09/03/2018 World News Today

This is BBC World News today. Our

top stories...

The Trump administration says it's

given no concessions to North Korea

over the agreement

on a summit with Kim Jong-un.

South Korea's President thanks

Donald Trump for accepting

the offer, but could it prove to be

a false dawn?

Were

a false dawn?

Were not

a false dawn?

Were not going

a false dawn?

Were not going to

a false dawn?

Were not going to have

a false dawn?

Were not going to have this

a false dawn?

Were not going to have this meeting

a false dawn?

Were not going to have this meeting

take place until we see concrete

actions that match the words and

rhetoric of North Korea.

Also in the programme:

Why increasing numbers of young

British Muslim women are deciding

to wear a headscarf.

A former US drug company executive

who became infamous for hiking the

price of a life-saving medicine has

been sentenced to seven years in

prison.

Hello, and welcome

to World News Today.

Let's talk -

the offer from North

Korea was simple.

The reaction from

Washington, unexpected.

And now the reaction from around

the world to the promise of face

to face talks between the leaders

of the two countries -

has been overwhelmingly positive.

At the opening of the Paralympic

Games in South Korea, President Moon

thanked the two leaders for a step

which he said was already helping

to realise a new global peace.

Elsewhere, President Xi Jinping

of China spoke with

his US counterpart in a phone call,

praising the "positive aspiration"

of the talks and urging them

to begin as soon as possible.

Meanwhile US Vice-President Mike

Pence, who recently travelled

to South Korea, was quick to point

out that his administration had made

no concessions in order

to secure the talks -

but rather it was North Korea

who caved in by agreeing to discuss

giving up its nuclear programme,

and halt all nuclear

and missile tests.

Our North America correspondent Nick

Bryant has the latest on the story.

Last night, the White House felt

more like the Twilight Zone,

Donald Trump slipping into the press

briefing room unannounced

to tell reporters to expect

a major announcement.

And then out from the West Wing came

a delegation from South Korea,

to make one of the most stunning

diplomatic statements in decades,

after delivering to Donald Trump

a message from Kim Jong-un.

He expressed his eagerness to meet

President Trump as soon as possible.

President Trump appreciated

the briefing and said

he would meet Kim Jong-un by May

to achieve permanent

denuclearisation.

Prior to arriving in Washington,

they'd held a meeting in Pyongyang,

with Kim Jong-un

offering a warm hand

of friendship, rather

than rattling his usual sabre.

And on state TV, the schmaltzy

soundtrack doubled as diplomatic

mood music as the North Korean

leader offered to abandon

his 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 a wave but an invitation

to Mr Trump, the most

improbable overture.

Donald Trump gave his

response on Twitter:

The White House claims his

tough talk has worked.

They will be met with fire and fury

like the world has never seen.

Rocket man is on a suicide mission

for himself and for his regime.

Washington has been in a whirlwind,

taken by surprise.

Shortly before the shock

announcement, America's chief

diplomat ruled out direct

talks with Pyongyang.

In terms of direct talks

with the United States

and US negotiations,

we are a long way from negotiations.

This is a huge gamble

that offers Pyongyang

a propaganda coup without much

diplomatic groundwork

and without a guarantee of success.

But President Trump's

predecessors have failed to halt

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.

A short while ago the White House

gave a press briefing saying the

offer of drums is down to President

Trump's campaign of sanctions

against North Korea.

We know the

pressure campaign has been effective

and has put a lot of pressure on

North Korea and they have made major

promises to denuclearisation to stop

nuclear and missile testing and they

have recognised that regular

military exercises between the US

and South Korea will continue. We're

not going to step back and make any

changes to that campaign, we will

continue that effort and we will not

have this meeting take place until

we see concrete actions that match

the of North Korea.

Britain has

drafted in the military following a

nerve agent attack on a former

Russian spy and his daughter in

Salisbury. Sergei Skripal and his

daughter Yulia are critically ill in

hospital while the policeman who

tried to help them remains in a

serious condition.

Tonight, five days after

unprotected police officers,

paramedics and passers-by came

into close contact with a chemical

weapon, the military arrived

at Salisbury Hospital.

The mission - to recover evidence.

At the hospital, they

were taking away a car.

They are also expected to secure

Sergei Skripal's car,

and there are ambulances which may

have traces of the nerve agent

used in the attempt on his life.

The military will go in the area,

probably in protective equipment.

They have detection equipment that

will allow them to properly,

safely do a detailed survey

of the areas and if there is any

contamination they can safely remove

that and have it destroyed.

Tonight, there was renewed police

activity at the grave

of Sergei Skripal's son,

Alexander, who died last year.

It has been suggested his

body may be exhumed.

The Home Secretary was the first

senior government representative

to visit Salisbury this morning.

Ministers have stressed

the importance of getting

to the bottom of the alleged plot

before pointing fingers.

Give us time, Amber Rudd said.

She met and praised those who have

helped victims and decontaminated

the area, including firefighters.

I am in awe of their sympathetic

approach and professionalism

as they engage with these people.

And now as they reflect,

they are concerned sometimes

for themselves and their families

but they have all said to me

that they would not have done

anything differently.

And then to the hospital continuing

to provide the highest level

of care to the victims.

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey,

exposed to nerve agent

during the incident,

is making good progress.

His friends await news.

Always really easy to speak to,

to get hold of, always delivers.

And he delivers effectively

and efficiently.

He always has a sense

of humour around him.

He does it easily and nothing

is ever too much trouble for him.

Sergei Skripal remains

in critical condition -

his daughter, Yulia, the same,

but she is responding

better to treatment.

The investigation has become part

of life in central Salisbury.

Everybody is scared a little bit.

Hopefully everything is all right

in the next couple of days.

Your T-shirt says it all.

Calm is exactly how

people have remained.

Do you feel concerned?

No, otherwise I wouldn't be

here and I certainly

would not bring my son.

Some worry that Salisbury

will become known for this shocking

event, but life will move on.

I'm not saying it will blow

over, it will always

be there but the town,

the city,

there is so much love here,

I don't think that would happen.

For now, at least, central Salisbury

remains the scene of a crime

reverberating around the world.

The German Chancellor has warned

that no one could win

in what she called a "race

to the bottom", amid concerns that

heavy new US tariffs on steel

and aluminium could launch

a global trade war.

Angela Merkel said it would be best

if the European Union was exempted.

The EU is seeking

talks on the issue.

A visit to the UK by the Saudi Crown

prince has ended with a massive arms

deal. Saudi Arabia has agreed to buy

48 Typhoon jets. Human rights groups

protested against the visit.

Kenya's president and opposition

leader have met for the first time

since last year's bitterly contested

election.

In a surprise move, Uhuru Kenyatta

and Raila Odinga called

each other "brothers".

An aid convoy which entered

a besieged rebel enclave

on the outskirts of the Syrian

capital has crossed back

into government held-territory.

13 trucks carrying food

were unloaded in Eastern Ghouta,

before heading back to Damascus.

This is the emergency aid convoy

inside Eastern Ghouta today.

According to the ICRC,

it came dangerously close

to the firing line.

The convoy was meant to deliver

food supplies on Monday,

but was forced to leave

because of ongoing fighting.

Opposition activists say

about a thousand people have been

killed in air strikes and shelling

in just two weeks.

The UN High Commissioner

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called the

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called the war

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called the war in

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called the war in Syria

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called the war in Syria at

for Refugees Filippo Grandi

Has called the war in Syria at

colossal human tragedy. I spoke to

him earlier.

You know what is tragic about Syria?

There was a time when people fled

outside the country,

there was a time, there

is still a time, when people

flee within the country.

But for people trapped

in Eastern Ghouta, the people

we reached today, there is no

option to stay or flee.

How much worse can it

get get for a civilian?

This is one of the most

tragic situations

we've seen in a long time

from a humanitarian perspective.

As you rightly outline,

as we have said, over 1 billion

Syrian refugees are in Lebanon.

To what extent are the refugees

in camps or in urban areas,

and what extent is Lebanon

receiving support for them?

They are mostly in urban centres,

Beirut and other cities.

And in makeshift settlements.

They are not in organised camps.

They share, largely,

the resources of

the local community.

They go to Lebanese schools,

those that go to school.

They find work in agriculture

or construction,

it's a very meagre existence.

