i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: president trump fires the head of the fbi, james comey, saying fresh leadership is required to restore trust in the organisation. democrats demand assurances that an independent fbi inquiry into alleged links between the trump election campaign and russia will continue. the american people need to have faith that an investigation as serious as this one is being conducted impartially, without a shred of bias. a more conciliatory approach to north korea from the new president in the south, but where will this leave donald trump's policy in the region? and trying to fine—tune one of the world's most iconic buildings. renovation work gets under way to improve the acoustics inside sydney's opera house.

good morning. it is 8:00am in singapore, 1:00am in london, and 8:00pm in washington, where the white house has confirmed president donald trump has fired his fbi director, james comey. mr comey was leading the agency charged with investigating the trump campaign's alleged links with russia. the white house said mr comey had been dismissed on the recommendation of the attorney general, jeff sessions, and his deputy. the white house released the letter that was sent to mr comey. in it, president trump said the fbi director was not able to effectively lead the bureau. he went on to say he was hereby terminated and removed from office, effective immediately, and that it was essential to find new leadership. but the move has sparked anger.

us senate democratic leader chuck schumer told president trump he was making a big mistake. he had these words for deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. the first question the administration has to answer is why now. if the administration had objections, they had those objections, they had those objections the minute the president got into office, but they didn't fire him then. why did it happen today? we know the house is investigating russian interference in our elections, that benefited the trump campaign. we know the senate is investigating. we know the fbi has been looking into whether the trump campaign colluded with the russians, a very serious offence.

were these investigations getting too close to home for the president? it is troubling that attorney general sessions, who had recused himself from the russian investigation, played a role in firing the man leading it. so what happens now? deputy attorney general rosenstein sat in thejudiciary committee and promised to appoint a special prosecutor at the appropriate time. that time is right now. the american people's trust in our criminaljustice system is in rosenstein‘s hands. mr rosenstein, america depends on you to restore faith in our criminaljustice system, which is going to be badly shattered after the administration's actions today. this is part of a deeply

troubling pattern from the trump administration. they fired sally yates. they fired preet bharara. and now they fired director comey, the very man leading the investigation. this does not seem to be a coincidence. this investigation must be run as far away as possible from this white house, and as far away as possible from anyone that president trump has appointed. given the way the president fired director comey, any person who he appoints to lead the russia investigation will be concerned that he or she will meet the same fate as director comey if they run afoul of the administration. the american people need to have

faith that an investigation as serious as this one is being conducted impartially, without a shred of bias. the only way the american people can have faith in this investigation is for it to be led by a fearless, independent special prosecutor. if deputy attorney general rosenstein does not appoint an independent special prosecutor, every american will rightly suspect that the decision to fire director comey was part of a cover—up. well, the white house has rejected the democrats‘ charge that the fbi director was fired for political reasons. the bbc‘s north america editor jon sopeljoins us now live from washington. everyone was surprised. no one saw

this coming, the firing of the fbi director, james comey. surprise is a word that is rather mild for the tectonic shift of the political plates that has unfolded this evening in washington. as i understand it, james comey, the director of the fbi, was addressing agents in los angeles, and aid goes up agents in los angeles, and aid goes up to him and hands them a note and says you had better read this. and he reads it, looks down, addresses the audience and says i have just been fired. he knew nothing about it. no one else knew anything about it. no one else knew anything about it. it was a bolt out of the blue from the white house. they didn't see it coming. and james comey had been determined to carry on with his work, to carry on the investigation. and you talked about the white house saying, look, this is nothing to do

with the enquiry into russia. as we all know, in politics, perceptions matter. and it looks like the person who was conducting the investigation has been fired by people who didn't wa nt has been fired by people who didn't want him to carry on with it, and it is going to take an awful uphill struggle for the white house to convince the public that it was more innocent than that. so what does this say, john, of mr trump's relationship with the us intelligence agencies?” relationship with the us intelligence agencies? i think it is a rather fraught relationship, intelligence agencies? i think it is a ratherfraught relationship, and it always has been. and in particular over this particular issue. and russia, in the narrowest sense, and russia in the widest sense. you sense, and russia in the widest sense. you remember sense, and russia in the widest sense. you remember that when donald trump first became president he refused to accept the assessment of the intelligence services that russia had intervened in the election by hacking the democrats' e—mails, by affecting the outcome in that way. then it was confirmed by james comey, the head of the fbi,

that there was an ongoing enquiry by the agency into whether there were links between russia and the trump campaign. donald trump was absolutely insistent, and remains absolutely insistent, and remains absolutely insistent, and remains absolutely insistent, there is nothing there, there is nothing to be seen. at the person who was leading the investigation has now been fired, and the reason being given is because of something that happened a year ago when he was looking into the use of hillary clinton's e—mails, which didn't result in a prosecution. and so you had those words that you read out from donald trump, the kind of rouble firing of the head of the fbi, you are hereby terminated, removed from office, effective immediately. and john, this is not the first sacking donald trump has done, as chuck schumer said, two other sackings over the last two months. —— brutal firing.

other sackings over the last two months. —— brutalfiring. what does this say about donald trump is a leader? well, i think what it says is he doesn't want much dissent. he wa nts to is he doesn't want much dissent. he wants to have his own people in, and thatis wants to have his own people in, and that is fair enough. you know, if you are the chairman of the board, you are the chairman of the board, you quite like appointing your own chief executive officer. dare i say it, in broadcasting, if you want to change the way the news station looks, you fire your presenters and bring in some people that you like. but this has a different resonance, because it looks like, and the word thatis because it looks like, and the word that is being used to note in the us is nixonian, when he fired the special prosecutor who was called to investigate him. and people are using that phrase, and we heard it from chuck schumer a moment ago, cover—up. that is deeply damaging, andi cover—up. that is deeply damaging, and i have heard it being reported that there is some surprise in the white house that this is causing the ructions that it is. i am astonished that anyone thought the reaction

would be anything other than what it is. thank you so much forjoining us. 0ther democrats have also been hitting out, saying comey‘s firing raises many questions, calling it deeply troubling. here is the democratic whip, senator dick durbin. the termination and removal ofjames comey as director of the federal bureau of investigation raises the critical question as to whether the fbi investigation of russian interference in the last presidential campaign will continue, and whether the investigation into any collusion or involvement by the trump campaign will also be investigated by the fbi. any attempt to stop or undermine this fbi investigation would raise grave constitutional issues. we await clarification by the white house as soon as possible as to whether this investigation will continue, and

whether it will have a credible lead so whether it will have a credible lead so that we know that it will have just outcome. i've also been speaking to daniel lippman, a reporter with politico. he says this news came as a huge shock to people all across washington. it is like the apprentice but with weight weighty national security matters. i think people have described this as an earthquake comes trump himself had said he had confidence in james comey comes trump himself had said he had confidence injames comey only a few weeks ago, and so for him to sack him raises a lot of red flags in dc, because people think that he did that to forestall any enquiry, and to make it harderfor the fbi to actually go to the bottom of what happened with russia's connections with the trump campaign. and so that's what people are worried about, that this new investigation, under a new fbi director, would not be as fairas under a new fbi director, would not be as fair as it would be under james comey. so daniel, what does

this say, then, about the relationship of president trump with the intelligence agencies? is it damaged? it was already very bad, because remember, trump had gone to the cia, the day he took office, and basically, in front of the memorial wall to fall in cia officers talked about his inauguration crowds. and is though they feel like he doesn't a lwa ys is though they feel like he doesn't always have their back. but trump feels like people in the fbi and the cia are sometimes disloyal to him, and so this... in this relationship between trump and the intelligence agencies will continue to remain very bad for the foreseeable future. indeed, everyone is still in shock, with the removal of james comey as the fbi director. i'm sure now questions are buzzing around, especially in your newsroom, daniel. who will be the next fbi head? yes,

so who will be the next fbi head? yes, so the deputy director isn't fbi vetera n. so the deputy director isn't fbi veteran. he has been there a while. but they have launched the search for a permanent director immediately, and people who have worked at the fbi, and also korea federal prosecutors are also probably going to be on that list andi probably going to be on that list and i think democrats are waiting to see whether the new fbi director will be fair, or whether he will be a trump loyalist —— career. a a federal law enforcement agency, you don't want —— when you lead a federal law enforcement agency, you don't want somebody to have too many conflicts of interest and so you wa nt conflicts of interest and so you want somebody who is independent, who can do a fairjob, and make sure the investigation into trump and russia is carried out properly, instead of leaving one way or another. left—leaning liberal candidate moonjae—in has claimed victory in south korea's presidential election. with 80% of the votes counted, mr moon had 40% of the vote, trailing well ahead of the other two

candidates, at 25% and 21%. mr moon favours greater dialogue with north korea, in a change to current south korean policy. the former human rights lawyer told cheering supporters in seoul's gwanghwamun square that he would unite the country. translation: from tomorrow, i will bea translation: from tomorrow, i will be a president for everyone. i'll be a president who serves all of the people, even those who didn't support me. let's go live to seoul, and talk to the bbc‘s stephen mcdonell. from the conservative former president, the south korean electorate has voted a liberal candidate? yes, people here in the south korean capital are waking up

toa south korean capital are waking up to a drastically different political landscape. moon jae—in, the to a drastically different political landscape. moonjae—in, the former human rights lawyer, has been chosen as the new president and it's a stark rejection of the conservative side of politics following the arrest of the former president, park, who is now sitting injail, waiting for trial on corruption charges. everyone is waiting to see what kind of relationship the new president will have the us and japan, who basically favourite a more tough talker with north korea and the anti—missile defence system. yes, well, it could be quite a tense relationship. we are waiting to see what happens for example with the thaad anti—missile system. he was critical of it, saying it shouldn't have been put in place. it remains to be seen as to whether he will

move to dismantle this. today we will start to see what kind of leader he will be because, for example, he will be heading to the national assembly and will head to the national assembly and then have some sort of small inauguration ceremony and getting on with it. this is normally the way power transition happens in south korea. it's only because the former president was impeached that there had to be this snap election, bringing into power straightaway. so it is all going to happen quickly in the weeks to come and we will see what kind of leader he will be. also china, it will be crucial to see what decisions he makes in terms of that relationship, because korean companies have been suffering. they have been punished in china, especially the large south korean company, to place the thaad anti—missile system. so they will

work with china to get the economy working as well. south korea has a new president. they deserve much for the update. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: fine tuning one of the world's most iconic buildings. renovation work gets underway to improve the acoustics inside sydney's opera house. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby swear to be faithful to the republic of south africa. after six years of construction and numerous delays, the channel tunnel has been formally opened by the queen and president mitterrand. the tunnel is still not yet ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggled for supremacy. now the pope's visit symbolises their willingness to coexist. roger bannister became the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes.

memories of victory as the ve celebrations reach their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon, in singapore. our top stories: us president donald trump has sacked his fbi directorjames comey, saying fresh leadership is required to restore trust in the organisation. the top democrat on the house judiciary committee says it "reeks of a cover up". the liberal human rights lawyer, moonjae—in, will be the next president of south korea.

he's promised to restore national pride and favours a more conciliatory approach to north korea. this is the most watched video online. it is the first time the couple has been interviewed together and our reporter was watching. it was theirfirstjoint television interview. this is how theresa may decided to show voters what makes her tick. she says she believes the public should have the chance to see who they're voting for — not in a prime ministerial debate, but on the one show sofa with her husband by her side. i try to give her as much support as i can, that's just very important. it is a toughjob, tough decisions. a lot of things you have to work hard at as pm. i'm there to give her as much support as i can.

it is a two way street. but traditional, nonetheless. i get to decide when i take the bins out, not if i... boyjobs and girljobs. there were no difficult political questions. it's fair to say we didn't learn much. it was a rare opportunity to hear from him at this event together. i was taught by my parents, whateverjob you are doing, get on and do your best in yourjob. that is how i approach everything in my career. that is what i was doing. sorry. i knew you were interested in politics, but i never heard theresa say she wanted to be prime minister until she was well—established in the shadow cabinet. a small insight, perhaps. that would mean theresa may had prime ministerial ambitions much earlier than she previously let on. it was live, unscripted. they weren't told what the questions

would be in advance. as with many of the prime minister's appearances in the campaign so far, there were not that many voters in sight. but this one was beamed into the home of about three and a half million viewers homes. and there was a rare and jovial moment about a european institution. eurovision, we're not leaving that, as well? no. in current circumstances, i'm not how many votes we'll get. it's one of the most iconic buildings in the world, but did you know that the sydney opera house has bad acoustics? a four—year renovation project is now under way, to address this and other issues. hywel griffiths has the story. the building that defines not to syd ney the building that defines not to sydney but australia was no place in the world. old and baking sunshine,

the world. old and baking sunshine, the opera house's tall sales are iconic. but inside the sound is not so iconic. but inside the sound is not so stunning. it's residents in any orchestra, it is readily frustration. the shape of the concert hall make it hard to hear themselves and each other play. concert hall make it hard to hear themselves and each other playm isa themselves and each other playm is a bit like playing ball on a pitch that surrounded in fog. you know your teammates are out there somewhere but they are hard to see and for as the issue is a day are ha rd to and for as the issue is a day are hard to hear. often i don't feel like we are really always playing together and then with some of the other sections of the orchestra we can have time delays at times as we are following the conduct. the problem dates back to the very beginning. changes were made to the original design. the architect fell out with the engineers and never saw the finished building. after decades of trying out different fixes a new system of reflectors and rises has been tested and it is claimed will finally deliver crystal clear sound.

it was honestly like someone had just lifted a per —— perspex box off the orchestra and you could hear them so much better. the sound sounds closer. you feel as if you are actually hearing the bow hit the string. the famous tall sales that form the outside of the building have always placed a limit on what can happen inside. this concert hall is too big for orchestral concerts, for example. the real challenge over the next few years is making sure what happens inside here matches the quality of what people see our air. but there's a mountain to climb. the building with hundreds of steps doesn't offer easy access. special tunnels will be drilled inside the help wheelchair users. but many of the changes will be behind the scenes. it is quite fantastic. very dr who. much of the equipment used was ordered 50 years ago and was built into the structure. with 2000

shows a year there's been a lot of wear and tear since. there's literally someone pulling up and down as you are watching? yes, someone down as you are watching? yes, someone standing in the dark and pulling on a rope is how it is still done for some of the scenery. this will be the first time the opera house will close any of its main theatres, but there will still be music within the walls as they try to find she had one of the world's best loved buildings. —— fine tune one of the world's best loved. she's only ten, butjuliana ossa won a gruesome battle against a large alligator near orlando, florida. here she is, telling the story. i looked in the water and there was a mean, nine foot alligator in the water biting my leg. the alligator grabbed my leg, itried hitting it to release me but it didn't work. so i put my two fingers up its

nostrils. it couldn't breathe so it had to breed from its mouth. it opened its mouth and let my leg out. delegated to do nothing because he was too busy biting my leg and holding onto the sand. he was too busy with that so he didn't have any other attack moves to take out my fingers. a very brave girl! some stunning pictures of earth taken from space have been released by nassar. an astronaut took them while he and his colleague performed a 6.5 alice spacewalk. —— nasa. their primary task was to prepare for a future upgrade, so that the next generation of crude space vehicles are able to dock. with that we end this edition of newsday. thanks forjoining us and have a wonderful wednesday. hi there.

we had some glorious sunshine yesterday across western parts of the country once again. these were the clear skies in abersock, north—west wales. we have had a lot of sunshine over the last few days across western parts of the country. but if i run through the last few days in the east, you can see rather cloudier weather in from the north sea, with pesky winds bringing cloud across much of central and eastern england in particular. it hasn't felt warm either under the cloudy skies. however, the weather is going to change because the wind is changing direction. we're not bringing cloud from the north sea. the pressure is relatively higher on wednesday. the winds will be a little bit lighter. it will be sunny and warm day for many parts of the country. yes, warmth on the way but it will be a chilly start to the morning. temperatures start around two or three degrees in the countryside. there will be a few spots see temperatures below freezing in the coldest areas. cloudy in scotland. a bit of rain for the northern isles. otherwise, mainly dry.

we should see sunshine from the central belt southwards across scotland, northern ireland, england and wales, mostly starting fine and sunny with a few patches of cloud to start the day for east anglia. i think for most of us temperatures come up quickly with light winds and blue skies overhead. and that's really the way the weather will stay through the rest of the day. again, prone to a few spits and spots of rain across the far north of scotland but otherwise essentially it is a dry picture with sunshine. and temperatures across parts of central england towards the south—west, eastern wales, could reach the 20s, so it's going to be warm and pleasant in the sunshine. heading through wednesday evening and overnight, we keep cloudy weather for scotland. and late in the night we might see just a few showers pushing in from the near continent. signs of a change in the weather on the way. temperatures overnight around 7—9 degrees, so thursday morning starts off something like this — most of us start off on a sunny note and then showers move up from the continent, some of those could turn thundery through the day. still, for many areas it is a decent

day with dry weather, warm sunshine, temperatures rising, 19 degrees or so in london. but then through thursday night and on into friday it looks like we will see some thunderstorms pushing in from the near continent. hit and miss in nature. but some of the downpours might be intense. there might be some hail mixed in. the wind will start to get stronger and then it will be cooler for eastern scotland with cloud and rain here. for the weekend we will have some relatively warm conditions. some bright spells intermingled with one or two showers. that's your weather. this is bbc world news, i'm greg dawson. the headlines: donald trump has fired the fbi's director. james comey was sacked on recommendation of the president's senior legal officers. mr comey had been leading an investigation into alleged links between the trump election campaign and russia. the liberal human rights lawyer moonjae—in has claimed victory

in south korea's presidential election. addressing supporters in seoul, he promised to govern for all south koreans. britain's prime minister, theresa may, and her husband, philip, have appeared together on the bbc as part of the general election campaign. they talked shoes, household chores, and political ambition. and the top story here in the uk: an 11—year—old girl has died in an accident on a ride at drayton manor theme park,