welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: the rhetoric heats up ahead of next week's midterm elections. president trump says the american economy is the best its ever been. a blistering attack on donald trump from iran's supreme leader, as the us prepares to re—impose sanctions on the country. eight children have been injured and a major incident declared after an inflatable slide collapsed at a fairground. 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 bbc news,

i'm duncan golestani. in the final weekend of campaigning ahead of tuesday's us mid—term congressional elections, president trump has been addressing voters at rallies in montana and florida. his message focused on economic growth and immigration. he referred to barbed wire going up on the southern us border as a "beautiful sight." his predecessor, barack obama, has also taken to the campaign trail, warning the character of america is at stake. danjohnson reports from washington. the presidential plane in front of montana's snow—covered mountains. winter is coming, and so is donald trump. clocking up the miles repeating his familiar campaign themes: a strong economy, record job numbers, promises of tax cuts and tough talking on iran and immigration. remember the wall? well, it still isn't built.

so instead it's troops to the mexican border and talk of tent cities. we have our military now on the border. applause. and i noticed all that beautiful barbed wire going up today. barbed wire, used properly, can be a beautiful sight. what the president doesn't say is that the current group heading through mexico is made up of only a few thousand migrants and they're still a few thousand miles and probably months away. he claims this is one of america's most important elections. so do the democrats. barack obama gave the sort of criticism former presidents usually avoid. they are hopeful of taking control of the house of representatives and frustrating the president's plans. on tuesday you can vote for a politics that is decent. for a politics that is honest. for a politics that is lawful. for a politics that

tries to do right by people. record numbers have already voted. there are more rallies to address, more crowds to please. in the final few days, it looks like turnout on tuesday will be high. don't forget, you can find lots more background on all the stories we're covering — including the us midterm elections — on our website. just go to bbc.com/news, or download the bbc news app. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei, has launched a blistering attack on president trump ahead of the united states reimposing sanctions on the country's economy. they're due to take effect on monday. more from the bbc‘s middle east analyst, sebastian usher. 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. voters in the french pacific islands of new caledonia are taking part in a referendum on whether to remain part of france or become independent. the vote was promised as part of a deal three decades ago after a violent campaign by separatists from the indigenous ka nak people. the world's largest nickel mine is sited on new caledonia's main island. our correspondent phil mercer

is following events from sydney. this is really a defining moment for the people of new caledonia. this is really a defining moment for the people of new caledoniam this is really a defining moment for the people of new caledonia. it is. they are being asked one of the most fundamental questions they are ever likely to hear. do they want to stay pa rt likely to hear. do they want to stay part of france, or do they want to go it alone as a nearly, freshly minted independent country? this is a nation that was colonised by france in the 1850s. there has been ethnic unrest over the years and at the heart of the independence campaign are the indigenous kanak people. they make up about 40% of new caledonia's population. they complain, in many instances, of persistent discrimination and

economic inequality. their campaign is about having the right to self—determination. 0n the other side of the debate you have many new caledonians who are worried about what it would mean financially of the country was to break away from france. so you have to distinct sides. 0pinion polls are suggesting that new caledonia will vote no, but there are many undecided voters, and there are many undecided voters, and the result is too close to call. phil, you just mentioned ethnic unrest. that really is the backdrop to this vote, isn't it? yes, within a couple of decades of colonisation in the 1850s, there were a series of outrages perpetrated by indigenous islanders. they murdered french families, including many children. french authorities responded with retaliation that was extremely brutal. hundreds of kanak islanders we re brutal. hundreds of kanak islanders were killed or executed, and that really did foment great unrest. the

underlying feelings today probably stem back to those days in 1988, kanak stem back to those days in 1988, ka nak militants stem back to those days in 1988, kanak militants murdered four policemen and held many others hostage in a cave system. it took french soldiers to break that siege, and about 19 rebel fighters were killed. at that did set in train peace talks that led to be new may accord in 19 98. —— noumea. that did promise new caledonia a referendum further down the track and today that moment has arrived. phil, we await the result. thank you. eight children have been injured in an accident at a fairground here in the uk. it's thought a giant inflatable slide collapsed at the site south of london, ahead of a firework display. all of the patients have been taken to "major trauma centres," one flown by air ambulance. andy datson was at the fireworks event. he told us what he saw.

there were three or four children that i could see on the floor, i know there were eight, but from what i could see there were three or four. they were being treated by emergency personnel. there was...then they came over and asked people to leave, to evacuate as soon as possible. thankfully woking park has a got quite a few exits, so we were able to do that. but there were at least nine or ten ambulances, dozens and dozens of emergency personnel, and it was very, very quickly obvious that the situation was very serious. leicester city players and officials are flying to thailand to attend the funeral of the club's owner who died in a helicopter crash. the team beat cardiff 1—0 in theirfirst 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. this is no ordinary foot while match. the outpouring of grief, the support for him, 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. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: we meet the unique music composer sign kid — whose story of defying deafness has inspired others to follow their dreams and desires.

the israeli prime minister yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. a 27—year—old jewish man has been arrested and an extremistjewish organisation has ta ken responsibility for the killing. at polling booths around the country they voted on a historic day for australia. as the results came in, it was clear — the monarchy would survive. for the american hostages there was no chance, they are being held somewhere inside the compound and there have been threats that should the americans attempt rescue they will all die. this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyager one 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. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the rhetoric heats up ahead of next week's midterm elections. president trump claims the american economy is the best its ever been. and there's been a blistering attack on donald trump from iran's supreme leader as the us prepares to re—impose sanctions on the country. fish farmers in iraq have been left struggling, after thousands of dead carp were found floating down the river —— river euphrates, south of baghdad. local people depend on the fish both for food and for their income, as lebo diseko reports.

this river might look peaceful, but its waters are the scene of a deadly mystery. thousands of lifeless fish floating down the river euphrates in the province of babylon in iraq. no one knows what kilburn, but the impact has been devastating. around 90% of fish in local farms are thought to have died. translation: and 28 fishpond spreading 50,000 fish. the losses amount to $80,000. —— fishponds. i woke up and found all the fish floating dead. it is not clear of theissue floating dead. it is not clear of the issue comes from the water, pollution, or poisoning, but there are fears that water and food supplies could be contaminated. many local people depend on fishing for their livelihoods. it provides food and is key for the economy. iraq

exports nearly 30,000 tons of fish each year, according to un figures. the health ministry has taken samples were from the river and the dead fish and the tests are still ongoing. in the meantime, people nearby are trying to manage their losses. let's look at some other stories in brief. the husband of a christian woman in pakistan who spent eight years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy says they want to leave the country as it is not safe for them to remain in the country. ashiq masih appealed for him and his wife, asia bibi, to be granted asylum in the united states, canada or britain. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei, has declared that donald trump's policies are opposed by the rest of the world as washington prepares to reimpose sanctions on iran's oil and financial sectors. he said the us had failed to re—establish the domination it once exercised over iran before the islamic revolution in 1979.

and the irish prime minister has warned that britain's plan departure from the european union has undermined the long—standing peace deal. talks about avoiding a hard water between the republic and northern ireland continue. —— hard border. do yourfriends all agree with you when it comes to politics? do the stories on your social media feed tend to reinforce your view of the world? as part of the bbc‘s ask america project we asked voters from a dozen us states if they live in a political bubble — and what that means for dialogue in a democracy. friends, as soon as they find out that i am a republican, they do want to talk to many more. do you live... ina

to talk to many more. do you live... in a political bubble? next question. i do know about that. sometimes i wonder if they should. that is a hard question. sometimes i wonder if they should. that is a hard questionlj sometimes i wonder if they should. that is a hard question. i freely admit that. i don't. that is a hard question. i freely admit that. idon't. it that is a hard question. i freely admit that. i don't. it has become safer to retreat into are in bubbles, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and increasingly we become so political outlook and increasingly we become so secure political outlook and increasingly we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether it is true or not, that fits our opinions. my family and my friends and all of them have their own certain views. everybody has a different opinion in america. donald trump winning the presidency. they all kind of still revolve around the same political ideas. i am super conservative, came from a conservative background, and my sister is not as conservative. from a conservative background, and my sister is not as conservativelj my sister is not as conservative.” have a couple of friends who are in a different side. i have mixed emotions about a lot of things, like

abortions, or the wall. sometimes although we are close, it is pretty ha rd although we are close, it is pretty hard to agree. everybody has got their own bubble. i think this is shared by the cell selection of our social media and the friends we interact with and the news that we self curated. do i make myself a breast about politics? i do.” self curated. do i make myself a breast about politics? i do. i tried to keep up with national and local news. my grandmother tells me a lot of stuff. but i'm better drive me at all. -- but added that a drive me at all. -- but added that a drive me at all. i would want myself to learn from others' opinions. —— but i don't let that driving at all.” tried to hear the other side. embracing differences is what makes a strong. there is a wizard to be a debate. but it doesn't make any sense to me, i am not to go my principles. if the truth doesn't

matter, there is really no way to really reach any agreement with someone really reach any agreement with someone like that. bad weather is hampering the recovery of a cargo ship that ran aground outside iceland's capital reykjavik. the vessel appears to have missed the entrance to a harbour near helguvik in poor weather and hit the rocks. there are also fears of an oil spill, but the icelandic government is yet to decide on how to act. georgina smyth has more. aship is a ship is stuck on rocks outside reykjavik. it is cold wet and windy in the middle of the night. 1a sailors stranded on board, but the icelandic coastguard helicopter retrieves them, a rescuer breaking every during the operation. translation: the circumstances were difficult. it was dark. we were

using nightvision goggles. but there was a lot of like all around, which can be distracting. but luckily visibility was fair and there were clear skies but strong winds. the 3000 ton ship which was carrying concrete from denmark is still wedged up on a sea walljust outside the city of helguvik did the capital. translation: it was much worse this morning with waves washing over the ship on the bull walk. there are fears it could be leaking oil. iceland's notoriously wild and changeable weather is making difficult to check on but there is a strong smell of fuel in the air. government officials have been meeting to discuss retrieval efforts, but it seems the bad weather which caused the incident is likely to further delay a decision on its recovery. georgina smyth, bbc news. being able to create music without hearing worked for beethoven — now it's working for one londoner, kevin walker.

