welcome to newsday. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. the headlines: president trump overturns decades of us policy and formally recognisesjerusalem as the capital of israel. this is a long overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement. israel's prime minister calls the move "historic" but palestinian factions call for a general strike and protests. i'm karin giannone, in london. also in the programme: one of australia's most prominent roman catholics goes on trial, accused of covering up child sexual abuse. the second stage of nepal's general election gets underway, after a campaign beset with violence. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. it's 9:00am in singapore,

1:00am in london and 3:00 in the morning injerusalem. president trump has abandoned decades of us foreign policy by recognising jerusalem as the capital of israel. it is arguably his most controversial decision since taking office and it's provoked expressions of concern and anger around the world. 0ur north america editorjon sopel reports from washington. camera shutters click thank you. the president signing this or that proclamation has become a commonplace, but nothing he's put his name to is as consequential or historic as this, a decision that upends us policy to the middle east, the most troubled region in the world. past decisions had failed. it was time for a new approach. today, we finally acknowledge the obvious,

thatjerusalem is israel's capital. this is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. it is also the right thing to do. it's something that has to be done. it's a decision that the arab world and close allies cautioned against, but the president has gone ahead, and so he stressed his commitment to peace, whether via a two state solution or any other solution. we want an agreement that is a great dealfor the israelis, and a great deal for the palestinians. we are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the israeli sovereignty in jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders. demonstrations so far have been relatively low—key, but us citizens have been warned not to go to the west bank

or the old city in jerusalem, the president well aware of the reaction this speech might provoke. so, today, we call for calm, for moderation, and for the voices of tolerance to prevail over the purveyors of hate. our children should inherit our love, not our conflicts. there has been a fierce international backlash to what the president is proposing, even though donald trump insists it's just accepting what is present—day reality. so far, the arab world, nato, the pope, the un, russia and turkey have spoken out against the move. the white house is on a charm offensive, but so far, the only country that has been charmed is israel. and onjerusalem's ancient walls, a very modern projection of israeli sentiment tonight. this is a historic day. we are profoundly grateful

to the president for his courageous and just decision to recognise jerusalem as the capital of israel, and to prepare for the opening of the us embassy here. this decision reflects the president's commitment to an ancient but enduring truth, to fulfilling his promises and to advancing peace. six months ago, the palestinian leader hosted donald trump on his middle east tour. that early optimism replaced by disappointment today. translation: jerusalem is a palestinian city — christian, muslim, jewish — and it is the capital of the state of palestine for ever. jerusalem, a city 6000 miles and two continents away from the us, was the subject of an unusual campaign pledge from donald trump to a very narrow constituency, to move the us embassy from tel aviv tojerusalem and recognise the ancient city

as israel's capital, but in keeping that promise, he seems to have made his other goal of advancing middle east peace a whole lot more complicated. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. well, let's get some reaction to this from laura bicker in washington. what sort of reaction have we been hearing from america's allies? the uk has said that it has no plans to move its embassy. when it comes to the un, you heard from my colleague, the un, you heard from my colleague, the list of those opposing this move. within the last few hours, there has been a call for a un security council meeting to take place by the end of this week and joining those asking for that meeting, bolivia, egypt, france,

italy, uk and europe an saudi arabia have labelled the move irresponsible. saying it regrets the decision and the kingdom has already warned of the serious consequences of such an unjustified and irresponsible move. condemnation from so many quarters at how popular a decision in the us? this was a campaign promise. he made it on many podiums and his campaign have released a statement saying promise made, promised kept and that seems to be the important thing for president trump, that he is at least being seen to be doing exactly what he said he would do. he asked for tax reform, he wanted health reform and here he has already promised to

move the embassy to jerusalem and here he has already promised to move the embassy tojerusalem and here he is committing to this promise. this announcement today is more about his domestic audience. it is about his policy of america first but when you see all these condemnation, it is more increasingly america alone. how much does donald trump think this declaration will help his aim to bring about middle east peace and how much room for manoeuvre has he left? he mentioned on several occasions that he wanted to move forward with the peace process and he wanted a great deal for israelis and palestinians. but the problem is, he has not outlined what kind of strategy he is looking for. he has not put it into any kind of public state m e nts not put it into any kind of public statements which leaves, especially the palestinians, wandering exactly

what is in it to them. when it comes to the task at hand, he handed the peace process to jared kushner and it has made hisjob a lot more difficult. also making news today: hong kong democracy activists joshua wong and lester shum are to be sentenced in the latest umbrella movement prosecution. they were among 20 activists found guilty by the high court of criminal contempt, for refusing to clear moan kok district during the 2014 0ccu py protest. wong, shum and nine others pleaded guilty in october, while nine more pleaded not guilty. president putin says he will allow russian athletes compete under a neutral flag. the russian athletes compete under a neutralflag. the international 0lympic neutralflag. the international olympic committee accused russia of unprecedented systematic manipulation of the anti— doping system. he commented on the

allegations. translation: i have never set a task, for example, for the minister of sport or other organisations all the narration is to win at the olympics. there was no such tasks. the super task was to prepare for the sochi olympics, for athletes, sport friends and for those who love sport all around the world.. time news magazine has awarded its annual person of the year to the people around the world who have broken their silence on sexual assault and harassment. calling them silence breakers, time said their collective anger had spurred immediate and shocking results. let's return to our top story — president trump's announcement a few hours ago that the united states now recognises jerusalem as the capital of israel. victor kattan is senior research fellow at the middle east institute, national university of singapore.

he explained what this announcement might mean for the peace process. well, it doesn't look good at the moment becausejerusalem is a final status issue. usually one of the last things you discuss — this topic, this time they have reversed that process and are discussing it before other issues. it has always been a point of contention and that is why people try to avoid it. the palestinians are very concerned about this issue, abbas and other officials have come out and said that the us are no longer a broker of peace. president trump said that by moving the capital, this could be a catalyst for peace. he said it won't change the issue of the boundaries or the status of the city, although it is difficult to see that without more clarity on the issue of the embassy. he hasn't spoken about the consulates office in eastjerusalem, it is possible

in the future it could become an embassy to a palestinian state, but he didn't say too much about that. his statement about realities on the ground is problematic because one could read that as applyingto other troubled spots in the world. so it could really have wider repercussions, not only for the middle east but around the world? absolutely. i think it is a bone of contention and that is why the un secretary general has expressed concern, so has many other world leaders. will there be any room for peace negotiations here in the near to medium term? it is difficult to say, unless this is followed up by diplomatic action swiftly. there was talk of a wider peace plan involving saudi arabia and other arab countries but the saudi king warned that the trump administration not to address this, speaking about the specific

issue right now, which is what has happened. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: one of australia's most senior catholics goes on trial, accused of covering up child abuse in the 1970s. we'll be live in sydney. also on the programme: more than 1,000 firefighters battle huge wildfires in california. john lennon has been shot here in new york. there has been a crowd here standing ina vigil. there has been a crowd here standing in a vigil. the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war and it's in the old city,

dubrovnik. this morning, witnesses said shells were landing every 20 seconds. people are celebrating the passing of a man they hold responsible for hundreds of deaths and oppression. elsewhere, people have been gathering to mourn his passing. the widow of the former president of the philippines has called on trial in manila, facing seven charges of tax evasion, she pleaded not guilty. the prince and princess of wales are to separate, a statement from buckingham palace said the decision had been reached amicably. welcome back. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm karin giannone in london. our top stories: donald trump reverses decades of us policy and recognises jerusalem

as the capital of israel. israel's prime minister announced it has historic but palestinians have off their christmas lights. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the japan times features an artist's impression of a new supersonic aircraft, which aims to be faster than a concorde. the company behind the jetjust landed a $10 billion contract with japan airlines. it could cut the journey time from new york to london to just over three hours. britain's daily telegraph reports on the death of one of the most famous faces of the swinging ‘60s. the former model christine keeler was caught up in the notorious profumo affair, which contributed to the downfall of the conservative government.

and according to the south china morning post, a certain italian plummer might be making an appearance in the country soon. nintendo has agreed to let people play mario brothers on another compa ny‘s console. their hoping access to china's market will power—up their already impressive profits. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? the end of the era of throwaway plastic may have arrived. that's after un environment ministers agreed the flow of plastic into the oceans must end. they say the deal shows governments and the public realise change is needed. scientists welcomed the agreement, but pointed out there were no firm targets or timetables. one of australia's most prominent clerics, the catholic archbishop of adelaide, philip wilson, has appeared in court accused of covering up child abuse in the 1970s. he says he's innocent.

