i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: shocking footage of another aboriginal death in custody. a court sees video of the victim pinned down and unable to breathe. and from the track to the field. usain bolt is offered the chance to try out for an australian football team. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. thanks forjoining us. it's 8am in singapore, 1am in london and 8pm in washington dc, where president trump has backtracked in spectacularfashion after his meeting with president vladimir putin. mr trump said he now had no reason not to believe russia meddled in the 2016 election, after suggesting otherwise at a press conference in helsinki on monday. and he expressed faith in the verdict of us intelligence on the matter — another apparent reversal. it all follows heavy criticism in washington for his initial comments. chris buckler reports. with president trump, nothing comes without a little drama. even what some might regard as an apology. i ha

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: fleeing syria to fight another day. we have a special report on the hunt for is fighters still on the run. and britain's new foreign secretary calls it a terrible mistake, after he refers to his chinese wife as being japanese. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 7am here in singapore, midnight in london and 4pm in california, where it's been a scorching and devastating summer. wildfires have been burning out of control, forcing more than 50,000 people to leave their homes. these pictures are the latest to come into us. around 12,000 firefighters from across the us have been battling the blazes, which have claimed the lives of at least seven people. 0ur north america correspondent james cook reports from lakeport, in northern california. the fire season is no more. california is now ablaze all year round. in the past six years, not one month has passed without a major wildfire here. just now, 17

i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: divers explore deeper into a thai cave in the hope of finding 12 boys and their football coach who've been missing for more than a week. a huge manhunt is under way in france, after a notorious gangster escapes jail for the second time — this time using a helicopter.

i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: a left—wing anti—establishment candidate is to become mexico's next president. lopez obrador has vowed to crack down on corruption. and more drama in russia, after a nail—biting match against belgium, japan are knocked out of the world cup. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 7 am in singapore, midnight in london, and 6:00am in chiang rai where late at night came the extraordinary news that 12 boys and their football coach, missing for nine days in a cave, had been found alive. divers have been trying to reach them for days after water levels rose suddenly, trapping the boys. the discovery came after a marathon search opperation in the tham luang caves. helped by reducing the water level, rescuers first managed to get from the cave entrance to set up an operation base in an area called ‘chamber 3'. eventually divers reached a cavern known as pattaya beach where it was thought the miss

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: the uk government sparks a political row, saying it won't object to the execution of two islamic state suspects if they're convicted in america. and extreme weather is taking it's toll in australia. 99% of new south wales is either in drought, drought onset, or on drought watch. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8:00am in singapore. north korea appears to have started to dismantle part of a key rocket launching site. satellite images of the sohae station in the north west of the country, seen by the monitoring group, 38 north, suggest kimjong—un may be fulfilling a promise made to president trump injune. north korea has always said the site was used to launch satellites for its space programme but the us has always suspected it was used to test ballistic missiles. we can now talk to our correspondent laura bicker in seoul. explain more about what we are seeing in the satellite images and the

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: former malaysian prime minister najib razak is due to be charged in the next few hours under anti—corru ption laws. fears of a crackdown on press freedom in pakistan with just weeks to go until the election. good morning. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 6am in chiang rai, thailand, where rescuers in thailand are trying to work out how to free 12 boys and their football coach from the flooded caves where they've been trapped for more than 10 days. divers have been searching the complex cave network in northern thailand, working in difficult conditions where some sections are said to be too narrow for even scuba tanks to be worn. but there's no easy way to get them out. they will either have to learn to swim out using diving equipment or stay there for weeks, maybe months, until the floodwaters recede. our correspondent jonathan head reports. there's a renewed sense of mission here now. for the first time in ten days, they know where the boys are,

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme — an angry mob slaughters nearly 300 crocodiles at a sanctuary in indonesia. police say they were unable to stop it. and it's party time in paris as hundreds of thousands of people turn out to welcome france's world cup winners home. it's 8am in singapore, 1am in london and 3 in the morning in helsinki where the us president donald trump has held an unprecedented and controversial meeting with the russian president vladimir putin. mr trump appeared to side with russia against his own security services, saying he had no reason to disbelieve mr putin's denial that moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election. that's prompted alarm in washington, even among republicans. our north america editorjon sopel begins our coverage of the meeting from helsinki. as befitting two self—proclaimed strongmen, there was a power—play from the off. vladimir putin arriving almost rudely late into finland... it was a bit late... ..leaving donald trump kicking his heels fo

