when we spoke to mr hill, he said definitely not pyongyang but ina he said definitely not pyongyang butou think that should be? in the past the south koreans have posted historic diplomatic meetings on an island off the southern tip of the korean eyre peninsula. it is formally labelled as the island of peace and this is the ideal setting of this meeting if it were to happen but there are many details that need to be worked out. it is still a bumpy and hard road, even may which is frankly around the corner. something could still go wrong? what could that potentially be. for the meeting takes place, the us and south korea have military exercises in april. could this military exercise jeopardise that meeting? well, so far, what we know of the north korean commitments and state m e nts north korean commitments and statements are all through the south koreans at this stage. kim jong—un kim jong—un reportedly said he's a k with the military exercise in april but events after that, a number of details, the meeting between two leaders, a lot of the details as you are in the amount could present

i do not think that if it happens i do not think that donald trump will go to pyongyang.arised zone, the other obvious option would be china. it could be seen and it is that —— and it could be seen and as an honest broker. they have organised the six party talk process. people remember this went on the years, rounds and rounds of talks in indian north korea it seemed it had agreed, to give up its nuclear weapons programme, and then all of a sudden it pulled out so china has seen north korea pullout of these sort of talks before and, of course, they will be under no illusion of these just being a first step but nevertheless it will be definitely welcomed here in beijing. much more to come, more on that historic announcement. the first time, serving american president will sit down with the of north korea. the numbers of dead and wounded defied belief. this the worst terrorist atrocity on european soil in modern times. in less than 2a hours then the soviet union lost an elderly sick leader and replaced him with a dynamic figure 20 years his junior. we heard these gunshots i

do you think president trump would agree to meet him in pyongyang?korea. beijing? maybe north america? where do you think would be the perfect place for this meeting?‘ meeting in pyongyang or anywhere in north korea is a bridge too far for president trump and also, we just don't know where something like this would take place. these are two men who are in many ways very alike. they are both paranoid, they both crave attention, they both crave a cce pta nce crave attention, they both crave acceptance and so we just don't know what it will take for either leader in the space they would be co mforta ble in the space they would be comfortable and we need to find out from both the trump administration and the north korean leadership, who will be the initial teams and players who will engage in these talks. one thing we have to make clear, while we do have a secretary of state who will certainly be at the table, there is no acting undersecretary in the state department to begin these lower level talks because what happens is, these talks work from the bott

and boys from south korea have been meeting north korea's leader kim jong un in pyongyang the delegates are the first south korean officials to meet kim since he took power at the end of twenty eleven south korean president moon j.n. has sent them to try to get pyongyang talking to washington and of conflict problems bryant has more from seoul. the delegation is now in pyongyang and this controversial visit is underway supporters say any chance of dialogue with north korea should be grabbed with both hands but critics argue that south korea is giving too much away with no guarantees that these talks will lead anywhere before the delegation even left seoul there was no confirmation that they would be meeting with kim jong un the north korean leader but soon after they landed they were hosted at a dinner by the north korean leader that combined with the seniority of the officials that were there to greet the delegates and also the fact that the delegation is being put up in an official guest house is all evidence according to

luxury goods inside pyongyang shops.two singaporean companies have violated sanctions against north korea. tens of thousands of farmers in the western indian state of maharashtra have ended their protest after marching to the state capital, mumbai. they were complaining about prices and land rights but have called off the protest after meeting state ministers. that story is popular on bbc.com let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the japan times reports that the ministry of finance has admitted to altering documents linked to the 2016 sale of state land to a nationalist school operator. it says the revelation could have implications for prime minister shinzo abe. the times reports that he has apologised but that he strongly denies any involvement in the decision to sell off the land. there's another apology in the south china morning post which covers the poor showing by some opposition politicians in hong kong's legislative council by—election. it describes the loss of the previous pan—democratic

this is a shop in pyongyang, selling branded watches, handbags and alcohol.h are banned under un sanctions and singapore law as well. now, a leaked un report claims there is evidence of at least one singaporean company selling luxury goods in north korea as recently as lastjuly. there are two singaporean companies named in the un report. they both shared the same direct and un report. they both shared the same directand up un report. they both shared the same direct and up until late last year they also share the same address. here at this building. the main allegation against them in the report that we have seen is that they received funds in singapore for doing business in north korea. both singaporean companies deny any wrongdoing. according to the un, in 1997, singapore's ocn opened an account with north korea's credit bank. it later change the account's name. but account was allegedly used to tra nsfer name. but account was allegedly used to transfer money to goods sold in north korea to its account in singapore. when 2011 and 2014, when sanctions had al

