welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: us senators vote to pursue plans to end american support for the saudi—led war in yemen. a warning from the bank of england that a no—deal brexit could mean recession and a collapse in the pound. thousands evacuate their homes as australia's fire and flood warning levels are raised to ‘catastrophic‘ for the first time. and old gadgets finding new life in the african nation of togo. but the transformation comes with a risk. senators in the us have strongly criticised the absence of the cia director at a senate hearing on relations with saudi arabia. secretary of state mike pompeo gave evidence, along with defence secretaryjim mattis. the head of the cia did not.

gina haspel has heard the audio of the murder the jamal khashoggi, and one democratic senator described her non—appearance as a " from washington, here's laura trevelyan. this is the controversial saudi crown prince who reportedly, in the assessment of the cia, ordered the killing ofjournalist jamal khashoggi. mohammed bin salman arrived in argentina today ahead of the 620 summit, as on capitol hill, a chorus of senators demanded saudi arabia face consequences for violating human rights. the us secretary of state had to defend a crucial us ally. there is no direct reporting connecting the crown prince to the order of the murder of jamal khashoggi. the president himself says in a washington post interview once again maybe mohammed bin salman did know about the killing, maybe he didn't.

the trump administration argues saudi arabia is a crucial partner against iran and islamic state, which buys billions of dollars of us weapons. but us senators say america can't ignore murder. when we do not send a message to a country like saudi arabia, we tell an ally you can kill with impunity simply because you have some other interests with us, then we send a global message that is frightening and one that doesn't serve us interests and national security. after hearing from top trump officials today, senators asked why they hadn't been alloed to hear from cia director gina haspel herself. she's heard the tape of the khashoggi killing. i'm not going to be denied the ability to be briefed by the cia, that we have oversight of, about whether or not their assessment supports my belief that this could not have happened without mbs knowing. senators are asking hard questions about us military support for the saudi—led coalition carrying out airstrikes in yemen. the administration says withdrawing

that backing would only embolden iran. some of the things that have been approved... observers of the us—saudi relationship say the administration could use its leverage over crown prince salman to try to stabilise the alliance and the kingdom. every saudi watcher that i have talked to tells me that mohammed bin salman is not going to leave power. so the question for me is realistically, how does a country in which he remains the crown prince, potentially some day will be king, becomes more stable? the administration says it's naive to abandon autocrats who are friendly to us interests. but after the khashoggi murder, the spotlight is on the us—saudi relationship, with lawmakers now demanding riyadh pay a price for its behaviour. karen attiah is global opinions editor at the washington post. she was jamal khashoggi's editor and friend. must be bittersweet for you, yemen

was a primary concern forjamal. guess, it was the last object of the column we worked on together. —— yes. he basically called on the saudi crown in trip and this cruel war. he basically said, saudi arabia has not been able to counter v houthis and hasn't been able to contain iran and that saudi arabia should not take this hint to its reputation. it is bittersweet to see this move by the senators, ijust wish he could have been here to see this. you are very experienced in this. you are very experienced in this field, there are reports that if the resolution on yemen passes this week it will be the first time

i think, this week it will be the first time ithink, in this week it will be the first time i think, in history, that a chamber of commerce has used war powers to force president and participation in an overseas conflict. do you know if that was the case and you think that will pass? that is what historians are saying, that it is an extraordinary move. the issue is the fear that it won't get past the house. again, what i think is so symbolic about this is it is the first time and for many of these senators, say it chris murphy, bernie sanders to name a few, they have been working on this yemen issue since the obama administration and have been raising the alarm on the atrocities and the humanitarian disaster in yemen for almost three yea rs. if disaster in yemen for almost three years. if you twit —— check their twitter feeds, they are jubilant and even amazed that they were able to

