welcome to newsday on the bbc. i am sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: nearly two weeks after a saudi journalist disappeared in istanbul, turkish investigators gain access to the saudi consulate in istanbul. uk prime minister theresa may calls for calm ahead of crucial brexit negotiations, but concerns in her party are growing. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: australia welcomes the expected royal couple, meghan and harry. we are live in sydney with the latest. and introducing new zealand's alcohol loving bird of the year. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london, and 7pm in the evening in washington,

where president trump has suggested that rogue killers could be responsible for the disappearance of jamal khashoggi. the saudi journalist went missing after entering the saudi consulate in istanbul two weeks ago. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, is on his way to saudi arabia before stopping in istanbul, where a joint turkish and saudi search of the consulate there took place earlier. our correspondent mark lowen reports from istanbul. they entered the door where jamal khashoggi disappeared. those tasked with finding the truth. saudi investigators, part of a joint enquiry with turkey, beginning today. it's almost two weeks since the journalist was last seen arriving at the saudi consulate. claims he was killed and dismembered have piled pressure on riyadh for answers. donald trump has finally spoken to his close ally, king salman, who rejected the allegations, and maybe raised an idea that can shift the blame.

the king firmly denied any knowledge of it. he didn't really know. maybe... i don't want to get into his mind, but it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. who knows? we're going to try getting to the bottom of it very soon. the secretary of state, mike pompeo, is off to riyadh in a sign the us is engaging more. though washington says arms deals between the two won't end. tonight, turkish police arrived at the consulate to join the saudi team. riyadh is starting its own investigation too, worried as foreign businesses rethink their ties. after all their blanket denials, the saudis are being pushed into a corner by a growing international outrage. their allies are demanding answers and big companies are pulling out of the riyadh investment conference. the saudis are being forced to co—operate, to limit what is becoming a pr crisis. but on saudi tv, the line is to hit out. one analyst calling it fake news

by enemies of the country that must pay a price. a murder enquiry site, yes, but the saudis still chose to call in the cleaners before investigators arrived. it makes you wonder how much here is for show, and if this dark story will ever be solved. mark lowen, bbc news, istanbul. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the european council president, donald tusk, has told eu leaders it is more likely than ever that britain will leave the eu next march without a deal. two days ahead of a vital eu summit, he said preparing for a no deal must not lead them away from making every effort to reach the best agreement possible. our europe editor katya adler has the latest from berlin. well, compared to all of that peak that we are hearing about in westminster, berlin, like brussels is choosing to sport more of a

laid—back approach. brexit negotiators haven't broken altogether, they are just on a mini break i am told. they haven't gone off in break i am told. they haven't gone offina break i am told. they haven't gone off in a huff, they have gone off into separate titles in the uk and the eu to work out what room for manoeuvre the sides have over the key irish border issue that we have been hearing about. but for now it is moved over technocrats in brussels because political leaders are going to take centre stage this week. theresa may will meet angela merkel and other eu leaders at a dinner on wednesday night. everyone hoping this goes a lot more smoothly thanit hoping this goes a lot more smoothly than it did the last time they don't together a few weeks ago. but angela merkel and others message to the prime minister is, you are among friends, not enemies, we want to have a brexit deal with you this autumn. also making news: president trump has been in florida to meet survivors of hurricane michael and to inspect the damage. mr trump said food and housing were the top priorities for those affected. at least 18 people died in four states when the hurricane crashed ashore last week. most urban districts of beijing and other parts of northern china have been hit by smog. the pollution is expected

to reach its peak on monday. it is the third day in a row that the region has been blanketed with smog. billionaire paul allen, who co—founded microsoft with bill gates in the 1970s, has died at the age of 65. he'd been suffering from cancer. allen, who had a $20 fortune, was also a major benefactor, funding everything from libraries and universities to brain research. a chinese live—streaming celebrity has been detained for five days for insulting the country's national anthem. 20—year—old yang kaili had appeared on camera singing the anthem while flailing her arms around. the live—streaming platform, huya, had earlier taken down her video and banned her channel. ms yang, who is also known as li ge, has since publicly apologised. belgium has elected a black mayor for the first time — the father of international football star vincent kompa ny.

