welcome to newsday. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore, the headlines: you're playing with fire. russia warns britain at the un over the salisbury poisonings. london dismisses moscow's request for cooperation. i think the metaphor that i find most apt is that of an arsonist turned firefighter. waiting for her fate. a court in south korea prepares to deliver the verdict in former president park geun—hye‘s corruption trial. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: prison looms for lula. brazil's former president is told to turn himself in and start serving a i2—yearjail term for corruption. one of bollywood's biggest stars, salman khan, is sentenced to five years in jail for killing two rare antelopes nearly 20 years ago. live from our studios in singapore and london.

this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 7am in singapore, midnight in london and 7pm in the evening in new york, where the un security council has been meeting at russia's request. moscow's ambassador to the united nations made a strongly—worded speech, rebuffing the uk's accusation that russia was behind the poisoning of sergei skripal and his daughter yulia in the city of salisbury last month. here's our diplomatic correspondent james landale. it's just over four weeks since sergei and yulia skripal were found poisoned by a nerve agent on this bench in salisbury four weeks during which the former russian intelligence officer and his 33—year—old daughter have lain critically ill, at times in a coma. but today, miss skripal revealed that she at least is on the mend. in a statement, issued on her behalf by the police, she said:

she thanked the staff of salisbury district hospital for their care and added: today, russian television broadcast an unverified recording of an alleged phone call between yulia skripal and her cousin, victoria. she's hoping to come to britain to visit miss skripal with the help of russian diplomats if british officials are prepared to risk giving her a visa. in london, the russian ambassador welcomed the news that miss skripal is recovering. i'm really happy and i hope that sergei skripal will also recover, and i'm quite sure that one day yulia will come back to moscow. but he once again denied any russian involvement in the attack. so amid the claims and counterclaims, what's the uk case? theresa may says the substance used is novichok, a type of nerve agent developed by russia. british scientists say this

millitary—grade agent can only be made by a nation state but they don't say which one. instead its secret intelligence that the government says implicates russia. a conclusion that has the international support of dozens of countries. but russia rejects this and says britain lacks real evidence. it denies ever producing novichok, but says other countries could have done so. it's requested samples of the substance for testing and it's called for russian officials to be involved in a joint investigation. at the united nations this evening, there were smiles between ambassadors, but not for long, as russia accused britain of fabricating intelligence to question the legitimacy of the russian state. translation: couldn't you come up with a better fake story? we all know what the worth of british intelligence information is based on the experience of tony blair. we have told our british colleagues that you're playing with fire and you will be sorry. britain in turn accused russia

of playing fast and loose with international security. we cannot ignore what has happened in salisbury. we cannot ignore russia turning a blind eye to the use of chemical weapons in syria and in salisbury, and we cannot ignore the way that russia seeks to undermine the international institutions which have kept us safe since the end of the second world war. this confrontation between britain and russia is not over yet, not by a long chalk. james landale, bbc news. i've been speaking to our correspondent in washington, chris buckler, who told me neither country seems to have provided more evidence over who was responsible. ina way, in a way, this was a series of prepared statements, of claim and

counterclaim, of accusation and denial, with both countries determined to make their point. it's worth remembering this was a meeting that was called for by moscow, that's what they wanted, and there was an attempt here to raise concerns, to raise questions and also plant a lot of doubts. saying that, if you watch that meeting and you watch just the expressions of those sitting around it, i don't think any of the countries would have changed their minds about what's happened here. the uk and many other countries, including america, including france, including many other countries, they all believe russia was responsible for this, russia continues to deny that andi this, russia continues to deny that and i don't think that's going to change in the weeks coming. the uk very much sticking to its position. the opcw is investigating, we're going to get the findings next week, but then russia is simply going to reject them? part of that is a frustration russia wants to be involved in that investigation. they say they have a right to be involved

in it. they've passed a series of official notes demanding to be part official notes demanding to be part of that investigation. i think it's inevitable having not been a part of the investigation there's a good chance they will reject whatever it comes outwith. of course, the uk will continue to push, saying they believe russia was involved in this so believe russia was involved in this so in an odd kind of way, no matter what this investigation says, it isn't going to matter, the results of it, because fundamentally these two countries are into different corners. we have the uk and many of their allies standing against russia and they will both continue to say, yes, russia were involved and russia will continue to say, no, it's got nothing to do with us and the uk has to look at itself. lots more on that on our website. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. nearly two weeks after his arrest, catalonia's former leader, carles puigdemont will be released on bail. a german court has ruled against extraditing him on rebellion charges but says he could still be sent back to spain to face corruption charges. spain accuses mr puigdemont

of encouraging rebellion when he lead catalonia's push for independence last year. six activists have been jailed in vietnam for attempting to overthrow the state. their sentences are between seven and 15 years, the harshest in years as the communist country tightens its grip on critics. those jailed include lawyers accused of holding human rights training and pushing for a multi—party democracy in vietnam. police in new york have shot dead an african—american man after mistaking a piece of pipe he was holding for a gun. he was shot ten times. video posted on social media showed a crowd gathering at the spot, some yelling "oppressors" as they faced off with police. president trump has denied knowing that his lawyer paid the porn star, stormy daniels, $150,000 to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she says she had with mr trump in 2006. speaking to journalists on the presidentialjet mr trump he did not know where his lawyer, michael cohen, had

obtained the money. and patients had to be evacuated when this intense fire broke out at a hospital in istanbul in turkey. the blaze started on the roof of the building. flames then rapidly engulfed the hospital's exterior cladding. officials say there are no reports of casualties so far. a court in seoul will sentence the former south korean president park geun—hye for her part in a corruption scandal which led to her being removed from office. she faces 18 charges including bribery, abuse of power and coercion. prosecutors have demanded 30 years in prison and a fine of 118.5 billion won, that's about $116 million, for the former president. 0ur correspondent in seoul, laura bicker, looks back

at the downfall of a leader and the extraordinary protests that led to her impeachment. week after week of the streets of seoul we re after week of the streets of seoul were bathed in candlelight. they gathered in their millions to overthrow a leader involved in a huge corruption scandal. the peaceful movement gathered pace and strength, and proved too powerful for south korea's president. the charges facing park geun—hye are tied to her relationship with friend and adviserjason tied to her relationship with friend and adviser jason gill. tied to her relationship with friend and adviserjason gill. she used her presidential connections to pressure huge businesses, including electronics giant samsung for millions of dollars in donations to foundations she controlled. president park apologised twice, but

her approval ratings fell to just 5% and opposition leaders worked to gather votes to impeach her. they we re gather votes to impeach her. they were eventually successful. her now dwindling number of supporters were distraught. but most saw it as a victory for this young democracy. people power had finally cut all ties with authoritarian rule. park geun—hye was the daughter of punching he, who seized power in a coup in1961. he punching he, who seized power in a coup in 1961. he ruled for 18 years until he was gunned down in 1979. she entered the political arena amid the global financial crisis in 2008. a worried older generation craved stability and remembered her father's authoritarian rule. she won

the presidency with a slim margin of 5196. the presidency with a slim margin of 51%. her downfall has rocked the political elite in seoul and stoked anger the tune tarmac. it's hoped the verdict will help usher in a new era. if we're doing good then people power will back us, they will be our allies, but if we are doing bad then they will punish us and impeach us and accuse us and criticise us. park geun—hye is unlikely to be in court four her sentencing, but it will be watched closely by those who have long hoped forjustice. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. brazil's former president has until friday afternoon to turn himself into police and begin serving his 12—yearjail term for corruption. luiz inacio lula da silva was requesting to remain free during his appeals process, but on wednesday, a judge ruled against that, ruining his chances of running in 0ctober‘s presidential

election, which he was the favourite to win. let's speak to julia carneiro in sao paulo. tell us about the extraordinary circumstances about how a favourite to win the elections is turning himself into go to jail? he's facing a complicated judicial situation, charges for several different corruption accusations related to the period of his government in the workers' party. this has been the first sentence, he has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison, and he denies any wrongdoing. he said there's a conspiracy going on against him and this is part of a move to remove the workers' party's this is part of a move to remove the workers' pa rty‘s chances this is part of a move to remove the workers' party's chances of ruling the now, of course, in

workers' party's chances of ruling the - now, of course, in the the country. now, of course, in the courts, the situation has been different, the view of the matter has been different, and he's been sentenced to 12 years in jail. the sentenced to 12 years in jail. the sentence has been confirmed by an apple let court and the supreme court yesterday ruled that they denied lula the chance to have his appeals exhausted, so this means there is an open way for an arrest warrant. we're being told in brazil that this would only come next week because there are still appeals he is entitled to, but the case was very quick to issue this arrest warrant, surprisingly but in brazil today and this is the judge, who warrant, surprisingly but in brazil today and this is thejudge, who is spearheading the corruption investigations in brazil, known as

the carwash investigations in brazil, known as the ca rwash 0peration, investigations in brazil, known as the carwash 0peration, a massive corruption investigation that is been uncovering corruption in brazil in politics. a complicated case and a bit ofa in politics. a complicated case and a bit of a surprise he is expected to be injail quite so a bit of a surprise he is expected to be in jail quite so soon. a bit of a surprise he is expected to be injail quite so soon. what happens next, does he campaign from behind bars? he could try to. he does have the right to try to register a candidacy even if he goes to prison and of course ben the electoral courts will have to decide if they accept that or not. if he is sent to jail, which he should be by friday, he still has to have the right to continue his appeal so it could be he's not in prison for a long time if he is successful. that doesn't do much for his chances of campaigning out on the streets. even if he is behind bars, there will be

lots of noise from his supporters on the streets. already we're receiving news of demonstrations called for the coming days in defence of lula and the workers' party and right now his supporters are gathering in sao paulo, the city where he lives, outside the union where he is expected to be at to show their support and the judge that issued the order, just out of curiosity, it's interesting to mention that in respect of the dignity of the position that lula occupied, that he would be granted the right to hand himself involuntarily until 5pm on friday in the south of brazil in the city of coritiba and he should not be handcuffed under any circumstances. this is an attempt by authorities here to avoid lula portraying himself as a victim and avoid inflaming, energising the

protests on the streets even further in this very polarised moment we're seeing in brazil ahead of the elections coming up in october seeing in brazil ahead of the elections coming up in 0ctoberfor president. julia carneiro in sao paulo bringing us up to date with that extraordinary story. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: one of bollywood's biggest stars jailed for poaching a rare blackbuck antelope, salman khan has been sentenced to five years in prison. also on the programme: the malaysian government cracks down on so—called fake news, with massive fines and jail time, but critics say it's an attack on free speech. 25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power, 25 years of hatred and rage as theyjump up on the statue. this funeral became a massive demonstration of black power,

he power to influence. today is about the promise of a bright future, a day when we hope a line can be drawn under the bloody past. i think that picasso's works were beautiful, they were intelligent, and it's a sad loss to everybody who loves art. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: at a meeting of

the security council, russia dismisses the allegation that it poisoned a former double agent living in england. a court in south korea is expected to deliver a heavy punishment to former president park geun—hye in one of the nation's biggest corruption scandals. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the south china morning post in hong kong says beijing might be forced to compromise into opening its markets as it tries to defuse trade tensions with the united states. the post suggests another option is to cut import tariffs on american products which could meet us demands to narrow the trade gap. but the china daily says us enterprises may miss the opportunity to benefit from china's ongoing opening—up process if the dispute escalates. it reports a former chinese commerce official saying that once the us tariff measures against products take effect, china will immediately adopt countermeasures. and the japan times has

a dramatic front page picture as another powerful eruption is observed at mount shinmoedake in south—western japan with ash sent spiralling hundreds of meters into the sky. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? members of the british royal family on tour have caught people's attention online. prince charles and the duchess of cornwall are in australia for the commonwealth games. here's his royal highness on the beach, taking the option not to remove his shoes. though the duchess did indeed go barefoot. as part of the visit, the royal couple enjoyed a demonstration by the little nippers, they're the next generation of australian lifesavers. one of bollywood's biggest stars, salman khan,

has been sentenced to five years in prison for poaching rare blackbuck antelope. the case dates back to 1998. khan, who's 52, has appeared in more than a hundred films. from delhi, rajini vaidya nathan reports. he's one of the world's highest—paid actors. salman khan is known as the bad boy of bollywood, both on and off—screen. today he was in court after a judge found him guilty of killing two blackbucks, an endangered breed of antelope. the case dates back to 1998, when he was shooting for this film, hum saath saath hain. few celebrities are as worshipped or idolised as salman khan is here in india. his cult status is so huge that it's unlikely this conviction will dent his popularity or damage his career. this isn't his first brush with the law. in 2015 he was found guilty of killing a homeless man his cult status is so huge that it's unlikely this conviction will dent his popularity or damage his career. this isn't his first brush with the law.

in 2015 he was found guilty of killing a homeless man near his house in mumbai in a hit—and—run, but was acquitted later that year. salman khan's lawyers say he will appeal the sentence and apply for bail, but tonight one of bollywood's biggest stars is behind bars. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. the malaysian government is coming down hard on so called fake news, with fines of up to a hundred and twenty—three -- $123,000 and as much as six years jail for anyone caught spreading false news. the new legislation covers digital news and social media. critics have called the bill an attempt to stifle dissent. michael vatikeotis is the regional director of singapore's centre for humanitarian dialogue, he is in london and i spoke to him a short time ago.

i think it's very much focused on the prime minister's boom concerns about the corruption scandal that surrounds him. but i think the way in which the media has focused on the scandal, has forced the government which already has a battery of laws that limit media freedom, to try and find something to go after those would make these accusations. to what extent, unlike the other laws, which are really quite restrictive, sedition, for instance, the colonial era. this one is so broad that the flipside may be that it may be open to legal challenge as well because if the government itself, and we have seen

in other countries of the region, attem pts in other countries of the region, atte m pts to in other countries of the region, attempts to accuse the media of purveying false news, fake news. if the government itself is unable to stand those charges up. there has already been considerable public outcry at the courts. what exactly are they doing so far. what we have seenin are they doing so far. what we have seen in malaysia in recent years is the courts are becoming a bit more active, recent court cases, court decisions that have defended constitutional rights, not so much on the government's side. what we might see in malaysia is a broadening of the crackdown in the media. having said that, if we look at the election, it is unlikely the opposition will make much headway and thisjust opposition will make much headway and this just speaks to the prime minister's insecurity and a feeling that he is being targeted. the election has to take place. very

highly anticipated election. it is unlikely the opposition will win. around the region, notjust a trend confined to malaysia, its another sign that the gains that democratic government have made over the last 20 years, and the region as a whole, are being slowly eroded. it's not just malaysia but this is particularly stringent when it comes to this law. if you look at cambodia and also the philippines, there have been very severe crackdowns on the media. especially in the philippines. quite well—known media

organisations. i think this is, in turn, drawing off from president trump's administration and its description of the media as fake news. it's been embraced by these meters —— by these leaders in southeast asia that is unfortunate. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. because in a very short time, samsung will be delivering their earnings guidance for the first quarter of this year. well see what effect low seoul stock market and uncertainties in the it sector have. warning by russia's ambassador is that the un security council over the poisoning in salisbury. the uk has dismissed it, however. hello. thursday was always set to be

one of the best days of this week and so it proved an hour weather watchers were very much out in force, probably encouraged by the fa ct force, probably encouraged by the fact that it was such a glorious day all the way from scotland to the south coast and across the irish sea and into northern ireland but that is really rather cool to use that particular picture to bring you the message that it will be on friday another glorious day for many parts of the british isles because, i'm afraid to say, that belfast and indeed much of northern ireland, it would be that way for you and the seeds of the destruction of your glorious friday were being sewn on thursday with this bailiff crowd moving in from the atlantic is an —— and as we get into the first part of friday, the rain will already be there and how across northern ireland and may be flirting with the western side of scotland as well. at least underneath that bailiff cloud, not such a cold start to friday in the west as it will be in the east.

skies will be that bit clearer. if the skies are clear, the heat will dribble away and you start off with a cool start your day. there are, the bigger picture, one of the benefits of having a low pressure to the west, on its eastern flank, we are sucking up all this mild air from the western part of the mediterranean from liberia. eventually, as you will see, the temperatures really will respond to that. i'm afraid, out towards the west, no disguising the fact that once the rain has set in, it will keep on coming. certainly the greater part of the day to northern ireland. yet, the temperatures may struggle. further towards the east and from friday to saturday, initial parts of rain away. and the prospect

of more rain, summer across central and eastern parts of the british isles. through parts of scotland and the western fringes of wales in the south—west, could get away with a dry day. there is some uncertainty but one of the things we can say about the weekend is that the temperatures from many of us, because of that essentially southerly flow, will stay in double figures and again, just this prospect on sunday of a little bit of rainfor prospect on sunday of a little bit of rain for some, and many could well stay dry. and as i say, on the mild side. i'm kasia madeira with bbc world news. our top story: russia has made a strongly worded speech at a meeting of the security council to discuss the poisoning in the uk. it said britain was playing with fire in accusing moscow of carrying out the attack. in response, britain said its actions stood up to any scrutiny and likened russian requests to take part in the investigation to an arsonist investigating his own fire. a court in south korea is expected

to deliver a heavy punishment to the former president in one of the nation's biggest corruption scandals which could see herjailed for 30 years. and this story is popular on bbc.com: prince charles and the duchess of cornwall taking a stroll along the beach at the gold coast. the royal couple, on a tour of australia after opening the commonwealth games, saw a demonstration of a rescue drill by young lifesavers. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.