i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: the prime minister. a last—minute plea from an embattled prime minister to a divided parliament, as britain prepares for an historic vote on brexit. i say we should deliver for the british people, and get on with building a brighter future for our country by backing this deal tomorrow. it is clear, if the prime minister's deal is rejected tomorrow, it is time for a general election, it is time for a new government. a canadian national is sentenced to death for drug smuggling in china. could his case be part of a growing diplomatic row between the two nations? i'm rico hizon in singapore. also in the programme: up to a million dead fish, and possibly more to come. what has gone wrong on australia's darling river? and andy murray puts up an epic struggle, in what may be his last ever professional tennis match. it is 8:00am in singapore

and midnight here in london, where the british prime minister is just hours away from learning the fate of her controversial plan for britain leaving the european union. she warned members of parliament that they will be letting the people of the country down if they do not vote in favour of her brexit deal. opposition parties are expected to vote against it, so too are about 100 mps from mrs may's own conservative party. here is how the prime minister pleaded to parliament earlier, and how the opposition leader reacted. when the history books are written,

people will look at the decision... people... people will look at the decision of this house tomorrow and ask, did we deliver on the country's vote to leave the european union? did we safeguard our economy, our security and our union? or did we let the british people down? i say — i say we should deliver for the british people and get on with building a brighter future for our country by backing this deal tomorrow, and i commend this statement to the house. given the lack of support for the prime minister's deal, you might have thought she would try to reach out to mp5. instead, the prime minister is claiming that by failing to support her botched deal, members

are threatening to undermine the face of the british people in our democracy. mr speaker, the only people who are undermining faith in oui’ people who are undermining faith in our democracy is the government itself. mr speaker, i can think of i'io itself. mr speaker, i can think of no greater example of democracy in action and for this house to reject action and for this house to reject a deal that is clearly bad for this country. during the past two years of shambolic negotiations, the prime minister has failed to listen. the debate is still happening although not in such large numbers as we saw earlier, but this is the scene live in the house of commons in westminster. and there you can see how many people are still discussing the brexit proposals. let's have a little lesson in. rationalism and liberalism. we wea ken rationalism and liberalism. we weaken that struggle, but we also

put ourselves at risk, if we abandon oui’ put ourselves at risk, if we abandon our position on the international stage. mr speaker, ido our position on the international stage. mr speaker, i do not believe a majority of the british people voted to make their families a majority of the british people voted to make theirfamilies poorer, the weak and employment rights, environmental standards, britain's place in the world, to alienate 3.5 million of their fellow citizens... the debate continues there, until the last person wishes to speak. but asi the last person wishes to speak. but as i said earlier, it hasjust gone midnight in london and the conversation of course continues. indeed, it probably does behind closed doors as well. if the prime minister's deal is rejected by parliament, she has just three days to present an alternative plan of action. a little later in the programme, we will be live in westminster with the latest. but first, john pienaar has been looking at what will happen if she loses the vote. while theresa may prepares to try again, labour will pick its moment for a vote of no—confidence in the government they know they are most

unlikely win. plotting will be about who takes control of brexit. most mps will oppose no deal. several ministers would resign, and now there is an alliance of mps hoping to seize control after any defeat for mrs may, rule out an ideal brexit and mobilise a majority across the main parties behind the new plan backed by law. their aim and the aim of many other mps may be to delay brexit until there is a fresh plan, maybe a softer brexit deal, closer to the eu, similar to norway's, or maybe a new referendum. it could end in no brexit at all. now, talking up the chances of a no brexit may get brexiteer rebels on side. the best hope of scaring rebels in the line could become mrs may's worst nightmare. how does it all end? that is anyone's guess. the next big scene in this drama will be played out in westminster. let's take a look at some of the day's other news:

president trump has denied ever working for russia. it follows media reports over the weekend that the fbi had investigated whether he had any links with the russian state. other reports said he had confiscated the notes of his own interpreter after a meeting with russian president vladimir putin. i never worked for russia, and you know that answer better than anybody. i never worked for russia. not only did i never work for russia, i think it's a disgrace that you even ask that question, because it's a whole big fat hoax. it's just a hoax. tributes have been held in the poland for the mayor of gdansk, who died after being stabbed during the country's biggest charity event. surgeons operated on pawel adamowicz for five hours, but he died of his wounds. his attacker has been detained. 15 people are reported to have been killed after a cargo plane crashed near the iranian capital, tehran. the boeing 707 reportedly overran the runway and hit a wall while trying to land in bad weather.

the iranian army said only one person, a flight engineer, survived. the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, says he is extremely concerned after a canadian man was sentenced to death in china on drug trafficking charges. 36—year—old robert lloyd schellenberg was given a 15—year prison sentence last november, but following an appeal, a high court in liaoning has ruled the sentence was too lenient and given the death penalty. the sentencing comes amid a diplomatic rift between canada and china. it is of extreme concern to us as a government, as it should be to all oui’ government, as it should be to all our international friends and allies, that china has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply the death penalty in cases facing... as in

this case, facing a canadian. earlier i spoke tojoanna chiu, the deputy bureau editor of star vancouver, who was previously a journalist based in beijing, to see if she was surprised by the ruling. this wasn't surprising to me. the chief financial officer of huawei technologies was arrested in vancouver on december one at the request of the us authorities, on financial fraud charges, and request of the us authorities, on financialfraud charges, and as we know, china is extremely angry about this case. and about two weeks after her arrest we found out that two canadians including a former diplomat were arrested in china on what is widely considered to be retaliation following the arrest of the cfo. so i heard that same week that chinese officials were considering putting a death sentence ona canadian considering putting a death sentence on a canadian as part of retaliation. i was not able to confirm this, but we... it was announced that a new trial of robert

schellenberg was announced, so the timing of it is quite in line with retaliation, as far as the rest of the two canadians. we also know that it is quite rare for canadians to be facing the death penalty in china. even though he does have the opportunity to appeal the sentence. yes, we know this retrial was ordered on the basis of new evidence, which would suggest that perhaps there was a case to make this sentence less harsh, if you like. for it to go the other way, then, what do you think is going to be the next step now? yes, yes, so now chinese prosecutors are accusing him of being part of an international drug trafficking conspiracy. and they made the decision very quickly for the death sentence, so that again is unusual. so it seems, if this is political, then either he could be being used

asa then either he could be being used as a potential porn, in that china may be able to decide to pardon him, oi’ may be able to decide to pardon him, or he could go ahead and get the death sentence. he only has ten days to appeal. so in terms of relations between china and canada, would you say that this is an all—time low? this has been quite low. in the past, canadians have been arrested in china on what it seems like political issues, like in 2014, they we re political issues, like in 2014, they were two nadine christian aid workers who were arrested and accused of spying shortly after canada also arrested a chinese citizen on the request of us authorities, for extradition. so there seems to be a pattern here. it seems like it has been raised that the chinese ambassador in canada has pretty much only stopped short of admitting that the detentions of canadians in china were retaliation. the things are very tense right now, andi the things are very tense right now, and i know a lot of canadians are worried about living in china, working in china and travelling to

china, because they are worried that they could be potential targets, as they could be potential targets, as the diplomatic dispute continues. and the huawei executive, she is facing her next court hearing in vancouver here on six february. though analysts have said that china feels like it has a really short window of time to push canada to release mung. she is extradited to the us, china will feel it is too late then. as many as 1 million fish are believed to have died in the murray—darling river system in south—eastern australia, with authorities warning of more deaths to come. the australian prime minister, scott morrison, has blamed the deaths on a drought. but there has been a national outcry, with allegations that government policies have caused the systematic depletion and pollution of the river system. into devastating ecological event

andi into devastating ecological event and i think particularfor into devastating ecological event and i think particular for those who live throughout the region, just the sheer visual image of this is just terribly upsetting. there's a drought, and this is one of the consequences of drought. there are many, and my focus on drought has not one inch. stuart khan is a professor at the university of new south wales. here he is explaining the cause of these fish deaths. it's a combination of many things. it's a combination of many things. it's a combination of many things. it's a worst case scenario, really. we're dealing with a very severe drought at the moment. there's been very little water falling, very little rainfall in the catchment of this darling river system. we're going through a heat wave, and there's almost certainly an underlying contribution from climate change to that heatwave. but there also been a lot of tension between how we use the water resources in the river, and there's been conflict between water that has been allocated for irrigation, for industry, and water that is allocated for actual river flows,

for the environmental health of the river system itself. professor, this occurrence is not unprecedented. no, we've had many droughts in the past, and we've had fish kills in the past, but it is unprecedented in its scale. we are talking about potentially around a million fish have been killed in this particular incident. so we're used to droughts, we are used to this river drying out in parts, it happens. but we are not used to this massive scale of the oxygenation within the river. and this is a very contentious political issue in australia. critics are saying government policies have caused systemic depletion and pollution of the river system. yes, imean, ten pollution of the river system. yes, i mean, ten years ago i think we had oui’ i mean, ten years ago i think we had our eye on the target here, and there was a lot of money starting to be spent on allocating water for the environment, identifying that is important, legitimate role for water in the river, as opposed to just irrigation and industry. but since

about 2014, i think that it is arguable that we've lost that focus, and we have not had the same oversight managing that river, making sure that we are understanding how much water is needed for the environment, and looking for opportunities to be able to pull some of that water back where it is available. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: andy murray goes out of the australian open in a four—hour, five—set thriller, which could be his last professional match. also on the programme: away from the politicians, what do ordinary british people make of brexit? we've been finding out. confused. appalling. messi. confused. appalling. messi. confused. childish. unsettling. confused. childish. unsettling. confused. —— messy. day one of operation desert storm

to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. huge parts of kobe were simply demolished, as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice by the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws passed by the country's new multiracial government and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running play the mousetrap. when they heard of her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would have been the last person to want such a thing.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: with decision day looming for brexit, theresa may has made a last—ditch plea to mps to back her deal. canada has condemned the death sentence passed against one of its citizens, convicted of drugs smuggling in china. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the international edition of the new york times leads on child suicide bombers in afghanistan. the paper features a 14—year—old boy who is being held with 47 others in a juvenile detention center in kabul as national security threats. the japan times is covering russian president vladimir putin's visit to japan in june. it says the japanese foreign

minister announced the news while on a visit to moscow. prime minister shinzo abe and president putin agreed in november to step up talks based on a 1956 joint declaration. and toyota's new supra car features on the business pages of the south china morning post. the long—awaited latest model was unveiled at the detroit car show tracing its origins back to the late 1970s and is powered by a six—cylinder bmw engine. the debate in london continues about brexit. conversations carrying on about the brexit boat. we are hours away from finding out how mps are going to go. whether they will back

the prime minister or not in terms of the brexit proposals. staying with all things brexit, a short time ago, i got the latest from our correspondence, ian watson. theresa may met members of parliament and ita thought she gave a good performance but in terms of substance she didn't make any of them change their minds if they were sceptical as to what to do so she is still facing defeat and what we will see most likely in the next 24 hours is attempts to defeat —— diminish the size of the defeat, including an attempt to mitigate the fears around the northern ireland backstop, this attempt to avoid a hard order in northern ireland. there will be an attempt to say by the end of 2021 but the snag is the european union has not negotiated that and has resisted but if this was successful,

and help to get a deal over the line in parliament, theresa may could return to brussels and say, are you prepared to live with this to get this deal through, to get brexit to happen, according to the agreed timetable but it looks at the moment even that will not succeed. there are too many who are sceptical, who still believe that in terms of international law, britain will effectively be kept are too close to eu regulations, if the northern ireland backstop is struck out or there is a great deal from ireland backstop is struck out or there is a great dealfrom brussels. you will see a range of things coming forward in the next 24 hours to try to get this deal over the line ordiminish the to try to get this deal over the line or diminish the size of the defeat but so far from where we are looking tonight and talking to manners of parliament, it looks as though the prime minister is on course for a defeat and potentially possibly a challenge to her government by the opposition. analysis there from our correspondent ian watson in westminster.

so what are people outside westminster who voted in the referendum making of it all? our home editor mark easton has been to york, which voted to remain, to gauge views there. when politics got to hostile in london, charles i moved his courtier to york in 1642. the current parliamentary deadlock in public divisions of the brexit are said to have echoes of the national schism that led to civil war. so we've come to the merchant hall, a building that has hosted debate in the city for centuries and asked eight local people, for who voted to leave, four to remain fraught one word description of the state of british politics. confused, appalling, messy, childish, i'd settled, confusing, confused. it is an absolute shambles, nobody knows what they're doing, they are arguing. it makes us look a complete embarrassment. i totally agree with that, it's an embarrassment to be british. these people have been tasked with getting the future)

thai country from now and they are fighting among themselves and not pulling together. i voted remain but rather than arguing, just get on with it and crack on. a majority in york voted to remain at the referendum but passions run deep on both sides. it's as if somebody has opened the box and it's ok to say these awful things because it relates to the whole shambles that the countries in because of brexit. think a lot of people who voted to maybe leave thought the immigration would stop, we would open the gates and say goodbye, see you later. where i work, we have teenagers with those views you don't understand what they are saying. some people have said, if we were to have a second referendum, the reaction of voters who voted to leave could be violent. yeah. there would be a lot more tension in the country if there was a second referendum, definitely. where do we end up? i can personally see it going to another general

election the way it's going because there is so much fighting within parliament. the country is still half and half thereabouts. a general election will solve nothing. we should go to know deal, in my humble opinion. i voted leave, i feeli should go to know deal, in my humble opinion. i voted leave, i feel i was totally uninformed and if there was a referendum again tomorrow, it may be different. mark easton there — talking to people in york about brexit. and i'll be following that vote live from westminster on tuesday — it all takes place from 1900 gmt. and there will of course be full coverage throughout the day on bbc news. tennis, and andy murray is out of the australian open after losing a five set thriller which could be his final match. the grand slam champion announced on friday that he would retire this year because of a chronic hip problem. there was a standing ovation from the crowd and tributes from fellow players at the end of the game.

from melbourne hywel griffith reports. the beginning of the end, or a finalfarewell? not even andy murray knows if this was his last match. but just in case, he gave everything. initially that wasn't enough as roberto bautista agut gave him the run around, taking the first two sets and leaving murray limping. but then somehow he fought back, fist pumping points as if a grand slam was at stake. incredibly he took the next two sets on tie—breaks until eventually, the pain and his opponent was too much. afterwards he told us he still struggling to decide if major hip surgery is the right route to help him make it to wimbledon. it is difficult because i always wanted to finish playing at wimbledon, if tonight was my last match, like you said, it would be a great way to finish. it was an amazing atmosphere, it was a really good match against a quality opponent. but then yeah, there is a bit of me that...

obviously, i love playing. i want to keep playing tennis but i can't do it with the hip i have just now. not surprisingly his fans don't want this to have been his swansong. epic. yeah, it was. it was like seeing opera or something like that. it was just emotional, i think, to watch. i don't think it is going to be his last game though. he's left you hanging? yes, totally. i don't think he has given up yet. he can push themselves through that pain barrier and he is still running for every ball. i think that is something unique about andy murray, his mental attitude towards the game. he just runs towards every ball. it's absolutely incredible. for four hours, andy murray showed the same courage, bitter determination and anger that have characterised his 14 years in professional tennis. his body was clearly failing but it refused to give up. defeated, maybe. beaten, well maybe not yet. as andy murray seems determined to finish his career on his own terms. hywel griffith, bbc news, melbourne. it was difficult to watch. did you

seeit? it was difficult to watch. did you see it? yes, i did, buti it was difficult to watch. did you see it? yes, i did, but i believe in andy murray. we will still see him at the french open, wimbledon and the us open and he will win one of them. we hope so. you're such an optimist but andy murray, please better soon. i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore stay with us. we will be hearing from the chef who has turned indian street food into a fine dining experience as part of a new series on asia's foodie empires. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. by the end of this forecast

we will be talking about something much colder but in the short—term it is relatively mild. west or south—westerly wind across the uk. cold air behind this front sinking south eastwards is bigger through wednesday into thursday but on tuesday at the front is draped across the north of scotland, heaviest and most persistent rain here slowly northwards through the day. the south, mainly dry and cloud with drizzle particularly to western hills. a few breaks in the cloud east of high ground and a breezy day fall on tuesday. windspeeds, average wind speed through the afternoon but mild, temperatures between nine and 11 celsius. the cloud will be fairly stubborn across much of the uk tuesday evening and thickens, outbreaks of rain arriving into south—west scotland, northern ireland, sinking down into parts of

northern england, the far north of wales and south—west england by dawn on wednesday. further south is mainly dry, a lot of cloud, still mild. temperatures not much lower than five or six. wednesday, cold front slides south and eastwards. as its name suggests behind it is some colder air. rain on the front itself and behind it, showers which will be wintry of scotland, mainly higher ground but some of that snow at lower levels as we head towards the central belt. outbreaks of rain across central and south—east england in the afternoon and behind that spells of sunshine with a caulfield across scotland, 45 celsius, hanging onto milder conditions across southern south—east england, nine or ten. that front finally clears away as we go through into thursday morning. we pick upa go through into thursday morning. we pick up a brisk north or north—westerly wind which will feed further wintry showers across and it's going to lead to some icy stretches first thing on tuesday morning, particularly across

scotla nd morning, particularly across scotland or northern england. some milder conditions. by thursday, that cold airdigs in milder conditions. by thursday, that cold air digs in across the uk. it will feed some wintry showers, but crisp sunshine, temperatures not much higher than six or seven. as we go into friday, under clear skies, a widespread frost across the uk, a cold start to the day on friday but to many, crisp with some sunshine however there is a front to the west, could be sliding its way eastwards, bringing more clouds and outbreaks of rain, the chances of bumps into the cold air but to many, dry with sunshine on friday and feeling much colder. goodbye. you are watching bbc news. our top story: the british prime minister, theresa may, has been making a last—ditch plea to mps to back her brexit plans. speaking in the house of commons, she urged them to take a second look at the deal before the vote on tuesday. a former canadian oil worker has been sentenced to death in china for drug trafficking.

robert llloyd schellenberg was originally given 15 years in prison. his sentence was increased to the death penalty on appeal. andy murray's valiant struggle to stay in the australian open has been trending online. the tennis star bowed out of the tournament after losing what could be his last professional game. he was beaten by the spanish player roberto bautista agut, who pushed him to five sets, despite being in pain from the hip injury that threatens to end his career. now on bbc news: hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks to writer jonathan coe.