welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is duncan golestani. our top stories: saudi state media confirms that the journalist jamal khashoggi was killed in the country's consulate in istanbul. a number of arrests have been made — but president trump is still backing his allies in riyadh. we need them as a counterbalance to iran, so it's not the simplest solution, not the simplest situation to be in. a train ploughs into crowds watching a religious festival in northern india. at least 60 people are killed. chaos in mexico as thousands of central american migrants cross the border from guatemala. and barefoot on bondi and a harbour bridge climb — the duke and duchess of sussex take in some classic australian sights. hello, this is bbc world news.

saudi state media has confirmed that the journalist jamal khashoggi was killed in saudi arabia's consulate in istanbul. a statement said he died after a fight and that 18 saudis have been arrested in connection with his death. two senior officials have been sacked, one of whom is a senior aide to crown prince mohammed bin salman. the saudi king has asked the crown prince to restructure the country's intelligence agency. jon donnison has the latest. after weeks of denials, saudi arabia is changing its tune. the admission that jamal khashoggi is dead finally came on state tv. speaks arabic. more than a fortnight after the journalist

walked into the saudi consulate in istanbul, never to be seen again, the saudis now say he was killed in a fight that broke out inside the building. speaking in arizona, president trump said the saudi explanation was credible. saudi arabia has been a great ally, but what happened is unacceptable. we are going to see that they have arrested, just for the people at the table, a large number of people who had to do with what happened in the consulate. reporter: you consider the saudi explanation credible? i do. many disagree, including within his own republican party. senator lindsey graham said to say he was sceptical about the narrative was an understatement. saudi arabia announced it was sacking the deputy chief of intelligence, ahmad al—assiri, seen here in a bbc interview, and that intelligence operations would be restructured. when you read this statement, it essentially said

"we have an intelligence failure, we sent some people to try and bring jamaal khashoggi back to saudi arabia, in their discussions things went wrong, he ended up dead." they are making it sound like it is simply a low—level failure in the intelligence directorate and they want to review the procedures and policies and regulations there to find out if they are up to snuff or not. and that could be seen as a move to protect saudi arabia's de facto ruler crown prince mohammed bin salman who many believe must have sanctioned the killing. there has still been no explanation to allegations that the prince's personal bodyguards were at the consulate when mr khashoggi died. saudi arabia will hope its partial admission will dampen down international criticism, but for those who believe it is a cover up, many more questions remain. let's cross to westchester, new york and speak to

karen greenberg. she's with fordham university's centre on national security. a 59—year—old journalist walks into a consulate, it into a fight and dies and it takes two weeks to hear about that. is this really credible? no, it is insufficient, it is incredible and it is somewhat insulting to anybody who is rational. this contradicts earlier statements, we remember originally that cameras had caught khashoggi leaving, then they'd denied so many aspects of this, and now they come up with a story that is frankly not credible, when there are 15 individuals who are there and one man who is said to get caught in a fist fight with them, and then somehow dies and had his body

dismembered, it is not credible. in a way you cannot believe they would have put this out and thought that we would think it was credible, theyjust wanted a story and this is the one they had decided to come up with. is this the house of saud on the back foot now? unable to handle this situation, something they thought they could maybe get away with, with the caveat that they deny any personal involvement? that is a good question. it is hard to believe that they thought they would get away with. there are so many ways they could have done this and not have done it in an embassy where there would be cameras, where there would be all this international intrigue and accountability. they chose to do this in the embassy, in turkey, and it is really hard to imagine what was on their minds when they plan to this. even if what they were planning was a rendition, it is hard to imagine what was on their minds,

and planning it in such a bottom—line, visible way. so it is hard to say what is going on, but what i think is credible is it is hard to imagine that this could have been done without coming from the top. now the attempt to blame others within the top echelons of saudi, makes you wonder part of this is an excuse to begin to clear out enemies perhaps of mohammed bin salman, although these are not thought to be enemies, and to restructure and highly, ——entirely which is apparently now what the king has told mbs to do. we are entering a new era, and part of that new era looks to be that they are asking for a wink and a nod on something, assuming there will not be high level demands of accountability. that is particularly disturbing and i think a miscalculation. the "warm words" from president trump in the last few

