this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: chinese state media confirms kimjong—un did visit beijing for talks this week. nato expels seven russian diplomats over the spy poisoning in britain. moscow calls it part of a containment policy. this is about containing russia. creating problems for russia. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. also in the programme: cricket australia says only three players knew about plans to cheat against south africa, but big questions remain. a floating sunshield for the great barrier reef. the inventor tells us it could save one of the world's natural treasures. good morning.

it's 8am in singapore and 1am in london, and we begin with some breaking news. in the past few minutes chinese state media hasjust confirmed that the north korean leader kimjong—un did hold talks with chinese president xijinping this week. there had been speculation that mr kim was on his first foreign trip in seven years, after a train associated with the north korean leadership was spotted in the chinese capital. we will have more details of this development on newsday later on in the programme. nato is expelling seven russian diplomats from its headquarters in brussels, in response to the nerve agent attack in the uk. 26 countries have now taken similar action, in solidarity with britain, expelling a total of more than 140 diplomats. russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov says moscow will respond in kind.

here's steve rosenberg. it looks like a game show, but this was russian tv on the diplomatic war with the west. the names in the frames, the string of countries who had expelled russian diplomats over the salisbury attack. 26 countries have now ordered expulsions. moscow's point is that the west has got it in for russia. this is not about poisoning some former agents. this is about containing russia, creating problems for russia with its sovereign and independent foreign policy. and could a diplomatic war morph into something more dangerous? this confrontation has certain logic, and this logic is to step up — each next move should be stronger than the previous one. and with this, we can reach

a pretty dangerous situation where militarisation of behaviour will be inevitable. the one expression you hear more and more to describe the growing tension between russia and the west is "new cold war". but in fact what we have now is potentially more dangerous than the cold war, because back in the days of communism against capitalism, both sides stuck to the rules of the game. today, it seems, there are no rules. steve rosenberg reporting from moscow. sergei skripal and his daughter yulia are still in a critical but stable condition in a british hospital. up to now, their relatives in russia have said very little about the incident, but now in her first tv interview mr skripal‘s niece, viktoria, has told olga ivshina, from the bbc russian service, that she's not interested in the political war of words.

that were sergei skripal‘s miss viktoria —— that was. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. in russia, president putin has declared a national day of mourning after 64 people, most of them children, died in a fire at a shopping centre in siberia on sunday. people in moscow held a vigilfor the victims, as mr putin blamed what he called "criminal negligence" for the tragedy and suggested that safety certificates had been obtained with bribes. our correspondent paul adams sent this report. grief turning to fury on the streets of the siberian mining town. two days after the fire, people are angry. "resign, resign," they shout. local officials are bombarded with questions — how many people really died, were children locked inside, why were the fire alarms not working? the crowd smells corruption. the sign above the mayor's assistant reads, "how much are your closed eyes worth?"

translation: i've got nothing more to lose, my whole family has died, my younger sister, my wife and my three children. my wife rang me quite late, shejust wanted to say goodbye to me. inside what's left of the shopping complex, a scene of utter devastation. this place was packed on sunday. when the fire broke out, it swept through the building with appalling speed. on one of the upper floors, the cinema, where many of the children died. the man leading the investigation says those responsible for safety simply ran away. the view from above is equally shocking. is there evidence here that corners were cut? vladimir putin visited the city this morning, offering condolences, saying what happened was inexcusable. translation: an investigation group of 100 people is working here. they will go through the whole chain, starting with those

who issued licenses and up to those who were responsible for safety. in moscow this evening, a silent vigil for the victims, the people here promising not to forget what happened in siberia two days ago. what began as a local tragedy now has the potential to turn into a national scandal. fires like this are not uncommon in russia, and behind them there's often a story of corruption, fast money and lax oversight. this disaster raises a host difficult questions. pauladams, bbc news, moscow. also making news today: vietnamese singer and free speech activist mai khoi was detained at an airport in hanoi on tuesday. after being released she took to social media, saying she had been held for eight hours. mai khoi speaks out against state censorship in vietnam, where human rights groups say at least 129 people are in detention for criticising or protesting

against the government. a former dean of michigan state university, who supervised usa gymnastics abuser larry nassar, has himself been charged with criminal sexual conduct. prosecutors allege that william d strampel used his office to proposition and assault female students. court documents say dozens of pornographic images were found in his office, some featuring students at the university, and a video of larry nassar and a young patient. scientists studying bears in sweden say hunting may be leading females to raise their cubs for longer. the study says that, compared with two decades ago, more female bears are nurturing their cubs for an extra season, staying with them for two—and—a—half years. like many other countries that allow bear hunting, sweden bans the shooting of bears in family groups. three australian cricketers involved

in a ball tampering incident in south africa are being sent home and have been told they will face significant sanctions. at a news conference, the chief executive of cricket australia, james sutherland, said knowledge of the incident was limited to the captain, steve smith, david warner and cameron bancroft. the team coach, darren lehmann, will remain in hisjob. our correspondent in sydney, hywel griffith, spoke to me about the reaction in australia to the investigation so far. a lot of people waking up to the news and the footage from that press conference. a lot of people told him that what was on set and the absence of the word cheating. james sutherland, the ceo of cricket australia, very careful in the wording to use, talking about the

spirit of the game, the integrity and reputation of cricket. a lot people are in a study wanted him to be more blunt and straightforward, saying it was cheating. they understand maybe there is a legal process they need to go through, not just in terms of handling the players, but all the sponsors who wa nt a nswers. players, but all the sponsors who want answers. the other thing in discussion now is what the sanctions will be. some people are talking a six—month ban. would that make much ofa six—month ban. would that make much of a difference? kate walton ban would have more of an impact. but that would bring things forward to the next ashes series against england next year —— a 12 month ban. the coach, darron lee man, wasn't made to resign. it must reflect badly on him that he did not know what was going on. absolutely. either he was in on this plot or he simply wasn't in control of what was happening amongst his senior

players. and not a good look either way. some former cricket internationals have been on social media this morning saying they think there is more to come out of the dressing room in cape town. it is a small place. in the next weeks and months we may find out more. darren lehmann holds onto hisjob. it will bea lehmann holds onto hisjob. it will be a tough ride for him for the rest of his contract. that will hang over him. we return to our breaking news story. kim jong—un did we return to our breaking news story. kimjong—un did hold talks with chinese president sheed this week. kim jong—un did hold talks with chinese president sheed this week. joining us now via webcam is the korea risk group md chad o'caroll. what can you tell us about this meeting between xi jinping and what can you tell us about this meeting between xijinping and kim jong—un? meeting between xijinping and kim

jong-un? details are very spartan. as is normally the case when the north korean leader visits china. kimjong—il went north korean leader visits china. kim jong—il went before he north korean leader visits china. kimjong—il went before he died in 2011. the media reports followed this same template. the train went to china, it came back, and only then did official chinese and north korean media start releasing details about the meeting. chad how significant is this meeting between xijinping and kimjong—un before an historic gathering between donald trump and kimjong—un historic gathering between donald trump and kim jong—un this coming may? it is significant for a number of reasons, first of all it is kim jong—un‘s first official leading with any other leader. it is also his first trip overseas since becoming leader of north korea. there is talk he has been very concerned about travel. which might

be why he was in this armoured train. and coming so soon ahead of to big summits with president moon and president trump, it suggests this may have been hastily put together to get endorsement from what is, at the end of the day, a country that has a lot of leveraged and influence over north korea, where the kim jong—un like that or not. china has traditionally brokered international talks with pyongyang in the past. it is basically unclear what role it will have in these forthcoming meetings between donald trump and kim jong—un. between donald trump and kim jong-un. that is right. the main issue at play is north korea's nuclear programme will stop at the north koreans always state it is a bilateral issue between washington and pyongyang. while china did play and pyongyang. while china did play a big role in engineering the talks,

this time, and since any real agreement between washington and north korea, it is hard to see what role china can play. that being said, china will be very interested in knowing what is going to happen. it doesn't like surprises. and it doesn't like being left out of the process. thank you so much are joining us. chad o'carroll. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we take a look at the thin —— will have more are now breaking story office tower. the confirmation that kim jong—un did visit beijing —— breaking story this hour. he met with xijinping of —— breaking story this hour. he met with xi jinping of china. we will have more on that. let there be no more wars or bloodshed between arabs and israelis.