get the numbers, 65 to 37, a really strong message. will have to wait and see what happens when it advances but nevertheless it is a very, very important message to trump and saudi arabia that congress has had it, basically. and yet, how much you think saudi arabia is actually worried about this, does it actually worried about this, does it actually need american support in yemen and you have to think, if the crowds was worried about losing power, he wouldn't have borne on two are all ofa power, he wouldn't have borne on two are all of a sudden. —— directory. that is the issue at their heart of all this. -- tour. saudi arabia does need us missiles, us training in order to carry out its work in yemen. for many of us, perhaps we knew, the big headlines this summer

came when it was a us bomb that bombed a school bus that killed children, not to mention 85,000 children, not to mention 85,000 children are on the brink of starvation. in order to carry out this war, saudi arabia needs the united states help for missile support. that is what we are asking, that we have, as the united states, so that we have, as the united states, so much leverage over saudi arabia and how they conduct themselves and there is no reason we should be giving unconditional support to everything that muhamed bill someone —— muhamed didn't someone wants to do. —— mohammed bin balman. let's get some of the day's other news. heatwaves linked to climate change pose an increasing danger that threatens to overwhelm health services around the world, according to research just published in the lancet. the study found vulnerability to extreme hot weather has risen

steadily since 1990, and suggests people in europe and the eastern mediterranean are more at risk from heatwaves because of the high number of older people living in cities. at least 10 people have been killed in an attack on the compound of the british security company, gas, in kabul. 19 were wounded, including several children. the afghan interior ministry says gunmen stormed the complex after detonating a car bomb outside. the taliban says it carried out the attack. the duke and duchess of cambridge have paid tribute to the five people killed in a helicopter crash at leicester city's ground. william and kate laid flowers and met leicester city players, as well as the family of the club's thai owner vichai srivaddhanaprabha. he died with 4 others when the helicopter came down in october. the bank of england is warning of the possibility of an immediate economic crash, if the uk leaves the european union without a deal. the governor says a shock to growth is possible, more damaging than the financial crisis of 2008, shrinking the economy by 8%.

and the government is also giving some details of its own economic analysis, suggesting britain will be poorer under all brexit scenarios, than if it remained in the european union. here's our business editor, simonjack. enter brexit centrestage. a man with a warning. leaving the eu without a deal could trigger an economic crash worse than the one that followed the financial crisis. we've constructed a sort of worst—case no deal, no transition brexit scenario, where you have a series of events including friction at the border, difficulties at ports, sharp falls in financial markets would costs more for people and businesses to borrow, a series of events that all happen at the same time. now, this is not a prediction orforecast, merely a possibility. in the bank's worst—case scenario, gdp is down 8% in one year, house prices down 30%, unemployment almost doubles to 7.5%

and prices rise by 6.5%. it's in these marbled halls that bank of england economists look into their crystal balls to see what could, what might happen in the future, and some scenarios are pretty grim, but the bank says it's not here to scare us, in fact, it's there to reassure us that if we get a no deal, no transition brexit creating a financial emergency, the bank will be ready. but is the real economy ready? the bank says 80% of small businesses have done no planning for a no deal scenario, an outcome this furniture maker from high wycombe would like to avoid. for us, we'd like to get on with it. a no deal would be difficult because i think it would increase the damage to consumer confidence, presumably it would damage the strength of the pound, which makes our life more expensive. and i think itjust...

simplicity would be good for us. the worst case is only one unlikely scenario. 0thers analysed include staying in the eu, the orange line at the top, staying in the eu, a trade deal similar to the one proposed by the prime minister is underneath and the no deal disorderly brexit at the bottom. remember, this bank report was requested by mps who asked a simple question — does the bank of england think the uk will be better or worse off than it predicted before the referendum ? in some respects it is very simple. for a period of time, if we reduce the degree to which we can trade with our largest trading partner, the economy has to undergo an adjustment. during that period of time, it is likely, all things being equal, that the economy will grow less rapidly. the government's own analysis reached a similar conclusion today, but it says that delivering brexit

