welcome to newsday, on the bbc. i'm babita sharma, in london. the headlines: theresa may delays a crucial vote on her brexit deal, saying strong objections to the northern ireland backstop plan would mean defeat. if we went and had had held the vote tomorrow, the deal would be rejected bya margin. tomorrow, the deal would be rejected by a margin. we will before defer a vote for tomorrow. after a fourth week of violent protests, france's president macron promises a rise in the minimum wage and new tax concessions i'm mariko oi, in singapore. also in the programme: interstellar — the voyager 2 space probe, which left earth 41 years ago, has become only the second man—made object to leave our solar system. and among the stars for newsday‘s very own rico hizon, who gets honoured on manila's walk of fame. live from our studios in singapore

and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. it's midnight here in london, where the british prime minister theresa may has taken the extraordinary step of postponing the vote which she hoped would back her brexit deal, because she knew she was going to lose. instead, she promised mps at westminster that she would go back to her fellow european leaders, and ask for reassurances about the northern ireland backstop deal. but the eu has said the current deal can't be re—opened. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. the landmarks look the same, but these are extraordinary days this place will remember. on the prime minister's most important plan — the brexit compromise that's taken more than two years — theresa may simply didn't have the mps to back her, so instead the prime minister backed down. if we went ahead and held the vote

tomorrow, the deal would be rejected by a significant margin. we will therefore defer the vote scheduled for tomorrow and not proceed to divide the house at this time. in other words, she knew she would lose, so there'll be no vote tomorrow. instead, she's appealing to the rest of the eu to look again at the most controversial part of the agreement, the backstop. i will go to see my counterparts in other member states and the leadership of the council and the commission. i will discuss with them the clear concerns that this house has expressed. but the government's efforts to compromise have led them to a crisis. the government has lost control of events and is in complete disarray. it's been evident for weeks that the prime minister's deal did not have the confidence of this

house, yet she ploughed on regardless, reiterating this is the only deal available. this is a bad deal for britain, a bad deal for our economy and a bad deal for our democracy. our country deserves better than this. but if the prime minister's banking on the eu making changes, it doesn't sound promising, not at all. the withdrawal agreement, including the irish backstop, is the only agreement on the table. it took over a year and a half to negotiate, it has the support of 28 governments, and it's not possible to reopen any aspect of that agreement without reopening all aspects of it. reporter: can you really improve your deal, prime minister? for weeks, the chatter in this circus has been about winning the arguments, but theresa may's enemies might now accuse her of losing her nerve. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. we'll bring you the view from brussels on what might happen next, and how the european union is reacting to today's events, in just a few minutes, here on newsday. let's take a look at some of the day's other news:

and we start with another european leader having a testing time. france's president macron made a nationally televised address, following a fourth weekend of violent protests. the demonstrators, who came from a wide range of backgrounds, calling themselves the yellow jackets, said they were motivated by the economic difficulties created by mr macron‘s policies. he's already delayed another planned increase in the cost of fuel, and on monday he went further, offering an increase in the minimum wage, and scrapping plans to increase taxes for some low—wage pensioners. translation: i take my share of the responsibility and i am aware there isa responsibility and i am aware there is a feeling that i am not worried, that i have other priorities. i also know i have caused issues with some of my reforms but let me be clear tonight, if i have fought to reform

the political system, the bad habits, the hypocrisy, it is because i love and have faith in this country above all else and my legitimacy does not come from any entitlement, party or affiliation but from all of you, from nowhere else. also making news this hour: meng wanzhou, the executive from the chinese tech giant huawei who was detained in canada following an american request for her extradition, says she's needed medical treatment for hypertension while being held injail. her lawyers want her to be released on bail while she fights against extradition and are worried that her health would deteriorate further while she was incarcerated. ajudge hasjust decided a judge has just decided the decision will not be made as yet. a british court has ruled that an indian tycoon who came to the uk as his business empire collapsed can be extradited to india to stand trial. vijay mallya was charged with fraud, after allegedly failing to repay more than $1

billion of debts. he maintains his innocence. the british home secretary will now decide if he will be repatriated. this year's nobel peace prize winners have collected their awards at a ceremony in norway. nadia murad and denis mukwege were honoured for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence against women as a weapon of war. nadia murad was kidnapped and abused by islamic state militants in northern iraq. this was her message. translation: let us all unite to fight injustice and oppression and braced together our voices and say it note the violence, yes to peace, no to slavery, yes the freedom, no to racial discrimination and yes for equality and human rights for all. researchers in australia say they may have found a strain of coral which is able to resist rising sea temperatures. the study was carried out on a part

of the great barrier reef which survived bleaching caused by warmer water over two consecutive years. officials in north carolina say the state has experienced an entire year's snowfall in just one day. more than 300,000 people in the region lost their power supplies over the weekend. the governor of north carolina warned that some roads were now effectively ice rinks, and there's been widespread disruption to ariports as well. let's have more on our main story this hour — the brexit process. as we've heard the british prime minister theresa may has delayed a vote on the deal in parliament, after accepting she had no chance of winning. she says she will now speak once again to european leaders, to try to get enough change to persuade the british parliament to back her. that might not be easy, as our europe editor katya adler reports. eu leaders tonight are reflecting

on their brexit options. taken by surprise by the delay to the brexit vote in parliament. that brexit deal is the eu's final offer, they say, but they know too the prime minister needs their help. tonight, donald tusk, the european council president, announced a special brexit summit of eu leaders this thursday. to negotiate? no, he says. to facilitate the ratification of the deal in the uk. the decision to delay the brexit vote in parliament, while dramatic in the uk, actually changes little here in the eu. of course eu leaders want the vote to pass and what to avoid an no—deal brexit so they're open to hearing from the prime minister what she needs from them, up to a point. reassurances on the backstop — that, they can provide. renegotiation, absolutely not, is the view here tonight. the eu is well aware the main sticking point is the irish border

guarantee known as the backstop. something the eu shows no sign of backing away from. the deal‘s the deal, it's taken two years to put together. it is a fair deal for both sides. it protects from an irish perspective and british perspective peaceful relationships on the island of ireland. critics in the uk do not like the backstop because it keeps the uk tied to eu customs regulations and prevents the uk making its own trade deals in the uk and nees the eu's go—ahead to get out of the backstop once it is triggered. theresa may's adviser ollie robbins was snapped arriving here in brussels this afternoon ahead of her visit. but what is the eu prepared to give? i think there will be receptive audience for suggestion that certain aspects might need to be clarified or explained better. but not changed ?

i understand that to be the position, yes. people want this done now, it is a distraction at a time when there are many other burning issues in european politics. frustration is growing in some parts of the eu. take a look at this exasperated tweet today from the european parliament's brexit negotiator: the eu believes a decent deal is on the table and the ball is in the uk's court. that is why it is not significantly changing position. but the threat of an no—deal brexit that neither the prime minister nor the eu want looms ever larger on both sides of the channel. katya adler, bbc news, brussels. a landmark in space exploration to report now, because nasa says its voyager 2 probe has left the solar system. it was launched over

four decades ago, and has flown pastjupiter, saturn, uranus and neptune. mission control say it is now in interstellar space, about 18 billion kilometres from earth. the only other man—made object which has gone as far is its sister mission, voyager 1. our science correspondent victoria gill is at nasa and sent us this update. both of these probes left at a few days apart in 1977. 41 years later, this particular probe, voyager two is the second object to leave their heliosphere. the scientists involved a careful not to use the solar system phrase. we use it because it has left the bubble contained the

magnetic field that protects us from cosmic rays from interstellar space. it is now exploring the space between the stars. it is following its voyager one probe into that blackness. it is doing a brand—new science and even though this is a 41—year—old prior, it is hoped both probes would last until 2027, keep talking to earth for 50 years. still phoning home, picking up new signals about what is a big head around the rest of our galaxy, all the cosmic rays tried to get in through that protect the bubble our planet is contained in. a few were used to go yet. —— years. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a bittersweet pill to swallow — singapore considers banning the sale

of drinks with too much sugar. also on the programme: i am no scrooge, i am sk lu. a christmas carol with an asian twist — we find out how the pantomime is becoming more popular around the world. john lennon was shot at the entrance to the dakota building, in the centre of new york. there's been a crowd here, standing in more or less silent vigil, and the flowers have been piling up. the 14th ceasefire of this war ended at the walls of the old city of 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.

imelda marcos, the widow of the former president of the philippines, has gone on trial in manila. she's 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. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi in singapore. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. our top stories: turmoil in westminster as theresa may delays a crucial vote at the last minute on her brexit deal that she seemed certain to lose. after a fourth week of violent protests, france's president macron promises a rise in the minimum wage and new tax concessions. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the new york times reports

on the search for gifts handed out by a malaysian fugitive. the flamboyant financier named jho low is accused of siphoning billions from the govenment. the us has already tracked down a see—through grand piano as well as works by van gogh and monet. the south china morning post is looking into a very hands—off approach to the future of driving. south korea's prime minister went for a spin at a centre built to test self—driving vehicles. it's all part of a fake town created to simulate different driving conditions. and the japan times reports on the 16—year—old figure skater who's heading for stardom. rika kihira showed off her skills after winning the grand prix final in vancouver. she's now in the running to represent japan at the winter olympics. that's the way the papers are

shaping up this morning. mariko, what's happening online? yes, a british mp has landed himself in hot water by seizing the ceremonial mace in the house of commons. lloyd russell—moyle from the opposition labour party said he was acting in protest at the way theresa may had handled brexit. under the parliament's rules, debate has to stop if the mace is removed, and it's only ever happened twice before. it was swiftly replaced, allowing events to resume. mr russell—moyle has been suspended from the house for his actions. for many people in the uk, pantomimes are one of the best things about christmas. if you're not familiar with them, they take a traditional children's story, add singing, dancing and a lot of rather bad puns. the shows are starting to prove popular around the world, but often with a local twist, as sharajit leyl found out in singapore. bah humbug!

sounds an earlier? well, the classic tale of charles dickens‘ a christmas carol gets an asian update by a theatre company in singapore. ebenezer scrooge is recreated as sk lu, a mogul who‘s made his fortune as an app developer intent on taking away human interaction and affection. i am no scrooge, i am sk lu! sklu! sk lu is very media savvy, he‘s a crazy rich asian who is very aware of his social standing, about climbing the social ladder and at the cost of his own soul he will achieve success in his business. the panto‘s achieve success in his business. the pa nto‘s director says achieve success in his business. the panto‘s director says in addition to drawing inspiration from asia, the production is also looking to present society and people‘s interconnectedness with technology. we have running through the whole

story the same themes that dickens had written for scrooge, for a christmas carol, but along the way, we updated the ghosts. we have asianised some of the ghosts and we‘ve broke the story forward to the zist we‘ve broke the story forward to the 21st century. there‘s lots of technology, there‘s multimedia, the audience are playing with their phones and leading him to this journey of redemption. as with every panto comedy formula, no prizes for guessing there are plenty of gags for the grown—ups and the children, from crazy rich asians to the latest trendy apps. the children, from crazy rich asians to the latest trendy appslj the children, from crazy rich asians to the latest trendy apps. i write the app that makes the whole world sing. well, the british pantomime is based on the tradition of taking a beloved fairytale and turning it into family entertainment. what we have done for out

