welcome to newsday on bbc. i'm mariko oi in singapore. our headlines this hour. the fbi investigates a wave of suspected bombs sent to high profile american politicians, including barack obama and hillary clinton. the motives aren't clear. president trump says such violence has no place in the united states. i'm ben bland in london. also in the programme. in our second special report on china's muslim minority, we hear from those who have fled the country, leaving families behind. translation: i don't know where my mother and my father are, or my brothers and sisters. the government wants us to renounce our ethnicity, our beliefs, and our humanity. the saudi crown prince makes his first public comments on the murder ofjamal khashoggi, he promises justice. 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 eastern us, where the fbi is investigating a number of explosive a number of explosive devices sent to high profile democrats. among those targetted were hillary clinton and barack obama. the new york offices of cnn were also evacuated after a parcel was sent there. our north america correspondent nick bryant has the latest. in the normally tranquil suburbs of new york city, the home of bill and hillary clinton. today encircled by a much larger security presence than normal after a suspected explosive device was addressed to the former presidential candidate. the package was intercepted by secret service agents during routine screening procedures. they said mrs clinton was not at risk of receiving it. we are fine, thanks to the men

and women of the secret service, who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home. then came news of a second suspected explosive device, addressed to the washington residents of barack and michelle obama. again, it was intercepted by the secret service, and didn't pose a threat to the former president. we are going tojump in, there is a fire alarm here. the news organisation cnn was reporting these breaking developments when it found its part of the story. its anchors forced to broadcast from the street following discovery of a suspect package in its new york headquarters. it was a package that was mailed to the building. as the nypd cordoned off this area opposite central park, reports came through of what the staff were fleeing from. a live explosive device, said police, addressed to the former cia directorjohn brennan,

a strident critic of the trump presidency who has been a guest on the network. the devices were similar to a pipe bomb found on monday in the mailbox at a home of the liberal billionaire george soros. a property in the new york suburb is not farfrom where the clintons live. the trump white house condemned the attacks, and from a president whose aggressive rhetoric has made american politics more vicious and more toxic, came this call for national unity. we have to unify. we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the united states of america. as the bomb squad removed the explosive device from cnn, there were bipartisan calls for a return to civility in national life. but this is an era of american politics that's come to be defined by anger and division. nick bryant, bbc news, washington.

now staying with that story, earlier i spoke to the bbc‘s chris buckler in washington, who told me that precautions are being taken not only at politicians‘ houses and media organisations. there's also been a warning to those who actually deal with packages, particularly mail services in certain buildings, that they need to be aware of potentially suspect packages. and that goes down to two reasons. first of all, there's concerned that there can also be some other packages in the mail, but secondly, they know the person who was responsible for this attempt to send a series of packages yet in custody. the investigation still at a relatively early stage. and as a result, there is the danger of more suspicious packages being sent. however, that investigation is now very much getting under way. we understand that all the devices will be sent to the fbi lab in quantico. essentially they are going to be investigated and forensically inspected together. two reasons for that, first of all,

they want to compare the devices, but secondly, they want to try to gather any evidence they can from them in a forensically secure environment. beyond that, we're starting to get some details of the devices themselves. there are suggestions that they were made up of a pvc tube, that there was a pyrotechnic powder not the similar to what would be used in a firework, connected to a digital clock, as well as some shrapnel. and that shrapnel was clearly intended to cause harm should they explode. and very briefly, any idea of motives at this stage, or too early to say? it is clear that if you take a look at it, at this stage what the authorities are looking at is that they were all sent to individuals who have criticised donald trump, individuals who are connected to the democratic party. it would give you a sense at the moment that that is what they are looking at. however, it is too early, they are making that point, and fundamentally at the moment,

it is still an active investigation. also making news today, the un humanitarian chief has warned that half of yemen's population, a total 01:14 million people, is at imminent risk of famine. the un says the task faced by aid agencies was bigger than anything they'd seen in their working lives. the head of a united nations investigation in myanmar says rohingya muslims still living there continue to suffer what he called genocide. marzuki darusman said rohingyas faced a human rights catastrophe. he criticised myanmar‘s government and its de facto leader, aung san suu kyi, for refusing to acknowledge the problem. the main us markets fell sharply on wednesday. two of the three main indexes erased all the gains they've made this year. the dowjones sank 2.4%, and is now on track for its worst month since may 2010. the nasdaq, which features a lot of tech companies, also fell more than 4.4%. investors are concerned about weak corporate profits,

global trade tensions, and other uncertainties. a caravan of mostly honduran migrants heading to the united states through central america, has increased in size to nearly 10,000 men, women, and children. they're about 1,000 miles from the us border. president trump insists they won't be allowed in. the british government has expressed serious concerns about the detention of up to a million uighurmuslims in china. last night, a bbc investigation revealed the construction of a vast network of internment camps in the western chinese region of xinjiang. china refers to these prison—like facilities as "vocational education and training centres", aimed at fighting radicalisation and terrorism. in the second of his reports, our china correspondent john sudworth has been hearing the stories of some of those who have fled the region. you don't see long beards

anymore in xinjiang. they've been banned. mosques have fallen silent, with no sign of prayer. but no—one dares to speak, the constant monitoring and following sees to that. some, though, have found refuge in turkey, a place with ties of language and faith to the uighurs, xinjiang's main muslim minority. "just reciting an islamic verse was enough," says this man, to put him in a chinese detention camp. his family, he fears, are still in one. translation: i don't know where my mother and father are, or my brothers and sisters. the chinese government wants us to renounce our beliefs, our ethnicity, and our humanity.

another former camp inmate says he was forced to sing communist party songs and recite china's new anti—extremism laws under the threat of violence. translation: everyday somebody was beaten. there were two men, one with a belt, the otherjust kicked. if we fell down, they made us kneel again. those we've spoken to are the lucky ones. they fled to turkey in 2015. since then, there are very few reports of anyone being released from the camps at all. the testimony we've heard here is impossible to independently verify, of course. but what is striking are the consistencies. the descriptions of the routines in the camps, the brainwashing techniques, and most tellingly perhaps, the results. not love and loyalty

for the chinese communist party, but a deep and lasting resentment. family, as well as faith, is being broken. when this person fled xinjiang with her children, her baby daughter did not yet have a passport. her dad planned to bring her later but now he, too, has been taken away. translation: if my daughter could hear me now... i would say nothing but "sorry". there's nothing worse than not knowing where she is, whether she's alive or dead. back in xinjiang, we tried to visit a camp where we've heard 10,000 people may be held. but in front of us, the police close the whole highway, "for repair," they say.

we try other routes, but every time, at roadblock after roadblock, there's no way through. the point where we are forced to give up is just a short distance away from a large new camp, with the watchtowers clearly visible. the chinese police have a long reach, it seems. this man, a british uighur living in london, says they are pressuring his family in xinjiang because of his campaigning work. all my family members have been harassed by the police, security forces, asking them to put pressure on me to keep my mouth shut, do not say any single words against the chinese government. this is another british uighur, who received a message last year

saying her mum had been taken away. the 66—year—old is thought to have been in a camp ever since. the chinese government, we need foreign governments to act as soon as possible before it is too late. uighurs are not missing, says china, they are being educated. but whole extended families have been taken away and a culture, a religion, and a people are in crisis. john sudworth, bbc news, xinjiang. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: saudi arabia's crown prince, mohammed bin salman, says those responsible for the murder of jamal khashoggi will be punished. also on the programme, this is naree, victim of the illegal wildife trade. after 15 years in a circus, she has a new home.

we have her story. a historic moment that many of his victims have awaited for decades. the former dictator in the dark, older, slimmer. as he sat down, obedient enough. dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plane outside, it lights up the biblicalfamine now in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion. in argentina today, it is actually cheaper to paper your walls with money. we've had controversies in the past with great britain. but as good friends, we have always found a good and lasting solution. concorde bows out in style after almost three decades in service. an aircraft that has enthralled

its many admirers for so long, taxis home one last time. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm marika 0i in singapore. i'm ben bland in london. our top stories. the fbi intercepts a wave of suspected bombs sent to high profile american politicians, including barack 0bama and hillary clinton. the motives aren't clear, president trump says such violence has no place in the united states. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the japan times is leading on the release of japanese journalist, jumpei yasuda. the japanese government says qatar and turkey aided in securing mr yasuda's release, after he was captured by an armed group in syria three years ago.

despite some rumours, they insisted no ransom was paid. and the international new york times is reporting on the sea creatures that are ravaging california's kelp forests. advocates say these purple urchins are munching their way through the brown seaweed, which hugs the us' west coast, wreaking environmental havoc. and the philippine inquirer is reporting on the reopening of the tourist island boracay, which was closed six months ago for a clean—up after years of unrestrained mass tourism. when the island reopens, boracay will have fewer hotels and restaurants, a cap on the number of visitors and anti—beach boozing rules, aimed at taming its party—hard reputation. so no big party for you next time you're there, ben. now what are people talking about online?

