i'm kasia madera, in london. the headlines: after hours of study and difficult debate, britain's cabinet ministers back their prime minister and her plan for brexit. and i firmly believe with my head and my heart that this is a decision which is in the best interests of our entire united kingdom. the european union's chief negotiator has given his approval, opening the door to the next phase — talks about a trade agreement. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. also in the programme: we have a special report from thailand, where the military government is using a crackdown on fake news on social media to target its critics. and singapore's prime minister holds a gala dinnerfor asean heads of state. we'll be live at the summit. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. it's 8am in singapore,

midnight here in london, where the british government has held one of the most significant cabinet meetings of modern times. ministers have decided to support the prime minister's plans for leaving the eu. theresa may warned that this draft withdrawal agreement is the best on offer, but there's no certainty that it will be approved by parliament. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. a warning there is flash photography in her report. her deal, her call, her gamble. the cabinet has had a long, detailed and impassioned debate on the draft agreement and the outlined declaration on the future relationship with the eu. these documents were the result of thousands of hours of hard negotiation by uk officials and many

meetings which i and other ministers held with our eu counterparts. i firmly believe that the draft withdrawal agreement was the best that could be negotiated. and it was for the cabinet to decide whether to move on in the talks. the choices before us were difficult, particularly in relation to the northern ireland backstop. the collective decision of cabinet was that the government should agree the withdrawal agreement and the outlined political declaration. this is a decisive step which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in the days ahead. these decisions were not ta ken lightly. but i believe it is a decision that is firmly in the national interest. when you strip away the detail, the choice before us is clear. this deal, which delivers on the vote of the referendum, which brings back control of our money, laws and borders, ends free movement, protectsjobs, security and our union,

or leave with no deal or no brexit at all. i believe that what i owe to this country is to take decisions that are in the national interest. and i firmly believe, with my head and my heart, that this is a decision which is in the best interests of our entire united kingdom. so her deal is on. after five hours of talks, a pact has been sealed that could determine her future, the government's future, and of course all of ours. it wasn't smooth or unanimous. they might have reached a collective decision... reporter: are you resigning, mr fox? i'm told about ten cabinet ministers expressed reservations — fears the agreement keeps us too close to the eu.

a cabinet united? a collective agreement. concerns it will never make it through the commons, and there was no formal vote. i am absolutely part of the cabinet because i am satisfied that the deal that is currently available does meet our demands. why the caution? voila. "voila," brexiteers fear the eu has got too much, tying the uk in too closely, maybe for good. we have been able to find common ground and meet our common objectives. there are big problems back home. the fine print of the deal shows if there isn't a big trade agreement in future, great britain would be in a customs union with the eu, northern ireland effectively in a single market. not something theresa may's dup allies want to accept. it certainly doesn't appear that we will be able to support it, because it breaches the red line in terms of having differences between northern ireland and the rest of the united kingdom, in terms of regulation.

obviously, we would still be in the customs union as well, and we cannot have that. and in far greater number if brexiteers‘ suspicions about the deal are proven once they have read it properly. here it is. you have it. i have it here. they might pull the plug on the prime minister altogether. i think this is a major problem for the government because it destroys trust. the prime minister made some very clear promises in her various speeches, but perhaps most importantly in the conservative party manifesto. one of those was, we were leaving the customs union. in this arrangement, we can only leave a customs union with the permission of the european union, which is a worse situation than we are currently in. will you move against the prime minister before she has a chance to bring the plan? i shall spend some money on some candles this evening and read carefully what the text says. strong voices on the right will inevitably be joined by resistance from the left. i don't believe that the deal i have heard so far is in the national interest.

