this is the briefing — i'm victoria fritz. our top story: us troops mass on the mexico border as president trump steps up his controversial crackdown on migrants. at this very moment, large well—organised caravans of migrants are marching towards our southern border. some people call it an invasion. it's like an invasion. teenage pregnancy on the rise in south africa. we have a special report as health officials say they're struggling to cope. and a rare interview with yemen's houthi rebels on their bitter struggle against the saudis. in business, tougher times for alibaba as a slowing chinese economy weighs on the e—commerce giant. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. on thursday, thousands of google workers walked out of their offices across the world in protest at the company's treatment of women. would you walk out of your work place to support your colleagues? let us know your thoughts — #bbcthebriefing. with an eye to next week's mid—term elections, crucial to deciding who controls congress, president trump has ramped up his rhetoric on immigration. many of his claims are unproven, some of what he's proposing may be unconstitutional, and he's drawn criticism even from senior figures in his own party. but the thousands of central americans making their way towards the southern border of the us have become an election issue, even though they're

still hundreds of miles away. our north america editor jon sopel reports. it feels as though america is going on to a war footing. thousands of troops are being mobilised. destination — the southern border. the enemy — men, women, and children winding their way up through mexico. 15,000 soldiers are being deployed to stop immigrants on foot from entering the united states — illegally, says the president. and with five days to go until crucial congressional elections, this issue has taken on a deeply political hue. at this very moment, large well—organised caravans of migrants are marching towards our southern border. some people call it an invasion. it's like an invasion. they have violently overrun the mexican border. you saw that two days ago. these are tough people in many cases. a lot of young men, strong men, and a lot of men that maybe we don't want in our country.

but, again, we'll find that out through the legal process. there have been allegations from the president and his surrogates that this straggling caravan of people from central america have members of islamic state among them, that they're violent criminals, that they're carrying diseases which will infect other americans. no evidence of any of these things has been provided. but the overriding narrative, be very, very afraid, this is an invasion. and donald trump has put out this video which his opponents say is racist, with its implication that all immigrants, like the central character in this ad, are criminals. the ad has brought a chorus of criticism, much of it from prominent republicans. but fear of immigration among many americans is real and the president

is tapping into that. democrats want open borders and they want to invite caravan after caravan into our country which brings crime upon crime. donald trump is spending next to no time at the white house at the moment. he's on the road attending rallies every day between now and the midterms. he's got a positive message to tell on the economy. but among his supporters it's nothing like as effective as his message on immigration. it's a simple calculation. fear is a more potent weapon than hope. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. let's get some thoughts on this from the broadcaster and conference host henry bonsu. thank you the coming in. what are your immediate reactions? he is using the pulp it in the most

egregious way. he is stoking fear, getting a space out to the polls, he fears losing the house if not the senate and his project for the next two years could be derailed in his own presidency will be under threat because it big democrats get an up in the house of representatives, they could start impeachment proceedings. the kind of fears that is stoking, using this appalling video, focusing on brown skinned men who are that —— invading the southern border. he has —— it has echoes of a previous campaign by the first george bush 30 years ago, and he could say something positive about the economy, it's going great guns on deregulation is, but he doesn't think that is as effective which is meat and drink for those in the red states you think america is

under threat from a horrible invasion. this is a risky strategy because people in his own party are denouncing is. it's risky but he thinks the risk is greater if he doesn't. if he doesn't get a great turnout from people who think like him, that america is under threat, it could be in the tide of a great big blue wave. this is what the democrats are saying. there are so many who are appalled by this. people who are not diehard republicans, who don't like what their country has become too is representing them. people like paul ryan, mitch mcconnell. they may not like this but they are not speaking up like this but they are not speaking u p forcefully like this but they are not speaking up forcefully enough and they haven't during the first two years of this presidency and a number of americans will be looking at the checks and balances in the system and thinking, they are not working. the gop, the grand old party, the republican party at its best is not

extreme. it is fiscally conservative, it believes in god and the gun but does not want crazy town, asjohn kelly called it, and the idea of american troops of the southern border, 15,000 of them, more than they have in the moment in afghanistan, shooting unarmed protesters or protesters with rocks is truly going beyond what we've seen so is truly going beyond what we've seen so far. stay with as henry, you are doing some paper review later. an ‘outbreak that urgently needs to be contained'. that's how the authorities in south africa are describing the rate of teenage pregnancies. a staggering 180 thousand are recorded every year — leaving girls struggling to complete their education. for this special report, our correspondent nomsa maseko visited one student in limpopo who recently gave birth to triplets. facing the biggest test of her young

