welcome to newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: former world cricket star imran khan claims victory in pakistan's election, promising the people he'll fight corruption. translation: whatever the ruling elite has been doing in pakistan so far with the taxpayers‘ money, i'm promising you today that i will change all of that. bruised and bewildered. the children who survived the devastating laos dam collapse. we have just found this shelter where hundreds of people are now gathered. they want food, water, blankets, medicine, if they need it. talking to people here, they all tell you the same story. they had very little time to escape. i'm kasia madera in london. also in the programme: reunions for some families, but not for all, in the heartbreaking stories of migrant children taken from their parents on the us—mexican border.

and a total eclipse of the moon will take place on friday. the blackout will be the longest of the century. people in asia should get a good view. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am here in singapore, 1am in london and 5am in islamabad, where imran khan has claimed victory in the country's general election. he is almost certain to become prime minister. for years, the former national cricket captain has been a political outsider and fierce critic of the governing elite. now he's promised the country a fresh start and that he'll rid the country of corruption. his opponents say his victory is the result of widespread vote—rigging and interference from the armed forces. for more, our pakistan

correspondent, secunder kermani. crowds gathered outside imran khan's home on the outskirts of islamabad, hoping for a glimpse of the man set to become pakistan's new prime minister. he can bring real reforms, and we think that he's the only one who can take pakistan forward in the right direction. from inside his home, imran khan addressed the nation. pakistanis across the country watched him promise to create a fairer, more equal society. translation: we will run pakistan in a way it has never been run before. we'll provide the kind of governance it has never had. khan first became a star as an international cricketer. in britain, he was known for his good looks and playboy lifestyle. in 1995, he married, then later divorced

british socialite, jemima goldsmith. he developed a keen interest in charitable causes, one he shared with his friend, princess diana. after entering politics 22 years ago, he initially struggled but in recent years, his anti—corruption message has energised young voters. he has, however, faced accusations that pakistan's powerful military has been working behind the scenes to bring him to power. his political rivals have rejected the results of the vote. we are all united tomorrow in islamabad and we will be giving our strategy to the people of the country from a united political front, and we will spell out our concerns over these historic rigged elections in pakistan. khan's party, though, dismissed those claims. for his supporters, imran khan represents a break with the old form of politics, one that was dominated by a few influential families. imran khan's promised to create a new pakistan, but as prime minister,

he will face real challenges. chief amongst them will be reaching out to those who didn't vote for him, as well as continuing questions about the fairness of this election. secunder kermani, bbc news, islamabad. will be hearing from south east asia a nalyst little will be hearing from south east asia analyst little later. —— we will. stay with us for that. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. turkey says it won't tolerate us threats over a detained american pastor, whose trial on terrorism charges is straining relations. this comes after president trump demanded that turkey immediately release andrew brunson, who was transferred to house arrest on wednesday after spending 21 months in prison. if turkey does not take immediate action to free this innocent man of fate and sending home to america, the united states will impose

significant sanctions on turkey until pastor andrew bru nson significant sanctions on turkey until pastor andrew brunson is free. mike pence there. also making news today: greece says it has "serious indications" that a fire that killed at least 83 people near athens earlier this week was started deliberately. the blaze broke out on monday and hit coastal villages popular with tourists. some 60 people are still being treated in hospital, ii are in intensive care. dozens more are missing. michel barnier, the eu's chief brexit negotiator, has dismissed some of the main elements of britain's proposal for a new customs arrangement. mr barnier, who has been holding talks in brussels with britain's brexit minister, dominic raab, said that the eu could not delegate its customs policy and tax duty collection to a non—member. shares in facebook plummeted by almost 20% as trading opened in new york, wiping some $120 billion off the company's market value. it comes a day after the social

media giant forecast that profits would increase more slowly. facebook executives blamed the costs of improving privacy safeguards and monitoring content, coupled with slowing growth. the irish ufc fighter conor mcgregor, the man that you can see with the beard there, has been sentenced to five days‘ community service in the us after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. the mixed martial artist escaped a jail term after an incident in new york in april, involving other fighters. he was also told to take an anger management class. and... paul mccartney delighting a very lucky group of beatles fans with a surprise gig at the cavern club, the rebuilt venue in liverpool

