this is the briefing — i'm sally bundock. our top story: the fbi hunts those behind pipe bombs sent to prominent us democrats, including barack obama and hillary clinton. going, going, gone. asian markets follow wall street where this year's stocks gain are wiped out over fears of a global slowdown. a leading saudi dissident tells the bbc that people feel betrayed after the country acknowledged involvement in the death ofjamal khashoggi. back on track — electric car maker tesla comfortably beats wall street's expectations and posts a profit in the third quarter. a warm welcome to the programme — briefing you on all you need to know in global news,

business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. do get in touch to tell us what you think about the stories we are covering or what you are spotting. get in touch — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing the fbi has been trying to work out who's behind a major security scare that's seen explosive devices sent to leading democrat politicians. among the targets — barack obama and hillary clinton, as well as the tv network cnn. none of the devices actually went off. but the threat has focused attention on the aggressive tone of us politics in the run up the miderm elections. our washington correspondent chris buckler reports. the package is carrying these pipe bombs were addressed to some of

america's best—known public figures. sent to the homes of, among others, the former presidential candidate hillary clinton and the former president barack obama. both immigrants and both critics of the current president. donald] trump! donald trump was in wisconsin for a campaign rally. at these events he often attacked opponents with unmistakably aggressive language. bertone was markedly different. those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective. they have to do that. the language of moral condemnation and destructive routine, these are arguments and disagreements that must stop. he didn't take responsibility for any of his own past rhetoric. in fact, the

president seemed to blame journalist who mrtrump president seemed to blame journalist who mr trump normally encourages crowds to boot. the order also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories. have to do it. how to do it. one of the packages was found at cnn. it's anchors were forced to broadcast from outside their own building in new york after it was evacuated. the envelope containing the explosive device had been addressed to the former cia director and media commentatorjohn brennan. he believes whatever the investigation uncovers, mr trump must take some blame. i am hoping that this is going to make it clear to him that what he has done here as far as this rhetoric really is counter—productive. it is an

american. it is what a president should not be doing. what he said todayis should not be doing. what he said today is what the president should be doing but follow—up your words with actions and with due to comments. i hope that maybe this is a turning point. most of the envelopes appeared to have as their return address the office of debbie wood and shilts, a democratic politician in florida. one of the pipe bombs ended up being delivered here. the fbi and the police seem to believe they were crude but potentially dangerous devices. all the buildings were evacuated to make sure we had a secure perimeter and that everyone would be safe. hours after the discovery of packages on the east coast, more we re packages on the east coast, more were found in a mail centre in los angeles. the fbi are warning people to stay alert as they search for who was responsible. we will make america great. donald trump wants

others to watch their language but in this divided country, many will be listening to see if the president ta kes be listening to see if the president takes his own advice. with me is]oseph sternberg, a columnist at the wall street journal. good to see you, josef. we have been talking about this situation with regards to the pipe bombs arriving at various, or trying to head the various homes. cnn, oracle obama, george soros. an investigation is under way, what is your take? try to resist too much speculation at this point until we get more facts about who was behind this. that i think it is also opportunity to take a step back and look at the broader problem with stability that we have in politics. in a way i think it is almost too easy just to blame

politics. in a way i think it is almost too easyjust to blame donald trump for that. he certainly is a big part of the problem, but this decline in stability has been going on for a long time on both sides. interesting that you should mention that. that is the headline we have on bbc news online. donald trump calls for stability. will that play into his hand in the run—up to the mid—term election, that he is seen asa mid—term election, that he is seen as a unifying figure in the face of this correct? this problem is that it will be difficult for him to be a unifying figure, given that so much of his rhetoric, particularly towards the press, has been fierce. i would also say that people on both sides of the aisle should resist attem pts sides of the aisle should resist attempts from people on the other side, no matter how belated, to try and ratchet down the tone. what is this tell us about the underlying rage, some are calling it, in the united states at the moment in some quarters, that there should actually

be happening, this kind of behaviour? we won't know that until we know more about who sent the forms and the motive for it. —— sent the bombs. sometimes there is a political mode kids, sometimes there is not. that there is a significant problem with declining stability in politics and people are focusing on that now and this is another good opportunity to have that conversation. what if you're thinking about the midterms as we get closer to that point and how that might play out for both sides? right now it is hard to say how this particular event will influence things and i think we are probably about where we were before which is that the democrats may do reasonably well in the house of representatives and will probably underperform in the senate races. it still leaves a bit? over 2020. thank you for now. joseph will return later in the programme to talk this through some

of the other stories we are covering in the global media. asian stock markets have suffered further falls after another sharp drop on wall street. japan's nikkei index was down by about 3% in early trading. south korea and australia suffered similar declines. on wednesday in the us, the dowjones closed down nearly 2.5%. the nasdaq is also having a tough time. tech stocks are suffering. we're joined now by karishma vaswani, the asia business correspondent, in singapore. can you talk us through this? when it comes to some of the issues behind the decline, there is nothing in particular that has triggered this? you could look at three main factors, sally. one of them you mentioned on the channel agreed deal, higher interest rates that

affect sentiment about outlook for companies as well as the economy of the united states and what that means in asia is that when there are higher interest rates in the united states, many institutional investors tended to pull their money out of asian markets and head over to the united states where they could potentially get higher returns. that is one reason i hearfrom analysts. the other is that the us china trade war. that has beginning to affect real concerns about how these two economies, these giant economies of the us and china, will do in the coming years. we have seen international institutions like the international monetary fund downgrade growth outlook for both the us and china and there were worries about what that means for companies operating in both companies. —— countries. and then there is the emotional factor. that people are selling because other people are selling because other people are selling because other people are selling. that really

undermines the fact that confidence, for the first time, i think it is fairto for the first time, i think it is fair to say, is being chipped away. because of all of these factors. at a point in the global economy where we possibly hitting a turning point terms of outlook and all cars for both economic growth and companies in the next few years. mentioning all those points at the other thing is that these markets have done so well for so long, people are seeing this now as a reason to take some serious profit. some big losers like facebook and amidon, their share prices have gone up and up. even if they see a 6% fall in one day it is not as much as they have increased over the last 12 months. that is absolutely correct. i think you see that as well in the tech sector here in asia. 10 cents, you have seen shares for and that has dragged down the index in hong kong. because

there has been such a big run—up and so there has been such a big run—up and so many of these stocks have seen suchis so many of these stocks have seen such is pa kula so many of these stocks have seen such is pakula gained, to some respects they have been unbelievable gains, perhaps, based on sentiment on that front as well, you are starting to see investors taking their money out of the shares, out of the markets and preparing for, perhaps, not such great earnings coming up in the future. fundamentally, however, analysts had been telling me that if you look at some of the key fundamentals of economic growth and some of the countries in asia, it is not too shabby. in fact, there are many countries in south east asia that could benefit from things like the us china trade war. vietnam, for instance, is a country i am often told about. you expect to see companies shifting their supply chains and start to manufacturing countries by vietnam so countries that could start to see better growth in the months ahead. thank you so much. we will have more on

that in business briefing a little later. a leading saudi dissident has told the bbc that people feel betrayed after the country acknowledged involvement in the death ofjamal khashoggi. speaking from exile, abdulaziz almoayad said many saudis no longer trusted the crown prince, mohammed bin salman. he's condemned the killing as "crime that cannot be justified", but critics believe he must have known about it — as lebo diseko reports. putting on a brave face on despite the international storm. saudi arabia's crown prince mohammed bin salman at a business forum in the saudi arabian capital. speaking for the first time about the murder of khashoggi, he said that the incident was a painful one for his country and he vowed to punish the culprits. it's this been three weeks since the

journalist disappeared after entering the saudi consulate in istanbul. after saying they were not involved, the saudis are admitted mr khashoggi was killed inside the building but blamed it on rogue agents operating without the knowledge of the country ‘s leadership. for one exiled dissidents, he says many inside the country do not believe that. people feel betrayed. even the minority who used to trust this government or trust mohammed bin salman, there are many people on twitter who can see that there is a lot that has changed after this incident and especially when the saudi government said yes, we did it, that was the tipping point for many people. the us president donald trump has called the whole affair a fiasco and said the whole affair a fiasco and said the cover—up was terrible. he also

reiterated the saudi arabian position that its leaders were not involved. i spoke with the king. i spoke with the crown prince yesterday. and he strongly said that he had nothing to do with this. this was at a low level. he gave us a lot of information and we will know everything there is to know, i believe. it is a sad, very sad events saudi arabia. since being made crown prince, mohammed bin salman has been keen to show the world he is a reformer. a moderniser in line to lead his country into the future. but this scandal threatens to one do that image, with questions about both him and his leadership style becoming increasingly loud. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. police in argentina have fired rubber bullets and tear gas outside the congress building to disperse a protest by thousands of people against cuts to social

programmes in next year's budget. a parliamentary session to debate the budget proposed by president mauricio macri had to be suspended during the clashes. the head of a un investigation in myanmar says rohingya muslims still living there continue to suffer what he called genocide. marzuki darusman condemned the country's de facto leader, aung san suu kyi, and her government for refusing to acknowledge the problem. stay with us here. plenty more to come. a chance for change? as brazil heads to the polls this sunday, will the man tipped to win deliver as president? an 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 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 the briefing.

the headlines: the fbi is hunting those behind pipe bombs sent to prominent us democrats, including barack obama and hillary clinton. and asian stock markets have continued to fall after another sharp drop on wall street. brazilians are preparing to head to the polls in the second round of presidential elections on sunday. the country was once famous for its left—wing politics under former president lula da silva, but with lula now in prison for corruption, dissatisfaction with his workers‘ party has seen many voters swing to the right. jair bolsonaro, a man compared to donald trump, is expected to take the top job. our south america correspondent katy watson now reports from the northeast of brazil — one of the poorest parts of the country. it feels like a victory rally in a

i—off the richest neighbourhoods. these people are not yet voted you would think their candidate, jair bolsonaro, had already won. there is no holding back the hatred of the workers‘ party, corrupt politicians who bought brazil to its knees. bolsonaro, they say, is a chance to change. young people, they are very emotional and they believe in being good and sharing being good. socialism, communism, it is the kind of immaturity. that in the poorest region of brazil, lives as well as attitudes are i region of brazil, lives as well as attitudes arei million miles region of brazil, lives as well as attitudes are 1 million miles away from those beachfront condos. when lula da silva was head of the workers‘ party, he lifted millions out of poverty. this farmer lives

down the road from where lula da silva crop. he is voting for his successor. translation: lula da silva was the best president we ever had. everyone, not just silva was the best president we ever had. everyone, notjust the poor brazilians. the rich only like the reach here in brazil. i do not see what this bolsonaro has to offer, not even with a knife held to my neck and a revolver held to my head when i vote for him stop weight not far away, we visit a community of slave descendants, a group that bolsonaro has singled out as being lazy and not fit for procreation. they are fearful of what is to come. for the past ten years or so, poor communities in rural areas like this have been given access to light and electricity. over there, there is a water tank where the community has free and easy access to water. they all services that were given to them under the workers‘ party under the former president lula da silva. they

benefit is that many worry could get taken away. translation: he talks about ask as it were out on walls, he has shown his government will be one that violates the rights, and we will have nobody to appeal to. the workers‘ party made mistakes, but at least it was open to dialogue. we could challenge it. with bolsonaro, that won‘t happen. it is returning to the 18th century. back here, his supporters don‘t care. change is what matters, but what that means for brazil‘s future, for brazil‘s democracy, is deeply uncertain. let‘s brief you now on other key events happening later today. in a couple of hours‘ time, shinzo abe is due to touch down in bejing.

it‘s the first visit of a japanese prime minister there since 2011. in strasbourg, the winner of this year‘s sakharov prize for human rights will be announced. and then later on, trade ministers from 12 countries and the european union are meeting in canada for talks on reforming the world trade organisation. it‘s time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i‘m azi farni. coming up in your thursday sport briefing... the next tour de france route is going to be revealed later. a messi—less barcelona win again in the champions league. and some of the world‘s top golfers try their hand at badminton. just how do you break the dominance of team sky? that‘s what their competitors will be asking themselves on thursday when the route for next year‘s tour de france is announced. geraint thomas won the team‘s sixth tour in seven years when he crossed the line at the champs

elysees in july. and teams will be able to start plotting their tactics for the next tour when the full route is presented in paris later. chelsea are looking to make it three wins from three in the europa league when they play bate borisov at stamford bridge later, but they‘ll have to do it without forward, eden hazard. he‘ll miss the match with the belarusian champions because of a back injury, which he picked up during saturday‘s meeting with manchester united. elsewhere, sporting lisbon host arsenal and milan play real betis. barcelona were without lionel messi as they maintained their 100% start to the champions league this season. the catalans star player and captain was watching in the stands with his fractured right arm in a sling as his side beat inter milan 2—0 at camp nou. his replacement rafinha scored the opener after half an hour, whilejordi alba added a late second.

victory all but secures barca‘s place in the last 16. borussia dortmund also have one foot in the door of the knockout stages. they made it three from three in group a, beating atletico madrid 4—0, while liverpool are the new leaders in group c — courtesy of their 4—0 thrashing of red star belgrade and paris saint germain‘s late equaliser against napoli. kashima antlers are through to their first asian champions league final after an incredible match in south korea. the] league side came from behind to beat suwon bluewings 6—5 on aggregate, and will now face iranian side persepolis in next month‘s final. angelique kerber has claimed her first victory at the season—ending wta tour finals in singapore. the wimbledon champion was up against the us open champion, naomi osaka. kerber took the opening set 6—4, but she was then broken in the second set while serving for the match. after two and a half hours on court, it was the world number two who won the decider. it was really a tough battle and

especially in the third set, we were both playing at a really high level and they started really well but naomi osaka came back in the second set and the third set, i was just trying to, fighting and not giving up, sojust trying to, fighting and not giving up, so just staying trying to, fighting and not giving up, sojust staying in trying to, fighting and not giving up, so just staying in the trying to, fighting and not giving up, sojust staying in the margin for every single point. now have you ever fancied trying something new? to get yourself out of your comfort zone maybe? well, some of the world‘s top golfers ditched their clubs for racquets this week to have a go at badminton. brooks koepka, rory mcilroy, justin rose, dustinjohnson, and francesco molinari got some lessons from the former world champion wang lin, ahead of the world golf championsip event in china. badminton is china‘s biggest sport, but this event was aimed at growing the sport of golf in china. you can get all the latest sports

news at our website. that‘s bbc.com/sport. but from me, azi farni, goodbye. our thanks to to the team for that. we have plenty more for you in the next few minutes, including the very latest on tesla. in the last quarter, the electric car maker has actually made a profit, so elon musk has delivered on that promise. many on wall street were expecting another loss in the last quarter, so has tesla turned the corner when it comes to its casper and? will have that discussion with an expert in few minutes‘s time. do stay with us andi few minutes‘s time. do stay with us and i will see very soon. —— see you. 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. thursday will bring a bit more in the way of cloud, not completely cloudy but a lot of cloud. largely dry for many. on the earlier satellite picture, you can see the way this cloud has been streaming its way in from the north and the west. still some breaks in the cloud, where we have breaks to start to start the day. as we go on through the day, we will bring areas of cloud in from the north—west, with the best of the sunshine to the east of high ground, maybe to the east of the pennines, parts of east anglia and the south—east as well. all the while, we‘ll see some outbreaks of rain developing across the north—west of scotland, some of this turning heavy late in the day, and those temperatures a little bit lower than they were on wednesday, 9—15 degrees.

this rain across scotland will start to push its way south—eastwards but behind that, quite a big change in the feel of the weather. as we get on in the friday, we start to bring ourairdown as we get on in the friday, we start to bring our air down for a long way north. cold air rushing in behind this cold front. the remnants of which will still bring some clout and patchy rain in the south first thing on friday. then we get into a mixture of sunshine and showers, turning wintry over high ground in the north. temperature wise, we are looking at highs between six and 10 degrees at the very best. and with a noticeable northerly wind. so we stick with that cold filter the weather as we head on into the weekend. a biting northerly winds, there will be some sunshine, showers too in areas exposed to that win in the longer that, the risk of some frost and some ice. saturday‘s

weather will bring some sunshine, yes, but some showers too, most likely across parts of eastern england but also a lighter showers dangling across west wales into parts of cornwall, a few showers up into the north—west. temperatures seven to 10 degrees at best and we are on the strength of that northerly winds, this is what it will feel like. will feel like one to seven degrees. —— it will. this is the business briefing. i‘m sally bundock. on the road to profitability. electric car maker tesla comfortably beats wall street‘s expectations and posts a profit in the third quarter. elon musk promises it will stay in the black. what‘s wrong with the indian rupee? it‘s been the poorest performing asian currency this year. and it looks like it could get worse. and we‘ll be live to our team in asia shortly to talk us through the market rout — it began on wall street and as you can see the sell off is continuing now across asia — the tech stocks like tencent are among the biggest losers.