i'm mariko oi in singapore, the headlines — the pressure is ramping up on saudi arabia. 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. and an angelic moment in australia — meghan and harry enjoy a bit of bonding on bondi beach. good morning.

it's 8am in singapore, 1am in london and 7 in the evening in washington where president trump, speaking to reporters, has said it looks as if the saudi journalist, jamal khashoggi, is dead. mr khashoggi disappeared over two weeks ago when he visited the saudi consulate in istanbul. the international community is applying more pressure to the saudi leadership. the us, britain, france and the netherlands have pulled out of 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 ought 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. he has had multiple intelligence reports, according to an interview he did with the new york times that suggests jamal khashoggi is now dead. that's something that the white house are having to consider. they are very careful and very concerned about the relationship with riyadh. you have donald trump say time and time again they need to try and maintain a relationship with a country who is a very important ally in the middle east and also one that spends a lot of money with america. they want to get away from the idea of sanctions that could stop lucrative arms deals for example but at the same time there is growing pressure inside washington and also globally for them to be seen to do something. the treasury secretary steve mnuchin‘s decision not to go to this investment conference, many will say it's not such a hit against saudi arabia. but at the same time, if evidence does emerge that shows that the saudi government was in some way involved in the journalist's death then

i think president trump is going to have to be seen to take some kind of action. the discussions inside the white house are around what exactly that will be. indeed, chris. so what are the possible options? what can washington do? that is the big question because ultimately donald trump does want to try and get away from damaging that relationship. i thought it was really interesting during some of the conversations and brief interviews, impromptu kind of doorsteps that donald trump has been involved in in the last few days, in that he doesn't want to get into specifics. in fact, at one stage, whenever he was asked specifically

if there weren't going to be sections, what would happen? he simply said there were many, many things he could do. at one stage he even bounced to an aid who simply said there was a long, long list of actions. if the white house is going to have to deal with this issue, if it does turn outjamal khashoggi did die inside that consulate, they will have to get into the specifics. i think they want to avoid those sanctions because of the economic power of saudi arabia but ultimately, they will have to do something more than strong words and that is where the white house finds itself in difficulties. 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 a solution to the brexit impasse. the 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 doesn‘t involve a hard border in ireland. here she is speaking earlier. what has now emerged is the idea that an option to extend

the implementation 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 we have a solution to the backstop issue in northern ireland that enables us to — 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. more from jonathan blake a little later on newsday. 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 unto 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. malaysian investigators said ahmad zahid hamidi was arrested in connection with an investigation into abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering. his supporters said his arrest was politically motivated. 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 dollars to barcelona‘s authorities after failing 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, moan hongwei, has called for more freedom in china, weeks after her husband was detained there. in her first interview with british media, grace moan told the bbc that she had had no news of her husband. moan 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 moan. he was the face of global policing.

the international reach of the law. but there was no fanfare over meng hongwei‘s arrest, as a senior party official, china simply brought him home. mr meng‘s wife grace, still based in france, showed journalists the last text message she received from her husband — a picture of a knife. in her first interview with british media, she told us her husband‘s arrest was political. because i‘m not sure he‘s alive. they are cruel. they are dirty. this shows their cruelty, their dirtiness, as well as stupidity. it means everything they can do. i can‘t imagine. you think there‘s no limit? yes, no limit.

so that is also 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 drive which many believe has strengthened president xi jinping‘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 of doing things his own way but there‘s also speculation that hisjob here at interpol may have brought him into conflict with the chinese authorities. his wife said she received threats that day she reported her husband missing and that she hasn‘t yet told their children the truth. i 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 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 it first, the uk or the eu, it‘s not quite clear, but the idea has emerged, she said, to potentially extend the transition period or what the government calls the implementation phase and that is the period after the uk formally leaves the eu at the end of march next year and the end of december 2020 when the two sides will work out the finer details of their future relationship and implement that 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 in place the trade deal that was agreed between now and then. it is fair 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 khashoggie 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.

those are the papers. now, kasia, what stories are sparking discussions online? mariko, last week, people were astounded when a banksy artwork was shredded just seconds after being sold at auction. remember these painful scenes? the grafitti 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 painting‘s 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. nastaran bahar — barred from school when the taliban ruled, now they 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. nazia 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. mohammed — 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. lyse and the team in afghanistan will continue to monitor and report from the election over the weekend, so from the election over the weekend, so watch out for that. 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. to tell us more, let‘s bring in our correspondent, hywel griffith. just behind you there the scenes a little earlier were absolutely stunning. yeah, the crowds slowly moving away, replaced by the normal crowds you see here thronging bondi, probably the most popular beach around sydney. the reason for coming here was to talk about a problem that is universal, mental health issues, and a scheme based at this beach called 0ne wave. prince harry and meghan got to hear more from the organisers, they got up close and personal with a group hug and took pa rt personal with a group hug and took part in fluro friday and the idea of the bright colours isn‘tjust to raise awareness but to give a talking point, an icebreaker, to ask about the fluorescent colours, and the organisers say it helps people open up to talk about their

experiences. that something prince harry did, and he said to ask for help is to be seen as a sign of strength, not weakness. there was a lwa ys strength, not weakness. there was always going to be a lot of interest in this trip. now their royal highnesses have announced that they are expecting, my goodness, the media mustjust be absolutely crazy? the media circus follows them around the world anyway, but this time it‘s even more frenzied. any signs of a bump are scrutinised, as well as meghan‘s choice of dress and shoes. what‘s obvious is sydneysider is and australia‘s in general have gift shopping for the baby —— sydneysiders. the number of toy, thes and kangaroos is well over 100, and that‘s likely to continue because we‘re not even halfway through the tour yet —— the number of toy koalas. the tour itself is very busy? yes. this is theirjob and that‘s

what they‘re meant to do. they go from function to function, all quite choreographed. i suppose the big breakthrough moment today is meant to be prince harry scaling scaling syd ney to be prince harry scaling scaling sydney harbour bridge alongside the australian prime minister to celebrate the beginning of the invictus games incident tomorrow. that‘s a project prince harry is very involved with, giving further incentive to compete in a tough environment —— in sydney tomorrow. he will be sweating in the sydney son today. it started pogie but it‘s heating up. expect a slightly red—faced sydney harry later at the summit of sydney harbour bridge —— started foggy. we will look forward to that, hywel griffith in sydney. it will be fantastic when prince harry scales the bridge. we‘ll bring you to them —— we‘ll bring you those

images. 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‘ll 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. indeed. but fear not, they should be backin indeed. but fear not, they should be back in the spring. that‘s it for this edition of newsday. from me, mariko, and kasia, thanks for watching. hello again.

most of us saw some decent sunshine on thursday, and after a sunny day, we‘ve kept 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 falling 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 part of the night is past 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 gusts 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, again with temperatures just dipping the muse down, and there could be one or two patches of frost elsewhere first thing. but generally friday, across england and wales, it‘s high pressure that‘s firmly in charge, a weather front staying across the north—west of the uk.

heavy rain then to start the day across north—west scotland. but the rain eases off quite quickly, and as the front pushes southwards, it weakens just to this strip of cloud, really, across northern ireland, working into north—west england and the far north of wales. there could be the odd spot of rain, but not amounting to much. south of that, some sunshine, temperatures to 16 degrees also in london, so a pretty mild day coming up. now, through friday evening and overnight, we‘ll keep the clear skies, light winds combination across england and wales. this time, we may well see some mist and 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 salisbury plain as well, could be a few patches elsewhere. so it does mean for some of us that saturday morning could start something like this, and any mist 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 to start off your weekend. the outbreaks of rain for the north—west of scotland, where it‘ll continue to be quite windy.

temperature—wise, the temperatures around about 15 or 16 degrees for scotland. 17 for belfast, so mild here. and towards south—east england, highs reaching 18, possibly 19 degrees celsius. for the second half of the weekend, high pressure still with us across england and wales, but another cold front sliding into the north—west of the uk will bring some heavier rain with it to scotland, and this time northern ireland getting some heavier rain for a time too. the best of the weather further south, but again there could be so mist and fog patches to start the day. some of that could be quite slow to clear. but it‘s in the south we‘ll see the highest temperatures. things, though, cooling down across the whole of the country as we head into the weekend. that‘s your weather. you are watching bbc news. our top story: president trump says he believes the missing saudi journalistjamal khashoggi is dead. the president made the comments to reporters. he said washington was waiting for the results of several investigations before it made an official comment. the latest european summit in brussels has drawn to a close without an apparent solution to the brexit impasse. theresa may says the uk‘s transition could be extended by a matter of months. and this video is

trending on bbc.com. remember banksy‘s most famous picture being partially shredded just seconds after it was sold at auction? well, now the elusive artist has released a video showing how the prank didn‘t actually go to plan. the painting was supposed to be completely destroyed. that‘s all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: recorded crime in england and wales has risen sharply,