. —— kim jong—un. sees concrete steps or actions by pyongyang. —— kimjong—un.a life—saving medicine in 2015. the first aid convoy since the beginning of the week has crossed the front line into eastern ghouta year damascus. shelling force many trucks to turn back on monday. and british military personnel have been deployed to salisbury to help in the investigation into the intended murder of a russian double agent sergei skripal. before our next programme, let renew these pictures

we could date ta ke will go to pyongyang. we could date take place? option would be china. it could be seen and it is that —— and it could be seen and as an honest broker. they have organised the six party talk process. people remember this went on the years, rounds and rounds of talks in indian north korea it seemed it had agreed, to give up its nuclear weapons programme, and then all of a sudden it pulled out so china has seen north korea pullout of these sort of talks before and, of course, they will be under no illusion of these just being a first step but nevertheless it will be definitely welcomed here in beijing. there will be the worry that the rest of the world is being played, won't that? that they have done this before, and it could be a political win in front ofa man it could be a political win in front of a man who sees himself as the ultimate deal breaker because ultimately north korea wants to separate south korea from us? yes, the thing is, from the chinese did though, they like washington, though not going to go along with north korea

high level meeting between a south korean delegation and the north korean leader kim jong il in pyongyang they've agreed to install a hotline between the two leaders to deescalate military tensions and north korea to freeze nuclear and missile tests during the dialogue the south says pyongyang is willing to talk to the u.s. to discuss giving up its weapons it said it wouldn't need them if it's a. curity was guaranteed the u.s. has previously said it would only hold talks if those talks lead to north korea's denuclearization washington has given it a cautious reaction was donald trump tweeting we'll see what happens rob right now from so. the delegation arrived back in seoul clearly delighted the mission had achieved all its objectives and more most importantly an apparent commitment from north korea to denuclearize under the right conditions that. north korea made it clear that there will be no reason to possess nuclear

progress in pyongyang as north korean leader kim jong un indicates he may be willing to suspend this nuclear program the whole talks with south korea and the united states. alone barbara sorry you're watching out live from london also coming up on the program russia for is a syrian rebels that safe passage out of eastern as the number killed in the last sixteen days reaches eight hundred plus. to take innocent life. unsanctioned. a warning from britain after a russian former spy and the daughter are found unconscious in southern england and st lanka declares a state of emergency and curfew to stop attacks on muslims. after years of refusals and threats of war north korean leader kim jong il and finally seems willing to discuss suspending his nuclear program to engage in talks with the united states the us state department has confirmed it will be holding a meeting with south korea later this week to the sky potential denuclearization talks with pyongyang it follows an agreement between the korean states to hold a historic summit of their own expounds from seoul years rolled with prid

trump wants to see nuclear weapons removed from pyongyang.that, it is a vile state run by a very small elite and they depend on the nuclear weapons for safety. you have been to both north and south korea? i spent a long time with dissidents, somebody in the special forces with north korea, he said that during the sunshine policy, which won a nobel prize, they were ramping up ideas of how to attack cities in the south, how to use nerve agents, building up stockpiles of nuclear and biological weapons. they are talking about very different things. north korea are talking about things such as demilitarisation, denuclearisation of the korean peninsular and a removal of the threat. what they are really saying they don't want america and american weapons on the peninsula. it is a very different thing. people always talk, they want to hear talks, they want to see people getting around the table together. but nobody comes up with, where is the deal? there is no deal, because pyongyang will not remove its weaponry and can't be trusted. and the world ca

