this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: hundreds missing, thousands homeless, as a dam collapses in southern laos. pakistan's general election gets underway in a few hours, but has the army already won? i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: 7a people confirmed dead in greece as wildfires rip through villages near the capital. and it is so clear how much damage areas. when you come through this town, lines up on loans, hundreds upon hundreds of cars completely destroyed. and, in the slums of mumbai, a transformation in mothers‘ health. india's success in saving the lives of pregnant women. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning.

it's 9am in singapore, 1am in london and 7am in laos, where it's emerged that the dam that collapsed had developed a fault the day before the accident. at least 20 people died in the floodwaters when the dam burst. a spokesperson for a south korean firm, helping build the hydro—power station, said workers unsuccessfully tried to repair the damage. he said the authorities were told and evacuated the area before the dam burst. more than 100 people are still missing. nick beake reports. the torrent of water that crashed through this countryside offered little chance of survival. in time, the full, grim picture will be revealed. now, the world of the survivors is turned upside down. they cling to safety on the roof of their homes. children and elderly

carried towards dry land, the few possessions people had time to salvage hauled through the muddy floodwater. families who have lived in this corner of laos for generations are now homeless. forced out by the destruction unleashed by a newly built dam on their doorstep. its developers say torrential rain in recent days caused a fracture which they try to fix. they sent out an evacuation warning, but it was too late for many. international aid agencies are racing towards the six villages most affected. but their path is damaged, obstructed, and in some places submerged. local teams have been able to give out some supplies, but they desperately need more food, water, clothes and medicine. with more than 6500 people without shelter, it is a daunting challenge.

the laos government had embarked on a ambitious dam—building scheme in recent years, to become the battery of asia, but it has failed badly here, and it has cost so many lives. we can now speak to our correspondent robin brant in shanghai for the latest details on the collapsed dam in laos. so, robin, what more do you know that this hour? well, it is 36 hours since the dam collapsed. we only learned about it about 18 hours ago. the death toll remains around 20. reports, though, that hundreds are 110w reports, though, that hundreds are now missing, as the rescue and recovery effort continues in that district, which is down in the south—east of laos. we have seen images, as my colleague has taught

about, people in trees, people on rooves, vast areas just covered and overrun by muddy water. and the laotion authorities, the military are doing their best. this is a very secretive country, controlled by the communist government. there have been appeals for aid both within the country and outside. but frankly, we know very little, really, about the specific details about the number of people affected and it is hard to gauge what the potential is here. up to 6000 people evacuated, six villages at affected when this 5 billion cubic metres of water came down when this dam collapsed on monday. and, as you said, there are questions already about the laotion‘s government's attempt to be the battery of asia, you will hear that a lot, and we will hear a lot about this in the coming days about laos, they want to generate a lot of

hydroelectric power and the damage done here by this dam built by laotion authorities on—site south korean and thai authorities, that was going to export about 90% of power when it came online next year. and an admission, robin, from the south korean company with a vested interest in this project, saying that they now know that there was a fault a day before the accident took place, but saying that they were already notifying people in the area to evacuate as a result of that. yes, they talked about the discovery ofa yes, they talked about the discovery of a fracture in what's known as saddle dam d, the auxiliary dam, an auxiliary five or six built in the area, a fracture was discovered on sunday. they sent in teams to deal with that. apparently torrential rain was common at this time of the year. it hampered their efforts. it got to monday and they then say that a high volume of water leaked over

the dam, there was a collapse and consequently it affected the villages five kilometres down the river. 0k, robin, thank you very much for that. we will watch closely for any developments on that. also making news today: pakistan has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops across the country to secure polling stations ahead of wednesday's general election. it's only the third since the end of military rule. over 100 million people are eligible to cast their ballot. secunder kermani has more from islamabad. this school is one of 85,000 polling stations across the country. residents will have between 8am and 6pm to cast their votes. and in most of the country, voters will be choosing both a candidate for the national assembly and another candidate for one of four provincial assemblies, depending on where they live. there are more than 105 million registered voters in pakistan and they will be choosing from over 3,500 candidates for the 272 directly elected seats in the national parliament. security in pakistan has greatly improved over the past few years but in recent weeks we have seen a number of deadly attacks

