karishma vaswani is in singapore. mpletely full, but he clearly has trade on his mind, he's been tweeting in the last hour about the g7 summit? indeed, sally, but come tomorrow, come tuesday, his focus will very much be on this historic summit between president trump and north korea's leader, kim jong—un. between president trump and north korea's leader, kimjong—un. to remind you exactly what's at stake here, the two leaders have traded barbs with one another, they've had hostility on both sides, but now it appears that they appear to have some sort of deal that they're trying to work towards but that key question of denuclearisation, what does it mean for both north korea and the united states? are their understandings the same? all of those questions will be answered when the two men come face to face tomorrow when they meet on the island of sentosa not too far from here, sally, at 9am local time here in singapore. it's a meeting that's been anticipated with a great deal of excitement obviously, but also a great deal

karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore.washington for us tonight. chris, we thought president trump was keen to improve relationships in the region particularly with north korea — and yet here we have the us being critical of china, a country that the us previously relied on as a broker in getting the north korean regime to the negotiating table. yes, there is no doubt china has been an important ally in bringing north korea to the talks table and there will be people in the white house who will be concerned about settling international relationships with that summit now in sight. and indeed, president trump has a personal relationship he values with president xijinping, a man he regularly praises. the way china uses regularly praises. the way china uses its influence concerns many in washington, it is true that trade and also about its activities in the south china sea, when the likes of james mattis really believe it is flexing its military muscles. there have been moments of tension in recent weeks, for example, last wee

karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore.argeted two sites in the gaza strip after rockets were fired from the territory into southern israel. gaza residents said israeli aircraft struck training camps belonging to hamas. an israeli military spokesman declined to comment. there were no immediate reports of casualties. earlier, thousands of palestinians attended the funeral in gaza of 21—year—old razan al—najar — a well—known volunteer nurse who was killed by israeli fire during protests along the border on friday. our arab affairs editor sebastian usher reports. once again, thousands of mourners have filled the streets of gaza through which the body of the young woman was carried on a stretcher, wrapped in the palestinian flag. health officials and eyewitnesses said that razan al—najar, a volunteer nurse, was shot in the chest by israeli forces on friday as she ran to treat a casualty near the gaza border with israel which has been the scene of weeks of palestinian protests. her father held what had once been her white medica

karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore.ders are currently having lunch on that hotel, the capella hotel, on sentosa island, that's where rupert wingfield—hayes, our correspondent, canjoin us wingfield—hayes, our correspondent, can join us now. wingfield—hayes, our correspondent, canjoin us now. ruppert, we know what's on the menu, apparently beef short ribs and prawn cocktails, but do we know anything else that's been going on in there today? we are connected live to you, rupert wingfield—hayes, standing just outside the meeting venue we believe. we have lost rupert for now, we hope to get back to him just a little bit later. our correspondent, robin brant, is in seoulfor us. presumably he has been watching from seoul, along with lots of other south koreans, including the president himself, moon jae—in, south koreans, including the president himself, moonjae—in, who said he had a sleepless night last night because he's been so excited about this summit. robin, tell us a little bit about how the reception has been in seoul?

karishma vaswani, bbc news. has claimed more than 100 lives. a state of emergency is in place, with rescue efforts hampered by bad weather. the volcano — 50km west of the capital — first erupted last sunday. andrew plant reports. more evacuations, as the fuego volcano looming over the guatemalan landscape continues to spit smoke and fire, clouds of ash high into the air. translation: at the moment, the national civil police is evacuating the people located in the areas surrounding the mountain. there's a lot of activity at the fuego volcano, which puts the lives of everyone who's in the area at risk. a massive quantity of material could come all the way to where we are, now. sunday's deadly eruption sent a fast—moving mixture of gas and ash pouring from the volcano, burying everything nearby. this, a thriving town just a week ago, now locals are calling it ground zero. the stench of burned farm animals, they say, hangs in the air. eufemia garcia grew up here and is now searching for loved ones. my family was her

karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore.cuss removing thousands of us troops from the korean peninsula at its summit with north korea. the meeting, which has been confirmed as taking place in singapore on june 12th, is expected to focus on the denuclearisation of the peninsula. hywell griffith has more from seoul. the news that the summit is back on again has been welcomed here in seoul. a spokesman for the south korean government saying they await that moment onjune 12 with excitement. they will also have been reading between the lines in terms of what donald trump said in the white house, particularly the idea that this will become a process and not everything will be done on a deal in singapore. and, vitally, he seemed to shy away from the issue of denuclearisation and what exactly that would mean, suggesting maybe that the gap between the us‘s demand for clear, irreversible, verifiable denuclearisation is still some way away from what north korea wants as stage by stage. they will, however, have taken heart from the idea

karishma vaswani takes a look at the cost for world peace. week it will be host to two of the most volatile leaders of the planet — donald trump and kimjong un. this is where the summit is going to be held. you can see why this hotel has been chosen as the venue. it's sealed off, isolated and tucked away from the rest of the island. the perfect spot for the summit of the century. but at $500 a night, it's not cheap, and this isjust for the summit venue. imagine the total bill. and then there's the media madness. 2,500 journalists descending on singapore for the event. american television networks are flying out dozens of staff to cover it. we'll be filing for all of our platforms. it will be cbsn, which is our digital platform, our morning show cbs this morning and anything associated on the web we would be filing for. it will be quite busy for us. it's a logistical nightmare. many of singapore's busiest spots will be affected. think of this as the oxford street of singapore. the main shopping district where tourists generally come. police ha

karishma vaswani, our asia business correspondent keeping across that story.be in singapore covering this huge historic talks. he is at the istana, the singapore president's official residence. there is where donald trump and his motorcade hasjust arrived to meet with the singapore prime minister, lee hsien loong. they are preparing to meet. what is it like over there? well, we have just it like over there? well, we havejust a it like over there? well, we have just a few minutes ago... we were standing on the street corner, the presidential office is up the hill behind me and we saw donald trump pass motorcade swing past us in all its glory and it's something to behold —— donald trump's. more impressive than kim jong—un's also very impressive motorcade, which we saw yesterday. donald trump has gone in for his one—on—one bilateral meeting with prime minister lee hsien loong. lee hsien loong of course is the host of this, so he's not an intermediary, but he is seeing donald trump, and last night, kim jong—un, but he is seeing donald trump, and last night, kimjon

karishma vaswani joins us.el for kim jong un and we can see a media behind you. this is a very big event. absolutely. just to give you a sense of the scale and the excitement about this event here in singapore, the media have been camped out for the last few hours, in fact since last night, at the hotel where kimjong in fact since last night, at the hotel where kim jong un in fact since last night, at the hotel where kimjong unis in fact since last night, at the hotel where kimjong un is staying. we don't know whether he has left the hotel or not. as far as we understand he is still inside. there have been reports that he may venture out later today but that is unconfirmed as yet. and all eyes are on that historic meeting between the north korean leader and president trump, when they sit face to face against one another at the same table, rather, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock on the island of sentosa not far from nine o'clock on the island of sentosa not farfrom here. the big topic on the agenda is how far e

karishma vaswani, bbc news, in singapore.ant is the agreement reached between president trump and kimjong—un, and what has the international reaction been? our diplomatic correspondent paul adams has more. a new dawn, or a false dawn? what have we just witnessed in singapore, and what happens next? a few months ago, a summit would have been inconceivable. north korea was racing towards a full nuclear capability. donald trump was issuing threats and insults. he is a sick puppy. little rocket man. but the dynamics have changed, thanks in part to the efforts of south korea's president, moonjae—in. his highly symbolic meeting with kim jong—un setting the stage for today's summit. there were gestures, too. north korea destroying tunnels once used to test nuclear warheads, and allowing three american citizens held in the north to go home. but the prelude is over. the real talks have now begun. what are we to make of the first signed document? donald trump and kim jong—un have agreed to establish a new relationship. they say they wi

this was karishma vaswani on the news at one. and then another handshake, to seal the deal. but who was this a better deal for? no details, no mention of whether this denuclearisation process will be verifiable or irreversible. one might wonder what's actually been achieved at this summit. john gray was watching that bulletin and wondered... jay oatman agreed. well, the bbc‘s seoul correspondent laura bicker was in singapore for the summit on tuesday. she's now at her base in south korea. laura, what was it like covering this summit? a little bit surreal, because you're watching the president of the united states meet a north korean leader, and all the hype surrounding it, not only that, you had the north koreans arrive in singapore, this kind of heart of capitalism. and as they paraded through the streets, you could see crowds just forming, trying to get a glimpse of the north korean leader, because this is a man who's hardly been out of his country since he took power in 2011. i think for me, as well, it was an enormous privilege to spend the morning with south koreans in

this was karishma vaswani on the news at one. and then another handshake, to seal the deal.o mention of whether this denuclearisation process will be verifiable or irreversible. one might wonder what's actually been achieved at this summit. john gray was watching that bulletin and wondered... jay 0atman agreed.

karishma vaswani, bbc news, singapore.spondent rupert wingfield—hayes is outside the summit hotel, and we can speak to him now. good morning. we used to diplomacy moving at a snails pace, not tonight. we don't even know... we know they've gone for a signing but we don't know of what yet? indeed we don't. that sums up the conundrum we are all in covering this summit today. we've seen extraordinary scenes here in singapore at the hotel on sentosa island behind me we re hotel on sentosa island behind me were the two leaders have been meeting. we saw them arrive in their limousines, we saw them walk together onto the red carpet with american and north korean flags, a phalanx of them, behind the two leaders as they made that historic first handshake. then went into a one—on—one meeting followed by a wider bilateral meeting with their advisers beside them. then they went for a working lunch. at each stage donald trump in a killer saying he was excited, it was going to be a tremendous meeting, it was going to bea tremendous meeti

from there, karishma vaswani has just sent this report.t, including from the united states and china to stop and whenever the two sides are in the same room, they usually argue about the same thing in the china's power in the region and the impact on its neighbours. china's militarization of artificial agers in the south china sea includes the appointment of anti—ship missiles, service to air missiles, electronic jammers and more recently, the landing of bomber aircraft. despite china's claims to the contrary i ,itis , it is strictly tied to military use and coercion. china says it owns all of the south china sea from a lucrative and strategic shipping zone even the six other countries lay claim to it. it's been building military installations in the area and critics say beijing has a silenced condemnation of its actions either by paying off its asian allies or by bullying them. translation: is within china's subject to —— sovereignty to deploy... everyone who makes comments on this this try to interfere in china's internal affairs. it's n

karishma vaswani, bbc news, in singapore.i vaidya nathan in washington. but first let's talk to our world affairs correspondent, nick beake, in singapore. it was not short on drama. what we wait to see it's really the devil in the detail. how much detail there really is. absolutely. it is midnight here in singapore, the end of the day of extraordinary political theatre. amazing when you think about the insults these world leaders were hurling at each other just a year ago. but now we see the fire inferior replaced by handshakes and smiles. yes, what exactly have they achieved? the american contingent in singapore were saying that the key aspect of any agreement they signed with the verification, thatis they signed with the verification, that is to say people going in and making sure the north koreans have done exactly what they signed up to do. that was not in the document. however, in this extraordinary press conference resident trump gave, it went on for more than an hour, he said that he had in fact received an assurance f

from there karishma vaswani sent this report. the united states is here to stay in asia. the message us defence secretary james mattis had for his asian counterparts in singapore today. but he also warned of china's increasing influence. and whenever the two sides are in the same room, they usually argue about the same thing: china's power in the region and the impact on its neighbours. china's militarisation of artificial features in the south china sea includes the deployment of anti—ship missiles, surface—to—air missiles, electronic jammers, and more recently, the landing of bomber aircraft on woody island. despite china's claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion. china says it owns all of the south china sea, a lucrative and strategic shipping zone, even though six other countries lay claim to it. it has been building military installations in the area, and critics say beijing has silenced condemnation of its actions, either by paying off its asian allies or by bullyin

with less than two weeks to go, karishma vaswani reports from the location picked to host the historicekend for the top security summit in the region and singapore is taking no chances with this event. a massive contingent of police sealed off the venue. i was here just yesterday and there was nothing. this security apparatus has literally turned up overnight. singapore is very used to getting ready for these sorts of events very quickly. all of this is a dress rehearsal for the summit of the century between president trump and north korea's kimjong—un which will be held in singapore in just under two weeks. singapore is no stranger to hosting these sorts of high—profile meetings. in 2015, it was the venue for the historic china—taiwan summit. one of the reasons it was chosen was because it had good relations with both sides. singapore has a reputation for being efficient and safe and positions itself as a neutral player on the global stage. and for someone like president trump, it doesn't hurt that it also boasts a picture perfect skyline for those photo opportunities. and behind the

asia business correspondent karishma vaswani is joining us.inister of singapore. we are both singaporean and there has been criticism over us having to foot the bill for kim jong—un and his delegation. what did the foreign minister tell you? yes, there has been a lot of resentment, it is fair to say, that singapore has become the glamorous backdrop for this event. it also has to pay for the security, the logistical challenge. this morning, confirmed to me by the singaporean foreign minister, they are also footing the bill for the north korean delegation and kim jong—un‘s hotel expenses. the minister said to me this is all part of what he would extend to any visitor coming to singapore, but it has raised a great deal of concern among singaporeans, it is fair to say. more importantly, the minister also told me he met with both president trump and kim jong—un last night and said both of these men appear supremely confident, supremely confident leaders, and they also appear to want to get something significant done from this summit. i spoke to him

our correspondent karishma vaswani caught up with the tim huxley, the executive director of the iiss the region are. the first task for an american leader in this region when he's talking about america's security role is to provide reassurance to america's allies, partners and other countries that would like to see the united states continuing its regional security role on a long—term basis. regional security role on a long-term basis. it does seem that any form of demutualisation would come with some sort of us withdrawal from the region, how do you view that as a scenario? that would be deeply disturbing for south korea andjapan deeply disturbing for south korea and japan because they would be left to defend themselves more than is the case at the moment. i think the united states will need to be very careful to reassure off south korea andjapan careful to reassure off south korea and japan about the nature of any deal with north korea. and japan about the nature of any dealwith north korea. narendra modi is the keynote speech at this dialogue, how much of the counterbalance can in

from there karishma vaswani has just sent this report.no chances with security. after all, defence ministers and representatives from all over the world a re representatives from all over the world are attending the event, including from the united states and china. and whenever the two sides are in the same room, they usually argued about the same thing, china's power in the region and the impact on its neighbours. china's militarization of artificial features in the south china sea includes the deployment of anti—ship missiles, surface missiles, electronicjammers missiles, surface missiles, electronic jammers and more recently, the landing of bomber aircraft on whidbey island. despite china's claims to the contrary the place of these weapons system is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion. china says it owns all of the south china sea, a lucrative and strategic shipping zone, even though six other countries lay claim to it. it's been building military installations in the area and critics say beijin

karishma vaswani is in singapore. you have had quite a week! tell us about zte!zt e! no you have had quite a week! tell us about zte! no more north korea for today(!) just to remind audiences about what happened with this company, effectively, it became a bargaining chip between the united states and china in the us china trade war, the company back in april was effectively crippled because of a band that was slapped on american supplies for seven years, not allowed to sell any of their goods to zte and remember at least one quarter of the things that they make, products like smartphones and network equipment, most of that comes from the united states, they we re comes from the united states, they were pretty much put out of business, and that happen because zte did not end up disciplining some of its executives who basically invaded us sanctions on iran and north korea, things improved, because as i was saying, this company became a pawn between washington and beijing, president trump waded in to save the company, still many changes that they will have to deal w

karishma vaswani takes a look at the cost for world peace.ingapore's resort island of sentosa. it is known as the island of peace and tranquillity. but next week it will host two of the most volatile world leaders on the planet. donald trump and kim jong—un. this is where the summit is going to be held. you can see why this hotel has been chosen as the venue. it is sealed off, isolated, and tucked away from the rest of the island. the perfect spot for the summit of the century. but at $500 a night it is not cheap, and this is just for the summit venue. imagine the total bill. and then there is the total bill. and then there is the media madness. the 500 journalists descending on singapore for the event. —— 2500. american television networks are flying out dozens television networks are flying out d oze ns of television networks are flying out dozens of staff to cover it. they will be filing for all of our platforms, add digital platform, our morning show, and anything associated on the web, we will be filing for that. it will be quite busy fo

the sectors which are likely to benefit from the new ruling karishma vaswani is in singapore for us. of small but significant step from china this week on the trade front. it appeared to ease restrictions on foreign investments in the sectors you mention, including agriculture and banking, two of the big sectors that foreign investors have been looking at for many decades now. this is part of a response to criticism from the united states that beijing is not doing enough to address trade imbalance between the two sides. we have consistently heard from the trump administration that china practices what the us calls on fair trade and this appears to be something beijing is trying to do to appease washington. from a nalysts do to appease washington. from analysts i have spoken to, it is unlikely to appease the united states because some of these measures have frankly been expected. they had been rolled out over the last couple of days. they will not go into effect until the end of july. but certainly, many of the measures were things beijing talked about in the past and promised in the

karishma vaswani is in singapore. tell us more about this.es are thought to have brought in a loot worth some of the biggest amounts we have seen a malaysian history. one police commissioner saying it is their biggest loot in malaysian history. police say it took three days, six cash counter machines and 22 officials from the central bank to count the money found that the premises. police have seized a total of 567 handbags, in 37 different brands, for many of our audience who may be familiar with one of the handbags, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, one hermes bag. 400 watches, 234 pairs of sunglasses and jewellery, 12,000 pieces, all of this worth around $270 million. so a massive amount of money. i'm sure i could make use of a handbag or two. money. i'm sure i could make use of a handbag ortwo. for money. i'm sure i could make use of a handbag or two. for now, thank you. and on the markets, asian shares were asian share were under stress on wednesday as further falls in chinese stocks and the yuan sent ripples across the region. the

karishma vaswani, bbc news, in singapore.north korea, we may be some way away from that but there is the beginnings of a personal relationship here and we area a personal relationship here and we are a long way on from where we were six months ago. mike pompeo said just the other day that if the men got on that would be a framework to build, and already donald trump has said somewhere down the line is open to the idea of kimjong—un travelling to washington and he's open to the idea of going to pyongyang. let's take a look at the diplomatic reaction around the region. a new dawn, or a false dawn? what have we just witnessed in singapore, and what happens next? a few months ago, a summit would have been inconceivable. north korea was racing towards a full nuclear capability. donald trump was issuing threats and insults. he is a sick puppy. little rocket man. but the dynamics have changed, thanks in part to the efforts of south korea's president, moonjae—in. his highly symbolic meeting with kim jong—un setting the stage for toda

this was karishma vaswani on the news at one. and then another handshake, to seal the deal.mmit. john gray was watching that bulletin and wondered... jay oatman agreed. well, the bbc‘s seoul correspondent laura bicker was in singapore for the summit on tuesday. she's now at her base in south korea. laura, what was it like covering this summit? a little bit surreal, because you're watching the president of the united states meet a north korean leader, and all the hype surrounding it. not only that, you had the north koreans arrive in singapore, this kind of heart of capitalism. and as they paraded through the streets, you could see crowds just forming, trying to get a glimpse of the north korean leader, because this is a man who's hardly been out of his country since he took power in 2011. i think for me, as well, it was an enormous privilege to spend the morning with south koreans in singapore who were watching the summit. they were incredibly emotional. they told me their hearts were in their mouths, there were people calling their mums who were born in north korea. and tha