this is newsday at the bbc. the headlines. china's most powerful leader in decades — the party congress unanimously backs president xijinping. not such a good day for president trump — a protestor calls him a traitor and two senior members of his own party attack his ability to lead. it's a sad place from my perspective for our nation. and i think the worst of it is going to the whole debasing, if you will, of our nation. i have children and grandchildren to answer to and so mr president, i will not be complicit or silent. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: in thailand, the last touches before the nation gathers to say goodbye to their beloved king. he made the ordinary extraordinary, a new exhibition in london showcases the painter others hailed as "the father of us all". live from our studios in singapore

and london. this is bbc world news. it's newsday. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 7am also in beijing, where china's president xi jinping has become arguably china's most powerful leader since chairman mao. in the next few hours the party will announce the names of the new leadership team who will work with him. they may not be household names outside of china but these men, and they will probably all be men, give the world an important insight into his priorities. and it shows how presidentjinping has consolidated his power ever since he first became leader five years ago. robin brant is in beijing for us.

todayis today is the big reveal, the new leadership team of president xi jingping? leadership team of president xi jingping? yes, it is very important we get this visual moment where these seven men walk out from behind a hoarding and are revealed. they walked out in seniority. we get xi jingping, then his premier. then the five new faces. as you say, not household names outside of china, maybe not household names too many people in china, but hugely important because this is the most senior decision—making body in this country. well some of these new fleeces reflect some of the factionalfighting some fleeces reflect some of the factional fighting some of the competing allegiances that goes on within the communist party of china. we do know a couple of things, the

man who led the anti—corruption fight, he will not be in the standing committee. maybe, someone who could be an heir apparent in the future. all right, this is the last day of the party congress and then after the dust settles, how will he be viewed by the international community because the problems are still there, trade deficits with the us, problems with the environment back home? he has consolidated his position, but on the international stage he is viewed as a man with much power. donald trump visits asia ina much power. donald trump visits asia in a month and he comes here with a similar message on what he says is china's predatory trade attitude. north korea, is a big problem for china. its neighbour continues in its very aggressive push to develop

nuclear weapons that the possibly strike the us mainland. china doesn't want to see a nuclear rise korean peninsula but at the same time it doesn't want to see a unified korea either. it doesn't wa nt to unified korea either. it doesn't want to see the little brother with whom it shares a border, moving so quickly in such a destabilising way. so the reality of notjust regional geopolitics, but global politics returns to the forefront from today onwards. thank you, robin brant. our other top story — president trump is under attack from two senators from his own party, and not because they disagree with a particular policy but because of his behaviour. this man, senator bob corker, and senatorjeff flake, are both republicans who have decided not to seek re—election and in turn, they say allows them to speak their minds. here's senator bob corker speaking to american media, prior to president trump meeting republican senators on capitol hill. it isa

it is a sad place from my perspective for our nation. the worst of it will be the whole debasing, if you will, of our nation. i think that will be the contribution that hurts our nation the most. do you think the president is debasing the nation?” the most. do you think the president is debasing the nation? i don't think there is any question. it is the way he conducts himself and goes to such a low level, i do. well after that meeting with president trump, republican senatorjeff flake took to the senate floor to announce he would not seek re—election, saying he could not be complicit with a reckless presidency. we must never regard as normal the regular and undermining of our norms and ideals. the personal attacks, the threats against principles,

freedoms and institution, the flag ra nt freedoms and institution, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency. the reckless provocations, most often for the pettiest and most personal reasons, reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with the fortunes of the people we have been elected to serve. none of these appalling features of our current politics should ever be regarded as normal. laura trevelyan gave us a piece from london. one thing to know, these two republican senators are standing down. they are not running for real action. they are able to speak their minds. the question is, to what extent minds. the question is, to what exte nt d o minds. the question is, to what extent do they speak only for themselves or do they represent a broader base of republican lawmakers

in congress? the answer is congregated. undoubtedly, in the senate and this is from my own conversations, thought to be pretty widespread concern about president trump and his behaviour, but not eve ryo ne trump and his behaviour, but not everyone is willing to say it in public. and when the entire house of representatives is up for election next year, it is a different picture. the republicans want something out of the trump presidency, they want tax cuts and tax reform by the end of the year. people don't want to rock the boat. the question is whether the president has undermined his ability to do that with his twitter viewed with bob corker and now senator fla ke with bob corker and now senator flake will be a thorn in his side for the next few months. the words about the protest today? that's right, as the president was walking into capitol hill, there was a

protester who was extremely vocal about russia, who was basically accusing the president of being treasonous. that was the next —— extraordinarily extreme moment. the trump campaign is under investigation from special counsel to see if there was collusion between his campaign and russia. that enquiry taking place behind closed doors. on capitol hill, there are three separate investigations as to whether there was any collusion between the trump campaign and russia. these are turbulent times in american politics. also making news today... kenya's supreme court will meet on wednesday to decide whether a presidential election will go ahead on thursday. the court annulled the poll in august, which was won by the incumbent, uhuru kenyatta. his main opponent, raila odinga, has pulled out of the re—run of the election and urged his supporters to boycott it. the saudi crown prince has said he's working towards the return

of what he calls "moderate islam" to the country. speaking in riyadh, mohammed bin salman said officials would eliminate the remnants of extremism in the near future. analysts say prince mohammed is behind several recent economic and social reforms. russia has vetoed a un security council resolution into the use of chemical weapons in syria. it is the ninth time russia has used its veto to protect its ally. last month the un said forensic investigation said beyond doubt, the syrian air force carried out a sarin gas in april. the olympic torch for next year's winter games has been lit at a ceremony in olympia, in greece. the torch will travel around greece before heading to the host nation, south korea. the pyeongchang winter games begin in february. a year of official mourning in thailand will culminate in a spectacular cremation ceremony on thursday for the late king, bhumibol adulyadej, who died last year at the age of 88.

he reigned for more than 70 years, and presided over the transformation of his country from a poor, rural economy to a fast—growing manufacturing and tourism powerhouse. our south east asia correspondentjonathan head is at the grand palace in bangkok. like a gilded mirror arch, like a gilded mirrorarch, a spectacular complex of pavilions has risen from the ground this year in bangkok's historic royal court. no expense has been spared in preparing this elaborate sendoff for a king who reigned for seven decades and personified the modern development of his country. for many thailand, this cremation will be a final farewell to a king they felt a powerful, personal affection. farewell to a king they felt a powerful, personalaffection. but these loveless preparations are much more than that. they tap into a deep well of tradition and ritual which

has been used for centuries to legitimise the monarchy as the highest and most essential institution holding this country together. the royal funeral institution holding this country together. the royalfuneral is institution holding this country together. the royal funeral is a blend of hindu, buddhist and other influences. king bhumibol adulyadej was seen as an influences. king bhumibol adulyadej was seen as an incarnation of a hindu god, who will now return to heaven. hundreds of thailand's artists have contributed to the cremation. each detail carries symbolic importance. the royal vernon will be transported to the cremation site on this 14 tonne, 200—year—old chariot. the late king's finaljourney, a slow and accurately choreographed procession, befitting a man who helped restore the near divine status, historically enjoined by thailand mondex. bashar al—assad

mondex. there's much more on this story on our website. including this rare footage of the 1926 funeral of king rama vi, a clue to some of the traditions we're likely to see at the cremation ceremony of king bhumibol adulyadej. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: also on the programme: a dozen portraits go on display in london. a historic moment many of his

victims have waited for the decades. the old vic tater, sits down, obedient enough. dawn, and as the sun breaks through, it lights up the biblicalfamine. now, sun breaks through, it lights up the biblical famine. now, in sun breaks through, it lights up the biblicalfamine. now, in the 20th century. the depressing conclusion in argentina today, it is cheaper to paper your walls with money. concorde i was out in style after almost three decades in service, an aircraft that has had many admirers for so long, taxis home one last time. this is newsday on the bbc.

our top stories: president xi jingping has consolidated his position at the top of chinese politics becoming the nation's powerful leader for a generation. two republican senators have attacked president trump. senator lake has described behaviour from the white house as undignified and reckless. let's take a look at some of the front pages. there is the story of the hong kong book—seller we had earlier in the programme. the paper says he is still missing despite swedish authorities saying he has been freed. shifting our attention to the philippine star and it features the meeting of defence ministers in manila, but also repeats the warning

that the terror threat remains after the battle against militants in the city of morale e. and on the international addition of the new york times, which has the coverage of the rohingya refugee crisis, on its front is a picture of a village, which unofficial has probably told the paper, that it is muslim free. the us secretary of state rex tillerson has warned pakistan to stop backing terrorism. speaking in islamabad, he is the first american official to visit the country since president trump accuse them of providing a safe haven for the taliban. we have ascertained for a response to those in america. they don't need our territory any more.

40% of the territory is under control of the taliban. there is basically one key factor missing in our relationship and that is the trust. we have a huge trust deficit. both sides, both americans and pakistan are trying to bridge this deficit. we don't have safe havens. the us doesn't simply by that? you are absolutely right, there is a trust deficit and they are not buying our narrative and we're not buying our narrative and we're not buying their narrative. there is a trust deficit, but we are talking. they should do some accountability. why have they lost 45% of the territory over the last few years. why has american trade gone up,

narcotics trade. they said the reason the war is going bad for the afg ha n reason the war is going bad for the afghan government because the militants... it is the ineptitude of the forces which are present over their to bring some sort of normal situation into afghanistan. are you saying pakistan is being blamed for the ineptitude of the united states? absolutely. if you want me to repeat it, i will repeat it. failure is much bigger than what they do to others. we talk about a trust deficit between the united states and pakistan, how concerned are you about the possibility of economic sanctions being levelled against pakistan? we do not get any economic assistance from the united states.

nothing more than that. we don't get any military hardware from them. not at all. having said that, there is a willingness on both sides to bridge this deficit. a hong kong—based book—seller imprisoned in china has been released, according to swedish officials. gui minhai is a chinese—born swedish citizen who has published books about the personal lives of china's political elite, but his daughter says no—one has seen him or spoken to him a week after his supposed release. gui minhai disappeared in thailand two years ago before mysteriously turning up in detention in mainland china. mr gui was officially in prison after confessing to a fatal road accident 14 years ago.

his daughter says the confession was forced. he was one of five book—sellers linked to the mighty current publishing house in hong kong who went missing in 2015. the bbc‘sjuliana liu is in hong kong. give us the background into a happened to mr gui in 2015? the last time we saw mr gui publicly wells in january 2016 when he was paraded on chinese state television, tearfully confessing to voluntarily handing himself back to chinese authorities after being on the run for more than ten yea rs after being on the run for more than ten years due to a drink—driving conviction. that was a few months after he went missing from his holiday home in thailand. that interview was not well received, certainly outside china, here in hong kong there was a sense this confession was forced. there was

suspicion amongst his friends and his daughter that he was abducted by chinese agents from his holiday home in thailand. mrgui chinese agents from his holiday home in thailand. mr gui was the owner of the mighty current publishing house, one of five hong kong—based book—sellers who went missing around the same time. there was a view the chinese authorities were after these five men to try to get them to end their publishing business. and it does appear to have been successful. mrgui was the does appear to have been successful. mr gui was the last of the five to be released, possibly release. the other four had been be released, possibly release. the otherfour had been released last year. where is he now? the daughter says she hasn't heard from him since his supposedly is, so what more do we know? that's right, this case was a lwa ys we know? that's right, this case was always very mysterious and it remains so. angela, xijingping—— mr

gui's daughter said she went to see him and she was told he had already left. she has not heard from him at all. she says she fears for his safety, his well—being and there is a question over how free he is at the moment. thank you very much for the moment. thank you very much for the update. a major exhibition of work goes on show in london. over 50 says on placings from around the world will be displayed together for the first time. a portrait of an artist as a young man. paul cezanne's early selfie, painted in his 20s, when he was still learning to look like no other artist. he would paint himself throughout his career, making breakthroughs in technique and tone each time, until this final self—portrait,

when the artist picasso called "the father of us all" revealed a lifetime's knowledge and skill in a single image. cezanne's portraits were radical when he painted them in the second half of the 19th century and they still feel radical today. not for him idealised versions of the rich and famous and the great and the good. he just wanted to paint ordinary people in really ordinary settings and thereby create something extraordinary. even though he doesn't seek to represent expressed emotion, obviously his interest in character, and i think he really wanted that sense of the peoplenesses of people regardless of social status, regardless of anything. i mean, when you look back in the history of portraiture, who has done that before, and you end up with rembrandt. are there pictures in this exhibition, john, where we see cezanne the artist ta ke lea ps forward ? the first big thing is very early, in the mid 1860s, where he makes paintings entirely with a palette knife. portraits had never been painted in that way before. the next big step is in the middle

of the ‘705 where, after having worked with the impressionists, colour blooms in his pictures. then by the ‘80s, volume is very present with regular hatch brush strokes. and then in the ‘90s, all these different currents really start to come together. cezanne was famously grumpy. sitters could be reprimanded for the slightest fidget. "does an apple move?" he'd snap, even though it might have been the 150th session they'd attended for a single portrait. it is fair to say, cezanne was something else. will gompertz, bbc news. before we go, we wanted to show you

this... a british man has taken to the heights across south africa in a balloon. he reach heights of 2500 metres, suspended by 1000 helium balloons strapped to a camping chair, as you do. tuesday saw a range of temperatures across the uk. a lot of cloud in east anglia. 20 degrees, much higher than we would normally get. in between, we had this weather front and it was south of the weather front we have had the milder, warmer air. fora front we have had the milder, warmer air. for a while, front we have had the milder, warmer air. fora while, this front we have had the milder, warmer air. for a while, this weatherfront was active, bringing heavy bursts of rain across northern england and scotland. heading south, the weather front is weakening considerably. damp and rosalie across southern england on wednesday morning. perhaps hillfort, but further north,

cloud more broken into the fresh air across wales, the midlands and northern england, drier by this stage. further north, chiefly across the north west of scotland, maybe if you heavy showers first thing in the day. the heaviest will be pushed towards the northern isles as the winds gradually ease across mainland scotland. many places it will be a nice day, lots of sunshine and was sunshine across england and wales. the cloud sticking south of the m4 and the english channel. 19 degrees in london, 13 or 1a to the central belt of scotland. this weather front, having moved southwards is going to move northwards on wednesday evening and wednesday night. it doesn't know whether it is coming or going. looks like it is moving north at this stage and will bragg low cloud and mist and fog into northern england and wales and bring pockets of rain and drizzle. it should be chilly overnight. a lot

of cloud and the fog that does form will take awhile to shift. we are left with this damp weather across northern england and north wales. sunshine developing in northern ireland and across scotland as we use the showers. 13 degrees in the sunshine. still a decent day, 17 in the south east, despite the cloud. the cloud to clear away by the time we get to friday because the weather front is moving south again. it is going to introduce a brighter day pretty much across the board. it won't be as mild across southern pa rt won't be as mild across southern part of the uk but colder air to come this weekend. high pressure to the west and south—west and redraw the west and south—west and redraw the winds around that. saturday seeing afair the winds around that. saturday seeing a fair bit of cloud and some drizzly showers and it is colder in the second part of the weekend. given the strength of the wind, it will fit colder but we could end the weekend with a touch of frost as the skies are clear. this is bbc world news, the top story. the chinese communist party will empower —— unveiled their new

top leadership line—up for the next five years. they will be looking for clues as to whether there is a successor to president xijinping or whether his term will continue beyond the usual two terms. a different reception for donald trump in the us committee faced a protester accusing him of treason. two senators have criticised his effect on american politics. this story is trending online... two notes written by albert einstein have advice for happy living, and sold for $1.5 million, one recommends a calm and humble life, the other says "where there's a will, there's a way". it's time for hardtalk.