this is bbc world news today. our top stories... the rhetoric heats up ahead of next week's midterm elections. president trump makes a false claim on the american economy in an effort to boost republican votes. and a blistering attack on donald trump from iran's supreme leader as the us prepares to reimpose sanctions on the country. the irish prime minister says the decision by britain to leave the european union is fraying relations between the uk and ireland. and a minute's silence as leicester city play their first game since the death of the club's owner last saturday. hello and welcome to world news today. the economy is the best it's ever been in the history of america. president donald trump has just made that claim again at the latest rally in america's hard fought midterm elections.

it is doing well but there have been periods when it was even stronger. the rhetoric continues to heat up as the clock ticks away. in the past couple of hours, president trump was in montana in the american west. he's keeping up his relentless campaign ahead of tuesday's vote, with another appearance later in florida. here's what he had to sayjust after he touched down when he highlighted what he called the "extraordinary prosperity" of the economy. this is one of the most important elections of our entire lives. this elections of our entire lives. this election will decide whether we build on the extraordinary prosperity that we have achieved or whether we let the radical democrats ta ke whether we let the radical democrats take control of congress and take a giant wrecking ball to our economy and the future of our nation. america now has the best economy in the history of our country. can you

believe this? right. i said the history of our country. can you believe this? right. isaid it the history of our country. can you believe this? right. i said it was going to happen, ijust didn't know it was going to happen this fast. and he also had this to say about the us—mexican border. i noticed all that beautiful barbed wire going up today. barbed wire used properly can be a beautiful site. president trump is now on his way to florida. let's go live to washington and the bbc‘s danjohnson. i suppose it doesn't matter what he says, whether it is shocking to some and clearly false in other cases, he is playing to the people that are already supporting him. he will not win any new voters? that seems to be his strategy committee is determined to get out as many core republican voters as he can by using those m essa 9 es voters as he can by using those messages around how well the economy is doing. we can argue about whether certain statistics are actually

accurate or not but certainly unemployment is at 819 year low so there is a lot to celibate —— a 49 year low. the messages about immigration, the threat of migrants, something he has returned to again and again and the troops he is sending to the mexican border, something that whole operation is a political stunt to shore up that message. he has talked about barbed wire because there is not a wall. all the talk about the war, it has not been built so it is troops and barbed wire for the time being even though the stream of migrants heading through mexico is still thousands of miles away and would not be at the american border for perhaps months yet and it only numbers area perhaps months yet and it only numbers are a few thousand people and yet the president has talked of it atan and yet the president has talked of it at an invasion which will play either lead to the core republican support in the states he is mostly visiting in the last few days. there are more rallies to come, the pace is not slacking. he has a lot of people to talk to in the next couple

of days. the democrats also trying to get as many of their voters out as they can and using former president barack obama who has been front and centre of their campaign in the last few days, trying as much as they can to get people out. they seem confident they can take control of the house of representatives although the senate seems to be more difficult. as you said, it is a campaign of two presidents. are both camps are worried about voter turnout? the signs are that turnout is going to be perhaps a record high for a mid—term election. although the early voting has reached record numbers in many states. some people have already made their minds up and cast their vote. they will not be swayed by what it said in the next couple of days. certainly the emphasis is there from the campaigns on both sides to try to reach as many of their own natural supporters as they can with this message that you need to get out and vote.

