good morning. it is 8:00am here in singapore, 1:00am in london and 3:00am in syria, where turkey is continuing its military offensive in the north. it is aiming to defeat kurdish forces, whom turkey regards as terrorists, and to create what it calls a safe zone to resettle millions of syrian refugees presently in turkey. the conflict erupted after the us i'm rico hizon in singapore. withdrew its troops from the region. the headlines: they had been supporting syrian kurds in the area. president trump's action has been widely condemned for altering the balance of power in the region. later on wednesday, as turkey's invasion vice president mike pence of northern syria continues, will travel to turkey for talks. russia warns it will not allow our north america editorjon sopel syrian troops to be attacked. reports from washington. is it a done deal? negotiations continue between the eu and the uk. the extraordinary american retreat, there are reports they could be on the brink of a breakthrough. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. in one selfie video. also in the programme: a difficult moment for a russian wearing a new york yankees hong kong's chief executive, carrie lam, as she gives her annual cap playfully shows us around a newly abandoned us military policy address, with protests base in northern syria. rocking the territory. the russians are gratefully filling a vacuum. and, as if to underline this major oh, my god! power shift in the middle east, and tourists at this hanoi hotspot

have their plans derailed 00:01:02,089 --> 2147483051:37:15,759 as authorities cut back 2147483051:37:15,759 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 access to train street. just look at the welcome the united arab emirates were laying on this morning for the russian leader, vladimir putin, as they gave him the red — well, blue — carpet treatment. but it is a very different picture on the ground in northern syria, where the turks continue their bombardment. and don't think it is just kurdish fighters that are the target. if you strike residential areas, then children who know nothing of this conflict will be its victims too. the fighting has prompted the uk to join some other european nations in suspending arms sales to turkey. in washington, the president has faced a barrage of criticism, and there are signs the pressure is beginning to tell, with tougher sanctions being imposed against turkey. we want to bring our soldiers back home. and we're being very tough on turkey and a lot of others. we're asking for a ceasefire. we've put the strongest sanctions that you can imagine, but they get a lot — we have a a lot in store if they don't have an impact. and the result of the pressure can

be seen by comparing the difference in tone between donald trump last week and the vice president, mike pence, last night. syrian defence forces have been a strong ally of the united states. they didn't help us in the second world war, they didn't help us with normandy, as an example... well, the united states of america did not give a green light to turkey to invade syria. but he said, "i want to go in, i want to go in." but he's been telling me that for 2.5 years. the president is very concerned about instability in the region. they're there, and we're here. we're many miles away. the ledger on donald trump for these past ten days is pretty harsh. he stands accused of betraying america's kurdish allies, of allowing islamic state to regroup, of creating a humanitarian disaster, of giving russia, syria and iran a major strategic victory. on the upside, he is bringing 1,000 us troops out of syria. but they're not coming home. they're being redeployed to iraq. a week of artillery fire, bombing and fighting has claimed

the lives of many civilians, and prompted at least 160,000 to flee their homes, all the result of one phone call between president erdogan and donald trump. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: european football's governing body, uefa, has opened disciplinary proceedings against bulgaria after england players were racially absused in a euro 2020 qualifier in sofia. the match was stopped twice as monkey chants were heard and nazi salutes were seen in the crowd. the president of the bulgaria football union has resigned following the match. also making news today: japan's prime minister has warned the economic effects of the typhoon which struck the country on saturday could be prolonged. more than 100,000 rescue workers have been working on the clean—up operation. typhoon hagibis brought winds of nearly 220 km/h

and the government told 7 million people to leave their homes. at least 66 people are known to have died. in france, a bill which would allow single women and lesbian couples to get state—funded fertility treatment has been approved by the lower house of parliament. ivf treatment in france is currently restricted to heterosexual couples. political and religious conservatives say they will fight the bill in the senate. thousands of people protested against the legislation when it was proposed at the beginning of the month. the parents of harry dunn, the motorcyclist killed in england in a crash involving an american woman, have arrived in washington and travelled on to the white house. charlotte charles and tim dunn have called on anne sacoolas, who went back to the us after the accident in august, to return to britain and cooperate with police. we have some pictures of the north korean leader,

kim jong—un, as you've probably never seen him before, astride a white charger amid the snowy mountains. these pictures released by the country's official news agency show chairman kim climbing the slopes of mount paektu, revered as the country's spiritual home. the agency described the visit as a great event of weighty importance. to hong kong now, where chief executive carrie lam is due to deliver her annual policy address at the reopening of the legislative council. she is expected to announce economic measures in a bid to ease the city's political crisis. but how did hong kong end up here? let's take a quick look back at how the protests unfolded. 0n 3 april, the government introduced plans for a new law that would allow criminal suspects to be extradited to china. the first mass protest

against the bill happened on 9june, when an estimated 1 million people marched to government headquarters. six days later, carrie lam announced she was suspending, but not withdrawing, the bill. that was not enough for the estimated 2 million people who took to the streets the next day. they wanted her to formally withdraw the bill and resign from her position. but ms lam did neither and things then escalated on 1july, when protestors stormed the legislative council building on the anniversary of hong kong's handover from the uk to china. last month, carrie lam finally announced she would formally withdraw the bill. but the original protest has expanded far beyond one piece of legislation, and in recent weeks, we have seen further escalations between protestors and police. the extradition bill will be officially withdrawn at the legislative council on wednesday. here is hong kong—based lawyer and writer antony dapiran on whether the withdrawal of the bill will appease protesters. no, i think we've gone a long

way past that in terms of appeasing the protesters. if this move had happened back in the middle ofjune, perhaps it would have been effective, but we've now reached a point where it's — you know, the demands have gone far beyond that. point of no return. so what are we likely to hear from carrie lam during her speech before the legislative council? well, i think that, really from early in the protests, beijing and the hong kong government have tried to frame this movement as focused on economic problems. they say, or they'd like to think, that people are on the street not because of political issues but because of issues such as housing affordability, wage stagnation, and economic opportunity in hong kong. and so i think we can expect that she will unveil some policies targeting these issues. and do you think that these issues will appease some portions of the protesters‘ movement?

look, perhaps if they were particularly bold initiatives, really big things that change the fundamental status quo that hong kong finds itself in, they may appease some people. but carrie lam has already, in advance of today's speech, lowered expectations, and her officials have said that they shouldn't be expecting big, bold policy changes. so what that leaves us with, most likely, is perhaps a raft of small piecemeal initiatives, some targeted at housing, for example, or the economy. but those sorts of piecemeal things, i think, are not going to be enough to change the fundamental landscape in a way that's going to take people off the streets when, you know, indeed their grievances have gone beyond that. anthony, one of their grievances is universal suffrage. do you see any movement or any mention of this during ms lam's speech? no, and indeed, in recent days

ms lam has said that the time is not right for political reform in hong kong, given the social instability that's been ongoing with the protests. and i think we probably shouldn't expect political measures today, notwithstanding that that really would be what we need, and if there was perhaps a big announcement about some change or some reform, even some beginning to talk about reform of political reform in hong kong, that might go some way to beginning to appease the protesters. but i don't we should expect that today, unfortunately. the speaker of the us house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has said the democrats won't yet call a full house vote authorising an impeachment inquiry into president donald trump. the white house has been arguing that, because democrats have not held a vote, the inquiry is constitutionally invalid. in the last few hours, the vice president and the pentagon have refused to comply with a demand for documents. let's hear what ms pelosi said at a news conference in the past hour.

there is no requirement that we have a vote, and so at this time we will not be having a vote, and i'm very pleased with the thoughtfulness of oui’ caucus pleased with the thoughtfulness of our caucus in pleased with the thoughtfulness of oui’ caucus in terms pleased with the thoughtfulness of our caucus in terms of being supportive of the path that we are on in terms of fairness, in terms of seeking the truth, in terms of upholding the constitution of the united states. well, let's get some reaction to this. we can speak to our north amercica correspondent david willis. so we got a hint of it there, but why do you think nancy pelosi has decided not to call this vote? well, there's been growing pressure in recent days, lewis, from president trump and members of his administration for a vote of the house of representatives on this whole impeachment enquiry. republicans argue that, without such a vote, the process is illegitimate, even though there is no congressional — there is no constitutional requirement for such

a vote. now, congress resume today after the two—week recess, and nancy pelosi chose to gather members of the democratic party together behind closed doors to see if they had... what their thoughts were, basically, on whether there should be a vote on impeachment. she emerged afterwards to say that there would be no such boat at this time. there are some democrats in trump leaning seats who are thought to be shy of a roll call vote at this particular time, for obvious reasons. now, nancy pelosi continues to insist, as you heard in that clip, that congress has the constitutional responsibility to hold the executive branch to account, and this is all part of that. meanwhile, the impeachment enquiry itself continues apace, lewis. there have been closed your sessions with former and current members of the state department this week, as part of that enquiry, which

all stems, of course, from a phone call injuly all stems, of course, from a phone call in july this all stems, of course, from a phone call injuly this year between president trump and his ukrainian counterpart, in which it is alleged president trump sought to put pressure on the ukrainians to investigate joe pressure on the ukrainians to investigatejoe biden. pressure on the ukrainians to investigate joe biden. thanks, david. david willis there. spain's acting government has condemned clashes in the pro—independence protests in barcelona and other catalan cities. thousands of separatist protesters have been protesting in barcelona over the sentencing of nine separatist leaders for their role in a 2017 independence bid. damian grammaticas is there and sent us this update. so the police are moving in now, as you can see. down the street they have just jumped out of you can see. down the street they have justjumped out of a van and they have run up to clear the protesters from this area, a group of riot police just moved in there. now, the clashes have been going on for a couple of hours now, and this whole area earlier today, it was

absolutely full of the protesters. they blocked the whole of the centre of barcelona here. this main shopping street, through the heart of barcelona, they gathered here because round just down this way is the central government offices. and as they moved in there, trying to break through the police lines, that's when the clashes happened. the police moved in with batons. they tried to push the protesters back. there were fights and scuffles, bottles were thrown, and the police eventually drove the protesters out, but not before they had managed to set fires, as you can see, all the way down this area. the fire teams have been moving into put out the fires as well. what has angered the protesters here so much, well, that was the prison sentences handed down yesterday to nine

pro—independence leaders here in catalonia for organising the unauthorised referendum two years ago, and then the failed independence bid. those written sentences delivered yesterday, up to 13 years each, for the leaders of that pro—independence movement, that's what angered everyone here. the protesters here, what they are saying, is that they are going to continue their action. they are calling for marchers to descend on barcelona from around the province, around the region this week, and for around the region this week, and for a general strike here on friday. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the royals in a rickshaw. the duke and duchess of cambridge enjoying transport on their trip to pakistan. also on the programme:

it's the end of the line for this hanoi hotspot — train street closes to thrill seeking tourists. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life, but in the marina area where most of the damage was done, they are more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he's gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb, which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, ripping a hole in the front of the building. this government will not weaken. democracy will prevail. it fills me with humility and gratitude to know that i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath for the men they call the 33. and then, bells tolled nationwide to announce the first rescue, and chile let out an almighty roar.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. our top stories: as turkey's military offensive in syria continues, russia says it will not allow clashes between turkish and syrian troops. late night negotiations are continuing between the uk and brussels to reach a deal on brexit. there are claims the two sides could be on the brink of a breakthrough.

let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. japan times leads with the aftermath of typhoon hagibis. —— brexit talks between the eu and uk have wrapped up for the evening, but will continue on wednesday — that's well beyond the deadline set by the eu's chief negotiator. michel barnier had said details of any deal must be agreed by now, to allow eu leaders to ratify it at a summit on thursday and friday. the extension fuels speculation that an agreement is imminent. laura kuennsberg reports. a tired rub of the eyes — how much longer? while the politicians are still turning up, there is a chance of a deal. the talks are ongoing. we need to give them space to proceed, but detailed conversations are under way and a deal is still very possible. the dup were in downing street last night. are they on board? impossible to know now, though, who will be on board, because a possible agreement, with compromises and concessions, has not been done. so, if the eu's negotiator looks exhausted by the process, he is probably not the only one. even if an agreement will be difficult, more and more difficult, to be frank, it's still

possible this week. how many ways can you say, it's hard, you'll have to wait and see? reaching an agreement is still possible. 0bviously any agreement must work for everyone. the eu—uk stand—off is over. the conversations are real about finding a solution to solve the conundrum that centres on managing the irish border, when after brexit, one side would be in the eu and one side will be out. initial indications are that we're making progress, that the negotiations are moving in the right direction. but whether we'll be able to conclude a revised withdrawal agreement, which after all is an international treaty, in time for the summit on thursday, that's as of now unclear.

