i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore — the headlines. optimism from the us secretary of state for a summit with north korea's leader — he's made it clear what's at stake. al two countries face a pivotal moment in our relationship where it would be nothing short of tragic to let this opportunity go to waste. fears of an international trade war as the us carries out its plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium from europe, canada, and mexico. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme. welcome back from the dead! the russian journalist thought to have been murdered — he tells us why he faked his own death. translation: they poured blood over me, ilet translation: they poured blood over me, i let some of it in my mouth, they put blood clots on me as bullet

holes and i was dead. and the paradise location featured in the film the beach is closed to protect coral and marine life from tourists. good morning. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 7pm in new york where the us secretary of state has been huddled with one of president kim jung un‘s closest aides in pre—summit talks, trying to establish an understanding ahead of the meeting due to take place here in singapore. mike pompeo says real progress has been made and it would be a tragedy if the opportunity went to waste. from new york, the bbc‘s nick bryant has been following developments. the kim summit dominated the new york cabinet this morning, although this one involved a kardashian rather than a korean.

two reality tv stars in a made for instagram moment, pop and political culture are becoming harder to tell apart. this dinner in manhattan last night may have lacked the same star power but was far more momentous. a smiling us secretary of state, mike pompeo, meeting a north korean general, kim yong—chol, a one—time spy master and his leader's right—hand man. steak was on the menu and that summit in singapore. the fact that even this meeting is taking place shows how rapidly and how dramatically relations between america and north korea have changed. less than nine months ago donald trump was just up the road at the united nations, threatening to totally destroy that country. today's meeting felt like diplomatic speed dating. it was over quicker than expected and that was a sign of great progress according to the americans, and also an indication of how much both sides want this summit to take place. our two countries face a pivotal

moment in our relationship in which it could be nothing short of tragic to let this opportunity go to waste. i believe they are contemplating a path forward where they can make a strategic shift, one that their country has not been prepared to make before. the north koreans are carrying a personal letter from kim jong—un to donald trump and tomorrow in washington they will make a remarkable journey, walking through the doors of the white house to deliver it. and just a week after cancelling the summit, the president has now indicated there could be multiple meetings. hopefully we will have a meeting on the 12th, it's going along very well, but i want it to be meaningful. it doesn't mean it gets all done at one meeting, maybe after a second or third, and maybe we'll have none, but it is in good hands, that i can tell you. whether the two sides even agree on what is meant by denuclearisation is still unclear, but it does look

increasingly likely that air force one will soon be on a flight path to singapore. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. so an optimistic outlook about the potential us — north korean summit going ahead. but within the last hour north korea's state news agency has said that the country's leader kim jong—un has agreed to hold a summit with russia. the announcement followed a visit to north korea by the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov. earlier i was able to ask our state department correspondent, barbara plett usher, how the us will react to this announcement. i think probably with wariness, it brings another major power into the picture, the foreign minister of russia sergei lavrov has been in pyongyang meeting with north koreans, he offered for kim jong—un to visit moscow, and apparently he

has accepted. it isn't clear where he would go. —— when he would go, for the summit‘s success he would probably go afterwards. but the north korean state news inch —— news agency quoted mr kim as wanting to resolve these issues on a stage by stage basis, something the americans don't want. they want rapid and concrete disarmament that the russians, and sergei lavrov, he has offered support for this phased approach the north koreans want to take. it shows that any negotiations would still be quite difficult, even if this summit with donald trump goes ahead. we are hopeful and expectant as to what would be in the letter that the north korean delegation will hand over to the president, we will see on friday?

that's right, the head of security will deliver it himself, it shows that the summit is back on track. when president trump cancelled this summit last week, he did it by writing kim jong—un a letter. summit last week, he did it by writing kimjong—un a letter. saying conditions were not appropriate due to angry statements that if kim jong—un had a change of heart, you should feel free to cool. —— free to call. it's interesting that he has taken up the offer, a success of the sign of the talks and plenty of ground work for that summer to go ahead. that meeting with north korea is not the only thing preoccupying the us president. president trump has made good on a campaign promise by slapping hefty tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. we were always expecting that.

