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 9 am in singapore, 1 o'clock in london, and 10am 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 on sunday, in sapporo, the capital city of the northern main island of hokkaido. the area has residential buildings, bars and restaurants, and is about three kilometres south—east of the city centre. japanese news outlet, kyodo, says the force of the blast was so strong, a number of nearby buildings collapsed. translation: the shock was just like an earthquake. as firefighters battled the flames,

they warned of further explosions. but still, dozens of people gathered on the street, which was strewn with debris and shattered glass. what caused the blast isn't yet known but witnesses have reported smelling gas near the scene. 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. gemma coombe, bbc news. 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 these sanctions are justified because of human rights abuses. they've talked about censorship of the free press, of radio signals being blocked by the government,

and of people who are caught watching foreign films being imprisoned or even executed. that's why they have identified these three officials, one of them an assistant to kim jong—un. and the north koreans have reacted very angrily. saying this is a great miscalculation by the americans and that it will block the path to denuclearisation forever. they've play off the state department versus the us president. they've credited donald trump for reaching out and trying to improve relations, but said the state department seems to be trying to turn back the clock to a time when there was an "exchange of fire", referring to the regular missile tests that were happening untill about a year ago. there was supposed to be a meeting between the secretary of state and a senior north korean diplomat last month. that has been delayed. the north koreans have been angered by the us military restarting exercises with the south korean military. and there are questions about how this now proceeds into the new year, whether there will be

further progress. things seemed to have slowed down since donald trump met kim jong—un in singapore, six months ago. but the president is referring to the north korean negotiations but the president referring to the north korean negotiations on twitter, just a few days ago, said, there was no hurry and that things were going fine. 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 desribed 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 conference in poland ended with scenes of relief and talk of a breakthrough. the polish minister in charge had overcome difficult arguments. but as the dust settles, there are questions about what the deal really amounts to. so where does this leave us? most significant is a new set of rules for how countries cut the gases warming the planet. that was sorted but the deal

is voluntary so we will now have to see what individual governments actually do. 0n finance for developing countries, to help them go green and prepare for the impacts of climate change, there was some progress but they say not enough. and on promises of much deeper cuts in emmissions in future which scientists say are needed very rapidly, that will have to wait for another time. but many of the most vulnerable nations say the deal does not go far enough. this is bangladesh where villagers only have mud to hold back the ocean. faced with the sea rising even further, some develping countries point to the latest science which says emissions of warming gases must start falling no later than 2030. we've got 12 years. the division here today doesn't really solve anything. i think we have to do practical things, we've got cut down emissions drastically. the real test now is

whether the deal eventually leads to fewer warming gases entering the atmosphere and so far, all the talk over the past 25 years has failed to achieve that. david shukman, bbc news. 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 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:

we'll hear why australia remains divided over a change in asylum policy. also on the programme: we travel to the himalayas, to meet nepal's daredevil honey hunters, who risk their lives in one of the country's oldest traditions. 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 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 hudaydah have been delayed and will now take place, as we've been reporting,s on tuesday. place, as we've been reporting, on tuesday. 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. 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. there was noise, rather than silence. 700 locals and tourists gathered in strasbourg in a memorial to honour those who lost their lives. 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. translation: 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. a 36—year—old polish national, he had spent days in a coma but had been unable to recover

from his 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 side—lines 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 for the latest on the refugee processing centre on the island of nauru. we know that several children have been brought, sick children have been brought off nauru with their families recently, due to sustained pressure from the australian public, which is fantastic. however, there are still dozens of individuals who have been waiting months or years for investigations or are specialist services that are not available on nauru. this is part of inherent barriers which exist in the offshore system to good healthcare. what would be your advice because as we are reporting, it is a controversial policy. yes, well, i am certainly not a politician and am not here to give

policy advice, but i would ask all of the australian politicians to consider this christmas when they are at home with theirfamilies, that there are inherent barriers to healthcare, such as the geographical isolation offshore, a lack of facilities, multiple care providers and some confusion as to the delegation there. also, most multiple levels of bureaucracy for transfers and a massive psychological load on these people and if we do not take significant changes in the new year, how will these people ever get better care in 2019? are you hopeful because 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 really been able to make any changes. well, that is true. i suppose i feel like the tide is shifting. news polls in the last year have shown that a majority of australians who feel that getting people off manus and nauru is a good idea.

as to what is to be done next i'll leave that to the politicians, but for this small group of people that have been in this situation for five years, it is really time to give them the care that they need. new zealand has emerged as a possible solution, do you think that is something that they could consider, or is that still very controversial? i think 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 very kind of new zealand to continue to extend this offer to australia, and i think given the situation we are in with a lack of options, we should consider everything on the table. and what do you think briefly is the impact of this policy on australia's standing in the world? we have certainly seen condemnation from international human rights groups and other bodies in various nations. i think this may well go down as being the second great stain on our countries history after the treatment of indigenous people. i think 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 part of right—wing protests against a un migration pact. more than 160 countries signed the agreement to frame an effective international approach to migration. fear among right wing groups is that the pact will result in high levels of immigration into europe. translation: we want to raise our voice against the marrakesh pact. we think the decision was not made in a democratic way, with a minority in government and a minority of the belgian people. that is what we are protesting against. in 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 fascists. they advertise hate and discrimination and they are violent. we want to warn people and send a different message. right—wing groups called for protests after the pact was signed last week, something the united nations believes is a step in the right direction. it will reduce the chaos of irregular, dangerous migration. it will increase access through safe, legal pathways, for instance to the labour markets who have deficits in human resources and will need foreign workers. the issue of managing migration in europe is complex and one with far—reaching political implications.

not least, here in belgium, where prime minister charles michel's government lost its majority because of the pact. 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 answers about an issue that divides opinion far beyond belgium's borders. rahuljoglekar, bbc news. 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. sacrifices that some people make, it is extraordinary to see that.|j know. is extraordinary to see that.” know. can you imagine coming out of yourjob and saying, i have in stung 300 times by bees? an extraordinary job. incredible to see. and the landscape they were in, in those rural parts of nepal, absolutely stunning. you have been watching newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm mariko 0i in singapore. stay with us. we will be looking at the year ahead, with predictions for the business world from journalists at the economist. are you in the christmas spirit? not quite, i never get used to a hot christmas, i have to say. it is definitely a rainy one here in england, particularly in london. not necessarily a white one. i don't think that necessarily puts people off. it's not the north pole, but people in the city of sanjose,

costa rica are certainly feeling the christmas spirit. this weekend they took part in a big, colourful celebration, a festival of christmas lights. it involved a parade trough the streets of san jose with marching bands, performing artists, and lots and lots of glowing, sparkling lights. it certainly looks like a lot of fun. hello there. we are seeing a significant change in weather type as we are heading towards christmas. the weather this week looks very different to last week. the weather didn't move an awful lot last week, big blocking area of high pressure and we are drawing in cold air from continental europe. but earlier in the weekend, storm deirdre blew away that really cold air and since then we have seen our weather coming in from the atlantic. that cloud will bring some rain, that cloud has already brought some rain. that is moving away and with clearing skies and light winds it's going to be cold enough come the morning for a touch of frost and perhaps icy patches as well. but a lovely looking day for many central and eastern parts of the uk. it should be dry on monday. there'll be a fair but of sunshine around, the winds will be lighter but further west the winds are going to be strengthening, the cloud increasing and we see some

outbreaks of rain and drizzle arising, especially in the afternoon. later in the day, winds could be touching gale force across some western coasts. but it's a southerly wind, so it's a mild wind. 12 degrees in northern ireland and a milder day across the board than it was on sunday. eventually that area of low pressure is going to bring us some showers, but at the moment it is playing second fiddle to that weather front there which is bringing wet and windy weather in from the west overnight and continuing on tuesday. gales for a while, the rain moving very slowly eastwards, some outbreaks of heavy rain and with snowmelt in scotland there is likely to be some localised flooding. the weather should improve later in northern ireland and it takes all day for the rain to arrive in east anglia. it will be another mild one, as temperatures up to 11 or 12 celsius. eventually that rain should push its way eastwards out of the way on tuesday night into wednesday morning and then that area of low pressure starts to get a bit closer and that is going to be a focus for some showers. there'll still be some spells of sunshine on wednesday, a lot of places in the east will be dry, although the south—east corner catching a few showers here.

most of the showers or even longer spells of rain coming into northern ireland across western scotland over the irish sea into western parts of england and wales. temperature won't be as high on wednesday, 7—10 degrees, still not bad though. that area of low pressure is going to sit around during wednesday and into thursday as well. it is a filling area of low pressure, that means pressure is rising across it, so it is weakening, the wind becoming lighter, the showers fewer and there will still be some spells of sunshine. there are shower around out the west and through the english channel as well and the temperatures on thursday much like those on wednesday. it could turn quite chilly overnight on thursday night, some mist and fog around as well. then we look again to the atlantic to see another change, milder air bringing cloud and some rain up from the south—west. this is 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, people nearby 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 plans. 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. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk —