hello. our top stories on bbc world news: as the us expel 35 russian diplomats, president—elect donald trump praises the russian president's response. vladimir putin says he won't expel us diplomats but would work to restore ties with donald trump when he takes office in january. after nearly 2a hours syria's ceasefire is generally holding, the guns have fallen silent, but all sides remain on alert. the world footballer of the year, cristiano ronaldo, turns down a big—money move to china. hello and welcome, just one day after president obama announced plans to expel 35 russian diplomats

over alleged cyber hacking, his successof over alleged cyber hacking, his successor donald trump has praised the intelligence of the russian president vladimir putin. using twitter mr trump said, great move on delayed by putin, i always knew he was very smart. that was in response to putin's decision not to respond to putin's decision not to respond to the us expulsions by expelling us diplomats from russia. mr putin has said he will wait to respond until after mr trump becomes president. we'll talk live to a russian journalist in a moment but first of all, with the latest from moscow, steve rosenberg. near the kremlin tonight, they were putting on a seasonal show. ahead of the new year celebrations, there was song and dance and some musical theatre. but that was nothing compared to the political theatre being played out inside. first up on stage, the foreign minister who advised

president putin to expel 35 us diplomats. america had expelled 35 russians. in other words, tit—for—tat. cold war style. it seemed inevitable. but, no, vladimir putin said, he wasn't going to stoop to the level of irresponsible diplomacy. he wasn't going to expel any americans. he even invited the children of all us diplomats in moscow to a new year's party here in the kremlin. that was a surprise. but it didn't change what america's top intelligence agencies believe to be true, that state—sponsored hackers backed, by the highest levels of the russian government, had interfered in the us presidential election. with a cyber attack on the democratic party. was president putin behind it? washington suspects he was. and last week, i got a chance to ask him myself.

mr president, your country has been accused of state—sponsored hacking with the aim of influencing the result of the us presidential election. president obama revealed that he told you personally to "cut it out". so, what did you tell him, in response? the kremlin leader refused to tell me. dismissing all the talk of hacking as sour grapes from the democratic party. "the losing side always tries to pass the buck", he said. but president obama had decided there was enough evidence to merit retaliation. what putin and trump expect from each other is a certain kind of decency. a certain kind of frankness. and no hypocrisy and no political correctness. by not expelling diplomats today,

the kremlin was sending a new year's gift. to the new man in the white house. a sign that moscow wants a new relationship with washington. could 2017 be the year that russia finally comes in from the cold? this is what us president—elect tweeted. lets talk edward lucas, joining us from central london. if america was expecting retaliation, moscow has laura bicker gave more details about donald trump's latest tweet. this is a president—elect heaping praise on the russian leader who just 2a hours ago, the current president had said we should be alarmed by the actions of the

russian government. yesterday president obama announced all these sanctions and said russia should pay, and condemned to russia for interfering in us democracy. that condemnation has yet to come from donald trump but what we're seeing here is him heaping praise on vladimir putin instead. perhaps the nonresponse by vladimir putin in response to president obama's sanctions is exactly getting the reaction from donald trump that vladimir putin had hoped for. because this is perhaps the new relationship you just heard from steve rosenberg, that vladimir putin might want. net speak to dmitri bakic, analyst at the russian news agency sputnik. yesterday when we first heard about the sanctions and expulsions, we heard about countermeasures coming from russia that would be very uncomfortable. we

we re that would be very uncomfortable. we were hearing about those lame—duck references. what has changed? and nothing basically changed. it was, i think, when the american side, primarily president obama, decided to expel the russian diplomats, they kind of proceeded from the image of putin created by the mainstream media in the west. that he was a vengeful person, very easily getting angry. you know, a bad guy in general. this is certainly not true. putin is not vengeful. there are a lot of people in the government who we re lot of people in the government who were opposed to him and openly criticised him and they are still in the government. in the same way instead of expelling 35 american diplomats and shutting down their diplomatic facilities in russia, as the american side did with the russian embassy in washington, dc, putin just russian embassy in washington, dc, putinjust said, i'm quoting, we're

not going to expel anyone. i congratulate president obama and his family on the new year, and i invite the children of american diplomats to eight orthodox christmas celebration in the kremlin. it was a nice answer they didn't expect. celebration in the kremlin. it was a nice answer they didn't expectm celebration in the kremlin. it was a nice answer they didn't expect. is a very nice but in one swipe he has com pletely very nice but in one swipe he has completely undermined president obama. he's outgoing. but he's com pletely obama. he's outgoing. but he's completely undermine demand is throwing forward to donald trump.|j mean, obama let himself be undermined because it was not putin who started expelling diplomats, it was obama. obama simply proceeded from the wrong intelligence, the wrong ideology, just like he proceeded from the wrong intelligence and ideology syria, expecting president assad to fall. it was simply wrong. it was a very

skewed ideology. skewed ideology led obama toa skewed ideology. skewed ideology led obama to a lot of foreign policy disasters and this is just the latest in a chain that he had in his term as president. we see the phrase donald trump has issued to president putin via twitter. what does putin want, do you think, from donald trump, what kind of relationship does he hope to achieve?” trump, what kind of relationship does he hope to achieve? i think putin just once the absurdity we have been seeing from the united states and the eu in the at least three years, putin wants the absurdity to end. if you look at the events of the last three years, the foreign policy of the united states was just absurd, the foreign policy of the united states wasjust absurd, the united states wasjust absurd, the united states was not interested in the civil war in syria, which they basically helped to start by supporting the armed rebellion. the united states

was not interested in the collapse of the legally elected government in ukraine, which they supported. so basically putin expects trump to be a pragmatic president. he doesn't expect trump to be a sympathiser of russia. he doesn't expect trump to bea russia. he doesn't expect trump to be a russian agent. this is the language of hillary clinton and barack obama. putin expects trump to bea barack obama. putin expects trump to be a pragmatic man and follow american interests. not pursuing liberalism that obama has been following in the last two years. thank you very much. this is a fast—moving, developing as you can expect. more details on our website, just head to the bbc news website for up—to—the—minute information on russian and us reactions to this. let's look at some of the day's

other news. it's less than a day since nationwide ceasefire began across syria. it seems to be holding in most areas. it has emerged not all rebel forces consider themselves involved. one islamist group in particular which has links to al-anda, insisted it will continue to fight against the syrian government. alanjohnston alan johnston reports. there alanjohnston reports. there is a ceasefire but many on the front won't put aside their guns just yet, they will watch and wait, suspicious, after years of war. translation: we are committed to this ceasefire to keep civilian people safe. but we're here on the front line ready in case the regime tried to break the ceasefire at any time. we think this ceasefire is a game, but we are committed to it to keep the civilian soul is safe.

while the fighters draw breath in a new tense calm, others focus on the politics of the truce. in this rebel stronghold, the northern city of its lip, they protested against president bashar al—assad. people here said they would support the ceasefire if it meant he was ousted. and that demands from the opposition we re and that demands from the opposition were met. the president's supporters will see things very differently. events have moved in his favour. his army has dealt the rebels a major defeat in aleppo. mr assad is stronger now than ever. his great ally russia is the major force behind the truce agreement. translation: this reflects the reality that after the liberation of aleppo the situation is now different. there is a real opportunity to reach a political solution to the crisis in syria that

ends the bloodshed and establishes the roots for the future of the country. those who want the truce to hold worry about the part played by these men, ripples from what used to be called the nusra front, with links to al-anda. they rejected ceasefire deal and the syrian military says they are still a target. if it goes after these men in the depths of rebel territory, the truce could unravel. across this shattered land, on its first day, the ceasefire appeared to be largely holding. despite reports of scattered clashes and some air strikes, many syrians will desperately hope the truce will endure. translation: the ceasefire is good, it's good for the people to get a break from the aircraft, the hit and killed. the people are tired. we want our gods to realise this, with a ceasefire or with

anything, we don't have any problem because we wanted to finish this death and destruction that happens to us. if his prayers are answered and the guns go quiet, a route to new peace talks will open up. alan johnston, bbc news. in neighbouring iraq army special forces continue to push back islamic state militants in the eastern section of mosul. the second phase of an offensive on the last major stronghold of is in iraq, which began in october. the us led coalition said iraqi forces had advanced in three directions and opened two new fronts in the city. the fighting comes a day after iraqi forces broke a two week lull in fighting to stage a multipronged offensive east of the tigris river. stay with us on bbc news, lots more still to come, including big—money. cristiano ronaldo offered more than

100 million euros this season to play football in china. learner drivers could be allowed on motorways for the first time under new government plans to improve road safety. the department for transport is launching a seven—week consultation under the proposed changes from today. the experience of using a busy road is vital for beginners. any tool we can have where we can get people more experience, it's got to be a good thing. the test is a minimum standard test. the experience is key to being safe on the road. we teach people for risk assessment, and how to self evaluate. if you're lucky, i'm in an area that's got one, there are good dual carriageway networks. we can make use of those. there are no motorways being used. driving instruction is changing and we are

more about self—development and self—assessment. there is more mix of roads being used. it's not necessarily similar to motorways. you're watching bbc news, our main headlines this our... president—elect donald trump has praised president putin for rejecting a call to expel 35 us diplomats in retaliation for a similar move by washington. that is oui’ similar move by washington. that is our top story which we will stay with, the diplomatic row between russia and the us over alleged cyber hacking during the presidential election. the situation has raised questions about the reality of cyber war as a potential weapon. let's cross to our expert. paul is the founder of red branch consulting plc. a homeland security consulting company. is that what we're having,

is this a cyber war, is this where we are wrapped? i prefer to call it cyber conflict, war suggests people dying and buildings getting blown up and things like that. there is no doubt we're in the midst of a conflict between the united states and russia, that has a very strong cyber dimension to it. unless and until somebody dies, i prefer not to invoke the law of war and talk about it as war. the information gleaned through this hacking, there are things they can do with that information, that could be really useful. absolutely, we've seen the utility of it already. we will never know what the results of the american election would have been without russian interference to the dnc hack, and the release of information from the democratic congressional committee on things like that. at a minimum,

congressional committee on things like that. ata minimum, we congressional committee on things like that. at a minimum, we have doubt, uncertainty about the integrity of the elections. that's at the far end it might have changed the result. i think it's probably pretty unlikely. you're convinced russia was involved in some way? the forensic evidence released, done by crowder strike and the us cert the other day makes an almost ironclad case. anybody who wants to reject the spectre of russian military involvement in the hack is pretty much running a blind game. they are making it up. there is no credibility to those denials in light of forensic evidence we've seen. what kind of situation are we in? how difficult is it for the security services, will they ever really know what is happening? security services, will they ever really know what is happening ?|j think we're coming to a changed world, where there's going to be a

great deal more uncertainty, there isa great deal more uncertainty, there is a pervasiveness to cyber vulnerability that goes across all dimensions of western society days. security services will never be able to say with any certainty at all that all of britain and america's secrets, our infrastructure, our political system, is protected against attack. we're never going to get to that place. what does it mean for individual nations? do our children need to start coding from a young age? realistically what we need to be doing? there is a great deal more we can do in terms of education, in terms of developing capabilities within a nation. the other portion of this is, do better at the simple things. fundamentally we're in the place are right now because the it manager for the

democrat national committee disregarded some clear signals and they wound up getting hacked. that was a solvable problem, doesn't mean the russians are absolved from responsibility but it means if you don't have the sense to lock your door some of the blame is on you. good to get your expertise. let's catch up with some of the day's of news stories. police in brazil have confirmed the body found in the boot ofa confirmed the body found in the boot of a burnt out car in rio dejaneiro is that of the greek ambassador. he had been missing since monday. detectives are questioning his wife, and are holding three other people, including a local police officer, as pa rt including a local police officer, as part of their investigation into his death. a medical examination carried out as part of the investigation into the death of singer george michael has proved inconclusive. he

was found dead at his home in the south of england on christmas day. further tests will be carried out. in india the deadline has passed for people to swap discontinued banknotes or be left with worthless pieces of paper. people had 50 days after the surprise announcement by the prime minister narendra modi, but 501,000 rupee notes would no longer be legal tender. what impact has the move had? the notes being withdrawn represented 86% of the currency in circulation. there have been chaotic scenes since the announcement in november with people spending hours queueing outside banks and cash machines to exchange currency. it is estimated 40% of cash dispensers are now empty, meaning people are unable to withdraw new notes. to make matters worse, much of india's informal sector is dependent on cash, resulting in the closure of some businesses. the government says the

measure is intended to tackle corruption, reduce undeclared cash holdings, and boost tax revenue. cristiano ronaldo's agent says the real madrid star has been offered more than $100 million per season to move to the chinese super league. and that he has turned it down. he has said the money is not everything and the football star is happy where he is. with the chinese super league increasingly able to pull notable football talent is it only a matter of time before more big names sign 7 of time before more big names sign up? joe wilson reports. china wants football, it wants footballers. bbc sport film that one of china's first designated football schools, two hours east of beijing. the country can't simply wait for grassroots to grow. in the meantime there is money. according to his agent,

cristiano ronaldo turned down £85 million a year offered by a club in the chinese super league. maybe. the relocation is already happening. carlos tevez wants of manchester united and manchester city, saying goodbye to his blathered buenos aires, to begin the new year in shanghai, apparently becoming the world's highest—paid footballer. £32 million a season in the csl. it is rumoured. trevor watkins, sports lawyer who has worked in china, told me these deals will force the world to pay attention. we have a situation where the csl is commanding the way in which the transfer market is moving, they are the ones with big money, prepared to put it on the table, slightly different transfer window to european football. they are distorting, advancing the european market. consider oscar, 25, at his peak, leaving chelsea tojoin market. consider oscar, 25, at his peak, leaving chelsea to join a different shanghai side. i'll chinese side is a threat to the

premier league? sam allardyce said today he had rejected a chance to manage in china but thinks more players will go there. with their population and the fact people will go out and watch football at that level, only time will tell whether it's the right thing to do or not. the club's not going to turn that money down and certainly the player isn't. it's possible to build a successful football league with foreign talent in a country where the national team fails. they could ask england fans. china aims to win the world cup. if so, the next generation must be better than the current one. in a recent world cup qualifier, china lost to syria. earlier i spoke with rogan taylor, director of the football industry group at liverpool university. i began by asking why the chinese super league is willing to spend huge amounts of money on players like ronaldo. football has been pronounced as being good by xi

jinping. you need to think about one single business, it's the government's business, all of it. —— think about china as one single business. if the boss says something is good, everybody bends their shoulder. there are companies in china who with the permission of the government, make large amounts of money and they want to spend this money and they want to spend this money to illustrate how they are seeking to raise the level of football amongst current chinese players, by mixing in with them some of the great talents of the world. it is part of putting your shoulder to the wheel, doing what the boss wa nts to the wheel, doing what the boss wants and making chinese football better than it is. by spending such huge figures, we saw carlos tevez, do you think they will be successful in improving theirgame? do you think they will be successful in improving their game? they've been pretty poor. i don't think they

will be successful, i don't think the focus on the grassroots of the game, the youth of the game, is the real way forward. most people in chinese football recognise that. this has been done before. you also have to remember the government and the nation has had great enthusiasm for football before when they qualified for the world cup. it meant everybody was on to football. when they went to the world cup, didn't wina when they went to the world cup, didn't win a game, didn't score a goal, didn't get a single point, in fa ct. goal, didn't get a single point, in fact. it all collapsed. there has been a series of great corruption scandals, referees, players, bribery, gambling, said chinese football has been a kind of radio wave going up and down. we're at the height of one of the big push is right now and that means everybody‘s going for it. rogan taylor on the mixed fortunes of chinese football. thanks for watching. fog causing problems across the

southern half of the uk. over the next 48 hours will see the weather front sweeps south, introducing cleaner cold arctic air which should get rid of the fog problems. it's been brighterfor some get rid of the fog problems. it's been brighter for some places, get rid of the fog problems. it's been brighterfor some places, there has been sunshine, captured by a weather watcher in northamptonshire. for some places it has been more like this, dense fog lingering well into the evening. it may thicken further overnight tonight. further delays, some of the airports. local radio should keep you up—to—date if you are on the move. fog west across the south—east of england, patchy fog elsewhere. not in northern ireland and scotland, breeze from the south—west will keep fog at bay, but keep it relatively mild. ruble spots in the south—east cold,

frosty, poor visibility through the morning. dense fog patches in places. if you don't have fog you will have cloud, dull start of the day. it might be brighterfor a time in northern england but in scotland the weather front brings quite a breeze, cloud, outbreaks of rain. rain in the north—west will be heavy for a time. dry to start in northern ireland, fairly cloudy. the weather front slipping south into the central lowlands through the afternoon. through the afternoon it'll creep into northern ireland. ahead of that, dry but grey weather. something brighterfor time ahead of that, dry but grey weather. something brighter for time in northern england. further south the fog could linger into the afternoon. not as cold with the south—west breeze affecting more of england and wales. through the evening the weather front sweeps south and as we head towards midnight it gets stuck across northern england and in two parts of wales as the fireworks go off. south and east of the weather front should be fine and dry, not too cold. seven ericht agrees.

turning colder behind the weather front, cold enough for snow showers in northern scotland. showers coming in on this notable arctic breeze. cold air pushing ever south through the day on new year's day. behind this area of rain, which could get stuck across the south—east. elsewhere feeling cold in the wind. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: donald trump praised russian president matt armia putin after putin said he would not expel any us diplomats —— president vladimir putin. a nationwide ceasefire in syria is less than 2a hours old. whilst it appears to be holding in most areas, there is some confusion as to which groups or actually involved. if the blind has expired —— a deadline has expired in india for people to get rid of old

banknotes. there have been long queues all —— all day. cristiano ronaldo's agent said that the star has been offered more than $100