welcome to newsday. the headlines: america boosts its military presence in syria. 400 prepare to fight in the stronghold of raqqa. the court set to rule about the impeachment of park geun—hye. set to rule about the impeachment of park geun-hye. after a fire killing children parents demand answers. translation: they are going to leave her with a face like that? my daughter is beautiful. the pastry in shanghai who employs family members of people with hiv. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it is eight

here, seven in the evening in washington where the us has confirmed its biggest deployment of forces in syria to fight so—called islamic state. several 100 marines have been sent to support an allied local force have been sent to support an allied localforce aiming to have been sent to support an allied local force aiming to capture the islamic stronghold of rack up. —— raqqa. earlier i spoke to laura bicker in washington and asked her how risky this approach was. first of all, it is a strategy in which the previous administration they have had 100 racialforces the previous administration they have had 100 racial forces working behind the scene, equipping and

training in the army to defeat the so—called islamic state. this is a biggerfootprint as well so—called islamic state. this is a bigger footprint as well in terms of number on the ground. there is a danger of mission creep. it could ta ke two danger of mission creep. it could take two weeks, in some ways it could take two months, or two years. you could be getting further involved in syria. remember the promised president 0bama of no boots on the ground that is a reversal of that. lives are on the line. a lot of risk for the trump administration in this deployment. there is bitter division dividing the militia fighting is. the us believes there isa fighting is. the us believes there is a particular kurdish force is placed to help them but turkey says they are a terrorist force. does the us dragged into another sort of

debate? it is notjust a military strategy needed to defeat so—called islamic state. they need diplomacy and they did it quickly. there was a question asked the date about how to ease tensions between ankara and these syrian militants. syrian democratic forces are totally reliable for americans. they have proved invaluable but ankara sees them as a cover for a proved invaluable but ankara sees them as a coverfor a kurdish militia force and they will not work with them so bringing these two sides together and senatorjohn mccain asked if president trump was aware of the diplomacy needed to bring these two sides together. he said that unless something changes

he foresees a train wreck. there are certain concerns about bringing these two sides together. a day after a fire in a children's home which killed teenage girls, there is growing anger among pa rents. there is growing anger among parents. the play is apparently started after a mass attempt to escape. they were caught and lock dean. some set fire to their mattresses. —— locked in. no names have yet been released. gestation mac what if she is bad? bag going to leave her with a face like that? my daughter is beautiful, just darting to live her life. if she was burnt, she would be traumatised. a pair arriving a pairarriving in a pair arriving in beijing on thursday. relations between the two

countries have deteriorated since the murder of the half brother of the murder of the half brother of the north korean leader. malaysia has sealed off the north korean embassy. police in germany say at least five people have been injured in an axe attack at duesseldorf‘s main railway station. police say two suspects have been arrested but there may have been others who fled the scene. there has been no reason given for the attack and police have closed the station while they investigate. the minimum legal age you're allowed to smoke in singapore is going to be raised from 18 to 21. proposed changes to the law will go before parliament within the next 12 months, and will then be phased in over the next few years the government says it wants to reduce, if not eliminate, opportunities for young people to take up smoking amazing pictures here — an australian salt lake has turned pink due to a combination of sunlight, warm temperatures and low rainfall. wildlife officers said algae — growing in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake

in melbourne produce a red pigment. it's a completely natural phenomenon, but authorities are warning people to avoid coming into contact with the water. on wednesday, samsung's de facto head lee jae—yong went on trial in south korea on charges of bribery — charges he denies. he's accused of buying political support for a key merger, in a scandal that led to the impeachment of president park geun—hye. and in a few hours, president park's 0own political future may well be decided — when south korea's constitutional court meets to decides whether she stays or goes. here's a look at just what's at stake for the president — and for the country. translation:

in the us, president trump says he has removed himself from the day—to—day operations of his businesses. but has he done enough? his critics might point to his mar e lago resort in florida where the fees have doubled since he won the election. and in indonesia, mr trump has signed a deal to build two resorts with a billionaire, worth about a billion dollars in total. the bbc‘s karishma vaswani went to indonesia to ask trump's business partner about their relationship. do you know who donald trump is? no, because i from indonesia. he is president of america. meet indonesia's donald trump, one of indonesia's donald trump, one of indonesia's reaches and. in 2015 he

signed a million—dollar bill to build a trump tower.|j signed a million—dollar bill to build a trump tower. i met with people and then when we signed the agreement the father came out. just agreement the father came out. just a few months after the deal was signed, donald trump announced he was running for president of the united states will have to underline this. today it is also a business relationship. the father sends them andi relationship. the father sends them and i physically deal with the children. but he and his wife were given vip treatment at the inaugural parade and attended the swearing—in and posted pictures of their time with him on social media feeds. you consent in any way about the

perception of their being a conflict of interest? there is no conflict of interest. it may happen if the project is agreed when he is president of the united states but this happened long before he decided to run for president. but as president, mr trump has made some controversial decisions. in january he signed a travel ban for people from seven majority muslim nations. indonesia is not on the list but it is the world ‘s most populous muslim nation. why would you want to work with someone who appears to have anti— muslim views? with someone who appears to have anti- muslim views? mr trump he's not banning the muslims, his banning the people of those seven countries. we have to be very clear about that. it is nothing to do with muslim people. he has set up his own