he goes by the name of signkid, and his story is inspiring others — and notjust those with hearing impediments. kevin was 11 years old when he realised music was his passion. he had already seen michaeljackson videos and he says he could feel the beat of the music through the moves. he studied a course at a special music school in hackney, called deaf rave. i think one of the advantages of music production is it's very visually based. you can see a lot of what it is you're doing. he is a natural beat maker. the lyrics he writes about, well, he is very much reflecting on life, his experiences, the way he sees things, and he's a very tuned in individual. soon kevin was performing his own

music in front of thousands of people and he explains how his attitude helped achieve his ambition. he's triumphed at the tour de france and holds a clutch of world and olympic titles. now cyclist geraint thomas has taken on a new challenge on a visit ofjapan. but as andy beatt reports it didn't exactly go to plan. swapping bikes for baseball. tour de france winner geraint thomas and his team sky companions in japan. the idea of hitting balls straight into the crowd is perhaps

a little off base. as the front row took cover, the welshman channelled his best babe ruth only to connect with the fan base in a whole new way. cue an apology and a hasty invitation to meet the team. i enjoyed that. well, managed to get one person in the face, but apart from that, though, it was good. a good reason perhaps to get back to what he does best. a charity event with the champion racing some young challengers. he's a bit better than he is making out, so no, well, it is a race, isn't it? on sunday, thomas is set to don the yellowjersey again and face stiffer competition as japan hosts a series of world—class races. and that is the way it is looking to sour. you're watching bbc news. i am duncan golestani. you can find me on twitter. goodbye for now. hello there.

the weekend so far has brought a real mix of weather. dry for some, wet for others. for a few, very wet indeed. this is the satellite picture. look at this beautiful swirl of cloud. a deep area of low pressure just here, drifting to the north—west of the british isles. this band of cloud, a frontal system which has brought quite a lot of rain in some places during saturday, and is still sitting in place for the first part of sunday. the rain fizzling away, at least for a time. patches of rain across lincolnshire, the midlands, east wales as we start the day. sunny spells throughout the day, parts of the south—east getting away with a completely dry weekend. and further north, sunshine and a much drier and brighter day across scotland on sunday. lots of sunshine to be had. the odd shower in the north—west. black wind arrows indicate wind gusts in excess of a0 miles an hour. wind still quite gusty across the north—west. 12 degrees in belfast, a nice looking afternoon for northern ireland. a bit more cloud across england

and wales, with the odd spot of rain. east anglia and the south—east escaping dry and fine. this rain pushing into the far south—west of england, likely to turn heavier as we get into the first part of the evening, drifting into western wales. maybe getting a bit further east. i think for most places, if you're off to a fireworks display on sunday evening, it'll be dry and relatively mild as well. that sort of thing continues for bonfire night itself. let's pick up the story weatherwise as we go through late sunday evening into the early hours of monday. rain fringing across western parts of the uk. further east, largely dry. the odd patch of mist around, and those temperatures not dropping fast, while they're continuing to come in from the south. this is the pressure pattern on monday morning. another area of low pressure, a new one, developing to the south—west. this front just grazing its way across

western parts of the british isles. parts of south—west england, west wales, particularly northern ireland and western scotland. we could see a bit of rain through the day, that rain coming and going, not raining all day long. further east it will be dry with spells of sunshine and very mild indeed, 15 or 17 degrees. really, it's more of the same on tuesday. bands of rain scraping their way into western parts of the uk. further east, largely dry with some spells of sunshine and, wherever you are, once again, it will be mild. mild is the big theme to take us through the week ahead. wind and rain at times, but not all the time. this is bbc news. the headlines: in the last weekend of campaigning ahead of tuesday's mid—term elections, president trump focused on economic growth and his hard—line stance on immigration. democrat leaders have warned the character of america is at stake. polls suggest the democrats may win control of the house of representatives.

iran's supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has attacked the united states after its decision to reimpose economic sanctions against iran. on monday the trump administration will reinstate all us sanctions which were removed under the 2015 nuclear deal. leicester city players and officials are flying to thailand to pay their respects at the funeral of the club's owner, who died in a helicopter crash last week. the radio presenter, paul gambaccini, has received