i'm mariko oi in singapore, the headlines — the pressure on saudi arabia is ramping up. president trump says it ‘certainly looks‘ like the missing journalist, jamal khashoggi is dead and there will be consequences. well, it would have to be very severe. it's bad, bad stuff. we'll see what happens. another summit ends with no sign of a brexit breakthrough. theresa may suggests the uk could stay tied to the eu for longer than planned. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme — the wife of interpol‘s former president, meng hongwei, speaks to the bbc, weeks after he was detained in china. # in the name of love. and one of the biggest bands in the world, u2, show us the new technology that's giving everyone the best seat in the house.

good morning. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 7pm in washington where president trump, speaking to reporters, has said it looks like saudi journalistjamal khashoggi is dead. mr khashoggi disappeared over two weeks ago when he visited the saudi consulate in istanbul. the international community has been applying more pressure to the saudi leadership. the us, britain, france and the netherlands have now pulled out of attending an investment conference in saudi arabia next week. our north america editor jon sopel reports. future investment initiative is the global platform... three weeks ago, this was the hottest ticket around for the global elite.

an invitation to next week's saudi investment conference. the self—styled "davos in the desert" is fast becoming the exodus from the desert. but after the apparent murder of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi, world leaders are now sending apologies for absence. ..and shapes the future of economy for the betterment of all mankind. that's as maybe, but today the us treasury secretary, steven mnuchin, became the latest pull—out. he tweeted: this is significant because that's the first direct action sanctioned by the president in the wake of this macabre killing. though secretary of state pompeo was still saying the saudis needed more time. i told president trump this morning that we are to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we too have complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how

or if the united states should respond to the incident surrounding mr khashoggi. but from the president, the language seems to be toughening, as more is discovered. reporter: what are you considering for possible consequences for the saudis based on those...? well, it'll have to be very severe. i mean, it's bad, bad stuff. investigators have been back at the consulate in istanbul continuing their forensic examination of the building. meanwhile, the washington post has printed the saudi journalist's final column, with its clarion call for press freedom in the middle east. in terms of dollars... mohammad bin salman, who was feted as a reforming hero when he came to the us earlier this year, is under immense pressure to explain what happened, why it happened and the gruesome question of how. all of which leaves donald trump, this evening off to montana, with his biggest foreign policy emergency since becoming president. he wants the relationship with saudi arabia to continue unaffected, but as more details

emerge, how easy will that be? donald trump's language has certainly hardened in the last few hours. the bbc‘s washington correspondent chris buckler explains the reasons behind that changed position. back he has had multiple intelligence reports according to an interview he did with the new york times that suggests jamal khashoggi is now set dead. —— is now dead. they are very concerned with the relationship with riyadh. you have donald trump is a time and time again they need to maintain this relationship with someone who is a very powerful ally with the us and they spent an incredible amount of money with america. they want to get away from ideas that will include sanctions from lucrative arms deals

but they need to be seen to do something and there is pressure on them globally to do that. stephen steve mnuchin‘s i did not go to this conference is not such a hit. if evidence shows that the saudi government was in some way involved in thejournal government was in some way involved in the journal is's death and i think as a child is going to have to be seen to take some kind of action. —— president trump is going to have to be seen. what are the options? ) thatis to be seen. what are the options? ) that is the big question because ultimately donald trump doesn't want to try and get —— doesn't want to damage the relationship. the shop doesn't want to get into specifics. —— donald trump. when he was asked

if there wasn't going to be sections, what would happen? he said it would be many, many things. he simply out to an age that set it was a long list of actions. if the white house is going to do something and if it turns out jamal khashoggi to die in that consulate they would have to get into the specifics. they don't want to get into the sections because of the economic power of saudi arabia but they will have to do something more than strong words and that is where the white house finds themselves it difficulties. but in difficulty. —— in difficulty. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the latest european summit in brussels has drawn to a close without an apparent solution to the brexit impasse. british prime minister theresa may says the uk's transition could be extended by ‘a matter of months', as britain tries to negotiate a new relationship which would remove the need for a hard border in ireland.

here she is speaking earlier. what has now emerged is the idea that an option to extend the limitation period could be a further solution to this issue of the backstop in northern ireland. what we are not doing, we are not standing here proposing an extension to the implementation period. what we are doing is working to ensure that we have a solution to the backstop issue in northern ireland that enables us, which is currently a blockage to completing the deal, that enables us to get on with completing a deal that delivers on the vote of the british people and is good the future the uk. we will get a bit more analysis from jonathan blake a little later on in the programme. also making news today — at least two top security officials in afghanistan have been killed by the taliban in kandahar. a provincial police chief and the head of intelligence were shot dead after a high—level security meeting attended by the top us commander general scott miller, who escaped unhurt. south korea's president has

met with pope francis at the vatican. at the meeting an invitation from north korea's leader kim jong—un to visit his country was delivered to the pope. the vatican has yet to give its response. police in malaysia have arrested the country's former deputy prime minister on suspicion of corruption. —— voters in bhutan have handed an overwhelming victory to a new party headed by a surgeon during thursday's election. it's the third democratic election held by the tiny himalayan kingdom, wedged between india and china, since the end of absolute monarchy in 2008. provisional results suggest a centre—left party, which was only formed five years ago, won 30 of the 47 national assembly seats. official results are to be announced friday. the sagrada familia basilica, one of spain's most famous tourist sites, has agreed to pay $41—million to barcelona's authorities afterfailing to have a building permit, for more than 130 years.

the money will be spent on improving public transport and access to the monument and surrounding area. the wife of interpol‘s former president, meng hongwei, has called for more freedom in china, weeks after her husband was detained there. in her first interview with british media, grace meng told the bbc that she had had no news of her husband. meng hongwei disappeared after he left his job in france on a visit to china. the chinese have since confirmed he's being held on suspicion of bribery. 0ur paris correspondent lucy williamson spoke to mrs meng. he was the face of global policing. the international reach of the law. there was no fanfare over meng hongwei's arrest as a senior official, china simply brought him

home. mr meng's wife grace, still based in france, showed journalists the last text message issue with the —— received from her husband, a picture of a knife. in herfirst interview with british media, she told of her husband's arrest was political. because i'm not sure he's alive. they are cruel. they are dirty. this shows their cruelty. as well as stupidity. i can't imagine what they would do. you think there is no limit? yes, no limit. that is for all of china now. meng hongwei is the latest in a long line of senior chinese officials to be targeted under a sweeping anticorruption targeted under a sweeping anticorru ption drive which targeted under a sweeping anticorruption drive which many believe has strengthened president xi jinping's believe has strengthened president xijinping's political believe has strengthened president xi jinping's political power. believe has strengthened president xijinping's political power. this is the first time china has targeted

one of its citizens with such a high international profile. the government has accused mr meng of accepting bribes and doing things his own way but there is also speculation that hisjob his own way but there is also speculation that his job here at interpol might have brought him into conflict with the chinese authorities. his wife said she received threats that day she reported her husband missing and that they haven't —— she hasn't yet told her children the truth. told them he has been on a long trip. for three days, they haven't known this kind of question, mummy, when is daddy back? i want to talk to daddy. we wa nt daddy back? i want to talk to daddy. we want his voice. that's why i must stand up and i don't want any other wife and children like me. mr meng's career at interpol appears to be

over. a new president has already been appointed. an international profile, a global role and a communist party position no match for the powers back home. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. back to brexit now — another eu summit has been and gone with the two sides failing to reach a deal. earlier i spoke to our uk political correspondent jonathan blake. i asked him where theresa may stands on this potential extended transition period. theresa may has made it clear that she is at least entertaining the idea. she arrived in brussels, day two of the summit in brussels, this morning, saying what had been reported in the uk over the last few days and that was that there was an idea. who came up with at first, the uk orthe eu, idea. who came up with at first, the uk or the eu, it's not quite clear but the idea has emerged, she said,

to potentially extend the transition period of what the government calls the implementation fades and that is the implementation fades and that is the period after the uk formally leaves it be you and the end of december 20 20 —— implementation phase. all when they work out the deal of the future relationship and put it in place. what has surfaced is the idea of that potentially being extended by a matter of months, according to the prime minister today, or potentially even longer, according to some on the eu side, as a way to ensure that there was more time to put the deal in place. it is there to say it hasn't gone down particularly well with mps in theresa may's own conservative party here in westminster. they have described it on all sides today, both those in favour of brexit and those who campaigned to remain in the eu, as a desperate last move, dead on arrival and totally

unacceptable. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme — a country on high alert. the taliban shoot dead two senior security officials in afghanistan — just two day before parliamentary elections. 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 mariko 0i in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the pressure is ramping up on saudi arabia. president trump says it certainly looks like the missing journalist jamal khashoggi is dead. another summit ends with no sign of a brexit breakthrough. theresa may suggests the uk could stay tied to the eu for longer than planned. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. let's start with the south china

morning post, which is leading on comments that were made by a top beijing official who is in charge of hong kong affairs. he says that hong kong's freedoms won't be curbed, but he also said that the city can't be used as an anti—china base. the japan times takes a look at the latest from president trump's america—first trade policy. the us has put six countries, including japan and china, under special monitoring. the trump administration says that these countries are making america's trade deficit worse. and finally, the international edition of the new york times leads on the election in afghanistan, with a report from kabul looking at the potential impact of saturday's vote. now, kasia, what stories are sparking discussions online? mariko, last month people were astounded when a banksy artwork was shredded just seconds after being sold at auction. remember these painful scenes — the graffiti artist's most famous

picture being partially shredded at sotheby‘s auction house in london? now, the controversial and elusive artist has published a video showing how he actually fitted a shredder into the paintings frame. it appears his prank didn't go exactly to plan, because the painting was supposed to be completely destroyed. the taliban says it was responsible for a gun attack which killed at least two senior afghan security officials, critically injured a regional governor, and almost claimed the life of the us general in charge of nato forces in the country. afghanistan is on high alert ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, with the taliban increasingly active and posing a growing threat to the hopes of a new generation of afghans. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports from the capital, kabul. the palace of darul aman,

place of peace, became a symbol of a painful war. now, it is being restored to its old splendour by a new generation. these two women, barred from school when the taliban ruled, now are engineers. translation: everyone outside afghanistan sees the crisis we are going through, but we are staying here, daring to stand with our brothers, to rebuild our country. next door, forbidding security wraps around the american university of afghanistan. law students prepare for their exams, in a country often lawless and corrupt. two years ago, their peaceful oasis

was stormed by gunmen. this woman bears the scars of that battle. glass sliced her face. i remember each and every second of that night. like, my father wanted me to go to dubai university, but ijust wanted to stay here, just because — to show the taliban that they cannot scare us or intimidate us by attacking our schools. along the avenue outside, a blizzard of posters for parliamentary polls. more young, educated afghans are running than ever before, taking on old warlords and their sons. but, at this roundabout, no—one is looking at posters. they are looking for work, any work, as the day begins. desperation written all over this road of last resort. translation: most of the people you see here are educated.

they basically have two choices. join the army — in a week, a month, or a year, you die — or you leave the country. this begins to tell you why so many young afghans are choosing to leave afghanistan, a place which offers them little work or safety, or even some hope that their life here will get any better than this. the story of a country's pain is told in kabul‘s emergency hospital. muhamed — attacked by a warlord, a leg chopped off. abdullah — shot by local police. and abdulhadi — he came under taliban fire. all in the last week, all in their 20s. and farid — just a bystander during a family feud, shot in both legs, still scared to show his face. it won't get any better, he tells me. just worse.

all eyes are on saturday's elections. in this police control room, we watch their cameras across kabul. more forces on the streets to stop threats of violence and vote rigging. afghanistan's new war between dark forces of the past and people fighting to move forward. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. some of the world's biggest brands are investing heavily in technology to bring their products and services closer to people, and that process extends to artists and performers, who are developing innovative ways to bring their shows to life. one of the pioneers of this approach is u2, as mark savage discovered. # in the name of love... four musicians, 17,000 fans. so how do you make sure everyone gets a good view?

u2‘s answer is to build a one—of—a—kind, double—sided video screen, that is almost 30 metres long. and they don'tjust project their faces on it. they climb inside. it is a very expensive way of getting from that big stage down to this little one down here. the band's bassist, adam clayton, showed me how it all works. so everybody has the best seat in the house — is that the idea? yeah, the idea was, if we divide it down the centre, then all these people are close to you when you're in the middle. and then, when you get onto this stage, you're actually performing to the people down this end. and this end is much like a club gig, this is much more, like, down and dirty, and the other end is a bit more formal. which do you prefer? i like down and dirty. when u2 first started playing the clubs around dublin in the 1970s, a show of this scale and complexity would have been unimaginable. but what does all of this technology and choreography mean for the relationship

between the band and their audience? the magic act is just to shrink the venue, make it disappear. what's the fastest route to proximity with our audience? now, we have to use a lot of technology to serve that end. but it's the same thought, which is, is there a place in this show where people have a bad seat? that's what — we're going to camp right there. do you think, though, that stops you from being a spontaneous live band? yes. i mean, maybe not for you, i don't know. for me, i do have to hit some marks, and i did find that constraining at some points. but then, like a theatre production, i think every night's different anyway, even with the same script. technology like this comes at a cost, and across the industry, ticket prices are at an all—time high. but, for u2‘s fans, even the cheap seats now come with a view.

