hello, welcome to newsday. i'm kasia madera in london. the headlines: the uk's election campaign gets formally underway — but prime minister borisjohnson‘s big speech is overshadowed by resignations from both main parties. president trump's impeachment inquiry goes public. after weeks of testimony behind closed doors — hearings are set to be be broadcast live. i'm rico hizon in singapore, also on the programme: has hong kong become a city of permanent protest? we investigate a city polarised by five months of unrest. and — levelling the playing field. australia's female footballer team strike a landmark deal to earn pay equal to their male counterparts.

live from our studios in london and singapore, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. hello and a warm welcome to the programme. it's 8:00am in singapore and midnight here in the uk where the election campaign is officially underway. borisjohnson is calling on voters to deliver a majority for the conservative party, so that he can get brexit done by the end of januray. the opposition labour party leader, jeremy corbyn, is promising to sort out brexit in six months, in part through a second referendum. our political editor, laura kuenssberg has all the details. he has been one of the best—known politicians in the country for a decade, but fame and having faith are not the same thing.

he may be the tory party's darling, but he wants you to trust him, and to stay in number ten. i didn't want an election. i love myjob, and no prime minister wants an election, particularly when i'm enjoying it so much that we want to get on and do. but, my friends, we have no choice. the whole brexit delay is holding us all back. it's like a bendy bus — i banned them in london — jackknifed on a yellow box junction. laughter and adoration in this room, but if claiming a crop of mps is the answer, why should the new one speak from his side? we get this deal through parliament and get on with the fantastic projects in which this government is engaged. uniting and levelling up the country, giving people opportunity across the country with better education, better infrastructure and new technology. that is what this government is all about. cheering. it's about giving hope. get used to hearing this. this country is aching to move on.

so let's make next year the year of prosperity and growth. let's get brexit done, my friends, and get on with our project of sensible, moderate — sensible, moderate but tax—cutting one—nation conservatism, spreading hope and opportunity across the whole of the uk. hang on — a loud, cheering crowd does not drown out tory woes. like a small clutch of protesters here tonight, there will be many who just don't buy it. and a minister had to quit this morning. yesterday, the welsh secretary was nervously scratching his head in cabinet. at lunchtime today, he resigned, after claims he knew about a former member of staff's role in collapsing a rape trial. one of your colleagues had to quit this morning. i think boris showed he is the right person to be prime minister. he has got out there, fantastic speech, great reception

and i think we are away. a glossy rally is one thing but he is risking at all. when, he will get his years at number ten. for four yea rs, his years at number ten. for four years, has ranks of supporters have flocked to him walking through downing street store. like his rival, he wants to move on from the mess. yellow westminster hasn't exactly covered itself in glory recently. you are right to feel frustrated with the political system because it is not working for you. politics should be about your life, community, job. but on what to do instead, the solutions are different. if the british people elect a labor government i would be proud to be a labour prime minister. but i want you, it would be very different. because none of us in

this room were born to rule. the politics that i stand for is about sharing power and wealth with people who don't have a lot of money or friends in high places so they can ta ke friends in high places so they can take control of their own lives. the two contenders for the top job can both pack a room, prompt chairs and chance on their own side. but which one will govern. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. in the us, house democrats have announced they will begin public hearings in the impeachment inquiry against president trump next wednesday. a transcript of testimony made by the top us envoy in ukraine, bill taylor, to the inquiry last month has also been released. it shows mr taylor told lawmakers it was his "clear understanding" that the president had withheld nearly $400 million in us military aid because he wanted ukraine to investigate his political rival, joe biden. 0ur north america correspondnt,

peter bowes, has more. with every witness, including bill taylor, we are getting a much clearer of the attitude of the trump administration towards ukraine, and specifically this issue of the military aid and a possible quid pro quo scenario where the aid would be withheld until ukraine gave assistance in terms of an anticorruption assistance in terms of an anticorru ption investigation that specifically named joe biden, a potential political rival of mr trump, and his son hunter who worked for a trump, and his son hunter who worked fora ukrainian trump, and his son hunter who worked for a ukrainian gas company. bill taylor said he was completely astonished to learn that this was the situation, essentially rolling back several years of protocol where aid had been supplied to ukraine, suddenly it was being withheld and this was the reason, seemingly with a political motive. how does the

impeachment enquiry dynamics change now that the hearings are going to be held in public? this is going to change everything. it is an entirely new stage in this investigation, it will be held in public which means that the hearings will be televised, giving americans really a front row seat at this investigation. they will be able to hear the questions, heavy answers, see the expressions on the faces of those witnesses, and perhaps get an entirely new perspective on what is happening because so far everything has been held behind closed doors. there have been transcript but for many americans it hasn't been the top of their agendas, they haven't been able to see for themselves what has been happening, and now they will. why is this significant? well of course, there is a political aspect to this, less than one year now to go to the next general election in the united states and this will

begin to colour people's opinions even more towards the democrats who are carrying out this investigation but crucially, of course, about donald trump. chile's main doctors association says more than 180 people have been treated for severe eye injuries caused mainly by rubber bullets fired by police during recent anti—government protests. president, sebastian pinera, has promised to prosecute members of security forces accused of rights violations. china has announced new guidelines aimed at restricting the time young people spend playing online video games. players younger than eighteen will be allowed to play the games for only ninety minutes on normal days and three hours on holidays. all users will need to verify their ages by registering with a national database. police in california have rescued a bear after it got trapped ina bin.

let's ta ke let's take a look at the bare. the bear got stuck afterfinding some food. too large to climb out of the small openings in the lid — officers tried various ways to free it. eventually they showed the bear how to flip the lid and it escaped. we have had various stories about climate change, once again we have a new report, rising seas could affect more people by 2050 then initially thought. it threatens to raise all coastal cities. according to claimant central, some 150 million people are now living on land

projected to be below the high tide line by the mid century. crucially, the group says the conversation is no longer about prevention, but about managing the inevitable. 90 million people are projected to live below high tide levels in anger — by 2050. 12 million people in indonesia and about 7600 people in thailand. claimant central ceo and chief scientist spoke to me earlier. we we re scientist spoke to me earlier. we were quite shocked by the megacities on land that is vulnerable, so we discovered that many millions are living on land below high tide line today, so one of the perhaps more optimistic sides of our study is the implication that many are defended by coastal defences already and we may be able to increase them in the future. but clearly we have a

serious problem with so many important cities so low next to the coast. what cities in particular have caught your attention? you can name almost any city on a delta in asia, ho chi minh city, to mum by, to manila and jakarta. bangkok as well. the list goes on. —— mumbai. you are talking about not venting the situation, it is now managing it, so how do you manage something like this was yellow eyed you want to be clear that by the end of the century, the amount of one pollution we emit or control will make a big difference. we can prevent the worst—case scenarios, but continuing sea level rise for the next few decades is inevitable, and there is not much we can do about how much sea level rise we will see by the

middle of the century. so governments need to look at the three main strategies for dealing with this problem which include defence, accommodation, or relocation. so defence means building things like levies or protecting or restoring coastal wetla nds protecting or restoring coastal wetlands like mangroves or salt marshes that can help. accommodation means things like homes on still what cities and homes designed in ways where occasional flooding isn't so ways where occasional flooding isn't so destructive and of course relocation means finding a new place to go. as we see more protests in major cities acros the world, this week on bbc news we're asking why. is there a common thread? why are so many young people taking to the streets? and how are governments responding? events in hong kong have been gripping the headlines sincejune. opposition to a plan for extradition to mainland chinese courts controlled by

the communist party triggered the mass demonstrations which have now become a call for widespread reform, including universal suffrage. most observers didn't expect the crisis there to last this long. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonell who's been covering the protests from the beginning, has been speaking to some of the demonstrators. they didn't want to be identified. you can't be in hong kong these days and not be exposed to political conflict. this clash of ideologies is everywhere. it is plastered on the walls, it's seen in the graffiti. freedom versus stability. upheaval versus the way things were. the authorities have tried to crush the movement, but 3300 arrests later, it hasn't gone away. five months into this campaign, why do you still come out every week and protest? i think... teargas,

teargas! i think, protest? i think... teargas, teargas! ithink, we protest? i think... teargas, teargas! i think, we need the justice to the felt. we met an activist who works in the finance industry. when he is not in the office he worked in the campaign. industry. when he is not in the office he worked in the campaignm course on the weekend like today, most of the youngsters and even some old people, we all much together to fight. and what you think of the impact on your city? does it worry you? i think it is a 50-50 question. i'm worried about the city future but i am still optimistic because they can see the youngsters, they are the energy. he knows this mess defiance is hurting hong kong, but come monday morning heading to work he hopes short term pain will eventually deliver a freer, more sustainable economy. he says he has many friends prepared for a long struggle. i believe most of the hong kong people, we already bring it

into our life. the longer the crisis goes on, the more people are being pressured into choosing a side. activists colour—coded businesses like shops and restaurants in terms of their political allegiances, and ifan of their political allegiances, and if an establishment is deemed to be pro— beijing, it is seen as a legitimate target for attack. translation: yes, we have been attacked, but the colour, how they categorise us, we can't control the. our boss is actually neutral. the small chain of hong kong cafe has already to shut one of its outlets copy apart from a protest and boycott, there has been a 50% drop in interest numbers and an economy and technical recession. translation: there are going to be long—term effects, this isn't a short term. special outer layer walls are going up all across hong

kong, to protect certain businesses from vandalism. mainland chinese banks look like bunkers. but life goes on in the protest city. which appears to have changed for ever. stevens report as part of a global protest series, you will see many more episodes of programmes like that across bbc world news so to look out for them. coming up on newsday, we will be telling more about australia's women's football tea m about australia's women's football team the matildas, they have struck a landmark deal which will see them earn equal pay to their counterparts. 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. voyageri 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:

the uk's election campaign is formally underway with prime minister borisjohnson calling on voters to give him the majority to deliver brexit. us congressional democrats announce they will begin public hearings on impeaching president trump next wednesday. now let's see what's making the front pages of thursday's newspapers. the philippine star's front page says president duterte's vice—president and rival leni robredo has accepted the challenge of leading the war on drugs, even though her supporters warn it could be a trap. ms robredo says despite the suspicion she's being set up to fail, if it means she can save just one innocent life, then she should try it. the arab news reports on the stabbing of eight people, including four tourists, at the ancient roman heritage site ofjerash in jordan. a palestinian man from a nearby refugee camp was arrested for questioning.

a spokesperson for the camp said residents there denounced the attack. and singapore's straits times tells the story of two brothers, lin hanwei and lin dilun, who completed a ten kilometre charity run together. what's remarkable is that both have donated one of their organs to complete strangers. they were running to raise money and to show that organ donation does not prevent an active lifestyle. inspirational guys. the final hours of the life of the british backpacker grace millane — captured on security cameras in new zealand — have been shown at the trial of the man accused of her murder. grace millane was killed in auckland last december after a meeting a man on an online dating app.

the defendant, who can't be identified for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty. my my colleague was there. what was on this cctv footage? this is a compilation of security camera video, shown to the jury and it shows grace mullane meeting the defendant in the centre of auckland in december of last year. a visit various bars and restaurants. they appear to enjoy each other plasma company, they drink heavily, they are seen company, they drink heavily, they are seen to kiss and embrace and the whole chronology of this meeting has been shown to the jury. —— each other‘s company. this would have video has been shown to the jury and the last bit of footage shows grace millane leaving a lift with the defendant, his apartment block. it is the last time she had been seen

alive. how grace millane died in his apartment is at the heart of this trial. the prosecution says she was deliberately strangled by this 27—year—old man who can't be identified for legal reasons. the defence has a very different take on that night and it believes that grace millane, a young british backpacker, died accidentally after a sex game went wrong. her body was found a week later and had been stuffed into a suitcase and buried ina stuffed into a suitcase and buried in a shallow grave on the outskirts of auckland. this trial here at the high court in auckland is expected to last about four or five weeks. it's been described as a landmark moment for women's sport. australia's female football team, the matildas, have struck a deal which will see them placed on the same pay scale as their male counterparts. the countryjoins new zealand and norway, who have already made the change. there's still a long way to go to achieve an even playing field, but the matildas midfielder

elise kellond—knight has said this is a gamechanger. have a listen. it is enormous. in my playing career, i thought i would never see a moment of seeing this equality. it is enormous sign of respect. and i think it presents a massive opportunity. now there will be no barriers. we are going to be presented and given the best opportunity, the best resources, the best support, around the team, to be as successful as we can. kate o'halloran. she gave me her reaction to the news. are really landmark and revolutionary part of this deal is it is called a revenue sharing model so it means the socceroos, the men's team and the

matildas, the women's team, have agreed to split equally any revenue that comes in from broadcasting, merchandise, game day takings, so that part is extremely revolutionary. the thing that i suggested in my writing is that we have a fair way to go still around prize money so i'm not sure how many people are aware, at the women's world cup, the women win i people are aware, at the women's world cup, the women wini million for making the knockout stages whereas the men and 8 million for just qualifying at the world cup and they didn't win again. when i we likely to get that stage of equal prize money, because the socceroos are also equality and pay? that is the hard part. i have suggested that one thing they could have done is pull all of the prize money together and then split that equally. i guess that would have been the absolute best case dream scenario for the matildas but australia are saying,

thatis matildas but australia are saying, that is not our thing, that is fee far, that is the asian —— asian federation and the matildas don't get paid any prize money for the asian cup, for example, which is obviously vastly different for the men. i know that they are hammering fee far hard on this and they really wa nt to fee far hard on this and they really want to get to a point where they get equal prize money. —— fifa. want to get to a point where they get equal prize money. -- fifa. this isa get equal prize money. -- fifa. this is a big step. it is notjust about money, but there are a lot of other inequalities in the game like training conditions and travel arrangements and these have been addressed. that is one of the biggest and best parts of the steel i think because these are the hidden inequities that people don't realise when they think about women's sport and women in sport, a lot of flak for perhaps not having the same quality as the men's teams. well, if you look underneath that and look at

the conditions that they have been forced to put up previously, you know, the matildas flew in a court —— economy. all of those things are now being addressed in this deal which i think is wonderful. let's hope what the matildas have achieved will be seen in other sports and other professions. you have been watching newsday. i'm kasia madera in london. a landmark deal for the matildas, theyjoin you did it —— new zealand and norway. i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. coming up — blizzard receives an avalanche of criticism. the us gaming company has banned several players for their support of the hong kong protests. we'll see how the controversial decision affects activision blizzard as it prepares to reports its latest results. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. serbia's undertakers have been celebrating life with a life—size coffin cake, traditional dance

and free flowing drink. the cake was slayed by a stake, as per vampire lore, while hundreds of funeral workers from the east of the country joined the celebrations. parts of england and wales look extremely wet with localised flooding in places and the risk of travel disruption all courtesy of this new area of low pressure which is going to park itself across the uk and is very slow—moving front will bring some very wet conditions are essential portions of the uk. early on thursday, the rain band will be slowly spreading its way northwards so someplace is quite wet. luxury showers across the southwest and some showers across scotla nd southwest and some showers across scotland which will be wintry over the high ground. a little bit of sunshine around and not quite as cold as start as what we have seen the last few nights because we have cloud around. the rain band will grind toa cloud around. the rain band will grind to a halt across parts of

north wales, the north midlands, northern england and the rain will be heavy and persistent at times. producing localised flooding in places and a key north—east wind making it feel pretty raw so not pleasa nt making it feel pretty raw so not pleasant conditions throughout the day on thursday here. to the north of it, bright, probably the best sunshine for scotland. a few showers which will be quite blustery here and some heavy maybe thundery showers across southern and south—western parts of england and it will be quite blustery here, too. we should see some sunshine and slightly lighter winds. it will be a chilly day wherever you are, just about 10 degrees across the south and single figure values in the north. like i mentioned, feeling chilly underneath the cloud and rain. three thursday night, a slow improvement. that weather front with the band of rain continues to ease down and push towards the south and east so it will be a dry and chilly night across many northern and southern areas but where you have

the cloud, not quite as cold, ranging from 2—6d. the pressure chart as we head into friday shows an area of low pressure slipping onto —— slipping off into the near continent. the weather front will continue to bring a fair amount of cloud and one or two showers at a ridge of high pressure builds in across the north and west to hear, after a chilly start, it should be a fine day with plenty of sunshine around. much of the country should see a bit of sunshine a past —— apart from the east of england. as we had through friday night, eventually we will see the cloud and the rain in the south—east clear away and it will be a cold night under clear skies with a widespread frost. the next weather front will arrive across the west though not quite as called for northern ireland as it will be across much of britain. into saturday, a cold, frosty start for many and the rain will spilling from the west many areas and on side —— sunday it is a gradual improvement with some

sunshine developing.

you are watching bbc world news. our top story: the election campaign in the uk is formally under way. the prime minister, borisjohnson, called on voters to get him the majority to be able to deliver brexit. he told supporters in birmingham that once brexit was done, a tory government could get on with better education and infrastructure. opposition labour leaderjeremy corbyn said he would be a different kind of pm, seeking power to share power. democrats in the us have announced they will begin public hearings on impeaching mrtrump next wednesday. so far, lawmakers have heard from witnesses behind closed doors. and video doing well on our wesbite is of police in california rescuing a bear after it got trapped in a bin. it got stuck after finding some food. too large to climb out of the small openings in the lid, officers tried various ways to free it.