welcome to newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko oi, in singapore. the headlines: a huge explosion at a restaurant in northern japan leaves more than a0 people injured. north korea threatens what it calls "a return to exchanges of fire", as pyongyang condemns the latest us sanctions. i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: a fifth victim dies after the christmas market gun attack, in the french city of strasbourg. and hunting for honey — we meet those risking their lives to access mountainside beehives in rural nepal. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 8 am in singapore, midnight in london,

and 9am in sapporo, japan, where a huge explosion and fire has left more than a0 people injured. the blast happened at a restaurant and it damaged surrounding buildings and scattered debris over the area. police have launched an investigation to try to find out what happened. gemma coombe reports. bright orange flames and thick black smoke. the immediate aftermath of a huge explosion at a busyjapanese restaurant. it happened at 8:30pm local time in sapporo, the capital city of the northern main island of hokkaido. the area is about three kilometres south—east of the city centre. the japanese news outlets said the force of the blast was so strong, a number of nearby buildings collapsed. translation: the shock was just

translation: the shock wasjust like an earthquake. firefighters battled the flames, warning people there could be further explosions. dozens of people still gathered on the street. which was strewn with debris and shattered glass. authorities haven't revealed an immediate cause but witnesses have reported smelling gas in the area. translation: a lot of smoke came out and it started to smell strongly. police say 42 people were hurt but no one was killed. an investigation is underway. let's take a look at some of the day's other news: north korea has condemned the trump administration for imposing new sanctions, warning of a possible permanent block on any denuclearisation plans. the us imposed the sanctions on three north korean officials last week for alleged human rights abuses. our correspondent dan johnson says the stalemate is getting serious. the us state department says the sanctions were justified because of

human rights abuses, censorship of the fiat press, radio signals being played, —— free press. and prisoners being executed. they have identified three officials, or on an assistant to kim jong—un. the three officials, or on an assistant to kimjong—un. the north koreans have reacted very angrily. they say they will block the part to denuclearisation forever. they credited donald trump for reaching out and improve relations but said the state department seems to try to turn back the clock to a time when there was an exchange of wire, the missile tests that were happening year ago. there was supposed to be a meeting between the secretary of state and a senior north korean diplomat. that has been postponed.

there are questions about how this now proceeds into the new year and whether there will be further progress. these seem to have slowed down since donald trump met kim jong—un six months ago in singapore. but donald trump said there was no hurry and that things were going fine on twitter message. also making news today: a brazilian faith healer accused of sexual abuse by more than 300 women has handed himself in to the police. joao teixeira de faria, known as "john of god" had been declared a fugitive when police failed to find him to serve an arrest warrant on friday. mr faria has denied the accusations and says he will appeal. the united nations special envoy to yemen is urging both sides to respect the ceasefire signed in sweden last week. the deal was meant to end fighting in the port of hudaydah. but clashes between houthi rebels and pro—government forces have continued. the un says the truce will now come into effect on tuesday. president donald trump's new pick for the acting white house chief of staff once described the him as "a terrible human being".

a video filmed just before the 2016 presidential election has emerged, which shows mick mulvaney making the disparaging remark. he's due to replacejohn kelly. customs officials in cambodia have seized more than 1,000 elephant tusks. the discovery was made at the port in the capital phnom penh. cambodia is becoming an important transit route for illegal trafficking of ivory fuelled by demand from china and vietnam. let's take you to china where a businessmen has saved this little monkey in yunnan province. he spotted the injured monkey a few months ago, took it home, and nursed it back to health. when he handed it over to the local wildlife protection team, he was surprised to find the monkey is an endangered species under top—level state protection in china. environmental groups say a deal struck at a un conference in poland does not go far enough in tackling climate change.

delegates from nearly 200 countries reached agreement on how to implement the paris climate accord and outlined plans for cutting carbon emissions. but the commitments are not legally binding. here's our science editor david shukman. for years, we have known how each blast of smoke adds more carbon dioxide to the air and raises the global temperature. but only now has the world inched towards a deal to try to tackle this. the talks in poland ended with scenes of excitement and relief. the polish minister in charge had managed to overcome some very difficult arguments. as the dust settles, the requested about what the deal amounts to. there is a new set of rules to how countries cut emissions. the deal is

volu nta ry countries cut emissions. the deal is voluntary so we will now have to sit on individual governments do. on finance for developing countries, to help them go green and prepare them for the impact of climate change, there was some progress but they say not enough. promises of much deeper cuts in the future but scientists say it is needed more rapidly but that will have to wait for another time. many of the most vulnerable nation to save the deal does not go far enough. this is bangladesh were villagers only have marred to hold back the ocean. faced with morsi rising, emissions of warming gases must start falling no later than 2030. it is not really solve anything. i think we have to do practical things, cut down emissions drastically. the real test now is

whether the deal eventually leads to fewer gases entering the atmosphere and so far, all the talk over the past 25 years has failed to achieve that. here in britain, there's a growing debate over whether a second referendum should be held on britain leaving the european union. a leading brexit supporter in the cabinet has suggested that parliament will have to look at other options if the government's withdrawal plan is rejected by mps. but a key minister has dismissed suggestions of another referendum, on the grounds that it would deepen divisions in the country. here's our political correspondent, chris mason. it's not hard to find divisions over brexit outside parliament, protesters with different views fight for attention. and it's not much different inside. at least the prime minister's found someone willing to play ball today, and she still hopes she'll get her deal through parliament but many are now discussing what happens if she fails, with growing talk of another referendum.

the international trade secretary, liam fox, campaigned for brexit, and hates the idea. supposing we had another referendum, supposing the remain side won it by 52—48 but it on a lower turnout, entirely possible. by 52—48 but it was on a lower turnout, entirely possible. let me tell you that if there is another referendum, which i don't think there will be, people like me will be immediately demanding it is best—of—three. where does that end up? today, two of the prime minister's closest allies denied they were toying with another public vote, her chief of staff said he wasn't planning one and her effective deputy said he has long thought it was a bad idea and would be divisive. those hoping for another referendum say it might eventually be the only option. if parliament is gridlocked and there is no way of resolving the impasse and no consensus can be met in parliament, then how else do you resolve this other than referring it back to the people?

but many senior labour figures are deeply uneasy about asking the people again, and don't know on which side they would be if it happened. look, we're going to have to discuss tactics if and when we come to that. you don't know. you don't know whether you're in and out. andrew, policy is decided by our members in a democratic and open way. in the last month, the prime minister has spent more than 12 hours on herfeet in the commons defending her brexit plan, and there will be more of the same tomorrow. what we're now witnessing here is a noisy conversation on all sides exploring other possible options. or to put it another way — working out what on earth to do next. chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: why australia remains divided over a

change on the site policy. also on the programme: we travel to track the honey hunters. after eight months on the run, saddam hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes, but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict, conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of bosnia, serbia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out.

from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life, the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i, in singapore. i'm babita sharma, in london. our top stories: a huge explosion at a restaurant in northern japan has left at least 41 people injured. north korea has threatened a return to what it calls "exchanges of fire", after the united states placed fresh sanctions against three north korean officials last week. and this story is popular on our website. the legendary tennis player billiejean king has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the bbc‘s sports personality of the year show.

she's one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, and has been a lifelong advocate for gender equality in sport. read about it on bbc.com/news. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the arab news leads on yemen. the paper says plans for a un—brokered ceasefire in the port city of hodeidah have been delayed and will now take place, as we've been reporting, on tuesday. meanwhile, le figaro reflects on france's yellow vest protesters. the newspaper reports that the issues they seek to address have not gone away. the japan times leads on the un climate change report from poland, with an agreement from almost 200 countries to push forward with the 2015 paris accord, including the us, which pushed hard for greater transparency on compliance issues. those are the papers.

now, what stories are sparking discussions online? hackers have taken control of printers around the world. it is the latest in a series of such attacks, but this time they say they have the power to destroy the machines. the stunt was first carried out last month, when one member claimed to have forced about 50,000 printers to create posters supporting his favourite vlogger pewdiepie. a fifth victim has died, following tuesday's shooting at a christmas market in the french city of strasbourg. earlier a memorial took place to remember the victims. the gunman, cherif chekatt, was killed by police on thursday night. caroline rigby has more. the noise, rather than some. 700 locals and tourists gathered in strasbourg in a memorial to honour

those who lost their lives at. translation: i think we needed to get together to reflect because has been a very painful week. i think something was broken because here in strasbourg had a small and very cosmopolitan community. we had to be there to pay tribute to the victims and to be in solidarity with all the people of strasbourg. butjust hours after sunday's memorial, confirmation that a fifth victim had died. 36 your old polish national, he had spent days in a coma that had been unable to recover from his injuries. several other people remain ina injuries. several other people remain in a critical condition in hospital. as visitors returned to strasbourg's christmas market this weekend, police continue to investigate how tuesday ‘s attack was able to happen and whether the suspect acted alone. cherif chekatt was shot dead by police following a two—day manhunt. french authorities

have dismissed a claim by the militant group islamic state that he had been acting under their orders, are calling the statement completely opportunistic. caroline rigby, bbc news. australia's opposition labor party is holding its 48th national conference, where it's expected to maintain support for the offshore processing of asylum—seekers. but on the sidelines of the conference there's an art exhibition which rejects the policy. it depicts images of migrants in distress. the display has alarmed some party members, but has helped reignite discussion over the controversial policy. earlier i spoke to paddy mclisky from the group doctors for refugees. we know that several children have been brought, sick children brought off nauru with their families recently due to sustained pressure from the australia in public, which is fantastic. however, there are dozens is fantastic. however, there are

d oze ns of is fantastic. however, there are dozens of individuals that have been waiting months, there are specialist services that are not available on nauru. the inherent barriers which exist in the offshore system to access healthcare. what would be your advice because as we are reporting, it is a controversial policy. i am certainly not a politician and am not here to give policy advice, but i would ask all of the astro in politicians is christmas when they are at home with theirfamilies, that christmas when they are at home with their families, that there are inherent barriers to healthcare, such as the geographical location offshore, lack of facilities, multiple care providers and confusion as to the delegation there. also, most multiple levels of bureaucracy for transferred and make —— and massive psychological load on these people and if we do not take significant changes in the new year, how will these people get better ca re how will these people get better care in 2019? we have been talking about these things for many years

now and neither side, especially because it is not a popular policy, they have not been able to make any changes. that is true. i feel like the tide is shifting. news polls in the tide is shifting. news polls in the last year have shown that the majority of australians who feel that getting people off manus island and nauru is a good idea. as to what is to be done next leave that to the politicians, but for this small group of people who have been in this situation for five years, it is really time to give them the care they need. new zealand has emerged asa they need. new zealand has emerged as a possible solution, do you think thatis as a possible solution, do you think that is something that they could consider or is that still very controversial? it is a matter of some controversy but certainly our group does feel that they should be definitely considering that option. it is very reasonable and kind of new zealand to continue to extend its offer to australia and eight given the situation we are in with a lack of options, we should consider everything on the table. what do you think is the impact of this policy

on australians's standing in the world 7 on australians's standing in the world? we have certainly seen condemnation from international human rights groups and other bodies from various nations. i think this may well go down as being the second great strain on our countries history after the treatment of indigenous peoples. it has really had a very negative impact on australia's reputation. police and right—wing anti—migrant protesters have clashed in brussels. police fired tear gas and detained nearly 100 of the more than 5,000 people who attended the demonstration. rahuljoglekar reports. a tale of one city, but two very different views on migration. 0n the one hand, thousands turned up as pa rt one hand, thousands turned up as part of right wing protests against aun part of right wing protests against a un migration pack. more than 160 countries signed the agreement to frame an effective international

approach to migration. fear a mum right wing groups is that the pack will result in higher levels of immigration to europe. translation: we wa nt immigration to europe. translation: we want to raise our voice against the marrakesh pack. we think the decision was not made in a democratic way, with the nira —— the minority government and a minority of elton people. that is what we are protesting against. —— belgian. of elton people. that is what we are protesting against. —— belgianm another part of town, a smaller, counterdemonstration. they are calling the right wing groups fascist. translation: we want to raise the alarm bell to show the organisers of the other demo are fascist. they advertise hate and dissemination and they are violent. we wa nt dissemination and they are violent. we want to warn people and send a different message. right wing groups called for protests after the pack

was signed last week, something the united nations believes is a step in the right direction. it will reduce the right direction. it will reduce the chaos of irregular dangerous migration. it will increase access to safe, legal pathways, for insta nce to to safe, legal pathways, for instance to the labour market to have deficits in human resources and will meet foreign workers. the issue of managing migration in europe is complex and one with far reaching political implications. not least, here in belgium, where the prime minister's government lost its majority because of the pack. 0pposition parties are now calling for a no—confidence vote. as the haze from the tear gas settles on a deeply divided country, many are looking for s is about an issue that divides opinion far beyond del john's waters. —— belgian's. hunting for honey in the wild is one of the oldest traditions in rural nepal and it's also an extremely dangerous one.

the hunters have to make a tricky and adventurous journey to the beehives which hang from the rocks high in the mountains. a bbc team travelled to the remote lamjung district of nepal to find out why so many villagers are willing to risk their lives to collect the honey. everytime i see that report i am in awe. that is simply incredible, isn't it? i know, it is extremely dangerous, i am scared of, i was getting nervous just watching that. my getting nervous just watching that. my daughter watched to see how honey was collected, i am not sure that is what she saw. i am sure she would be in aura that if she saw that in person, incredible. —— in awe. you have been watching newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm mariko 0i in singapore stay with us. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. not the north pole but the people of

sanjose in costa rica are feeling the christmas field. it was a weekend of celebration, a festival of christmas lights took place involving a parade through the streets capital with marching bands, performing artist and a lot of sparkling lights. hello there. we are seeing a significant change in weather tight as we head towards christmas. the weather this week looking different to last week. the weather didn't move a lot, the blocking a pipe pressure and we are drawing in cold airfrom continental pressure and we are drawing in cold air from continental europe. pressure and we are drawing in cold airfrom continental europe. but earlier in the weekend, storm deirdre blew a way that really cold airand since then deirdre blew a way that really cold air and since then we have seen our weather coming in from the atlantic. that cloud will bring some rain, it already has brought some rain. that is moving away and with leering skies and light winds it will be culled in a come the morning for a touch of frost and perhaps icy patches as well. what a lovely looking day for many central and

eastern parts of the uk. it should be dry on monday. after the sunshine around, the wind will be lighter but further west the wind will be strengthening, the cloud increasing and we see some outbreaks of rain and we see some outbreaks of rain and drizzle arising in the afternoon. later today, and drizzle arising in the afternoon. latertoday, it wins could be touch and gale force across western coast. a mild wind. 12 degrees in northern ireland and a mild aira cross degrees in northern ireland and a mild air a cross the border that was on sunday. eventually that area of low pressure is going to bring us showers but at the moment it is playing second fiddle to that labour front that which is bringing wet and windy weather in from the west overnight and continuing on tuesday. gables for a while, the wind moving slowly eastwards, outbreaks of heavy rain and with snowmelt in scotland there is likely to be localised flooding. the weather should improve later into northern ireland and it ta kes all later into northern ireland and it takes all day for the rain to arrive in east anglia. it will be a mild one as temperatures of 211 or 12 celsius. eventually that rain should push its way eastwards out of the way on tuesday night into wednesday morning and that area of low

pressure starts to get a bit closer and that will be a focus for some showers. still some spells of sunshine on wednesday, what are places in the east will be dry although the south—east catching a few showers. most showers or even longer spells of rain coming into northern ireland across western scotla nd northern ireland across western scotland of the irish sea into western parts of england and wales. which is not as high on wednesday, still not bad those topics that area of low pressure is going to sit around during wednesday into thursday as well. it is a feeling area of low pressure, that is pressure is rising across it and it is weakening, the wind becoming lighter, showers fewer and there will be still spells of sunshine. showers around out the west and the english channel as well and the temperatures on thursday much like those of wednesday. it could turn quite chilly overnight on thursday night, missed and fog around as well. look again to the atlantic to see another change, mild air bringing cloud and rain from the south—west. i'm babita sharma, with bbc news. our top story: a huge explosion at a restaurant in northern japan has left at least 41 people injured.

the explosion happened at a restaurant in the city of sapporo. at least one person is said to be in critical condition. before the blast, local residents reported a strong smell of gas. north korea has condemned the trump administration for imposing new sanctions on its citizens, warning of a possible permanent block on any denuclearisation. last week, the us imposed sanctions on three north korean officials. this story is popular online... one of the greatest tennis players of all time billiejean king has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the bbc‘s sports personality of the year show. she's been recognised for her sporting success and her fight for gender equality. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.