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: obama's farewell. in his last major speech in office, the president thanked his supporters and the american people. it has been the honour of my life to serve you. i won't stop. in fact i'll be right there with you as a citizen for all my remaining days. eight years after making his victory speech in the same city, he returned to a familiar message of hope and change. yes, we can. yes, we did, yes, we can. thank you. god bless you. may god continue to bless the united states of america. hello.

president obama has given a farewell speech to the nation before a big televised audience and thousands of supporters in chicago, where his political career began. he said he was leaving the united states a better, stronger country. he claimed success in economic growth, a nuclear deal with iran, restoring relations with cuba and legalising same—sex marriage. and extending health insurance to 20 million people. he said the american people made him a better president. my fellow americans. applause michelle and i have been so touched by all the well wishes we have received over the past few weeks.

but, tonight, it's my turn to say thanks. whether we have seen eye to eye, or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the american people, in living rooms and in schools, in farms, on factory floors, diners, and on distant military outposts, those conversations are what have kept me honest and kept me inspired and kept me going. and every day, i have learned from you. you made me a better president, and you made me a better man. if i had told you eight years ago that america would reverse a great recession, reboot

our auto industry and unleash the longest stretch ofjob creation in our history... applause if i had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the cuban people, shut down iran's nuclear weapons programme without firing a shot, take out the mastermind of 9/11... applause if i had told you that we would win marriage equality and secure health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens... applause if i had told you'll that, you might have said our sights were set a little too high. but that's what we did! that's what you did. you were the change.

the answer to people's hopes. and because of you, by almost every measure, america is a better, stronger place than it was when we started. applause to begin with, our democracy won't work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity. and the good news is that, today, the economy is growing again, wages, incomes, home values and retirement accounts are all rising again. poverty is falling again. the wealthy are paying a fair share of taxes, even as the stock—market shatters records the unemployment rate is near a ten year low. the uninsured rate has never, ever been lower.

health—care costs are rising at the slowest rate in 50 years. and i've said, and i mean it, if anyone can put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements need made —— we've made to our health—care system, that covers as many people with similar or lower costs, i will publicly support it. because that, after all, is why we serve. not to score points or take credit, but to make people's lives better. but for all the real progress that we've made, we know it's not enough.

our economy doesn't work as well or grow as fast. when a few prosper, the expenses grow for the middle class, and the same for those who want to get into the middle class. that is the economic argument. but stark inequality is also corrosive to our democratic ideal. while the top i% has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income, too many of ourfamilies in inner cities and in rural counties have been left behind. the laid off factory workers, the waitress, barely covering her bills, the health—care worker who is barely getting by in struggling to pay the bills, convinced that the game is fixed against them. that the government only serves

the interests of the powerful. that is the recipe for more citizens to make polarisation in our politics. there are no quick fixes to this long—term trend. i agree, our trade should be fair and not just free, but the next wave of economic dislocations won't come from overseas, it will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes a lot of good middle—class jobs obsolete. and so, we're going to have to forge a new social contract to guarantee all our kids the education they need, to give workers the power to unionise for better wages, to update the social safety net to reflect the way we live now. to make more reforms to the tax code so that corporations and individuals who reap the most from this new economy torrent —— don't avoid their obligations to the country that has made their very success possible. after my election, there was talk of a post—racial america.

and such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic. race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society. now, i've lived long enough to know that race relations are better than they were ten, 20, 30 years ago, no matter what some folks say. applause you can see it notjust in statistics, you see it in the attitudes of young americans across the political spectrum. but we are not where we need to be. and all of us have more work to do. if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hard—working, white middle class, and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades are going to be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their

private anglaise. —— enclaves. if we are unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants just because they don't look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children. because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of america's work off. cheering and applause —— force. that order is now being challenged. first, by violent fanatics who claim to speak for islam. more recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who see free markets and open democracies in civil society itself as a threat to their power.

the peril each poses to our democracy is more far reaching than a car bomb or a missile. they represent the fear of change, the fear of people who look or speak or pray differently. a contempt for the rule of law that holds leaders accountable. an intolerance of dissent and free thought. a belief that the sword, or the gun or the bomb or the propaganda machine is the ultimate arbiter of what is true and right. because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform, because of our intelligence officers and law enforcement, our diplomats who support our troops. no foreign terrorist organisation has

successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years. and although boston, and orlando, and san bernardino, and fort hood remind us of how dangerous radicalisation can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and vigilant than ever. we have taken out tens of thousands of terrorists, including bin laden. the global coalition we are leading against islamic state has taken out their leaders and taken away about half their territory. islamic state will be destroyed and nobody who threatens america will ever be safe. and to all who serve, all who have served, it has been the honour of my lifetime to be your commander in chief.

and we all owe you a deep debt of gratitude. in ten days the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy. booing no, hallmark of our democracy. bo0ing no, no, the peaceful transfer from one freely elected president to the next. i committed to president—elect trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as president bush did for me. because it's up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face. michelle, a girl of the southside...

for the past 25 years you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been my best friend. you took on a roll you didn't ask for and you made it your own with grace and with grit and with style and good humour. applause. you made the white house a place

that belongs to everybody. and a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. so you have made me proud and you have made the country proud. my fellow americans, it has been the honour of my life to serve you. i won't stop. in fact i will be right there with you as a citizen for all my remaining days. but for now, whether you are young or you are young at heart, i do have one final ask of you as your president. the same thing i asked when he took a chance on me eight years ago. i am asking you to believe not in my ability to bring about change but in

yours. iam ability to bring about change but in yours. i am asking you to hold fast to that faith, written into our founding documents, that idea whistled by sleeves and abolition is, the spirit sung by homesteaders and those who marched forjustice, the creed reaffirmed by those who played at flights from foreign battlefields to the moon. yes, we can. yes, we did. yes, we can. thank you, bless you. may god continue to bless the united states of america! thank you. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: football's governing body approves plans for a massive expansion

of the world cup to forty—eight teams. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. huge parts of kobe were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice by the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws, passed by the country's new multiracial government, and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running play, the mousetrap. when they heard

about her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would have been the last person to want such a thing. this is bbc news. my name's mike embley. the latest headlines: president obama has given a farewell speech to the nation before thousands of supporters in chicago — where his political career began. to sustained applause and cheers — he said he was leaving the united states a better, stronger country after eight years in the white house. a reminder of what he called a hallmark of democracy. donald trump will be sworn in and on wednesday he will be sworn in and on wednesday he will give his first press conference. we are told he may give a statement. he has complained of

a political witch hunt against him after unconfirmed reports emerged in the us media that russian intelligence had gathered compromising information about him. and that he and president obama had been briefed on it. in a tweet, the president—elect denounced the reports as fake news. unnamed american officials say the us intelligence services have briefed mr trump and president obama. however there has been nothing said publicly by the us intelligence community to support these claims. well donald trump will take over as president of the united states in just ten days and today was a key moment for the team he has assembled. senatorjeff sessions was the first to go before lawmakers in his confirmation hearing to become the next attorney general. concerns have been raised about his record especially when it comes to civil rights but today he defended his past and pledged to uphold the laws of the land. the bbc‘s barbara plett—usher reports. this was always going to be a hard sell, a senator dogged for years by 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 races comments. this same congess rejected him and his position asjudge. other charges of civil rights issues have followed. he has been defending himself since. a fellow senator gave him the opportunity. when i came as united states attorney, i didn't prepare myself well in 1986 and there was an organised effort to caricature me as something that wasn't true. sessions denied being part of the ku klux klan. said he had no idea about systemic racism. i know that was wrong. we can never go back. civil rights concerns tapped into the fears of what a trump administration would bring, especially from a supporter like sessions. communities across this country are concerned about whether they would be able to rely on the department ofjustice to protect their rights and freedoms. democratic senators quizzed sessions

about his hardline 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 will respect it and follow it. he also sought to ease fears that he supported trump's initial call for a ban on muslims entering the country. but reassuring testimony has limited impact in this climate. and black lawmakers plan to testify against their fellow congressmen, something almost unheard—of. please understand, i think these are extraordinary times and they call for extraordinary measures. and a jury in south carolina has confirmed that dylann roof will get the death penalty for killing nine black men and women at a charleston church in 2015. the 22—year—old white supremacist was convicted on 33 federal charges last year. in the penalty phase of the trial roof represented himself and told jurors he didn't have a mental illness. he didn't offer any remorse or ask that his life be spared.

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 a path to a world cup of 48 teams — from 2026, 16 more countries will join football's flagship tournament. speaking to me today, the world governing body's president insisted, in the face of much criticism, it is time for the sport to look beyond its traditional borders. football has now become a truly global game because many more countries, many more teams will have the chance to qualify so they will invest in developing football, they will invest in developing elite football as well as grassroot football,

they will invest in their technical developments and this will make sure that the quality raises. the growth of the world cup will bring enormous extra revenue — fifa stand to make an additional £500 million in profit in 2026, according to its own research. but the man elected as fifa president, partly on a pledge to deliver a bigger competition, insists it is not about cash or politics. it is not at all money and power grab, it is actually the opposite. it is a football decision. so the way we presented it was, ok, every...we presented four formats, everyone of the four formats has advantages in terms of the financial situation, which means we are in a comfortable situation to be able to take a decision simply based on the sporting merit. asia, where interest in football is booming, and africa stand to benefit the most when the extra 16 places

are divided up. there will be more slots too for european nations. the scottish fa welcomed todays' decision, believing it will give them and others a better chance of qualifying. after a number of years when fifa was a byword for corruption, its new leadership is determined to assert itself. gianni infantino's task is now to convince his critics a reformed world cup is a force for good. richard conway, bbc news, zurich. clare hollingworth, the british war correspondent who broke the news that world war two had started — died at age 105. as a rookie reporter in poland she spotted german forces gathering on the border in 1939 and brought the news to the world. 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'm really passionately interested

in war and if one is then one can't help like being 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, dead at aged 105. president obama has said he is leaving america in a greater place after eight years. he hasjust leaving america in a greater place after eight years. he has just given his farewell address in chicago. thank you for watching. 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 winds across the country and keeping the wind lively and gusty for the morning rush—hour. gusts in excess of 60mph across parts of 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 to snow across 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. the latest headlines from bbc news. my name's mike embley. president barack obama has given a farewell speech to the nation before thousands of supporters in chicago, where his political career began. to sustained applause and cheers, the president said he was leaving the united states a better, stronger country after eight years in the white house. donald trump has complained of a political witch hunt against him, over unconfirmed reports emerged in the us media that

russian intelligence had gathered compromising information about him. —— and had briefed him and president obama about him. the president—elect denounced the reports as fake news. he's due to give a press conference on wednesday. the us senate has begun confirmation hearings for key nominees to his cabinet of. first to appear was the republican senatorjeff sessions. he's mr trump's choice for attorney—general. democrats say he has an extremely conservative agenda. now on bbc news, hardtalk.