i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: the rains stop and divers make progress in the hunt for the boys missing in the cave in thailand. and a helicopter prison break — one of france's most notorious criminals is sprung from prison he's still on the run. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 8 am in singapore, 1 am in london and 7pm in mexico city where the polls in presidential and parliamentary elections are now closing. mexico is thought to be on the cusp of a decisive political shift. the frontrunner in the presidential race is the left—wing former mayor of mexico city, who's pledged to clean up politics. it follows a campaign plagued by violence, with more than 130 candidates and party members killed. will grant is in mexico city. how is a we start to see the first results 7 how is a we start to see the first results? —— sued. how is a we start to see the first results? -- sued. it is probably a good few hours but this

i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: the worst wildfires for a decade hit greece around the capital athens, leaving devastation and more than 70 people dead. tackling mortality rates — we report on the important steps being taken in india to cut down the deaths of new mothers. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore, midnight in london and 6am in laos, where it's emerged that the dam that collapsed had developed a fault the day before the accident. at least 20 people died in the floodwaters when the dam burst. a spokesperson for a south korean firm, helping build the hydro—power station, said workers unsuccessfully tried to repair the damage. he said the authorities were told and evacuated the area before the dam burst. more than 100 people are still missing. nick beake reports. the torrent of water that crashed through this countryside offered little chance of survival. in time, the full, grim picture will be r

i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: divers explore deeper into a thai cave in the hope of finding 12 boys and their football coach who've been missing for more than a week. a huge manhunt is under way in france, after a notorious gangster escapes jail for the second time — this time using a helicopter. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 7 am in singapore, midnight in london and 6pm in mexico city where the polls in presidential and parliamentary elections are now closing. mexico is thought to be on the cusp of a decisive political shift. the frontrunner in the presidential race is the left—wing former mayor of mexico city, who's pledged to clean up politics. it follows a campaign plagued by violence, with more than 130 candidates and party members killed. will grant is in mexico city. how soon before we start getting results in? world, this in a way this is the most sensitive part of the day, this is where mexicans get qui

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: the search for more bodies in greece's devastating fires continues — and we hear from those who made dramatic escapes. iam sure i am sure i am not going to make it. this is the end. but the prayers we re this is the end. but the prayers were answered. it's the question everyone is now asking: could there be life on mars after scientists say they've found evidence of liquid water on the planet. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london, and 4am in islamabad, where votes are being counted after pakistan's general election. one side has already rejected the result. the party of disgraced former prime minister nawaz sharif says the count is rigged against them. it's fighting the party led by former international cricketer imran khan whose supporters have already been celebrating across the country though only about a fifth of votes have been counted. here's our co

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: 7a people confirmed dead in greece as wildfires rip through villages near the capital. and it is so clear how much damage areas. when you come through this town, lines up on loans, hundreds upon hundreds of cars completely destroyed. and, in the slums of mumbai, a transformation in mothers‘ health. india's success in saving the lives of pregnant women. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london and 7am in laos, where it's emerged that the dam that collapsed had developed a fault the day before the accident. at least 20 people died in the floodwaters when the dam burst. a spokesperson for a south korean firm, helping build the hydro—power station, said workers unsuccessfully tried to repair the damage. he said the authorities were told and evacuated the area before the dam burst. more than 100 people are still missing. nick beake reports. the torrent of water that cra

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: one of the team who saved the thailand cave boys says he might sue the billionaire, elon musk, after a row about the rescue gets personal. and it's party time in paris, as hundreds of thousands of people turn out to welcome france's world cup winners home. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 2am in helsinki, where the us president donald trump has held an unprecedented and controversial meeting with the russian president vladimir putin. mrtrump appeared to side with russia against his own security services, saying he had no reason to disbelieve mr putin's denial that moscow interfered in the 2016 presidential election. that's prompted alarm in washington, even among republicans. our north america editor jon sopel begins our coverage of the meeting from helsinki. as befitting two self—proclaimed strongmen, there was a power—play from the off. vladimir putin arriving