requires and is worth the economic compromise. simon jack, bbc news. the british prime minister theresa may will be hoping the analysis puts pressure on the dozens of members of parliament who right now say they won't support her deal with the eu. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley asseses if the bank of england's worst case scenario might actually help theresa may in some way. it allows her to turn round and say to members of her own party, and members of other parties too, "if you try and block my deal, if you stop this getting through, you are risking a situation in which the uk economy could tank." that's exactly what the bank of england are warning. i must say, from hanging out in parliament tonight and from speaking to some of the brexiteers who've been extremely dismissive of her plan, they're equally dismissive of what the bank of england is saying tonight. they quite simply don't believe these worst—case scenario predictions. one of the leaders of the brexit

campaign, jacob rees—mogg, told me that project fear had got even worse and was now turning into project hysteria. in fact, he launched a pretty personal attack on the bank of england governor, mark carney, as well, saying that he's a second—rate canadian failed politician. i wouldn't expect this would suddenly turn the numbers in theresa may's favour. and she's also worried that, on the other hand, those people that want a closer relationship with the european union than the one she's proposing, are going to say, "well, actually, according to some of these analyses, if you stay in the european union the economy will be better off." stay with us on bbc news. still to come: the european union condemns russia over the seizure of three ships in the crimea at the weekend. president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world.

the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc world news.

the latest headlines: the us senate votes to take forward plans to end american military support for the saudi—led war in yemen. a warning from the bank of england that a no—deal brexit could mean recession and a collapse in the pound. it is known as the land of fire and flood, and this week australia is experiencing both weather extremes. two people died in sydney in the heaviest rainfall for decades. further north, in queensland, thousands of people have been evacuated from areas around rockhampton as unprecedented conditions push bushfires into regional communities. georgina smyth has the story. it is hot, dry and windy. the perfect conditions for a bushfire. this is queensland's coastline. the flames are out of control, and the smoke is so thick it is blocking out the sun. more than 8,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes after the state issued

a catastrophic fire warning, for the first time in its history. these are unprecedented fire conditions. there are no surprises here, we expected fires to be developing rapidly. but there is one surprising element to these fires — their location. authorities are battling to contain over 100 blazes burning through a region that should be experiencing its wet season. the unprecedented conditions, exacerbated by a heatwave and the ongoing australian drought, are being barely contained by waterbombing aircraft and crews brought in from other states. further south, sydney went under, as two months' worth of rain fell injust two hours. flash—flooding, traffic chaos and power cuts ensued. at least two deaths have been blamed on the storm. georgina smyth, bbc news. the european union has condemned russia over the seizure of three

ships in crimea at the weekend. but it has failed to agree new sanctions on russia, preferring instead to issue a statement expressing dismay at what it calls russia's unacceptable use of force, and calling on them to release the vessels earlier i spoke to steve fish. he is political science professor at university of california, berkeley. i asked him what he thought was really going on. well, in this part of the world, mike, it's always kind of hard to know. but it looks like both putin and poroshenko, both the presidents of ukraine and russia, have something to gain with a little conflict right now. poroshenko is facing elections coming up, he's not very popular right now. it looks like he's destined to lose the elections and, of course, politicians always like a good rally—round—the—flag effect that you get from a conflict with another power. putin, for his own sake, is facing declining popularity at home because he's had to undertake some

difficult economic reforms, the economy is not in great shape, and oil prices are down again. whenever he gets in that situation, you can look for him to start a little trouble abroad. and is it fair to say that at the moment, he doesn't expect too strong a response from the united states? i think that's part of why he's actually moving now. i think he knows that his man in the white house has a — his days are numbered right now. if there's one guy that actually knows everything about the trump—russia connection, of course, it's putin. and putin probably knows some things about what mueller is going to report in his investigation that could probably end up dooming the trump presidentcy. if that's true, then of course, he needs to move now, while he's still got his guy in the white house. as you will know, supporters of president trump and the president himself would have something to say about the idea that his days are numbered. at this particular point, the declaration of martial law is odd, isn't it? it really is odd. it looks more like a political than a military move to me, and i think it's a very unwise political move. you can imagine how this is being played out in moscow right now.