unsurprisingly, both of the chief campaigners have said this is the most important election of their lifetimes. iam sure i am sure they said that at every other election they have campaigned in but the message is there, that if you want to have your say in the future of america, barack obama talked about this as a crossroads for the country and president trump has also said it is an important moment and if you want to keep the democrats out of office, so he can plough through his policies and reforms come have to turn out and vote on tuesday if you have not done so already. that is the message to the american people, that there is still time to make a difference and they want to see as many people as possible at the ballot box on tuesday. many thanks for that. the midterm elections are on tuesday. we're going to have special coverage here on bbc world news as those results come in. there's also a lot of material on our website looking at the issues dominating the election, including this piece on job creation under president trump, asking how real is trump's jobs miracle. go to bbc.com/news to find

that and much more. there's also a bbc reality check on all of president trump's claims, including the one on the economy. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei, has attacked the united states after its decision to reimpose economic sanctions against iran. the trump administration will reinstate all us sanctions which were removed under the 2015 nuclear deal on monday. the bbc‘s sebastian usher reports. as the hours tick away to the reimposition of sweeping us sanctions on iran, the rhetoric from the country's supreme leader has been predictably fiery and defiant. translation: the us is much weaker today than it was a0 years ago when the 1979 revolution was victorious. the power of the us is on the decline. this is the important point. most of the world's politicians and global affair analysts believe that the us‘s soft power

is worn out. it is being destroyed. president trump himself was singled out by ayatollah khamenei, who described him as bringing disgrace on his country and to the very notion of liberal democracy. certainly, mr trump's aim from the moment he pulled the us out of the nuclear deal has been to exert maximum pressure on iran, notjust to curtail what he sees as its continuing quest for nuclear weapons, but to rein in its involvement in conflict across the middle east. at this year's un general assembly, mrtrump rammed home that message once again. all us nuclear related sanctions will be in full force by early november. they will be in full force. after that, the united states will pursue additional sanctions, tougher than ever before, to counter the entire range of iran's malign conduct. any individual or entity who fails to comply with these sanctions

will face severe consequences. the sanctions are hitting iran's most vital source of income, oil. the trump administration has said it wants to reduce its output to zero but it has already given waivers to eight countries, allowing them to continue trading with iran in diminished quantities. the other signatories of the iran deal have said they will still honour the agreement and are setting up ways to do so. but iran's businesses are already in dire straits. the currency has been in freefall for months. anti—government protests have sporadically taken place across the country since the start of this year, fuelled by the failings of the economy. this is the vulnerability of iran's political leaders that the us is hoping to exploit. in his customary style, president trump is presenting his iran policy as if it were a prime—time tv drama. but, on the streets of iran,

the latest showdown with the us is a bitter finale to the hopes for a better life raised by the nuclear deal in 2015. sebastian usher, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. in syria, a united nations aid convoy has managed to reach a refugee camp holding more than 50,000 people. it is the first aid delivery to make it to the rukban camp in nine months without being blocked by one of the various sides. in recent weeks, shortages of food and medicine in the camp have led to at least a dozen deaths. an uzbek businessman has been elected president of amateur boxing's world governing body, despite warnings from the international olympic committee that it could lead to the sport being removed from the olympic games. gafur rakhimov has been described by the us treasury department as one of uzbekistan‘s leading criminals. he denies allegations of being linked to criminal organisations. here in the uk, the success

of ivf has caused a drop in the number of children being adopted, according to the children and family court advisory and support service. in the past a0 years, adoptions in england and wales have fallen by 62% as the ivf success rates for women under 35 have nearly tripled. voting begins shortly in the french pacific islands of new caledonia in a referendum on whether to remain part of france or become independent. the vote was promised as part of a deal two decades ago after violence involving separatists from the indigenous kanak people. the territory is home to a quarter of the world's known supplies of nickel, a vital component in manufacturing electronics. polls suggest voters will reject independence. ireland's prime minister, leo varadkar, has warned that britain's planned departure from the european union has undermined the long—standing peace deal that ended decades of violence in northern ireland.

negotiations between the eu and the uk have stalled over how to avoid the return of a hard border between northern ireland and the republic. for more on this, we're joined by the bbc‘s political correspondent, chris mason. is it isita is it a bit of an exaggerated statement to make, could a hard border really return northern ireland to violence? it has the potential to because the absence of it was a key part of the peace agreement in the late 90s, the good friday agreement, to insure there would be a border, yes, and a border thatis would be a border, yes, and a border that is visible because there are different currencies on each side but which ultimately can be crossed very easily. the very nature of brexit is about reinstituting borders and taking back control, to use the slogan of the leave campaign. both sides of the negotiation are committed to keeping the border open but the uk wants to

get its own weight when it leaves the eu and that is the sticking point in trying to arrange this divorce deal between the uk and the eu. what was striking in this interview that leo varadkar gave to irish radio was that he could have done what politicians often do when asked questions about relationships with a near neighbour that might be a bit tricky and just be very diplomatic. instead, he was the opposite, he was very candid and said brexit undermined the good friday agreement and it is fraying relationships between the uk and ireland and anything that pulls the two communities apart in northern ireland, those loyal to the uk and those drawn towards ireland, undermines the good friday agreement. why do you think he did that when tensions are still there in northern ireland? it may have been that peace has been around for a long time but white figure that again even with a statement like this? firstly because that is his honest view and secondly because he is well aware ofjust how exposed

ireland is to brexit and, in particular, to a no—deal brexit, a situation where, by next march, the uk leaves without a withdrawal agreement with the eu. he said, as the british government said, that he is confident there will be a deal but crucially, they have not yet arrived at this thing called a backstop, an insurance policy to ensure the border remains open if there is not a trade deal negotiated in the medium term that ensures it stays open anyway. the eu has insisted that that absolutely has to be that policy which both sides agree upon and at the moment they both have an mba —— an idea of a policy but can't agree on it. and briefly, where are we with the negotiations? they are slogging on. the referendum in the uk with over two years ago. there is written into law in the uk that brexit will happen at the end of march next year. there was talk of eight summit to sign of the agreement this month

but it is not in the diary. could it happen before christmas? possibly. i was going to say, it keeps yourjob interesting! stay with us on bbc world news, still to come... more snow and rain on the way for parts of italy, after a week of storms that has claimed as many as 20 lives. yitzhak rabin, the architect of the israeli peace process, has been assassinated. ike's tree missed jewish organisation has claimed responsibility for the at polling booths throughout the country they voted on an historic day for australia and as the results came in, it was clear the monarchy would survive. of the american hostages, there was no sign. they

are being held somewhere inside the compound. student leaders have threatened that should the americans attempt rescue, they will all die. its mission has surpassed all expectations. voyager is now the most distant man—made object in the universe and it seems to keep going. tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms and the scale of our wealth but the enduring power of our ideals. this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines... the rhetoric heats up ahead of next week's midterm elections. president trump makes a false claim on the american economy in an effort to boost republican votes. and there's been a blistering attack on donald trump from iran's supreme leader, as the us prepares to reimpose sanctions on the country.

leicester city players and officials are flying to thailand to attend the funeral of the club's owner vichai srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter crash. the team beat cardiff i—0 in their first game since the crash, which also killed four other people. it was an emotional day at the stadium, with many players and fans in tears. joe wilson has more. saturday afternoon, going to the game. nothing could appear so normal, except, for leicester city right now, nothing is normal. there is consolation in a familiar routine, familiar faces. and everywhere still was the image and the memory of the man whose investment made leicester champions. all our thoughts are obviously still with the family. the funeral is today. we have just come to support the boys because i think leicester has been through a tough week and we just want to show our love and support for leicester and the leicester team. applause.

the coach bringing the leicester team to cardiff stadium this afternoon was applauded by supporters from both sides. what happened last weekend in leicester has touched football as a sport, as a community. in cardiff's match day programme, a tribute to vichai srivaddhanaprabha. around the ground, supporters voicing their own. the outpouring of grief, the support for him, leicester city, and everybody connected with it, this is no ordinary football match. of course it is there to win, but i think, going back to his memory... do you know what? he became one of us. inside the stadium, all those who died were honoured, and every travelling member of leicester city's staff and squad joined the minute's silence. these expressions don't need words. for the same man, a different ritual was unfolding in thailand. a royal temple for the funeral of vichai srivaddhanaprabha. an elaborate ceremony.

in his home country he may have been perceived differently — as a skilled businessman, but a private person, successful at making political connections. the rituals there will continue and leicester players will attend. two very different cultures, connected by football. many leicester fans in wales talked to me today about their owner's legacy, a legacy which belongs in football grounds near and far. of course, it matters to fans that leicester city won a close, competitive match here this afternoon but, beyond that, today's game proves that leicester city football club remains, after everything that has happened, just that. a club proudly playing football. that was a tough game, notjust on the pitch but i think mentally it was a tough game for all of us. you know, i think there is a lot of exhausted people in there now. but, yeah, i'm immensely proud of this team, i'm

immensely proud of this club. the way everybody has handled themselves has been unbelievable. remember, leicester city's triumph was built on a bond between players, supporters and owner. after a week of despair, that bond remains. and maybe it is actually deeper than ever. joe wilson, bbc news, cardiff. john watson has all the sport. liverpool top the premier league table — their draw with arsenal at the emirates stadium moves them one point clear of title rivals manchester city for the time being at least. liverpool, who remain unbeaten in the league, took the lead throuthames milner but arsenal salvaged a draw, thanks to alexander lacazette — the french forward producing a great strike. liverpool a point clear at the top. manchester city can move above them with a win against southampton on sunday. marcus rashford scored a late winner for manchester united as they beat bournemouth 2—1.

jose mourinho relieved after a poor first—half performance, so poor he felt bournemouth should have had the game won by half—time. top teams don't start as bad as we did. and a defensive mistake cannot be the triggerfor a did. and a defensive mistake cannot be the trigger for a celtic defensive performance —— a chaotic defensive performance —— a chaotic defensive performance —— a chaotic defensive performance for 45 minutes. and i'm really upset with that because it is not possible to be the lucky team at half—time with the result that we don't deserve. leicester city won their emotional match against cardiff i—0. demarai gray got the only goal of the game. everton were 3—1 winners over brighton — richarlison scoring twice. newcastle united picked up theirfirst win in

the premier league this season, thanks to a second—half goal from ayoze perez to move out of the bottom three. west ham beat burnley 4—2 — two goals from felipe anderson, while spurs are currently in action against wolves, leading 3—1. real madrid are back to winning ways, under their interim manager, santiago solari. two late goals earning them a 2—0 win over real valladolid. second—placed atletico madrid could only manage a draw with leganes while, in the late game in the primera division, barcelona are losing 2—1 against rayo vallecano. luis suarez, pozo and alvara garcia with the goals with around ten minutes left to play. american gymnast simone biles won a record i4th world title at the world gymnastics championships in doha. she took gold in the individualfloor to take her medal tally this week to six after having also picked up a bronze in the beam final on saturday.

she's now the first gymnast in three decades to win a medal in each event in which she competed. to rugby union now and, with the world cup just one year away, much has been made of this yea r‘s november internationals. the all blacks made a great start to their tour, beating japan 69—31, while an injury—ravaged england started their campaign with a victory that looked improbable at half—time, beating south africa byjust one point. patrick gearey has more. a certain amount of rustiness on display at twickenham which was inevitable given the amount of players unavailable for both teams. england have the win they wanted. the first half, south africa controlled territory and scored the only try, sbu nkosi going over in the corner but despite that, england we re the corner but despite that, england were only two points down at the break. they had a team meeting on the pitch, they knew they had to be better and they work, slightly after the break. elliot daly‘s penalty gave them the lead for the first

time, south africa retook the lead. england might have scored a try of their own, brad shields missing out on the chance of scoring on his twickenham debut and then it was two penalties, 0wen farrell kicked his to put england one point ahead and handre pollard had a chance for sad about it, it had the accuracy and hit the post. that is the difference between defeat and victory. south africa might have added another penalty late on when a decision was reviewed but england hung on. not the performance they wanted but given they have to play new zealand and australia this autumn, is a victory that will give them plenty of confidence. and novak djokovic will meet karin khachanov in the final of the paris masters — the new world number one beat his old foe roger federer. in their 47th meeting, the serb took the match in three sets injust over three hours. earlier khachanov beat dominic thiem in his semi—final. the two will meet on sunday. severe storms have brought an early winter to parts of europe,

causing power outages and transport chaos. kathryn armstrong reports. it is an uncommon sight in early november, mounds of fresh snow being prepared for the first skiers of the season. at the northern italian ski resort of semenya, snow has been falling since monday with more than half a metre accumulating —— cervinia. it is the first time the resort has opened up this early thing is to be unseasonable weather sweeping parts of europe. but while the snow has been welcomed by some, in other parts of the country it has been causing serious problems. nearly 200 tourists and hotel staff we re nearly 200 tourists and hotel staff were trapped near milan for four days because of heavy snow and fears winds before being rescued on

friday. it is notjust snow causing problems. the country's civil protection agency says 20 people have died this week as strong winds battered parts of the country's north and west, many victims killed by falling trees. flooding is also causing serious damage to some areas. the genoa region alone is thought to have suffered tens of millions of euros worth of damage. 0ther millions of euros worth of damage. other parts of europe including france and spain have also experienced their share of extreme weather. 0n experienced their share of extreme weather. on monday, hundreds of motorists in central france were left stranded after slow close the roads. —— snow. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of my team on twitter. i'm @chrisrogersbbc. from me and all of the team, thank you for watching. good evening. there have been plenty

of dry fireworks displays but the damp squib as well. pretty mixed this saturday evening. you can see on the satellite, this afrin will of cloud cover an area of low pressure passing to the north—west —— catherine wheel. it has been bringing some rain but to the north—west and south—east there were some clear spells at the end of the day. that was east sussex earlier. this was how it looked in the scottish highlands. a few showers around. going through the rest of the night, we can see this stripe of cloud and rain moving slowly south—eastwards with the rain tending to fizzle away. the south—east stays clear and a bit chilly but it should remain frost free. some clear spells to the north—west and generally a mild night. tomorrow, this band of cloud and rain will continue to sit in

this central part of the uk, the rain pepping up later on in the south—west. further north much drier tomorrow in scotland, some spells of sunshine and a scattering of showers in the north—west. still blustery in the north—west, winds of up to 50 mph but not as windy elsewhere. temperatures around 13 degrees, a fine afternoon in northern ireland, sunnis bowled in much of northern england but a lot of cloud in the midlands, east wales, patchy rain and more persistent rain in the south—west later but for east anglia and the south wiest, dry with a belt of sunshine —— south—east. the rain will turn more persistent and heavy in the south—west. for many, it will be dry as we go into the evening and for bonfire night itself on monday, a similar story. low pressure will focus itself across the western side of the country. this front will work through on monday, bringing some

patchy rain in northern and western scotland, northern ireland and into west wales and the far south—west. for central and eastern parts, it will stay dry with some spells of suntan and at this stage, temperatures in the south—east could reach 17 degrees. very mild for this time of year. through the week, it will stay mild, some wind and rain at times but not all the time. this is bbc world news. the headlines... the rhetoric heats up ahead of next week's midterm elections. president trump has claimed the american economy is going through a period of "extraordinary prosperity" in an effort to boost republican votes and sounded dire warnings on immigration. leicester city fans and players have held a minute's silence as the club plays its first game since the death of the club's owner — vichai srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash last saturday. a week—long buddhist funeral for the bussinessman is under way in bangkok. iran's supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has launched a blistering attack on donald trump just two days before the us president reimposes sanctions on iran's key oil and banking sectors.

he claimed the rest of the world opposes the policy. facebook has apologised for approving an advertising campaign aimed at people interested