a very welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: american interests first. president trump says he'll stand by saudi arabia despite the killing of the journalist, jamal khashoggi. we also need a counterbalance and israel needs help also. if we abandon saudi arabia, it would be a terrible mistake. the president's lawyer says he's given "unprecedented" co—operation to the inquiry into whether the trump election team colluded with russia, and says again, it's time for the investigation to end. ajudge in texas rules illegal migrants to the us can claim asylum. our reporters have spent the day on both sides of the us—mexico border. the youngest ever goodwill ambassador for the un children's fund. 14—year—old tv actor millie bobbie brown becomes a diplomat. hello.

president trump has declared that the united states will continue to support saudi arabia, even though he's acknowledged that crown prince mohammad bin salman "could very well" have had knowledge of plans to murder the journalist and saudi government critic, jamal khashoggi. mr trump described the kingdom as a "steadfast partner", that had agreed to invest "a record amount of money" in the us. that stance has drawn criticism from politicians of both parties in washington, including the senate foreign relations committee. chris buckler reports. the cia now believes it has a detailed picture of what happened when jamal khashoggi entered the saudi consulate. the names of the so—called saudi execution team who flew into istanbul to carry out the murder, and an audio recording of the killing inside the consulate, which president trump says he has refused to listen to because it was, in his words, "so violent, vicious and terrible."

it's been claimed that the intelligence agency believes that, despite his denials, the crown prince mohammad bin salman ordered the murder. today, in a statement, president trump seemed to dismiss that, saying: i'm not going to destroy the world economy, and i'm not going to destroy the economy for our country by being foolish with saudi arabia. what many people will find shocking is that in this statement, president trump at one stage refers to the fact that some in saudi arabia regarded jamal khashoggi as an enemy of the state. he does go on to say that this was a terrible and indefensible crime. but nonetheless, it gives you the sense that president trump intends to put american interests first over global concerns. the united states will continue to have a relationship with the kingdom of saudi arabia.

they are an important partner of ours. we will do that with the kingdom of saudi arabia, its people, that is the commitment that the president made today. thank you very much, everybody. today, president trump was taking part in a presidential tradition, pardoning the turkey before thanksgiving. but away from the cameras, critics say he has been making excuses for saudi arabia, granting the country something approaching forgiveness. the washington post, which employed jamal khashoggi as a columnist, said president trump's response was a betrayal of american values and that surrendering to what they called a state—ordered murder only made this world more dangerous. chris buckler, bbc news, washington. it has been a busy day for trump. we will bring you more on that in just a moment. hundreds of central american migrants have joined the large caravan gathered on the us border,

waiting for a chance to seek asylum. about 600 migrants have reached the border cities of tijuana and mexicali, according to local officials. a federaljudge has temporarily blocked an order by president trump that barred asylum for immigrants who enter the country illegally from the south. in a moment, we'll hear from aleem maqbool at the otay mesa border crossing in san diego. but first to will grant, who's been to the border city of tijuana in mexico. sorry, at the moment, we do not have that report. let's take you back... ithink... that report. let's take you back... i think... sorry, that report. let's take you back... ithink... sorry, i'mjust that report. let's take you back... i think... sorry, i'm just waiting to hear where we are going next. i think we should fill you in first of all and that other story coming out of washington. as you are saying, it has been a big day from responses on the trump administration. donald trump has submitted written answers to questions from robert mueller, the special counsel investigaing the 2016 election, according to his lawyer. rudy giuliani said mr trump had provided unprecedented cooperation to the former fbi director,

and it was now time to bring the inquiry to a close. mr trump has called this investigation a "witch—hunt" and forcefully denied any collusion with russia. we speak now to our north america correspondent peter bowes. first of all and the mueller investigation, where the cisco from now? well, this means that mr mueller now has the answers is looking for from the president. mueller now has the answers is looking forfrom the president. we don't know specifically what the a nswe i’s don't know specifically what the answers are, but we have at least got to that stage in what it suggests is that this enquiry is moving towards its final stages. it probably also tells us that mr trump will probably not be sitting down in person with mr mueller, which has been muffled debate for many months now. at one stage, the president

saying he would be willing to do that and it is clear i think that the lawyers have advised against it. it really will depend on the mueller investigators's response and interpretation of what they have just been told by the president. we know from the president's lawyer rudy giuliani that as far as he was concerned it was unprecedented cooperation, he has also set an interview that the president had a nswered interview that the president had answered questions which were relating matters pre—election. in other words, that he has not a nswered other words, that he has not answered any questions to do with possible allegations of obstruction of justice relating to possible allegations of obstruction ofjustice relating to the time after he became president. and just going back to our top story there, the statement from the president and relations with saudi arabia and the jamal khashoggi murder, in a statement there are all kinds of things stated as fact which i know a lot of people are contesting that also there is quite clear implication, the us president has proof of someone being murdered, a journalist was a permanent resident of the us, and chooses to side with

the country murdered him because it is apparently 0k the country murdered him because it is apparently ok for a country to do whatever it likes to someone permanently resident in the us, as long as that country buys american weapons and is opposed to iran. long as that country buys american weapons and is opposed to iranm is quite an extraordinary statement from a sitting us president. all the reasons that you outlined there, that the intelligence services seem to be telling him one thing, and his own intelligence services, yet he is reaching conclusions that many around him, including political allies, senior republicans as well, are finding difficult to explain. but the president seems to be supporting a regime that yes, has very strong business connections with the united states but a regime that seems to have been implicated in this brutal murder, and he is doing this because he puts america first and is quite open blatant

about that, that this could potentially cost jobs and about that, that this could potentially costjobs and business to american interest and that is why he wants to continue his relationship with saudi arabia for america first reasons, but also the other reason seems to be that he wa nts to other reason seems to be that he wants to continue to have saudi arabia as a political ally in the middle east. and there is pushed back and that of course in washington from politicians within his own party as well. —— pushback. i'm sure we will come to that in a moment. thank you. let'sjust bring it out story we tried to bring you but had some gremlins earlier. hundreds of central american migrants have joined the large caravan gathered on the us border, waiting for a chance to seek asylum. in a moment, we'll hear from aleem maqbool at the otay mesa border crossing in san diego. but first to will grant, who's been to the border city of tijuana. idyllic though the beach at tijuana looks, it is a fortress. only the birds free to come and go as they please. for everyone else, the us border patrol is on hand. but the migrants already knew they were in hostile territory. the main migrant camp lies

in the shadow of the border wall, the us almost within their grasp. to reach it, migrant rights groups are helping them register for the tangled asylum process. "president trump is serious about keeping us out, but all we want to do is work", says isabel, as she waits to add her name to the list. a good work ethic alone won't get them into the us. they may have more chance of success if their lives are in danger. translation: my ex-husband threatened to kill me every time he saw me on the street. he said he'd take our son and that i'd never see him again. as they walked through mexico, battling through the heat, the migrants were aiming to reach her — san isidro, the busiest land border crossing in the world. yet such is the fear over these tired and dusty migrants,

the us shut it for one morning this week. after a journey of over 2500 miles, it's the last 200 miles that may prove the toughest for the migrants to complete. —— after a journey of over 2500 miles, it's the last few hundred metres that may prove the toughest for the migrants to complete. for those who haven't turned back already, they face potentially months of legal limbo trying to gain asylum in the united states. some may choose to settle here in tijuana for now, others may try to cross the border illegally instead. here in the us, the white house has called this massive movement of people in invasion, an assault on the southern border and as such, the president has likes that thousands of troops be deployed here. but these are not soldiers lined along these are not soldiers lined along the border with their weapons poised. the army refused to approve a combat role and home soil, so most of the troops are just reinforcing

the borderfence, putting up barbed wire. we did catch a glimpse of border police clearly preparing to use force against the migrants if they felt was necessary, but we also met someone taking matters into his own hands, driving slowly along the border looking for illegal immigrants. you can see where that fence goes up there... mr lester has two teardrops tattooed on his cheek, he says former times barack 0bama was elected. he was determined that no women and get past him. they are invaders right now. i can'tjudge whether they are criminals or not, but i know they are invaders. they are trying to force their way into the country. and what if they present themselves and they claim asylum, they go through legal channels at the border? that is a means of doing it legally, i hardly disagree with it, i think it should be done legally. vigilantes have

clearly been inspired to take action by rhetoric from the white house. across the border are migrants who have already shown they are prepared to ta ke have already shown they are prepared to take any risk to achieve their dream. let's get some of the day's other news. a diplomatic row is brewing over who will replace meng hongwei as president of interpol. he went missing on a visit to his native china. the frontrunner to succeed him is alexander prokopchuk from russia. but a group of american senators want russia to be suspended from the organisation. the uk is also proposed. the head of the un environment programme, erik solheim, has resigned, after months of controversy over his travel expenses. a un audit found he'd claimed almost $0.5 million in travel costs in the last two years. as a norwegian diplomat, mr solheim was the chief peace negotiator between the tamil tigers and the sri lankan government during the civil war. the afghan president, ashraf ghani, has condemned the suicide attack in kabul on tuesday, which killed more than 50 people at a gathering of muslim clerics.

mr ghani described the attack as an unforgivable crime and declared wednesday a national day of mourning. dozens of people were hurt in the explosion, some of them are in a critical condition. the gathering was organised to mark the birthday of the prophet mohammad. from kabul, here's the bbc‘s auyli atrafi. celebrating the birthday of the prophet mohammad, a gathering of religious scholars. and then this — a suicide bomb attack in kabul, the capital of afghanistan. panic, confusion and chaos. this is the latest in a spate of attacks. dozens of people were killed across the country last month as voters cast ballots in the nation's parliamentary elections. but it is unexpected, and it is one of the deadliest

in recent times. the fact that a gathering of religious scholars was the target has shocked the nation. this man witnessed the explosion. translation: right after the blast, security personnel arrived and i saw ambulances carrying away casualties from the blast site. among the casualties, there were civilians and security personnel. this is the bright side of the city, where people come to celebrate weddings and parties and birthdays, to get away from the bombing and the misery elsewhere. the last place and the most unlikeliest place you would think anybody would want to come here and attack. president ashraf ghani of afghanistan has condemned the blast, declaring tomorrow as the day of national mourning. auyli atrafi, bbc news, kabul. stay with us on bbc

news, still to come: we travel to tanzania, and a remote island that has become a safe place for people with albinism — often persecuted or even killed for traditional medicine. benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistan's general election, and she's asked pakistan's president to name her as prime minister. jackson's been released on bail of $3 million after turning himself in to police in santa barbara. it was the biggest demonstration so far of the fast—growing european antinuclear movement. the south african government has announced that its opening the country's remaining whites—only beaches to people of all races. this will lead to a black majority government in this country, and the destruction

of the white civilisation. part of the centuries—old windsor castle, one of the queen's residences, has been consumed by fire for much of the day. 150 firemen have been battling the blaze, which has caused millions of pounds' worth of damage. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: president trump says his administration will continue to back saudi arabia, despite acknowledging that its crown prince could have known about the murder of a dissidentjournalist. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in the saudi capital riyadh and she's been gauging reaction to president trump's statement. well, for saudis and especially the saudi leadership, there will be a huge sigh of relief tonight, but in many ways,

it's what's expected. it's affirmation of what they said since day one of president trump's leadership, he will be a loyal ally of the kingdom, a great friend no matter what. now seeming to side with it over what's reported to be the assessment of his own intelligence agencies. the american president clearly seems to want to draw a line under this, but he mentioned, and the saudis know, there will be pressure coming from members of the congress as well as human rights groups and other countries who will continue to demand greater clarity. here in the kingdom, many saudis are asking and many say they don't believe they're crown prince could himself have ordered such a despicable act, but so many have said to me how upset they are that this heinous murder and this dark cloud and big question will hang over the kingdom, will hang over them as individuals for a very long time to come. and the fact president trump left a kernel of doubt,

saying maybe he did, maybe he didn't, concerning the involvement of the crown prince, means it's not going to go away for a very long time. the trump administration says china has failed to alter its trade practices. in his latest report, the us trade representative, robert lighthizer, called china's conduct unfair and market—distorting. it comes as china's president xi jinping strengthens his country's trade links with the philippines. he's called his visit a "milestone" aiming to boost ties with the promise of billions of dollars in backing for mega—projects. he also said that china and the philippines have a shared interest in the south china sea. translation: china and the philippines have a lot of common interests in the south china sea. we'll continue to manage contentious issues and promote maritime cooperation through friendly consultation, and we will work alongside other asean countries towards the conclusion of the code of conduct consulatations based on consensus within three years, and contribute our share to peace, stability and the welfare

of this region. president xi's visit gives us new impetus over our mutual efforts to enhance collaboration and ensuring the well—being of our peoples, and contributing to peace and stability in the region. in some areas of africa, people with albinism face the threat of discrimination, abduction and even murder. tanzania has recorded 180 attacks against those with the genetic condition in recent years. 76 people have been killed. but some have found sanctuary on a remote part of lake victoria as munira hussein reports. these people on this african island

contained a genetic disorder that causes albinism. many fear being attacked by those around them, even their own relatives. or because they believed potions made from their body parts can bring good luck and wealth. eliza came to this island in 2013 after her uncle attempted to kill her. fortunately she escaped. translation: i had peace at home until my uncle tried to kill me to get money by selling my body parts. but i was lucky and reported him. that is why i came here where we can

walk confidently and freely day and night. this island has become a place of refuge for albinos in tanzania compared to elsewhere in the country. some believe the water a cts the country. some believe the water acts as a deterrent to criminals. according to a society, most of the residents here came from a different pa rt residents here came from a different part of tanzania escaping from brutality and killing. but despite that, they claim that discrimination still exists. according to the tanzania albinism society, at least 180 cases have been documented in recent yea rs 180 cases have been documented in recent years and 76 people have been killed. alex is the managerfor an ngo that operates on the island and helps people with albinism. he

believes that social inclusion is the key to helping people with albinism into integrate with the larger community. it promotes —— we promote integration so that people with albinism can stay in their community. society must be educated to understand that albinism is just a skin condition and that they are people just like anybody else. anyone can be born with albino genes. the tanzanian government has tried to tackle this issue by convincing people who have been associated with the crimes —— convicting people. that people who live with albinism feel the more still needs to be done. millie bobby brown is an emmy—nominated actor with more than eighteen million followers on instagram, all at the tender age of fourteen. and on top of that, the star of the netflix series "stranger things" hasjust been made the youngest ever goodwill ambassador for unicef.

she spoke to nada tawfik about her new role. it is an incredible honour and privilege but mostly i'm doing this for the children that need a voice and need to be heard and it is so exciting. you are already a role model. many children. what you think it means to them to have someone is there an age advocating for them? they may be inspired by me but i find them inspiring every day and everybody is vital role model, no, you are my role model. every child that goes through a difficult time, their strengths and their encouragement and generosity inspires me to do what i am doing. asi inspires me to do what i am doing. as i stand here now, millions of children do not have access to education. millions do not have nourishing food, vaccines or clean water to keep them healthy or strong. year spent the last few days

