welcome to news state. i sharanjit leyl welcome to news state. i sharanjit leyl. the attorney general of the us will not resign but he will sit out the investigation. therefore i have reached used myself in the matter that deal with the trump campaign. treated as troublemakers. thousands of chinese locked from seeking justice. emmanuel macron promises tax and spending cuts. the king and i. tax and spending cuts. the king and i, indonesia ‘s president video blogs the visit of the saudi king. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning. it is sam

good morning. it is 8am in washington, dc a senior member of the team is facing pressure after admitting the meeting russians during the campaign. jeff sessions has just during the campaign. jeff sessions hasjust said he during the campaign. jeff sessions has just said he will recuse himself any investigation into alleged russian interference in the election. democrats want him to resign saying he misled the public. marine one touching down on the navy's newest aircraft carrier, and the president feeling the full downdraught of the latest setback to buffet his administration. his attorney general, jeff sessions, facing charges that he lied under oath during his

confirmation hearings over his contacts with the russians. but the president is standing by him. reporter: mr president, do you still have confidence in the attorney general? total. when were you aware that he spoke to the russian ambassador? i wasn't aware at all. what's emerged is that then—senator sessions met the russian ambassador at the republican convention injuly. he met him again in september. but at his confirmation hearing this january, he denied any contact with the russians. if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do? senator franken, i'm not aware of any of those activities. i have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and i did not have communications with the russians. i'm unable to comment on it. we've now had the national security adviser fired over his links to russia,

we've had the attorney general accused of perjuring himself because of his contacts and the white house is absolutely insistent there is nothing untoward, there is nothing to see, and the crowd should move on. but the questions keep piling up. senior democrats are demanding jeff sessions' resignation and for the appointment of a special prosecutor. the fact that the attorney general, the top cop in our country, lied under oath to the american people is grounds for him to resign. it is grounds for him to resign. he has proved that he's underqualified and unfit to serve in the position of trust. republicans aren't going that far, but a growing number have said that you can't have an attorney general overseeing an investigation into russian activities, if he himself is comprised. they are demanding him recuse himself. based on what we have read on the information is not complete,

the attorney general should further clarify and i think you will need to recuse himself at this point. at a news conference a short time agojeff sessions insisted he'd done nothing wrong, but he did bow to pressure from within his own party. i've decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matter relating in any way to the campaigns for president of the united states. # god bless the usa..# # god bless the usa...# there's no disguising the warmth of the reception the us president received. his hope is the rest of the american personnel are more interested in what he's doing in national security and jobs than they are in latest washington brouhaha. our correspondent has been monitoring all of this for us. has

jeff sessions and done enough by with touring from any of these investigations of russian interference in the election campaign and to stop any more questions? he will certainly be hoping so—and—so would the trump administration who keep having to deal with this russia issue. jeff sessions arranged that press conference sessions arranged that press c0 nfe re nce very sessions arranged that press conference very quickly and he came out and he tried to read the rate what was said last night via his spokesperson. —— reiterate. he did meet with the russian ambassador to but it was not anything to do with the campaign and he said during his hearing, when he was being sworn in, hearing, when he was being sworn in, he was asked about it and he said he did not have any contact with

russians are that the election campaign but he did subsequently, as a senator, have meeting with the russian ambassador about other things. he said his position has not changed. he was not trying to mislead anybody. he was asked in an honest way but they're rather senior democrats who are not convinced by that argument. —— there are. he has agreed to step aside from the fbi investigation into links with russia when and if russia meddled with the campaign but it remains to be seen whether they will be ok with leaving it at that. or whether they will continue to call for his resignation. he said in his press briefing that in retrospect he would have mentioned he met with the russian ambassador and clearly having done that at that time it really would not be looking so bad

now. the russian government says the syrian army backed by russian air strikes has completely retaken the city of palmeera air strikes has completely retaken the city of palmyra from the islamic state group. palmyra, famous for its ancient ruins, has changed hands several times during the conflict. is fighters were driven out in march last year, but managed to retake the city and its surroundings in december. syrian ambassador to the un vowed to continue with the fight. sarah corker reports across the sands of palmyra, siemian troops backed by russianjets across the sands of palmyra, siemian troops backed by russian jets and that the western districts. —— enter. through which they battled to reach the unesco world heritage site. this video released by the syrian government shows heavy

shelling across an almost deserted city. i was fighters have now fled. translation: counter terrorism operations will continue until the last of our territory is liberated from the hands of these foreign terror organisations which are wreaking havoc. in switzerland, a decline to congratulate the president in retaking the city. translation: this is the second time we have seen this handover and it is being used for political reasons. it is like watching tom and jerry. the historic city has changed hands several times during the six—year civil war. i held the ruins for ten months after seizing them for the first time in may 2015. it do at temples and destroyed burial towers.

the militants were forced out in march 2016, which was celebrated by bringing an orchestra to the site where the militants once staged beheadings. pro—government forces would focus on a battle for aleppo and militants retook control. these we re and militants retook control. these were once among the best preserved monuments in the middle east. the destruction here now a symbol of the civil war that continues to consume syria. egypt's highest appeal court has found the former president, hosni mubarak, not guilty of involvement in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him from power. since his arrest six years ago, the former president has spent most of his time in a military hospital. it is unclear whether he will return home. pakistan will see its semi—autonomous tribal areas merged

with the rest of the country, after the cabinet approved landmark reforms. the move's been welcomed with celebrations. the new plans mean the region will eventually participate in general elections and be governed by pakistan's laws. shares in the company that owns snapchat have jumped nearly fifty per cent on its stock market debut. shares in snap inc soared to more than 25 dollars from the opening price of seventeen dollars. with one—hundred—and—sixty million users worldwide, our correspondent dave lee says growing further will be a challenge for snapchat. us first lady melania trump has visited a new york city hospital to read to sick children for world book day. she brought a copy of oh, the places you'll go! by dr seuss, which she said was one of her favourite books. the first lady said ‘i came to encourage you to read, and to think about what you want

to achieve in life'. this weekend, china will open its annual parliamentary session — the national people's congress. as usual the weeks leading up to the congress have been marked by a nationwide effort to stop some of the most marginalised members of society from reaching beijing. our correspondentjohn sudworth has had first—hand experience of the tactics deployed against them. there are some violent images in this report. give us the camera. our interview is not going to plan. we are stopped from meeting the family we've come to see. this woman and her sister claim their father was beaten to death by a policeman in a land dispute. they're among the many thousands of people who travel

regularly to beijing seeking justice — known as petitioners. so the petitioners hope to use china's annual parliamentary gathering to make their case. but here's the reality, china's communist party doesn't want the pomp and pageantry spoilt by... by this country's dispossessed and marginalised. the thugs force us out and smash our cameras. before the start of the national people's congress this weekend, a major security operation is under way. while local officials work to stop petitioners reaching beijing, at the petitions' office, where, in theory, their complaints and grievances can be lodged, hundreds of plain clothed security guards now lie in wait to catch people and send them home. we meet two women who show us their petitions.

one, claiming that a well—connected company boss stole money from her. the other, trying to overturn an alleged miscarriage ofjustice. "we come here during the congress because there is a chance for to us meet upright officials", this woman says, "but instead we're treated as troublemakers and threatened." the interview is abruptly stopped, although for now, at least, the women are free to leave. few petitioners ever succeed in getting justice. along with the persecution, it makes their faith in the system all the more remarkable. we are just a few blocks away from the people's congress but the reality they play here is very different indeed. for those who need political representation the most, this is a system

marked by suspicion, surveillance and control. jon sudworth, bbc news, beijing. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a new informal diplomacy? the indonesian president's video logs the visit of the saudi king. first the plates slipped gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards and it was a matter of seconds before the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb on a remote pacific atoll. the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier and so my heart went bang and bang. the constitutional rights of these marchers have their rights

as citizens of the united states and they should be protected even in the right to test them out so they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy, i know you don't want to say too much about it, but does it worry you it's going to boil up when you get to the stage? well, it worries me, yeah. but everything will be all right in the end of the day. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the scandal that donald trump can't shake. his attorney general won't resign over contacts with russians during the election campaign, but he will sit out the investigation. is to as the makers, thousands of ordinary chinese are from seeking

justice ahead of the national people's congress beijing. —— blocked from seeking justice. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the news of snapchat‘s amazing first day on the stock market captured le figaro's main business page in france. snapchat, the new star of wall street, says the headline of the picture—messaging service, after its shares jumped nearly 50%. the annual session of china's top political advisory group is covered in the south china morning post. and this journalist at the press conference has caught everyone's eye, as he shows off his very fancy reporting gear. what we journalists have to carry with us nowadays! the hurdles of president duterte's controversial proposal to reinstate the death penalty is the main story in the philippine star, but it also reports the good news of him becoming a grandfather for the tenth time. his daughter, who is also

mayor of davao city, gave birth to a boy, whom the parents have nicknamed ‘stonefish'. let's turn to france, where there have been more blows for two of the leading candidates in france's upcoming presidential elections. marine le pen, the far—right candidate, faces a criminal inquiry into her tweets, after her immunity as an mep was lifted. and police searched the home of the centre—right presidential candidate francois fillon, amid a continuing scandal over payments he made to his family. meanwhile, a third, emmanuel macron, unveiled his policy agenda. lucy williamson reports. his stage may not be as glitzy as the oscars, but emmanuel macron knows how to play the star. never mind that critics describe his campaign as "blah blah

land" — all talk, no real policies. today, this 39—year—old first—time candidate came armed with plenty of them. he has promised big tax cuts, spending cuts, and the sale of government stakes in some companies. but he has also promised 50 billion euros of investment, and help for those on low incomes. mr macron‘s supporters are largely young, urban professionals. so, one journalist asked, why does a former investment banker deserve the working—class vote? translation: i was born in a provincial town, and in a family that had nothing to do with the world ofjournalists or bankers. i climbed the ranks. it's with a lot of pride that i say i am the candidate of the working and the middle classes. and frankly, when i compare my project with marine le pen‘s, she wants to withdraw

from the eurozone and destroy 30% of people's savings. expanding his vote to blue—collar workers is key for mr macron. here in lyon, he has won over the socialist mayor, but the support of the city's factory workers is proving much more difficult. translation: if it's between macron and marine le pen in the second round, i will vote for macron. but it would be a vote of necessity, not the one i really want. i think he will better try to get closer to people, in general. by "people", i include, of course, older people, more conservative people, and workers, blue workers. polls suggest marine le pen has the support of almost half the blue—collar vote in france, and is gaining among farmers, and some public servants, too. but she is also battling claims that she misused eu money

to pay party staff. emmanuel macron‘s strategy lies in holding together two different political tides. the centre—left and the centre—right. critics say the glue in that formula has been mr macron‘s personality, and his deliberately vague ideas. this programme tries to offer something to both sides. but will it be enough to keep them faithful and get them out to vote? with his centre—right rival francois fillon under investigation for embezzlement, this presidency could come down to a choice between mr macron or marine le pen, between globalisation or protectionism, the new political divide. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the king of saudi arabia, salman bin abdulaziz al saud, is on a visit to indonesia for the first time in 47 years, and the president of the country has ta ken the unusual step of video—logging parts of their lunch meeting online. christine franciska has this report. video blogging is quite easy. you

just hold your phone like this, and record your daily life. it is popular among young people, especially on youtube. not many leaders try this kind of approach, but indonesia'sjoko widodo is a big fan. although most of the world will remember last week's oscar ceremony for the confusion after the best picture was announced, for many a highlight was a young man who took to the red carpet for the first time. the co—star in lion, a little boy who goes missing in india. he played the boy as a child, dev patel plays him as an adult. he is back home in mumbai and we have been to see him there. are you ok? i had another family.

what happened ? are you ok? i had another family. what happened? i was lost. guddu! what an inspiring story, both the movie and sunny pawar‘s life. you have been watching newsday. stay with us for chinese super league, which kicks off on friday. we will be looking at money, which appears to be no object, as some of football's biggest names are lured to clubs previously unheard of outside of china. and, if you are setting off for work, here is a very different commute in washington. here is ryan zinke, the trump administration's new interior

secretary, reporting for his first day of work, on horseback. and the horse's name — tonto, of course. that's all for now. hello. the winter months were quite dry. the first week of march is trying to turn that around, and certainly during friday many of us will see some wet weather at some stage of the day, and all the way through the weekend it is looking very unsettled. we'll get to that. this is how early friday is looking. dragging in some rainfall from the south, some already across a large pa rt south, some already across a large part of southern england, south wales, edging through the midlands and into east anglia as the day begins. the little area of wet weather producing a bitter pills note to parts of the far north of england and southern scotland. let's ta ke england and southern scotland. let's take a look around things today, at

8am in the morning, so wet start across southern england, but you can see that rain advancing through north wales, the midlands, east anglia, at this stage. it is only going to move further north. eventually it will get into northern england but as you can see some of us england but as you can see some of us in northern england and into southern scotland seeing some rain and some snow as well. of us could even modest elevations could be waking up to a covering of snow here. further north in scotland it isa here. further north in scotland it is a frosty start, a few showers in the far north. so as we go through friday we are taking rain northwards through england and wales. eventually by late afternoon into the evening it should be across much of northern england. we will put an area of rain starting on the eastern side of northern ireland, through ireland by the end of the afternoon. the best of the sunshine without a doubt will be in northern scotland. turning a bit dry, though, in the afternoon in south—east england and it actually could feel a bit mild, given any brightness. one or two spots may just reach 13 given any brightness. one or two

spots mayjust reach 13 or even 1a celsius. a few heavy showers reaching parts of south—east england and wales as we go through friday night. the rain marching further north across into southern scotland, eventually into the central belt, staying with us into northern ireland. frost free for most of saturday begins, will be frost across parts of northern scotland. so that takes us on to the weekend, and friday, well, the theme of the wet weather continues into the weekend. we will see more rain at times. some of that could be quite heavy and persistent and particularly on saturday, with this area of low pressure just stalling its rainfall from northern ireland and into parts of scotland, whereas further south you will be still some areas of rainfall or showers, but it is not going to be a all day long. what we will see rental much of the day, we think, into northern ireland and southern and eastern parts of scotland, and particularly through eastern scotland it would be quite cold with that rainfall and there will be quite a lot of snow developing into the grampians further south, with showers. and then on sunday it looks at it and a little bit better, still a few showers around for scotland and northern ireland, another area rainfall pushing its way through england and wales, and temperatures

at around seven to 10 celsius. soggy for the weekend. this is bbc world news. the us attorney general, jeff sessions, has removed himself from any investigation into alleged russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. but speaking in washington, mr sessions denied he had done anything wrong by not disclosing, during senate testimony, that he met the russian ambassador twice last year. as china's leaders gather in beijing, thousands of ordinary chinese have been blocked from seeking justice ahead of the annual national people's congress which starts this weekend. and this video is trending on bbc.com the indonesia president has ta ken the unusual step of video—logging his lunch meeting with the saudi king and posting it online. it's the arab monarchs first visit to the country for 47 years. how times change! that's all from me now stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, time for hardtalk.