welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is mike embley. our top stories: president trump appeals for unity in us politics in his state of the union speech, but warns his opponents that challenging him could damage both the country and the economy. and economic miracle is taking place in the united states, and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations. he called for a safe, modern and secure immigration system, and once again promised his border wall with mexico would be built. in the past, most of the people in this room voted for a wall. but the proper wall never got built. i will get it built. he said america would continue working towards a new trade deal with china, but warned beijing to expect a very different

relationship. we are now making it clear to china that, after years of targeting our industries and stealing our intellectual property, the theft of americanjobs intellectual property, the theft of american jobs and wealth has come to an end. he also promised to invest in healthcare and infrastructure, and said he is set for another summit with north korea's kim jong—un in vietnam later this month. mr neeson, are you sorry for what you said? and one other main story: liam neeson denies he is racist, after saying he once wanted to kill any black man in revenge for a friend's rape. hello.

president trump has delivered the annual state of the union address to congress. he said his speech was an agenda for the american people. he also spoke about how the country was in the midst of a economic miracle, which could be put at risk by the continuation of what he called ridiculous partisan investigations. president trump also called on republicans and democrats to work together. this is what the president had to say about the economy. our country is vibrant and our economy is thriving like never before. on friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone, almost double the number expected. the president also promsied

to secure america's southern border. this is the much promised wall, he promised mexico would pay for the wall, his tone was by partisan except that he spent 17 minutes on immigration, which is very much speaking to his core voters, to his base. many will take that as a rather divisive tone. congress has ten days left to pass a bill that will fund our government, protect our homeland, and secure our very dangerous southern border. now is the time for congress to show the world that america is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers and human traffickers out of business. there

we re traffickers out of business. there were tough words for the united states' trade relationship with china. i have great respect for president xi and we are now working on a new trade deal with china. but it must include real structural change to end unfair trade practices, reduce our chronic trade deficit, and protect americanjobs. there were also promises to move strongly on hiv, aids, childhood cancer, and to introduce legislation against late term abortion. there has been much talk about that already, of course. there was nothing whatsoever about climate change. what there was on foreign policy was news of a new summit, a second summit with the north korean leader on 27 and 28 february, in vietnam. let's get more from our correspondent laura bicker,

who is in the south korean capital, seoul. first of all, this extraordinary claim from the president, if i had not been elected president we would be right now in a major war with north korea. i think when it comes to donald trump's popularity here in the korean peninsula. it was a huge blow when he was talking about renting down fire and fury on pyongyang. there was a real view that it was donald trump himself that it was donald trump himself that raise the rhetoric, that caused this peninsula to be on the brink of war in late december 2017. but it is also president trump and the trump administration that has managed to get kim jong—un to the negotiating table, that has managed that first summit between a sitting us president and the north korean leader. that was when his approval ratings rose through the roof here on the korean peninsula. so in some ways it was donald trump himself who brought the korean peninsula to the drink of war, and it has also been

donald trump who has brought this peninsula hopefully, certainly that is the hope here, to the brink of peace. he is right, though, isn't he, that there has been no missile launch in 15 months. by most people's standards, that is an improvement. i think when it comes to the missile launchers, certainly north korea has not carried out a launch in 15 months. they have not carried out any further nuclear tests. they have made a show of getting rid of one of their nuclear testing sites, where they invited international journalist. testing sites, where they invited internationaljournalist. they also say that they have dismantled one of their missile test, rocket launch sites. so again, we have had no independent verification of this, inspectors have not been allowed in. north korea has also promised to go even further, through the south korean president, that is what we heard from president moon. he said heard from president moon. he said he was told in pyongyang by kim jong—un that they would destroy one of their nuclear production facilities, but only if the us made

concessions. now, that is what we expect the ground work to be laid ahead of any second summit. i think thatis ahead of any second summit. i think that is where the talks will be around, what is north korea prepared to do? is it prepared to give up the site, is it prepared to allow nuclear inspectors in to check that work, and what is one from the united states in return? we know that the united states has said repeatedly that there will be no sanctions lifted. so what are they prepared to offer? is going to be economic aid, or is it some kind of declaration to finally and nearly 68 yea rs of declaration to finally and nearly 68 years of war here in the korean peninsula? sighting when it comes to what the us wants and what north korea wants, that is where the real diplomatic work is being done now. the us envoy to north korea is currently in pyongyang, and he arrived at just a currently in pyongyang, and he arrived atjust a few hours ago, and we know that those talks are ongoing. that is where the hard diplomatic work to try to nail down north korea is being done now. and obviously talking is better, isn't it, than the alternative, yet north

korea has made these promises and similar promises before and not carried out. i think when it comes to kind of any assessment of the first singapore summit, you know, you hear things like the agreement was vague, that there were no details. that is all true, but i think the fact the two leaders have met, it was a historic occasion, it offers an opportunity. what we are hearing from this peninsula now, from alice, is that there is now a huge opportunity, one of the best in yea rs, huge opportunity, one of the best in years, right in front of both the united states and north korea, and the south koreans. i think when... certainly they are wondering what kind of diplomatic work can be done. what kind of agreement can donald trump and kimjong—un what kind of agreement can donald trump and kim jong—un come what kind of agreement can donald trump and kimjong—un come to, and is north korea really willing to go any further? is it really willing to hand over a list of its nuclear and ballistic missile facilities? is it really willing to give up any weapons at all? that's why, when it

comes to the of this agreement, you are hearing from analysts that it is important to set out what is known asa important to set out what is known as a roadmap. so take this in stages, start off slowly and move forward. do not rush this. the fact thatis forward. do not rush this. the fact that is going ahead rather than fire and fury tweeds, that certainly an improvement. thank you very much indeed for that —— fire and fury tweeds. —— tweets. stacey abrams, the democratic former minorty leader, of the georgia house of representatives, has given her reaction to the state of the union speech, saying the partial shutdown was a political stunt. just a few weeks ago i join volu nteers just a few weeks ago i join volunteers giving the federal workers. they hadn't received a six weeks. making livelihoods of our federal workers of porn for political games is a disgrace. the

shutdown was a start, engineered by the president of the united states. one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned notjust our people but our values. and we will have more on this later in the programme. britain's prime minister, theresa may, is to meet donald tusk and jean—claude juncker in brussels on thursday, in a new attempt to break the deadlock on the terms of britain's departure from the eu. speaking a few hours ago in northern ireland, mrs may said she was committed to avoiding a return to a hard border with the irish republic after brexit. we are working on the deal to leave the european union, the commit on both sides were there being no hard border, and we have been clear as a uk government that we will do everything in our power, should it be the case that we left without a deal, we would do everything in our power to avoid a hard border in

those circumstances, and of course we talked with the irish government and the european union, should those circumstances arise. but we are working to ensure that we leave with a deal, and within that deal, that we are able to provide for the commitment that is being made on both sides for no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. the head of the taliban delegation in moscow has said he hopes that withdrawal of us troops from afghanistan will take months, not years. following peace negotiations with the us in qatar last month, the taliban delegation is holding political talks with the former afghan president hamid karzai, along with other influential opposition figures. afghan government officials are not taking part, criticising the meeting as counterproductive. our correspondent secunder kermani is there. there is clearly a growing momentum behind peace talks on afghanistan. the discussions here today come just over a week after significant progress was made in separate talks between taliban and us officials in the gulf. but whilst they focus primarily on american troop withdrawal, on the threat from groups

like al-qaeda, the talks here today have been not only about how to reach a peace deal, but also how the country might be governed in the future, were the taliban to become a mainstream political force. taliban representatives said that the country's constitution would have to be replaced by a more islamic one. some politicians pushed back against that, saying that the current system needed to be respected, as does the progress made in recent years on issues such as women's rights. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: liam neeson denies he is racist, after saying he once wanted to kill any black man in revenge for a friend's rape. this is the moment that millions in iran had been waiting for. after his long years in exile, the first hesitant steps of ayatollah khomeini on iranian soil. south africa's white government has

offered its black opponents concessions unparalleled in the history of apartheid. and the anc leader, nelson mandela, is to be set free unconditionally. four, three, two, one... a countdown to a critical moment. the world's most powerful rocket ignited all 27 of its engines at once. and apart from its power, it's this recycling of the rocket, slashing the cost of a launch, that makes this a breakthrough in the business of space travel. two americans have become the first humans to walk in space without any lifeline to their spaceship. one of them called it a piece of cake. thousands of people have given the yachtswoman ellen macarthur a spectacular homecoming in the cornish port of falmouth after she smashed the world record for sailing solo around the world non—stop. very glad to have you with us on bbc world news.

the latest headlines: president trump has used his annual state of the union speech to appeal for a compromise deal, that he hopes will get his border wall with mexico built and reform the immigration system. he said america would continue working towards a new trade deal with china, but he warned beijing that what he called the "theft" of american jobs and wealth had come to an end. the american premiere of a new movie starring liam neeson has been cancelled, amid a row over his comments that he once wanted to kill a random black man after a friend was raped. the actor has denied he's racist, but the remarks, published on monday, sparked an outcry. our correspondent nick bryant reports from new york. fashion. and i am a fairly intelligent guy, and that is why it

kind of shocked me, and they came down to earth after having these horrible feelings. luckily no violence occurred, ever. thanks be to god. what makes you think you could kill a man? i read it in a crime novel. promoting his new movie, the theme of which is murderous revenge, the actor had given an interview, telling how he had sought retribution after hearing about the rape. there has been outrage at those remarks, but some have —— not universal condenmnation. wow, i'm just shocked. i couldn't believe he would say something like that. he's a — i thought he was a good guy. it makes you have a little bit of fear, but we have to push through that and find the love. for liam neeson, today was supposed to be about promoting his new movie, but instead, he's trying to salvage his reputation. the 66—year—old has been one of hollywood's more bankable stars. will he face a backlash at the box office? nick bryant, bbc news, new york.

some of the day's other news. the australian horse trainer darren weir has been banned from racing for four years. he admitted possession of three electric shock devices, known asjiggers. he admitted possessing them, they were found hidden in his bedroom during a raid last week. a police investigation into race betting corruption and animal cruelty continues. the international criminal court in the hague has said the former president of ivory coast, laurent gbagbo, is now in belgium. he's been conditionally released from prison. he was acquitted by the court of war crimes charges on friday, on the condition that he went to a country willing to send him back should there be an appeal. as you have gathered, those are not the stories we intended to show you over that story. they related to the darren weir story. pope francis has publicly admitted that there's a problem within the roman catholic church

of bishops and priests sexually abusing nuns. he told reporters that some nuns had been reduced to "sexual slavery". the pope added a number of clerics had been suspended, and he vowed to do more to combat the abuse. he said the piece was in many cases still going on. —— abuse. in brazil, the search continues for those still missing after the collapse of a major dam. the death toll stands at 134, with nearly 200 others unaccounted for. our south america correspondent katy watson has been to the site of the disaster, to speak to a woman who lost six members of her family and to a survivor who had the narrowest of escapes. when the dam broke, there was little hope for those in the path of the deluge that followed. panic, as drivers struggled to save themselves. elias was driving one of the trucks that day. it sounded like an explosion, but he soon realised what had happened. translation: we saw the mud coming, i told my friend sebastian, "run, the dam has burst."

you can see it on video, my truck moving from one side to the other. there was no way out. we asked god to protect us — death was staring us in the face. they survived. this was the aftermath. his pick—up, says elias, was like a grain of sand tossed about in the chaos. i meet wanderlei searching for the bodies of his brother and cousin in the sludge. this is their overturned truck. translation: my world's ended. i knew i wouldn't find them alive here, but if we are not on top of the search, the authorities will stop looking. but in this sludge, the recovery effort is slow. there's been lots of rain here in the past 24 hours, and these firefighters are returning to areas, hoping that with the extra water it might have displaced the mud and they can recover more bodies. every so often, they find something. a body bag is flown back to waiting families. the events of this past week are still hard

to process for helena. she was to become a grandmother. when the dam collapsed, that dream ended. her daughter, son and pregnant daughter—in—law were killed when a wall of sludge slammed into the hotel they were staying in. her ex—husband and his wife died with them. helena spells out the initials of camila, luis, his partner fernanda and unborn baby lorenzo. translation: and they were thrown i don't know where. they died from cranial trauma and asphyxia. that was the coroner's verdict. i don't even know if it was a slow or quick death. the family's mourning is made all the harder because they haven't found all of the bodies yet. in the distance, the search goes on. katy watson, bbc

news, in brumadinho. let's ta ke let's take you back to president trump's state of the union address on this line in particular, he said regulations do not fight wars. he spoke about the political situation in afghanistan and spoke about the greeting thousands in the islamic state group and he talked about confronting what he called the tyrannical regime in iran stop yellow my administration has acted decisively to confront the world's leading state sponsor of terror, the radical regime in iran. -- my administration. they do bad, bad things. to ensure this corrupt dictatorship never acquires nuclear weapons, i would do the united state

from the disastrous iran that nuclear deal. —— iran nuclear deal. and last fall, we put in place for tougher sanctions ever imposed by us ona tougher sanctions ever imposed by us on a country. we will not avert our eyes, regime that chance death to america and threatens genocide against the jewish people. america and threatens genocide against thejewish people. we must never ignore the vile poison of anti—semitism or those who spread its venomous creed. with one voice,

we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs. and this was how mr trump ended his address. our most thrilling achievements are still ahead. our most exciting journeys still await, our biggest victories are still to come. we have not yet begun to dream. we must choose whether we are defined by our differences or whether we dared to transcend them. we must choose whether we squander our great inheritance or whether we proudly declared that we are americans, we do the incredible, uyghur fayette be impossible, we

conquer the unknown, this is the time to reignite the american imagination, this is the time to search for the tallest summit, and set our sights on the brightest star, this is the time to rekindle the bonds of love and loyalty and memory that link us together as citizens, as neighbours, as patriot. this is our future and, citizens, as neighbours, as patriot. this is ourfuture and, our citizens, as neighbours, as patriot. this is our future and, our fate and our choice to make. i am asking you to choose greatness. no matter that the trials we face, no matter the challenge is to come, we must go forward together, we must keep america first in our hearts. we must

keep him alive in our souls, and we must always keep faith in america's destiny, that one nation, under god, must be the hope and promise and a light and the glory among all the nations of the world. thank you, god bless you, and god bless america. thank you very much. thank you. donald trump's second state of the union address, that is how he ended it. much more on that and any of the news any time on the bbc news website. thank you for watching. good morning. in the last few hours, we've got a weather front that's moving its way from west to east. it's bringing some rain, some of it quite heavy, but it will clear away

from the south—east corner, perhaps leaving a legacy of cloud first thing in the morning and outbreaks of rain. behind it, quite breezy, with a scattering of showers into the north—west. so that kind of sums up wednesday's weather, really. we'll start off the morning cloudy, dull and damp with some outbreaks of rain across the essex and kent coasts. sunnier spells online. —— behind. a south—westerly breeze, so a mild source, but it will continue to drive in the risk of showers through northern ireland and western scotland as we go through the day, 7—11 degrees the high. now, there's the potentialfor some of that rain to pep up in the south—east a little later on in the day. we'll need to keep an eye on that. that weather front riddles its way off into the near continent, but it's a bit of a mess wednesday night into thursday. it's joined by another weather front, which as it moves its way from west to east overnight, could bring in something a little bit cooler and the potential for some snow to higher ground as it moves its way through scotland. behind it, it's going to be a breezy affair on thursday with that westerly wind still driving in the showers along those

exposed west—facing coasts. but again, it's still a relatively mild story, particularly in comparison to where we were a week ago, 5—10 degrees the overall high. now, as we move out of thursday into friday, it does look as though we'll see more of a significant area of low pressure starting to push in from the atlantic, and with that low plenty of isobars squeezing together, particularly on the southern flank, that is where we're likely to see the strongest of the winds, gale force gusts not out of the question. and some of the rain on friday will be quite heavy as that low pressure moves its way steadily north and east. so, by the middle of the afternoon, there'll be outbreaks of rain, some of it heavy. the strongest of the winds perhaps into the afternoon, down towards the south—west, 50—60 mile an hour gusts not out of the question. and so, with the cloud, the wind and the rain, temperatures perhaps, possibly irrelevant, but nevertheless here they are, 9—12 degrees. still relatively mild across the country. now, as we move out of friday into the start of the weekend, that area of low pressure will push off into scandinavia. but we'll need to keep an eye

on another potential developing low into the south, which may well bring more rain for the start of the weekend. again, the isobars stay tightly packed, it stays pretty windy with it. so, for the end of the week, it's going to be a mild story but a windy one, and we have the potential to see some gusts of winds 50—70 miles an hour, with further rain at times. take care. this is bbc news. the headlines: president trump has used his annual state of the union speech to appeal for a compromise deal that will get his border wall with mexico built and reform the us immigration system. he urged lawmakers to get together to make america truly safe. he said america would continue working towards a new trade deal with china, but warned beijing that what he called the theft of american jobs and wealth had come to an end. he also revealed that he is set for another summit with north korea's kim jong—un in vietnam later this month. in other news: the new york opening

of liam neeson's latest film has been cancelled amid a row over his comments that he once wanted to kill a random black man, following the rape of a friend. the actor has denied he is racist, but the remarks have sparked an outcry. now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk.