i'm rico hizon in singapore, the headlines. president trump defends his response to deadly protests in charlottesville, once again stating that both sides were at fault. i think there's blame on both sides. you look at both sides, i think there's blame on both sides and i have no doubt about it. tensions ease in guam as north korea steps back on its threat to fire missiles in to waters around the us pacific island. we'll cross live to guam. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: 400 bodies have been recovered in sierra leone after mondy‘s devastating mudslide. authorities fear the death toll will rise. this is a disaster which, even by the director of this mortuary, who has been doing this for decades, is unprecedented. america prepares to mark the 40th

anniversary of the death of elvis presley, we head to manila where the king's music lives on. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 7pm in new york, where donald trump has made a fiery and at times angry defence of his reaction to the clashes in charlottesville over the weekend. he had been hoping to talk about his plans for america's infrastructure, but instead was drawn into a series of exchanges with journalists on why he had not issued an immediate condemnation of racist and neo—nazi groups. in response, he seemed to hold civil rights groups equally to blame for the violence. what i'm saying is this. you had a

grip on one side and you had a grip on the other and they came out each other with clubs, and it was dishes and it was horrible and it was a horrible thing to watch. but there another side. there was a grip on their side, you can call them the left, you've just called them the left, you've just called them the left, that came violently attacking the other group. so you can say what you want, but that's the way it is. you said there was hatred, violence on both sides? i think they're's blame on both sides. you look at both sides, i think there is blame on both sides —— there's. i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. mr trump there holding both sides to blame. and when asked about his delay in speaking out against neo—nazis and white supremecists by name — this was the president's response. he's the thing. when i make a statement, i like to be correct. i

wa nt statement, i like to be correct. i want the facts. this event just happen. in fact, want the facts. this event just happen. infact, a want the facts. this event just happen. in fact, a lot of the events didn't even happened yet as we were speaking. this event just didn't even happened yet as we were speaking. this eventjust happened. before i make a statement, i need the facts. i don't want to rush into a statement. making the statement when i made it was excellent. i asked our washington correspondent rajini vaidya nathan if president trump is under pressure. what we had was a tale of two press conferences. we saw him delivering very prepared remarks at the white house where he denounced neo—nazis, the kkk and white supremacists, having failure to do that exquisitely at the weekend. then today we saw him at tower, his first visit since he took office. he was unscripted and off the cuff, he delivered a rambling defence, saying

that both sides were culpable. many people said this is false equivalency. he did not come out and reaffirm his condemnation of neo—nazis and white supremacists. that is concerning for many people. we thought yesterday that damage limitation exercises might have been going on, but things have gotten worse for him? that is definitely the case. we are starting to see some reaction coming from republicans condemning what he has said. people like senator marco rubio and others criticising the president for a lack of clarity. one of the things that is very interesting to note is a tweet that came out from the former grand wizard of the kkk, who said thank you for your honesty and courage. in many ways, that is the concern in america. i not been direct and forceful in his condemnation of

white supremacist, he is playing into the hands of people who hold very dangerous ideologies. what a number of key players we have heard in their manufacturing industry, we have heard they are pulling out of support of donald trump? yes, a number of the manufacturing council decided to leave today because of the president's dahlia to decisively condemn white supremacy at the weekend. president trump said they we re weekend. president trump said they were not taking theirjob seriously, but i think the calculation for many people who remain on that business council is, is it in their interest to say on the council? the negative publicity they might get given what the president has said. we might see more people deciding that it is actually not a good idea to stay on the council. our other top story — a desperate search is still under

way in sierra leone for survivors of the mudslides and floods that killed nearly 400 people. their homes on the outskirts of the capital freetown were engulfed when part of the mountain collapsed on monday morning. thousands have been left homeless and the mortuaries are now full. the bbc‘s umaru fofana reports from the scene. iamat i am at the central morgue, the head of the more tree has said that there are an alarming number of corpses being brought in from different parts of the city. this is a disaster which, even by the reckoning of the head of this mortuary is absolutely unprecedented. they have said it is not at all compared to any of the virus outbreaks or the civil war, he said he has never seen anything like this. corpses piled up behind us. the mortuary service is full. they are being sorted right now. also this hour — the british

