this is newsday, on the bbc. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. the headlines: russia rows back on controversial pension reforms. public pressure forces vladimir putin to think again. outrage from australia's aboriginal leaders, after former prime minister, tony abbott, is appointed special envoy on indigenous affairs. the community questions his track—record. i'm ben bland, in london. also in the programme: decades of conflict and thousands disappeared. one women's search for truth in indian administered kashmir. and women's wrestling conquers the world. we meet the new generation of wrestlers thrilling sell—out crowds. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning.

it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london, and 2am in moscow, where earlier, russia's president, vladimir putin, tried to boost his approval ratings by speaking straight to the people. his popularity took a rare dive when his government introduced controversial plans to raise the state pension age. steve rosenberg has this report from moscow. vladimir putin rarely does this. a half—hour television address to the nation. it was an attempt to convince the russian people to accept that pension reform is unavoidable. translation: it is really impossible to postpone any longer. it could lead to serious consequences for the economy and the social sphere

and most negatively, affect the destinies of millions of people. in recent weeks government proposals to raise the retirement age for men from 60 to 65 and for women from 55 to 63 have sparked protests across russia. and dented the president's popularity. in his tv address putin argued that an ageing population makes change unavoidable. but he's softened some aspect of the reform. translation: we have a special caring attitude to women in our country. we understand that they not only work at theirjobs but the whole household is usually reliant on them. the retirement age for women should not be increased more than for men. i believe it necessary to decrease the retirement age for women suggested by the draft law from eight to five years. until today vladimir putin had distanced himself

from pension reform. it was the russian government that announced the reform, it has been the russian parliament that has been debating it. well, after vladimir putin's half hour address to the nation, president putin has become the face of what has been an unpopular reform and it will be interesting to see how that affects his popularity in the weeks ahead. that will depend on whether the kremlin leader in his address to the nation has done enough to persuade russians to accept a painful reform. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. it hasn't been immediately clear if putin's intervention will be enough to defuse public anger over raising the pension age. but state television, the main source of news for most russians, presented his intervention in a positive light, as did politicians from the ruling united russia party. here's a look at some of the reactions from moscow. translation: from the beginning it

was clear the president approval rating was falling so this is marketing the race again. translation: i believe the pension reform is inevitable. the retirement age should increase because the population aged is increasing and someone population aged is increasing and someone has to support the state. the inflation make a woman should only have the work for the pleasure and look after the home. thanks to women, russia is thriving there for women, russia is thriving there for women should have more. translation: the government deprive people of choice. i expected at the age of 60 it would be my right to work further oi’ it would be my right to work further or not. i have been deprived of that andi or not. i have been deprived of that and i have to work for another five yea rs. and i have to work for another five years. with the stroke of a pen, all plans to have been crossed out. let's take a look at some

of the day's other news: the most senior white house lawyer don mcgahn, is to step down. president trump made the announcement in a tweet. earlier this month it was reported that mr mcgahn had cooperated extensively with the mueller investigation into possible collusion between the trump campaign team and russia, during the presidential election. he has been talking to robert mueller over a nine—month period and it is important to realise he did that with the approval of the president. the strategy pretty early on that ran something like this, flooding the special counsel with documents, giving as much time as possible. he set down with what we think was 30 hours. we leave that strategy did not work in the end and the president may have decided that there are other ways to approach this with a newly built team in the

shape of ready guiliani. we think it will stay on another couple of months because, at the moment, of course, a new supreme courtjustice is being appointed. he has been involved in drawing up the list for the people and the new nominee, brett kava naugh the people and the new nominee, brett kavanaugh and he would want to see that through. that is what the president implied in his suite this morning. —— tweet. also making news today: the south korean international football star, son heung—min, is just one win away from being excused from military service. if south korea win the final of the asian games on saturday, it is likely the 26 year—old won't have to serve the obligatory two years. that's because south korea offers exemptions for a few prestigious sporting achievements and winning gold at the asian games is one. argentina has asked for the early release of a $50 billion international bailout as it faces a growing economic crisis.

in a televised address, president mauricio macri said quicker access to the imf funds would restore market confidence. the head of the imf says the organisation will work quickly with argentina to revise the government ‘s plan to lift the country out of economic problems. the body ofjohn mccain, the former us senator and republican presidential candidate, is lying in state in the arizona state capitol. people were able to view his casket throughout the day. it's the start of five days of memorial tributes in phoenix and washington for mr mccain, who died on saturday. british government officials are talking to the french authorities to try and make sure there'll be no repetition of tuesday's violence between french and british scallop fishing vessels off the normandy coast. french fishermen have accused their british counterparts of running down stocks of scholars

in the channel. —— scallops. and finally look at these incredible pictures capturing the moment a fireball, believed to be a meteor, lit up the sky near perth in western australia on tuesday. this amazing footage of the spectacle was caught by several dashboard cameras and also on cctv. scientists say it was a chunk of asteroid coming through the atmosphere, an event which only occcurs a couple of times a year. aboriginal leaders and opposition politicians in australia say they are outraged and disappointed over a proposal to appoint the former prime minister tony abbott as special envoy on indigenous affairs to the federal government. it's not clear how the new role will work and some have also questioned mr abbott's track record in handling indigenous affairs. questioned mr abbott's track record in handling indigenous affairs. well, for more on this i'm joined from brisbane byjackie huggins, an indigenous author, activist, historian and the co—chair of national congress of australia's first peoples. thank you so much forjoining us on

newsday. in your view, why is mr abbott are wrong fit for the role? mr abbott has a history of paternalism and punishment for aboriginal and torres strait islander people here in australia. he has also caused have it with the prime minister's leadership over a number of years, and, quite frankly, it remains to be seen if he will do anything if anything for us. mr abbott has already said that education will be his priority as the envoy. would an improvement in education potentially lead to better standards and of indigenous aspirations in australia? well,

certainly. that is one of the key foundations for success, however, certainly. that is one of the key foundations forsuccess, however, it isa foundations forsuccess, however, it is a very complex issue here in australia. we have our children not going back at not attending school because of a number of instances. things about relevancy of class curriculum, institutional racism, pa rents curriculum, institutional racism, parents not being invited all willing to go to the school so, you know, education, orwhile very important, it does not address the whole lid on any of crimes such as disability, family violence, incarceration, so he should not only concentrate on education but given a wider brief. indeed, a whole light of other issues need to be addressed by the former prime minister but, if it's not fit for the role, what sort

of person do you need in this position to achieve these goals or is it the role of the envoy really need to be there, should itjust be taking out? we do have a minister for aboriginal affairs said relief and in state and territories as well. really, we do not really see the need for these because we are at present attempting to work with the government but with a man that has such a poor history behind him, we do not feel confident as aboriginal leaders in this country that anything is going to change. we have the close the gap campaign, trying to bring targets that will certainly be of benefit to our people. there has been a lot of things under mr

abbott's watch previously in aboriginal affairs that he is not even thought about or at tended to and, let's face it, there has been over $6 million in australia spent on making kids go to school. it is not working. the close the gap is not working. the close the gap is not working. the close the gap is not working. we have the highest incarceration arrives in our country, if not the world, and their i’ow so many issues. “— country, if not the world, and their row so many issues. —— incarceration rates. there are so many issues that he would need to be a cross. thank you all your insights. you're watching newsday on the bbc. live from singapore and london. still to come on the programme: why have conservative canadian ministers voted to end birthright citizenship, normally given to all babies born in the country? also on the programme: women's wrestling on the rise — newsday‘s very own babita sharma meets the wrestlers who are becoming ever more popular and performing to sell—out audiences. we have a special interview

with one of the stars. he's the first african—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that martin luther king declared "i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the south—eastern sky. an orange glowing disk that is brighter than anything save the moon — our neighbouring planet mars. there is no doubt that this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. it'll take months and billions of dollars to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clock maker

john vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. —— ben bland in london. our top stories: president putin has softened unpopular proposals to reform pensions in russia. the partial backdown follows protests earlier this year. australian aboriginal leaders have expressed outrage after the former prime minister tony abbott is given a special envoyjob in indigenous affairs. community leaders have questioned his track—record on the issue in the past. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the front page of the straits times looks at the deadlock in talks with north korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.

the paper says that us defence secretary james mattiss is willing to end the suspension of us military exercises in order to put pressure on north korea. the japan times reports on a fifth fatality at a hospital in the gifu prefecture. japan is currently experiencing a heatweave and the hospital's air—conditioning units have reportedly broken down, leaving its elderly patients vulnerable. the new york times has a more positive story about the care of the elderly looking at an innovative dutch method of caring for people living with dementia. caregivers in the netherlands are replacing bed rest and medication with relaxation screens, sensory aids and music therapy. canadian conservatives have voted to end birthright citizenship.

that's the rule under which babies born in canada are given citizenship, even if their parents aren't citizens. at the party convention, some mps argued the law is being abused by so—called "birth tourism", with pregnant women travelling specifically to give birth in canada. catherine dauvergne is dean of the allard school of law, at the university of british columbia. whilst the conservatives' proposal to end birth tourism is not binding, how would it work? there is very little detail in the reports coming out of the convention, but the assumption is that it would be an amendment to the citizenship act, that is what the

conservative party was proposing when it was most recently in government. is there any evidence that this is becoming a real problem in canada? why has this issue come to the fore just now? i think this is just the conservative party looking to play the most to visit actions in politics. it is possible to conjure up a few stories here and there but nobody has done a systematic empirical look at what is actually happening on the ground. supporters of this proposal would point to somewhere like richmond, where there is a high proportion of non—resident minor —— mothers whose babies and have canadian citizenship through the birthright law. how then do you ensure that the parents of children who do then enjoy the citizenship right contribute and add to the community get? —— there are? —— there?

to the beginning of your question, i am not convinced that there is an extraordinarily large population in resident —— in richmond. there are a ncestors, resident —— in richmond. there are ancestors, who are legally in the country as foreigners or international students. country as foreigners or internationalstudents. richmond is right around half of asian descent at the moment. it is very difficult to tailored citizenship law, it is a pretty blunt instrument and would inevitably have overreach. pretty blunt instrument and would inevitably have overreachlj pretty blunt instrument and would inevitably have overreach. i know some of the conservative members who we re some of the conservative members who were worried about this proposal said that this citizenship law ensures the quality and to remove it would then risk losing quality. what do they exactly mean by that? —— equality. citizenship law is -- is

incredibly symbolically important and for countries like canada which depend on mythology —— mascot —— logy depend on mythology —— mascot —— mythology of immigration, it is important. so i think those comments from within the conservative opposition are really expressing support for a traditional immigrant logy. support for a traditional immigrant mythology, about what it means to be canadian. thursday is the un's international day of the disappeared. in indian—administered kashmir decades of conflict have led to the disappearance of thousands of people there. but some kashmiri women are fighting to bring them back. a group gather in srinigar every month to protest for their missing relatives to be returned. here's their story. you have been watching newsday. women's wwe wrestling has never been more popular. a new generation of wrestlers promoted by the massive entertainment company perform all over the world. there's even a hit netflix comedy drama about women's wrestling, glow, has been

nominated for 10 emmys. some of the biggest names in the industry are in london this week and my colleague babita sharma went to meet one of them, alexa bliss. we have got us a new champion! women have become a big forefront in wwe and to see the fans except our women's abolition the way they have and push the way that they have, it is amazing. i remember my first time he was with w and nobody really knew my name, it is cool to see how interchanged and i don't think it would have been possible without having wwe highlighting how our women are lately. bailey may have her here. you have got millions and millions of followers around the

world, women's wrestling is very much on the map now. what is it about women in the ring that you think has got people so excited?” think has got people so excited?” think it is the fact that, you know, we changed the way that people look at ourfemale we changed the way that people look at our female superstars. you know, ten yea rs at our female superstars. you know, ten years ago we had this stigma and now wwe has made sure that that has changed. back in the day, our matches were 30 seconds long, we have certain stipulation matches that you are not going to see any more today and i think the fact that oui’ more today and i think the fact that ourfans more today and i think the fact that our fans saw that things need to change for the women and wwe heard it and have made our women the forefront of wwe and you know, women are at the forefront of sports today. it is so amazing to see how much it has changed. even outside of wwe, we have glow, which is very pure on netflix. —— popular. we get

