this is the briefing — i'm sally bundock. our top stories. a new path under a new president for brazil — far—right firebrand jair bolsonaro takes office vowing to crack down on corruption. here in the uk, a terror suspect arrested after the stabbings at manchester's victoria train station is held under the mental health act. thousands turn out in tokyo for emperor akihito‘s new year address — the final one before his abdication. a new year with fresh hope on trade — will positive comments from the us and china translate to a resolution to the conflict between the world's two biggest economies? a warm welcome to the programme —

this is my first chance to wish you all a happy new year. in this programme, we are going to brief you on everything you need to know about global news, business and sports. and we'd love to hear from you today as we enter in to a new year. what are your expectations for 2019? are you optimistic or worried about the year ahead. get in touch — just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. we start in brazil where jair bolsonaro has been sworn in as the country's first far right leader since a military dictatorship ended in 1985. in his inaugural address, president bolsonaro promised to free brazil from socialism, tackle corruption and violent crime, and restructure the economy. but as katy watson reports, he's a deeply divisive figure whose homophobic and misogynistic comments have angered many. a historic day for brazil,

one that evenjair bolsonaro and his fans probably never expected could happen. but he made it, and for the next four years, this will be the man in charge of latin america's biggest economy. a man who's promised to lead brazil down a very different political path to that of his predecessors. in front of dozens of world leaders and amid cheers from his supporters, he was handed the presidential sash. and once again, repeated his campaign promises of changing the way brazil does politics. translation: corruption, privileges and unfair advantages have to end. favours to certain parties must not go on. the government and economy have to serve all of the nation. thousands came to see mr bolsonaro take power.

dressed in the colours of the brazilian flag, they shouted support for the man they call a legend. after 13 years of a very corrupt government in brazil, so now we have a hope that with bolsonaro, he will clean up. he wants to unite families, not divide. we are not black, white, poor or rich, we are a nation. for people in this crowd, bolsonaro represents change, a fresh start for brazilian politics. but his fiery rhetoric during the campaign means many people are worried, especially from brazil's minority groups, about what the next four years will mean for their future. for the country's many indigenous communities, bolsonaro represents a huge threat. he's made it clear he supports the powerful and lucrative farming industry, and said he won't give a centimetre more land to the indigenous once he's in power. translation: we are left worried whether he will try and finish us off or give us the land we deserve. he supports landowners,

they're more valuable to him than we are. as mr bolsonaro gets to work, his to—do list to fix brazil is long. his priority, he says, is bringing back order to this country, promising to rule with an iron fist, to make brazil great again. but there are plenty of doubters about how he's going to achieve all that he's promised. katy watson, bbc news, in brasilia. we will have more on that in our news briefing. here in the uk, a man suspected of stabbing three people in manchester on new year's eve has been detained under the mental health act. the 25—year—old man is being held on suspicion of attempted murder. the attack happened at the victoria railway station. police said a counter terrorism investigation was ongoing. ben ando has the details. still shouting in arabic, the

25—year—old suspect is put into a police van. last night, he was ordered to be detained under the mental health act. earlier, a couple in their 50s had been stabbed on the tram platform at victoria station in manchester. boasts are recovering in hospital with injuries described as serious but not life—threatening. a bbc producer was also on the platform. he had a kitchen knife in his hand with a black handle and a long blade and i thought this is not good. there was only me on the platform. police used pepper spray and a pays to bring the man down. one officer was stabbed in the shoulder. police say they have no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved and are treating it as a terror attack but are keeping an open mind as to motive. last night,

we re open mind as to motive. last night, were continued the suspect‘s home, 1.5 miles north of the station. locals told the bbc that the residents of the house or a somali family who came to the uk from the netherlands about 12 years ago. this attack was close to the scene of the manchester arena bombing in 2017. police said there are no suggestions ofa police said there are no suggestions of a wider plot that they urge people to keep calm and stay vigilant. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. prosecutors in france say 1a people have been caught trying to steal a fishing trawler in the channel port of boulogne. it's the latest in a series of incidents in which migrants have tried to steal vessels to make the crossing to britain. a fifty—year—old german man is under arrest in northwestern germany, suspected of making what officials say was a deliberate attempt to kill foreigners. the attack happened in the early hours of new year's day. at least four pedestrians — including syrians and afghans — were injured, when a car drove into them.

police say the suspect made racist remarks when he was arrested. president xijinping has urged the people of taiwan to embrace reunification with china as inevitable. he made the comments in a keynote speech in the great hall of the people in beijing, saying the separation of the chinese nation was a historical wound that must be healed. he added, however, that china would not give up the right to use force. a new report shows that english children exceed the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18—year—old by the time they are 10. public health england says children consume much more than they should, around eight more sugar cubes a day. the agency wants families to cut back to help tackle obesity, tooth decay and other illnesses linked to excess sugar. here in the uk many are returning to work with brexit on their minds. mps are not back in parliament yet but as soon as they are the political turmoil over

the prime ministers withdrawal deal will take centre stage again with a vote expected this month. research analyst stephanie harejoins me now. lovely to see you and happy new year. the front page of the financial times has brexit prospects in the yearahead. financial times has brexit prospects in the year ahead. this is something they do every year, they have a survey of all top economists faure sense of their thinking in the year ahead. it is not good reading, is it? it is interesting. the uk economy grew 1.5% last year and they say here is that the best we can hope for is more of the same. 1.5% is that this case scenario. they also think it could be much lower than that. it is important to that before a vocal brexit, uk economy was the top performing in the world. so we took a huge hitjust after having

the vote. what makes sense to me was that we cannot predict what will happen this year. we all know anyway that it happen this year. we all know anyway thatitis happen this year. we all know anyway that it is a nightmare to make a prediction at the beginning of the year because quite often they are wrong and an economist is always asked by what will happen in the year ahead and they often get it wrong. but actually they say they cannot forecast 2019, saying it is impossible given the chronic uncertainty. they say it has become a way of life in the uk. ido i do think anybody living he would recognise the truth of that statement. we know that we will vote on the deal offered by the prime minister and if that is except that then we have certainty. that if it is rejected by parliament, then what? to go back into the eu? this could go right down to the wire. we could go right down to the wire. we could be talking about this all the way up until march 29 with all sorts

of out of left field things such as asking for revoking article 50... how do you plan as a business? do you feel this has been handled? many are saying that this is one of the most enormous decisions that this country will make for generations. it has to go through a process of proper democratic processes. had you think about it is being handled? someone here a few years ago described it as an omnishambles. people here are frustrated. are we are getting on with it and i think we will model free. what do you think will happen? i know it is a tough question but what are your thoughts? we cannot even see what will happen in the

next few weeks with the vote. as an a nalyst next few weeks with the vote. as an analyst i have to be careful about what i think will happen as opposed to what i would like to happen. at this point i am too prejudiced in my view. stephanie will return later to discuss some of the international stories. blitz had now to cuba. —— let us now head to cuba. the head of the cuban communist party, raul castro, has delivered a speech to mark 60 years since the revolution came to power. it comes as the island's new leadership has drafted a new constitution — which supporters say is intended to reflect a changing cuba, but which critics say will simply concentrate power into the communist party's hands. will grant reports. few moments could have been more symbolic for the cu ban few moments could have been more symbolic for the cuban government

than holding a ceremony of the 60th anniversary of the revolution in front of fidel castro's tomb. the former president and his younger brother, raul castro, delivered the key speech and focused on strengthening revolutionary results on the 21st century. translation: strengthening revolutionary results on the 215t century. translationzlj can confirm that the transfer process to new generations is going well. very well. there have been no hiccups nor shocks and we are confident that it will continue this way. in reality, however, things are very different in cuba to what they we re very different in cuba to what they were in 1959. a handpicked new leader has taken over from the castro brothers and faces a huge battle in satisfying the demands of today's young cubans. there will be a referendum on the new draft constitution in february but many are growing impatient for greater social freedoms and increased economic opportunity. the president

has introduced more internet access since taking office but critics say the new constitution will not make any significant changes to the island's economy or its political system. will grant reporting from cuba. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: he might‘ve won the battle of the greats, but federer reveals his nerves over taking on serena. the most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has got underway with the introduction of the euro. tomorrow in holland, we're going to use money we picked up in belgium today, and then we'll be in france, and again, it'll be the same money. it's just got to be the way to go. george harrison, the former beatle, is recovering in hospital after being stabbed at his oxfordshire home. a 33—year—old man from liverpool

is being interviewed by police on suspicion of attempted murder. i think it looks good. just good? no, fantastic. that's better. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: far—right firebrand jair bolsonaro is sworn in as brazil's president. among his top pledges is tackling corruption in politics. here in the uk, a terror suspect arrested after the stabbings at manchester's

victoria train station is held under the mental health act. japan's emperor akihito has greeted well—wishers for his last new year appearance at the imperial palace before his abdication. let's talk to mariko oi who was watching this moment of history. lovely to see due. this is a huge event. explain the significance.” think if i tell you that tens of thousands of people queued up from very early in the morning outside the imperial palace in tokyo, that probably explains how significant this event is to the japanese public. they waited hours to see the royalfamily, the public. they waited hours to see the royal family, the emperor with public. they waited hours to see the royalfamily, the emperor with his family came out five times to wish them a happy new year. as you said, this is indeed his final new year celebration as the bright for he

abdicate at the end of april when his son, elder son, the crown prince ta kes his son, elder son, the crown prince takes the throne on the first of may 2019. his statement today was quite short and brief, but last week he actually made a very long emotional, looking back at his era. he is very relieved his era is coming to an end with no war. it is a known pacifist, he visited many countries in the region affected by japan's wartime aggression throughout his time as emperor. it is that it's a he has really been treasured, hasn't he, while he has beenin treasured, hasn't he, while he has been in that position. it is an unusual scenario for those of us watching in europe, for example, here in the uk we have mixed feelings about the royal family and they are often criticised. injapan it isa they are often criticised. injapan it is a very different scenario, even did? yes, i think it is there to say that

he is very much well loved and well respected by the japanese public, not just by the respected by the japanese public, notjust by the older generation. i remember after the 2011 syn army when he addressed the nation, which is quite unusual, he usually talks on his first day —— tsunami. when he imitated the nation, many older generation people were glued to the television and i remember my grandfather cutting up a newspaper article of his entire speech and framing it. he is only —— only 80 yea rs framing it. he is only —— only 80 years ago, many people were willing to die in the name of his father and even though in the constitution if safety is a symbolic figure, to many older people, he is somewhat divine. i remember a young high school student beating a picture of the emperor and the impressed when she spotted them at a train station, and because of the language she used, which was very casual, it would group criticism. what it showed to

me that he and his wife are very much adored by younger generations as well. lovely to talk to you. happy new year, by the way. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. on the first day of a 3—day visit to asia, british foreign secretary jeremy hunt is in singapore where he will say britain is ready to strengthen ties with asia after the country departs the european union. the rescue operation continues in russia to find survivors after the collapse of an apartment block on new year's eve following a gas explosion. us secretary of state, mike pompeo, will visit colombia to discuss the economic situation in neighbouring venezuela. about one million venezuelans have crossed into colombia over the past three years as the crisis has worsened. now, it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello. i'm chetan pathak with wednesday's sport briefing. our top story — tottenham have made a winning start to 2019 and are back up to second

in the english premier league. four days after that shock 3—1 defeat at home to wolves, mauricio pochettino's side won 3—0 at cardiff city where harry kane and christian eriksen both scored in the opening 12 minutes. son heung—min then added the third. spurs are now a point ahead of manchester city and six behind the leaders liverpool. two tennis greats finally met on court for the first time on tuesday as roger federer‘s switzerland beat serena williams‘s usa at the hopman cup in perth in australia. the mixed doubles clash was always going to get plenty of attention as it was the first time the two legends faced each other in a competitive match. in the end, federer and belinda bencic beat williams and frances tiafoe in straight sets, overall, switzerland beating the usa 2—1. for me, it was nerve racking, to be

honest, because all of a sudden you are serving, especially that love —— last sir. it is serena williams, i was telling myself. it is maybe what i have always wanted. at big—time moment like this, and i made the serve but i totally the target. for me, it was super cool. i wanted to take pictures. i wanted to bring my to take pictures. i wanted to bring b to take pictures. i wanted to bring my baby out. i was way too excited. but it was really fun. there are six matches in the english premier league on wednesday with manchester united looking to make it four wins in a row since the appointment of ole gunnar solskjaer as caretaker boss. united thrashed bournemouth 4—1 on sunday thanks to two goals from paul pogba. they now travel to newcastle, knowing a win would close the gap to arsenal in fifth to three points again. in the nba later, the boston celtics host minnesota later — one of nine games.

the timberwolves will be hoping karl—anthony towns has another good scoring night. on sunday, he had the best of his career in miami. his 3a points helped minnesota beat the heat 113 points to 104. towns also had 18 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 blocked shots on an impressive night. and before we go, let's leave you with this — india captain virat kohli was among the players invited to a reception in australia hosted by the country's prime minister ahead of the fourth and final test in sydney. if india win it, it would give them a 3—1 series victory, but kohli says there's no pressure on his side, and even one of the local dogs backed him up! on the sydney test, for us, as the

prime minister said, no pressure at all. dog barks. laughter. all smiles from kohli. you can get all the latest sports news at our website, bbc.com/sport. but from me, chetan pathak, and the rest of the team, that is wednesday's sport briefing. a company in south africa is selling toy dolls that reflect and reaffirm black children. even she absolutely gorgeous? —— isn't she. its founders are hoping it'll encourage kids to love and appreciate themselves the way they are. the johannesburg—based company even has a range of dolls which are albino or have the skin condition vitiligo. iam the i am the co—founder of this collection. welcome to our beautiful

shop. we started because of my daughter who at the time was turning three. she came home from school one day and asked her to change her hair. it sparked an idea between my partner and i to develop a goal that would truly be representative of an african child. we have kids that would really think they are not pretty, but when they get these dolls, a lack, she is so pretty, she looks like me. the one that prevents beauty in zulu. she eat african princess. she was our first goal. she signifies dignity. the pride in an african woman. we have the dole with albino with. the court it was important to bring in diverse toys

——jair important to bring in diverse toys -- jair -- important to bring in diverse toys ——jair —— albinoism. this is our newest dole. her name means i am beautiful. the idea came from one day i was watching tv and i thought an actress and i had an idea, i wonder if these kids have dolls that reaffirm to them they are as pretty as they are. i think it enhances their beauty. people are becoming very, very comfortable with who they are. they are celebrating their blackness and the kids are growing up blackness and the kids are growing up to be proud of being black. what a great business idea. we have plenty more business coming up in just a few minutes time with the business briefing of course. we have asked you to get in touch with us

about your views on the year ahead, 2019. what are your thoughts on that? you have not held back. thank you for your new year wishes. we havejohn from you for your new year wishes. we have john from hong you for your new year wishes. we havejohn from hong kong and he says happy new year, sally. i am deeply worried about the economic outlook in the new year. the threat of us china trade war, rising protectionism, brexit, all the other uncertainties will definitely have adverse implications to the economy. john, we will discuss china us trade inafew john, we will discuss china us trade in a few minutes, it is our top story. we have another one. good morning. 2019 will be an amazing yearfor me with morning. 2019 will be an amazing year for me with a lot to achieve. i would let them —— like to mention brexit is a mistake, but the sun will shine again on the uk and it could have been brighter. thank you for all your thoughts. see you in a moment. hello there.

the new year brought a change to the feel of our weather across the uk. a cold front slipping south on new year's day allowed the winds to swing round to a northerly, and that has brought a return to some night—time frost as well. so those of you up early on wednesday, particularly the further west, will start off cold and frosty. there should be some decent spells of sunshine here, though. and that's how we stay throughout much of the day. the exception is likely to be across north sea coasts. that northerly wind just driving in more cloud in off the coastline, and anywhere through east anglia down towards the kent coast at risk of still catching an isolated shower. also, a little more cloud perhaps along west facing coasts, but sandwiched in between the two, that's where the best of the sunshine will be, although temperatures will struggle generally across the country, around 3 to 6 degrees. the high pressure will stay with us, althoughjust change its positioning a little as we go through thursday into friday, and that's going to allow for some subtle differences. we still keep the winds coming

from the north along that east coast and driving in more cloud, but the winds will change direction to a south—westerly around that high pressure, and so the further west you are, perhaps a little less cold with a little more moisture, and that could cause a problem with some freezing fog forming as well. so, we start off thursday with more cloud along both west and east coasts. sandwiched in between the two, a decent slice of sunshine for much of the day. temperatures generally at around 3 to 6 degrees, but we could see 7 to 9 with that slightly less cold air pushing in to the west. now, we keep a similar theme as we go through thursday night into friday. there is a risk here of perhaps seeing some freezing fog patches the further west you are. if this happens, they could linger for a time and, in fact, we start off early friday with our coldest night, really. a widespread frost quite widely across the country, so lows may be as low as “11 or —5 degrees. if we get that freezing fog,

it could lingerfor a time, but it will lift and we'll see some sunny spells, but a cold day again on friday. indications of something a little less cold as we start into the weekend. and that's because the high—pressure system will change position again, weaken off, and may well allow this weather front to push into the north—west on sunday, bringing some wetter weather to the north. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. a new year with fresh hope on trade — will positive comments from the us and china translate to a resolution to the conflict between the world's two biggest economies? china insists its belt and road initiative is purely an infrastructure programme to boost trade and prosperity. but critics are warning of, quote, "debt—trap diplomacy". and on the markets: this is the first day of trading

2019. the japanese market is closed today but there is a mixed picture in asia.