a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories. counting down the final days in office as congress battles over president obama's legacy. israel's prime minister, benjamin neta nyahu calls for the pardon of a soldier convicted of manslaughter for killing a wounded palestinian attacker. after a large crowd of men molest women during new year celebrations — police in southern india arrest six people. and spinning his way through old age. at 105 years old, this frenchman has set a new cycling record. in the final days of his administration, the cornerstone of president obama's legacy is being fought over by congress. the battle lines have been drawn over the future of the president's healthcare reforms,

known as obamaca re. the incoming trump administration has promised to repeal it as soon as possible and with the republican party now in control of both houses — the democrats will struggle to save it. laura trevelyan reports from washington. they swarmed across capitol hill today with rival entourages and duelling missions. one to protect his signature health—care law, the other to drive a stake through it. president obama and vice president—elect mike pence met with their respective lawmakers to plot their opposing strategies. according to those present, mr obama encouraged democrats to fight republicans hard, nickname their attempts trump care and not rescue them by helping to pass a replacement law. for his part, mr pence confirmed dismantling obamacare is mission number one for the incoming administration. my message to members of congress is that we are going to be in the promise—keeping 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 health

insurance with our growing size of government. democratic leaders shot back saying republicans don't have a plan to replace obamacare and that americans will be worse off than before. so, we're here today to warn the american people that the republican plan to cut medicare, medicaid, repeal the aca, will make america a sick again. earlier in the day, president—elect donald trump weighed in in his trademark way. by tweeting that the existing law might collapse on its own, warning republicans: hanging in the balance is the jewel in the crown of obama's presidency, his single greatest victory it in eight years of partisan fights. applause obamaca re, or the affordable care act as it's formally known, expanded healthcare to more than 20 million people. republicans always saw the law as government over reach

and the trump campaign seized upon rising costs for consumers 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. geoff garin is president of hart research associates and a democratic pollster. he joins us from bethesda maryland. surely the battle was lost when the election was lost? i don't think it is. the senate needs to find 51 votes to test this bill. one republican today already voted against it because repealing the law the way the republicans want to do well add greatly to the budget deficit to let religious takes to more republicans to understand that

what they are about to do is deeply unpopular with americans who really wa nt unpopular with americans who really want donald trump to keep his promise to not repeal obamacare and tell there is a replacement in place. how do they do it without leaving millions of americans without cover? can it be done? most health experts believe it is impossible. in their own wisdom, the american people say what ought to happen with the affordable care act is congress needs to keep what's working and fix what needs fixing rather than repeal the law as the republicans want to do. the reality is, repealing the law in the way the republicans are attempting to do will cause chaos in the health—care system. it means that 20 million people will lose their healthcare coverage and rates are likely to go

up, especially for people buy insurance on their own. —— who buy insurance on their own. —— who buy insurance will stop it is not what they signed up for when they voted for donald trump in november. sure people are complaining about the soaring premium cost. how is this likely to play out? i think it is probably the case that republicans will be able to cobble together the vote to begin the process of repealing the affordable care act that as soon as they do, it will cause great chaos in the health insurance market and its likely people will start to lose their coverage pretty quickly and rates will start to go up, as high as they are now, even more quickly, especially for people who have to buy it on their own. then all of the

problems of the healthcare system that are now blamed on obamacare and democrats, will transfer over to the blame of the republicans and this is going to be a real political albatross for them this year and into the mid—term elections next year. all right, thank you very much. the former finance minister in minister —— mexico will now lead negotiations with the trump administration on bilateral issues including the border wall along big us, mexican border. let's speak to the mexico and central american corresponded. —— correspondence. he has been present even before he

was in government so he is an influential man within politics. the fa ct influential man within politics. the fact they have put him in that specific position, that of foreign minister, clearly is a nod towards the incoming trump administration. when he was removed from the role of finance minister, mr trump tweeted that he was a fantastic man and that the united states and mexico will make great deals if he were still in office. now he will be in office again and if anything, leading negotiations with the trump administration. and yet he took criticism. how will he be with burt north american free—trade agreement and the wall? —— how will he be with it. it -- it was luis videgaray who

was blamed for this. he was blamed in the media for having engineered the visit. it was supposed to be the moment in which mexico could appeal to mr moment in which mexico could appeal to mertrump's moment in which mexico could appeal to mr mr trump's better nature. within the day, mr trump had returned to the united states and repeated his claim that not only will they be building the wall but that mexico will be paying for it. that caused a lot of reaction in mexico. how he will build from that position at his sword as foreign minister in service finance minister will be interesting to find out. certainly, mr trump believes the two men can work together. thank you very much indeed for that. it's a case that's divided opinion in israel. a soldier who shot dead a wounded palestinian militant has been convicted of manslaughter.

israeli sergeant elor azaria killed abdul fatah al—sharif in hebron last march, after the palestinian had been involved in stabbing another soldier. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, hasjoined those calling for a pardon for the soldier. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reports. 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. in other news: the commander of the us—led coalition says iraqi forces confronting islamic state militants in mosul are gaining momentum. general steve townsend conceded that the attack initially lacked co—ordination. he said he'd been "greatly concerned" by what he called the daunting number of casualties inflicted on the army. the iraqi government predicted it would win the battle by new year, but its forces have still not re—captured even half the city. a hearing is under way at a court in south carolina to decide

whether the white supremacist, dylann roof, should receive the death penalty for the murder of nine black church——goers in charleston in 2015. last month he was found guilty of all 33 hate charges against him. a commuter train derailed during the morning rush hour in new york, injuring more than 100 people. the long island rail road train went off the tracks as it arrived at the atlantic terminal in brooklyn. the fire department says the injuries were not life—threatening. turkey has warned that a new round of syria peace talks is at risk, accusing the government of violating a fragile truce it brokered with russia last week. the nationwide ceasefire is holding in most areas but is being threatened by fighting near damascus. government forces and their iranian—backed allies are trying to recapture the area, which is the main source of water to the capital which has been without water for the last two weeks. the regime and the rebels have been blaming each other for the situation. the un says the lack of clean water in damascus is a humanitarian emergency.

any lack of water is obviously a humanitarian emergency and obviously lack of fresh water leads to waterborne diseases, particularly among children. as part of our response in syria, the un has already equipped a number of areas to provide water sources. we talk to myanmar‘s typists who wa nt to we talk to myanmar‘s typists who want to preserve their ageing miss it -- want to preserve their ageing miss it —— machines. the japanese people are in 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 bbc news. my name's mike embley. the latest headlines: a battle is under way in washington over barack obama's legacy as he counts down his final days in office. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has called for the pardon of a soldier convicted of the manslaughter of a wounded palestinian attacker.

police in the indian city of bangalore have arrested at least six people, after several women said they were groped and molested during the city's new year celebrations. the victims claim they were assaulted by mobs, and cctv pictures have emerged of one woman being attacked. angus crawford reports. noisy but good—natu red, noisy but good—natured, it began as a celebration. crowds flocked to the centre of bangalore to see in the new year but as midnight approached the mood became darker. a series of women were groped and assaulted. witnesses said the police took little action. we should be ashamed, hang our heads in shame that the community, the society, onlookers, spectators took no action. the

incidents have caused outrage. one politician blamed victims for wearing western clothes. it has also raised wider questions in a country where only i% of women feel able to report such crimes. under pressure, the police have now made a rests. we did not waste time, we did not wait to look for the complainant, we have registered the case. the investigation has started. the whole tea m investigation has started. the whole team is investigating and we will make all efforts. we are sure we will catch the culprits. cctv has now emerged of another assault on the same night. look, at the top of the same night. look, at the top of the screen a woman walking home. two men on a motorhead stop. one attack. she fights back and manages to escape. police are investigating. one night in bangalore has highlighted a —— and unpleasant

truth faced by many women in india. turkish police have detained 20 people in connection with the attack on a nightclub in istanbul on new year's eve. 39 people lost their lives. earlier, the turkish foreign minister said the chief suspect had been formally identified, but the authorities have not released his name. our correspondent mark lowen is in istanbul. well, it's almost four days now since the massacre in the reina nightclub, which left 39 people dead, and still the suspect is on the run. the turkish foreign minister says 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 from a central asian country, some video footage suggest he was in the central turkish city of konya in december before travelling to istanbul. there have been tensions in the city of izmir 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. 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 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. but 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 new year's eve attack, which is unusualfrom 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 a 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 feel vulnerable and exposed. but really, turkey is desperately trying to find the man and trying to reassure a country that has been profoundly shaken by this attack in the heart of istanbul. a us federaljury has found six men from a gang known as the chicago hobos guilty of nine murders, racketeering, and a slew of robberies, kidnappings and shootings. paris poe is one of the members, in what was the biggest gang trial in the city's recent history. the hobos rose to the top of the drug trade through extreme violence, which included torturing one robbery victim with a hot iron. in other crimes, they shot dead a government witness in front of his screaming children, and stole jewellery at gunpoint from a basketball star outside a nightclub. hobos street gang was as bad as it

gets. these men were ruthless in their pursuit of crime and violence. they sought to join forces to enrich themselves and empower themselves through fear and through violence. the new york times says that apple has removed the newspaper's app from its app store in china, following a request by the chinese authorities. the paper says the request is part of an attempt by china to prevent its people from gaining access to independent news coverage. a spokeswoman for the times says they're asking apple to reconsider its decision. apple say they'd been informed that the app violated chinese regulations but weren't told what rules had been broken. 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. fertile —— peter wright writers of

myanmar. he's nothing less than a cycling legend. robert marchand has set a new world record at the age of 105. he's cycled more than 22 kilometres in one hour. it was a race against the clock in a category the international cycling union created just for him. asked why he wanted to set a new record, he told reporters he simply wanted to prove that there's more to life after 100 than sitting in an armchair. our paris correspondent hugh schofield has more. 92 laps, 22 one half kilometres, robert marchand has done it again. the frenchman is already holder of the hour time trialfor centenarians, now he is champion of a new age category created for cyclists aged 105. robert marchand has always been a fitness fan. in an earlier life he was a gymnastics champion and a boxer. he never smoked, he drinks only the occasional glass of wine and he exercises. translation: i do tend to

20 kilometres every day but i don't train outside any more. i am afraid of getting the flu. -- ten. with more and more people around the world living into their hundreds, the case of robert marchand can only inspire. although his coaches and met his physique is somewhat an exception. translation: he has an exceptional heart. he has the heart ofa exceptional heart. he has the heart of a 60—year—old. and above all his heartbeat is slow and steady. yesterday we did a 20 minute test and over 20 minutes his heart rate never surpassed 100 beats per minute. at the end of this latest exploit mr robert marchand said his legs felt fine. it was his arms about her. his record, though, has to be officially confirmed by international cycling's anti—doping authority. fantastic. and finally, the main

story, in the final days of the administration president obama's legacy is being fought by congress over obamacare, the president's health—care reform. donald trump was elected on the promise of dismantling it as soon as possible and with the republicans in control of both houses of congress it looks as though the democrats will struggle to save any of it. much more on all of the news for you any time on the bbc news website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @bbcmikeembley. thank you for watching. hello there, good morning. quite a 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 to 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 around of below freezing, rural parts in the heart of england —6 or —7 degrees. so, a really cold for most.

not so cold in southern cornwall, five or six here, but you don't have to go too far inland you 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 parts of england where we've seen some overnight showers. some parts of northern ireland have a touch of frost, and it will be quite widespread for northern england into most of scotland, although the northern and western isles just about escaping. we still have the brisk winds into the afternoon for eastern england. maybe still a shower or two. most places will be fine and dry. a good deal of sunshine and light winds as well. but after the cold start, temperatures are slow to rise. maybe only two or three degrees for northern areas, fours and fives in cardiff and london, but sevens and eights out towards belfast and plymouth. early on thursday evening the frost returns for many but, by the end of the night, as cloud and rain moves in, 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. but it will be a pretty grey day

for many of us on friday. the fog is slow to clear in the south—eastern corner. it should do eventually. all the rain in the north and west becomes light and patchy with some hill fog to go with that. it is a pretty grey day. the rain into the south—east in the afternoon. starting to turn a little bit less cold. we get up to, what, 5—7 in norwich and london. how to the west, belfast and plymouth, ten or 11 degrees and a mild air continues to filter its way 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 lot 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. and those temperatures are back up into double figures in the south of the uk, not too far from that for northern areas as well. not so cold to start the day on sunday but it will be another cloudy day. the wind still coming in from the west and temperatures will be up to about eight or nine degrees quite widely, 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. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm mike embley. senior us democrats have promised to strongly resist efforts by the incoming trump administration to repeal obamacare — president obama's healthcare policy. the republican vice—president—elect, mike pence, had earlier said the process would begin on donald trump's first day in office. israel's prime minister said he supports calls for a pardon for an israeli soldier convicted of manslaughter after he shot a palestinian militant who was lying wounded on the ground. prosecutors said the killing by sergeant elor azaria in the occupied west bank was an act of revenge. police in the indian city of bangalore have arrested at least six people, after several women said they were groped and molested during new year celebrations. the victims claim they were assaulted by mobs, and cctv pictures have emerged of one woman being attacked. stay with us.

coming up next, hardtalk.