hours, talking heavily about trade and saudi arabia's fight against iran, that will be reassuring to riyadh, won't it? i think it may send a message that we are not going to push very hard against this. it also sends the message that somehow, as we saw with russia, you have us. you have us, you have something on us, or even if it is just a monetary, financial relationship. i also think there is something else about president trump's words which is, he referred to this being wrong and bad what has happened, but he did not say what he thought was the thing that went wrong, or the thing that was bad. i think we need to know that. was it that it was a us resident, was it that it was a journalist, was at that it was a human rights crime, what exactly does he think the nature of what might need some accountability is? i thinking is to be

pushed on that point. so many questions yet to be answered. thank you. there's plenty more to the latest develpoments in saudia arabia and reaction in turkey and washington on our website. that's at bbc.com/news, or download the bbc news app. voters in afghanistan are casting their ballots in the long delayed parliamentary elections, amid heavy security and threats from the taliban. more than 2,500 candidates — including many women — are vying for 250 seats. but more than 30% of polling stations are shut because of security concerns — ten candidates have been killed in the lead up to the vote. live to kabul and our correspondent there secunder kermani. very tight security, what are we expecting turn out to be

like, are people going to take the risk and vote? polling beganjust around half an hour ago, the afghan president cast his vote, i was just down at a polling station in carpal ——kabul where a queue of around 100 or so people was building up. as you said, security is the main concern, thousands of soldiers have been deployed across the country to try and ensure that voting does pass off peacefully. however the taliban have dismissed these elections as illegitimate, they have issued threats saying they will attack the election process, they are also concerns about possible attacks by the so—called islamic state group. as a result of these security concerns, around 2000 polling stations out of a total of around 7000 polling stations are remaining closed today. ten candidates were killed in the lead up to the elections, many more supporters

lost their lives as well. in addition to these security concerns, there are also concerns about possible electoral fraud. having said that there is a sense of optimism, at least in some quarters in afghanistan, many of the candidates standing in this election are young and well educated, many afghans feel that this is at least some opportunity to deliver political change in the country. many others though are deeply disillusioned with politics and has said that they will not be voting. it is unclear at the moment what level of turnout we will get. on that point you mentioned an opportunity for change, can you explain to us what is at stake with this election, had much be done by these people when they are elected? the afghan political system is quite centralised, it revolves predominate the around the figure of the president,

—— it revolves predominately around the figure of the president, so parliament is not particularly strong. there will be a separate presidential election in april next year, these elections, these parliamentary elections are seen as kind of a crucial test for the afghan government and afghan security forces. can they ensure that voting passes off peacefully if enough people feel confident enough to turn out to vote today, if there are not too many allegations of fraud, that will be a positive sign for next year's presidential elections. having said that, with the parliament, with the candidates who are standing in today's elections, they do have a degree of power, and certainly it is about the image of democracy in the country. for many afghans, politicians are corrupt, ineffective. so if we were to see some new faces elected we may see a revival

of faith in democracy that some afghans have. aside from security, what are voters concerned about, what do they want to change in afghanistan? afghanistan is a country facing new challenges, even aside from the conflict with the taliban. unemployment crops up as one of voters‘ key issues, i was talking to a lot of young people yesterday in kabul, they were telling me that having graduated from university they were finding it difficult to find a job. this is a country with a very young population and many more people who are educated than can find suitablejobs. another issue that crops up a lot is corruption, there is a strong belief among many afghans that despite the billions of dollars of aid and investment that have come in from the international community, much of that has not filtered down to ordinary people, because of corruption.

those are certainly two key issues that afghans want to see some kind of improvement on. we will be back with you in the coming hours as people cast their votes, for now, thank you. at least 60 people have died in northern india after a commuter train ploughed into a crowd of people near the city of amritsar. hundreds of others have been injured. they were out celebrating the festival of dusshera and it's understood they did not hear the speeding train approach. eliza philippidis reports. dusshera, a hindu festival marking the triumph of good over evil. but this year as spectators were watching a burning effigy of the demon king, disaster struck. eyewitnesses say hundreds of festival—goers were sitting on the tracks or busy filming the event on their phones, and did not notice the approaching train because of the noise of exploding firecrackers. translation: suddenly the train

has come and i shouted. there were two boys, i pulled my nephew and saved him. wails. but others were not so lucky. the train ran into the crowds, killing many instantly. it is understood that children are among the dead. emergency services have been working through the night, taking the injured for treatment to the local hospital. people are coming forward, offering help and donating blood. translation: we want to save the people, we want to help people get treatment in civil hospital. we are here. our 50 volunteers, including me, are here to donate blood for the injured. the chief of india's northern punjab state has ordered an enquiry into the incident. as far as the state is concerned,

they are on full alert, everybody has been shifted into amritsar as required, and all the injured have been taken to hospitals, private or government, and the government is going to bear the full cost of this. in a tweet, the indian prime minister narendra modi said: the government has announced compensation of $6,800 for those who have been killed and a day of mourning will be held across the state. many of the relatives say such a big event should not have been held next to railway tracks. they blame the authorities and want to know why it was allowed to go ahead. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: barefoot on bondi,

and a harbour bridge climb — prince harry and meghan take in some classic australian sights. a historic moment that many of his victims have waited for for decades. the former dictator in the dock, older, slimmer, and as he sat down, obedient enough. dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside korem, it lights up a biblicalfamine, now, in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion, in argentina today, it's actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we've had controversies in the past with great britain. but as good friends, we've always found a good and lasting solution. concorde bows out in style.

after almost three decades in service, an aircraft that enthralled its many admirers for so long taxis home one last time. welcome back. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: saudi state media has confirmed that the journalist jamal khashoggi was killed in saudi arabia's consulate in istanbul. at least 60 people have been killed after a train ploughed into crowds watching a religious festival in northern india. hundreds of central american migrants heading for the us have broken through barriers on a bridge crossing between guatemala and mexico. mexican police in riot gearfired tear gas, forcing them to retreat into no man's land. the bbc‘s aleem maqbool

reports from tecun uman on the guatemala—mexico border. they have come in their thousands on a march towards what they hope will be a better life. their week—long trek through central america from honduras, one of the poorest countries in the region, through guatemala has brought them here, to the gates of mexico. their dream is to keep going and get to the united states. many in this convoy are upset that they are being portrayed by some as the worst of humanity. translation: the majority of us are hard workers. we want something better. we are not here because we are criminals, we are here because we want to help our families and our children. donald trump has called it "an assault on the us border". ..he warned earlier this week.

..he added later. since those threats, the number of peoplejoining this convoy has only increased. but not all want to use the official border crossing and risk being turned back, already trying other means of continuing their journey north. if they do manage to get to the us border, they have the legal right to claim asylum, but donald trump says he will close the border and ahead of midterm elections is not missing the chance to make political capital of it all. as you know, i am willing to send the military to defend our southern borders if necessary. cheering and applause. all ‘cause — because of the illegal immigration onslaught brought by the democrats, because they refused to acknowledge or to change the laws. they like it. they also figure everyone coming in will vote democrat, you know. people here do not care about politics.

for many, it is desperation that is their driving force. the mood here has changed in the last ten minutes. thousands of migrants have pushed past guatemalan security forces and are now facing mexican security forces with the promise that things could get more confrontational now. what is clear is that donald trump's attempts so far to deter migrants like separating parents from children, as he did earlier this year, is not stopping them coming. ultimately, these people feel leaving behind the hardships back home are worth whatever risks they may have ahead of them. the founder of wikilea ks, julian assange, is launching legal action against ecuador — the country in whose london embassy he's been living for the past six years.

he's accusing the ecuadorean government of violating his fundamental rights and freedoms after conditions were imposed on his communications with the outside world. the bbc‘s tim allman has more. some might say he was being a little ungrateful. for six years, julian assange has lived in the ecuadorian embassy in london. confined to quarters, he has not been able to set foot outside. and now, after strict new rules were imposed, he has decided to take his hosts to court. translation: we believe these rules violate fundamental rights. it limits the exercising of the right to a defence. it affects the privacy of people who might spend time withjulian assange and, above all, his lack of communication with the outside world should immediately cease. this all began in august 2010,

when the swedish prosecutor's office issued an arrest warrant over allegations of sexual assault. he denied those claims but in december that year, he was arrested in the united kingdom and eventually given bail. injune 2012, after the uk supreme court said he should be extradited to sweden to face questioning, assange entered the ecuadorian embassy in london and was later granted asylum by the then president, rafael correa. five years later, in may 2017, sweden's director of public prosecutions announced that the rape investigation was being dropped. assange could, of course, choose to leave the embassy. although he no longer faces charges in sweden, there is still the small issue of skipping bail. his main fear seems to be the threat of extradition to america — washington angry over his website's release of sensitive documents.