the trial started on wednesday and continues today. let's get more from the bbc‘s phil mercer in sydney. well, prosecutors at the court in newcastle, this is an industrial centre to the north of sydney, allege that archbishop philip wilson covered up abuse in the hunter valley region of new south wales in the 1970s when he was a priest. it's alleged that he ignored the crimes of a fellow priest who was abusing an altar boy. it's also alleged that the archbishop back in the 1970s paid thousands of dollars to silence complainants from making their voices heard against abuse within the catholic church. his legal team says that given his fragile physical and mental state, they don't believe he should be fit enough to stand trial in the first place. they say he had a recent diagnosis

of alzheimer's and he is mentally shaky and not able to give evidence. but those concerns have been dismissed and the archbishop has gone on trial and he says he will defend the charges and that he is not guilty. there have been repeated delays on medical grounds. legal experts say the hearing in the city of newcastle may well be a landmark test case for other cases of alleged cover—ups. they surfaced during a royal commission with institutional sponsors across australia. notjust religious but sporting clubs,

schools, the military and charities and at royal commission is due to hand down its report next week after almost five years of deliberations to the issue of child abuse is extremely pertinent here in australia and the child —— the trial of archbishop philip wilson is continuing. he is charged with covering up abuse. the second phase of elections in nepal takes place on thursday. it's the first legislative election since since a civil war ended and the monarchy was abolished. the first phase took place in november. as preparations continue across the country for the elections, there's hope that this will bring much—needed stability to nepal. voters will be choosing a 275—member parliament and provincial assemblies. turnout was more than 65% in the first phase. editor of the nepali times, kunda dixit, explained to me the importance of these elections.

just before dawn here in kathmandu, rico, and many would say nepal is waking up to a new political dawn. undoubtedly these are a milestone elections, they represent the last stage of a peace process that started 11 years ago when the violent conflict ended and in many ways in that period we have gone from, well, war to peace, monarchy to republic, and the country itself has been mired in instability and yet i think there's a lot of hope these elections will bring a new era of stability and that the country will finally move forward with economic growth and job creation. kunda, what is the representation like among the candidates standing in this election? are there many old politicians or are we seeing new faces who will inject vibrancy into the political system?

well, one reason for a bit of cynicism is that although there is hope that this will bring in a new era, there are a lot of old faces who have not performed in the past, people tainted with corruption, a lot of candidates who are businessmen and contractors and that is one reason for the cynicism. the other is that we're going into really uncharted territory because besides the national parliament, we're also electing members into seven federal assemblies. and federalism, no one really knows how it's going to work. this is indeed a wide—ranging election and of course now we are in a so—called millennial era, kunda, how has the election played out on social media? has it been a social media driven election campaign?

indeed. i think what you see in the run—up to the day's election especially is the very strong showing of one of the alternative parties, which is an alliance of two anticorru ption parties, which has a lot of fresh faces, a lot of people who have returned from abroad back to nepal and who represent the younger voters. it remains to be seen whether, and this is the test, this election is a test of how nepalese will convert their outrage with the current system and the current crop of leaders into votes at election time. whether this new party, which is doing very well on social media in terms of exposure, will be able to get votes and how many votes they get will be the crucial test. whoever sits in this new parliament and whoever becomes

the new prime minister, kunda, what should be their top three priorities? i think we've done vox pops from the street about what people expect from these elections and stability is number one, stability is needed for economic growth, investment and job creation at home so nepalese don't have to migrate by their millions abroad to work. what about the new constitution, which was adopted a couple of years ago, kunda? how much change in the political system have you seen since then? we haven't seen much because this is the last election of the three tiers of government under the new constitution so that remains to be seen as to how inclusion and autonomy will work under the new federal system. but the fact that this is the first series of elections under the new constitution is definitely a milestone.

in california, more than a thousand firefighters are battling huge wildfires. hundreds of buildings have already been destroyed and thousands of homes are under threat. the worst of the fires have been in ventura county about 80 kilometres north of los angeles. from there the bbc‘s north america correspondent, james cook reports. no—one can escape from nature, not even in bel air, one of the wealthiest suburbs on earth. all day there's been a battle to save homes here and the owners have been rushing to grab what they can as they flee from their mansions. we built this house 13 years ago, never seen anything like it. do you think the firefighters are going to save it? they're my heroes. i'm hoping. it's in gods and the firefighters' hands. and those heroes are being helped by much lighter winds for now. with the potential winds and the fires developing those embers can fly a distance away, spot firing canyons below us. and you're worried that might be what happens because the winds are forecast to get up? that's correct.

the media mogul rupert murdoch's vineyard property is one of those which is smouldering, but helicopters have been making good use of the lull in the weather. how we lookin‘? good! these firefighters are now battling a blaze in one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in los angeles. we're surrounded by expensive homes and this fire is likely to get worse this afternoon when the winds picked up. it was in the beach side city of ventura where the first wildfire exploded with terrifying speed. driven by ferocious desert winds whipping down the dusty canyons. last night it jumped the main coastal motorway, causing terror for drivers. this is literally, like, 15 feet away from us right now. this is the cross. that's the cross. we need to get out as soon as possible, that fire is right there. only one thing could stop the blaze, the pacific ocean. this was how the fires looked from space, thick smoke streaming out to sea. it has barely rained here in la for six months and you can tell.

many scientists say climate change is driving more frequent and more destructive wildfires. for california this is yet another grim wake—up call. james cook, bbc news, los angeles. you've been watching newsday. coming up: we'll be taking a look at the person behind one of the most successful shops in the world. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures. one of the world's oldest and most complete skeletons of our ancient ancestors has been unveiled in johannesburg. south african scientists, who have spent 20 years excavating and preparing little foot, say the fossilised remains are more than three million years old. hello.

the day ahead will bring some very windy weather and then we get plunged into the deep freeze. storm caroline, a deep area of low pressure is drifting to the north of the british isles. a band of rain sinking southwards and eastwards but look at all the white lines, the isobars on the chart, very, very windy, storm force winds are possible in northern areas and then we opened the floodgates to this very cold air plunging all the way in from the arctic. we're starting thursday on a fairly mild note, a wet note for some and a windy night for all of us. the mild weather will not last, though, because ours are bands of rain clearing south and east and we will all get into cold air, wintry showers in northern ireland and scotland but the real concern here is the strength of the wind. as you can see, we're expecting wind gusts in excess of 80mph across northern scotland particularly, and it could well be enough to cause some disruption, yes, but also some damage. so the met office

has issued an amber be prepared warning for the strength of the wind, and even further south across central parts of scotland, just fringing into northern ireland, there's a yellow warning in force, gusts of 70mph possible here. elsewhere it starts wet and windy across the south—eastern corner, that rain will take a while to clear away. then the skies will brighten and then we get into the wintry showers blown in on this strong north—westerly wind, could easily be blizzard conditions in the snow showers and those temperatures coming down as the afternoon goes on. now, into thursday night, these snow showers will drift further southwards and eastwards. we could see a covering of snow just about anywhere, but mostly in places exposed to this north—westerly wind. there could be some icy stretches around as well. so a very wintry look to the weather on friday. yes, some sunshine, still some snow showers, a bitterly cold north—westerly will wind, your thermometer will read 2—5 degrees but it will feel subzero for many. now, saturday looks like it will bring something a little bit quieter, the winds

easing from the west. still very cold but not as many showers at this stage, 1—5, those are the maximum temperatures. then as we head into the second half of the weekend, it's all eyes on this front of system hurtling in from the atlantic. yes, it's going to wring some rain but as it interacts with the cold air there's the potential for some significant snow. don't take these graphics too literally, there's a lot of uncertainty about the positioning of this, but some significant snow is possible on sunday. we'll keep you posted. i'm karin giannone, with bbc news. our top story: donald trump has announced a major change in united states policy towards the middle east. he has formally recognised the disputed city jerusalem as the capital of israel, calling it a "long overdue step" that will help bring bring about peace between israel and the palestinians. israel's prime minister has called it a "historic day" for his country. but leaders from around

the world have been warning of the danger violent reactions. the palestinians say it marks the end of the peace process. and this video is trending on bbc.com... wildfires in california have destroyed hundreds of buildings, and another 12,000 homes are under threat. the fire is burning about 80 kilometres north of los angeles. nearly 30,000 people have been forced from their homes. the state's governor, jerry brown has declared a state of emergency freeing state funds and resources to assist. that's all from me for now. and one other story from here in the uk: the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, has suggested that