i'm rico hizon in singapore, the headlines: the white house demands an investigation into whether the obama administration tapped donald trump's phone — but offers no evidence. as the second day of china's national congress gets under way, we'll be asking delegates what they think of america's new president. the scourge of air pollution in kathmandu — but now the means to fight it is coming from an unlikely source. # you call me on a lazy afternoon. she's the malaysian singer—songwriter who's made it big in america. yuna tells us why fame does not mean compromising on your identity. this is bbc world news. its newsday. it's 8am in singapore,

and 7pm in washington dc, where the former director of us national intelligence has denied there was any wire—tapping of donald trump's phones during last year's election campaign. it comes after explosive allegations made by the president on social media. the white house has now asked congress to investigate if phones in trump tower were tapped — but offered no evidence to back up the claims. our north america correspondent nick bryant reports from new york. on the sunday political talk shows this morning, one main topic of discussion... claiming the trump campaign was wire—tapped by president obama. in his extraordinary twitter tirade, donald trump accused his predecessor barack obama of being a sick and bad guy who ordered wire taps at trump tower in a watergate—style conspiracy. and this morning the white house issued a statement asking

that as part of their investigation into russian activity, the congressional intelligence committee exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016. but the white house has produced no evidence to back—up the president's claims and seems to be hoping these congressional committees will come up with some. let's get the truth here. let's find out. i think the bigger story isn't who reported it, but is it true? and i think the american people have a right to know if this happened because if it did, again, this is the largest abuse of power that i think we have ever seen. senior democrats have labelled president trump the "deflector—in—chief", deliberately distracting attention from the trump team's interactions with the russians. this is called a wrap—up smear. you make up something and then you have the press write about it and then you say — everybody is writing

about this charge, it's a tool of an authoritarian. there were no wiretaps at trump tower according to the former director of national intelligence or what is called a court order authorising them. there was no such wire tap activity mounted against the president—elect at the time, or as a candidate or against his campaign. you would be told this? i would know that. if there was fight for court order on something like this? something like this, absolutely. —— fisa court order. something like this, absolutely. and at this point in time you can't confirm or deny whether that exists? i can deny it. this weekend has seen pro—trump rallies around the country, celebrating his successful speech to congress and a stock market soaring to record levels. but a week that began with a presidential recess has ended, once again, with russia. the second day of china's annual national people's congress

is getting under way. yesterday premier li keqiang opened the conference with a warning that china faces major challenges in its attempts to overhaul its economy — the world's second largest. today, china's top economic planning body the ndrc will be holding a press conference where more economic reforms are expected to be announced. stephen mcdonell is at tiananmen square in beijing. the economy is indeed a key topic of discussion in this years at national people's congress but what are the keyissues people's congress but what are the key issues will be discussed in this parliamentary meeting? yes, here at the great hall of the people, following yesterday's keynote speech, they will be moving into these regional groupings. every province has its own meeting and at

the end of it, we sometimes get news from this because reporters get a chance to throw questions to, for example, the tibet group or the shandong group. apart from talking about the economy, the environment has been a big issue here. we heard premier leigh kitchin are saying yesterday that the government would clea n yesterday that the government would clean up the skies, especially in beijing. it is a pretty nice day here today. —— especially after factories have been told to close down because the national people's congress is on. what they need to do is work towards big solutions. —— li keqiang. people have seen our air pollution stories and there is also soil pollution, water pollution. this is something people will be discussing. of the economy as well. thejuggling that discussing. of the economy as well. the juggling that needs to be done. he mentioned the nt rc having its press c0 nfe re nce he mentioned the nt rc having its press conference today on the sides

of the npc. the ministers have press conferences. we get news out of this at what a juggling act that is. somehow to maintain economic growth and yet close down more clapped out steel factories, wind back coal—fired power, it is a big headache for the government. the economy and the environment at the centre of discussions are among china's communist leaders. what about donald trump? will he be talked about? inevitably, comparisons are being made at the moment between china and the united states. whether it be military spending. we have heard china say it will increase spending this year by around 7%. president donald trump says he wants about 10% increase. then there is questions like defending a free trade. so, while donald trump has been speaking about building up barriers, if you like, we have heard premier li keqiang san

