hello, everyone. our top hello, everyone. ourtop stories: the us senate votes to confirm former exxon chief rex tillerson as secretary of state as the government has a tougher stand on iran. concerns over north korea hayet on the agenda. -- high on the agenda. the ayes have it. british mps celebrate after voting for a bill to end membership to the european union. beyonce announces she is expecting twins and the news goes viral instantly. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's

newsday. glad you could join us. it is 18 the morning in singapore and seven in the evening in washington. "8. seven in the evening in washington. ——8. rex tillerson, the former chief executive of excellent novel was finally confirmed by the senate. —— exxon mob will. he was confirmed by nearly every democrat. the next will be for the choice for the vacant position on the supreme court. democrats are questioning whether he could be an independent voice. forget the humdrum way a supreme court pick

is normally announced, this is the donald trump white house and it was all geared for prime time television. every network taking the announcement live, tension building through the day. but now, it was showtime. so was that a surprise? was it? politicians come and go, but neil gorsuch, such a conservative with impeccable legal credentials and flanked by his british wife, has just been handed a job for life to the most powerful court in the land. standing here, in a house of history, i'm acutely aware of my own imperfections. i pledge that if i'm confirmed, i will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitution and laws of this great country. last night there were protests against his appointment outside the supreme court. this will become a political dogfight, for sure. not least because the vacancy came up a year ago, but republicans refused point blank to even meet barack obama's nominee. now, democrats are promising to be equally belligerent. i have very serious doubts that judge neil gorsuch is up to thejob.

in the meantime, the supreme court nominee is on a charm offensive, touring the capital, gladhanding, offering reassurance. and donald trump is impatient to get things done quickly. he had this advice for the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell. if we end up with the same gridlock that they've had in washington for the last... ..longer than eight years — in all fairness to president obama — a lot longer than eight years but if we end up with that gridlock i would say, if you can, mitch, go nuclear. the supreme court gets to vote on all the most contentious issues in american society — gun control, abortion law, gay rights and, who knows, maybe soon donald trump's controversial immigration ban. for many voting republican last november, it wasn't about donald trump, he was a means to an end. the end being, keeping the supreme court in conservative control. and it could become even more conservative.

two of the more liberaljustices are now quite elderly — justice breyer is 78, ruth bader ginsberg, 83. if president trump gets to choose their replacements, the political complexion of the supreme court will have changed dramatically and that in turn could result in massive change to the social fabric of america. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. as we heard, president trump's new secretary of state rex tillerson was confirmed a few hours ago. this came as the new us defence secretary, james mattis, starts a four day visit to south korea and japan. before being elected, mr trump angered politicians in both countries by suggesting that they weren't doing enough — or paying enough — to defend themselves against north korea. here's steve evans in seoul. as we heard, president trump's new secretary of state rex tillerson was confirmed a few hours ago. this came as the new us defence secretary, james mattis, starts a four day visit

to south korea and japan. before being elected, mr trump angered politicians in both countries by suggesting that they weren't doing enough — or paying enough — to defend themselves against north korea. here's steve evans in seoul. donald trump has his fans in south korea, a small but fervent demonstration of loyalty outside the us embassy in seoul. we love the united states of america. the united states of america and korea, we are blood brothers. blood brothers on frequentjoint military exercises. us and south korean troops as one is the message. but during the american election, mr trump said south korea only paid peanuts for the presence of 2008 is an american troops here full i solemnly swear... the brand—new defence secretary comes to asia saying the alliance is a

strong, demands for more money are being downplayed. in this part of the world, the american embassy and donald trump have two of the world most dangerous problems— the military rise of china and the nuclear threat of north korea. north korea is striving to get long—range nuclear weapons but mr trump said he would like to talk, pre—election, and that would be a radical change from obama. there is a deal to make for north korea, it is not a great deal, you do not walk out with a nuclear arsenal but you can get a freeze that stops them from the tests, from improving their

capabilities. south korean and american soldiers practice winter wa rfa re american soldiers practice winter warfare is. mrtrump american soldiers practice winter warfare is. mr trump wants to keep the alliance that south korea has its own election coming up and a much more anti—american government may well gain power. stephen evans, bbc news, south korea. another big story in the uk, the next step has been taken towards brexit. members of parliament have voted in support of the bill paving the way for britain to leave the european union. feeling confident, prime minister? she didn't really need to worry. having fought against having the vote, government ministers never really worried about winning it. chanting: no trump! no brexit! in the end, a much bigger proportion of mps voted to begin brexit than the proportion of us that chose to leave. the ayes to the right, 498.

the noes to the left, 114. huge cheers. but yes, that was one mp muttering "suicide". so the ayes have it, the ayes have it! cheering. dozens of labour ministers voting against but a thumping government majority. on a wet wednesday, the debate didn't feel it's been about the country's destiny. but tonight, history hangs over. a quiet revolution, the prime minister called it. brexiteers were proudly manning the barricades. in the unlikely event it was news to anyone, our former top diplomat in brussels, now out of his job, warned mps today of bumpy times ahead. sir rogers, is the government going to make a failure of brexit? fist fights, feisty talks and potentially a bill of billions to get out of the european club. this is going to be on a humongous scale, going to have enormous amounts of businesses running

up various different channels. the total financial liability, as they see it, might be in the order of 40— 60 billion euros on exit. that prospect and principal means some labour mps have even quit their commons top team rather than obeyjeremy corbyn‘s call to vote for the bill. several have sacrificed front bench jobs, like rachael maskell, until tonight in the shadow cabinet, not any more because she voted with her remain constituents. the arguments don't end tonight. yesterday it was compared to alice in wonderland but alice only took herself into the hole. this prime minister is taking virtually all of the tory party, half the labour party, and the entire country into the hole. so, the prime minister sweeps out, she has her way. those against her seem lonely, for now. there's been further fighting in eastern ukraine between government forces and pro—russian separatist rebels.

the centre of the recent escalation, the government—held industrial town of avdiivka has seen more shelling. more than twenty—thousand people there are without power in freezing conditions. the quebec city mosque that was the scene of a deadly shooting on sunday has opened its doors for the first time the since the attack. in the islamic centre, blood smeared the floor and walls and bullet holes could still be seen in the aftermath of the carnage. mosque administrators say they plan to renovate the place to move away from the memories of the crime. we have to start training in this scene. what we are planning is to renovate everything. change the colours, the painting, everything just to take these memories out of

oui’ just to take these memories out of our lives. one of china's richest men, who mysteriously went missing from his hotel in hong kong over the lunar new year weekend is now reported to have crossed into mainland china. the billionaire, xiao jian—hua's company claims he'd not been kidnapped. he is said to be assisting an investigation into the chinese stock market crash in 2015. doctors have been able to read the courts with the syndrome using computer technology. they have absolutely no control over their body because the brain has lost its ability to control muscle but a study has help them communicate, it giving answers to yes or no questions. a study in germany and maze only showed that despite everything, they were happy. the north indian state of punjab votes on saturday

for a new government. but the biggest issue confronting voters is notjobs or corruption, but a massive drugs problem. nearly two thirds of households in the state are said to have at least one user of hard drugs such as heroin. the bbc‘s sanjoy majumder reports on a state that has become india's drugs capital. and a warning, this story contains pictures of drug use. punjab's dark and deadly ‘underbelly‘. the rampaging drugs crisis. an epidemic that is consuming the youths in one of india's most prosperous states. this man's sun died last year of a heroin overdose. he was 28th. the shock of

losing him, he says, turned in into a 1—man crusade against drug use. translation: i want to save the young generation, its children. i have carried my sons body on my shoulder. i do not want any other pa rent to shoulder. i do not want any other parent to go through this. that is my mission. one reason for the alarming numbers is the easy availability of heroin and synthetic drugs. i in the grounds of a hospital and as public places this, drugs are being openly bought and sold. we cannot show it to you on film but i have seen a number of transaction taking place in the last few minutes. they walk away with their stash, disappear

behind the ball over there. this is where they come, mostly to inject themselves with heroin. take a look at you can see here in the rubbish, at you can see here in the rubbish, a huge pile of used syringes. you have done yourjob... over the past two years, scores of rehab centres have sprung up. each day, hundreds of addicts turn up, seeking treatment. the basic problem is addiction to heroin, before that smack and before that hard drugs. i used to have a proper meal and then i used to pick. i was in a bit. —— addict. the scale of the problem is

extensive. a whole generation may 110w extensive. a whole generation may now be lost to heroin. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: growing concerns, as a new study shows that a strain of malaria has become resistant to the most commonly used drugs. also on the programme: breaking on the internet! the news that pop royalty beyonce and jay z are expecting twins. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. the ban on the african national congress is lifted immediately, and the anc leader, nelson mandela, after 27 years injail, is to be set free unconditionally.

the aircraft was returning from belgrade, where manchester united had entered the semi—final of the european cup. two americans are the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given yachstwoman ellen macarthur the spectacular homecoming after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. and i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the us senate votes to confirm former exxon oil chief, rex tillerson, as secretary of state, while the white house signals a tougher stand on iran. america's new defence secretary, jim mattis, heads to asia

with concerns over north korea high on his agenda. here's a story popular on our website. can you read the sign next to pro—brexit campaigner and former ukip leader, nigel farage? "he's lying to you," it says. it's being helped up by a member of the european parliament. that did not make the international papers, but let us look at what did. let's start with the japan times, which leads with president trump's accusation that tokyo has been devaluing its currency to gain trade advantage over the us. the newspaper quotes top government officials, who were quick to defended their country's loose monetary policy, saying it's mainly aimed at busting deflation. le figaro reports on the corruption allegations facing the main centre—right candidate for the french presidency, francois fillon. it says there is a growing anxiety inside his camp as he faces mounting pressure to quit the presidential race.