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: we report on how victims of natural disasters in south east asia face a rise in sexual and gender based violence. and extreme weather is taking it's toll in australia's new south wales. 99% of new south wales is either in drought, drought onset or on drought watch. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8:00am in singapore, midnight in london and 8:00am in beijing, where chinese officials have a battle on their hands to control public anger after the revelations that one of the country's major pharmaceutical firms has been selling sub—standard vaccines. stocks in chinese medicine and biotech companies have tumbled. worried parents are rushing to hospitals to see if their children's vaccinations are valid. it is just the latest in a string of food ands drug scandals in china. here's stephen mcdonell in beijing china is in the midst of yet another scandal over medicine quality. this timea scandal o

kang kyung-hwa sat down with my colleague babita sharma. babita: last month the u.s. president met with the north korean leader in unpreed scenes in singapore with a promise of change. but since then little has emerged regarding the details of an agreed plan forde clearization of the korean peninsula. south korea's foreign minister, kang kyung-hwa, warns the process will take time. ms. kang:t has created an expectation that things will move quickly. the issue is just technically a very complicated one. we need to give it t we need to think through the past experience of dealing with north korea on these issues to ensure that we make progress that is not reversib. the north koreans clearly understand what is expected when they come and declare before the world at the highest levels. babita: do you trust his words? ms. kang: trust is a tricky word. go by action. we go by the stated commitment that he has made several timeÀ vis-ais the international community. babita: there has been a lot of criticism that the issue of human rights abuses in northen korea has not irectl

i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: votes are being counted in pakistan's election — early signs suggest that imran khan could be the next prime minister. searching for the missing — after the dam collapse, laos‘ prime minister confirms at least 130 people are unaccounted for. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the straits times is reporting on the bomb that killed at least 30 people in pakistan on the day the country went to vote in general elections. it says a man blew himself up outside a polling station in kw—etta, in an attack claimed by the islamic state group. the financial times says that iran's president hassan rouhani has sacked the governor of the country's central bank. the report says the islamic republic is grappling with a currency crisis as well as the imminent tough new sanctions coming from the us. and finally the japan times has a story about the need for foreign workers injapan‘s nursing sector. it says that the japanese government is looking for o

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: here in the uk, the brexit minister david davis sensationally quits the government. a british woman who'd been exposed to the nerve agent novichok has died. prime minister theresa may says she's appalled and shocked. this is bbc world news. its new state. —— newsday. it's midnight in london, and six in the morning here in northern thailand, where the mission to rescue eight boys and their football coach from a cave is expected to restart in about two hours. four of their team mates were brought to the surface by a team of divers on sunday, h remain with their coach inside the cave. they'd have been in there for two weeks now after they went in and we re two weeks now after they went in and were caught out by a sudden storm. the rescue mission began at 10am sunday morning local time. an expert tea m sunday morning local time. an expert team of divers entered the cave to attempt to guide the boys to safety. medics assessed the group said determine who would co

i'm babita sharma. this is bbc world news. our top story: the polls are due to close shortly across mexico, in the biggest election in the country's history. it follows a campaign plagued by violence, with more than 130 candidates and party members killed. the front—runner is andres manuel lopez obrador, who has promised to fight corruption. two penalty shootouts see passions run high at the world cup — russia has knocked out spain in the biggest shock of the tournament so far. and this story is trending on bbc.com... french police have launched a huge manhunt after a notorious armed robber was sprung from prison in paris by armed men in a helicopter. redoine faid was serving a 25—year sentence for a failed robbery. this is the second time he's managed to escape. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks to computer scientist and author, jaron lanier. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. the internet is perhaps the defining technological advance of the last 50 years. it's opened up

i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: british police confirm that a couple who became critically ill have been exposed to the nerve agent novichok. the pair were found unconscious on saturday in amesbury in south—west england close to where the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the same nerve agent in march. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. also in the programme: footage of the boys trapped in a flooded cave system in thailand appears to show them in good spirits as the mission to get them out continues. and the us secretary of state mike pompeo is heading back to north korea, for another meeting with kim jong—un live from our studios in singapore and london, this is newsday. we start with breaking news from here in the uk where within the last few hours british police have confirmed that two people who've fallen critically ill have been poisoned with a novichok nerve agent. the couple were discovered in the town of amesbury in south west england —— the town is a fe

i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story — donald trump has blamed a slip of the tongue for saying moscow did not meddle in american elections. his statement at the helsinki summit triggered outcry among american politicians, but he has now said he has full faith in the us intelligence services‘ claim of russian interference. the families of the boys trapped in the thai cave are preparing for their homecoming. the boys are expected to be discharged from hospital later on wednesday. and the world's fastest man, usain bolt, has set himself a new goal — it's to become a professional footballer. he's now been offered a trial by the central coast mariners in australia, and hopes to swap the track for the field permanently. that's all. you're up to date. stay with us here on bbc world news. more for me later but first, he is hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. there are growing concerns that india, the world's most populous democracy, is in the grip of a divisive brand of populism. prime minister

