i'm mariko oi in singapore. the headlines. pushing ahead with tariffs. president trump will sign off his levy on metal imports later despite concerns about a trade war. a private message is on its way from pyongyang to the us. could this be a breakthrough in relations between mr kim and mr trump? i'm celia hatton in london. also in the programme: a nerve agent was used in a deliberate attempt to murder a former russian spy and his daughter. the two remain critically ill in a hospital. and hanim hamza is one of malaysia's top lawyers. the story of how she rose to the top as we mark international women's live £17 7 7 live é our| good morning.

it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london, and 8pm in the evening in washington, where donald trump is stepping up pressure on china to reduce its trade imbalance with the united states by $1 billion. the white house says mr trump is ready to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. he's expected to sign them off today. china has already raised concerns at the world trade organisation, along with 17 other wto members. earlier, i got the latest from our correspondent, chris buckler, in washington. donald trump wants to put in place these measures to try and protect american industry, despite the concerns of some of his own advisers inside the white

house. but it looks like there will be some exemptions. that was made clear today at a white house briefing, in which they specifically spoke about mexico and canada potentially being exempted from these 25% tariffs on steel imported into america, and 10% tariffs on aluminium imported into the us. there could also be other countries. and the reason for all of these tariffs, the reason that has been put forward by president trump, is in the interest of national security. basically to make sure the country could protect itself by ensuring industries that are vital to that are defended, and also that applies to suppliers. so, bizarrely, that idea of national security is also being used for this idea that there could be exemptions for the likes of mexico and canada. is there a chance that the resignation of his top economic adviser, gary cohn, has anything to do that, or, as many have suspected, this has been a negotiating tool all along? well, i don't think there's any doubt that gary cohn is certainly one of the big voices within the white house who has talked time and time

again about his concern about protectionist policies. he didn't always chime with the president, that's got to be said, but he was one of those valued in the white house, and his words have struck a chord within many in donald trump's republican party. in fact, there is a letter tonight that has come from 107 members of the republican party inside the house of representatives, and the language is pretty strong. it says "we are writing to express deep concern about the prospect of global broad tariffs on aluminium and steel imports, because tariffs make our businesses less competitive, and us consumers poorer." it gives you the idea that many are concerned about the potential of a trade war. at the same time, though, donald trump made his way to the white house with all of these claims that he was going to put america first. and while some will say this could potentiallyjust be him trying

to grandstand and put himself in a better negotiating position, the white house is saying that by the end of the week he intends to sign off on these measures. what the president and the white house haven't mentioned is that the trade figures came out and the trade deficit, which the president is rather fixated on, actually hit the highest level in nine years, after one year of the president being in office. is that going to help his move to impose these tariffs or not? i think what you will see is president trump try to use that to justify these further tariffs. i mean, i don't want to speak for him, but you certainly get a sense from him that he is determined to try and address the huge trade deficit that america has. but, again, you need to listen to business leaders who say you do need importants. it is worth reflecting that when we tell that steel, multiple amounts of the amount

of steel is imported that is exported. that is because they need steel imports. it is important to business, and ultimately, that is something the business leaders feel that donald trump has to be reminded of, not least because they could pay the price for these tariffs. we'll have more analysis on that a little later in the programme. now let's take a look at some of the day's other news. south korean envoys will bring a private message to the us president from north korean leader, kim jong—un, when they go to washington later this week. local media say the diplomats were given the message on monday when they met mr kim in rare talks in pyongyang. the former us ambassador to pyongyang, christopher hill, gave us his analysis. you know, frankly, it kind of looks like deja vu all over again. but what is different is that kim jong—un has never said anything like this. he's never suggested his nuclear programme is on the bargaining table. so it is something new. and, i think, out of respect and cooperation with

the south koreans, i think the trump administration needs to see this through and see if there's something there. also making news today: the vatican has announced that an outspoken archbishop of el salvador who was shot dead in 1980 will be made a saint. oscar romero denounced repression and social injustice in the country as it descended into civil war. the church will also make a saint of pope paul the sixth, who oversaw sweeping reforms of the church in the 1960s. four people have been seriously injured in two knife attacks in the austrian capital vienna. police say it is not clear what the motives were or if there is any connection between the two assaults. three of the victims were from the same family. an american porn star has filed a lawsuit against donald trump, seeking to void a non—disclosure agreement about an alleged affair between the two more than a decade ago. stormy daniels, whose real name is stephanie clifford, says the agreement is not valid because she says mr trump never signed it. men and women in china are being encouraged to settle for someone who is "more or less 0k" when choosing who to marry.

the appeal, which was made in a leading newspaper editorial, urged people to be less fussy when it comes to picking a spouse. it follows concerns about the low birth rate in the country. now, some amazing pictures captured by thomas kray as he was snowboarding in the french alps. watch as the snow in front of him crumbles as an avalanche begins, and then the whole slope literally collapses on top of him. but thomas escaped in one piece. he was saved by activating an avalanche airbag which allowed him to escape being buried. police in britain say a former russian spy and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent on sunday. sergei and yulia skripal have been critically ill in hospital since being found unconscious on a bench. a police officer who went to help is also in intensive care. tom symonds reports.

sergei skripal is a man with a shadowy past. relatives say he feared it would catch up with him, that he would be targeted. but he was using his own name, living a normal life, popping into a corner shop last month for milk and bacon. tonight, he and his daughter remain gravely ill, and this evening, britain's most senior counter—terrorism officer revealed why. in summary, this is being treated as a major incident involved attempting murder by the administration of a nerve agent. as you know, these two people remain critically ill in hospital. sadly, in addition, a police officer who was one of the first to attend the scene and respond to the incident is now also in a serious condition in hospital.

it wasn'tjust police officers and ambulance teams who came into contact with the victims. so did people who just tried to help. could they have been affected? as your chief medical officer, my message to the public is that this event poses a low risk to the public on the evidence that we have. now the focus is on the nearly three hours between them arriving in this area and being taken ill. key locations remain cordoned off, including the zizzi restaurant, where they had lunch around 2pm. an eyewitness who saw them there, and wanted to remain anonymous, told me something appeared to be wrong. what was your view of them? translation: initially, i thought he had mental problems. it was out of the blue. there was no one around him. he started screaming at the top of his voice. he didn't look right. he looked like he was going to lose his cool. he and other eyewitnesses say that yulia skripal had dark hair, as she appeared in this picture.

but police have already seized this cctv footage from just before apm, a man with a blonde—haired woman entering the shopping area. detectives will need to sort through a mass of eyewitness reports and cctv to establish the truth. the government was briefed on the inquiry today. we need to keep a cool head and make sure that we collect all the evidence we can, and we need to make sure that we respond, not to rumour, but to all the evidence that they collect. and then, we will need to decide what action to take. but life in salisbury is now dominated by the response to the suspected poisoning. when a woman was taken ill at an office this lunchtime, this was the emergency services‘ reaction. and this evening, teams in protective suits and respirators were at a nearby ambulance station. someone has used a chemical weapon among the sunday shoppers of this peaceful city. no—one is taking any chances. tom symonds, bbc news, salisbury.

let's return now to our top story. the white house is saying donald trump will give final approval before the end of the week for the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. the response has been very measured, and why not? originally, when the trump administration had said that they were going to bring about tariffs, china was the target. and china actually is in quite a good position compared to where they thought they would be. instead of the united states and the european union uniting against china on the overcapacity issue, you have a situation where now china is united with the european union, and canada, two of our biggest allies, in fighting against the administration on tariffs. china's steel industry seems relatively insulated from the threat of us tariffs. china seems to sell steel to many other countries besides the us.

is that an illusion? could it be seriously injured by tariffs? there are two important aspects to what the administration has done. one is clearly the economic impact. and, for china it's only around $800 million. they're not even in our top ten exporters of steel to the united states. but the symbolism is important. what the administration is doing is claim it is done under the umbrella of a national security issue, but they have also said our security issues that all countries need to take. and all of this is being done outside the wto. the us has taken the first steps of taking action against china outside of the wto, which means that is potentially fair game for china.

what could china do to hit back at united states if these tariffs start to bite? if they start to bite, there are a range of different things that they have had under consideration. one, they could raise tariffs on some of our main exports to china, including agricultural products. they can slow down the approval of licences and applications that a number of us firms have in front of the chinese government, but also they could take steps, for example, they are looking to announce a major market—opening package, and they could exclude us firms from that market opening. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: police in sri lanka use tear gas to disperse buddhist rioters in the city of kandy after days of violence against muslims. also on the programme: iamso i am so glad i had a bad day at work. bored of bowling? why not have a go at axe throwing, the new sport taking aim in the us. the numbers of dead and wounded

defied. the worst atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less tha n european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours, the soviet union lost a n less than 2a hours, the soviet union lost an elderly leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years hisjunior. you heard these gunshots from the gym. they started firing. we we re from the gym. they started firing. we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged a1, sentenced to 99 years, due for parole when he is 90, went in an eight car tomboy to prison. —— convoy. what does it feel like to be married at last? it feels good. will it change your life? i don't know, really, i have never been this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm mariko oi, in singapore. i'm celia hatton in london. our top stories: duties on peanut butter, bourbon and orangejuice — just some of the items the eu says it will hit with import duties if president trump's metal tariffs go ahead. a nerve agent was used to try to murder a former russian spy and his daughter, police have said. sergei and yulia skripal remain critically ill in a uk hospital. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world: let's start with the new york times which has the picture of north korean leader kimjong—un shaking hands with the south's national security director. the story says this week's north—south diplomacy has left president trump on the sidelines. staying with that story in thejapan times where the diplomatic breakthrough is reportedly prompting "jitters in tokyo" about the us

prioritising its homeland security over japan's, when discussing denuclearisation with north korea. and in the south china morning post, ‘trade entourage downsized after us objections'. the paper says the us played hardball with china when it restricted a washington—bound delegation from a0 to just 10 officials. the us holocaust memorial museum has withdrawn its top award to myanmar leader aung san suu kyi because of her failure to stop military attacks on her country's minority rohingya muslims. aid agencies say the stream of rohingya crossing the border shows no sign of stopping. hundreds have arrived in bangladesh in the past few days. nearly 700,000 rohingya refugees are already there. the bbc‘s anbarasan ethirajan reports from the border town of teknaf. these are the new arrivals from myanmar‘s rakhine state.

these men, women and children, they took the risky sea journey overnight to reach the shores of bangladesh. these people, they say that they do not have any livelihood and they also are lacking food in their villages. they feel intimidated by the presence of so many rakhine villages around their own village and that's why had to take this riskyjourney. it also shows that, even though the level of violence has come down in rakhine state, people are still fleeing. for example, here, about 200 people came over last night and we have been speaking to officials who say there has been a regular flow of 80—90 people coming every day and this is adding to this huge population of rohingya refugees here in this country. nearly 700,000 people have fled rakhine state and the latest round of violence, which started in august and they have been housed

in various camps across cox's bazar district here. and the worry for the government and the aid agencies, they cannot estimate how many people are there, what supplies they can bring in and, with more new arrivals, this adds to the pressure of aid agencies and the government. anbarasan ethirajan, bbc news, teknaf. a grenade killed a man in sri lanka's central district of kandy on wednesday, after a fourth day of clashes between the majority buddhist community and muslims living in the area. more troops have been deployed to try to end the violence. there have been clashes since sunday when a buddhist man died in kandy after an altercation with a group of muslims. david campanale has more. sri lankan commandos patrol the streets of kandy‘s outline districts. all police leave has been cancelled but they have not been able to stop

arson or sporadical religiously motivated assaults. through wednesday, police used teargas to disperse buddhist rioters in the city who had been attacking mosques and muslim—owned businesses. the continued presence of mobs on the street is in defiance of security measures, including a curfew. these were imposed after a buddhist youth died at the weekend during an altercation with a group of muslims. government ministers have been to see the violence for themselves, including this shop which had been set alight. a spokesman said the authorities were trying to get the situation under control. the army has been deployed in the tens of thousands in the areas but even one or two people can insight some incident. tension has been on the rise in buddhist majority sri lanka since 2012, said to have been fueled by hardline buddhists.

they accuse muslims of forcing people to convert to islam and vandalising buddhist archaeological sites but the muslim community denies this. the authorities have put curbs on internet access to end the spread of hate speech and misinformation aimed at inciting more violence. under the state of emergency, the authorities are able to arrest and detain suspects for long periods. and deploy forces where needed. a local curfew imposed in kandy is due to end at apm local time thursday afternoon. david campanale, bbc news. it's international women's day. we often talk about the achievements of famous public figures but what about strong, everyday woman who also serve as role models? we found an example of one such woman who not only smashes

through the glass ceiling in her profession but she also inspires with her great attitude. take a look at this. i'm the regional managing partner of a corporate law firm based in asean. the visibility of women in the legal profession, especially in senior partnership positions, has grown. i am from a small town in malaysia. i was not in the best classes, i am not the typical nerd type student at school but with tenacity, with hardship, you want to come back and make your parents proud. whenever i get the chance iwill run, you know, sign up for half marathons, for full marathons. the other thing i'm passionate about is singing. i do have a jazz quartet and i enjoy that very much. now, there's a new trend trying to find its mark in washington

and in other cities across the us. axe—throwing is catching on among those who are looking for a new hobby — and who might find bowling or pool a bit too tame. our correspondent jane o'brien went to have a throw or two. you have had a bad day at work or maybe you have fallen out with your partner or perhaps you burnt the cakes — i don't know — but what better way ease the tension and get rid of some of that pent—up aggression than lob an axe at the wall. it's not like the normal thing to do. ok, let's go and do something that i can end of my life with today so when it comes to this, everybody can just kind of calm, experience something new, it'sa bonding experience, and it is a lot of fun. now, step with your right foot. give it a good go. step... well, i hit the target. you did hit the target.

that's a start. it is really not that dangerous, as long as you do not throw like a crazy person and just try to have is some fun. axe throwing is becoming alarmingly popular in the us, having make its way across the borderfrom canada. there is even an axe throwing league. that is quite a medal you've got there. how did you win it? i won this by throwing large axes at wood on a wall. so how did you do it, because i'm hopeless. what is it your top tip for me? i go with the 2—handed stout, overhand, no wrist action. that is a common misconception. no wrist involved in it. cheering. how does this make you feel? it makes me feel lack a man with big, hairy chest. clearly, my technique needs a little polish. so after half a dozen throws, and i promise i will not do anything bad with this, i am exhausted, the axe is getting blunt and i still have not hit the target but it is great fun and i am so glad i've

had a bad day at work! and so the night wore on. oh, come on! once you have mastered the basics, there is no limit to what you can do with an axe. and then there is that golden moment when it all comes together. yeahhh! jane o'brien, bbc news, axe throwing queen of washington! that sounds like a great idea! should we see of the bosses will allow us to have one each in the newsrooms in singapore and london? we will be taking a more in—depth look at those controversial tariffs the us wants to impose tariffs on steel

and aluminium imports. i love your axe throwing the idea. and because we've been talking about international women's day, we leave you with these pictures from paris where the eiffel tower has been dressed up for the occasion with the french version of the hashtag #timesup. the message, which translates literally as "now we act", is part of a campaign to open paths to justice for female victims of violence. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. temperatures are on the up this weekend as it turns milder but we are not there yet

and snow is still part of our forecast for the first part of thursday. here's a look at the recent satellite picture. this area of cloud pushing in from the south—west, bringing in some rain, sleet and some snow to parts of england and wales as thursday begins. a fairly messy looking picture, by no means everyone seeing snow. you're more inclined in the higher ground of wales, midlands, into parts of northern england but, in heavier bursts, even to lower levels, you could see a bit of snow. maybe a few centimetres, a brief, light covering out of this. here is how things look during the first few hours of the morning. behind the area of rain, sleet and snow, further wintry showers coming into parts of wales. but in parts of northern england and the midlands, as thursday begins, we could see some snow falling to relatively low levels. it is a good idea to just check the situation before heading out, to make sure you do not going to encounter too many problems.

bbc local radio station, of course, a good source of information. this latest weather system begins to pull its moisture away, eastwards, from england and wales as we go into the afternoon. for scotland and northern ireland, a mainly dry but frosty icy start to the day. some good sunny spells to come as it stays mainly dry. but in towards the western isles, far north—west of mainland scotland, northern isles there will be some showers around. following our weather system for england and wales, one or two showers, wintry on hills but some good sunny spells to come here. most places though a chillier day, especially in the breeze, across southern parts, with temperatures in single figures. largely fine thursday night as we see a frost settling. the chance for a few icy patches. still some wintry showers, still some snow across parts of scotland, particularly into the hills. a lot of fine weather to come during friday but cloud increasing to southern england and south wales as we start to get some outbreaks of rain moving in through the afternoon and into the evening. so it turns wetter from the south. as we look at that big picture going into the weekend, there's this weather system here, still as it edges its way northwards, on it leading edge,

there could be some snow, especially to higher ground. but this is a warm front, this the leading edge of milder air, warmerairand you can see that on the colours here, for saturday. that gradually edges itsway further northwards as we go through the weekend. so we know the weekend, temperatures are heading up. it's going to be milder, yes, but there will be some rain at times and most of us will see some rain at some stage of the weekend, thankfully not all the time but here is an idea of what we might expect over the weekend, at least for the capital cities. some rain at times, not all the time but temperatures are creeping up. i'm ceila hatton with bbc news. our top story: president trump pushes ahead with his metal tariff‘s plan. there are fears the plans could spark a trade war. mrtrump wants china to reduce its trade imbalance with the united states by $1 billion. a private message is on its way from north korea to the us.

the undisclosed communication from kim jong—un was given to diplomatic envoys from south korea on monday. and this video is trending on bbc.com. an amazing escape from an avalanche captured on a helmet camera worn by thomas kray while he was on the alpine slopes at tignes. thomas was saved activating an avalanche airbag. it allowed him to escape being buried. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: british police say a nerve agent was used in a deliberate attempt