i'm in singapore. the headlines: after days of delays, the us senate confirms president trump's controversial choice for attorney general, right—wing senator, jeff sessions. a fresh twitter storm as donald trump blasts the clothing retailer, nordtrom, for dropping his daughter ivanka's fashion line. i'm kasia madera in london. a huge fire sweeps through a crowded shanty town in manila, leaving 15,000 people homeless. and what are feng shui consultants predicting for world leaders in the year of the rooster?

if in singapore -— if in singapore and london, — if in singapore and london, you're 7 if in singapore and london, you're watching bbc world news. it's newsday. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london, and 8pm in washington, where a bitter battle between democrats and republicans in the us senate has drawn to a close, with the appointment ofjeff sessions as attorney general. it was approved 52 to a7. it came after a series of divisive hearings on his record of civil rights. let's get the latest from our correspondent, richard lister, in washington. donald trump may have gottenjeff sessions into his cabinet, but if you look at the list, there are still a number who have not been confirmed of appointees. donald trump is very as. he says the democrats are doing all they can to

obstruct him. —— is furious. he has a point many are not happy with who he has nominated. in fact, at this stage of his presidency, he has new members of his cabinet in place than any of the previous 11 presidents did in this stage of the presidency. he has a point when he says he is being delayed in getting forward with his agenda. he does not have a tea m with his agenda. he does not have a team in place. democrats are unapologetic. they say they have complex financial situations that need to be unpick to make sure there are no ethical entanglements. and they have an issue withjeff sessions, whose previous record was one that denied him a post as a federaljudge for only the one that denied him a post as a federal judge for only the second time in 50 years. he also says it is very political. yes. he was blistering about the court battle

over his presidential executive order that would ban immigrants from seven mainly muslim countries from coming to the united states and banning all refugees for 120 days while processes were reviewed. he said it was a disgrace that the courts were in this battle, that he has the power to make this kind of directive and should be able to persist in it. but the courts are considering at the moment whether or not his order is actually lawful. and we are expecting a determination later this week. and, richard, quite a reaction to a number of donald trump's tweets, this time claiming his daughter ivanka has been treated badly by nordstrom, the retail chain. an extraordinary outburst from donald trump. he said during

the campaign he may not be able to separate his presidency from his business empire. he said his daughter was treated unfairly and for political reasons. it was actually nordstrom that said, hang ona actually nordstrom that said, hang on a second, we made this decision simply fall business reasons, to withdraw the line. there was a backlash on twitter with a hashtag trending saying #boycottnordstrom. so, what he says about markets changes it. that is a concern. the other big story today is the uk's next step in its brexit from the european union. british mp's have voted for the government to begin proceedings to leave the eu by a huge majority. if the legislation is approved by the house of lords, it will mean the prime minister theresa may can begin the negotiation process for brexit. the bbc‘s rob watson explains the result. we still don't know exactly how

that's going to be resolved. what will happen to the 3.2 million or so eu nationals living here, and the1 million uk nationals living through the eu. and you can add all sorts of other things. how is trade going to work, how is banking going to work, how is movement, immigration of people? rather than getting bogged down in the parliamentary process here in the uk, what was really instructive about all of that and some of the debate over the last two or three days is just how complex this process of britain's leaving the eu is likely to be. also in the news today, the aid work carried out in afghanistan by the international committee of the red cross is temporarily being put on hold. it follows the death of six staff members in an attack on one of its convoys. two employees are missing. the team was attacked while taking supplies to areas of the northern province ofjowzjan which had been hit by recent avalanches. local police officers believe the attack was carried out by islamic state militants.

united nations officials in bangladesh say more than a thousand rohingya muslims may have been killed over the past few months in an army operation in myanmar‘s rakhine state. the estimate is far greater than previously reported. the chief minister of india's southern state of tamil nadu has refused to give way to his anointed successor, threatening political chaos. mr 0 panneerselvam took over after the death of influential politician jayala—litha. on sunday, the ruling party announced his resignation, saying that jayalalithaa's former aide, vk sasikala, would take over. butjust days later, panneerselvam said he would not stand down, insisting he had grassroots support. this clocks shows the countdown to the 2018 winter olympics in south korea. it was unveiled marking just one year to go until the pyeongchang games,

which start on the 9th of february next year. it's in the centre of seoul. designed by 0mega, the clock is four meters wide and just over four metres tall, and will be displayed until march 20th next year. this terrifying climb is what the residents, including children, of an isolated mountain village in west china have to do to get to their homes. the hamlet of atuleer is on the top of this cliff. to reach it the residents climb more than 800 metres. until now, they've been using old ladders made of bamboo. but as you can see local authorities have now installed steel ladders. they were forced to act after photos showing the petrifying trek its children had to make to get to school went viral on line. thousands of filipinos have spent another night out on the streets

and in temporary shelter after a fire ripped through a shanty town in manila on tuesday. the fire service is coming under criticism for not responding fast enough. catharina moh reports in a single night, 15,000 people became homeless. this is what is left of perola compound, a shanty town in the filipino capital, manila. as residents pick through the charred remains of their belongings, investigators continue examining what caused the blaze, which lasted eight hours. initial reports point to faulty wiring or an unattended gas stove. the residents also blamed the fire service. translation: there was an explosion and the fire started. when the firefighters arrived, they didn't enter the compound,

they looked around, they didn't want to enter, that is why the fire lasted until the morning. they didn't try to extinguish it early enough. officials say 90 fire trucks were deployed to the area but with the narrow, sprawling alleyways it was hard to reach the blaze. and with the homes packed tightly together, the fire quickly spread, destroying everything. despite the ferocity, no—one died, though dozens were injured in the stampede to escape. nearly a quarter of manila's residents live in densely populated slums, and fires break out frequently, though few have been this widespread. hundreds of people have now been moved to makeshift evacuation centres and aid agencies are at work. but thousands still remain in the surrounding streets, guarding what little they have managed to salvage during the chaos. catharina moh, bbc news.

russia's main opposition leader could be barred from running for president against vladimir putin next year after he was found guilty of embezzlement and handed a five—year suspended sentence. but alexei navalny, who denies the charges, insists the case against him is politically motivated and has sarah rainsford reports. alexei navalny breezed into court today, but vladimir putin's fiercest critic knew what happened here could decide his politicalfate. he told me he wasn't expecting anything good. this is how russia deliversjustice. thejudge mumbled through his verdict for some three hours, but his decision was clear. alexei navalny now has a serious criminal conviction which bars him from running for president, and he has vowed to challenge that. translation: this is a telegram

from the kremlin saying they see me and my team as too dangerous to let us run for election. but according to the constitution, i have every right to run and i will do that, to represent those who want to see russia as an honest, normal country. he first championed the cause five years ago, emerging as a natural leader, as furious crowds claimed elections to parliament had been rigged. in the crackdown on opposition that followed, alexei navalny was detained multiple times. two years ago, another protest leader, boris nemtsov, was shot dead just metres from the kremlin. so when mr navalny wound up on trial here, 500 miles east of moscow, he insisted the motive was political. president putin's spokesman today called it a normaljudicial process. across russia, vladimir putin claims enormous support. if you believe the opinion polls, it is currently running at more than 80%.

alexei navalny can't claim even a fraction of that. and yet, he is charismatic, he can rally the crowds and his anti—corruption cause is a popular one, and it seems that worries the kremlin. last weekend, the activist launched his election bid anyway, in defiance. volunteers flocked to his first campaign office in st petersburg. but another presidential hopeful has told me he believes liberals like navalny are no threat in today's russia at all. he never become president of russia. if he participates, this company, next year, much, he can receive about 5%, 6%, that's all. the activist wants to test that at next year's election, but the verdict here today suggests the kremlin isn't ready to take the risk. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kirov. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme: no legs, there is mr mandela, mr nelson mandela. a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader ayatollah khomeini has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british this author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, 'baby doc' duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion,

shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories. head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is newsday on the bbc. our top stories: the us senate has confirmed president trump's controversial choice for attorney general, right—wing senatorjeff sessions. president trump has criticised the clothing retailer nordstrom for dropping his daughter, ivanka's, clothing line. critics say his comments are inappropriate. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the philippine star has a striking image of one of our main stories, the devastation in the capital, manila. it is after a fire tore through a shanty town, and you can see how much damage it has done.

more than 1,000 homes were destroyed. the south china morning post leads with relations between the us and china. china specialists in the us have urged donald trump to ensure beijing respects hong kong and works under the "one country, two systems" formula. that is the principle which underpins hong kong's autonomy. the uk's daily telegraph marks a historic day for british politics. mps overwhelmingly voted for britain to start the process of leaving the european union. it still has to be approved by the house of lords, though. birthdays must be expensive if you are a member of the family that caught people's imagination online. this is an amazing photograph. this is 500 members of one chinese family. the pictures were taken using a drone at a ren family reunion, during the lunar new year

period in a village in china's eastern province of zhejiang. village elders managed to track down at least 2,000 living descendants, spanning seven generations. the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, is heading to washington on thursday to meet president trump at the white house. mr abe moved quickly since the us election, in an attempt to win over the new president. he was the only world leader to meet him before the inauguration, and will be the second to do so since trump took office, after british prime minister theresa may. earlier i spoke to simon tay, the chairman of singapore institute of international affairs, about which issues will be discussed. i think it is all on the table,

because the dealmaker, president trump, really wants to show movement. i think on asia side, a lot of people looking notjust for the japan and american alliance and relations, but a broader signal. how much does america really want to engage with asia? is it asia alone or is it asia—pacific? so how much does the unites states, in your view, want to engage asia and asia pacific? well, forjapan and asia, i think the signals from the election campaign, where candidate trump said various things about the security alliance and china, there's been a lot of concern. president trump has sent defence secretary mattis over to japan, to reassure, and that's why i think this leaders' meeting is critical to see what he means to do as president. it seems mr abe wants to jump the gun on other asian leaders. he already met mr trump before his inauguration, talking about 50,000 jobs, toyota investing billions of dollars. japan always wants to —

every japanese leader wants to call the president of the united states by their first name. this alliance is critical. the other part of the economic business side is the trans atlantic partnership, which 0bama negotiated and donald trump has abandoned, in there there is a kind of bilateral relationship between japan and america which is aboutjob, investment and trade between these two big economies. is the concern right now of shinzo abe creating that bilateral agreement between those countries or could he still tell mr trump to consider tpp — it will be in the benefit of the us and the asia pacific? i'm sure abe san will put in some good word for tpp because he really went out there and fought for it but i think he realises that trump having said publicly he is not going to go for it, he will not do a quick u—turn, it is too destabilising for his reputation.

so i think what might happen is that the two big economies will start talking about how to do things between the two of them, and leave some of the others out. what about security issues? how will they handle china, as a superpower 110w who is basically leading asia? i think first abe san has to make clear to trump that japan is doing its share, and that the conceren might be the fact that it is trying to do too much. trump wants to talk about china. if he hands the deputy sheriff badge to japan, that might cause the sino—japanese relations to really become very tense. could he isolate china in their discussions? that is a possibility. it is interesting that trump has met britain and then, of course, negatively about europe, similarly might he talk positively with japan and isolate china, as a mainland continental power. could trumpenomics be good for america? feng shui consultant joey yap says it could be. he has predicted a showdown between the east and the west in 2017, with china and the us taking centre—stage. we asked him to forecast how this could affect donald trump's relations with other world leaders, in the year of the fire rooster. donald trump was born in 19a6,

the year of the fire dog. in the year 2017, the year of the fire rooster, donald trump goes through a very unique formation known as a "harm". now, a harm normally indicates damage in reputation. but we already know that, since his inauguration. however, the fire rooster actually is beneficial to mr trump's chart, so expect positive changes to the country that he represents. the president of china, mr xi, is born in the year of the water snake. snakes in 2017 do not have any positive stars.

now, this is not such a good thing for him to face the infamous twice—a—decade public conference this year. this also indicates hasty decision making, so for him to flex his economic muscle to mr trump in 2017 will not be so advisable. vladimir putin is born in the year of the water dragon. dragons have a very unique and powerful status. there is a unique relationship between putin's and trump's chart, and of course, everyone is talking about the bromance betweeen these two gentlemen. however, in 2017 there will be a rise in competition in terms of political powers. so it would be wise for mr putin not to easily flex his economic muscle, in order not to strain the relationship.

theresa may, the british prime minister, now, she is born in the year of the fire monkey. that is an interesting element in theresa may's chart, that is actually compatible with donald trump. so, of all the leaders, we've seen on the list today, she probably is the only one that could possibly get along with donald trump. however, being born in the year of the fire monkey, and also going through the transition that she is in her current luck cycle, she is going through the element of betrayal. so this indicates the possibility of internal party struggles and challenges in the year 2017. we are going to end the programme with the inspiring story of nine—year—old new yorker isaiah bird. isaiah was born without legs, but that hasn't stopped him pursuing his passion for sport. my

my name is isaiah bird, and i am nine years old, and i love wrestling. i also like football, soccer, swimming, baseball. what makes me unique is, i have no legs andi makes me unique is, i have no legs and i was born this way. god made me this way. many people say, like, you have no legs, you can't go up there. you can't come down here. and they ignore that, it is just not nice. i am, like, why are you doing this to me? the first time i met isaiah, i remember that like it was yesterday. isaidi remember that like it was yesterday. i said i want to play basketball.

lie i saw this young man hopping around. it was shocking, he had no legs, and i was amazed at how quick and how happy he was. isaiah bird does not see a disability in himself. he does anything that any other kid does, sometimes better. if i've got two families, it's just like a miracle. ifeel supported. were making those he can always rely on me, and he knows that i will not let him go. but this is going to be for life. i am so proud of isaiah bird because of everything he has accomplished. his name should be isaiah bird, amazing human.

accomplished. his name should be isaiah bird, amazing humanlj accomplished. his name should be isaiah bird, amazing human. i wake up isaiah bird, amazing human. i wake up every morning with a smile on my face. my motto is no excuses. you get back up, and you do what you do. the truly remarkable isaiah bird. you have been watching newsday. thank you for watching. and we will leave you with these chilly pictures. this is a snow church, built in russia, in a village in siberia which doesn't have its own permanent place of worship. sosnovka resident alexander batyokhtin spent nearly two months building a church entirely out of snow. he said the most difficult parts were the altar and the cross for the roof. you have been watching newsday. hello, there.

over the next few days it is going to feel like we have been plunged into the deep freeze and do not expect crisp, cold weather and blue skies. in fact, for much of the time it will be grey skies. a lot of cloud, and actually, during wednesday we already saw a lot of cloud creeping in across eastern areas. this weatherwatcher at gower, near swansea, did capture some sunshine. that was where the best of the sunshine was during wednesday, and the highest temperatures as well — 11 degree. but under the cloud, further east, we were pegged well down into single digits, because of all the cloud, and also because of this increasingly cold airfeeding in on an easterly wind. the easterly wind providing some wintry showers through the early hours down the east coast. a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, snow particularly inland, could get some icy stretches and, wherever you are, a very cold start to thursday morning. through thursday, there will be some brightness and sunshine around, again, the best of that will be out west. but for central and eastern areas, a lot of cloud, these nagging

particularly close to the east coast. now, we could see some quite hefty showers across the northern isles. some showers continuing down the east coast of scotland. along the immediate coastal strip, a mixture of rain and sleet but come inland, it will be snow, yet more snow falling over the grampians and down the east coast of england a similar story. right on the coast line, a mixture of rain and sleet. inland, the increasing chances of seeing some snow showers. and you can see these temperatures just 2, in fact, that is the story, as far as the temperatures go, right across the country, but remember, in these western fringes, there is a better chance that we will see some sunshine. now, during thursday night and on into friday, really, it is more of the same. easterly winds continue to deliver some wintry showers, these showers increasingly falling as snow. a frosty start to friday morning just about everywhere. and during friday, we cannot rule out a wintry flurry really anywhere across the country. probably nothing too disruptive but there could be some small

accumulations in places, and a cold—feeling day, 2, 3, a, 5 degrees at best. and then we head into the weekend. still the wintry showers, the increasing chance that these will be falling as snow, particularly in eastern areas. again, out west that's where we'll see the best of the sunshine. in fact, parts of scotland, especially up to the north—west, seeing quite a lot of sunshine on saturday. by sunday, temperatures in the south just beginning to lift up a little bit, and that takes us into next week. more of a south—easterly wind, so we could see something a little less cold into the south by then. i'm kasia madera with bbc world news. our top story. senators in the us confirm president trump's controversial choice for attorney general. the alabama senator, jeff sessions, appointment was approved by 52 votes to a7. it came after a series of divisive confirmation hearings about his record on civil rights. president trump has criticised the clothing retailer, nordstrom, for dropping his daughter ivanka's clothing line.

critics say his comments on twitter are inappropriate. and this video is trending on bbc.com. a huge fire has swept through a crowded shanty town in manila leaving 15,000 people homeless. the fire raged overnight before being put out on wednesday morning. incredibly, no deaths have been reported. that's all from me now. do stay with us. and the top story here in the uk: mps have overwhelmingly agreed to let the government begin the uk's