reporters: are you optimistic about a deal, prime minister? can you you get an agreement by tonight, prime minister? will there be a deal tonight? the prime minister might be good at the meet—and—greet. today, the chief of nato was the recipient of the johnson grip—and—grin. negotiators are likely to work long into the evening. whether a deal can be reached by tomorrow is just not known. it's not yes or no yet, but definitely a maybe tonight. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. authorities in hanoi have banned large crowds from the popular tourist site train street due to safety concerns. every day, trains rush by on the narrow street and many tourists have flocked there to take pictures and sip coffee at trackside cafes. university student ngan and her family run one such cafe. in an interview before the shutdown, she told the bbc what it's like growing up on train street — and why she hopes it can survive.

the duke and duchess of cambridge have met pakistan's prime minister, imran khan, on the first full day of their visit to the country. mr khan was a friend of princess diana and knew prince william as a child. secunder kermani's report contains flashing images from the start. arriving by rickshaw, the royal couple pulled up

at their last engagement of the day. a reception designed to celebrate the uk's links with pakistan. there was no mention by prince william of britain's colonial history. but he spoke of the contemporary ties between the countries. the uk and pakistan share unique bonds, so it will always be in our best interest for you to succeed. earlier in the day, the trip kicked off with a visit to a school in islamabad. education, along with climate change, are amongst the issues the couple want to focus on in particular. they also met pakistan's prime minister, cricketer turned politician imran khan. british officials say this trip will focus on showing pakistan as a forward—looking country. and that is something many people here welcome. i mean, it is a great message to the world outside, to tell us how pakistan is a new country, we are up and blooming, and we are not what they portray us to be. the timing is really good. pakistan needs to

improve its soft image. news archive: princess diana's visit attracted media attention... the tour has an added emotional significance for prince william, as he traces some of his late mother's footsteps. princess diana made three visits to the country in the 1990s. here in pakistan, the hope is that this royal visit will encourage people to see the country in a more positive light — and to be more willing to come here themselves. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. we've got some fine weather heading our way. wednesday is expected to be a sunny and fresh day with clean air coming off the atlantic. but in the short term we have the overnight rain so early in the morning would be cloudy and wet and quite windy as well.

this is the big picture with the satellite, you can see. the weather front here approaching ireland earlier on moving into western parts of the uk, all linked to the low pressure sitting out on the atlantic. this low pressure will be right on top of us during the course of thursday, friday and saturday and sunday and that means the outlook is looking pretty showery and blustery. but in the short term it is the weather front bringing the rainfall and breezy conditions as well. this is the rain through the early hours of the morning, pretty much through the centre of the british isles. at times the rain will be heavy. not a particularly cold night, around 11 in the south and maybe eight degrees in the north. that weather front will eventually reach eastern parts of the uk early in the morning so you are most likely to catch the rainfall from east anglia, lincolnshire in the north—east of england and eastern scotland early in the morning and then it is out of the way in the afternoon. you can see it's clear with pleasant conditions on the way. a little on the nippy side

in scotland and northern ireland, around 13 degrees, but the winds will be light so not a bad day overall. with the fine end to wednesday on the way. this is thursday's weather map with the low pressure i showed you from earlier edging closer. starting to roll into ireland and the wind will be strong as well. early on wednesday there will be a lot of sunshine around, particularly across central and eastern areas but quickly out towards the west, the winds will strengthen and the showers will rattle in. some will be heavy so steady with the brolly. thunder is a possibility as well so it will feel chillier particularly across the west where the wind will strengthen. winds will then get stronger as we had through friday. the low pressure here has not moved a lot. with the showers turning around at the overall weather pattern will not change. again, showers are expected, frequent across western and southern areas and along the south coast of england, winds could be in excess of 50 mile an hour and

gusts, so a blustery end to the week on the way. through the weekend the wind ease but the showers will continue. i don't want to write the weekend off because there will be sunshine around as well, it will be just changeable.

i'm lewis vaughan jones with bbc world news. our top story: as turkey's military offensive in syria continues, russia says it will not allow clashes between turkish and syrian troops. russia's envoy to syria says turkey has no right to deploy its troops permanently there and should not go more than 10 km over the border. russian military police are patrolling the lines between syrian and kurdish forces. the uk says late—night negotiations with the eu over brexit were constructive and will continue in the morning. and this video story is trending on bbc.com:

a royal visit to pakistan, as the duke and duchess of cambridge are welcomed by imran khan. prince william's mother, princess diana, was a hugely popular figure in pakistan.