live from singapore, this is bbc news. vladimir putin threatens any country supplying long range missiles to ukraine as he flexes his muscles, launching a new intermediate—range ballistic missile at targets in ukraine. the international criminal court issues arrest warrants for israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his former defence minister yoav gallant, as well as a hamas leader, citing criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes. and after much controversy, former congressman matt gaetz withdraws as donald trumps nominee for us attorney general, forcing the president—elect to make a new pick.

welcome to newsday, i'm steve lai. vladimir putin made a direct warning to britain, the us and any other countries supplying ukraine with long—range missiles to fire at targets on russian soil. he said moscow had the right to use its weapons against the military installations of those countries. kyiv is believed to have already used us and uk long range missiles inside russia this week. speaking in an address to the nation, he also revealed russia had launched an experimental hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target in ukraine. our russia editor steve rosenberg from moscow. the kremlin leader has upped the stakes in an escalating conflict. in an address to the nation, his reaction to ukraine launching us and british long—range missiles at russia. translation: from this moment, as we have underlined many - times before, the regional conflict in ukraine, one provoked by the west, has taken on elements

of a global nature. in response, president putin said russia targeted ukraine with a new intermediate—range ballistic missile. then, this warning to countries supplying kyiv with weapons. translation: we have the right to use our weapons against - military facilities of countries that allow their weapons to be used against our sites, and if there is an escalation of aggressive actions, we will respond just as decisively and symmetrically. i recommend ruling elites of countries hatching plans to use their military forces against russia to think seriously about this. for months, vladimir putin had been warning the west, "you allow ukraine to use your long—range missiles to attack "russia, and we will view that as nato countries entering "a direct confrontation with moscow."

but this national address is the starkest sign so far from mr putin that he is ready to hit back. the uk—made storm shadow has a maximum range of around 150 miles. moscow says ukraine fired missiles like these into russia's kursk region and accuses britain and america of escalating the war. the escalation at every turn, at every step, is coming from russia. they are the ones who are escalating this. they are the ones who started this war. it's because of their aggression into a sovereign territory, ukraine, and this war can end today. you hear us say this over and over again. it can, if russia would stop the war and stop what they are doing with their aggression. but little prospect of a kremlin u—turn. vladimir putin has delivered his warning. now he will wait to see if the west believes him. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. mark cancian, a senior adviser at the center for strategic

and international studies, assesses how seriously the west and the us will take putin's threats. i think they will take the threat seriously in the sense that there is a redline there, but i do not think they will stop providing the kind of weapons they have provided up until now. i think they may put restrictions on these weapons, for example, not causing a lot of civilian casualties, not attacking nuclear facilities or nuclear power plants, the kind of thing that would cause catastrophic damage in russia, and that is part of a doctrine that these conventional attacks must cause massive destruction. there will be a limit, but i do not think the us will change its current policy. do you think we will see an escalation? i do not think so. i think that ukraine

will continue to use these weapons as it has, that is relatively small numbers and specific military targets. and that the united states will continue to provide aid that it has pledged — the united states is also trying to get aid out the door before the trump administration, and that has the appearance of an escalation but that is mostly driven by us domestic policy. speaking of trump coming to the white house injanuary, how do you think things will change once he is in control of the white house? clearly there will be some changes, perhaps major changes. important to keep in mind, though, that support for aid to ukraine is still very bipartisan in the us, if there were a bill sent to congress to provide additional aid, it would pass, although many republicans have

become sceptical and there are still many republicans supporting ukraine, and all the democrats would vote for it. the big change we will probably see right off the bat is in the negotiations, trump has pledged to personally negotiate an end to the war, and i think that will happen very quickly. how do you think putin will approach the trump administration? i think there will be, frankly, some personal diplomacy. trump likes that, it goes back to his beginnings as a real estate developer in new york, trump has said that he will meet with volodymyr zelensky and vladimir putin to conduct these negotiations, so i think you will see reaching out on both sides, may trying to put pressure on both sides. the international criminal court issued arrest warrants on thursday for the israeli

prime minister, his former defence minister, and a hamas military leader over alleged war crimes. the icc says there were reasonable grounds to believe that benjamin netanyahu and yoav gallant were responsible for war crimes of starvation, crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts in the war between israel and hamas. mr netanyahu accused the icc of anti—semitism, saying his country wouldn't be deterred from its war aims. us presidentjoe biden called it "outrageous". a separate warrant was issued for a hamas military commander, mohammed deif. mr deif was a key architect of the october 7 attacks, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted. israel says it killed deif earlier this year, though the court said it's not in a position to determine that. our middle east correspondent lucy williamson reports. the war that broke gaza, triggered by the crimes of hamas, has left israel's leaders facing criminal charges themselves. prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his former