entertainment. what we have done for our audience entertainment. what we have done for ouraudience in entertainment. what we have done for our audience in singapore entertainment. what we have done for ouraudience in singapore is entertainment. what we have done for our audience in singapore is to look at the year's happenings in culture, socially and politics, and we just hold up a mirror. all around was good... hold up a mirror. all around was good. . . and hold up a mirror. all around was good... and just like any pantomime, the finale brings redemption and a happy ever after. something that transcends all cultures. sharanjit leyl, bbc news, singapore. the world health organization estimates that nearly three million people around the world die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. many countries are looking to tackle the problem by encouraging healthy eating and more exercise, but in singapore, it could go one stage further. the ministry of health here is starting a consultation on banning the sale of packaged drinks with a high sugar content. earlier, i spoke to matt kovac, the executive director of food industry asia, and i asked him if the ban would be effective. what the singapore government has

done is come up with a public consultation on a range of different measures. of consultation on a range of different measures. of course, consultation on a range of different measures. of course, the ban on some sweetened beverages high in sugar has captured some headlines. we would say that right now, you have to look at a whole package of different measures, and perhaps a ban isa different measures, and perhaps a ban is a bit of a knee—jerk reaction and so if you look at different other measures that can be implemented that can really improve positive health outcomes, we would definitely advocate for those. tell me about those other asians you think would probably be more effective? right now there's a couple of areas. one is the food innovation or reformulation drive companies are going through. around seven major beverage companies have reformulated their beverage portfolios, ranging from ones with less sugar down to zero calorie. that‘s been ongoing for the bulk, last year so they‘re already in motion aggressively with reducing sugar. the other is education.

there‘s plenty of education, information about health, diets and foods but we need a stronger focus on educating particularly children in general about health and the foods they eat. what about advertisement of those products shown on television, online, is that something that could be regulated? there‘s a couple of markets in asia that have regulated, but there‘s countries like singapore, thailand, malaysia, the philippines and even india that have voluntary measures we re india that have voluntary measures were industry has actually stepped up were industry has actually stepped up and decided to protect your order and‘s rights, particularly those under the age of 12 or 13, not to market directly to children at peak periods when they‘re watching tv or reading magazines or listening to radio. so industry has done quite a bit like that. in the singapore context, where government was collaborative with industry, they worked together to put in place some of these marketing restrictions to children and it‘s been quite effective. we would say we would

like to continue to do that across different markets with responsible companies. it's obviously a global problem but which countries are facing the biggest challenge in your view, especially in asia? of course north america is facing quite a big challenge but certainly in asia, rates of obesity and chronic diseases in places and type 2 diabetes in places like india, china, but also singapore and malaysia is on the increase and are on the up. it‘s a complex subject, 0k. it's on the up. it‘s a complex subject, ok. it‘s important we look at maintaining a healthy, balanced diet but also exercise just to maintain oui’ but also exercise just to maintain our weight, many are leading sedentary lifestyles at these days and exercise is a big part of a healthy balanced diet. you see products with less sugar and good branding but that‘s not to say it doesn‘t have any sugar and is healthy? there's a range of products, those with high sugar all the way down to zero calorie, they

have artificial or natural sweeteners. consumers have a range of choice of products that they can buy. that is up to the consumers to choose which ones they want to purchase. now, in case you‘ve been wondering where rico is, he‘s been receiving an honour in his home town, manila. this is his star on the city‘s walk of fame being unveiled. it honours filipinos who‘ve had global success, so we‘re sure you‘ll agree rico‘s place on it is well earned. he took a selfie or two, and in true hollywood style, he didn‘t forget to thank everyone. this recognition is not mine alone, because i‘ve worked with three prestigious news networks, gma news and public affairs, cnbc business news and bbc world news. i would like to dedicate this award as world

to the men and women behind the cameras, the producers, the supporters, the writers, because without them, i wouldn‘t be here on stage. i would like to share this award with them. we are so proud of him, the whole tea m we are so proud of him, the whole team on new state. i wonder when he comes back to the office whether he‘s going to be incorrigible, what do you think? -- newsday. i was thinking i hope he brings the award so we can all take a selfie with him. fascinating, he was really secretive. he asked me to fill in on monday and tuesday without telling me what he was going home for. now i know! the next time he does that he will probably get another award, he has a huge list and the man told peaceis has a huge list and the man told peace is absolutely full! once again, rico, we‘re so proud and congratulations to you. you‘ve been watching newsday. i‘m babita sharma in london. and i‘m mariko oi in singapore. stay with us. coming up in asia business report,

we‘ll look at the effects brexit is having on international stock markets and currency exchange rates. and before we go, this is what a bit of scrap metal can become wonderful art sculptures. the works are by ruchan kececi, from turkey, who has created more than 100 designs. he says he‘s also happy to work with wood when the right sort of scrap is not available. amazing designs, aren‘t they? that‘s all for now. stay with bbc world news. more on our top story and the brexit vote that didn‘t happen on tuesday that‘s not going ahead because theresa may has pulled the plug. more on that to come. we‘ll be back with the headlines next. see you soon. hello. well, tuesday is in going to

bring any major changes to our weather, neither is wednesday. it‘s probably from around thursday, friday, that‘s when things will start to change, it‘ll turn bit colder and the weekend is also looking interesting. at the moment we have a lot of cloud across the uk. this is the satellite image from monday into the early hours of tuesday. a lot of cloud across the uk. there are storms in the atlantic trying to come our way but they can‘t because of high pressure building to the east of us and that prevents from the weather heading our way. effectively we‘ve got a little mild air in western parts of the uk, the colder air is in the east of year so first thing on tuesday morning may a touch of frost anywhere from norwich all the way up to eastern scotland. belfast and plymouth will be quite a bit milder, around 5—6 degrees. the weather on tuesday as i said, not much happens, quite a lot of cloud across the country, especially these central areas. not absolutely everywhere.

some sunshine in scotland, the cloud may break up further south too and is weather front, as may break up further south too and is weatherfront, as i said, doesn‘t really move much because of the high pressure building to the north and north—east of us. here it is around scandinavia, building into europe, and basically when we get that high pressure pattern, these weather systems a re pressure pattern, these weather systems are stuck in the atlantic. they come very close, nibbling into parts of ireland with stronger winds and the milder air, they don‘t quite cross us. this is the thinking on wednesday, a lot of cloud across the uk. a low behind me trying to get in but it can‘t because of the building high pressure. may be ahead of it, a few dribs and drabs of rain expected in the far west of the british isles but that‘s pretty much it. a dry day on wednesday, often cloudy but some sunny spells around as well. in fa ct, sunny spells around as well. in fact, that high pressure with its east to south—easterly winds will finally wind and dominate by the time we get to thursday, sending the colder air from time we get to thursday, sending the colder airfrom europe. the easterly

winds will increase across the uk, the temperatures will drop. even in london with talking only around five or six degrees from thursday onwards and with that easterly wind, it‘s going to feel even colder than that. in fact, temperatures will feel like around zero or so so a really nippy date ahead on thursday and friday. friday night into saturday, we actually think the high pressure luge is eventually and the low pressure winds and weather fronts may bump into the old air, so we could see snow in parts of northern england but that‘s still a long way off so we‘ll keep you posted on that. bye—bye. i‘m babita sharma, with bbc news. our top story: the british prime minister theresa may has postponed the vote which she hoped would back her brexit deal. knowing she was likely to lose, the prime minister promised parliament that she would go back to her fellow european leaders, and ask for reassurances about the northern ireland backstop deal. but the eu has said the current deal can‘t be re—opened. after a fourth weekend of violent protests, france‘s president macron has promised a rise in the minimum wage

and new tax concessions in an adress on national tv. and this story is trending on bbc.com... nasa‘s voyager two space probe has become only the second man—made object to leave our solar system for interstellar space. the craft was launched in the 1970s with the aim of studying the outer planets. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, hardtalk.