i'm babita sharma, in london. the headlines: his final big speech as president — barack obama arrives in chicago for his farewell address. the man picked to be the next us attorney—general tells congress he's no racist and has never supported the ku klux klan. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. football's governing body approves plans for a massive expansion of the world cup to 48 teams. and clare hollingworth, the veteran british journalist who witnessed the start of the second world war, dies at the age of 105. live from our studios in london and singapore, this is bbc world news — it's newsday.

good morning. it's 8am in singapore, 1am here in london and 7pm in chicago, where barack obama is about to deliver the final big speech of his presidency. it's expected to be a parting plea to americans not to lose faith in their future, no matter what they think about their next president. it's also his last chance to try to define his legacy. the president landed in chicago a little earlier, a fitting bookend to what began eight years ago, in the city where the nation's first black president claimed his victory. this is the scene live, as the stage has been set. hundreds of people making their way to the convention centre in chicago and all eyes will be on barack obama, in around 50 minutes time from now to see him deliver his final farewell address.

our correspondent laura trevelyan is in chicago. we saw many people are saying in but now it is pretty quiet, they are all inside? mostly. there are still some lawyer people doing it. a firefighter here in chicago is with me. this is a big moment. you were at the inauguration. what are you hoping to hearfrom at the inauguration. what are you hoping to hear from the at the inauguration. what are you hoping to hearfrom the president? at the inauguration. what are you hoping to hear from the president?” am hoping and i will not disappointed, president obama will in his most stylish manner the state united. —— stay united, to do it in a selfless manner. to serve as public servants, even in the media,

we have a duty to serve the purpose and not ourselves. what has it meant to you personally having him in the white house, michelle obama by his side, the first african—american family in the white house? side, the first african—american family in the white house7m side, the first african—american family in the white house? it has epically, historically proud and i humbly honoured to know that an african—american man can represent at such a high level without scandal, may i say in those eight years. he took the high road. michelle obama said when people go lo, you go high. we have had an example, someone lo, you go high. we have had an example, someone to epitomise the walk instead of talking the talk. i am absolutely honoured. it was a

bruising election campaign, democrats are still licking their wounds and i shot the president is privately at what do you hope to hear from privately at what do you hope to hearfrom him... the fact privately at what do you hope to hear from him... the fact that donald trump is about to become president. do you think the current president. do you think the current president can strike a unifying tone? unification is what it is all about. president—elect donald trout came out saying he was a good man, he was not saying that before. president obama will say that it is not about who is in the white house by the institution is intact. the people that write elected, appointed, the layman, we all have a duty to represent each other. the brothers keep us movement will take

hold. he will bring us to task and let us know that is what is needed. thank you so much forjoining us. my pleasure. one of many thousands of people drawn here to witness this historic moment. barack obama bidding farewell to the american people. you will be back in about 20 minutes. thank you very much for that. and of course, you can watch live coverage of president obama's farewell speech in just under an hour's time at 0200 gmt. later in the programme we'll be looking at barack obama's foreign policy legacy. republicans and democats in the us senate have clashed over the confirmation of donald trump's nominee for attorney—general. republican senators described jeff sessions as a distinguished legislator but democrats said they were

troubled by what they called his extremely conservative agenda. several times he rejected allegations of racism. barbara plett usher reports from washington. this was always going to be a hard sell. a senator dogged by years for allegations of racism now set to become the country's top law enforcement official. jeff sessions is the first of donald trump's cabinet nominees to be questioned by congress and the most controversial. iam not a racist, iam not insensitive to blacks... 30 years ago he was accused of racist comments in front of this same committee, it rejected him from a position as federaljudge. other charges of civil rights violations followed and he has been defending his record ever since. i'm from south carolina so i know... a fellow senator from the south gave him a chance to humanise the debate. when i came up as a us attorney i had no support group, i didn't prepare myself well in 1986

and there was an organised effort to caricature me as something that wasn't true. sessions strongly denied allegations he supported the ku klux klan and said he had no doubt about systemic discrimination. i know that was wrong and i know we need to do better. we can never go back. the civil rights concerns tapped into wider fears of what a trump administration will bring, especially from a strong trump supporter like sessions. communities across this country are concerned about whether they will be able to rely on the department ofjustice to protect their rights and freedoms. democratic senators quizzed sessions about his hard—line views on immigration and social issues, could he enforce laws he voted against? yes, he said, including same—sex marriage and abortion. it is the law of the land, it has been so established and settled for quite a long time and it deserves respect and i would respect it and follow it. he also sought to ease fears he supported trump's initial call for a ban on muslims entering

the country but reassuring testimony has limited impact in this climate. a number of black lawmakers even planned to testify against their fellow congressmen, something almost unheard of. please understand i think these are extraordinary times and they call for extraordinary measures. barbara plett—usher, bbc news, washington. also making news today: dozens of people have been killed in a succession of militant attacks in afghanistan. the taliban said it was responsible for the twin bomb attack on an intelligence agency vehicle in the centre of kabul. the car was responding to a blast minutes earlier. a jury in south carolina has confirmed that dylann roof will get the death penalty for killing nine black men and women at a church in 2015. the 22—year—old white supremacist was convicted of the crimes last year. melvin graham, who lost his sister in the shooting, gave his reaction to the verdict. as i sat in the court room, i thought this is a very hollow victory because my

sister is still gone. i wished that this verdict could have brought her back but it can't. what it can do is send a message to those who feel the way he feels, that this community will not tolerate it. when my sister was killed, this community pulled together in a way that i had never seen before and i just wish that that feeling, that that love that we showed for each other in the city of charleston and the state of south carolina, and around the nation, the warm words, the prayers that came in will continue.

i just want this to stop, i really do. i'm tired. everytime i hear about a shooting, i cry. we have to stop this. several days of torrential rain in thailand has left at least 30 people dead. the heaviest january rains for three decades have been lashing the country's south for more than a week, affecting more than million people across twelve provinces. now take a look at this — doctors at a hospital in china have used lights from smartphones to deliver a baby in the dark. a woman went into labour in the back of a car outside a hospital in guangzhou. doctors said that by the time they reached the car, half of the baby's body was already in view, so they had to deliver the baby there. clare hollingworth,

the journalist who broke the news of the start of the second world ii has died at the age of 105. she was just 27 when she delivered the scoop of the century on the build up of german troops on the polish border. she went on to cover many of the most significant events of the 20th century. james robbins looks back at her life and career. archive: this is a national programme from london. germany has invaded poland and has bombed many towns. but three days earlier, clare hollingworth‘s greatest scoop had already appeared in the daily telegraph. alone inside germany she'd seen the nazis massing for invasion. aged 27 and a journalist for less than a week, a woman in a man's world had beaten the lot of them. 1939, i went out to poland to become number two to hugh carleton greene of bbc fame and i got to warsaw and he said one of us has got to go to the frontier and i was on the german polish frontier when the german hordes, tanks, moved in.

and clare hollingworth‘s scoops kept coming. in 1963 she uncovered kim philby‘s escape to russia as an m16 traitor. for weeks the guardian refused to publish, fearing a libel action. but above all she was a war correspondent. across the middle east and notably in vietnam, revealing secret talks between hanoi and washington. i am passionately interested in war and if one is then one can't help be in it. happy birthday dear clare. last year in hong kong, fellowjournalists celebrated clare's 105th birthday, as even more extraordinary stories emerged of her role before world war two, helping refugees escape the nazis. in danger herself so many times, clare hollingworth was witness to great events across more than a century. clare hollingworth, who's died at the age of 105.

football's governing body, fifa, has approved plans to expand the world cup to 48 teams. it'll open up the tournament to nations who've previously found it difficult to qualify and is set to boost the number of african and asian countries taking part. the move will also generate millions more from advertising and tv rights. 0ur sports correspondent richard conway reports from zurich. fifa has finally cleared the path to 4080 fifa has finally cleared the path to a080 countries. speaking to me today, the president insisted that in the face of much criticism it is time for the sport to look behind its traditional borders. football has become a truly global game because many more countries and

teams will have the chance to mollify and they will invest in developing football, elite football as well as grassroot football, invest in their technical developments and this will make sure that the quality races. the growth of the world cup will being enormous profits. according to research. but the man elected as fifa president, partly on a pledge to deliver a bigger competition, insists it does not about cash or politics. it is not about cash or politics. it is not about cash or politics. it is not a money power grab, it is the opposite. it is a foot or link decision. we presented fourformats, eve ryo ne decision. we presented fourformats, everyone has advantages in terms of the financial situation which means we are in a confident situation to ta ke we are in a confident situation to take a decision simply based on the sporting merit. asia, where interest

in football is booming, and africa stand to benefit the most. that will be more slots for european nations. scotla nd be more slots for european nations. scotland welcomed the decision believing it will give them and is a better chance of qualifying for top after a number of years when the fire was a byword for corruption, its new leadership is determined to assert itself. gianni infantino is 110w assert itself. gianni infantino is now to convince its critics that a reformed world cup is good. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: with just an hour to go before his farewell speech as president, we look at the impact of barack 0bama's foreign policy. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. and i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: barack obama has landed in chicago where he is going to be making his farewell speech as president — in less than an hour. it'll be live on bbc news.

donald trump's controversial nomination for the post of attorney general — senatorjeff sessions — has been defending his record as he testifies at a confirmation hearing. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world china daily talks about alibaba's ambitious plans for the us. the e—commerce giant is going to add american companies to its vast network creating one million newjobs in us. the philippine star reports on the latest pirate atrocity in the country. eight fishermen have been killed in an attack off the southern there was always something upside down about barack obama receiving the nobel peace prize before he'd really done anything as president. when he came to office, one of the greatest strategic threats was iran, a resurgent power in the region, but more important than that was securing a multi—national deal to curb tehran‘s nuclear ambitions. an agreement struck, despite fierce opposition from israel's prime minister. when benjamin netanyahu came to address the congress, nearly two years ago, there was fury in the white house. they were angry that an invitation had been extended by republican leaders and accepted without the president knowing. but very soon someone much more to the israeli prime minister's liking will be occupying the white house and the question the world is asking — will the iran nuclear deal survive the change of power?

for over a year, we've been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. well, this is a bad deal. it's a very bad deal. his relationship with netanyahu was one of the lows, culminating in the us refusing to veto a un resolution critical of israel's policy of settlement building. the chemistry with the russian leader, vladimir putin, was no better. crimea, cyber espionage and syria left them barely speaking. the pledge at the start of his presidency was all about disengaging from costly conflicts and bringing the troops back home. in 2011, president obama achieved something the bush administration did not, the successful tracking down and raid to kill public enemy number one. the united states has conducted an operation that killed 0sama bin laden, the leader of al-qaeda. the raid and promise of the arab spring would soon be replaced by a middle east in flames and the rise of so—called islamic state, the fight against which remains unfinished business. arguably, the low point for president obama in the middle east has been syria, which has been a humanitarian catastrophe sparking the worst refugee crisis since world war two. and the president's failure to act against president assad, despite much huffing and puffing, has come back to to haunt him. a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons

moving around or being utilised. that would change my calculous. but nothing happened, no action. i think it was a mistake not to enforce the red line. when the united states says, very clearly, that there will be costs and consequences for a certain action, i think it's important to follow up on that action. but i also wouldn't confuse that, enforcing the chemical weapons red line, with the notion that there was some interventionist fix to the syria problem. barack 0bama's policy towards syria is very much like the country's embassy here in washington dc, an empty shell, newspapers piling up on the doorstep, the windows barred. in the talks to bring peace to the country, america isn't at the table. barack obama has flipped—flopped over whether to take military action, too slow to react to the dangers of so—called islamic state. it's been a period in which american influence has waned and russian has increased. from one empty embassy to another that has had new life breathed into it. this is the cuban embassy in north—west washington. for over 50 years it had lain derelict, a last legacy, if you like, of the cold war. in the warmth of a caribbean island, barack obama consigned the last piece of icy cold war

legacy to history. cuba had brought the world to the edge of nuclear war, now diplomatic relations are restored, an extraordinary transformation. he leaves office largely admired and popular around the world, not least for his role in the global climate change deal. he'd tried to carve out a foreign policy that he saw as right for the times, but as the commander—in—chief was given the traditional send—off, in his own way was he as destructive to us power and influence as his predecessor, george w bush, and what would the nobel committee make of him eight years on? jon sopel, bbc news, washington. 0ur correspondent laura trevelyan is in chicago. do we know how long he is set to speak in this address? years due to speak in this address? years due to speakfor speak in this address? years due to speak for about half an hour. this speech is going to be live on or the us networks. —— he is due. it is white house people saying it will transcend the moment. that the president is copying the tradition set by his predecessors. george washington, the first us president to pen a letter to the american people, our farewell address. 0bama has said in a video preceding this address tonight that he has learned

two things in this eight years. one is how good the american people are at the second is how change can happen. something the nation experienced when he was elected and of course something we're experiencing again. the radical departure of the election and the election of donald trump. supporters will be looking to him to provide guidance at a very anxious time for them, the people that didn't support donald trump and i worried that he will drive a stake through the heart of 0bama's legacy. they are looking to him to be optimistic, uplifting, and to tell them there is a hopeful way forward. ok laura. laura trevelya n way forward. ok laura. laura trevelyan they live in chicago. thank you forjoining us right here in newsday on bbc world news. i'm rico hizon in singapore. and i babita sharma. this is lakeside centre in chicago. as wejust

babita sharma. this is lakeside centre in chicago. as we just heard from laura and we have been reporting, barack obama is due to come out on that podium you can see as the stage is set at the centre is being filled with hundreds of people. in about 35 minutes time, you can watch live coverage of barack 0bama's final address as president here on bbc world news. stay with us. hello. before our weather turns increasingly wintry, it turns wild and windy. a particularly lively day across the northern half of the uk today. some travel disruption is possible as wee see wind gusts in excess of 60mph. strongest winds through northern scotland as this weather feature pushes east, introducing cold wind across the country and keeping the wind lively and gusty for the morning rush—hour. gusts in excess of 60mph across scotland. frequent showers turning frequently to sleet and snow notjust over the hills. rain showers for northern ireland accompanies the strong to gale force winds, gales if not severe gales

for some parts of northern and western england, as well as western wales. not a great morning rush hour across the pennines. to go with showers, the winds particularly lively. further south and east, the wind isn't as strong, but picking up through the day, introducing some sunshine but dropping the temperature. feeling colder for all in the afternoon. showers most frequent in the north—west of england and ireland, and they turn increasingly cold for scotland with afternoon temperatures at three or four degrees at best. we continue with those winds, strong, gusty and increasingly icy through the night and into thursday. the showers get increasingly wintry too. scotland, northern ireland and northern england have a covering of snow for some into the morning, certainly icy conditions around. further south, even here a cold start to thursday. here is the set up for thursday, with the north—westerly winds bringing increasingly cold and arctic air our way. notice the weather feature pushing south, this could complicate things, the forecast for the south for sure. uncertainty at the moment but it looks like for southern areas

outbreaks of rain with the wind coming from the south—west, but the rain turning to snow for a time across the welsh mountains, the moors, the south—west and the other high ground, moving to the other parts of southern england as we go through the afternoon, giving a covering here and there, maybe some flakes to low levels, certainly one to watch. further north we go, though, it's a case of some avoiding the showers altogether, others frequent snow showers. a good covering over the high ground in scotland, 10—20 centimetres if not more for the highlands and grampians. covering of snow to lower levels at times. even if you miss the showers, some of you will completely, all of you will notice the wind, it is going to be a day where the wind chill makes it feel much more like subzero for almost all. and the icy winds continue through thursday night and into friday. strengthening in fact across southern areas. showers for a time dying back to the coast through friday itself but the rain, sleet and snow flurries across eastern parts of england are only part of the story. here we will see severe gales on friday, some rough seas and the risk of some minor coastal flooding. stay tuned to the forecast.

i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story: president obama has arrived in chicago for his farewell address. he touched down on air force one within the last few hours. it's where he made his inauguration speech eight years ago. he's expected to make a parting plea to americans not to lose faith in their future. donald trump's controversial nomination for the post of attorney general, senatorjeff sessions, has been defending his record as he testifies at a congressional hearing, saying he's no racist and never supported the ku klux klan. and this video is trending on bbc.com his clip has gone viral of the malaysian footballer — mohd faiz subri — fumbling on his phone to look for his acceptance speech after being named winner of the fifa puskas award for scoring the best goal of 2016. and the top story here in the uk: a teenage girl remains in police

custody in connection with the death of a 7 year—old girl in york.