getting celebrities and landmarks to go blue. what message do you hope that sense? i want them to fight for children's rights. that sense? i want them to fight for child ren's rights. what that sense? i want them to fight for children's rights. what is up? i know you are busy. but code blue! we need to! au when you sing everything in blue. this is your code blue. i am on it. don't worry. kids are now growing up with so many additional pressures , growing up with so many additional pressures, largely because of social media. yu said one of the things you wa nted media. yu said one of the things you wanted to stock was bullying. why is that so personal to you? —— you said that so personal to you? —— you said that one of the things you wanted to stock was bullying. cyber bullying online, i have been through it. i would like to end violence by

working with unicef, to end bullying and cyber bullying because not only is this personal to me but i know that other children are going through that as well and that's why i use my voice and my platform to end this because that is enough. i use my voice and my platform to end this because that is enoughlj know you are a professional at avoiding spoilers but can you share anything about the upcoming season? it is the summer of love. there are a lot of relationships and the results of a supernatural twist that adds to it. i can definitely say that the what you thought this season would be a spreading. we don't know what it is and you will have to find out next year. that is it for now. thank you very much for watching. hello, good morning. as expected, tuesday was a really cold day, and it's been cold enoughjust recently to bring some sleet and snow to lower levels,

even into the south—east of england. but on wednesday, the coldest air and the strongest winds will push northwards across scotland and northern ireland. so we should see some improvements further south. but we've got a cloudy start on wednesday morning. the wetter weather for northern ireland moving away from northern england, up into scotland. again, some sleet and some snow, particularly over the hills. but then we should see things brightening up, a few showers coming in as well. more detail in the afternoon. you can see the showers in the west country perhaps affecting east wales and the west midlands. for eastern england this time, some welcome sunshine, much drier weather as well. and that sunshine may develop through the afternoon later on into southern parts of scotland. northern ireland still stays quite wet, frequent showers around here, quite wet for central and northern parts of scotland, some more sleet and snow, mainly over the hills. quite windy across scotland, gusts of 40mph around some of those eastern coasts, so if anything, it's going to feel colder than it did on tuesday for scotland

and northern ireland, especially with the strong winds and rain, but it shouldn't feel quite as cold as it did on tuesday for england and wales, especially if you've got some sunshine and the winds are not as strong as well. but the wet weather will tend to clear away for most areas during wednesday evening, and that means clearer skies, that means tumbling temperatures, before we see cloud coming in off the north sea, bringing with it some drizzle, arresting the temperature fall, but further west with clearer skies, frost likely and maybe some icy patches. some early sunshine perhaps across northern ireland, into wales and western scotland. maybe some sunshine developing at times across southern counties of england, but elsewhere, cloudy, a little bit damp with some wetter weather pushing back into eastern scotland, seven degrees if you're lucky here. eight or nine, i think, will be fairly typical elsewhere. another chilly sort of day. the threat of rain coming into the far south—west with this area of low pressure. higher pressure to the north of the uk, hence this east to south—easterly breeze, not particularly strong on friday. a nothing sort of day on friday.

not much sunshine, a fair bit of crowd, most places will be dry, showers more likely in the south—west, and wetter weather again coming into eastern parts of scotland. those temperatures getting up to eight, nine, possibly even the heady heights of 10 degrees, so the temperatures are going the right way. the air is getting a bit less cold as it comes in from the south, but still not particularly warm if you're stuck under the cloud and some pockets of rain. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: president trump has declared the united states will remain a steadfast partner of saudi arabia, even though he's acknowledged members of its royal family may have known about the planned murder of the dissidentjournalist,

jamal khashoggi. mr trump said that in a dangerous world, he intended to put us interests first. mr trump's lawyer, rudy giuliani, has said the president has submitted written answers to questions from the special counsel investigating interference in the 2016 election. mr giuliani said mr trump had provided unprecedented cooperation to robert mueller and claimed it was now time to end the inquiry. a us federaljudge has temporarily blocked the trump administration's attempt to deny asylum to people who enter the country illegally. hundreds of migrants from central america have nowjoined the caravan gathered on the us—mexico border.