this is bbc world news today. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories... hong kong threatens to suspend voting in sunday's local elections if there's serious disruption at polling stations. us vice president mike pence visits kurdish leaders in iraq to try to reassure them of continued u.s support. commitment to our allies here in iraq here, as well as those in the syrian defence forces, that irish defence forces who fought alongside us defence forces who fought alongside us is unchanging. tens of thousands of people in france march against shocking levels of domestic violence towards women. and should former colonial powers return artefacts

they took from the countries they used to occupy? and coming up a winning return to the premiership forjose mourinho as spurs beat west ham. let's start in hong kong where elections are getting underway in a just couple of hours time. the authorities have threatened to suspend voting in sunday's local elections if there's serious trouble at polling stations. pro—democracy campaigners have told their supporters not to cause any disruption. this vote is the first to take place since protests and often violent clashes with police started back in june. so it will be a test of support for pro—democrcay and pro—bejing candidates. let's take a look at these elections. the poll is for the lowest rung of government in the city. more than a thousand

candidates are running, competing for more than a50 seats throughout the city's 18 districts. a number of seats currently held by pro—beijing incumbents, are being contested by pro—democracy candidates, butjoshua wong, one of the prominent protest leaders is banned from running, because he called for self—determination for hong kong. rupert wingfield—hayes has spoken to some of the candidates campaigning this weekend. at the height of the hong kong protest this summer, this was benson's daily routine. donning the black clouds of protest and taking to the streets. twice, this 22—year—old has been arrested. but today he has dispensed with a black outfit and is fighting instead for election. his goal, he tells me, to reject the pro—government incumbent from his local council. translation: iam running for election because i want

to carry on the demands of the protest movement. we, the hong kong people, must get rid of this government. we need democracy and universal suffrage. benson is not alone, there are dozens of young protesters now running for office here. 23—year—old jocelyn chow is another. a few nights ago, she was punched in the head while canvassing for votes. this is video of the man she said attacked her. she says she is undeterred. translation: we need to have the younger generation fighting for democracy. this is our time. that is why more young people running in this election. the older generation are not worried about our future. this weekend, hong kong is quiet. but it is early days as it seems like this were taking place here. this election is of course

being overshadowed by what happened last week here at the hong kong polytechnic university, the siege at the university is in fact still going on, they may be dozens of students, we don't know how many for sure, still holed up inside the university buildings. the way that the hong kong government and the police here have dealt with the siege at the university has caused tremendous anger, and that anger is now being directed towards pro—government candidates. the only pro—government candidates who would agree to talk to the bbc is paul dett. he says everyone else is too frightened to come out onto the streets and campaign. it is very difficult. this campaign has been very difficult in the sense that there is so much uncertainty, so much risk involved here. and i am one of the very bold ones, to be able to do our evening campaigning activity like this, all of my colleagues are not doing it because it is so risky. anything could happen at any time.

this election is being seen by many asa this election is being seen by many as a referendum on the six month long protest movement. if the opposition wins on sunday, it will be hailed by them as a vindication of the movement and its demands. if it fails, the hong kong government and beijing will claim it shows only and beijing will claim it shows only a minority continue to support the protesters goals. the us vice—president, mike pence, has made an unannounced visit to iraq, to try to reassure kurdish leaders there of america's continued support. he flew into irbil in kurdistan in the north of the country. you'll remember us troops withrdrew from kurdish areas in neighbouring syria last month. that withdrawal was criticised by syrian kurds who say it was a betrayal. after the us military left, turkey moved into the border area around tal abyad and other kurdish—controlled towns. here's what mr pence had to say. i don't think there was any

confusion now among the leadership here in the kurdish region that president trump's commitment to our allies here in iraq as well as to those in the syrian defense forces, the kurdish forces who fought alongside us, is unchanging. issam ikr—mawi from bbc arabic told me why mr pence chose to deliver his message in irbil. i think the whole point of the visit is to send a message to the kurds that their interests in northern iraq will be taken care of, following criticism of the united states decision to withdraw its support to the kurds in syria. although the kurds in iraq have got different interests, however, there are some sympathy with the kurds in syria. should he not have visited the kurds in syria? they are the people feeling that the us withdrawal betrayed them, and yet he hasn't gone