it doesn't meet the needs of all parts of britain, it doesn't give us security of the trading relationship with europe in the future through a permanent customs union in which we have no say. remember, most ministers did back theresa may tonight, albeit with nought enthusiasm. the government was rewarded with glass of wine at the end, but it's far, far too early for theresa may to toast success. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: firefighters say the worst of the wildfires in california are now under control although it may take until the end of this month before they are extinguished. fifty people have now been confirmed as dead, with dozens of people still unaccounted for. danjohnson is in california and sent us this report. a week ago, this was the centre of

vibrant town. now, it is drained of colour and devoid of life. it is people like bill, who gave this place is character. this is the first you have seen your house? not a lot left. this is the porch, this is the living room. this is my bedroom, back their is the kitchen. it is scorched earth. how do you deal with these? yes... it is scorched earth. how do you dealwith these? yes... cars it is scorched earth. how do you deal with these? yes... cars are burning. this is what he faced, driving through the firestorm. he was the last from his street to make it out. it is blowing, it is hot.

what happens next? rebuild, we start. sta rt life what happens next? rebuild, we start. start life again. i am alive, i have the close on buyback, i have the family. these are the people who did not make it out. it is impossible to realise the loss. this is where they prayed, shop, settled to retire. all of it smothered, ruined, dead. danjohnson, bbc news, paradise. also making news today: france has said president trumps' tweets mocking his french counterpart were inappropriate and showed a lack of common decency. on tuesday, mr trump attacked emmanuel macron over nationalism, plans for a european army and the french leader's ratings. the comments follow mr trump's visit to france for armistce day. a preliminary report on the helicopter crash

at leicester city's stadium, which killed five people, including the club's owner, shows the aircraft did not respond to the pilot's left pedal command. the air accident investigation branch said the helicopter started to turn right, when the pilot was trying to make it turn left. it crashed soon after taking off from the pitch last month. final counting has started in fiji's election, with provisional results suggesting former military leader frank bainimarama will remain in power. torrential rain hampered voting in some areas, with polling stations having to close. it'll be four or five days before the winner is known. let's go back to the story that has been dominating the press in the uk. the british cabinet backing a draft withdrawal agreement between the uk and the eu. earlier i spoke to ian watson, in westminster. there are causes for concern within

theresa may's party. northern ireland, separated from the uk. the dup is propping her up in parliament and she met their leader tonight and have had full and frank discussions. she could potentially lose their vote when they meet in parliament. the leader of the opposition has made it clear, after a meeting with theresa may, that he is unlikely to give his backing to this. they will make their position formal tomorrow but all signs and signals is there will not be backing this deal. very nervous are also some members of her party. although they have reached collective agreement, nonetheless,

there were voices of dissent. what happens next is it will have to be...a happens next is it will have to be... a special summit called by the european council and they will then have to reach a formal deal which is still in draft form. it then goes back to the british parliament and thatis back to the british parliament and that is when, as i was suggesting, some of these are dissenting voices may prove decisive in getting the deal approved here. on the close of the first day of the summi there in singapore, the prime minister has hosted a gala dinner for all the attending heads of state. on a day of bilateral meetings between world leaders, the us vice president mike pence criticised myanmar‘s military for the persecution and displacement of rohingya muslims in myanmar, when he sat down with aung san suu kyi. sharanjit leyl is at the sumit for us. the rohingya prices and the south

china sea code of conduct at the top of the agenda for many of these political leaders? at the top of the agenda and also the denuclearisation of the korean eyre peninsula is also on the agenda. world leaders have gathered here. the likes of russia's president, vladimir putin, attending the asean summit for the first time, india,japan, the asean summit for the first time, india, japan, south korea and australian leaders and china. notably absent is donald trump, the us president. he sent vice president mike pence instead. aung san suu kyi

is all see here, the leaderfrom myanmar and she has been publicly rebuked from everyone. some say her treatment of the rohingya was like defending the indefensible and, as you mention, those comments by the us vice president mike pence also publicly rebuking her, he called the tragedy something that has touched the lives of many american people and took to task about the two reuters journalists arrested and jailed. highlighting a america's freedom of the press. it is also interesting that it was aung san suu kyi who had called for that meeting with mike pence and we were told it was frank and candid and reports that southeast asian nations will be

