i'm kasia madera in london, the headlines. as brexit talks loom — tensions deepen between britain and the european commision — there's a warning the road ahead could be bumpy. gearing of the conservative party leadership campaign and i was described as a bloody difficult women. i said at the time that the next person to find that out would be jean—claude juncker. it's good to talk. a phone call between donald trump and vladmir putin — where they discuss north korea and syria. i'm rico hizon in singapore — also in the programme: improve your service or we'll force you to improve it — that's the threat from us lawmakers to the nation's airlines. and — how free is the global press? we find out as the united nations marks world press freedom day. live from our studios in london and

singapore. this is newsday. welcome, it's 8am in singapore and iam here in london where relations between the british prime minister theresa may and the head of the european commission are proving tense. mrs may has warned jean—claude juncker that she will prove to be a ‘bloody difficult woman‘ during the talks to separate britain from the european union. it follows reports that mrjuncker had accused her of being deluded about the entire process. theresa may has been speaking to the bbc‘s political editor, laura kuenssberg. i think what we have seen recently is at times these negotiations are going to be tasked. during the conservative party leader campaign i was described by one of my collea g u es was described by one of my colleagues as a bloody difficult

woman andi colleagues as a bloody difficult woman and i said at the time that the next person to find that out would be jean—claude juncker. these will be tough negotiations as we go ahead. iam will be tough negotiations as we go ahead. i am asking the dish people to give me a mandate to go into these negotiations. every vote for my team is a vote to strengthen our hand in ensuring we get the best possible dealfor hand in ensuring we get the best possible deal for the united kingdom. did jean-claude juncker tell you that brexit could not be a success 7 tell you that brexit could not be a success? i don't recall the account that has been given. i think a lot of it is baseless gossip. either he said it to you or he did not. the account that i have seen, a lot of it is brussels gossip. but what is important is that there is a key question for people. we have seen from this that negotiations will be tougher. getting the right deal requires the right leadership. our political correspondent mark lobel is monitoring this from westminster and says her fighting talk might be good for her domestically.

this row may not be of her own choosing but the timing may be very, very good for the reason may. she is fighting a uk general election here and it seems that she wants brexit to be the main issue. she does not wa nt to lea k to be the main issue. she does not want to leak like a pushover and this strong decisive language of like she used in the south—west, a decisive leadership that she wants to show and people to see her as the right person to fight a difficult except deal rather thanjeremy corbyn. she has been pushed into this but politically and electorally she has chosen strong language in the short term to show she will be no pushover although her opponents believe it not to be a good start. she says that this, this talk of a troubled relationship is down to brussels gossip. where is this

information coming from? the suspicion is that it was leaked by the german chief of staff for the eu commission president. it was straight to a german newspaper and there are several theories behind why it has been released now. the eu is playing hard ball quite why it has been released now. the eu is playing hardball quite clearly here with these leaks in the sort of thing is that they saying, that to riva make is out of her depth and has no clue about what is possible. it may also be gaining support in germany for anglo merkel, one of the key architects of what will be the brexit deal as we lead into the elections. and also preparing germans and other members of the eu for the possibility, if they believe it, that there may be no deal in the end and the blame would be put at the britain's fee. but the former greek finance minister was just on television here in the uk and he was saying that this is classic eu tactics. hardball, spin, spin, and

pushing the uk into a corner, even about the prospect of negotiations before we hit the details even. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. president trump and vladimir putin have spoken by phone for the first time since the us launched a missile strike against the syrian government. they discussed possible ways to deal with current world hotspots, including the war in syria and the mounting tension in the korean peninsula. the kremlin says the two leaders will try to meet face—to—face on the sideline of a g20 summit this summer. our north america correspondent david willis told me how washington described the conversation. they described it as a good call, or as the state department calls it, very productive. they discussed, like you said, the crisis in syria, a crisis which has left america and

the united states on opposing sides. russia backing the government there, the regime. they spoke about having a face—to—face meeting on the sidelines of the g20 salmon in hamburg in two months time. in regards to syria, it appears that there was discussion of a so—called safe zone. these are areas that would provide some security for civilians. donald trump has championed this prospect. he does not want to see syrian refugees come to the united states so the alternative is to keep them safe on the ground there in special zones in syria. we do not know what came of those discussions between the leaders today. no mention, however, of the recent american airstrike on that syrian air base which was also used by russian troops. the russian

