this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore — the headlines: donald trump prepares to appeal directly to americans to support a mexico border wall and end the government shutdown — its impact is biting hard. if we were more appreciated, then this whole situation wouldn't exist. we wouldn't be held hostage for whatever anybody wants. mps inflict defeat on the brexit deal. the mystery of the missing north korean ambassador continues — now a former colleague has urged him to defect to the south. one home, four generations equals happy familes. the internet meme from china that's gone viral worldwide. live from our studios

in singapore and london. this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore, midnight in london, and 7pm in washington where in three hours president trump will address the nation to make his case for why america needs to build a wall along the mexican border. watching will be hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are not being paid because the government is in partial shut down. aleem maqbool has been find out how they are managing. with washington at a stalemate, hundreds of thousands of families

are suffering. rachel, an airport security officer, is one of many government workers who continue to do theirjob without pay.” government workers who continue to do theirjob without pay. i feel helpless. i go to work every day, i do the very best i can at myjob but it feels like you are not really appreciated, that federal work is not appreciated because if we were more appreciated, then this whole situation wouldn't exist and we wouldn't be held hostage for whatever anybody wants. we would be paid. there has been a government shutdown since democrats said they wouldn't agree to more than $5 billion in funding for donald trump's border war. the president all along has said he won't budge.” am all along has said he won't budgeli am proud to shut down the government for border security. donald trump isn't backing down he says because he cares about national security and yet with border patrol agents and airport security workers going

unpaid, one of the very things critics fear could be dangerously affected by this continued shutdown is national security. there are reports of security agents calling in sick in huge numbers and others are, of course, disgruntled at having to work without pay, with no certainty at all about when this will all end. donald trump though has been ramping up the rhetoric about how dire the crisis is on the southern border, saying he is even considering declaring a national emergency. we will build the wall. is due to give a prime—time address to the nation about it all tonight. the american people will hear from the president tonight but we have a crisis and we have to addresses in the time has come for the democrats to come to the table and start negotiating. all rachel is hoping to hear from negotiating. all rachel is hoping to hearfrom her president negotiating. all rachel is hoping to hear from her president is that this is all over and she doesn't have to worry about next month's rent and bills. what she fears is that harome crisis continues long into the future. aleem maqbool, bbc news in washington. will find out more on

what donald trump will do with our correspondent in washington. the government has been defeated in parliament, with mps voting for an amendment designed to thwart preparations for a no—deal brexit. these were the scenes at parliament a short time ago. order! the ayes, 303. the noes, 296. the ayes, 303. the noes to the left, 296. the ayes have it!

unlock! so with a 7—vote majority, they have passed an amendment to the finance bill that will limit spending on no—deal preparations unless authorised by parliament. here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. losing tonight's vote doesn't mean there will be no deal brexit but it's important that two reasons. first, it shows there is no majority in parliament for no deal and the second is this, tomorrow will start once again debating theresa may's brexit deal, the terms of departure she has negotiated with the eu. we know there is significant opposition to that in the prime minister has five days to persuade mps to back her deal which at the moment is looking unlikely so just as she sta rts looking unlikely so just as she starts the process, losing a vote in the house of commons is far from ideal, it showsjust the house of commons is far from ideal, it shows just how much sway parliament has and it is prepared to

assert its authority. also making news flights at london's heathrow airport — europe's busiest airport — were temporarily halted after a drone was seen flying close to the area. it comes after thousands of passengers were caught up in disruption at gatwick airport last month following reports of drone sightings. a senior politician in germany's anti—immigration party, the alternative for germany, has been beaten unconscious by three masked men. frank magnitz was attacked outside a theatre in the city of bremen. the police suspect it was politically motivated. a russian lawyer who attended a meeting at trump tower in 2016 has been charged in a separate case that us prosecutors say show evidence of her ties to the kremlin. natalya veselnitskaya has been accused of fabricating evidence while working to defend a russian company in 2013. she's currently believed to be in russia. a man has been killed and two others are missing after a vietnamese—listed oil tanker caught fire while it was being refuelled in hong kong. 23 people were rescued from the sea, some suffering burns. fears of a potential environmental catastrophe have been dampened after no leak was detected from the vessel, which was not

carrying oil at the time. and take a look at this — if you can bear it — a giant fatberg as big as a boeing 7a7 has been discovered blocking a sewer in an english seaside town. made up of fat, wet wipes and grease, local authorities say it will take up to eight weeks to remove. there is growing tension interior over comments by the us national

security adviser calling for safety guarantees for kurdish fighters in syria after the us troops pull out. mr erdogan described john bolton's demand is a mistake. ankara saw that asa demand is a mistake. ankara saw that as a green light to attack its arch enemies in syria, the kurdish why p&g forces, but this is something united states to avoid. 0n p&g forces, but this is something united states to avoid. on a mission to the region, us national security adviserjohn bolton raised a new condition on the withdrawal, that turkey should agree to protect america's kurdish allies. this was not acceptable for turkey. president erdogan said kurdish why p&g should be regarded as terrorists. translation: bolton has made a serious mistake and whoever does this has made a mistake. it is not

possible for us to compromise on this point. those who are part of the terror corridor in syria will receive the necessary lesson. there is no single difference between the pkk, the syrian kurdish ypg and daesh. syria's border with turkey remains a key flashpoint in the ongoing civil war held by different factions. turkey has threatened to conduct an operation on the territory east of the year the review phrack —— the river euphrates, an area held by the american backed syrian democratic forces from prized mostly kurds. known as the sdf, they hold territory to the west around the city of manbij and turkey wants them to move out of there as well. feeling abandoned by the us and threatened by the turks, kurds started leaving the area. their leaders sought reassurances from ross and the side regime, forcing washington to consider their withdrawal strategy game. —— russia.

the first round of talks with ankara and washington ended abruptly with no clear winner in sight. it seems the withdrawal could take longer than initially thought. a meme from china is warming hearts all over the world. it's called ‘four generations under one roof‘, and the concept is simple, with each video beginning with a young child calling out to their mother or father, and so on, right up until the great—grandpa rents. chinese families have been sharing the videos on doyin — or tik tok — an app for creating and sharing short videos. take a look at this. earlier i spoke to kassy cho from buzzfeed. kassy shared the original post which was featured on duoyin and it

then went viral. i had seen the videos on the appin i thought they were really cute and i thought they were really cute and i thought i would just shed on twitter because i thought people would enjoy them but i had no idea it would block the way it did or see such an overwhelming reaction. what have we had, what, 330,000 read tweets and overi million likes, if not a bit more than that. what is it about this mean in particular you think has really captured people?‘ this mean in particular you think has really captured people? a lot of it comes down to how simple it is because it doesn't really rely on having to understand another language or another culture, because yourfamily isa language or another culture, because your family is a concept that eve ryo ne your family is a concept that everyone around the world understands and i guess looking at other people's families can remind you of your own family and your own connections with them and it really

struck a chord with a lot of people. it's that universal appeal because we are looking, we didn'tjust introduced their own parents and other generations but they also did activities and skits and sketches which arejust activities and skits and sketches which are just adorable, to see them all involved. is it that really that makes people smile, do you think, which is why so many people thought, oh, we love this. i think so, it is really cute and it puts a smile on people's faces and people like wholesome and pure content and there is nothing, it's so simple and there is nothing, it's so simple and there is nothing, it's so simple and there is nothing to it, it'sjust a cute video. you might want to share it with your family and friends. it warmed my heart and made my day. with your family and friends. it warmed my heart and made my daym yourjob your responsibility to look out for things that go viral, let alone have a hand in that process. what should we know about the potential of meme and what does it ta ke to potential of meme and what does it take to have a good one? obviously

it's a case—by—case basis and a lot of it is based on a combination of factors like timing and when you share things and who shares it from when you share it. but i guess it would just be something that people can relate to or something that triggers some sort of emotional reaction was something that people wa nt to reaction was something that people want to share. it might be something funny and heartwarming or even heartbreaking that people just feel a connection to. kassy cho from buzzfeed. a former north korean diplomat who defected to south korea is urging an old colleague who's gone missing in italy to defect to seoul. thae yong ho made the suggestion following a report that he was seeking asylum in the united states. jo song—gil, north korea's former ambassador to italy, went missing with his wife in november. mr thae said life for defectors in south korea had its difficulties, but it was a place where people could dream of a betterfuture. for more, we can speak

now to the bbc‘s laura bicker, who's in seoul. thae yong—ho defected in 2016 will be holding a press conference in a couple of hours. yes, his letter at the weekend took many by surprise, with its plea tojo song—gil to come to south korea. there is a concern among the defectors community and many i have been speaking to that in the current climate, as north and south korea kind of this you peace, our north korean defectors welcome and what thae yong—ho is trying to do with his public platform is say, look, are defectors welcome and what kind of defection and —— and what defection has to offer. thae yong—ho is interesting, he was a deputy british ambassador, one of the highest profile north korean defectors and he has used that

platform here in the south to try to both raise awareness of north korean issues and also raise awareness of issues and also raise awareness of issues for defectors here in the south. what he is doing today, in the centre of sole mac, is try to get a real clear line from the ministry of unification here in seoul. —— seoul. our north korean defectors welcome and what happens when they come here? we have asked the ministry of unification and they say they are always willing to provide help and assistance for defectors who come here of their own free will. no—one that we've spoken to is aware ofjo song—gil‘s case, the north korean ambassador who has gone missing in rome. currently, nobody knows his whereabouts together with his wife. ricoh, it's an intriguing case. he was last seen

at the end of november. it's thought that he asked for help from the italian authorities since then, no—one has really seen nor heard from him. it's thought he is asking for asylum from a country, speculation that he's gone to the united states, so we are waiting to find out where jo united states, so we are waiting to find out wherejo song—gil may be and where he surfaces. the real concern isjo and where he surfaces. the real concern is jo song—gil will and where he surfaces. the real concern isjo song—gil will have a lot of information. he appears to have been very well connected so whatever country you does go to could gather that intelligence. thank you for that update. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: with elections coming up across the asia—pacific region, just how democratic is the region? a new survey has good news. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor

hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. "good grief." after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa tomorrow, in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. teams were trying to scoop up lumps of oil as france recognises it faces an ecological crisis. three weeks ago, the authorities confidently assured these areas that oil from the broken tanker erika would head out to sea. it didn't. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. welcome back, everyone.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. thanks forjoining us. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: donald trump prepares to appeal directly to americans to support his border wall and end the government shutdown. a defeat for the british government in parliament means leaving the eu without a deal has become a lot harder. let's now take a look at some of the front pages from around the world. we start off with the south china morning post newspaper, and it leads with the shocking pictures of the story we mentioned earlier of the oil tanker which caught fire off the coast of one of hong kong's outlying islands, leaving one dead and two missing. let's now shift our attention

the front page of the philippine star publication, and it has this picture of devotees waiting for pahalik, or to kiss, at the quirino grandstand in manila. the tradition involves the touching or kissing of the image of the black nazarene, ahead of the feast on wednesday. the retirement of wrestling legend saori yoshida is on the front page of the international edition of the japan times. the japanese wrestler wone gold at three straight olympics. announcing her retirement, she said her success was possible because of the support of many people. those are the papers. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? rico, the iconic doll barbie is heading to the silver screen. the action film will feature the actor margot robbie in the lead role. the star of i, tonya and mary queen of scots said she is honoured to play the role, that she believes will have a positive impact on children. let's go back to our top story now —

our washington correspondent rajini vaidyanathan gave us this update earlier. donald trump is soon to address the american people and make his case for the border wall and of course, more on the government shut down. well, this is a message to the nation. it is going to be taken by all the major us networks. that in itself was a source of debate here in the us that they are all wearing it at 9pm, so it is a prime—time address in the oval office and it is address in the oval office and it is a direct appeal to people in this country to justify why you have the government shutdown continuing. donald trump believes that there is a humanitarian and national security crisis at the border, that is why he wa nts to crisis at the border, that is why he wants to build this wall, but this shutdown has all come about because the democrats are refusing to agree to stump up the money to pay for it as part of negotiations. as we saw there, you have some 800 thousand

government workers were not getting paid at the moment and as the shutdown drags on, it has been going on for more than a fortnight now, public opinion could start to shift. even those who have been supporting the wall since donald trump was elected and of course, even before that to the campaign. so donald trump's pitches to make sure that he can get people to understand why he wa nts a can get people to understand why he wants a wall, of course though, public opinion is very divided on this and on the other side of the political aisle, you have democrats who already saying they will be giving a televised response tonight as well, but they are already saying that they fit in my‘s speech will be full of misinformation and marla. yeah, i can't remember a time and we have had this kind of presidential speech, followed by an opposition response like that. i right in thinking that this is very new territory that we are about to see in the united states today? -- tomorrow. yes, perhaps the idea of a democratic response to a presidential address is not new.

barack obama when he was president wa nted barack obama when he was president wanted to do, or should i say didn't address about immigration, but the main us networks did not carry that. they are all carrying president trump's tonight and that has been a source of discussion and debate in the united states, but the democrats are very keen to make sure that they we re are very keen to make sure that they were also given an opportunity to present their side of this big debate. this is a very emotive issue. this is something that donald trump has wanted to out campaign, to build a wall. remember back then he was saying that mexico is going to pay for it that they refused flat we to do that. someone has got to pay for it, donald trump is hoping he can get someone to stump up the williams of dollars... —— billions. it's the year of elections across the asia—pacific region, including in australia,

indonesia and the philippines. but how democratic are these countries? an annual survey, released here in singapore, has found that the region has made the biggest yearly jump towards democracy, compared with any other region. but it still lags behind north america and western europe in the economist intelligence unit's democracy index. asia and australasia ranks fourth, the middle east and north africa region is last in the index. earlier, i spoke to anwita basu, the lead south—east asia analyst for the economist intelligence unit. so it has been a couple of volatile yea rs so it has been a couple of volatile years for the asia—pacific region, as it has been for the world as far as it has been for the world as far as democracy is concerned. obviously, since 2016, actually, that democracy measured within our index has been on the decline for asia, and that is partly because of the year changes in myanmar and cambodia, which sort of went through a process of democracy and then kind

of retreated back to authoritarian... but how do you measure democracy in the asia—pacific region jumping on measure democracy in the asia—pacific regionjumping on a yearly basis compared to the likes of western europe or north america? sure, so we have five categories that we look at. there are about 60 indicators that are quantified on a binary basis. the five categories that we look at the defined democracy, they basically involve looking at the election process, the functioning of the government, political participation, and it has been political participation that is the big story for asia, as for the world this year, sort of proving that actually, voters are not disengage in the democratic process. but are women now rising in power in these democracies? well, i think it isa these democracies? well, i think it is a mixed bag with women. of course, with many countries in asia, women have always been well

represented, the philippines being one of them. japan has not moved in our ranking over the past year because there have been sort of concerted efforts to increase participation. you have been watching newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. coming up... the us and china extend their trade talks for another day. we'll see if it's a sign discussions are moving in a positive direction. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with the news of another award for one of the world's most popular footballers. liverpool's mo salah has been voted the 2018 confederation of african football player of the year — the second consecutive year he has won the award. salah said he'd dreamt of winning the award since he was a child and now he's done so twice in a row. congratulations to him. stay with us, headlines next. see you soon. hello there. high tides combined

with brisk winds to give a little bit of coastal flooding across some parts of eastern england on tuesday, but with some showers as well, you can see the way these speckled shower cards will race in the north to south. the winds will still be quite risk across the east on wednesday, still quite a few isobars, white lines on the chart. further west, high pressure builds m, further west, high pressure builds in, the winds for lighter. we do have a weak frontal system into the north—west, that will bring some carbon patchy rain also usher in some slightly milder air from government. this is how we start wednesday morning. particularly in the east. —— milderair. we wednesday morning. particularly in the east. —— milder air. we are looking at a dry day with some good spells of sunshine in most places. the cloud will be picketing all the while in northern ireland in the western side of scotland and here, western side of scotland and here, we will cease in patchy rain is that warmth and start or should sway in

the temperatures will start to rise. nine degrees in stornoway. a little bit chilly at aberdeen down the glasgow but here, we will hold onto some brightness. across england and wales, many places find some sunshine. temperatures of five to eight degrees but it will be quite windy, particularly in the east. that winter feeding in some showers in the eastern coastal areas and also making it feel a little bit colder than those temperatures suggest, but as we go through wednesday night, you can see on the map more cloud toppling south eastwards but also milder air with it. so a frost on thursday morning, likely to be confined to north—west england, the midlands, wales and down towards the south—west. most other places will be starting thursday by freezing, but it will be pretty cloudy for most of us. where we had actually chilly start in the south, that is where we are likely to have the best of the sunshine during the day. north—east england and north—east scotland also doing quite well for brightness and sunshine. elsewhere, a bit of cloud,

maybe the odd bit of drizzle, temperatures climbing across north—western parts of the uk. more and more of a sea that milder air is spreading in as we heading to friday. some spells of sun sunshine and temperature wise, looking at highs of eight to 10 degrees. —— sunshine. as we head towards the weekend, an area of low pressure is going to passjust weekend, an area of low pressure is going to pass just to the north of the british isles. this frontal system bringing some outbreaks of rain on friday night into the first pa rt rain on friday night into the first part of saturday, but that will tend to clea rway, part of saturday, but that will tend to clearway, leaving us with a lot of dry weather through the weekend. it will be fairly mild, fairly windy as well, and there is the chance of some rain at times in the north. i'm babita sharma with bbc news: our top story. president trump prepares to make the case for his border wall in a national television address to the american people. he's expected to call for more congressionalfunding for the wall to end a partial government shutdown which is now in its third week.

here in britain, a no—deal brexit could have got much less likely. the government has been defeated in parliament — with mps voting for an amendment designed to thwart preparations for a no—deal departure. and this story is trending on bbc.com. the australian actress margot robbie is to play barbie in a new film about the iconic doll. it's the first time the toy‘s been brought to the big screen — in what's going to be a big yearfor her — barbie turns 60 in march. that's all. stay with bbc news. now on bbc news, hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks to dr william frankland, allergist and wwii prisoner of war in singapore.