this is bbc news. our top stories — further controversy for the white house — reports that president trump asked fbi director, james comey to drop an investigation into the former national security adviser, michael flynn. responding to north korea's latest missile test, the un security council meets behind closed doors — and the us says it will call—out the states backing pyongyang. why being overweight and fit is a myth — a new study says people can't be obese and healthy. these are the business stories. security in the skies. will eu countries be added to the us flight la ptop countries be added to the us flight laptop ban? top officials are meeting in brussels. and will robots ever replace humans? we show you the latest creations that are grabbing the attention of company bosses. the new york times and several other

us media outlets are reporting that president trump asked the former director of the fbi, james comey, to close down an investigation into links between mr trump's national security adviser, michael flynn, and russia. the times reports mr comey was so appalled at this suggestion that he noted it down in a memo. and a powerful committee of congress is now demanding to see that memo. white house officials insist the story is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of what was said. here's our north america correspondent, david willis. and this report in the new york times, borne out by other elements of the american media, the allegation basically that, at the end of a meeting in the white house in the middle of february, donald trump got other participants in that meeting

to leave, and then he took the former fbi directorjames comey to one side and basically asked him to shut down, to drop the investigation that the fbi has been carrying out into the conduct of former national security adviser michael flynn. now, james comey was given, it appears, to taking notes of these interactions with president trump. and he wrote a memo, so it's claimed, the following day, saying basically that the president had asked him to let this go. michael flynn, he said, said, is a good guy. james comey apparently, in response to that, agreed simply that michael flynn was, as the president put it, a good guy. but now we have, in the last few minutes, the revelation that the house, one of the house committees, the house oversight committee, is calling for the fbi to produce that memo that

james comey wrote, and others, with this whole possibility of interference at the presidential level, within the next week. so things could be moving extremely fast on this highly significant story. the democratic senators dick durbin and patrick leahy gave this reaction to reporters. well, this stunning and breathtaking revelation that the president is accused of reaching out directly to the head of the fbi to stop an investigation of general flynn under the circumstances raises serious questions about obstruction of justice. it is a fundamental question here. is anybody, including the president of the united states, above the law? can everybody be held accountable under the rule of law? and this revelation that has been alleged has raised that question. you know, i looked into it,

and in my decades here, i have never seen anything like this. i have seen problems in both republican and democratic administrations. i have never seen anything that so undermined the rule of law or the separation of powers that we rely on in this country, the things that made us strong. i have never seen such an attack, internally. we have faced attacks externally, but i have never seen attacks right within our own government, against our own government. we should set aside our labels as republicans and democrats and come together, just as the watergate commission did and others and find out exactly what happened. senator lindsey graham, who's a republican, said he wanted to hear the details from mr comey himself. if james comey was allegedly presented with something inappropriate, there is an open invitation. i don't want to read the memo, i want to hearfrom him. you want him to testify publicly?

yes. have you invited him? ijust did. you can also get the very latest on this story and plenty of background and analysis by heading to our website — that's bbc.com/news. let's round up some of the other main stories. donald trump and the turkish president, recep tayyip erdogan, have talked of their shared commitment to fighting terrorism, after talks at the white house. but president erdogan said turkey would never accept the us alliance with kurdish forces in syria that are confronting the islamic state group. protests have been held across mexico after the murder of the award—winning journalist, javier valdez, who'd spent years documenting the activities of drug cartels. journalists in mexico city handed in a document to the attorney general‘s office demanding more protection and justice for the five reporters killed in mexico so far this year. the official website of the ukrainian president, petro poroshenko, has been hit by what's been called an "organised" cyber—attack. the administration claimed that

russia was responsible, in response to mr poroshenko's decree banning some of russia's biggest social media networks and internet services popular in ukraine. the ukrainians haven't provided any evidence so far. north korea provoked international outcry following its launch of a ballistic missile at the weekend — and of course the claim that the rocket was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. the un security council has just met in emergency session, behind closed doors. before it got under way, the us ambassador to the un, nikki haley, promised to "call out" states backing north korea and its nuclear ambitions. sarah corker has the latest. sunday's missile test was north korea's most successful yet, according to experts. it flew some 700 kilometres, landing in the sea west ofjapan. pyongyang says it's capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead. the un security council met to discuss tougher sanctions.

the us, flanked by its allies, warned that all countries must step up action against north korea or face the consequences. we have worked well with china. they have really tried to help us in our communications with north korea. but we've seen, where they have strengthened sanctions, other countries are trying to fill the void and i will tell you that if you are a country that is supplying or supporting north korea, we will call you out on it. we will make sure that everyone knows who you are and we will target those sanctions as well. a series of missile tests by the north this year has sparked international alarm. the us has sent warships to the region and is installing an anti—missile system in south korea, as tensions on the peninsular intensify. north korea is at the final stage of nuclear weaponisation. time is running out and the clock is ticking towards the tipping point. the fear is pyongyang's efforts to develop a nuclear missile capable

of striking the us mainland is progressing faster than expected. so far, sanctions have failed. north korea continues to defy calls, even from its main ally, china, to rein in its nuclear ambitions. sally is here now with business and use sally is here now with business and use ofan sally is here now with business and use of an extension to the laptop ban. it does look like europe, that it could extend as far as europe. it is in place in the middle east and north africa. today eu and us officials are meeting to discuss a potential extension of the laptop ban on aircrafts. in march, the trump administration imposed new restrictions which prevent us—bound travellers from carrying electronic devices larger than a mobile phone into the cabin. the original set of restrictions affected flights from eight mostly muslim countries including turkey, egypt, the united arab emirates and saudi arabia.

this affected many of the gulf carriers including emirates, etihad and qatar airways, but now there are reports suggesting that the ban could be extended to include some countries within the eu. any immediate changes would coincide with the peak travel season in europe. this summer, more than 3,000 flights a week will go from eu to us airports. it would have hit the implications and will affect travellers extensively. we will discuss those issues in world business report. and also, as i am sure you are issues in world business report. and also, as i am sure you are aware because we chat about it a light, more and more jobs are said to be automated in the nearfuture. something that's

concerning many workers. but how capable are the latest machines, and are they really likely to replace humans altogether, or instead will they help us to be more productive in our work? we'll have a special report from our technology correspondent who's at a paris robotics event. don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter. we will have that report in 20 minutes. ijust we will have that report in 20 minutes. i just want a we will have that report in 20 minutes. ijust want a robot we will have that report in 20 minutes. i just want a robot to do my ironing. a large scientific study suggests it isn't possible to be both obese and healthy. british researchers looked at the health records of 3.5 million people over a 20—year period. they concluded that obese people — though outwardly fit — were at much greater risk of heart disease and failure in later life. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. so just keep your hands on your

hips. the idea that you can be obese but still healthy has been debated for years. previous studies have suggested that around one third are very overweight people are healthy with normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, despite being classed as 0bes are according to their body mass index um which is a measure of height versus wade. the new analysis of the medical records of 3.5 million uk residents suggests the idea of healthy obesity is a myth. compared to those of the normal way but suggests that even our wibbly healthy obese people have a 49% greater risk of developing co ro nary a 49% greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, the risk of heart failure is increased by 96% and stroke by 7%. what was new for me from this study is that it showed that people who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk of heart disease, even though they may be healthy in every other respect

previously. i rather an thought that be seeing increased blood prolactin —— pressure and cholesterol and that increased your risk. butjust being obese does it. rugby players are often used as examples of people who may be classed as obese but are healthy. their body mass index means they are technically overweight but for the vast majority, this research suggests that being obese will eventually catch up with you. it's the final day of campaigning ahead of iran's presidential election. voters go to the polls on friday to decide between four candidates, including the current president, hassan rouhani, and the leading conservative challenger, ebrahim raisi. 0ur correspondent paul adams has more. a hardfought a ha rdfought and a hardfought and often bitter campaign is almost over. at one mack has been rallying supporters. there is real enthusiasm here. —— hassan

rouhani has been rallying supporters. translation: we must think about people's hope and not deceive the iranian people. but the president's main rival is finishing strongly as well. ebrahim raisi, a hardliner, appealing to pour out conservative voters highlighting the government's failure to create jobs. the government's main rival is four yea rs of the government's main rival is four years of poor performance. at the heart of the campaign, the 2015 deal with world powers over nuclear development. the one is less isolated but the promised jobs have not followed. the slow process of change is useful ammunition for opponents say the west can not be trusted. tra nsocean mack opponents say the west can not be trusted. transocean mack this week's intervention was a major boost to

the president. resorting to social media to get around an official ban and urging people to vote for hassan rouhani. the president is more pragmatist than a natural reformer but his own use of social media suggest he is willing to embrace change. in my opinion, a ryan is a ticking time bomb. the bomb of mammography and an overeducated society wanting employment, wanting a different kind of future, being pitted against revolutionary elites that are trying to hold onto their power an elite, embodied by you run‘s elderly supreme leader. power an elite, embodied by you run's elderly supreme leader. this is where the real power resides. whoever voters choose on friday. stay with us here on bbc news. still to close — paris is trying to cross the line ahead of los angeles for the line ahead of los angeles for the right to stage the 2020 for olympics. the pope was shot,

the pope will live. that was the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism has come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, gary kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! this is bbc news.

further controversy for the white house — reports that president trump asked fbi directorjames comey to drop an investigation into the former national security adviser, michael flynn. a us congressional committee is demanding to see all the relevant communications. a major new study says being overweight and fit is a myth — and that it's not possible to be be obese and healthy. chelsea manning will be released from a military prison shortly. she announced she would be living as a woman shortly after her trial in 2013. she is expected to remain in jail until 2045 but ba rack 2013. she is expected to remain in jail until 2045 but barack obama commuted her sentence. these photos

show chelsea manning in a prison where she is being. she wanted to transition to life as a woman. it was while she was still badly manning that she was convicted of one of the largest leaks of government information in us history. as a private in the us army, manning hacked government databases, army, manning hacked government data bases, handing documents army, manning hacked government databases, handing documents to wikileaks, including databases, handing documents to wikilea ks, including state department cables which revealed the private thoughts of us officials and this video of the us apache helicopter striking a ripe. —— iraq. manning was hailed a whistleblower by supporters and after a long campaign, her sentence was commuted by president obama after one of his final acts in office. it was a move

criticised by donald trump. even after her release, she will remain a member of the us military without pay or healthcare but she appeals her conviction. if we lose, she will be dishonourably discharged ultimately from the army but there is no way she is going back to prison. her sentence is over but the appeal continues. in a statement ahead of her release, she said: chelsea manning was held here at fort leavenworth, at times in solitary confinement, and she even tried to take her own life. her friends say that once she is released, she won't fade into a private life and could become a transgender advocate. chelsea manning's story divides many in america. a traitor or hero, she will no longer be behind bars. a senior un official is warning of a potentially catastrophic

situation in gaza, if a solution isn't found to its energy crisis. since donated fuel ran out last month, the palestinian territory's only power plant cannot operate and daily blackouts have become longer. that situation could become even worse after the palestinian authority, headed by president mahmoud abbas, said that while its rival, hamas, controls gaza, it will no longer pay for electricity coming from israel. all this comes ahead of president trump's visit to israel and the west bank who hopes to revive the middle east peace process. our middle east correspondent yolande knell reports from gaza city. studying for their end of year exams by candlelight. like many in the gaza strip, this family can't afford backup power so that children are learning to make do. blackouts have long been a problem here but now, electricity is cut frock to 18 hours a day. we have no electricity when

we teach our children. the refrigerators are broken and electrical appliances have burnt out because the power comes and goes so often. we are constantly chasing the electricity. this is gaza's only power plant but for the past month, it's been shut down. it uses important —— imported diesel and international donations have run out. the lack of energy means a lack of drinking water because this coastal trip —— strip relies on desalination. and here, you can see and smell another effect of gaza's power crisis. this is sewerage water and there not enough electricity treat it properly or pump it way out to sea. so instead, it's being discharged like this just off the coast. behind this power crisis is a political power struggle. it's ten yea rs political power struggle. it's ten years since the islamist group hamas

took over gaza, ousting forces loyal to the palestinian president. now he is trying to heap on the financial pressure and reassert his control amid an international push to restart the peace process with israel. his government says it will no longer paper electricity which israel supplies. the un says it that's cut top effects could be catastrophic. we are working hard with the palestinian authority to pass m essa 9 es with the palestinian authority to pass messages between all sides that a political solution needs to be found and the only elliptical solution is to in fact work on returning gaza to the control of the palestinian authority, the government. but now, there is no sign of that happening and rivalry between the main palestinian factions looks set to remain a potential stumbling block for peace efforts. meanwhile, nearly2 potential stumbling block for peace efforts. meanwhile, nearly 2 million people living in gaza are left in the dark over what happens next.

yolande knell, bbc news, gaza city. arsenal have given themselves one final chance to sneak into the champions league next season. the gunners beat sunderland 2—0 to keep themselves alive in the top four battle, with manchester city and liverpool. arsenal manager arsene wenger told the bbc, "we've got in on the final day many times" before. alexis sanchez‘s brace means arsenal could yet secure a top—four finish by beating everton at home on sunday, but only if fourth—place liverpool, who are a point above them, fail to beat middlesbrough. and chester city moved up. it will now be enough to guarantee pep guardiola a society ——a place in the side. paris is looking to cross the finishing line first in its bid to host the 2024 summer olympics. but los angeles is running neck and neck with the french capital. international olympic committee officials have praised the efforts of both cities. and they may both get the chance to hold the games — whether in 2024,

or four years later. our sports editor, dan roan explains why. just three days in the job, france's new president has wasted little time in backing paris's bid to host the 2024 games, emmanuel macron welcoming members of the international olympic committee to the elysees palace, on the final day of their inspection visit. paris has committed to spending billions on the event, and the city mayor told me why. we will transform north paris with the village for the athletes, and after the games, the village for the athletes will be housing for people, and we need to build housing for people in the north of paris. so we are very, very committed. sport's showpiece event always provides magical moments, but the sight of rio 2016's abandoned olympic park has once again raised questions over legacy, and the vast cost of playing host means the games have an image problem. i will be right here in the city of angels, watching the olympics.

despite all this, los angeles also wants to host the games. its bid is privately financed, with the venues already built. like paris, it has received glowing praise from the ioc. things you point to as white elephants, buildings, budget issues, engaging the youth, those things literally go away and become certain deliverables as part of our bid. yes, there are challenges facing the olympic movement, and what we can do is help calm the waters for seven years, and we think that is exactly what they need today. the ioc has grown accustomed to being courted by heads of state. but, unlike the past, this evaluation commission will only decide between two rival cities, after other hosts pulled out due to a lack of public or political support, and it could force the ioc into uncharted territory. whichever city loses look set to be offered the 2028 games as a consolation prize, as the ioc considers an unprecedented two—games deal in september, to avoid the risk of having no bidders. it is something we all have to look at, and we have to figure out

why our events are not nearly as attractive as they were 20 or 30 years ago. we should always be challenging ourselves as to how we can make these events more appropriate for local communities. we do need to communicate some of those values, and i'm not sure that we... i'm not sure any of us have really done that. this two—horse race seems too close to call. paris and la have hosted the olympics before, and insist their focus is solely on the 2024 games. but, at a critical time for the future of their event, the ioc knows the challenge is on to find a solution that works for everyone. i will be back with the headlines soon. sally will be here with e—business.

hello there, good morning. tuesday is probably going to be a day remembered for the temperature. the warmest day in the uk so far. this band of rain will be tapping up over the next few hours. we've probably seen the peak of the heat because we will get into the school aware from the atlantic. let's focus on the rain. by early wednesday, the rain is widespread. for scotland and northern ireland, it is cooler air. some sunshine for scotland and northern ireland. some showers in the north—west. it's probably going to be raining all day. at rain could

turn rather heavy at times. a few sharp showers possible to western scotland. eastern and southern scotland, temperatures lower than they were on tuesday. it is going to be quite cold. northern england and much of wales. i worked in chilly sort of day through the midlands, much of yorkshire and central and southern england. still quite warm, quite human. the rain will be particularly heavy and possibly thundery and will give us the first real soaking we have had in the south—east. by thursday morning, at rain has gone and we are in two or more straightforward sunshine and showers. much of east anglia and the south—east will have a dry day on thursday. otherwise, those temperatures are sliding away into

the mid—teens. this area of low pressure is wandering into it. sunshine and showers elsewhere and those temperatures again, around 14 or 15 degrees. there will be some showers. and with clear skies, it could be chilly night. this is bbc world news, the headlines. white house officials are denying widespread reports in the us media that president trump asked the fbi to end its inquiry into his former national security adviser. a us congressional committee has demanded to see all the relevant communications by may 24th. responding to north korea's latest missile test, the un security council has been meeting in emergency session. the us ambassador has said she will "call out" states backing pyongyang's nuclear programme. protests have been held across mexico, after the murder of the award—winning

journalist, javier valdez — who had spent years documenting the activities of drug cartels. five reporters have been killed in mexico so far this year. a major new study says being overweight and fit is a myth — and that it's not possible to be be obese and healthy. researchers looked at the health records of three—and—a—half million