yet the visit comes ahead of planned summits between the north and the south as well as between pyongyang and washington d.c. so we have two correspondents following this story we'll get to kathy novak in seoul in a moment but let's speak to adrian brown first in the chinese capital in adrian i mean what does this say about chinese influence the fact that these two leaders have that and china certainly putting a stamp of. the matter ahead of the north koreans future meetings with both south korea and the u.s. . absolutely right so this is a real diplomatic triumph for president xi jinping he has pulled off a coup on the world stage just weeks after he was cemented his position as china's most powerful leader in more than four decades because it is he and not president donald trump who has become the first world leader to meet kim jong un and remember this was not just kim jong un's first visit to china it was his first visit outside of the country since becoming that country's leader more than six years ago the two leaders talked and that talking is going to continue china is hopeful now

arsenal rather this is after their allies were headquarters here in doha also coming up peace envoy to pyongyang a new initiative launched by south korea to ease tension with the north we're live in seoul with those details also polls open in italy at an hour in the country's general election but no party is expected to win enough votes to form a majority government and an anxious wait for german chancellor angela merkel as her rival parties membership votes on a coalition which could decide her political future. good to have you company syrian government forces continue to bombard the rebel held eastern ghouta near damascus now these latest pictures published by syria state news agency appear to show night operations by government fighters activists say government forces have taken almost control of the town of shame. for the year in the past two weeks more than six hundred people have been killed that syrian airplanes have been dropping leaflets telling people to leave the area but residents say that's just not an option they know how to reports off beirut and neighboring lebanon. oh. sure is

six months ago he warned he would fire and fury on pyongyang.it with kim jong—un suggests that this is a war that trump cannot win. is this evidence that his method of threats and mockery is delivering? the optimistic hope is that two mavericks may make a deal. i think that is unlikely. the truth is that donald trump has a habit of being boastful and underneath it, very different things are happening. he has gone out on a limb already and made promises, he has given away one of his cards. the truth is they are talking about different things. donald trump wants to see nuclear weapons removed from pyongyang. pyongyang will not do that because it is a failed state run by an elite that steal and take everything and they depend on those weapons for safety. and you have been there. i spent time early last year there and i heard that during the sunshine policy, they were actually ramping up behind the scenes. they were ramping up ideas for attacking cities in the south, using and building up biological and nuclear weapons. they are looking at different

south korean delegation has returned home a day after meeting with north korea's kim jong un in pyongyang it was the first time kim met with south korean officials since taking power. and here is what south korea's top security official had to say a little earlier. the north clearly expressed its willingness for denuclearizing the korean peninsula and clarified that there's no reason for them to retain nuclear weapons if military threats against the murray moved in if the safety of its regime is guaranteed all right let's get more on these extraordinary developments with josh smith he is a word is correspondent in seoul south korea and josh how significant is this well these were some of the most historic talks in recent memory this is the first time that such senior south korean officials met directly with cumin john and this signaled that there is some seriousness on both sides you know what hard progress comes out of these talks remains to be seen and that many observers will be especially looking closely at what the response out of washington is right we'll talk about that in just a m

south korea says the subject was raised when its officials met with kimjong—un in pyongyang.nt has this report. normally it is the battle of the sabre from the north korean leader now the warm shake of the hand. on state television, the soundtrack doubled as diplomatic music is kim jong—un kim jong—un greeted doubled as diplomatic music is kim jong—un kimjong—un greeted the delegation from south korea. he has offered to abandon the nuclear arsenal in returns for security guarantees from the us. the first time he has proposed that kind of deal but also to suspend nuclear and missile tests while engaged in talks. no wonder these are long—time adversary is parted on such cordial terms. it is a significant overture in decades. the response from president trump in washington, caution and so congratulation. to what you own this recent openness to talk? me. no, ithink that nobody got that, i think that they are sincere and i think they are sincere also because the sanctions and what we are doing with respect to north korea, including the great help that we have been given from china

