our top stories: over 150 people are killed in a crush in the south korean capital, seoul. dozens more are injured. it was very clear that there were just so many people here, probably the most i've ever seen in itaewon, and the crowds were just gathering more and more. as city officials launch an urgent investigation into the cause of chaotic scenes ahead of the incident. translation: a tragedy and disaster that _ translation: a tragedy and disaster that should - translation: a tragedy and disaster that should not - translation: a tragedy and disaster that should not have | disaster that should not have happened had taken place in the heart of seoul. i hope the people who are injured get better soon. in other news, russia pulls out of a un—brokered deal that allows

vital grain exports from ukraine. and, a new zulu king is crowned in south africa in the first such ceremony since apartheid. hello and welcome to bbc news. south korea's president has declared a period of national mourning following a crush in the capital, seoul, that is now known to have killed 151 people, and injured dozens more. president yoon suk—yeol visited the scene early this morning. he said that such an accident should not have happened and that it will be investigated thoroughly. he also said the government would pay for the medical care of those injured and the funerals of those who died. huge crowds of teenagers and young people had jammed into the narrow streets of the itaewon district to celebrate halloween. the area is known for its busy nightlife. our correspondent in seoul,

jean mackenzie, has this report and a warning you may find some of the images distressing. young people out to party, having fun, until things suddenly change. oh, my god! by the end of the night, bodies lined the street, some in costume. others were carried into ambulances lifeless and barefoot. the chilling sign of people who have tried to run but not been able to. the crush started in a small alleyway — it was so packed, people were stuck, elbow to elbow. they had barely an inch to move when the crowd surged forward. translation: the incident happened as large numbers of people fell down during the halloween festival, which caused serious injuries. this area of seoul is one

of the most popular places for a night out, for locals and tourists. it's the place to celebrate halloween and it's estimated 100,000 had come tonight. there were so many people to the point we were being crushed on the pavement, to the point where we had to spill onto the road where there were cars. no—one really understood what was going on, but there were already several police cars at the scene in front of itaewon station, and police standing on top of their police cars, desperately trying to tell people to leave the area as soon as possible. sirens wail hundreds of ambulances and fire engines lined the streets. desperate people, alongside emergency workers, trying to perform cpr. and there will likely be more, as the injured are treated in hospital. something has gone horrifically

wrong here in seoul tonight. working out what is an important next step but tonight, this city is numb, still trying to track down its lost. jean mackenzie, bbc news, seoul. the local time is to pm in seoul. ——2pm and jean sent this update from the scene. we do not know exactly what caused the crush here, but we are starting to get a better picture of how things unfolded. if you see the alleyway just behind me, which is were it happened, it is very narrow, and we know that thousands of people were packed into that space. it's also got quite a steep hill up and there are reports that people at the top of the hill fell, slipped, and because there was such little room to move, they then pushed people down the alleyway. we know that the area was far too overcrowded. this is such a popular area, itaewon, in seoul, it is where people love to go out on the weekend. it's popular with the locals

and it's popular with foreigners and tourists, and halloween is one of the busiest nights of the year here. i was speaking to people in the run—up to last night who were telling me how they were planning to avoid this area on saturday because they knew how busy it was going to be, so these crowds were expected. now, all this will i am sure come out in the post—mortem but at the moment, what people are dealing with here, is still trying to identify those who have died because the death toll is absolutely enormous and it keeps climbing up and there are also hundreds of people who are reported to be injured so that death toll is expected to get even higher, with people questioning when you look at the amount of people who've been injured, how high is that death toll going to get? we have had people be moved, the bodies that were on the street here, they have been moved into a gymnasium where people have been asked to go and try and identify them and this is going to be a hugejob because of the number of victims. because so many people have died,

we have not learned an awful lot about those who have died yet. we just know that because of the area, because it was a saturday night, most of them are young. earlier i spoke to nicola smith, the asia correspondent for the telegraph. i asked her what is happening where she is in seoul. i am currently at a community centre in hannam, which isjust about ten minutes' walk from where the tragedy occurred last night and there is an emergency centre here for people who have relatives or friends who are missing and they are coming and they're registering their names here. they are trying to find out if they are injured or if very sadly they have died in the tragedy and the police are just trying find out, still trying to identify victims and there's some very distressing scene here, people collapsing on the floor in tears — it's just very distressing for everyone. pictures from last night in seoul are, as you say, very distressing.

what have people been saying to you? last night i was at the scene, i got there at about midnight, i was out with some friends nearby, and then we saw lots and lots of ambulances passing by, and it became clear there was a major incident in itaewon. when i got there they were still bodies on the street, they were covered over by that point, but it really hit home when you see actual bodies, just young people who were out trying to have a fun night out for halloween, but when i spoke to witnesses they said that they had been frightened for their own safety, that they'd been caught in huge crowds, that they could not move, they could not breathe, that theyjust had to go with the flow of the crowd and the people i spoke to were just so relieved that they'd managed to escape but tragically so many people did not. president yoon suk—yeol has been speaking within the last few hours and announced a period of national mourning. what else has he said?

he has said that the government will need to look at ways to prevent this from happening. obviously, they are also having to look at why this happened and whether it could be prevented, and that is going to be a huge political issue over the next few days, few weeks, and obviously it is something the public want to know, they want to know answers, they want to know why so many crowds were allowed into this area, where it could have been stopped, whether it could have been controlled or whether the police could have been out in more force. nobody really knows at this stage, it is too early, but that is certainly something the authorities will be looking at the next few days. seoul is a vibrant, city, it is a very young city, it is also a very high—tech city and i think many people will be surprised that something like this could have happened in a city like seoul? there is a lot of surprise and a lot of shock, naturally. i don't think anybody

saw this coming, but itaewon is a very vibrant neighbourhood, there are a lot of small narrow streets and a lot of bars and it is very popular. ans so it — i guess this night that people were going out to celebrate, people said they were really looking forward to it because it was the first time since covid that they could enjoy a halloween celebration and traditionally there have been halloween celebrations in itaewon so it is surprising for korea but at the same time, when you have so many crowds in one small place, then unfortunately it looks like it is a tragedy waiting to happen. the president of somalia, hassan sheikh mohamud, says at least 100 people were killed in two car bomb blasts outside the education ministry in mogadishu on saturday. he said 300 others were injured. witnesses said the cars struck within minutes of each other, the second as ambulances and bystanders were arriving

to help. no group has claimed responsibility, but al shabaab militants have carried out similar attacks in the past. the somali government has been engaged in a full—scale offensive against the islamists. the cuban coastguard has confirmed that one of its vessels has crashed into a speedboat reportedly carrying cubans as they attempted to flee the island. in the collision, the speedboat capsized resulting in five deaths, including one child. our latin america correspondent, will grant, has more on the story. according to the cuban government, this speed boat had actually come from the united states, and cubans were being trafficked, according to the government, as i stress, back to the united states, when the cuban coastguard attempted to intercept it. there was a collision. this was in a place just off the northern coast, a place called bahia honda,

and we understand that about two dozen people were rescued from the waters, but five people killed. as you mentioned, one a minor, a little girl, three women and one man. of course, the cuban government has been very quick to criticise us policy towards the island, blaming it as at the cause of this, saying that it was ultimately another consequence of us policy towards cuba. the us embassy in cuba has offered its condolences to the victims families and they always point out the severe dangers ofjourneys of this type. will, can you give us a bit more detail on the back story there. why would the cuban government blame us policy when one of its boats has collided with this speedboat? ultimately the suggestion

is that because of us policy, that's the decades—long economic embargo on the island, squeezing the island, attempting to force regime change on the one hand — that is if you like the stick towards cuba. the carrot of course is that there are preferential terms under which cubans can come into the united states and gain permanent residency, if they managed to make it. much more preferable than many, many other undocumented immigrants from latin america. so that's the suggestion, that would be the carrot. and that ultimately for decades us policy towards cuba has been about that, encouraging people to flee, encouraging people to ultimately rise up against the government. naturally, washington says this is not on them, that people are fleeing through a combination of mismanagement of the economy, blackouts, huge, dreadful scarcities in basic goods, and of course recently a clamp down, a very severe clampdown on human rights on the island.

russia says it's suspending its participation in an agreement, brokered by the un, that allows grain to be exported from ukraine. moscow claims it's taken the decision after a drone attack on russian ships in occupied crimea. aruna iyengar has this report. sevastopol and the latest salvo between ukraine and russia. russia says the drone attacks on the crimean port, early on saturday, were targeted against russian vessels employed for the security of ships carrying grain the to countries desperate for food. sevastopol is strategically important to russia. it serves as the headquarters for russia's black sea fleet, a logistical hub for operations in ukraine. ukraine has been swift to respond, saying russia is using the attack as a pretext to withdraw from the grain agreement. translation: how can russia be among others in the 620 if it - deliberately works to create

famine on several continents. this is nonsense. russia has no place in the 620. russia's un envoy tweeted a statement saying russia intended to suspend participation in the grain deal. he also alleged the attack took place with support from the uk — something the uk's ministry of defence has denied. washington in turn has accused russia of weaponising food and, in so doing, directly impacting nations in need. the un grain deal, struck injuly, was a diplomatic coup, it allows ukraine to reopen ukrainian black sea ports for grain exports. already, it has allowed nearly 9 million tons of ukrainian grain to be exported and was due to be renewed in november. ukraine is the world's fifth largest exporter of wheat, many countries, from lebanon to ethiopia, are suffering from the effects of higher grain prices as a result of the war. if russia does stop the grain flow, it will be a blow to these people and to resolving the russia—ukraine crisis.

the deal had been viewed as the first step on the way to a possible ceasefire. the un has called for the preservation of the grain corridor, saying all parties must refrain from any action which would imperil it. aruna iyengar, bbc news. this is bbc news. the headlines: the south korean president has declared a national period of mourning, after 151 people were killed in a crush in the capital, seoul, during halloween celebrations. russia has pulled out of a un—brokered deal which enabled key grain exports from ukrainian ports. brazilians head to the polls later on sunday in the final round of presidential elections. leading the race is former leftist president luiz inacio lula da silva. trailing him is far—right incumbentjair bolsonaro, but it's become a much tighter race than expected. russell trott reports.

taking the voting machines to the voters is not always easy. the only way is by boat in this region of the amazon. they are preparing for one of brazil's most important and historic elections. the choice is simple. motorbike—riding bolsonaro, who has the support of conservatives and many religious voters. "lula da silva, your place is injail!" chant his supporters. or the former leader, lula da silva, who has been tainted by corruption scandals but maintains support. "bolsonaro has no limits when it comes to making threats. "he is out of control," he says. the two candidates took part in a televised debate ahead of the run—off vote on sunday, accusing each other of lying as they attacked their rival�*s character and record on a range of issues.

and those are complex and bitterly contested. deforestation and the treatment of brazil's indigenous communities. allegations of corruption and the way the pandemic was handled. the latest polls put lula in the lead, but with the gap narrowing, there are still many brazilians who feel that neither contender represents them, and they could be crucial in deciding who becomes president. russell trott, bbc news. nancy pelosi says she is heartbroken and traumatized over the attack on her husband at the couple's home in san francisco. paul pelosi was beaten with a hammer by an intruder, who demanded to see ms pelosi, the speaker of the us house of representatives. president biden described the attack as "despicable", and denounced a corrosive political climate for contributing to violence in american society. our west coast correspondent, sophie long, gave us this update from outside the pelosi's house.

well, the fact that paul pelosi was subjected to such a brutal attack in the house behind me, when a man broke into the rear of the building and shouted, "where is nancy?" before striking him with a hammer, has really brought home the vulnerabilities in surrounding the security provision for members of congress and theirfamilies, and the fact that it could happen to the husband of someone as wealthy and as powerful as nancy pelosi — she is, of course, second in line to the presidency and has her own security detail — has caused real alarm amongst other congress members and their families. now, just to give you a sense of the level of threat that they're facing, this attack happened on the same day as the department for homeland security issued a warning that the united states was facing an increased threat from domestic violent extremists in the run—up to the midterm elections, which will take place just ten days from now. and in the months after the violent insurrection on the capitol building on 6january of 2021,

capitol police recorded more than 9,000 — 9,500 threats against members of congress. and it's notjust members of congress — election workers, federal law enforcement officers and supreme court judges have all had threats issued against them. the man suspected of carrying out the attack on paul pelosi has been arrested. he is 42—year—old david depape. he is being investigated at the moment by the authorities here. that, of course, is ongoing. and one line of good news, of course, welcomed by both sides of the party divide, is that paul pelosi, who is now 82 years old, is expected to make a full recovery, having undergone successful surgery yesterday. president biden has been speaking about the attack and here's what he said. you know, it's one thing to condemn the violence. but you can't condemn the violence unless you condemn those people continue to argue the election was not real, that it's been stolen, that all the — all the malarkey

that's been put out there to undermine democracy. you can'tjust apologise and say "the violence". it affects people's mentality, it affects how people think — particularly people who are not maybe as stable as other people, so the talk has to stop. opposition parties in britain are calling for an investigation into reports that the mobile phone of the former prime minister, liz truss, was hacked while she was foreign secretary. a sunday newspaper here in the uk says messages stolen included private conversations with other foreign ministers about the war in ukraine. it's thought the breach was discovered several months ago. our political correspondent, jonathan blake, explained more about the situation. she was foreign secretary at the time and it was also when the conservative leadership contest was playing out that she went on to win. the details of what was accessed on her phone and fell into foreign hands, according to the paper, were kept out of the public domain — a decision taken,

they say, by the prime minister and cabinet secretary — the most senior official in the civil service, simon case. unnamed sources told the paper that access to private messages was obtained to the former chancellor kwasi kwarteng, as well as possibly communications with foreign ministers from countries around the world about the war in ukraine. now, it isn't clear how the alleged hack happened or that the foreign secretary did anything wrong but opposition parties here in the uk, as you say, have seized on this. the shadow home secretary from the labour party, yvette cooper, has said "these are immensely important "national security issues raised by an attack "by a hostile state, that will have to be "taken very seriously". the liberal democrats, a smaller opposition party, saying that "an urgent independent investigation "is needed to uncover the truth". now, there are questions about whether the decision to keep the information out of the public domain was to do with the conservative leadership contest. i think perhaps more likely, there was a consideration

in government that to have any suggestion that the russians or anyone else had accessed the foreign secretary's phone would be embarrassing and not reflect well on the security services in the uk. the government tonight not commenting on any of the detail of these reports, simply saying in a statement they don't comment on individual security arrangements, but they say the government has robust measures in place against security threats, including regular security briefings and advice on protecting personal data and mitigating cyber threats. in south africa, a new zulu king has been crowned at an historic event attended by tens of thousands of people. king misuzulu ka zwelithini received a certificate of recognition from president cyril ramaphosa. it marked the first zulu coronation since south africa became a democracy in 1994. our correspondent, nomsa maseko, sent this report. chanting

zulu warriors saluting king misuzulu ka zwelithini after taking his oath. chanting continues the accreditation certificate, handed over by president cyril ramaphosa, endorses the 48—year—old as the ninth leader of the zulu nation. king misuzulu acknowledged that he had come to the throne at a difficult time. i understand that history has chosen me at this time, when the zulu and other nations are facing several challenges. among the challenges are poverty, unemployment, a trust deficit in government and traditional leadership structures, climate change disasters, economic meltdown, food insecurity, famine, disease that do not only

ravage our people, but also our economies. president ramaphosa hailed the watershed event and emphasised the role that the king would play in binding together the zulu nation. the coronation took place despite rifts within the zulu royal family. some of its members believe he is not the rightful heir to the throne. those divisions have played out in public and in courtrooms. however, prince mbonisi zulu, the brother of the new king, believes his late parents, queen mantfombi dlamini zulu and king goodwill zwelithini would have been proud of this moment. the king and queen were people that wanted unity, so with what's happening right now, it's very pleasing to them because all they want is unity.

while many have gathered to celebrate with the new king, all eyes will be on him as he begins his reign. he doesn't have political power but he does have influence on the 11 million—strong zulu ethnic group. he is also expected to help in tackling some of south africa's social problems, including drug abuse and gender—based violence. nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban. a reminder of our top story: the south korean president, yoon suk—yeol, has announced a period of national mourning, following a stampede in the capital, seoul, which killed about 150 people, including 19 foreigners. there is more on that story on there is more on that story on the bbc news website, bbc.com/news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @richpreston. from almost here in london,

thanks for watching, by finau. hello. if the sky is clear sufficiently in northern scotland, there's a pretty good chance of spotting the northern lights. having said that, it has been pretty overcast across many parts of northern britain in the last few hours. let's see where the greatest chance of spotting the aurora borealis is. where you see the red colours, that's the highest probability, but northern scotland is just on the edge, so it could well be on the horizon pretty low and if the sky is clear. low pressure is still dominating our weather. it is still pushing in that mild current of air from the south, rather dragging it in, so sunday is going to be another mild day with a few showers. some of them could be heavy, though, perhaps one or two cracks of thunder, and blustery ones, too. here is the forecast. through the early hours, we will have seen showers drifting into some western parts but clearing skies again in the north and in many eastern areas. the possibility of some showers in the south—east and east anglia as well. and after a mild day,

a mild morning on sunday — between ten and 1a, 15 degrees. so here is tomorrow's weather forecast. blustery showers out towards the west pushed in from the south—west, moving northwards, carried on that breeze. they could be heavy across northern parts of the uk. further south, i think predominantly sunny spells and actually, it may stay dry along the south coast all through sunday. and, again, a mild day but not quite as warm, so not the 23 degrees that we recorded on saturday in the south — more like 17 in london. and here is the forecast for the evening. you can see showers continuing there in northern scotland. how about monday? a weather front is approaching. ahead of it, you can see some clearer weather there. so, monday is halloween. we are going to see some sunshine to start with but i think through the course of the morning into the afternoon, this weather front will approach and start to bring some rain from western scotland to northern ireland, perhaps the irish sea, and later nudging into wales and the south—west, but again really mild — the high teens, i think — and it will stay

mild, particularly across eastern areas, some clear skies during the course of monday evening. now, let's have a look at the outlook for the next few days. it stays relatively mild until round about wednesday and then from about thursday—friday, we start to see those temperatures returning to the seasonal norm and it will be blustery at times, with frequent showers and spells of rain.

celebrations.