government has set out its plans for trading with the eu and the rest of the world after brexit. the proposals allow for a temporary deal if it's needed, with the ultimate goal similar to the current free—trade agreement that comes with eu membership. a senior eu figure has dismissed that as fantasy. a veteran democracy campaigner in hong kong who said last week that he had been kidnapped and tortured by suspected mainland chinese agents has been arrested. howard lam is accused by police of providing misleading information. police say that he voluntarily left the area of hong kong from which he said he was abducted. a falling tree has killed at least 13 people and injured 15 at a roman catholic festival on a portuguese island. the tree is shown to have crashed on to a crowded square. this is how one of the worshippers described the events. translation: we heard a noise, i

looked up. my son was next to me. i saw the tree falling, i called my son and ran away. i heard a big bang, a lot of people in a panic. there were a lot of people down there. a student activist in thailand has been jailed after he shared a bbc online profile of king va—jira—long—korn. the activist has been given a prison term of two—and—a—half years on charges of defaming the monarchy. he was arrested last december for using facebook to post a profile by the bbc thai service. hundreds of people have gathered in the ——a town in belgium where they have been treated to a traditional feast, a giant omelette. it is being prepared as it rose through the streets. it has some 10,000 eggs in it. the tradition has continued for

decades in the town. there is cautious relief on the island of guam after north korea appeared to step back from their threats to fire missiles into the water surrounding the island. kim jong—un has said he will now wait and watch what the us does before taking any further action. in an interview with the bbc, the guam governor says it shows that the tough stand taken by north korea is working. —— taken by president trump. if war comes, joe is ready. he and his brother are hunting for wild pig- his brother are hunting for wild pig. ifan his brother are hunting for wild pig. if an attack comes, he says he

is ready to turn his guns to defending this tiny pacific island. patriotism runs dpl. guam sends more people to the military than anywhere else in the united states —— depp here. this is an island of warriors. god forbid something happened to this island. do not be surprised if you see local men taking to malicious diol... you see local men taking to malicious diol. .. taking you see local men taking to malicious diol... taking up arms, protecting their homes and family. there are signs that kim jong—un is pulling back from the brink. these pictures show him studying plans for a strike on guam. but kimjong—un says he will now watch first, the foolish and stupid conduct of the yankees. the islands governor told me that his words show that donald trump's tough stance is working. how do you deal with boys? you have to

do you deal with boys? you have to do it with strength and clarity. when the head of state is very aggressive and strong, kim jong—un may be reconsidering doing testing. we have gotten some good work, at least for today. he has made the decision to stop testing. there is obvious relief, but not everyone agrees with the governor that it is because of the tough rhetoric of president trump. some here are furious about what they see as president trump's casual disregard of their security. we want to continue to live here for generations to come. these protesters say it is time for washington to stop playing games with their lives. they live on the frontline, they can't even vote for the us president. our islands have been used for wars for so long and used in wars for so long. it is time for our people to examine why. it is time that we used this moment and

this attention to let the people of the world know that we no longer should be a colony. this is the new reality. america's confrontation with north korea will be long, arduous and at times frightening. and rupert's live in guam for us now. earlier we spoke to a political scientist who did not give president trump any credit for the easing of tensions. but the governor of guam thinks otherwise? yes, i think it divides according to how you view the us president, whether you are a supporter or not. that is the same hearing guam. the governor, a republican, he is very much a supporter of president trump. he says that the tough rhetoric is good

for the united states and fought north korea and says that he should be confronted. a lot of the population in guam is very patriot, many people serving the military. we also saw that many people are opposed to president trump and his policies, such as the analyst who spoke to, and they believe that the rhetoric from president trump last week, talking of fire and fury, striking back at north korea with enormous force, they think that is just provocative and dangerous for the lives and livelihoods of people here, especially as guam depends heavily on tourism from asia. hundreds of thousands of people come here every year to enjoy themselves. well over one and a half million this year. people here are worried that this conflict, this angry rhetoric, could damage the tourism industry. i am sure the mood and

sentiment changes from day to day, depending on the rhetoric, whether thatis depending on the rhetoric, whether that is from pyongyang or washington. with kim jong—un that is from pyongyang or washington. with kimjong—un pulling back for now, what is the sentiment of the romanians regarding this development? i think people here see this, they are relieved, but i think they see this as a temporary reprieve rather than north korea dramatically backing down. this is a conflict that is now an everyday reality for people hearing guam. it has such large us military bases. two very big ones, from which the us would carry out any military operation on the korean peninsula. everytime there is a military exercise, everytime there is a ramping up of tensions, this is the place that is going to be affected first. this is a piece of us

territory that is closest to the korean peninsula. thank you for the update. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... celebrating the king: across asia, fans of elvis presley mark the 40th anniversary of pop icon's death. also ahead on the programme, how washington is taking on global food with a pinch of homemade flavour. the big crowds became bigger as the time of the funeral approached. as the lines of fans became longer, the police prepared for a hugejob of crowd control. idi amin, uganda's brutalformer dictator, has died at the age of 80.

he's been buried in saudi arabia, where he lived in exile since being overthrown in 1979. two billion people around the world have seen the last total eclipse of the sun to take place in this millenium. it began itsjourney off the coast of canada, ending three hours later when the sun set over the bay of bengal. glad you are staying with us. your watching newsday on the bbc. rico hizon in singapore. and i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: president trump has defended his

response to deadly protests in charlottesville, again stating that both sides were to blame. tensions ease in the korea crisis: north korea steps back from its threat to fire missiles in to waters around the us pacific island of guam. president trump has posted an image of a train hitting a cnn reporter three days after a hit—and—run left one person dead at a far—right rally. the cartoon, which mr trump deleted after tweeting, depicts the cable network logo being run over by a "trump train" symbolising his supporters. more on that story at bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the financial times picks up on a warning from the international monetary fund about what it calls china's "dangerous" levels of debt. the paper says beijing has tolerated a rapid increase in debt in order

to meet its target of doubling the size of the chinese economy between 2010 and 2020. the front page of gulf news highlights reported plans by saudi arabia and iraq to reopen the arar border for trade after 27 years of closure. the crossing was shut when the two neighbours cut diplomatic ties following the iraqi invasion of kuwait in 1990. the south china morning post casts doubt on a hong kong democracy activist‘s story about being kidnapped and tortured by mainland chinese agents. the paper claims there are more "damning discrepancies" in howard lam's story, following his arrest on suspicion of misleading police. those are the top stories of major publications around the world. now, babita, what stories are sparking discussions online? well rico, there's been an outpouring of sympathy on social media for the stu ntwoman joi sj harris who died

in a motorcycle accident whilst filming deadpool 2. joi sj harris was reportedly the first licensed female african american road racer in the us. the actor of the movie deadpool 2, ryan reynolds, said he was "heartbroken, shocked and devastated" at her death. today marks a0 years since elvis presley died. there will be commemorations at his former home, graceland, in memphis, tennessee, where thousands are expected to attend a candle—lit vigil in few hours time. earlier i wasjoined by radio station owner and philippine music icon ramon ‘rj' jacinto to talk about the enduring legacy of elvis in asia. elvis was the complete package. he could move, he could sing, and he broke the barrier. if you remember, it was big bang music and then rock vnv it was big bang music and then rock ‘n' roll came about. and elvis

translated black music over to the light guys. and the whole world. —— white guys. i can see behind you magazines of elvis in asia. growing up magazines of elvis in asia. growing up in the philippines, why did you gravitate towards this american icon? there is no one like him. even the beatles are not like him. and we are going to have the first elvis in asia contest. this will be on saturday, august 19. august 19, with the prize trip to graceland. about 30 elvises will come. we'll have limitations in the morning, and then finals at nights. there are competitions taking place even today, even after elvis pass to wait

40 yea rs today, even after elvis pass to wait 40 years ago. his legend lives on, especially in the philippines! yes. at my radio station, we have been playing elvis all these years. where nationwide. in fact, we are also correspondence for bbc radio here. and i can see, ramon ‘rj'jacinto, that you are ready to play it one of your favourite songs by ollett presley. i know one of them is blue suede shoes. —— elvis presley. # blue suede shoes # fantastic. there are so many impersonators of elvis presley in asia. notjust his rock songs, but many people also love to sing his

love songs, especially love me tender. could you players through that they could you play us a few lines? of love me tender? i love elvis presley. thank you so much for joining us on newsday, ramon ‘rj' jacinto, a big fan of elvis presley. this is the europe, but peter... love me tender, love me sweet... —— this is for you, but peter sharma.

—— babita sharma. that way options are endless these days, but one in washington has a home—made twist. their immigrants from all over the world, from syria to southeast asia. you choose what you want, and the mills come to you. —— the meals come. —— the immigrant chefs come from. we give the refugees space to

prepare and sell their home recipes to customers. it started with my mother. she came to this country as a refugee. she didn't speak the language, and had limited education. i'm creating space for people like me mum, who probably couldn't open a restau ra nt, me mum, who probably couldn't open a restaurant, or didn't know the things that went along with starting a business. the idea of, like, refugees not

feeling welcome, we are showing it is these act opposite. what is neat about america is the way it that refugee communities in adelaide are very different to 1's here in dc. —— the ones in la are different to ones here in dc. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. we'll be looking at a contentious issue in the nafta free trade negotiations due to begin today. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. we have a bit of rain on the way on

wednesday. particularly across western areas of the uk. and at the moment out there, it is dry. a lot of clear weather. and also quite nippy, particularly across northern areas of the uk. in the countryside code temperatures will be down to the single figures. 5—6, even on the south coast. here is wednesday's weather map. here is a low pressure approaching. that is going to upset western areas. but the morning could look sunny for many of us in the east, in england and scotland. south wales will be decent enough too. through the morning, will does increase and the winds, too. things will get greyer and grey and then there will be rain. rain getting to cornwall, northern parts of wales, northern ireland, certainly into the afternoon. but it will be fine and bright in many parts of england, especially in these. low 20s in

london. wednesday night, the rain moves through. some of it might be heavy, but it is out of the way by the time we get to wednesday, thursday morning, that is. early on thursday, still a bit of rain around. then it clears into the north sea. thursday afternoon is looking bright. fairly brisk. showers around. most will be across the north—west. hit and miss rain. mr bridges will get to 24 in london. 21 degrees in newcastle. to get into friday, low pressure is close to our neighbourhood, spelling further showers on the way. not much change to our weather pattern. still a bit ofa to our weather pattern. still a bit of a breeze out there. my showers will be across the northern half of the uk. anywhere along the south coast will have a mostly dry day. saturday is looking quite breezy. there will be sunshine and showers. interesting things happening in the atla ntic interesting things happening in the atlantic at the moment. right now, there is hurricane girt, which is churning of the eastern seaboard of the united states. what is could

happen with this storm system, it is going to accelerate into the north atlantic. it will get mixed up with our normal weather patterns, and then that mass will come our way. we will get wet and windy weather at times. so a blustery weekend on the way. and before i go, a quick look at the weather across europe on wednesday. a lot of hot sunshine out there across the mediterranean. temperatures in some spot will be around about 40 degrees also, some thunderstorms rumbling through central europe, as well. —— some spots. i'm with bbc world news. our top story. president trump has lashed out atjournalists in new york over criticism of his response to the violence in charlottesville. mr trump said both sides were to blame for the violence and he insisted he was right not to speak out until the full facts were known. the us secretary of state rex tillerson says america is still interested in dialogue with north korea, but that's a decision kim jong—un

will have to take. state media in pyongyang said plans to fire missiles towards guam had been delayed. and this story is trending on bbc.com. there's been a huge outpouring of sympathy for a stuntwoman joi sj harris, who died in a motorcycle accident while filming the movie deadpool 2. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk