hello, everyone. and welcome. you are watching you stay on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: the white house now says it will not participate in the trump impeachment inquiry after ordering a key witness not to appear. borisjohnson insists he's still looking for a brexit deal, despite sources in downing street warning that an agreement with the eu is "essentially impossible". i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: turkey bolsters its military presence on the border with syria, a day after the us withdraws its forces from the region. meet afghanistan's robotic team winning prizes and acclaim across the world against the odds.

sometimes when i've heard some bad news or bad things that had happened outside, ijust, here and do some mechanical things. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. glad you could join us. it's 7:00am in singapore, midnight in london, and 7:00pm in washington, where the white house has published a letter to senior democrats, confirming that it will not co—operate with impeachment proceedings against donald trump. the letter calls the process "constitutionally illegitimate" and claims democrats are seeking to deprive the american people of their president. earlier, the trump administration blocked a key figure from testifying at an impeachment hearing. gordon sondland, the us

ambassador to the eu, was going to be asked whether he urged ukraine to investigate the former vice—presidentjoe biden and his son. he released a statement saying he'd been directed to stay away. laura trevelyan has more from washington. he's the manor house democrats wa nted he's the manor house democrats wanted to hear from today, gordon sondland, a wealthy hotel executive and owner to the trump campaign. no america's chief diplomat in brussels. but at the last minute the administration said no. president trump tweeted. .. democrats‘ response was swift. democrats' response was swift. the failure to produce this witness, the failure to produce this witness, the failure to produce these documents we consider yet additional strong evidence of obstruction of the constitutional functions of

congress, a coequal branch of government. democrats were keen to question gordon sondland because he‘d been dealing with ukraine in the run—up to the phone call between president trump and the country‘s leader, in which mr trump asked a lot favour and investigate the bones. us military to ukraine had spent —— had been suspended days before. veteran us diplomat bill taylor wrote this. the ambassador replied... republican say the white house was quite right to stop mr sondland investigating. you think about what the democrats are trying to do, impeach the president of the united states, 13 months prior to election, based on an anonymous whistleblower no first—hand knowledge who has a bias. they are now going to issue a

subpoena. this stand between the president has democrats is intensifying into a constitutional klus —— the stand off. and i spoke with laura about the scathing eight—page letter which is calling the impeachment process constitutionally illegitimate. it is an absolutely blistering letter in which the white house makes it clear that it is not going to co—operate with the impeachment enquiry, it‘s not going to provide any witnesses or documents unless and until the house of representatives holds a vote to actually formally began at that impeachment enquiry, something the democrats avoided doing because they didn‘t really want to expose the within their own ranks. so it is an absolutely epic constitutional stand off between the white house and between congress. and it is very unclear how it‘s going to be resolved. but it is going to probably involve more legal action, i would gas. so in that case, they hate the question what are the next

steps, but where are we now with all of this, because if we have the white house absolutely adamantly not wanting to get involved to help out with the process, how does the nextep go forward? well, democrats will now have to do answer and decide whether or not they want to hold an investigation on impeachment enquiry. if they do, they could potentially force the white house to co—operate. it seems to have held open the door in this letter to this idea of cooperating. but also you have a parallel procedure going on in the senate, where there is a senatejudiciary in the senate, where there is a senate judiciary committee. and in the senate, where there is a senatejudiciary committee. and we heard from a leading voice from the senate that he is going to call then really giuliani, the present‘s personal attorney. you can see them trying to muddy the waters and try to get it off the topic of the president asking a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 election. meanwhile, support frankly —— impeachment enquiry is increasing for of as troubling republicans behind closed doors. it certainly is. our thanks to laura.

also making news today. the us has imposed visa restrictions on chinese officials it believes have been involved in abuses against ethnic uighur muslims. it says the measure complements monday‘s move to blacklist 28 chinese organisations, saying they were involved in a campaign of repression and surveillance against the minority groups. china accuses washington of interfering in its internal affairs. three scientists have been awarded the nobel prize in physics for their ground—breaking discoveries about the universe. james peebles was honoured for his work on the evolution of the universe. while michael mayor and didier queloz won for their discovery of a planet around a sun—like star. italy‘s parliament has voted to cut its number of lawmakers by more than a third. the populist five star movement, the main party in the country‘s governing coalition, says the move will save one billion euros over a decade. critics say it will weaken democracy.

