from there, laura bicker reports.e and attention, it has taken under two weeks of talks for north and south korea to agree on a few things, at least. the two sides will walk together under one flag at the opening ceremony of the winter olympics. the women's hockey team will be made up of athletes from both koreas, the first and they have competed together at an olympic games. this is bobsled diplomacy. the two sides have come to an agreement surprisingly quickly. but some fear it may come at a cost. is this just propaganda from the north, while kim jong—un continues to build weapons will stop it seems the south korean government is prepared to ta ke korean government is prepared to take that chance. there are obviously calculations going on in the north korean decision—makers as to their actions, bus, the north korean decision—makers as to theiractions, bus, i the north korean decision—makers as to their actions, bus, i think, the north korean decision—makers as to theiractions, bus, ithink, in the end, we have to mak

laura bicker joined us a short time ago. laura, what has been the reaction to this idea of a united korea at the olympics? laura: there have been 2 reactions. the south koreans are delighted but hesitant to go too far in celebrating, because there are suspicions around kim jong-un's motives, and the japanese foreign minister has said it may well be that pyongyang is playing for time while it continues with its nuclear ambitions. south korea has a tough diplomatic line to take. on the one hand, they are here with the international community pushing for further sanctions, pushing for the full effect of -- full letter of the law on the current sanctions, and on the other, they are extending this hand of friendship to kim jong-un, getting into the negotiating table, hoping it can keep him there to talk about denuclearization. this is a double pronged attack that the government is taking. earlier, i sat down with the foreign minister and asked her -- first of all, i asked her about donald trump's tweeting and whether that makes he

laura bicker, bbc news, seoul.jane: it was a year ago that gunfire rang out in a mosque quÉbec city -- mosque in quebec city, leaving six people dead. the toll could have been much worse if it had not been for the actions of a man shot seven times as he tried to protect others and woke up in hospital two months later to learn he was paralyzed from the waist down. now the community is rallying behind him, raising funds for a home modified to meet his needs. tonight he tells us his story. >> so i was staring at him, at his face. i saw bullets coming towards me. i was unconscious. a story of a man who recently wants to be able to find somewhere to live to return home with his wife and three young children. now, "three billboards outside ebbing, missouri" is the story of a grieving mother's fight for justice. it has been nominated for seven academy awards, and after her best actress win at the golden globes, star frances mcdormand is getting plenty of oscar buzz. arts editor will gompertz has been speaking to writer-di

you are competing, laura bicker, with the sound of a helicopter.f south koreans with the two koreans competing under the same flag? we willjust wait for this to go by. inaudible. all right, we would like to apologise. the sound of the hovering helicopter is too much for laura's voice. we would to thank herforjoining much for laura's voice. we would to thank her forjoining from the mountains of pyeongchang, the site of the winter olympics. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the oscar nominations and fantasy romance, the shape of water, leads this year's field with 13 nominations. also on the programme. tributes to hugh masekela whose music gave voice to the struggles of south africa during apartheid. the people of saigon have just heard that, at last, there is to be a ceasefire. the reaction of american servicemen was predictable. i'm going home. demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on

laura bicker there.e more on korea and those talks inafew have more on korea and those talks in a few minutes. also this hour... a former cia officer has been arrested in the us where reports say he is suspected of helping china. he worked for the cia between 1994 and 2007 when he moved to hong kong. 20 cia informant in china were killed oi’ cia informant in china were killed or jailed. cia informant in china were killed orjailed. our security correspondent says the breach was disastrous. this is the worst nightmare for spy agency, to watch agents in another country, nationals of china in this case, providing intelligence to the cia, being rolled up. not just intelligence to the cia, being rolled up. notjust arrested, but in some cases actually executed for spying for the cia. they started in 2010 and went on to two years. it leads to questions about why... there is a possibility it was a communications compromise, perhaps hacking into their systems. but also that fear of being somebody who has betrayed

laura bicker in the south korean capital.e transparent elections byjuly and will respect the result if the opposition wins. the election will be the first big test of his legitimacy since he took power after the military ousted robert mugabe. he was speaking to mishal husain at the world economic forum in davos, his first tv interview since the inauguration. let's talk about zimbabwe's relations with other countries. now, president trump is on his way to davos, i wonder what you thought when you heard about his reported comments about some african countries being s***holes?. yes, i have my foreign minister somewhere here, he informed me about that but he has also told me that he has since denied. nonetheless, we are a block, also the continental block. that is the eu. i have informed the minister of foreign affairs that the eu made a statement representing us all. also sadiq made a statement representing us all. would it affect how you interact with president trump in the future? pardon? would it affect how you interact with

our correspondent, laura bicker, is in seoul. laura?ion in south korea to put these two hockey teams together. certainly there's a feeling among many of the people here that they are jeopardising south korea's chances at these dams. meanwhile, the other breaking news is that north korea hasissued breaking news is that north korea has issued within their state media a statement saying that north korea is calling for unification with south korea, reiterating kim jong—un‘s new year message, and it says on the state media statement they will smash any country that tries to get between north and south korea. meanwhile preparations for the olympics are well under way. yesterday we tried to show you a little bit of what was going on, but we we re little bit of what was going on, but we were interrupted by a helicopter. here are some of the police preparations ahead of the opening ceremony. this team is tasked with keeping world leaders and athletes safe at events being held just 15 miles from the north korean border. in this scenario, terroris

from there, laura bicker reports.. open ceremony at the winter olympics. the first time that they will compete together. this is bob slade diplomacy. the two that have come to an agreement surprisingly quickly. some fear that it will come at a cost. is this just propaganda from the north while they continued to build up their weapons. they're obviously calculation is going on, as to the actions, but i think, in the end we have to make the most of it. the problem —— the end we have to make the most of it. the problem -- the problem is north korea still which talk about ending its nuclear weapons programme. another reason there is some doubt about kim jong—un and —— kim jong—un‘s intentions. some doubt about kim jong—un and —— kim jong-un's intentions. we all wa nt kim jong-un's intentions. we all want that discussion to take place. as the olympic torch weaves its way through career, its neighbours to the north are perhaps the toughest sanctions to date. we are getting a lot of evidence that the sanctions are released at

the bbc‘s laura bicker was at the news conference and asked this question: you have pursued this policynt. the us policy is one of maximum pressure. is there not potential for a flashpoint between those two ways, and how will you deal with it? thank you. translation: it is a practical concern. it is the actual concern we have, because we have close bonds with the us and we have been working closely together against north korea's nuclear programme. as much as international bodies, organisations, put great pressure on north korea to resolve this nuclear issue, we, south korea, is trying to bring north korea to the table to open a dialogue. however, when the pressure from international community goes up so high, obviously in consequence, the tension between south and north can only be increased. this needs to be dealt with extremely carefully. we need to give very deep thinking. at the moment they came out to talk with this. this is talk, north korea. they came out to improve the inter—korean relationship, the tension that north korea input for this talk. so i think this is a good start. t

laura bicker reports from seoul.nues in gangneung. this is just an advanced party, this isjust an inspection, but the decision to merge the two teams has proved to be controversial here in south korea. there's a feeling here they may be jeopardising their own medal chances to engage with the north, however, they will go ahead and they'll play their first friendly match against sweden in just over a week's time. this is part of a continuing flurry of talks between the north and the south, just as the north team is coming south, there's suddenly a southern team coming back from the north after inspecting ski resorts, the whole joint ski training and north korea with the two teams. also it's been announced there will be a joint arts concert on the february the eighth and the 11th between north and south and further dates and venues are due to be announced as the schedule is finalised. now, i have to say, when you speak to people here, there are different reactions to what's going on. some fear that this is simply a prop

the bbc‘s laura bicker was at the news conference.f the maximum pressure. is there not a potentialfor a flashpoint between those two policies and how will you deal with it? translation: it is a practical concern, an extra concern we have the ‘cause we do have a close bond with the us and we have been working closely together against north korea‘s nuclear programme. as close as international bodies, organisations, to create pressure on north korea to resolve the nuclear issue. we, south korea, are trying to bring north korea to the table to open dialogue. however, when pressure from the international community those up so high, obviously inconsequence, the tension between north and south can only increase. this needs to be dealt with extremely carefully. we need deep thinking. at the moment they have come out to talk to us. this is talk. north korea came out to improve the into korean relationship. i think this is a good start. ajudge in san francisco has locked president trump from ending the programme that protects children of illega

laura bicker reports from seoul.ced party, this isjust an inspection, but the decision to merge the two teams has proved to be controversial here in south korea. there's a feeling here they may be jeopardising their own medal chances to engage with the north, however, they will go ahead and they'll play their first friendly match against sweden in just over a week's time. this is part of a continuing flurry of talks between the north and the south, just as the north team is coming south, there's suddenly a southern team coming back from the north after inspecting ski resorts, they'll hold joint ski training and north korea with the two teams. also it's been announced there will be a joint arts concert on the february the eighth and the 11th between north and south and further dates and venues are due to be announced as the schedule is finalised. now, i have to say, when you speak to people here, there are different reactions to what's going on. some fear that this is simply a propaganda exercise by the north, but the

our correspondent laura bicker is in vancouver for the 20—nation talks.oreign leaders have now left, but they left just as the news broke that north korea and south korea have come to this agreement about marching under one flag for those olympic games and creating one women's hockey team. these are small steps, but they are incredibly significant steps. it is met with joy and hope in south korea, but amongst the international community there is some scepticism. they are worried about the motives of kim jong—un. is he doing is to buy time for his nuclear programme, is it a propaganda stunt? they are pushing for the centres to be held to the letter of the law and to continue despite this in diplomacy. i sat down with the south korean foreign ministerjust after the news broke with these talks and i asked her exactly why did north korea come to the table now, was it the threat of military action from the united states? i think we understand north korea better than anybody, having dealt with north korea for decades, having had a series of discussions. we have

let's get more from our correspondent laura bicker in seoul.e the more we hear about it. it seems that the fire broke out early this morning here in south korea, firefighters were called and some of the pictures, smoke billowing from the pictures, smoke billowing from the building and a number of elderly residents on second and third floors with rags to their faces trying to get out. it seems a combination of firefighters and local residents came to the rescue, ladders were put up, people were brought out of the hospital, there were 194 patients in the hospital at the time, many of them were in the nursing annex for elderly people, so many of them quite old and infirm. there are pictures of people carrying them on their backs to try to get them free of the fire. now, the blue house president moon has confirmed he has convened an emergency meeting, search and rescue teams have been sent there to see what assistance they can provide. there is also going to be an investigation into how this could happen. just over one months ago in december, 29 pe

women's ice hockey team for the games which will be held in south korea. 0ur seoul correspondent laura bickerigns of friendliness and she emphasised the need for humanitarian assistance for the northern neighbours. i'm very clear, my government is very clear, that despite the difficulty of the situation for humanitarian assistance needs to take place. north korea is a chronic case of humanitarian need. un agencies do a very good job of making sure the assista nts very good job of making sure the assistants goes to those who need it. these are things. medication, nutritional supplements. and vaccines. un agencies are suffering because of lack of funds. there is fatigue in the international community about the situation in north korea. so my government is very clear that despite nuclear missile ; there but 2. there iii:— alw work. . 7 .. ., ah" work. the .. ,7,,,., cata la n catalan parliament has opened for the first time since the regional administration was dismissed in 0ctoberfor administration was dismissed in october for attempting to break away from spain. the three parties are trying to

the bbc seoul correspondence is laura bicker. she is in vancouver at the moment for these talks.e she is taking us through what is being said there. i've been speaking to the south korean foreign minister, who has... i recently put it to her this could bea i recently put it to her this could be a propaganda effort on the half of the north. still when it comes to those talks denuclearisation is not on the agenda. but she said they are dealing with north korea with clear eyes. south korea is in the best position to take part in the talks. they so vain know their neighbour better than anybody else. —— they say they know their neighbour. people have been saying they are slightly sceptical of north korea's motives for taking part and that after the olympics will this in fact lead to further talks and further dialogue about getting rid of nuclear weapons? any hope it is true but what they say here is they are not sure they can believe them. here in vancouver what they've been talking about is cracking down further on north korea, further sanctions and enforcing the current sanctions an

our correspondent laura bicker has been speaking to the south korean foreign minister about signs ofclear, my government is clear despite the situation, humanitarian assistance needs to ta ke humanitarian assistance needs to take place. north korea is a classic case of humanitarian need. un agencies do a very good job of making sure the assistance goes to those who needed. these are things, medication, nutritional supplements. and vaccines. un agencies are suffering because of lack of funds. because there is fatigue in the international community about the situation in north korea. my government is very clear that despite the situation with the nuclear missile programme, as a matter of principle, that is written in fact into the security council resolutions, yes, there are sanctions, but there is always an exemption for humanitarian work. the south korean foreign minister. thank you for being with us. i don't know whether you heard what the foreign minister was saying. whether you heard what the foreign minister was sayinglj whether you heard what the foreign minister was saying. i d

laura bicker reports from seoul.in the building. many were elderly. those who escaped needed urgent treatment. 0thers died on their way to hospital, most from smoke inhalation. firefighters said they did everything they could. translation: we prevented the fire from spreading to the second floor in the early stages. so that we can secure the second, third, fourth and fifth floors. as crews inspected the blackened shell of the hospital it was revealed that no water sprinklers had been installed. this is the deadliest blaze in a decade in south korea and the government said there will be a thorough investigation. translation: the president has ordered an investigation to find out the exact cause of the fire and come up the exact cause of the fire and come up with measures to prevent more fires at building complexes, as well as preparing support measures to prom ptly as preparing support measures to promptly cope with the personnel and property damage caused by the spire. just this month, 29 people were killed in a fire

from seoul, our correspondent laura bicker reports.in the building. many were elderly. those who escaped needed urgent treatment. 0thers died on their way to hospital, most from smoke inhalation. firefighters said they did everything they could. translation: we prevented the fire from spreading to the second floor in the early stages, so that we could secure the second, third, fourth and fifth floors. as crews inspect the blackened shell of the hospital, it was revealed that no water sprinklers had been installed. this is the deadliest blaze in a decade in south korea, and the government said there would be a thorough investigation. translation: the president has ordered an investigation to figure out the exact cause of the fire and come up with measures to prevent more fires at building complexes, as well as preparing support measures to promptly cope with the personnel and property damage caused by this fire. just last month, 29 people were killed in a fire in a sports centre in sejong. an inquiry found there were too few emergency e