defence minister, yoav gallant, called to trial by the international criminal court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution and starvation as a method of war. a third arrest warrant was issued for hamas military chief mohammed deif, who israel says it killed earlier this year. mr netanyahu's office called it an "anti—semitic decision", saying: several countries, including the netherlands and ireland, have said they will carry out the arrest warrants — no such commitment from the prime minister's spokesman, who said the uk remains focused on an immediate ceasefire in gaza. it is a nightmare for israel, but i said we are in uncharted territory because israel and benjamin netanyahu are not

like anyone else. we are dealing with a very powerful country that has, as its closest ally, the most powerful country in the world, the united states of america. the court said there was no clear militaryjustification for israel impeding humanitarian aid to gaza and the restrictions on medicine had meant children enduring amputations without anaesthetic. little hope in gaza that today's ruling would change much. translation: netanyahu will not stop, neither the court _ or the whole world cannot stop him. the genocide will continue and we have no voice. translation: this is all talk, but it will not change - anything. listen, i am 54 years old and i have seen the world. they neverjudge the israeli military, not even the international criminal court. translation: you should

have made this decision i a long time ago. do you see how much . the people are suffering, the hunger, the bombardment? more than 70 people were killed today in israeli strikes across gaza. one woman lost all three of her children. benjamin netanyahu presenting himself as israel's protector. now risks becoming a pariah abroad. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. 0ur correspondent anna holligan has more from the hague. both of these men are suspected of using starvation as a weapon of warfare, and of deliberately directing military attacks against civilians in gaza. so, the arrest warrants issued by the icc�*s pre—trial chamber list a number of charges. we can break them down

on the arrest warrant. it says they have found reasonable grounds to believe benjamin netanyahu, yoav galant deliberately deprived the civilians in gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, medical supplies, also impeded the delivery of humanitarian aid and without, they say, any reasonable grounds to believe there was a militaryjustification to do so. they said that in this behaviour meant that civilians were unable to access those vital supplies essential for their survival, which meant that people, including children, died of malnutrition and dehydration, and that, the pre—trial chamber judges say, amounted to murder as a crime against humanity. there are other charges listed, including the judges hearsay, reasonable grounds to believe both men deprived

a significant portion of the civilian population in gaza of their fundamental rights, and were criminally responsible for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against civilians in gaza, despite having the ability to prevent them. icc prosecutor karim khan has responded to the issuing of these arrest warrants, which he requested earlier this year. he said today, "our collective mind "and focus should be on the victims "of international crimes." he also urged all member states to comply with these arrest warrants, which essentially means that the 124 countries which have signed up to the icc�*s rome statute, its founding treaty, are now expected to execute these arrest warrants if benjamin netanyahu or yoav gallant steps foot on their territory. gissou nia, a human rights lawyer and director of the strategic litigation project at the atlantic council, on the consequences for the israeli pm and his former defence minister.

the question is whether or not this will be enforced. i think what is a more immediate outcome is that netanyahu and gallant will have their travel severely restricted. we were not sure what icc member states and who are allies of israel were going to say about the warrants but we saw a whole range of reactions today and it is clear the netherlands, belgium, spain, france, norway, italy, ireland, the list goes on — they have all indicated they will enforce the arrest warrant in line with their obligations as icc member states, so that really restricts the scope of where netanyahu or gallant can travel. is this ruling undercut somewhat by the fact the us is not signed up to the icc? in fact, us presidentjoe biden called it "outrageous". the us obviously has had a relationship with the international criminal court that ebbs and flows.

they were supportive with the investigation into russia's war crimes in ukraine, and now have been very opposed to what the icc has been doing with the investigation in palestine. however, what we can expect is that when the trump administration that will be incoming injanuary takes office, they may seek to reinstate some of the targeted sanctions on icc officials that they had during the previous trump term. we saw a bunch of republican lawmakers today take to the x platform and sanctions — increase sanctions on an isolation on the court from the global financial system through american influence on that system. i think it will be some rough times ahead in terms of the us relationship, but certainly the work of the court carries on, and we have seen many allies of israel support the work of the court and the issuance of these arrest warrants.

you mention the trump administration that will come in injanuary — we know that donald trump and benjamin netanyahu do have a close and good relationship. you would have to think that trump will continue to support israeli and support netanyahu himself? what i hope that the issuance of these warrants does is refocus the attention of the type of military aid being sent to israel, so of course where the us is concerned they have been a very clear on their position. but there are many other countries who are icc member states who also support israel and there are questions about aiding and abetting liability that could be posed with this ongoing investigation, there's also a question of definitely needing to enforce this. the next procedural step would be that if there is suspects that come into territories or states that can turn them over to the hague, we would see a confirmation of charges proceeding, we would see whether or not the charges move forward to an actual trial.

so i think there are some months and years ahead, maybe some more jurisdictional objectives from israel, but this is an important step forward forjustice. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the king has led tributes tojohn prescott, the former deputy prime minister, who's died at the age of 86. king charles spoke of his decades of public service, his unique and indomitable character and his infectious sense of humour. sir keir starmer said lord prescott was a "true giant" of the labour movement. a report by the charity commission has said relatives of the covid fundraiser captain sir tom moore received almost £1.5 million from a book deal, but refused to give any of it to the foundation set up in his name. the family said this report had treated them "unfairly" and that the process was "unjust and excessive". freezing conditions have led to more disruption

across the uk, with hundreds of schools closed in scotland, england and wales. with difficult conditions on the roads, the aa warned motorists to drive with "extreme caution." there's a yellow weather warning in place for much of the uk, heading into the weekend, with storm bert expected to arrive on saturday. you're live with bbc news. donald trump has been forced to make a new pick to lead the justice department after the man he chose to become his next us attorney general — matt gaetz — said he is withdrawing his name from consideration. the decision comes as the former congressman was facing new allegations about a second sexual encounter with a girl he had met at a party. the girl was reportedly 17 at the time. trump's new pick is former attorney general of florida, pam bondi — a close trump ally who served as one of his defence attorneys during his first impeachment trial. 0ur north america editor sarah smith has more.

matt gaetz was always going to be a problem. unpopular and mired in scandal. but donald trump obviously thought he could force congress to approve a man who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct to be head of the justice department. until the latest additional revelation led matt gaetz to withdraw his nomination, saying: holy bleep! i didn't see that coming! democrats count this as a victory, while matt gaetz did have the support of the trump loyalists in congress. i will not be a rubber—stamp to his nominees but i will also not engage in an angry mob mentality. matt gaetz was picked for his resolute loyalty to donald trump, supporting him when trump was on trial in new york, for instance. as attorney general, he could have been relied upon to investigate, prosecute, even imprison trump's political opponents.

just yesterday, vice president—electjd vance accompanied mr gaetz to the capital, seeking to convince sceptical republicans to support his nomination. as soon as he was nominated for attorney general, mr gaetz resigned from the house of representatives, possibly hoping to avoid the publication of an ethics committee report into his behaviour. if he tries to retake his seat, it may come out. today, pete hegseth — donald trump's choice for defence secretary — was defending himself against allegations of a sexual assault. the matter was fully investigated and i was completely cleared. that allegation and his total lack of government experience — he is a fox news tv host — will make it tough for him to be confirmed in his new role. here's our north america correspondent peter bowes. just a few hours passed before we had this announcement of a new nominee for attorney general, pam bondi, who is an experienced prosecutor, the first female attorney general in

the state of florida — donald trump's home state — she was in the role between 2011—2019. they are friends, they have known each other a long time. she is clearly a loyal trump ally. she was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial while he was president. that followed that phone call he made to president zelensky, involving allegations of abuse of power related to aid to ukraine in return for a possible investigation into the then vice president orformer vice presidentjoe biden. he was eventually found — donald trump — not guilty during that trial. pam bondi was also very public in her support of donald trump during his hush money trial. more recently, she turned up at the court. she was photographed and seen on video with him at the court, and, of course, during that

trial he was eventually convicted on multiple charges. a trump loyalist, pam bondi, and that probably is a big part of the reason why he has nominated herfor this role. matt gaetz is not the only one not picked that has baggage. we saw sarah talking about peter hegseth. will trump face other concerns for his nominations? i think that remains to be seen. in terms of who the names are, they are still to be announced, and there are several, and some quite prominent roles. i think for a significant number of these nominees so far the process will be relatively straightforward in terms of confirmation. matt gaetz was way out in front in terms of the controversy that was swirling around him, and it was becoming fairly obvious that he was facing extreme difficulties.

whether or not that report about the investigation into what he was alleged to have done, the alleged sexual misconduct, released or not, it was obvious they were a number of republican senators who had grave reservations about him. in terms of the future names, we are living through unusual times with donald trump making these rapidfire announcements in terms of the nominations. we willjust have to wait to see what will come. a british tourist has become the fifth person to die from suspected methanol poisoning in laos in south—east asia. simonjones has the latest. a magnet for young tourists, many of them british, backpacking across southeast asia, enjoying the scenery — and the nightlife. the freedom of being away from home, often for the first time. but for simone white, a lawyerfrom 0rpington, it cost her her life. it's thought she had unknowingly consumed a drink laced with methanol — a deadly substance often found in bootleg alcohol.

0ther british tourists have been rushed to hospital in neighbouring bangkok. another to die is australian bianca jones. she was 19. her friend holly bowles was also taken ill. her father gave this emotional update. right now, our daughter remains in the intensive care unit, in critical condition. she's on life support. we'd just like to thank everyone from back home for all the support and love that we're receiving. bianca had been staying at this backpacker hostel in vang vieng. it's now closed for a police investigation. guests say they were given a free shot of vodka on arrival, but it's unclear where any poisoning may have taken place. translation: the cause of death is likely from the consumption - of methanol, from fake liquor. it's poison and cannot be consumed. it causes swelling of the brain and caused the death. two danish women, aged 19 and 20, and an american man are also known to have died.

it's left backpackers concerned. you think about it more. it's not that we don't drink any more, but we just have to really be careful. the foreign office in london says it's supporting the family of the british woman who's died. it's alerting visitors to laos to be aware of establishments offering free drinks or alcohol that tastes strange. simon jones, bbc news. to brazil, where police have indicted the former president jair bolsonaro in connection with a coup attempt designed to keep him in power after losing the 2022 election. he's being charged with 36 other people. it marks the third indictment of the former right wing president who has been mired in legal troubles. mr bolsonaro said he'd examine the indictment with his lawyer. 0ur news correspondent camilla mota sent this report. the formal accusation is part of a probe into the attempted coup to keep bolsonaro in power after his defeat to lula da silva in a tight run—off. 0n 8january 2023 a mob

of bolsonaro supporters attacked brazil's capital and stormed the halls of power, vandalising and damaging federal buildings. for the past two years, the federal police had been investigating bolsonaro's role in the election, denying movements that culminated in the riots. along with 36 other people, he will be charged with attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and criminal organisation. bolsonaro has dismissed the accusations as a political witch—hunt, saying on social media officials used "creativity" to build a case against him and criticised the case at the supreme court. that's all for now — stay with bbc news.

hello. friday is another cold day coming up with a chance of seeing some further localised disruption. now, over recent hours we've seen very heavy snow showers push into north west england and across the northwest midlands, north wales too. and upstream these very bright clouds, that's the trough bringing extra heavy showers across the irish sea. they're going to be working into cheshire, parts of greater manchester, the north—west midlands, north wales too. some communities could see 5cm of snow. wouldn't be surprised if one or two areas got closer to ten, where those showers tend to merge together to give some longer spells of snow. a cold start to friday, with a risk of icy stretches just about anywhere. you might even see a bit of snow on the ground around the chilterns, the greater london area, if those showers make it across the midlands. as we go through friday, many of the showers will tend to revert back to rain or sleet, and they'll tend to be draped around coastal areas, leaving many inland parts of the uk dry with plenty of sunshine. but it's another very cold day, temperatures for many are around 4—6 celsius. into the weekend, we've got big problems thanks to this —

storm bert. now, this is going to be bringing multiple hazards to the uk. friday night, as this rain bumps into the cold air, we could see a spell of snow, even at low levels, just about anywhere. it will turn back to rain in most cases. however, the met office have already issued an amber weather warning for the high ground of scotland. 10—20cm here, some of the higher hills could see double that, up to 40cm. and it's a similar story for the high ground of northern england. transport disruption, power cuts are possible. further west we've got very strong winds, gusts of around 60 or 70 miles an hour around our irish sea coast, and huge amounts of rain build up this weekend, particularly around the hills and coasts in the west, and especially for wales and south—west england, where some of the high ground could pick up as much as 150mm of rain, bringing a significant risk of some flooding. if this continues to be indicated in our computer models, those yellow warnings could be upgraded to amber weather warnings. there will be a very slow rise in temperatures. eventually it will turn milder across western areas. on sunday, bert still bringing

very strong winds with severe gales across the north—west of the uk. heavy rain across southern counties of england. blustery showers elsewhere, but it looks like bert will be bringing milder weather but a significant risk of disruption around this weekend.

bitcoin soars as an official who led a crackdown on the us crypto industry says he will resign from his role. plus, what lies ahead for india's adani empire. with its boss and senior executives facing fraud charges in the united states. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. let's begin in the united states, where investors are watching bitcoin as it approaches the historic $100,000 mark. this comes after the securities and exchange commission said its chairman gary gensler, who led a regulatory crackdown on the crypto industry, will be stepping down. president—elect donald trump, who will take office injanuary, is viewed to be supportive of cryptocurrencies. the bbc�*s ritika gupta has more from new york. bitcoin is heading towards the $100,000 threshold while the master number itself is more psychological than meaningful, it is striking that bitcoin is notching record

after record high and the latest boost has come