i'm mike embley with bbc news. our top story: cardinal george pell has been sentenced to six years in prison by a judge in melbourne. this follows his conviction in december for sexually abusing two choir boys. he is the most senior clergyman ever to be convicted this is newsday on the bbc. of child sex offences. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: the most senior catholic worldwide to be convicted for child sex offences, australian cardinal george pell has been sentenced to six british mps have, for a second time, years injail. overwhelmingly rejected the brexit deal negotiated with the eu. it's despite theresa may securing last—minute changes on the issue of the irish border. india and all of europe and this story is close their airspace to the boeing trending on bbc.com. 737 max, following sunday's fatal india and europe have closed their airspace to the boeing 737 max, following sunday's fatal crash of an ethiopian airlines jet. crash of an ethiopian airlines jet. theyjoin a long list of countries i'm mike embley in london. also on the programme: that have suspended the plane. that's all. stay with bbc world news. the ayes to the right... what's next this week? and news in the uk: two options from the prime minister. a third climber has died

a vote on whether the uk should following an avalanche on britain's leave the eu without a deal. if it's a no to that, a vote on whether to ask the eu to delay brexit. these are unenviable choices, but thanks to the decision that the house has made this evening, they are choices that must now be faced. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. thanks forjoining us. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london, and midday in the australian city of melbourne, where cardinal george pell has been sentenced to six years in prison after his conviction for sexually abusing two choir boys in melbourne in the 1990s.

in his summing up thejudge has told the 77—year—old he "may not live to be released from prison". the case has rocked the catholic church where, as vatican treasurer, he was one of its highest—ranked officials. cardinal pell had earlier already appealed against the guilty verdict. our correspondent hywel griffith joins us now from outside the court in melbourne. how significant is this six—year sentence? it is certainly significant, certainly higher than the minimum of around two years, and certainly a significant message from thejudge in terms certainly a significant message from the judge in terms of a deterrent, certainly a significant message from thejudge in terms of a deterrent, a message that however higher, however well regarded in public someone may be, they should not abuse children who are vulnerable and in their care. cardinal george pell did not

flinch as a description of his abuse was read out in court. how he arrogantly, breathtakingly, according to thejudge, arrogantly, breathtakingly, according to the judge, abused two choirboys he found playing around in the back of the cathedral. at the end of his sentence, after he was told of the six—year totality, and the fact he would not be out on pa role the fact he would not be out on parole in the fact he would not be out on pa role in less the fact he would not be out on parole in less than three and a half yea rs, parole in less than three and a half years, he simply bowed towards the judge and walked away using his walking stick. what is next for cardinal pell? well, immediately being taken back to prison. he has beenin being taken back to prison. he has been in custody for two weeks already. he is due to spend the next few years injail. we already. he is due to spend the next few years in jail. we learned that an assessment of his time in prison sees him as a prisoner at risk of threats for others, so he will be largely kept in solitary conditions with limited access or limited socialisation with other prisoners because of the threat to him. however, a report dates set aside in june for his appeal against his

conviction. in his police interview he described the allegations against him as disgraceful rubbish. so he insists that the jury was wrong. he has some powerful supporters in australia. the former prime minister john howard, no less, as written in support of his friend. so there is a possibility that that appeal will be heard injune, something could even be successful. but for now, cardinal pell is headed to a jail cell. what has been the public opinion regarding this case? has been the public opinion regarding this case ?|j has been the public opinion regarding this case? i think the vast majority of people have been shocked by what they have learned about cardinal pell. he has been a very public figure, vilified by some, but revered by others. and so while there were no shouts and cheers for him in court, outside the meat is a busy court here in melbourne, there are plenty of people, many campaigners and

survivors reacting, emboldened by the fact that such an eminent figure has been brought to book and has been held to account. however, there are also supporters here, some people claiming a miscarriage of justice. i think in the court of public opinion that argument will carry on, despite the fact that the vast majority of these people were not in court to hear the evidence, they did not hear from the victim. for his part, he has released a statement saying that he is pleased by the court giving such a strong sentence, but his thoughts now turn to that appeal. so in one sense his ordeal and these questions of his version of events still continue. the bbc ‘s hywel griffith outside the court in melbourne, australia. we will have more on this story. you can find it on the bbc news website. rico, many thanks for that. the uk government has suffered another massive defeat in the house of commons, over the terms on which the uk should leave the european union. parliament again voted to reject the agreement the prime minister has

spent more than two years negotiating — this time by a majority of 149. with just over two weeks before the date officially scheduled for brexit, mps will now vote on whether the uk should leave the eu without any agreement. if it's a no to that, as expected, they'll vote on whether to ask the eu for more negotiating time — in effect, to delay brexit. this from our political editor laura kuenssberg. division, clear the lobby! this is what a political disaster looks and sounds like — mps hurrying here and there, piling through westminster‘s corridors, walking through a lobby to say no. for a second time, the prime minister has lost her deal, another chunk of authority, and maybe her way. the ayes to the right — 242. the noes to the left — 391. the prime minister onlyjust hanging onto her voice, hanging on in office right now.

i profoundly regret the decision that this house has taken tonight. i continue to believe that by far the best outcome is that the united kingdom leaves the european union in an orderly fashion, with a deal, and that the deal we've negotiated is the best, and indeed the only, deal available. exasperated, the prime minister will allow mps to vote tomorrow as they wish to rule out leaving the eu without a formal arrangement. if they do, then on thursday, they could vote to delay departure. but tonight it is the prime minister asking, "then what?" and this house will have to answer that question — does it wish to revoke article 50? does it want to hold a second referendum? jeering or does it want to leave with a deal, but not this deal? these are unenviable choices, but thanks to the decision that the house has made this evening, they are choices that must

now be faced. labour voted against, and now, if it was down to them, they would fight for a general election. the prime minister has run down the clock, and the clock has been run out on her. maybe it's time instead we had a general election, and people can choose who their government should be. forget the next few weeks — what happens in the circus tomorrow, when mps can vote to say they won't let us leave without a deal? if you take the possibility of walking away off the table, —— the tweaks to the most controversial part, the backstop. his raised eyebrow about whether it will get over the line. is it enough for your colleagues? because his verdict emerged just as ministers were leaving. but the attorney—general said

the new arrangements would reduce the risk of getting stuck in the backstop. he concluded that the risk remains unchanged, that ultimately there could be circumstances where there would be no internationally lawful means for the uk to leave the backstop on its own. in my view... jeering and the opposition even laughing at some points at how he tried to present the deal as new. ..the question for the house is whether, in the light of these improvements, as a political judgement, the house should now enter into those arrangements. perhaps it would never have been enough for tory eurosceptics, who all along have had the power to block theresa may. could this deal ever work for them? 52% of the voters voted to leave, but in the house of commons, probably 500 out of 650 mps supported remain. and this disconnect is actually quite troubling for our politics, because the house of commons is ignoring the majority of the british people. she has not been able to hold back the forces that resist her deal.

but ministers tonight say, despite the defeat, the political toll, you guessed it — theresa may will try again. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the european union and india have become the latest to suspend all operations of the boeing 737 max — joining a long list of countries. an ethiopian airlines plane crashed on sunday claiming the lives of all 157 people on board — the second fatal accident involving the jet in less than five months. american officials insist the aircraft is still safe to fly. well, our business correspondent samira hussain is at the boeing headquarters in chicago, and gave us more on the fallout. there is a lot of pressure on boeing and the company is of course scrambling to try and avert a full—blown crisis.

the federal aviation authority, the regulatory body that oversees aircrafts in this country, they have again just reiterated their confidence in these planes and said they do not see any reason to ban them from american skies. that said, there is a growing number of us lawmakers that want to follow what other countries have done on to ground these planes until they can find out exactly what went wrong. absolutely, a lot of pressure right now on the us faa to ground these planes, especially from some major politicians on capitol hill. this is uncharted territory for boeing. it is meant to be the company's cash cow, with 11,500 of the models set to be delivered. absolutely, so many orders for this plane and in fact, boeing was meant to release another aircraft this week which they have delayed and it is unclear when the aircraft will also be released so there is a lot

of issues and a lot of concern, even from an investor standpoint, if you look at the way the share price has traded, for two consecutive days, it's fallen by more than 6%, a real sign that investors are worried about the road forward for this plane maker. samira hussain outside of boeing's headquarters in chicago. also making news today: the islamic state's final enclave in eastern syria has been pounded with air strikes and artillery, as the syrian democratic forces intensified its offensive in baghouz. the us—backed assault aims to wipe out the last shred of islamic state's territorial rule that once spanned a third of syria and iraq. over 1,500 people left the area and surrendered on tuesday.

thousands of protestors in algeria have again taken to the streets, despite the decision by the ailing president, abdelaziz bouteflika, to withdraw his candidacy for a fifth term in office. protesters are accusing the president of a ploy to prolong his 20—year rule. the 82—year—old postponed presidential elections that were originally scheduled for next month, though no new date for the election was set. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: she was one of two women accused of killing the half—brother of the north korean leader, kim jong—un. now freed, siti aisyah talks to the bbc. also on the programme: in venezuela, water shortages and power cuts, as the supreme court is asked to investigate the opposition leader for alleged sabotage.

the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief, this the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours, then, the soviet union lost an elderly, sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts, and, god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90, travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an 8—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change

your life much, do you think? i don't know, really. i've never been married before. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm mike embley in london. our top stories: cardinal george pell has been sentenced to a total of six years in prison for the sexual abuse of two choir boys in australia. british mps have for a second time overwhelmingly rejected the brexit deal negotiated with the eu. it is despite theresa may securing last—minute changes on the issue of the irish border. more now on that story — that crushing defeat in parliament to the government's latest deal to leave the eu. the prime minister, theresa may, has confirmed parliament would vote on wednesday on whether to leave the eu at the end of the month

without a deal. if they reject that option, mps will then vote on thursday on whether to delay brexit. 0ur europe editor katya adler is in strasbourg, one of the seats of the european parliament, and has this assessment from there. eu leaders are sounding very resolute tonight. michel barnier, the eu's chief brexit negotiator, pretty much summed up the mood when he said, "we in the eu have done everything we can. if there's going to be a solution to this impasse, it has to come from the uk." there is no sense in the eu that leaders are blaming themselves for the fact that the brexit deal was again rejected in parliament. in fact, leaders point the finger of blame at uk politics, and the fact that parliament wasn't asked at the beginning of the brexit process what kind of brexit they could unite around. so the question is, what comes next?

they — again, the eu leaders look at the ongoing confusion in parliament and ask what could be achieved in just a few weeks. if the prime minister now asks for a short extension of the brexit process. now, under eu law, of course, all 27 eu leaders have too agreed unanimously to that extension. they'll probably say yes, they want to avoid a no—deal brexit. and theresa may comes face—to—face with all those leaders at a summit in brussels next week. will she push them for more and how will they reply? we can't be 100% sure at this moment. certainly the eu feels that on a technical, civil servant level, negotiations have reached a dead—end so no change now from the eu perspective would have

to be a political one. they can only be taken by the leaders of the 27 eu countries, and they up until now have been very clear. yes, they want a brexit deal, but no, not at any price. voters around the uk were watching the result of the vote in parliament. 0ur deputy political editor john pienaar is in luton in southern england, which voted to leave in the refendum nearly three years ago, to sound out opinions there. it is harder than it looks. not as hard as brexit, though. mrs may lost again — a big moment, big enough even to distract players on a big night at the pool hall. the noes to the left — 391. it's all such a mess. it'sjust something else that's not been agreed. i used to be interested in politics, but now i'm just losing the will to live. losing the will to live? i'm not surprised,

i'm happy for no—deal. it's upheaval and confusion and mess that doesn't need to happen. if we have no deal, we can set up new deals and i think that would be a lot easier. so a couple of years of disruption is a price worth paying? 0bviously, yes. the prime minister looked and sounded up against it. theresa may may be running out of time. what do you say to that? if it means that decisions get made, so be it. you'd be happy to see the back of theresa may? absolutely. me, i feel sorry for theresa may. she's been put in a position where she didn't want to leave, and now she's been made a laughing stock. you think theresa may has been made a laughing stock? 0h, a laughing stock, at her own cost. her own mps will not back her, and that's what they need to do. brexit is no game, not if you're running a business. changing, adapting, evolving —

all businesses must do that, like this old family hat maker down the road. ask the boss — he is another one feeling the strain of uncertainty. a keen brexiteer would say it is going to settle down. they have had us dangling on a wire for too long. let us know where we are going, and the confidence from that will return. 0n the shop floor, janet is more upbeat, looking forward to her brexit on 29 march, brexit day. it will ruin your birthday? if we stay in, yes. i am looking forward to celebrating my birthday and coming out of europe. it is a good, all—round hat. he would say that, choosing as hard and brexit choices just got harder. john pienaar, luton.

siti aisyah, the indonesian woman accused of killing kimjong—nam, the half—brother of north korean leader kim jong—un, has told the bbc she is relieved to be back home and out of prison. she was freed monday in malaysia after prosecutors withdrew a murder charge. she had been accused of smearing a nerve agent on mr kim's face in kuala lumpur airport in 2017. her co—accused remains in prison. here she is speaking to the bbc. translation: i could only imagine, but i never thought it would be this $0011. but i never thought it would be this soon. i mean, i neverthought it would suddenly end up like this. it never crossed my mind. i was accused with such a crime, which i think everybody would agree that the accusation was very serious. i even once thought, is this the end of my life? i wasn't involved. i never thought that i would be entangled to such an extent. in venezuela, the prosecutor—general says he has asked the supreme court to open an investigation into the opposition leader, juan guaido, for alleged involvement in the sabotage

of the country's power grid. venezuela has been been suffering major power cuts since thursday last week. that has also led to water shortages across the country. our correspondent will grant is in caracas. first no electricity, now no water, all in one of the most resource rich countries in the world. after several days without power, many venezuelans are several days without power, many venezuela ns are now several days without power, many venezuelans are now coping with no water supply, forcing some of the forest to drink from the foul, polluted river that runs through caracas. tensions are understandably rising. translation: we need water. it is vital, we are human beings. they are offering us a tanker, but that will only quench our first for a minute. when the tank arrives, the

government official incest everything is fine. translation: this revolution keeps its word to the people. the issue with the water supplies related to the blackout, which was carried out by the opposition. this is another sporadic protest, cutting off the main avenues of caracas, this time not over the lack of electricity, but the lack of water. it is just another sign of a city and a country in terminal decline. margarita knows all about venuzuela in decline. both are engineers who teach at the university, reduced to gathering rain water and run—off from the national park. in their cramped apartment, every available space is taken up with utensils for water. each drop is precious and conserved. the family of four hasn't been able to wash their clothes for days, so in the brief moments that water does return, it is all hands to the pump.

translation: i'm frustrated, exhausted, angry, sad. i feel impotent in the face of what is happening. when the electricity cut out on thursday, i felt total panic. these are the families behind venuzuela's angry politics. so much of the country's vast oil wealth has gone down the drain in corruption and theft, with most venezualans left watching as their basic services crumble around them. the authorities in the united states have arrested dozens of people allegedly involved in a scam to help wealthy americans cheat their way into top us universities. the american actress felicity huffman is among more than 40 people charged. she starred in the hit tv series desperate housewives and is married to actor william h macy. prosecutors claim the scheme targeted top—flight institutions including yale, stanford, and georgetown. earlier we spoke with our

correspondent dan johnson, who is in los angeles. he gave us more details yes, felicity huffman and her husband arrived here at court in los angeles in the last hour to answer an allegation that she was part of a giant scheme to get children into america's top universities. she is accused of paying more than $11,000 to get her daughter into a top university through this scheme, which helped children cheat at exams and roped in coaches who were coaching athletics at those universities to get other children in on athletic scholarships. this involves more than 30 other parents, some of them famous stars, some of them rich businesspeople. the prosecutor bringing this case said that it was wealth and privilege that it was wealth and privilege that ran through this list, and there were more than 12 coaches on there were more than 12 coaches on the list as well. this is a complex

case that will take a long time. the court process has onlyjust begun. you have been watching newsday. i'm mike embley in london. nice to have you on newsday, mike, and i'm rico hizon in singapore. hello there. very windy overnight. it's still going to be very windy during the day on wednesday. sunshine and blustery showers. we're still feeling the effects of storm gareth. this was earlier on, that belt of cloud brought the rain. behind that, we're seeing frequent showers around the centre of the storm, and just on the southern flank of that curl of cloud, this is where the strongest swathe of winds has been, affecting western scotland, northern ireland, increasingly now running over the irish sea. by the time we get to the early morning, into the rush—hour time, the winds still very strong in western scotland and northern ireland. not as strong, though — 50—60mph. strongest winds over the north sea into north—west england, into pennine areas, leeds and sheffield, 65 mph with continued disruption.

it will be windy everywhere early in the morning, and gales widely. also streams of showers, one in north—eastern scotland and into western scotland and over the irish sea into the midlands. for much of the day, southern parts of england and wales and eastern england will be dry with some sunshine. the winds gradually easing down through the afternoon. eventually, some cloud and some rain arrives in northern ireland. shouldn't be quite as chilly — temperatures 11 or 12 degrees on wednesday afternoon. the winds continue through the evening, but we introduce more cloud, we introduce more rain into many parts of the country overnight. and the main concern is the amount of rain, the continued rain in upland areas of north—west england, over the pennines and the cumbrian fells, could lead to some flooding issues over the next few days. mild enough, temperatures 5—7 degrees. ‘cause it's windy and it's wet. the worst of the rain will probably be overnight and first thing

in the morning, and that weather front taking the heaviest of the rain away and then we've got this secondary cold front that's moving its way southwards and taking patchy rain across wales and into southern england then still a strong to gale—force north—westerly wind will bring down sunshine and showers, mostly showers in the north—west of scotland where it's a little bit chillier, 8 or 9 degrees. further south could get as high as 11 or 12. now, as one band of rain moves through, so we would look to the atlantic again. this is where everything is coming from. very mobile situation, another set of weather fronts arriving overnight, the winds picking up in time for friday. so some more strong—to—gale—force mainly westerly winds, most of the rain across scotland and northern ireland. as the rain pushes down into england and wales, it tends to peter out. south—west might be dry, and quite warm, actually. temperatures of 14 or 15 degrees. chillierfurther north. increasingly wintry showers in scotland.