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 homes in asia. our media editor amol rajan reports. when rupert murdoch bought the news of the world in 1968, he was an outsider. but this canny australian with news in his veins made his way to the heart of the establishment in both britain and america, wielding extraordinary influence. from his base in tabloid newspapers, he moved aggressively into film and television, owning studios and networks that entertained hundreds of millions of people. but now, fox has become a division of disney. ina in a phone call, he explained his strategy. i know people are asking how we came to such a momentous decision. we are pivoting at a pivotal moment. andrew neil was at murdoch's side as an editor and executive for years. for him, this is the end of a dynasty. he's been trying to do that for 35, a0 years. i used to sit with him in restaurants in london in the mid—1980s, and he talked about a murdoch dynasty, about putting his children into key positions, letting them fight for the top position, and whoever wins would take over, and the murdoch name would go on forever. and here, at a stroke, he's unbundling the empire, and the dynastic ambitions are gone. the deal still needs regulatory approval, but if it goes through, it will create a new media superpower. mr murdoch is selling his world—famous film studio, 21st century fox, international tv businesses, including sky in europe and star in india, cable networks such as fx and national geographic, and perhaps most strikingly, a stake in hulu, a streaming service with access to millions of customers, which could rival netflix. and that is the key for disney. streaming has changed broadcasting forever, allowing you at home to watch a seemingly infinite number of shows how you want, where you want, and when you want. streaming services such as hulu, in which disney will now have a controlling stake, cut out the middleman of domestic television stations, broadcasting directly into millions of homes. the fox international footprint has some extremely high—end technology to deliver all this content to consumers in more modern ways. sky in europe is a good example of that, star india another one. and so, to the consumer, not only will they be getting more great content, high—quality content, but they'll be getting it in ways that they demand. sky news and sky sports look set to continue, while fox says its own bid for full control of sky, currently stuck with regulators, remains in place. even with this acquisition, disney is playing catch—up with tech giants like facebook, amazon and apple, who, if they aren't there already, are coming to a small screen near you. now let's take a look at some of the day's other news. investigators in france are waiting to interview the driver of a school bus that was hit by a train on a crossing near perpignan, killing four children. she was slightly injured. the prime minister, who went to the scene, said 11 people were in critical condition. nine others were hurt. translation: the priority at this stage is to be able to give accurate information to the families. we all understand that they are living through a period of anxiety, which everyone must respect, and help to make as short as possible. also making news today: a final report on child sexual abuse in australia will be delivered to the country's governor—general on friday. the far—reaching inquiry began five years ago, and has heard from thousands of survivors of paedophiles who worked or volunteered in state institutions like schools, churches and charities. many of which have been reported to police. we will have more on this story a little later. an emotional multi—faith memorial service has been held in london to honour the victims of the grenfell tower block fire injune. members of the british royalfamily and the prime minister, theresa may, joined survivors and relatives of the 71 who died in the disaster. the us communications regulator has voted to end net neutrality, the principle introduced by the 0bama administration that internet service providers treat all types of internet traffic the same. protestors who gathered before the vote fear this will create a two—speed internet, forcing customers to pay more for some services. but supporters say removing regulation will increase innovation, as yogita limaye explains. essentially what has happened is that regulation which ensured that internet service providers in america could not charge different prices for different websites, that regulation has been removed. now, this is not a role that needs to be passed by congress, so it could come into effect. china's president and his south korean counterpart say they will not tolerate a war on the korean peninsula. the two countries co—operate in applying sanctions and pressure on pyongyang. it comes as the south korean president met the chinese leader during a state visit to beijing. mamma mia, dancing queen, take a chance — we are talking the swedish super—group abba. satin bellbottoms and some of the catchiest pop songs around, and they are back — sort of. fans new and old will be delighted to know a new exhibition about the band is opening in london, and it is called super trouper. if it is december, then it is time for vladimir putin's end—of—year news conference, and the rare chance to ask the russian leader a question. he praised what he claimed were donald trump's achievements. the two men havejust spoken on the phone. and, on the fbi's investigation into collusion between the trump campaign and russia, he said it was invented by those opposed to mr trump. the bbc‘s moscow correspondent steve rosenberg got a seat. here is his report. it is always a spectacle, and always incredibly long. vladimir putin's end of year press conference this year lasted three hours and a0 minutes. more than 1000 journalists competed to catch the president's i am to ask him a question, with the kremlin leader up on stage, holding court like a russian tsar. he was asked about alleged links between dole drum's campaign team in the russian government. how could vladimir putin explain the amount of contact between the two? this has all been invented by the people who oppose trump, to delegitimise