and said anything to them directly? well, it's not safe for him to go to syria. you know, that part of syria, eastern syria, you've got the turks there, you've got some of the militias, you've got elements of isis, you've got the russians, so i presume the assessment was it was not safe for him to go there. plus the americans have made their position clear vis—a—vis the kurds in syria and probably felt there was nothing for them to do there now. so, what support did the kurds in iraq one from the us? well, the kurds in iraq have been autonomous since 1990, so, what support do the kurds in iraq want from the us? well, the kurds in iraq have been autonomous since 1990, following the ousting of saddam hussein from kuwait. if you remember, there was a no—fly zone in northern iraq and the kurds took advantage of that situation and managed to establish themselves as an autonomous region from baghdad. during this time, we are talking about a period of almost 20

years, 30 years, even. the kurds they have managed to establish themselves, they've also got relations going on with the outside world, including the united states turkey, and other countries. so, the message is that america will take their interests into account. ok, let's move on now with the other big, big story happening right now in the country, of course, these protests, anti—government protests. people have been killed, did mike pence did have anything to say on that? well, according to american sources, he had phone conversation with the prime minister of iraq and he expressed concern about the rising number of casualties. so far, 325 people have been killed since october, almost 15,000 others have been injured. so, apparently, americans have expressed concern about that. also, he expressed concern about increasing iranian influence in iraq. and just on the protests, it is a hugely serious situation, it seems there is no sign of it

dying down, what is the endgame that the protesters are after here? well, the protesters have been out in the streets for a very long time now, six or seven weeks, so they are not going to back down. they are saying that unless their demands are met, they want the government to resign, they want a new constitution, a new election, a new electoral law. so, all sorts of things have to come into play for them. they have rejected any offer of a truce with the government. they are determined to stay out and about, not only in baghdad but also in other parts of iraq. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. officials in kenya say nearly a0 people have been killed in a landslide in the west of the country. their homes were swept away during torrential rainstorms. rescuers are struggling to reach the area because floods have made

roads and bridges impassable. protesters in bolivia have lifted blockades in la paz ahead of talks aimed at ending weeks of unrest — and violence which has claimed more than thirty lives. the talks are between supporters of the ousted president, evo morales, and his interim successor, jan eenay anyess. thousands of people have marched in paris and nearly 70 cities across france to condemn violence against women. the marches come at the end of nearly three months of consultations with the government which campaigners hope will produce a set of measures against domestic violence. nearly 120 women are estimated to have been killed by their spouses in france this year. those protesting say they want to have their voices heard. the government must do something to help us.

we get punched, we get humiliated, insulted, raped, hit, and this must stop. the government must really listen to us. the police must. the court must listen to us because we are hardly heard. we have a reporter at the french daily newspaper le parisien who was at the march in paris today. lots of numbers today, hugely important issue, what changes do you think will come now? i know that the french society needs some changes about this issue, this social issue. 137 women have died this year since the beginning of the year, and the march was the symbol of that awareness from the french

population, and politics, especially oui’ population, and politics, especially our government, has to be aware of it now, too. what response, then, are you respecting —— are you expecting from the government? we are expecting, there is already a response in the newspaper tomorrow, from the minister of the interior, the minister ofjustice and the minister of equality between men and women, and they are giving us some solutions that they thought will help to fight against violence against women. for example, new solutions to the welcoming of women victims of violence in france by the police and the justice. 0k, thank you very much for bringing us up—to—date there, those protests taking place today right across france. thank you.

stay with us on bbc world news, still to come: the latest sports including, a winning return to the premiership forjose mourinho. president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. the matter 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 ten to see the queen, she told her cabinet, it is 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 is not hot air we need, it is hard cash. cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.

he developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s, it was analysed that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc world news today. the latest headlines... hong kong has threatened to suspend voting in sunday's local elections if there's disruption. the us vice—president mike pence has visited kurdish leaders in iraq to reassure them of continued american support, following the withdrawal of troops from northern syria. here in the uk, the opposition leader, jeremy corbyn, has defended his decision to remain neutral in any future brexit referendum if labour wins power.

he told last night's bbc question time leaders' special he wouldn't campaign to leave or remain in the eu. the labour leader said it would allow him — to credibly impliment what voters decide. the conservatives and liberal democrats have attacked him for his stance. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley reports. whatever your priority at this election, brexit is one of the biggest issues facing the country. for months, labour has walked a political tightrope, trying to keep everyone — leave and remain — happy. ifjeremy corbyn wins power, he's promising a new deal and another referendum. but he's now confirmed he won't pick a side. you're telling us tonight you will remain neutral on the issue of whether or not we should remain within the eu? yes. first heard here on question time. some see that as weak, others indecisive. mr corbyn says it's the opposite. i think being an honest broker and listening to everyone is actually a sign of strength and a sign of maturity. our country has to come together. we can't go on forever being divided by how people voted in 2016. boris johnson faced pressure too on the question of trust, and he would love to keep