her comments came in an interview with newsday‘s babita sharma. last month, the us president met with the north korean leader in unprecedented scenes in singapore, with the promise of change. but since then, little has emerged regarding the details of an agreed plan for denuclearisation of the korean peninsula. but south korea's foreign minister, kang kyung—wah, says the process will take time. it's created an expectation that things will move quickly. the issue is technically a very complicated one and we need to give it time. we need to think through the past experience of dealing with north korea on these issues to ensure that we make progress that is not reversible. the north koreans clearly understand what is at stake, what is expected when they come and declare before the world at the highest level — complete denuclearisation. do you trust his word? trust is a tricky word. we go by action and we go by the stated commitment that he has made several times in the international community. there has been a lot of criticism that the issue of h

it's newsday i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: a plane has crashed in the capital of mexico's durango state, carrying at least 90 people on board. as facebook fights to fix its reputation, the company reveals foreign attempts to influence the us midterm elections. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. also in the programme: donald trump's former campaign manager goes on trial but the president says the case has nothing to do with him. and knocking out taboos. we meet a group of young women and girls who are breaking down barriers over women in sports in pakistan. translation: i think i have translation: i thinkl have become very powerful. if i am standing with three orfour men i can face them. boxing has given me that power and support. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. it's midnight here in london, 7am in singapore. we begin with some breaking news. a plane has crashed in the capital of mexico's durango state. the state governor has tweeted that there were no deaths amo

our i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story: anti—terrorist police have been called in to a small english town near the site of the skripal poisonings after two more people were exposed to the nerve agent novichok. the victims — a local couple in theirforties — are critically ill in hospital. the metropolitan police assistant commissioner said anti—terrorism officers were now leading the inquiry. footage of the boys trapped in a flooded cave system in thailand appears to show them in good spirits, as the operation to get them out safely continues. the us has been celebrating the 4th ofjuly, independence day, in traditional style, with parades and parties and for one man, spray—painting the stars and stripes onto his front lawn. it took arthur mccann about two hours to complete the work of art in massachusetts. that's all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with sarah montague. welcome to hardtalk with me, sarah montague. throughout president obama's time in office, my guest today wa

welcome to breakfast, with rogerjohnson and babita sharma. our headlines today: a break for president trump before his meeting with vladimir putin, but there's no escape from protestors, thousands demonstrate in edinburgh. theresa may warns conservatives to back her or risk ending up with no brexit at all. it wasn't to be for england. they sign off in russia with another defeat by belgium, but fly home with their heads held high. here at wimbledon, there's a new name on the honours board. germany's angelique kerber beats serena williams in straight sets to win her third grand slam title. some rain this morning for scotland and northern ireland. elsewhere, hot and northern ireland. elsewhere, hot and dry and sunny once again. more details in 15 minutes. it's sunday the 15th ofjuly. our top story. donald trump will leave the uk later after spending a second night in scotland. the us president will fly to helsinki where he'll meet the russian president vladimir putin. his stay at his turnberry resort in ayrshire has been met by protests, as catr

i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story, thai divers preserve them are prepared to resume a challenging rescue operation from a flooded cave in the north of the country. for boys from a youth football tea m country. for boys from a youth football team have already been retrieved on the cape. another nine people are still inside. —— retrieved from the caves. here in the uk — the ministerfor exiting the european union — david davis — and his number two steve baker have resigned. it comes only a few days after the government agreed a position on future relations between britain and the eu. and a woman in britain who was poisoned by the nerve agent novichok has died. dawn sturgess and her partner, charlie rowley, handled an item contaminated with the same substance used to poison a former russian spy and his daughter in salisbury, in march. and a story making headlines here in the uk. prince louis is being christened today.

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: here in the uk, the brexit minister david davis sensationally

welcome to breakfast, with ben thompson and babita sharma. our headlines today: geraint thomas is set to become the third briton and first welshman to win the tour de france. he came through the last competitive stage yesterday. it'll be champagne on the streets of paris today, where victory awaits him. five people have died in wildfires in california and nearly 40,000 people have left their homes. a state of emergency has been declared in three more counties overnight. tough times for travellers as stormy weather led to cancelled flights and disruption on the roads, and there's more forecast for today. good morning. yes, it's another windy day with gusts widely of up to 40 windy day with gusts widely of up to a0 mph. cooley, 50 for some western and southern coasts and there's more rain in the forecast —— locally. —— western. i'll tell you all about it in 15 minutes‘ time. it's sunday the 29th ofjuly. our top story: geraint thomas will ride into paris later today to be crowned winner of the tour de france. tradition dictates that th

