hello everyone. the headlines: shock, as donald trump tweets that the united states needs to expand its nuclear capability. police say they have foiled a plot to mount a series of terror attacks in melbourne on christmas day. five men are under arrest. philippine president duterte is to be investigated for human rights abuses after claiming he killed a drug suspect. and we look at the lengths that people go to in search of a white christmas in singapore. glad you could join us. it is sam

glad you could join us. it is 8am in singapore, midnight in london, and 7pm in washington, where the latest tweet from donald trump is grabbing attention around the world. the president—elect wrote that the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability. he said that process would continue until the world came to its senses. however, a spokesman has said is the trump was actually referring to the need to prevent nuclear proliferation. our defence correspondentjonathan nuclear proliferation. our defence correspondent jonathan beale nuclear proliferation. our defence correspondentjonathan beale has the details. america and russia still hold more than 90% of the world's nuclear stockpiles, both able to deliver destruction on a massive scale, by ground, sea or air. for a quarter of a century, they have been reducing their nuclear arsenal. but the question now — is the arms race about to resume? tonight, president—elect donald trump tweeted. ..

it caught many by surprise, including the obama administration. i can't speak for what the president—elect‘s nuclear views or his policy going forward. that's for him and his team to speak to. what i can speak to is the approach that this administration has taken, to try to get us on a path to a world without nuclear weapons. president putin, too, has been ramping up the nuclear rhetoric. today, addressing his military commanders, he talked of the need to strengthen russia's strategic nuclear forces. translation: we can say with certainty that we are stronger now than any potential aggressor. anyone. both the united states and russia have made large cuts to their nuclear arsenals since the height of the cold war.

but they still have many weapons. the us have stock piles of 7,000 warheads, of which 1,900 are deployed or ready to use. russia has just over 7,000, with just under 1,800 deployable. while the uk has 250 warheads, of which 120 are available to use, and could be fired from its vanguard submarines. both america and russia are already modernising their nuclear weapons systems, at significant cost. what is not clear now is whether donald trump now wants to go much further. tensions have been rising with russia, these us troops on exercise in the baltics a response to its intervention in ukraine. russia's military campaign in syria has deepened the rift. but donald trump has signalled he wants to improve relations with moscow, so his comments might be more directed at north korea, whose unpredictable leader boasts of now being a nuclear power, or even iran.

donald trump threatened to rip up a deal over its nuclear programme, still suspicious of iran's intentions. what donald trump did with that tweet, was, restart the nuclear arms race. it's notjust strengthen our nuclear arsenal, it's expand our nuclear arsenal. we have arms controls that limit, that reduce, that cap the weapons we deploy. he pays no heed to that, seems to want to bust through the cap. with nuclear weapons, words matter. once again, a donald trump tweet has surprised and raised plenty of questions. jonathan beale, bbc news. some breaking news from australia. police in melbourne say they've foiled a terror plot planned for christmas day.

five people have been arrested following raids across the city. let's talk to our correspondent hywel griffith who joins us from sydney. this has been described as a very significant plot. what do we know? we are learning more about what the police call a multimode attack they believed was planned to potentially for christmas day. that would, they say, involve some explosives, device, and weapons, possibly firearms, certainly knives, and they believe that these five men had been working for several weeks to narrow down the operation. they think the target would have been possibly the most iconic area within melbourne, just outside flinders station, on federation square, near st paul's cathedral, where obviously there would be christmas eve and christmas day services planned. so they say this was possibly one of the largest terror plots that may have occurred on australian soil, but they have managed to foil. they say that they have broken the bulk of the cell. they tell people that the raids mean that there is no longer a threat to

that there is no longer a threat to that area, but clearly this has shaken many, many people in melbourne, and really across australia. yes, understandably. now, these five men are being described as self radicalised. yes, we heard from prime minister malcolm turnbull using that phrase, suggesting that while they may not be directed by people overseas, certainly influenced by people overseas, primarily by islamic state propaganda. he says that four of the five are australian—born but of lebanese origin. the other man born in egypt, but having lived in australia for several years. so a homegrown terror threat. now this according to security services is the 12th plot they have managed to disrupt ina the 12th plot they have managed to disrupt in a matter of about two yea rs, disrupt in a matter of about two years, so disrupt in a matter of about two years, so they are clearly wanting to send a message that they are infiltrating and intercepting these threats. however, they are telling people that they need to remain vigilant over the christmas period. several large events in melbourne,

