welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... president biden says hurricane ian could be the deadliest storm that's ever hit florida. the danger is real, to state the obvious. please obey all warnings and directions from emergency officials. russia prepares to celebrate the annexation of territories in ukraine after a series of referendums dismissed as farcical by the west. britain's prime minister stands by her chancellor's widely—criticised economic policy, but global experts continue to express their doubts. this is something that you see in developing countries going through difficulties.

you normally do not see this in a g7 economy. and it's one of the most glamorous sporting events in the world — formula one roars back into singapore this weekend. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 7 in the morning in singapore, and 7pm in the us state of florida, which has been hit by one of the most powerful hurricanes in the history of the united states — with winds of up to 150 miles an hour. hurricane ian has torn a path of destruction through towns and cities, leaving more than 2 million homes and businesses without power, and experts warning of life—threatening flooding. and it could cause more damage as it heads north into the carolinas, the storm system has regained

hurricane strength. our north america correspondent, john sudworth, reports from fort myers. florida had been told to brace for a life—threatening event and the city of fort myers was the first to feel the hurricane�*s power. at their peak, wind speeds reached over 150 mph. residents who had ignored warnings to evacuate were told to shelter in place. with the biggest risk coming from the storm surge, well over six feet in places, that left homes and businesses quickly flooded. you're looking at a storm that's changed the character of a significant part of our state. i mean, this is going to require years of effort. some chose to ignore the evacuation warnings, despite the authorities making

it clear the hurricane ..with conditions too difficult or dangerous for rescue workers. ian fits the pattern of increasingly powerful hurricanes in recent years as a result of warming sea temperatures. scientists monitoring them say man—made climate change is having an effect. whoa! never seen that much turbulence before. . today's flight was certainly the roughest that i've - the worst of the onslaught may now be over, but for the state of florida, the task of assessing the cost the property damage may be one thing, but there is confusion tonight about the human cost. the sheriff of lee county

earlier suggested that the debacle could run into hundreds —— the death toll, comments he later rode back from. the government is still suggesting people might want to brace for more grim news. there are no credible reports of a rapidly rising death toll. that was john's lead worth reporting on that story. let's leave the situation in florida for now —— john sudworth. president putin will hold a signing ceremony on friday to annex territories under russian occupation in ukraine. a stage has been set up in moscow's red square — the un secretary—general has warned the annexations would mark a �*dangerous

escalation�*, as our russia editor steve rosenberg reports. and a warning — it contains some graphic details. for months, war felt so far from russia's capital. it's feeling much closer now. moscow mobilised. the special operation advertised on bus stops and billboards. russia calls them heroes, but it needs more, so more men are ordered to the call—up centres and sent to ukraine. conditions are basic. these draftees have no beds. these do, sort of. and he says his group is being sent straight to ukraine without any military training. and the president? he's escalating this conflict. tomorrow, vladimir putin is expected to start the annexation of 15% of ukrainian territory. there's little excitement about that on the streets of moscow.

i feel negative about it because it's the territory of ukraine. i think it is historically russian territory. i think it's a total disaster, not only for ukraine, - but also for the russians. what's more, the kremlin call—up has sparked widespread fear. in all the years i've been covering russia, in all the places i've been, there's one phrase more than any other i've heard from people here — "we must avoid war." this country knows very well the cost of war. millions of people were killed here fighting nazi germany, and yet today, the russian leadership is calling up and sending its citizens to the front line and annexing large parts of its neighbour. and look what can happen to those who oppose war — like artem, who read out an anti—war poem. police raided his flat

and the nightmare began. artem's fiancee, sasha, was there when the police burst in. translation: they dragged me across the floor by my hair. - they started super—gluing stickers to my face. they threatened to glue my mouth up. then i heard the beating from the room where artem was. they forced him to undress. i heard how they were talking about raping him. they filmed everything they did to artem. they grabbed me by the hair and showed me a photo of him naked and beaten up, covered in blood. russia's invasion is having devastating consequences for ukraine and for russia, too. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. sweden's coastguard says it has discovered a fourth

hole in the nord stream pipeline that runs under the baltic sea between russia and europe. nato says the breaches have been caused by deliberate and reckless acts of sabotage. russia has denied responsibility. with the latest, here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. it's four days now since these underwater pipelines were damaged, and these images of the latest leak, filmed by the swedish military, showing that gas continues to escape unchecked, and some experts say that it might take many days before it stops. now, the leaks are happening here in the baltic sea, in the southern end of pipelines that stretch 700 miles, all the way from russia down to germany here. initially, there were reports of three leaks here, near the danish island of bornholm, but swedish coast guards have now discovered a fourth nearby. it's not yet known what caused all this damage and disruption, but german security authorities are reported to be blaming massive explosive devices. the pipelines are largely