life, on the eve of the start of the final school examinations, this young woman returns to the grave of one of her babies. just 17 years old, she gave birth to triplets three months ago. she wanted to ask her daughter to watch over her siblings and she is confident she will pass as she prepares for her final examinations. i can feel it, i will pass. i have to passed high school, it determines my future and it determines their future. while most students her age spend a lot of time studying, kholofelo has a lot more work to do. she can only settle down with her books once babies are asleep. why didn't you use a condom with your boyfriend? just... ijust

don't know. i don't even remember. there is a lot of information about sex education in school but we just don't listen, we just ignore sex education in school but we just don't listen, wejust ignore it. we think we know better, even at home, we ignore advice from our parents. at kholofelo's school, 26 other learners fell pregnant this year but the problem isn't just learners fell pregnant this year but the problem isn'tjust in this area. 0ut the problem isn'tjust in this area. out of more than 1.7 million learners in the province, 16,000 fell pregnant in the last year. and 378 of those are younger than 15. stu d e nts 378 of those are younger than 15. students that fall pregnant are encouraged to stay in school for as long as possible. in this district, pa rents a re long as possible. in this district, parents are worried. the education department says teenage pregnancy is a major social and systemic problem in south africa but even parents of learners from the school have come here asking for a meeting to discuss

the six —— this issue. it is clear there are no easy answers to the cause of teenage pregnancy. everyone here acknowledges intervention is needed. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. two former goldman sachs bankers and a fugitive malaysian financier have been charged over the alleged plunder of billions of dollars from malaysia's state development fund, 1mdb. the us department ofjustice says two of the men have been arrested, one other remains at large. brazil's president—elect, jair bolsonaro, has said he will move his country's embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem. the united states also moved its embassy tojerusalem this year, implicitly recognising israeli control over the city and prompting widespread anger. palestinians and israelis both claim jerusalem as their capital. the former 0lympic sprint champion,

usain bolt‘s first attempt to become an professional footballer has come to an end. the jamaican's australian club, central coast mariners, announced it had terminated his indefinite trial. the club said it had been unable to agree terms for a commercial deal with bolt. many observers expressed doubts about his ability to make the grade in his new sport. they're locked in a bitter conflict with saudi arabia that's brought yemen to the brink of famine. now the rebel houthi movement has given a rare interview to the bbc. a senior leader claimed the saudis have revealed themselves to the world by their brutal killing of jamal khashoggi. from the capital sa naa, 0rla guerin reports. going walkabout in sana'a with

yemen's goofy leadership. they gave us yemen's goofy leadership. they gave usa yemen's goofy leadership. they gave us a guided tour of the ancient city, showing us pictures of fighters killed in battle. —— houthi. after more than three years of war, the houthis still have a firm grip on the capital. this senior rebel leader mohammed al—houthi, is keen to show his rebel leader who will not hide from the saudis. you think they will target you at one time and hence —— with an airstrike? they tried many times but they haven't succeeded. what matters is the yemeni people. we are not worried. when we sat down, he said the saudis had shown the world what year many is already know. with a brutal killing of the journalist

jamal khashoggi. —— year many people. translation: theyjust unveiled the face that was already obvious to the year many people. -- year many. had he to allegations that you were guilty of human rights abuses themselves, but it wasn't just the saudis skilled use of these things? independent committees showed we escape for these crimes, they are the only ones who can produce true and accurate information. for the war weary of yemen, a new threat is looming. starvation. the united nations has warned that within months, 12 million innocent civilians could fall victim to a man—made famine. the houthis blame a saudi blockade and they say britain has blood on its hands because it continues to supply arms to the saudis. the uk is

usually responsible because of its arms sales. the british people should know that these weapons are being used by saudis who are fighting for sectarian and extremist reasons. the conflict has become a quagmire is no sign of a military victory on the horizon. the us is pushing for a ceasefire and a return to peace talks but it's unclear if either side is ready to compromise. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: from president trump — to tupac shakur. the unfiltered photos winning plaudits in an era of fake news. the israeli prime minister yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. a 25—year—old jewish man from an extremist group has been arrested and has claimed responsibility

for the killing. at polling booths throughout the country, they voted on an historic day for australia. the result was clear. the monarchy would survive. of the american hostages, there was no sign. they are being held somewhere inside the compound. they said should the americans attempt a rescue, they will all die. this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyageri is now the most distant man—made object anywhere in the universe and itjust seems to keep on going. tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: the us is mobilising

thousands of troops — as president trump ramps up his rhetoric on immigration — with an eye to voters in the midterm elections. the outcome of those elections will, of course, be crucial to mr trump's ability to pursue his agenda. our correspondent chris buckler has been criss—crossing the country and spoken to americans preparing to cast their vote. he sent this report from memphis in tennessee. memphis might call itself home to the blues and the birthplace of rock and roll, but there is not much harmony here — thanks to america's mid—term elections. # those who see us, know that not a thing can come bewteen us... the singing frazier sisters are up republicans in tennessee. a state which has become an unexpected battleground. and following some of the controversial comments made by president trump about women, female voters are having to consider

whether he is the man for them. # sister, don't come between me and my man! i think a lot of the women who don't like him are not hearing what i am hearing. maybe he is too aggressive for them or something. the allegations about affairs, the comments about where he might grab some women. those are things that aren't really presidential, are they? they're not. but he wasn't the president then. and ifeel like he's not being respected for what he has accomplished. but polls suggest many women are not impressed by donald trump, it is clearly playing on his mind. we do very well with women. donald trump calls women beautiful.

you are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. i think women like me more now than they did two years ago. not everyone is prepared to return those compliments. i guess as a businessman he is good for the country, but he is very disrespectful and i think he is kind of like a loose cannon. he would call women fat, ugly, use really demeaning words. a woman has never represented tennessee in the us senate. but that could change this time around. the republican candidate is female and in a straight fight between a man and a woman you might expect female voters to fall in behind, but it is not that simple. and that is because there is a little bad blood. the singer taylor swift blasted marsha blackburn over her voting record. as a result is that she is fighting for the democrats and their male candidate, phil bredesen. it is not about the fact that she is a woman,

it is really about the policies. we are looking at women candidates who will advocate for women's equality and the fact that they happen to be a woman is an added benefit. they will bring that extra perspective, a unique perspective. there has been a lot of noise during this election campaign. only next week will it become clear that america's voters have been listening, too. # you've got a prayer in memphis... chris buckler reporting from memphis, tennessee. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm chetan pathak with friday's sport briefing. coming up in football: france's top two prepare for a showdown in paris. champions new zealand prepare for this weekend's first rugby international against japan. and novak djokovic reveals mixed feelings about being world number one again. there's a top of the table clash in france's top division

on friday with leaders paris st germain preparing to host second placed lille. psg are expected to welcome back their star player kylian mbappe after he was left out of last week's game against marseilles. he was punished for turning up late for a pre—match meeting. despite being the league's top scorer, coach thomas tuchel says discipline is crucial for the squad: translation: it is a process in the group. it is necessary. i don't like things like that and i don't like having to do it sometimes you have two. we have to move on and keep moving forward. rugby‘s international season gets underway this weekend, with the first game seeing world champions new zealand take on japan. the match in tokyo comes a week after new zealand beat

australia in yokohama. the two sides weren't initially scheduled to meet but head coach steve hansen felt with the world cup less than a year away, it was too good an opportunity to miss. this year the opportunity to play the bledisloe appeared was too good to turn down because of the opportunity to experiment and get a feel forjapan. opportunity to experiment and get a feel for japan. the opportunity to experiment and get a feel forjapan. the idea of having two weeks here was better than having one. hence we asked to play japan. novak djokovic says his return to the top of the world rankings is a phenomenal achievement, just five months after he was number 22 in the world. djokovic was speaking after reaching the quarter—finals of the paris masters. he remains on course to win the event for a fifth time after beating bosnian damir dzumhur, who's ranked number 52 in the world. djokovic won the first set 6—1 — and was 2—1 up in the second set when his opponent was forced

to retire with a back injury. away from that, it's an injury to rafael nadal that ensures djokovic will now replace him at the top of the rankings. iam i am obviously, you know, not happy to see him injured and pulling out from the tournament in this final race for top rankings. at the same time, reflecting on what i have been through in the last year it is quite phenomenal achievement and of course iam very phenomenal achievement and of course i am very happy and proud about it. more as always on our website from me and the team, that is the sport reefing or friday. what links president trump with the hip—hop legends, tupac shakur and christopher wallace? before you answer that, they've all posed for the dutch photographer dana lixenberg.