for now, he has been told to pay his own phone and medical bills and take better care of his pet cat. the current president of ecuador has described assange as being like a stone in his shoe. this latest move is unlikely to make relations any warmer. tim allman, bbc news. let's get some of the day's other news. yoga has been part of the duke and duchess of sussex's morning routine in australia as they continue their tour down under. harry and meghan went barefoot on bondi beach and then there was a climb over sydney harbour bridge. jonny dymond was watching from solid ground. the police in sydney don't normally dress like this but on the city's legendary bondi beach today, things were far from normal. welcome to fluoro friday, where surfing and yoga meets mindfulness, and harry and meghan. harry opened up to the group

about his experiences. it's part of his big push to promote mental health. this is called an ‘anti—bad vibe circle'. at the end, a group hug. the house of windsor brought the house down. yoga is part of the cure and the duchess is a big fan. she told the yogis just how keen she is. she says she does it every day and she even got up at 4:30 this morning, completelyjet—lagged, and she's pregnant, so i understand how exhausting that can be. and she did yoga this morning at 11:30. the duke went from beach to bridge. up he went, and up. and at the top, a new flag rose. this is the moment that the duke and duchess‘ trip to australia pivots, away from the walkabouts and the beaches and toward the biggest project of harry‘s life.

this is the start of the countdown to the invictus games, the sporting celebration of wounded warriors. invictus is at the heart of harry‘s journey. he has walked with the military. now he will lead the games he created. jonny dymond, bbc news, sydney. an ariane space rocket has been launched from south america carrying two satellites developed by scientists in europe and japan on a mission to mercury, the planet closest to the sun. the joint project is named bepicolombo, after the italian engineer who first calculated the maths behind mercury‘s rotation and orbit. you are watching bbc news. bye for now. hello.

the weekend is upon us and the weather overall is not looking bad at all across most of the uk. all of us should get some sunshine at least at one point or another, but there will be some fog around on saturday morning, and also on sunday. let‘s have a look at the forecast through the early hours and the weather is a little bit split. in the north—west of the country, we have freshening wind, clouds are streaming in, there is a weather front approaching so there are some fog problems here. —— so no fog problems here. further south, we will have clear skies and the temperature will dip down to maybe 2—3 degrees above freezing. perhaps across parts of the midlands and into wales, fog could be thick. it could affect some of the country routes. there could be some delays — some delays at airports as well. bearthat in mind across england and wales. a lot of sunshine for many of us and just in one or two spots, the fog may linger. but in the north—west of the country, we have those stronger winds with that weather front approaching. outbreaks of rain for a time

in the western isles. in the south, much lighter winds — you can see the wind speed arrows here. temperatures around 17 in london, for example. very pleasant indeed. even 17 expected in aberdeen on saturday afternoon. saturday night into sunday, the weather front is still very close to the north—west of the country, and a new one is coming in, bringing some fresh rain and fresher conditions. to the south of that, we still have high pressure, meaning the weather is looking very decent for the rest of the day. fog in the morning could be a problem on sunday. the weather front is a very weak one as it moves across. you can make out this line of cloud — that is a weather front behind it. it is starting to freshen with some cooler air coming from the north, which heralds a change for next week. once this weather front moves through, you can see it here, behind this area of high pressure, the wind is blowing like so, that cooler atlantic air is coming in. let‘s have a look at the forecast for monday. we are further away from the high

pressure here in scotland, so weather fronts are coming in. here we have those settled conditions but there is quite a brisk wind blowing out of the north—west, quite gusty around some of the coasts. the temperature is quite a bit lower. 13 in london. whether you are in the south or the north, it should be around 13 degrees. a quick outlook into next week — a lot of dry weather without high pressure close by, a lot of sunshine with further morning mist and fog, turning a bit cooler later in the week. this is bbc news — the headlines: saudi arabia has confirmed that the missing journalist — jamal khashoggi — died during his visit to the country‘s consulate in istanbul earlier this month. saudi state media said a fight that broke out between the journalist and the people he met at the consulate led to his death. at least 60 people have died and more than 200 have been injured in northern india as a commuter train ploughed into them near the city of amritsar. a religious festival had been taking place — and it‘s believed people didn‘t hear the train approaching.

hundreds of central american migrants travelling in a mass caravan to the united states have tried to breach mexico‘s southern border and enter the country. the migrants broke through guatemalan border fences — but were halted by police as they streamed onto a bridge leading to mexico. mental health therapy is failing more people than it helps,