i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: touchdown confirmed! nasa celebrates a perfect landing on mars, as the insight mission sends back its first image of the red planet. it isa it is a very, very nice looking picture. it looks pretty flat, which makes ourjob very easy to do. it is time to get going! ukraine imposes martial law after russia seizes three naval vessels and their crew. the us strongly condemns moscow's actions. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. also in the programme: we meet some of the children reunited with their parents, after being separated by indonesia's recent earthquake and tsunami. and significant doubts emerge about claims by a chinese scientist that he helped make the world's first genetically edited babies. good morning.

it's 9am in singapore, 1 in the morning in london and 5pm in pasadena california, where the us space agency, nasa, has successfully guided another probe onto the surface of mars. it's part of its study into how the red planet was formed. after a voyage lasting 6 months, the insight spacecraft made its descent onto the planet's surface, a high risk manoeuvre. our science correspondent victoria gill reports from pasadena. touchdown confirmed! after a six—month journey and a perilous descent, relief and joy at mission control. i am over the moon, it's incredible. this is my first mission,

i still feel nervous, like i don't know, the adrenaline is still going through me, but we're on mars, insight worked, it was a soft landing, everything was perfect, which is so rare, and now ijust want more data, i want to see what is happening on mars! nasa's insight lander plunged through the martian atmosphere at 12,000 mph, touching down slowly and safely to send its signal home. and here are the first pictures it's sent of its new home. insight will carefully examine its surroundings so scientists can select exactly where to place scientific equipment. we're going to give mars its first checkup in 4 billion years, and we're going to do that by deploying the first seismometer to the surface of mars ever, and that'll measure quakes, and then we will deploy a thermal mole to dig into the surface and measure the thermal gradient to take mars‘ temperature. as insight studies the deep interior of mars robotically,

it'll be sending data back here to mission control in california, and people here will use that data to work out exactly how rocky worlds like earth, mars and the moon actually formed 4.5 billion years ago. they lovingly call this the centre of the universe. ok, you guys ready? here we go! back in the 1970s, astronauts drilled into the moon to take its temperature and study its structure. it is going right in! almost 50 years on, now the same analysis can finally be carried out on mars. a two—year mission begins, building a picture of the hidden depths of the red planet. a little earlier i spoke to victoria at nasa mission control in pasadena. i asked her why it was such a difficult landing for the probe. it is never easy to land on mars, as we keep hearing the scientists we have spoken to here in pasadena, but you honestly would not know this

from how smoothly this mission has gone. but what they called the last stage of that six—month journey is seven minutes of terror, that spacecraft has to be at exactly the right angle to point its nose cone, to have the heat shield as it comes that the atmosphere, at walking speed, in order to touch down safely. and that is exactly what it did, just like the model behind me sitting perfectly on its feet in the sand. the real insight is sitting on the martian surface as we speak. and how different, victoria, is this mission to mars from the other ones? completely different actually, this is looking beyond the surface for the first time. so actually what this mission does, where the science starts is is a new era of interplanetary geology. we are looking deep inside mars for the first time, there are three pieces of equipment,

a seismometer to listen for martian earthquake, it is going to measure its temperature and the angle of mars and its axis. all that tells you about the structure of mars and so what is made from and how was formed 4.5 billion years ago, and that tells us about the other rocky planets too, including the planet earth, so real glimpse into the history of the formation of our solar system. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. general motors has announced plans to halt production at five factories in north america and cut more than 14,000 jobs. the moves follow slower car sales and rising costs, partly caused by tariffs on imported steel introduced by president trump. michelle fleury explains more from new york. you had the chief executive mary barra talking earlier and she described changing market conditions —

translated, it means sales beginning to slow or soften the united states, and also we have seen the market slow in china. as a result, general motors has been the latest carmaker to respond to that, to adapt, and so it's cutting a huge swathe of the lineup, the number of models it sells, and that means plant closures and jobs going. now, investors cheered the news, the share price went up, but obviously, it is a huge blow for those communities where the plants are located. also making news today: one of china's high—profile capitalists, jack ma, the co—founder of the e—commerce group alibaba, has been revealed as a communist party member. the party newspaper made the disclosure while including him in a list of 100 people who'd contributed most to china's economic reform. analysts say it represents a reminder that powerful entrepreneurs are still subject to communist party rule. the british prime minister has faced a barrage of hostile questions in parliament as she defended her brexit deal that eu leaders have now endorsed. assailed from all sides theresa may

said she was absolutely certain that no better deal was available. italy's interior minister, matteo salvini, has taken the controls of an army digger to personally start the demolition of a villa built illegally by a mafia clan. mr salvini, enthusiastically wearing his white hard hat, said it was worth being a minister just to get the chance to flatten a mafia property. it's two months since a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the indonesian island of sulawesi. hundreds of children were separated from their families and more than 2,000 people died, with large areas being declared mass graves. but as the bbc‘s rebecca henschke reports from palu, in recent weeks there have been some extraordinary family reunions with their missing children.

five—year—old jumadil is reunited with his mum a week after they were separated by the powerful quake and tsunami. translation: when he saw my face, he started crying and hugged me so tight. he didn't want to let go, he was so scared. his grandfather shows me where he was playing on the beach that day. "building sand castles here," he says, "not knowing what was about to happen." mobile phone footage, filmed from here, captured the moment when the huge waves hit the bay of palu and rushed through shops and homes and mosquess. jumadil‘s family searched for days in the rubble, looking for his body. there was a post on social media that led them to him. it is believed he was carried away by a police officerjust in time. translation: it is just extraordinary that he survived.

it is just an absolute miracle. social workers have reunited more than 1a children with their parents. three weeks after the disaster, victory is meeting his family, just when they had almost given up hope. translation: at the hospital, we opened bodybag after bodybag, but we didn't find him. it turns out that he saw us on television and he cried out, "that's my mum ! " a student had found him washed up in the rubble and had taken him back to her town to care for him. he has moved to another city with his parents. schools here aren't back to normal yet, and his grandma wants him to be safe. jumadil has to go to the beach each afternoon to help his mum.

translation: he is still traumatised. if the lights go off, he gets very worried and runs into my arms. he gets flashbacks. a whole generation here is traumatised. this healing workshop a chance for children still living in tents to forget for a while what happened. with minor quakes still being felt here, they also recite songs about how to stay safe if another big one strikes. now, to the major escalation of tensions between ukraine and russia. ukraine has declared martial law in part of the country after sunday's capture of three of its naval vessels and 23 crew members by moscow. the authorities can now restrict public rallies and regulate the media. sunday's naval clash was in the kerch strait, off the coast of crimea, which was annexed by russia in 2014. 0ur moscow correspondent

steve rosenberg reports. off the coast of crimea, russian border guards on collision course with the ukrainian navy. the russians target a tug boat. the hint is less than subtle. later, russian forces shoot at, then seize the tug, and two other ukrainian vessels. this apparently a mayday from a ukrainian sailor as the russians storm his boat. a russian replies. the vessels were towed to russian—controlled crimea. 23 ukrainian servicemen have been detained. after the dramas at sea, the political battles over who's responsible. moscow's reaction — don't blame russia. 0fficials here have been presenting

what happened as a ukrainian provocation in russian territorial waters. well, ukraine rejects that, and insists this was an act of aggression against its navy. 0n the streets of kiev, they agree. "death to russia", he shouts. protests and pyrotechnics outside the russian embassy. ukraine's president, petro poroshenko, called for 30 days of martial law in parts of the country. meanwhile, at the united nations, this warning for moscow. the united states will maintain its crimea—related sanctions against russia. further russian escalation of this kind will only make matters worse. to some, the incident is a reminder ofjust how dangerous the russia—ukraine conflict is.

the war continues to be live, and the war could escalate any moment, while endangering the relationship between russia and the west. at sea and in the sky, russia has sent a clear message to ukraine and to the west — don't mess with moscow. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we'll delve into medical ethics, following a scientist's controversial claim that he helped make the world's first genetically edited babies. also on the programme — wildlife photography at its finest. we visit the washington exhibition showcasing some of the year's best nature pics. president kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately.

the murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. he caught the imagination of the world. the first of a new generation of leaders. margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, "it's a funny old world." angela merkel is germany's first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. attempts to fly a hot air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. as one local comic put it, "it's not hot air we need, it's hard cash." cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. our top stories: after a six—month journey, the us space agency nasa has successfully landed a probe on the surface of mars, sparking jubilation at mission control. ukraine has declared martial law in part of the country, following russia's seizure of three ukrainian navy ships. in sport, thailand will have its first driver in formula 1 in more than 60 years. alexander albon will race for the toro rosso team. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the story of china's gene—edited babies is making headlines in hong kong's south china morning post. the paper reports chinese health officials were kept in the dark about the experiment, with officials saying they read about it on the internet, just like everyone else. let's now turn the page. the international editiong of the japan times reports that nissan ceo hiroto saikawa has hinted he intends

to review the carmaker‘s alliance with renault. according to sources, mr saikawa said the relationship is not equal, during a meeting with nissan employees to explain the arrest last week of former chairman, carlos ghosn. and finally, the straits times of singapore features a group of endangered indian star tortoises, who are set to receive a warm welcome back to their homeland. the 51 tortoises were illegally trafficked into singapore four years ago. they are now heading home in specially designed cargo crates to be cared for in bangalore. and those are the papers. now, lewis, what stories are sparking discussions online? i thought you'd never ask! yes, let's looks at what is trending right now. first lady melania trump offered a sneak peek into christmas decorations at the white house.

in a video mrs trump walked through different rooms in the white house that were decked out in festive finery. this year's christmas theme is called american treasures and honours the unique heritage of america, according to the white house. hgppy happy holidays, lewis! italian film director bernardo bertolucci, widely regarded as one of the giants of world cinema, has died after a long illness. he was 77. his career spanned more than half a century, and his films included the iconic last tango in paris and the last emperor. 0ur correspondent, lizo mzimba, looks back on his life and achievements. look! this was perhaps bernardo bertolucci's masterpiece. the last emperor, the true story of pu yi, only a small child when he became china's last imperial ruler.

it swept the oscars, winning nine academy awards, including best film and best firector for bertolucci himself. the historical epic, years in the making, was also a movie—making milestone. it was the first film allowed to be shot in beijing's forbidden city, something the director felt was essential for his vision. i couldn't find another place like the forbidden city. this is an incredible, amazing, huge place. i mean, hollywood never dare to build a set like this one. years before, his early film, the conformist, had been an influence on directors like spielberg. he went on to make one of the most controversial films of the 1970s. before her death, the actress,

maria schneider, said the way the director and her male co—star, marlon brando, decided to film one scene made herfeel as if she'd been assaulted. bertolucci denied this, saying she was aware in advance of the violent nature of the scene in question. in recent years, he'd been in ill health but still travelled the globe, doing everything from being celebrated with a star on the hollywood walk of fame to being presented with an honorary palme d'0r at the cannes film festival. he'll be remembered as one of cinema's greats, much of whose work is as powerful today as when it was first experienced by audiences. the italian film director, bernardo bertolucci, who's died at the age of 77. doubts have emerged about claims from a chinese

scientist that he has helped make the world's first genetically edited babies. hejiankui announced to the media that he changed the dna of twin girls born this month to make them resistant to being infected with hiv. the hospital said to have housed the project has denied it, and it has not been independently confirmed. the ethics of gene editing are controversial, so to help us navigate this, i spoke to professor ewan birney, director of the european bio—informatics institute. i asked him to explain what the scientist claims to have done. they claim to have changed the dna of these two children at the very first stage, the very first egg stage, and deleted a gene involved in hiv transformation. and what is controversial about that? well, the first thing is that most scientists would have gone through quite an extensive piece of ethics before

even considering this. this is a long way off what is considered to be standard practice. the second thing is that for most people in this area, this is not the best thing to do first off. it's quite a... the most useful use of gene editing, even if one did do it. but the claims here are that this is enabling babies born do not sufferfrom x, y and z. it's not a case of creating designer babies, that is the claim. it's often much better to do something that is well established, which is preimplantation diagnosis, when parents have two embryos, you select which one of those will be healthy, that way you don't change anything, but you still look for healthy children. it's actually quite rare and quite complicated to think of a situation where editing healthy parents‘ dna would be beneficial. there is an argument here,

but it is not a very good argument, that the deletion they did which makes them more resistant to hiv but makes them far more susceptible for example to the flu is a good idea. so outline where we are on the legal point of view here, because people coming in will have their own ethical decisions and judgements, but where does the law stand around the world? so the uk in particular has a very good regulatory framework, the human fertilisation and embryology authority, was set up in the ‘90s, regulates the research and the application of this research, and this study would never pass the hfea. different countries have different rules. china has its own sets of rules. from reports that came today it looks like this scientist did not follow those rules in china. every year, the editors at nature's best photography magazine in america comb through tens of thousands of images to select the finest wildlife pictures in the world. the winners, just 60 of them, go on display at the smithsonian

national museum of natural history in washington. the bbc went to take a look. what you will see in this extraordinary exhibition is a virtual safari of nature today. it's a tour through different parts of nature. you have ocean life, you have landscapes, you have wildlife, you have people in nature. it's the combination of all these together that make the nature's best photography exhibit such an extraordinary collection of nature of today. photographers from more than 59 countries around the world submitted tens of thousands of images to this competition. we look at thousands upon thousands of images. they're all spectacular.

i can't tell you how difficult it is to select the final winners. but what makes it different, what makes that one shot a winner is some small detail. it can be a certain expression. it can be the behaviour that's being displayed. this image of a mountain gorilla stood out as an unusual and extraordinary moment between adult and young. it's this compelling moment of relaxation, of calm, wonderful time together. they're both sleeping, or appear to be sleeping. they're relaxing, for sure. and this shot, this relationship between parent and young, and this shot, this relationship between parent and young separated it from all the gorilla shots that were submitted, and all the other images that were submitted to the competition. today, everybody can be a photographer. with the technology that's

available, it allows us to be in a location to capture that moment, that experience, and share it immediately. it's exciting. it makes ourjob more fun, more compelling, more interesting, that everyday people are taking us to extraordinary places. amazing pictures. you have been watching newsday. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. that's it for now. stay with bbc world news. hello there.

well, we certainly started off the working week on a pretty chilly note for most of us, didn't we? if it was too much for you, i can offer you something a little bit more mild. unfortunately, it comes at a price, turning increasingly wet and windy over the next few days. let's take a look at the main culprits. it's these areas of low pressure pushing in from the atlantic, and they will move across the uk a little bit later on today, and they will bring some milder weather. so we lose that easterly flow that has been coming in off the north sea. the winds a swing round to a south—westerly, coming in with that area of low pressure, drags in the mild air. but the winds will be gusting to gales or severe gales over the next couple of days. we start off, though, with some patchy mist and fog around. as the breeze picks up, that will help lift that. a chilly—ish start, as you can see, with temperatures into low single figures first thing. but it won't be long before the cloud and rain starts to move into the south—west. so it's going to be a wet start across cornwall and south wales, and into northern ireland as well.

slow improvement here for you as we go into the afternoon. let's take a look at the finer detail for this afternoon and see what's in prospect. there's the brighter weather starting to push into cornwall through the afternoon. double figures, but some heavy rain into the south—west, across wales, the midlands and stretching up into the north of england. the rain shouldn't arrive into the east of england, so here it should stay dry and relatively bright. we'll see most of the rain starting to ease out of northern ireland as we go through the afternoon. it stays relatively dry, windy with it across much of scotland. by the end of the day, you can see that rain starting to show its hand across the south—west. so that moves through overnight. the next area of low pressure moves through. then just look at the isobars squeezed together. that's where the strongest winds will be across the southern flank of that area of low pressure. so we could see gusts in excess of 60mph in exposed coasts, maybe higher,

and it will bring heavy rain particularly through northern ireland, south—west scotland and north—west england. although the rain is lighter in nature further south, it's still going to be pretty windy with it as well. in terms of the feel of things, i did promise you something a little bit milder. double digits, in fact, mid—teens for many. but when you factor in the wind and the rain, it's probably not going to feel very great out there. and it's not long before we see another area of low pressure moving in, bringing heavy rain. this time, the emphasis is across central and southern parts of england on thursday. so, wet and windy again to the south on thursday. something drier, brighter and a little less windy by the end of the week. i'm lewis vaughan jones with bbc world news. our top story: nasa has successfully landed a probe on the surface of mars. there was jubilation at mission control in california, after the probe endured a dramatic seven—minute plunge to the planet's surface. it's sent back its first image from the red planet, kicking off two years of scientific discovery. ukraine has declared martial law in part of the country, following russia's seizure of three ukrainian navy ships on sunday. a number of western countries have condemned moscow's actions. and this video is trending on bbc.com.

this sandstorm, which was as much as 100 metres high, hit zhangye city in northwest china on sunday afternoon. the sand was blown in from the gobi desert and covered the city in minutes. police had to help motorists and residents were forced to take shelter. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: matthew hedges, the british academicjailed on spying charges in the united arab emirates,