welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is martin stanford. our top stories: kim meets donald — the sequel: reports a second summit between the two world leaders is being planned. a state of emergency is declared in virginia and the carolinas, ahead of the arrival of hurricane florence. almost ten years after the end end of sri lanka's civil war, families of the missing are still searching for answers. and the star of sex and the city who wants to become governor of new york. the white house says the leader of north korea has requested a second meeting with president trump and that officials are looking into scheduling one. the request was made in what they say was a "very warm, very positive" personal letter from kimjong unto mr trump. caroline rigby has more.

this is the kim jong—un is hoping for a repeat of, another face—to—face meeting with the president of the united states. the white house secretary told reporters the north korean leader made the request in a letter to donald trump. it was a very warm, very positive letter. we won't release the full letter unless the north korean leader agrees that we should. the primary purpose of the letter was to request and look to schedule another meeting with the president, which we are open to and are already in the process of co—ordinating that. negotiations over the regime's nuclear programme appeared to have stalled, following the two leaders historic summit in singapore in june. us secretary of state mike pompeo even cancelling scheduled trip to north korea last month. and in august, a report commissioned by the un security council found

north korea had not stopped its nuclear and missile programmes, violating un sanctions. but the white house insists this letter is evidence progress in washington's relationship with pyongyang and it demonstrates north korea's commitment to the denuclearisation of the peninsula. the white house also points to a recent military parade, in which the north did not show off its nuclear arsenal, and a series of other events which they say offers further proof the regime is moving in the right direction. the president has achieved tremendous success with his policies so far and this letter was further evidence of progress in that relationship. a number of things that have taken place, the remains have come back, the hostages have been returned, there's been no testing of missiles or nuclear material. so when and where might this follow—up meeting take place? well, the white house has refused to be drawn on that, saying we will let you know

when we have further details. caroline rigby, bbc news. joining me now live from busan, south korea, is professor robert kelly, a korea expert and professor of political science at pusan national university. where and when do you think round to my where and when do you think round to ing? where and when do you think round to my tapping? yes, people have talked about kim jong—un going my tapping? yes, people have talked about kimjong—un going to my tapping? yes, people have talked about kim jong—un going to the white house. donald trump floated desperately in passing in singapore. you'll be amazing if he can do united states. that is even further in singapore. he worries about the true and that is one of the reasons why he only said in singapore for a couple of days. i'll be surprised that was that far afield. weight eating the breakthrough has come now? -- why do you think. i would not call it a breakthrough. a

meeting does not take us far. ultimately what matters is that the north koreans move nuclear weapons and missiles, and they haven't, despite what the trump administration said. broadly speaking the north is looking very deal. they are looking to talk to us. deal. they are looking to talk to us. they are pushing pretty hard. they would like to me before the elections or something soon. he is facing domestic troubles at home. there is momentum on both sides. both sides are still circling each other gold waiting fridge over to make the first move on something big. this could be a bluff, then, couldn't it? this could be another occasion to talk, and then nothing happens afterwards? that is probably what will happen. that is what happened at singapore and at the inter— korean summit a couple of month ago. the north koreans are great at this. they love talking. sitting down with kim jong—un great at this. they love talking. sitting down with kimjong—un in singapore was not a great achievement, because we know that they love to talk. the problem is they love to talk. the problem is they talk and they talk and they talk, but don't do a whole lot. we are into the night month of the departed this year, and the north koreans have not made any serious

concessions. but as 0k, koreans have not made any serious concessions. but as ok, but that is what we are focused on. what we want is more information and ultimately some sort of rollback. we have not anything on that. it donald trump cannot move this forward, then nobody else, not the neighbours of the trainees of the south koreans, derby appears to be able to make kim jong—un budge much?” derby appears to be able to make kim jong-un budge much? i don't think the north koreans will send much back. that means about 50 warheads and some icbms. mainly they want to get back some stuff. mike pompeo talk about than giving up two thirds of their arsenal. maybe they can give at ten or 20%, and get back into the iaea. a big deal trees may be able to do that thing, but they could you ask a lot, and the white house will have two make concessions on sanctions and aid and that discussion has not happened yet. but for the utilisation, that will not happen. the americans and chinese,

we will not get that. we're talking about verification processes. projects that they do what they say are doing? the north koreans have talked about how they have built down a little bit over the summer. they have that explosion at the test site and things like that. but we did not have inspectors there. scientists and people who know what to look for, engineers and things like that look at these things. it is difficult to know if that were something meaningful, and that is something meaningful, and that is something tricky, too. the chinese will not know if there will be inspectors at all. the brokers will reject that. they will want to be friendly. this will be a real tangle. but that is a whole other question. even if we sign something with them, had we verify it? there area with them, had we verify it? there are a lot of things to come. robert kelly, good to talk to you. thank you very much. people along the coast of north carolina are boarding up their homes and stocking up on supplies before hurricane florence arrives. here's how the category 4 storm looks from the international space station — and right now it's packing winds of up to 140 miles per hour.

it's forecast to gain in strength before it makes landfall, probably on thursday. rob fowler is chief meteorologist with television station wcbd in charleston. i asked him if south carolina is likely to be hit hard when the hurricane arrives. i tell you what, south carolina is still in an area of concern but a lot of computer models that we are using are trending further north. what we are seeing along the coast is that the fact that this is a large storm getting bigger, the wind fields are growing out from the centre of the storm. you don't have to be 50 miles away, you can be 100 miles away and still feel the impacts from this storm and that is what we are expecting here. 0ur governor has issued an evacuation beginning tomorrow, on interstates getting out of charleston, for your viewers on the bbc, charleston is on the coast, we are right next to the ocean, so there is no barrier or buffer between us, those hurricanes and land. it is a triple whammy possibly, because you got high winds,

the storm surge pushing that the sea up and then an awful lot of rainfall, potentially. martin, that is our big concern, especiallyjust to the north. i am basing this on the current track, if the track of the storm changes a little bit, comes further south then we will be in the highest winds and the highest storm surge. i can tell you that charleston is a city that is only about seven feet above sea level, when we have higher than normal tides we have water on the roadways. so any rainfall is going to create even more problems with the normal situation we have got in the tidal in the morning and afternoon. we are a little bit concerned about that right now based on the current track, most of south carolina should be ok. it is our area north of charleston, including the myrtle beach area, that is closer to potential landfall that would certainly be watching this very closely, as are we here in charleston. even though it is a mandatory evacuation, a lot of folks choose to stay back. why do they do that? you know what martin, i think a lot

of folks are hurricane—weary. 0ver last three years, in 2015 we had major floods here and in 2016 we had hurricane matthew and last year we had tropical storm irma. the folks who left said i could have stayed, but this is not matthew, irma or the floods of 2013, this rivals what we had in 1989, hurricane hugo, which was the last category four to make landfall, and i happened to be the chief meteorologist at this station at that time, i was young and saw that first—hand what a hurricane can do. i wouldn't advise anybody to stay in harm's way with this hurricane, i would leave as soon as possible. sometimes hurricanes will lose power as they hit landfall, are you expecting that to happen on thursday as well? well, what is interesting is right now it is category four, we expect it to be on the cusp of category five where the wind has to be greater than 156,

we think they could maybe be 155 at times tomorrow. hurricanes exert a lot of energy, so we think by the time it gets close to land it will weaken just slightly back to about 140 mph winds. again, that is still a very strong category four, almost a category five. even though a little bit of weakening could take place before landfall, it will still be a very, very dangerous storm and the big concern is the way that the blocking patterns are, we think that it could make landfall and be blocked from moving further north, which means it willjust sit there and weaken, but at the same time it is going to dump rain. we will be measuring this not in inches, but feet. in the metric system i know that is a lot of rain too. let's get some of the day's other news.

a petrol station has exploded in the nigerian state of nasarawa, creating a fireball that killed at least 35 people and injured hundreds more. local media said a blast at a nearby gas facility sparked a bigger explosion at a petrol station which engulfed vehicles, shops and offices. many of the victims were burned beyond recognition. volkswagen has gone on trial in germany in what is the first court case against the car maker over the diesel emissions scandal. investors are pursuing vw for about 9.2 billion euros in damages, claiming the company should have come clean sooner about falsifying emissions data. vw shares crashed after disclosure in 2015 that its diesel technology emitted illegal levels of pollution. here in the uk the police match commander on the day of the hillsborough football disaster in 1989 has denied multiple charges of manslaughter. david duckenfield appeared

via videolink to face 95 counts following the tragedy at an fa cup semi final. a provisional trial date has been set forjanuary. the white house national security adviser, john bolton, has set out a comprehesive list of objections the us administration has to the international criminal court. during the speechjohn bolton said the icc was unaccountable and dangerous — and that it posed a threat to american sovereignty. today, on the even september 11, i wa nt to today, on the even september 11, i want to deliver a clear and unambiguous message on behalf of the president of the united states. the united states will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court. we will not co—operate with the icc. we will provide no assistance to the icc. and we

certainly will notjoin the icc. cynthia nixon was famous as miranda in sex and the city — but this thursday she hopes new york voters will choose her for a different role — democratic nominee for governor. it's no easy task — she's taking on the incumbent andrew cuomo by running to his left, calling for a single payer health care system, and more funding for public schools and the subway. so can she pull off an upset? the bbc‘s nada tawfik has been finding out. stepping into a new role, cynthia nixon puts in face time with voters. many already know her as miranda from the hit hbo series, sex and the city. but she wants them to picture her as the next governor of new york. when we say black lives matter, we have to actually mean it. the state under her opponent, andrew cuomo, has passed some of the most progressive policies in the nation. but cynthia nixon thinks more has to be done to reverse crippling inequality and to guarantee access to quality education, healthcare and jobs. if you shoot for the moon,

you end up with the stars. if you don't try and enact these things, you'll never get anywhere. so we have to be bold and we have to be ambitious with our vision. progressives want to push democrats further to the left and a key part of that is disrupting politics as usual. in their view, established politicians are often part of the problem and that has left an opening for a diverse range of candidates to step in. the governor of new york is not a job about politics or advocacy, it is about doing, it is about management. this is real life. andrew cuomo has tried to make the race about experience and fighting donald trump. at this debate nixon's supporters refer her credentials as an activist. she is far behind in the polls, but there have been upset in democratic primaries and they are energised as ever. democrats come to communities

of colour and they say the right things, they give away food, whatever the case may be, but they don't back it up. it is like a shakedown, they get our vote. politics here is so dominated by corporate interests, they have a stranglehold on our system. we need people who are willing to be bold and courageous. it has got to the point with the election of trump, people are saying, we cannot do this any more, we cannot sit here with centrists and fight far right policies. but not all democrats are convinced lunging to the left will win a race against republicans in more conservative districts. there could be a real revolution, but more likely it will be part of a long—term change in democrats to make them be what they once were, which is the left, the real left in this country. cynthia nixon's celebrity has put the spotlight on the governor's race in new york and the wider contrast

on the party's identity. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the row that keeps on giving — the women's tennis association defends the great serena williams in the us open final. 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, of the blacks in soweto township as well as the whites in their rich suburbs. we say to you today, in a loud and a clear voice, enough of blood and tears. enough! translation: the difficult decision we reached together was one that required great and exceptional courage.

it's an exodus of up to 60,000 people, caused by the uneven pace of political change in eastern europe. iam free! this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the white house says the north korean leader kim jong—un the white house says the north korean leader kimjong—un has requested a second meeting with president trump. state of emergency in virginia and the carolinas ahead of the arrival of hurricane irma florence the war in sri lanka ended in may 2009 with the defeat of the tamil tiger rebels.

but the country is still struggling to come to terms with its past. tens of thousands of people were killed and many others went missing. their relatives have been holding protests seeking answers. the bbc‘s anbarasan ethirajan, who reported there during the conflict, went back to see what has changed for the minority tamils. kolinochchi, the former tamil rebel stronghold in northern sri lanka. i was here, at the height of the conflict, ten years ago and the place was in ruins. today, it is a bustling town. these people want answers about their loved ones, who went missing during the war. translation: during the final stages of the war, when we came out of the rebel area, we were kept behind a barbed fence. the army then asked all those linked to the tamil rebels to surrender and promised general amnesty. so my son, my daughter—in—law and their two young children gave themselves up.

the army took them away in a bus. we were all crying and watching them go. that was the last time i saw them. these women are not alone. around 20,000 people, mostly tamils, disappeared during the three—decade long conflict. i think, as a country, we can progress and we can have reconciliation only when people acknowledge that there have been violations, there have been instances of hundreds of people, of thousands of people, going missing, and that we must acknowledge that that should never occur again. a busy morning here in the city of jaffna, the cultural capital of tamils in northern sri lanka. nearly ten years after the war, life seems to be returning to normal but there are still underlying tensions and concerns among the tamil community and they feel that some of the core issues

which triggered the conflict more than three decades ago have not yet been addressed by successive sri lankan governments. the government says it is looking into tamil concerns, particularly the issue of enforced disappearances. anybody can say 40,000,10,000, 30,000,100,000 but now the mechanism officially investigating into that. back in kolinochchi, relatives of the disappeared say only when the loved ones return home will the war be over, and peace return. when asked how long they will continue to protest, this woman says, as long as she lives. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news, northern sri lanka. russia is beginning the largest

wa rgames russia is beginning the largest wargames in eastern siberia and for the first time in china is taking part. the us open women's final was on track to be one for the history books. but now it's going to be there for all the wrong reasons. serena william's bid to win a record number of grand slam tournaments ended with a surprise defeat to naomi 0saka, after the umpire penalised williams multiple times. the tennis star says her treatment was sexist. the bbc‘s richard conway has more. incensed of accusations of foul play, she directed her anger at umpire carlos ramos, saying, "you will never ever be at another court of mine." she then called him a thief, and said he had stolen a point from her. that prompted him to escalate the penalty by awarding an entire game to the eventual winner, naomi 0saka. after the match, williams claimed she was fighting for a greater cause than simply her own. i've seen other men call other umpires several things, and i'm here fighting

for women's rights and for women's equality, and for all kinds of stuff. and for me to say "thief", and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. she's been backed by steve simon, the chief executive of the women's tennis association. that has prompted further debate, with the international tennis federation siding with the umpire, saying he acted with professionalism and integrity. the statement has added fuel to the fire. novak djokovic, fresh from his own victory in the men's tournament last night, disagrees over questions of umpiring fairness between the genders. i don't see things as mr simon does, i really don't. i think men and women are, you know, treated in this way or the other way depending on the situation.

it's hard to generalise things. but on the streets of new york today, it was the 23—times grandslam winner who attracted support. it feels like a lot times they think the worst of us, instead of saying "i am a woman, i am strong, you made a mistake, you need to apologise to me publicly. " i think there's sexism and some racism involved. at the same time, she's got to stay in control of her actions as well, and she can only really blame herself for losing it like that. serena williams spent her early years being coached by herfather, richard, overcoming racism and financial obstacles on her path to sporting greatness. a seventh us open victory a year on from nearly dying giving birth to her daughter would've been a crowning moment. instead, this final will be debated and remembered for very different reasons. richard, conway, bbc news. an auction of furniture owned

by sir rod stewart takes place later on tuesday. more than 60 items are up for grabs, including armchairs, side tables and bookcases. it's believed sir rod decided to have a clearout after recently moving home. the bbc‘s tim allman reports. legendary singer, knights of the round, but everybody has to downsize eventually so rod stewart put his home up for sale last year in what you do when you move house? you get rid of some of the clutter. dozens of household items will go under the hammer. there is a pair of guilt bronze mounted side table is estimated to be worth $4000. an italian walnut credenza, a sideboard

to you and me, shy of $2000. and how about this armchair? $450. and appropriately enough, it comes with appropriately enough, it comes with a folk leopard skin cushion. do you think it's sexy? where it well, so it well, this should be what the auction is have described as a good old—fashioned auction is have described as a good old —fashioned clearance. auction is have described as a good old—fashioned clearance. tim the main story today: kim jong—un has requested a second meeting with president trump and the white house staff as saying it is being

organised. thank you for watching. hello there. full uk weather forecast coming up injust a moment, but first of all, i thought we'd cast an eye with what's going on on the other side of the atlantic. you might have heard, we have a major hurricane on our hands. this is hurricane florence, which is a very powerful category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 140mph. but it's forecast to strengthen, up to 155mph with 190mph gusts, and that is heading to the east coast of the united states. landfall probably thursday night around north carolina. it's going to cause big, big problems. just to the north of florence, we've got an area of cloud that extends of miles across the atlantic, right over to the united kingdom. yes, it's a massive weather front, or a couple really. it's going to be pushing southwards, bringing some heavy rain. the rain always heaviest across the hills and coasts of north—west england and wales. to the east of higher ground, it's one of those fronts where the rain's probably not

going to amount to too much. but nevertheless there will be some damp weather getting into the east of the pennines, for example. given it stays quite windy overnight, temperatures will stay up into double figures. and this massive long weather front marks the dividing line between some coolish air that we've got flowing into northern areas, and air that's come in more from the mid—tropical atlantic across the south. so a lot of cloud around, but we are going to see the highest temperatures across southern counties of england. now, i wouldn't even rule out an odd spot of drizzle towards the coasts and hills in the south to start the day. but, for many of us, probably a dry start. now, through the day we'll see outbreaks of rain pushing southwards across wales, quite murky through the bristol channel for a time. and there'll be further showers in western scotland as well. temperature—wise, coolish air across the north of the uk, with temperatures between around 13 and 16 celsius. but, further south, well, the temperatures still into the low 20s. 22, 23 degrees, something like that around the london area. now, through tuesday night, we're going to see that weather front have a pulse of energy running along it, and that will push the rain back northwards, back into north—west england,

back into the north of wales. that's where it starts the day on wednesday. and then wednesday, the rain will very slowly trickle its way southwards, where it will become confined to southern counties of england to take us into wednesday afternoon. so it'll stay quite dull and damp across these southern areas, with the rain perhaps even a bit slower to clear than this. and temperature—wise, 16 degrees in london. so those temperatures around seven degrees lower. it is going to be a much colder—feeling day in the south, particularly on wednesday. the rest of the week sees a bit more sunshine in the south, so temperatures do tend to recover, but the north—west will see further showers from time to time. that's your weather. this is bbc news. the headlines: the white house says the north korean leader, kim jong—un, has requested a second meeting with president trump and officials are looking into scheduling one. an official said the request was made in a "very warm, very positive" letter from the north korean leader to mr trump. the us states of north and south carolina —

as well as virginia — have declared states of emergency ahead of the arrival of hurricane florence. the governor of south carolina has ordered the evacuation of about a million people from coastal areas. it's strengthened to a category 4 storm. the eu's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, has said that if both sides are realistic then they could agree the first stage of the divorce deal with britain within six to eight weeks. he said the main risk was failure to work out how to solve the irish border question.