where the band started out back in the early 1960s. many fans waited for hours hoping to get a ticket, after paul mccartney announced the free gig. during his performance of beatles classic,s he told the crowd that the band didn't know if it would ever have any future, but quipped "we did okay". and they certainly did. back to our top story now, and that's the apparent election victory for imran khan and his party in pakistan. anwita basu, south east asia analyst for the economist intelligence unit, explained the challenges imran khan will be facing in coming days. at the first instance, he's slated to have about 120 seats in the parliament, just short of the 137 seats required for a full majority. so it is going to be difficult for him, given the fact that most of the major parties have rejected the election results. so the initial couple of days

is going to take some time for him to sort of create a partnership, find a coalition partner willing to partner up with them. i mean, it could be a minority government. of course, that makes it difficult to push through policies, so you see protracted policy delays and so on. so we'll have to see how that pans out. looking ahead, again going back to the point on the fact that he still has quite a strong mandate, so it will be possible for him to sort of, push a coalition and a majority, which is a positive development for the country, from a policy perspective. but yes, i would think that the forthcoming weeks and months would be a bit tricky for him. indeed.

so you're saying he will have a mandate to govern, once he does get this coalition together, that might be a little while. he has also said he is go to seek a balanced relationship with the united states, this at a time when china has been pouring in a lot of money into pakistan, due to the one belt, one road — so how will he balance the relationship between these two superpowers? absolutely. i think that's a great question. he's been very optimistic about foreign policy, he has said he is going to balance the relationship with the us, he is going to reach out to middle eastern partners, he will reach out to china and deepen the relationship. he has said very positive things about the relationship with india. i think that's quite positive, but that's very optimistic from his perspective. the us relationship, we believe is going to be difficult to foster and actually, part of the reason why he needs

to improve it on that front is because otherwise it's going to become very difficult for him to get an imf bailout, which the country, at the momentm is looking like it needs. right. because it's facing economic concerns as well. absolutely. thank you so much forjoining us there with some fresh new political parties in pakistan. thank you. hundreds of people are still believed to be missing after the collapse of a dam in a remote part of laos. at least 27 people died. our correspondent, nick beake, is the first western correspondent to gain access to the area in attapeu province, and he sent this report. bruised, bewildered and with no idea if their parents are still alive. the stories from the hospital nearest the collapsed dam tell you all you need to know about the ferocity of the flood it unleashed.

this couple quietly explain how their one—year—old daughter was swept away. translation: i put my daughter and my wife on a boat. i tried to hold it, but the water was very strong, and the boat flipped over, and my daughter fell into the water. it all happened right before my eyes. it's feared as many as 3000 people are still stranded in this part of southern laos, their rooftops now islands in a murky sea of despair. the authorities are reluctant for the world to see this and so have banned foreign journalists, but we managed to press on undetected and find more survivors. well, we've just found the shelter, where hundreds of people are now gathered. they want food, water, blankets, medicine, if they need it. talking to people here,

they all tell you same story — they had very little time to escape, their homes have been destroyed by the flood water, and this now is the reality of their life. this evening, on the border with thailand, new teams are arriving to help survivors and to retrieve the dead. harnessing the power of water was supposed to turbocharge the country's economy, but this disaster has plunged laos into a humanitarian crisis, and there are concerns the regime will keep the true human cost shrouded in secrecy. nick beake, bbc news, southern laos. of course, we are continuing to monitor events in laos. as we have been reporting, summer 2018 is hot, it is indeed very hot. from the arctic circle and scandinavia to california, and north africa, an exceptional

heatwave has been sweeping across the northern hemisphere for several weeks. japan has a new record temperature of 41 degree celsius. there is a very serious side to this. more than a dozen people have died from heat—related illnesses and thousands more are in hospital. a little earlier, i spoke to australia's national heatwave project director, john nairn. i asked him how this heatwave compares to that of 1976. i think it's quite comparable, at least we know that that's what struck western europe in ‘76. of course, we don't have the information from asia and north america for that particular time either. that's possibly why it's a little unusual, because we have had a series of heat waves around the northern hemisphere. cities are particularly struck, many cities are just not coping very well at all. i think it possibly is a story that

extends beyond the cities as well. the driver for this heatwave is rather large for each area. so it's a very awkward environment to try and function in. the minimum temperatures are actually one of the driving factors for the severity of the heatwave. if you can't recover at night, you will keep accumulating the heat from the previous day. the sequence of hot days and hot nights are the reasons why they are in so much trouble. temperatures not getting back to normal in the night—time, in terms of those people who say this is related to climate change — what is your answer to that? i think that the number of heat waves we're seeing, there's evidence also that we're seeing these heatwaves occur more frequently and there'sbeen a slowing in the jet stream that is actually enabling these highs to sit in one spot for longer. that drives longer heat waves.

also, the seaside temperatures around the coasts of these countries are up to five degrees warmer than normal. so we're actually seeing marine heat waves as well, so the ecosystems are getting a shock and there is evidence — the news that comes after this event, you will see evidence of it in the marine ecosystems as well — but those high minimum temperatures are not allowing the minimums to go down. we're seeing a very strong signal in the rising minimum temperatures globally. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme — we hear some of the heartbreaking stories of migrant children taken from their parents on the us—mexican border. also on the programme: a total eclipse of the moon, the longest of the century, and a great view for sky—gazers in asia. the us space agency nasa ordered

an investigation after confirmation today astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armagh. once an everyday part of the soldier's lot and danger. now no more after four decades. if one is on one's own in a private house, not doing harm to anyone i don't see why these people should wander in and say you are doing something wrong. six rare white lion cubs on the prowl at worcestershire park and already they have been met with a roar of approval from visitors.

they are lovely, yeah. really sweet. yeah, they were cute. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the former world cricket star imran khan claims victory in pakistan's election, promising the people he'll fight corruption. and reunions for some families, but not for all — in the heartbreaking stories of migrant children taken from their parents on the us—mexican border. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the gulf news leads on imran khan's address claiming victory in pakistan's elections. mr khan, who has been criticised for closeness to militants, held out an olive branch to india. the paper reports his comments that friendly

relations between the two countries are essential to stability. germany's frankfurter allgemeine writes about wednesday's deal between the eu's jean—claude juncker and donald trump. europe, it says, is relieved to be avoiding punishing tariffs and all—out trade war. and the international version of the new york times has another angle on increasing temperatures. lebanon's iconic cedar trees are in peril, it says, as climate change threatens to wipe out its forests this century. now, what stories are sparking discussions online? really alarming story has got people talking on social media. one of colombia's most powerful criminal organisations has put out a hit on a sniffer dog. sombra, or shadow, has sniffed out

almost 10 tonnes of the gangs cocaine over the course of her career. so the criminals have put a $70,000 price on sombra's head. since the threat, she has been moved to make sure she is safe. thursday was the deadline for the trump administration to reunite over two thousand migrant children separated from their parents by the its "zero tolerance policy". there've been nearly 900 reunions but there are more than a50 children whose parents have already been deported. the bbc‘s aleem maqbool is on the us mexico border. he's been speaking to one mother who has finally been reunitied with her son. jessica has had to wait in what has been the worst time of her life. earlier this year, us immigration officials took away her six—year—old

son, not telling her where they were sending him. evenjoking, she says, that they were giving him up for adoption. the last time we saw her, yessica had been desperately trying to find out anything she could about her son's whereabouts. finally, weeks later, the agony is over. "i'm the happiest woman in the world," she says, "having this little one with me." and across the us, there has been a flurry of reunions with immigrant parents and their children after a court gave the trump administration a deadline. but this is certainly not the happy ending for many migrants. the us has already deported hundreds of parents without their children, and we know it currently views many more to be ineligible for reunification, and we ourselves have just spoken on the phone with a mother inside this detention facility who was one of many

immigrant parents who are still waiting to hear as to when they'll see their child again. maritza came from honduras with her 11—year—old daughter, from whom she was separated. she's seen no sign they will be reunited. translation: in here, you feel forgotten because you are locked in four walls. we spend our days waiting for good news, but nothing comes. iam not a bad person. my only mistake is coming here illegally. for maritza, coming across the border in the window during which donald trump suddenly decided to implement a much tougher stance has been a disaster. but others celebrated that change, including many whose job it is to catch illegal immigrants. the idea of adding a consequence to an unlawful act paid dividends. even if it meant separating families? if you are shopping with the child at walmart and you're shoplifting, you get arrested.

is that child going to go with you to countyjail? no, you'll be separated, because you as an individual who violated the law need to be prosecuted. but some parents have faced the penalty of being deported without them. lawyers have been shocked by government tactics used to get parents to sign away the right to reunification. deportation officers are going into people's barracks and cafeterias, and some people truly feel they are being forced to sign this without the presence of an attorney, and now they are not ever going to have a chance to reunify with her child. this is changing the course of a child and a parent's life forever. if i could do it all again, she says, i would never have come over here with him. it is the worst thing to happen to other, to be separated

from her child. she now hopes for a better future in the us where the immigration case is being considered. but hundreds of parents who wanted the same thing for their families are still living through agony. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in el paso, texas. on friday the world will witness a total eclipse of the moon. the blackout will be the longest of the century so far. people in asia, europe and africa should get a good view — or non—view perhaps — of the darkened moon. but people north and central america will be disappointed as it will happen in the afternoon for them — too bright to see it. akash anandh from the astronomical society of singapore explained to me how this is different from the supermoon eclipse that we witnessed in january this year. the main difference is that it is a micro—moon, which means the moon is at its furthest in the orbit around the earth.

0k. and we are going to see some of the photos that you took injanuary from india, extraordinary photos of the moon. will this be similar? visually it will be similar, although the moon will be smaller, visually, but only marginally, about 14% smaller than we saw in january. how rare is it to have these eclipses happening in such a short space of time? it is quite rare to have two eclipses in a span of six months. we are lucky in that manner. the fantastic part for this will be that mars is at its opposition. we are going to have a red eclipsed moon as well as the bright shining mars next it. so mars is what we

should look out for. tell us some advice to give folks in terms of the best places to see it. how should we view it? unlike a solar eclipse, the lunar eclipse is easy to see. you just need to find the moon. from singapore the moon will be quite high up in the sky. any open place is good enough as long as you looking south and the moon is going to move to the west as it sets. as long as there are no buildings hiding it. i will try to set my clock. i believe it startsjust after 1am in southeast asia. if you set your cock for it, share some images with us via social media. —— set your clock. hello.

good morning. for most places the heatwave has reached its peak. what a peak it was. temperatures on thursday above 35 degrees in surrey. 35 on the nose in central london. further north in edinburgh, temperatures of 27 degrees. however, the heat sparks off thunderstorms, some of which will continue on friday. then for the weekend things will feel much fresher. the fresh air lies behind the bands of cloud, atlantic frontal systems heading our way. where we have the clumpy cloud is where we have thunderstorms breaking out on thursday evening. as we start friday morning the temperatures will be pretty high. 16 in belfast and newcastle. 20 in london. still some showers and thunderstorms, particularly eastern areas. things may be dry around the middle of the day and then showers will return later on. out west we will see cloud moving across northern ireland, western scotland, fringes of england and wales, patchy rain here. for the far east of the country it is a hot day. 32 in norwich.

further west it is cooler and fresher. friday night we could see some really vicious downpours and thunderstorms across eastern england and scotland. could be some travel disruption. this heavy rain could also have some thunder and lightning included. still warm and humid for many. signs of something fresher pushing into the west. that is a sign of what is to come. these frontal systems drift through on saturday. there will be rain around at times on saturday. some sunny spells as well. but as we chase to the north—east we will bring in further showers and we will also bring in some cooler and fresher air. so temperatures on saturday afternoon well down on where they have been, 25 or 26 degrees. quite a breezy day as well.

sunday is quite windy. this band of rain pushing north and east. this is a very different weekend compared with what we've been used to recently. spells of sunshine into the west later on. look at the wind. much more windy than it has been for some time. those temperatures actually on the low side. 20 in belfast and glasgow. 21 in london. that is your lot. we stick with the fresh feel for the start of the coming week. it looks like there will be some spells of sunshine. then later in the week it looks like it will warm up again. hello. i'm kasia madera with bbc news. our top story: the former world cricket star, imran khan, is set to be pakistan's new prime minister. in a televised speech to the nation, he said he'll fight corruption. but his victory‘s is being challenged by members of the party of the jailed former prime minister, nawaz sharif. they claim the election result was rigged and they are not conceding defeat. greece says it has "serious indications" that a fire that killed at least 83 people near athens was started deliberately. a government minister said an investigation had been opened. and this story is

trending on bbc.com. shares in facebook plummeted by almost 20% as trading opened in new york. the company blamed the cost of improving privacy safeguards and monitoring content. that's all from me. stay with us here on bbc world news.