mentioning the crisis, saying that those responsible for the atrocities in myanmar should be held fully accountable. that is expected to be in the closing statement later today. what else is on today's agenda? i mentioned the denuclearisation of the korean peninsula but also ongoing concerns about security in the south china sea, something else which is preoccupied leaders at asean. china has laid claim to many of the disputed islands. i mentioned north korea because president moonjae—in is here and he is expected to talk with his counterparts. mike pence also meeting with the chinese delegate and many seeing if this

could lead to resolution to the trade war. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: our special report on how thailand's military government is silencing its critics — under the banner of a fake news crackdown. also on the programme: former us first lady michelle obama talks about the difficulties of raising a family and how couples' therapy helped. benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistan general election. she has asked the president to name as prime minister. jackson has been released on bail of $3 million after turning himself into police in santa barbara. it was the biggest demonstration so far of the first —— fast—growing european antinuclear movement. the south african

government has announced that it's opening the country's remaining whites only beaches to people of all races. this will lead to a black majority government in this country and the destruction of the white civilisation. part of the centuries—old windsor castle, one of the queen's residences, has been consumed by fire for much of the day. 150 firemen have been battling the blaze, which has caused millions of pounds worth of damage. welcome back, everyone. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the british cabinet has backed prime minister theresa may's plan for britain's departure from the european union. singapore's leader has hosted a gala dinner for the association of southeast asian nations. many of the front pages of the british papers

are understandably dominated by brexit. the financial times looks towards the future with its headline: "may braces for a backlash after winning ferocious brexit battle." the article details the hurdles the british prime minister still has ahead of her, in order to make her brexit plan a reality. the international papers branch away from brexit. the japan times focuses on the k—pop group that caused controversy when one of its band members wore a t—shirt depicting an atomic bomb. the group's talent agency has apologized, saying those involved hadn't done their research on how offensive the shirt would be to japanese fans. and finally, the philippines' daily inquirer is reporting on the fatal shooting of a vice mayor. he was ambushed while heading to a meeting, his car was peppered with bullets. his daughter, who is the vice president of the la union province, was wounded.

those are the papers. now, rico, we hear of culture vultures but you have a story doing well online about culture cats. that's right. cats that may love art. over injapan, this is one of two cats who've been whipping up a storm on social media for their failed attempts to get into a museum in hiroshima. except this hasn't been going on for a few days, weeks, or even months, but two years — ever since the museum held a cat photography exhibition in 2016. most probably they could relate. and thatis most probably they could relate. and that is trending. as part of the bbc‘s beyond fake news series, today we're looking at thailand. with one of the highest rates of social media use in the world, the ruling militaryjunta is worried about the spread of fake news. it has amended an already draconian law against computer crimes. but as the bbc has discovered, the law is being used

against critics of the military. let us hope he doesn't change. that isa let us hope he doesn't change. that is a look at thailand for our series beyond fake news. the former american first lady, michelle obama, has begun an international tour to promote her new memoir, becoming. in the book, mrs obama reveals that she had a miscarriage and used in vitro fertilisation, or ivf, to conceive both her daughters. she describes how she sought couple's therapy with her husband, the former president barack. speaking to the cbs news channel, mrs obama said there were times when the couple's relationship had struggled. i tell young couples, it's like when you get married you've got that

moment, those years, if you are lucky, where it isjust moment, those years, if you are lucky, where it is just the two of you, individuals on your pass. you come together when you need to. all works until you have kids —— paths. your first joint works until you have kids —— paths. yourfirstjoint project works until you have kids —— paths. your first joint project where works until you have kids —— paths. your firstjoint project where the inequalities are felt. you know, i'm working and managing childcare and sick kids and trying to co—ordinate myjob and... he's flickering in. tensions started to arise. and we knew that we needed to have a place where we could really work these feelings out. what's he like, great, let's go to counselling? ohno. barack is a problem solver. i will buy a book and he will study chapter 12, you reach up to 13. we will figure this out. it is one of those things. we don't need help from anybody. and i was like... for me, i was like i need to go to somebody who will tell you...