i guess i'll have to change holiday plans and i will look at you for where the change. well, police in the uk town of blackpool have launched a manhunt for this alleged thief. many have claimed he is the "spitting image" of the actor david schwimmer, best known for his role as ross from friends, now seen on the right of your screen. the force later confirmed that schwimmer was not in the uk at the time. and even the actor himself wanted to clear up any doubt, tweeting, "it wasn't me," and posting this video. this is of course the actor having bit of fun in a spoof of the original. saudi arabia's crown prince mohammed bin salman has spoken about the murder of journalist, jamal khashoggi for the first time. he said those responsible will be brought to justice. mr khashoggi was killed at the saudi consulate in istanbul three weeks ago. from riyadh, tim willcox reports. at the centre of a diplomatic

whirlwind, crown prince mohammed bin salman swept into a riyadh conference this evening. up until now, he'd never spoken publicly about the death of jamal khashoggi. translation: the incident that took place is very painful for all saudis, especially ordinary saudi citizens, and i believe it is painful for any human in the world. today the kingdom of saudi arabia is taking all legal measures to complete investigations jointly with the turkish government to reach results and bring those guilty to justice. after denying everything, saudi arabia finally admitted killing mr khashoggi, a former royal insider in its consulate in istanbul. the foreign minister said it was a rogue operation, but few believe that. even the meeting between jamal khashoggi's son and the crown prince looked like a clumsy photo op. according to his friends, salah khashoggi has been under

a travel ban since last year. today, though, was about bridge building. not only had he spoken to the turkish president, sitting alongside him was saad hariri, the lebanese prime minister. a man the prince is accused of detaining and forcing to resign last year. hejoked, he's not been kidnapped this time. today was also about business. 30 deals worth more than $55 billion have already been signed, and he promised an even better future. what did you think about the crown prince's comments today? it is very inspiring to all of us. what did you think about his comments about the question everyone's talking about, the investigation into the death of khashoggi? transparency, this is the norm in saudi. since being made crown prince, the man known as mbs has been basking in the international spotlight as a reformer, but since this issue, there have been questions about his authoritarianism, his sense ofjudgment, the people who surround

him, his impetuousness. but can he now rewrite the narrative and de—escalate the row that has engulfed him and the kingdom for the past three weeks? tim willcox, bbc news, riyadh. a short time ago i was joined by steve fish from the university of california. he gave me his reaction to the crown prince's statement. well if he wants to punish the perpetrator of this, he has to engage in some self—flagellation, because he did this. it is important for us to keep our eye on that very important fact, which is that this kind of crime would have been unthinkable without his acquiescence and his orders. so we should take everything coming out of the saudi government now as an indication of how they are trying to cover this up, not as possible statements of fa ct. up, not as possible statements of fact. and amid the allegation that he might have been behind it, a lot

of high—profile business leaders, we saw a mass exodus of them from an investor conference. do you think that the saudis are concerned about a? there certainly concerned about it, saudi alerts are concerned about it, saudi alerts are concerned about it, as well. this is a terrible mark on his abdication, and it says something broader about the nature of this regime. we often find things about —— authoritarian regimes nowadays as how they don't give you the right to elect yourselves, but often times they're led by realistic people who are not subject to the whims of popular opinion, and therefore sometimes can get things done better. this is a case of exactly the office —— opposite, showing that the —— in this very authoritarian regime, you get a guy coming to the power who is clearly not ready for prime time. the problem with authoritarian regimes as they do not solve the problem of succession, who will be the next leader working? this fellow is clearly not ready for the job, and thatis clearly not ready for the job, and that is what this crisis is

revealing to many saudis. so you say you are convinced that he was behind it. is it even possible that he gets removed? is possible, but probably unlikely unless the us and other major powers in the system really push for it. i do not think that will happen under the chubb administration, but there are certainly some saudi elites that have to be asking themselves today whether this guy is really the one to guarantee the stability of this regime going further into the centre. so far he does not seem to be doing a very good job of that. ironically, kashoggi himself criticised mbs for shooting first and aiming later. that is what he has done here, he is very impulsive and entitled, he does not seem to think that the ordinary rules apply to him, he can do whatever he wants and get away with it. now the us had and get away with it. now the us had a president in charge who is still leading the world in terms of protecting human rights and democracy, he would not have tried to get away with it. chimpanzees are one of the main victims of the illegal wildlife trade.