she's just published a book sharing the stories behind these iconic images and anna holligan has been to meet her. rivals reunited. tupac and biggie epitomised in the marias thug life. their brands were built on bravado that these intimate shots reveal another day mentioned. a slower style of photography helps to disarm her subject. i work with a five inch field camera. so it is not very dynamic. it is also a reflection of something else. i think there is a lot of myself in the portraits i shoot. because every photographer

will bring out something else of a person. in a time of fake news and alternative that these images are striking in our honesty. these unfiltered portraits perhaps satisfy a universal desire for truth and transparency. donald trump is a little bit the odd one out because he was not easing into the shoot. he did not like it. he felt it was sneaky and he made me count to three. so i had to go one, two, three. so i had to go one, two, three. most of her subjects appear to have faith. and in the case of tupac and biggie in a decade since their deaths, the enduring legacies have been partially shaped by what dana lixenberg captured through her lens. these pictures have started to

live a life of their own. this side of the poster shows the rollout of the images over time. i guess, in a way, that is the power of an image. it becomes... people reference images to remember something. before igo, let images to remember something. before i go, let me tell you again about our talking point today. get in touch with us. on thursday, thousands of google workers walked out of their offices across the world in protest at the company's treatment of women. today we want to know if you would walk out of your workplace to support your colleagues. medicine are your thoughts, just use our #metoo dick plenty more coming up and i will be back with the business briefing in a few moments. —— in the chew hash tag. —— #metoo hash tag.

hello. friday starts with the last widespread frost of this cold spell before things turn milder over the weekend. but windy, too. here is a look at things then for early risers on friday morning. quite a bit of blue. the cold spots will be down to —5 or —6. one or two mist and fog patches, so nothing widespread. there's still one or two showers dotted about western parts of the uk early on. when you have these, you will not be as cold as elsewhere. for most, it's a sunny start to the day, and the sunshine will continue throughout. the sun will turn increasingly hazy across western parts of the uk on through the day. higher clouds spilling in ahead of this area of rain, which will be knocking on the door of northern ireland by the end of the afternoon. top temperatures around 9 or 12 degrees, and some sunshine, a gentle breeze. as we go through friday evening and night, clearly the weather is changing. a system moving in from the atlantic, it will be turning wetter through scotland and northern ireland. the winds are picking up as well.

it is still quite chilly for a time across parts of eastern england and you may see a touch of frost. next weather system is this deep area of pressure. it passes us to the north—west where close enough for a windy day across the uk on saturday. a wet day in the west of cortland and rain in northern ireland. rain at the end of the day pushing into wales and the western side of england. further east it will stage iand england. further east it will stage i and you will see sunny spells. the wind is coming in from the south—west, a mild direction but these are strong wind. scotland is some gusts to the western isles in excess of 60 miles an hour so it is windy the closer you are to the ex—hurricane in. the wind may be disruptive that mild. taken note of the wind out and about on saturday evening for bonfires and fireworks. we will still see rental parts of

scotla nd we will still see rental parts of scotland and wales but cleared through northern ireland it will be at mild evening. rain threatening some celebrations on sunday evening through to part western england as we see the next weather system spilling. a few showers in north—west scotland but away from the zone of rain we are likely to see a dry day, not as mild saturday and neither —— not as windy either. this is the business briefing. i'm victoria fritz. tougher times for alibaba — as a slowing chinese economy weighs on the e—commerce giant. plus — you're hired! us retailers fight to attract holiday season staff amid the lowestjobless rate in almost half a century and on the markets, asian sharesjumping on news the us and chinese presidents have spoken on the phone, raising hopes of a thaw in trade tensions. that's after a rally in the us — but a disappointing forecast from apple after the bell perhaps keeping a lid on those gains.