a very warm welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's mike embley. our top stories: president trump says maximum pressure will continue on north korea until it ends its nuclear programme. there is a bright path available to north korea, when it achieves denuclearisation, in a complete and verifiable and irreversible way. cu ba's national assembly names miguel diaz—canel as the country's next president — bringing an end to the castro era. air safety officials investigate the death of a passenger who was almost sucked out of a plane window in mid—air. trouble in paradise; the philippine government shuts down an entire island because of growing environmental issues. hello.

president trump and japan's prime minister have presented a united front on north korea, both saying maximum pressure must be maintained. they hope pyongyang will agree to nuclear disarmament. at a press conference after talks at the president's florida resort, mr trump also promised to press the north korean leader to send home japanese citizens abducted in the 1960s and 70s. but prime minister abe, under severe political pressure at home, has not got the concessions on trade that he needed from the american president. president trump did say he was hopeful his planned summit with kim jung—un would be a success, but suggested he was prepared for things to go wrong, if i think that it's a meeting that's not going to be fruitful, we're not going to go. if the meeting, when i'm there, is not fruitful, i will respectfully leave the meeting, and we'll continue what we're doing, or whatever it is that will continue,

but something will happen. so i like always remaining flexible, and will remain flexible here. i have gotten it to this point. president moon of south korea was very generous when he said if it weren't for donald trump, the olympics would have been a totalfailure. it was my involvement and the involvement of our great country that made the olympics a very successful olympics. if you look at ticket sales prior to what took place, with respect to north korea, it was going to be a big problem, and it turned out to be a very successful olympics. so we've gotten us here, and i think we're going to be successful. but if for any reason ifeel we're not, we end. as you heard, at the press conference, mr trump was full of praise for himself — for the part he played in the success of south korea's olympics.

japan's prime minister, like the south korean leader, seems to have decided that complimenting mr trump is the best way to keep his attention. mr abe praised the president's policy towards pyongyang. translation: the situation surrounding north korea, due to the decisive decision by president trump on the first ever us—north korea summit, is at a historical turning point. the past mistakes should never be repeated. on this point, president trump and i were in full agreement. the bbc‘s barbara plett—usher is in florida, near the president's mar—a—lago resort, where the talks were held. i think what we saw there on the issue of north korea, these two allies very much in lockstep, which will have been a relief for shinzo abe. i think he got quite a strong statement of commitment from president trump that the united states was committed to japan's defence, that the americans would not release or ease their sanctions or provide

any concessions to north korea until there were concrete results from talks. these are things that shinzo abe wanted to nail down, and i think he got them. and otherwise, in terms of north korea, you saw quite an effusive and prolonged statement by mr trump about the abduction of the japanese citizens, that he would really raise this in the summit, and he spoke about it at some length. so again, that was for mr abe's benefit, because, of course, that's important back home. so again, on north korea, the two men came out sounding like they were pretty much on the same page. and in that regard, mr abe also said that if the line was held on everything, and if they could get movement on these talks, thenjapan might be ready to open up diplomatic relationships with north korea at some point. so, and he called the summit an historic turning point, so he also very much supported mr trump and his move at this stage. live now to tokyo

and our correspondent, rupert wingfield—hayes. the japanese leader is under severe political pressure there at home, how did all this look from there? well, i mean the thing is it is good. as barber said there, that shinzo abe seems to have got some of the assurances he was looking for from president trump. shinzo abe is very much playing catch up here, he was very much taken by surprise when president trump made the surprise announcement that he was going to hold a summit with the north korean leader, kim jong—un. up hold a summit with the north korean leader, kimjong—un. up untilthen, japan had been supporting very strongly president trump's strong stance, his threats of military action and ever tightening sanctions against north korea, then the us

president really took 180 degrees turn suddenly, and it leftjapan feeling left on the sidelines, i'm consulted, even uninformed about what was going on. shinzo abe is catching up on what is going on, we have seen in his press conference today in praising mr trump for his strong diplomacy and i have to say that here in tokyo there is strong suspicion about north korea's motives, and i think concerned that america and south korea are being drawn into a process that is to north korea's advantage, that it is playing for time while it continues its nuclear programme. great suspicion he particularly in the foreign ministry and amongst experts on north korea. and on trade, shinzo abe has not got what he wanted from mrtrump, norwhat he abe has not got what he wanted from mr trump, nor what he needed politically? know, and this again is a big problem for shinzo abe. he has tied himself very closely to president trump, he has invested a lot ina

president trump, he has invested a lot in a personal relationship. that is not very popular here injapan, mrtrump is not is not very popular here injapan, mr trump is not a very popular figure here in japan. mr trump is not a very popular figure here injapan. shinzo abe had no choice but to do that and of course, was expecting some sort of pay off in return it on the issue of trade, he has not got that. mrs trump is paying to his domestic us constituency, he has promised that he would do something about these deficits with countries like japan and china and that is his priority. —— mrtrump. and and china and that is his priority. —— mr trump. and despite the a p pa re ntly —— mr trump. and despite the apparently real friendship between the two leaders, shinzo abe has been left out again. japanese tariffs on steel and aluminium exports have not been dropped and that was definitely what shinzo abe was hoping for, and he has now been drawn into discussing the possibility of a bilateral trade deal between japan and the united states and that is something that again, japan absolutely does not want. it wants the us to come back into the trans—pacific partnership, which the

pen is currently leading after trump left last year. thanks very much for that. -- japan. cu ban officials have announced a replacement for president raul castro, who's stepping down and ending six decades of rule by his family. the new leader will be the current vice president, miguel diaz—canel. raul castro will stay on as the head of the communist party and is expected to remain a powerful influence. our correspondent will grant reports from havana. cuba's old cu ba's old guard cuba's old guard is finally changing. almost 60 years of rule underjust two men, two brothers are atan end. underjust two men, two brothers are at an end. the father of the revolution died in late 2016. his tomb isa revolution died in late 2016. his tomb is a shrine to legions of socialist followers. now, at the younger rather, raul castro, is leaving the limelight too. raul castro still had an eventful decade as president. he opened up the economy on the communist run island and re—establish ties with washington. now comes the hard part,

replacing them. that falls to this man, vice president miguel diaz—canel. considered a moderniser by some, a hardliner by others, the former education minister has the unenviable task of trying to fill castro's shoes. few cubans can recall a time without a castro at the helm of. now their successor inherits an island facing some deep—seated economic goblins and must govern with none of the revolutionary past of fidel castro or raul castro. today is the anniversary of the castro greatest victory. the bay of pigs in 1961. these days, only a few residents of the time remember those stuck days with washington. i think raul castro should stay, says dolores who fled with their children. i guess he is just too old now. raul castro will

not be leaving power entirely, he will remain head of the communist party. however, his public life is set to end and the island so synonymous with the name castro is now facing a future without one. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news. a planet—hunting space telescope has been successfully launched from cape canaveral, in florida, to look for worlds beyond our solar system. the tess satellite rode skywards on a spacex falcon rocket, developed by the entrepreneur elon musk. a hollywood movie has been screened to officials and diplomats in saudi arabia, as the kingdom prepares for the return of cinema after more than 35 years. the blockbuster superhero film black panther was shown as part of a series of tests, before theatres are opened to the wider public next month. air safety officials are investigating the death of an airline passenger who died after being almost

sucked out of a plane in mid—air. the southwest airlines boeing 737 was flying from new york to texas when one of its engines exploded at 32,000 feet. the blast shattered a window, with catastrophic consequences. nick bryant has the story. imagine the relief of the passengers on board after this southwest airlines boeing 737 landed safely on the ground. they'd heard the engine explode at 32,000 feet. they'd seen a window smashed open by the debris. they'd watched as a fellow passenger was partially sucked out of the cabin after the rapid depressurisation. one of the 149 people on board, marty martinez, captured the high—altitude drama. first, there was an explosion, and then almost immediately the oxygen mask comes down. and then, probably within a matter of ten seconds, the engine then hit a window and busted it wide open. it felt like it was freefalling, and of course everyone's freaking

out, everybody‘s crying. at the controls, captain tammie jo shults, a highly experienced former top gun navy pilot. she radioed for help, showing extraordinary calm. air traffic control: airport, there's a hole in the side of the aircraft. passengers managed to pull the woman sucked out of the window back into the cabin, but she died from her injuries. she's now been identified as jennifer riordan, a bank executive from new mexico, a 42—year—old mother—of—two who'd been on a business trip to new york. investigators are looking into what's the first fatal us airline accident in almost a decade. the early signs point to metal fatigue causing a fan blade to break off.

even before this incident, european authorities have called for non—urgent inspections of these american and french—made engines that are a workhorse of the global aviation industry. us authorities are now likely to follow suit. this could've been a catastrophic accident, and the pilot who landed this stricken aircraft is being hailed as a heroine. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. united nations officials are saying time is of the essence in syria — a team sent to investigate the suspected chemical weapons attack in douma has again been delayed. the team's security detail came under fire in the town on tuesday. the us defence secretary james mattis suggested the syrian regime may have brought about the delays on purpose. andrew plant reports. it is almost two weeks since this alleged attack using chlorine, said to have killed more than a0 people.

the syrian government is accused of using a banned weapon, something president bashar al—assad denies. a tea m president bashar al—assad denies. a team from the organisation for the prohibition of chemical weapons arrived in the country this week to examine the sight, but the fact—finding mission has so far been unable to work. there was an advance un security team that went into douma yesterday as is standard practice for these high risk situations, as is standard practice. they came under fire, there was also an explosive device that was detonated. britain and france both said they have proof that the syrian government carried out the attack. at the pentagon on wednesday, us defence secretary james martin is suggested that delays could have been orchestrated by the syrian regime. we are very much aware the delay that the regime imposed on the

delegation, but we're also much aware of how they have operated in the past and what they have done using chemical weapons, and using the pause after a strike like that to try to clean up the evidence before the investigators can get a chance. it was unfortunate they were delayed. on friday, british, french and us military targeted chemical weapons depots and production facilities with missiles, and said that they would not rule out further action. meanwhile, the united nations team providing security to the fact—finding mission is due to go back into the town of douma on thursday. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: canada's prime minister, justin trudeau, tells the bbc about how president trump keeps him on his toes. the stars and stripes at half—mast

outside columbine high, the school sealed off and the bodies of the dead still inside. i never thought that they would actually go through with it. some places and have already had nearly as much rain as they would normally expect in an entire year. for millions of americans, the death of richard nixon in a new york hospital has meant conflicting emotions. a national day of mourning, next wednesday, sitting somehow uneasily with the abiding memories of the shame of watergate. and lift off of the space shuttle discovery with the hubble space telescope — our window on the universe. this is bbc news.

the top story: president trump says a campaign of maximum pressure will continue on north korea until it agrees to complete nuclear disarmament. canada's prime minister is in london, where he sat down with the bbc, talking about the strikes in syria, dealing with president trump, and more. yalda hakim asked him first about trade. the majority of your country's trade is done with the united states and mexico. president trump wants the nafta deal signed as soon as possible. deal or no deal, prime minister? it depends on what happens at the table. obviously we are looking at a level of positive momentum and enthusiasm as we approached deadlines around both

mexican elections that are about to kick off in the us midterms, which means we would love to get it through congress before summer. and so we see the coming weeks as an opportunity to really dig in and see if we can get to that win win win. so we are feeling great about trade, and we are optimistic about nafta, even though we know there's going to bea even though we know there's going to be a lot of hard talking. and there is hard talking. concerned about president trump's threats that he may pull out? we have been working constructively with this administration for over a year now. you know, there is always a certain amount of rhetorical flourish around the way the president operates. we stay focused on, you know, getting things done that will be good for canada and good for the united states, looking for that common ground is always what i have approached the president on. there are areas where we disagree, and he knows my job is

are areas where we disagree, and he knows myjob is to stand up for canadian interest, and he gets that. dealing with him, is it challenging? any relationship amongst leaders is challenging. there has been nothing like this. you haven't seen this sort of modus operandi before. do you find that challenging? this is certainly a particular kind. people recognise that. the president prides himself on the level of disruption and unpredictability that is challenging certain aspects of global systems that we have perhaps taken for granted, and, you know, it does keep me on my toes. but we have a good working relationship, because thatis a good working relationship, because that is what canadians expect me to do. how do you deal with a problem like russia? vladimir putin as someone like russia? vladimir putin as someone who plays on power structures and strength, and seeing a strong and concerted response from the international community, i think he was taken aback by how vehemently the international community responded to the terrible attacks in

salisbury. i mean, that was absolutely irresponsible and illegal of russia to have engaged that way, and they were immediately direct consequences. and i think continuing to demonstrate that there is a strong will within the international community to push back against their actions. you say it has taken him back, but do you think it is likely to change russia's behaviour?‘ strong, unified response from the international community, to stand up for the rules that we have long established, like don't use chemical weapons against civilians, against your own country, in the case of syria, or against your own country, in the case of syria, oragainst someone your own country, in the case of syria, or against someone else's country, like the salisbury attack, that for me is something that we have the show, that no, we will not accept that, and there will be consequences, and we will stand firmly. but if you look at the

airstrikes on syria, for example, do you think they accomplished anything? a very strong signal. but it hasn't changed the course of the war, for example. it certainly hasn't change russia's behaviour.m wasn't about changing the course of the war. it wasn't about regime change. it was very much about saying the use of chemical weapons is something that is going to be met with a very clear and strong response from the international community. now, ideally it would happen through the security council. but, as you pointed out, the structures that used to hold well in terms of how we work with russia simply playing the spoiler role at the security council, means we actually didn't have many other choices than to have a direct and measured response. when you wake up in the morning and you see a tweet like get ready, russia, the missiles are coming, how do you feel? there isa are coming, how do you feel? there is a lot of rhetoric that goes on. i focus on the substance. i focused on the great relationship that canada

has with our partners. but when you look at your phone, do you sort of think anything? well, i was in a situation of having had a heads up through our military and security operation... that those tweets were coming out? that they were looking ata coming out? that they were looking at a strong and measured response. the dramatic growth of tourism in south—east asia, driven by low—cost airlines and by chinese travellers, in particular, is putting almost intolerable strain on the most popular destinations, forcing governments to protect them. none has gone as far as the philippines, where president duterte has ordered the most popular holiday island, boracay, closed for six months, starting next week. our south—east asia correspondent jonathan head is there. boracay has it all — white sand, warm, clear water, and balmy weather. the first tourists, 50 years ago, described a miraculously untouched beach resort.

but they were followed by hundreds and then thousands more. today, over 2 million visit this narrow, palm—fringed strip of land every year, causing an unplanned building boom, and trafficjams. and, most worrying of all, serious pollution from inadequate sewage treatment. so president duterte has countered with a characteristically dramatic response — immediate closure. boracay isn't alone in its environmental difficulties. in fact, right across this region, beaches are being swamped by a growing tidal wave of tourists. but nowhere else has the government taken such drastic action as shutting down an entire resort island. necessary, says president duterte, but it has stunned for people who live and work here. more than 30,000 people live on boracay,

many migrants from other parts of the country, drawn tojobs here. this beach masseur is wondering how she will pay her son's student fees when the tourists leave. "but, if that's the president's choice," she says, "there is nothing we can do." this man says he is hoping the government will give him a replacementjob, to support his wife and two children. the president sent his spokesman, harry roque, to boracay to explain how the six—month closure would work. can you explain why president duterte insisted on such a sudden closure of boracay, giving the locals very little time to prepare, rather than the original proposal for a six—month preparation period? it was the only way to do it. it's a drastic police measure, intended to protect the environment.

the president said, i will spend public money for the welfare of the local people, but he will not subsidise the rich resort owners. so can a six—month hibernation restore boracay to its former pristine beauty? the government is promising some basic infrastructure work during the break, and tougher planning rules. but there is also talk of building huge new resorts and casinos here. this will not be a return to the quiet tropical idyll of days gone by. jonathon head, bbc news, boracay, the philippines. more on that and all the news on the bbc website. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. hi there. it's been the warmest

day of the year so far, with temperatures climbing up to 25 degrees celsius on wednesday around the greater london area. and it was a fine day, as well, in western wales — a fine sunset in gwynedd there. looking at the picture today, it was good to be even warmer in the sunshine, which will be widespread as well. however, at times there will be a little more in the way of cloud across western areas. that's because we've got a weak weather front out west. won't do much for rain, but there is the strip of cloud. maybe one or two spots over the hills of northern ireland, western areas of scotland, but otherwise it's fine. early—morning fog patches, maybe the thames estuary but that will clear through the day. with winds coming from the south, and even hot today. temperatures will reach 27 degrees, which will be the first time we've

pushed into the 80s in terms of fahrenheit. looking at thursday night, cloud developing of a western areas, perhaps with mist as well. the cloud across the west of scotland threatening some showers. but another relatively mild night. temperatures between seven and 13 degrees. more of the same on friday, although showers coming and going across the highlands of scotland, across the northern isles too. fresher air working across scotland, northern ireland and northern england. the temperatures will be easing in the northern half of uk, but in the south it's another warm one, with temperatures 25 towards london and the south—east. all this fine weather is coming due to this high pressure. the area of high pressure is slipping away a little bit as we move through the weekend, to allow a greater risk of some showers to come up from the south. they are most likely to swing up ahead of a weather front that is out just to the west of the british isles. we may well see showers or thunderstorms developing across western areas of the uk.

the best of the sunshine probably for scotland and across eastern areas of england, where it will feel pleasantly warm, with temperatures up to 23. the second half the weekend, we could see further showers, and we'll continue to see the temperatures just ease back, particularly across the north—west of the country. in fact, sunday could out quite wet across the far north of england, northern ireland, and the west of scotland. still, not many too showers across the south—east, just one or two passing ones, with temperatures continuing the trend ofjust cooling a little. a good dealfresher across the north—west. a further cool down with the weather as we look in the forecast for next week. that's your latest weather. the headlines: president donald trump and japan's prime minister, shinzo abe, have said maximum pressure must be maintained on north korea until it agrees to complete nuclear disarmament. at a joint press conference after talks in florida, mr trump also promised to press

the north korean leader to send home japanese citizens abducted in the 1960s and 70s. cuba's vice president, miguel diaz—canel, has been named as the country's next leader. he's 57 and is expected to take office on thursday. the handover of power will bring to an end nearly six decades of rule by mr castro and his late brother fidel, who led the revolution in 1959. air safety officials are investigating the death of a passenger who was almost sucked out of a plane window in mid—air. the southwest airlines flight, which had taken off from new york, made an emergency landing in philadelphia after a window, wings and fuselage were damaged in the incident. it has just it hasjust gone