the boxing day test here in sydney, new year's eve fireworks, the police presence will be raised. people might notice more uniformed people but at the same time malcolm turnbull telling people they need not be cowed by this terror threat. they should continue with the australian way, and that is enjoying mingling with people, not taking the away from this possible threat. we will continue, of course, the monitor that for you. also making news today: german police say there is clear evidence linking their main suspect, a tunisian man, anis amri, to the attack on a christmas market in berlin. his fingerprints have been found in the lorry that was driven into shoppers on monday, killing 12 people. as our correspondent in berlin, bethany bell, explains, the authorities are continuing with the search for amri. they said that they have discovered his fingerprints in the cab of the lottery, as well as this identity

document, and they put out a warrant for his arrest, that is a european wide arrest warrant, as well. but... and their tendency has been to be extremely cautious. we are waiting to see, of course. we heard from angela merkel, the german chancellor, today as well, saying that she hoped an arrest would be made soon, and i think that that is a feeling that most germans share, not least the security forces, who are under growing pressure. meanwhile, the christmas market where the attack happened here in berlin, where i am now, has reopened again. the lights are back on the night. the music is not on. normally you would have jolly christmas music and a place like this. that has been switched off, in honour and tribute to the people who died here. people have been lighting candles, laying flowers, but they are also out drinking mulled wine, eating sausages and gingerbread, and assign, they say, that life must go

on as normal. the syrian army has declared victory in aleppo, as state media said the last convoy evacuating rebel fighters and civilians had left the city. the army said it had returned security to syria's second city after liberating it from what it called terrorists. it is the biggest victory for president assad in almost six years of war. the un special envoy once again urged a cessation of hostilities. the aim remains a political process that becomes totally inclusive, and is referring to 22— 5a. now how to get there, based on real politic, thatis get there, based on real politic, that is something we will be adjusting along the lines. japan has increased its defence budget for the fifth straight year.

that is in response to the threat posed by north korea and tensions in the south china sea. the draft budget boosts spending next year to a record $15.6 billion. the money will fund new anti—ballistic—missile systems, and enhance protection of japan's outlying islands. italy's third largest bank has failed to raise 5 billion euros of fresh capital it needed, paving the way for a government bailout. on wednesday, the italian parliament authorised the government to use 20 billion euros to intervene. failure of the bank would threaten the savings of thousands of italians. nearly one third of deaths in china are linked to smog. the findings, by nanjing university, put smog on a par with smoking as a health threat. the university studied air pollution and mortality data in 7a cities. the data provides the latest scientific estimates of the health implications of the problem, which has affected almost 500 million people in china. a cold weather front did improve air

quality on thursday. this huge fire which spread to around 140 buildings in a small city onjapan‘s western coast has now been brought under control. extra firefighters were brought in by the authorities to fight the blaze. parts of itoigawa had to be evacuated. it is thought the blaze broke out in a ramen restaurant, before being spread by high winds. nearly 750 people had to be evacuated. despite the scale of the fire, only two people were injured. there is new pressure on the philippines' outspoken president, rodrigo duterte. the country's independent human rights watchdog is to investigate mr duterte, after he claimed to have personally killed several drug suspects. it follows a request for the inquiry by the united nations.

