welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: president trump agrees to shut down his personal charity. new york's attorney general accuses it of a "shocking pattern of illegality". stepping up plans for a no—deal brexit. britain's cabinet agrees to spend an extra £2 billion — and puts thousands of troops on standby. arctic ambition — a special report on the concerns over china's moves to finance greenland's future. the tiny population of this vast, empty country is not going to know what's hit it. and four months after its fatal collapse, plans for a new genoa bridge, from the architect renzo piano. he promises it will "last a thousand yea rs". hello to you.

an extraordinary few days that have seen president trump's personal lawyer sentenced to prison, his former national security advisor in court for lying to the fbi, and now the trump family charity shut down in a deal with prosecutors, who accuse it of a "shocking pattern of illegality". new york's attorney general says mr trump used it as a "personal chequebook" for his business and political interests. a lawyer for the trump foundation has claimed that since his election victory, they've been trying to distribute its remaining assets to charitable causes. this from our north america editor jon sopel, in washington. chanting: usa, usa, usa! election night 2016 and donald trump is soaking up the applause, surrounded by his children. but they're also part of the business and also trustees of his charity, the donald j trump foundation. but far from this being a vehicle for giving and philanthropy, the new york attorney general has described, in the most scathing terms, how the trumps were using this for their own purposes.

trump's attorney said those accusations were inaccurate and politicised. and here in washington, the president's former national security adviser, michael flynn, has been appearing in court over conversations he had with the russian ambassador at around the time of the election. he lied to the fbi about it. the sentencing should have been routine — it was anything but. michael flynn arrived in court this morning, hoping that he'd be given an non—custodial sentence, but the judge very quickly made clear he took flynn's offences far more seriously. thejudge also mused whether flynn should have been

charged with treason. in light of this, his lawyers argued for sentencing to be delayed. the threat of incarceration has not gone away. i mean, god help us! ironic, really, as the general was the man during the election who led the chants of "lock her up" about donald trump's rival, hillary clinton. yep, that's right, lock her up! but despite lying to the fbi and the vice president, and pleading guilty, the president is standing by him. tweeting this morning... a theme picked up at the briefing, with the white house accusing the fbi of behaving improperly over this. the fbi broke standard protocol in the way that they came in and ambushed general flynn and in the way that they questioned him, and in the way that they encouraged him not to have white house counsel's office present. lock him up!

as michael flynn left court to some chants of "lock him up", the white house was doing nothing to dispel the impression that, in this case, the president was more on the side of the man who had broken the law than the people who are charged with enforcing it. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. we go live to washington, dc and speak to our correspondent, david willis, sorry, los angeles. it had been looking, dealing with the michael flynn case, as though things would not go so badly for general flynn, he had been co—operating with the fbi after lying to the api, now it seems that things might get worse. yes, he went to court expecting an easy ride, having sat for 19 interviews with the special counsel, robert mueller‘s team. it was their recommendation that he not serve a

custodial sentence. but the judge, emmet sullivan, was clearly in no mood to go softly, softly with michael flynn, at one point accusing him in that report of treason. —— as we said in a report. he said "i cannot hide my disgust, arguably you sold your country out." it was clear by this point that he was considering a custodial sentence for michael flynn. so mr flynn's lawyers lapped at the chance to have the sentencing deferred. sarah sanders speaking for the white house, speaking for the white house, speaking for the white house, speaking for president trump on again making the point that flynn had been ambushed or entrapped by the fbi, yet in court general flynn's lawyer specifically denied that when asked about it by the judge. so that one does not seem to have many lakes, does it? what is going on with the trump foundation? what next with the foundation? going on with the trump foundation? what next with the foundation7m will be dissolved and the assets distributed to other charities, but

the new york attorney general, barbara underwood, was scathing in her criticism. this is following a two—year investigation into this organisation, the trump foundation, it was found that it had served, effectively, as part of a sort of political and business interest of donald trump, even settling business disputes, being used to purchase artwork, $18,000 picture of mr trump himself, which now hangs that one of his golf courses, apparently —— $10,000. the attorney general making the point that this was something that really had to be clamped down on hard. donald trump's lawyers, for their part, maintaining that ms underwood, who is a democrat, was undertaking a politicised investigation. nonetheless, as i mentioned, this foundation will now be dissolved. david, thank you very much for that. let's get some of

the day's other news. belgium's prime minister has offered his resignation in response to a political row over migration. charles michel lost the support of the biggest party in his coalition last week over his backing for a united nations migrant pact, which has sparked protests. a yemeni mother has been granted a visa waiver to see her dying son in the us. a public campaign has been urging authorities to allow her in, despite president trump's ban on visitors from several mainly muslim countries. two—year—old abdullah hassan, who is a us citizen, suffers from a rare genetic brain disorder and will soon have his life support switched off. manchester united has sacked its manager, jose mourinho, following a dismal start to the football season, and defeat to arch rivals liverpool. the club is expected to appoint a caretaker manager until the end of the season, with a permanent replacement appointed after that. mourinho's sacking comes just 2.5 years into his tenure as manager of the club. japan has announced new defence spending over five years on aircraft carriers, advanced stealth fighters and long—range missiles.

the government says it's needed to combat the growing threat from china. 0fficials insist the plans are allowed underjapan‘s pacifist constitution, which limits the country's military to defence. five leading british business organisations have issued a strongly worded warning about a no deal brexit, saying many firms have been watching the continuing political deadlock in horror. on tuesday, theresa may's government revealed that three and a half thousand troops have been put on standby, in case britain leaves the eu without a deal. "3,500. here's our deputy political editorjon pienaar. they had no choice — the country had to prepare for brexit with no deal if it came to it. some quite like the idea, though the eurosceptics are backing mrs may's brexit compromise — for now. are people, in a word, right to be afraid of no deal? no deal would not be optimal for our economy.

we should work to get the prime minister's deal over the line. brexiteer ministers can enjoy their christmas. but there'll be trouble in the new year — others will fight a no—deal brexit if they have to. amber rudd told the cabinet buying a seat belt doesn't mean you should crash the car. there's no wish inside number ten to leave with no deal. the government's plan — keep a lookout for what might go wrong and hope for the best. the government's priority is to secure a deal, that hasn't changed, but alongside that, as part of our continuation of preparing for no—deal, a responsible government needs to ensure that we are ready for that default option, which we don't want to happen, but we're ready in the event that it did happen. but time is running out fast before brexit day next march, so £2 billion was allocated for customs, security, finding trade deals. letters were going out to companies, tens of thousands, telling firms, "activate your no—deal plans." we even heard 3,500 troops would be ready to step in if the country needs them. what we are doing is putting

contingency plans in place, and what we will do is have 3,500 service personnel held at readiness, including regulars and reserves, in order to support any government department on any contingencies they may need. inside parliament, labour was holding off from forcing a vote of confidence in the government it would likely lose, and instead attacking today's no—deal planning. it's about trying to blackmail the country, trying to say that the choice is between theresa may's botched deal and a disastrous no—deal, and that's why they've kept on trying to kick the can down the road, so they can ratchet up the pressure on the public, really. most here believed theresa may's plan is doomed to defeat. some in her own cabinet want other ideas, like a brexit that stays close to the eu, say, or a referendum, or no—deal, put to mps after that happens. so, i'm told, theresa may wants to flush out those who are quietly waiting for her plan to fail.

well—placed sources say she wants a moment of reckoning for brexit, with all the rival ideas put to mps and voted on at the same time, when her plan comes back to the house of commons injanuary. if everything is rejected — and everything may be rejected — she mightjust try to fight on for her brexit compromise. the prime minister bought time till after christmas when she postponed the big vote on brexit, but soon the decorations will be down and it'll be time to face the verdict of mps. john pienaar, bbc news. 0ur europe editor katya adler has the view from brussels. you will have heard about this idea ofa you will have heard about this idea of a managed no—deal brexit. so watch out tomorrow for plans by the european commission to maintain the status quo in certain key areas in case of a no deal brexit, transport,

for example, to make sure planes can ta ke for example, to make sure planes can take off and land between the eu and uk, and the movement of finance. but brussels will be keen to point out that this is not in uk's favour, this is to protect eu member states from the more catastrophic from the uk crashing out of the eu without a deal. these mini deals, if you like, will be strictly time—limited to a few months, says brussels, and they will be ended without any consultation with the united kingdom. kata adler in brussels for us. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: qatar's plans for the world cup take shape — but questions remain over claims of corruption and workers' welfare. 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: president trump has agreed to shut down his personal charity after the new york attorney general accuses it of a "shocking pattern of illegality."

britain's cabinet is stepping up plans for a no—deal brexit, agreeing to spend an extra £2 billion and putting thousands of troops on standby. a0 years since china set out to open up its economy, beijing is still relentlessy seeking new opportunities to expand and invest overseas. that now includes the arctic. greenland, the danish territory east of canada, is seen as a key staging post on a trade route linking china to europe and north america. but there are concerns about beijing's new foothold in a region that is strategically so important to many other countries. from greenland, our world affairs editorjohn simpson. the chinese are coming. they're getting icebreakers ready to open new polar trade routes. there are minerals to be extracted, and huge scope for development. china's demanding a say in the whole future of the arctic, though it insists that its interest is entirely peaceful.