the front page of the philippine star has the story of amnesty international report, which accuses the police of paying officers to kill drug suspects. the rights group said officers were acting on instructions from the very top of government and that the killings may constitute crimes against humanity. you are up—to—date with the papers. a new study published in the medical journal the lancet shows that a strain of malaria has become resistant to two of the most widely—used antimalarial drugs, artemisinin and piperaquine, and is now spreading widely. the strain has established itself in northeastern thailand, southern laos and western cambodia. there are fears that this superbug strain could go over to india and africa, potentially killing millions. arian dondorp, a professor

of tropical medicine in oxford university, explained how they come to realise this strain of the virus has become resistant to main drugs. yeah, we see this scenario now evolving over the last few years. first of all, we will say that malaria has gone down dramatically in southeast asia. less than 50% compared to the beginning of the millennium. and that is mainly because we have very good drugs to treat malaria at the moment. artemisinin in combination with therapy. and we also noticed the parasite is coming less sensitive to the artemisinin part of this

combination therapy. now it also picks up resistance against other drugs. it is becoming very difficult to treat. that is the danger, because we can lose all the gains that we made. how did you lose all the gains that you made? how did this happen? yeah. the parasite is very clever. it adapts its genetic material. so, the current study, which is led by my university, shows there is one strain that has become very successful. it is more fit than its peers, and that strain is now spreading. it started in western cambodia and now we find it in north—eastern thailand and laos. so the fear is indeed that this superbug, as you can call it, can spread superbug, as you can call it, can s p rea d west superbug, as you can call it, can spread west and cause problems there. professor, are you

disappointed this has happened? you have been in southeast asia now for 16 years. what can be done now? yeah. it is, of course, very worrying that actually these gains, as we face these important resista nce as we face these important resistance problems, what has to be done is that malaria has to be eradicated from the region as quickly as possible before it becomes highly untreatable. the plans are there. there is a lot of donor money available still. so we have to make a big strike over the next two years to get rid of this kind of malaria, the kind that can kill you. a worrying story about a resista nt kill you. a worrying story about a resistant strain of malaria. pop superstar, beyonce, said on wednesday that she and her husband, rap star, and entrepreneur, jay z, are expecting twins. "we would like to share our love and happiness," beyonce, 35, posted on her instagram page. "we have been blessed

two times over. we are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes." that includes that stunning photographs. jasmine dotiwala has worked for mtv news, and has met beyonce many times. shejoins us now from london. the picture is phenomenal. tell me a little about the way beyonce has made that announcement on instagram with that picture. allow. thank you for having me. first of all, a huge congratulations to beyonce and her family. as you say, it is news that has stunned the world and made eve ryo ne has stunned the world and made everyone happy. beyonce never does

things by halves, like when she had blue ivy, during a concert, whipping off her shirt and rubbing her belly. now she has a great photo shoot that look so she is in the garden of eden. people needed good news. i know it sounds silly, but the world has had so much negative and bad imagery recently that beyonce has made everyone happily. it sounds silly but babies make us happy and warm oui’ silly but babies make us happy and warm our hearts. it has broken the internet. it has gone absolutely viral. you have met beyonce and jay z many times. you will show pictures of you guys together. there is no secret that she wants a family and loves seeing her daughter as a bigger sister. she is one of the biggest solo superstars in the world, but she started in destiny's

child. she was always more co mforta ble child. she was always more comfortable in that group set up and atmosphere that she has always talked, even in early interviews, when i first interviewed her, she talked about wanting to have a family and have that all—american girland family and have that all—american girl and have it all. she is a hard worker and is very independent and empowers women. we all have the same 24 empowers women. we all have the same 2a hours as beyonce. she will be performing in eight weeks at one of america's biggest music festival is. everyone is, like, wondering how she will do it. i am saying, guys, ease up, she is beyonce, she will be able to do it. even if it is a cappella with a piano on a still. thank you. —— stool. it was fantastic to speak to you. thank you for having me.

congratulations to jay z and beyonce. with that we end this edition of newsday. we will look at facebook and its mixed fortunes. shares have gone up after revenues went up by more than 50%. on the other hand, it faces a huge damages bill. and we'll leave you with pictures from hawaii of a firehose of lava flowing from the kilawaya volcano into the pacific ocean. don't you love the sound of that? the authorities are warning visitors who are trying to get a closer look at it to stay out of the off—limits area. the us geological survey has estimated that one to two million gallons of lava flows into the ocean each hour. they're not sure how long the lava stream will last. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. good morning. the weather over the

next few days will come in off the atlantic. looking at satellite imagery from the last 25 hours also. cloud coming our way. areas of low pressure. “— cloud coming our way. areas of low pressure. —— 2a hours or so. windy weather across the uk. rain at times as well. you will have to deal with it first thing this morning. overnight rain clearing away from parts of cornwall and pembrokeshire quickly in the morning. a damp start in wales and south—west england. spreading to the south—east and south—west midlands. the best chance of starting the day dry. gusty around western areas in particular. temperatures will be up first thing. a mild start. the brightest weather will be in the north of scotland. in isiizteé '% “é egiigglszf’flig 2 if we “first ii’e ou. w ' www ; w'

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