welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is lebo diseko. our top stories: a new leader for hong kong is being chosen right now, as thousands protest against the lack of democracy. the us admits that coalition aircraft did strike an area of mosul, where many civilians were killed last week. hundreds arrested in belarus, as protests continue against a tax on the under—employed. and on landmarks all around the planet, lights go out for earth hour — to raise awareness of climate change. the new leader of hong kong will be chosen shortly, in a vote dismissed by pro—democracy activists as a sham.

around 1,000 people took to the streets in a pro—democracy march ahead of the election. there are three candidates to succeed the outgoing leader cy leung. his deputy, carrie lam, is beijing's choice for the top job. her main rival, former finance chiefjohn tsang, is the public‘s favourite. the final candidate is retired judge woo kwok—hing. the bbc‘sjuliana liu is at the count in hong kong. the successful candidate needs just over 600 votes to win and the clear frontrunner is carrie lam, hong kong's former top civil servant. she is widely perceived to be hong kong... beijing's preferred candidate and that's indicated in a series of direct or indirect interviews the local press, as well as indications in pro—beijing media. so barring any very last—minute

scandal or very unexpected upset, she is expected to be announced hong kong's next chief executive in about two hours. just tell us what public opinion is like when it comes to this election, because there is a pro—democracy push there, isn't there? there is a pro—democracy movement. this is the first election since the protests of 2014. i'm not sure if you can make it up behind me but there are pro—democracy protests with their yellow umbrella is and yellow signs. they are protesting against this process, as well as mrs lam. she is perceived to be beijing's preferred candidate but she is not the people's choice, according to a series of polls as well as a mock election that ended last weekend. the people's choice

is actuallyjohn tsang, the former financial secretary. he is far more popular. carrie lam has promised to heal divisions in society. society is quite divided between people who support beijing, the pro—establishment groups, and the pro—democracy groups. so these groups do clash. as you can see there are two groups behind me. so mrs lam has promised to try to heal those divisions, but as she is personally so unpopular many are wondering if that actually possible. the pentagon has acknowledged that american—led coalition fighter jets struck a location in the iraqi city of mosul where many civilians were killed. us central command says iraqi military requested the attack against islamic state militants. 0ur middle east editor, jeremy bowen, is near the front line. he sent this report. thousands of people have arrived, have walked out of those parts of mosul still controlled by islamic state — and it's a big area — in the last couple of days. and they've arrived really with just

the clothes they're standing up in, and maybe a few spare odds and ends. they need food, they need water, they need shelter. it's a massive humanitarian challenge, and it's not nearly as big as the one that may be coming literally down that road in the next weeks. from where the black smoke is, which is where the islamic state positions are here in mosul. they are apparently about 800m, a kilometre down that way. explosions this is very much a theatre of war. the people who have been coming in have been talking about what they have been through. they have talked about air strikes that have come in in the last few days and killed, as well as killing people from is, have killed hundreds of civilians. they have complained that the jihadists have used them as human shields.

but they have also, in tears and anger, spoken very bitterly about the effects of air strikes on civilians. i spoke to multiple witnesses who said that there are perhaps hundreds of bodies still lying in the rubble, that people cannot get to. if you take it all together, the effect of the war, the wounded, the dead — military and civilians — and the massive humanitarian needs of the people who have been displaced by the fighting, it comes together as a great big humanitarian emergency and it is worsened by the fact that it is happening in the country that was already broken into pieces by war. it is a huge challenge and it is really hard to think of a bigger one anywhere in the world at the moment. jeremy bown, bbc news in other news:

a gunman who barricaded himself inside a bus on the main strip in las vegas has surrendered. the standoff began near the cosmopolitan hotel casino. part of the las vegas boulevard was closed after the shooting, which left one person dead and another one in hospital. china has lifted a ban on meat imports from brazil, imposed after federal police closed plants and accused senior inspectors of taking bribes to approve unsafe produce. more than 20 countries have imposed restrictions on brazilian meat products over the past week. uber technologies has suspended its pilot programme for driverless cars, after a vehicle equipped with the technology crashed on a road in arizona. the accident is the latest involving a self—driving vehicle, operated by one of several companies experimenting with them. no one was seriously injured. the former girls aloud singer cheryl has announced the birth of herfirst son. the singer, in a relationship

with one direction star liam payne, wrote on instagram that she'd had "an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy" on wednesday. the family of the police officer who was murdered in wednesday's attack outside parliament in london have thanked those who were with him when he died. pc keith palmer was stabbed to death on wednesday in the grounds of the palace of westminster. in a statement they said, we have been overwhelmed by the love and support for our family, and most especially, the outpouring of love and respect for our keith. we would also like to express our gratitude to the people who were with keith in his last moments. there was nothing more you could have done. you did your best and we are just grateful he was not alone. we miss him so much, but we are also incredibly proud of keith. meanwhile, a former head of london's police service has called for changes to security at westminster after the attack there.