but the countries the president has targeted with these tariffs have caused quite a stir. allies including the eu, canada and mexico are on the list. and they've been quick to promise retaliatory measures. here's what the canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau had to say. the american administration has made a decision today that we deplore, and obviously is going to lead to retaliatory measures, as it must but we regret that. we would much rather live together in partnership, with the understanding that no two countries have an agreement as mutually beneficial as canada and the united states. justin trudeau. also making news today... italy looks like it's finally about to get a new government. guiseppe conte say he's accepted an offer, the second, to lead a governing coalition.

last week he turned the job down when the president vetoed his choice for economy minister. the announcement ends weeks of political uncertainty that have spooked european financial markets, as our europe editor explains. we now have a 5—star saying that an agreement has been reached with the lead party, they have a list of ministers ready. it is only hours before this government could be formally announced. and another political crisis in southern europe is brewing, with spain's prime minister, mariano rajoy fighting for his political life. the opposition socialists are trying to remove him with a motion of no—confidence over corruption allegations. a small basque nationalist party says it will back the move. and their five votes should be enough to topple mr rajoy, as soon as friday. a british man has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges over a plot to attack britain's prince george. 32—year—old hus—nain rashid posted information online encouraging jihadis to carry out attacks on the four—year—old prince at his school in south—west london. rashid was told to expect a very lengthy prison sentence. the threat from volcanic eruptions

on hawaii's big island shows no sign of easing. these pictures show another lava fountain spewing some 60 metres into the air. and this fast moving molten stream from kilauea volcano, is cutting a path through everything in its way. the new eruptions have forced more people from their homes. more details have emerged of how a russian journalist, working with the ukrainian secret service, managed to fake his own death. arkady babchenko said he used pig's blood as part of the deception and watched news reports about his murder at a mortuary. he's dismissed criticism of his actions — saying his aim was to ensure the safety of his family. jonah fisher has been talking to him in the ukrainian capital, kiev. arkady.

welcome back from the dead. two days after he was supposedly assassinated, arkady babchenko has got a lot of explaining to do. can you talk us through what happened on the night of the fake assassination? translation: they put make—up on me, the blood used was real. everything was done for real. my wife called the police so the special police came and emergency services as well. they took me to the morgue and until i was through the gate i had to pretend to be dead. arkady hid at the morgue and then a safe house while outside his apartment his friends mourned. and the ukraine's security service arrested a man who they say is a russian agent with plans to assassinate russians in kiev. did you have some misgivings about taking part in a huge fake like this?

translation: my dear friend, let me put it like this, when the security service come to you and say there is an order out for your murder, are you going to stay proud and say, no, i will not take part because it is going to hurt the media's reputation. come on. but as a journalist can you see how this episode can erode trust in basic information and the work ofjournalists? translation: ok, what choice did i have? what would you choose in my place? yesterday when he apologised at a news conference, there had been speculation that mr babchenko's wife had believed him dead. not true, he said. in fact, she had helped him with the plan. thank you very much.

our interview over, arkady babchenko told me he would now be living under much heightened security. jonah fisher, bbc news, kiev. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... after visiting malaysia, the indian prime minister arrives in singapore, it's all about business and the rise of the indo—pacific region. also on the programme... the paradise location featured in the movie ‘the beach‘ is closed, to protect it from environmental damage. in the biggest international sporting spectacle ever seen, up to 30 million people have taken part in sponsored athletics event to aid foreign relief in canada. it is

thought thousands of queue started to fall from 7am. from fighting to a full—scale riot, the belgian police have 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 4500 comes to an end after 25 years and a500 episodes. it's 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 sharanjit leyl in singapore. and

i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. and i'm kizzire madeira in london. our top stories... the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, says he's had substantive meetings with one of the north korean leader's closest aides to prepare for a potential summit. key allies of the us say they will retaliate against washington for its decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. and "all the good women — have already been snapped up" — that's just one of a number of excuses given by top companies in the uk for not appointing women to senior positions. the excuses have been released as part of a report commissioned by the british government into gender balance. others included "we have one woman already" and "the issues are extremely complex" — that story is popular on bbc.com let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. starting with the financial times, which is leading with the trade war we reported on earlier, with the eu, canada and mexico. it's headline reads "us fires first

shots in trade war with allies" and says we'll probably see a tit—for—tat round of tariffs over the new tax on steel and aluminium imports. over to japan, where the japan times is focussing on those high—level talks between the us secretary of state and senior north korean official. there's mike pompeo showing the north koreans the view in new york. and the new york times has a story about a search and rescue mission for a wooden boat carrying rohingya refugees. it's front page is dominated by this photo of the search in international waters off the andaman sea — the refugees were trying to reach malaysia — but were reportedly intercepted by myanmar authorities. now kasia, what stories are sparking discussions online? still causing a shock reaction

online, the surprise announcement by zinedene zidan. fans are stunned that the coach of real madrid football team has decided to step down less than a week after leading the spanish club to a third straight champions league triumph. many are saying "gracias" to him on social media, acknowledging his achievements and describing him as a legend. the indian prime minister narendra modi has arrived in singapore on a three—day visit at the invitation of prime minister lee hsien loong. before arriving in singapore he's been in malaysia where he met his newly—elected counterpart mahathir mohamad and before that indonesia where both countries signed a number of pacts to enhance ties. well, to find out what he hopes to achieve on his visit here, we are joining in the studio by subramanya jaishanker, the former foreign secretary of india.

i believe you will be meeting him today shortly, tell us about the purpose of his visit to the region? well, i think the important thing is she has gone to that summit in delhi. mahathir mohamad was in malaysia to meet the new prime minister there. he had a very solid visit to indonesia. overall, i think the fact that you have an indian prime minister here indicates a priority and a degree of commitment which i think is welcomed. you say commitment, but how much of that is a counter to the rise of china in the region? am not sure i would necessarily see this as conquering china, there's a long history association. if you look at the

economic and security stakes, the fa ct economic and security stakes, the fact that we are a community here and there is a strong cultural influence here, i'd take all of that really. india is a player in its own right. we know that india is playing a much more strategic role in the region. the prime minister is due to give a speech on this later today. how much is india now playing a somewhat supportive role to the usa, to counter that rise in china, particularly as the us is beginning to use language like the indo pacific? the us may have started using the language, this concept has been around for a number of years. again, ithink been around for a number of years. again, i think what you are seeing in many ways is a rise in india, and increasing its willingness to step forward and take on responsibilities. again, iwould

emphasise that rather than seeing it negatively in terms of countering someone, negatively in terms of countering someone, i think the viewpoint is held that india should step forward more, they would like to see a greater indian security presence and economic presence. but a bulk of india's trade comes from the east of india. as does a lot of its national resources “— india. as does a lot of its national resources —— natural resources. india. as does a lot of its national resources -- natural resources. and what is he due to talk about in this strategic piece? look, if you don't mind, my sense is that the message would be of india as a stabilising force. right now, i would draw attention to the fact that a month

ago, we had a very good meeting. and the message out of that was really that india and china need to stabilise their relationship. the common factor of stability in what isa common factor of stability in what is a very uncertain world. we will be listening out for that message. thank you so much forjoining us. it may come as a surprise to hear that new zealand has the worst teenage suicide rate in the developed world. last year, 155 teenagers killed themselves. stand—up comedian mike king has used comedy all his life to hide his own problems with drugs, alcohol and mental health. now mike is leading a movement to change the way depression is dealt with. i put iput upa i put up a poster on facebook telling people to like... and goat yes, that feels good... but then, somebody writes bleep. a0% of kids

in school will have a major crisis in their life, often associated with suicidal thinking. how many people in this room i had a good stage in their life and feel great about themselves, stand—up and stop how many people here are struggling right now, please stand up. look around, look around. these are the brave ones. my name is mike cane, i was a stand—up comedian for over 20 yea rs was a stand—up comedian for over 20 years but my whole life, my comedy has been a mask. your parents know me as has been a mask. your parents know measa has been a mask. your parents know me as a brash and overconfident commerce wary “— me as a brash and overconfident commerce wary —— overconfident, swearing comedian. they probably don't know that i'm a drug addict, an alcoholic and ipad —— i have had self esteem issues for most of my

life. last year, 155 young people took their lives in our country. 155. having problems and thoughts will not kill you but holding on to them, thinking you're the only one that goes through it, that is the killer. a lots of people tell me that suicide, depression, mental health, is not a subject to be joked about. the problem with that is it creates fear, like our kids do not know what's inside is. they know what it is. their friends are doing it. there are two things our kids want. they want to be loved and more importantly they want to know their thoughts and opinions are valued by

the significant adults in their life and it is not happening. we just need to love ourselves. i don't love myself yet but i tell you what, i'm starting to like myself a little bit. for a time — it was one of the world's most famous beaches. a secluded bay in thailand, featured in the film ‘the beach', has been closed to protect it from environmental damage. the thousands of tourists who flock to maya bay are now threatening the coral and marine life around it. steve holden from the bbc‘s newsbeat reports. in the film, leonardo dicaprio's character richard, stumbles across paradise. in reality, it's now become an extremely busy paradise. thousands of tourists descend here on maya bay on koh phi phi every day are getting that photo

to make it look like you are the only one here, well that's tricky. we came here, we didn't think it would be this busy, but it still really good, isn't it? yeah, really good. have you managed to take a photo where you're the only ones in it? no, literally that's what we're trying to do now near the long—tailed boats, it's so difficult. literally. you can see, it's so busy. most tourists only stay for couple of hours before leaving on one of the many boats that dock here. but environmentalists say that is damaging what's under the water. a decision was made earlier this year to shut maya bay from the beginning ofjune. when it opens four months later, the plan is to cap visitor numbers

to around half what they are now and ban speedboats from docking in the bay. i think we just thought we were entering some serene, empty white beaches by ourselves and if you look around, it's not so empty, but it's still beautiful. thailand is receiving more tourists year on year and some say that means it's notjust maya bay that needs protecting. when danny boyle made the beach, he probably didn't think maya bay would become the draw that it is today. tourism brings huge amounts of money into thailand, but authorities have to make sure that doesn't come at a cost to the environment in the long—term, otherwise the very beauty people come here for could be ruined for ever. steve holden, bbc news, koh phi phi. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello, yesterday's thunderstorms

took a while to get going but once they did, they brought in a lot of rain and lightning. storms initiated around sussex before spreading in south and southern england, towards wales and the south—west. some torrential downpours brought flooding. there were reports of flooding. there were reports of flooding around the bristol area with the worst of it in west sussex. it was heath, here. the restjust was not cricket. where the boundary should be. and anbar office weather warning, in force until 6am. we could have a couple of issues. you may have heavy downpours here in the next few hours but otherwise, a lot of murky weather, some mist and fog patches, not just round of murky weather, some mist and fog patches, notjust round the coastline but across some of the hills. a mild and murky night. the start of friday morning. friday

looks like this, mist and fog taking a long time to burn away and thin out. as we head into the afternoon we see heavy showers breaking out but this time, they are further north. in the firing line, scotland, northern ireland, north—west england and parts of wales. over two to three hours, if you are unlucky, some communities could see some flooding problems again where we could get 50—60 millimetres, temperature wise, maggie, highs generally in the low to mid 20s. as for the forecast this weekend, more forecasts around, they head north, and the weather will be more settled and the weather will be more settled and dry in the south. it started on and dry in the south. it started on a gloomy note for many of us, but a gloomy start of the day generally in scotland. in scotland and northern

ireland, parts of northern england, there could be a flooding possibility. it will start to feel a bit warmer given that the sunshine will be that bit stronger with less cloud around. the second day of the weekend will be the better of the two. for most of us, sunday will be a dry day. sunshine breaks through during the afternoon. warmer in the south, reaching 25 celsius in london. this is bbc world news. our top story. a "once—in—a—lifetime" opportunity. that's how the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, described president trump's planned summit with kim jong—un mr pompeo was speaking at the end of talks with a senior north korean official in new york, focussing on ways of keeping the meeting on track. key us allies say they will retaliate against washington for its decision to press ahead with steel and aluminium tariffs. the eu, canada and mexico say they'll impose duties.

and this story is trending on bbc.com real madrid fans are stunned by zinedine zidane's decision to step down as team coach, less than a week after leading the spanish club to a third straight champions league triumph. many fans saying "gracias" on social media. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.