i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: a powerful testimony from the woman who is accusing president trump's supreme court nominee of assaulting her 36 years ago. i believed he was going to rape me. i tried to yell for help. when i did, brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. in an angry and emotional response, brett kavanaugh denies any assault, saying the accusations are politically motivated. i swear today, under oath, i sweartoday, under oath, before the senate and the nation, before my family and god, i am the senate and the nation, before my family and god, lam innocent the senate and the nation, before my family and god, i am innocent of this charge. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: at the un, china and russia call for sanctions against north korea to be eased. and a fierce critic of the philippines president, rodrigo duterte, is facing possible

detention over charges of instigating a coup d'etat. good morning. it is 7:00am in singapore, midnight in london, and 7:00pm in washington, where it has been a day of impassioned testimony at the us senate, as president trump's nominee for the supreme court, brett kavanaugh, repeatedly denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl some 30 years ago. judge kavanaugh declared that the allegations had destroyed his family and his good name. earlier his accuser, professor christine blasey ford, insisted that the attack did happen, and described its devastating impact. 0ur north america editor

jon sopel has the latest. judgement day has arrived for thejudge. it is hard to overstate the passions, the conspiracy theories, the mistrust and division this supreme court appointment has stirred. but today before the judiciary committee, christine blasey ford, who has faced death threats since coming forward, will face her alleged attacker, brett kava naugh, potential supreme courtjustice. the chairman of the committee started with an apology to them both. both dr ford and judge kavanaugh have been through a terrible couple weeks. they and their families have received vile threats. but with that nod to civility, the gloves came off, in what is a partisan dogfight. this is not a trial of dr ford.

it's a job interview forjudge kavanaugh. then there was the turn of christine blasey ford to set out her case — nervously at first. i am here today not because i want to be. i am terrified. lam here because i believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while brett kavanaugh and i were in high school. and then, the distressing detail of what she said happened that night. i was pushed onto the bed, and brett got on top of me. he began running his hands over my body and grinding into me. i yelled, hoping that someone downstairs might hear me, and i tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy. brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. he had a hard time because he was very inebriated, and because i was wearing a one—piece bathing suit underneath my clothing. i believed he was going to rape me. i tried to yelled for help. when i did, brett put his hand over

my mouth to stop me from yelling. this is what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. she then spoke of the toll this has taken since going public. my family and i have been the target of constant harassment and death threats, and i have been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable. then it was time for questions. what is the strongest memory you have? the laughter. the uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense. brett kavanaugh has said he is a victim of mistaken identity. so is he? dr ford, with what degree of certainty do you believe brett kavanaugh assaulted you? 100%. every republican on the committee is a white man, so they have brought

in a female prosecutor to ask dr ford their questions for them. why did you decide to take a polygraph? i didn't see any reason not to do it. were you advised to do that? i was happy to undergo the polygraph test, although i found it extremely stressful. it was then the turn of brett kavanaugh, who arrived at the hearing with his wife alongside him. in his opening statement, he came out swinging, his voice straining, sounding alternately indignant... my family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed. you may defeat me in the final vote, but you'll never get me to quit. never. i'm here today to tell the truth. i've never sexually assaulted anyone. not in high school, not in college, not ever. ..and then he sounded angry...

and then, as no doubt was expected, if not planned, came a long series of false, last—minute smears, designed to scare me and drive me out of the process, before any hearing occurred. crazy stuff — gangs, illegitimate children, fights on boats in rhode island, all nonsense, reported breathlessly and often uncritically by the media. ..and finally emotional. the other night, ashley and my daughter liza said their prayers. and little liza, all of ten years old... ..said to ashley, "we should pray for the woman." that's a lot of wisdom from a ten—year—old. his fury was plain as he answered questions about some of the other

women who've made allegations against him. you know, we hear from the witnesses, but the fbi isn't interviewing them, and isn't giving us any facts, so all we have... you're interviewing me, you're interviewing me. you're doing it, senator. i'm sorry to interrupt, but you're doing it. that's — there's no conclusions reached. and what you're saying, if i understand it, is that the allegations by dr ford, ms ramirez and ms swetnick are wrong. that is emphatically what i'm saying. emphatically. the swetnick thing is a joke. that is a farce. you've got nothing to apologise for. and from this republican senator, just as much anger, but also

