special investigation into human trafficking into britain. we know there are three girls currently missing who are back in the uk in glasgow? yes. and 50 years after pink floyd s debut album the new exhibition at london s victoria and albert museum. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. president trump has defended his decision to sack the head of the fbi without warning saying he d lost the confidence of almost everyone in washington. james comey learned of his fate last night when he was handed a note as he briefed fbi agents in los angeles. mr comey had been leading an investigation into alleged links between mr trump s election campaign last year and russia. but the white house insists he was dismissed for mishandling an inquiry into hillary clinton s emails last year. from washington, here s aleem maqbool. absolutely explosive news out of washington tonight. this is a fox news alert. fbi directorjames comey has been fired by the president of the united states. americ
join us. it is 7am in singapore and 7pm in washington, dc, where donald trump s sacking of the fbi director is mired in more confusion and controversy. with the trump has poured scorn on james controversy. with the trump has poured scorn onjames comey, calling him a showboat and grandstand. he has put pressure on the fbi chief, despite admitting his three conversations as to whether he was under investigation and said he claims he would have sacked james comey anyway, despite previously saying he acted on legal advice. this is what he told nbc. he is a showboat, a grandstand. the fbi has beenin showboat, a grandstand. the fbi has been in turmoil. everybody knows that. you take a look at the fbi a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil less tha n year ago, it was in virtual turmoil less than a year ago. it hasn t recovered from that. on monday you left with the deputy attorney general. did you ask for a recommendation? what i did was i was going to fire james comey. my decision.
during his election campaign last year. in his first interview since firing the fbi director, james comey, mr trump also told nbc news that his dismissal was about his performance as head of the bureau and not about his investigation into alleged russian meddling. he described mr comey as a grandstander. he again called the investigation a made up story but also said he wanted it to be speeded up. from washington, laura bicker. he has become more famous than me. famous, infamous? when did donald trump decide to sack the figure from the fbi? this presidential handshake was not an act of friendship but the beginning of the end forjames comey. he is a grandstander. it wasn t on advice from the deputy director general, as the white house stated, it came directly from the president. i was going to fire him. you made the decision before that? and in another contradiction, they claimed that he had little support in the fbi. the rank and file of the fbi lost confidence in their
zooming exports and crumbling classrooms. the paradox of germany s lopsided economy. plus will iran stay open for business? conservatives pledge to roll back rouhani s reforms, as companies nervously await next week s presidential election. welcome to world business report. i m tanya beckett. also coming up, playing for big steaks. china agrees to buy us beef as trade talks continue. but first: we start in europe s economic powerhouse, because in a couple of hours‘ time, germany will release its latest gdp figures. growth is expected to have accelerated in the first three months of the year, fuelled by global demand for the country s exports, like cars and machinery. but it s not all cause for celebration. let me show you why. last year, germany clocked up its biggest ever trade surplus. that s how much more it exports than it imports. at $275 billion germany has one of the biggest trade surpluses in the world. it s a source of tension with its neighbours and allies. look
to take a look at what s happening around the world. plenty of news on the sacking of fbi directorjames comey. the washington post s website has a write up of president trump s interview with broadcaster nbc. trump told the tv netwwork he was thinking of this russia thing with trump when he decided to fire comey contradicting the official white house line. the new york times has an article on its website from another man now at the centre of this story who is also contradicting the white house. the paper quotes acting director of the fbi andrew mcgabe saying the russian investigation is significant. moving on now to news in europe. the financial times has a story about recently elected french president emmanuel macron‘s promise to get tough on eu trade. a macron adviser adds that the pro eu leader wants to address euroscepticism and the anger that drove many to vote for his rival marine le pen. further fallout from the uk labour s leaked election manifesto on the front