welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: i speaker has not been elected. a speaker has not been elected. the longest race in more than 150 years — kevin mccarthy repeatedly loses the vote to be elected speaker of the house. china rejects criticism it's been under—reporting the number of covid—deaths — it's set to reopen to the world this weekend. as pandemic rules are eased for travellers between china and hong kong, there's increasing concerns covid could spread over the lunar new year. the battle to protect filippino forests devastated by illegal logging and mining. and prince harry reveals his brother william physically attacked him in his

new memoir out next week. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. paralysis continues in the us congress — the republican leader in the us house of representatives, kevin mccarthy, appears to have failed in his 11th bid to get elected speaker, extending the government deadlock into a third day. the house is now voting on whether to adjourn the session. you are looking at live pictures right now in the scenes inside the room where a small group of right—wingers in kevin mccarthy's own party is

trying to derail proceedings. the republicans took control of the house in november's mid elections. but the deadlock has left the chamber unable to swear in members or pass legislation. gary o'donoghue reports. the total number of votes cast is 434. it hasn't taken this long to elect a speaker in more than 160 years, and that was before the american civil war. now, into a third day, the deadlock remains. the republican leader still unable to get enough votes within his own party but nor can anyone else. we are just going to keep working until we solve it. or maybe not. a speaker has not been elected. and while there is no speaker, the house can't do a thing — no committees, no legislation, no rules. a chamber utterly paralysed and locked into a seemingly endless loop. well, it's groundhog day.

democrats who have voted for their leader solidly on every ballot have been quietly enjoying the spectacle. some rebels are even voting for people who aren't members of the house. donald john trump. for two nights, negotiations have gone long with little outcome. the 20 or so rebels have extracted multiple concessions during this process. every one of them weakening the position for whoever ends up as speaker. that means this wafer—thin republican majority in the house will be hard to manage and the internal strife is set to continue for the next two years. eventually, pressure will go for some kind of compromise candidate among republicans, but no one has any idea how long that could take. gary o'donoghue, bbc news, washington. so now that he's lost 11 votes over three days, plenty of people asking what happens now — a question for our north america correspondent

peter bowes who has been watching throughout the week at events in congress. we don't know when this is going to end. kevin mccarthy could decide enough is enough. there is absolutely no sign at all that he is going to do that. in fact, all the signs are that there's lots of behind—the—scenes manoeuvring going on, deals are being done or at least attempted, to try to resolve this, to try to find someone that the republicans can rally around. peter, as you point out, there's been a lot of dealmaking, lots of concessions as we understand it, but still no deal. what else does kevin mccarthy need to do to convince the people that are not voting for him to do so? that is the question that a lot of people are asking because it seems the concessions that he has offered so far are quite significant, in terms of one move to make it much easier to get rid of a future speaker, in terms of the rules of the house. they have been talking about

key roles on the committees. the speaker is a very powerful person, a very powerful position, but there is a limit to what he can offer, so, the issue that has left many people scratching their heads in terms of how far he can go to offer sweeterners to this group of 20 to get them to change their minds. it really is quite a mystery at the moment. quite a mystery and just briefly, talk us through how the american public are viewing all of this? i think the american public are bemused by this. i think also, if you ask people on the streets out and about, it is not their number one concern right now. this is very much a washington inside beltway drama that is playing out. ordinary americans have plenty of other things to worry about — the cost of living crisis and i'm talking to you from california at the moment where there's a huge storm passing across the state, torrential rain. i think that is occupying

the minds of people here. peter bowes. i will take you back to washington to take a look at our the scenes in that chamber are unfolding. it looks likely that the decision to adjourn will go ahead. when we can listen into what is being said we will do that for you but this has been a real reflection of the division in us politics, notjust between the two main parties but also in the republican party itself because of the infighting that. some of the analysis we have been reporting has been saying that. let's jump in reporting has been saying that. let'sjump in and listen reporting has been saying that. let's jump in and listen to what is being said. let'sjump in and listen to what is being said.- let'sjump in and listen to what is being said. does any member elect _ what is being said. does any member elect wish - what is being said. does any member elect wish to - what is being said. does any| member elect wish to change what is being said. does any - member elect wish to change his vote or her vote? on this boat,

the yeas are 219, the maze 213, the yeas are 219, the maze 213, the motion is adopted. accordingly the house stands adjourned until noon tomorrow. it feels like groundhog day again, doesn't it? the house has been adjourned until noon tomorrow. this means there is a little bit of respite, a break before proceedings gets under way again. as we were listening to peter bowes a short while ago, a lot of what happens behind the scenes continued to take place, i imagine that the lobbying, the dealmaking. so far it has not helped kevin mccarthy i have to say but, who knows, it could be lucky that next time. we will bring you updates when we get it. let's leave the political drama in washington for now. let's take a look at some other stories

in the headlines: violence has spread across the mexican state of sinaloa, following the arrest of one of the leaders of an infamous criminal gang. ovidio guzman is the son ofjoaquin �*el chapo' guzman, who's currently serving a life sentence in a usjail. mexico's defence secretary said he was captured after a six—month surveillance operation buffalo bills safety damar hamlin has shown remarkable improvement and is awake and communicating, three days after suffering cardiac arrest during an nfl game. hamlin remains in critical condition on a ventilator and is unable to speak, but he has been able to communicate in writing. a new study says around half of the world's glaciers are likely to disappear by the end of the century because of climate change. it estimates that 49% will vanish even if global temperature rise

is limited to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre—industrial levels — the most ambitious goal of the paris agreement. to china now, which is set to reopen to the world on sunday, for the first time since 2020. international travellers and returning residents can now travel to the country without needing to quarantine. the move comes as china battles a surge in infections since beijing lifted covid restrictions domestically. the world health organization has accused beijing of under—reporting the number of covid—deaths. china's foreign ministry has responded that china had transparently and quickly shared covid data and that china's "epidemic situation is controllable". translation: facts have proved that china has always _ maintained close communications with the world health organization and shared the relevant information and data in a timely manner in accordance with the principles of law, timeliness, openness and transparency. the current pandemic situation in china is manageable. with adjustments to china's pandemic prevention and control policy, we will continue to hold

to technical and other exchanges with who. well, as part of sunday's opening up tens of thousands of people will be able to travel between hong kong and china — it's a major easing of pandemic rules that kept the border mostly sealed for almost three years. the measures kept families separated, cut off tourism and severed most business travel. translation: the first stage of the border opening - arrangements will commence onjanuary the eighth, this sunday. the quota for cross—border travel between hong kong and mainland china will be 60,000 people one way, meaning a maximum of 60,000 hong kong people daily will be allowed to travel north by sea, land and air, and across the border by a different checkpoint to enter mainland china law. that wasjohn that was john lee, that wasjohn lee, hong kong leader, talking about restrictions being lifted.

still to come on the programme... using technology to transform student's lives. 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. . around the world people have been paying tribute to the iconic rock star, david bowie, who sold 140 million albums in a career that spanned half a century. his family announced overnight that he died of cancer

at the age of 69. 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 karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines: still losing the lower chamber — kevin mccarthy fails in the 11th ballot to be elected speaker of the house. there's growing concerns about covid being spread by travellers between china and hong kong over the lunar new year. to the british royal family now and if you thought prince harry had run out of revelations after that tv documentary, think again. his new book — which was supposed to be out next week — has been leaked. it contains a series of sensational claims and deeply personal

stories about his family, including an account of how his brother prince william allegedly physically attacked harry back in 2019. here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. it's already been on sale in spain. the spanish—language of spare, entitled in the shadow. the contents of harry's closely guarded memoir have leapt five days ahead of publication. at the same time, here is his defence of the book in his upcoming interview with itv. i don't know how staying silent is ever going to make things better. the book's contents will be uncomfortable for the royal family, and particularly for william. the depth of the rift between the brothers, willy and harold, as they apparently know each other, is laid bare. according to harry's account, one of the lowest moments occurred in 2019 at kensington palace. the brothers evidently

confronted each other over harry's wife, meghan. william is said to have called her difficult, rude and aggressive. according to the book, he, william... later, william returned and apologied. in a trailer for the american abc network, harry talks about his relationship with william. the quote in this book where you refer to your brother as your beloved brother and arch nemesis. strong words. what did you mean by that? there has always been this competition between us, weirdly. i think it really plays into or is played by the heir/spare. returning to the book, there is a widely reported account of what both brothers thought of their father's wish to marry camilla parker—bowles.

according to the book... private moments with his father are also disclosed. the book says that after the duke of edinburgh's funeral in 2021, charles said to william and harry, "please, boys, don't make my final years a misery." harry, it appears, has no regrets about sharing private family moments. he is challenged in the itv interview by tom bradby. wouldn't your brother say to you, how could you do could you do this to me, after everything we went through? wouldn't that be what he would say? he would probably say all sorts of different things. some people will say you have railed against invasions of your privacy all your life but the accusation would be, here are you, invading the privacy of your nearest and dearest without permission. that will be the accusation. that will be the accusation from the people that don't understand or don't want to believe that my family

have been briefing the press. many other details in the book are being reported across the media, including the assertion that he killed 25 taliban fighters during his army service in afghanistan, that he took the drug cocaine when he was 17, and there are details of his grief over the death of his mother, diana, and how he later drove repeatedly through the underpass in paris where the motor accident occurred to try to understand it. so, what now of harry's future? if you are invited to the coronation, would you come? there's a lot that can happen between now and then but, you know, the door is always open, the ball is in their court. there's a lot to be discussed and i really hope they are willing to sit down and talk about it. for now, there is no comment from either buckingham palace or kensington palace. the philippines is ranked as one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts

of climate change, and is regularly hit by powerful storms, landslides and flooding. on the nation's largest island, luzon, one of its natural defences against extreme weather is at risk. the sierra madre mountain range was originally covered in rainforest, helping to absorb the heavy rains from typhoons that form in the pacific. but mining, quarrying and illegal logging have devastated much of the forest. our correspondent, laura bicker, has sent us this report, on those fighting to protect the remaining forest, and those, who want to exploit it. many believe these mist—covered mountains help save lives. that the uneven peaks offer protection from powerful storms. but the vast sierra madre is in peril. mining, quarrying and illegal logging have already stripped away around 90% of the original rainforest. now, among those living under

the remaining canopies, there is conflict. between those desperate to make a living and those desperate to preserve life. mark sold his cow for this chainsaw nearly a decade ago. he and his wife grace hide from the authorities as they make money from selling wood for houses and construction projects. he knows it's dangerous but he says they will catch him when he's dead. translation: my message | for people is not to get angry at us because we do not actually want this. we can only get our money for basic necessities from here. they can afford to be mad because they have other sources of livelihood, but for us, we have none. they chop and dry the wood and transport it in the dark via the river.

a big order can take up to a month, but will earn them around $300. translation: they said illegal logging is destroying nature. i god gave all this to us so we can use it. others have turned their back on illegal logging. forest ranger francisco leads us and his volunteers through dense woodland to show off his latest planting site. he once made a living chopping down these trees, until a deadly landslide killed thousands. did you feel an element of guilt, is that why you became a forest ranger? translation: yes, i had trauma back . then because i saw lifeless children all lined up on the streets while the houses were all destroyed.

there weren't any houses left, even ours was gone. when i remember the things we did, i feel helpless. but this job comes with risks. 270 people have been killed in the last ten years defending filipino rainforests. once we called out someone to stop cutting trees, they told us that they might kill us. i told them that we weren't there to pick a fight and werejust explaining what will happen to all of us if they continue what they do. you won't be the only one affected, it's all of us. this is why francisco and others want to save the sierra madre. strong typhoons and floods are becoming more frequent in the philippines. experts believe these mountains shield against the strongest winds and their dense rainforests absorb the worst of the rainfall.

replanting is a long and difficult process. volunteers walk miles with saplings. but the bigger challenge will be persuading others that this land is a precious resource in the battle against climate change. and that growing new life now may save human lives in the future. people have gathered gathered to say farewell to pope benedict xvi.— to say farewell to pope benedict xvi. .., ., ., , benedict xvi. the cotton was carried by — benedict xvi. the cotton was carried by 12 _ benedict xvi. the cotton was carried by 12 pallbearers - benedict xvi. the cotton was carried by 12 pallbearers into | carried by 12 pallbearers into saint peter's basilica with crowds applauding along the way. a college in south—east england that teaches adults

with special educational needs, has been classified as a �*centre of excellence' by a global tech giant. microsoft has awarded the college, so—called showcase status for the way it uses technology to transform the lives of its students. 20 per cent of those who attend go into paid work, compared with just five percent across the country. peter whittlesea has been to this unique establishment. do you know what this is? no. let's find out. the phone and skype as my pocket is a powerful computer. she has additional needs but with a little help she is learning how to use everyday apps that can help to read. today they are practising on a menu. this site is great. where you're going to go first tried out? the is great. where you're going to go first tried out?— go first tried out? the weather soons.

go first tried out? the weather spoons- and — go first tried out? the weather spoons. and what _ go first tried out? the weather spoons. and what will - go first tried out? the weather spoons. and what will you - go first tried out? the weather spoons. and what will you be l spoons. and what will you be able to do — spoons. and what will you be able to do now _ spoons. and what will you be able to do now with - spoons. and what will you be able to do now with that - spoons. and what will you be able to do now with that at l able to do now with that at weather spoons? to able to do now with that at weather spoons?— able to do now with that at weather spoons? to read the menu and — weather spoons? to read the menu and see _ weather spoons? to read the menu and see what - weather spoons? to read the menu and see what i - weather spoons? to read the menu and see what i want i weather spoons? to read the menu and see what i want to| menu and see what i want to eat. ., ., , eat. next one down it is. the work carried _ eat. next one down it is. the work carried out _ eat. next one down it is. the work carried out at _ eat. next one down it is. the work carried out at oaks - work carried out at oaks specialist college in tonbridge has impressed microsoft so much it's given the college showcase status for the way it embraces technology to change lives. they think so differently and so inevitably about how they can empower their students in the use of technology out in the use of technology out in the world for day—to—day living activities. using these tools to be able to help give dignity back to the students to navigate their world and do that in a traditional sense. hello, sally. at oaks, they very much embrace the world of work. the college has a fully functioning supermarket to train students. they believe

the award and backing of microsoft will give companies the confidence to employ their students. 50 the confidence to employ their students. , ,., ., students. so we utilise some of the a- -s students. so we utilise some of the apps that — students. so we utilise some of the apps that microsoft - students. so we utilise some of the apps that microsoft have, i the apps that microsoft have, for example, such as lens, and whereby a lot of people might use that as a pocket scanner for a pdf, we work with our young people to use the immersive readerfunction. they immersive reader function. they can immersive readerfunction. they can read a bus stop or atjob placement, it may be that they read signs to be able to direct themselves to the relevant place. themselves to the relevant lace. �* . themselves to the relevant lace, �* ., ., place. and thanks to the training. _ place. and thanks to the training, jake _ place. and thanks to the training, jake is - place. and thanks to the training, jake is about i place. and thanks to the j training, jake is about to start work as a hospital porter. i start work as a hospital orter. . . , start work as a hospital orter. . ., , ., , porter. i am really, really excited. _ porter. i am really, really excited, just _ porter. i am really, really excited, just to _ porter. i am really, really excited, just to know - porter. i am really, really - excited, just to know different people, and learn of them and help them out.— people, and learn of them and help them out. alexa, read the instructions. _ help them out. alexa, read the instructions. in _ help them out. alexa, read the instructions. in the _ help them out. alexa, read the instructions. in the next - instructions. in the next project is using smart speakers linked to smart appliances to help students live independently stop. now a bit of news

from a fish market injapan. a single bluefin tuna weighing more than 450 pounds was sold for $272,000 in the annual new year tuna auction atjapan�*s biggest fish market. that's more than double the price of the most expensive fish sold last year. just before we go, a little more covid—related news out of hong kong — this time, some good news for pet owners. a year after more than 2,000 hamsters were culled, the ban on importing them will end later this month. the authorities took action after a cluster of covid—19 cases were traced to a pet shop in the financial hub at the start of 2022. but following a risk assessment — there's been a reprieve! that's all we have time for, thank you forjoining me, stay with bbc news and i will see you next week.

hello there. the weather's going to calm down a bit on friday, but we've got more wet and windy weather to come this weekend. another area of low pressure, weather fronts to eventually push in from the west. this weather front has brought some heavy rain and gusty winds. that area of low pressure is where we've got the strongest of the winds in scotland. and we've also got a lot of showers coming into scotland. that band of rain sweeping away from england and wales will be followed by clear skies and temperatures early in the morning, 6—7 degrees. lots of showers, though, to begin with in scotland, very windy start, but the winds do moderate. the showers become fewer and we'll see some sunshine. other parts of the uk seeing some sunshine, especially in the morning, but tending to cloud over a bit more in western areas in the afternoon. a little bit of rain coming into the south—west of england and south wales as well. a breezy day, a mild day, temperatures 9—12 degrees

on friday afternoon. but there is this band of rain here coming into western areas during the evening. itjust gets wetter and maybe windier again during the evening. and that band of rain pushes its way eastwards overnight. strong southerly winds are likely. it's going to be a very mild night, of course, with that cloud and rain. temperatures in southern parts of the uk, perhaps no lower than 11 degrees. but we start the weekend with some rain. it's going to be a very unsettled weekend. quite windy as well. blustery winds to come, bringing some rain or some showers as well. and we've got that rain to start with, then, across much of scotland, england and wales. it's going to shuffle its way eastwards, it's going to hang around into the morning, perhaps into the afternoon across east anglia and the south—east. following that, the winds pick up again around these western coasts. we're going to find lots of showers feeding in. some of those will be heavy. some sunshine in between the showers and temperatures still on the mild side, 8—11 degrees. second half of the weekend, we're dominated, really, by this low pressure. it's going to hang around for a while. it's approaching the north—west of scotland.

it will be very windy here saturday night into sunday morning, and around that area of low pressure, we've got these strong and blustery winds. that's going to feed in some sunshine, but we're also going to find quite a few showers. some of those could be heavy and thundery and it's just about cold enough for a little bit of snow over the tops of the mountains in scotland. temperatures will be a shade lower on sunday, around 7—9 celsius.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. can you just leave me fora moment, please? i will get what i can, but there's a huge change in the running order here. stand by, vt 20. stand by, tx. a, b, cand d, in that order, from five seconds. ten, nine, eight, seven, six... run vt 20. ..five, four, three, two... this is bbc one. ..one, zero. this is bbc news at 100. for a century, we have been bringing you the biggest news stories from here and around the world as ourjournalists witness some of the most historic moments.