i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines... a close aide of the north korean leader arrives in new york for talks about the trump—kim summit. it was fake news — the russian journalist reportedly murdered in ukraine, is alive and well after all. sorry you had to experience it but there was no other way. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme... what lies behind the disappearance of dozens of shia men in pakistan? we have a special report. the country un—friending facebook — why papua new guinea is planning a month—long ban of the social network. good morning.

it's 8am in singapore. 1 am in london and 8 in the evening in new york where one of the north korean leader's closest aides has just begun talks about plans for thejune summit. kim yong—chol, is meeting the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, and the white house says it's optimistic that the much—anticipated summit between the us and north korea is back on, here in singapore as planned, on 12 june. mr kim — a close advisor to kimjong—un — is the most senior north korean to visit america for almost 20 years. nick bryant has the latest. this is the week in the american calendar when the nation honours its fallen soldiers. among them, the 36,000 us personnel killed in the korean war. that conflict has never officially ended. the threat from north korea has intensified, not gone away. this memorial in washington reminds us of the course of war and the decades of failed diplomacy.

in new york tonight, the latest diplomatic manoeuvre, the arrival on american soil of the most senior north korean official to visit this country in nearly 20 years, a mission to salvage the singapore summit. kim yong—chol is the korean leader's right—hand man, at his side at the recent summit with the south koreans, a former spy master who satjust yards from ivanka trump at the closing ceremony at the winter olympics. he's received a guarded welcome from the white house. the conversation is going to be focused on denuclearization of the peninsula. that's what these ongoing conversations taking place now will be centred on, as well as this summit that would take place in singapore, and we're going to continue... as long as that is part of the discussion, we're going to continue to shoot for thejune 12. this on—again, off—again diplomacy has been hard to keep track of. last thursday, in what read

like a break—up letter, donald trump cancelled the summit, citing north korea's "tremendous anger and open hostility." but the north korean response was conciliatory. that clearly mullified the president, who yesterday tweeted... so tonight, the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, that clearly mullified the president, who yesterday tweeted... so tonight, the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, will renew acquaintances with kim yong—chol, who he recently saw in pyongyang. it's their third meeting in the last two months. the main stumbling block is likely to be what precisely is meant by the denuclearization of the korean peninsula? the two sides have very different definitions. and the latest cia assessment is pessimistic, that north korea has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons, but rather, it's considering a number of goodwill gestures such as opening up a western hamburger franchise in pyongyang. that's not the kind of deal that

donald trump is looking for, not even close, and the fear about a singapore summit is that it could be all sizzle and no steak. nick bryant, bbc news, washington. a little earlier i spoke to our correspondent barbara plett—usher who is in new york for us outside north korean official kim yong—chol‘s hotel. i asked her how signifcant it actually is that he is in new york now. he was sanctioned by the us because of his role in the nuclear weapons programme, those sanctions had to be waived for him, quite a lot of effort has gone into this. he is the point man to the summit. 0n the diplomacy that has that with kim jong—un, for most of those meetings that have gone on for the last week. they know what the north koreans mean when you talk vaguely about denuclearisation, what they are willing to put

on the table and what they are not willing to put on the table. he is your man for that, the fact he is having dinner now and having meetings with the secretary of state shows just how much the two leaders of those two countries, president trump and kim jong—un want the summit to happen. the secretary of state, mike pompeo, is he the one who can clinch the deal to save the summit which will take place here in singapore onjune12? he has been at the forefront of preparations for the summit, he has made his own extraordinary visits to north korea twice, and again the secretary of state, he has met him before, he told us afterwards that he has had long chats with kimjong—un about strategic issues, and this war on conversation. what he will be wanting to know is what change,

why the tone changed and why the north koreans are starting to sound belligerent and the conditions may not be right for the summit. they want to see what they can put on the table in singapore to make the meeting worthwhile. let's bring you up to date with the other kim summit.... it's the reality tv star kim kardashian west who's met president trump at the white house for talks about prison reform and sentencing. the president tweeted this picture to say they had a great meeting. it's understood mrs kardashian west raised the case of a 62—year—old woman who was jailed for life for a first—time drugs offence, for whom she's seeking a pardon. also making news today.... the man behind tuesday's deadly shooting in the belgian city of liege, is suspected of killing a fourth person, in a separate incident. prosecutors say the 31—year—old killed a man he'd met injail, the night before he killed two

