hello, everyone. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: moscow expels 60 us diplomats. the un warns the spy poisoning case is pushing russia and the west towards a new cold war. the battle for blue skies. beijing cuts pollution by half to face a brighter future. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: theresa may promises to make brexit a success for everyone and says it will mean more money for schools and hospitals. music plays. and playing in pyongyang. we meet the south korean bands promoting peace with the north it's 8am in singapore, one in the morning in london,

and 3am in moscow, where russia has formally retaliated in the row about the poisoning of a former spy in the uk. 60 us diplomats are to be expelled from the country — overall the number is expected to match that sent home by western governments, who blame russia for the attack. in a further ratcheting up of tensions, the us says it reserves the right to respond further. from moscow, steve rosenberg reports. the diplomatic pressure has been unprecedented. russian diplomats expelled, foreign ambassadors recalled, after the salisbury attack. it was never a question of whether moscow would respond, but when. the announcements came in tonight. foreign minister sergei lavrov said russia was expelling 60 us diplomats for the 60 russians america had ordered out. it's also shutting the us

consulate in st petersburg. staff there given until saturday to vacate the building. and there will be other measures too. as i understand it russia plans to take the same unjustified actions against 28 other countries, countries that stood in solidarity with the uk. russia is further isolating itself following the brazen chemical attack. an attack that left sergei skripal and his daughter yulia fighting for their lives. earlier the us ambassador to moscow told me he was in no doubt who had targeted them. how certain are you that the russian state was behind the attack in salisbury? there's been enough there not only to convince the united states but about 25 other countries that have taken similar actions. there's enough evidence to believe that the russian state was behind this action in salisbury. moscow continues to insist that its innocent, that it had nothing whatsoever to do

with the salisbury poisoning. tonight's tit—for—tat was expected but it comes with a warning, that if there are further hostile steps against moscow, russia will take more measures against the west. some in moscow fear a spiralling diplomatic war with the west could end in military conflict. this is not the way for a solution, it is a way to hell. if you have not so many diplomats as you have, you have a lack of information, you have a lack of trust. you can react in the wrong way, from the wrong point of view and this is the way to hell. the west sent a strong message here over salisbury. moscow has its own message for the west. don't push russia. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. one of the two russians whose poisoning sparked this diplomatic row is now recovering in hospital.

yulia skripal, the daughter of the former russian spy sergei skripal, is now conscious and talking, after being poisoned with a nerve agent. the british hospital where she is being treated says she has responded well to treatment. 0ur correspondent daniel sandford has this update. whether she will be to explain how she and her father became contaminated is less clear. i understand she had nerve agent on her left hand, herfather had it on her right hand, and that does go along with the current theory, that the agent had been smeared in gel form on the front door of sergei skripal‘s house. daniel sandford there. also making news today: president trump has said he may hold up a trade agreement agreed this week with south korea until after a deal is reached with the north. "it's a very strong card", mr trump said in a speech in ohio. preparations are being made

for an historic meeting between the us and north korean leaders that washington hopes will lead to de—nuclearisation. britain's prime minister theresa may has been touring the uk to mark exactly a year before britain is due to leave the european union. she visited all four countries in the united kingdom, and said she was looking forward to the post—brexit future with optimism. i think there are real opportunities for the united kingdom. i think there is a bright future out there. and, yes, i think brexit is going to deliver. our country will be different, but i think there are real opportunities for us as an independent nation in the future. ajudge in california has ruled that starbucks and other coffee companies will have to put a cancer warning label on coffee products sold in the state. the ruling says there was a failure to show that the threat from a chemical compound produced when roasting coffee was insignificant. the companies are expected to appeal. the nobel peace prize winner malala

yousafzai has returned to pakistan for the first time since she was shot in the head by militants on her school bus. the campaigner for female education made a televised speech from the prime minister's residence in islamabad, saying it was her dream to live in pakistan in peace, and without fear. an unmanned chinese space station is about to make an uncontrolled fall to earth. experts aren't sure exactly when or where tiangong—i will come down. but they are pretty sure the chances of anyone being hit by debris are slim. now, we've brought you quite a lot of coverage of kim jong—un‘s visit to china this week on newsday, but here's a new look at the journey — filmed inside his carriage. you can see how the train has been fitted with two rows of what appear to be purple leather armchairs and mr kim greeting chinese officials on board. these were the first television pictures shown on his visit on north korean tv. and as you can see, mr kim seemed to be enjoying himself.

more now on our top story this hour — the rapidly developing diplomatic row between russia and the us. just a few hours ago, moscow announced it was expelling 60 american diplomats, and closing the consulate in st petersburg. that mirrors the steps taken by washington after claims russia was behind the poisoning of the former double agent sergei skripal and his daughter yulia. the us state department says it may now take more action of its own. 0ur correspondent in washington, chris buckler, gave me the latest. 60 officials for 60 officials. a consulate closed for a consulate. it is very clear that russia is sending a message back to america after the us said enough is enough,

we must take action. what is very clear from the state department today and from the briefings we have had, is that there continues to be real feeling in washington that unless russia listens there is this potential of yet more response, yet more retaliation. just listen to the diplomatic language which being used today "russia not interested in a dialogue." really saying that the actions they are taking are unjustified. again, you find yourself with this one situation in the uk, this poisoning of a former spy, that is leading to problems between america and russia that go beyond.. we have had reflection that there is concern about russian activity inside the united states as well. there is this potential that this could get worse. that things could become a lot frostier between the two countries. the us state department says it could take more action. where is this going? could it lead to a deterioration

of diplomatic relations between us and russia? some senior officials in the un says this has the potential to deteriorate into a kind of situation saw during the cold war. i don't think we are anywhere near there yet. certainly, things are becoming colder, that is very clear. the big concern about all of this is notjust what happened in the uk, notjust these claims are spying that have taken place in america, but also what potentially could happen elsewhere. there are obviously disagreement and problems between america and russia on a range of different issues, ukraine, syria, and the questions about what happen internationally could ultimately lead into this. it is worth reflecting that russia has really sent out a message back to america, but they are reserving their right, here in washington, to send another message back. much more on that story on our

website. china's rapid industrialisation has left it as one of the most polluted countries on the planet. but with toxic smog responsible for over a million premature deaths a year, one city has begun to do something about it. in beijing, pollution levels fell more than 50% this winter. much of that can be credited to an official crackdown on factories burning coal. john sudworth reports. beijing's skies are a strange colour of late — blue. in place of the usual toxic grey, this winter has brought prolonged bouts of days like these. and here, in part at least, is why. this factory is one of thousands that have been forced to close. they used to make ceramic tiles here. now, the kilns that once belched acrid smoke stand idle. translation: it was all very sudden. there were no meetings or warnings.

the inspection team just turned up and shut us down. beijing still sees plenty of days like this but the city's average level of pm 2.5s, the tiny particles that make up these pea—souper smogs, fell by 20% last year. and here's further evidence of the huge political will involved — new gas pipes. hundreds of villages surrounding beijing have been ordered to stop burning coal on such a scale that the price of gas on the international market doubled. beijing's ability to launch its battle for blue skies is, it could be argued, down to its authoritarian advantage,

forcing many thousands to switch energy supplies overnight and closing factories at the stroke of a pen. but it has also had something else on its side, a little bit of luck. here's a typical day last winter. that's beijing, buried beneath a blanket of smog, the reds and purples on the map. this winter, though, the city has been blessed with unusually strong northerly winds, bringing with them cleaner air, the blues, greens and yellows. in the bigger picture, though, china's wider, continental—sized pollution problem is not going away. but even if the progress is limited, it is significant. china has begun to show that it can trade economic growth for the environment. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: music plays playing for peace and harmony.