our home affairs correspondent june kelly reports. minutes after the terrorist attack in the precincts of the palace of westminster. 0n the ground is constable keith palmer, who was stabbed to death. his killer, khalid masood, has been shot to death by police. meanwhile, armed officers stationed here have left the scene to investigate the gates, where masood's car has mounted the pavement and crashed. the gates, meanwhile, have been left unguarded and wide open. anyone could have got through. an understandable error according to a former head of scotland yard, who nevertheless leaves that in the future security here will have to be more stringent. i'm absolutely certain that there will have to be a review now of the outer soft rim. always behind it is the inner core of armed officers, but pc keith palmer has paid for his life for that soft outer rim and i think his family, at least, and everyone else, need reassurance that this will be reviewed. the bbc has obtained new footage

of the police response. a fleet of cars carrying teams of marksmen racing down the embankment. this was shortly after khalid masood's trail of carnage which began on westminster bridge. questions remain unanswered about his route to radicalisation. he was a violent criminal before converting to islam more than a decade ago. one of his victims who survived, but with serious injuries, is this romanian tourist, who was hurled into the thames. she was in london with her partner, who was also hurt. in romania, a friend paid tribute to the emergency services in london. translation: we would especially like to thank the doctors and nurses, all the medical staff, for everything they are doing to help them. today at scotland yard, police officers who were part of the emergency response laid flowers in memory of their colleague, keith palmer, who they tried to help. june kelly, bbc news.

more than 30 people have been hurt, two seriously, in a suspected gas explosion in merseyside. a building was destroyed in the new ferry area of birkenhead. these images show bricks and debris across the street. we'll bring you more details when we have them. president donald trump put on a brave face on saturday after accepting that he failed in his election promise to overhaul president 0bama's health reforms. he tweeted that 0bamacare would collapse, and vowed to put together a "great" replacement. republicans withdrew their health—care bill shortly before a vote in congress, after it became clear they didn't have enough votes to get it through. mr trump says he's learned a lot during the process. he blames the minority democrats for the failure. us vice president mike pence told a crowd in west virginia that congress wasn't ready

to pass the legislation, but both parties will come together and end 0bamacare. yesterday wasn't a victory for the american people, it was a victory for the status quo in washington, dc, and it was a victory for the disaster of 0bamaca re. but i promise you, that victory won't last very long. applause the american people want 0bamacare gone and as the president said today, don't worry america. he just tweeted this morning. 0bamacare's going to continue to explode and when republicans and democrats finally decide to come together and repeal and replace 0bamacare, we'll be ready to get the job done. european union leaders have stressed the need for unity at a celebration in rome marking the 60th anniversary of the organisation's founding treaty. it all comes as thousands took part in a demonstration here in london,

against the triggering of article 50, which is the official process of the uk leaving the eu. the protesters called for britain to remain inside the eu and to fight a hard brexit, which would mean leaving the single market. there was also a pro—european rally in berlin. those taking part held up banners saying the ‘eu is not dead', reflecting fears that brexit could lead to more countries leaving the 27—nation bloc. but in rome itself, where celebrations for that 60th anniversary were taking place, police clashed with anti—eu demonstrators. 0fficers seized iron bars and knives and there were scuffles in streets. still to come: banging the drum for the social democrats in original poll that could point to angela merkel‘s election chances. let there be no more war or bloodshed between

arabs and israelis. so proud of both of you. with great regret the committee have decided that south africa be excluded from the 1970 competition. streaking across the sky, the white hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers in fiji. this is bbc news.

i'm lebo diseko. the latest headlines: the new leader of hong kong will be selected shortly in a vote dismissed as a sham by pro—democracy activists. the pentagon has acknowledged that aircraft from the us—led coalition hit a district in the iraqi city of mosul where many civilians were killed. police in the belarusian capital, minsk, have arrested hundreds of people during the latest protests against a tax on the under—employed. thousands defied a government ban on demonstrations. the country's president insists the tax will not be scrapped. this report from greg dawson contains some violent scenes. the demonstrators called this freedom day but there was little sign ofany freedom day but there was little sign of any freedom when the riot

police arrive. the government had banned this march and those defying the orders were safely removed from the orders were safely removed from the street. anyone from assisting arrest was quickly beaten into submission. protesters, young and old, were dragged away. human rights groups say up to 400 were detained. this man directs his anger at the country's president. alexander lukashenko has country's president. alexander lu kashenko has been country's president. alexander lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has been described as europe's last dictator. his $230 tax on people unemployed full six months has been at the centre of this practice. some say it punishes those trying to find work. belarus has beenin trying to find work. belarus has been in recession for the last few yea rs. been in recession for the last few years. alexander lu kashenko

been in recession for the last few years. alexander lukashenko has suspended the tax but will not scrap it, insisting it instils discipline in the work people. translation: i am nota in the work people. translation: i am not a fair. enough of fear. we have to come to the street to show discontent. we must speak. they are not giving us the chance to speak. president alexander lukashenko has talked of a plot to overthrow him backed by foreign fighters. there have been several weeks of protests and saturdays crackdown was a clear message that further dissent will not be tolerated. voters in the german state of saarland go to the polls in a regional election that's widely seen as an indication of angela merkel‘s chances of staying on as chancellor. with six months to go before the german general election her conservatives are polling neck and neck with the social democrats after the former european parliament

president martin schulz announced he would stand against mrs merkel. jenny hill reports. not a vote cast yet but are ready they are on a victory march. the social democrats think saarland and germany is ready for change. translation: he is a breath of fresh airforthe translation: he is a breath of fresh airfor the party he has many new ideas and i think he can deliver them. she is talking about martin schulz, the man from brussels who has stirred up berlin. the bookseller turned politician famously beat alcohol addiction and he has angela merkel‘s conservatives on the back foot. in saarland they are fighting back. like angela merkel, the region ‘s prime minister is established and well known but

like angela merkel, she may lose her seat. translation: it is a challenge but that is the essence of an election it is all about who has a better plan from the country and on this martin schulz has not delivered anything. we on the other hand will offer a good plan and a good candidate. saarland it may be small but what happens here is important. >> it deals with regional issues but this time everything is different. this is germany's first regional election and it will be heavily influenced by national politics but the result will also affect the general election. expect some bruises. the right wing alternative for deutschland are not in the game. this is angela merkel versus martin schulz. martin schulz puts too much

emphasis on campaigning and criticising other parties. merkel is not so bad. i like that she showed her human side with the refugee crisis. translation: martin schulz comes across as authentic by a think it cannot implement many of the things he promises. this is what martin schulz effect is all about. it could transform this tiny german state and it might, just might change the face of german politics. new security measures banning la pto ps, ta blets new security measures banning laptops, tablets and large smartphones have come into effect. in flights from turkey parts of the middle east and northern africa. wrapped up ready for the hold.

security in this airport has just got tighter. no laptops, tablets and e—reader is allowed. some passengers preparing for a long journey will not would not impress. the security level is so high a compared to other airports in this part of the world so airports in this part of the world so why do that from here? you will say everybody can be a terrorist. it is not respectful fort turkish people. the countries affected by the laptop ban turkey, jordan, lebanon, saudi arabia. what has been a worrying the us and the uk is that device that blew a hole in this air plane, were held in a small laptop.

turkey has urged the lifting of the ban as soon as possible, saying it creates unfair competition. translation: respect security measures. we take security measures. they are more important than passenger comfort but if you impose a security measures in one place and not in others, we will interpret it differently. we will think that there are other intentions behind this ban. for business travellers, forfamilies, it this ban. for business travellers, for families, it will be a this ban. for business travellers, forfamilies, it will be a big and forfamilies, it will be a big and for many unpopular change. 0fficials say security must be the top priority. turkey might hold a brexit

style referendum about eu membership. his comments come a year after the eu and turkey agreed a deal to try and stem the flow of migrants entering europe. bureaucratic delays have left thousands of people stranded. a year ago these waters fell silent. a deal was struck, enforcement followed. europe breathed a sigh of relief. but it's not over. 0n chios, the camps are overflowing once more. a surge of new arrivals joining those who have been trapped here for months. abdullah al—kiem arrived here the day the eu—turkey deal went into effect. a day earlier and he could have moved on, but he's been stuck for over a year. long enough to draw unfavourable parallels with life back home. under the control of, isis maybe you are killed by them in any second.