by militant groups. there will be more than 370,000 soldiers deployed across the country including both inside and outside polling stations. key issues at stake in the election include the economy as well as competing allegations of corruption and undue military interference. it's expected to be a tight contest between the pml—n party, which has been in power for the past 5 years, and the pti party led by cricketer—turned leading opposition politician imran khan. we hope to have results by the early hours of thursday morning. syria has accused israel of shooting down one of its warplanes over syrian territory. earlier, israel said that it had brought down the aircraft for carrying out surveillance in its airspace. the syrian government has denied that its planes were over israeli territory. reports from the united states say the pop singer demi lovato is in hospital in los angeles following a suspected

a drug overdose. the celebrity gossip website tmz says the singer, who is 25, was found in her hollywood home on tuesday morning. lovato has struggled with substance abuse for years, and appeared to relapse in recent weeks. she's said to be in a stable condition. donald trump has unveiled a $12 billion bailout plan to protect us farmers being hurt by the escalating trade war. the us president has been heavily criticised by farmers, but they form an important part of his support base. on tuesday, donald trump told farmers in kansas city they'll be the "biggest beneficiary" of the trade disputes. ivanka trump is closing herfashion brand a year after she stopped working with the company to serve in herfather donald trump's administration. she said she was hoping to avoid any potential conflicts of interest in the future, and planned to focus on her role in washington. ms trump launched the brand in 2014, but faced shopper boycotts after her father was elected as us president. cyclists competing in

the tour de france found themselves caught up in a protest by farmers. police sprayed tear gas to disperse the protesters, but it ended up blowing in the face of the riders and the race was briefly halted. having negotiated their way through barricades of hay bales, the teams eventually got underway again. is calling it a natural disaster. —— as we've been reporting for several days now, japan is experiencing a record—breaking heatwave. in fact, it's so hot, the government's weather agency is calling it a natural disaster. officials say 65 people have died this week. more than 30,000 people were admitted to hospital in the past two weeks suffering from heat exhaustion. 0ur correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes sent us this report from tokyo. yesterday we had the highest

temperature ever recorded injapan north of tokyo and in the city of kyoto in western japan and other record, seven days unbroken of temperatures above 38 degrees. this is because a large area of high pressure is sitting over the top of japan, has been since the beginning of the month, and it is not moving. modern buildings are well equipped. air conditioning is normal. if you live in a modern apartment building 01’ live in a modern apartment building ora live in a modern apartment building or a modern office, it is not a huge problem. lots of all the buildings, particularly schools and houses, are not equipped for this sort of heat. the heat of the summer he does get up the heat of the summer he does get up to the mid— 30s regularly for a day or two and then it does drop back down. then people can call. i think it is notjust the height of

the heat. it is the fact that it is going on and on. and it is not getting cool at night. people are not getting a chance to cool down at night and that is having a very dangerous affect on old people's hell. we understand at least half of those who have died are over 65 yea rs those who have died are over 65 years old. of course, the big fear with extreme heat is fire. so, when a fire started on monday near athens in greece, it spread fast. at least 7a people haved died, and that figure is expected to rise. firefighers have been battling outbreaks both to the west and east of the capital, but it is the coastal area of mati which has seen the most deaths. in many cases people were trapped in their homes and cars. mark lowen reports. like a vision of hell, mile upon mile smothered, suffocated by flames. as one was put out, another roared, 47 simultaneous fires ripped through the greek hills. they fled for their lives, hundreds ran into the sea, rescued by the coastguard. but for dozens more, it was too late, killed by the worst wildfires greece has seen in over a decade. as morning fell, the mountains

still burned, 60 miles an hour winds fanning the flames. and even as some were extinguished, the acrid smoke billowed, choking those caught in its grip. it was as if a wall of fire surrounded anyone who tried to confront it, feeding on the vegetation, spewing out thick plumes. for hours, it was futile to battle it. with the trail of destruction, an almost apocalyptic scene. streets in the seaside town of mati near athens looked like a bomb had hit.

many died in their cars, asphyxiated, or burnt alive. we found panagiotis tangalos badly burnt and searching for clues in the spot where he last saw his wife, poppy. i took my baby and ran towards the sea. but my wife, i didn't know what happened. i think she burned herself here. from the skies, man fought nature. cyprus and spain helped with equipment and firefighters. this peaceful holiday resort has been virtually destroyed. many were here at the height of the tourism season, like konsta ntinos triantafilidis. as the flames consumed his car, he and his family ran to the sea. we went directly with our clothes, oton the sea, up to here, to save ourselves very, very quickly. and the fire was still coming, because it burnt everything. it was coming more and more on our faces and we sank into the deep, just to save us.

as the flames came crashing down the hill, devouring everything in their wake, one of the most tragic incidents happened just over here. some 25 people ran towards the sea to try to take refuge but they were too late and they were trapped. and when their bodies were discovered, the remains of the parents were found hugging the children. the greek prime minister, visibly shaken, announced a state of emergency in the athens region and three days of national mourning. translation: there are no words to describe the feelings of all of us at this hour. the country is living an untold tragedy. dozens of human lives have been lost. for the rescuers, the fear of discovering more bodies as dozens are reported missing. the flames may have faded but beneath the ash, what nightmares are hidden? the picturesque has turned to horror.

greece is blessed by its climate, its coast, its lush forests. tonight, it feels cursed. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the laos dam disaster. we look at what might have caused the catastrophe. also on the programme: the thai cave boys begin their first day inside a monastery to give thanks for their escape. 0k, coming down the ladder now. that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30—year

history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt, and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity, and an increase in malfunctioning sperm, unable to swim properly. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime, as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: it's emerged that a dam that collapsed in southern laos, killing at least twenty people, had developed a fault a day before the accident. the people of pakistan will go to the polls in a few hours to choose their next prime minister. hundreds of thousands of troops have been deployed to secure polling stations. the extreme weather is making headlines around the world. let's take a look at the front pages. the financial times reports on the devastating wildfires in greece, which have killed at least 7a people. it shows a picture of a woman searching for her dog at a village near athens. the japan times has more on the heatwave gripping the country. it's reporting on concerns about the country hosting the next olympic games at this time of year in 2020.

the paper says that's why the international olympic committee has already approved a plan to hold some events early in the morning to avoid the heat. and the south china morning post showcases hong kong's new bank notes, which have new advanced security features to prevent counterfeiting. the paper says designs will be in portrait showcasing cantonese culture, including cantonese opera. most of the thai boys rescued from a flooded cave after being trapped for two weeks have taken part in a buddhist ceremony as they prepare to spend time reflecting on their experience. they'll spend nine days in a monastery to honour the people who helped them survive. and the divers and doctors from the uk and australia who helped the boys out of the caves have been enjoying the official limelight. chi chi izunda reports.

it's just one of a series of ceremonies of thanks the rescued thai boys will now participate in. in thailand, 11 have become novice buddhists. as is customary, the boys have had their head shaved. for nine days, a thai lucky number, they will meditate, pray and clean their temple as well as pay tribute to the diver who lost their life trying to save theirs. how many of you? 13? the coach and 12 boys spent two weeks trapped in the cave network before a constipated mission to free them was launched. this afternoon at downing street, the british rescuers were honoured at the reception by the prime minister. rick was counting. i asked how many there were. we were very pleased but i think we were both aware that there is a big difference being alive inside of a cave and being alive outside the cave and that is why it took a week or so to make that happen. they are great heroes.

john said they are not heroes, but i think every one of them is a hero. selflessly courageous. superbly, professionally confident. in australia, medals for the divers who described their cave diving hobby as odd. this doctor, the last man out of the cave, his job was to sedate the boys, something he says was the scariest part of the rescue. it was an experiment, in a way. i have never done it in the back of a cave on malnourished, skinny, dehydrated thai kids before. that for me was the most frightening part of the week. reluctant heroes as they may be, these boys will forever be grateful. chi chi izundu, bbc news. every day, around the world, around 800 women are thought to die from complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth. the causes are entirely preventable, but expectant mothers just aren't getting the care they need.

india is one country, however, that has made significant leaps in tackling its maternal mortality rate. the latest figures show an improvement of 22 per cent from 2013 to 2016. yogita limaye sent this report from mumbai. the basics of giving birth. that's what these pregnant women are being taught. this awareness programme is run bya taught. this awareness programme is run by a charity that works with the government in the slums of mumbai. it isa government in the slums of mumbai. it is a small step in a long journey towards ensuring women have healthy pregnancies. translation: we get a lot of information here. they ask what kind of fruit and vegetables to eat. earlier, idid what kind of fruit and vegetables to eat. earlier, i did not know any of this. i would eat anything at any time. translation: my haemoglobin levels were time. translation: my haemoglobin levels we re low. time. translation: my haemoglobin levels were low. i found out about that when i came here. they helped

me seek medical help and get pills to improve them. in india, earlier, a pregnancy was not thought of as a condition that required any special care. that's something that has changed a lot over the past two decades. this is a government health centre where pregnant women are given medicines and information about a safe delivery and centres like these have been set up across india. they are part of the governments multipronged approach to ensure maternal safety. it's an approach that seems to be working. government numbers show the maternal mortality rate has been falling rapidly and the percentage of women giving birth, rather than at home, has doubled over the past decade. shende, a social worker, says the government's attitude towards maternal mortality has changed, too. the government has taken it very seriously, that is the big change i have seen.

where things have gone wrong, what could have been done much better to save this being done. this has built accountability in the system where, at least, we will not tolerate if a mother dies when she has given birth. the system has shown this. dr harshad chauhan works at a government hospital. he says that in rural parts of india a lot more is needed. the measures are not enough. the situation has improved a lot. more needs to be done. the number of medical staff in the field needs to be increased. people need to be educated more about health. india is still a long way off from achieving goals set by the united nations, but it seems to be moving in the right direction. let's get more on our top story and the collapsed dam in laos that has killed at least 20 people. 0ur south east asia analyst nga pham told us about the impact such large

projects can have on local populations. in the region, governments in laos, but dumb, cambodia, need to spend more time studying the damage, the possible impact those projects can calls. —— vietnam. they have a need to do feasibility studies and start constructing projects. how thorough it is still in question because in developing countries, there are many loopholes that can actually happen when the government plans and develops something that big. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. we'll be looking at the prospects and economic challenges facing pakistan as people get set to cast their votes in a crucial election. we've been reporting

on the extreme weather that's sweeping the globe and the devastating wildfires in greece. more than 70 people have been killed and almost two hundred others have been injured. the flames have ripped through coastal resorts near athens at the peak of the holiday season. the greek prime minister has declared three days of national mourning. the village is a0 kilometeres north—east of athens. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello.

tuesday brought significant contrast in weather conditions across the uk, with south—east england and east anglia once again having a dry and sunny day, with a top temperature of 31 in suffolk. north and west, there was a lot of cloud around, thanks to a weak weather front which brought low temperatures and patchy, light rain. if we look at the satellite picture, look at this cloud in the atlantic. this is a significant area of low pressure which is going to reach our shores by the end of the week and bring some of us significant rainfall. back to the here and now, and for the early hours of wednesday it is looking largely dry across the board. one or two showers for western scotland. more of a breeze, too. elsewhere, dry and muggy in south and south—eastern parts of the country. then, on into wednesday, and i think generally on the whole it will be a dry and bright day for most of the uk. that sunshine up towards scotland, northern ireland, too. showers in the western isles and maybe the odd shower developing through the heat of the day across east anglia.

you can see the orange colours extending further northwards and westwards, temperatures reaching the low 20s in the afternoon in scotland and northern ireland, high 20s for england and wales, with a few locations in the south—east seeing 30 or 31 degrees. into thursday, this is the peak of the heat. the heat will be spreading northwards and westwards. in fact, a good—looking day, with the odd shower developing in the afternoon from the heat in the day. more of a breeze in northern ireland and western scotland ahead of the area of low pressure as it makes inroads. notice the red and orange colours widely across england and wales. temperatures rage ranging from 32, 3a, maybe 35 somewhere in the south—east. then the low pressure comes in, initially across western areas for northern ireland and western scotland, western parts of england and wales. and then ahead of it there will be heavy showers and thunderstorms developing, quite intense in the midlands, into northern and eastern england, perhaps with some hail mixed in as well. across the south—east, it is going to be another hot one, 33, maybe 3a celsius,

turning cool and fresh further west. into the early hours of saturday, the rain, the thunderstorms, pushing on into the north sea, one or two showers following behind, but slightly cooler and fresher feel do things. and that's how the weekend is shaping up. cooler and fresher across—the—boa rd, largely dry with some good spells of sunshine, with the odd shower, and temperatures a little bit more comfortable than where they have been. i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story: it's emerged that a dam that collapsed in southern laos killing at least 20 people developed a fault the day before the accident. the south korean firm helping build the hydro—power station said workers unsuccessfully tried to repair the damage and did make attempts to evacuate the area. pakistan is going to the polls in a national election.

it's a battle between the party of the former cricketer imran khan and supporters of the jailed former prime minister nawaz sharif. cyclists competing in the tour de france found themselves caught up in a protest by farmers. police sprayed tear gas to disperse the protesters, but it ended up blowing in the face of the riders and the race was briefly halted. the teams eventually got underway again. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: the man poisoned in wiltshire last month by the nerve agent novichok has said it came in a glass bottle