political party and has run for office once. he has not ruled out being president of indonesia one day. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we visit the remote pakistani province of balochistan — it's not often in the headlines, but separatists have been mounting attacks there for over a decade you're watching newsday on the bbc. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. the in less than 24 hours in the soviet union lost a leader and replaced in with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we had a visit gunshots. we were petrified. james ray sentenced to 99

years. he travelled from nashville ina car years. he travelled from nashville in a car convoy. what does it feel to be home at last? is going to change your life much? did not note, really, i have never been married before. ——i don't know. this is the bbc. i'm in singapore. i'm in london. our top stories: the us is expanding its presence in syria. 400 extra marines will offer support to local militia trying to drive the islamic state group out of raqqa. south korea's constitutional court is set to rule on whether to uphold or overturn president park's impeachment. and lots of you have been watching this on the bbc website. this little boy really wasn't impressed with the prospect of meeting the queen.

two—year—old alfie lunn was meant to present her majesty with some flowers, but, well, his heart wasn't in it. the queen was unveiling a memorial in london marking the contribution made by those who served in the wars in iraq and afghanistan. both alfie's parents are in the armed forces. the queen waited patiently and she did finally get her flowers from alfie. slightly grudgingly. and much to the relief of mum and dad. that story is popular on bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the new york times reports on the challenge the trump administration faces with north korea as washington rolls out a missile defence system in south korea. the paper says china's resistance to the project is a problem for president trump, and that beijing is trying to portray itself as a voice of reason compared to pyongyang and washington. the china daily reports on efforts to reduce smog in the north of the country this winter. measures include reducing coal consumption, as people try and heat their homes, and more inspections and tougher penalties to prevent industrial pollution. america is not the only country wrestling with the health of its citizens.

the straits times reports on a subsidised ‘health screening' programme in singapore to encourage early detection. the paper says citizens over the age of 40 will be entitled to tests for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cervical cancer. and that for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cervical cancer. and that is for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cervical cancer. and that is it for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cervical cancer. and that is it for for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cervical cancer. and that is it for the for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and cervical cancer. and that is it for the papers. now, what stories are sparking discussions on line? yes, sharanjit, and it's a date that game of thrones fans have been waiting for! the 16th ofjuly! that's when the fantasy tv drama returns to our screens. so, if you're a fan of the mother of dragons, king's landing, white—walkers, and jon snow, then you've only got four months to wait. a bit longer than normal, but it is coming around, the makers hbo have confirmed.

i hope those names mean more to you than they do to me. the man appointed by president trump to be in charge of america's environmental policies has said he doesn't believe that carbon dioxide is a primary cause of global warming, a view that's at odds with most scientific evidence. scott pruitt also described the paris climate accord, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as a bad deal. 0ur north america correspondent, nick bryant, is in washington. it is one of those moments in the dollar trump administration that comes as no surprise. dollar trump administration that comes as no surprise. scott pruitt isa comes as no surprise. scott pruitt is a well—known climate change sceptic. it has been a jawdropping moment to hear the head of the environment protection agency in america say he is unconvinced that carbon dioxide contributes to global warming. that flies in the face of mainstream science and has been slammed by environmental groups. it also contradicts his very own

agency's website. it has complications. any day now we are expecting an executive order from donald trump which would roll back many of barack 0bama's environmental regulations. there is also a fierce debate in the donald trump administration on whether or not to withdraw from the paris accord, the landmark achievement. scott pruitt says it is a bad deal. ivanka trump, the daughter of donald trump, rex tillerson, they say america should stay in it. it is a measure of how much things have changed, that rex tillerson, up until a few months ago was the head of exxon mobil, the largest oil company in the world, is now the contradicting voice for climate change within the government. the pakistani province of balochistan, remote and sparsely populated, doesn't feature in the headlines much. for over a decade, a separatist movement there has been mounting attacks on the security forces, and there have been numerous deadly bombings by jihadi groups. for many years, foreign journalists

have been prevented from reporting in balochistan, but the bbc‘s 0wen bennett jones has just been there. for years, the balochistan capital has been off—limits forjournalists. jihadis have organised bomb blasts in the city. and rebels have been attacking security forces four days. they are backed by exiled balochistan rebel leaders who want independence. we want independence. we have been pushed out of statehood under someone who has never had a history to rule. there are over 30,000 security force personnel within balochistan. officials say

hundreds of soldiers have been killed in recent years. but the army insists its group is tightening. killed in recent years. but the army insists its group is tighteninglj don't insists its group is tightening.” don't think so, that they have any clout left or attraction left. it is now mostly isolated pockets of militancy which is involved in all sorts of crime against the people and the state. so i believe that the state has done pretty well in the last several years to get to a point where it no longer poses a threat to the national security and integration of this province with the state. the separatist complain of destruction by the army, widespread human right abuses, and economic marginalisation. —— separatists. but militancy here comes at a time when balochistan is becoming increasingly important. china is pouring in billions of

dollar of infrastructure investment, and many people feel it could be of big economic value to the country as a whole. that is one of the reasons they want to keep a tight grip here. the army complains that india is backing the separatists in an attempt to weaken balochistan. senior military officials point to a speech by indian prime minister narendra modi last year in which he raised the issue of balochistan. the controls monitoring the control of people between balochistan and a gun getting tighter. that is in part because there is so much violence in balochistan. —— afghanistan. there are so many balochistan. —— afghanistan. there are so many claims and counterclaims. kabul says the afghan taliban up based here in pakistan

and go that way to carry out attacks in balochistan. but balochistan says they are based on that side of the border in afghanistan and launch attacks within pakistan. both sides claim to be able to see what is happening on the other side of their border. and all the while, the regional politics in balochistan gets ever more complicated. owen bennettjones, bbc news, the capital of balochistan. let's take you to a coffee shop in shanghai. here, all the employees are from families affected by hiv—aids. apart from giving them a job and skills, the cafe is trying to tackle the stigma still associated with the virus. but as the bbc‘s robin brant discovered, that's not proving so easy. we are trying to push them to become

gangsters? that is really upsetting. let us be honest. firstly, i did not know this, right? now you are telling me. iwould know this, right? now you are telling me. i would talk to them like other people, and not have a second thought about what is going on. am i scared? that is commonsense. everyone would have a first in tuition to think about it. whether i am safe or not. not if it is hiv, but anything, if it can be

infecting. those who are biased and cannot tolerate their food being served by someone who is hiv negative but with family members who are hiv positive, just don't come. you never know what you are going to find. we spoke to some people in there. that man in particular spoke very good english and had a bagel in his hand. but when i told him the story about this place, he said he had second thoughts and wasn't sure about coming back. social stigma and discrimination by people is irrational. i think a lot of people understand that hiv cannot be spread by eating a bakery product. somehow, umm, there is

still irrational fear. the cafe in shanghai trying to ove rco m e the cafe in shanghai trying to overcome ignorance about hiv. time to show you footage of a massive fireworks display in mexico. thousands of locals and visitors took to the streets, as you can see, for the celebration of dancing among the fireworks, even though dozens we re the fireworks, even though dozens were killed in the town last year from an explosion at a fireworks market. the city bases its economy on pyrotechnics. they are more brave than me. but the fireworks looked absolutely spectacular. now, you have been watching newsday. stay with us. because coming up, we will ta ke with us. because coming up, we will take a look at our new series two

minutes with, and will talk about beyonce's new visual for her album, lemonade. and before we go: you may remember this from last month on bbc news, the story of this little guy, nemleyjunior. the baby chimp was freed from wildlife traffickers in ivory coast, thanks to a bbc investigation. he was traumatised after his mother was killed and he was sold to traffickers. so, how is he doing now? he's safe, he's thriving, and has put on weight. but he likes to stay close to his keepers. two of the traffickers are being prosecuted, in the first case of its kind. and the body responsible for trying to stop the illegal trade in endangered species has now tightened up its procedures. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. thanks to a region of high pressure, thursday turned out to be a glorious day for many. during the course of

the night. central and eastern areas will hold onto the clear skies. friday morning, quite chilly. further south and west, increasing cloud, light and patchy rain, hill fog, and some miffed as well. a breeze, so a mild start, but surely further east. this area of low pressure will bring increasingly u nsettled pressure will bring increasingly unsettled weather to western areas. friday morning, an east—west split. cloudy and breezy here. chilly and bright in the far east. a bright start in scotland and the northern isles. some rain in this area. mist and murk in northern ireland and hill fog. north—west england, the south—west of england, not so. the east of the pennines and east anglia, it will be a chilly start. at least bright with sunshine. noticed the temperature difference.

6- noticed the temperature difference. 6— seven degrees in the east, ten or 11 in the west. —— notice. the cloud in western areas will creep eastwards. is not reaching the far south—east and east anglia really until after dark. sunshine here. 13-14 the until after dark. sunshine here. 13—14 the goose. in the west, mild but rather cloudy with some rain. the rugby. ireland and cardiff. some rain in the air. the weekend. a tale of two halves. saturday looking dry into sunday. cool and fresher air mainly across northern and western areas. saturday. skies brightening up areas. saturday. skies brightening up in northern ireland and scotland behind this weather front which will bring some dreary weather to central pa rt bring some dreary weather to central part of the uk. the south—east, a little bit of brightness. bright indeed. 15, 16, 17. friday is a

messy picture. we lose one weather front to be replaced another one. a drier interlude here and there. to some up for the weekend, saturday will be the driest of the two days with some sunshine around and feeling warm across the south and east. sunday, more cloud around. many people are seeing some rain at times. it will start to feel more cool and more fresh. this is bbc world news. america boosts its military presence in syria. an additional 400 marine will go into raqqa. the fate of park geun—hye with the court set to rule

on the impeachment trial. and this little boy not impressed with the prospect of meeting the queen. he was supposed to present her with some flowers. he did manage it in the end arched to the relief of mum and dad. now on bbc news, it is time for