i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore the headlines: osama bin laden's son, hamza, chosen successor to lead al-qaeda, has reportedly been killed. it's unclear if the us played a role in his death. the us federal reserve cuts interest rates for the first time in more than a decade. president trump demands a bigger cut. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. the first night of debates for us democrats in detroit was a battle for the direction of the party. now it's time for round two. she's blue, she barks and more than likely she's coming to a screen near you.

the phenomenal success of australian children's cartoon bluey and its portrayal of family life. instead of the aussie outback, it's just everyday suburbia. and instead ofjetting off to outer space orfighting enemies under the sea, bluey and herfamily, well, theyjust battle the same dilemmas as us humans. announcer: live from our studios in singapore and london. this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore, 1am in london and 8pm in washington, where reports say that a son of the deceased al-qaeda leader, osama bin laden, has died. hamza bin laden, who was thought to be 30 years old, had been stripped of his citizenship by saudi arabia in march. the us had offered $1 million

for information on his whereabouts and some experts believed he was seen as a potential future leader of the group. here's our washington correspondent chris buckler. yeah, we're awaiting official word from the pentago about this, but hamza bin laden has apparently been killed in some kind of operation. that's all we know at the moment at this stage about the circumstances of his death, but we do know american officials have been searching for him for some time. earlier this year, they offered a $1 million reward for information if they can find him, and that's because they've become increasingly concerned about hamza bin laden. they say he was emerging as a key figure within al-qaeda,

and also beyond that he had released a number of audio and video messages which concerned them, in which he specifically called upon his supporters to attack america and its allies, and that was apparently in revenge for the killing of his father by us special forces. osama bin laden was of course killed in 2011 after being discovered at a safe house in pakistan. as you say, chris, he was seen by analysts as a potential successor to his father, but he's believed about 30 years old, making him pretty much a child when september the 11th first happened. what more do we know about the circumstances, i suppose we'ill be finding that out very shortly, that led to this? yeah, we know he was about 30. but as you say, the fact we don't even know his exact age gives a sense of how shadowy a figure he was, but he was somebody who had been beside his father, osama bin laden, whenever he was apparently plotting and planning those attacks on the twin towers on 9/11.

and although he was a child at the time, it does seem that his father was planning for him to become a key figure in the leadership of al-qaeda even back then. in fact, in 2011 when us special forces raided that compound and killed osama bin laden, they actually apparently found letters written by bin laden himself in which he wrote he was grooming his son to succeed him. it does give you the idea of the concern americans had about him, but more recently, and it is certainly fair to say in recent years we've heard less about al-qaeda than some other groups, certainly less than we did in the early 2000s, but they were still concerned that there was danger from them, that they were plotting and planning attacks, and hamza bin laden was behind some of those. chris was behind some of those. buckler in washington 1 and chris buckler in washington and if and when that official confirmation comes through, we'll bring it to you

on newsday. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the us central bank, the federal reserve, has cut interest rates from a range of 2% to 2.25%. the 0.25% cut is the first since the financial crisis ten years ago. here's how the chairman of the fed, jerome powell, explained the reasons behind the move. the outlook for the us economy remains favourable, and this action is designed to support that outlook. it is intended to insure against downside risks from weaker global growth and trade policy uncertainty, to help offset the effects of these factors are currently having on the economy, and to promote a faster return of inflation to our symmetric 2% objective. samira hussain is our business correspondent in new york. it seems this is probably going to be a one—off, that we're not going to see a lot of rate cuts and that really from the press conference and the comments we've been hearing from mr powell, it really seems like this is one of those preventative kind of cuts and he doesn't expect to be doing a lot more of them.

so from a markets point of view, they already knew this rate cut was going to happen so they did what they call... they priced it in. they already have that boost from that rate cut already baked in. now they know there's not going to be anymore good cheer coming so theyjust think, we don't like what we're hearing! also making news today: the north korean leader, kim jong—un, is said to have personally supervised the launch of two ballistic missiles from its east coast. north korean media says the military has successfully tested a new type of large calibre guided rocket system. the un security council will meet on thursday to discuss the latest launch. the latest trade talks between china and the us have wrapped up in shanghai, with promises that the two sides will meet again in september. both sides described the meeting as constructive. the legendary broadway director, hal prince,

