welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... suspending all tournaments in china — the women's tennis association says it has "serious doubts" that a chinese tennis star is "free, safe and not subject to intimidation". we know she's in beijing, which is terrific, but we also still are very strong in our position that a full and independent investigation without any censorship needs to be held. the us reports the first case of the new coronavirus variant as it prepares to bring in new rules for international visitors. hollywood actor alec baldwin insists he did not pull the trigger in the fatal

shooting on set of his colleague and cinematographer, halyna hutchins. and, amid tensions with china over taiwan — the us carl vinson finishes its biggest ever annual drills in the region. our correspondent�*s on board. the f35—c is the us navy's newest, most advanced and of course most expensive fighter aircraft. this is its first deployment outside the us, and there is no surprise it has been sent here to the western pacific. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. the women's tennis association has announced the immediate suspension of all tournaments in china.

it said it had taken the decision because the chinese authorities had failed to address sexual assault allegations made by the doubles star peng shuai against a former vice premier of the country. with the latest, here's courtney bembridge. it's been a month since peng shuai posted on social media accusing a top chinese official of sexual assault. the post was quickly taken down and she disappeared from public view. photos and videos like this released by chinese state media were supposed to show her safe and free, but did little to allay concerns for her safety. and now, the women's tennis association has pulled the plug on lucrative tournaments in china. its chief, steve simon, says... and he added... china is a key market

for women's tennis, and the decision could cost the wta hundreds of millions of dollars in broadcasting and sponsorship. but the tennis community has come out in support of the decision. american former number one billiejean king tweeted... it's a crucial time for sport in china, with beijing set to host the 2022 winter olympics and paralympics in february and march. and it's clear these questions about peng shuai aren't going away. courtney bembridge, bbc news. the bbc�*s tennis correspondent, russell fuller, joined mejust moments after he'd interviewed the wta chairman about the decision. yes, it's something that he

feels very, very strongly about, steve simon. he feels the women's tennis association was founded on equality 48 years ago, and that this is a principle on which he is not prepared to negotiate. he is i think reassured that peng shuai seems to be safe and well, but having taken the decision to suspend tournaments, it wouldn't be fair to put players and staff potentially at risk by asking them to travel to china in the current circumstances. i asked china in the current circumstances. iasked him china in the current circumstances. i asked him to outline why he feels that he needs to push this so strongly, why he can't leave these sexual assault allegations to the chinese justice system. we're definitely still _ chinese justice system. we're definitely still looking - chinese justice system. we're definitely still looking to - definitely still looking to have _ definitely still looking to have our direct contact with peng, — have our direct contact with peng, and obviously, others have — peng, and obviously, others have had _ peng, and obviously, others have had contact with her and we are — have had contact with her and we are very happy she appears to be _ we are very happy she appears to be fine _ we are very happy she appears to be fine and not in harm's way— to be fine and not in harm's way anyway. we know she's in

beijing. — way anyway. we know she's in beijing, which is terrific, but we also _ beijing, which is terrific, but we also still are very strong in our— we also still are very strong in our position that a full and independent investigation without any censorship needs to be held~ — without any censorship needs to be held. . ,. ., .., , be held. fascinating comments there from _ be held. fascinating comments there from him _ be held. fascinating comments there from him indeed, - be held. fascinating comments there from him indeed, but - be held. fascinating comments there from him indeed, but the repercussions of this for the wta are potentially profound, aren't they, russell? hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in the chinese market. i5 of millions of dollars at stake in the chinese market. is a vast amount _ in the chinese market. is a vast amount of— in the chinese market. is a vast amount of money - in the chinese market. i3 —. vast amount of money for players. there a tournament at the end of the year. it hasn't been able to go for the pandemic. but there is $14 million in prize money for being the best eight players of the year. and there are other tournaments as well that put a lot of money and players' pockets, but also finance that costs... but see if simon does feel that the money doesn't

really matter here —— steve simon. he admits it could be very damaging, but he says he thinks about it morning, noon and night. this is something he is not prepared to compromise on. he talked about having a tween approach next season. there will be an attempt to try and play china if the chinese authorities do the right thing —— twin approach. if that's on possible, he'll be working on an alternative to get other cities around the world to step in. , , , , , in. russell, 'ust briefly, i know in _ in. russell, just briefly, i know it's impossible - in. russell, just briefly, i know it's impossible to l know it's impossible to speculate what the chinese might do, but what would the reaction likely be from beijing?— reaction likely be from bei'inu? ~ , , ., beijing? well, this is not something _ beijing? well, this is not something that - beijing? well, this is not something that the - beijing? well, this is not i something that the chinese government are used too. there are many sporting organisations that have been in china and in other parts of the world, and as it steve simon himself said, you can't always take the judgment as to whether a