mark savage, bbc news, amsterdam. the duke and duchess of sussex kicked off their shoes to walk along bondi beach in sydney. harry and meghan met a surfing community group for an event called fluro friday. the group dress in colourful clothing and discuss mental health issues. later, the duke is due to climb the harbour bridge and raise a flag for the invictus games, the competition for armed forces veterans which he set up. the couple will also meet prime minister scott morrison and leader of the opposition bill shorten. you have been watching newsday. i'm kasia madera in london. and i'm mariko 0i in singapore. don't go away, because i'll be back with business news, and is the trade war with the us starting to affect china's growth? we will find out. and before we go, we have some

pictures from my home country, japan, of a very unusual phenomenon. that's right, mariko. japan's famed cherry blossoms have bloomed unexpectedly this autumn. the pink and white flowers are typically visible for about two weeks in the spring, but hundreds have reported cherry blossoms in october. experts say a series of typhoons could have contributed to the phenomenon. experts say they will be back in the spring, if you can time your trip for those few weeks in april. hello again. most of us saw some

decent sunshine on thursday, and after a sunny day, we will keep those clear skies for the first part of the night as well. this is how things looked at the end of the day in east yorkshire, with those clear skies and light winds in place, temperatures have been pulling pretty quickly. but we do have quite a bit of cloud now working into the north—west of the uk, along with strengthening winds. so the coldest pa rt strengthening winds. so the coldest part of the night is passed us in northern ireland and across the north—west of scotland, with temperatures actually rising over the next few hours as this band of rain arrives. also some gale force gust of wind working into the western isles, becoming quite blowy as well for the northern isles of scotland. further south, well, we've got some frost around to start the day in the countryside in northern england. cold, some cold spots in wales, with temperatures just dipping down and there could be one or two patches of frost elsewhere first thing. but generally friday across england and wales it is high pressure that is firmly in charge, whether from staying across the north—west of the uk. heavy rain

than the start the day across north—west scotland but the rain eases off quite quickly, and as the front pushes southwards it weakens just two is strip of cloud, really, across northern ireland, working into north—west england and the far north of whale there could be the odd spot of rain but not amounting to much. so that some sunshine, temperatures to 60 degrees also in london, so pretty mild day coming up. now, through friday evening and overnight we will keep the clear skies, light winds, nation across england and wales. this time we may well see some distant fog patches forming through the night as those temperatures fall. areas that could be foggy, well, maybe the somerset levels, through the wash marshes, the somerset plane, could be a few patches elsewhere. so it does mean for some of us at saturday morning could start something like this, and any missed and fog could take a few hours in the morning before it burns away to reveal some sunshine. further north and west, quite a lot of cloud the start of your weekend. 0utbreaks of cloud the start of your weekend. outbreaks of rain for the north—west of scotland, where it will continue to be quite windy. temperature—wise, the temperatures around about 15 or

16 degrees for scotland. 17 the belfast, so mild here, and towards south—east england, highs reaching 18, possibly 19 celsius. south—east england, highs reaching 18, possibly19 celsius. forthe second half of the weekend, high pressure still with us across but another cold front sliding into the north—west of the uk will bring some heavy rain with it to scotland, and this time northern ireland getting some heavy rain for a time as well. the best of the weather further south, but again there could be so missed and fog patches to start the day. some of that could be quite slow to clear. but it is in the south we will see the highest temperatures. things, though, cooling down across the whole of the country as we head the weekend. that's your weather. hello, i'm kasia madera. 0urtop story. president says he believes the missing saudi journalist jamel jamal khashoggi is dead. trump said he is waiting for the results of several investigations before making

a comment. the conference in brussels has drawn to a close without a deal. theresa may says the transition period would be extended bya transition period would be extended by a matter of months, beyond 2020. this story is trending on bbc .com. remember banksy‘s most famous picture being shredded just after it was sold at auction? well, banksy has released a statement saying it didn't go complete a plan because the painting was supposed to be com pletely the painting was supposed to be completely shredded. it