dawn of a pyongyang. at seven am government sirens wake the city summoning its people to begin a new day's work. morry massa tucker is leaving pyongyang and heading out into north korea's rural hinterland in search of people who claim to have witnessed and survived germ warfare. but the very nature of this country means that he is completely reliant on the p.r. nyang government to provide his transport and to put forward his interviewees. on the outskirts of one gene a village forty five kilometers east of pyongyang two elderly farmers are waiting to meet him young chan bynum toxic lost their fathers during the war both claim that an american plane dropped a germ bomb close to the village. finding a residential side a goal. and you know new york. i'm calling them and they're still one hundred. percent over in much of the how call it will you put out of need to go. has another. so it's only to bore a hole in the. danny in view of going to. you now in you. mind you're making a very probably twenty seven tom

is this a gift pyongyang? ian: there is no question there is an opportunity for pyongyang. korea has felt alienated by the united states, both in terms of the fire and fury comments from for thend the potential strikes that feel like america first, does not feel like a south korea first policy. workhave felt the need to with north korea, irrespective of what the u.s. has the same. also the trade issues, steel and southum, undermining korea's strong trade relationship with the united states. that provides more space for kim jong-un. but let's be clear, the sanctions against north korea have stepped up dramatically under the trump administration, and in large part because of the trump administration. china, thee on pressure of preemptive strikes against north korea, led the chinese to take the issue more seriously, and led them to support greater sanctions from the un security council, unanimous sanctions driven by the u.s. they have cut back on smuggling. they have started cracking down on joint ventures between china and north korea. none of that is good for north korea. we

pyongyang offers to denuclearize if the right conditions are met. also on the program, president trump moves ahead with terrorists on steel and aluminum imports -- teriffs on steel and aluminum imports. germany's new government is taking shape. the social democrats reveal who is getting the top jobs in germany's new government. key among them a foreign minister largely untested on the international stage. pressure grows on kenya's president to reopen the tv stations he closed down after his disputed election victory. i am phil gayle. welcome to the program. in the past, the men traded threats and insults. but now u.s. president donald trump and kim jong-un could be about to meet, the first-ever meeting of leaders of the two countries. the issue of denuclearization will be high on the agenda. the white house says it needs to see concrete signs before reacting positively to the message from the south korean delegation on thursday. >> this is the man doing the running between pyongyang and washington. he has finally reached a major milestone. >> i told

this is the man doing the running between pyongyang and washington d.c. and he's failing reached a major milestone. i told president president thought that in our meeting north korean leader kim jong un. is committed to. kim pledged that north korea really good thing from any for the nuclear war this old tests that he expressed this league honest would meet president from that's as possible it is a sentiment shared by the u.s. president who confirmed that a meeting is being planned. to historic breakthrough comes after south korean negotiators held talks in pyongyang on monday it was here they learned that denuclearization was on the menu. far from giving up their bombs and recent years north korea has been ratcheting up its meso program and the threats. from fired back with warnings of annihilation and insults for kim jong il. rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. on the front lines of this conflict the capitals of the korean peninsula relief and distrust so it is good news now everything is heading the right way that judging

a summit between north and south korea is possible after a meeting with the two sides in pyongyang. leaked e-mails u.a.e. links businessman and he suspects a plan to get america's top diplomat five plus. no family should endure what we have endured. students and parents protest as florida politicians debates a bill to allow teachers to carry guns into school as. an aid convoy has been forced to retreat from syria's the sieged east and region as the government pressed on with its and ground assault the convoy of forty trucks pulled out of the town of duma without unloading all of its aid the government has already confiscated most medical supplies reports and a warning some of you may find images in the story just. it's the first time aid has entered the rebel controlled enclave of eastern huta since the latest offensive began just over two weeks ago but world health organization officials say seventy percent of what was loaded on the trucks was removed during. inspection. it's not the first time syrian government officials have prevented trauma kids and surgical supplies from reachi

a south korean envoy — just returned from pyongyang — confirmed the meeting would take place, duringouth korea also confirmed that pyongyang has agreed to halt all nuclear and missile tests, while talks go on, and to consider denuclearisation. after months of missile tests, brinkmanship, and bloodcurdling threats from pyongyang and the us, it could be an historic breakthrough. major trading partners of the us have condemned president trump for agreeing to new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. the tariffs — of 25% on steel imports and ten per cent on aluminium, will come into force in fifteen days. china described it as a serious attack on global trade. now it is time look at the stories that are making the headlines in media across the world: we begin with the washington post and south korea which made the surprising announcement us president donald trump has agreed to meet kim jong—un sometime in the next 2—3 months. no serving american president has ever met a north korean leader the ft leads with president trump who has decide to formally adopt sweeping tariffs on steel and