his work, president putin said. the people who do this are dealing a blow to domestic politics in their country. he spoke also about syria. vladimir putin had made a surprise visit their earlier this week to congratulate russian troops on their military operation, that has kept the key ally, president assad, in power. his message was mission accomplished. some of the russian troops have been returning home. moscow views the military campaign there as a success. but back in russia, critics accused the kremlin of crushing opponents and preventing the emergence of any rival the vladimir putin. today, he said it wasn't his fault that russia lacked a strong, united opposition. it is not up to me to form the opposition myself, president putin said, and he criticised opposition activists for making too much noise and offering no concrete ideas. this wasn'tjust an end of year news conference. this was the start of an election campaign. in three months' time, russians go to the polls, and vladimir putin wants another six yea rs vladimir putin wants another six years in the kremlin. and if he wins and serves out his next term in full, that will mean he will have beenin full, that will mean he will have been in power in russia as president or as prime ministerfor 2a years. let's return to one of our main stories, the final report on child sexual abuse in australia, which will go to the governor—general on friday. we can speak to leonie sheedy, co—founder of the survivor advocacy organisation care leavers australasia network , who has travelled to canberra to see the report being handed over to the governor—general. ican i can see that you and some of the supporters who are with you, you travel to canberra to see this report being handed over to the governor—general. what does today mean for you? it is a very momentous day. you know, the country now knows that children in australia's orphanages, children's homes, missions and foster care were sexually used either churches, charities and the state governments, and they know they can no longer hide this horrible history. it needs to be taught in every school, in every university of this country. and children like us, we are now elderly adults, we deserve justice, we deserve redress, we deserve redress for all forms of abuse and neglect, the loss of our families, and the lack of opportunities that life... you know, they didn't provide us for a life, and we had to grow up without their parents, and pretend it didn't matter. it surely mattered, to every single person here standing behind me, and many elderly australians who are hidden in lonely houses across australia because they are so burdened by the shame and stigma of their childhood. well, the shame and stigma needs to be squarely put on the churches, the charities and the state government of this country. leoni, this was an incredibly far—reaching report, and it really investigated so many different types of institutions, these state institutions. are you satisfied with it? well, we actually haven't seen the recommendations, but i can assure you those commissioners have done this country proud, really. ithink commissioners have done this country proud, really. i think everybody here, wouldn't you will agree? applause and you know, they took the shame and stigma from our hearts, and they carried it from —— for the last five yea rs. carried it from —— for the last five years. well, it now needs to go to every government, state and federal, and it needs to go to the churches and it needs to go to the churches and charities and state governments, and charities and state governments, and if the churches and charities don't opt in to redress, well, then they need to lose their charity tax exemptions. thousands of people we have spoken to, thousands of survivors we have spoken to as part of this investigation. explain to us how difficult is it for a survivor to come forward and speak about this? well, you don't trust society. you don't trust the police, you don't trust the government, you don't trust the government, you don't trust the government, you don't trust anybody. you know, when children in orphanages absconded, they did try to speak up. they tried to speak to the welfare, and the police, and the churches and charities just didn't believe. the police even picked us up from the streets and return us, no questions asked, they returned us straight back into the hands of the abuses. and we got punished severely for that. and so it is extremely difficult to tell what happened to you as a child. you have to relive that trauma and that abuse all over again. but these brave men and women, and the oldest person that clan has supported at the royal commission was 93, they embraced the royal commission because they trusted the royal commission. they trusted the royal commission. they trusted peter mcclellan, gilroy, jennifer, andrew murray, who is a homie in your own country, you ship them off to rhodesia, and wonderful of atkins, the police commissioner. those people need the greatest appreciation of this country. but the burden now has to go to the government, and the responsibility to the government to implement every single one of the royal commission's recommendations. thank you so much for sharing all your experiences, and thank you for speaking to us here on newsday. thank you to the tea m here on newsday. thank you to the team behind you as well. thank you so much for your time. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: who lives in a house like this? we take a look inside a piece of america in london. also on the programme: a short shelf—life. how some fickle fashion fans are casting out their clothes afterjust a single use. after eight months on the run, saddam hussein has been tracked down and captured by american forces. saddam hussein is finished because he killed our people, our women, our children. the signatures took only a few minutes but they brought a formal end to 3.5 years of conflict that has claimed over 200,000 lives. before an audience of world leaders, the presidents of serbia, bosnia and croatia put their names to the peace agreement. the romanian border was sealed and silent today. romania has cut itself off from the outside world in order to prevent the details of the presumed massacre in timisoara from leaking out. from sex at the white house to a trial for his political life. the lewinsky affair tonight guaranteed bill clinton his place in history as only the second president ever to be impeached. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm kasia madeira in london. our top stories: disney and fox link up in a $50 billion entertainment merger. it's one of the biggest media deals in history. a final report on child sexual abuse in australia is due to be delivered to the country's governor—general. and one story which is popular across asia on bbc.com, each december, the geminid meteor shower illuminates the night sky with a massive display of shooting stars. as you can see cameras over china captured the peak of the show. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the new york times looks at how changes to mexico's food system have led to some expanding waist lines. apparently free trade has caused a glut of high—calorie food. the result is obesity more then doubling since 1980. also they report a growth in diet—related illness. the china daily reports on plan to boost the use of artificial intelligence as the government aims to upgrade the economy. the strategy includes plans for an internet—connected car industry. it also includes cutting edge robots to help senior citizens and children. finally, the philippine star shows the house of someone who's really trying to brighten up the festive season. the entire building in cainta is decorated with hundreds of thousands of lights. it's proved a big hit with locals as well as foreign tourists. sharanjit, we're going to keep on the building theme but losing the lights perhaps because here in london we used to seeing new buildings going up all the time and i'll tell you about the latest one, at the cost of $1 billion it comes com plete at the cost of $1 billion it comes complete with its own moat. it's the us embassy and it sits on the banks of the thames and is due to open next month, but the bbc‘s richard lister had a sneak preview. this is what $1 billion looks like. the new us embassy in london is said to be the most expensive in the world and almost a decade in the making. inside, there's a garden of american desert flora. it's all designed to be wary and welcoming, not words usually associated with embassies. i think this is a country of great dignity and it burst the united states and this building should be not some pop icon but certainly a building of great dignity and serenity. this embassy is also a fortress, it even has a moat, although they prefer we call ita moat, although they prefer we call it a pond. moat, although they prefer we call ita pond. some moat, although they prefer we call it a pond. some of the glass is six inches thick, a reminder that the embassy is the only place where one nation intersects with the other. for decades that's been here, grosvenor square. the old embassy‘s been sold to become a hotel but it's a place now associated with american triumphs and tragedies. at grosvenor square, police warned to expect trouble waiting. it was where british people repeatedly protested against the vietnam war. a huge crowd waited for them at the american embassy... were well—wishers greeted america's first men on the moon and came to pay their respects after the attacks of 9/11. now a new building will represent america. the us ambassador said this glass clad building represents america's global outlook, giving form he says to the core democratic values of transparency, openness and equality. what's not clear whether donald trump will be at the opening next month, although he has been invited. it would be the most controversial visit by any american president, moving in present for the ambassador. trump is coming when he sets the date for coming. he's been invited for a state visit, he's been invited for a state visit, he's been invited and accepted but he hasn't set a date for the ribbon—cutting of this and taking a look at this embassy. that will be announced when he selects the date. and of course the new embassy will outlive this new, presidency and many more to come. richard lister, bbc news. the christmas party season is in full swing, many of you might be buying new outfits for the festive celebrations. but how many times will you actually wear those outfits again? well, recent research has found just how disposable clothing is. three quarters of those surveyed in australia and singapore had thrown out clothing in the last year. in china that figure was 85%. many respondents threw away clothes after just one wear. in australia that figure was two in ten people, three in ten in singapore and in china four in ten. millennials, in all three countries had the highest proportion of new clothing. 30—a0% of people purchased at least half of the clothes they own in the past year alone. earlier, singapore—based fashion writer wing yin came into out studio. i asked her if she thought the younger generation was mainly responsible for this throw—away trend. i don't exactly think it's a generational thing, i don't exactly think it's a generationalthing, but, like, they will be differences between two generations, the different generations, the different generations, the different generations, the millennials and the older generation because it stands for the fact they have different values. pot four millennials it's a time when it's very fast, speed is given, trends are getting faster so it's not surprising we are turning out things that fast. do you think it's also the fact that the internet and social media has transformed society? do you think that is chiefly the copper it as well, the fa ct chiefly the copper it as well, the fact you might be photographed in something once and you can't wear it ain? something once and you can't wear it again? with social media it kind of democracy eyes to fashion in a sense. it brought around careers like fashion bloggers and for us it gives a voice to the fashion community. they can detect the trends and that's why people were something on social media, it can also be the new it think. very destructive indeed. there's a huge environmental aspect to all of this. interesting, i