i'm babita sharma with bbc world news. our top story — donald trump has blamed a slip of the tongue for saying moscow did not meddle in american elections. his statement at the helsinki summit triggered outcry among american politicians. but he has now said he has full faith in the us intelligence services‘ claim of russian interference. the families of the boys trapped in the thai cave are preparing for their homecoming. the boys are expected to be discharged from hospital later on wednesday. and the world's fastest man, usain bolt has set himself a new goal — to become a professionalfootballer. he's now been offered a trial by the central coast mariners in australia — and hopes to swap the track for the field permanently. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk. theresa may has narrowly survived a commons vote on a key plank of her brexit proposals. mps backed the prime minister's trade strategy by a majority of six votes. now on bbc news, live to singapore for asia business report. our

hello, this is breakfast with ben thompson and babita sharma. we'll be talking about geraint thomas and his tour de france success with kat in a few moments. good morning, here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. nearly 40,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in california, as wildfires spread across the state. at least five people have died, including two children, and their great—grandmother, and 12 others are missing. thousands of emergency workers, including the national guard, have been deployed. at least 10 people have died and dozens have been injured after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck a popular tourist destination in central indonesia. residents and tourists poured onto the streets and into open fields to escape damaged buildings on the island of lombok. the tremor was felt 60 miles away in the bustling holiday island of bali. qatar is being accused of running a secret campaign to undermine its rivals during the bidding process for the world cup in 2022. the sunday times claims pr firms and former cia ag

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: we report on how victims of natural disasters in south east asia face a rise in sexual and gender based violence. and extreme weather is taking it's toll in australia's new south wales.

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: the uk government sparks a political row, saying it won't object to the execution of two islamic state suspects if they're convicted in america. and extreme weather is taking it's toll in australia.

i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: the worst wildfires for a decade hit greece around the capital athens, leaving devastation and more than 70 people dead. tackling mortality rates — we report on the important steps being taken in india to cut down the deaths of new mothers.

i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: british police confirm that a couple who became critically ill have been exposed to the nerve agent novichok. the pair were found unconscious on saturday in amesbury in south—west england close to where the former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the same nerve agent in march. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. also in the programme: footage of the boys trapped in a flooded cave system in thailand appears to show them in good spirits as the mission to get them out continues. and the us secretary of state mike pompeo is heading back to north korea, for another meeting with kim jong—un live from our studios in singapore and london, this is newsday.

i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: a passenger plane crashes in the capital of mexico's durango state, carrying at least ninety people on board. all on—board are all on—boa rd are reported all on—board are reported to have survived. as facebook fights to fix its reputation the company reveals foreign attempts to influence the us mid—term elections. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. also in the programme: donald trump's former campaign manager goes on trial but the president says the case has nothing to do with him. and knocking out taboos. we meet a group of young women and girls who are breaking down barriers over women in sports in pakistan. translation: i think i have become very powerful. if i am standing with three or four men i can face them. boxing has given me that power and support.

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: former malaysian prime minister najib razak is due to be

it's newsday i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: a plane has crashed in the capital of mexico's durango state, carrying at least 90 people on board. as facebook fights to fix its reputation, the company reveals foreign attempts to influence the us midterm elections. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. also in the programme: donald trump's former campaign manager goes on trial but the president says the case has nothing to do with him. and knocking out taboos. we meet a group of young women and girls who are breaking down barriers over women in sports in pakistan. translation: i think i have translation: i think! have become very powerful. if i am standing with three orfour men i can face them. boxing has given

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: the search for more bodies in greece's devastating fires continues — and we hear from those who made dramatic escapes. iam sure i am sure i am not going to make it. this is the end. but the prayers we re this is the end. but the prayers were answered. it's the question everyone is now asking: could there be life on mars

i'm babita sharma. our top story. votes are being counted in pakistan's general election after millions of people made their way to polling stations. early results suggest that imran khan could be the next prime minister — which has been rejected by the opposition who say the election is rigged. the greek authorities say 80 people are now known to have died in wildfires around athens, making them the deadliest ever recorded in the country. and the debate about life on mars is back in the headlines today. now scientists from the european space agency say they have detected a lake of liquid water under the martian ice. more on that story on the bbc news website. plenty more to come. see you soon. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, with me, zeinab badawi. in august, it will be 20 years since more than 200 people were killed when simultaneous bomb attacks were carried out at the us embassies in kenya and tanzania. my guest is the acclaimed kenyan filmmaker wanuri kahiu who made an award—winni

i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: fleeing syria to fight another day. we have a special report on the hunt for is fighters still on the run. and britain's new foreign secretary calls it a terrible mistake, after he refers to his chinese wife as being japanese.