prior to arriving in washington, they had held a meeting in pyongyang with kimjong—un offering a warm state tv the schmaltzy soundtrack doubled as diplomatic mood music, because the north korean leader offered to abandon his nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees in the united states. then came a sentimental farewell. kim jong—un sent them off notjust with a wave, but an invitation to mr trump — the most improbable of overtures. donald trump agreed to the invitation insta ntly, a ppa re ntly without pre—conditions, without even consulting aides. perhaps that explains the confusion at the white house before the summit can take place. the president will not have the meeting without seeing concrete steps and ~ wrist f ~ so the president would_actuall¥ frankly, the world would be getting something. north korea‘s np'clearand miss—hg the toughest foreign policy dilemma for successive administrations. us presidents have always turned down offers of face—to—face meetings. 0nly yesterday america‘s top diplomat in terms of direct talks with the united states and us negotiations, we‘r

and playing in pyongyang. we meet the south korean bands promoting peace with the north it's 8am in singapore, one in the morning in london, and 3am in moscow, where russia has formally retaliated in the row about the poisoning of a former spy in the uk. 60 us diplomats are to be expelled from the country — overall the number is expected to match that sent home by western governments, who blame russia for the attack. in a further ratcheting up of tensions, the us says it reserves the right to respond further. from moscow, steve rosenberg reports. the diplomatic pressure has been unprecedented. russian diplomats expelled, foreign ambassadors recalled, after the salisbury attack. it was never a question of whether moscow would respond, but when. the announcements came in tonight. foreign minister sergei lavrov said russia was expelling 60 us diplomats for the 60 russians america had ordered out. it's also shutting the us consulate in st petersburg. staff there given until saturday to vacate the building. and the

. ♪ nick: prior to arriving in washington, they hela meeting in pyongyang, with kim jong-un offering warm hand of friendship rather than rattling his usual saber. on state tv, the schmaltzy soundtrack doubled as diplomatic mood music because tder offered to abandon the nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees from the united states. then came the sentimental farewell -- kim jong-un sending them off not just with the wave but with an invitation to mr. trump, the most improbable of overtures. donald trump agreed to the invitation instantly, apparently howithout preconditions, wut even consulting aides. perhaps that explains the condition toght in the white house with aides playing catch-up and demding verifiable actions by north korea before the summit can take place. ms. sanders: the president will not ha the meeting without seeing concrete steps and concrete actions take place by berth korea. the president wouletting something, and frankly, the world would be getting something. nick: north korea'linuclear capa has posed the toughest foreign policy dilemma for successive admi

while china did play and pyongyang. this time, and since any real agreement between washington and north korea, it is hard to see what role china can play. that being said, china will be very interested in knowing what is going to happen. it doesn't like surprises. and it doesn't like being left out of the process. thank you so much are joining us. chad o'carroll. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we take a look at the thin —— will have more are now breaking story office tower. the confirmation that kim jong—un did visit beijing —— breaking story this hour. he met with xijinping of —— breaking story this hour. he met with xi jinping of china. we will have more on that. let there be no more wars or bloodshed between arabs and israelis. with great regret, the committee have decided that south africa should be excluded from the 1970 competition. streaking across the sky, the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. woman: wow! you're watching newsday on the bbc. still

presidents moon and trump could be being played by pyongyang, or this peninsula could be on the vergenearly seven decades, a peace treaty. this statue portrays two brothers divided by the war, in a last, desperate embrace. there's a sense of cautious optimism that this unresolved conflict could now have a happier ending. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. in a moment, we'll speak to nick bryant at the white house, but first laura bicker joins us from seoul. it's an extraordinary diplomatic turnaround to move the us and north korea from trading insults to having a meeting. how did south korea pull this off? i think we have lost laura in seoul. we will go back to her if we can. nick, first we heard that mr trump was going to meet kimjong—un, now he's putting preconditions on any meeting. is it likely to happen? fiona, listening to the white house briefing, we wondered whether president trump was getting cold feet, but according to senior aides, they say he really wants this to happen. it is impulsive, the way he likes to conduct foreign policy. it gives him a reality tv- for ages, i version

pyongyang is said to have agreed to refrain from any further nuclear tests.erday, especially across parts of northern england and north wales, and we saw that disruptive snow. but, afterfinishing yesterday with some sunshine, the clear skies through the night means a cold start to friday. temperatures widely at or below freezing, but at least it does mean most will start with a bright start — sunshine. there will be an area of showers, some of those wintry over the higher ground of scotland, and a few showers here and there across scotland during the day. most, though, will get through the morning dry. sunniest conditions overall through the day will be northern ireland, southern scotland, and northern england. any early brightness in the far south of england and wales will turn hazy, and then grey conditions into the afternoon. cloud spreading its way northwards and rain into devon, cornwall, south wales, and other southern counties by the middle part of the day. it does mean, though, we could see temperatures in sunny spots up to ten degrees, and up to 11 b

i don't know if that will be possible to do something like that in pyongyang.i would be surprised whether that would be feasible. i think it suggests that the two most likely places for a meetin meeting, and i think actually some of the logistics matter as much as anything else, i think the president will have reluctance because that is exactly where the previous meeting will have taken place. do you do it on the border between north korea and china? then you have to get the chinese engaged in a way that makes it that much more complicated and so, i think right now the big issues are not the policy issues. i think they are logistic issues. i'm quite serious. >> you raise a very good point which is that we talk about not just the process and how important that is in the logistics, we talk about a goal of a waystation as you put it, to a longer process, but recognizing the difficulties of how this administration plans for things like this and does follow-through, it seems like there's a decent chance that this is just a summit. the two of them get in a room toget

jiang sister of north korean leader kim jong un hand delivered the invitation to visit pyongyang from her brother south korea hopes this will be more than just a courtesy call from tampa most of all i will deliver president moon's firm will and resolve to achieve the denuclearization on the korean peninsula and create true and permanent peace even before the delegates left on their controversial trip it wasn't clear they would meet with the north korean leader but soon after their arrival they were hosted to a dinner that fact along with the seniority of the officials who welcomed the south koreans and their accommodation in an official guest house shows the importance north korea places on this trip according to seoul meetings between north and south are rare summit talks were held in two thousand at the height of the so-called sunshine policy period that brought the two koreas closer together then again in two thousand and seven but with north korea's missile development a nuclear program increasing in pace in recent years relations slumped to their lowest and most dangerous point f

jiang sister of north korean leader kim jong un hand delivered the invitation to visit pyongyang from her brother south korea hopes this will be more than just a courtesy call. first of all i will deliver president moon's firm will and resolve to achieve the denuclearization on the korean peninsula and create true and permanent peace meetings between north and south are rare. summit talks were held in two thousand at the height of the so-called sunshine policy period that brought the two koreas closer together. then again in two thousand and seven but with north korea's missile development a nuclear program increasing in pace in recent years with a chanst run to their lowest and most dangerous point for decades. for many people in south korea just holding talks is a welcome change to the hostile rhetoric of the recent past but without a commitment from north korea that it's willing even to discuss giving up its nuclear arsenal many conservative groups have condemned these talks as meaningless fasts this visit is meant to lead to more talks between the two koreas that is certainly achi

they met in pyongyang and had this totally and president meeting at the workers party headquarters and north korea will stop no south korea has ever gone there. no leader had ever been -- no leaders of south korea never been invited there. they met with kim jong-un and is highest-ranking leaders. that long discussions and they came back and moon said before anything happens, we're going to brief the united states. and they carried this letter, purely from kim jong-un to trump, inviting him to meet. that is what happened. trump ishappened with just a coincidence. amy: do you think december 10 we may say north korean leader k km jong-un, president donald trump, and president moon receiving the nobel peace prize in oslo, norway? >> i silly thing president moon would deserve it, for sure -- i certainly think president moon would deserve it, for sure. amy: tim shorrockk, thank you fr being with us, investigative journalist based in washington, d.c. his book "spies for hire: the secret world of outsourced , intelligence." grew up in tokyo and seoul and has been writing about the u.s. role in

this chief negotiator who went to pyongyang came back and then immediately went to washington.state department previously, but rex tillerson yesterday was kept informed about what the south koreans had been doing. president trump has said since he was a candidate, he didn't rule out meeting with kim jong—un candidate, he didn't rule out meeting with kimjong—un if candidate, he didn't rule out meeting with kim jong—un if this would progress the issue. so i think we have seen all the various stars in place, and now perhaps they have become aligned. as some of your commentary said, there is still a long way to go. we're talking about talks about negotiations now, not about any final products. why is north korea doing this now, what is in itfor north korea doing this now, what is in it for them, given we have had the tough talk, if you like? is it because sanctions are kicking in in a way that they now need to do something about? it is a number of different things. strategically they have said since the end of the cold war when they began to develop their own nuclear programme afte

shortly before the shock announcement, america's chief diplomat ruled out direct talks with pyongyang talks with the united states and us negotiations, we are a long way from negotiations. this gamble offers yong eun yang a propaganda coup without much the dramatic groundwork and without a guarantee of success. —— pyongyang. but president trump's predecessors have failed to hold north korea's nuclear programme, so perhaps it is worth this dramatic new gesture. two combustible leaders dealing with potentially the world's most combustible problem. diplomacy like a las vegas title fight, the international summit of the century. as we heard there, today's announcement follows something of a thawing of relations between north and south korea, that saw them march under a single flag at the winter olympics. the south korean president, moonjae—in, described the planned meeting with its unpredictable and heavily armed neighbour as a milestone for peace. but how has the news gone down in the capital, seoul? laura bicker has been finding out. for months, seoul wondered if it faced the prospect o

to face china and north korea are seeking to salvage frayed ties ahead of landmark summit between pyongyang south korea prion yang in the united states it was featured speculation about the meeting as it took place on tuesday both countries so the only confirmed just a few hours ago we have two correspondents on this story we've got kathy novak in seoul and we've got adrian brown in beijing adrian me start with you and very much similar this first encounter between kim and president xi very similar to the kinds of encounters between north korea and china of the past. that's right in this era of political and diplomatic surprises martine here was another as you say in the past north korean leaders have always been given lavis receptions and that was certainly the case this time president xi jinping was you know wearing a sort of western style business suit whereas kim jong un was dressed like a conventional or thorough tarion communist leader and of course on occasions like this appearances all important it was also notable that the wives of both men also enjoyed a very high profile they app

improved relations a south korean delegates returned home after meeting the north korean leader in pyongyang. sri lanka declares a nationwide state of emergency following violence between muslims and buddhists. and a cold war style mystery as a former russian spy lies critically ill in a british hospital. russia's military has offered a guarantee of safe passage to syrian rebel fighters and their families if they leave eastern of all thought but rebels are accusing russia of a military escalation and imposing force displacement about seven hundred people have been killed in the rebel long since the syrian government intensified an offensive more than two weeks ago government as strikes killed at least eighty civilians on monday it's the deadliest day since the u.n. adopted a cease fire resolution over a week ago and russia began a five hour daily cease fire pause was meant to allow people to leave but that hasn't happened it's also meant to ensure safe passage for a deliveries the world health organization it's saying about seventy percent of medical aid supplies have been blocked by the gov

after the state department concluded pyongyang used a banned chemical agent to assassinate kim jong nam the north korean leader is a strange half brother was killed in malaysia last year the u.n. secretary general is urging all parties in syria to implement a cease fire demanded by the security council the rebel held district the least of all to come under heavy bombardment in recent weeks despite the resolution activists say at least twenty seven people were killed in russian and syrian air strikes on tuesday over eight hundred people have died since the offensive began on february eighteenth the un security council is set to hold an urgent meeting on the escalating violence later on wednesday u.s. is putting the blame squarely on russia the strikes on eastern good in recent days have demonstrated the farcical nature of russia's proposed humanitarian corridor russia is clearly attempting to feign implementation of unscarred twenty four a one while showing complete disregard for the ongoing humanitarian disaster that still unfolds there have been no meaningful pause there has been no me

korean leader and a delegation from the south a high level talks on the escalation took place in pyongyang and a joint summit set to take place next month but president trump's cautioned against what he's called false hope the talks bribe reports. the delegation arrived back in seoul clearly delighted the mission how to achieve all its objectives and more most importantly an apparent commitment from north korea to denuclearize under the right conditions that. north korea made it clear that there will be no reason to possess nuclear capabilities if there is no military threat and also north korea's regime security is guaranteed the two sides have agreed to a summit between president when j. end of south korea a north korean leader kim jong un come and join inside the demilitarized zone separating the two koreas where a truce was signed to end the korean war in one nine hundred fifty three. and for the first time a hotline will be set up between the two leaders to diffuse any future crises south korea says the north has also agreed not to hold any provocative new clear or ballistic missile t

you go to pyongyang and you see propaganda centered around nuclear weapons. it is hard to see how they will walk away from that. the u.s. said if difficult plpl doesn't work, they will move to phase two. the largest gathering in the country kicking off hours ago. the national people's congress where kpixi jinping is set to resurule for life. president trump joking about that over the weekend saying maybe the u.s. should try that. >> that could be the story of the next decade. no question. will ripley, thank you. >> the most downplayed story in last couple weeks. >> chinese think 50 years and 100-year increments. the u.s. thinks election to election. just by that, you know, we just show our folly. >>> israel prime minister heads to the white house today. this comes over the embassy move and benjamin netanyahu's own legal troubles. we are live in jerusalem. it's time for the 'sleep number spring clearance event'. the dual adjustability of the sleep number bed allows each of you to adjust to your ideal level of firmness, comfort and support. your sleep number se

it is for seoul encouraged i think by the trip today to pyongyang to direct talks. that are taking place. we have to see what the outcome is obviously the focus needs to remain on the denuclearization the peaceful denuclearization of the korean peninsula. or more let's bring in our our correspondent in seoul jason strother jason tell us more about this meeting between kim jong un and the south korean delegation what are the two sides saying about. well we don't know the specifics yet the south korean envoy will return here to seoul later today and hopefully have a press briefing to let us know what was discussed up in pyongyang but if we are to trust north korean media the talks went smashingly the case c.n.a. north korea's central news agency said that kim jong un the ruler kim jong un and the south korean envoys have reached. an agreement on how to move the potential summit between kim and south korean president moon jay and ahead the dispatch from north korean media said that ruler kim gave some on the spot guidance to the south korean envoys and they're working

and pyongyang.esident trump said saturday north korea wanted to talk, but it would have to abandon its nuclear weapons first. >>> "the shape of water" cleaned up at the oscars. guillermo del toro's fantasy love story took home four awards, including best picture and director. the academy awards show also highlighted diversity by spotlighting groups fighting for the rights of women and minorities. >>> a u.s. navy aircraft carrier is making an historic visit to vietnam. it's also seen as a message to china. the uss vinson is anchored after da nang, a key battleground during the war that ended in 1975. and lists say the carrier is meant to send a not so subtle signal to beijing about its aggressive island building in the south china sea. >>> well, it will be a crucial week for president trump's proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum. the white house says the president could sign the controversial measure in a matter of days. >> on sunday, president trump wrote this on twitter. quote, we are on the losi

shortly after they leave pyongyang tomorrow. a debrief in seoul and head to washington to talk with u.s. officials and try to keep the ball rolling in terms of discussions about north korea's north carolina progr nuclear program. president trump saying north korea called and said they want to talk, but they have to denuke. north korean media saying they will absolutely not denuke. if they think they will do that, they are ridiculous. every discussion i have had over the last three years, they have given zero indication they are willing to give up nuclear weapons. xi jinping is poised in the coming days to complete the power grab by the change of the constitution approved by the top legislative body abolishing term limits. allowing jinping to become president for life. president trump joking saying he would like to try it some day. >> i'm sure that raised a few eyebrows where you are located. thank you. >>> 18 minutes past the hour. israeli prime minister heads to the white house today. it comes with controversy over the legal mo