leadership was heavily against that airstrike and it led to fractious exchanges at the united nations. president donald trump's nominee for ambassador to china has promised to take a firm line with beijing on issues from north korea to trade disputes and human rights. during a us senate hearing, terry bra nstad insisted there were still economic options that could be used against pyongyang. china could play a critical role in convincing north korea to dismantle its nuclear and missile programmes. a strategic policy that would boost the security of america and china and the entire world. china has meanwhile called for the immediate suspension of a controversial us missile defence system based in south korea. the calls came shortly after washington announced

the system was operational. beijing has repeatedly expressed opposition to thaad and its powerful radar. a foreign ministry spokesman says china would take measures to defend its interests. the european union has annoyed myanmar‘s de facto leader, aung san suu kyi, by publicly supporting an international investigation into alleged abuses against rohingya muslims. a un body agreed in march to send a fact—finding mission to the country. but ms suu kyi told reporters she does not agree with the mission. there's been more violence in venezuela where demonstrators have clashed with police in protest at president maduro's call for the constitution to be re—written. his plan would also sideline the opposition—dominated congress. barricades were set up across the capital, caracas bringing parts of the city to a grinding halt. security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators. some leading athletes have expressed outrage that many of their world

records could lose official status under radical new anti—doping proposals. european athletics says blood and urine samples should be available for re—testing for up to ten years to help prove athletes were clean. however, the governing body of world athletics, the iaaf — whose boss supports the move — has only kept samples since 2005, so the proposal would mean downgrading records achieved before then. politicians in the states have demanded improvements in airline customer services oi’ face tough new rules. the grilling of airline bosses in congress was sparked by the incident last month, when passenger david dao was dragged from an overbooked united airlines plane. united's chief 0scar munoz was there, and again apologised for the scandal. i'd like to again apologise to dr dao, to his family, to every

person on that flight, 3411, and of course to all our customers and employees worldwide. further, i'm personally sorry for the fact that my immediate response and the response of our airline was inadequate to that moment. no customer, no individual, should ever be treated the way mr dao was, ever, and we understand that ed pizzarello is a business travel editor for the website pizzainmotion.com. he gave his reaction to the hearing. i don't think there was a lot of surprise in the beginning. you are talking about a long hearing in congress kept hammering home the same point, that airlines can improve the way they handle customers. 0therwise congress will step in and do it for them. i don't think there is anybody who really wa nts think there is anybody who really wants that to happen. you think that

airlines can, therefore, police themselves. and it is notjust united airlines, it is all american airlines. it is certainly notjust united. it is all the airlines. some doa united. it is all the airlines. some do a betterjob than others. south—west has a far more remarkable track record with customer service. there are examples of large airlines who are doing it in the us. it sta rts who are doing it in the us. it starts at the top and the ceo of united said that the culture has to change. i think it is achievable. united said that the culture has to change. ithink it is achievable. do you think that a stronger... 0bviously, you think that a stronger... obviously, the republicans are in power, do you think it is likely we will get a strong set of laws here? it is hard to say. there are many things going on in the us right now that our focus points. things going on in the us right now that ourfocus points. i think things going on in the us right now that our focus points. i think the airlines have seen things in the past we congress has stepped in to regulate and they have not necessarily like the outcome. my guess is we have some smart people

running these major airlines, i think the most likely course of action is that they will figure out action is that they will figure out a way to service their customers better and keep congress from stepping in. but it is anybody‘s guess. singapore's school system is famous for coming top of the class in global exam rankings. but now it's beginning to rethink its approach and put less emphasis on grades. not so much homework, and more play. it's a way to reduce some of the stress that many children in singapore are facing. but what will be the response to such a change in direction? sarah toms went out to investigate. as a mother, it is painful to see them this way. learning is about enjoying. you are supposed to enjoy what you learn to have fun and not get stressed and depressed about not getting the right answers. i don't like homework because i have a lot of homework to do and i cannot do it.

singapore has been on top of global education rankings for years, but now it plans to focus less on grades to prepare students for the future. there are other responsibilities to educate children to be ready for the future to be productive citizens of tomorrow. we all know that the future will become more complex and uncertain and unpredictable. singapore's plan is less homework and more play outside and a new grading system. for students, it means more chances like this to explore the world outside of the classroom. the aim is more creativity and innovation. but is singapore ready to ditch an obsession with grades? we have this culture we grew up with. we don't want to lose it. the biggest challenge will be the parents forcing the children to study and work harder and do

more, do more homework. children are not having any rest—time or playtime. children also attend extra tuition to pass their primary school exams. it determines their secondary school, and many believe, their success in life. i believe this new system is really good because it encourages the children definitely to explore and notjust stick to the same regiment ofjust memorising. the government says they wanted to bring all of these changes a while back. but it is slow—moving. i don't see much of a difference. it is still intensive. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme:

so how free is the global press? we'll find out more as the un marks world press freedom day. also on the programme, beyond bollywood — we'll take a look at a successful indian film from a very different part of the country. nothing, it seems, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government to build better government housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood

here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them. they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long. it was 7 o'clock in the morning, the day when power began to pass from the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. welcome back everyone. you are watching newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. 0urtop rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: there are signs of growing tensions between britain and the european union over brexit, as prime minister theresa may warns the road ahead could be bumpy.

donald trump and vladmir putin discuss global problems ranging from north korea to syria over the phone. they agree to try to meet injuly. and twitter says it is working with media firm bloomberg to create a 24—hour rolling news channel for the messaging service. that's one of the top business stories on our website. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. and i suspect that the japan times league will raise cries of "not in my backyard". —— lead. this as the government draws up plans of disposal sites for high—level radioactive nuclear waste. the paper says the process could face challenges amid public concerns over safety. now, which is the worst place in the world to be a journalist? 0n world press freedom day the new york times reports that mexico is right up there as one of the deadliest places. the front page shows a family

mourning at the graveside of a murdered journalist, who was killed, one of at least 104 killed in this country since the year 2000. on a different note, china daily has a picture lead of firefighters tackling a blaze in yimuhe forest in mongolia. but also eye catching is this story that china is developing the next generation bullet trains with a maximum speed of a super fast 400 kilometres per hour. they could be connecting the country by 2020. you are up to date with the papers. well as we've just heard, wednesday is world press freedom day across the globe. the day is organised by the un agency unesco, and champions the fundamental principle of a free media. it also aims to defend journalists from attacks on their independence. the latest un report on press freedom gave singapore low marks,

said the government was into —— intolerant. it also claimed there was a lot of self censorship. a government spokesperson responded by saying that a free and open press leads to a rise in fake news. eugene tan is a law professor at singapore management university, former nominated member of parliament and an advisor to the main media organisation in singapore. i asked him whether the index should be taken seriously. i think in the end, each country will take what they want out of the report. i think that some people will not find the report credible because of the matrix. —— metrics. it is really a question of, if singapore is intolerant, would foreign officers such as the bbc set up offices here? although it improved three notches, it is still at the bottom third of the rankings. i don't think the government will lose any sleep over that. the facts speak for themselves really in the end. it is really a question

as to whether people trust the media here. i think for the government, regarding the media, that is really what matters. "intolerant, practising self—censorship" — so do you see this environment is changing any time soon? or will it remain where it's at? it is evolving, rico. i think in any media in any society, there is some censorship. the question is to what end and what degree. singapore is becoming better educated, it is open. the internet is free. we also see media freedoms evolving with time. i think there is still a cautious approach, especially with the rise of fake news. the government is planning to have a way of regulating fake news. i admire the attempt, although i don't think it is ever possible to completely eradicate fake news.

there is not fake news, or there is not much of an issue with it, in singapore. maybe because of the regulation in this environment? i think it boils down to trust. i think that the trust that people have in the mainstream media and in the government, and the fact that the landscape here is not polarised. i think people are not gravitating towards new sources that they feel will not validate their worldview. their ability to discern and fact check, corroborate what you read on social media. when you think of indian films, you think of bollywood. but actually, it's films made in the telugu regional language, which are breaking all records. baahubali 2 is a new fantasy epic and is on its way to becoming the highest grossing indian movie globally. the bbc asian network's haroon

rashid met the director and leading actress of the film in london, where the film is screening at the british film institute — and we should warn you that there is some flashing images in this interview. we are one of the numerous film industries in the south of india. and ourfilm going to other and our film going to other states itself is a big thing. and then to other places in india, and to other countries. it really feels very surreal. baahubali ii: the conclusion, is the most expensive film ever made in india. but it is still a fraction of what it took to make something like lord of the rings, for example. how have you managed to make it look just as epic on about one quarter of the budget? there are few people who can notice the difference between 80% and 100%. we went 85% so we could fall in between them. but that takes a fantastic team of

technicians who understand visual and story media. it is notjust the story, but how you present it. even still, this film was shot in the world's biggest film studio in hyderabad. tell me about the experience of being on sat. —— set. i remember the courtroom. we stood and looked around the set. i was so intimidated by the set. from set to what it has turned into on the screen is intense. there is an assumption that india cannot make marvel characters, for example. but you have lots of incredible gods. your character, baahubali, is an amalgamation of those. we have such a strong story. we have many strong characters. we're looking...

there is nothing wrong with enjoying them. but we have such big superheroes with ourselves. just thinking about batman and superman, it is notjust that. what i did with this film was this much. this much. and there is a lot more that you can do. baahubali: the conclusion, has just released. many fans want to know if there is a chance of baahubali iii: the resurrection, in the works. i like that. the two parts tell an exciting story and it might compel us to make another exciting story. we might. who knows where the destiny leads? and that was the growing popularity

of indian films. you're watching newsday on the bbc. stay with us. we will be taking a look at apple and the fall of iphone sales. more on that in a few minutes. and we'll leave you with these pictures of true determination. this is masaru abe from japan. masaru smashed the world record for a continuous wheelie. he covered just over 500 kilometres on his scooter, and it took him an astonishing 13 hours. and driving at a steady speed of 40 kilometres per hour, he did beat the existing record of 331 kilometres. two hours in, however, balancing on the bike gave him a bit of back pain. congratulations to him. hello.

on tuesday we saw a big contrast in weather conditions across the country. the further west was the best of the sunshine as you were sheltered from the easterly breeze. in fact, western scotland fared best. wall—to—wall sunshine. a top of 21 degrees. cloudier further east, especially in the south—east. it led to a bit of a disappointing afternoon. but it was still fairly warm. through the night, we will hold onto this contrast. breeze in the south—east. patchy light rain from the near continent because of a weather system. further north and west, lengthy clear skies in the west. so a recipe for a chilly start on wednesday morning. a touch of frost in the western glens and a bit of mist and fog too. we start the tour in scotland. plenty of sunshine through the morning. a bit of a chilly start. low cloud through the central belt. it will tend to burn away quickly.

lots of sunshine for northern ireland and the north of england. the north midlands seeing some sunshine, as well as northern wales. some sunny spells into cornwall and devon. cloudy and disappointing elsewhere. some cloud big enough for light rain and drizzle in the south—east and maybe london as well. out on the breeze, quite actually quite nippy. through the day, there will not be much change. cool and cloudy across the south—east with further patchy light rain for the north and west. the further north and west, the better the sunshine. a little bit cooler than what we saw on tuesday. a top temperature of 17—18 degrees potentially across western scotland. pleasant in the strong early—may sunshine. 12 or lower on the east coast, especially when you have the cloud. the reason for the chill in the north sea coast is the temperatures in the ocean not more than 8—10. with the cloud, temperatures on the coast will feel disappointing for early may. cloudy for a proportion of england and wales. light and patchy rain. for thursday, a similar picture. plenty of cloud for england and wales. patchy light rain. feeling a bit chilly. the best of the sunny spells in the north and the west of the uk.

a top temperature of 14—15 degrees. friday, the breeze picks up. nippier close to the coast. —— so it will feel nippier, particularly close to the coast. the best of the sunshine in northern and western areas. temperatures range from around ten to 15. the weekend. a ridge of high pressure keeping the weather system that day. so it stays largely fine and dry. chilly on the coast. the best of the sunshine in the north and west. them

i'm kasia madera with bbc news. our top stories. ahead of crucial brexit talks — there are signs of growing tensions between britain and the european union. following leaked reports of a very difficult meeting with european commission president jean—claude juncker — british prime minister theresa may

has signalled the road ahead could be bumpy. in a phone call — donald trump and vladimir putin have discussed how they could work together on problems ranging from north korea to syria. they agreed to try to meet at the g20 summit injuly. and this video is trending on bbc.com — it could almost be the plot of a hollywood film — a surfer stranded at sea off the scottish coast in freezing waters and a life—saving rescue operation. this is the dramatic rescue — the surfer survived 30 hours with nothing but his board. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: a man from cardiff has beenjailed for eight years for creating an online library for followers of the islamic state group.