from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news it s newsday. glad you could join us. it s newsday. glad you could join us. it is seven in the morning in singapore, midnight in london and seven in the evening in washington where the us government top lawyer has been facing tough questions about alleged russian interference in last year ‘s elections. jeff sessions says clancy colluded with moscow were detestable lies. allegations. day such as these, the stage for the latest instalment of a russian saga gripping washington and destabilising the trump house. last week we saw the testimony of james comey, fired by the president. now the sequel. he came out counterpunching, fierce in his denial that he d held meetings with russian officials last year to discuss interfering with the presidential election. the suggestion that i participated in any collusion, that i was aware of any collusion with the russian governments to hurt this country, which i have serv
it s 8am in singapore 1am in the morning in london and 8pm in the evening in washington, where the us government s top lawyer has been facing tough questions about the alleged russian interference in last year s presidential election. attorney generaljeff sessions said that claims he colluded with moscow were detestable lies . and he defended the controversial sacking of the fbi directorjames comey. from washington, nick bryant reports. capitol hill, on days such as this, america s most elegantly designed theatre. the stage for the latest instalment of a russian saga gripping washington and destabilising the trump white house. last week saw act i, the testimony of this former fbi directorjames comey, fired by president trump. now the sequel, attorney generaljeff sessions, a former trump campaign adviser, now the head of the justice department. he came out counterpunching, fierce in his denial that he d held meetings with russian officials last year to discuss interfering wit
here is a clip. very intense, isn t it? it is, and you see from that, single shot, basically one shot per scene. what i love about this is, it s a perfect blend of the personal and the political. on one hand, it s a story about a father and a daughter, on the other hand it s a story that social corruption is everywhere. every conversation is, ooh, that building s being going on for ages, yes it will be a backroom deal, well, isn t everything? it s a film in which the personalities of the characters completely draw you in, and you believe in their personal stories, but you also understand it is telling a wider story, about what it means to grow up in a society in which everything seems to be sort of slightly on the wrong side of completely honest. as is so brilliant with this director, what he manages to do is get that point across, but never sounds hectoring, you never feel like what you re watching is a political statement. what you feel you re watching is a really intense d
reason why this request should be declined. but downing street says it would be wrong to hold talks while the details of brexit remain uncertain. and the scottish tories accuse the first minister of eight theatrical gesture. brian taylor reports. an obvious contrast with the prime minister, signing goodbye to the eu ata minister, signing goodbye to the eu at a desk, with a portrait of britain s is by minister. in her letter, nicola sturgeon says she wishes theresa may every success in brexit talks, promising full and constructive support. yes, 69, no omid 59. there were no abstentions. the motion is therefore agreed. holyrood has now heard of an independence referendum to coincide with the conclusion of those brexit negotiations. and the first minister adds that there appears to be no rational reason for you to stand in the way of the will of the scottish parliament, and i hope you will not do so. i asked the first minister why now when she knew the prime minister had already
the president of the european council has talked of calf negotiations ahead as two years of brexit negotiations at start. the eu refuses theresa may request to have parallel talks on future trade deals. the chiefs of eu institutions are usually little known outside the brussels bubble. but brexit has changed all that. this is my first divorce. donald tusk, president of the european council, today presented the draft brexit guidelines. the mood music polite but steely. the talks, which are about to start, will be difficult, complex, and sometimes even confrontational. mr tusk was the recipient of the prime minister s brexit letter this wednesday. why him? because he represents all eu countries here in brussels and they call the shots on big eu political decisions. the eu says it doesn t want to punish britain. it wants to keep the uk close with trade and security ties. but gone are those words of sadness and regret that poured out of brussels after the brexit vote. now that