The international community

has helped, but what we

are worried about is the persistence

of the Syrian crisis with the

difficulties people have to return

to make the decision to return

is premature, they won't

go back right now.

That support to Lebanon and other

host countries, Jordan,

Turkey and others, that

support must continue.

We must not lower the guard,

we must stay the course,

until the crisis is resolved.

So there is not much prospect

of those refugees returning

in the near future?

You know, they watch the media,

just like us, and they see

what's happening in Eastern Ghouta.

This is on the outskirts

of Damascus, the capital.

They see what's happening

in Idlib, in other

unstable areas.

If you asked them about their

future, they see their

future back in their country, 89% of

surveyed refugees said they want to

eventually return but not right now.

It's too unstable, too dangerous,

there are too many risks.

Stay with us here on BBC World News.

We will have the latest sport,

including Six Nations rugby and

England's preparations.

The numbers of dead and wounded

defied belief, the worst terror

atrocity on European soil in modern

times.

In less than 24 hours that soggy

union lost an elderly Sikh leader

and replace them with a dynamic

figure.

We heard these gunshots, they came

out of a fire exit and started

firing.

James Earl Ray, aged 41, sentenced

to 99 years, travelled from national

to Memphis prison.

What will you do now? Will this

change your life?

I don't know, I've

never been married before.

This is BBC World News today.

The Trump administration says it's

given no concessions to North Korea

over the agreement

on a summit with Kim Jong-un.

Britain has deployed its military

onto the streets of Salisbury to

help investigate the suspected

poisoning of a former spy. Martin

Shkreli is the former drug company

exec who upped the price of a

life-saving AIDS medication and has

been sentenced to seven years in

prison. He first made headlines for

jacking up that price of a drug from

$13 per dose to 750. He has been

convicted for defrauding investors

into hedge funds is he ran. The

judge said his crimes were not

isolated lapses in judgment but a

pattern in conduct. He was reviled

by many Americans.

Yes, he was

called the most hated man in America

after his company rate the drug

price there for that life-saving HIV

medication and he became known as

the poster child of the

pharmaceutical industry. This was a

time when the price gouging in the

pharmaceutical industry was being

criticised and he came to represent

that greed, so he cultivated the

spur some of an arrogant, no car in

the world executive, and there were

several points where he would mock

politicians and people who

criticised him come in a

congressional hearing on drug price

hikes, he was yawning and calling

congressional members imbecile is,

so he gained this reputation and the

judge said that this person didn't

have anything to do with the

sentencing she handed down and we

saw some different portrayals of

Martin Shkreli by the defence and

prosecutors.

It wasn't price hiking

for which he was convicted.

He was

convicted for defrauding investments

into hedge funds is and then another

pharmaceutical company. The

prosecutor said he should be looked

at as a 35-year-old man who was a

fraudster because he misled

investors about the performance of

those hedge funds is and ultimately

did pay them back plus profit for

what they invested, but prosecutors

said that was only because they had

raised red flags that they were

being defrauded but his defence

tried to use that to get a lighter

sentence, saying he was a

self-destructive person who showed

depression so they tried to pull at

the heartstrings of the judge but

the judge went

for a self-destructive person who

showed depression so they tried to

pull at the heartstrings of the

judge but did judge when 487 year

sentence, the maximum could have

been 25, so it was lighter than

prosecutors hope for.

Thank you.

It is the penultimate weekend of the

Six Nations but the Ireland captain

Rory Best say they will not be

distracted by thoughts of a possible

Grand Slam as they aim to make it

four wins in four by beating

Scotland. John Watson is in Dublin.

The stage is set for what could be a

crucial weekend in Rugby Union Six

Nations championship. Ireland play

Scotland here tomorrow, knowing a

victory and a defeat for England in

France would see Ireland become Six

Nations champions, their third title

in five years. Colin McGregor used

to play for Scotland, what chances

that Ireland will have this wrapped

up?

The fact they are at home, they

have not lost a Six Nations game

here under Joe Schmidt, they have

one 19 of their last 20 games here.

Scotland have to be buoyed by the

fact that they ruined England's

Grand Slam chances last time out,

they are full of confidence but this

Irish team is a mighty tough

challenge.

And add to the mix the

fact that Scotland don't travel away

from home especially well, their

last away win, away from Rome, Italy

always seem to be the easy team to

beat, but Scotland's last I win --

away win came in eight years ago.

All teams struggle. Scotland have

the comforts of Murrayfield, the

crowd get behind them, last time

they started well against England,

the momentum grew, they became

louder so they have to start well

again and tried to quieten the road

and put doubt in this Irish team.

Ireland are so good at dominating

possession and they are ruthless

with their efficiency so it will be

tough for Scotland and for England,

these away games are incredibly

challenging but Scotland have to

come here full of confidence and

perform as well as they can.

It will

be fascinating to watch. If Ireland

can get past Scotland, and it is

that upset in Paris with England

losing to France, it will be another

Six Nations title for Ireland, but

as far as Scotland go, away from

Rome they have only had two wins in

the Six Nations but their last away

win was here in Dublin eight years

ago. Hopefully that may play in

their favour tomorrow.

Pep Guardiola has been fined and

warned about his future conduct by

the English Football Association for

wearing a yellow ribbon in support

of imprisoned politicians in his

native Catalonia.

He admitted the charge

of wearing a political

message after it was seen

in the cup tie at Wigan.

He can only wear it

pre-and post match.

He understands it does break

FA rules and he will

no longer wear it on the touchline.

South Africa have the upper hand at

Port Elizabeth. David Warner was the

top scorer with 63 as the tourists

made 243. They will resume today to

204 runs behind. Australia leads the

series 1-0. That is all the sport.

Women in some Muslim

countries, like Iran,

are campaigning against it

as a symbol of oppression.

But in Britain some women

are taking the opposite view,

seeing it as empowering.

Nomia Iqbal investigates.

The spotlight is on the Hijab.

Many Muslim women choose

to wear it proudly.

For some, it's an act of modesty.

For others, in countries like Iran,

forced to wear it, it's a symbol

to remove in protest.

It may divide opinion,

but the hijab is going high fashion.

20-year-old model Shahira Yusuf has

been signed up by Storm,

the agency that found

supermodel Kate Moss.

Shahira is one of the first

British models with a hijab

taking to the catwalk.

Yeah, definitely don't want to be

considered a token girl.

I don't want these models

like ethnic models or models

from different religious backgrounds

to just pave the way,

I want the way to stay there,

become the norm within society.

Because it is the norm outside

of the modelling sphere.

Shahira is becoming

the face of Modest Fashion.

At the show in London,

Muslim designers have come

from all over the world

to promote their clothes.

The market for Modest Fashion

is on course to be worth billions.

I grew up in a Muslim family

and none of the the women

in my family wore the hijab.

None of my Muslim

friends wore it either.

But now, more and more young

women are wearing it.

The reason why I wear

it is to number one, cover my hair.

And number two, to be honest,

I actually enjoy wearing the hijab,

I enjoy covering my hair,

I enjoy the hijabs I have today

I feel like it makes a statement.

It's part of who I am,

it's my crown.

Hijab to me is empowerment and it's

feminism and it's taking

control and ownership

of what I choose

to show to the world.

Being online has given some women

a powerful platform.

Social media star Mariah Idrissi has

a huge following on Instagram.

The hijab is a part of me,

it's part of my career

and its representation.

You know, we shouldn't be ashamed

or shy to represent who we are.

If you are a model wearing a hijab,

and you're on Instagram and having

thousands of people following you,

aren't you doing the opposite

of what the hijab is

supposed to be about?

The mainstream media,

western media isn't

representing Muslims on TV,

in fashion, anywhere.

The only time we are represented

is for something bad.

I just saw this as, you know, I'm

going on the news and I'm talking

about something that's not

about terrorism, not

about women being oppressed,

I'm talking about fashion.

Some campaigners for Muslim women's

rights think the hijab's popularity

is a political statement.

They feel uneasy about its use

as an expression of identity.

Modest does not mean

you need to wear the hijab.

Modesty goes beyond that in your

behaviour and your way of dressing.

I don't need to prove to anybody

what I am, but in the hijab,

you are singling yourself

and proving something unnecessary,

especially in the Western world.

The hijab means different things

to different people.

Shahira believes you can wear it

and be a successful model.

Her dream?

The cover of British Vogue,

wearing her hijab.