china will defend free trade. what about action on global warming? plenty of people are looking to china to take the lead on this. these comparisons will be made throughout the congress here. but of course even at china's premier political gathering, you can't get away from speaking about donald trump. this is china's communist party elite. they are coming in their thousands as delegates to the annual showpiece rubberstamped national people's congress. of course, you would expect them to say that their leaders are doing a betterjob of governing than donald trump. but nevertheless, what they have to say about it is pretty interesting. america, if you think you are having

a tough time of it politically, why not study what china has to offer? what we are finding here is what you might callan what we are finding here is what you might call an outpouring of politeness towards donald trump. what you often hear american politicians criticising china, here, it's not really been the case. —— while you often hear. there you have it. it is interesting because here at the great hall of the people, behind closed doors, there are plenty of discussions going on about china's own political intrigues, questions of whether or not president xijinping might intrigues, questions of whether or not president xi jinping might stay on beyond a second term but, you know, it is different here. we don't see politics played out in public in the same way that it does in the united states. it is unusual for

people here to be speaking in public and maybe why there is a little bit of reticence, even when it comes to criticising the us president. stephen mcdonell, on a cold and clear day in beijing. also making news today — south korea's military are reporting that north korea has fired an ‘unidentified projectile' into the sea from near their missile base. it is said the project were launched from an area near south korea. the turkish president, recep tayyip erdogan has accused germany of nazi practices, after several towns banned political rallies at which turkish ministers were due to speak. president erdogan is trying to win support from the estimated three million turks in germany for the constitutional reforms he's putting to a referendum next month. about 1.4 million turks in germany can vote in the referendum, which could give mr erdogan sweeping new powers. french centre—right presidential candidate francois fillon has told a rally of his supporters that he'll

stay in the race to be the country's next president, while admitting misjudgements. he says he's done nothing illegal but he's being investigated for paying his wife for work she is alleged not to have done. mr fillon faces a key test on monday with a statement due from his former rival alain juppe — and a meeting of party officials. police in the us city of seattle are hunting for an attacker who shot a sikh man and told him to leave the country. the gunman approached the victim — a us national of indian origin — outside his house before shooting him in the arm. the attack has led to a fresh outcry in india — following a deadly gun attack on two indians in kansas last month. now for most of us, football hooliganism — of the type seen here at the european championships in france last year — is a blight on a noble sport. but now a senior russian politician has come up with an unusual answer to the problem — to recognise hooliganism as a sport in its own right!

igor lebedev, the deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, said his country could be a pioneer in this new team fighting competition. given that russia is to host the world cup finals next year, you have to wonder whether he might have been serious! iraqi troops are said to be close to recapturing the main government building in western mosul amid intense clashes with so—called islamic state. aid agencies say more than 200 thousand people have now fled the city, many seeking shelter in a camp at hamam al alil — 20 miles south of mosul. 0ur correspondent rami ruhayem reports from there. the people of mosul endure yet another round of fighting between iraqi government forces and so—called islamic state. many remain trapped within the city, others decide to flee.

exhausted and hungry, they arrive in droves. in just two hours, we saw more than five busloads of people arrive here in hamam al—alil. the camp for the internally displaced. children, bewildered and scared. many were far too young to understand. translation: islamic state were firing at us. we werejust running and running until we got to the army. some were gratefulfor the help of the army. but these men said their homes were hit by army shelling. almost everyone had to walk through the battlefield, risking their lives, before finally reaching safety and getting on one of these buses. after a long and dangerousjourney on foot and under fire

from all sides, the refugees from western mosul arrived at this camp in hamam al—alil. they have escaped with their lives, but their misery is far from over. and they keep arriving in their thousands every day. far too many for authorities to deal with. close by in the temporary camps, more people are seeking refuge. with such an unrelenting flow, the authorities can hardly keep up. soon, some are back on the bus again, heading to other camps across the region. they have little idea when they will go back to mosul, and what they will find their when the battle is over. rami ruhayem, bbc news, hamam al—alil, south of mosul. in april 2015, a massive earthquake struck at kathmandu. two years on the capital has recovered and there has been at least one positive

outcome from the disaster. some of the heavily polluting brick kiln factories have been rebuilt with green technology. residents nearby 110w green technology. residents nearby now enjoy cleaner air. many of the noxious gasses contaminating the air hearing kathmandu came from these chimneys. they belong to the traditional brick kilns factories. black, thick toxic smoke belches out throughout the working day. the earthquake of 2015 destroyed almost all of the 100 factories in kathmandu. many were rebuilt using the same old outdated methods. but ten have been redesigned using cleaner technology.

as you can see, white and slightly grey smoke coming out of the chimney. before it used to spew out sick black smoke. the changes because coal in the southern is now burnt more efficiently through enhanced airflow. as a result, less polluting particles are now coming out about chimney. the camps, datsun 01’ out about chimney. the camps, datsun or rix increase the air we be smoke pass. almost all the call was burnt and the bricks are better baked. they're just 100 metres from the new

brick kiln is a local road. last year the lungs of these families we re year the lungs of these families were filled with talks on six days a week. it costs around $150,000 to rebuild a brick kiln. but many are beginning to realise that a more efficient and cleaner to realise that a more efficient and clea ner factory to realise that a more efficient and cleaner factory in the is good for business. with the clear health benefits that there is now a drive for the improved technology to be rolled out across the capital and beyond. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the scandal struck frank should

politicians as no—one can stop his bid for the presidency. pressure is growing on him, however, to step down. 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 as 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. i hope everything will be all right at the end of the day. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. our top stories: the white house has demanded an investigation by congress into whether the obama administration tapped donald trump's phone. it's offered no evidence to support its claim. the second day of china's annual national people's congress is getting under way, with the focus on economic reforms. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the china daily is of course leading with the national people's congress now in its second day.

that's president xi jinping leading the way. the paper outlines the economic targets set by the government — 6.5% growth and 11 million jobs to be created. the new york times is featuring the desperate situation in south sudan. the un has formally declared a famine in parts of the country. and the financial times world edition are headlining with the latest on the french presidential election race. their main image shows france's centre—right candidate francois fillon at a rally in an attempt to save his campaign amidstan impending criminal investigation. moving on now... japan's emperor akihito has paid his respects to thailand's late king bhumibol in bangkok. it's the emperor's first visit to thailand since 2006. king bhumibol died last october and his son maha vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne

two weeks later. joining me live now from bangkok is our correspondent there, jonathan head. how significant is this trip to thailand? well, it is a short trip. it is tacked onto the end of a trip to vietnam but symbolically significant 1/ the ties. this is a country in the grip of what is is a lwa ys country in the grip of what is is always going to be a delicate royal succession after a 70 year reign by the king who got in march to find the king who got in march to find the country. for maha vajiralongkorn, this is a boost to his prestige. there is still a lot of uncertainty about how he will play his role and to get such a high profile visit will be a boost to him. although it is bound up in royal protocol, for japan,

him. although it is bound up in royal protocol, forjapan, every diplomatic visit to the region, and particularly to thailand at the moment is important. this is a country in which the japanese have been investing heavily for decades. they are still one of the largest investors here. there are 2000 japanese companies here. every visit is important. at a time when thailand is increasingly looking to china, as are many countries are in the region, for investment and diplomatic influence. japan is fighting its corner and although the emperor will have gone through formal visits this will be building on other top—level visits by japanese diplomats in an attempt to shore up the long stymied in powerful and cultural influence in this country. and, jonathan, before making this trip to bangkok, the emperor visited vietnam. is this a sign that ties have improved after japan invaded vietnam? i think we are ina

japan invaded vietnam? i think we are in a new era 110w japan invaded vietnam? i think we are in a new era now where the hangups of the second world war, particularly in south east asia, do not really play big. people here are conscious of the shifting balance of political power with an uncertain trumpet administration and the end of the obama pivot to asia and a growing and visible dominance of china. every country in this reason recognises that and is acknowledging it. china is becoming a big investor as well. they have always tried to balance china with the united states. if the us will be a lot less visible than japan states. if the us will be a lot less visible thanjapan sees the need, andjapan visible thanjapan sees the need, and japan has always relied on us backing, they have to take the initiative themselves and go win with assertive diplomacy. we see not just the traditional but japanese diplomacy with money, that is still there, increasingly we are seeing military ties at a low level being built by japan. so japan military ties at a low level being built byjapan. so japan wants a much biggerfootprint across built byjapan. so japan wants a much bigger footprint across all areas that it used to have stopped

—— than it used to have. singer and songwriter yuna is one of the few malaysian artists to have made it big in the us. she's been mentored by pharrell williams, and has had a duet with usher. yuna talked to the bbc about her identity as a muslim singer, and what the music industry is like for young women. # caught me on a lazy afternoon # asking me what i want, let's find something to do. # baby i will be down... for many people, it is interesting to see a malaysia muslim girl really succeeding in the us. where i come from it is, like, it isn't very normal, you know, a lot of malaysia muslim girls we love music. people don't agree, probably.

some don't agree with me doing music, but why should i change? i have been doing this might i live. some people arejust, like, she should become a sexy as artist. but i won't change, that is not me as well. the way i practise my religion is mine, it is not somebody else's andi is mine, it is not somebody else's and i need to remind myself of that. you have been watching newsday. hello, there. good morning. we all saw all sorts across the uk to the second part of the weekend. we saw a bit of rain and some brighter

weather. so some rainbows in places but some of the showers were really quite heavy and they contained hail. have a look here at 0xfordshire. and we also saw some snow. yes, snow there over the higher ground in wales. so a variety of weather. all down to an area of low pressure swilling around heart of the uk. that is drifting its way ever eastwards and will continue to do so over the night. gradually things are coming down although it is still fairly graver the eastern side and into the small hours of the morning with small outbreaks of rain. another area of rain moving into the south—west of the uk. it will be chilly, generally speaking. temperatures up to five degrees and a touch of frost possible in the north of scotland. it is notjust rain across the south—west of england, there is potentialfor snow on the tops of the morse. apart from that, an ugly commute with the surface water and spray. the bulk of wales and the midlands and the

south—east of england gets off to a reasonable start although some eastern counties are still fairly cloudy. the north—west of england on a bright start to the day. maybe a few patches of mist, however in a little bit misty fog in some parts of scotland. scattered showers towards the north and west where it will be quite breezy as well. quite breezy as well down towards the south—west of england but that breed should help push that rain away. things will be improving all the while here. elsewhere it looks like it could turn into a day of sunny spells and showers is the showers across central and eastern areas. sunny out the further west you are. although we will see fair bit of cloud and rain moving in here. top temperatures up to 11 degrees. as we go through monday evening things will quiet down pressure builds across the uk rain becomes for the finals of the uk where it will still be quite windy but we are looking west for the next spell of wind and rain to head our way. before it arrives it will be a cold start to the day it, 3— five degrees again.

bright start to central and eastern areas but our west it is going downhill through the morning and into the early afternoon. that wet and windy weather spreading from the west. that will to someone at the high ground. and then in the evening, rain make steady progress across the eastern side of uk leaving behind a brisk breeze for wednesday, coming in from the northwesterner will be a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain with that. it looks like it will be cloudy again on thursday with some rain and the temperatures are on the rise. this is bbc world news i'm sarah corker, the headlines: the south korean military says that north korea has fired multiple projectiles into the east sea — also known as the sea of japan. it said the projectiles were launched from an area near the border with china, where a missile base is located. the white house has asked congress to examine president trump's claims, that barack obama ordered his phones to be tapped during the election. there has been a denial of the allegations by the former director of national intelligence.

the second day of china's annual national people's congress is getting under way, with the focus on economic reform. francois fillon, the embattled centre—right candidate in france's presidential elections, says he won't quit amid allegations of corruption. mr fillon said he's made mistakes, but is the legitimate choice of the party. now on bbc news it's time reporters.