camaraderie between the two sides. kim jong—un is seen laughing camaraderie between the two sides. kimjong—un is seen laughing and joking with hands on shoulders, plenty of smiles and handshakes all around. that said, that is similar to the meeting they had back in the spring which led to the talk between the two countries and then a meeting between president trump and kim jong—un. what it is in stark contrast to is the welcome that the

us secretary of state received a few months back where he did not get to meet kim jong—un. here we months back where he did not get to meet kimjong—un. here we have months back where he did not get to meet kim jong—un. here we have a special envoy for the south korean president getting a special treatment that that was not extended to the us secretary of state. denuclearisation is still at the top of the agenda for north, south korea and the us? the sticking point is this. what should come first? after the negotiations and after the summit in singapore, what we are seeing is the north demanding an end of war declaration. this two sides are still technically at war after the korean war ended in 1953 with an armistice and not a peace treaty. north korea wants an end of war declaration as does south korea. the problem is the us wants denuclearisation first. they want the north to hand over nuclear weapons or some kind of itinerary of

what they have in the country. that is what you are looking at and that is what you are looking at and that is the sticking point. what should come first? denuclearisation or an end of war declaration? is there a chance of another summit between moonjae—in chance of another summit between moon jae—in and kim jong—un? chance of another summit between moon jae-in and kim jong-un? we expect president moon later this month to travel to be ongoing. later today we hope to get a date and more details of what that meeting may entail the president moon could be the intermediary here. he could be the intermediary here. he could be the one to once again break the deadlock between north korea and the us. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: researchers say a new superbug is spreading undetected through hospital wards across the world. also on the programme: how taiwan's most popular form of transport is hoping to clean up — by going electric. freedom itself was attacked this

morning and freedom will be defended. the united states will hunt down and punish those responsible. bishop tutu now becomes the spiritual leader of 100,000 anglicans here. the blacks of the township as well as the whites of the neighbouring suburbs. we say to you today, in a loud and clear voice, enough of blood and tears. enough. the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great an exceptional courage. it is an exodus of up to 60,000

people, caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories — britain has named two russian nationals as suspects in the poisoning of former spy sergei skripal and his daughter yulia. thousands of members of the religious minority the yazidis are still missing, four years after so—called islamic state attacked them in iraq. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the japan times counts the cost of typhoonjebi, the worst storm to hit the country in 25 years. the paper says attention is now focused on the damage to kansai

airport, where thousands of passengers were left stranded. the straits times says the high speed railway between kuala lumpur and singapore is heading for a serious delay. the service will take four years longer than expected. if all goes well, the first trains will roll out of the station in 2031. and the new york times is on the lookout for some super—sized seagulls. why? because they've been ruffling a few feathers. these avian agitators are proving a major headache for the italian capital. they've invaded people's homes and eaten the vatican's peace doves. those are the papers. which stories

are starting discussions online? have a look at these models grabbing a lot of attention on social media, also taking the fashion industry by storm because they are not real. computer generated models have been used in the latest balmain campaign, including the world ‘s first ‘s digital supermodels thousands of yazidis are still missing in syria, four years after so called islamic state attacked them in their ancestral home in northern iraq. the un has called the crimes against the minority group genocide. an international aid effort backed by a bombing campaign saved the majority of the population, who sought safety on nearby mount sinjar. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet has been there, and has this report. sinjar mountain, sacred land of the yazidis. these slopes still haunted by the terror of islamic state in this northern corner of iraq.

four years on, clothes still litter the mountainside — discarded in panic by a people on the run, desperate to escape. now in the foothills, a chilling silence. a date seared in every yazidi's memory. is fighters no longer hold this land, but still hold a people hostage. thousands of men, women and children are still missing. but for this family, some relief. a daughter enslaved by is in syria is freed after four long years. her family paid tens of thousands of dollars to get her and her children back. the day after she returns,

we visit her at home. and she feared she'd never be able to escape that living hell. translation: when i was in captivity, isis lied to me. they said yazidi women would never be free and that our families would kill us if we tried to come home. so i was scared to come back. i was scared my family would kill me. and i was so surprised at the welcome i got. who can begin to imagine what women like her have been through at the hands of so—called islamic state. daily beatings, mutilation, and there are said to be 3000 more yazidi women and children still missing, still captured by islamic state. from sinjar, we made a shortjourney to kocho,

the yazidi village is tried to wipe off the map. now it's a monument to a massacre. more than a thousand people rounded up — men and old women shot dead, young women sold into slavery. the sense of loss here is overwhelming. this man mourns his brother, buried alive at the back of this schoolyard. inside, a memorial to the dead and the missing. he shows his grandsons the photos — their father, uncles, aunts, favourite cousins, all gone. upstairs, traces of horror. mattresses scattered across the floor, abandoned uniforms. the aching silence of a generation lost.

at the edge of kocho, mass graves. just three soldiers standing guard. killing fields darken the yazidi heartland. bones exposed by the wind. people are desperate for these graves to be exhumed. translation: this is where isis killed my people. these bones are evidence of a massacre. they bear witness to what happened here. we want these crimes to be investigated. the un calls this a genocide, but four years on, little has been done. after so much loss, the yazidi people are now losing hope. lyse doucet, bbc news, sinjar. they're calling it a "major medical public health threat".

australian researchers have discovered a new superbug that is spreading undetected through hospital wards across the world. the bacteria are resistant to all known antibiotics katie silver reports. it is called staphylococcus epidermidis, a bacteria commonly found on normal human skin. in most healthy people, it doesn't cause any problems, but it is one of the most common causes of infection in hospitals, especially amongst the elderly patients with an implanted medical device such as a heart valve or prosthetic limb. until now, these infections have been able to be treated using antibiotics, also we thought. what we have uncovered in this study is that a single change in the bacteria has led to a resista nce in the bacteria has led to a resistance to two of our key antibiotics. this professor and his

tea m antibiotics. this professor and his team found a superbug existed in almost 80 hospitals around the world, including the us, uk and europe. the situation was particularly bad in germany. some of the strains that were included in our study from europe were resistant to antibiotics, making them essentially untreatable stop it the place of the impact of a superbug could be felt the worst is in an intensive care unit, where infections are the highest. in developed countries where the samples were ta ken developed countries where the samples were taken from, about 30% of patients in intensive care get something to —— some infection associated with entry in. in developing treatment, this can be up to 89% of patients. the infection has been spreading in some places forup to 15 has been spreading in some places for up to 15 years without detection, caused mainly by antibiotics being incorrectly prescribed. how many people have been affected is still unclear. taiwan considers itself the kingdom of scooters, it has the largest number of scooters per capita in the world, nearly 1a million. but they're polluting so now in the hope of nudging people into buying electric scooter the government has announced its

going to ban the sale of petrol ones from 2035. cindy sui has this report from taipei. it is rush—hour in taipei and as you can see, the freeway ramp timed me is covered with scooters. they are the most popular vehicle to own in taiwan because they are more affordable than cars and more convenient to parts. but these are mostly gasoline powered scooters and they pollute the air. in fact, despite taiwan being a small island, it causes nearly 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from scooters is part of the problem. in recent years, the government has convinced more people to switch to electric scooters by offering subsidies, but still the number of electric scooters on the island is stilljust a tiny fraction of the 1a million motorbikes in taiwan. said the government is now

taking a drastic step. it plans to banda sale of gasoline powered scooters by 2035. but gasoline powered scooters are still more popular because they are cheaper, faster and more convenient and gasoline stations are easy to find a. let's talk to commuters at. if next time i returned my motorcycle i would get an electric motorcycle because of the air quality issue. at it is still expensive and it is still not back convenient. the trendy, larger looking scooters with batteries you can swap at swapping stations has helped boost sales of electric scooters in taiwan in recent yea rs. electric scooters in taiwan in recent years. the government is also now offering technical subsidies to manufacturers of gasoline powered scooters to help them make the switch to manufacturing electric scooters and subsidies like —— some cities like taipei are even offering free parking spaces to electric

scooters as an added incentive. you have been watching newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. coming up, we will have more on those facebook and twitter grilling is on capitol hill. we will take a closer look at what the social media giants are doing to stop political meddling. now, you might be a scooter man, but i prefer the beautiful game with a beautiful view. football freestyler tobias becs has taken his passion to a whole new level. the daredevil was filmed doing tricks and keepie—uppies while suspended from a crane above the city of oslo in norway. he makes it look pretty easy. maybe you shouldn't try this if you are at home. stay with us. backward the headlines next. —— back with. hello there. we are ending this week

on something what more unsettled than how we started it, that is because we are replacing high pressure with an area of low pressure. at the moment we are still in between systems, there is a developing area of low pressure out across the north sea, but we have got high pressure dominating much of thursday morning, a couple of weather fronts around too topic they are going to bring outbreaks of rain to the northern isles, this weather front into northern england, north—west england, parts of northern wales, barely anything on it, the odd spot of rain, we could seek further showers returning to western scotland bursting this morning. where we have the cloud to starting in double figures, otherwise clear skies is a single figure values. we will be feeling cooler writes the border, especially across the north, starting with the morning with the deal of sunshine around. showers will start to get going across scotland and then we will see feature, another weather front living out of ireland across

the irish sea into wales and the midlands, into south—west england, as we head on into the afternoon. if conditions go downhill for many central and southern parts of england and wales. could seek a bit of sunshine across the south—east where it could be or 21 degrees. a lot more cloud further north, outbreaks of rain, but it will feel cooler than that further north. for the far north of england, northern ireland and scotland, sunny spells and scattered showers, some even thundery across scotland. as the head—on into friday, we start to see this area of low pressure develops topic is of the very heavy rain will stay offshore, but as we had through friday it looks like it could be quite wet across parts of scotland and north—east england. some of this rain could be quite heavy for time through friday morning across eastern england, with another spell of rain pushing into northern scotla nd of rain pushing into northern scotland but further south and west that you are it should be fit generally drier. north, north—west

wins, temperatures ranging from 15— 19 degrees. those rains feature as the move across the east of the country. that area of low pressure continues to spin around, moving further eastwards into the north sea. we see another feature run into wales and the south—west of england as we had on into saturday. a bit of uncertain due to this but this is a feature i am talking about, bringing some wet weather to england and wales through the day. were pressured to the north of the country will bring showers, of scotland. saturday, we will see that rain spreading eastwards and into sunday, probably the better day. drier and slightly brighter day. i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story. britain calls for an urgent meeting of the un security council over the novichok nerve agent attack. the british prime minister theresa may says the attempted murder of a former russian spy and his daughter was almost certainly approved by the russian state. thousands of members of the religious minority the yazidis are still missing,

four years after so—called islamic state attacked them in their ancestral home in iraq. and this video is trending on bbc.com: researchers are calling it a "major medical threat" after discovering a new superbug is spreading undetected in hospitals. the bacteria are resistant to all known antibiotics and may be increasing the risk of severe infections and even death. that's all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.