hello and a very good morning from singapore. i'm babita sharma. it's 7am on tuesday the 12th of june, just hours away from a truly historic summit meeting. and i'm rico hizon. all eyes are on this tiny city—state, where president trump and kimjong—un are finally set to meet, face to face. welcome to our special coverage here on newsday. kim's late night out — the north korean leader visits some tourist sites ahead of the big day and waves to the crowds. president trump says that the world will know soon enough whether a real deal between the us and north korea can happen. an end to conflict — will the talks pave the way for the korean war to be finally consigned to the past? and a sharp focus on singapore, with the media frenzy that's now engulfing singapore's city—state. this is bbc world news, it is

newsday. so, here we are, just a couple of hours away from the moment when, on a small island just a few hundred metres from here, the leaders of the united states are north korea will finally meet face to face. who could have predicted thatjust months after the two men were exchanging insults on twitter, the pair of them would be sitting down together for a one—on—one, with just the translators present. so what are the prospects for some sort of agreement? well, the us says talks are moving quickly, but there's a note of a caution from the secretary of state, mike pompeo. he says the united states has been fooled before, and president trump will accept nothing less than the complete, and irreversible denuclearisation of the korean peninsula. here's our north america editor, jon sopel.

cheering was there ever a more vivid symbol of the dramatic change that seems to be in the singapore air? the reclusive leader of a one—time pariah state on a night—time walkabout in a tourist destination, just ahead of his summit with donald trump. korea watchers even debating whether this is kim jong—un‘s first known selfie. the us president, the long—time master of grabbing all media attention, was having a much more low—key day. lunch with the singaporean prime minister. no, this isn't him celebrating prematurely — it's donald trump's birthday later this week, though progress with kim jong—un would be the gift of all gifts. the american president sees this potentially as his moment in history — potentially a moment of history for the world. he's determined,

energised and positive and so much happier to be in singapore than quebec. at a briefing, the us secretary of state was upbeat. all the preparations were coming together nicely. there are only two people that can make decisions of this magnitude, and those two people are going to be sitting in a room together tomorrow. we are hopeful this summit will have set the conditions for future productive talks. in light of how many flimsy agreements the united states has made in previous years, this president will ensure that no potential agreement will fail to adequately address the north korean threat. so what might denuclearisation mean? america wants any abandonment of nuclear weapons to be complete. it must be verifiable — north korea must submit to international nuclear monitoring. and it must be irreversible — north korea won't be allowed to maintain capacity to covertly rebuild its nuclear programme. in pyongyang, the country's most

famous newsreader had breaking news. she was on air to confirm that the supreme leader was in singapore for these historic talks. 68 years ago, at the height of fears about the spread of communism, the korean war erupted. chinese and soviet—backed forces from the north attacked the south. america, britain and others were sucked in. the status quo was restored, but not before as many three million koreans died. the korean war was brutal. over a three—year period, nearly 37,000 americans lost their lives, commemorated here at this memorial in washington. 1,100 britons also perished. it may be 65 years ago since the fighting ended, but for some, it is still living history. master sergeant howard griffin, now 91 years old, is a veteran of the war. it was cold and...

..to me it was useless, i think. i don't know. what, the conflict was useless? yes, yes. we lost the war. i don't know if it would have made any difference if we'd won it or not. but anyway, we lost it. singapore is the most ordered, structured society in south east asia, but tomorrow two of the world's most unconventional leaders will try to win the peace, try to forge a new path for a peninsula that for seven decades has only known conflict, and the fear of conflict. jon sopel, bbc news, singapore. we are counting down the time here. less tha n we are counting down the time here. less than two hours before the start of the summit. donald trump will leave the shangri—la in a couple of hours. let's get the latest now. mariko 0i is outside kimjong—un‘s delegation‘s hotel in singapore for us now.

any sign of the leader and his team? not yet. kim jong—un and his delegation are not too far, less than a kilometre away. in probably an hour also we should expect these doric summit at the capella hotel. -- his doric summit at the capella hotel. —— his doric. we saw him come out at 11:30pm last night taking in the tourist sites and taking that selvie. he received a very warm vip welcome. singaporeans cheered as he walked in. those pictures are in the front page the north korean

newspaper, newspapers are read by the ordinary north koreans. who knows how they will take the supreme leader receiving this welcome. whether they see it as something good all were that they will be envious of what singapore has. 0pinions here are rather split about how kim jong—un has 0pinions here are rather split about how kimjong—un has been 0pinions here are rather split about how kim jong—un has been treated here. just a year ago he was accused of killing his stepbrother had kuala lumpur airport, accused of killing his own brother, if you start looking at the backlogs of human rights abuse, many critics say it should not be treated like a celebrity and vip and that singapore is being used almost as propaganda in north korea. he had a late night, going home close to midnight and now he has to wake up early, just in time for the summit which will begin

injust under two time for the summit which will begin in just under two hours? time for the summit which will begin injust under two hours? that is right. it is quite remarkable, isn't it that only a few months ago tensions were so high between north korea and the rest of the world, especially with the united states. these two men are set to meet one—on—one, just with translators, we re one—on—one, just with translators, were then exchanging insults just six months ago and now they are going to these rather friendly meeting. expectations have been lowered. that denuclearisation of the korean pinion she would not be achieved injust one the korean pinion she would not be achieved in just one day. the korean pinion she would not be achieved injust one day. —— korean eyre peninsula. thank you for joining us. we shouldn't forget in all the drama what a big moment this is for the two koreas. joining me from seoul is daniel pinkston from troy university.

the topic of discussion has always been about denuclearisation, what about the conflict between north and south korea? about the conflict between north and south korea ? will about the conflict between north and south korea? will be korean war finally be consigned to the past after this summit? well, many koreans are hopeful that there will be an end to the korean war, some declare oration, a peace treaty or some kind of document but one thing thatis some kind of document but one thing that is missing in all these, if in fa ct that is missing in all these, if in fact the war ends, the korean workers party and the korean people's army should declare an end to the revolution. if we read the bylaws and look at state propaganda, posters, media, videos, press media, everything, we seek constant references to the final victory,

completing the revolution and achieving the final victory. if both sides ended the wall at one side is still fighting the revolution there seems to be an asymmetry. they need to declare an end to the revolution. that is one thing that is missed. denuclearisation 0n there are a couple of points that north korea could do to show it is serious. 0n all compass says he will know in a minute or so after meeting kim jong—un but i would have to see some action. something that north korea could do is sign a treaty, like a cbt p or example or weapons convention. they deny they have any chemical weapons but at least on the sea wc, a confidentiality agreement and destroy any stocks of chemical weapons without admitting any

stockpiles and suffer humiliation or condemnation. there are some things you can do before even starting denuclearisation so there are some things we should ask the north koreans to do to show they are serious. the denuclearisation denuclearisation prospect will take many years, five if not a decade to complete. i am interested to find your take on the two koreas, in particular south korea and what role it has been playing leading up to these events? south korea, of course, signed at the non—proliferation treaty and they are in compliance to all safeguards and subject all the sill at this two inspections by the international atomic agency, they have signed the protocol which opens them to more

intrusive inspections so they are in full compliance. the two north korea is signed a document in late 1991 that came into effect in 1992, the joint declaration denuclearisation of on the korean eyre peninsula, where the two koreas would respect each other‘s facilities. they have had a number of talks and those talks break down. if they can go back to that agreement and implement that, we have a lot of agreement on the table already so if north korea could fairfield that commitment it has a ready—made, we would be in a good place. —— fulfil. has a ready—made, we would be in a good place. -- fulfil. thank you very much and i know you will state with us will stop donald trump treated at 5am saying meetings between staff and representatives at

a going well but in the end that does not matter. he says we will know soon enough if, unlike the deals of the past, it can happen. you're watching a special edition of newsday on the bbc. still to come: president trump meets singapore's prime minister — we'll take a look at what might be on the table when he meets kimjong—un. we'll have plenty more on the historic summit in singapore. stay with us. the day the british liberated the falklands, and by tonight, british troops had begun the task of disarming the enemy. in the heart of the west german capital, this was gorbymania at its height. the crowd packed to see the man who, for them, has raised great hopes for an end for the division of europe.

michaeljackson was not guilty on all charges, the screams of the crowd testament to his popularity and their faith in his innocence. as long as they'll pay to go see me, i'll get out there and kick 'em down the hill. what does it feel like to be the first man to go across the channel by your own power? it's pretty neat. feels marvellous, really. welcome back to a special edition of newsday. we're looking ahead to the historic summit between us president donald trump and north korean leader, kim jong—un. president trump and north korea's kim jong—un are due to hold an unprecedented one—on—one meeting in singapore in just a few hours. us officials say pre—summit

discussions moved "more quickly than expected." meanwhile, kim jong—un was cheered by spectators as he toured singapore's sights. let's ta ke let's take a look at some front pages. and there's only one story really. the straits times says president trump is "upbeat" going into his one—on—one with kim jong—un. "i think things can work out very nicely," he says. the japan times quotes us secretary of state, mike pompeo, who says the north koreans will be offered "unique" security assurances. and an unprecedented front page splash for north korea's state—controlled rodong sinmun paper. it's showing readers photos of kim jong—un‘s evening tour of singapore, and promises he'll take his new knowledge and experiences home.

let us get the view from china. victor gao is a former interpreter for the former chinese leader deng xiaoping. he is now director of the china national association of international studies in beijing. how important is the kim—trump summitfor china? how important is the kim—trump summit for china? this is a very important meeting between nk and the usa from the chinese perspective. we welcome it. we have been urging both to sit down and talk for a few yea rs. to sit down and talk for a few years. it is happening in singapore and we are happy and hope it goes smoothly for peace and stability on the korean peninsula. are you worried about being sidelined and

not being part of the summit? not at all. china is here and will remain here and has a direct bearing on peace and stability on the korean peninsula. china has been here for thousands of years and will remain important in the coming decades and centuries in this diplomacy. we hope there will be peace and stability and no unhappy surprises. so long as there is peace and stability, china will be happy. 0k. the north koreans are willing to commit to denuclearisation, but the americans wa nt com plete denuclearisation, but the americans want complete and verifiable denuclearisation. are you an agreement with the us on this? for all of these years, china has been insisting that denuclearisation

needs to be achieved on the korean peninsula. and china has supported the un security council resolutions, one after another, for denuclearisation on the korean peninsula. there is some mismatch in expectation, i am afraid, between the us and nk, and hopefully the president of the united states and kimjong—un, during president of the united states and kim jong—un, during their president of the united states and kimjong—un, during their important landmark meeting, will come up with something which will pave the way towards the eventual denuclearisation. china will support denuclearisation. china will support denuclearisation one way or another. however, denuclearisation of the korean peninsula needs to be coupled with security guarantee for dprk said the government in dprk will no longer worry about in toppled or invaded by the us. this is important. the two things need to be combined hand in hand for a foolproof solution for

denuclearisation on the korean peninsula. thank you forjoining us, victor. reporting from beijing. a conversation on twitter, a form we are used to, for politicians to talk. mike pompeo has said we are ready for the day with the hashtag #singaporesummit. donald trump has been up since 5am, as he posted who knows what will happen but we are positive about a possible deal. time will tell. we are counting down. less tha n will tell. we are counting down. less than two hours to go. john tierney is from the centre for arms control in washington. i asked him if north korea was likely to give up it's nuclear arms.

we are all asking that this morning. it is going to have to happen for any agreement at all. i think the model, even though the donald trump agreement will not say it, it will be the iran agreement, the broadest terms ever negotiated. i believe they will at least hit that mark. the difficult part of that is whether the north koreans are willing to go that far, how long it willing to go that far, how long it will take for them to accept the fa ct will take for them to accept the fact they are going that far, and whether or not this administration in washington is allowing the time for those to work out. is it a possibility? i think it is a possibility. president trump has already low with the expectations, coming into this with a reality tv view on this, it will happen in a two—hour sitdown. reality has hit him and he now thinks it is a

process. if they can build some modicum of trust by having small things done at this point in time, it can work out. depending on the patience of two very petulant children. it remains to be seen. given what you have said, are you confident anything can happen from this? do you believe we are a long way away from any real sense north korea were completely denuclearise? we area korea were completely denuclearise? we are a long way a from that and donald trump realises that now. the us wants complete denuclearisation and north korea wants access to the global economy and security and relief from sanctions. everyone knows all of those things will come at the end of this process, not, as donald trump thought, in an hour.

that's not going to happen. let's return to our top story, the summit in singapore between us president donald trump and north korean leader kimjong—un. until this meeting, there had been nearly 70 years of conflict between the two countries, armed and otherwise. david eades has been been looking at footage from the bbc film archive of this complex, and often hostile relationship. for a conflict pitching the us and the west against soviet forces and the west against soviet forces and the chinese, never mind korea against korea, it is ironic it was labelled the forgotten war. initially, the north flooded the south. a terrible first month. line around the plymouth... that triggered relentless air bombing to

force the enemy back across the border. in three years of combat, nearly 3 million deaths. civilian and military. massacres were inflicted on and by both sides. more 0rdinance dropped in three years on north korea than the entirety of asia for that. americans, in the eyes of the north koreans, are clearly the enemy. the north koreans themselves see conflict as victory. 0ver themselves see conflict as victory. over the years, distrust has occasionally left room for hope. former president carter stepped in to north korea to build a deal in 1984 while president clinton stepped

in15 1984 while president clinton stepped in 15 years later to improve relations. the result on both occasions, false dawns. north korea has a record of cheating, to put it blu ntly. has a record of cheating, to put it bluntly. the desire to make north korea great again will mean kim jong—un will want the opportunity to find an opening. that is why i think international leaders including donald trump would be wise to take that opportunity and develop it. since the korean war, so much has changed, of course, yet the problem has just vested. time and again, effo rts has just vested. time and again, efforts to resolve it have come to nothing —— festered. 0ne efforts to resolve it have come to nothing —— festered. one thing the archive shows through absence is any example of a president meeting the leader of north korea. as the summit approaches, we are entering uncharted territory. —— david eades, bbc news. uncharted waters indeed.

the summit gets under way in less than an hourand the summit gets under way in less than an hour and a half. we saw this last night with kim jong—un doing a walkabout and looking at singapore and waving to the crowd. the surrealism continues, with the former basketball player, dennis rodman, arrived in singapore bombarded with questions. he said i am happy to be part of the historic summitandi am happy to be part of the historic summit and i think i brought a lot of awareness to people around the world. we will see in the coming hours what the substance is behind the historic talks between donald trump and kimjong—un as the historic talks between donald trump and kim jong—un as coverage on bbc news continues. please stay with us bbc news continues. please stay with us for that. i am rico hizon. the countdown is 90 minutes ago before the historic kim jong—un and donald trump summit. goodbye.

for many days, even weeks now, our weather has been stuck in a rut. long spells of warm sunshine and just the odd thunderstorm. at long last, things are changing. you may not like the change, because firstly, cool air from the not like the change, because firstly, cool airfrom the north is brought in. and then from the atlantic, through the middle of the week, it is an active frontal system bringing wet and windy weather, especially across the north. that will be a bit of a shock to the system. the changes are already under way. cool conditions for the day ahead. a lot of cloud around as well. cloud will break up through the day with spells of sunshine. the best of these likely to be found in wales in the south—west. equally, the odd scattered shower. temperatures down on where they have been. 15— 21. no more mid—20s. tuesday night, a mixture of clear

skies and patchy cloud. it should stay just about dry. skies and patchy cloud. it should stayjust about dry. and relatively cool might. temperatures in a few places will get down into single figures. wednesday, a fine note. the frontal systems approaching from the north—west. more on that in a moment. starting wednesday with high pressure a cross moment. starting wednesday with high pressure across the british isles. not a bad start to the day. could spells of sunshine to be had. perhaps the odd shower breaking out as cloud buildup in the day. the north—west, quite a significant change. rain in northern ireland and western scotland during the day. strengthening winds. wednesday night, a spell of very disturbed weather. heavy rain pushing in from the west. strong winds as well. 50-60 the west. strong winds as well. 50—60 miles per hour. we will keep you posted on the forecast for

wednesday night into thursday. it all comes courtesy of this, an unusually deep area of low pressure for the time of year. but it will drift away fairly quickly during thursday. the wind will is and much of the rain will clear away. —— ease. it is again going to feel relatively cool. does temperatures at best between 15 and 21 degrees. and then as we head towards the end of the week, we stick with the cool feel. yes, dry weather. spells of sunshine. but also spells of rain at times the big that is all from me for now. —— at times. this is bbc world news. the headlines: president trump and north korea's kim jong—un are just 90 minutes from their unprecedented one—on—one meeting in singapore. mr trump says that the world will know soon enough whether a real deal between the us and north korea can happen. there's been a rock star reception for kim jong—un. he was greeted by cheers on a tour of the tourist sites,

and said hoped he could learn from the country. spain has said it will take in a ship that has been stuck in the mediterranean, with hundreds of migrants aboard. the aquarius stopped its engines for more than a day, while italy and malta argued about where it should go. the german government has ordered car maker daimler to recall more than 200,000 vehicles in germany after they were found to be fitted with emissions—cheating software. across europe, nearly 800,000 vehicles are thought to be affected. now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk.