this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: beyond fake news — as social media is blamed for an increase in violent attacks across the globe — we begin a major series looking at the issue of misinformation. the remotest parts of this country now have access to internet and whatsapp and a lot of these people are not digitally literate so they will believe whatever they see on whatsapp. the bbc pledges to be part of the fight to restore the public‘s faith in news organisations — over the next month, we'll bring you special reports, documentaries and debates. i'm ben bland in london. also in the programme. commemorating 100 years since the armistice that ended the first world war. in paris, world leaders put aside their differences, to unite in remembrance. a unique tribute to victims of the war — the face of the poet, wilfred owen, etched in sand on britain's coastline. live from our studios

in singapore and london. this is bbc world news. it's newsday. it's 9am in singapore, 1am in the morning in london and 6.30am in india where we begin our season on the challenges of disinformation and fake news. the bbc has conducted a major study into the spread of fake news and the psychology behind it. its results will be used to help the search for solutions. for the first time, this study looked inside encrypted messaging apps. and that's because in india, rumours spread via whatsapp have already had terrible consequences. take a look at this. the remotest parts of this country

now have access to internet and whatsapp and a lot of these people are not digitally literate so they will believe whatever they see on whatsapp. he would love to play the djembe and the didgeridoo. he was more like a brother to me.

we almost share everything that goes in our life. he was very spiritual. he believed in changing the world through love. but somewhere, when we saw him, we envied his life. translation: people here are very afraid of hopadora. as it gets dark, the men come out of their houses and start protecting the village. translation: i have heard from children that these messages of child kidnappers are circulating on whatsapp. translation: they were carrying sickles, knives and sticks. translation: the mob started shouting, "child lifter, child lifter!" translation: the atmosphere was so tense that not even god

could have saved them. we got videos immediately almost. people started sending it to me where he was crying for mercy, when he was shouting, he was shouting at the top of this voice. when i got this call, it was. . . it was horrific. and the very moment when he pulled me in, i froze. translation: my whole life

is destroyed after my son's death. i wish god had taken my life so i didn't have to see this day. crowd: justice, justice! justice, justice! the primary issue is that of governance and not technology. the technology will keep advancing and the society needs to keep up with it and it is the government's job to raise awareness so the citizens can keep up with advancing technology. throughout this week, bbc world news will be exploring

the issues around misinformation in its beyond fake news season. you can follow the debate and find out about the latest research after users gave the bbc unprecedented access to their messaging apps in india, kenya and nigeria on the bbc world news website. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the governor of california is urging president trump to declare two huge wildfires as a major disaster, which would free up more funding for the emergency response. 25 people are now known to have died. our los angeles correspondent, peter bowes told us the emergency services are making some progress. they are slowly starting to contain these two huge fires in northern california and the south, closer to los angeles. there are close to the city of malibu, probably the most famous of all the cities affected, a favourite of celebrities, still completely evacuated as are several other neighbouring cities because the fire does continue to spread, it is about 10% contained which really isn't very much.

further north to the town of paradise, where the vast majority of people, 23, died so far but as recently as this morning, they were saving up to 110 people remained missing in that part of california and the operation to find potentially bodies in the degree, in the ashes, is extremely difficult because the fire was so fierce and it's a desolate land the firefighters are trying to work through now to dampen down the embers and continue fighting the fire which is about 25% contained. also making news today: israeli troops have clashed with hamas militants in gaza. the fighting took place east of the khan yunis area of the

gaza strip. palestinian health officials say six people were killed; one of them was said to be a senior hamas military commander. a 50—year old woman from brisbane is due in court on monday after being arrested in a police investigation into contaminated strawberries. since september, there have been dozens of alleged incidents of sewing needles found hidden in fruit, sparking a nationwide panic. a funding campaign has raised almost $72,000 to help a homeless man who tried to stop a knife—wielding attacker in melbourne. michael rogers earned the nickname ‘the trolley man‘ after ramming the man repeatedly with a shopping cart. the suspect was later shot by police. back now to our main story which looked at the spread of ‘fake news‘ in india, where millions of people communicate and share messages on social media. but false messages have also led to several deaths by mob lynchings this year.

joining me now is nanda—gopal rajan who has been looking at how whatsapp can be used in india for spreading rumours. thank you so much forjoining us, mr rajan. we've been speaking to social media experts and these problems of mob lynchings is due basically to social tensions and that social media platforms like whatsapp basically just media platforms like whatsapp basicallyjust add fuel media platforms like whatsapp basically just add fuel to media platforms like whatsapp basicallyjust add fuel to the fire. i guess you have a lot of players who feed into this tension. and they are trying to profit from it. often i don't understand what is the motive they have but it's clear they are here to make money. how worrying is it that technology is being misused for these kinds of situations? as a platform, whatsapp was supposed to be messaging

softwa re was supposed to be messaging software and if you look at how encryption works, it's something that people never imagined ten years ago. it's completely uncharted waters that we are in and we don't know how these technology platforms can be leveraged for things they we re can be leveraged for things they were not made. in your view, because whatsapp is being put here is the culprit for these mob lynchings that have happened in assam and they have now put in place some security safeguards. you think this will impact the reduction of fake news distribution in india? to a certain extent. distribution in india? to a certain exte nt. m ost distribution in india? to a certain extent. most of the restrictions have been put in place to but most of these groups, they have been created with a bad motive in mind. the admin itself as the culprit. giving them control, i don't think

it will help. i was thinking that showing the message has been forwarded has some impact but they need to look beyond it. there is limited access to what you can do but you have to look at really good solutions. very good solutions but on the other hand, it's the responsibility of user of the social platforms in india to fight fake news. are there fake news busters in the country? we have a lot of fake news busters but every single person using this platforms also becomes the editor, i say. it not going to help. we are not talking about a very aware on line ecosystem. a lot of people don't care about what they forward. a lot of forwarding is happening because they are looking

for validation. thank you for your insight, mr rajan, technology editor for the indian express. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: boris johnson accuses the british prime minister of total surrender to the eu, in the latest spat over her brexit plans. also on the programme: faces in the sand. the centenary project paying a unique tribute to british victims of the first world war. the bombastic establishment outsider donald trump has defied the pollsters to take the keys to the oval office. i feel great about the election results. i voted for him because i genuinely believe that he cares about the country. it's keeping the candidate's name always in the public eye that counts. success or failure depends not only on public display, but on the local campaign headquarters, and the heavy, routine work of their women volunteers.

berliners from both east and west linked hands and danced round their liberated territory. and with nobody to stop them, it wasn't long before the first attempts were made to destroy the structure itself. yasser arafat, who dominated the palestinian cause for so long, has died. the palestinian authority has declared a state of mourning. after 17 years of discussion, the result was greeted with an outburst ofjoy. women ministers, who'd long felt only grudgingly accepted among the ranks of clergy, suddenly felt welcomed. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm ben bland in london. our top stories: as social media is blamed for a rise in violence around the world, the bbc pledges to be part of the fight against fake news. we will bring you a month of special programmimg. the leaders of germany and france

have warned of the dangers of a rising tide of nationalism, on the 100th anniversary of the end of the first world war. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the front page of the straits times reports on the preparations being made for the 33rd asean summit, which opens in singapore this week. it says about 5,000 police willjoin the massive security operation for the five—day event, which will host a number of world leaders, including russia's vladimir putin. the new york times has a front—page story on the challenges facing google. the paper reports on the comments of sundar pichai, the company's chief executive. the south china morning post comments on the record spending of chinese consumers during singles‘ day. it has a photo of the moment

the alibaba group reached sales of $us31 billion. that is an increase of 27% on last years figure. borisjohnson has accused britain's prime minister of a total surrender in the brexit negotiations. the former british forien secretary claims theresa may is forcing through a deal that would keep britain locked in the eu's customs union after brexit. writing in his weekly column in the telegraph newspaper on sunday, he urged the prime minister to change course and go for a clean break with the bloc. earlier i spoke to our political correspondent ben wright, who says mrjohnson‘s criticisms come at a critical time in the negotiations. he's fulminating here with real passion, and i think frustration. he is sort of the lead

voice of the brexiteers, the people who wanted britain to go down this path of leaving the eu, and here calling it a betrayal, and seen as a craven surrender to the european union by keeping the uk much closer to the eu than the brexiteers want. the current plan, of course, is for theresa may to try to get a withdrawal deal with the eu that it looks like at the moment keeps, at least for a temporary period, the uk in a customs union with the eu and to avoid a hard border on the island of ireland. and these are all trade—offs and concessions that are having to be made. the brexiteers are furious, and they see that their cause is being betrayed. on the other hand, theresa may is under increasing attack from people who wanted britain to stay in the european union, and didn't want brexit.

and ironically, it was borisjohnson‘s brotherjoe, who was a remainer, who resigned from the government on friday, saying that britain will become after brexit a colony, under a rule taken from the eu with no voice over how rules are made. theresa may is under daily attack. there is a sense of living to live across as with very little time to go, both for the government to nail down a deal with the eu, but then to try and get through parliament. events to mark the centenary of the end of world war i have been taking place around the world. in paris, around 70 world leaders attended a service at the tomb of the unknown soldier at the arc de triomphe. there, president macron urged a rejection of nationalism, warning that old demons were coming back to the surface. our europe editor katya adler reports. grief flows unchecked across borders. regret knows no frontiers.

presidents and heads of government of most of the 80 countries involved in the first world war came here to paris today to remember the slaughtered millions of the first truly global conflict. president macron‘s message above all others at this commemoration — we're in this together, in our past, our present and our future. no opportunity was wasted for the french president to drive his internationalist message home. he urged action, at a time when he said old demons were resurfacing in europe and beyond. translation: patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.

by saying, "our interests first, who cares about the others?", we erase what nations holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great, and what's most important of all is moral values. but not everyone here is on the same page as emmanuel macron. united in their pledge of "never again" today, the world leaders gathered here have starkly competing visions when it comes to how to avoid future conflict. let's stick together and work together, insists emmanuel macron, and vladimir putin and donald trump applauded him politely today. but for them, a strong and sovereign nation state certainly comes first. winston churchill once said, "those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it."

in an attempt to boost international cooperation, president macron today launched an annual peace forum, mirroring the paris peace conference that followed the first world war. i think it is important that we all remember that we can never take peace for granted, and that we have to learn lessons from the past. some of those institutions we built after the first and the second world war, the un, the european union, nato, some of those institutions are under pressure. the sounds, symbols and searing memories of the great war echoed across europe today. this was ypres, in belgium, site of some of the most blood—soa ked battlefields. then this evening, just as dusk was falling, british and commonwealth veterans, survivors of more recent conflicts, gathered together in the paris cathedral of notre dame. remembering a world war

with sadness, praying for world peace in hope. remembrance day, church services and events also took place across the uk. in london, prince charles led the tributes to the nation's war dead, laying a wreath at the cenotaph on behalf of the queen, with the prime minister, politicial leaders, and for the first time the president of germany, all in attendance. remembrance services were held across the country. the commemorations saw a unique memorial to those who lost their lives, with portraits of servicemen and women etched into the sand round britain's coastline. duncan kennedy reports. the piercing eyes of a celebrated war poet, today etched onto the very beach he had once left on his way

to battle and death. for wilfred owen, a shoreline for embarkation this morning became a canvas of commemoration. the project has been organised by the film director danny boyle, who says the face is a metaphorfor tragedy. look, it's wonderful that there are permanent structures that will outlive us and outlast us. but i thought it was a good way to reflect on our own, um...time here, you know, which is temporary, really. as the tide ebbed away, artists crafted the contours of the face. hundreds of people took in the imagery, the symbolism, and reflected on loss and sacrifice. feels very much like he's here and he's alive, and he is,

as you say, representing so many people. really special, really special. the stares of the fallen gazed out from 31 other beaches, too. at moray in scotland, captain charles sorley — dead at 20. in northumberland, private william jonas, who perished at the somme. archiejewell, here in cornwall, survived the titanic, only to be killed by a german u—boat. in lincolnshire, lieutenant basil hicks died on the first day of the battle of loos. in fife, dr elsie inglis, who helped wounded french soldiers. whilst in thornby, volunteers spoke of their admiration for captain john armitage, who fell fighting at arras. to see the turnout, and then particularly the last post and so many people quiet, and paying their respects tojohn armitage and first world war casualties, it's truly quite remarkable. eventually, the waters of impatient

tides rolled in across each face, like the tears of a lost generation, masked by the waves but enduring in memory. you have been watching newsday. i'm ben bland in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. alibaba's singles‘ day hits a fresh sales record. but growth slows, so is it meant to last? more on that on asia business report. and, before we go, we would like to leave you with these pictures. hundreds of cadets from the japanese military academy have taken part in one of nation's great spectacles. the annual bo—taoshi or "topple the pole" event is a century—old game combining elements of rugby, sumo and martial arts. two teams of around 70 cadets battle to defend or attack a pole, in a game designed to promote teamwork and toughness. players wear very little protective gear, and severe injuries are common, although there were no serious injuries

sustained this year. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. hello. the week ahead will once again be a fairly mild one for this time of year, even if we start the week on a fairly fresh note for some. but it's a week that starts the way the weekend finished, with some fairly blustery showers around, particularly in the south and west. we've got low pressure with us, basically a zone of rising air helping to build the shower clouds. this weather system across northern france will be close enough for the south—east and east anglia to produce some morning cloud to stop the morning sunshine. the breeze is coming from the south and west, so it's southern and western counties of the country most likely to see showers for the morning commute. around the irish sea coasts, we could see winds close to gale—force.

those showers filtering up are parts of west wales, isle of man, into south—west scotland. much of northern ireland, much of north—east scotland start dry with sunshine. the north—east of scotland most prone to frost in the morning. for most of us frost free week. through the day, showers in the west will push a bit further northwards and eastwards, given the strength of the breeze. but there'll be parts of the midlands, north—east england, northern scotland, northern ireland that will stay completely or almost completely dry throughout the day. temperatures 12—14 degrees. still a little bit higher than it should be for the time of year, and it will be one of the cooler days of the week. going through monday night and into tuesday, a few more showers will push eastwards. the wind switches around in direction to more of a westerly one into the morning. it will be a cool night. temperatures in the single figures. most will be frost free thanks to the breeze as we start tuesday. but the key for tuesday is this little bump in the isobars, the bump in the pressure pattern, northwards, that's an indication of a ridge of high pressure. that puts a cap in the atmosphere and stops some of the showers

from building. a few around in the west to begin with. one or two may push eastwards, but for the most, most will have a dry day with temperatures similar to those on monday. but the breeze will ease down a little bit. finish the day with cloud increasing in northern ireland and western scotland, a damp night to come, here. rain across northern western parts of the uk. into wednesday, outbreaks of rain across northern and western parts of the uk, most persistent west of scotland, cumbrian fells, and across gwynedd. to the east is a hazy day with sunshine, but across the board, hazy sunshine or rain. a very mild day for the time of year, and it's across some eastern parts of scotland, northern england, and eastern northern ireland with temperatures around 16 or 17 degrees. and we stick with the mild theme as we go through into the end of the week. high pressure builds a little bit across continental europe, keeping weather fronts to the west, keeping things dry, and keeping that southerly airflow. so the warm air will remain with us, but as winds get lighter later in the week, at a greater risk of mist and fog fall. bye for now. i'm ben bland with bbc news.

our top story: how to stop the spread of fake news — a major new season from the bbc joins the search for solutions. around the globe, misinformation has been seen to cause social and political harm, with people having less trust in the news, and in some cases being subjected to violence or death as a result. the leaders of france and germany have warned of the dangers posed by the resurgence of nationalism, on the hundredth anniversary of the end of the first world war. and this video is trending on bbc.com: it shows giant portraits of soldiers who died in world war one etched across uk beaches to mark 100 years since the conflict ended. the faces were later washed away by the incoming tide. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: the leading brexiteer,

borisjohnson,