welcome to newsday on bbc. i'm mariko oi, in singapore. the headlines: reports for the us senate say millions of american voters were exposed to russian social media propaganda designed to help elect donald trump. a new development in one of the biggest financial scandals in history — malaysia files criminal charges against goldman sachs. i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: president xijingping is due to address the nation, as china marks a0 years of economic reforms. and south korea's booming gaming industry, but is it becoming an addiction for the young generation? translation: i tried quitting by myself, but my friends kept seducing me back to the pc barn, so it was hard to resist. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning.

it's 9am in singapore and 1am in london and we begin this hour with revealations from the us senate that tens of millions of americans were exposed to russian—backed propaganda around the 2016 general election. the two reports from academics in the us and the uk say the campaign of disinformation was clearly aimed at benefitting the republican party and donald trump. russia has always denied, it meddled in the us election. here's the bbc‘s north america editor, jon sopel. what happened just after the 2016 election was that the intelligence agencies themselves came out with the unanimous view that there had been an attempt by the russians to interfere in the presidential election. it is like taking that report and multiplying it by ten because what these two reports for the intelligence committee of the senate have found out is that as you say, they have tried to interfere

systematically on a much wider scale on every platform with events tailored to support donald trump and work even harder to support him while in office. what they did was they fed conspiracy theories out there to trump supporters in order to inflame them and go out and vote for donald trump. and amongst people who may not be thought to vote for donald trump, african—americans, for example, there was an attempt at voter suppression, is not worth voting, don't bother and stay at home. donald trump has never bought into the big conclusion that there was russian interference or that it affected the outcome of this election. he said it may have been interference and there may have been other countries as well. this report firmly points the finger at russia as trying to help donald trump. there has been no response from the white house. our other top stories this hour: the british prime minister theresa may has told parliament that there will be a vote

on her deal for withdrawing the country from the eu in the middle ofjanuary. the vote, due to be held last week, was put on hold after mrs may admitted she was going to lose. in response, the opposition labour leader, jeremy corbyn, announced he was tabling a motion of no confidence in the prime minister. mrs may also ruled out a second referendum saying that it would damage british democracy. let us not break faith with the british people by trying to stage another referendum. another vote which would do irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics because it would say to the millions who trusted in democracy that our democracy does not deliver. another vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last. also making news this hour: official sources in yemen say violence has continued to erupt sporadically in the port city of hudaydah, despite a ceasefire agreed between the government and its houthi rebels. at midnight local time the ceasefire took effect in the city, which is a key gateway for vital supplies of aid to the country's people. the polish president has reinstated

a group of supreme courtjustice. it was part of broader changes widely condemned as an attack on the law. former fbi directorjames comey has hit out at president trump following his second closed—door interview with republican—led committees. mr comey condemned the president for, in his words, "lying about the fbi" and called on republicans to stand up for the truth and to defend the rule of law. japan is to set up a nationwide network offering translation help to foreigners who are coming to the country to work. the government announced the systems as part of a package of measures coinciding with the revision of immigration control laws to allow more foreigners to join the country's workforce. the malaysian authorities have filed criminal charges against the investment

banking giant goldman sachs, in connection with the imdb financial scandal. a number of individuals have already been charged in malaysia and the us over the scandal, in which billions of dollars are alleged to have been misappropriated from a malaysian government—backed investment fund. this is the first time charges have been filed against goldman sachs, which helped issue bonds for imdb. the bank says the allegations are "misdirected". our business reporter leisha sa ntorelli explains. imdb is not a household name, but the idea behind it is that this state fund would attract foreign investment and money to build up malaysian financial centres and the problem is, billions of dollars was siphoned off, basically stolen from the malaysian people. the allegations brought forward by malaysia is that goldman sachs misled investors during the bond sales, which are essentially raising money for this fund through the sale of government debt. goldman sachs‘ positiong is that these allegations are misdirected and it was a couple

of rogue employees. these individuals already face criminal charges in the us. william k black, is a lawyer, former financial regulator and associate professor of economics and law at the university of missouri. he was a central figure in exposing and prosecuting corruption by members of congress in the savings and loan crisis in the us. i asked him how signifciant it was that goldman sachs itself, not just its employees, is being prosecuted. if the bank is found guilty of these charges, the kind of remedies that could be involved could include basically a bar of doing business in a number of nations and's business is doing business with a number of nations so it could hope.