with great regret, the committee have decided that south africa should be excluded from the 1970 competition. streaking across the sky, the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. woman: wow! you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme: we take a look at the thin will have more are now breaking story office tower. a recap of our breaking news. chinese state media has announced that the north korean leader, kim jong—un, did meet xijinping this week. the south korean government said he travelled with his wife. nato is expelling seven russian diplomats from its headquarters — the latest international sanctions in response to the nerve agent attack in the uk. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the south china morning post in hong kong focuses on the unconfirmed visit by north korean leader kim jong—un to china. it says kim's distinctive green train was reported to have left pyongyang yesterday, after less than a day, it was expected to rattle back across the border in the opposite direction. the philippine daily inquirer

reports a demo by the city's poor in manila. the protestors are shown carrying crosses representing what they say is the burden of their communities, from taxes to extra—judicial killings. and the china daily has a front page picture of a boat race. contestants paddle their boats to drumbeats in the university dragon boat competition in hangzhou, in all, 15 universities, including peking and harvard, competed. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? yes, let's look at what is trending right now. this is a very popular video online. it's a wedding which didn't exactly go to plan. a barn owl was the ring—bearer

and while it made it down the aisle, after its first landing on the best man, things go wrong. you can see the entire video at bbc.com. christopher hill was us assistant secretary of state for east asian and pacific affairs from 2005 to 2009. he also led the us delegation on the six—party talks on the north korean nuclear issue. it's big news, he hasn't been out of

the country before. until he gets back to the position of being prepared to give up its nuclear weapons. the chinese use when the circumstances are right. clearly things are happening. and the chinese have some hopes that he is going to put denuclearisation on the table. we have a long way to go. it seems like years but it's just a matter of weeks. clearly the chinese are trying to see if they can make sure something moves forward but i think the chinese want to be ignored through all this. i think that is a big factor as well. based on your experience in those six at the nation talks and the negotiations that have gone through with north korea in the past, are you hopeful that some kind of success this time round? very hard to tell. we don't

have a lot in the north koreans on this. it's really, really not sure how much the north koreans are really bear on this but the fact that the chinese invited kim jong—un after yea rs of that the chinese invited kim jong—un after years of shunning him, especially after he had his uncle locked out of a party meeting, they have been very unhappy with him. and they think something is afoot. and frankly, his new national security adviser has not been through about talking to the north koreans. this will require a change of heart on his part. the chinese, the influence

of being the only ally north korea. they have a big amount of influence. south korea has undertaken this show over. the south koreans did go to the chinese and brief them on presumably, the chinese have their own methods of finding out what has actually happened. thank you so much to joining actually happened. thank you so much tojoining us, despite that lyme in the background. the louvre museum in paris says it may allow its most treasured painting, the mona lisa, to go on tour in france — the first time it's left the building in almost half a century. da vinci's masterpiece has only officially travelled abroad twice before. the pair of lucky locations were japan, and the usa for two exhibitions in 1963.

a new edition of the history of that trip — the mona lisa in camelot — has just been published. trip — the mona lisa in camelot — jane o'brien went to the national gallery of art in washington to find out more. the immortal masterpiece of leonardo da vinci — mona lisa — or la gioconda — is now in america... it was the cultural coup of a century. the mona lisa arrived in new york harbour after a perilous voyage across the atlantic, amid serious misgivings from many art experts, not to mention, the french public. in american capital, the mona lisa will be the artistic attraction of all time. the visit by the world's most famous painting was made possible by the world's most famous woman at the time. the first lady, jackie kennedy. this was 88 days that changed america and only jackie kennedy could have pulled it off. 2 million people lined up in long, snaking lines both at the national gallery and at the metropolitan museum of art. imagine, some of them had never stepped foot into a museum before. the mona lisa taken under

police escort straight to the national gallery of art in washington and placed in a vault. experts had just a few weeks to recreate the humidity of the louvre before she was put on display. 1 million ordinary americans lined up outside the national gallery to see the mona lisa for themselves and injanuary 1963 it was the who's who of washington. this is where she was? this was the exact spot. she was hung against the most dramatic, red velvet baffle. it took mrs kennedy more than a year to secure it and was almost entirely due to the charm offensive she deployed against this man, the french culture maninister — andre malraux. she met him in paris, invited him to dinner at the white house and there, clinched the deal. she is leaning very close to his shoulder, tucked up under his ear, and minister malraux whispers her pledge that will make history.

he said "i will loan you one of our great artistic treasures. i will loan you the mona lisa." the mona lisa established the national gallery's international reputation and created a new awareness of art as a tool for diplomacy. mr minister, we in the united states are grateful for this loan from the leading artistic power in the world, france. from washington, the mona lisa travelled to new york, where a million more people stood in line to see her. the visit was a milestone in the history of art, an event that even today has been hard to equal. jane o'brien, bbc news, washington. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. it's the third day in our series on indian agriculture. today, the issue of food waste.

40% of india's fruit and vegetables are spoiled from a lack of refrigeration. we'll hear what can be done to tackle this huge problem. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures. the chinese president, holding talks in beijing with the north korean leader, kim jong—un. there was speculation mr kim was on his first foreign trip in seven years and that is after a train associated with the north korean leadership was spotted in the chinese capital. china has traditionally brokered international talks but we are unclear what role it will play this time. hello.

temperatures on the way down in the lead up to the easter weekend. low pressure close by. so it is looking unsettled. some rain around in the day ahead from this first area of low pressure, there has been some uncertainty about how far north the wet weather is going to get. still a little bit about that. south wales, southern england most likely to see wet weather, but it may push further north to parts of wales and the midlands into east anglia as the day goes on, getting some showers, a chance of a bit of sleet and wet snow out of this, on the hills into the west of these areas as we go through the afternoon. much of northern england, northern ireland and scotland will have variable cloud, sunny spells and a few showers around, longer spells of rain in the northern islands into shetland. single figure temperatures. that's the big difference across south parts of the uk compared with tuesday. some spots reached as high as 16 celsius. the chill will be around

on wednesday night under clearing skies, most of the showers still around on wednesday evening will die away and that means clear skies will be widespread frost settling going into thursday morning. it does mean is thursday begins it will be chilly, but there will be a fair amount of sunshine around, but then we are watching another area of low pressure coming in from the south—west. a bit slower, but it will at least have some showers, some longer spells of rain but at least showers pushing into south—west england, wales and to parts of northern ireland too. gradually on thursday, edging a little bit further north—east. ahead of that, you are likely to see some dry weather and some sunshine of a fairly pleasant day. there is a weather front working in northern scotland with outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow around here, it'll feel quite cold. little bit milder, those eastern areas have seen the sunshine during thursday and those heavy showers wales and the south—west edging into the midlands, parts of south—east england, continuing to feed northwards during thursday night into good friday.

low pressure very much in evidence during good friday. there will be bands of showers pushing north across the uk but there will be gaps between them, we might get to see some sunshine, but for the most part it's single figure temperatures. that is how we are going into the easter weekend. temperatures on the cool side of average. not cold, but cool for the time of year. it is low pressure so there will be wet weather at times, a risk of snow on northern hills, but it won't be wet all the time. there will be drier, sunny moments, quite pleasant in the spring sunshine. i'm sharanjit leyl with bbc news. our top story: chinese state media have confirmed north korean president kimjong—un did meet xijinping this week in beijing. china says kim told xi that his regime is "committed to denuclearisation" and that the confrontation on the korean peninsula can be resolved south korea and the united states respond to with goodwill.

the russian government has reacted angrily to nato's expulsion of seven russian diplomats based at its brussels headquarters. it's the latest response to the nerve agent attack in britain. and this video is trending on bbc.com. it's a wedding which didn't exactly go to plan. a barn owl was the ring—bearer and while it made it down the aisle after its first landing on the best man, things go wrong. you can see the entire video at bbc.com. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: