this is newsday, on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: the un warns migrants crossing the mediterranean sea to europe face an ever more deadlyjourney. i'm babita sharma, in london. also in the programme: australia's population soars to 25 million people, hitting the milestone a quarter of a century earlier than predicted. and in singapore, the government comes up with a novel way of tackling its low birth rate — subsidised—speed dating. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. good morning.

it's 8am in singapore, 8:00am in london it's 8am in singapore, 1:00am in london and 6:30 in the morning in myanmar, where within the next few hours, two journalists are expected to hear whether they've been convicted of breaching the country's official secrets law. the pair, kyaw soe 0o and wa lone had been investigating reports of a massacre of ten rohingya men in rakhine state, allegedly at the hands of buddhist villagers and the army. if convicted, they could face up to m years injail. 0ur correspondent nick beake has more from yangon. at the heart of this case are two young journalists who say their only crime was doing theirjob. plenty in the international community believe it is free journalism that's really in the dock here. for the past eight months, wa lone and kyaw soe 0o have been brought to court, in handcuffs, accused of possessing these secret documents. they've always said that they were framed because they were investigating a massacre of rohingya men by the burmese military.

crimes the army later admitted to but still these reporters have remained in prison and, if they're convicted later today, they face up to m years in jail. the un says that the courts here in myanmar are not free and independent. they are overseen by a government department which is run by the military. so really, the decision today will tell us a lot about the role of free journalism in aung san suu kyi's myanmar. and, of course, it comes just a week after those un investigators said that the top military officers here in myanmar should stand trial for genocide because of the treatment of the rohingya people last year. aung san suu kyi herself was accused of failing to speak up for the rohingya and so allowing some of these criems to take palce. for the rohingya and so allowing some of these crimes to take palce. it is in the contest of this chorus pf international condemnation that the burmese courts and the burmese authorities will be able to send their own message later today. our other top story this hour:

migrants and asylum seekers crossing the mediterranean face an ever more deadlyjourney, according to a new report by the un refugee agency. the un is calling on europe to do more to try to save lives, by providing safe, legal routes for refugees. imogen foulkes has more from geneva. thousands of people have died crossing the mediterranean, over 1600 so far this year alone. the un refugee agency says the journey is becoming ever more dangerous. the fatality rate has risen from 1 in 42 people to 1 in 18. europe should focus less on managing numbers, the agency says, and try instead to find the humanity to save lives, by making it eaier for refugees to join family members already in europe, increasing resettlement places and providing safe, legal alternatives to the deadly voyage across the mediterranean.

imogen foulkes reporting from geneva there. also making news today: the us navy blue angels have performed an aerial salute to senatorjohn mccain, after his body arrived at the us naval academy, in annapolis. four aircraft roared across the skies before one broke formation in a vertical maneuver, known as the missing man formation. china has evacuated more than 125,000 people in the southern province of guangdong due to heavy rains. the rains and flooding have affected more than 1.2 million residents, and have left two people dead and two missing. firefighters are battling a huge blaze at a landmark building in the city of liverpool in the north west of britain. the fire quickly spread upwards from the first floor of the littlewoods pools building. there are no reports of any injuries. the five—storey art deco structure was built in 1938. authorities in south korea's capital seoul have pledged to undertake daily checks of public toilets

across the city to ensure cameras have not been hidden in them. the cameras are mostly used to spy on women. in july, tens of thousands of women held a protest to express their anger at being secretly filmed. many recordings are uploaded onto the internet. if you've ever done a spot of horse—riding, take a look at this. this is the opening ceremony of the nomad games in kyrgistan, where thousands of athletes are showingoff their skills in a variety of sports including archery, wrestling and of course horse—riding. eighty countries are taking part and among the vip spectators was the president of turkey, recep tayyip erdogan. we all know that spending too much time staring at a computer screen does your eyesight no good at all. in china, there's been a big rise in short—sightedness, or myopia. the authorities say online gaming is partly to blame, and now they're trying to restrict the amount of time youngsters spend on gaming.

professor may told me that what myopia is. it is a very comment eye problem. it is very prevalent, especially in urban asian cities. a person cannot see far very well but it can be corrected... just like myself, professor, i cannot see far, so can it can be corrected wearing glasses? yes, yes. ok but is it connected to video gaming? myopia is connected to near world and near world is any visual activity at close, which includes reading and writing and may include computer games and video games as well. especially now when kids play their video games, it is really up close to the monitor and now they are notjust rectangular, small shaped monitors, they are huge and wide. yes, it is true. and basically, professor, when do the symptoms, especiually for kids, start to show?