many are sold as pets or forced to perform in a circus. naree is one such chimp, smuggled to thailand and forced to perform with a circus for 15 years. however, this year naree found a sanctuary in britain. here's her story. you see traumatised young primates who have had theirfamilies butchered in front of them, and are then smuggled across the globe in brutal circumstances. so they are often malnourished. emotionally, they‘ re distraught. the numbers that died for this trade that appears fun or interesting to people when you are on a tourist beach in, say, turkey is absolutely a tragedy for an endangered species that's facing extinction in the wild.

we campaigned the thai authorities to release her, and she was seized. she was moved to a government wildlife centre in thailand where she started receiving veterinary care and being looked after, but she was still in isolation. i had thought she had disappeared or most likely even died. and then, lo and behold last year, i was approached and asked if it would be possible for monkey world to re—home a chimpanzee that was living in a government wildlife centre and had bad facial deformities. and i knew instantly in my heart, i got goose bumps, it was naree. it was the same chimp that i had met 15 years ago and wanted to rescue then. she's very friendly, she craves attention. but then, you would as a social

animal, be taking their child away from their family. even though she suffered such abuse at the hands of human beings throughout her life, it is quite amazing to see how loving and caring she is. you have been watching newsday. i'm ben bland in london. and i'm mariko 0i in singapore. coming up, we'll have more on that story about us markets and yet another rough day on wall street. all the gains from this year have now been wiped off after a sharp sell—off. and before we go, here's an interesting story about a us judge's dashing heroism to catch the accused. as you can see from these pictures recorded in washington state,

two defendants bolt out of a courtroom, headed for the door. the aptly called judge buzzard ditches his judicial robes and chases after them. the judge catches one of the inmates by the door, and police arrived soon after. both the accused are now back with law enforcement. it looks like a comedy sketch. butjudge buzzard is back on the bench to review the security at the court premises. that's all for now, stay with bbc world news. hello there. sunshine on wednesday took temperatures very

close to 20 degrees, but you can expect those temperatures to drop away over the next few days. and also through thursday, you will see a bit more cloud around in many areas. for most, it will stay dry, but not for all. 0n the earlier satellite picture, you can see the way this cloud has been streaming its way in from the north and the west. there will still be some breaks in the cloud. where we have breaks in the cloud to start off the day, there could be the odd mist patch around as well. then we go on through the day, it will bring areas of cloud in from the northwest. the best of the sunshine to the east of the high ground, maybe east of the pennines, parts of east anglia and the southeast. all the while, we will see outbreaks of rain setting in across northwestern scotland. some of this turning heavy late in the day. those temperatures a little bit lower than they were on wednesday night, about 15 degrees. this rain across scotland will start to push its way southeastwards as we go through thursday night into the early hours of friday. not much rain around actually as we see this weather system sliding into england and wales. but behind it, quite a big change in the feel of the weather.

the winds switch round to more of a northerly direction. and as you can see, we're going to start to tap into some pretty cold air before the end of the week. that air coming from a long way north. so things are going to feel decidedly chilly. the remnants of our band of cloud and rain and cold front will slide across southeastern areas early on friday. then we will see some spells of sunshine but in areas exposed this keen northerly wind, there will also be showers. and yes, those showers will start to turn wintry across high ground in the north. temperatures of 6—10 degrees at best. we stick with that chilly feel as we head on into the weekend. a biting northerly wind. a mixture of sunshine and showers, some of those showers wintry over high ground in the north and some frost and ice risk. take a look at saturday. we will see some sunshine, yes, but some showers pushing in across eastern england. one or two for west wales, the southwest of england and a few in the northwest as well.

one or two showers inland, many inland areas should stay dry with some sunshine but temperatures ofjust 7—9 degrees. then we add on the strength of that keen northerly wind. this is what it will feel like. it will feel like one, two, three degrees in some places. not much change on sunday. but again we'll see some spells of sunshine. the winds switch around to more of a northeasterly direction. that means most of the showers will be in eastern areas, not as many further west. but those temperatures are still struggling, with highs of 7—10 degrees. i'm ben bland with bbc news. our top story, the fbi has intercepted a wave of suspected bombs sent to high profile politicians. explosive devices have been sent by mail to barack 0bama and also hillary clinton. similar packages were sent to several other politicians, as well as the new york offices of cnn television. president trump said acts of political violence had "no place" in america. saudi arabia's crown prince mohammed bin salman has promised to punish those behind the murder three weeks ago of the journalist jamal khashoggi.

and there's a lot of interest in this story online: our second special report on china's muslim minority. 0ur correspondent has been speaking to those who have fled the western chinese region of xinjiang leaving families and communities behind. that's all. stay with bbc news. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.