country is being run in the way you would like it to be run. business does count for a lot. these organisations need money to exist, but it's on this particular case that people are so strong about. there's no way you can compromise. we now wait and see whether the chinese authorities will agree to this demand. serious sexual assault allegations that peng shuai has made against a former chinese estate premier, so at the moment, it doesn't seem how the two sides can come together. russell fuller there. and you can get much more on this story on our website, including an in—depth look at the background to this — a piece looking at how it all started with peng shuai's allegations on chinese social media, and how those allegations subsequently disappeared — leading to speculation that she had indeed been censored by chinese authorities. all that and more on the site — bbc.com/news —

or download the bbc news app. meanwhile, in other news, the first us case of the omicron covid variant has been reported in california. speaking at the white house, president biden�*s chief medical adviser, dr anthony fauci, laid out what we know about the individual. the individual was a traveller who returned from south africa on november the 22nd and tested positive on november the 29th. the individual is itself quarantining and all close the individual is self quarantining and all close contacts have been contacted and thus far have tested negative. the individual was fully vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms which are improving at this point. the first reported case in america comes as us authorities are planning to toughen the coronavirus testing requirements for international air travellers to try and curb the spread of the omicron variant.

the new measures could require incoming passengers to provide a negative result from a test taken within 24 hours of departure. right now, air travellers have to show a negative test result taken within three days of boarding the plane. president biden is due to give more details in a speech on thursday. the us actor alec baldwin has given his first interview since a gun he was holding on set went off, killing cinematographer halyna hutchins, back in october. in the interview with abc news, he was emotional as he recalled the 42—year—old as someone who was �*loved by everyone'. he also said this. i didn't pull the trigger. so, you never pulled the trigger? - no, i would never point a gun and pull the trigger at anyone. what did you think happened? i have no idea. _

someone put a live bullet in the gun that wasn't supposed to be on the property. our north america correspondent, david willis, is in los angeles. here's his assessment of how the interview will be received. i remember bringing you the initial reports of this incident in the desert in new mexico, just under six weeks ago. at the time, it seemed a tragic but ultimately quite straightforward incident. i've got with me here at the initial report from the santa fe new mexico police department, and it refers to a shooting on the site of the film rust after a pf°p site of the film rust after a prop firearm was discharged by alec baldwin. now, overthe course of the last few weeks, it seemed that this is anything but a straightforward incident. there are reports of multiple rounds of live ammunition on the set, which is contrary to the set, which is contrary to the industry protocol. there

were reports of members of the film crew walking offset and protesting the safety standards the day before halyna hutchins lost her life. even reports of potential sabotage raised by solicitors for the armourer on this film set. now, alec baldwin's come forward to say he didn't pull the trigger, which raises the question, if he didn't, who did? was this an accident? how did this happen? and it seems from what we've been fed so far by the abc network that alec baldwin doesn't go very far in answering that particular question. but this interview with him doesn't seem to raise more questions than it answers. david, the police are still investigating this incident. have we heard any further details about it?— have we heard any further details about it? they launched a massive _ details about it? they launched a massive investigation. - details about it? they launched a massive investigation. you'rej a massive investigation. you're absolutely right. they've

confiscated hundreds of rounds of ammunition �*s, some of it live rounds. they conducted interviews in several cases multiple interviews with members of the cast and crew, which numbers about 100 in total. they interviewed alec baldwin several times as well. he was both the producer and the star actor on this film. but so far, there are no charges that have been made against anybody in connection with it. alec baldwin's interview today just raises more and more questions. santa fe new mexico police department say they have no comment to make on these latest remarks by alec baldwin, but as previously said, they are keeping an open mind as to charges as far as everybody is concerned on the set. david willis speaking to me there. if you want to get in touch with me on any of the stories so far, what david had to say

in that interview, for instance, i'm on twitter at @bbckarishma. i'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... and the winner is a traditional irish pub. the belfast based array collective wins the turner prize with an art installation depicting issues affecting northern ireland. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. we feel so helpless. the children are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult suspected of killing sharon tate and at least six other people in los angeles.

at 11 o'clock this morning, just half a metre of- rock separated britain i from continental europe. it took the drills just i a few moments to cut through the final obstacle, - then philippe cossette, a miner from calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags _ with his opposite . number from dover. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... the women's tennis association has suspended all tournaments in china, saying it has serious doubts that chinese tennis star, peng shuai, is "free, safe and not subject to intimidation". the first case of the omicron variant has been reported in california. the chief medical advisor says

it was �*just a matter of time' before it was found in the united states. the us supreme court has begun hearing arguments in the most important case on abortion rights for half a century. the court is considering a law in the state of mississippi, which bans terminations after 15 weeks. a ruling isn't expected until next summer, but if the court — which is dominated byjustices with a conservative mindset — finds in mississippi's favour, its expected dozens of other states could ban or restrict abortions. our correspondent sophie long sent this report. singing. this is a regular scene outside the last remaining abortion clinic in the state of mississippi. it's murder, murdering children is wrong according to the law in the bible. the difficult decision women who come here have made, is judged very publicly. this is the front line

in a bitter battle that has gone on for decades. mississippi is trying to ban abortions after 15 weeks. if the supreme court rules in the state's favour, it will roll back the law that has been in place for nearly half a century, known as roe versus wade. it's people in the poorest communities that will feel the impact the most. pro—choice campaigners say that will threaten lives. we're going out in the community... the students are spreading the anti—abortion message. they want it banned without the exception of incest or rape, and lydia knows how that feels. i was in that situation. i was scared. i was thinking, you know what, even if i am, it is amazing - that there's possibly a baby inside of me. _ even with the law still intact,

many have been forced to travel thousands of miles from states like texas after abortion is banned from six weeks, to more liberal states to access the care they need. one 19—year—old has come across half the country from houston to seattle. she was assaulted, did a pregnancy test that was negative, but over the coming weeks, her body continued to change. i was scared. i don't want any memory of that day, any affection to that person. i could not get any help for the pain i was going through. ijust had to suffer in silence. when people are controlling women's fertility and pregnant's fertility under the guise they are trying to protect their health, they are controlling that person's basic human rights and dignity, and that is a form of human rights abuse. the supreme court's decision will likely not come until next summer.

over the coming months, many will pray and others will hope it goes their side's way. sophie long, bbc news, seattle. our correspondent barbara plett usher was at the supreme court as the case opened and says it looks like justices could find in favour of the state. if such a decision were taken, that would reject roe versus wade, in 24 weeks. with the bigger question is whether the court would go further and actually overturn roe versus wade itself, which guarantees the constitutional right to abortion and has been the law of the land for nearly 50 years. the chiefjusticejohn years. the chiefjustice john roberts years. the chiefjusticejohn roberts tried to keep things focused on the mississippi law, but other conservative justices indicated that they thought the issue really was roe v wade, although it's not clear at this point whether there would be in a majority to overturn it. for months, china has been probing taiwan's airspace — leading to speculation, it

could be preparing to attack, or even invade the island. all of this raising concerns amongst asian and american officials alike of increased instability in the region. the commander of the us seventh fleet has been talking to our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes during navy exercises with allies, on board the uss carl vinson. a pair of us stealth jets streaks past the aircraft carrier carl vinson in a mock attack formation. this is a show for tv cameras. it's also a message for america's adversaries. so, by my estimation, we're now somewhere about 500km off the coast ofjapan, somewhere near the island of iwojima, which of course was the island site of a very bloody battle between the americans and the japanese in the final months of world war ii. today, the us and japan sail together as allies, facing

the new challenge from china. and to do that, america has brought its very latest aircraft. the noise when the aircraft takes off is just incredible. it goes right through your body. the f35—c is the us navy's newest, most advanced and of course most expensive fighter aircraft. this is its first deployment outside the us and there's no surprise it has been sent here to the western pacific. for months, china has been sending dozens of military aircraft to probe the airspace around taiwan. in a shanghai shipyard, they're preparing to launch china's first super carrier and in the deserts of western china, they're building a full scale replicas of us aircraft carriers to practise sinking them. the response from the us commander here was that no—one should underestimate the resolve of the us navy and its allies. the motto of this ship means

strength from the sea. and the motto of the us under ronald reagan is peace through strength. and through strength, as we try to deter aggression from some of these nations that are showing a burgeoning strength, that maybe we haven't experienced in the past, it's about ensuring that everyone understands that today is not the day. many are predicting that china will soon overtake american naval power in asia and that taiwan will have to submit to that new reality. the message from the us navy is that it's still by far the best in the world at doing this. and any adversary is very cognisant of that fact. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, on the uss carl vinson. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines.

as tensions grow in asia, nato leaders are warning about russia's military build—up along its border with ukraine. speaking at a meeting of nato foreign ministers in latvia, us secretary of state antony blinken said america would respond if moscow takes military action. we don't know whether president putin has made the decision to invade. we do know that he's putting in place the capacity to do so on short order should he show desire. despite uncertainly and timing, we must prepare for all contingencies while working to see to it that russia reverses course. former president donald trump reportedly tested positive for covid—19 in the days before he faced off againstjoe biden in a televised debate last year. the guardian newspaper's obtained a copy of a book by mark meadows, who was white house chief of staff. it reports mr trump tested positive on september 26th of last year. the debate was on the 29th.

mr trump was hospitalised just days later. the european union says its new global investment plan will be a "true alternative" to china's belt and road initiative. the european commission has outlined plans to raise 300 billion euros up to 2027 via its global gateway strategy. beijing's initiative has invested billions of dollars in dozens of countries over the last eight years. the eu said it would offer a different model. an art installation depicting a traditional irish pub has been unveiled as the winner of this year's turner prize. the piece, by the belfast—based array collective, features photos, memorabilia and videos — some of them representing hidden political messages about sexuality and identity. our correspondent david sillito reports from the awards ceremony in coventry

in central england. the winner of the turner prize 2021... and it is... ..array collective. cheering. array collective, a group of artists and activists from northern ireland whose turn a prize—winning artwork is more than just a pub, it's a shebeen — a symbolic place of good—natured debate and sang tree from sectarian conflict. this is your shebeen, your pub, but it's more than that, it has a political overtone to it? we don't all agree on everything and the communities we are within and represented, don't agree on everything, but we still agree to have a laugh together. array collective origins lie in progressive and liberal campaigns, creating banners and costumes for street protests and rallies. in an attempt to bring art to a less combative mood to the street theatre

of northern ireland politics. we come at it from a point of view to come at it from a humorous point of view than an aggressive point of view. you can challenge the conversation to humour, rather than aggression. bringing a bit of civility to the debate? and the human connection. this is more thanjust a little drinking den, david sillito, bbc news, coventry. it's not quite time for us to call time yet. let's bring you some live pictures now from seoul, in south korea, where people have gathered for kimjang, the collective effort of making and sharing kimchi. a spicy, fermented cabbage, kimchi is a labour—intensive korean dish that is traditionally made in november or decemberfor eating during the winter months. it's delicious, i have to say.

the ritual of kimjang was designated a unesco intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2013. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. thanks for watching. hello. the cold air is back. thursday gets off to a chilly start with a widespread frost and temperatures won't crawl up too far for the day despite a lot of sunshine on offer. the cold air has come chasing down through these isobars all the way from close to the arctic circle, sweeping its way right the way south across the uk. overnight starting to plunge down into the continent through thursday. we are all in the arctic air and we will all feel it thanks to a cold northerly breeze. where we've seen some showers overnight, there will be a risk of ice to start us off on thursday. as i said, a widespread frost. further showers across eastern scotland, eastern counties of england through the day, a few as well across the west coast of wales, particularly i think, off pembrookshire, pushing down through devon

and cornwall, eastern scotland. perhaps clearing come the afternoon, but it's cold in the sunshine. highs ofjust 3—4 celsius. sunshine a bit milkier for northern ireland through the afternoon. that is because this weather system will be starting to work its way in. as it runs into the cold air, there could be some snow for a time, but it will tend to turn back to rain as the air coming in behind this band of rain is relatively mild. actually, temperatures at the end of friday night higher than those we'll see through thursday daytime. and on into friday daytime, and we will have some rain around for southern and eastern england to start the day. we'll get some brightness for scotland and northern ireland, there'll be a few showers on and off here. just some question to the south of the uk weather this rain could push in through friday afternoon. we'll certainly keep a lot of cloud generally across england and wales, but temperatures perhaps 11—12 celsius.

it's certainly milder than thursday. for the weekend, the chill returns. perhaps not quite as cold, as thursday but once again, we'll pick up a northwesterly breeze. for saturday, i think that's going to bring in some quite plentiful showers across northern ireland, heading into north wales down into the midlands. temperatures, six or seven celsius but it will feel cooler in the breeze. sunday is a very similar story, but i think we can erase some of the showers from our picture. still some for weston exposures of wales, and a northerly breeze, so really adding to the chillier feel.

this is bbc news. the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hours straight after this programme.