the election focus on brexit, saying his deal is ready to go. and after months of bitter splits, his party is uniting around it. 0n the critical question of our times on brexit, we've got a clear plan agreed with the eu ready to go. and in sharp contrast to what we saw in this debate last night ofjeremy corbyn saying that he has decided to be indecisive on brexit. absolutely, yeah. she agrees, even if she is on the other side of the debate. jo swinson says she'll stop brexit right away in the unlikely event she wins power. last night, she faced pressure from some who branded that anti—democratic, but the lib dem leader says she, and not jeremy corbyn, is the champion of those who want to cancel brexit. they want a leader, not a bystander. i think it is...just beggars belief that somebody who is standing

for the role of leading our country can then say that on the biggest issue that we have faced for generations they're not going to take a position. it's a total abdication of leadership. the snp, who could be crucial in a hung parliament, are scathing too. i do think people have a right to expect from somebody aspiring to be prime minister say where they stand on the issue of should the uk be in or out of the european union. and i think that sort of statement of so—called neutrality will simply feed the suspicion that maybe people have thatjeremy corbyn actually wants the uk to be out the european union, but simply isn't willing to say that. because we know whose side we, the labour party, are on. jeremy corbyn has been taking sides on many issues, promising to take on the elite on behalf of what he calls the many. but on brexit, the labour leader is keeping his cards close to his chest.

president trump's lawyer — rudy giuliani — has said he's not concerned about being indicted for crimes now being investigated by the impeachment inquiry. this is after the us state department released records relating to the trump administration's dealings with ukraine which show repeated contacts between secretary of state mike pompeo and mrgiuliani. are you afraid that you could be indicted? how long have you known me? several years. do indicted? how long have you known me? severalyears. do you indicted? how long have you known me? several years. do you think i get afraid? i did the right thing. i represented my client in a very, very effective way. i was so effective that i discovered a pattern of corruption that the washington press has been covering up washington press has been covering upfor washington press has been covering up for three or four years.

the biggest match in south american football is in the second half. there was a gorse gold in the first half of the argentinian side, it is 1-0 with half of the argentinian side, it is 1—0 with half an hour or so left in a much there. they have work to do to get back. it is the first time this final is being played. at the venue this final is being played. at the venue was moved to lima after political unrest in the original host nation chile. totte n ha m host nation chile. tottenham have beaten west ham in the day's early match in the english premier league. spurs took the lead just after the half—hour mark. there was a second goal before hurricane got the third, despite a late fightback from west ham, spurs held on for a 3— to victory. fightback from west ham, spurs held on for a 3- to victory. it is not about make comments about the players in the club. very important victory away, too long without a

victory, i think too much pressure on the boys also in relation to that. it is very important, three points, we have a littlejump on the table and it is more important than that, for the players to have that smile, for the players to go to their dressing room, have their music on, a smile on their faces, happiness, and that is very, very important. liverpool won a thrilling game at west crystal palace, 2—1, the final goal —— score there. the leaders retained their eight point leadership at the top of the table. liverpool victory means they have gone 30 games unbeaten in the premier league. to be honest, i think it is absolutely 0k, to be honest, i think it is absolutely ok, you cannot have the run the boys had so far if he only when brilliant game is. i liked a lot of the performance, not everything, but i know why some things were not there, and we will work on that.

manchester city responded to livable's when to come from behind and beat chelsea 2—1 at the etihad. the champions are above chelsea into third place but they are still nine points off that of table. pressure continues on the arsenal coach after rusk —— arsenal rescued a point to draw 2—2 with southampton. elsewhere, they'll wear when svelte wolves, leicester, and burnley. canada have made theirfirst burnley. canada have made their first ever davis cup final after beating russia today. there will be a semifinal battle between spain and england. carl edmund had too much for feliciano lopez who was a late replacement for an underfed player. rafael nadal made light work of dan evans in the second game, winning the first set 6—4, and no doubt

didn't dropa the first set 6—4, and no doubt didn't drop a game in the second, to level the tie. the man who broke the two hour barrier last month in vienna, has one male athlete of the year. delilah mohammed won the female athlete of the year. she won a title for the first career —— time and 0'hara, breaking her own world record for the final. england hull it is tied to the field for a day full of the first test against new zealand, the host nation have a first—innings lead of 41 runs and you can follow day four on the bbc sport website. that is all the sports for us now. european museums have argued that political instability and poor storage conditions mean that african artefacts are safer on foreign shores. but a new and improved museum in the democratic republic of congo is fuelling the debate

on whether former colonial powers should return items taken from the countries they used to occupy. 0livia crellin has more. cutting the ribbon on can chatter‘s new museum , cutting the ribbon on can chatter‘s new museum, the president brought his country one step closer to reclaiming their past. there were 12 thousand funeral statuettes and initiation artefacts that will be on display in the 2—storey building. it is an enviable collection of historic items by anyone's items —— standard, but even more special for being found in a country of origin. the congolese authorities help —— hope the creation of this new museum will remain a swelling the number of items that will call kinshasa home. this sends a strong signal to belgium, its former colonial power.

translation: it is right for brussels to give back these works of art because these works do not have the same significance for them. it is not just a the same significance for them. it is notjust a geographic move, it is a cultural move, it is about immersing them back in the culture of the people. that is contentious but i think that government will ta ke but i think that government will take the necessary measures for us to recuperate most of our works of art that are in europe. thousands of precious items are still held in belgium with the largest collection found in the royal museum for central africa which is in talks with the congolese authorities about restitution. it is a negotiation that began under the country's former president and one which for the current president approaches diplomatically. translation: it is one thing to demand the artefacts and another thing to conserve them as well so the idea as well —— is there but it needs to be done progressively. it is the congolese

heritage so one day it will have to come back but we must do it in an organised manner. we need to recognise that the belgians have helped to conserve it so we cannot ta ke helped to conserve it so we cannot take it all back in one go, we need to be organised. the new building funded by the south korean international cooperation agency took three years to construct. experts worry that the conditions of the previous museum mean that a return of the historic treasures to their country of origin will put them at risk. it is a concern the congolese authorities hope will now be dismissed, with a new museum opening up the way for the return of the country's part. the british conductor, organist and composer sir stephen cleobury, who directed the choir of kings college cambridge for nearly four decades, has died at the age of seventy. # oh come all ye faithful, his name was familiar to millions around the world through the bbc world service's broadcast

of the kings festival of nine lessons and carols every christmas eve. for those of us who have had a wet saturday, tomorrow looks to be the drier day at the weekend. before we get there, more rain in the forecast, this will be confined to eastern scotland overnight, the rain across england and wales are slowly easing, becoming increasingly patchy so away from eastern scotland, most will become dry overnight but with a lot of cloud, mist and fog, poor visibility —— poor visibility, but temperatures above freezing. tomorrow, we have a brief and weak ridge of high pressure before another area of low pressure barrel then from the south west later on tomorrow but we are going to start the day with a lot of cloud, mist and fog, sample visibility in

places, ran across eastern because land eventually becoming confined to the northern isles, quite wet and windy here for much of the day. elsewhere, aside from a few showers, it will be a much drier day but with a lot of cloud. the best of the brea ks a lot of cloud. the best of the breaks for eastern and southern counties of england. but it is mild, little bit higher than nine or ten where we see some sunshine. it turns white and increasingly windy for south—west england and south wales as we go through the evening. it is all down to this area of low pressure, and i continue to track its way north and east words as we go into monday. we'll start dry initially across scotland and northern ireland but the heavier rain across england and wales will start to make progress north and eastward through the day, becoming patchy as it does, actually in northern scotland are escaping, mainly dry, that's is either a crossing lead and wales is likely to be heavy. brighter skies behind it but also showers across the southwest and southern england, another mile day, nine to 13 celsius. and, we have another area

of low pressure as we go into tuesday. this has the remnants of tropical storm sebastien so it will strengthen the wind as we going into tuesday, initially across england and south wales, some heavy rain living in here. i had a vest, starting mainly dry with sales of sunshine a basis for that rain shadow starting to push eastwards, the wind strengthening, particular across england and wales, still mild, temperatures are most easily in double figures, ten to 13 celsius, the top temperature. as the week wears on, things will slowly start to turn drier but also colder again, with the return of the night—time frost. that is all for me, goodbye.

this is bbc world news, the headlines. the authorities in hong kong have threatened to suspend voting in sunday's local elections in case of serious disruptions at polling stations. us vice president mike pence has made an unnanounced visit to iraq — to try to reassure kurdish leaders of america's continued support. he told kurds they still share "strong bonds" with the us — despite the recent offensive by turkey in syria. thousands of people have marched in paris and nearly 70 cities across france to condemn violence against women. a woman dies at the hand of her partner or ex—partner roughly every three days in france. a number of arrests have been following a mass fight involving over 100 people at the biggest cinema complex in the west midlands.

police say some of their officers were assaulted outside