i'm ben bland in london. also in the programme: police in india detain thousands of demonstrators as anger grows over a controversial new citizenship law. and, it's one of the most successful stage shows of all time — but reviews for the movie version of cats are, well. . . not so great. good morning. it's 8:00am in singapore, midnight in london and 11:00am in new south wales in australia where a state of emergency has been declared. on wednesday, for the second day in a row, australia set a new record for its hottest ever day. and bushfires are continuing to cause havoc. two volunteer firefighters have been killed in a road crash near sydney. the australian prime minister, scott morrison has been criticised for being on holidays as the crisis unfolds. a short time ago, he released a statement saying, "i express my sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of the firefighters who have so tragically been killed these most recent events, i will be returning to sydney from leave as soon as can be arrang

i'm ben bland in london. also in the programme: india's prime minister defends his new citizenship law after days of protests left at least 20 people dead. special trains in france for children travelling alone during the christmas holidays have resumed, despite nationwide strikes. voiceover: 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 noon in eastern australia, where fire crews are assessing the damage from the weekend's bushfires. the weather has cooled down a little, but the political debate is raging on. the prime minister, scott morrison, returned home from holiday after being heavily criticised for going away with his family to hawaii. shaimaa khalil has the story. it feels like a deserted war zone, but this is the aftermath of the catastrophic bushfires that have ravaged new south wales. and in the village of balmoral, the devastation is everywhere. russell scholes has been a volunteer firefighter for six ye

i'm ben bland. our top story: syria's refugee crisis worsens. turkey's president warns eighty thousand people have fled fighting in idlib province. calls for a government inquiry, after another racism row rocks english football. campaigners say racist incidents are on the rise. nine dead as storms and flash floods hit spain and portugal. monday could bring more severe weather. # it's a beautiful day in this neighbourhood. # a beautiful day for a neighbour... and fresh from playing an american tv icon, candid confessions from tom hanks. iam kind of loud, iam needy in some ways, i'm a wisenheimer. i probably have attention deficit disorder. and in the business breifing, with only a few days left before christmas celebrations begin, we tally up the costs to see where consumers are spending their money. a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. if you're doing some last—minute christmas shopping online, how much do you trust the reviews? on

i'm ben bland. our top story: a nationwide strike in france enters a second day — unions warn it won't stop until the pension reforms are scrapped. a woman whose heart stopped beating for six hours has been brought back to life by doctors in spain. teenage activist greta thunberg heads to madrid to join the climate protest at a major un summit. higherfuel prices in the pipeline? opec nears a deal to cut production and push up the cost of crude. a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. at the moment, everyone seems to be sharing their most—listened songs of the past year. what was top of your list? tell us what you think, just use the hashtag #bbcthebriefing. france is waking up to a second day of strikes, with trade unions warning they won't stop until the government scraps its reforms to the pensions system. the disruption is the worst for decades, with trains cancelled, schools closed and oil

this is the briefing, i'm ben bland. our top story: france braces itself for severe disruption as the biggest national strike in years begins over pension reforms. legal experts in the trump impeachment inquiry give their verdicts on whether he should be removed from office. if what we're talking about is not impeachable, then nothing is impeachable. i'm concerned about lowering impeachment standards to fit a paucity of evidence and an abundance of anger. how the tiny marine paradise that is the seychelles could be leading the way in saving our precious waters from the ravages of climate change. in business, chinese telecoms giant huawei launches a second legal challenge against the us ban, saying there is no evidence it is a national security threat. a warm welcome to the programme, briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. and you can be part of the conversation. after the row about peloton‘s sexist and dystopian christmas video advert, what is the worst gift you have ever received, and w

i'm ben bland in london.rime minister defends his new citizenship law, after days of protests left at least 20 people dead. we look at google's top search trends for this year and the rise of india in world's digital consciousness.

i'm ben bland. no actual you a decision based on, quote: ‘politics not security'.hinese telecoms giant huawei launches a second legal challenge against the us ban — saying there's no evidence it's a national security threat. plus — when $1.7 trillion is not enough. aramco heads for the biggest stock market listing in history but the saudi government had far higher hopes. and on the markets, asian shares edge higher on hopes the us and china could be on track to sign a preliminary trade deal. we start in china — where as you've been hearing — telecoms giant huawei has launched a new legal challenge against the us. it's appealing a decision last month to stop us mobile phone companies from using government grants to buy its equipment. it follows a similar legal challenge in may against a ban on us government agencies from buying its kit. let's get more on this story from our correspondent in shanghai, robin brant. what does huawei hope the practical effect of this will be? what do they hope to achieve with this challenge? they want to overturn a ban and we will have

i'm ben bland. higherfuel prices in the pipeline? opec nears a deal to cut production and push up the cost of crude. plus, $3 million, 2,000 horsepower and one plug. british sportscar maker lotus gambles on an all—electric hypercar. and on the markets: asian shares get a boost as president trup says us china trade talks are "moving right along." —— trump. crude close to a two—month high as opec and its allies close in on a deal to cut oil production and support prices. we start in the austrian capital, vienna, where a deal is being been done that will affect how much we pay for fuel next year. 0il ministers from the organization of petroleum exporting countries — or opec for short — and their allies, including russia, have been meeting to try and prop up the price of crude. let's show you why. back in 2017, they agreed to cut oil supplies to boost flagging prices. as you can see, until the end of last year it was working very well. but as prices rose, it encouraged shale oil producers in the us to invest heavily, meaning american pro

i'm ben bland. with only a few days left before christmas celebrations begin, we tally up the costs to see where consumers are spending their money. and the supermarket giant tesco halts production at a chinese factory over a claim that prisoners were being forced to work against their will. and on the markets, a mixed picture on global benchmarks — trade thinning out as investors wind down for the christmas break. christmas is nearly here and there's still a bit of time left to get last minute gifts before the holiday begins. but how much are we spending on it all? let's take a look. research by the bank of england has found that during the christmas period, a typical uk household spends around £800 on top of its usual spending. so that's around $1050. that figure also happens to be about the same amount spent per person in the us — according to the national retail federation. taken together, americans are expected to spend around $730 billion over the holiday season this year, which is an increase

this is the briefing, i'm ben bland. severe disruption as the biggest national strike in years begins over pension reforms. legal experts in the trump impeachment inquiry give their verdicts on whether he should be removed from office. if what we're talking about is not impeachable, then nothing is impeachable. i'm concerned about lowering impeachment standards to fit a paucity of evidence and an abundance of anger. how the tiny marine paradise that is the seychelles could be leading the way in saving our precious waters from the ravages of climate change.

i'm ben bland in london., it's one of the most successful stage shows of all time — but reviews for the movie version of cats are,

this is worklife from bbc news, with ben bland and james reynolds. out in the cold: small firms are denied access to big cash — because the banks think they're just too risky. live from london, that's our top story on thursday 5th of december. a new report says big financial institutions are turning their backs on small and medium sized firms — even though they drive economies around the world. also in the programme ...huawei launches another legal case against the us government — accusing regulators of playing politics. we'll be live in shanghai. and it's been a hard day's night — but sony finally seals a deal to sell beatles merchandise see you in court: we'll talk to the man looking to revolutionise the way we access legal services. and today as a local hardware shop's christmas video starring a two—year—old has captured people's hearts — and costjust £100 to make — we want to know... are you influenced by christmas video ads? do they make you buy? let us know — just use the hashtag bbcworklife. hello and welcome to worklife. if you haven't seen t

i'm ben bland.rs a second day — unions warn it won't stop until the pension reforms are scrapped. a woman whose heart stopped beating for six hours has been brought back to life by doctors in spain. teenage activist greta thunberg heads to madrid to join the climate protest at a major un summit. higherfuel prices in the pipeline? 0pec nears a deal to cut production and push up the cost of crude.