i just want to live like a human being. here, they let you live because there's no need to kill you. but they kill your hope, they kill your dreams. the government—run camp at vial was supposed to be a model reception centre, but secret filming from inside shows a place migrants call ‘the cage', where new arrivals are held for the first few hours. an intimidating first glimpse of europe and the start of a long bureaucratic process that seems designed to halt them in their tracks. people that expected to spend here just a few days are stranded here for months, which has impacted on the psychology of the people. they don't have the perception that tomorrow the situation will be solved. they think this thing could go on for years. the damage is not hard to find. abdul raouf left aleppo last year. injanuary, he learned his mother and sister were killed in an airstrike.

he feels utterly lost. i want a safe country for me because i have lost everything. everything... future and family. my life. the principal at the heart of the eu—turkey deal is that turkey, just over the water, is a safe place for refugees and other migrants to return to. now, the syrians in particular dispute that and say that turkey is not safe for them. a greek court is due to rule on this soon. much will depend on the outcome. for the migrants stuck on the islands, clarity is badly needed. pauladams, bbc news, chios. now lights have been going out around the globe for earth hour. landmarks like the brandenburg gate in germany — were plunged into darkness for sixty minutes to draw attention to climate change.

people in berlin pedalling bicycles to generate electricity for some late night musical entertainment. in russia, more than a thousand buildings including the kremlin took part in the international event. campaigners gathered by candle light in moscow's red square to mark the tenth annual earth hour. while in the philippines, star wars fans duelled with lightsabers along manila's darkened business district. millions of people from some 170 countries are expected to take part in the symbolic gesture to save electricity. that is all we have time for in the morning. the headlines in a couple of moments. stay with us. hello there, good morning.

it really was a lovely start to the weekend and there's more sunshine to come on sunday. these were saturday's blue skies, taken by a weather watcher in aboyne, aberdeenshire. here, the temperature rose to 19.1 celsius, making it the warmest day of the year so far, closely followed by west wales, northern ireland and into cumbria. we'll see similar temperatures again on sunday. but it's pretty cold out there at the moment, especially underneath that high pressure where we've got no wind to speak of. maybe one or two mist and fog patches short—lived. not as cold to the south due to the wind not blowing, but across the northern isles, we have a touch of frost already, especially chilly in the glens of scotland, parts of northern ireland too. it will warm up quickly in the sunshine. a lot of sunshine, almost wall—to—wall sunshine. still some cloud in shetland, perhaps 0rkney, a little bit of lighter cloud across the english channel and some stronger winds still blowing in southern

parts of england and wales. lighter winds further north. lots of sunshine across the bulk of scotland, away from the northern isles. this time the highest temperatures in scotland more likely to be further west in western scotland. across counties fermanagh and tyrone we could get up to 18. 18 possible in the north and west of wales. generally about the mid—teens. the edge taken off the sunshine by the stronger winds in southern england. it could be a touch cooler than saturday in devon and cornwall and those temperatures pegged back right on the coast with the onshore breeze. a lovely evening if you're heading to wembley for the football on sunday. but once the sun goes down we will find those temperatures falling very quickly. perhaps not quite so low, because on monday there will be a bit more cloud around, especially moving northwards into northern england and southern scotland, northern ireland. still a lovely day across the north—west of scotland. for most of england and wales there will be some sunshine. not as windy in the south. temperatures still 16—17 degrees. not as warm where we have that cloud.

we'll find things gradually change as we look towards the south—west. we push away the area of high pressure that's keeping it fine and sunny and we'll introduce some showers perhaps across northern ireland, across wales. more western parts of england further east it may well be dry and across scotland it is largely dry, but more in the way of cloud here. that's the slow theme we will develop over the weekend. cloud increasing. the chance of some rain as well. but we will have the winds more from the south, so with the sunshine it will still be on the warm side and it won't be as cold at night. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm lebo diseko: the united states military has admitted that aircraft from the american—led coalition did strike part of the iraqi city of mosul where a large number of civilians were killed. it said it had opened an investigation but accused islamic state group fighters of using civilians as human shields. the new leader of hong kong is currently being chosen, in a vote dismissed as a sham

by pro—democracy activists. the territory's chief executive will be selected by a specially—appointed committee of nearly 1200 people — most of them loyal to the chinese leadership. there are three candidates. european union leaders have stressed the need for unity at a celebration in rome marking the 60th anniversary of the organisation's founding treaty. twenty—seven leaders signed a new declaration, but the british prime minister was absent. the uk is set formally begin the brexit process this week. those are the latest headlines. now on bbc news, it's time for click.