myopia occurs at a very early age, especially in urban asian cities. in singapore the average age of onset of myopia is eight and a half year. sojust like china, should it be banned? china is a special situation where the rates of myopia have increased dramatically in the past 10—15 years. whereas in other places urban asian countries they have been high for the past 30 years. is myopia really prevalent in the region? yes, it is about 80%—90% of young adults in urban cities, such as korea, taiwan, hong kong, and singapore. wow, it is really growing the situation. what do you think should be done to be able to stop this increase in myopia cases? the main recommendation is to ask children to go outside because, if you spend more time outside, that may prevent myopia.

absolutely, especially now kids they like being at home, they do not like to socialize any more, go out with their parents. theyjust like to be in front of computer screens playing with friends online and it also hampers interpersonal relationships? that's right, very true. going forward, is there any kind of medication or any type of issues that have to be addressed? if the child is not myopic yet, the child should spen more time if the child is not myopic yet, the child should spend more time outdoors to prevent myopia but, if the child is already myopic, the child can consider treatments such as atropine eyedrops, special types of contact lenses, or overnight contact lenses. the eu's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier says he is strongly opposed to key parts of the british prime minister's proposals for a brexit trade deal. he suggested a common rulebook for goods would kill

the european project. well, theresa may has insisted she won't be forced into watering down her plans, and insisted there will be no second referendum on britain's membership of the european union. ben wright reports. the time for talking is nearly up. theresa may is banking her hopes of a brexit deal on the plan hammered out at chequers in the summer, which is meant to keep the trade in goods moving freely after brexit. today, she insisted she would not be pushed into accepting compromises that are not in our national interest. but the fighting talk does not impress the former brexit secretary david davis, who quit the cabinet over chequers. in my view the chequers proposal — it's not a deal — we shouldn't call it the chequers deal, it's a proposal — is actually almost worse than being in. i mean, we would be under the rule of the european union with respect to all of our manufactured goods and agri—foods.

worse than being in the eu? that is a startling statement from a leading brexiteer. but his contempt for the chequers plan is shared by dozens of tory mps. 0ther brexiteers remain in the cabinet, but today, liam fox scoffed recent warnings by the chancellor that the economy would be hammered and borrowing would rise if no deal was reached with the eu. can you think back on all your time in politics of where the treasury have made predictions that were correct 15 years out? i can't. they didn't predict the financial crisis that happened. no—one could. so this idea that we can predict what our borrowing would be 15 years in advance is just a bit hard to swallow. theresa may needs to convince the eu her post—brexit trade plan is workable. but today the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, said he strongly opposed some elements of it, in his most explicit criticism of the plan so far. and all this leaves theresa may in a very difficult position. she is trying to keep the tory party together, bridge differences within her cabinet,

and sell her chequers proposal to a sceptical eu. today, theresa may tried to reassure her critics in the conservative party by dismissing calls for a second referendum on the final brexit deal as a gross betrayal of democracy. but today, a tory donor and former rolls—royce chairman joinedthe campaign for another brexit vote, and there are now mps from all the main parties who back the idea. well, she is rattled. until recently, she didn't talk about having a referendum on the final deal. she now knows that opinion is moving in favour of it. theresa may insists the chequers plan is the only one on the table. but, with the eu and parliament sceptical, it may struggle to survive the autumn. ben wright, bbc news. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the story of entrepreneur marian shaar and her life inside

a palestinian refugee camp. we hear from the director of a new film. also on the programme: subsidised—speed dating to tackle the low birth rate, we report on singapore's effort to encourage young love. she received the nobel peace prize for her work with the poor and the dying in india's slums. the head of the catholic church said mother teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. we have to identify the bodies then arrange the coffins and take them back home. parents are waiting and wives are waiting, so... hostages appeared, some carried, some running, trying to escape the nightmare behind them. britain lost a princess today,

described by all to whom she reached out as irreplaceable. an early—morning car crash in a paris underpass ended a life with more than its share of pain and courage, warmth and compassion. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: two journalists investigating reports of atrocities in myanmar are to find out in the next few hours whether they've been convicted of breaching the country's official secrets law. the un warns migrants crossing the mediterranean sea to europe face an ever more deadlyjourney.

let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the straits times, leading with the closing ceremony of the 18th asian games injakarta. it has this stunning image of a young performer rising above the crowd with the announcement of hangzhou as the host of the 2022 games. the philippine inquirer leads on president duterte eyeing up an arms deal with israel to lessen its dependency on washington for weapons. this colourful image shows a mall in the philippines already packed with christmas ornaments and decorations, and it is onlyjust september. and the international new york times says us envoys in embassies in china and cuba may have been attacked with microwaves. scientists say these unconventional weapons may have caused the baffling symptoms and ailments that

hit american diplomats and their families there. that's the way the papers are looking this morning. mariam shaar is an unlikely but intrepid entrepreneur. she was born and raised in burj al—barajneh, a palestinian refugee camp in lebanon. her family have been living there for 70 years, and even though there aren't many opportunities inside the camp, she has found a way to set up her own business. it is a food truck, and it employs and empowers women. her story has been made into a documentary which premiered in singapore at the weekend. let's take a look. to find out more about mariam's story, i spoke to myrna atalla, the executive director of alfanar, a social investor which helped soufra to get off the ground. so alfanar is the first venture philanthropy organisation focused on the arab region.

and one of our selection criteria when we're looking at a social enterprise is the backable chief executive, someone who is deeply committed to the community, and has grit, and someone we know will carry a project through to the end, through the challenges which inevitably come up. absolutely — just looking at that documentary, there are a lot of challenges for mariam. but how important is it that mariam and her team members were all women, and were able to earn a living and be self—sufficient? so this exact — this concept for us is one of the, if you will, primary reasons we get invested, because we're looking at how to empower, in the long—term, vulnerable women and children. and what makes it also challenging for them is that they are also in a refugee camp. absolutely, it's a very unlikely place. but what we find is the power

of social enterprise exists in the most unlikely places. there are markets within the camp. there is capacity within the refugees. so we look for these types of people to invest, and then we help them actually build out their business plans and stay accountable. but how did you come across a film project, meet the producers susan sarandon and thomas morgan, and be part of a film, and basically tell the world about mariam and her food truck? so, you know, sometimes it'sjust human coincidence, really. i had the fortune of meeting thomas, and we were going to talk about a potential film project in libya, and sadly the situation became untenable. so when this specific investment came up, the soufra food truck, refugees owning and running their own business, thomas became interested. but has this film basically changed perceptions about women and also about muslims and refugees? i think inevitably this is exactly the power of documentary film, is to shed light on the fact our preconceived notions about those

that are vulnerable are often wrong, and that there's good and bad in many situations, but if we pool together our resources to back those unlikely horses, that we can bring together examples of hope for these communities. australia's population has reached 25 million for the first time, according to official estimates. over the past three years, australia has grown by about 400,000 people a year, a rise fulled mostly by immigration. australia is a large country, but its population is mostly clustered in the fertile south—east. phil mercer reports. baby mawson is one of the newest australians. he was born in sydney the week that the nation's population hit 25 million. his mum, pippa, who is from britain, hopes he'll have a life of opportunity in an increasingly crowded world.

but she does worry. we've been here just over six years, and it's got way more congested. we don't really know what's going to happen. it's hard to know where we're going to be, even in ten years. we looked into moving to new zealand, to get more space and to have more of the lifestyle that we wanted. big or small, the debate about population is divisive. there is argument that immigration has made australia's cities congested and housing unaffordable. then there is the view that migrants re—invigorate the nation. the population of australia adds one extra person every 83 seconds. this boom in people is being fuelled mostly by immigration. the biggest groups of new migrants are coming from china and india. the government says that more people are good for the economy. 0thers believe, however, that australia simply can't cope with a rapidly growing population. there's no doubt that population growth does... selling his message down the pub, the leader of the sustainable australia party argues that the country is already too crowded.

that's got tremendous ramifications on planning and infrastructure, on the environment, on wages growth, and on housing affordability, and we're seeing those things deteriorate at great rates, in part because population is growing too quickly. most new settlers are skilled workers, who boost productivity. the majority head to sydney or melbourne, but perhaps in the future, they will help to colonise areas that are currently uninhabitable. in 10, 20, 30, a0 years, is there going to be the technology to take some of the interior of australia, which is obviously in many parts largely desert, and very arid, is it possible to irrigate that in a way, or develop that in a way, that is going to make it possible for us to have a much larger population? the latest official prediction is that the number of people here will double to almost 50 million over the next a0 years. australia's great challenge is to maintain its prosperity

and help new generations live more sustainably. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney. well, staying with population, singapore has the lowest birth rate in the world. its government is so concerned that it is paying for people to date. katie silver reports. young singaporeans enjoying a night out. all the table tags, guys, when you rotate, do me a favour... speed dating is all the rage, but here, it is being subsidised by the government as a way to get young people to meet. the government really wants to get guys and girls to get together to form families. coming here, i hope to, like, expand my social network, and coming to make friends and hopefully i can meet someone who is suitable.

these dating nights are just want of a number of solutions, including tax breaks, baby bonuses and preferential housing, that the government is using to combat the country's low birth rate. morning, doctor. morning. ivy and her husband are in their fourth cycle of ivf, and half the costs were subsidised by the state. ijust get emotional. ijust start crying for no reason. it's also financially difficult. if we don't have a subsidy, we wouldn't even think of going to the ivf. despite years of intervention, there is little progress in getting the country's birth rate up. it is partly down to women marrying later, but the increasing cost of living here, and cultural expectations that women will take care of ageing parents, are also putting them off. it is these sacrifices that mean women like boon siew, who received government—subsidised ivf, are still unlikely to have more than one child. i'm the sole caregiver of this baby. it's not easy for me,

and i think one is — i'm really content with one. in just 18 years, singapore will shrink from having six workers for each elderly person down to just two, and the consequences of this for the country's future are dire. fewer people of working age makes it harder for the economy to grow, and they'll face the increasing burden of having to pay for a growing number of elderly people. 0ne population expert says the reason government interventions aren't working is they don't get to the heart the problem. in singapore, you have about 17—18% of young people never married, so that's one of the highest probably in the world in terms of singleness rate. so you really need to think about why people are not getting married. but time is running out. policymakers are now targeting the other end of the age spectrum, getting older people to work longer. katie silver, bbc news, singapore. that was katie silver speed dating before leaving singapore back

to london, babita. do we know how she got on, rico? excellent, i think she did very well. maybe we need to follow up on katie's adventures. and rico will be presenting the estate from london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. we'll see why one investor is buying up heritage buildings in singapore's booming property market. and before we go, we'll leave you with the scenes injakarta for the closing ceremony for the 18th asian games, which finished a few hours ago. despite the rain, the stunning firework display did not disappoint. hello.

that wasn't bad for the first weekend of september. summer warmth continuing for many of us, especially where you had the sunshine. temperatures into the mid—20s in the warmest places, but it is turning cooler this week as this weather front, a cold front, pushes south across the uk in the next 48 hours. now, already, as monday begins, northern ireland and north—west scotland in the cooler air. under clear skies, some spots will be as low as four or five degrees, and also a few single—figure temperatures in east anglia and south—east england, with one or two mist and fog patches to start the day. because skies have been clear here overnight. but our weather front has cloud from south—west england, wales, the west midlands, northern england, into southern and eastern scotland. some patchy rain, some heavier bursts to begin the day in south—east scotland, clearing away. any rain on the front, though, turning increasingly light in the afternoon, showery in nature. north, north—west scotland here with sunny spells and northern ireland, lighter winds than the weekend, so yes, it is cooler,

but still pleasant in the sun. much cooler in eastern scotland, north—east england, where some patchy rain continues into the afternoon, compared with the weekend. some sunny spells developing in western counties of wales. the east midlands, east anglia and south—east england with sunny spells, and you're on the one side of the weather front, so temperatures here still in the low and in some spots mid—20s. now, our weather front monday night and into tuesday, this area of cloud barely budges. hardly any rain on it, though. underneath it, temperatures are holding into double figures. but now most of scotland and northern ireland is on the colder side of the front, so temperatures readily dipping down into single figures under clear skies, through the night and into tuesday morning. and then on tuesday, here's our weather front, still barely budging from england and wales, still hardly any rain on it. maybe in the far south—east, still some sunny spells to be had, lifting temperatures into the low 20s, whereas for most of us, we're in the mid—to—upper teens. so tuesday's a fairly quiet weather day, for many of us on wednesday

too, though there may be some rain just edging towards parts of northern ireland and western scotland. as we go deeper into the week, it's looking increasingly likely as though our weather will be impacted by low pressure. but there is a lot of uncertainty about where the area of low pressure is going to sit. this is thursday into friday. and because there's uncertainty about where it's going to be, there is uncertainty about who's going see the rain from it, so keep watching for the detail. we do know, though, this week is turning cooler, and there is the chance of rain both early in the week and then later in the week, as low pressure moves in. and that's your forecast. i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story: two journalists charged with breaking myanmar‘s official secrets law are due to hear the verdict in their case. the reuters journalists had been investigating reports of a massacre of ten rohingya men, allegedly at the hands of buddhist villagers and the army. the un says migrants crossing the mediterranean sea face an increasingly deadlyjourney and calls on europe to do more to try to save lives.

and there's another twist in the uk's brexit negotiations. the european union's chief brexit negotiator, michel barnier, says he strongly opposes parts of the british government's plan for the country's future relationship with the eu. britain's prime minister says she will not compromise. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: former prime minister gordon brown is urging labour to adopt the internationally agreed definition of anti—semitism, saying the soul of the party is at stake.