this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the top stories: just over a year after his appointment, rex tillerson is sacked as us secretary of state. president trump says this. rex and i have been talking about this for a long time. we got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things. russia defies a deadline to explain the nerve agent attack in britain that left a former spy and his daughter fighting for their lives. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. also in the programme: australia's gambling addiction. punters lose a record 18 billion us dollars in just one year. it cost me relationships, my respectability, dignity, my freedom. the pacific island of taking its

fight for independence all the way to the un. —— the pacific it's newsday. glad you could join us. it's 9am in singapore, iam in london, and 9pm in washington where donald trump has lost another member of his top team. this time it was his secretary of state, rex tillerson. the president sacked him by tweet. the decision to replace america's top diplomat comes in the middle of preparations for the planned meeting between mr trump and north korea's kim jong—un. and as us ally britain accuses russia of carrying out a nerve agent attack. here's our north america editor, jon sopel. after a long trip to africa glad—handing and promoting the us,

rex tillerson flew back to washington overnight. but unbeknown to him, the president had signed his death warrant, and it would be death by tweet. but tillerson isn't on twitter, so excruciatingly it fell to his chief of staff to inform him of his demise. there was no contact from the white house, only this afterwards from the president. i think rex will be much happier now, but i really appreciate his service. happier? he didn't seem it. in his farewell statement, he never mentioned donald trump by name, didn't thank him or wish him luck. instead, there were these pointed remarks on russia. much work remains to respond to the troubling behaviour and actions on the part of the russian government. russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interests of the russian people, and of the world more broadly.

i, rex wayne tillerson, do solemnly swear... it was all so different when he was sworn in, then seen as one of the grown—ups of the administration. but his fate was probably sealed last october, when it was reported he called donald trump "a moron", an accusation he didn't exactly deny. i'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that. i mean, this is what i don't understand about washington. again, you know, i'm not from this place, but the places i come from, we don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense. then there was the public undermining of the secretary of state by the president, sending family to do work that would normally be done by america's chief diplomat, and public shaming on twitter, like this. there's not much love lost between donald trump and rex tillerson, they disagreed on policy and didn't much like each other personally. mike pompeo will be much more to donald trump's taste and it's vital they do get on,

given the importance of subjects like north korea. but will he be the man who says to the president, "i think you're wrong," as rex tillerson did? tillerson was isolated trapessing around the world with little support in washington. in his previous life, the former ceo of exxon was a corporate titan, but he's now political roadkill. surely the place with the lowest life expectancy anywhere in the world, being a member of the trump administration. another senior figure who didn't smell the coffee. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. stay with us for more on the sacking of rex tillerson. donald trump is now in california. we'll hear from our correspondent there in a few minutes and get some analysis from washington. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the deadline has just passed an hour

ago for moscow to explain to the british government how a nerve agent made in russia was used to attack a former spy and his daughter. the kremlin has said it won't respond until it's given a sample of the substance involved. and it's repeated its denial of any involvement. our correspondent sarah rainsford reports from moscow. accused of a crime many miles from here, under pressure to explain a chemical attack that shocked britain. but today, the kremlin has remained silent. the foreign minister, though, was in full defensive flow. sergey lavrov rejected britain's 24—hour ultimatum to respond to the claim that moscow used a nerve agent. "russia should get 10 days," he said, accusing britain of flouting the chemical weapons convention. and when i asked about the actual charge, the minister called that nonsense. translation: russia is not guilty.

russia is ready to co—operate in accordance with the convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons if the uk finally decides to fulfil its obligations under international law within that document. russia's also demanding a sample of the substance used in the attack to conduct its own tests. it's been identified as novichok, which the bbc believes was once produced here in a secret soviet programme. reports in moscow say any stockpiles were destroyed long ago. so when the british ambassador was called to the foreign ministry, moscow says he came to hear its protest at a sordid attempt to discredit this country. i reiterated the points made by prime minister may that we expect by the end of today an account from the russian state as to how this material came to be used in salisbury. russia has always insisted it had nothing to do with the poisoning in salisbury, and that position

clearly hasn't changed even with the threat of sanctions. after all, this is a country that's been living under international sanctions for some time, linked to its actions in ukraine. and those measures haven't weakened president putin politically at all. if anything, they've made him stronger. moscow, then, is in no mood for ultimatums, and it will continue to insist on its innocence. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. also making news today: a vigil‘s been held in the bangladeshi capital, dhaka, for the 49 people killed in a plane crash in nepal on monday. the us—bangla airlines plane crash landed in kathmandu. the airline and the airport authorities have blamed each other. the plane's black box voice recorder is being analysed. the turkish army and its syrian rebel allies say they've completely surrounded the kurdish—controlled city of afrin. it's seen as a major development, aimed at forcing out kurdish separatist rebels, known as the ypg. turkey considers the ypg,

a key american ally against isis, as a terrorist group. there's a proposal to lower the age whenjapanese become adults down from 20 to 18. under the new law, 18—year—olds would be able to get married, sign contracts and take out loans without parental consent. but they'd still be banned from smoking, drinking alcohol and gambling until they're 20. two years after its famous occupants finished eating their noodles on it, this dinner table in a hanoi street—food cafe has been preserved in a glass case, complete with chopsticks, plates and empty beer bottles. former us president, barack obama, and chef, anthony bourdain, ate at the table during an official trip in 2016. the restaurant owners decided to turn it into an exhibit to satisfy curious customers. they insist they used plates were

actually washed before going on display. —— that used. always good to know. —— be used. the latest equal pay revelation concerns the queen, at least a fictional version. british actress claire foy, who starred as queen elizabeth in the tv drama the crown, was paid less than her co—star matt smith, who played prince philip. the producers said the gap was partly because matt smith was better known and that in the next series, the queen will be the best paid role. always good to know. now, let's return to our top story, the sacking of us secretary of state, rex tillerson. donald trump is in california, where he's been looking at different prototypes for the wall he's promised to build along the border with mexico. the us president looked at several full—scale models. our correspondent in los angeles, david willis, gave me his assessment of donald trump's reasons for sacking mr tillerson. well, rex tillerson has been out of favour,

rico, for months. he and president trump didn't agree on a whole range of issues, among them, the iran nuclear deal, how to deal with north korea, trade tariffs, the paris climate accord, and so on and so on. and then, of course, mr tillerson was forced to give that press conference a few months ago following reports emerging that he called president trump a moron, basically reaffirming that he was supporting president trump. well, now, with those important negotiations with north korea coming up, and indeed negotiations with iran over the nuclear deal, president trump has somebody who basically shares his worldview, to quote him this morning, "someone with a different mindset in office." so, what kind of mindset will the cia director, mike pompeo, bring to thisjob in terms of foreign policy issues? well, mike pompeo is

a tea party congressman from kansas. he's said to have won the admiration of donald trump delivering the morning classified briefing three or four times a week. now, they're in lockstep, the two, over the crucial issues like north korea and the iran nuclear deal. mike pompeo is much more hawkish than his predecessor, rex tillerson. as far as russia and china is concerned, though, we willjust have to wait and see. mike pompeo has differed with president trump over the cia's assessment that russia was to blame for meddling in the 2016 presidential election. but what i think mike pompeo‘s appointment means, rico, is that we now have a secretary of state who is much more likely to echo a common foreign policy with the president rather than constantly being undermined by the commander—in—chief as was the case with rex tillerson. david willis in la.

well, let's get more now on the implications of rex tillerson‘s sacking for the potential meeting between donald trump and north korea's kimjong—un. i asked jessica lee, director of policy and advocacy at the council of korean americans in washington, for her reaction to the change of personnel in donald trump's foreign policy team. i think it's clear that secretary tillerson had some unique challenges in leading his agency because of various dynamics within the trump administration. and i think, as, you know, things progress very quickly, one thing that will be very important from washington is to ensure they're in lockstep with seoul and the blue house in signalling that this personnel change does not in any way diminish president trump's resolve in getting a diplomatic, you know, solution on north korea. so i think that is a critical component which we have yet to see, but i am sure it will be

on the president's mind as he prepares for the summit. now, mr pompeo, though, has always been seen as a hardliner. what will he bring to what will likely be a difficult and fraught negotiations to get north korea to denuclearise that's different from rex tillerson? i think because cia director pompeo has shown a great deal of affinity and respect, you know, and also a clear idealogical alliance with president trump in terms of their world views, he comes with unique advantages, i believe, compared to rext tillerson. i believe, compared to rex tillerson. we are currently in a situation where there are impossible standards and expectations being piled on with respect to the upcoming summit, so one of the things i think mike pompeo will need to do very quickly is to ensure there are some

realistic expectations that are set so realistic expectations that are set so that his agency and his leadership and his boss, president trump, are not seen as failure as they encounter the north koreans in may. i do think that is a very difficult point right now that washington has to contend with, the fa ct washington has to contend with, the fact that there are terms like denuclearisation is an other expectations being floated for this one talk. that is going to be very disappointing for many. what with these realistic expectations from this meeting be? there has to be a focus on low hanging fruits. we know between the united states and north korea, there are many, many decades of history, animosity, propaganda, you name it. it's a difficult relationship to untangle. people should not assume this one summit will solve all these issues. instead, there should be a phased approach, starting with what i describe

as low hanging fruits, for example, reunions with north korean family members, like myself, hundreds of thousands of people in the us have relations with people in north korea we cannot contact. that's an example. and the pow mias remains recovery still in north korea not sent back to the us due to lack of diplomatic relations. after that, there will be more space and channels of communication and most importantly, trust, allowing for north korea and the us to really get to a more permanent and peaceful resolution and normalisation, which i think ultimately we all seek to benefit from. jessica leeds from the council of korean americans in washington speaking earlier to sharanjit. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: as australia's gambling industry counts record revenues, we report on the furtive world

for punters of addiction, debt and family breakdown. the campaign at the un by the idyllic norfolk island for independence from australia. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this, the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours then, the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots in the gym. then he came out through a fire exit and started firing at our huts. god, we were all petrified. james earl ray, aged 41, sentenced to 99 years and due for parole when he's 90,

travelled from memphis jail to nashville state prison in an 8—car convoy. paul, what's it feel like to be married at last? it feels fine, thank you. what are you going to do now? is it going to change your life much, do you think? i don't know, really. i've never been married before. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: as australia's gambling industry counts record revenues, we report on the furtive world for punters of addiction, debt and family breakdown. also on the programme: president trump has sacked his top diplomat, rex tillerson, tweeting that the cia director, mike pompeo, will become the new secretary of state. the midnight deadline has passed. moscow does not respond to a british

demand to explain how a nerve agent made in russia was used to attack a former spy and his daughter. the argentine navy has rescued four us scientists and a contractor from an antarctic camp after the us icebreaker due to pick them up got stuck in thick sea—ice. all five are in good health after being airlifted by helicopter onto an argentine ship. that story is popular on bbc.com. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the financial times leads with the sacking of tillerson as secretary of state by trump calling it his ‘latest‘ clash with top aides. the south china morning post puts government reshuffles in china and the us side by side. china's shake—up is one of the biggest changes to bureaucracy in the country's history aimed to end conflicts between departments.

finally the new york times carries the headline "london's kremlin spy nest". it has an interview with a russian opposition figure in exile in london who tells them that "even after you escape from moscow to london, you know they have long hands." now, shara njit, what's caught your eye online? my favourite football team has lost! i can tell you who won. fans of the spanish football team sevilla are rejoicing after they knocked your favourite team, manchester united out of the champions league. the spanish side beat man u 2—1 on home turf at old trafford, with two second—half goals from wissam ben yedderjust four minutes apart. i can predict the red devils

will win next week. now let's focus on a tiny island in the south pacific, with a population of 1,700. australia decided three years ago to end norfolk island's autonomy. but the islanders — some of whom are descendants of sailors involved in the mutiny on the bounty in 1789 — are having none of it. i asked our sydney correspondent hywel griffith what the islanders‘ claim for independence is based on. essentially, it is based on what they say is a breach of their human rights. although they are an australian territory and under australian law, they claim they have no real right to vote in the state elections for new south wales so they say they are disenfranchised, they don't have control or a say in the policies about their health, education and the infrastructure on the island. they also say of the indigenous population, at least those with the links back to the mutiny on the bounty, that they have distinct culture is their own, not australian.

there is a norfolk language, they say, which is distinct from english. there are different musical and religious traditions. they say they're not being respected by australia and so their human rights, they claim, and tell the un, are being besmirched. they lost their autonomy three years ago. what is the australian government now have to say about this latest move? tourism declined rapidly on the norfolk islands which made life very difficult and they needed basically to be bailed out by the australian government and as part of that deal, australia took back control of the island. the australian government stresses it's in the middle of spending hundreds of millions of australian dollars on the infrastructure, on health, on education. and it points to the fact, according to the australian government at least, that this has always been an integral part of australia. ok, it's an external territory, not one of the states, but they say historically, back to 1914, it has been part of australia.

lots of issues for the un human rights commissioner to untangle. gambling losses in australia have reached a record high. figures compiled by the queensland state government show punters frittered away almost 18—billion us dollars in a year. more than half was lost on poker, or slot, machines at pubs and clubs. from sydney, phil mercer reports. these are the machines that antigambling campaigners say have the addictive force of cocaine that are fuelling an avalanche of debt, divorce and misery. australia has 20% of the world's poker machines. for many punters, they're just a bit of harmless fun but others are drawn into a furtive world of addiction. the biggest thing i've learned in life is that gambling costs you more than money.

gambling cost me relationships, it cost me my respectability, my dignity, my freedom. for les banton who is now a counsellor, the pokies were an escape from reality. it was a fantasy that ruined him financially, cost him his family and made him suicidal. where life outside of the establishment might be boring and mundane, suddenly you're mr so—and—so, you become important. it is all part of that con to get you in. australia has more slot machines per person than almost any other country. winning or losing has nothing to do with skill. the pokies are simply computers set up to randomly select outcomes and are designed to excite and entice. campaigners argue they are built for addiction. gambling is ingrained into australian society from the sharemarket to horse racing. this is a country that also bets on frogs and cockroaches. australians would gamble at two flies crawling up a wall. going to australia was a big gamble as a migrant. mainly people who came

here were poor and they had this big chance to get rich. whether it be on the sheep's back or the goldmines or by punting on horses. i think we're a nation built on poor people that came and tried their luck. at $18 billion per year, gambling losses in australia are at an all—time high. state governments make millions from gambling taxes. the victorian government said its reforms will help punters stick to their limits and tackle gambling—related harm. the industry says it takes its social responsibility seriously but campaigners insist that rates of addiction are getting worse. you have been watching newsday. i'm rico hizon. stay with us. employees in one of the most

overworked countries in asia are about to get a break. south korea has passed a bill to reduce the typical work week. it's geared towards the gaming industry, which is notorious and before we go, let's take a look at these stunning pictures from argentina's patagonia region. they show the perito moreno glacier collapsing — but it's not due to climate change. it grows and collapses on a cycle lasting two to four years. it's a major tourist attraction — if you time it right you can watch the spectacle of huge chunks of ice falling off it. it's one of very few glaciers in the world which is actually growing rather than shrinking. plenty to talk about in the weather story for the remainder

of this week. we closed out yesterday in the south—west with a beautiful sunset. however, u nfortu nately, that's the place today where we will see some of the wettest and windiest weather courtesy of an area of low pressure moving in from the atlantic. it is bringing quite a lot of heavy rain and gale force winds to parts of portugal and spain. this low will sit out in the atlantic and influence the story for the next few days to come. good news, a southerly wind will bring milder air across the country so if you managed to escape the rain and get sunshine, it will feel quite pleasant. quite a west—east divide with our weather today. central and eastern areas seeing the best of the sunshine and further west will see increasing and strengthening winds and rain, some turning heavy as we move through the middle of the day. gale force gusts through the isles

of scilly, up into cornwall and affecting south wales as well. eventually, we will see the rain pushing steadily northwards into lunchtime into northern ireland and western fringes of scotland. there is a level of uncertainty as to how far inland that frontal system will turn as we go through wednesday but central and eastern areas should state dry, bright and sunny. we should see highs peaking at 1a which will feel quite pleasant with the sun. moving into thursday, we still keep the winds across the south—west noticeably and a weather front making slow progress north and east. behind it, sunny spells and scattered showers. some could be heavy and possibly thundery. we keep the mild air down to the south but things are starting to change into the north—east. as we move into friday, more of an easterly breeze driving in a few showers and these will turn wintry to higher ground chiefly on friday but milder air still sits over england and wales for one more day at least. as we move out of friday

and into saturday, under the influence of high pressure yet again, into scandinavia, and circulating around that high, we will continue to see that easterly wind returning. not quite as extreme as last time but nevertheless it will be noticeably colder as we head into the weekend and there is a risk of snow showers falling at lower levels across eastern parts of england through the day. keep watching the weather forecast. we will firm up on those details. take care. i'm sharajint leyl with bbc news. our top story: the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has made a parting statement, hours after learning on twitter that donald trump had sacked him. sounding breathless and looking shaken, he said he'd spoken to the president but conspicuously did not thank mr trump or praise his policies. moscow ignores a midnight deadline

from london demanding it explain how a russian nerve agent was used to attack a former spy. sergei skripal and his daughter yulia were taken ill over a week ago in the west of england. and this video about collapsing ice sheets is trending on bbc.com. they show huge chunks of ice falling off the perito moreno glacier in argentina's patagonia region, but it's not due to climate change. it grows and collapses on a cycle lasting two to four years. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and here in the uk: in his spring statement, the chancellor has