welcome to newsday. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines. counting down the final days in office as congress battle over president barack obama's legacy. we need to remember that we must not give into the false illusion of isolation is because in this dangerous time, oceans alone will not protect us and the world still seeks and brown leadership. south korea's president in —— is due in court again. or she sure this time? i babita sharma in london. a case has divided in israel. stu d e nts students in each —— east asia/ the global pass rate. —— smash. live from our studios in singapore and london. this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it is atm in singapore, midnight in london and seven in the evening in washington. ——8 in the morning. president obama's legacy is being fought over in congress in the final days of his

term. the battle lines have been drawn over the future of the president's health—care reforms known as obamaca re. president's health—care reforms known as obamacare. the incoming trump administration has promised to repeal it as soon as possible but will the republican party have control of both houses and who will win? they swarmed across yesterday. one two save health—care lot on the other to drive estate. they met with their respective lawmakers to plot their respective lawmakers to plot their strategies. according to the president, mr obama encouraged democrats to fight republicans heart, nicknamed their attempts trump care and not helping them. for his part, mike pence confirmed dismantling obamaca re is his part, mike pence confirmed dismantling obamacare is mission number one for the incoming administration. my message to members of congress is that we will be in the promise of keeping

business and the first order of business and the first order of business is to keep our promise to repeal obamacare and replace it with the kind of health—care reform that will lower the cost of healthcare. democrat leaders shot back saying republicans don't have a plan to replace obamaca re republicans don't have a plan to replace obamacare and that americans will be worse off than before. we are here today to warn the american people that the republican plan to cut medicare, repeal the aca, will make america a sick again. earlier in the day, president elect donald trump weighed in, in his trademark way. hanging in the balance is thejewel in the crown of obama's presidency, he single greatest picture it in eight years. obamacare will be

affordable care act as it will be known —— or the affordable care act. the trump campaign seized upon rising costs as a rallying cry. the question is how to replace it without causing chaos and depriving needy americans, many of them trump voters of their health insurance. let's ta ke let's take a look at some of the day ‘s other news. a military court in israel has found an israeli soldier guilty of manslaughter after he shot dead a wounded palestinian. it is incredibly rare for a soldier to face charges like this in israel. sergeant elor azaria killed abdel fa tta h sergeant elor azaria killed abdel fattah al—sharif last march in a case of a split public opinion. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu israel's prime minister benjamin neta nyahu has joined israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has joined calls israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu hasjoined calls for a pardon for the soldier. our middle east correspondent has more. it's minutes after two young palestinian men with knives attacked israeli soldiers in hebron. both have been shot.

one is dead and one is clearly still alive. sergeant elor azaria, a 19—year—old medic, helped treat a wounded soldier, and then he did this. gunshot. a single bullet to the head killed abdel fattah al—sharif. today the sergeant was in a military court, smiling to see a friend and his mother. but soon after, he was found guilty of manslaughter. judges rejected the soldier's claimed that the palestinian posed a threat and decided he shot him out of revenge. but sergeant azaria has loyal backers in a country where most young people do military service. they accuse the army of abandoning one of its own. this guy came to do an attack, to hurt families. this soldier is a hero. even the israeli defence minister spoke of this as a difficult verdict. before taking up his post, he made clear his support of sergeant azaria.

and that caused tensions with the top brass here in the military headquarters. they said they command according to rules and an ethical code, not public opinion. such a high—profile trial of a soldier for killing a palestinian is very unusual in israel. the outcome was welcomed by the family of abdel fattah al—sharif. translation: i feel like any father would feel after seeing my son executed on tv, murdered. it's so hard to see that. no—one can endure this. it's still hard for me every time i remember what happened. if he died instantly it would have been much easier than to see your son executed like that. sergeant azaria's crime took place during a wave of palestinian attacks when there was a national debate about how to respond. and his case has proved highly divisive. when he is sentenced, the maximum he could serve is 20

years injail, but he is expected to get far less. and tonight the prime minister has joined other israeli politicians calling for a pardon. yolande knell, bbc news, tel aviv. also making you the cell, german officials have detained a suspect in connection to the attack of the berlin christmas market. they say the man had dinner and talk intensively with the killer anis amri ata intensively with the killer anis amri at a restaurant on the eve of the attack. more than 150 activists have been arrested as they tried to demonstrate against pakistani's blasphemy laws. a chinese man has stabbed ii children with a kitchen knife in a kindergarten in the southern region of china. three of the youngsters we re of china. three of the youngsters were seriously wounded and the attacker managed to get entry into the school by claiming he was there to pick up his son. a court hearing in south carolina has begun to decide whether dylan

group should receive the death penalty for the murder of nine black church group —— growers —— —goers. —— roof. united arab emirates have banned the keeping of wild animals such as allianz or tigers as pets. for some in the oil—rich gulf state, owning theseis in the oil—rich gulf state, owning these is known as a status symbol but now they reach —— riskjail or a fine —— lions. south korea's president did not show up south korea's president did not show up on tuesday but the court is expecting her to be there for the second hearing in her impey to the trial to start in a few hours. the first hearing on friday was postponed. it can start without her is she doesn't come. i asked how likely weather she will appear

today? it is not obligatory for the president to be physically present during the procedures and it is likely she will not be attending today. it will be the lawyers who will argue both sides of the case. last month, lawyers listed 13 charges including corruption and bribery for impeachment. —— grounds for impeachment. she has been found guilty of donating large sums of money to company that were controlled by a close friend. president park geun—hye has also been found guilty of negligence to do with 130 children who died at sea. the motion should be struck out by the constitutional court, her lawyer argues. her by the constitutional court, her lawyerargues. herfriend has by the constitutional court, her

lawyer argues. herfriend has been charged with corruption. the top south korean legal body has six months to review the case and come toa months to review the case and come to a verdict. if found not guilty of the charges, the powers of the disgraced president could be reinstated. thank you for bringing us up—to—date with the specifics of the trial could tell us a bit about the latest on the daughter at the centre of the scandal. the daughter of a close friend of the president was arrested on sunday with charges of illegal stay in denmark. since then, she has beenin stay in denmark. since then, she has been in custody and lawyers have been in custody and lawyers have been appointed. prosecutors in seoul wa nt to been appointed. prosecutors in seoul want to question her scene because they feel she is a key witness and will have vital information against her mother but until now, the daughter has distanced herself with charges related to her mother. the

daughter herself is suspected of receiving favours in her university process by taking advantage of her mother's ties with the president and criminal extradition process is under way to bring her back to korea. police in turkey have detained 20 people in connection with the nightclub attack on instat —— in istanbul on new year's eve. earlier, the turkish foreign minister has said that chief suspect has been formally identified but they have not released his name. our correspondent reports. is almost four days now since the massacre in the nightclub which left 39 people dead and still the suspect is on the run. his identity has been established but we do not have a name officially released. very little information has come out about him. some reports that he could be in a central asian country, some video footage suggest he was in the central city of konya before

travelling to istanbul. there have been tensions in the city today of dozens been tensions in the city today of d oze ns of been tensions in the city today of dozens of people suspected of having links to so—called islamic state which says it is behind the attack but the gunmen himself is still at large. that is a problem for the country, this nation, they are fea rful of country, this nation, they are fearful of any sort of follow—up attacks and also they want proof from the people who are meant to defend them and protect this country that they really can close in on this man and that he hasn't slipped through the net and possibly even left turkey to go to another country. really, those crucial hours following the new year's eve attack have now gone and so could the gunmen have been lost to the security services? that is the real challenge now. president erdogan spoke to the country today for his first public address since the attack which is unusual from a man

who rarely shies away from the limelight. he says the aim of terrorism is to divide and polarise the country but we will stand tall as turks and he said those who allege this is attack on lifestyle choice in turkey are talking rubbish. that comes from the allegation that the islamist rhetoric of president erdogan and his government has made the secular side of the country vulnerable and exposed. for now, turkey is desperate lee tried to find the man and trying to reassure a country thatis and trying to reassure a country that is shaken by this attack ——. attack. it's top marks once again for students from the asia—pacific region as the results are posted for a final school exam ta ken by young people around the world. also coming up on the programme, a dinosaur on the move. how deep is a diplodocus is about to embark on a

two—year tour. —— dippy. the japanese people are mourning, following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respect when it was announced he was dead. good grief. after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. teams were trying to scoop up lumps of oil as france recognises it faces an ecological crisis. three weeks ago, the authorities confidently assured these areas that oil from the broken tanker erika would head out to sea. it didn't. the world's tallest skyscraper opens today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is newsday on the bbc. our top stories: a battle is under way in washington over barack obama's legacy as he counts down his final days in office. in a case that's divided israelis,

an israeli soldier is convicted of manslaughter for killing a wounded palestinian attacker. and chelsea's 13 match winning streak in the premier league is finally over. the blues were sunk 2—0 by bitter rivals spurs who now move up to third in the league. england's dele alli was on target twice, both times with headers. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the philippines star reports on the attack on a prison in south philippines which led to the escape of more than 150 inmates. police officers, seen here patrolling outside the walls of the jail, say they suspect gunmen linked to islamist separatist groups are behind the attack. the business page of the gulf news reports on india's rupee ban. the newspaper suggests that the government's move to scrap two major currency notes will strip the nation of its position as one of fastest—growing economies. and the japan times has a special report on the country's young sports stars who are looking to set new records at tokyo 2020 olympics. japan won 41 medals at rio games, but its young athletes are hoping to duplicate or even surpass last year's medal tally. what stories are sparking

discussions online? a new desk top robot with multiple personalities is among the most watched videos online. the robot can play music and control other internet—connected devices as well as offer advice. but the really interesting feature is that it develops a different personality for each user in a household. wakeup, wa keup, holly. wakeup, holly. ladies and gentlemen, lam ollie. wakeup, holly. ladies and gentlemen, i am ollie. wake up, ollie. hello, i am ollie, the first robot with a personality. now, to a dinosaur on the move. if you've ever been to london's natural history museum you can't miss dippy the diplodocus.

it's been the centrepiece there since 1905 and even appeared in two hollywood blockbusters. well now dippy is going on a two year tour and a blue whale is taking its place. daniela relph reports. it is busy here most days apart for those queueing today there was a good buy to be had. the first sight of dippy has been a lasting memory for so many children. it is the first thing you see when you arrive. the natural history museum estimates around 90 million people have stood here and looked up at dippy —— goodbye. it's not known if the diplodocus is a key or a sheet at todayis diplodocus is a key or a sheet at today is the last chance to see dippy at the museum. because it is the last day people might want to see him if they haven't seen it before, so that is why they want to come over “— before, so that is why they want to come over —— he or a she. before, so that is why they want to come over -- he or a she. what do you think of dippy? he goes roar. it is amazing to think they lived a long time ago and he was walking around. i am a bit sad that he is going but maybe i can see other

dinosaurs may be. dippy first came to the museum more than 100 years ago, made up of 292 bones, the dinosaur arrived in 36 cases. during the second world war the skeleton was taken to the basement to protect it. the diplodocus is a plaster cast replica of the real thing. it would have weighed 13 times when alive. it has been cleaned up and cared for since 1979 when it took up its current position —— 13 tons. pulling it apart current position —— 13 tons. pulling itapartand current position —— 13 tons. pulling it apart and moving the dinosaur will be detailed, delicate work. it apart and moving the dinosaur will be detailed, delicate workm the morning we will be starting to ta ke the morning we will be starting to take dippy down. we take the glass barrier away and then we start working from the tailback up to the body and then the neck and over the next month we will be taking each bone down, each of those 292 bones, we will be cleaning them, we will be inspecting them and then we will be packing up. once cleaned up and reassembled, dippy goes on tour for two years. it begins appropriately

on dorset‘s jurassic two years. it begins appropriately on dorset‘sjurassic coast before moving to birmingham, glasgow, newcastle, cardiff and other locations. and this is what replaces dippy, the skeleton of a blue whale, hung from the ceiling to give the impression of it diving, of it being a living species that needs protecting. but today it is all about dippy. for those feeling little sad at the departure there are tentative plans to recast the diplodocus in bronze and place it in the museum grounds. but, for now, it is goodbye. it was results time this week for the international baccalaureate diploma. the qualification is a final school exam taken by young people all over the world. and it's probably no surprise that children in asia came out on top again. while the global pass rate was 70% in the asia pacific region, it was 91%, over 20% higher. and singapore topped the rankings again with a staggering 97% of students passing. sebastien barnard is a regional communications manager with the international baccalaureate, and told me about the qualification.

it is essentially as you mention a qualification for the 16 to 19—year—old who gets into university, the preuniversity qualification, but what sets it apart is it is more a holistic type of educational programme. it concentrates not only on the content rich programme but also looks at how to learn. it teaches students the techniques of learning, so that they become lifelong learners. and the idea is that students should take these skills away with them into university and beyond, and that will make them much more prepared for the challenges of the 21st—century. make them much more prepared for the challenges of the 21st-century. now, of course, let's get to the singaporeans, not the first time they have topped education rankings this year, they told them in maths and science particularly, why do they do so well, because there is a lot of criticism that perhaps this

isa lot of criticism that perhaps this is a nation of kids who are really good at taking exams but not much else? yes, i think it's important to recognise. education has been a really big cornerstone of the singapore success story. singaporean communities take education very seriously. i think plays a lot of value on quality education. and as a result students are extremely dedicated, extremely passionate, spend a lot of time on educational pursuits. i also think it is worth mentioning of course that i think singaporeans get instilled with a certain educational discipline very early on in life, and i think that carries them through as well.|j should say australia also did well, they were second, japan didn't do very well, they were to the bottom, but interesting, though, that there is an increase every year 5% — 8% of stu d e nts is an increase every year 5% — 8% of students taking up the ib system worldwide. why, what does it offer them? you mentioned it preparing them? you mentioned it preparing them for newjobs and professions of

them for newjobs and professions of the 21st century. briefly. historically developed along with the international education market but what we are seeing now, certainly in the last ten years, is growth in the private maths institutions, so local entrepreneurs and businesses investing in education. and they are recognising a way of differentiating themselves and they are also recognising this enquiry —based learning has been very useful. before the age of the computer, many of us relied on typewriters, and while they've disappeared into obscurity in most parts of the world, in myanmar lots of people still rely on them. that's because electricity is often unstable and laptops are too expensive. but in spite of their popularity, even in myanmar, they're starting to die out. we've been speaking to a couple of fans who insist they'll always remain loyal. well, from typewriters to new technology, coming up next, we look at driverless cars as they hit the road at the consumer electronics show in las vegas. and before we go, wow‘s this for proof that age is no excuse? a 105—year—old french cyclist has

set a new record for the furthest distance cycled in one hour. robert marchand, who was born in 1911, completed 22 kilometres, 5117 metres in a race against the clock in a category that was created specially for him. congratulations. stay with us, we will be back with their headlines next. we will see you soon. hello there, good morning. quite widespread frost to start the day today. most of us are firmly in some really quite cold air coming down from the north. and the cold feel two things is accentuated by the northerly breeze along the eastern coast. but elsewhere the winds are a little bit lighter, the skies are clear, allowing temperatures to plummet away, even towns and cities below freezing, rural parts in the

heart of england —6 or seven degrees. really cold for most. not so degrees. really cold for most. not so cold in cornwall, five or six here, not too far inland to find much lower temperatures, —1, here, not too far inland to find much lowertemperatures, —1, —2 here, not too far inland to find much lower temperatures, —1, —2 at eight o'clock in the morning, so it will be a cold start for england and wales. maybe a little ice for some on untreated surfaces in eastern england with overnight showers. some parts of northern ireland have a touch of frost and it will be quite widespread for northern england into scotland, the northern and western isles just escaping. we still have the brisk winds into the afternoon for eastern england. maybe still a shower or two. most places fine and dry. a good deal of sunshine and light went as well. after the cold start temperatures are slow to rise. maybe only two or three degrees for northern areas, four degrees or five degrees in cardiff and london, but seven 01’ degrees in cardiff and london, but seven or eight for belfast and plymouth. early on thursday evening the frost returns for any but by the end of the night as cloud and maintain the wind picks up for the north and west of the uk, by the end

of the night some frost and fog is confined to the south—eastern corner. it will be a pretty grey day for many of us on friday. default is slow to clear. you do eventually. all the rain in the north and west becomes light and patchy with some helpful to go with that —— the fog. it is quite a grey day. the rain into the south—east in the afternoon. starting to turn less cold. we get up to 5—7 in norwich and london. how to the west, belfast and london. how to the west, belfast and plymouth, ten or 11 degrees and and plymouth, ten or 11 degrees and a mild air continues to filter in through friday night and on into saturday. we see the wind coming from the atlantic. always a mild direction. it will bring a fair bit of moisture with it, a bit of cloud and a bit of rain to start the weekend but the rain will be light and patchy and i think many places will be fine and dry. temperatures are back up into double figures in the south of the uk, not too bad for northern areas as well. not so cold to start the day on sunday but it

will be another cloudy day. the wind is still coming in from the west and temperatures will be up to about eight or nine degrees, ten or 11 further south and any rain i suspect will be light and patchy, so turning mild into the weekend but there is a lot of cloud around, not much rain but a little bit of patchy rain and drizzle. this is bbc world news. our top story. a battle is under way in washington over barack obama's legacy as he counts down his final days in office. president obama has been huddling with democrats in a bid to save his healthcare law — but the incoming trump administration says repealing it is their top priority. south korea's president is due in court again — to face impeachment charges but it's not certain she'll show up. the first hearing ended afterjust nine minutes as she wasn't there. dippy the diplodocus has been the centre piece at london's natural history museum since 1905 but now he's being dismantled, to begin a two year tour of the uk.

he's being replaced by the skeleton of a blue whale. that's all from me now — stay with bbc world news. now its time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.