owned and controlled by a russian state corporation, but that hasn't stopped western ministers blaming the kremlin, saying it's trying to test european resilience. translation: we don't know precisely what happened, - but there's no doubt that it's a planned explosion. we don't know who's behind it, but it's very serious. the nato military alliance blamed what it called deliberate, reckless and irresponsible acts of sabotage and promised a united and determined response if there were further attacks. the united nations security council will discuss the situation tomorrow. but russia's foreign ministry suggested that american intelligence was responsible, saying if the nord stream pipelines close, then the us could sell more of its gas to europe. translation: there was a clear beneficiary in the situation. - of course, it's washington, putting gas pipelines out of action. please, our western partners, share the information with us

because we've never seen anyone but you there engaging in provocations and shams. the truth is that it may be some days before investigations begin and even longer before responsibility is established, but many countries are not waiting and are beefing up their defences at their energy facilities. that was james landale reporting there. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. president biden says the security of the pacific islands is vital to the us and the rest of the world. hosting the first ever us—pacific island country summit, washington is expected to increase its presence in more than a dozen island nations, in an effort to stem a growing chinese influence in the region. earlier, the us announced more than $800 million in new funding for the islands. iran's president has warned that he will not accept "chaos", as authorities continue to crack down on protests over the death

in custody of a young woman. ebrahim raisi said mahsa amini's death two weeks ago, after she was detained by morality police, had "saddened all". state media claims 41 people have died and 1,200 have been arrested. (britain's prime minister is standing by her government's economic policy despite our economics editor faisal islam has the latest an engine factory in darlington. the chancellor, kwasi kwarteng, out and about for the first time since his mini budget stalled, britain's currency slumped and borrowing costs surged. what do you say to people whose mortgage interest rates are rising as a result of your economic policy? so, we're absolutely protecting people right across the country. if you look at our energy

intervention, people were potentially facing bills of £6,500 next year, and because of the intervention we've limited the average household bill to £2500. but they're being wiped out by the increasing cost of mortgage borrowing? i think that if you look at the government's plan, we have got the growth plan, we have got the energy intervention. the chancellor and the prime minister too in a tense set of regional interviews, more keen to talk about the energy rescue, than the surging mortgage costs seen since the mini budget. it sounds like you're saying, crisis, what crisis? i'm not saying that at all. i think we're in a very serious situation. - it's a global crisis - which is being brought about by the aftermath of covid and putin's war in ukraine. - on the point of interest rates, i completely understand that. people are concerned, but it's very importanti that we have an independent monetary policy run - by the bank of england. another day of see—sawing government borrowing costs. these are huge moves

by the standards of this ordinarily calm market for lending over two years. and rates did go up again as the pm stuck to her guns, but then they settled. however, this is what it looks like over the past week, a significant and rapid rise that's now working its way into the borrowing costs of companies and for mortgages, too. we have a stand—off between the government in westminster and the markets in the city, and how that works out will determine when this interest—rate shock ends, or if it's prolonged and worsened. what we learned from the government today is that despite everything we've seen over the past week, that, in their view, there is no challenge, there's definitely no crisis, there isn't a problem. and if there's no problem, there's no need to change course. but the tidal wave of rising borrowing rates coming from city trading floors is far from normal, says one of the world's most noted experts.

i have seen it, but never in a g7 economy. never in a mature economy, with respected institutions. this is something that you see in developing countries going through difficulties. you normally do not see this in a g7 economy. the former governor of the bank of england mark carney made a rare intervention, saying the turmoil was down to the mini budget and a pattern of undermining economic experts. there was an undercutting of some of the institutions that underpin the overall approach, so, not having an obr forecast, and certainly a budget that is based on an acceleration of growth, or would appear to be based on that, certainly that's the aim, but if that's what's necessary for the numbers to add up, it is important to have it subject to independent and, dare i say, expert scrutiny.

today, amid globalfalls in stock markets, the value ofjewish consumer brands tumbled in particular, with next, ocado and pets at home down over 10% had traders expected a squeeze on consumers and the housing market. despite a recovery in stirling today the weaker pound is increasing prices further for everyone from clothes retailers to this kids' bike manufacturer. it's really painful. our cost prices effectively increased by nearly 5% in the space of a few hours last week, on top of having already gone up by over 20% since january and because we buy all our bikes in us dollars, we are at the whim of the exchange rates. so, the financial markets have stabilised, for now. but such an interest rate shock is still likely to put the brakes on, both for businesses and consumers. faisal islam, bbc news.

if you wanyt to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. i'm looking forward to hearing from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme — the long—awaited formula one race kicks off here in singapore after a two—year hiatus. in all russia's turmoil, it has never quite come to this. president yeltsin said today would decide the nation's destiny. the nightmare that so many people have feared for so long is playing out its final act here. russians are killing russians in front of a grandstand audience. it was his humility that produced affection from catholics throughout the world. but his departure is a tragedy for the catholic church. this man, israel's right—winger ariel sharon, visited the religious compound, and that started the trouble. he wants israel alone to have sovereignty over the holy sites, an idea that's

unthinkable to palestinians. after 45 years of division, germany is one. in berlin, a million germans celebrated the rebirth of europe's biggest and richest nation. welcome to newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... president biden says hurricane ian could be the deadliest storm that's ever hit florida. russia prepares to celebrate the annexation of territories in ukraine after a series of referendums dismissed as farcical by the west. on sunday, brazilians will go to the polls in the first round of presidential

elections. the leading contender is former leader luiz inacio lula da silva, who first came to power 20 years ago. our south america correspondent katy watson reports. the press pack arrived and found lula in the middle of the rainforest. the amazon's risen to the top of the political agenda. a wise move, given that lula's running against a man who's accused of destroying it. translation: the planet needs us to pay special attention. - we need to look after our forests, ourfauna, ourwater. but most of all, we need to look after our people. 20 years ago, lula came to power promising to be a new kind of president — one who looked out for the poor in this deeply unequal country. with booming commodity prices, he had money to spend and he used it to lift millions

out of poverty. that legacy was eroded as his party and lula himself was hit by corruption scandals and a prison sentence. the charges against him may have been dropped, but people are divided. some still see him as the saviour of brazil, others merely a corrupt politician. but he didn't respond to that when i asked him how he'd win over his critics. instead, he wanted to talk about crime in the amazon. translation: the murders of dom philips and bruno pereira| can never be repeated. brazil needs to be transformed into a civilised country, which is why i am convinced that we need to change brazil. and changing brazil means having a government that assumes responsibility for really caring for people. this 24—year—old wants change more than anything. she and her three little kids have no working sewers,

unreliable power, and live in this sea of rubbish. born here, she knows nothing else, although she does know who she's going to vote for. translation: i'm going to vote for lula because under him, - everything was easier. but i don't know if coming back, things will improve. the sun has set, but the hope hasn't faded. the crowd here is excited to see their candidate. translation: i am crazy for lula. - brazil needs him - because we are in decay. when he was president, before brazil was in- the same situation — it was devastated — i and we think he can do the same thing. i our hope never dies. cheers. there are people of all ages here. those who voted for lula 20 years ago and those who are voting for him for the very first time this year. it's the same politician

but if lula wins, he'll be the president of a very different brazil. "out with bolsonaro!", the crowd chants. four years of a far—right president, and people here want change. singing. but the country is divided and the future of brazil — uncertain. katy watson, bbc news, in manaus. formula one returns to singapore this weekend after a two—year hiatus caused by the covid pandemic. it's one of the most glamourous weekends on the sporting calendar — with the world's best drivers but as the appeal of f1 grows worldwide — so does the fight to host the races. next season will see three races in the us, and a growing number of countries in the middle east are hosting grand prixs, raising questions about the future of the sport in asia. for more on that, we can speak now to matthew marsh, he is the presenter

of the gofi show and also an f1 commercial consultant. hejoins a from he joins a from singapore. great to have you on the programme. are you excited about this weekend?— are you excited about this weekend? ., �*, ., ., weekend? thanks, it's great to be with yom — weekend? thanks, it's great to be with you. very _ weekend? thanks, it's great to be with you. very excited, - weekend? thanks, it's great to be with you. very excited, as l weekend? thanks, it's great to be with you. very excited, as i | be with you. very excited, as i think are almost everybody who works in the sport of formula one, and i think many of the people who live here.- people who live here. how significant _ people who live here. how significant do _ people who live here. how significant do you - people who live here. how significant do you think - people who live here. how significant do you think it i people who live here. how significant do you think it is? we've had two years of covid, and no races because of the pandemic. give us a sense of how important this is both for f1 and singapore. for formula one, i f1 and singapore. for formula one. i think — f1 and singapore. for formula one, i think it's _ f1 and singapore. for formula one, i think it's important - f1 and singapore. for formula one, i think it's important not| one, i think it's important not massively. it's very important for singapore because the grand prix is a showcase for the nation, it's a proof point that singapore is very much open for business. it's the japanese grand prix next weekend, but

that'sjust grand prix next weekend, but that's just a motor race and not manyjournalists will go to suzuka because it too difficult to just travel to demand. —— japan. the grand prix cost about $135 million a year to run, it rakes about that much in in tourism every year. i think we will say about a quarter of1 million people come through the gates. it's pretty much a marketing platform for singapore. we've already started _ platform for singapore. we've already started to _ platform for singapore. we've already started to see - platform for singapore. we've already started to see the - already started to see the roads get chockablock. ijust want to ask you about the wider appealfor f1 in asia, and there's been that documentary, drive to survive, which i think has helped to spark more of it interest around the region. do you think there has been a wider appeal because of that?

well, we're calling it the drive to survive effect, which has been huge in north america. we've seen a skewing of the audience younger and more balanced gender —wise. we've also seen sell—out races in austin early this year. we've seen... i think part of the effect of the netflix documentary, i think the effecting asia has been similar but much more limited to an english language. just looking at the sort _ english language. just looking at the sort of _ english language. just looking at the sort of overall - english language. just looking at the sort of overall appeal . at the sort of overall appeal and particularly what it means for asia, and particularly what it means forasia, i'm interested, and particularly what it means for asia, i'm interested, we are seeing other countries hosting more and more races, so can asian countries compete with these sorts of offers and maintain the top spot in the

region? maintain the top spot in the reuion? ~ , ., region? well, next year, there is 24 races _ region? well, next year, there is 24 races on _ region? well, next year, there is 24 races on the _ region? well, next year, there is 24 races on the calendar. i is 24 races on the calendar. four are in is 24 races on the calendar. fourare in our is 24 races on the calendar. four are in our region. you could say that scheduling a race in shanghai next april is optimistic, but i'll put that to one side. i think that's probably about right by fan base. i think it's more about north america and western europe. i think we could add another race in asia, but already a packed schedule. india would be ideal, but the government there is not supportive. korea might be a good option. but i think now, it's about right. the singapore grand prix represents southeast asia and when shanghai is backed on the schedule, that's with japan. backed on the schedule, that's with japan-— with japan. matthew marsh, thanks so — with japan. matthew marsh, thanks so much _ with japan. matthew marsh, thanks so much for- with japan. matthew marsh, thanks so much forjoining l with japan. matthew marsh, | thanks so much forjoining us and have a great time at the

races. that brings us to the end of this hour of newsday. thank you so much forjoining us. they would bbc news. —— stay with bbc news. hello. well, it's fairly clear and calm across most of the uk right now, but later on, we are expecting wind and rain to sweep right across the country. a big autumn low is on the way, and here it is on the weather map. a lot of isobars there, and that does mean some very strong winds, especially in northwestern parts of the uk. let's have a look at the forecast for the early hours. you can see that broad band of rain sweeping into ireland and western parts of scotland, a good squeeze in the isobars here. that means of strengthening winds. but further east and south, it's a completely different picture — light winds, calm, mist and fog in a few places and really quite chilly. on those winds, gusting through the morning up to 70

mph in the western isles of scotland, and really very windy around the irish sea coasts and down towards the southwest as well. now, here's that band of rain around lunchtime, and then later on in the afternoon, it'll reach other parts of the uk. but the weather will improve out towards the northwest later on in the afternoon. within the band of rain, it'll be very windy and temperatures will be 12—14 celsius. then, friday night, that rain turns heavy in east anglia and the southeast, and eventually, it'll sweep into the near continent by the time we get to early saturday. and here is saturday. that low pressure is very broad and it's still driving our weather. in fact, the winds will remain brisk on saturday, although not quite as strong, but they will blow in some showers off the atlantic. they will be most frequent out towards the northwest here. hail and thunder is quite possible. it southern parts of the uk, given a bit of sunshine, it actually shouldn't be too bad at all. and later, saturday night into sunday, we are expecting another weather front to just

brush southern parts of the uk. some uncertainty exactly how quickly that rain will clear away on sunday, but the thinking is by the time we get to the afternoon, most of us should have a dry day. just before i go, an update on tropical storm ian — it's out in the atlantic, but the second landfall is now expected on the south carolina coast. and the storm surge around the southeast of the united states, again, is likely to cause problems and heavy rain inland as well. bye— bye.

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. two weeks ago, 22—year—old mahsa amini died in iranian police custody. she'd been arrested for allowing strands of hair to escape her headscarf. since then, iran has been rocked by protests led by women demanding freedom and equality. it could be the most serious threat to iran's theocratic leadership since the islamic

revolution. for my guest, it's a new phase in a long struggle.