to address the threat from north korea. hr mcmaster says the potential for war is increasing every day. the warning comes on the eve of the biggest—everjoint us—south korean air drills, which pyongyang has described as an "all—out provocation" which could lead to nuclear conflict. donald trump has lashed out at the fbi, as he denied again that his team colluded with russia to get him elected. it comes after one of his most seniorformer aides pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi. and this story is trending on bbc.com. smog in the indian capital, delhi, brought play to a halt in a cricket test match between india and sri lanka. at one stage two sri lankan bowlers refused to continue, leading to play being suspended. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk with sarah montague and the rock and roll showman, gene simmons. welcome to hardtalk make. i am sarah

montague. there aren't many people who are recognisable only from their make—up, but mention a zig—zag of black flames around the eyes, painted on a white face, and millions of people around the world will know you are talking about the frontman of the rock band, kiss. take away the makeup and you have gene simmons, a man so canny about business that he realised he could make more money from marketing the kiss brand than from selling records. his famously long tongue has also proved a loose one. he is frequently invited on chat shows and revels in scandalising his critics. but is that also all part of the act? gene simmons, welcome to hardtalk.

thank you. wonderful being here. gene simmons, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. wonderful being harem it all front with you, promoting an image and a brand through both your music and your opinions?” image and a brand through both your music and your opinions? i think it is fairto music and your opinions? i think it is fair to say we all wake up and stand in front of a mirror and try to see how the rest of the world sees as. shakespeare said the whole world is a stage and we are players. we are all trying to figure out what to wear, how to act, in some ways it is all real. the only time we are as honest and purely innocent without trying to figure out what anyone thinks is perhaps when we are at home alone and there is no one there tojudge us. but home alone and there is no one there to judge us. but as soon as we leave

oui’ to judge us. but as soon as we leave our home, people have something to say, look out, think about, and so on. so, of course, everything is all an act in the same way as you. you area an act in the same way as you. you are a professional. but of course, it is an act. 0k, are a professional. but of course, it is an act. ok, but as far as the music is concerned, there are people who say it was always about the front rather than the music. who say it was always about the front rather than the musiclj who say it was always about the front rather than the music. i mean, ta ke front rather than the music. i mean, take whatever you will from it... before you, what was it? we wanted four years ago to put together a band no one ever saw on stage, to write the songs that we believe in and so on and to make, you know, quite honestly a complete spectacle out of ourselves, because critics say that we are. you are downright we do. we believe in giving folks bang for their buck. the sad thing is people putting in some act and charging $100 for it. but only

recently, when you look at the critics of... can i react to the word critics? one of the guardian addicts talked about your concert earlier this year, he described it and all earlier concerts as a masterclass in self—parody from day one. thank god the guardian thought that. perhaps it is something you agree with. you set out to say... not at all. not at all. i appreciate the good will and good natured fun, but i have a few houses the critics have bought me. if those are bad reviews, bring them on. can you be honest about how much is spectacle rather than the music it is clearly both. i don't want to get up on stage with a band i am so proud of and just play the songs. that would bea and just play the songs. that would be a slap in the face of the audience. we also don't use backing tracks or anything fake. we are

really a legitimate band. you said yourself i am not an artist. that is highly overused. it is not up to me to decide if i am. it is up to the people. for the people, to decide if i am. it is up to the people. forthe people, by to decide if i am. it is up to the people. for the people, by the people. for the people, by the people. if someone does i am an artist, i would say, who are you? there are some people who write and sing because they feel driven to do it. is that the same with you?” don't want to tell you the facts of life about those things. those people will tell you what you want to hear. that is beautifully poetic. then privately they go back to their mansions in the same way we do. and the attention and the attraction of this sex or the opposite sex, it is all part of the game. people would not do this if they got not a single penny. ok, but do you still write music? are you still moved to do so?

i wrote a song two weeks ago called your wish is my command. did you write to make money? that is a good point so the people who create stuff and right stuff are in the creative process and afterwards they want to make money. but there is absolutely nothing wrong with sitting down and being hired by somebody because you are hired by the wonderful and iconic bbc to sit here. you know full well what you are going to be doing, you are going to be paid money. what is bad about that? ok. and for you, i money. what is bad about that? ok. and foryou, i mean, as a band... you mean america's number one golden record winning group? it is hard wired into your dna, isn't it? to promote. if i will wait for the bbc 01’ promote. if i will wait for the bbc or anyone else to tell the world how fantastic we are, we will lose. that is why early on you invented band merchandising. you did not do tea cu ps merchandising. you did not do teacups and coffee cups... how

english! i love it. or t-shirts! you went so much further! you have 5000 different licensed items! yeah. anything from kiss condoms to caskets. we will get you coming to going. the latest you have is a vault. it is called genesimmonsvault.com. what is it the ordinary is people can pay extra for this material and get you... i don't wa nt this material and get you... i don't want you to list various options. you can pay extra to have you personally and deliver it to their house. yeah. that is because when i was a child elvis did not come to my door and say check out my new album, gene. i am well—off and the fans

gave me this opportunity so i wanted to change the way things are done. the largest box set of all time is the box set i am putting on the website. it is three feet tall, 38 lbs, and spans 50 years of songs with bob dylan and van halen and many people. but i will hop on a plane at my own cost and have to live it around the world.” plane at my own cost and have to live it around the world. i don't know how early sales have gone... huge! you are travelling a lot next year? i will start in january and be out there for 12 months. you will not get tired? i will, but so what? when you go run around hyde park, you get tired. for those struggling to think, you know, what is a kiss band? to think, you know, what is a kiss band ? they to think, you know, what is a kiss band? they may not remember. what planet did they come from? we have a clip. we will have a look. #everybody‘s got to rock and roll#!

#shout it, shout it, shout it out loud#! #shout it, shout it, shout it out loud#! do you notice how attractive i look? that is from last year! by the way, the offering has not changed much in more than four decades. you are now approaching 70. 68 now. do you not get a bit tired? 0h 68 now. do you not get a bit tired? oh no. putting on the make up. do you? but seriously? it is a privilege and an honour. it is more akin to warpaint, the idea... the

roar of the crowd, the smell of the grease paint, the whole process is so grease paint, the whole process is so exciting. you are backstage and hanging with the guys and stuff like that and you start to hear the crowd. there are very few things that get you excited during the course of the day. come on, you are looking forward to... but to do it for five decades and you are still having to perform some of the early songs... of course, we are! and partly so. what betterjob is there? we have more fun than the pope!m when you first realise... you were formed in 1873... when you first realise... you were formed in 1873. .. 1873? in when you first realise... you were formed in 1873... 1873? in 1973 it was a struggle to begin with but suddenly you started selling records. it wasn't about records. we started selling at readings within a year and started selling at readings within a yearand a started selling at readings within a year and a half of debuting. we sold out ina year and a half of debuting. we sold out in a home stadium. we were headlining above bands around for decades. —— anaheim stadium. something happened before records, voicemail, anything, really. it

happened naturally. critics never gave us happened naturally. critics never gave us a quarter happened naturally. critics never gave us a quarter to get on a bus. it happened because of the people! and we continued... 0ur strongest base, our strongest, you know, support, comes from the people. and thatis support, comes from the people. and that is our favourite thing. in for running up debts to get the band going, the money really started rolling in. —— and from. going, the money really started rolling in. -- and from. big. i remember... my mother is from hungary and she continues to say how is it going? she has this wonderful... she still has no clue who pays the money or who i work for. she has been to one of your concerts? she goes all the time and she does my, you know, the hand gesture, and all that, i love you. initially she went up and did not realise i was on the other end of the room. my life is so amazing... but your life changed as a result of that and as a result of the fact that and as a result of the fact that you were starting to make

money. it must have just changed so the radically. well, it dramatically changed because i moved to hollywood andi changed because i moved to hollywood and i sold out. i became ensconced, which is a big word like gymnasium and power and all that, but never drugs, never boos, neveralcohol. i have still never been high or drunk in my life. —— booze. i don't care if anyone thinks i am making it up 01’ if anyone thinks i am making it up or believes it. that is my choice in life and you can do whatever you want. i would never break my mother's hard. she was 1a years of age when she was in the concentration camps of nazi. —— heart. i have no right to disappoint her in any way. my mother is proud of her son and i have done myjob. and it is because of your mother that you thought i will not do something that affects the health. you are the only sign. it is about not breaking her heart. she is 92 and just kicking it. i am not supposed to say that word is up and she continues to be the inspiration

that keeps me going straight, that prevents that keeps me going straight, that p reve nts m e that keeps me going straight, that prevents me from drifting off to the dark side, because, you know, the papers are littered with people who self abuse... but including your bandmates, two of the original members of the band have written about their own problems with drugs, coke, and alcohol. peter greste said i had coke, and alcohol. peter greste said ihada coke, and alcohol. peter greste said i had a coke problem at the time. everyone was doing it.” i had a coke problem at the time. everyone was doing it. i never did...i everyone was doing it. i never did... iwas everyone was doing it. i never did... i was so stupid and naive i went on to a recording studio and there was a mirror and ijust had artificial sweetener and coffee. i thought someone had spilt some sweetener but it was coke. i did not know what it was in someone stopped me amusing at. i rapidly learned to stay away from losers. that is why you got rid of two of the original

members of the band. three different times. they came around three different times and lost fortunes every time. peter when writing about it said it made him work harder, it was fuel to him. it said it made him work harder, it was fuelto him. everyone it said it made him work harder, it was fuel to him. everyone gets delusional with chemicals inside their body. it is nonsense. without iti their body. it is nonsense. without it i would not be creative, that kind of... it is enabling. the truth is you are born with everything you need. anything else you your body numbs your mind and body, it is your enemy. what was it like within the band if you are alone in that? there was huge tension. we had argument and fightand was huge tension. we had argument and fight and lawyers get involved. and of course, invariably, you had to get rid of them. because how can you imagine playing in a football tea m you imagine playing in a football team if you do not depend on them? what if you are too high to understand? we all lose. you did not touch drink and drugs. the women,

though, that third element of the rock and roll life, you really went to town. it is all true. 4800 women is supposedly your record. 0ne one or 0ne ortwo, one or two, whatever that is, that's in the past. i'm married. i love my wife, shannon, and i waited like a jackass, are you allowed to say that word? that's fine. i am a jackass andi word? that's fine. i am a jackass and i have been all my life, i'm a lonely child and it's like being in a bakery and being on a diet, you're ina a bakery and being on a diet, you're in a rock band and everything gets thrown in yourface, the bad stuff, women, all that stuff. i didn't want to grow up, i was arrogant, self and all that. it took for ever, it took shannon, my wife, my wife, my two kids, nick and sophie, to kick me in the nuts and make me grow up and be a man. your wife made you burn the polaroids which were the proof of the 4800. it was a public thing, it

wasn't a secret. you put it behind you but you have run into difficulties recently because of the things you said when he went to fox news, you were banned for life because you barged into a staff meeting. i didn't. certainly not. you barged in and you opened up your shirt and you said sunni. what is your name? sarah. i could go on social media and said sarah let me backstage and do whatever i want. what happened ? backstage and do whatever i want. what happened? nothing, here's how! wear my shirt, someone there had in for me and called the daily beast or something and said whatever they saidi something and said whatever they said i did. i did nothing. iaways have people around me, like when i come here, have handlers and eve ryo ne come here, have handlers and everyone sees what i'm doing. you can't go into a public area and do anything. let me finish. the problem with social media today is nobody calls you and says, do you have a comment? the story was printed and of course everybody exploded and

fox, they're nice people, i like them a lot, but they are close ranks and they're afraid of getting sued by everybody but nothing happened, i stand by every word. nothing happened but they banned you? that's right, that's exactly right, stand by every word i just said. we all know the hash tag #metoo where women are calling out behaviour where they have suffered in the past sexual harassment at the hands of men and your name has appeared in a couple of tweets. why would i want to do anything... i'm not even going to hold up the hypothetical. nothing happened. all of a sudden 44 years on in happened. all of a sudden 44 years onina happened. all of a sudden 44 years on in a rock band somebody is coming up on in a rock band somebody is coming up and saying this guy is a bad guy, it's not true. i think the climate is horrifically bad and yet at the same time in powering to the right women, there are some really bad quys women, there are some really bad guys out there, ijust happen not to be one of them. when you read what women say i happening to them, what do you think about the culture that

you and others lived through? the women coming out about weinstein, they should go to the cops, the police and court system are there to do what the women did with bill cos by, do what the women did with bill cosby, if you have a complaint, go to the cops. going through the court of public opinion on social media is exactly how it happened, why not get a lawyer? isn't there a question of changing the kopczak, the kind of stuff you maybe don't go to the police over but you think, i'm going to go and call this out because women don't have to accept it. there is an organisation in england, i saw it yesterday on a chat show, the woman heads it, about the victims, the men committed suicide were wrongly convicted of all kinds of nonsense. what about them? do you think it's gone too far? i'm not saying it's gone too far go to the cops. let's go back to your mother. now i like you. the single most important person in your life. should be the single most important person to everybody bus pass life.

it's because of her background, she was a survivor of the holocaust, when she was in america, she was with you, you were eight, jura members that time in it seems to my my father abandoned me when i was about seven years old and my dear mother took on the rains and the responsibility the way so many millions of mothers around the world raise families as a single mother, whether they're married or not. we came to america when i was eight yea rs old we came to america when i was eight years old and i was to fully unprepared for everything and my mother had language difficulties, she only spoke hungarian, i spoke hungarian and one or two other languages, none of us spoke english and it was enormously hard for my mother and what i saw was the most empowering inspirational human being i've ever seen in movies,

television, it was my mother, who would wake up at the crack of dawn and go to work every day and make sure her son would turn out and take. that's why i have a lifelong responsibility... you're going to get me choked up here now because i'm going to stop. -- turned out ok. what do you think about the attempts in america now to stop immigrants?” am an immigrant, i'm a illegal immigrants, why anyone would care what a guy in a band thinks about immigration or politics, but you're asking so i'm going to give you one citizen's opinion. that is legal immigration is the right thing because at least people know who you are, where you come from. some vetting, it's called due diligence in business, but you want to vet who comes and goes and i give that power to the government. i want you to say i want you to know where i am if i pay taxes, if i commit a crime, i

wa nt pay taxes, if i commit a crime, i want you to know where i am, here are my figure prints, i'm all for that. there are 120 million illegal immigrants in america. my heart goes out to anyone that comes to america 01’ out to anyone that comes to america or england for a better life or anything like that, i get it, emotionally and sympathetically i'm with you all the way. but u nfortu nately bad with you all the way. but unfortunately bad guys come along with that as well. i just want to say the following, the pope, i'm a big fan of him, he's a good human being, he said walls around your land are not a nice thing, maybe so, but the vatican has an enormous wall going around it. but your own daughter said we're a country built on immigrants and survivals and what is happening right now when we're closing our doors on that is shocking to me because my family wouldn't be here, both my family are —— both my parents are immigrants.” love sophie, she's the rights holder of everything, when she is 25 years old, i was like that too, immigrants

is all encompassing, it's not. when you're illegal immigrant there's a vetting process, when you keep the doors open, i'm going to suggest let eve ryo ne doors open, i'm going to suggest let everyone in, without any vetting, are you for that? what about the children of illegal immigrants, the dreamers? it breaks my heart and i don't have the answer because if i was here illegally and i had a child i would say do whatever you want with me but please let my child have a better life. that's the emotion and romance of it. you have said about trump, give him time. it's president trump and i'll tell you why. i don't necessarily like or dislike him. did you vote for him? he was duly elected and i'll tell you why i won't answer that either, i may not have, but the reason your founding fathers, and in america you have the curtains were you vote, it's nobody‘s business who you voted for and if it's nobody‘s business who you voted forand ifa it's nobody‘s business who you voted for and if a citizen asks you that you're just for and if a citizen asks you that you'rejust going to for and if a citizen asks you that you're just going to get into an argument. given the record you've

seen so argument. given the record you've seen so far i wonder whether you would be prepared to vote for him for a second time? i know the man personally a little bit, as i know president clinton and president bush. you've worked with him as well, haven't you? yes. president trump doesn't really care how you think about him, he's really a loan guide. that's really not good or bad, it is what it is, he doesn't pretend to be a politician and he really doesn't care what you think about him. this is either going to turn out to be good or bad. i know he's heard a lot of things, people buy the things he's said, he's unfiltered, what you see is what you get, he's not an ideologue, he's neither republican or a cracked. don't think for a second that because i'm saying this on for this 01’ because i'm saying this on for this or this. i don't trust politicians, neither side would have me, socially i'm very liberal, gay rights, lgbt, if you want to worship a rock or an

atheist, i'm on your side, if you want to worship a rock or an atheist, i'm on yourside, i if you want to worship a rock or an atheist, i'm on your side, i will march with you, don't tell me what kind of life to have but foreign policy, i'm as conservative as you would imagine. fiscally i'm very conservative. what does that make me, a member of the american party? let me ask you finally about the american your family. finally, i thought we were going to be here all day? you arrive in america at eight yea rs old day? you arrive in america at eight years old and new you see house accessible you been, is your mother proud of you? my mother will take a magazine out and something i have beenin magazine out and something i have been in and she will start crying. from her perspective of being a concentration camp survivor and seeing her whole family to being in israel and then coming to america and seeing her son scale the heights and seeing her son scale the heights and all that, she's taught me to be fearless a nd and all that, she's taught me to be fearless and look bbc right in the face and to thine own self be true. takeit face and to thine own self be true. take it or leave it, i don't care how you feel about it, i'm clean inside and this is who i am and i

learned that from my mother. gene simmons, thank you for coming on. learned that from my mother. gene simmons, thank you for coming onm was a pleasure to see me. hello once again. there were certainly enough gaps in the cloud in the first part of the night for our weather watchers to get a really good view of the night's super moon. after what had been a pretty reasonable day, especially so across parts of northern ireland, scotland, the north of england, probably the best of the sunshine here. that's not to say we start the new day with plenty of gaps around because we have weather fronts not a million miles away and there may be enough cloud for there to be the odd

spot of rain across the far north of scotland, showers running through the western side of scotland and down through the irish sea. 0ut east, could be concern about how dense some of the fog patches will be, not first thing, some in east anglia, the south—east and central and southern england but elsewhere, a cooler not start, as you would expect for the start that's not the case for the north of scotland, quite breezy and wet here, especially in the northern isles. elsewhere, a speckling of showers for northern scotland and northern ireland but that's the exception to essentially a dry rule, as i say, some of the fog may take time to get away from the south—eastern quarter. there may be more low cloud than i'm showing here, giving a rather grey aspect to the day. that prospect gradually drifting from west to east. if yourfog lingers, six degrees could be your hi, elsewhere, eight, nine, ten. not a great deal happening during the evening, perhaps freshening up the wind, that's a sign of things to come,

especially for northern scotland, wet and windy fair here as we get on during the day on tuesday but elsewhere not a bad day, quite a quiet start to the week. notice monday and tuesday. however, we begin to change things quite markedly as we get on into wednesday. here across northern and western parts is either wet and windy orjust for some windy, but at least it's coming from the south, that's your mildest day of the week by some degree. notice how we've got a lot of isobars here, hence that windy nature to wednesday, it becomes more widespread and crucially through thursday the wind begins to change direction. i'm just about to show you how extensive that change becomes in the latter part of the week, looked at that, cold air right down and across all parts of the british isles, rather like the middle of last week. i'm going to show you the effect on the temperatures, see how through the day they begin to fall away, ten in norwich at the start of the day when you've got the mild air and wet and windy weather, and brighter skies later but the temperatures fall away.

the start of the week is mostly fine, then it gets wet and windy and certainly by the latter part of the week, it turns much, much colder. i'm kasia madera in london. the headlines: hours before the biggest—ever us—south korean air drills, washington says the potential for war with north korea is increasing by the day. it's crazy to send spouses and children to south korea given the provocation of north korea. so i want them to stop sending dependents. i'm rico hizon in singapore. also in the programme: cambodia's prime minister leads prayers for peace and unity at a lavish ceremony days after dissolving the country's main opposition party. all these people have been brought to this, the most symbolically important site in cambodia,