south korean bands plan a massive concert across the border in pyongyang. also coming up on the programme: rico's been filming a documentary about the amazing sights of his beloved philippines. we'll have a sneak preview of what he found. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can, at worse, produce a meltdown. in this case, the precautions worked but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up

in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. a hundred years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: moscow says it is expelling 60 american diplomats in retaliation, after the us ordered a similar number of russians to leave in the row over the poisoning of a former spy. donald trump has suggested he may delay the trade agreement the us agreed with south korea — until a deal is struck with north korea over

denuclearisation. and these pictures of a cheetah dropping in on a tourist on safari in tanzania are popular on bbc.com. one of the big catsjumped onto the car's bonnet while the other actually climbed into the back. the passenger, britton hayes from america, said everyone stayed calm and eventually the cheetahs went away again, without harming anyone. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. first, the china daily which highlights what it calls the positive global response to the talks between china and north korea's leaders. it says world leaders as well as heads of major international organisations have praised this week's meeting between president xi jinping and kimjong—un. the straits times reports that north and south korea will hold their first summit in more than an decade on april 27th.

the paper says the summit will take place at the border village of panmunjom and that china has commended the two sides for their efforts to improve ties. and the japan times features a basketball playing robot! the front—page photograph shows the robot called cue rehearsing for a game in tachikawa next week. the paper says the robot was created by engineers from toyota and never misses a free throw. my my son plays basketball so i hope he doesn't miss a free throw. iam sure doesn't miss a free throw. i am sure your doesn't miss a free throw. i am sure your son doesn't miss a free throw. i am sure your son is far better than that robot. you were talking about a cheetah before, i will talk about a cheetah before, i will talk about a cheetah before, i will talk about a pig. yes, a school principal from newjersey has made a bit of a name for himself online by kissing a pig. this is the west end

memorial elementary school, where vincent myers had promised his students that if they read 10,000 books by april, he would kiss a pig. they did! and so this was his response. he said it was a great way of motivating his students, although one of them did tell reporters they were disappointed he only kissed a baby pig. south korean k—pop and rock stars are heading to north korea to perform in pyongyang for the first time in over 10 years. i60 musicians and technicians will put on a concert on april i. we met one south korea rock band making the return journey to north korea after 16 years, a lot of my friends, i think they're a bitjealous. a lot of my friends, i think they're a bit jealous. they a lot of my friends, i think they're a bitjealous. they would like to 90, a bitjealous. they would like to go, like some people have told me.

that will be a really historic co nsta nt that will be a really historic constant and that is due to take place on the first of april in pyongyang and we will try to cover that for you. a lot of emotion about whether those performers were going back to. i know you have done a really documentary. you went back to the philippines and you have done some amazing stuff on the wildlife and the natural habitat of some of the islands on the philippines. tell us more. yes, kasia, this will airon bbc tell us more. yes, kasia, this will air on bbc world news and i have been to places i never thought i would be visiting in my life. it was on my bucket list but i never thought that i would go to these destinations in my lifetime. you have polish heritage, kasia, and sometimes we think that we know about our home country pretty well but when i was invited to take part in this bbc programme looking at the rich culture and to our wildlife in the philippines, i was amazed,

kasia, at just how the philippines, i was amazed, kasia, atjust how much i didn't know and places i hadn't been to. a short time ago i was joined by my co—presenter on philippines island treasures, bbc wildlife presenter and explorer mike dilger. he told me why he chose the philippines. as somebody who has been obsessed with wildlife all my life, rico, the philippines has been on my bucket list to go to. this remote archipelago which has been evolving species that thousands of years, one of the most biologically diverse countries on the planet. thousands of species found there and nowhere else in the world. 194 and their mixed species of birds that i was desperate to see. huge amounts of end of this, of the plants, the butterflies, the reptiles, the amphibians, and a lot of people live in the philippines and the resources are under threat. much of the

wildlife is really rad. i wanted to see it while it was still there. wildlife is really rad. i wanted to see it while it was still therem was a wonderfuljourney that see it while it was still therem was a wonderful journey that we see it while it was still therem was a wonderfuljourney that we had over three weeks last year and one are the places i always wanted to go to was that hanging coffins of sagada. coughlin is hanging by the side of the mountain. it was creepy and amazing. i've always wanted to come to sagada , but i have never had the chance. but look at these hanging coffins. wow. absolutely amazing. it is an igorot tribal tradition of burying their dead, and it has been going on now for 500 years. it's eerie, but fascinating, don't you think? it's like a vertical churchyard. this is the only location in the philippines this practice takes place. these hanging coffins of sagada

