welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is ben bland. our top stories: north korea test fires four ballistic missiles. three land in the sea nearjapan, and tokyo calls them a grave threat. tap or no tap? a former us intelligence chief denies president trump's claim that his phones were tapped during the election campaign. heavy clashes between iraqi government forces and so—called islamic state militants in western mosul force tens of thousands of people to flee the city. solidarity through fashion — india and pakistan come together on the catwalk in a special london showcase. north korea's neighbours say pyongyang has fired several missiles

into sea of japan. the south korean military said the projectiles were launched from a missile base near the border with china, and had flown about a thousand kilometres. the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, said four ballistic missiles had been launched, three of them landing in waters in tokyo's exclusive economic zone. mr abe said this clearly demonstrated evidence of a new threat from north korea. south korea's acting president hwang kyo—ahn has convened a national security meeting. our correspondent steve evans has more from seoul. it looks from the outside... early days, but it looks from the outside as though they are intermediate—range. in other words, not missiles which are capable of hitting the continental united states, for example. there is a bit of a ritual going on here. every year, at this time, south korea and the us have a big military exercise.

north korea says it is practice for invasion. it takes it very badly, and every year, about this time, it looses off missiles. and so there is clearly a signal being sent to south korea — we are very displeased by these military exercises. on top of that, north korea has an avowed aim to develop missiles capable of striking japan, south korea and the united states, but it doesn't quite have the technology. it loosed off several missiles last year, and they were duds. they went hardly any distance. so it is trying to get things right, for two reasons. one, to send a signal to south korea and the us — it doesn't like the exercises. but also to test the things. there may be a third reason, and that is that the regime in pyongyang, and kimjong—un in particular, is accused, with evidence, of conducting murder. and information does

seep into north korea, and he may be wondering how this is playing with the people there. are they thinking, well, this shows a strong leader, or a weak leader? maybe a bit of a diversion would help. that would be surmising, on my part, but you could understand the reasoning. for more information on north korea's decision to launch these missiles, go to bbc .com/ news. you will find more background and analysis there. us media reports say the director of the fbi, james comey, has dismissed claims by president trump that barack obama tapped his phones. mr comey is reported to have asked thejustice department to reject mr trump's unsubstantiated accusation. earlier, the former director of national intelligence, james clapper, denied there was any wire—tap on president trump or his election campaign team. our north america correspondent nick

bryant reports from new york. voiceover: now, on a special edition of this week with george stephanopoulos... on the sunday talk shows this morning, one main topic of discussion... ...from president trump, 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 wiretaps 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 committees 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've ever seen. senior democrats have labelled donald 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 america's former director of national intelligence, or what is called a fisa 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 fisa court order on something like this? 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" reset has ended, once again, with russia. and nick gave us the latest developments a short time ago. the white house still has not produced any evidence to back up the claim that barack obama or the white house ordered wireta ps claim that barack obama or the white house ordered wiretaps on trump tower. reporters have been directed to news articles. this suggests that donald trump's twitter tyre ed wood is not based on any briefing he received but an article he might

have read on breitbart news. —— tirade on twitter. clapper is seen asa tirade on twitter. clapper is seen as a trusted figure within washington. and james comey is being reported as having a breast the justice department and asked them to come out and say it donald trump was wrong. but this is a false claim and is to be shutdown. the french conservative, francois fillon has said no one can force him to withdraw his candidacy for the presidency. he's under investigation over payments he made to his family. in a television interview, he insisted his campaign would continue. party leaders are due to meet on monday to decide the way forward. three influential figures propose that mr fillon be replaced by his defeated rival,

the former prime minister, alan juppe. this report by our paris correspondent, lucy williamson, contains flashing images. despite the temporary comfort of a crowd, francois fillon is an isolated man, his party no longer united behind him, his campaign director gone, his candidacy dismissed by some as a collective suicide mission. after weeks of pressure to step aside, mr fillon today turned the fire back on his party colleagues, telling them it was time to make up their mind. translation: i have examined my conscience, and to the men and women of my camp, i say it's your turn to examine your conscience. will you let the interests of factions and careers prevail over the greatness and coherence of a project that has the support of millions? he has lost political allies and campaign staff, but francois fillon has stayed defiant through it all. now, with party figures closing ranks against him, he has gathered his supporters

for a last, desperate show of force. onstage beside him, his wife penelope. paying her as his assistant was a mistake, he says, but not illegal. translation: i'm convinced by fillon even more when i see people giving up and leaving the ship, when we actually need someone like him. but his supporters are now mainly voters from the hard—right of the party. polls suggest that 70% of the country at large want him to go, and that his party rival, alainjuppe, has a much better chance of making it to the presidential palace. so why is mr fillon so determined to hold on? he has truly, inside his hard disk, the cult of the chief, the chief and the people. he was elected in the primaries, he was elected by the people, so wants to remember only this sequence. he doesn't want to realise the rest. on the other side of paris today,

a protest by those who say they want him gone. in a television interview tonight, francois fillon made it clear there would be no political suicide. no—one can stop me being a candidate, he said. as party colleagues continue to abandon him, he still insists allegiance is their only choice. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. iraqi government forces and is militants in mosul have been engaged in what one iraqi commander has described as the heaviest clashes since the start of the operation to recapture the western half of the city. iraqi troops are now reportedly within a few hundred metres of government buildings in the old city. the operation started two weeks ago. it has forced 16,000 people to flee the city. the hamam al—alil refugee camp,

just south of mosul, is approaching maximum capacity. bbc‘s rami ruhayem met some of the refugees 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 decided to flee. exhausted and hungry, they arrive in droves. in just two hours, we saw more than five busloads of people arriving here in hamam al—alil, the camp for the internally displaced. children, bewildered and scared, many far too young to even understand. translation: isis were firing at us. most of the women died. we were alljust running and running, the mortars raining on our heads, til we got to the army. some were grateful for the army's help, 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 arrive here at this camp in hamam al—alil. they have escaped with their lives, but their misery is not yet over. and they keep coming, thousands each day, too many for the authorities to cope with. close by, in other 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, headed to other camps across the region. they have little idea when they will go back to mosul, and what they will find there when the battle is over. rami ruhayem, bbc news, hamam al—alil, south of mosul. stay with us on bbc news.

still to come... 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. first, the plates slid 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 bbc news. i'm ben bland. the latest headlines: north korea has test fired four ballistic missiles — three have landed in the sea off japan and tokyo has described the launches as a grave threat. the former us intelligence chief, james clapper has denied president trump's claim that his phones were tapped during the election campaign. the second day of china's annual national people's congress has begun. on sunday 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. in the past half an hour, the country's top economic planning

body, the ndrc, has been holding a news conference to announce more economic reforms. our correspondent, stephen mcdonell — is in the chinese capital. here at the great hall of the people in beijing, as you mentioned, we are into day two of the national people's congress. of course you would expect the economy to the front and centre of these meetings. that is because the government here is trying to wean people off unbridled growth. it is trying to have slower growth but better quality growth, if you like. and so the national development and reform commission, this is one of the main economic policy making body is here, holding a press conference on the sidelines of the gathering and began trying to spell out to people

because they had to explain if they wa nt to because they had to explain if they want to close down clapped out steel factories to get people not working in coal—fired power station, instead moving into renewable energy and high—tech cutting edge companies, these are painful changes in a place like this. couple in new guinea has been shaken bya couple in new guinea has been shaken by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake. authorities say there is no major stiaan army threat. —— papua. in april 2015, a massive earthquake struck kathmandu, killing thousands and destroying much of the city. two years on, the nepalese capital is recovering, and one of the more positive outcomes of the disaster has been a move to greener technology. previously polluting brick kiln factories have been rebuilt, giving workers and nearby residents a cleaner, healthier environment. navin singh khadka reports. for many years now, this extraordinary view of the himalayas

has been tarnished by kathmandu's smog. many of the noxious gasses contaminating the air are from these chimneys. they belong to the traditional brick kiln 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 that chimney. before, it used to spew out thick black smoke. the change is because coal in this oven is now burnt more efficiently through enhanced airflow. as a result, less polluting

particles are now coming out of that chimney. the gaps between the raw bricks increase the space where air can pass. more oxygen means the fire is more intense. almost all of the coal is burned and the bricks are better baked. just 100 metres from the new brick kiln is the imadol neighbourhood. until last year, the lungs of these families were filled with toxins and fumes six days a week. it costs around $150,000 to rebuild

a brick kiln but many are beginning to realise that a more efficient, cleaner factory in the long—term is good for business. fashionistas from india and pakistan came together on a catwalk in london this weekend, but it wasn't just about showcasing their latest designs. the event was held to show solidarity between the two countries — in a year that marks the 70th anniversary of their independence. shabnam mahmood reports. a fashion show with a difference.

bringing together the best from india and pakistan in london. i think that's the way forward. historically, it was always one country before as well. the division that happened 50—60 years ago, that's the gap year. i think it's good to get back to business and i think india and pakistan together are probably one of the strongest countries in the world. despite the historic differences between the countries, leading designers from both sides have shared the catwalk at this show, celebrating 70 years of independence together. we all actually have the same culture. there is really not much difference when we look at the kind of clothes that we make and that are designed. it means a lot for me because i am half indian, my family comes from india, my ancestors are from india. i think we are one nation, it'sjust a little boundary and fashion needs no restrictions, no boundaries. organisers are hoping events like this one will help ease tensions between the two nations

which have recently spilt into the world of entertainment. now, when we see people from both of the countries here or in dubai or anywhere else, you know? people don't have anything in their heart or in their mind, you know? it's always the politics that brings them apart, you know? although it was a night of glamour, the event also raised thousands of pounds for the prince of wales' charity which tackles poverty in both india and pakistan. shabnam mahmood, bbc news. there can be no doubting the indian love affair with cricket. but can more indian youngsters be persuaded to stop bowling a ball and start kicking one instead? that's the aim of an initiative which will use the goalscoring talents of a former premier league great — who had no problem finding the net.

paul frostick reports. the english premier league is watched by millions across the world. it is not only about the football happening on the pitch, this is also big business and tapping into worldwide markets can bring in billions of dollars of revenue. but what about those countries dominated by other sports? cricket is india's passion, a national obsession. so how does the premier league muscle in and persuade people to drop the back in favour of kicking a ball? we understand cricket is very important here and that is ok, that's fine. it's such a huge sport. but there is no reason why football can't try and challenge that. the enthusiasm and passion that not only the children have when we have worked here today, is that the whole place is just full of passion and they seem to love their football. fantastic to see.

alan shearer is in mumbai for a promotional push. the premier league's premier goal scorer has now hung up his boots but this is great dominated by football stars. hung up his boots but this is great dominated by football starslj hung up his boots but this is great dominated by football stars. i like football. it is a team game. you enjoy with your friends when you play. i play for the school team and i love playing football. each time i am free at home, ijust keep playing football. i will try to be a player. the indian cricket team are currently hosting australia in a four match test series but the premier league hopes that some of these audience will soon be tuning into football, too. the singer songwriter, yuna, is one of the few malaysian artists to have made it big in the united states. she's been talking to the bbc about her identity as a muslim singer, and what the music industry is like for young women. # you call me on a lazy afternoon. # asking me what i want, let's find something to do. # baby, i'll be down, down, down,

down, down, down, down. for a lot people, it's interesting to see a malay muslim girl really succeeding in the us. where i come from it is very normal, you know? a lot of malay muslim girls, we love music. it'sjust me being me. a lot of people don't agree, probably. some don't agree with me doing music, but why should i change? i've been doing this all my life. some people arejust, like, oh, she change into a more sexy artist. into a more sexy artist. but why should i change because that's not me as well. the way i practise my religion is mine, it's not somebody else's and i need to constantly remind myself of that. being a young girl in the music industry, it can be really tricky. people are always trying

to tell you what to do. orjust you know, "just be pretty, you are nothing more than that." which is not true. you know, you have to have knowledge, you have to be smart, you have to be intelligent. being famous and popular in the industry, it's not worth, you know, sacrificing your identity for that. you know, it's not worth it. just stick to it and do whatever makes you comfortable. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, i'm @benmbland. see you soon. hello, there. good morning.

well, we saw all sorts across the uk for 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. this was taken in oxfordshire. and we also saw some lying snow in wales. yes, lying snow there over the higher ground in wales. so a variety of weather. all down to an area of low pressure swirling around the heart of the uk. that is drifting its way ever eastwards and will continue to do so overnight. gradually things are calming down, although it is still fairly grey over the eastern side and into the small hours of the morning with some 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. in the morning, it is notjust rain across the south—west of england, there is potential for snow on the tops of the moors. apart from that, an ugly commute with the surface water and spray.

some of the rain fringes into the south of wales. 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 a little bit of misty fog in some parts of scotland. a lot of dry weather but scattered showers towards the north and west, where it will be quite breezy as well. quite breezy too down towards the south—west of england but that breeze should help push that rain away. things will be improving all the while here. elsewhere it looks like it will turn into a day of sunny spells and showers, with most across central and eastern areas. sunny out the further west you are. northern ireland though, 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 comes for the far north 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 chilly start to the day, 3—5 degrees again. bright start to central and eastern areas but out west it is going downhill through the morning and into the early afternoon. that wet and windy weather spreading in from the west. that will turn to snow over higher grounds. and then in the evening, rain makes steady progress across the eastern side of uk leaving behind a brisk breeze for wednesday, coming in from the northwest and there will be a fair bit 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. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm ben bland. north korea's neighbours say pyongyang has fired several ballistic missiles into the sea of japan. the japanese prime minister, shinzo abe, said four missiles had been launched, three of them landing in waters in tokyo's exclusive economic zone. us media reports say the director of the fbi, james comey, has dismissed claims by president trump that barack obama tapped his phones.

mr comey is reported to have asked thejustice department to reject mr trump's unsubstantiated accusation. the french presidential hopeful, francois fillon has said no one can force him to withdraw his candidacy for the presidency. he's under investigation over allegations he used public money to pay family members for work they didn't do. republican party leaders will meet on monday to decide the way forward. now on bbc news, it's dateline london.