of course, russian tv shows these provinces in red that are under martial law. they‘ re the russian—speaking provinces in the east and the south. it really makes it look like something on a kind of assault on the russian—speaking population in those parts of ukraine. again, i think this is probably about poroshenko's future, much more than any military need. there's no need to declare martial law in these provinces in response to this. spanish officials are talking with italy and malta to find a port where a spanish fishing vessel can dock with 12 african migrants on board. the boat has been stranded in the mediterranean for a week, since it rescued the migrants, and there are concerns for their immediate wellbeing and their future safety. kathryn armstrong reports. a difficult conversation over what next for a dozen african migrants rescued at sea. the second captain of the spanish fishing vessel describing the plight of those they came to the aid of last week. those brought aboard the nuestra madre loreto

were reportedly fleeing from the libyan coastguard. although, what actually happened is yet to be verified. spain initially asked libya to take charge of the migrants, as it was the nearest country to the spot where they were rescued. however, the un refugee agency has repeatedly said that the country is not safe for migrants. now, the spanish government is trying to negotiate with malta and italy, but both countries have reportedly refused to get involved so far. it is the latest in a series of stand—offs involving asylum seekers. sincejune, several rescue vessels have been left stranded, as eu nations debate who should be responsible for those fleeing their homelands. meanwhile, human rights groups are calling for the boats to be allowed dock as soon as possible. from libya, towards the italian island of lampedusa, because of worsening weather.

but, while the negotiations continue, it is unclear how much longer it will take to find a port willing to accept these migrants. kathryn armstrong, bbc news. now, with the holidays approaching, many of us are eyeing the latest shiny tech stuff. but what happens to the phones and tvs that have fallen out of favour? a lot of electronic waste is shipped abroad, ending up in africa. recycling it can be dangerous, but in the west african nation of togo, old gadgets are big business. there, a growing number of entrepreneurs are putting e—waste to good use. waihiga mwaura has sent this report from the capital, lome. a child's toy from an unlikely source — made from other people's unwanted waste. this is plastic, so we print it with the 3d printer. 0k, and you made this 3d printer. yeah, yeah, we made the 3d printer from e—waste material. so we recycle old printers, conventional printers, and we take parts that we use to make the frame.

0usia is one of a growing number of young entrepreneurs who sees the potential of e—waste as an emerging business in togo. his vision is to empower children through science. our hope is that we produce and sell the science set that will help students, and mostly kids and girls, be interested in science, and solve the problems we have in our community. it is estimated nearly 500,000 tons of used electrical goods arrive here through the port of lome every year, from old mobile phones and laptops, through to tvs and generators. there is a rising demand for the latest secondhand electronics at bargain prices. but we've been told that 80% of imports that are sold at markets like these no longer work. despite international conventions that ban the movement of non—working

electronics, they find their way to these shores, hidden inside vehicles that have been shipped from the west. this market wouldn't let cameras in, so we filmed what we could on our phones. where are the tvs from? germany and holland. 0h, germany and holland? wow. how many do you have? 130. 130 tvs? and if these electronic goods don't work, they will likely end up here, in landfill sites across the capital. and just look at this — the cover of a slide projector. and, if you look closer, you can actually see that it was made in west germany. almost three decades after the fall of the berlin wall, this ended up here — a sobering example of how togo is fast becoming a dumping ground for the world's unwanted e—waste. for those dismantling discarded electronics come serious risks.

toxic materials like mercury and lead can be contained within them. there are people here who are trying to reprocess this material safely in recycling centres. but even herve chasmi, whose business depends on discarded technology, is concerned about the long—term environmental cost. translation: there are lots of people who make a living from the fact that e—waste is coming into the country, and regulating it would reduce the amount of money that can be made. but a lot of the waste which arrives here is dangerous, so we should really think about the impact it could have on our environment. despite these challenges, initiatives are cropping up across the capital, including here, where children as young as ten are learning ways to recycle electronics safely. in a country with limited job opportunities, start—ups like these could provide togo with some of the answers to a sustainable

technological future. waihiga mwaura, bbc news, togo. the world number one norwegian magnus carlsen has retained his world chess championship title, beating the american fabiano caruana in a tie—breaker. in three dramatic time—limited games in london, carlsen ended caruana's hopes of becoming the first american champion since bobby fischer in 1972. it was the culmination of a record—breaking streak of 12 drawn games of regular chess. just time before we go, we will show you this. a not—so—serious pa pal security breach. a young argentine boy broke free of his mother's clutches to play with pope francis and one of his guards during a vatican audience, much to the pope's delight. he went on to mention the boy in his addressjust a he went on to mention the boy in his address just a little later. much more on the website. thank you for watching. hello there.

the atlantic is set to be pretty relentless in terms of throwing spells of wet and windy weather our way in the coming days. this hook of cloud here is the spell of windy weather and rain that we had on wednesday, that low centre rolling away. this one, though, developing quite explosively as well to the south—west, as we go through the early part of thursday — promises even stronger winds than we saw yesterday, and some very heavy rain. certainly not looking great for the morning rush hour. there will be a risk of some disruption, and bbc local radio is a great place to head to, to get the details where you are. this is what that picture will look like, however. 6:00am, well, pretty muchjust about everywhere seeing some rain at this stage. on the plus side, it's a mild start, temperatures in double figures. through the morning, the wettest weather will start to push its way northwards pretty quickly. the strong winds, though, will remain an issue, i think, throughout in the morning, especially across the western side of the uk.

around the coasts and across the hills, these are the gust strengths in the black circles. you can see 50, 60, maybe even 70 mph there off the coast of pembrokeshire. the stronger winds, as well, pushing further north into northern england and the south—east of scotland as the morning goes on. so, as a rough rule of thumb, 50—60 possible just about anywhere towards the west. in exposure, we could be talking 70 or a little bit more. the rain pushes its way northwards pretty quickly through the morning, many areas actually seeing a great improvement come the afternoon. quite a few showers, though, packing into the west, the north—east of scotland keeping the rain until the end of the day. a mild story, though, thanks to that air coming in from the south—west, 13 or 1a degrees as a high. quite a few showers around in western exposures through thursday evening. low pressure stays in charge. that's what's feeding those showers in. it just, though, starts to change its orientation slightly for friday, bringing the air in from the north—west, and that will be just a slightly cooler direction. still some showers thanks to that

low for western exposures on friday, but for many, actually, a much quieter day. yes, still breezy, but nothing like the winds of thursday. and i think many areas could escape with a dry day, temperatures just a couple of degrees down on those we see on thursday. now, onto the weekend. another couple of these little areas of low pressure look like they're going to head our way. the question is, will they be around in the daytime or will they come rolling through overnight? at the moment, it looks like some of the wettest weather could be first thing on saturday and first thing on sunday, and as the day goes on, we could see increasing amounts of sunshine. but stay tuned to keep up—to—date with the detail for your weekend weather. this is bbc news, the headlines: the us senate has voted to take forward plans to end american military support for the saudi—led war in yemen. the secretaries of state and defence had urged the senate not to support the motion, arguing that it would make the situation in yemen worse. the bank of england is warning of the possibility of an immediate economic crash, if the uk leaves

the european union without a deal. the governor says a shock to growth is possible, more damaging than the financial crisis of 2008, shrinking the economy by 8%. thousands evacuate their homes as australia's fire and flood warning levels are raised to ‘catastrophic‘ for the first time. two people died in sydney when the heaviest rainfall in decades fell in the city.