pierre kompany arrived in belgium in 1975 as a refugee from what is now the democratic republic of congo and became active in politics in 2006 as a councillor. he took a seat in the brussels regional parliament in 2014. let's return to our top story now: i'm joined by our correspondent peter bowes, who's in los angeles. now, pt, what are we hearing, some are concerned that saudi arabia is preparing to admit that mr khashoggi died asa preparing to admit that mr khashoggi died as a result of an interrogation that went wrong? yes, reports vote from the us media and from the british media now suggesting, as you

say, that the saudis are preparing to admit that he died during an interrogation, perhaps an interrogation, perhaps an interrogation that went wrong, and one suggestion that the original intention might have been to abduct him. now, president trump has said that he is aware of these reports, although pointing out that nobody, as he puts it, knows if it is an official report, but clearly the president watching the situation closely. having earlier said that it was a possibility that a rogue killers were responsible, and this was after a call with king salman in which they discussed what had happened, that king salman had told him, according to the president, that he knew nothing of it and that there was no responsible — responsibility lying at the hands of the saudi authorities. so that is where we are in terms of this investigation from the us side. the secretary of state, mike pompeo, is heading to saudi arabia, we

understand, he will then go onto turkey and he has been passed by the president to find out what happened. that's right, he has been dispatched by the president, as you say, on his way. what is likely to come out of meetings? well, we really don't know who precisely he will meet and where it will take us. certainly we know that the president, it all seems to have been quite last—minute, called the secretary of state and asked him to go to saudi arabia. the back drop, of course, being the international pressure, which is growing, not only on saudi arabia, but the turkish authorities as well, and this is pressure not only from politicians here in the states but of course the european union as well has said it wants a transparent investigation into what happened. the pressure here in the states is interesting in that both democrats and the republicans in some cases concerned that, with the close relationship between the saudis and the us, especially as it applies to

trade, and international politics, the iranian situation, is that closely linked to their relationship as well, that depending on how president trump deals with this the us is in danger of losing its moral authority, it is a fine line that the president is treading between going along with what the saudis are saying and being rather tougher as he was a few days ago. all right, peter bowes, north america correspondent in la, thank you for bringing us up to date on a story. the duke and duchess of sussex, harry and meghan, are expecting a baby in spring next year. kensington palace said the couple were delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public. the couple are in sydney as part of a 16—day tour, which includes australia, new zealand, fiji and tonga. we took to the streets of the australian capital to find out what people made of the royal announcement. and it looks as though they are being given a toy kangaroo and some

are blue. more in a moment with hywell griffith. we took to the streets of the australian capital to find out what people made of the royal announcement. i think it's fantastic and i think it's very special as well that they have chosen to announce it when they are in sydney as well. so it is great news. they seem really in love and this is great. i saw them coming oi'i and this is great. i saw them coming on the tv and someone said to me, "she is supposed to be climbing the bridge" and some of the "apparently not" and i said she must be pregnant, so it wasn't a surprise. they have been together for some time now and now that she is pregnant it is like even more exciting. really exciting news they are having a baby and they are a very nice couple as well. they are really appreciated. i think everybody likes them. i think they are good people. yes. that is how they are perceived. and i like harry. yes. our sydney correspondent hywel griffith joins me now for more. yes, it seems to be going down quite well at the moment, hywel, what is

the mood like? yes, people are very pleased for them with the news, in the last 2a hours, that they are expecting a baby next spring. the young royals in particular quite popular here because of their celebrity status. there are people at the moment queueing by the opera house hoping to get up close and maybe get selfie with them. it has brought a bit of sun after the rain. pretty relaxed, pretty welcoming and of course everyone fixated now on the news that meghan is pregnant. yes, we are looking at the pictures of them arriving at admiralty house at short time ago and they have a photo opportunity at the back of syd ney photo opportunity at the back of sydney opera house, where you are, just look through the choreography of what they are up to today. yes, so, next stop is taronga zoo. many people who have visited sydney will be familiar with that. and of course the essential photo moment, time with a koala, will they cuddle it, will they stroke it, give it distant

because of health and safety? all that will unfold. then they will make their way to the opera house, they will go inside and then the opportunity to meet all those people who have been queueing for hours underneath this sun. so we will see plenty of cheering, people with their camera. after a day in sydney it is to rural australia, dubbo next, areas hit by drought, quite severely in the last few months, probably also to melbourne and then here to sydney for the start of the invictus games which is actually the reason really for coming, which has been overshadowed by the baby news, but the invictus games begin on saturday, something which harry has been the driving force. white yes, and as we are looking at those pictures once again, hywel, what they have been up to in the last hour and they have been up to in the last hourand a they have been up to in the last hour and a half, everyone looking at meghan, as you have said, wearing an australian designer i believe, in cream and a bit of a bumper showing, some are saying. i am not going to pretend to be a fashion expert for

you. it'll be interesting if she brea ks you. it'll be interesting if she breaks out one of those koala jumpers which princess diana wore here in the 80s. but i am not your man forfashion here in the 80s. but i am not your man for fashion tips. what i can tell you is will present her with two akubra hats, a very outback australian piece of headgear, they a p pa re ntly australian piece of headgear, they apparently were wedding gifts, no one probably thought to get them a third one, so maybe someone in the background will get hold of a baby size had for them to take home at the end of all of this. 0k, thank you very much. hywell griffith, who is with the royals as they continue their tour down under. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we have a reality check on how north korea has been seeking to avoid international sanctions. also on the programme: a boozy bird, why the green and bronze wood pigeon with a taste for femented fruit is new zealand's favourite. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake

are returning to life. but in the marina area, where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20lb bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, ripping a hole in the front of the building. this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail. it fills me with humility and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath for the men they call the 33. and then... bells toll ..bells tolled nationwide to announce the first rescue, and chile let out an almighty roar. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories. nearly two weeks after a saudi journalist disappeared in istanbul, turkish investigators gain access to the saudi consulate. theresa may course of a calm ahead of brexit negotiations despite issues with the irish border. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the financial times is leading on the disappearance of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi and president trump's comments from earlier today that ‘rogue killers' could be behind the attack. the south china morning post looks ahead to the g20 summit in buenos aires next month...

and whether a meeting between president trump and xijinping could ease tensions between china and the us. the straits times leads on former deputy anwar ibrahim's return to malaysian politics and his comments that he has no plans to take up a cabinet post. an investigation by the bbc is shedding new light on the scale of use of chemical weapons in the war in syria. bbc arabic and the panorama programme have determined there is enough evidence to be confident that at least 106 chemical attacks have taken place in the country since september 2013. it appears these attacks have been crucial to president assad's victory in the conflict. a warning that this report contains distressing images.

another airstrike. this attack told the world that not all of syria's chemical weapons had been destroyed. abdel witnessed it. translation: i heard the planes, i woke up, the first form was at 6:30 a.m. he left the house with his wife and twins, unaware of what was about to unfold. this is where i left them. i ran to help people over there. it was a chemical attack. sarin is 26 times more deadly than cyanide. abdel‘s neighbours were dying in the streets. more than 80 were killed and nearly 300 wounded. abdel was taken to hospital after losing

consciousness. when i woke up, people asked me, we are rather twins and your wife? minutes later, they brought them to me, dead. president assad brought them to me, dead. president assa d ha d brought them to me, dead. president assad had denied responsibility but international evidence gathered approved the chemical used belonged to the government. the bbc looked at 164 reports of chemical attacks. we wa nted 164 reports of chemical attacks. we wanted to find the truth. the cross checked each report with experts and specialist researchers. we were left with 106 chemical attacks. we are confident they took place. 51 of them launched from the hour. there is no evidence the opposition has the capacity to carry out air attacks so it appears the government must be responsible. aleppo, kerkorian strike over the city. the battle he lasted for years.

recapturing the battle he lasted for years. reca pturing the city battle he lasted for years. recapturing the city was a turning point in the war for the syrian government. the bbc‘s search so is there were 11 chlorine attacks, five of them in the last few days of the siege. all of them came from the air. translation: when we told people to grow up because chlorine sinks down. if they go up, they get bombed, if they go down, they get killed by chlorine. the people were hysterical. the pattern we are witnessing is the regime uses chemical weapons in areas it regards as strategic, areas besieged for a while and the final stage of taking these areas back seems to be using chemical weapons to make the local population flee. in the last weeks of the assault, over 120,000

civilians left, many to idlib, the final rebel stronghold. a truce holds for now but this man worries that can break on any minute. translation: we may to shelter in 2012 when the regime began bombing. the tunnel as a shelter for conventional bombs but not from a chemical attack. i am fearful for women and children so i make these masks. we are scared of chemical attacks by the regime. our research is beyond reasonable doubt that president assad has fought a chemical war against his own people, one that so far the west has failed to prevent. south korea's president moonjae—in is currently in paris meeting his french counterpart emmanuel macron. he hopes to get help in easing economic restrictions on pyongyang. un sanctions were imposed to pressure kimjong—un's government over its nuclear weapons programme. the bbc‘s reality check has been investigating how north korea has tried to evade these sanctions.

north korea has been called out for breaking un sanctions. they've been pressuring kim jong—un's government over its nuclear weapons programme. but north korea has been finding ways to trade key resources such as coal and oil. we continued to seek illegal imports of refined petroleum new shing ship to ship transfers which are prohibited under un resolution. we must all be accountable for cutting off north korea's illegal coal exports which go directly to its wmd programmes. how is north korea evading sanctions? a lot of this is happening out at sea and it requires foreign partners willing to trade legally. there has been a big increase in transfers and petroleum between foreign tankers and north

korean ships. this enables north korean ships. this enables north korea to effectively import these resources restricted under international sanctions. more than 20 north korean ships have already been blacklisted by the un for smuggling fuel. ships conceal their activities by turning a tracking systems or masking the ship's true identity. north korea has also been observed shipping weapons. in 2016, 30,000 grenades were bound to the suez canal. the ship under a cambodian flag was crewed by north koreans. the consignment was forced the labelled assembly parts for underwater pumps. now the us and others want to expose the companies involved in sanctions violations. but north korea says it can withstand pressure from the international community. the

perception that sanctions can bring us on our perception that sanctions can bring us on our knees is a pipe dream of the people who are ignorant of us. so can the impact of these sanctions be measured? so can the impact of these sanctions be measured ? it's so can the impact of these sanctions be measured? it's estimated sanctions imposed in 2017 cost north korea $1 billion in lost revenue but the un has estimated that north korea earned $200 million from illegal trade. talks with north korea's leader, kim jong—un, illegal trade. talks with north korea's leader, kimjong—un, have raised the possibility of lifting future sanctions in a deal to end the country's nuclear ambitions but for now, north korea continues to seek ways to survive under tough international sanctions. a native green and bronze wood pigeon with a taste for femented fruit has been named the 2018 bird of the year in new zealand. although quiet and reclusive by nature, kereru have earned a reputation as the drunkest bird in new zealand. they've been known to fall from trees after consuming rotting fruit left lying on the ground.

i think the draw for the kereru is great. it is run by several non—profit governance in new zealand which raises awareness for new zealanders about native birds and their importance to our forests and native flora and ford are to the draw for the kereru in particular is that it's a particular meme—worthy bird and when we put it in meme format across new zealand, it stirred up conversation. we know new zealand has a lot of unique and endangered birds. but the kereru is fairly endemic, not endangered. why

did it win? it's one of the birds that new zealanders are familiar with. last year, we have the missed gds kia winning, known to stealing the likes of road cones and other private property but the kereru, as a clumsy bird, gorging itself on berries. i guess the lack of better term, people could find it comical. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. we have crickets coming up on asia business report. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. hello there. it was a lovely day on

monday across scotland and northern ireland with plenty of sunshine but a different story for england and wales, rather cloudy skies in the mist and wales, rather cloudy skies in the mistand murk wales, rather cloudy skies in the mist and murk and a few spots of drizzle. this is where the frontier will still be there on tuesday morning. this weather system will bring a change to scotland and northern ireland through the course of tuesday after the start of tuesday, it looks like we will hold on to this cloud in england and wales. these are the temperatures to start this morning. single figures in the north, there is a great start up in the north, there is a great start up and down this country. across the north—west corner of scotland, some gales. rain pushing inhibitor england and wales, a much better day than monday with the cloud breaking up, plenty of sunshine. particularly across the south—east. even further north, despite the wind and the showers, pleasant temperatures around the seasonal average.

wednesday, a bit more of a compensated picture. one of them grinding toa compensated picture. one of them grinding to a halt in parts of england. we could see cloud down into the south—west. some patchy rain on it. to the north and the west, a bit cooler, fresher, sunshine and one of two showers. a pleasa nt sunshine and one of two showers. a pleasant enough day. we should see some sunshine there. pretty average orjust above. original high pressure building in. some cool error associated with this. the northern half of the country, a touch of frost. mist and fog patches pretty much anywhere. because of the ridge of high pressure, it is going to bea ridge of high pressure, it is going to be a fine day. high ridge, plenty of sunshine up and down the country. a big affair with a cloud. most places should stay dry. 12, maybe 17

degrees across the south—east. it's a similar sort of picture into friday although this weather system continues to pushing towards the north—west corner of the country. high pressure holds on across england and wales. across northern ireland, showers and longer spells of rain. further south, again under the bridge of high pressure, and more news is going to be another fine day. those temperatures range from 12 to maybe 17 degrees. you're watching bbc news. i am babita sharma. our top story: turkish officials have arrived to search the saudi consulate in istanbul where they believe the journalist jamal kashoggi was murdered. president trump is sending his secretary of state to meet the saudi king. he also suggested that rogue killers could be responsible for the journalist's disappearance. saudi leaders have denied any knowledge of what might have occured. a bbc investigation has revealed the extent of chemical weapon attacks in syria. there have been more than 100 over the last five years — most attacks were carried out by president assad's forces.

and this video is trending on bbc.com: the duke and duchess of sussex, harry and meghan, have begun their 16 day australia tour. the couple were presented with a few gifts after announcing they are expecting a baby in spring next year. you are up—to—date. stay with us. it is just you are up—to—date. stay with us. it isjust gone