sharanjit: remarkable story there.several people, including six children, remain in a serious condition in hospital after a fireworks explosion at the popular cuban carnival on christmas eve. an amateur video captured the incident, which injured 39 people in the central town. the centuries-old festival takes place every year and draws thousands of cubans and tourists. that is it for this bulletin. >> with the bbc news app, our vertical videos are designed to work around your lifestyle, so you can swipe your way through the news of the day and stay up to date with the latest headlines you can trust. download now from selected app stores. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, and kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> sreenivasan: good evening. i'm hari sreenivasan. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight: russian intelligence operations co

sharanjit: this is "bbc world news." i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories -- supporters of george weah celebrate as the former international footballer wins liberia's presidential election. 41 people are dead and many others wounded in a kabul suicide bombing. the islamic state says it carried out the attack. our reporter has been at the scene. >> this is the building where the explosion happened, and you can see the building has been almost completely destroyed. sharanjit: an easing of diplomatic tensions between turkey and the united states as both countries say they will restart visa services. also on the program, the e-mail scandal rocking the miss america contest. we hear from a former winner on where the organization is heading. sharanjit: hello, and welcome to "bbc world news." we start with liberia, where it was announced a short time ago that former international football star george weah has won the presidential election. his supporters celebrated as the electoral commission announced that with almost all the ballots counted, mr. w

sharanjit: this is "bbc world news." i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories -- in syria, the first evacuations begin, rebel-held suburb of damascus. record snowfall on the u.s. city of erie burying homes and cars under deep drift. >> [laughter] you know, it's a little ridiculous, but i keep pecking away at it. sharanjit: and barack obama urges responsible use of social media in his first interview since leaving office, speaking to prince harry here on the bbc. military-style tactics to chad's elephantarry -- population against ivory poachers. we have a special report. sharanjit: hello, and welcome to "bbc world news." aid workers and syrian volunteers have begun to evacuate dozens of critically ill patients from a rebel-held suburb near damascus. last week international aid agencies made an appeal to president assad to allow the evacuation of seven children with cancer. the first of the patients was taken out overnight by the red cross and the syrian arab red crescent. more patients should be evacuated in the coming days as part of a deal betw

notjust newsday, sharanjit too. yes, don't forget the team!dresses. where was my invitation? i am only joking, of course somebody has to present from london. not just newsday, sharanjit got a special recognition as well? sharanjit leyl was also highly commended in the best news presenter category in the best presenter category. rico, it was a great night for the bbc‘s south—east asia correspondent? yes, jonathon head won his second award for the best news report. this shows you the extent of the drug problem here in the philippines. the police have had to come here and raid one of the diggers to prisons in manila. there are diggers to prisons in manila. there a re clearly diggers to prisons in manila. there are clearly concerns about drug problems here. the focus at the moment, as with so much of this campaign, is the people at the bottom of the trade, not the people running it. that was jonathan head. it is not just running it. that was jonathan head. it is notjust the whole london and singapore team to thank. we would also like to thank all

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: more violent protests across the middle east after donald trump recognises jerusalem as the capital of israel. israel's prime minister says it's time for everyone to accept the change. i think the sooner the palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we come to grips with this reality, the sooner we will move towards peace. venezuela's president maduro says he is banning the main opposition parties from next year's presidential election after they boycotted the latest mayoral polls. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: a stark warning from the nobel peace prize winner — could mutually assured nuclear destruction be one impulsive tantrum away? a calculated military escalation could lead to the indiscriminate murder of civilians. and just why did this elephant get so angry when it came across this bus in china? good morning. it's 8am in singapore, midnight in london, and 2 in the morning injerusalem where donald trump's decision to recognise th

notjust newsday, sharanjit too.t presenter category. and our south east asia correspondentjonathan and our south east asia correspondent jonathan head. and our south east asia correspondent jonathan headm and our south east asia correspondent jonathan head. it says something about the extent of the drug problem here in the philippines that the police have had to come here and read one of the biggest prisons around manila. there are concerns about real drug trouble is here that the focus at the moment, as with so much of this campaign, is people at the bottom of the trade, not the people running it. congratulations to jonathan not the people running it. congratulations tojonathan and all the winners. this is going to london very soon. stay with us for asia business report and we focus on a major global challenge. look forward to getting back reward here in london, promise me you will not break it. some of us will have seen more snow showers overnight and into friday morning. i see in places as well but the worst of t

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: disney and fox link up in a $50 billion entertainment merger. what does it mean for your tv and movies? and so, to the consumer, not only will they be getting more great content, high—quality content, but they will be getting it in ways that they will be getting it in ways that they demand. don't let it happen again. australia's abuse commission to hand over five years of findings. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: russia's president heaps praise on donald trump, and slams fabricated spying claims. and they call it fast fashion, but where in asia is worst for one—time wearing? good morning. it is 8:00am in singapore, midnight in london, and ii:00pm in los angeles, where one of the biggest media deals in history will reshape the world of entertainment. walt disney is buying a large part of 21st century fox, the business controlled by rupert murdoch and his family. it is worth more than $50 billion, and the deal could see new films and tv shows reaching h

sharanjit: this is "bbc world news." i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories -- in syria, the first evacuations begin, rebel-held suburb of damascus.

i am sharanjit leyl. thank you for watching.te. low pressure. this drifting northwards in the cold air. while the system is delivering rain, mixed in with that, sleet and snow drifting across southern and south—eastern areas across the day. northern england, northern ireland, scotland, potential for icy stretches with clear skies through the night. through the day, scotland, northern ireland, western areas of england and wales, that will have the best of the sunshine towards the south and east, struggling to clear up. the london area will stay pretty cloudy. across kent, up into east anglia, here, outbreaks of rain sleet and snow mixed in right through the afternoon, coupled with a strong northerly wind. that combination could cause disruption. northern england, half of scotland, a fine and crisp and cold sunny afternoon. showers in northern scotland. showers in northern scotland. showers filtering into northern ireland. three degrees in belfast. a scattering of showers in wales. the west midlands and parts of the south—west as

i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore. the headlines: palestinian militants call for a new uprising, as the middle east makes sense of donald trump's recognition ofjerusalem as the capital of israel. the united nations security council will hold an emergency meeting later on friday to discuss the biggest shift in us middle—east policy in decades. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: same—sex marriage becomes legal in australia. lawmakers celebrate as they approve the change, brought on by a nationwide poll last month. and sex exploitation on the streets of london. the tragic story of a jobless taiwanese graduate comes to life on the big screen. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london and 3am in the gaza strip, where the palestinian islamist group hamas has called for a new popular uprising, or intifada. it follows president trump's recognition of jerusalem as the capital of israel. traditional allies of the us, inc

sharanjit: this is "bbc world news." i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories -- supporters of george weah celebrate as the former international footballer wins liberia's presidential election. 41 people are dead and many

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: the un warns myanmar‘s leaders they could face genocide charges over the persecution of rohingya muslims. hoping to lead the anc and chart a new course for south africa: the party's delegates are voting now. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: chile's former president, conservative billionaire sebastian pinera, sweeps back into power. and circling the globe solo in just six weeks. french sailor francois gabart smashes the world record. liza fromer studios in singapore and london, and this is bbc world news. —— live from. it's newsday. good morning. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london and 7.30am in myanmar — where the country's leaders could face charges of genocide over the persecution of the rohingya ethnic group. that's the warning from un's high commissionerfor human rights. it's estimated that more than 650,000 rohingya muslims have fled myanmar to neighbouring bangladesh since august, when attacks on police posts prompted a military crackdown. 0ur

i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore, the headlines: myanmar‘s leaders could face charges of genocide.i of appalling atrocities against the rohingya. given the scale of the military operation, clearly, that have to be decisions taken at a high enough level. the white house confirms that the cia helped russia thwart a terror attack in saint petersburg, president putin has personally thanked donald trump. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: a fierce battle to succeed presidentjacob zuma as the leader of south africa's ruling party, voting is underway. and french sailor francois gabart has set a new world record

sharanjit leyl is following this for us in singapore. they are big jumps.lly, for china, thanks to a researching global economy. imports remain robust in china. exports were up 12.3% in november from robust in china. exports were up 12.3% in novemberfrom the previous year. imports were up nearly 18% and that leaves the world's second largest economy with yet another massive trade surplus of $40.2 billion. this has sparked feels —— fears. people were expecting it to slow because the government has been cracking down on polluting economies and financial risk. the official factory in age unexpectedly rose to a near five—year high and this despite campaigns to clean up the environment. government policymakers, if you remember, they recently announced cuts to boost imports. china is trying to evolve into a more conception driven economy. we know they are the world ‘s largest exporter so that still face uncertainty in terms of trade especially with the trade imbalance they are being pressured over by the us. donald trump, fruit instants repeatedly called on to be

because of the demand forjapanese electronics and products will help boost economic performance. 0k, sharanjitincreasing number of brick and mortar stores are closing up shop as customers gravitate towards buying online. but this holiday season a growing number of big retailers are opening up temporary pop—up shops. that puts them in competition with the traditional vendors at seasonal holiday markets and could change the landscape of holiday shopping. samira hussain has more from new york. were two years ago, toys r us gave up were two years ago, toys r us gave up they are real estate but lo and behold, look who is back! toys r us is here but only temporarily and only for the holidays. and it's not just toys r us. it needs and old navy —— tiffa ny‘s just toys r us. it needs and old navy —— tiffany's and old navy. just toys r us. it needs and old navy -- tiffany's and old navy. the holiday season provides us an opportunity to touch so many more people. we know we will hit tourists, the people of manhattan, the other boroughs and all in the heart of new york city. nowhere else better to do a po

sharanjit leyl has been out taking a look.fleet of 80 electric powered cars in singapore. if you are over 21 with a driver ‘s licence, you can hop into one of these and go to the next charging point. there are about 30 charging stations. they may not look like much, there are only about two cars plugged in. you have your powerpoint plugged in. you have your powerpoint plug into the socket, like any old electric device. it does not look like much but the company has ambitious plans and they want to increase the number to about 1000 ca i’s increase the number to about 1000 ca rs by increase the number to about 1000 cars by 2020 and that would put singapore is second only to paris in terms of having the largest electric car sharing scheme in the world. singapore is really a microcosm of what is happening elsewhere in the world. this transformation in the presentation industry was dubbed generally the move away from fossil fuelled cars to cleaner fuel and you also have the cart riding apps, bike sharing et cetera. getting away fro

i'm sharanjit leyl.as begun trading on the cme, that is the world's largest derivatives exchange operator, the move is seen as a major validation of the online currency which has been named as a fraud and in a bubble by some of its critics. alicia centre rally is with us now, we know that this is the second move ina we know that this is the second move in a week, disease mean it is gaining some legitimacy? investment has been cautious by investors, especially given this is a brand—new investment class. it is a premium to what it is currently trading on the stock market, depending on which exchange you look at, of course. as we mentioned, this is a milestone for the currency given previously, institutional investors could not cash in on this because they are not allowed to buy from these regulated exchanges, and so now, they have this avenue in which they can actually bet on a cryptocurrency and interestingly, with the launch of these, we are also going to see ways for investors to bet against it, so hedg

let's go to our asia business hub where sharanjit leyl has been following the story.eing seen as an attack on president trump's protectionist trade policies? that is right. an attack on mr trump and the president has lashed out at the global trade body, calling it a disaster. and of course it is under this cloud of us hostility to multilateral trade accords that the wto has opened the conference, which will last until wednesday. the 164 member trade body is racked by disagreement over china, of course, struggling to start trade talks as well, and, as you say, the meeting in the first of the era of president trump, who has made the wto a target of its america first policy, threatening to pull the us out, for instance, of the trade organisation. it claims they are hampering its ability to compete. now, at washington has, for instance, been blamed for blocking the appointment ofjudges to the wto dispute settle m e nt ofjudges to the wto dispute settlement system, saying it has been ineffective, and the wto, for instance, has come under scrutiny, and been accused of faili

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore.s across the middle east after donald trump recognises jerusalem as the capital of israel. israel's prime minister says it's time for everyone to accept the change. i think the sooner the palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we come to grips with this reality, the sooner we will move towards peace. venezuela's president maduro says he is banning the main opposition parties from next year's presidential election after they boycotted the latest mayoral polls. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: a stark warning from the nobel peace prize winner — could mutually assured nuclear destruction be one impulsive tantrum away?

hello and welcome to this friday edition of asia business report, i'm sharanjit leyl.e've been talking a lot lately about donald trump's tax bill but the japanese government is also considering some new rules to boost the economy. the package will go to prime ministers shinzo abe's cabinet today, where it is expected to be approved. the package rewards businesses that increase wages and investing productivity growth by offering tax cuts. for more we are joined by our business report of carrico i. —— reporter mariko oi. the tax rate in the pan has been coming down significantly under the current prime minister, shinzo abe —— injapan. when he came to power in 2012 the tax rate was almost as high as the us, at 38%. but for the upcoming fiscal year, starting in april, it is expected to go below 30%. and if this new package gets the green light it could go down as low as 20%, but there's a catch. it only applies to companies which reward their employees with a pay rise of at least 3% and invest in productivity. basically it's a measure to stop companies hoarding higher prof

well in the end of the day what what sharanjit. today. is. julia simply and only gesture. our legal you just mentioned the u. compact prime and. what a year the? would be him to be in court and it. that you could very complete and issue. and the issue of moral values. training. and what strikes me that when he got the frame they're interesting. the that itself up ill peace agreement between. usually will but he won't make you mentioned. in st. lucia or. use it or lose it also on that. they wanted to keep that the charles had to go and call you down the first. yoga thahat holy site for d yeah religion. a you mentioned pamela gang at least laura and i don't know the duration in color and she. o i don't and i local golf course. the fact . well the argument is earned by the palestinians and and by the arab countries that support them is that the united states is is basically relinquished its role as a peace broker economic might no longer be seen as an honest pacemaker in. and trying to achieve a peace deal between israel and the palestinians is is this that the death now as i

i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories: supporters of george weah celebrate as the former international footballer wins liberia's presidential election. 41 people are dead and many others are wounded in a kabul suicide attack. the islamic state group said it carried out the attack. this is the building where the explosion happened, and you can see the building has been destroyed. an easing of the diplomatic tension between turkey and the united states as both countries say they will restart visa services. and coming up: te social media campaign which helped to reunite a christmas wage packet with its very grateful owner. we were just astounded how quickly and how far it went. hello and welcome to bbc world news. we start with liberia, where it was announced a short time ago that the former international football star george weah has won the presidential election. his supporters celebrated as the electoral commission announced that with almost all the ballots counted, mr weah had won more than 60% of the vot

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore.over the persecution of rohingya muslims. hoping to lead the anc and chart a new course for south africa: the party's delegates are voting now. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: chile's former president, conservative billionaire sebastian pinera, sweeps back into power. and circling the globe solo in just six weeks. french sailor francois gabart smashes the world record. liza fromer studios in singapore

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore, the headlines a $50 billion entertainment merger between disney and your tv and movies? and so to the consumer, not only will they be getting more great content, high—quality content, but they will be getting it in ways that they demand. don't let it happen again. australia's abuse commission hands over five years of findings. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: russia's president heaps praise on donald trump, and slams fabricated spying claims. and they call it fast fashion, but who are the biggest culprits for disposable clothes in asia? live from our studios in singapore and london,

i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore, the headlines: myanmar‘s leaders could face charges of genocide.he un human rights chief said he warned aung saan sui kyi of appalling atrocities against the rohingya. given the scale of the military operation, clearly, that have to be decisions taken at a high enough level. the white house confirms that the cia helped russia thwart a terror attack in saint petersburg, president putin has personally thanked donald trump. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: a fierce battle to succeed presidentjacob zuma as the leader of south africa's ruling party, voting is underway. and french sailor francois gabart has set a new world record for the fastest solo round—the—world navigation of 42 days and 16 hours. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore, midnight in london and 6.30am in myanmar where the country's leaders could face charges of genocide over the persecution of the rohingya ethnic group. that's the warning from un's high commissionerfor human rights. it

i'm sharanjit leyl.r government siege of ghouta. the first evacuations begin from the rebel—held suburb near damascus. but hundreds more in need of treatment remain. record snow falls on the us city of erie, burying homes and cars under deep drifts. it isa it is a bit ridiculous but i keep picking away at it. meanwhile in the uk, snow and ice cause widespread disruption to travel, on the roads and in the air. barack 0bama urges the responsible use of social media, in his first interview since leaving office. he's been speaking to britain's prince harry here on the bbc.

i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories: in syria, the first evacuations begin from a rebel—held suburb near damascus. but there's no relief for the hundreds more trapped in ghouta. record snow falls on the us city of erie, burying homes and cars under deep drifts. you know, it is a little ridiculous but i keep pecking away at it. meanwhile in the uk, snow and ice cause widespread disruption to travel, on the roads and in the air. barack obama urges the responsible use of social media, in his first interview since leaving office. he's been speaking to prince harry here on the bbc. hello and welcome to bbc world news. aid workers and syrian volunteers have begun to evacuate dozens of critically—ill patients from a rebel—held suburb near damascus. last week, international aid agencies made an appeal to president assad to allow the evacuation of seven children with cancer. the first of the patients were taken out of eastern ghouta overnight by the red cross and the syrian arab red crescent. more patients should

i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore.ald trump recognises jerusalem as the capital of israel. israel's prime minister says it's time for everyone to accept the change. i think the sooner the palestinians come to grips with this reality, the sooner we'll move towards peace. venezuela's president maduro says he is banning the main opposition parties from next year's presidential election, after they boycotted the latest mayoral polls. i'm kasia madera, in london. also in the programme: a stark warning from the nobel peace prize winner — could mutually assured nuclear destruction be one impulsive tantrum away? a calculated military escalation could lead to the indiscriminate murder of civilians.

i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories: former international footballer george weah weeps with joy, after winning liberia's presidential election. 41 people are dead and many others wounded in a kabul suicide bombing. the islamic state group said it carried out the attack. our reporter has been at the scene. this is the building where the explosion happened, and you can see that the building has been almost completely destroyed. after confirming that the company deliberately slows down old iphones, apple now apologises for what it calls "a misunderstanding". and the e—mail scandal that's rocking the miss america contest. we hear from a former winner on where the organisation is heading. hello and welcome to bbc world news. the next president of liberia will be the former international football star, george weah. he wept with joy as he waved to jubilant supporters in monrovia, after winning more than 60% of the vote. with him was his running mate, jewel howard—taylor, the ex—wife of the disgraced former pres

i'm sharanjit leyl.e former international footballer wins liberia's presidential election. 41 people are dead and many others are wounded in a kabul suicide attack. the islamic state group said it carried out the attack. this is the building where the explosion happened, and you can see the building has been destroyed. an easing of the diplomatic tension between turkey and the united states as both countries say they will restart visa services. and coming up: te social media campaign which helped to reunite a christmas wage packet with its very grateful owner.

i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore.call for a new uprising, as the middle east makes sense of donald trump's recognition ofjerusalem as the capital of israel. the united nations security council will hold an emergency meeting later on friday to discuss the biggest shift in us middle—east policy in decades. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: same—sex marriage becomes legal in australia. lawmakers celebrate as they approve the change, brought on by a nationwide poll last month. and sex exploitation on the streets of london. the tragic story of a jobless taiwanese graduate comes to life on the big screen.

i'm sharanjit leyl.tion. 41 people are dead and many others wounded in a kabul suicide bombing. the islamic state group said it carried out the attack. 0ur reporter has been at the scene. this is the building where the explosion happened, and you can see that the building has been almost completely destroyed. after confirming that the company deliberately slows down old iphones, apple now apologises for what it calls "a misunderstanding". and the e—mail scandal that's rocking the miss america contest. we hear from a former winner on where the organisation is heading.

i'm sharanjit leyl.suburb near damascus. but there's no relief for the hundreds more trapped in ghouta. record snow falls on the us city of erie, burying homes and cars under deep drifts. you know, it is a little ridiculous but i keep pecking away at it. meanwhile in the uk, snow and ice cause widespread disruption to travel, on the roads and in the air. barack 0bama urges the responsible use of social media, in his first interview since leaving office. he's been speaking to prince harry here on the bbc.

sharanjit leyl is in singapore with more on this.azarus group aren't we? that is right, according to a source really but i will get to that because obviously this was a huge malware attack that had massive repercussions, you mentioned billions of dollars being impacted but it was about 300,000 computers in about 150 countries that were affected and essentially, the source is saying the us government has assessed with a very high level of confidence the hacking entity known as the lazarus group which works on behalf of the north korean government carried out this particular attack. this group is widely believed by many researchers and us officials to have been responsible for the 2014 hack that you might recall of the sony pictures entertainment which destroyed lots of files, leaked corporate communications online and led to the departure of several top studio executives. but what is interesting is this is the first on the us has officially blamed north korea for this particular attack and we know it is not a new accusation because th

i'm sharanjit leyl, in singapore.em as the capital of israel. the united nations security council will hold an emergency meeting later on friday to discuss the biggest shift in us middle—east policy in decades. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: same sex marriage becomes legal in australia. lawmakers celebrate as they approve the change, brought on by a nationwide poll last month. and sex exploitation on the streets of london. the tragic story of a jobless taiwanese graduate comes to life on the big screen.

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore.hat does it mean for your tv and movies? and so, to the consumer, not only will they be getting more great content, high—quality content, but they will be getting it in ways that they will be getting it in ways that they demand. don't let it happen again. australia's abuse commission to hand over five years of findings. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: russia's president heaps praise on donald trump, and slams fabricated spying claims. and they call it fast fashion, but where in asia is worst for one—time wearing?

i'm sharanjit leyl. our top stories: vladimir putin's supporters nominate him to run as an independent candidate in next yea r‘s russian elections. his political rival is barred from standing. a british woman sentenced to three yea rs a british woman sentenced to three years injail in egypt for taking painkillers into the country. her sister is concerned for her safety. she's on the verge of a mental breakdown and so my mum. it's just horrendous. counting votes in liberia's presidential election, where former world footballer of the year, george weah, is seeking the country's top job. and we hear from the mum who beat the professionals to capture a perfect snap of britain's young royals at their christmas day service. hello and welcome to world news today. a group of russian electors have formally given their support to vladimir putin as a candidate in next year's presidential election. mr putin is seeking a fourth term in office, and will run a: as“; t5. t if tirzi tirzi — —