no surprise that mr duterte has responded angrily, calling the un stupid idiots. tom donkin reports. philippines president rodrigo duterte was swept to power injune ona duterte was swept to power injune on a promise to read his country of illegal drugs and those who trafficked them. his critics argue he has authorised police, vigilantes, and so—called death squads to shoot suspected users and dealers on site. by his own admission, the president himself says he has personally killed. earlier this week, the un cited that confession, calling for an independent human rights group in the philippines to act and investigate mr rodrigo duterte for murder. they agreed and will reopen an earlier investigation into the actions of the president. we are hoping with these new revelations and admissions we can further the investigation, and ultimately have

charges. mr duterte has been unforgiving when discussing his methods. recently he admitted to the bbc that he himself had killed drug suspects while he was matt of the southern city of davao. suspects while he was matt of the southern city of davaolj suspects while he was matt of the southern city of davao. i killed about three of them. i don't really know how many bullets from a gun went inside their bodies, but it happened. i cannot lie about it. went inside their bodies, but it happened. i cannot lie about itm his typically defiant style, he has responded to the investigation against him. while the many, and in some cases mysterious, recent killings in the philippines have alarmed leaders around the world, rod rego duterte has vowed to continue his campaign as long as he is in power, knowing full well that for the moment, while he is president, his country's constitution guards him from

prosecution or punishment. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: why investigators suspect an illicit trade in hippopotamus teeth is feeding asia's ivory markets. also on the programme: continuing our search for a traditional singapore christmas. we will have some carol singers later on newsday. and i promise rico and i will be leaving the singing to this very talented trio. trump we saw this enormous tidal wave approaching the beach, and people started to run, and suddenly it was complete chaos. united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noreiga. the pentagon said the operation had been 90% successful, but it's failed in its principal objective, to capture general noreiga and take him to the united states to face drugs charges.

the hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union, but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie, over the cockpit of the pan—am's maid of the seas, nose—down in the soft earth. you could see what happens when a plane eight storeys high, a football pitch wide, falls from 30,000 feet. christmas has returned to albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands went to midnight mass in the town where there were anti—communist riots ten days ago. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. i'm kasia madera, in london. our top stories: donald trump tweets that he wants the us to greatly expand its nuclear weapons capability, reversing decades of non—proliferation policy. australian police say they've foiled a plot to launch

a series of terror attacks in melbourne, possibly on christmas day. an airline has thrown a passenger off a flight after he accosted ivanka trump, the eldest daughter of president—elect donald trump. the man shouted, "your father is ruining the country" as the aircraft prepared for departure. that story is popular on bbc.com across asia let's take a look at some front pages from around the world: the financial times leads with china's dismay over donald trump's appointment of a new us trade policy chief. peter navarro is a sharp critic of china's commercial practices. the paper says beijing had hoped mr trump would tone down his anti—china rhetoric after assuming office. the japan times reports a message from emperor akihito on his 83rd birthday. the emperor has thanked the country for heeding his comments that advanced age could one day prevent

him from fulfilling his duties. and the straits times reports how malaysia and indonesia are on high security alert for the christmas season. armed soldiers are making their presence felt at shopping malls, clubs and hotels to protect against any terrorist threat. now rico, online people are talking about a bling phone? chinese social media users have been reacting to a golden smartphone, created in partnership with beijing's forbidden city museum. it has an 18—carat gold decoration and a screen made from sapphire glass, and costs almost 20,000 yuan, that's nearly three thousand us dollars. but some social media users have reacted badly to the phone's connection with one of china's

most revered locations. when we hear about ivory poaching we usually assume it comes from elephants. but there are other sources, like hippo's teeth which are regarded as especially beautiful. investigators believe an illegal trade in uganda is feeding markets in asia. earlier i spoke to dr. elizabeth bennett, from the wildlife conservation society, who's an expert on ivory trade. she told what ivory from hippos is like and the problem of illegally trading it. it is very beautiful. it is very smooth ivory. it does not have the strangle lines that you get in elephant ivory and it does not come in quite such large pieces. it is a very beautiful ivory and it carves

into absolutely lovely pieces. how big is the problem? the problem is pretty big. 0ur big is the problem? the problem is pretty big. our staff at the wildlife say that hunting for hippos for the eye of free is the biggest wildlife trafficking problems and they are working hard to try to identify the kingpins. in cameron, hippos are almost ex— stints. 0ne identify the kingpins. in cameron, hippos are almost ex— stints. one of the core threats is hunting for ivory. —— extinct. the convention on international trade in endangered theses says it is on the list that it can be done with strict regulations. some countries have bans on it and some countries don't. should it the band? yes, it probably

should. 0ne should it the band? yes, it probably should. one of the other concerns is that a lot of countries are closing down not only the international market in elephant ivory but a lot of countries, because of the poaching crisis, are closing down their domestic markets fall elephant ivory and that includes the us, china has declared it will do the same and there is a warrior that if the market for elephant ivory is totally closed — which would be fabulous and a game changer for elephants — it might cause an upsurge in hunting for either ivories and he played being very high on the list. now rico it's the last newsday before christmas. here in the uk it's getting colder and the longer nights are making it feel more christmassy but how do you celebrate in the sunshine? iam

i am always dreaming of a white christmas... there are so many ways kasia. to everyone watching, a very merry christmas. i will miss you and i will see you in 2017 but living in singapore means living in a climate thatis singapore means living in a climate that is always in the summer. so how can you experience a white christmas on the equator? sarah toms and her two children find out. we have had to fryattjackets, boots

and gloves because we do not have anything woman enough here in singapore and we needed in snow city in the singapore science centre. inside the air is close to freezing. are you ready to go? back outside, we do not need our codes any more even though it is snowing! well, foaming. this

blizzard of foam is an annual tradition and swimsuits are optional. but i do miss sitting by a roaring fire with some warm wine. cheers. and now a special holiday treat for all our newsday viewers as the programme goes off airfor one week. we'll be serenaded with christmas carols by the adventist university of the philippines chamber singers. before we and the programme, let's find out what they are doing here in singapore? first and foremost we are here for the visitation of our churches. in the union. really

looking forward to your performances in singapore. let's listen now to the chamber singers. merry christmas everyone! sing christmas carols. hi there. i am sure you have already

heard but our bra is heading to the uk. -- heard but our bra is heading to the uk. —— barbara. at in the atlantic, it continues to develop and swing into the north—west of the uk for the next 2a hours. it has been a relatively stop we start to winter but that is set to change as barbara is set to move an. strongest winds on scotland. as we start the morning, the breeze picking up across all of the uk and becoming windy quickly in the day across northern ireland and scotland. gales developing here but the strongest winds heading towards the idols. this band of rain pushing east across the irish sea where we could get gusts of 70 mph on the exposed

coasts and hills. a very squally indeed. it will cloud over and this band of rain arriving during the evening time. and it is not the rain causing the problems, there is an amber warning for strong winds. perhaps 90 mph for kissing on the western isles through friday afternoon and then heading the northern isles as we go through friday evening and overnight top windy weather continuing as barbara continues northwards. plus we showers following on friday night with snow returning to the mountains of scotland. things could get tricky with blizzard conditions higher up. further south, drier conditions as we start christmas eve. decent weather for travelling around across england and wales but further north, blistering showers and further falls of snow in the mountains of scotland. temperatures dropping a little bit. 0n

scotland. temperatures dropping a little bit. on christmas eve. heading into the big day itself, christmas day, you can see on the charts, tiny pack icy isobars. south—westerly winds are mild and we will have a mild day. you can see the yellow colour working its way across the country. very mild but it will also continue to be very windy pet peculiarly across the north—west and quite stormy across the north—west. late on christmas day, we could have some snow showers returning to scotland. i'm kasia madera with bbc world news. our top story: donald trump has called for the us to expand its arsenal of nuclear weapons, reversing yea rs of non—proliferation policy. the president—elect, who will take office in less than a month, tweeted that the us should expand its nuclear capabilities until the world came to its senses. his advisers have tried to row

back on the statement. rodrigo duterte is to be investigated by the philippines human rights commission over his repeated claims that he killed drugs suspects while mayor of davao. and this video is trending on bbc.com: it shows what happened when a passenger on a bus in california put an e—cigarette in his pocket, because he was not allowed to vape on the bus. the passenger was treated in hospitalfor minor injuries. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now it is time for hardtalk.