greenland's the ideal place to start. it's empty, a bit neglected, and it's got a chip on its shoulder where its distant colonial masters, the danes, are concerned. now, though, everything is about to change. this tiny airport is going to disappear. so are two others like it in greenland. the company in charge of turning all three into big international airports is fired up about it. we're doing these three airports, and each of them are the biggest construction project ever done in greenland to this date, so it's huge for us here. and it's going to be very important for the infrastructure in greenland in the future. china is among those bidding for the contract. you've really got to be here to get any idea of how enormous greenland is.

it's the 12th largest country on earth, and yet the population is tiny. it's less than 60,000, the size of a small town in western europe. greenland is mineral—rich and cash—poor, and there are an awful lot of people here who would be only too glad if the chinese moved in in large numbers. it gets dark by three o'clock, but in nuuk, the capital, people are selling things. they have second—hand clothes, cakes they've made, anything to get a bit of cash. there's real poverty here. several inuits, indigenous people, are trying to sell king eider ducks they've caught. next morning in the freezing cold, a couple of the inuit are going out to hunt some more king eiders. their friend was enthusiastic

about the idea that the chinese might move in here in force. i think it's good for greenland if the chinese can build and greenland can grow. it's good. good for everybody? yeah, i think. attitudes to chinese involvement are divided on ethnic lines. the majority, inuits, are mostly keen. the minority of danish descent tend not to be. the man who delivers water to the outlying communities was worried. for me, i don't like it, because they want to take it all and leave greenland with nothing. i think the greenlandic should do it by themselves. the greenlandic government wants eventual independence from denmark. the prime minister and foreign minister wouldn't be interviewed about china's involvement here,

but a previous prime minister was prepared to talk. we will be living in 2019 soon, and the world has changed. what greenland needs urgently is investment from the outside, and you don't really see investment from the us or europe. so you would be happy to see china putting money into greenland in a big way, would you? yes. denmark doesn't agree. just recently, the danish prime minister lars rasmussen came here on an attention—grabbing visit. both denmark and the united states are seriously worried that the chinese might get a strategic bridgehead here. mr rasmussen visited the american missile detection base at thule to show his support. his party's foreign affairs spokesman explained their nervousness. china is actually a communist dictatorship. therefore, we should be very worried about, you know, how they should evolve around the world. i don't like to have them

in our own backyard, because i would be worried, also from a security perspective. the trouble is, the americans and the danes have long taken greenland for granted, and neither of them have spent too much money on it. now that china's showing an interest, though, things are suddenly about to change. in just over four years' time, there will be three big new international airports operating here, bringing in investors and workers and tourists. the tiny population of this vast, empty country isn't going to know what's hit it. john simpson, bbc news, greenland. the italian architect, renzo piano, has agreed to oversee the construction of a new motorway bridge in the italian city of genoa, to replace one that collapsed in august, killing 43 people.

kim gittleson has more. london has the shard, paris the pompidou centre, now genoa will get its own signature work from the famed architect renzo piano, who was born here in this northern italian city. a new bridge shaped like a boat with 43 lamps to commemorate those who lost their lives when the pa rt those who lost their lives when the part of the ponte morande collapsed in august. construction will begin in march and authorities hope it will be mostly built by the end of 2019. translation: we trust that, by the end of next year, the bridge will be ready, not yet cross of all, but everyone will be able to see and photograph it. while the new bridge is expected to cost $230,000,000,

mister renzo piano donated the design for the structure free of charge. a gift to his hometown, he said. and it is 1 that comes with a promise. he vowed that this new bridge will last for a thousand yea rs. the actress and director penny marshall has died. she co—starred in the hit american tv show laverne and shirley, before moving on to box office success behind the camera, with films like big and a league of their own. her family says she died peacefully at her home in hollywood hills due to complications from diabetes. the next football world cup will take place in exactly four years' time in qatar. it's the first world cup to be staged during winter, creating scheduling problems for european leagues. work on the main stadium is well under way, despite concerns about the welfare of workers and an ongoing dispute with some of its neighbours that's led to a blockade. 0ur sports correspondent richard conway reports from doha. it's qatar's national day, a chance to celebrate and look

to the future. this gas—rich state is preparing to create an even bigger bang, though, in four years' time, when it gets to host football's biggest tournament. world cup plans are now springing off the drawing board and into life. 8 stadiums will be used, 7 of them will be new. it's an opportunity for people to experience us, experience the agriculture, the richness and the rich heritage and culture we have to offer. that's what the world cup offers you. it's nothing but sand at the moment, but in four years' time, this will be lush, green grass, because it's here where the world cup opening game and final will be staged. and it's in a stadium that is rising up out of the desert.

it's part of a tournament that organisers hope will change expectations on how and where a major sporting event can be played. qatar has been criticised in recent years over labour standards for workers building its world cup infrastructure. human rights groups have cautiously welcomed recent reforms, but issues remain. some of the workers are making $175, £140, a month. is that morally defensible? no doubt that there is room for improvement in that element. the fact is that there was no minimum wage established previously. now we're talking about implementing and applying minimum wage. so i have no doubt that progress on worker welfare reform will continue. it will progress. it's not a journey that's going to end. qatar has never featured at a world cup, with many questioning its right to now stage such a prestigious event. have you seen a big difference in the way that people watch football or the way the qatari people love football? yes, of course. we all, as arab, we like football. we can't live without football.

with exactly four years until the final, there are many questions over what this world cup will be like, especially for fans far removed from qatar's islamic cultural norms. the hosts, though, believe such fears are unfounded and have a self—belief that football can deliver a brighter future for all. richard conway, bbc news, doha. a number of lorries toppled over during a stormy ferry crossing between northern ireland and south west scotland. police say six vehicles toppled over. all 108 passengers and crew on board have been accounted for but some suffered minor injuries. 0ne witness described it as a big dip in rough seas which caused the incident. a former nasa engineer has come up with a novel solution after some parcels were stolen from his doorstep. this is video from his

youtube channel channel — mark rober built an elaborate glitter bomb trap. he spent six months creating the device, using four smartphones, a circuit board and almost 500 grams of glitter. the phones recorded the thieves and the glitter exploded when the parcel was opened. he came up with the plan after police said they were unable to investigate the case. a reminder of our top story: new york's attorney general has hailed the closure of the charity established in donald trump's name as a victory for the rule of law. president trump's agreement to shut down the charity follows the filing injune of a lawsuit against the trump foundation, president trump and his three children, alleging persistent illegal conduct. it has been extraordinary. we have seen president trump's former lawyer in prison, former national security adviser in investigating by the fbi and now the charity in that deal with prosecutors. is it for now. hello.

after tuesday's rain, most of us will get to see some sunshine in the day ahead, but there will be showers around, too. as we take a look at the big picture, this is tuesday's weather front that has now moved out to the east. this weather front approaching from the west will pep up the showers across western parts later in the day. a cooler start to the day for wednesday. there may be a touch of frost, sheltered glens in scotland. some of us, though, are in low single figures. early showers towards south—east england and east anglia, though the bulk of these are going to fade into the afternoon. showers scattered about through western parts, heavy ones, maybe a rumble of thunder. gusty winds as well. not as windy as it was on tuesday. the showers get heavier and more widespread late in the day. it's not a cold wind direction,

but temperatures are down compared with tuesday's readings. some of us will sink down into single figures. but, then again, it's not as windy. and there will be a bit of sunshine around. now, for a time going into the evening, the first part of the night, some of these showers will work eastwards across the uk. again, some heavy ones around. for the second half of wednesday night, they are mostly around southern and western coastal areas. still quite breezy out there. and still some temperatures heading down towards low single figures. but, for most of us, we are a good few degrees above freezing as thursday begins. the big picture again for thursday, you'll notice low pressure to the north—west of the british isles. areas closest to that most likely to see some further showers on thursday. and that's across scotland, northern ireland, north—west england, north and west wales, somejust pushing a little bit further eastwards on through the day. it is still quite breezy out there. for large parts of the midlands, east anglia, southern england, and some towards the north—east of scotland it will be largely dry and there will be the best of the available sunny spells here. temperatures are fairly close

to average, but still on the mild side the further south you are. that's out thursday is shaping up. going into friday, an area of rain moving northwards with sunshine following on behind. it may hang around parts of northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england. the far north of scotland may stay dry with just the odd shower around. quite strong winds behind, and with this weather system, but mild air with it as well. maybe a bit on the chilly side across northern scotland. there could be some early fog around here to start the day. looking into the weekend, it looks like saturday is going to be the driest day. on sunday, outbreaks of rain or showers around. still breezy over the weekend, but for the last weekend before christmas it's still looking mild. bye— bye. this is bbc news. the headlines: the trump family charity is being shut down in a deal with prosecutors, who accuse it of a "shocking pattern of illegality". new york's attorney general accused the trump foundation of engaging in a shocking pattern of illegality. the charity's lawyer described the attorney general‘s statement as misleading. here in britain, the cabinet's

agreed to activate plans for a no—deal brexit. £2 billion is being given to government departments to help them prepare for the uk leaving the eu without a deal. 3,500 troops will be put on standby to help maintain essential services if needed. manchester united are seeking their fifth manager in five years after sacking jose mourinho. it follows the club's worst start to a season in 28 years. the controversial portuguese, known as the ‘special 0ne' has faced a barrage of criticism over his signings and the team's style of play.