welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm reged ahmad. our top stories: north korea warns the us that imposing new sanctions could halt any de—nuclearisation for good. police injapan investigate after a blast at a restaurant leaves at least a0 people injured. the manhunt ends for a brazilian faith healer accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women, after he turns himself in. and she's one of the greatest tennis players of all time and fought for gender equality. billiejean king gets a lifetime achievement award from the bbc. north korea has turned its anger on the us state department, denouncing new sanctions and 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. relations between the two countries seemed to improve after an historic summit between leaders donald trump and kim jong—un. but since then ongoing talks have stalled. 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 on twitter, just a few days ago, said, there was no hurry and that things were going fine. bruce bennett is a senior defence analyst with the think tank rand corporation and hejoins me now from just outside los angeles. north korea have targeted the us

state department, as opposed to the us president donald trump. is there a strategy? sure, they think president trump is willing to compromise with them. before the singapore meeting had been no preparation for the us halting its military exercises, but can jump on asked for that at the singapore summitand asked for that at the singapore summit and president trump gave it to him. —— kimjong—un. they have this expectation that they can get something from president trump that the rest of the american staff will not give. is this a threat to be taken seriously? they are talking about blocking efforts for denuclearisation. let's be realistic, denuclearisation means reducing the nuclear threat. no denuclearisation has occurred, not one, not a little bit. kim has not

surrendered a single nuclear weapons, instead he has producing nuclear weapons. he is nuclear rising, not denuclearising. so it is ha rd rising, not denuclearising. so it is hard for them to stop the progress on denuclearisation because there has been no progress and that is the key that i think the us administration is trying to do. the us administration has been gently trying to turn up the pressure on the north and the north is already blocking and complaining about that. now the administration has got to figure out, can we get the north do something meaningful, or is this all a charade where kim isjust right to ta ke a charade where kim isjust right to take advantage. there have been some improvements in relations since that, between kim jong—un and improvements in relations since that, between kimjong—un and donald trump, we have not seen any missile test for exa m ples. trump, we have not seen any missile test for examples. absolutely, kim, set not to do any missile test late last year. he said he didn't have any need to do missile test, no need

to do nuclear test. so yes, there was that progress, but if you don't have real denuclearisation occurring, that is not the kind of progress that the united states needs. kim is tried to build a force of nuclear weapons that can target europe and the united states and thatis europe and the united states and that is what president trump does not want to let out. we will have to see if that promised summit happens as well between the two. the follow—up summit. bruce than that, thank you very much. —— bruce bennett. thank you. in sapporo, in northern japan, 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. the head of hamas has affirmed his willingness to

meet with palestinian president mahmoud abbas to discuss restoring unity to the territories. ismail haniya made the comments to thousands of supporters at a festival to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the groups' founding. haniya also expressed hama's willingness to hold elections and follows recent diplomatic talks held between the feuding groups in eygpt last month. saudi arabia has denounced last week's us senate vote holding crown prince mohammed bin salman responsible for the murder of journalist jamal khashoggi. in a statement, it says the senate position is based on "unsubsta ntiated claims and allegations" and contained "blatant interferences in the kingdom's internal affairs". the senate vote was a rare rebuke to president trump, who has maintained his support for saudi arabia. mr khashoggi was killed in october, shortly after entering the saudi consulate in istanbul in what riyadh called a "rogue" operation. police and right—wing anti—migrant protesters have clashed in brussels.

police fired tear gas and detained nearly a hundred of the more than 5,000 people who attended the demonstration, which was sparked by a united nations migration pact that was signed in morocco last week. the global compact for safe, 0rderly and regular migration is a legally non—binding agreement designed to frame an effective international approach to migration. it asserts the "fundamental" importance of legal migration and "reaffirms the soverign rights of states to determine their national migration policy". the document was signed by 164 countries after being ratified in july. however, a handful of countries including america, austria and italy have refused to formally adopt the agreement. those who have marched against the agreement in brussels fear it could lead to an increase in immigration. 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. the 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 fascists.

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

—— 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. 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. a minute of 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 recoverfrom 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. a brazilian faith healer accused of sexual abuse by more than three hundred women has handed himself in to the police.

joao teixeira de faria had been declared a fugitive when police failed to find him to serve an arrest warrant. he has denied the accusations, as gail maclellan reports. the women accuse the face of —— faith healer of sexually abusing them during healing sessions. joao teixeira de faria, or known asjohn of god, has thousands of followers, many of them celebrities. 0prah winfrey famously praised his healing powers but has now issued a statement, calling forjustice. he was consulted by politicians and his fame boosted by a supposedly miraculous surgeries he claims to have performed with his hands and without anaesthetic. translation: since i was eight years old, what gave me this energy. i believe in god and the power to heal comes from him. the abuse was said to have

taken place at his spiritual clinic in abadiania. he had been declared a fugitive, but turned himself in to the police on the roadside near the town. many of his followers refuse town. many of his followers refuse to a cce pt town. many of his followers refuse to accept the accusations and the scandal has shocked the town, whose economy has become dependent on the tourist could make visiting the healing centre. john of god claims healing centre. john of god claims he is innocent and says he has now placed himself in the hands of earthly justice. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: vladimir putin goes head to head with russian rappers. we'll find out what's the beef. 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 bbc news. the latest headlines:

north korea warns the us state department that new sanctions could derail de—nuclearisation, permanently. dozens of people are injured after a huge blast in a restaurant in the japanese city of sapporo. the legendary tennis player, billiejean king, has been honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the bbc‘s sports personality of the year show. the 75—year—old american, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, won 39 grand slam titles in singles and doubles competitions. king is an advocate for gender equality and in 1973 won the battle of the sexes match against bobby riggs. she is also the founder of the women's tennis association. ben rothenberg is an american sports writer who also co—hosts a podcast on tennis. he's in washington. she is obviously a very accomplished

woman. what made her such a formidable player? it is what has also made her commendable of the court. she was more aggressive when women were playing more defensive tennis. that took a long way in her career in both singles and doubles. she was a trail brazen when it came to equality both the women, the lgbt community, it is that her legacy today? that is the reason why women's tennis has become the incredible platform and sport for women. she got it off the ground in the professional era, she led the players to stand up for themselves. she made tennis and amazing example for other sports for how close and together men and women can be in

sport as in the rest of the world. that is the philosophy at the core of bilic inc in. the famous match with bobby reid is was quite extraordinary. —— bobby riggs —— . women's .women's feminists against a male chauvinist, playing along a retired male player which seemed a joke but carried immense symbolism for the women's movement in general and women's movement in general and women felt empowered and emboldened by her victory, standing up to the mail counterparts. as she fought for equality, was there a personal cost? absolutely, especially new talk about the time she has spent off

court fighting for equality in various boardrooms and negotiations, it took a lot of time away from her tennis and she probably did not win as many grand slam titles as if she would have been focused and not have these off court distractions. she also face consequences when she was outed in the early 80s, when there was nowhere near the accepted there is now for the lgbt community. it was only years later that that part of her life was widely celebrated. congratulations to bilic —— to billy. let's get some of the day's other news: 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. customs officials in cambodia have seized more than 1000 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. vladimir putin has called for his government to take charge of rap music, after a series of concerts were cancelled across russia. the president admits it would be impossible to ban the music outright so the state should play a greater role in controlling it. the bbc‘s tim allman has more. this is husky, one of russia's most popular rap artist. he mocks and

criticises the authorities in this song. he recently spent time injail after one of his concerts were cancelled. unlikely to be a fan, vladimir putin, who it seems has a beef with the entire rap industry. speaking at a meeting at his council for culture and art, he says... of course, the russian state has a contentious relationship with popular music. pussy riot among those who have fallen foul of the authorities. this is probably the

sort of think you have in mind when you think of russian music, a military band, accompanying a martial parade. it is not clear how the russian government might take control of rap music. but if this police choir is anything to go by, the possibilities are endless. 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 difficult and trickyjourney 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. collecting honey in a remote region of nepal. much more news coming up. and you can get more details on our

webpage, including pensions rising between north korea and the united states. see you soon. 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, the headlines: north korea has condemned the us state department for imposing new sanctions on its officials, warning of a possible permanent block on any denuclearisation. sanctions were imposed on three north korean officials on monday after reports of press censorship

and people being imprisoned for watching foreign films. an explosion at a restaurant in the northern japanese city of sapporo has injured more than forty people, at least one seriously. it's not known what caused the blast but people living nearby reported a strong smell of gas in the area before it happened. 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" went on the run on friday, after an arrest warrant was issued. he denies the accusations. now on bbc news, a look back at the week in parliament.