are a great example of the diverse culture and traditions in the filipino community. i grew up here in the philippines, and i've never been here before. the hanging coffins of sagada, mike. one of the most special moments for you, during your three—week stay in the philippines, was cuddling a crocodile and releasing it into the water. that was pretty high up there, actually. i got my hands on, rico, the rarest crocodile in the world, the philippine crocodile. it's critically endangered, it's in danger of going extinct, and there's a wonderful foundation the mabuwaya foundation, in the north where the people, tess and bernard, are trying to save the crocodiles by rearing the eggs in captivity, hatching them out. youngsters are very vulnerable when they're young, and they're releasing them into the wild. and i got the chance to get my hands on the rarest crocodile, and let it free into

the sierra madre mountains. it was beautiful. i can't wait to see the two programmes on bbc news. you have travelled around the world, and seen so much wildlife and geology. what makes the philippines different? it's just beautiful people, remote islands. it's been isolated for millions of years, and there's unique wildlife there. and also, as well, i had a terrific guide — a chap you may have heard of, called rico hizon, who was the most wonderful companion. so great people, brilliant wildlife, history, culture. it's a crossroad of so many diverse cultures. that's philippines island treasures with me rico hizon and mike dilger on saturday april 7 at these times —

and also sunday as well. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. make no mistake, there is a lot of weather of varying types to come this easter weekend. some of it could cause some problems, too. there'll be some rain around at times. notjust that — some snow. easter monday looks a troublemaker, we'll see that at a moment. temperatures on the cool to cold side of average, but there will be some drier, sunny moments too. we'll detail all of that as we look throughout the entire easter weekend, starting with good friday. there will be some snow showers affecting parts of northern scotland from the word go, recovering to some of the higher routes, an area of hill snow moving from north—east england across other parts of eastern scotland. heavy showers developing in southern england, reaching into parts of wales, the midlands, east anglia later in the day, maybe with

a rumble of thunder. single—figure temperatures, colder still in easterly winds across the northern half of the uk. just one or two showers, but sunny spells into northern ireland. the moisture with these showers starts to feed up the bit further north into saturday morning. increasing chance of seeing a bit of snow into the tops of the welsh hills, maybe into the pennines going into saturday morning. your overnight temperatures. some of the snow showers in the hills in north—east scotland too. for saturday, the reason we are seeing some rain and hill snow is this area of low pressure. tonight it's going to edge its way eastwards. it's still going to get into parts of england and wales. some outbreaks of rain and some hill snow into the pennines. so all of this has to slide away eastwards during the day. some western parts may start to brighten up. still, as wintry showers move north, north—east scotland, south—east scotland getting along quite well, although still be rather cloudy. a chilly breeze across the coast towards the north—east. single—figure temperatures once again. look at this — easter day, sunday. the winds are lighter, for a start. you may catch the odd shower, a frost to begin with, fog patches clearing.

sunny spells around — most places are actually dry. rain and the strengthening wind coming across south—east england later in the day, a sign of things to come for easter monday. here comes another area of low pressure. certainly some moisture associated with it, feeding northwards. quite chilly air on easter monday. that means rain, yes, but feeding into the colder air, the chance for some snow as it spreads further north, as well, maybe notjust on hills. some of that could be disruptive, as well, but still a lot to play for. of course, easter monday is several days away. butjust an early heads up that if you are travelling on easter monday, you do need to keep across that forecast, because of that risk of snow that could cause some disruption. and we will, of course, keep you updated over the next few days. that's your latest forecast. i'm kasia madera with bbc world news. our top story: russia is expelling 60 us diplomats and officials in retaliation for identical us measures announced earlier this week. the americans have been given a week to leave the country and the us consulate in st petersburg is to be shut down.

one of the two russians whose poisoning sparked this diplomatic row is recovering in hospital. yulia skripal is now conscious and talking, after being poisoned with a nerve agent. and this video is trending on bbc.com. it shows a cheetah dropping in on a tourist on safari in tanzania. one of the big catsjumped onto the car's bonnet, while the other actually climbed into the back. the passenger, britton hayes from america, said everyone stayed calm. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: theresa may has toured the uk, promising to make brexit