this is worklife from bbc news, with ben bland and david eades. ride—hailing app uber says it had 6,000 sexual assault in the us over two years. live from london, that's our top story on friday, 6th december. as uber faces growing scrutiny around the world, the firm says it's committed to improving safety for uber and the entire industry. also in the programme... a haze over sydney as a mega bushfire forms near the city and about 100 otherfires are raging in the australian state of new south wales. in a few hours‘, forbes will reveal its latest annual rankings for the world's best—paid musicians, but is it streaming, merchanise or touring that make them their money? we've had black friday and cyber monday. now, get ready for small business saturday. does that sound a little more worthwhile? we'll speak to the woman who's urging us to shop small this christmas. and you can be part of the conversation too. everyone seems to be sharing their most listened songs of the past year right now. what was top of your list? let us know — just use the hashtag

i'm ben bland. our top stories: borisjohnson is celebrating the biggest conservative victory in over 30 years. he now leads a government with a majority of 80 seats in the commons. thank you for the trust you have placed in us and in me, and we will work round the clock to repay your trust, and to deliver on your priorities with a parliament that works for you. a very different story for labour, asjeremy corbyn leads his party to its worst election performance since the 1930s. he says he will stand down, but not yet. the responsible thing to do is not to walk away from the whole thing and i won't do that. i will stay here until there has been somebody elected to succeed me and then i will step down at that point. mrchairman, 23 ayes and 17 nos. the article is agreed to. one step closer to impeaching the president? a committee in the us congress approves two charges against donald trump. american stocks rise after the us and china strike a preliminary trade agreement, easing tensions between the worl

i'm ben bland in london.aw after days of protests left at least 20 people dead. special trains in france for children travelling alone during the christmas holidays have resumed,

i'm ben bland. our top story: syria's refugee crisis worsens. province. calls for a government inquiry, after another racism row rocks english football. campaigners say racist incidents are on the rise. nine dead as storms and flash floods hit spain and portugal. monday could bring more severe weather. # it's a beautiful day in this neighbourhood. # a beautiful day for a neighbour... and fresh from playing an american tv icon, candid confessions from tom hanks. iam kind of loud, iam needy in some ways, i'm a wisenheimer.

i'm ben bland.rity of 80 seats in the commons. thank you for the trust you have placed in us and in me, and we will work round the clock to repay your trust, and to deliver on your priorities with a parliament that works for you. a very different story for labour, asjeremy corbyn leads his party to its worst election performance since the 19305. he says he will stand down, but not yet. the responsible thing to do is not to walk away from the whole thing and i won't do that. i will stay here until there has been somebody elected

this is worklife from bbc news, with ben bland and david eades..

this is worklife from bbc news, with ben bland and james reynolds.aunches another legal case against the us government — accusing regulators of playing politics.

scald which some people are saying is rather bland but empathizing not the divisions went solidarity and unity. back to you in the studio. thank you very much, benummit. and now the rest of the day's news. the former england cricket captain bob willis has died, aged 70. he will be best remembered for his astonishing performance during the 1981 ashes series, taking eight wickets in one innings. an attacking and tireless fast bowler, he represented his country in more than 400 tests and was voted as a member of ecb's greatest ever england 11. our sports correspondentjoe wilson looks back at his life. it is 1981 and bob willis is bowling, fast. the ashes test, the game australia were certain to win. the match england seized. bob willis forced his weary limbs into a supreme performance. he took eight wickets in australia second innings. a man completely in the zone. this day made his reputation. whilst the excitement world around him, willis remained locked in his mission, a reluctant hero. the decisive over was that last over before lunch, wasn't it? i told him i was a bit old to be bowling into the wind so i went to the other end. he first played

i'm ben bland with bbc world news. our top story: record temperatures in australia fuel unprecedented bushfires, more than a hundred are burning as a state of emergency is declared in new south wales. emergency crews are braced for worse still to come, temperatures as high as 47 degrees celsius are expected at the weekend. more angry exchanges in the us congress over president trump's impeachment. republicans want a quick trial in the senate, without witnesses. democrats hope to call key white house officials. and this video is trending on bbc.com. it's nandi bushell who has become an online sensation at the age of nine. she's already performed with lenny kravitz. she's been playing drums since she was a toddler, and her videos have been viewed many thousands of times. that's all. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. the scale of the conservative party triumph in last week's uk election promises to have seismic consequences. borisjohnson can get bre