you're watching newsday. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: hiding for their lives. children take cover from myanmar warplanes as the military is once again accused of targeting civilians. we have a special report. translation: on april 11, four fighter jets fired on the village. we also heard the army raped women and tortured old people nearby so we left. shock in the american fashion world as designer kate spade is found dead in new york. police believe she killed herself. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: a carpet of plastic smothers a beach in mumbai. the un says eleven million plastic bags are used around the world every minute of every day. and the venue is confirmed for next

week's summit between donald trump and north korea's kimjong—un — the luxury capella hotel on singapore's sentosa island. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore, 1 am in london, and 6.30am in myanmar, where the country's military is facing fresh accusations that it's launched deadly attacks against civilians. already accused by the un of ethnic cleansing against rohingya muslims, the bbc has discovered new evidence of soldiers attacking another ethnic group. it's part of a fierce offensive to seize land from rebels

in kachin state in the north of the country. the army insists its troops only target armed enemies. our myanmar correspondent nick beake has this exclusive report. the depths of the burmese jungle. where mothers clamber for safety. and elephants carry the few possessions people had time to gather. it is the latest scramble for survival in myanmar. where children are forced to hide from their own country's militaryjets. and these are not rohingya families. but the people of kachin state. the latest ethnic group to flee a burmese army on the attack. the same burmese army which killed this woman's eldest son. he was 22. caught in artillery fire

on his village six weeks ago. the only words his mother can get out, her son's name. and his dad watched his son die. he bears the scars, physical and otherwise. translation: imagine how you would feel if this happened to your own child. i have lost him. i won't see him again. these children had nearly forgotten what a decent meal tastes like. they had just emerged from a month—long trek through the jungle to safety. they were living in land controlled by kachin rebels who had been fighting for independence for decades. but the burmese army calls the rebels terrorists and are now trying to drive them out,

at any cost, it seems. this woman worked as a sunday school teacher in her christian village and explained why she fled her home. translation: on april the 11th, four fighter jets fired on the village. we also heard that the army had raped women and tortured old people nearby, so we left. the stories we are hearing from these villagers, one after another, are consistent. they are the first eyewitness accounts of the burmese military targeting civilians in their latest offensive here in kachin state. beyond this forest, hundreds more kachin villagers are believed to be running for the safety of the city. we met two parents who were forced to choose which of their children to take with them. they carried their twin boys, but had to entrust two older

daughters to nuns. they have not seen them since. a family torn apart in a country where the military still calls the shots and aung san suu kyi's government looks away. nick beake, bbc news, myanmar. our other top story this hour: the hollywood producer, harvey weinstein has pleaded not guilty to rape and other sexual abuse charges at a court hearing in new york. these are the first cases to be brought to a criminal court, since a series of allegations emerged against him, last year. mr weinstein‘s lawyer, benjamin brafman, spoke on behalf of his client after the hearing. mr weinstein has denied these crimes. he has maintained that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sex with anyone. he is taking this matter very seriously. he is working on helping us address these issues and i think under the circumstances

he is holding up reasonably well. no—one can be happy to be in the position that he is in. as i said in court, rape is a terrible crime and he has denied these allegations and as terrible crime rape is, it is equally reprehensible to be falsely accused of rape. another major story today. a new explosion at guatemala's fuego volcano prompted emergency services to order evacuations from the surrounding areas as people are desperately searching for missing family members. more than 70 deaths have been reported since the volcano erupted, but many more remain unaccounted for. voting is taking place in eight us states in primary elections that are being watched closely ahead of november's midterm polls. the most populous us state, california, is among those taking part, and is of particular importance to the democrats in their quest to take back control of the house of representatives.

alabama, iowa, mississippi, montana, newjersey, new mexico and south dakota are the other states where primaries are being held. the british cabinet has approved a plan for a third runway at heathrow airport in london — europe's busiest airport. parliament will vote on the plan, in the next few weeks. there's been almost five decades of debate on expanding airport capacity, in the uk's south—east. the miss america beauty pageant has scrapped its swimwear segment and will no longerjudge competitors on physical appearance. organisers have also said that the competition will embrace women of all shapes and sizes. a german couple holidaying in norway got closer to the scenery than expected when a large boulder crashed through their cabin, destroying the bathroom. the tourists were staying in the southern region of lindesnes when their lodgings were — quite literally — rocked. fortunately no—one was injured. less than 10% of

the plastic ever made has been recycled. eight million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the world's ocea ns every yea i’. in the biggest report of its kind so far the united nations says more than 50 nations are now taking action, including india, which has committed to end single—use plastics within 5 years. our science editor, david shukman, reports. the shocking sight of a beach in mumbai. it's totally covered in a thick layer of plastic waste. week after week, volunteers try to keep it clean. but more plastic keeps getting dumped here. as citizens and residents of mumbai, or any part of this world, we have got to take the onus in our own hands. we have got to keep our city clean. people in such large droves coming in and doing this is really great,

and i think it will make a difference. and every day we see how plastic can be deadly in the oceans. this pilot whale died in thailand last week after eating 80 plastic bags. so, how bad is the threat from plastic in the oceans? well, every year another eight million tons of it gets added and within a decade, there could be 250 million tons of plasticjust drifting around. so where's it all coming from? well, the rivers of asia are one major source. we filmed this mass of plastic blocking a river in indonesia and all of this will eventually flow out into the sea. where does it then go? well, it can be carried a very long distance by currents. plastic from america makes it all away across the atlantic to britain. and in the same way, plastic waste from asia crosses the pacific. on midway atoll, a tiny island, i once found a cigarette lighter from taiwan. but much of this stuff gets caught in circular currents known as gyres and scientists say the plastic accumulates here. now, over time, some of it sinks,

even into the mariana trench, the deepest part of the ocean. in one shocking discovery, it was found in tiny animals living nearly 11,000 metres down. that is almost seven miles. so, what happens to it? well, a plastic bag could remain in one piece for up to 20 years. a styrofoam cup might well last for 50 years. even though it was just used once. while a plastic bottle could last around a50 years. they are designed to be strong. and then? well, plastic does not go away, it just breaks down into ever smaller fragments. and these micro plastics are getting everywhere and they will last for thousands of years. a river in the philippines sending plastic into the oceans. dozens of countries have pledged to try to stop this. in kenya, you can be jailed for selling plastic bags. other governments have tough laws, but do not enforce them. a slum community in delhi.

india says it will ban single use plastics by 2022. a massive commitment to end scenes like this. david shukman, bbc news. the american fashion designer kate spade has been found dead in her apartment in new york. she was 55. ms spade was best known for the handbag company she founded in 1993. police are investigating her death as an apparent suicide. it appears at this point in time to be a tragic case of apparent suicide but it is early in the investigation. there was a suicide note left at the scene. 0ur correspondent in new york, nada tawfik gave more details on the initial police investigation. what we know is that the police say the housekeeper is the one who found kate spade in her bedroom at her park avenue apartment. the housekeeper called emergency services and when they arrived

they found kate spade unconscious and unresponsive. they declared her dead shortly afterwards. the nypd chief of detectives, as you heard, said they are investigating this as a suicide. the note that they found, the associated press reports that a law enforcement source said part of it was addressed to her 13—year—old daughter. the family did put out a statement. this is a difficult time for them, of course, and they have requested privacy while they grieve. really, we will not get too many more details until the autopsy is complete from the chief medical examiner's offers. many people are paying tribute to kate spade, an icon in the fashion industry. many are shocked by her sudden passing. yes. so many people have been taking to social media to talk about their first kate spade handbag that they owned,

or to share some quotes from the designer. she began her company from her apartment in new york and it was because she saw a gap in the market for handbags that were both fun and functional. she did not want fashion to be intimidating to she grew that into this global lifestyle brand with over 100 stores in the united states, 100 stores globally. people such as kate middleton wear her clothing. she paved the way for so many designers. even today, though she has not run the company for over a decade, it still bears the hallmarks of her style. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: asia has led the way on women in high political office. but has enough been done for broader gender equality? also on the programme: days away from the us—north korea summit,

we assess what is in it for china. the queen and her husband began their royal progress to westminster. the moment of crowning in accordance with the order of service, by a signal given, the great guns of the tower shall be shot off. tributes have been paid around the world to muhammad ali, who has died at the age of 7a. 0utspoken but rarely outfought, ali transcended the sport of boxing, of which he was three times world champion. he was a good fighter and he fought all the way to the end, even through his illness. yes, he did. uefa imposes an indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary

of the release of the beatles‘ lp sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band, a record described as the album of the century. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. and i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: myanmar‘s military is facing fresh accusations of deadly attacks against civilians, this time as part of an offensive against kachin rebels in the north of the country. tributes are being paid to the american designer kate spade, who has been found dead at her home in new york. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world.

the japan times reports on a royal tour of hawaii, prince akishino and princess kiko seen here visiting the ehime maru memorial in honolulu. the couple will take part in a celebration to mark 150 years of the first japanese immigrants to arrive there. the china daily chooses to focus on national eye care day. primary school children in shandong province are seen here trying to organise their pencil cases while blindfolded, to experience the difficulties faced by people with visual impairments. and singapore's the straits times reports on the continuing investigation into the finances of former malaysian prime minister najib razak. his wife, datin seri rosmah mansor, is seen here being escorted by the authorities after she arrived at the malaysian anti—corruption

commission, in putrajaya, where she was questioned for five hours. now, babita, what stories are sparking discussions online? the boss of qatar airways is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. at a conference in sydney, akbar al baker was asked why qatar's ceo was a man. he replied saying, quote, of course it had to be led by a man, because it is a very challenging position. he later defended the carrier, saying it was the first middle eastern airline to have a female pilot. believe it or not, he was attending a conference all about diversity. in the global struggle to get more women into high political office, on the surface, asia seems to be doing quite well. taiwan recently marked two years of its first female president, tsai ing—wen. jacinda ardern is new zealand's

third and youngest woman leader, and is expecting a baby any day. many, many more women have been heads of government in asia. some of the more memorable were former thai prime minister yingluck shinawatra and south korean president park geun—hye, who were both removed from power. but have any of these female leaders helped asia make headway on gender equality overall? earlier i spoke to sarah liu, a comparative politics professor at newcastle university. she says this rise of female politicians may actually be discouraging women from engaging in politics. well, asia has made much progress in the political representation of women, but when you look at the actual impact of asian women leaders on society,

asia's gender equality still has a long way to go. my research show there's a big divergence between women's social status and women's political status in asia. i find that, instead of serving as role models, and inspiring women to engage in politics, women leaders in asia actually discourage women's political participation. this difference between status and participation is alarming. we also mentioned about the high standards that women in asia. do women face higher standards than men? it's true, and you can tell of the example of former south korean president park. she was impeached, but male politicians also engaged in corrupt behaviour. but the way women get impeached is at a higher rate

than men. she was a perfect example of how these examples could possibly deter women from running for office. there may be issues, but the asia—pacific region is faring better compared to the rest of the world. in a way, yes, asia is doing better. if you look at a percentage of women in national parliaments in many parts of asia, asia are certainly doing better. but there is a disconnect between the representation of women and the participation of women. when the two don't click, or don't think, then it could be alarming. so how can you narrowed this disconnection, sarah? so one possible explanation for this disconnection could be that, in many parts of asia, women become leaders. and yet gender equality doesn't improve. their presence could be seen as tokenistic.

so asia is marked by greater discrepancy between women's rights and social rights, and as long as this disparity exists, there's little reason for women to get inspired to engage in politics. president trump and kim jong—un are preparing to meet in singapore next week, in a summit many thought could never take place. the venue for the meeting has been announced, and it will be here at the luxurious capella hotel, on sentosa island. the five—star, colonial—style hotel boasts several resorts, beach clubs, two golf courses, and a theme park. it is one of the finest hotels in singapore — no surprise, perhaps, given the president knows a thing or two about hotels. so rico, sentosa it is. you have been there once or twice? just once, and it is a home too,

like you said, other luxurious hotels. it is a non— clever the rich and famous and the home of universal studios, and about three or four mac golf courses. i am sure donald trump will definitely want to play a round of golf with kim jong—un. but when you of golf with kim jong—un. but when you come of golf with kim jong—un. but when you come here to singapore this weekend, i will be treating you to kim— trump berger and to a summit iced tea. —— burger. and i will give you a free medallion to commemorate the summit. what do you think petts i can't wait. you know how to treat a lady, rico. while china has long been thought of as north korea's strongest ally, the last 12 months have seen it impose the toughest sanctions ever on its unruly neighbour, taking credit for propelling kim jong—un towards the negotiating table. but china's influence was also

suggested by the us president to be one of the reasons why the meeting was at one point in doubt. 0ur china correspondent john sudworth reports now on the state of play in the communist alliance. four times a week, passengers at this beijing station crowd onto an overnight service bound for pyongyang. the train is an embodiment of china's ties to north korea. geographically, politically and economically. "i'm going on holiday," this chinese woman tells me. do you worry that is has nuclear weapons? "i don't think it'll be a problem, the situation is good," she tells me. "anyway, isn't that a sensitive question?" she adds. it is a friendship sealed in blood. china's intervention on the north side in the korean war cost the lives of the least

180,000 chinese soldiers. more than six decades on, there is still a shared world view. chinese people may on occasion feel unnerved by the nuclear brinkmanship on their border, but there is sympathy, too. north korea's logic is, after all, china's logic — atomic weapons as a security guarantee against a us rival. as this man prepares for his summit with the us leader, in a matter ofjust weeks, he has held two with the chinese president. both men, analysts suggest, sense an opportunity to get away from sanctions and back to business. regardless of how much nuclear progress is made, china has a more important long—term strategic goal, which is to help north korea grow its economy and transform itself from an isolated pariah state into a more normal and a more open country in the long run. in another sign of the deep cultural

ties, china has its own sizeable ethnic—korean population. they speak and sing in korean, and have little time for donald trump. "trump's methods are wrong," this man says. "if you want to help north korea, you should help it, not suppress it." china is watching its close neighbour's moment in the sun with interest, and perhaps some hope. but it knows well that, on the korean peninsula, glimmers of hope can quickly disappear. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. will it get across the line? rupert murdoch's long—running bid for sky seems to be one step closer, but there are conditions. i'll have the details next. hello once again.

it's variations on a theme, rather than a great change of weather type, that many of you are experiencing just at the moment. blue skies on tuesday in the sheffield area. it didn't start that way but you got there eventually, like so many other places did. and even when there was some cloud in the sky, well, a number of our weather watchers in the worcestershire area and in the surrounding counties were rather taken by that pattern in the skies. now, what's driving our weather at the moment? well, high pressure the dominant feature, awayjust to the north of scotland. we'll speak more about this area of low pressure, down towards the southern parts of france. so wednesday, a lot of dry weather and sunshine than any from the word go. that's probably not the case for the eastern side

of the pennines, where overnight, in view of the lost it, we will see a fair amount of cloud coming in off the north sea, tending to thin as we get on through the day, and again, with a wee bit of sunshine in the skies, temperatures in a number of locations exceeding 20 degrees celsius. it's not all plain sailing, i have to say. many of you will know already that the pollen levels are very high, especially across the greater part of england and wales, so bear that one in mind if that's relevant to you. here we are through wednesday evening. a good evening for a barbecue, not too much on the way of breeze, pleasantly warm in a number of locations. the cloud just becoming a wee bit more extensive to the eastern pennines, and low cloud lurking thereabouts across these northern and eastern shores, on what is not going to be a particularly cold night. now, that pattern to thursday doesn't look different from wednesday, with the notable exception that we've just pushed that area of low pressure, and its attendant fronts and troughs, a little bit further north in france. and that will have the effect ofjust thickening up the cloud across the southern

counties of england, maybe the south of wales too. and, from that, we could well see some showers. maybe the odd one or two, really quite sharp. that might be a problem for the channel islands. it may come a bit further north. elsewhere, just one or two showers close by to the donegal border in northern ireland, maybe the odd one of the highlands, but essentially it's a fine and settled look to the weather. and even as the weekend begins to loom, well, do you know what? that high pressure is still there or thereabouts. we still have these little mini weather fronts, if you like, just bringing a bit of instability into the mix, so you couldn't rule out one or two showers. at this particular moment, we think some across southern or western parts more likely to see them. but again, many of you are in for a dry weekend. i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story. myanmar‘s military is facing fresh accusations of deadly attacks against civilians. this time as part of an offensive against kachin rebels in the north of the country. villagers say whole communities have been forced to flee —

though the army insists it only targets armed forces. the american fashion designer kate spade has been found dead at her home in new york. ms spade was best known for the handbag company she founded in 1993. police believe she killed herself. and this video is trending on bbc.com: the chief executive of qatar airways has sparked a storm of protest after saying his airline had to be — i quote — "led by a man because it was a very challenging position". akbar al baker was attending a conference on diversity. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: the labour party says it will try to make the government stay in the eu's internal market by tabling amendments to brexit