was on the streets polling people yesterday and lots of people said that's so wasteful, wouldn't you want to reuse and recycle ? wouldn't you want to reuse and recycle? is the environmental aspect something many young millennials know about, people who are throwing away their clothes? we do actually have some concerns about the environmental aspects but i think most of the concerns come from the waste agency. instead of throwing out clothes, a lot of them are actually donated to charities or give it up to other people, yeah. that is happening to some degree. what do you think fast fashion means for the fashion industry and its future? for fast fashion, i think it's kind of like a game changer because it's really trendy, it's fast and the pricing is more competitive. in a sense it's actually giving a more competitive edge to people who want to shop faster and for trends that go faster because they actually copy the designs from catwalks and then they put it out to sales and through mass production, so it's much faster. people can shop faster and trends get faster as well. we know china is a big factory for all sorts of things, they also produce a lot of clothing in the textile industry, is that part of the reason why china seem to be the chief culprits of getting rid of clothes in less than a year? china is getting more and more involved in the whole fashion industry because of its e—commerce platform. actually in the china seen the retail industry is getting a little bit worse because e—commerce is really powerful nowadays and people choose to shop online instead. it's very effective and efficient, the logistic infrastructure, things happened very fast so people can choose what they wa nt to fast so people can choose what they want to buy and when people buy the clothes they don't think about it. that's what we saw on singles day, that huge internet event. i have to ask you this question before we leave it, have you ever bought something and worn it only once? i know i have because it hasn't really fitted, but have you? i'm kind of guilty of it. sometimes we buy things and it might not fit me or it isn't my style, i will still buy it. i try not to, i try not to throw it away. the fashion writer wing ying speaking to me earlier. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. the latest star wars film has its worldwide debut this weekend, but will the force be with with those selling star wars merchandise? and i know it's not quite christmas yet that's never stopped us here on newsday from showing you images from london zoo where the animals have been getting their presents early. these squirrel monkeys seemed happy enough with their stockings. the lions, however, do not look that impressed with their gifts, but the donkeys obviously enjoyed their festive hay. the cold snap's not quite over yet. of course the snow has stopped mostly that is but it's still pretty chilly out there and in some parts of the country we still have a little bit of snow lying around here and there, presumably this is a former snowman. there's the risk of some ice also first thing on friday morning, a really messy picture, by that age, i mean there's a lot of cloud, there's showers of rain, there's hail, sleet, snow falling across the hill and with temperatures below freezing outside of town there's the risk of iciness. you can see carlisle lee above freezing, couple of degrees above zero in manchester and some of those country lanes will be pretty cold. you know what happens at this time of year after a clear night, the air temperature might be just above zero, two or three degrees, but the road surface, the ground is below zero, it's frozen, so with rain showers moving through, you get that risk of icy patches so take it steady. in terms of the weather on friday, sunshine around in many western areas, beautiful weather in the lowlands, southern scotland, cumbria, lancashire, throughout wales and the south coast but eastern areas will continue to have showers. the wind from the north is blowing in the cloud and showers and only five expected in newcastle. friday night is going to be told, a frost on the way once again, you can see it developing across scotland, the north of england, all the way down to the south as well so that means first thing on saturday it's going to be told. 0ne means first thing on saturday it's going to be told. one thing that is going to be told. one thing that is going to be happening during saturday is milder air starts to move in off the atlantic but it's a slow process, after days of colder weather, mild air often doesn't march in, it moves in very slowly. 0n march in, it moves in very slowly. on saturday, still pretty cold, a frost around in places in the morning and those temperatures struggling, to all three, a bit milder in western areas, six expected in belfast. then the south—westerly kicks in by sunday, with that cloud and rain, often happens. with those temperatures, 11 or12, happens. with those temperatures, 11 or 12, glasgow getting up to around 10 degrees. those south—westerly winds all the way from the southern climes will continue to blow in during monday, so that milder trend certainly continues into next week. how are we doing compare to other parts of europe? london is on a par with paris during the course of the weekend. elsewhere across the continent, athens in the high teens with some showers on the way. bye— bye. you are watching bbc world news. our top story: the walt disney company is buying a large part of 21st century fox, the business built up over decades by the media tycoon rupert murdoch. disney will take over fox assets, including movie studios and cable networks, under the $52 billion deal. the fox news channel and the firm's tv stations are not included. a royal commission in australia is to submit its final report on child abuse, after almost five years. churches, charities, sports clubs, schools and children's homes have all been scrutinised. and this video is popular on bbc.com. this is the amazing geminid meteor shower. it illuminated the night sky over china with a massive display of shooting stars. it is an annual sight around this time of year. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news.