police officers and a bystander. the islamic state group has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on the interior ministry building in kabul. afghan officials say, at least one police officer has been killed — and seven others wounded — after militants with assault rifles and grenade launchers, stormed the heavily fortified headquarters. the prospect of another snap election is looming in italy as the country struggles to end the political stalemate. there's growing concern that another election could be seen as a referendum on italy's membership in the euro. that's causing instability in stock markets. emotions here are running really high, migration wary, recession wary italians are fed up of the traditional ruling classes here at home and in brussels. they want these changes that populist politicians have promised, they are trying to vote in an unelected

government of technocrats, voting in the same old same old, if there were fresh elections it would probably explode into even more support for populists. so what now? now is a waiting game, can italy avoid those fresh early elections? will italy get the antiestablishment government, and if it does, will those antiestablishment politicians be as radical and fiery as promised, oi’ be as radical and fiery as promised, or will being in government temper their prophecies? —— policies. everybody is talking, i've said this before, but as the third—largest economy in the eurozone you cannot overestimate italy's importance to the european project. the disgraced film producer harvey weinstein has been indicted by a grand jury in new york. according to a statement released by the manhattan district attorney, weinstein has been indicted for ‘rape in the first and third degrees, and criminal sexual act in the first degree.‘ now — take a look at this —

it's a mini waterspout that formed at a pool in florida. it happened two days ago, as storm alberto passed over panama city beach. water was forced from the pool, with strong winds, as people looked on. alberto has now weakened, to a subtropical depression. now, much of the world has been watching the extraordinary turn of events in ukraine where a russian journalist, who was reported to have been assassinated on tuesday, appeared alive and well at a news conference in kiev. the journalist arkady babchenko, who is a critic of the russian government, was said to have been shot dead at his home. but on wednesday we learnt that the incident had been staged by the ukrainian security service to expose russian agents operating in ukraine. 0ur correspondentjonah fisher reports from kiev. this was the scene last night outside arkady

babchenko‘s apartment. ukraine's police had just announced the russian journalist had been assassinated. a fearless and outspoken critic of vladimir putin, mr babchenko‘s death seemed another chilling example of the way the kremlin targets its opponents wherever they live. translation: it's calculated, deliberate, international terrorist crime. this morning, we were at the apartment. somewhere around here, as he went into his apartment, he was shot in the back several times. there was a strange lack of police, but at that point, we had no inkling of what had really taken place. neither did most ukrainian politicians, who were quick to point the finger of blame towards the east. it marked another dark moment in the awful relationship between russia and ukraine. a steady stream of anti—kremlin

figures had been assassinated on kiev‘s streets, but arkady babchenko, incredibly, is not one of them. 19 hours after he was declared dead, he was brought forward very much alive to gasps at a press conference. colleagues at his tv channel responded — as you might expect — in amazement. it turned out that mr babchenko had been a willing participant in a security service sting, apparently to catch a russian—linked man who really was trying to kill him. translation: first, i would like to apologise for what all of you had to experience, for what you had to get through. i have buried friends and colleagues

many times and i know the sickening feeling. i am sorry you had to experience it, but there was no other way. as mr babchenko went to meet ukraine's president, the debate as to what had happened began in earnest. for many, the ends have justified the many lies. translation: i was the only one who knew about this at the presidential administration. i was sure there was no other way to it. you have done very well. others are wondering about the lasting impact on ukraine's credibility. it claims to be on the front line, fighting against the russian war of disinformation. now it's been responsible for perhaps the greatest of all fakes. jonah fisher, bbc news, ukraine. russia says it welcomes the fact that mr babchenko is alive, but has denounced the episode as a provocation. 0ur correspondent in moscow, steve rosenberg, assesses

the reaction from there. in a statement, russia's foreign ministry said it was very pleased a citizen of russia was alive, but it called the staged murder and anti—russian provocation. ukraine, it said, had deceived the entire international community. meanwhile, the russian newspaper which had given arkady babchenko his first reporter'sjob, it concluded the dissidentjournalist couldn't have given the kremlin a bigger present if he'd wanted to. now, what does that mean? well, ukraine and the west regularly accuse russia, and not without reason, of spreading disinformation and fake news. well now, russia can claim it's the victim of a fake news story and use that to try and question the credibility of a whole string of accusations which have been levelled at moscow. in fact, that's already started. tonight's russian tv likened the resurrection of arkady babchenko to the recovery of the skripals after the salisbury poisoning, the clear message it's all fake news.

you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... the country un—friending facebook — why papua new guinea is planning a month—long ban of the social network. also on the programme, dozens of pakistani shia men have gone missing in recent months — allegedly detained by the security forces. but why are they being taken? 0ur correspondent investigates. the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to a0 million people have taken part in sponsored athletic events to aid relief in africa. thousands of queues started to form at 7am. taunting that led to scuffles and scuffles to fighting, fighting to a full—scale riot, as liverpool fans broke out of their area into the juve ntus enclosure. belgian police had lost control.

the whole world will mourn the tragic death of mr nehru today. the oprah winfrey show comes to an end after 25 years and more than a500 episodes. the chat show has made her one of the richest people on the planet. geri halliwell, otherwise known as ginger spice, has announced she has left the spice girls. aah, i don't believe it, not her, why? this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories. one of the north korean leader's closest aides has arrived in new york for talks with the us secretary of state about plans for the june summit.

moscow and several international organisations have criticised ukraine after it admitted staging the fake murder of a russian journalist in kiev. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. 0n the front page of the japan times, there is a story about the restriction on foreign workers. the government may allow 500,000 lowskilled foreign workers entry to japan for a maximum of five years as a part of prime minister shinzo abe's new economic policy. the south china morning post has an article about a woman who lost millions of dollars in a love scam. the woman is hong kong's biggest victim of online love scams, losing 26 point four million hong kong dollars injust 18 months. 0n the front page of the strait times, malaysia has agreed to go ahead with an mrt line

betweenjohor baru and singapore. but despite going ahead, ways to lower the cost are still needed. the new government will review the project. it is hoped to be completed by 202a. now babita — what stories are sparking discussions online? yes let's look at what is trending right now. japanese hunters caught and killed i22 pregnant minke whales as part of its antarctic summer "field survey". japan says its whaling programme is for scientific purposes. that's despite a un ruling against its "lethal research" and widespread condemnation. dozens of pakistani shias have gone "missing" in recent months — after, according to their families, being detained by the security forces. they've never been produced in court or charged with an offence,

but sources in the community have told the bbc it's believed they're being secretly held by the intelligence services, accused of links to a brigade of shia foreign fighters in syria. but their families say they're innocent, and are desperate for any information about them. they've been speaking to secunder kermani. this cctv video shows this 30—year—old being taken away by members of the security forces in the city of karachi in november 2016. he hasn't been seen since. both the police and the intelligence services deny holding him custody. his family say he had just returned from pilgrimage in iraq with his pregnant wife. now, over a year later, she's given birth to a son who's never met his father. translation: no one is telling us

where he is or how he is. we are so worried. at least tell us what he is accused of. my kids are always asking me, when will our dad come back? what answer can i give them? he was picked up from this working—class, predominantly shia neighbourhood and he's not the only one. seven young shia men have gone missing from this one area in karachi. across the country, over 140 have disappeared over the past two years. their family say they've never been told why. but it's believed the missing men are suspected of links to this militia in syria. made up of around 1000 pakistani shears on fighting on behalf of of bashar al—assad. this man has led the campaign for the missing men. he says most of them were detained after having travelled to the middle east for pilgrimage.

translation: some officers from the intelligence agencies met others to try and convince us to end our protest movement. they told us we think these men have gone to syria to fight against daesh and al-anda. i said, if that's the case then you should put them on trial, otherwise what's the point of having courts. these images of dead fighters were uploaded to social media. the intelligence services seem to fear those returning from syria could increase sectarian tensions in pakistan with the country's sunni majority. but the families of these disappeared men say they deserve to know what, if any, evidence is against them and where they are now. fake news seems to be a buzz word thatjust won't go away,

and in order to crack down on fake users and the effects this is having on its people, the government of papua new guinea says it is going to ban the use of facebook for a month. the shutdown is being called for by the communication minister, sam basil, who says facebook, is a threat to people's productivity, cyber—security and privacy and he wants to identify those posting pornography and false information. dr aim sinpeng, an expert in digital media and politics from the university of sydney, says the ban is no surprise. this is a natural course of progression from the government, who actually passed legislation of cyber crime act in 2016, is clearly concerned about cyber security and given the cambridge analytica revelations, the current minister of communications and information technology is concerned about three key things. one is the breach of personal data, or privacy. second is the use of fake accounts

to spread misinformation as well as defamation, particularly against government officials. and the third one is relating to pushing what they call pornography on social media. these are the three key things that seemed to be very concerning for the government. what is less clear is why using a ban as a course of action to deal with these concerns. can it work? it really depends on what the real objectives of the government are. if the government is concerned about trying to study the advantages and disadvantages of using facebook on to the overall society, they don't need to ban facebook to do that. if they want to analyse how false information could be spread on facebook, it also doesn't need to ban the platform for doing that. so it really depends what the real objective is,

not the one the government may tell the public, but the real objective in order to be able to assess whether the ban is the right course of action. so here's a thing, only about 10% of the country in papa new guinea has access to the internet at the moment. so given everything you've just said about the government trying to have some kind of control on what information is being shared and fake accounts, with only 10% of users in the country posing a threat to that, do they really need to ban it? that's the question, but the thing is the fact it is even a possibility for the governments that the bank could be carried out, eitherfor one month or for "indefinitely" that the minister has mentioned, i think it is more viable in places where the internet and facebook penetration is as low as the png. it would be far less politically viable for a sensible solution for a country that has the penetration of 50, 60, 70%. but remember the png, just like many

of the states in south—east asia and the south pacific, there is a real digital divide. meaning that given the difficulty in infrastructure and building up a telecommunication infrastructure to provide the internet, the internet access and access to social media platform is quite highly concentrated in the urban areas. so if the impact is to be felt on society, it would be unduly felt by the people particularly in the city who bear the brunt of the ban on facebook. one more story to bring you... if the weather is hotter than average, students are likely to perform less well in exams. that's according to a major study from researchers at harvard and other us universities who say there is a "significant" link between higher temperatures and lower school achievement. they said for every half a degree celsius rise

in average temperatures, pupil performance went down by about 1%. rico, i know it is always hot in singapore, what do you make of that? it is very important! you have been watching newsday. stay with us... the us deadline for a long term deal with the european union on steel and aluminium imports is looming. we will take a look to see if the united states is likely to impose tariffs. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures... two puppies have been safely rescued from a car in blazing weather in north carolina. police opened the car door, after witnesses spotted the pair in a parked vehicle, with all the windows locked. a p pa re ntly apparently the owners did not know what was going on but they are doing well. thank you forjoining us.

hello there. the weather, once again, looks in turbulence mood through the day ahead because while there will be some spells of warm sunshine, there will also be some vicious thunderstorms, torrential downpours which could lead to localised flooding and certainly the risk of some travel disruption, especially across central and southern parts of the uk. the earlier satellite pictures show the showers and storms have been gathering across continental europe. they are drifting north at the moment and these showers will start to show their hand during the first part of thursday. not a bad start for many, but with the last of mist and murk and low cloud, a few showers up towards the north—west. but it is these heavy downpours towards the south—east that we will be keeping a very close eye on. it is hard to predict where the worst of the weather will be, but right across the south—east, east anglia and then eventually into the midlands, wales and the south—west,

there is the risk of some really intense thundery downpours which could give enough rain to cause some flash flooding. across northern england, here we could see one or two showers breaking out through the day and once the cloud breaks from the morning across northern ireland and scotland and the sun comes out again, there is the potential for one or two isolated showers but the heaviest downpours always likely to be found across southern areas. a very warm and muggy day as well, 21 degrees in edinburgh, 21 in belfast and perhaps 23 in london if you get some sunshine. now some of the showers continue to rumble through the evening and overnight as they drift westwards, but they will tend, we suspect, to fizzle away to some extent. a lot of cloud, some mist and murk around and those temperatures not dropping very far, 12 to 15 degrees. quite muggy start to friday. friday will start off with a lot of cloud, misty, murky conditions in places. we'll see some sunshine developing but also a scattering of showers and thunderstorms again across western parts of the uk this time. a few parts of wales, northern ireland, north—west england and scotland for the most part. very slow—moving, heavy downpours which could cause some issues with flooding.

there'll still be some showers and perhaps some thunderstorms across north—western areas on saturday. but a change across england and wales. here, fewer showers, more in the way of sunshine. the weather turning quite a bit quieter across the southern areas as we go into the start of the weekend. still warm, up into the 20s and as we look ahead to sunday and monday, things do look generally quieter, not as many showers and more in the way of sunshine and still generally, feeling warm. i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our main stories — north korea's former spy chief is in new york, holding talks with the us secretary of state. the talks are intended to smooth the way for a summit between kim jong—un and donald trump in less than two weeks' time. ukraine has admitted staging the fake murder of russian journalist arkady babchenko in kiev. moscow has condemned the move as propaganda. and this story is trending on bbc.com... a report submitted to the international whaling commission says japanese hunters caught and killed more

than 300 minke whales during their annual hunt in the southern ocean. most were pregnant females or had not reached maturity. stay with bbc news. there is more to come. and the top story here in the uk: