this is the briefing. i'm sally bundock. our top story: 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 fully zwa r thing that can stop it are fully zwar is, politics, or ridiculous partisan investigations —— are foolish wars. 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 be proper wall never got built. i will get it built. he said america would continue working towards a new trade deal with china, but told 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's set for another summit with north korea's kimjong—un in vietnam later this month. and, president trump's nominee for the job to lead the world bank. david malpass has critised the intitution and called it inefficient inefficient. —— calling it inefficient. a warm welcome to the programme,

briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business, and sport. get involved in the conversation — tell us what you think about the state of the union address or the other stories we are covering today — just use the hashtag bbcthebriefing. did you tune in, has it completely passed you by? did you tune in, has it completely passed you by? 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 continuing to rebuild the economy. our country is vibrant and our economy is arriving like never before. on friday, it was announced that we added another 304,000 jobs last month alone, almost double the number expected. applause he also promised to secure america's southern border. now, republicans and democrats must join forces again to confront an urgent national crisis. congress has

ten days left to pass a bill that will find our government, protect our homelands, and secure our very dangerous southern border. now is the time for congress to show the world is that america is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless laertes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business —— ruthless laertes. on foreign policy, mr trump announced that he would be holding a second summit with the north korean leader, kim jong—un. ifi if i had not been elected president of the united states where word,

right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with north korea. applause. much work remains to be done, but my relationship with kim jong—un is a good one. chairman kim andi jong—un is a good one. chairman kim and i will meet again on february 27 and i will meet again on february 27 and 28 in vietnam. i am sure you listened to at all. if we stay with that trip to vietnam at the end of the month, give us some of the reaction to that news. the international section, if you like, of the speech where he talked about russia, he talked about china, he talked about venezuela, what will

make the headlines is the announcement of the upcoming second summit. president trump had been expecting to give some of the details. he had said at the weekend he would give the details of where and when. he has followed through with that in the state of the union address. people were expecting it, but there is a focus on the difference of views of what the intelligence agency feel about north korea and a number of other countries and what president trump himself feels. clearly there are worries about north korea not adhering to its promise to move towards denuclearisation. clearly there are promises of other fears and concerns about what north korea is planning in the months ahead. by president trump continues to talk, and, indeed, he talks in this speech about his chemistry with kim jong—un. he really seems to believe he can make a deal with the north korean leader and he was pushing that forward very hard in this speech. we are going to have another moment like we saw last year with president trump and the north korean

leader meeting and holding the second summit. it seems it will happen. when we look at more domestic affairs he very much set out his stall for a 2020 real action, talking footy first 20 minutes the economic miracle during his presidency —— talking for the first 20 minutes. his call for unity within congress. most believe that will not happen. i think it is an interesting one. donald trump is clearly someone who is trying to deal with a different political circumstance in washington. he has now a house of representatives controlled by democrats. i am sure you watched the speech and you saw that image of the group of democratic representatives, female representatives, all wearing white. they stood out in the chamber and there stood out partly because of their sheer number. this is a

changed chamber and the democratic women were determined to show that. they were there in whites, representing female equality, really, representing the suffragette white, they were trying to make a point by being in the centre of the chamber and being very visible. it was something president trump self referred to. going forward, there will be every bit as many challenges that we have had in the first two yea rs of that we have had in the first two years of president trump is my presidency. it will be the case that this issue of the border wall continues to cause problems —— president trump ‘s presidency. we have the shutdown that lasted for more than a month. we will see what happens in ten days when a funding bill is supposed to go through. president trump is talking about that idea, potentially calling a national emergency at the southern border, whether or not he could potentially get money for the wall through that. it was clear from the speech and from the getsy invited, including a family whose parents had

been killed by, allegedly, an illegal immigrant only weeks ago, he was determined to push the idea that illegal immigration is dangerous to america —— the guests he invited. it is something the democrats are fighting back already. they asked if it was also damaged america and not immigrants. he very much stuck to his party line when it came to things like the wall, saying "i will build it". it was like a promise of which nancy pelosi, sitting directly behind him, herface was quite interesting. in terms of going forward and the reaction in the american press and media, his base, presumably he was saying exactly what they wanted him to say on issues like, things like abortion as well. abortion is the other one that is the huge divide between

republicans and democrats. that was obvious itself in the chamber. it is a lwa ys obvious itself in the chamber. it is always fascinating to watch the state of the union address is because you get the facial expressions, you get people standing and others remaining sitting. you getan and others remaining sitting. you get an immediate sense of the political temperature in america. he certainly pushed that idea that he was going to try. some of the supreme courtjudges were sitting inside the chamber. he believes those justices, he can think —— potentially make a difference inside the court. some have been appointed by president trump himself. the other thing you mentioned was the face of nancy pelosi at certain times, whenever she was watching and listening to what president trump to say. some of the most fascinating bits were when he was talking about the water wall, but also that moment when he referenced what he described as passes and enquiries —— water wall. the special investigation into

russian intervention in the 2016 election and the suggestion that there was collusion involving the trump campaign. you saw whenever he attacked again what he has described before as a witch—hunt, you sort nancy pelosi ‘s eyes roll. we have a sense that while there are potentially new relationships going forward , potentially new relationships going forward, a new kind of unity in washington, the truth is is there will be as much division and certainly issues like the wall and the robert mueller investigation will make it more difficult to have deals in congress and the president getting on well with the democrats. thank you very much, chris buckler in washington with the initial reaction to the state of the union address. we will have more in business briefing. will do leitmotif in new york who are gauging all of that. that is to come in about 20 minutes. —— we will go to new york.

let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. theresa may is to hold talks with the five main stormont parties on the second day of her visit to northern ireland. the democratic unionists have said she must press for changes to the brexit withdrawal agreement. but sinn fein will tell the prime minister the current backstop plan is the only way to guarantee there'll be no checks on the irish border. the australian horse trainer darren weir has been banned from racing for four years after admitting possession of three electric shock devices known asjiggers. he admitted possessing them, which 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 after his conditional release from prison. mr gbagbo 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. 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 that a number of clerics had been suspended and he vowed to do more to combat the abuse. back to our top story and democrats pleasantly surprised mr trump by awarding him a standing ovation when he said there were more women in the workforce and in congress than ever before. let's hear a little of what he had to say. all americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before. and exactly one century after congress passed the

constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote we also have more women serving in congress than at any more women serving in congress than atany time more women serving in congress than at any time before. applause. that was an interesting moment. many of those women, who were dressed in white, many of them are democrats and a new two congress and they stood up and gave him an ovation. he said you were not supposed to do that. bev shah, chief executive and founder of city hive, joins me now. good morning. i don't know if you watched the one hour and 20 minutes, i was listening to it on the radio asi i was listening to it on the radio as i travelled in. i did not see it, ijust as i travelled in. i did not see it, i just saw it as i travelled in. i did not see it, ijust saw it now. it was quite a comical moment. it was interesting that he should be the president that in its progress for women. it was impact will to see them then up in

white, which is the colour of the south reject. it is really great news for the us, particularly with ceremony other western countries having such progressive maternity and family planning laws coming in. in the us, currently there is only four states that have family leave or statutory maternity parents, which isn't a lot considering how big the country is. at the end of the day, more women are working and going back to work, it is good for the economy, good for taxes, good for everyone, good for the next generation of children. this is really great news. he didn't give much clarity on what it would look like. you wonder how much of this has been influenced by his daughter, isa has been influenced by his daughter, is a working mother. yes, absolutely. and his daughter has actually been charged with some of the progressive ideas when it comes to enabling women to get back into

work, and changes of laws to enable that to happen. an interesting statement that he made, but as you say, there is no real detail, and we don't know if anything that he has been saying today will get through congress because of the stalemate within. yes, and hopefully, well, maybe this was a sweetener for the democrats. at the end of the day, what is really important is the next generation and ensuring that ripe in a way that is going to benefit society. it can't be a bad thing. we will watch this space. you are back at it or later. stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: we look at the mounting controversy over a racial comment made by actor liam neeson. 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. you're watching the briefing. 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 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. let's look at some other news now. the us premiere of a new film 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 is racist, but the remarks, published on monday, sparked an outcry. our correspondent, nick bryant, reports from new york. after his explosive comments about rape, revenge and race... mr neeson, are you sorry for what you said? ..liam neeson arrived at this manhattan television studio not to make an apology, but to offer an explanation.

i'm not racist. he admitted to setting out to kill an innocent black man nearly 40 years ago after someone close to him was allegedly raped by a black man. would you have had the same reaction if your friend had said it was a white man? oh, definitely. if she'd said an irish or a scot or a brit or a lithuanian, i know i would've had the same effect. i was trying to... show honour to my — stand up for my dear friend in this terrible, medieval fashion. and i'm a fairly intelligent guy, and that's why it kind of shocked me when i came down to earth after having these horrible feelings. luckily, no violence occurred ever, thanks be to god. what makes you think you can 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'd sought retribution after hearing about the rape. there's been outrage at those remarks, but not universal condemnation. 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. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. we begin in oryol, russia, where a verdict is expected in the trial of dennis christensen, a danishjehovah‘s witness, who was tried under the country's anti—extremism laws. then to brussels where nato allies

will sign an accession protocol with the future republic of north macedonia. and after that, in geneva, the head of international committee, peter maurer, will hold a briefing on the humanitarian situation in iraq after returning from mosul. now, it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello, i'm marc edwards and here's your wednesday sport briefing. so far, no fond fairytale farewell for lindsey vonn. in fact, it's fair to say that the goodbye to the sport she's dominated hasn't quite gone to plan. the american was competing in the superg at the world championships in sweden when she suffered a heavy fall after clipping a gate. fellow american mikaela shiffrin went on to take gold. vonn is also due to compete in the downhill on sunday, her final event before retiring. i feel like i've been hit by an 18—wheeler,

but other than that, i'm great. my knees are the same as they were before the race, so that's good, and i'm just going to be sore. i think my neck‘s going to be sore, and i got the wind knocked out of me, so i don't know, my ribs are oddly sore, so... but i'll be fine, sunday will be great. there was a dramatic night of action in germany as bundesliga leaders borussia dortmund were sent tumbling out of the german cup at the round of 16, losing to weder bremen on penalties. let me paint the picture — 1—1 after normal time, then 2—2 in extra time. dortmund then looked to have booked their place in the next round when achraf hakimi scored with seven minutes left, but martin harnik made it 3—3 in the 119th minute. paco alcacer and then max philipp missed dortmund's first two penalty kicks,

and in the end, max kruse sending bremen into the quarterfinals. how about this for a tasty tie? barcelona host real madrid later in the copa del rey semifinal first leg. last time they faced each other, real were humiliated in a 5—1 defeat. since then, they've had little to cheer about with their fiercest rivals opening up an 8—point lead over them in la liga. barcelona have a stranglehold on this competition too, winning it for the past four years. lionel messi could be missing later, though, as he struggles with a thigh injury. the english premier league title race gets more interesting by the day. liverpool dropped points after their 1—1 draw with west ham on monday, which means manchester city can go top of the league later. they travel to everton where victory could see them overtake liverpool on goal difference. according to the bookmakers, city are title favourites once again, but pep guardiola is playing down talk of back—to—back league titles. when the harlem globetrotters are on tour,

you can always expect them to pop up with something magical. so, how about adding just a casual five more guinness world records in one day? bull bullard, one of the team's star players, set a record with a 58—foot somersault basketball shot. a metaphorical mic drop after that, while cherelle ‘torch‘ george, the first ever female globettrotter, became the first woman to do 32 basketball under—the—leg tumbles in one minute. probably quite dizzy after that, but anyway, the globetrotters now hold 21 world records. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — bbc.com/sport. but from me, mark edwards, and the rest of the sport team, that's your wednesday sport briefing. our thanks to mark and the team. the singer p!nk is celebrating being awarded a star on the hollywood walk of fame in los angeles. she was honoured after selling more than 50 million albums,

having four number one us singles and being nominated for 20 grammys since herfirst release in 2000. p!nk‘s husband and their two children turned out in support of the pop star at the ceremony on hollywood boulevard. business briefing is next. i will see you soon. good morning. as heavy rain clears its way west to east over the next couple of hours, we could start wednesday on a pretty murky note. it will be likely dry and bright. the exception to that is perhaps the fast south—east corner of the front is still slow to clear away. breezy conditions behind and a scattering of showers. a murky start with showery outbreaks of rain. the best of the brightness than the north. a breeze will drive showers

into northern ireland and western scotla nd into northern ireland and western scotland and some of those will push a bit further inland go through the day. the wind is coming from the south—west, not as cold as it has been. players values of seven to 11 degrees. the potentialfor the rain to pep up into the south—east corner during the latter stages of wednesday and into the early hours of thursday. thursday is a bit of a mess. another weather front squeezes in an act could bring some snow to higher ground perhaps during the early hours. some early morning so to clear away from the highlands. behind it, thursday will shape up to bea behind it, thursday will shape up to be a bright and breezy affair for many. that westerly wind driving in showers on those exposed west wasting close. again, it will be a largely mild day, five to 10 degrees the higher. more of a significant change to the weather story as we move into friday. an area of low pressure will start to push in front the atlantic and you can see with that low plenty of squeezing together. wins will be a significant

feature particular southern flank of the low as it moves through. some heavy rain for a time as it moves steadily north. on the southern flank we will see some strong wind. strongest of the wind in the morning to scotland, but by the middle of the afternoon we could see gus in excess of 60 miles an hour on exposed south—west coast. despite the cloud, the wind and the rain, it is going to be a largely mild day. on your thermometer, ten bridges will range between nine and 12 degrees. that area of low pressure will move steadily north and east for the start of the weekend, it is certainly worth bearing in mind that the end of the week will be windy with gusts in excess of 50 miles an hour, and, yes, there will be some rain at times. take care. this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. president trump has delivered his state of the union address and calls

it the hottest in the world period, the us economy. those are his words. we look at his claims. and who will lead the world bank? president trump is set to nominate david malpass today, a man who has criticised the institution, calling it inefficient. and on the markets: it is lunar new year. many are not working and are on holiday. many markets are closed. these two are open and slightly higher.