this is hello, this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore, the headlines: the moment a boeing aircraft came down with 176 people on board — canada's prime minister says there's mounting evidence to what caused the tragedy. the evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an iranian surface—to—air missile. this may well have been unintentional. a day after the duke and duchess of sussex announce they're stepping back from royal life, meghan leaves the uk for canada. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london.

also in the programme: bushfires are still burning in australia with temperatures forecast to get higher in some places. and the bbc speaks to carlos ghosn — the fugitive businessman now banned from leaving the country he fled to. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london and 8pm in ottawa where the prime ministerjustin trudeau has said there's evidence from multiple sources that the ukrainian passengerjet that crashed near tehran was shot down by an iranian missile. all one hundred and seventy six people on board were killed, including dozens of canadians. iran's civil aviation chief has dismissed reports that a missile had hit the aircraft as scientifically impossible.

nick bryant has the latest from washington. american media say these images appear to show the moment the ukrainian airliner was hit by an iranian missile shortly after take—off. the plane did not explode immediately and continued flying for several minutes as it tried to return to tehran airport. this video appears to show the boeing 737, which seems to be on fire, as it went down. just before it crashed, a satellite apparently detected the heat trails of two missiles, followed moments afterwards by an explosion. us officials said it was highly likely the plane, with 176 people on board, was mistakenly shot down by iranian anti—aircraft missiles. 63 canadians were among the dead. the country's prime minister, justin trudeau, shared with his people news that he said would shock. we have intelligence from multiple sources, including our allies

and our own intelligence. the evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an iranian surface to air missile. this may well have been unintentional. it was just five hours after iran launched the missile strikes on us forces in iraq that the plane crashed shortly after take—off. iran's anti—aircraft systems would probably have been active, anticipating american retaliatory strikes that never came. speaking before his canadian counterpart, president trump revealed his own suspicions. it is a tragic thing when i see that, it's a tragic thing. but somebody could have made a mistake on the other side, could have made a mistake. it was flying... it was flying in... not our system, it's nothing to do with us. it was flying in a pretty rough neighbourhood and somebody could have made a mistake.

there might be crucial evidence that lies within this wreckage. the iranians have been bulldozing the crash site and are not yet sharing information from the black box recorders. the country's head of civil aviation claimed reports of an iranian missile strike were illogical rumours. at this prayer vigil in canada, the faces of the dead, the anguish of the relatives who now mourn them. i think everyone is just heartbroken, everyone is trying to process it and believe it. relatives in ukraine want answers, too. their loved ones, casualties of a conflict of which they were no part. officials in britain, canada and here in america tonight are all saying this was a mistake. not a reason, then, for now at least, to further escalate tensions with iran. nick bryant, bbc news, washington.

let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the democratic—led us house of representatives has voted to approve a resolution which limits president donald trump's ability to take military action against iran — unless congress gives its approval. house speaker nancy pelosi says the drone strike that killed general soulemani was a dangerous and unneccessary provocation. our north america correspondent peter bowes gave us this update. as expected, because the democrats are in control of the house of representatives, this resolution has passed with a comfortable majority, i see thatjust three republicans actually sided with the democrats and this is a resolution that essentially curbs the president's powers to go to war, to launch military action. it doesn't take absolute power away from the president as indeed mr trump himself noted earlier today, but sometimes in a wartime or a potential wartime situation, split—second decisions have to be made and the president is still at liberty to make those decisions.

also making news today: riot police in france have fired tear gas at demonstrators in paris who were pelting them with objects. it's the latest day of nationwide strikes and protests against the french government's plans to overhaul the pension system. the unions are angry at proposals to standardise the system, and raise the average age at which people receive a full state pension by two years, to 64. the army in niger says a suspected jihadist attack on a military camp in the west of the country, near the border with mali, has killed at least 25 soldiers. the statement said over 60 militants have also died. it's not yet clear who carried out the attack which comes amid a worsening islamist insurgency in the sahel region. there's been plenty of interest in this story — officials for this year's tokyo olympic and paralympic games

have revealed the beds that the athletes will be sleeping on. why are they special? the frames are made entirely from cardboard, which, along with the mattresses, will be recycled after the tournaments are finished. and if you're wondering how sturdy they are, the manufacturer says the beds can bear a weight of around 200 kilograms. more now on our top story — and us officials and the canadian prime minister have said evidence suggests an iranian missile brought down a ukrainian passenger plane which crashed near tehran — possibly by mistake. iran has ruled that out — and says it's ‘scientifically‘ impossible. well i've been speaking to combat airpower and technology expert justin bronk — and asked him whether he agreed with iran's assessment. it is certainly not scientifically impossible. what it ought to be is procedurally impossible. ps752, the airliner which was hit was fully in contact with tehran

air—traffic control, it was broadcasting a transponder identification that made clear to anyone with a radar screen what its identity was, where it was, what altitude, and it was using a well—used flight path according to a prefiled flight plan. if any air defenders were following proper procedure, cross—referencing their radar picture with civilian air traffic control and just thinking logically about the fact that there is an international airport that is regularly in use on that flight path, this should have been impossible. but the united states, canada, and the uk would not make this sort of cast—iron declaration without some pretty strong evidence and that will probably be in the form of overhead infrared detection of the launch signatures, of those surface—to—air missiles as well as the impact and also probably detection from outside the airspace, remote detection of the radar...

so, justin, if you say this is not procedurally impossible, how did the iranians make such a major mistake, and could they have stopped it once they fired it? i would suspect that something that requires this many errors in order to happen, compared to what should have been done, is only really explainable if you assume that the crew is relatively poorly trained in this system, that they were probably exhausted for having been on high alert for days due to this confrontation since the assassination of soleimani, and they were probably operating with limited communications to try to avoid detection, because if there had been a us strike, one of the first things that tends to happen is surface—to—air missiles get hit, and the sa—is is designed to be used as a standalone system, so it is less likely than larger systems to have been taking data from outside.

it's been confirmed to the bbc that meghan, the duchess of sussex, has left the uk for canada. the news came as the queen summoned an urgent family conference to find a way to accommodate prince harry and meghan‘s wish to go it alone. the queen, prince charles and prince william have instructed their staff to find a solution within days after the couple's surprise announcement left the royal family scrambling to cope with the implications of their unprecedented move. gareth barlow reports just a few days ago, harry and meghan together in london. now, the duchess of sussex has flown back to canada, where the couple spent six weeks over christmas. her husband remaining at home, as the royal family plans for their future. the queen, alongside the prince of wales and the duke of cambridge have instructed senior staff to work with the sussex household and the government to find a solution to harry and meghan‘s wishes. i'm not really one for them trying

to follow the rules over there right now because if they want to shy away from them and do what they want to do, then let them live, let them be themselves. ijust saw it on tv. i don't know how they will pull it off but i'm sure they will. the royal family is far from ordinary but the household strives to be organised and orderly. the sense is that the sussex‘s announcement lacks the latter. meghan‘s departure from the uk sends a clear message, they are determined to follow their own path. it's a shame that she couldn't remain and kind of be the face for the people. he's a prince, isn't he, at the end of the day. obviously has got to do his duty with the queen, so i don't know. i reckon, do that. from finances to titles, their home to their personal security, there is a long and complex list for the royal family to work through. prince harry will remain as sixth in line to the throne and the couple

will keep their house in the grounds of windsor castle. in many respects, that is the easy decisions made. next, it's all about money. a difficult topic for any family, let alone the royal family. gareth barlow, bbc news. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we report from the australian state of new south wales where increasing temperatures and high winds threaten the spread of renewed bushfires. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief! after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of south africa

tomorrow in spite of protests and violence from some black activist groups. they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa until majority rule is established. teams were trying to scoop up lumps of oil as france recognises it faces an ecological crisis. three weeks ago, the authorities confidently assured these areas that oil from the broken tanker erika would head out to sea. it didn't. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm lewis vaugthones in london. our top stories: canada's prime minister says there's evidence that an iranian missile brought down a ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near tehran.

and a day after the duke and duchess of sussex announce they're stepping back from royal duties, meghan leaves the uk for canada. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the arab news is one of many newspapers looking at the ongoing tensions between the us and iran. the pope has added his voice to the calls for self—restraint but the paper suggests that tehran is still sending mixed messages over whether it will seek further retribution for the death of general qasem soleimani. next to the south china morning post and the efforts to stop the spread of a viral pneumonia outbreak in central china. japan and malaysia are among the countries stockpiling medical gear to protect citizens against the illness, which chinese scientists have identified as a new strain

of coronavirus. and on the front page of the gulf news, the united arab emirates is joining the growing list of countries seeking to provide aid to australia as the fire crisis continues. a senior minister has held talks with australia's home minister to determine what kind of help is needed and several uae companies are throwing their support behind the cause. and those are the papers, and now, lewis, over to you. hotter weather and high winds on friday and saturday are threatening renewed and spreading bushfires in

australia. the state of victoria has declared a state of disaster as temperatures there are set to spike. more than 100 bushfires are still burning along the new south wales—victoria state border. lucy hockings is in in the state of new south wales for us. fire crews have been readying themselves all week for today, because hot and windy conditions are set to return to new south wales. there are 100 fires still burning in the state, they are really worried the state, they are really worried the alpine areas and the state of victoria as well where that state of emergency has been extended. closely watching south australia and kangaroo island where there is also a state of emergency. but i am and a very beautiful part of new south wales, the kangaroo valley, and they can show you some pictures of me arriving to wear a standing right now, which is the kangaroo valley bush retreat. the fire ripped through this property over the

weekend and in 45 minutes, look at the damage it did. the charred remains of buildings, trees, everything that you can see, and the trees are still smouldering. there are embers still in some of the trees here, it really is quite staggering. i am trees here, it really is quite staggering. iam hairat trees here, it really is quite staggering. i am hair at a wedding venue, 900 couples have got married here. every single weekend this year had been booked out for people coming here to experience the natural beauty and get married and when they would arrive, they would come here to the main reception area, and you can see here as well, some of the facilities and in the bush there would be places for people to go camping and glamping, there were cabins as well. this was there were cabins as well. this was the dream and the home of this man who is with me now. you came back here for the first time, how is at? it is absolutely devastating. what was a green belt and a thriving

wedding venue with a lot of happy people, it isjust pretty awful. and not just for you people, it isjust pretty awful. and notjust for you but people, it isjust pretty awful. and not just for you but for all these people that this has been such a special place for. 900 happy couples, it was obviously a beautiful surroundings and amazing venue, lots of happy memories have been created here. it's the loss of just everything, really. our resident animals, animals in the area. it will take a little while to re cove r, area. it will take a little while to recover, but i think it is definitely recoverable. and what do you make of the government's wants? a bit slow off the start but they have come in really now with their support. scott morrison has really gone ahead and said he is going to throw everything at it and a hope he does and he will, because the

australian resilience and australian people need it. everybody is going tojump in including the army and the volunteers, and they would like to really think the rfs, volunteers, amazing how many there are, working weeks on end. thank you for sharing your story with us and your property. i know that it will regenerate and rebuild, and we are looking forward to that. this is just one story you hear in parts of fire ravaged south wales. 2000 homes have been lost to fire, but the spirit of optimism and resilience about what will come next is incredibly strong in these communities. meanwhile today with the temperatures and the wind, there are firefighters at the ready right across new south wales and we will be monitoring that for you here in south wales. —— new south wales. -- new south wales. we will continue

to have update on the unfolding developments in australia and the bushfires on bbc world news. the fugitive businessman, carlos ghosn, has been banned from leaving lebanon after he fled there from japan last month to avoid trial for financial misconduct. the former nissan boss, who dramatically skipped bail, said he was prepared to face justice in lebanon if neccessary but that he would not return to japan. he has been talking to to our world affairs editor, john simpson. hello. very nice to see you. thank you. even though the lebanese courts have said he can't leave the country, carlos ghosn has lost none of his bounce. i'm free to receive my family, i'm free to see my wife, to live with my wife. these are all things which were forbidden when i was injapan. he's consistently refused to talk about his escape from japan by private jet, hiding in a box

for musical equipment. even so, i gave it my best shot. it must have been a pretty unpleasant experience, mustn't it? i don't know, you should ask somebody else. have you ever been in a box? well, you have, tell me about it. that's what you think. come on, come on, if you had been caught, head down in the box... this is your interpretation but i'm saying i was willing to take the risk. but he's still predictably bitter about nissan, the company he rescued and which he says conspired to have him arrested. i asked him about nissan's british operation in sunderland. it's suggested that there was a sweetener offered to nissan by the british government in order to persuade you to stay there and not move out, because of brexit. is that true?

i don't think there was a specific amount of money which was on the table. but the british government said to you, we'll make it ok for you to stay? sure. so, that's a sweetener, isn't it? yeah, but this is a promise. how precarious is the future of the sunderland plant as britain gets closer to brexit? so, if nissan loses competitiveness in europe, well, then the future of sunderland is bleak. carlos ghosn won't retire. he doesn't yet know what he'll do, but whatever it is, he won't be able to leave lebanon. are you a happy man now? not sure i'm a happy man, but i'm a happier man than what i was one year ago. john simpson, bbc news, beirut. on saturday, taiwan's voters go to the polls for a hotly contested election in which the self—governing island's relations with china have become a major issue. from taiwan, here's our

correspondentjohn sudworth. in her board for re—election, taiwan's president was one struggling. not any more. her fortu nes struggling. not any more. her fortunes have been given a boost on the back of one message stopping the fear of china. is taiwan's democracy really under threat or a you fair mongering for political gain? no, there is absolutely no political gain has. it is a real threat. china is here everywhere, and its influence is here as well. and why has it been so central to this

campaign? because of the lesson we have learned from hong kong. what is that lesson? if we don't insist, we will be losing everything we have now stop right china's thread to annex self—governing taiwan is nothing new. but there can be little doubt that hong kong, offering a vision of what that future might look like, is having a big effect in president tsai ing—wen's favour. her opponent, once the frontrunner, is seen as opponent, once the frontrunner, is seen as much opponent, once the frontrunner, is seen as much more pro— opponent, once the frontrunner, is seen as much more pro— china, a man keen to stay on good terms with taiwan's biggest trading partner. taiwan's biggest trading partner. taiwan's vibra nt democracy taiwan's biggest trading partner. taiwan's vibrant democracy is facing a fundamental question. is it better to stand up to china, or as these people believe, is it best to tread softly, for fear of provoking the prickly giant next door? after the

rally, he can't stop? later, too many people now! time is running out to persuade voters that it's the economy, not china, that should be their main concern. you have been watching newsday. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. we will have more on taiwan's election this weekend and the impact it might have on its trading ties with china and the us. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. these cute baby bats that you see have lost their mums in the australian bushfires. now they're recovering in these handcrafted wraps and pouches made by volunteers thousands

of kilometres away. these are also known as flying foxes, or, fruit bat. that's all for now, stay with bbc world news. hello there. it looks dry, with sunshine across much of the country on friday. we have seen some heavier rain for central and eastern england earlier on, but that's continuing to push away, together with that weather front. before this one arrives in from the atlantic, that ridge of high pressure means skies are clearing. it will be chilly start to friday, noticeably colder than we've seen for a while across much of england and wales, with a frost more likely further north. but some sunshine to start the day. one or two early showers in western parts of wales, into western scotland, maybe into east anglia, but those won't last long, and we'll see plenty of sunshine. it will tend to cloud over more in the north—west as the winds pick up through the day, that rain holding off until hopefully after dark. ahead of that 6—9 degrees — cooler than of late in southern

england and wales — but a pleasant day in the sunshine. as we head into the night, we see that weather front making further inroads into scotland and northern ireland, bringing with it some outbreaks of rain. at the same time, the winds will pick up in many areas and we will draw our air all the way from the azores again, so turning milder, i think, for the start of the weekend. windy, strong to maybe gale force winds. still rain in scotland, northern ireland, maybe cumbria. wettest over the hills, drier to the east of high ground. eastern parts of england seeing the best of the sunshine here. strong and gusty winds quite widely, perhaps easing off in the north—west later on as the rain starts to clear and temperatures drop away. ahead of that, we're looking at 11—13 degrees. very mild once again. now, that weather front will eventually take that rain across the whole of the country on saturday night, and then we'll introduce this showery airstream coming in from the atlantic, and that will bring in with it some cooler air as well.

not too cold to start the second half of the weekend because there'll be a fair bit of around. we've still got temperatures perhaps in double figures across the south—east. colder air in scotland certainly. we've still rain to clear from south—eastern england first thing on sunday, and then a fair bit of and showers coming in, even pushing eastwards across england and wales. that's the morning. in the afternoon, most of those have gone. the showers restricted more towards the north—west of scotland, where it is quite a bit colder. temperatures 5—6 again and potentially double figures in the south—east in the sunshine. as we head into next week, well, we've still got a strong jetstream pushing right away across the atlantic, picking up these areas of low pressure. you can see a lot of isobars on the chart as well. it is going to windy still into next week, which means it's likely to be mild, although there will be rain at times.

why i'm lewis vaughan jones

with bbc world news. our top story: canada's prime minister, justin trudeau, has said that there's evidence from multiple sources that the ukrainian airliner which crashed near tehran on wednesday was shot down by an iranian missile. earlier iran dismissed claims of a missile as scientifically impossible. all 176 people on board were killed. australia is bracing itself for another day of bushfires with high temperatures and strong winds predicted. prime minister scott morrison warned friday would be "a difficult day in the eastern states". and this story is trending on bbc.com. officials for this year's tokyo olympic and paralympic games have revealed the beds that the athletes will be sleeping on. the frames are made entirely from cardboard, which, along with the mattresses, will be recycled after the tournaments are finished. that's all.