opportunity after opportunity every time and we deliver each time. show that our women are athletic and capable of doing what the men do just as well, if not better. do you all get on? i know you have a rivalry with many of the big stars, including the riot squad on which has been going for a big—time. hello. how you doing? i was asking her if you are all friends? the champion has no friends of. the women are taking off at the moment with glow, i wish you guys all the success , with glow, i wish you guys all the success, what is going to happen in the next few years boruc ice? maybe i will teach some stuff to you! i am afan of i will teach some stuff to you! i am a fan of bad guys, these guys are bad guys, so i get it. have i got

what it takes maybe? maybe, you have got a pretty cool leatherjacket. leather jacket. monday night leatherjacket. monday night raw, you will see. wishing you all the best of luck, thank you very much for talking me —— talking to me, enjoy the rest of your time in london. thank you. you know, if you were a ressler, i will call you back at three.” you know, if you were a ressler, i will call you back at three. i have some from new. i will call you back at three. i have some from new. i recurve a will call you back at three. i have some from new. i recurve a hitman, rico the ressler. —— rico. see you soon. good morning. there is a lot of fine weather to be had across the british isles today. most of us will start the day sunny and although a bit of cloud will develop as the hours go

by, we will remain find. a few showers possible in the west. one thing to note as you are heading out the door is that it will be a cool start, thanks to the clear skies overnight. some of the scottish glens, you see the green behind me, will be three or four degrees at the day gets under way. the sunshine will get to work weekly and that will get to work weekly and that will help temperatures to recover. a bit of cloud bubbling up through the day, turning the sunshine hazy, giving the odd light shower in the west. eventually, temperatures peaking in the high teens to the north of the uk and the low 20s further south. overnight thursday into friday, again much of the cloud thing in being —— thinning, breaking away, allowing temperatures to four, looking at lows of two or four degrees, temperatures in towns and cities. into friday and straightaway at change in the way the mac looks behind me as we have got a more organised of cloud to the west, bringing rain, less of it will run

into the continent, could it up a few showers for the south—west. overall friday, hazy sunshine, a fine day, high teens in the north, low 20s in the south. there is that whether front come friday night into saturday. it drifts away to the north of the british isles, bringing rain briefly into scotland and northern ireland, a weakening fixture by the start of the weekend. this is the way saturday is shaping up. quite cloudy in the north and west, any rain likely to be breezy and patchy, confined to the higher ground. southern and eastern areas getting the best of the sunshine and ridges creeping further into the sunshine. 33, maybe even 2a possible. or sunday, similar. for the north, thicker cloud and perhaps a greater chance of rain on sunday for northern ireland, fork southern and eastern areas, the best of the sunshine still getting the top temperatures. if anything, sunshine still getting the top temperatures. ifanything, come monday we might have a last dance

with some. the map behind me, to bridges height teens to the north, this spot across east anglia and the south—east maybe take us to around 27 celsius somewhere across the south—east of england. that high is likely to be short lived, temperatures tapering off as we move further into the weekend. —— week ahead. i'm ben bland, with bbc news. our top story: president putin softens his pension reforms after an outcry. the partial backdown follows protest earlier this year. in a rare televised address he said the retirement age for women would go up gradually from 55 to 60. but for men it will still jump from 60 to 65. australia's aboriginal leaders have expressed outrage at the appointment of former prime minister, tony abbott, as special envoy on indigenous affairs. the community questions his track—record. and this story is popular on bbc.com a fish and chip

restaurant in yorkshire in the north of england, has translated its menu into mandarin and cantonese, after an increase in chinese tourists. scotts fish and chips, near york, has seen coach loads of visitors wanting to try the traditional dish. that's all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, hardtalk.