simone biles has broken the record for the number of world gymnastics championship medals won by a woman. she scored her 21st medal in stuttgart, germany — and in the meantime took home her 15th world title. she also helped the usa win their fifth straight team title. congratulations to her. talks between the uk and the eu are under pressure, as the battle for a brexit deal turned into a war of words. a downing street source says german chancellor angela merkel told borisjohnson that a deal is "overwhelmingly unlikely". but brussels sources say it‘s unlikely that she used such language. now the british government is being accused of playing a blame game. a short time ago, the irish prime minister leo varadkar spoke to the irish broadcaster rte. we very much want there to be a

deal. and i‘ll certainly work into the very last moment to secure that. but not at any cost. there are some fundamental objectives that haven‘t changed for the past three years and we need them guaranteed. and what is your sense of it now? i think it's going to be very difficult to secure an agreement by next week, quite frankly. essentially what the united kingdom has some —— done is repudiated the deal that we made. they have put up of that now back on the table and a saying that is a concession. and of course it isn‘t, it isn‘t really. concession. and of course it isn‘t, it isn't really. that was irish prime minister leo varadkar. here‘s the bbc‘s europe editor, katya adler. this isn‘t the end of the road for the eu, because they are looking more long—term. they think a new brexit extension is the most likely outcome here, giving more time for talks. but no—one here is a starry eyed, that i talked to, about the idea of more time. of course you still need to find an accord between

the eu and the uk example to the european parliament and the uk parliament as well. and of course no—one knows exactly what that accord will look like, neither now nor in two or three months time. 0ur our thanks to katya adler. the head of america‘s national basketball association, adam silver, says the organistation will not compromise on freedom of speech. it comes after a backlash in china against houston rockets manager, daryl morey, who tweeted an image supporting pro—democracy protests in hong kong. although mr moary later said he didn‘t mean to cause offence, chinese state media anounced it would block the broadcast of two nba basketball preseason games. james robinson is a senior director with the global crisis communications firm apco worldwide. i asked him how he would have advised the nba to repond? imeani i mean i think the nba and the houston rockets specifically find themselves in a really difficult

position. we are working with clients all the time as they navigate the changing demands and expectations in china. 0n the one hand, they are having to consider what their values are. and on the other hand they having to consider the commercial value of the china market. so i think it starts with a list of questions, the extent to which the nba and specifically the houston rockets are willing to forgo their china business. ithink, secondly, there is a list of protocols that the nba and their members should go through that can help sensitise their people to the geopolitics and cultural issues that they may be facing, particularly in china. and then, thirdly, the advice i would give is to stand with your natural allies. so at the moment the houston rockets have been sort of picked off, they have had support from their league, the nba, but the

nba, think, an opportunity to stand with other sports leagues, the premier league, the nfl, and come up with some common response to the kind of pressure they are finding themselves in in china. the nba has very much this attitude and has been very much this attitude and has been very supportive to various different issues, like players‘ mental health, the black lives matter movement, with the houston rockets, they are one of the most popular nba teams in china, how do you square that circle then? yeah, you are right. the houston rockets famously had the arming on theirteam houston rockets famously had the arming on their team for a decade, the nba itself has invested heavily and is one of the leading foreign sports organisations in china. they clearly have identified the commercial viability and future for them in china. having said that, their business in china is worth a

couple of billion dollars in the usa are worth in revenue a year. the teams themselves are worth close to $60 billion. so there is this commercial value question... in a sentence and, sorry to interrupt, we‘re running out of time. is it all about the money then? absolutely not. i think each organisation is to question its values and the extent to which it is willing to optimise its values in order to do business in china. and grab it is not all about money. james robinson speaking earlier to cattle. —— kasia madera. you‘re watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: turkish forces on the move — heading towards the border with syria, one day after president trump ordered the withdrawal of us troops from the region. also on the programme: asia‘s full of stunning beaches and areas of outstanding beauty, but some hotspots are finding drastic ways to keep

mass tourism at bay. this was a celebration by people who were relishing their freedom. they believe everything‘s going to be different from now on. they think their country will be respected in the world once more as it used to be before slobodan milosevic took power. the dalai lama, the exiled spiritual leader of tibet, has won this year's nobel peace prize. as the parade was reaching its climax, two grenades exploded and a group of soldiersjumped from a military truck taking part in the parade, and ran towards the president, firing kalashnikov automatic rifles. after 437 years, the skeleton ribs of henry viii‘s tragic warship emerged. but, even as divers worked to buoy her up, the mary rose went through another heart—stopping drama. i want to be the people's governor.

i want to represent everybody. i believe in the people of california. this is newsday on the bbc. i‘m rico hizon, in singapore. i‘m kasia madera, in london. our top stories: the white house says it won‘t co—operate with the impeachment inquiry launched by democrats, calling it partisan and unconstitutional. earlier, the trump administration blocked a witness from giving evidence. the eu and the uk have insisted they are still looking for a brexit deal, despite both sides suggesting it will be very difficult to reach an agreement before the deadline at the end of this month. let‘s take a look at some front pages and websites from around the world: the international edition

of the financial times is covering the brexit turmoil, with borisjohnson urging the irish prime minister to keep faith with talks on a possible brexit deal. this is despite the fears on both sides that the chances of an agreement before the october 31 deadline are diminishing. the japan times has a story about the reopening of a controversial art exhibition featuring a statue symbolising "comfort women". the exhibition was shut down in august with organisers citing security reasons. but critics say the closure was an act of censorship, rather than one of safety. the washington post website has a heartbreaking story about 11 elephants that died trying to save a calf from drowning in a thai national park.

the baby elephant drowned after falling into a waterfall near bangkok. the adult elephants are thought to have jumped after the calf in an attempt to save him. those are the papers. distressing images. turkey has stepped up its military presence on its border with syria, saying forces are ready to advance after the us began pulling troops out of the area, sparking fears of conflict with the kurds. the north—east of syria is controlled by the kurdish—led syrian democratic forces, who played a leading role in the fight against islamic state, but are regarded as terrorists by turkey. turkey says it wants to set up a 30km deep "safe zone" along its border with syria, to resettle up to two million syrian refugees living in turkey. from the border, our international correspondent, 0rla guerin, reports. a noisy reception for turkish forces on the move.

ambulances and armored personnel carriers close to the syrian border. we filmed this convoy tonight, heading to a military base. the first evidence, perhaps, of the build up to a turkish invasion of syria. and earlier, being bussed to the border, syrian rebel fighters backed by turkey. they could be extra manpower for the planned offensive, which is causing havoc internationally, even before it begins. in washington, president trump has been meeting his top brass, and trying some damage control. he has denied abandoning kurdish forces, america‘s key allies in syria. but after their epic battles against is, they now feel mighty alone. and what now for that battle? there‘s growing concern internationally about what an offensive across this border

might do to the global fight against islamic state. small wonder, there are thousands of is fighters being held in kurdish—run detention centers. the kurds have said, if the turks attack, they‘ll have to focus on that fight. so defeated is fighters, like these, may have fewer guards, raising fears some could escape. president trump says if turkey invades, they are ankara‘s problem. and there may be less security at kurdish camps, holding huge numbers of is supporters and family members. but at the border today, a little gathering of turks who back the offensive, who believe kurdish forces are a security threat. an invasion appeals to president erdogan‘s base. he has been losing support, and critics say, a war is a great distraction.

tonight, more movement by turkish allies, rebel fighters from the free syrian army. they say they‘ll rain fire on kurdish forces. a powerful nato army now appears to be on the road to battle, and there are real concerns about the possible cost for hundreds of thousands of innocent syrian civilians. 0rla guerin, bbc news, at the turkish syria border. we all like a holiday and last year there were more than one billion international trips taken by tourists, eager to experience something new. but a surge in visitors and lack of management has meant some popular sites in asia are being loved to death. last year thailand‘s maya beach and boracay island in the philippines were closed due to over—tourism concerns. now, indonesian authorities have announced a huge increase in the price to visit komodo island,

from $10 to $1,000. so where are the crowds coming from and how can asia better protect its tourism gems? randy durband is the ceo of the global sustainable tourism council and hejoins me from seoul. thank you forjoining us. what is driving this huge increase of tourism in asia? well, the asian middle—class growth and the disposable income of hundreds of millions of people in the past 10—15 yea rs millions of people in the past 10—15 years is the key driver and along with that, discount air carriers, airasia is not that old but look at how huge it is. there is an exponential growth in the ability and quality of people travelling. another factor is that technology has changed things. this little

device connects people to travel products and bookings so the past 10-15 products and bookings so the past 10—15 years we have seen enormous change and i would summarise all these as two key fact is, the population side, we have 7.6 billion people on the planet. in 1970 we had 4 billion. with so many more people are so many more 4 billion. with so many more people are so many more able to travel, we have all these pressures but the other factor is, have all these pressures but the otherfactor is, i heard have all these pressures but the other factor is, i heard the word lack of management and that is so true. we have seen throughout the world that society does not understand how complex travel and tourism is and therefore government doesn‘t and governments at all levels need to manage better. in most cases they are not managing at all. they put money into promotion might not to planning and development and that is a key fact. just a lack of proactive planning, we react, we do not plan... a lack

of proactive planning, particularly for many asian governments, which has led to the shutdown of some key tourism sites, such as boracay island maya and beach is that the right thing to do to shut down these jams, for them to regenerate? —— hotspots. closure should be the last resort. my heart goes out to the people who lost theirjobs resort. my heart goes out to the people who lost their jobs for several months. there is a social issue, disruption of business so thatis issue, disruption of business so that is and should be the absolutely last resort. what were the causes? why were the hundreds of businesses