in response, he tweeted the us consider him a threat to its agenda. the legendary broadway director, hal prince, has died at the age of ninety—one following a short illness. he bought some of the best—known musicals to the stage including cabaret and the phantom of the opera, which went on to become the longest—running show in broadway history. he won a record 21 tony awards. these picture are from texas of a fire at an oil refinery, which began following an explosion. the exxon mobil plant produces products used to make plastic and industrial products. more than 30 workers suffered minor injuries. fire officals say the blaze has been contained but hasn't yet been extinguished. the second round of

would—be democrat candidates for president going head to head just got under way in detroit. this time the front runnerjoe biden will be up against nine others, including the senators kamala harris and cory booker. 0ur correspondent barbara plett usher is in detroit. yes, the main action was this group of centrist candidates who went after the two top liberal candidates, bernie sanders and elizabeth warren, attacking their left—wing policies and plans to shake up the system and these are the ideological lines that divide the race. the two senators actuallyjoin forces to defend their policies rather than attacking each other politically, and i would say bernie sanders put in a solid performance but particularly senator warren had a good night. she had some memorable lines about why the democrats should think big and go bold, and she also had this picture about why somebody like her could be electable. i remember when people said barack 0bama could not get elected. shoot, i remember when people said

donald trump couldn't get elected, but here's where we are! i get it, there is a lot at stake and people are scared, but we can't choose a candidate we don't believe injust because we're too scared to do anything else, and we can't ask other people to vote for a candidate we don't believe in. democrats win when we figure out what is right and we get out there and fight for it. i am not afraid, and for democrats to win, you can't be afraid either. strong words there from elizabeth warren, but barbara, as you mentioned, the second round kicks off today, everyone will be watching front runnerjoe biden. of course, that very explosive exchange he had last month with kamala harris? that's right. joe biden is the frontrunner, and it's an important debate for him.

you know, he was this safe pair of hands that rose to the top of the pile because people did see him as electable. many thought he had shaky moments in the previous debate when he was attacked by candidate kamala harris on a race issue, and he didn't look very unbeatable at all. so tonight, other candidates on the stage will test how vulnerable he is by attacking his decades—long record in office. the two to watch are the two african—american senators, kamala harris and cory booker, they've increasingly been challenging him on his record about race, and they're trying to challenge his status with black voters to try to get that support themselves. they will be positioned on the stage on either side of him so if there are clashes, they will be centre stage. barbara plett—usher in detroit. more than 150 protesters have been arrested in hong kong sincejune as a series of protests swept across the city. protesters are calling for the complete withdrawal of a now suspended extradition bill, full democracy and amnesty for protesters arrested during the movement. the bbc has spoken to protesters who took part

in the storming of hong kong's parliament on july 1st. they spoke under the condition of anonymity. this is one protester‘s story.

0ne protester‘s story. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a study into chillis that's causing a stir. we talk to the researcher who says too many can have an impact on health.

also on the programme: bluey — the australian cartoon that's been praised for its portrayal of fatherhood in 2019 and even credited with helping parenthood. cheering the us space agency, nasa, has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armagh. once an everyday part of the soldiers' lot, drudgery and danger, now no more after almost four decades. if one is on one's own, in a private house, not doing any harm to anyone, i don't really see why people should wander in and say,

you're doing something wrong. six rare white lion cubs are on the prowl at worcestershire park and, already, they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they're lovely, yeah. really sweet. yeah, they were cute. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. our top stories: osama bin laden‘s son, hamza, chosen successor to lead al-qaeda, has reportedly been killed. it is unclear if the us played a role in his death. the us federal reserve cuts interest rates for the first time in more than a decade. president trump demands a bigger reduction.

let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the japan times, which runs the story of the ongoing trade dispute between south korea and japan on its front page. it reports on a meeting between mps from both countries in tokyo on wednesday. the philippine star leads with president duterte's decision to lift a suspension order on lottery operations. just four days ago, he suspended all gaming activities, amid alleged massive corruption within the gambling agency. and we finish with the business page of the south china morning post. it says the beijing government will provide extra cash subsidies towards the construction of more football pitches, aiming to have 70,000 available to the public by next year.

now, what stories are sparking discussions online? yes, let's looks at what is trending right now. this toddler in chongqing, china survived falling six stories from a tower block. passers—by on the street below stretched out a blanket to catch her after she was spotted dangling from a balcony. state tv reported that not only did she survive, she was completely uninjured after her fall. a second person has died from ebola in the city of goma, in the democratic republic of congo, a year after the outbreak was declared. ebola is currently affecting two eastern provinces of the drc, north kivu and ituri. there are also reports that several people have been quarantined in south kivu, which up until now has been unaffected. goma is the capital of north kivu, and a transport hub that lies just

across the border from the rwandan city of gisenyi. 0fficials there are preparing clinics and isolation centres in case of any infections. more than 1,700 people have died so far in this current outbreak of ebola that began last august. it is the second—biggest outbreak on record. the first death in goma was reported earlier this month, something the world health 0rganization called a potential game—changer. this contributed to the organisation declaring the outbreak a global health emergency, the highest level of alarm it can sound, and which has only been used four times previously. gaius kowene sent this report about the latest death. this patient travelled hundreds of miles before reaching the city of goma. it has over1 million people,

and it shares a border with rwanda. he arrived here two weeks ago, but it is only last week that he started showing symptoms and was directly put in an ebola treatment centre that was newly built in the town of goma. professorjean—jacques muyembe, who is the co—ordinator of the ebola response team in the whole drc, says that this patient reached the treatment centre in critical condition, and unfortunately died. now, teams have been deployed to track everybody who may have been in touch with him, so that they will be offered vaccination or tested to see if they don't have any treatment. and professor muyembe said he is very optimistic about the fight against ebola. so, a year of ebola in our country, it is unresolved. and we are there to stop this outbreak, and we will work to avoid the spreading of the disease,

and to close the borders and to go to other countries. so i am confident that we'll work and stop this outbreak as soon as possible. this thursday will mark one year since the ebola outbreak was declared in the drc. this is the tenth and so far the worst to hit the country. it has affected more than 2,500 people and has killed more than 1,700 people. community resistance and insecurity have been slowing down the response. however, the response leaders have said they are changing their strategies to make sure they contain and eradicate it in the coming months. if you love spicy food, a new study might have you thinking twice about reaching for that extra chilli. according to researchers, chinese adults who consumed more than 50 grams of dried or fresh chilli peppers each day almost doubled their risk of memory decline and poor cognition. and it is quite an in—depth study, following more than 11,500 people over 15 years.

dr ming li is an epidemiologist from the university of south australia and a co—author of the study. i think this is at quite the early stage in terms of the association. there are a lot of other factors that should be further studied, like in china, we have a vast area which has different climate patterns, so whether the climate pattern would determine this causation needs further study. and also the mechanism area, more research is needed. i see, and why did you start looking at this in the first place? it seems to some people, i am sure, quite odd that you would be studying the potential effect of chillis in the first place.

because, you know, we're facing with the ageing society that is emerging in china. and also we saw already—published papers regarding chilli intake and mortality, chilli intake with body weight, chilli intake with hypertension. and for the mental health part, this is actually a series of studies we have been conducting. we have been doing nut intake and also iron intake. this time, we do the chilli intake, with cognition function and brain health. i don't like chilli, so i i don't like chilli, so i am i don't like chilli, so i am lucky. i don't like chilli, so i am lucky. what about you 7 i don't like chilli, so i am lucky. what about you? i like chillis so much that i have a jar of crushed chillis on my desk and i put it all over my food. i am devastated by this new study. i hope i am not losing my mind because of this new study suggesting it affects your

memories and all sorts of things. i don't think i am going to stop eating it, i just love don't think i am going to stop eating it, ijust love the stuff. she's blue, she barks, and more than likely she is coming to a screen near you. australian children's cartoon bluey follows the adventures of a blue heeler dog in brisbane. the show has just been sold for broadcast around the world after being hailed for its portrayal of modern family life, without the stereotypes. hywel griffith has been to meet its creators. meet bluey, a genuine four—legged phenomenon. the six—year—old faces pretty familiar challenges. but her success has been staggering, breaking records in australia, where the show has been streamed more than 100 million times since october. so close. bluey was born in these brisbane studios, and despite being bought by disney, the family will be keeping their australian accents.

