i'm rico hizon in singapore. you are watching newsday on the bbc. the headlines: a six—point plan to save the planet — thousands of scientists demand deep and lasting changes to curb catastrophic climate change. the smog crisis engulfing india's capital. how the youngest and poorest residents are most at risk. it's killing our children. it's making their iq development lower. it's causing cancers. breathing kills. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: pressure builds on president trump

as a key witness in the impeachment inquiry says ukraine was told to investigate his democratic rival joe biden to get us military aid. cheering and applause. and a heroes‘ welcome for the springboks in south africa after winning the rugby world cup in style. voiceover: live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 9am in singapore, one in the morning in london and 8pm in washington, dc, where a climate study endorsed by 11,000 scientists warns that there will be "untold human suffering" without deep and lasting changes. the report by researchers in the us, australia and south africa draws on a0 years of data.

well, it declares the world is in the midst of an "accelerating climate emergency". the study says there are "profoundly troubling signs" of human impact on the climate, including sustained rises in population, increased air travel and a global loss of tree cover. 0ur environment editor david shukman told us more about the study by international scientists. they point out that exactly a0 years ago there was a world climate conference which warned of the urgency of tackling climate change as greenhouse gas emissions were due then to shoot up and cause a whole range of impacts. and they say that effectively nothing has been done. i think what we are seeing more and more are scientists breaking out of the straitjacket you would expect them to be in. what you want from scientists and what the public might think of hard facts, hard analysis — no emotion. what the scientists are themselves are coming up with now are projections, warning signs, that they feel are so worrying that they have to speak out,

they have to get emotional. they say there is now a moral obligation on scientists to speak up and to use ever—blunter language. so that's what we are seeing now. earlier, i spoke with one of the report's co—authors, oregon state university ecology professor william ripple. i asked him why scientists are warning of the risk of untold suffering to the global population. what we're really concerned about a runaway climate change or what we call "catastrophic climate change". so we're just starting to storms becoming more intense, the frequency of hurricanes and cyclones and droughts and tornadoes and rising seas and storm surges. so we're concerned that this is just starting and there has not been enough action to stop this type of runaway climate change. so that's why the

consensus statement. indeed this is runaway climate change, and what you just mentioned are extreme environmental breakdowns, and you mentioned there needs to be a major transformation in society. what needs to be done, professor? well, rather than just talk about the carbon dioxide emissions like is typically done, we think it's important to address this problem holistically, so thinking about six interrelated steps that look at all aspects of society, rather than just, for example, fossil fuel emissions. so we want to include issues around the economy and around population increases and around how to preserve nature to sequester carbon, especially in trees. and we want to talk about the importance of eating low on the food chain because when a lot of meat, the greenhouse gas emissions increase. so this is, holistically speaking, what we're trying to do.

yes, of course, professor. you are basically promoting a holistic approach and this needs the help from some major stakeholders such as governments, corporations and us, the individuals. but do you think this holistic approach will be listened to? and are these other stakeholders going to heed your advice? well, what we're doing here is we're putting out our consensus statement and now it's going to be up to humanity to decide what to do next. but i must say that i think we are at the point of a social tipping point where there are so many different activities going on and discussions around climate change that i think we're going to see the policies start

to more rapidly now. that was one of the climate report's cofounders. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. more transcripts have been released from witnesses in the donald trump impeachment inquiry in washington. house democrats are investigating how the president tried to use military aid to ukraine to start an investigation into democrats. well, now a key witness, the us ambassador to the eu gordon sondland, has revised his testimony. he acknowledged telling a top ukrainian official that us military aid depended on kyiv launching an investigation, implicating donald trump's presidential rival, joe biden. 0ur north america editor jon sopel has the latest.

i think this is a really significant development in the impeachment enquiry. donald trump has been insisting throughout there was no quid pro quo. in other words, there was no attempt to withhold military aid to ukraine — vitally needed — in return for them launching an investigation into corruption surrounding a gas company that joe biden‘s son was a director of. now, gordon sondland, who is he? he's the eu ambassador appointed by donald trump at a trump fundraiser who was awarded the ambassadorship because of those fundraising efforts, has changed his evidence to the intelligence committees and resumption of us aid would not likely occur until ukraine provided the public anti—corruption statement we have been discussing for many weeks. now, republicans can say that it doesn't matter, who cares about whether the president was leveraging this? but it can't maintain the defence there was no quid pro quo.

the white house has defended the president this evening, saying that the president has done nothing wrong. also making news today, iran is going ahead with a major new breach of the commitments it gave in its nuclear agreement with the us, the europeans and others. it's the latest move away from its commitments under a deal that the us pulled out of. president hassan rouhani has announced that a step towards uranium enrichment will be taken at an underground site south of tehran. taiwan's president, tsai ing—wen, has rejected an overture from beijing for reunification with china, with a blunt, three—word message: "not a chance." the president's response was issued on twitter after china unveiled a series of measures saying taiwan's way of life would be respected after reunification. brazilian lawmakers have called for executives of two firms to be charged with homicide and other crimes in response to the collapse of a dam that killed nearly 300 people. their report said the heads of the vale mining giant and an associated german consulting

group were responsible for the disaster injanuary. nasa's voyager two spacecraft has sent back its first message from interstellar space. the space—probe was launched 42 years ago and the data it sends back has been shedding light on the structure of our solar system. it is now 16 billion kilometres from earth and is only the second man—made object to leave the magnetic bubble surrounding our sun. it will run out of power and fall silent within five years. at least nine us citizens, including six children, have been killed, in a violent attack by suspected drug cartel gunmen in mexico. the family are linked to a mormon community that settled in mexico.

donald trump has posted a twitter message saying it's time for mexico to "wipe the drug cartels off the face of the earth." 0ur correspondent will grant sent this report, and a warning: some viewers may find it upsetting. the aftermath of an ambush. this is for the record, ‘nita and four of my grandchildren are burnt and shot up! this grisly video taken by a distraught family member shows the extent of the violent attack on the lebaron mormon family. three women and their children murdered as they travelled between their community settlements in northern mexico. a family portrait has emerged as one of the victims, rhonita miller lebaron and her children, several of whom were killed, including the babies in arms. the staged photograph, now a chilling reminder of the disregard the cartel gunmen had for their victims‘ lives.

at this stage, the only apparent explanation for the ambush is mistaken identity. even so, the brutality of the drug cartels has reached a new low. with the victims us citizens, president trump was quick to tweet his response, calling on mexico to request us help in cleaning out these monsters. "this is the time for mexico, with the help of the united states, to wage war on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth", he wrote. from the increasingly beleaguered mexican president, it was a polite thanks, but no thanks. president lopez 0brador insists he won't be drawn back into a protracted war against the country's drug gangs, one which has little chance of ever reaching a clear resolution. however, on recent evidence, mexico is still embroiled in one, whether he likes it or not. will grant, bbc news. we have much more on that story on

oui’ we have much more on that story on our website. this week we've reported on the pollution crisis in northern india, where levels of dangerous particles in the air are at well over ten times the safe limits. the elderly and the very young are suffering most, with one lung specialist saying growing up in the capital delhi is like being a lifelong smoker. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidya nathan reports. one of the biggest threats to these young lives is all around them. as they play. as they eat. because they breathe. here, the air is toxic. coughing. and it's the youngest and poorest most at risk in one of the world's most polluted cities. within minutes of visiting this slum in north delhi, we meet shabarna with her three—month—old twins. she tells me both have pneumonia and blames the pollution.

three times a day, she uses a nebuliser, rented from a local shop, to get medicine to their lungs. "they've been sick since they were born. they have fever, they're coughing, and they struggle to breathe", sha barna tells me. "the medicines aren't working and we're desperate. " we've just done a pollution reading and even inside, the levels here are incredibly high, way above what is considered safe by the world health organization. a study by the who said that every year, some 600,000 children under the age of 15 die across the world because of exposure to toxic air. so this image of a teenager with black deposits on the lung is not a rarity today.

doctor arvin kumar is a chest surgeon who says he's seeing a growing number of teenagers with damaged lungs. would you say that this air is killing young children? yes. it's killing our children. it's making their iq development lower. it's causing cancers. breathing kills. this blanket of smog covers india's capital annually. vehicle emissions, unchecked industrial fumes, and farmers in nearby states burning crop stubble all to blame. little seems to change. it's hard to see what the future is for the youngest and most vulnerable. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: residents of indian—administered kashmir say they are living in fear of attacks by militant groups. also on the programme: the springboks get a hero's welcome, as the rugby world cup winners arrive back in johannesburg.

the israeli prime minister, yitzhak rabin, the architect of the middle east peace process, has been assassinated. a 27—year—old jewish man has been arrested, and an extremistjewish organisation has claimed responsibility for the killing. at polling booths throughout the country, they voted on a historic day for australia. as the results came in, it was clear. the monarchy would survive. of the american hostages, there was no sign. they are being held somewhere inside the compound, and student leaders have threatened that should the americans attempt rescue, they will all die. this mission has surpassed all expectations. voyager one is now the most distant man—made object anywhere in the universe, and itjust seems to keep on going. tonight, we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring

power of our ideals. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: thousands of scientists have urged people, policy makers and industry to make deep and lasting changes to curb catastrophic climate change. a key witness in donald trump's impeachment inquiry has said ukraine was told to investigate his democratic rivaljoe biden to get us military aid — directly contradicting claims by the president. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the south china morning post is covering american concerns over reports that the families of uighur activists are being harassed by china. it says secretary of state mike pompeo sent his condolences to activists who suffered reprisals

after meeting with us officials. the gulf news reports that yemen's government has agreed a power sharing deal with separatists in the country's south. the deal with the southern transitional council is meant to allow both sides to focus on fighting the iranian backed houthi militia which has taken over large parts of yemen. and the french newspaper le figaro leads with a story on plans to simplify france's immigration system. but further down the front page, they discuss how president macron will launch a charm offensive when he meets president xijinping on his state visit to china. those are the papers. a 27 year—old man has gone on trial in new zealand, charged with the murder of a british backpacker. the man, who can't be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty

to killing grace millane. the 22—year—old was last seen in central auckland on december ist last year. her body was found in bushland a week later. 0ur correspondent, phil mercerjoins us now from auckland. a desperate situation. fill us in on what happened to grace millane. she was found dead in bushland near auckland in december of last year. a27—year—old new zealand man, we can't name him, identify him for legal reasons, he has been charged with murder and has pleaded not guilty. today we have heard the first evidence in a trial that is expect it to last for a month. the crown prosecution is saying that grace millane died, was strangled inside the man's apartment after they had met on an online dating app. they say that the young british woman died after sustained pressure to her neck. the prosecution also saying that following her death her alleged killer watched pornography

and the next day went out on a date with another woman. the defence has a very different story to tell. it doesn't believe that it was a case of murder. they say that this was an accidental death as a result of a sex game gone wrong. we've had a statement, a brief statement from grace millane's father, david, he has travelled from the united kingdom with his wifejillian for the case. he said his daughter was a gregarious girl who was on a gap year after graduating from university. she had only been in new zealand for a matter of a couple of week when this gap year ended in utter catastrophe, not only for her, but for her family. phil mercer, thank you so much from that update from the trial in auckland. it's been three months since indian administered kashmir‘s special status was revoked by the indian government and violence in the region has been growing. officials say its being carried out by armed insurgents. there have been attacks

against migrant workers, and ordinary kashmiris continue to live in fear and uncertainty. 0ur correspondent yogita limaye is in indian—administered kashmir. dozens were rushed to the hospital, wounded in a grenade attack. doctor, please make him 0k, the relative of one of those injured pleads. a bystander comforts her. officials say it was the biggest attack since india revoked kashmir‘s special status. the bomb went off on this street in the heart of srinagar. translation: an explosion took place. lots of people got injured, and one person died on the spot. he was selling toys. the man who lost his life was a migrant worker. a dozen men from other parts of india have been killed in kashmir in recent weeks. five of them shared this small room.

the workers had come here to earn a living. they were pulled out of their home and shot at. police say armed insurgents are behind these targeted attacks on migrants. many see it as retaliation for india's actions in kashmir. no group has so far claimed responsibility. police say insurgents have also warned people against opening shops, and while there is fear of militants, a lot of kashmir remains closed for business, to display its anger against the indian government. this fruit is the back bone of the region's economy, but most of kashmir‘s apples have not made it to markets this year. translation: when the government imposed a lockdown for two months, we could not harvest our fruit. and now things are becoming violent, so again we are suffering.

among people here, there is a sense of despondency. from being a state which elected its own regional government, kashmir is now directly ruled by india's national government. the man who has been appointed to be at the helm of affairs here is not from the region. all of this while kashmir‘s own political leaders have been locked up. for the past three months, this hotel has been a detention centre. top politicians who oppose the government's moves are being held here. translation: our leaders have been humiliated and kept locked up for no reason. in kashmir, it is local politicians who have always prevented people from engaging in protest and violence. now, who will give direction to the public? people could turn to separatism or militancy. the government in delhi says its move could bring peace and development to kashmir. 0n the ground here, there hangs a haze of anger and confusion.

rugby, and the world cup winners, south africa, have arrived back in johannesburg from japan, where they've been greeted by thousands of springbok fans keen to welcome home the victorious players. with more on the celebrations, here's our correspondent nomsa maseko. the moment springbok supporters had been waiting for. thousands came to welcome home the best rugby team in the world. a team that not only broughtjoy to the nation, but also inspired a deeply divided country. cheering. but, for now, united by south africa's first black captain, siya kolisi, and hisjourney from poverty to national hero. he's an icon towards all young black south africans that

anything is possible. so, thatjust really inspires me about him and he's everything a person could ever want to be. i mean, he's got the support of his whole country. the rainbow nation, actually, that mandela was fighting for. i think we've done a change in the world. i think that freedom is actually here and i think this rugby game, with a black man leading it, has changed south africa. i'm here because i'm really proud that the springboks won and i knew they were going to win. which one is your favourite player? siya kolisi. why? because he's the captain. he also inspired people to also believe in themselves, that everybody has something inside them. from the springboks, gratitude for the support. people might be learning from us, but everything that we did there and took there, we got from the people here in south africa. this world cup victory is steeped in its troubled history. the joy it brings may not last but, for now, south africans are celebrating how far they've come since their first world cup victory 2a years ago.

nomsa maseko, bbc news, johannesburg. you can't help but celebrate along with them. congratulations to the springboks. you have been watching newsday. i'm kasia madera in london. congratulations as well to the springboks. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. coming up: softbank has some hard decisions. the company is a huge backer of tech companies but the risk—loving firm is expected to report its first quarterly loss in over a decade after bailing out wework. if you are squeamish look away now. we're going to end with staggering pictures. a rail worker in san francisco rescuing a man, who was a spilt—second from being hit by a train. this dramatic footage shows the man, who was drunk, walking dangerously

close to the edge of a platform, before falling onto the tracks. luckily, he is pulled to safety. hello there. the rest of this week is going to remain on the chilly side, certainly temperatures a few degrees down on where they should be for the time of year. we've been seeing this colder air move southwards in the last 2a hours across the country, and it's going to stick around for the rest of the week, and there will be some pretty wet weather around, especially on thursday. the early part of wednesday looks mainly dry. a few showers peppering northern and eastern coasts, and some showers around irish sea coasts. but further inland, under clear skies, it's going to be a chilly one. temperatures close to freezing in the south and below freezing in the north, so there will be some frost. a little bit of mist and fog around to greet us for wednesday morning.

that said, there should be plenty of sunshine across central, northern and eastern areas. but this area of showers around the irish sea will push slowly eastwards, merge together to produce longer spells of rain. could be a little bit of wintriness over the higher ground in the north. a dry slot in between this next band of rain, pushing into northern ireland, wales and the south—west of england later in the day, and a chilly day to come wherever you are — 6—10 degrees. through wednesday night, that first band of rain pushes northwards. there'll be further wintriness over the higher ground, and this next band of rain continues to move in, and almost merges with it, so it could be quite wet in places by the end of the night. a few blustery showers following on behind, but maybe not quite as cold to start thursday as what we've seen the last few nights. for thursday, though, it's not looking very pleasant. we do have this area of low pressure pretty much parked on top of the uk, a stationary low with its associated weather front. and this weather front could bring quite a lot of rainfall in places, perhaps even the risk of some localised flooding. at the moment, it looks like it's going to be affecting more eastern, central parts of the uk, across into northern ireland. there could be some travel disruption from flooding caused by this. it could be a little

bit further northwards, it could be a little bit further southwards. to the north of it, a few showers, wintry on the hills, and further south, some blustery showers, some of them heavy, a little bit of sunshine around, and again it's going to be another chilly day. improvement as we head through thursday night. into friday, that weatherfront eventually slips away, takes the rain and the breeze with it, from the south—east. but much of the country will start chilly, perhaps seeing a little bit of frost, and then it looks like it will be a bright day, with pretty widespread sunshine. it could be the best day of the week, but a chilly one — 6—10 degrees. it's a short—lived fine spell, because into the weekend, here comes the next area of low pressure, to bring some wet weather with some wintriness on the hills for saturday. a slow improvement on sunday. but like i mentioned, it could be pretty wet in places on saturday, with some wet snow or sleet over the high ground on the north. a gradual improvement as we head into sunday.

this is bbc world news. our top story: a global group of around 11,000 scientists have endorsed research that says the world is facing a climate emergency. the study, based on a0 years of data, says governments are failing to address the crisis. without lasting changes, it says the world faces "untold human suffering". a key witness in donald trump's impeachment inquiry has said ukraine was told to investigate his democratic rivaljoe biden to get us military aid — directly contradicting claims by the president. and proving popular on our website is a video of a rail worker in san francisco rescuing a man from being hit by a train. after walking too close to the edge of a platform, he falls onto the tracks. luckily, he is pulled to safety.