despair. you're looking for a fair process. you despair. you're looking for a fair process. you came despair. you're looking for a fair process. you came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend. donald trump flew back into washington today, every tv on air force one tuned to the hearing. he is watching, as is the rest of america, and the raw emotion has been mesmerising. and then, the near impossible question senators need to answer — who do you believe? jon sopel, bbc news, washington. and that testimony finished just around 20 minutes ago, so we are getting lots and lots of reaction. donald trump has already tweeted about it. chris bucklerjoins us now from washington. chris has also watched every moment of this. has anything like this happen before? in terms of what we saw today, the emotions, that testimony, it has been extraordinary. yes, it was a remarkable hearing, and the way it it was powerful testimony from both the accused and the accuser. both stood there and made very clear

their positions. they gave full evidence to this committee, spoke very clearly. they spoke emotionally, and if you listen to christine blasey ford, at times her voice was breaking, as she just recounted what she said happened 36 yea rs recounted what she said happened 36 years ago. and, in response, we heard from brett kavanaugh this very upset, at times angry fury at the way he feels he has been treated. but they both gave very strong testimony. and that is a difficult thing for the committee, as they try to weigh what happens next. now, donald trump, there is no doubt what he believes. he has tweeted within the last few minutes thatjudge kavanaugh in his view showed exactly why america nominated him. he said his testimony was powerful, honest and riveting and the democrats' search and destroy strategy was disgraceful and that the process had been a total sham and an effort to delay, obstruct and resist. he also said that the senate must now vote, and certainly at the moment we believe republicans are getting

ready for a meeting. the public and senators are going to work out exactly what happens next. but there isa exactly what happens next. but there is a suggestion that, as far as the committee is concerned, there could bea committee is concerned, there could be a vote as early as tomorrow morning. i see, because we are not 100% clear, certainly we won't until recently. so you think that they believe it will go ahead. but as i say, there is a meeting that is about to take place with republicans, they are about to gather and have a conversation about what they feel should happen next. but you get a sense from president trump's tweet, and bear in mind that only 2a hours ago he was talking about what would happen potentially if brett kava naugh about what would happen potentially if brett kavanaugh didn't go ahead with this confirmation process. he had talked about how he might nominate, for example, a woman as his next pick to become a supreme court judge, his next pick to become a supreme courtjudge, there was a feeling that this could not go ahead. it is very different message from him now, and if you listen to some of the republicans on that committee, they we re republicans on that committee, they

were also powerful their argument that they believe thatjudge kavanaugh that they believe thatjudge kava naugh gave a that they believe thatjudge kavanaugh gave a real sense of who he was. they believe he did defend his reputation. he sat there with that name plate before him describing him as the honourable brett kavanaugh. describing him as the honourable brett kava naugh. well, describing him as the honourable brett kavanaugh. well, he knew he had to defend that honour. and certainly, from republicans' point of view, they feel that he has done that but there is no doubt the democrats will continue to say what about christine blasey ford? what about christine blasey ford? what about these other accusers, and what about these other accusers, and what about these other accusers, and what about the sense that perhaps they should be investigated by someone other than the senate, perhaps the fbi? yes, because brett kavanaugh, he didn't really answer that question, he was asked numerous lee about whether he would get the fbi involved and we didn't really get a clear a nswer involved and we didn't really get a clear answer on that. and what he really said was i am here to answer your questions, i am really said was i am here to answer your questions, iam here really said was i am here to answer your questions, i am here to answer your questions, i am here to answer your investigations. but there is a huge difference between a senate judiciary committee investigating something in the fbi. but he was careful in what he said. there is absolutely no doubt, from brett kavanaugh‘s absolutely no doubt, from brett kava naugh‘s point of absolutely no doubt, from brett kavanaugh‘s point of view, he has

been through the mill through the last few weeks. he has spoken about the impact on his family. he also doesn't want to hold up this process of being appointed to the supreme court. he wants to push ahead with it. but there was a different tone from him today. you will remember earlier in the week he had given an interview to fox news in which he had spoken sitting alongside his wife, and during that he was controlled, he was careful in his language, but he was in some ways quite defensive. this was a much more aggressive performance. as he made very clear that he wants to be a supreme court justice, made very clear that he wants to be a supreme courtjustice, that he feels the process should continue. but the senators know they have to balance that, as well, with the emotional testimony of christine blasey ford, who gave a real sense of what this attack, or this alleged attack, had done to her over the last three or four mac decades. we knew what she was going to say. it had been written down. we have seen that opening statement. but to hear it being spoken in hushed senate

room was quite a different experience, and certainly doctor blasey ford gave testimony which has to be considered by all inside the senate, both democrats and republicans. chris, it was bruising for both parties involved. when it comes down to what the decision is, is it basically who they believe, whether it is doctor ford or whether it isjudge whether it is doctor ford or whether it is judge kavanaugh?” whether it is doctor ford or whether it is judge kavanaugh? i think politics plays into it as well. the truth is, i suspect, after having such powerful testimony from both sides, that there will be people who will simply not shift their position. republicans and democrats, in many cases, will have walked into this testimony with open is but perhaps some would argue closed minds. there will be many who will have walked in there saying that they would be persuaded if it was powerful enough. you could argue that christine blasey ford and brett kavanaugh in some ways cancelled each other out, and i suspect, for a

great many republicans and democrats, they will walk away still believing what they believed as they walked into that senate room. from the republica ns‘ walked into that senate room. from the republicans' point of view, they will argue thatjudge kavanaugh is a good man who should serve as a supreme courtjustice, good man who should serve as a supreme court justice, and good man who should serve as a supreme courtjustice, and from democrats' point of view, they will say that these are very powerful allegations that need to be investigated, and perhaps there should be a suspension in this process. now, if that remains the case, and we go to a senate vote, ultimately republicans have the majority there, and that means that the likelihood is brett kavanaugh could well end up as the next supreme courtjustice. an extraordinary day, chris, as always, thank you very much. and of course, the moment that we hear about whether that vote will take place, we will bring that to you, but as chris was saying, meeting taking place right now. once we get any development is we will bring that to you. but we have much more on our website, a lot of analysis and a lot to ta ke website, a lot of analysis and a lot to take in from this day. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: china and russia have called on the un security council to consider easing

sanctions on north korea, despite a warning from the us that they must continue to be enforced. the chinese foreign minister, wang yi, said sanctions were not an end in themselves. translation: china firmly believes that pressure is not the end. both implementing sanctions and promoting political settlement are equally important under security council resolutions. they must be in barmston in parallel, not in a partial or selective way. china believes that the most effective way to denuclearisation is for it to be advanced in parallel with the building of a peace mechanism on the peninsulas over to can reinforce each other and be settled together. until the final denuclearisation of the dprk is achieved and fully verified, it is our solemn, collective responsibility to fully commend all un security council resolutions pertaining to north korea.

enforcement of un security council resolutions must continue vigorously and without fail until we realised the fully, final, verified denuclearisation. also making news today: the un human rights council has voted to set up a special panel to prepare evidence of abuse carried out against myanmar‘s muslim rohingyas. the aim is to facilitate any future court case. a un report published last month said there was evidence that myanmar‘s army chief and five other military commanders were guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. myanmar rejected the report. pakisitani prime minister imran khan's government has continued its efforts to refill government coffers by selling off eight highly prized buffaloes. the animals reportedly provided milk for nawaz sharif, mr khan's predecessor, and his family. however, mr khan decided they should be sold off as part of the government's so—called austerity auctions. he has since made much of his so—called austerity drive, although critics say it has been more style than substance so far. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

live from singapore and london. still to come on the programme: more on the senatejudiciary hearing on brett kavanaugh. we'll be hearing from some of ordinary people watching the event in the us. in all russia's turmoil, it has never come to this. president yeltsin said the day would decide the nation's destiny. the day that so many had feared for so the day that so many had feared for so long is playing out its final act here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility that produced affection from catholics around the

world, but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. israel's right—winger, ariel sharon, visited the religious compound and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the whole sites, an idea unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one. in berlin, i million germans celebrate the rebirth of europe's biggest and richest nations. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the woman who's accusing donald trump's nominee for the supreme court of sexual assault told a senate committee that the alleged event 36 years ago changed her life dramatically. brett kavanaugh emphatically denied the allegations and accused

democratic senators of destroying his family and his good name for political reasons. now to the philippines, where a fierce critic of the country's president, rodrigo duterte, senator antonio trillanes, is facing possible detention over charges of instigating a coup d'etat. 0ur philippines correspondent, howard johnson recently, interviewed senator trillanes for a bbc our world documentary. in it, critics of the president allege he is attacking democratic institutions and silencing his most vocal critics. the scene inside the senate building earlier this week as senator trillanes was arrested by the police following an order by president rodrigo duterte. it's a very serious rebellion. how

it's exceeded, it could have overthrown the government —— had. it's exceeded, it could have overthrown the government -- had. mr trillanes had been holed up inside the building for three weeks while the building for three weeks while the government secured an arrest warrant —— had it succeeded. the government secured an arrest warrant -- had it succeeded. in just one presidential proclamation, he demonstrated his executive, legislative and judicial powers. so that's a dictatorship. mr trillanes was later released on bail, but now faces a second charge of instigating a coup d'etat. in 2003 and 2007, mr trillanes was part of two mutinies that stormed luxury premises in protest against alleged corruption of the former president. bloodless mutinies were short—lived and trillanes was later arrested and jailed. the former president granted

in an amnesty from prosecution in 2010. mr trillanes said the charges against him are trumped up and show worrying form. he has the media, the judith gray, the legislative, he co—opts them to get you. looking at the patterns of global dictators and tyra nts, the patterns of global dictators and tyrants, it is straight out of that dictators‘ playbook —— judiciary. critics say further attacks on the judiciary point to add pattern of alarming behaviour. but the president‘s spokesperson denies the claim. the fact you have all these critics able to vent their baseless charges against the president form the media shows we are not restricting them. we‘re not afraid of anything. if you think it said dictatorship? come to the philippines and. they are deciding if another warrant should be granted. the senator says he is

preparing for the worse the —— come to the philippines. and you can see more on that subject in a special our world documentary — philippines: democracy in danger this weekend on bbc world news. let‘s get more on our top story, and the the hearing on capitol hill into alleged sexual assualt by president trump‘s supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh, is commanding attention right across the united states. the stakes are high, the future direction of us legislation will be decided by the success or failure ofjudge kavanaugh‘s nomination. 0ur correspondent, nada tawfik, has been watching the hearings with people in bloomsburg, pennsylvania. across the nation, generations of americans stopped what they were doing and watched as christine blasey ford and brett kavanaugh testified on capitol hill. this is a pivotal moment, because the nature of the supreme court will shape america, from cities to small towns like bloomsburg, pennsylvania. brett‘s assault on me drastically altered my life... at this gathering, friends

were emotional watching the hearing. they sympathised with dr ford and felt she was unfairly on trial. she was very candid and straightforward. i mean, my heartjust went out to her. you know, it‘s heartbreaking to listen to her account. she is tremendously brave. she is tremendously brave to be able to make this statement and take this risk for herself. while they dread the consequences of a conservative majority on the court, the issue for them is even bigger than that. they feel the hearings could set back progress made by the #metoo movement. i don‘t have any problem with innocent until proven guilty, but my problem is that the same sort of consideration is not given to the victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, right? there‘s a sort of immediate sense of, "the reason they are‘oming forward is because they are political pawns," and she herself, dr ford, said, "i‘m nota pawn." the hearings coincided with the annual state fair, where politics mixed with rides and games. there are just six short weeks

before november‘s midterm elections, and the road to congress runs through these swing states. brett kavanaugh‘s nomination has become a rallying cry — not just for democrats but republicans too. the supreme court was a key reason voters here elected president trump, and so far, they‘re standing by his pick. i‘m very happy withjudge kavanaugh, and i hope that he gets confirmed. so as far as i'm concerned, in this country, you're still innocent until proven guilty, and they've not proven anything. she‘s said to lawmakers that what‘s motivated her is truth, to come forward. no, what has motivated her is democrat politics. that's what motivated her. this country has been deeply divided ever since the 2016 presidential election. the supreme court is supposed to be above the political fray, but this hearing has shown that the nation is more divided than ever. nada tawfik, bbc news, pennsylvania. you have been watching newsday.

i‘m kasia madera in london. and i‘m rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. tesla shares nose—dive as the sec announces that it will sue elon musk. we have more on that on asia business report. and before we go, a recap of our top story: 30 minutes ago... president trump‘s supreme court nominee, brett kava naugh, has described his confirmation process as a national disgrace while giving testimony before a us senate committee. mr kavanaugh angrily rejected accusations that he sexually assaulted christine blasey ford when they were teenagers. he also denied allegations by other women. earlier, doctor ford fought back tea rs earlier, doctor ford fought back tears as she told the panel that she had feared for her life as mr kavanaugh had feared for her life as mr kava naugh attempted to had feared for her life as mr kavanaugh attempted to rape her with his hand over her mouth. lots more

analysis on our website. hello, good morning. it‘s fairto say yesterday across england and wales felt a bit more like summer. in the sunshine in lincolnshire, we had temperatures here as high as 25 celsius. now, today, still going to be dry in most places. still some sunshine around but it will feel much, much cooler. we‘ve got high pressure sitting to the west of the uk, the warmth is getting pushed away into the continent. around the top of the high pressure, we‘ve got these cooler winds coming in behind a band of cloud, which in the morning is affecting southern counties of england. it will clear away, you could get light showers coming in on a north—easterly wind into the south—east corner of england, the north—westerly will bring more cloud into the highlands and islands and a few scattered light showers. temperatures, though, significantly lowerfor light showers. temperatures, though, significantly lower for the likes of newcastle. six lower than yesterday in london. those temperatures will fall away sharply underneath the clear skies with the wind is falling

like. northern half of the uk sees a bit more breeze, some cloud perhaps pushing into northern ireland and especially the north—west of scotland. not quite as chilly here but much colder further south, to—3 into northern parts of england and wales. sunshine, though, will boost those temperatures on saturday, lighter winds too. a bit more of a breeze in the north, more cloud into scotla nd breeze in the north, more cloud into scotland and northern ireland, rain into the north—west, may be arriving into the north—west, may be arriving into the north—west, may be arriving into the central belt later in the day but ahead of that, feeling warm with temperatures 17 or 18. that weather front coming into the north—west is very weak, not amounting to very much and as it heads south, more a band of cloud with little or no rain on it at all. there‘s the band of cloud moving into england and wales. the north—westerly wind will drop the temperatures and a fair number of showers coming into scotland, some in northern scotland could be quite heavy. sunday will feel a little cooler, those temperatures 12—16 typically north to south. high

pressure to the north of the uk, those showers getting pushed away into the north sea. a northerly airflow as we head into monday, that‘s never a good direction and that‘s never a good direction and that means some sunny spells, yes, but we will see quite a chilly feel on monday and into the north—west of the uk, the next weather system arrives, cloud in over in scotland and northern ireland, more substantial rain into the north—west by the end of the day but temperatures struggling between 11-14 temperatures struggling between 11—14 on monday. that rain will push southwards on monday night, leaving a more westerly airflow. not quite as chilly by day or by night. there will be a lot of cloud and probably not much rain. i‘m kasia madera with bbc news. our top story: donald trump‘s nominee for the supreme court, brett kavanaugh, and the woman accusing him of sexual assault have testified to us senators. christine blasey ford told thejudiciary committe that the alleged assault 36 years ago had dramatically affected her life. she said she was 100% certain it was mr kavanaugh

who had assaulted her. judge kavanaugh emphatically denied the allegations, and accused the democrats of destroying his family and his good name for political reasons. he added that his notes showed he had not attended a party at the location dr ford had described. and in other news: a fierce critic of the philippines president, rodrigo duterte, is facing possible detention over charges of instigating a coup d‘etat. mr duterte ordered the arrest of senator antonio trillanes earlier this month, despite a previous presidential pardon. that‘s all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, hardtalk.