tooth fairy came. hey, nice one, bluey. way to go, kid. it's just better with them. you can feel that passion so much, that we're proud of australia, but it's just the way it was made. everything about bluey has been kept pretty local. brisbane musician joff, who wrote the theme tune, also makes an appearance. two, three, four... as does the city's skyline. instead of the aussie outback, it's just everyday suburbia, and instead ofjetting off to outer space orfighting enemies under the sea, bluey and herfamily, well, theyjust battle the same dilemmas as us humans... kids, that's enough of that thing. ..like tackling too much screen time.

the programme has achieved the rare feat of getting parents and kids watching together. dads in particular, it seems, like the fact that bluey‘s father, bandit, is a pretty competent parent. the dad won't get angry straightaway. he'lljust, like, keep going, keep going, keep going, and i've never seen him, like, get really angry. so it's good for dad, because he sometimes gets angry. it feels like life as an australian person, watching all these little things that you do, like have a barbecue, and teach your kid how to ride a bike, and go for a walk in the morning, or have your child come and wake you up and peel your eyelids back. and, you know, that's what it's like having kids. they do these sorts of things. do you like your nails, bluey's dad? oh, i do, they're amazing. and of course, nothing is taken too seriously, but bluey mightjust become the latest cartoon dog to win over the world. i can feel my paws opening.

pa rents a re parents are going to get sick of that theme tune pretty quickly, aren't they? you have been watching newsday. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. and i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. stay with us. coming up: a chinese app that is capturing indian imagination. we will see why young people in india are singing and dancing their way to the streaming app bigo live. and before we go, the harry potter books are loved by children and adults alike around the world. well, now a rare edition of the first book has sold for more than $30,000. the first—edition is just one of 500 that were printed with two specific errors in the text. what makes this auction even more extraordinary — the seller himself bought the book forjust £1 about 20 years ago. so he has made a couple of

quidditch. hello. in the last couple of days, some of the showers that we've seen breaking out across the uk have been nothing short of vicious, leading to disruption to transport and localised flooding. in the next few days, not an entirely dry story, but far fewer showers, and they should also be less aggressive. the reason being the culprit for all of the showers in the last few days, this area of low pressure, pulling out into the north sea. still close enough by, though, on thursday to exert some influence. quite gusty winds along the north sea coasts, thicker cloud piling in here at times too. and there will be some showers on the outer periphery of the low, if you like, stretching probably in a line, most likely

from the north—west of scotland down into east anglia. plenty of sunny spells, however. the sunshine itself, though, could produce a few homegrown showers, for example across the north—east of scotland. one or two of the showers, again, could be heavier. i can't rule out thunder and lightning entirely, but it should be nowhere near as extensive as it has been in the last couple of days. just a chance of a few showers developing across dorset, devon and cornwall come the afternoon. up to 25 in what should be a sunny london. there's a slim chance of one or two showers breaking out across the midlands through the afternoon. we may see some evidence of those for day one of the ashes at edgbaston, but i think hopefully we're going to get away with it here, with some sunny spells and highs about 20—21 degrees. through the evening and overnight, many of the showers clear as the low pressure centre whirls across towards the netherlands. we're left with quite a bit of cloud, though, and in some spots, with just light winds, it could turn misty and murky. 0vernight lows in the mid—teens. as for friday, well,

the lows away to the east. not a bad day, i think, in the making, again with a little bit of help from the sun, though we could see one or two showers just brewing up, probably somewhere across northern england through into the midlands. but for the majority of the uk, light winds, sunny spells, and temperatures in the low to mid—20s. for the weekend, that little bit of ridging that calms things down for friday hangs on in there on saturday. but by sunday, it looks like we'll see a weather front starting to approach, so that will bring an increasing chance of rain into western areas through the course of the day on sunday. just how far that rain makes it is somewhat uncertain at the moment, but it does look like once those fronts start to push in on sunday, they will really work their way through across the uk as we go into the following week. plenty more showers, unfortunately, in our longer—term forecast.

i'm lewis vaughan jones with bbc world news. our top story: it's being reported

that hamza bin laden, the son and heir of the al-qaeda leader osama bin laden, is dead. he's understood to have died in a military operation, but us officials have not given any details of how he died. the us federal reserve has cut interest rates for the first time in more than a decade. the american central bank said the rate would be lowered by 0.25%. and this video is trending on bbc.com. a toddler in china has miraculously survived a six—storey fall, caught by passers—by holding out a blanket below. chinese authorities reported the good news that he not only survived, but got away without injury. that's all. stay with bbc world news. the top story in the uk: the government has announced more than £2 billion