historically they have been prosecutions of banks for, why is this different? that have been successful prosecutions in the us against banks a number of times, in connection with the 2000 ait financial crisis and yon. the capacity exists. as you said, the justice department in the us, when it prosecuted the individuals from goldman sachs made it sounds like they were roads members. —— road. the implications from malaysia is thatis the implications from malaysia is that is not the case and that goldman sachs was involved in a multifaceted attack on the fund. goldman sachs has responded and said it was like to about the use of proceeds from these transactions. how did goldman sachs not know what was going on? that is actually a

very complicated question because of the definition of goldman sachs. under us law, the corporation is responsible for the actions of its employees in most cases and would be here. you could successfully prosecute goldman sachs in the us under us law but we will have to see under us law but we will have to see under malaysian law what the courts say but they may have different standards. it is exposing loopholes in the global financial system that opens ways for corruption. will they be closed? i think they are built into the system, they are not loopholes. why do these scandals keep on happening at sovereign funds? the ansett is there is a huge

amount of money, measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars, sloshing around these funds. there are no shareholders, essentially no creditors. no one is looking except a small number of officials with the temptation to take kickbacks and thatis temptation to take kickbacks and that is the allegation in the us that is the allegation in the us that the senior officials paid and accepted kickbacks in order to corrupt senior officials so that they could loot the fund. goldman sachs and the former malaysian prime minister deny the charges. goldman sachs says the charges are misdirected, they will defend themslves against them and that they are cooperating with authorities. an indian court has sentenced a senior politician with the opposition congress party to life in prison for his role in inciting the deadly anti—sikh riots 3a years ago. it's the most significant conviction to date over a brutal episode

in india's recent history. sajjan kumar‘s conviction relates to the murder of five members of the same sikh family in delhi. 0thers accused deny involvement. jill mcgivering reports. these were the scenes of 3a years ago. riots and bloodshed on a horrific scale. thousands of sikhs were murdered in revenge attacks following indira gandhi's assassination, and ever since, it has been a long wait forjustice. when i woke up this morning i was pleasantly surprised that they finally convicted a leading congressmen after 3a years. so i definitely think it's the first step. i do know lots of people are still disappointed that lots of other leaders have gone withoutjustice and leading policeman as well, but i think it is a really good first step. sajjan kumar is the most senior person convicted so far. he was a congress party mp at the time. now, those who accused the party

of a cover—up of trying to protect its own are demanding more convictions involving those who have been accused of inciting the mob and complicity with police. no surprise that the bjp is one of its most vocal critics. the legacy of the 1984 injustice, hands around the neck, brought of the congress party and the ghandi party, which led the congress all this years and ensured that no justice is done to the victims of 1984. the congress party and its leaders deny wrongdoing, but it is only months before india's general election, painful memories are being revived and the broader question is how much political damage all this will do. jill mcgivering, bbc news. the case of a chinese human rights lawyer who's been held for 3.5 years in prison without trial has prompted an unusual protest. wang quanzhang was picked up in 2015 along with many other lawyers

and activists caught up in a crackdown by the chinese government. now his wife has joined the wives of three other detained lawyers to shave their heads and travel bald to the supreme court demanding a hearing. china correspondent stephen mcdonell reports. these women holding their own hair are seen as a threat in china. so the protest was wound up by security guards. it was drawing too much attention. four wives of detained human rights lawyers shaved their heads because, in chinese, "wu fa" can sound like no hair, and also illegal. three of their husbands have now been released. but one remains in prison after he was picked up in 2015. wang quanzhang, who came to prominence for taking

on high—profile human rights cases, has been accused of so—called subversion of state power, but has never faced trial. his wife has been trying to force the authorities to actually have a hearing of some sort, so she and her friends took out the electric clippers. translation: we urge the court to process his case in accordance with the law. then, sporting their newly—bald heads, they travelled to the supreme court. and li wenzu attempted to lodge relevant documents. she didn't get past the front gate. she says this is her 31st visit to the supreme court. each time turned away. translation: this case is way overdue and this is illegal. so the women have come to this courthouse and are not allowed in. they are speaking to the media and in the meantime, you can swing around

here and we see, we have quite a police presence. all of these police and other security are basically trying to break up this press conference and make everybody leave. translation: even though we can't get in today, we will keep going. and with that, the women walked off to take the subway home, vowing to return. stephen mcdonnel, bbc news, beijing. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: marking a0 years of china's economic reform — president xi is to make a key speech. also on the programme: why gaming in south korea is not just a game but a threat to the younger generation. 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: us senate reports conclude russia used every social media platform to help elect donald trump, reaching millions of voters. and a new move in one of the biggest financial scandals in history, malaysia files criminal charges against goldman sachs. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the international edition of the new york times has a report from kashgar in the far west of china, citing evidence that people in re—education camps are being used as forced labour in nearby factories for little or no pay. the south china morning post reports on what it describes as a landmark court ruling on gay adoption. a singapore court ruled that at a gay couple can legally a adopt

a five—year—old boy who was born to a surrogate mother, even though gay sex is banned in the city state. and the japan times leads on the explosion at a restaurant in sapporo. the article says police are looking at the possibility the blast may have been caused by a pile of 100 deodoriser spray cans. it's a0 years since the launch of economic reforms which transformed china from an isolated backwater to the world's second largest economy. president xijinping is due to make a major speech to mark the anniversary in about an hour's time. but the chinese economy has had a rocky year, growth has slowed, reform has stalled and tensions over trade with the united states have increased. earlier, i spoke to willy lam from the centre for china studies at the chinese university in hong kong, and i asked him what president xi jinping was expected to say. well, certainly pressures on xi

jingping will make rhetorical and symbolic practice to fall during the reform policies of tongue shau peng. many people think he may not be the best person to do it because in his six—year rule he has reversed many of the economic, social and political reforms introduced by dunk shau peng in the early 80s, and also he has reneged upon promises they made when they got into the world trade organization in 2001. interesting about the policies with his predecessors. with that in mind, oui’ his predecessors. with that in mind, our chinese people now better off or not? certainly 40 years have elapsed, and in terms of per capita

gdp and most measurements of standards of living, ordinary people in china have become better off. many are also asking the question as to whether the country has come to a point of a crossroads in which if the economy were to advance further then xijingping the economy were to advance further then xi jingping has to adopt more of the policies introduced by deng xiaoping, but in the past six years he seems to have done the opposite, basing importance on state control of large state enterprises, limiting the entry form, nationals and also... this trade war, president trump of the us, will exacerbate contradictions within the economy, leading perhaps to at least a couple

of millionjobs being lost and also forcing the country to rely more on itself. that's why xi jingping paradoxically is emphasising self—reliance in the past few months, which is in total contrast to deng xiaoping's market policies. we will be listening to what president xijingping we will be listening to what president xi jingping has to say in a round about 40 minutes or so, that coming to us live from the parliament building in beijing. stay tuned, coverage coming up on bbc news. katrina gray was —— —— catriona gray was crowned miss universe in bangkok on monday morning. she's from the philippines, where beauty pageants are a national obsession. in many western countries they are increasingly seen

as outdated and criticised for objectifying women, not so in the philippines. the bbc‘s howard johnson has more details. this is an absolutely huge result for the philippines. people here have been going crazy on social media. one of my friends told me that if manny pacquiao could stop traffic on the streets here, then beauty pageants can break the internet. we've seen beauty parlours offering discounts on treatments as catriona gray moved through the different stages. what we have seen also is president duterte's office come forward and say this shows that women can achieve their dreams if they work hard. there's also been lots of reaction from people, overseas workers who love these contests, what it really does for people who are living very hard lives. it gives them a potential for a dream, something to aspire to, princess—like living lifestyle. it is very popular among the overseas workers as well. howard johnson there.

in south korea many kids don't want to be sports stars, they want to be professional gamers. they practise for hours in rooms known as pc bangs. the computer games industry is growing rapidly in south korea. over half the population play games, and when they're not playing, they're watching professional gamers competing in tournaments for big prizes. but this rapid growth comes with a cost. around one in seven children are at risk of becoming addicted. from seoul, laura bicker reports. in south korea many kids don't want to be sports stars, they want to be professional gamers. they practise for hours in rooms known as pc bangs. the competition is so tough, there's no time to stop for dinner. in this arena, you're a fighter, a hero, a winner. but it's having a real impact on this new gaming generation. these teenagers are just a few of the hundreds who've had to undergo a digital detox treatment. their passion was becoming an addiction. translation: i tried quitting by myself but my friends kept seducing me back to the pc bang.

translation: when i played games, hours and hours would pass, so that's when i felt i was addicted. i felt that i wished someone could help me. they're taught to care for others and taken to a retirement home where they even put on a show. singing the aim is to help them interact in the real world, develop a human connection before their symptoms become much worse. choi was brought to this special hospital by police after he spent 96 hours playing in a pc bang. he's had one—to—one therapy with doctors for several weeks. translation: i failed a lot, many mistakes. i could not keep my word. but one head teacher believes the answer is not to limit gaming but to encourage it. 18—year—old park bo han was struggling with his studies

as he was gaming through the night. here he's allowed to play during school hours to develop his skills. translation: i think i can show what i'm good at through games. i can show my strengths to other people. i feel really happy when we win because of how well i played. this very outgoing head teacher has built an entire curriculum around gaming. translation: everyone looks at it as a gaming problem but if you look beyond that, all the kids have talent and if you just hone that and make them concentrate on it, i think the kids show signs of genius. the south korean paradox is that its gaming industry is one of the biggest in the world, worth over $5 billion, and it's growing fast. but this country's also having to invest billions to ensure it doesn't lose a generation along the way. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. you've been watching newsday.

i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm mariko oi in singapore. stay with us. i'll have more business news. we'll have more on china's 40th anniversary and how the nation has evolved into a market—driven global power. and before we go, we'll leave with you a nativity scene made entirely of sand which is on display at the vatican. it's made out of 720 tonnes of sand, which has been mixed with water and compressed into blocks to make it durable. it was inaugurated on st peter's square along with a giant christmas tree and it will be on display there until the 13th of january. thanks forjoining us, we'll see you again soon. goodbye. hi there. we are looking at a spell of wet

and windy weather across the western side of the country. the strongest winds are always across the western parts, that's close to this area of low pressure. weather fronts here, it's not one of those fronts that's going to come along in a dead straight line. there are pulses of energy running along the front and that brings uncertainty with the timings of our band of rain. nevertheless, if you're heading outside of the next few hours, the winds will be picking up and we will see the rain getting into many western areas. in east, though, probably a dry start to the day but it is that bit cooler. the big pressure chart shows this area of low pressure quite nicely just to the north—west of the uk, with tightly—packed isobars telling you it is going to be windy. we've already seen there will be gales around across western parts. the winds could gust to 65mph across parts of wales and south—west england, particularly around the coasts and the hills. similarfigures to northern ireland. these areas also having some heavy rain, which could bring the risk of some localised surface water flooding issues. now, as i say, there's some uncertainty with this band of rain that will slowly and erratically push its way eastwards.

it could clear eastern scotland a bit more quickly, but with showers following, and although most of the day will be dry across east anglia and south—east england, i couldn't rule out an odd passing shower here. wherever you are, though, with the southerly winds blowing, it will be a mild day. temperatures between 10 and 12 celsius. through tuesday evening, the rain will finally arrive and slowly push its way eastwards across east anglia, south—east england, north—east england too, before clearing overnight. our low pressure's still there for the middle part of the week. weatherfronts wrapped around the centre of low pressure. what that means is we'll have a blustery day on wednesday with a mixture of sunshine and showers, but the showers will tend to merge to give some lengthier spells of rain at times across western and southern areas, leaving the best of any dry weather and sunshine to the north and east. it'll start to get a bit cooler across the north of the uk, but those temperatures getting close to normal for this time of year. still relatively mild in the south. for thursday, the low pressure still on the charts, but it's filling, so we won't see such strong winds on thursday.

the showers will be with us, mainly affecting the north—west of the country although a few will run through the english channel and clip into south—east england. sunny spells between the showers. temperatures close to normal in the north. still relatively mild further south. that's your latest weather. bye for now. i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story: reports for the us senate say russia used every social media platform to help elect donald trump in the 2016 presidential election. researchers found that tens of millions of americans were exposed to russian—backed propaganda and warned that social media sites could now pose a threat to democracy. malaysia has filed criminal charges against goldman sachs, in connection with the 1mdb financial scandal. the us bank has been under scrutiny

for its role in helping to raise money for the investment fund. it says the charges are "misdirected". and this story is proving popular online: the great niece of nobel prize—winning writer gabriel garcia marquez has been recued from kidnappers in colombia. melissa martinez garcia had been held by a right—wing paramilitary group since august. her kidnappers had demanded $5 million in ransom money. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: the prime minister theresa may has told parliament