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 denied any assault, saying the accusations are politically motivated. i swear today, under oath, before the senate and the nation, will 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 the invisible threat that could wipe out half the population of killer whales in the world.

good morning. it is 8:00am in singapore, 1:00am in london and 8:00pm 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 it 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 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. mesmerising and extraordinary. 0ur correspondent chris buckler joins us now from washington. last time we spoke just after the testimony had finished. we were still unclear as to whether a vote would take place. any more news on that? yes, republican senators have been meeting at the senate. they have been having conversations, and also four senators who are republicans regarded as being moderate republicans and potentially swing voters, people who could potentially support brett kavanaugh oi’ potentially support brett kavanaugh or the other hand could have listened to christine blasey ford and said actually we don't want to support him at this stage. now, we don't know what they thought, but there is an indication from the

republican senators that they are preparing to go ahead as a group with a vote tomorrow. we have just heard from two of the senators, but this meeting has continued, and we believe the judiciary this meeting has continued, and we believe thejudiciary committee will vote tomorrow as planned. that is just a matter of 13 hours from now. it gives you a real sense of how fast things are moving in washington at the moment. it also gives you an idea that they are satisfied with the performance of brett kavanaugh during that hearing today. this is a political process, ultimately, to try to confirm a supreme court justice. but what we saw today was something deeply personal. and that is true from both christine blasey ford's point of view, and also from brett kava naugh‘s point ford's point of view, and also from brett kavanaugh‘s point of view. there is absolutely no doubt that doctor blasey ford gave a performance that showed just how this alleged attack had affected her over the last three or four mac decades. she was quiet, but she was very, very confident in what she said. but brett kavanaugh also made clear, in his more angry words, of

how his family had been impacted as well. and that may make a difficult call for senators to decide who they believe. ultimately gives an indication that republicans did leavejudge indication that republicans did leave judge kavanaugh, if indication that republicans did leavejudge kavanaugh, if they are pushing ahead with this boat as we believe they now are. many thanks, chris buchler in washington. when we get any more details will bring that to —— buckler. 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. i've been lamenting sanctions on promoting political sentiment are equally important under security council resolutions. they must be advanced 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 ofa advanced in parallel with the building of a peace mechanism on the peninsula, so that the two can support and reinforce each other and be settled together. until the final denuclearisation of the dprk is achieved and fully implement it, it is our responsibility to fully implement all un security council resolutions pertaining to north korea. enforcement of un security council sanctions must continue vigorously, and without fail, until we realise the folly, 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. the israeli leader,

benjamin netanyahu, has revealed what he says is a secret location where iran has been storing nuclear equipment and material in order to build a nucear weapon. addressing the un general assembly, mr netanyahu demanded that international inspectors investigate the site. the iranians say their nuclear programme is peaceful. 0nline retailing giant amazon is opening a store in new york that will only sell products that receive a high rating on its website. the store will sell toys, household goods and other items that have a rating of four stars or more online. physical shops are becoming a key expansion area for amazon as it seeks to take on more traditional retailers. 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. 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. had it succeeded, it could have overthrown the government. mr trillanes had been holed up inside the building for three weeks while the government secured an arrest warrant. injust 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 the alleged corruption of former president gloria macapagal arroyo. the bloodless mutinies were short—lived, and trillanes was later arrested and jailed. former liberal president benigno aquino granted him an amnesty from prosecution in 2010. mr trillanes says the charges against him now are trumped up, and show worrying form. you attack the media, the judiciary, the legislatory. you co—opt it or you harass those opposing you. if you look at the patterns of global dictators or tyrants, it's straight out of that

dictators‘ playbook. critics say further attacks on the media and judiciary point to an alarming pattern of undemocratic behaviour by the president. but mr duterte's spokesperson, harry roque, denies the claim. the fact that you have all these critics able to ventilate their unbased — the baseless charges against the president, foreign the media buying it, shows that we're not restricting them. we're not afraid of anything. if you think there's dictatorship, come to the philippines. a court in manila is now deciding if a second, non—bailable arrest warrant against mr trillanes should be granted. the senator says he is preparing for the worst. and you can see howard's full documentary, our world — philippines: democracy in danger, this weekend on bbc world news. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: more on the senate judiciary hearing on brett kavanaugh.

we have the views of some americans who have been watching the proceedings. in all russia's turmoil, it has never come to this. president yeltsin said the day would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare 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 throughout 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 holy sites, an idea that's unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one.

in berlin, one million germans celebrate the rebirth of europe's biggest and richest nation. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the woman who is 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. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the south china morning post and a striking image of a major new storm. typhoon trami is heading

towards japan and is expected to make landfall on the island of okinawa late saturday or early on sunday. moving onto the philippine star and the island of boracay. it was closed by the government for six months because of environmental concerns. now, the paper reports, the number of visitors will be regulated after it re—opens next month. and here in singapore, the fertility rate is going down, according to the straits times. it's because the number of people who are single is going up. the paper reports that both genders are seeing a rising share of singles, but the rate of increase for women far exceeds men's. 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 future 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 isn't given to the victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, right? there's a sort of immediate sense of, "the reason they're coming 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 notjust 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's 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. the population of the planet's killer whales is under threat, as a banned chemical once used as a flame retardant and coolant, has built up in the mammals' bodies, preventing them from reproducing. scientists from the zoological society of london say killer whales in british waters are likely to be extinct within a century. 0ur science correspondent victoria gill has more details. there are some distressing images in this report. the ultimate marine predator

is falling prey to an invisible threat — manufactured chemicals lingering in the ocean. polychlorinated biphenyls — or pcbs — that were once used to heat proof everything from electrical components to paint and glue, are leaching into the marine environment and are found at toxic levels in the bodies of killer whales. the very highest levels in the killer whales are actually levels that we think will completely suppress reproduction. the effects of these chemicals have been at the heart of years of investigation by scientists, including this team from london's institute of zoology, who've carried out detailed postmortems on the bodies of marine mammals. the pcbs alone, no other threat, just the pcbs alone is enough to cause the extinction of more than half of the world's killer whale populations, which is really devastating, really.

this is a killer whale apocalypse. polychlorinated biphenyls are extremely stable, heat resistant chemicals. they were used in a huge range of products, including paints and sealants, until research revealed them to be toxic. they were widely banned in the 1980s. their legacy though, has proven just as toxic. the un estimates that 1a million tons of pcbs have yet to be disposed of safely and they may still be leaking from landfill sites today. in the ocean it's killer whales, apex predators, who suffer the worst consequences. it's killer whales' position at the very top of the marine food chain that leaves them particularly exposed to these chemicals. the killer whales eat everything in the sea, from penguins and seals, to even other species of whale, and because pcbs are everywhere in the environment they're in every marine animal, so each contaminated meal is another dose of these chemicals. they're also transmitted from mother to calf —

pollution passed from generation to generation. but while this study forecasts a bleak future for many killer whale populations, scientists hope it will also provide a catalyst to clean up this chemical legacy, ensuring that populations that escaped it will continue to thrive. victoria gill, bbc news. you have been watching newsday. you are watching this all are watching the news they! -- news days. —— 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. lets remind our viewers of our top

story. president trump's supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh, describing his process as a national disgrace, while giving testimony before a us senate committee. doctor ford also giving her testimony. we have much more on all of our stories on our website. hello, good morning. it's fair to 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. there'll still be 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, and 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 one or two 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 here. temperatures, though, will be significantly lower for the likes of newcastle. six degrees lower than yesterday in london. those temperatures will fall away sharply underneath the clear skies, with the winds falling light. northern half of the uk sees a little bit more breeze, some cloud perhaps pushing into northern ireland and especially the north—west of scotland. not quite as chilly here, but it will be much colder further south, 2—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 across the north, more cloud coming into scotland and northern ireland, rain into the north—west, may be arriving into the central belt later on in the day. but ahead of that, it will feel a bit warmer, 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. sunny spells following on behind that. the north—westerly wind will start to drop the temperatures and a fair number of showers coming into scotland, some of those in northern scotland could be quite heavy as well. sunday will feel a little cooler, those temperatures 12—16 typically north—south. high pressure out to the west 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 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, clouding over in scotland and northern ireland, some more substantial rain into the north—west by the end of the day, but temperatures struggling between 11—14 on monday. that rain will push southwards overnight, leaving us with 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 said the alleged attack, 36 years ago, had dramatically affected her life. she told senators she was 100% certain it was mr kavanaugh who assaulted her. judge kavanaugh denied the allegations and said he was the victim of a "political hit." he added that his calendar from 1982 showed he had not attended the party described by dr ford. lots more of course on our website. and this story is trending on bbc.com: researchers are warning that half of the world's killer whale populations could be wiped out within 50 years unless more is done to tackle toxic chemicals in oceans. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: