i'm rico hizon in singapore. this is newsday on the bbc. the headlines: john bolton's set to become the next us national security adviser. but what will the hardliner bring to the white house? fears of a trade war, as president trump hits china with tariffs worth $60 billion. beijing vows to "fight to the end." i'm sharanjit leyl in london. also on the programme: setting sights on gun control. could the us follow australia's clampdown on weapons? and from darkness into the spotlight, how a blind singer overcame adversity how a blind singer. in singapore

and ;;,;, bbc how a blind singer. in singapore and iii; bbc world and london. this is bbc worldfflei- it's newsday. glad you could join us. it's 1am in london, 9am in singapore, and 9pm in washington, where president trump has just named john bolton as his new national security adviser. he'll replace general hr mcmaster in the latest change of personnel at the white house. mr bolton will be the third national security adviser in m months. he's a hardliner and a former un ambassador, and will take on the post next month. let's get the latest from washington. here's our correspondent chris buckler. well, for weeks now, there has been speculation hr mcmaster was on this way out of the white house. it has come to pass. the latest high growth

figure to go because donald trump is not surrounded by the people he wa nts not surrounded by the people he wants in these positions. that is certainly true when it comes to national security advisor. he clashed with hr mcmaster over the months he has been in the position. although he gave a warm tribute to him, he had moments when he was less than favourable towards hr mcmaster. for example, he was openly critical whenever hr mcmaster suggested there was evidence russia had interfered in the 2016 general election. i think what you are seeing here at the white house is a changing of the guard when it comes to foreign policy because only a matter of 10 days ago we had rex tillerson replaced as secretary of state by cia director mike pompeo. we now have hr mcmaster being replaced by john bolton. they are both figures to think more along the line of donald trump, especially if you look

at the ambassadorjohn bolton. he is at the ambassadorjohn bolton. he is a hardliner, someone from the bush era. he was critical over iran and north korea. many people know who john bolton is in the international committee because he was the former us ambassador to the united nations. —— community. us ambassador to the united nations. -- community. that is absolutely correct. he has also been outspoken over the years and is well—known in america not least because he is a media commentator, popping up on fox news quite regularly. indeed, he has been on fox news within the past hour or so discussing what he intends to do as national security advisor. perhaps what is key here is what he had said in the past is in the past. he says he is focusing on the past. he says he is focusing on the now. he has been very critical of recent lea ks the now. he has been very critical of recent leaks from the national security office, for example, those that apparently donald trump was not to congratulate vladimir putin on

his election as russian president, which, of course, president trump ignored. he says those kinds of lea ks a re u na cce pta ble ignored. he says those kinds of leaks are unacceptable and the president wasjust being leaks are unacceptable and the president was just being polite. you are seeing president was just being polite. you are seeing someone president was just being polite. you are seeing someone who was going to, i think try and align himself with donald trump, very much try to be on the page of donald trump. but you have to marry up the idea that what he has said in the past, he wants to leave it behind, but it is extremely hardline. that is especially true when it comes to the likes of iran, and especially north korea, who he suggested military action against. that is an interesting stance for the national security advisor given the national security advisor given the change in tone we have seen in the change in tone we have seen in the past couple of weeks with this plant summit between president trump and north korean leader kimjong—un potentially on the horizon. —— planned. chris buckler in washington, dc. we will have more on that story in a few minutes' time. donald trump's move has prompted a swift response from china.

beijing forcefully denounced the tariffs, saying it will defend its own legitimate interests with all necessary measures. 0ur correspondent stephen mcdonell has the latest. actually, we do have some ideas of what china is threatening already. i can tell you, later today, what china is threatening already. i can tell you, latertoday, it what china is threatening already. i can tell you, later today, it will bea can tell you, later today, it will be a very crowded briefing at the foreign ministry in the hours because the world will be waiting to hear what china is going to do regarding both the new appointment of donald trump's national security advisor and also these tariffs being levelled directly at china is a big —— china. we have a commerce message saying china will suspend trade in

agreement with the wto. they say the minute these tariffs click in, we will retaliate. and what they are suggesting they are looking at is fruit, nuts, wine, american ginseng, and steel pipes. now, you can imagine with some of those provisions, for example, wine, fruit, nuts, ginseng, who will that hit hard in the us? farmers who voted for donald trump. this is just a shot across the bow. if they want to hit hard, they have boeing aircraft, caterpillar heavy vehicles, apple computers. if they wa nted vehicles, apple computers. if they wanted to hurt the us, they would slap a tariff on that. some are

worried we are looking at a trade war unfolding. also making news today: an eu summit in brussels has agreed with the british prime minster that russia was highly likely to be responsible for the nerve agent attack on a former spy. russia continues to deny any involvement in the attack but the eu leaders said there was "no other plausible explanation." as she left the summit around half an hour ago, german chancellor, angela merkel, said the leaders want to stay united on any additional measures against russia. yes, we have had a very full discussion on russia, this eu council, and i welcome the fact that the eu council has agreed with the united kingdom's government, there assessment that russia was responsible for the murder on the streets of salisbury, and there is no plausible alternative explanation. —— their assessment. russia respect snowboarders. it is a

threat to our values. —— respects no borders. it is right we are standing together to uphold those values. tomorrow we will have a very important discussion on trade. in vietnam, at least 13 people have been killed in a huge blaze that's engulfed the carina residential block in district 8 of ho chi minh city. emergency services say many residents remain trapped inside. former south korean president, lee myung—bak, has been arrested on charges of bribery, embezzlement and misuse of power. mr lee has been accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes and amassing a slush fund of more than $30 million. he denies the allegations, saying they are politically motivated. tests have confirmed this small 15—centimetre—long skeleton is not, as many believed, an alien. discovered intact in chile's atacama desert in 2003, it's unusual physical features led to speculation it was the remains of an extra—terrestrial, but dna tests now confirm it belonged to a newborn indigenous girl with genetic mutations.

this weekend, thousands of americans are expected to march on washington to demand a change in gun laws in the wake of last month's florida school shooting. some have called for the us to follow australia's example, which after the death of 35 people in the 1996 port arthur massacre, swiftly introduced strict controls credited with cutting gun—related deaths. but would the measures work in america? here's our sydney correspondent, hywel griffith. gunshots ring out at a tourist site in tasmania. 35 were killed by1 man

with a rifle. it would become the worst mass shooting in australian history. the port arthur massacre left a nation in shock. but the response was swift and powerful. the relatives of the dead led the calls to tighten gun ownership laws.‘ people no longer have the ability to improve this country. walter, whose wife and 2 young children were killed, channelled his grief into leading the campaign. the overwhelming thing was how can 1 person caused that kind of carnage. it really came down to the arsenal, the firearms. —— arsenal. i thought we needed to change that. it is too simple to happen and this is a good place to start, a good legacy for those 35 people who have died. that legacy has survived. the 1996 ban on automatic weapons is still in place. gun ownership is still strictly licensed. and last year brought in

other national amnesty with dozens of firearms destroyed. —— thousands. the agreement has been in place for more than 2 decades, but now more than ever, it is in contested. some wa nt than ever, it is in contested. some want the controls loosened. in 1 state they are planning to double the duration of a licence for some guns and increase access to rapidfire pump action shotgun is. australia does not have a gun lobby as powerful as the nra in america, but it does have a political party dedicated to the cause which argues the laws of the country are not working and, lies as gun owners. the port arthur laws simply do not address, never were intended to address, never were intended to address, the issues of a criminal use of firearms, it was all about getting people like me and nearly a million other australians around australia. the gun laws and amnesties around australia are credited with preventing mass shootings, but would they work in

the us? america has no chance of enforcing this. what our prime minister did was confiscation of private property under threat of going to jail. that is not the american way. after years of campaigning in australia, walter recognises changes are unlikely to come quickly in america, but he believes there is no hope it will eventually follow in the same direction. and now back to our top story. that is, the naming ofjohn bolton by president trump as the new national security advisor. we can get some analysis now from harry kazianis, who is the director of defence studies at the centre for the national interest. he's in washington. what do we know about the style of john bolton and whether he will get on with president trump?” john bolton and whether he will get on with president trump? i think it is clearjohn bolton is seen as a hawkish person when it comes to foreign policy, normally associated with neoconservative thinkers,

wanting regime change, backing the iraq war, and recently going on air and the wall street journal and other places, arguing that if north korea does not give up its nuclear weapons, it is either time to impose regime change or have a military strike. this has been suspected for a while. in washington, dc, many scholars were passing around pictures ofjohn bolton going into the 0val pictures ofjohn bolton going into the oval office. this had been building all day and for a few months, to be honest. what do we know about whether president trump will actually listen tojohn bolton's advice on crucial foreign policy issues like the upcoming meeting with the north koreans, and also the situation with iran?|j think he will. and the reason i say thatis, think he will. and the reason i say that is, he may not always take the advice ofjohn bolton, but i think he will listen to him. remember mode this is the third national security

advisor president trump has had. —— remember that this so be it is important to make sure it is a lasting relationship donald trump. ic sometimes when john lasting relationship donald trump. ic sometimes whenjohn bolton and donald trump may come to loggerheads, especially on russia. john bolton has been tough on russian actions in ukraine and britain, whereas donald trump has a softer line. they could have some tension. also north korea, it is interesting john bolton has shifted his views a little bit in the last few weeks, appearing on fox news, he isa few weeks, appearing on fox news, he is a contributor, signalling openness to talk to the north koreans. i do not think if pyongyang asked for concessions in those talks, something to come to the table, ido talks, something to come to the table, i do expectjohn bolton to say to donald trump to walk away. you said it yourself, he is the third national security advisor donald trump has actually named. michael flynn was first. of course, hr mcmaster was next. another

indication of the rotating door of the white house to be what has been the white house to be what has been the reaction to that? —— white house. many people in washington really expected this move. it did not seem like hr mcmaster and the president had that chemistry. that is the buzzword around the white house. he always talks about that. in order to have a good relationship with his president, you need the right chemistry. he needs a full understanding of what you are saying. he needs a personal relationship with you. and it seems that donald trump is investing a lot of time in getting to know him. john bolton did notjoin the administration immediately. there was a picking up period between them. we also have to rememberjohn bolton is 70 years old and this is probably the last job bolton is 70 years old and this is probably the lastjob he will have thatis probably the lastjob he will have that is this big. they need to get this relationship right, both of them. all right. thank you for that. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme: french police clash with protesters in paris as public sector workers stage a national strike. also on the programme: from a childhood dream to a festival stage. we meet a singer who is determined to be heard. let there be no more bloodshed between arabs and israelis. with great regret, the committee has decided south africa should be excluded from the 1970 competition. with great regret, the committee has decided south africa should be

excluded from the 1970 competition. streaking across the sky, the white hot wreckage drew gasps from onlookers in fiji. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. our top stories: trump replaces us national security adviser hr mcmaster with bush—era defence hawk john bolton. the us president has initiated punitive measures against china in retaliation for what he calls the theft of intellectual property. let's take a look at some front

pages from around the world. the china daily is reporting that self—driving cars are about to hit the roads of the nation's capital, beijing. the internet giant baidu has obtained a license to test their autonomous cars, so they could be cruising into people's lives faster than expected. according to the south china morning post, one in seven people living in hong kong is a millionaire. that number is up 15% from a year earlier. apparently the surge in big earners was fuelled by booming stock and property markets. and the front page of the japan times features snaps of people who are really rocking the runway. these models were strutting their stuff as part of tokyo fashion week. the event gives topjapanese designers a chance to showcase

their latest works. french police have clashed with protesters in paris as public sector workers across the country went on strike. they are reacting against president emmanuel macron‘s plans to cutjobs and benefits. lucy williamson reports. the old ways are often cherished in france. that goes for protests as much as forjob contracts. firecrackers, union flags, a few favourite chants. they have stopped the march of change before, but are they a match for france's newest president? translation: emmanuel macron wants to be the one who succeeds in breaking the rail unions. it's one of the last strong union bastions, so for him that would be a real victory. translation: macron is destroying an entire social system,

whether it's social security, pensions, the rail service, or the hospitals. he is destroying all the rights oui’ predecessors woi'i, and we have to fight against that. the march drew teachers, air traffic controllers, hospital staff, all protesting against reforms that will mean fewer jobs, fewer benefits, and more flexibility. but it is france's railway workers that are seen as the real challenge. reforming the railways is president macron‘s biggest test so far. but this is more than a row about pay, pensions and job security. it is an argument about long—established values and expectations that don't fit with mr macron‘s plan for france. conditions for france's train drivers have barely changed in half a century. it is a job for life, with retirement at 52. the national rail company has promised months of rolling strikes to protect those benefits,

but president macron has staked his presidency on reforming the economy, and when it comes to the railways, opinion polls suggest that two thirds of french voters agree with him. alienette coldfire started singing as a child. most people who dream of becoming singers come across challenges along the way. but alienette faced an extra one — being blind. but this never stopped her from pursuing what she wanted to do. the vocalist from the philippines learned french in just three years, and even came third in a national tv talent contest in france. she is in singapore this week for the true colours festival, involving artists with disabilities, and joined me earlier. first let's hear her singing one of her own songs, that she wrote in french. singing in french it was my grandmother who first saw my potential. she noticed at the age of two i could already mumble tunes like happy birthday, and some filipino folk songs. i like that song, happy birthday! yeah, i understand it is your

birthday today, so i have to give you a special treat by singing you the birthday song. you became popular because of a viral video when you were singing at a mall, and that has really opened a lot of doors for you. yes, it opened many opportunities. people discovered i could actually sing, because before that i was a nobody. how did you enter this competition in france? you learned french in a few years! yeah — my passion for the french language started when i heard edith piaf singing the song la vie en rose. i said french had to be the next big thing in my life. i learned the language by talking to my friends online.

and one of those friends convinced me to try my luck on a french tv show. that is why i sent videos of me to the productions of france has got talent. can you sing a few lines from la vie en rose? sings la vie en rose 0h, beautiful. thank you. i'm just getting goosebumps listening to you. what has been the reaction to your singing, particularly in the philippines? has there been a difficulty being blind, and have there been any challenges performing? ok, so in the philippines, generally, the public is very appreciative. but i'm just hoping that the media and people who are running the music industry try to focus on my singing ability, and not necessarily on my disability.

and, for those who have disabilities, they have to believe in themselves, that they can really do it and overcome the challenges. and one of them who has gained so much international success is andrea bocelli. yeah, he is one of my musical influences. and she did go on to sing happy birthday, so happy birthday to you. prince harry and his american fiancee, meghan markle, have invited 600 guests to their wedding in may. the invitations were sent out this week. there will be a ceremony at st george's chapel, windsor, followed by a lunchtime reception, and a smaller event for 200 in the evening. thank you so much for the birthday greeting, but i also wanted to find out, have you received your wedding

invitation? no, i don't thinki am likely to get one and neither has anyone in the team. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures of a poor pod of dolphins trapped when a harbour froze over in eastern canada. the small community of heart's delight were worried for their safety, and some fast—thinking locals quickly came to the rescue. using heavy machinery to break up the ice, they cleared a path to freedom. hello there. thursday was another pretty mild day. we saw a top temperature of 15.1 celsius in the north—east of scotland, making this the warmest day of the year so far for scotland. now, during the overnight period, we are seeing a series of weather fronts moving in from the west, bringing outbreaks of rain. quite a lot of cloud around, also strengthening wind, too. but by the end of the night into the early hours of friday, i think most of the rain will be confined to scotland, northern ireland, northern england. the weather front further south will have barely any rain on it, as it reaches eastern england.

just the odd spit and spot, it'lljust be mainly cloud. but where we have the cloud cover, a mild start to friday. so friday starts off on a grey note for many. heavy and persistent rain in the northern half of the country for friday. however, it's an improving picture into the afternoon. looks like the clouds will move away, sunshine will appear, and we should see one or two showers in the north and west of scotland. the far north—west of scotland, staying wet. rain coming in towards cornwall and devon. temperatures single figures in the north. cooler generally, 10—12 for england and wales. friday night, this feature in the south of the country will bring further rain from the west country into central and southern england. with more cloud cover, not so cold to start saturday. but further north, under clear skies, a touch of frost — temperatures hovering around freezing. so, for this weekend, it's actually not looking that bad. some sunshine around. a few showers, most in the north of the country. it will be mild fairly,

with temperatures fairly typical for this time of year. saturday may start off quite cloudy, damp in southern britain. outbreaks of rain confined to the south—east of england in the afternoon. the best of the brightness further north and west. a few showers for scotland and northern ireland. these will be wintry on the higher ground. temperatures ranging between 9, 10, 11 for the south. now, during saturday night, that rain should eventually clear away from the south of the country. we'll see largely clear skies. those showers will continue across scotland, these will be wintry. a cooler night to come under clear skies, with light winds. hovering around 1—4 degrees near towns and cities. so a chilly start for saturday, but probably the better day of the weekend. a few showers in the north, wintry in nature over the scottish hills. it could be a touch more mild. 10—13 degrees in the south. but as we head through the new working week, temperatures will begin to fall away as we get closer to easter, so we'll start

to import a cold wind, and the risk of snow and a light frost. i'm sharanjit leyl with bbc world news. another sacking in the white house. president trump has named john bolton as his new national security adviser. he'll replace general hr mcmaster in the latest change in the administration's personnel. the prospect of a trade war between the us and china is looming. and this video is trending on bbc.com. tests have confirmed this small 15—centimetre—long skeleton found in chile in the atacama desert in 2003 is not, as some believed, an alien. dna tests now confirm it belonged to a newborn indigenous girl with genetic mutations. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news.

and the top story here in the uk: eu leaders have agreed with britain that russia's likely