allowed not to hook up properly to sewerage allowed not to hook up properly to sewerage treatment? why did local trade associations and local government not push for enforcement and keep their destination manage better? this is a key issue. closure should not happen. and it can be prevented and should be prevented. thank you for your insight. when did you last hear a news story from afghanistan not relating to turmoil and violence? well, the bbc has been to the western province of herat in afganistan, to give us a perspective we rarely hear from the country. we‘ve met some young women who‘ve succeeded against all the odds — the all—women afghan robotics team who‘ve been winning prizes and praise everywhere from dubai to washington dc. members of a new, educated generation determined to forge a different future. iama i am a member of the robotics team. iam15 i am a member of the robotics team. i am 15 years old and i used to love robotics when i was a child. mostly

boysin robotics when i was a child. mostly boys in afghanistan to the robotics. this is unusual for the girls to do robotics and to have their dreams in robotics and to have their dreams in robotics field but we are here to show people in a foreign country to see we can do it. i do mechanical things and i love to. i am 16. sometimes my mum says you cannot go out of the country or other cities of afghanistan because of security is not good but what i am saying is ijust want is not good but what i am saying is i just want to is not good but what i am saying is ijust want to show my skills, my dreams to other people, two other girls and it shows that all the girls and it shows that all the girls can do anything they want.|j am 15 years old. a member of the robotics team. in afghanistan there are a lot of people that have good abilities but there is no opportunity to show to other people and share with other people.“

opportunity to show to other people and share with other people. if i could change one thing that would be the security in afghanistan because insecurity is something that makes all of us feel a little bit angry and feel a little bit and relaxed the flat not relaxed. we want a secure the flat not relaxed. we want a secure country. sometimes when i heard bad news or bad things that happened outside, just come here and do some mechanical things and some robbers and i will forget that bad is that has happened. robbers and i will forget that bad is that has happenedlj robbers and i will forget that bad is that has happened. i always have a dream to have a bright future for afghanistan and surely we will have a bright future here.|j afghanistan and surely we will have a bright future here. i look at successful people like bill gates, steve jobs, they are successful because they use at that time right, because they use at that time right, because they use at that time right, because they are lifetime learners, they are committed to new things every single day. never stop believing in yourself because it is good to believe in a dream. an idea can lead to knowledge and knowledge

can lead to knowledge and knowledge can lead to work. never stop believing in yourself and on those positive words we will leave it there. thank you for being on newsday. it was a fairly unsettled day on tuesday. we saw plenty of showers across northern and western areas. if you got across into the east stop heavy and thundering in one or two spots. plenty of sunshine as well. the next two days staying unsettled with low pressure to buy and windy for most. 0n with low pressure to buy and windy for most. on wednesday, low pressure to the north of the uk. fairly strong winds, plenty of showers blowing from west to east. for thursday and friday, we could see more organised when the front pushing in to bring more system rain for some areas. like i mentioned, it is not going to be particularly cold with weather from the south—west.

wednesday starts off bright with sunshine across eastern areas. sundry showers affecting southern counties of england through the day and lots of showers piling through western scotland. the wind strong, particularly across the west. maybe 40 particularly across the west. maybe a0 miles per hour in exposed spots. temperature was, a few degrees down on what we had on tuesday. that is the low teens across scotland and northern ireland, maybe 1a—15 across the south east. every wednesday night, it stays blustery. lots of showers across northern and western areas. longer spells of rain here. some dry interludes and long clear spells across central and eastern pa rt spells across central and eastern part of the country. temperatures dipping from seven to 10 degrees. 0n thursday, low pressure to the north—east of the uk, the next establishing pushing it with more active weather front could bring system rain to puzzle the country, like a mention. it start of cool and

bright with plenty of sunshine around. to the west thicker cloud and if this front will bring a persistent rain to northern ireland and into scotland through the day but again, for the south, sunshine is showers, mainly across wales and the south—west of england. a few spots here. 17 degrees at the high. lots of weather front on the charts. friday, some uncertainty as to whether these fronts will actually be. the north—west of scotland, outbreaks of rain. and they may move south east across england and wales to bring a spell of persistent rain. he remains unsettled with low pressure obviously buy into the weekend. showers or longer spells of rain but it will stay on the breezy side.

i‘m kasia madera

with bbc world news. our top story: the white house has officially refused to co—operate with the impeachment inquiry against president donald trump. a letter sent to democratic leaders rejected the inquiry as "baseless" and "constitutionally invalid". three democratic—led house committees are investigating mr trump. the eu and the uk have both insisted they‘re still looking for a brexit deal, despite both sides suggesting it will be very difficult to reach an agreement before the deadline at the end of this month. and this story is trending on bbc.com. the head of america‘s basketball association says it won‘t compromise on freedom of speech. it follows a backlash in china after the manager of the houston rockets expressed support for protesters in hong kong. that‘s all.