was like i need to go to somebody who will tell you. .. you're wrong. and i talk about that. i did not get that. the period of counselling for me was a turning point. i learned i was still responsible for my own happiness. it wasn't his job to solely make me happy. i had to figure out my space in this. do you still feel if we need to go back we would do that, even though you are so would do that, even though you are so well known now? absolutely. gosh, yes. i think counselling is one of those tuneup times. marriage is hard. all marriages are hard. and even, look, you know us. i love my husband. we have a wonderful marriage. but it takes work. the former first lady there was some wise words. a relationship takes work. even, rico, our relationship ta kes work. even, rico, our relationship takes work. her memoir coming out. definitely worth a read. you have been watching newsday. i'm kasia madera in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us.

we'll have the latest on how currency markets are coping after theresa may's brexit statement. more on that on asia business report. we look forward to that. much more on brexit on the website. and we'll leave you with these official photos of the british royal family. they posed for the pictures to mark the prince of wales' 70th birthday. the bbc website has also published a host of pictures of prince charles from the past 70 years, with memories of his childhood and teenage years, milestone moments including his marriage to princess diana, the investiture and his marriage to the duchess of cornwall. the heir to the throne is the guest of honour at a private party being hosted by the queen at buckingham palace. congratulations to him from all sonia sodha. thanks for watching. ——

all of us on newsday. hello. when several dozen other fine autumnal day with plenty of sunshine in the south in the and the east. we have more cloud the marine, a breezy conditions across north—western parts of the uk. this was the picture as the sunset in oxfordshire. some of us got as high as 16 celsius on wednesday. above—average average for the time of year. on thursday, things will remain male. mister cloudier skies. there will be some brighter spells developing later on in the day. through thursday we have got a weather fronts it into the far north—west. it is high pressure across the new continent that will be driving our weather of the next couple of days, keeping it largely settled. a bit of rain affecting western parts of northern ireland and the north—west of scotland. elsewhere a largely dry day. mist and fog patches across parts of england and wales. some low cloud around as well. there will be some time by the afternoon across the north—east of england into eastern scotla nd north—east of england into eastern scotland as well. those temperatures will be on the mild side, again

reaching13— will be on the mild side, again reaching 13— 15 degrees across the country. some rainfall of northern ireland, into scotland. further south across england and wales you keep the low cloud. we could see some mist and fog patches developing. it will be frost free across the board with temperatures down to 6— 11 degrees for most of us first thing friday. friday, largely dry. weather fronts kept first thing friday. friday, largely dry. weatherfronts kept out first thing friday. friday, largely dry. weather fronts kept out at bay by this big area of high pressure, which is pushing in making its influence felt across the country. as we had through of friday and into the weekend many of us that drycleaned. it had through. the could be low cloud, mist, and fog, through central, southern, and in some parts through friday. it will brighten through the day. it will stay on the mild side. we have the temperatures reaching the mid teens on friday. a slight change as we head into the weekend. largely dry, settled conditions, but things will feel a little cooler compared to be

very mild weather we have had for much of the past week or so. there is the chance of seeing some mist and fog around. i think on saturday, four most places, early—morning mist, fog, and low cloud will clear to leave sunny skies, fairly light winds coming in from the south—east. it averages not quite as warm as thursday and friday. up to about 10— 12 degrees, it shouldn't feel too bad. a repeat performance on sunday. a briskly as early morning mist, for, and cloud. autumnal sunshine by the afternoon. temperatures around 10- 11 the afternoon. temperatures around 10— 11 degrees. goodbye for now. —— fog. i'm kasia madera, with bbc news. our top story: the british cabinet has given its backing to a detailed plan for brexit. the agreement opens the door to the next stage of talks but theresa may still has to convince the british parliament. leaders from southeast asia will hold their final day of talks at the asean summit later, after being treated to a gala dinner in singapore. and this video is trending on bbc.com

jewellery once belonging to france's marie antoinette has fetched astonishing prices in geneva, massively over the pre—sale estimate. the star of the show, a pear shaped natural pearl pendant, had been expected to sell for up to $2 million, but afterfierce bidding, went for more than $36 million. that's all. stay with bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.