i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story. the british prime minister blames mps for delaying brexit and said she is on the side of the british people, who are tired with the whole process. theresa may has asked the eu to extend the date britain will leave the eu to the thirtieth ofjune. the eu say they will only agree i'm babita sharma in london to to a delay if she gets the backing of mps for her exit plan. rescue teams are struggling to reach survivors six days after cyclone idai hit southern africa. the british prime minister blames in the city of beira, aid workers say they have only two mp5 for delaying brexit. brexit. she says she is on the side to three days of clean water left. of british people who are tired of the whole process. theresa may now heads to brussels and this video is where eu leaders say they will allow trending on bbc.com: an extension to brexit can you tell who it is? but only if the uk it's one of the many democratic presidential candidates — parliament backs her withdrawal plan. it's supposed to be a huge i'm rico hizon in singapore, the headlines: rescue teams are struggling to reach survivors six days representation of beto 0'rouke after cyclone idai hit southern africa. in the port of beira in mozambique, aid workers say they have only two to three days of clean water left. that's all. and the grief of a sister and daughter. a woman speaks to us about

her parents and brother who died in the attacks in christchurch. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. welcome. it's 8am in singapore, midnight here in london and 1am in brussels — where britain's prime minister theresa may is to meet her eu counterparts in a few hours from now, in a desperate attempt to find a way through the brexit crisis. she has formally asked europe for an extension to britain leaving the eu untiljune the 30th. we will have more on the eu response to her plea but first let's listen to the prime minister who gave this televised address to the british public on wednesday evening. so far parliament has done everything possible to avoid making the choice. motion after motion and amendment after amendment has been

tabled without parliament ever deciding what it wants. all mps have been willing to say is what they do not want. i passionately hope mps will find a way to support the deal i have negotiated with the eu. a deal that delivers on the result of the referendum and is the very best deal now go civil. and i will continue to work night and day to secure the support of my colleagues, the dup and others for the steel. but i am not prepared to delay brexit any further than june 30. the bbc‘s chris mason, in westminster, gave me this update. an extraordinary day. i have said that a lot recently while covering british politics but no less true for saying. echoes we are in an extraordinary period in british politics and a moment that so many

people here politically have been counting down to now for two years at least and more than that if you include the referendum campaign beforehand for the leave campaigners. this is the moment of actually leaving the eu. it is sitting there in british law, due to happen at 11pm sitting there in british law, due to happen at ”pm a week on friday. and the prime minister here is raising the prime minister here is raising the stakes and saying that there will be another vote on her deal and we expect it will happen next week. she has gone down to two crushing defeats already but there is the prospect of leaving without a deal which the british parliament do not like the look of as the alternative. and ina like the look of as the alternative. and in a real sense, walking the corridors of parliament this evening, that this is it. after all of this talk about a minute to midnightand of this talk about a minute to midnight and cliff edges and all of this imagery the reporters like i have used, this is the moment. and some big things are going to happen in the next week which will decide the uk's relationship with the eu for a long time to come. will it be

bit? we keep on seeing this delay, amendments, changes, proposed changes. we are counting down the days for another five, six, changes. we are counting down the days for anotherfive, six, seven days for anotherfive, six, seven days to go but it does depend on what she gets from brussels, doesn't it? it does. and your scepticism is warranted in terms of people like me getting excited about huge days and then things not quite changing with then things not quite changing with the gravity that might have been predicted beforehand. by what we do know is that either the uk leads the eu without a deal at the end of next week or the law of the land he has to change to prevent that. we also know that in the meeting due to start in brussels we will find out definitively what the eu was willing to offer the uk in terms of the delay to the brexit process. we will also find out at the beginning of next week what parliament here might be willing to entertain as an

alternative for each shape of brexit oi’ alternative for each shape of brexit ora no alternative for each shape of brexit or a no brexit is the prime minister's deal is to fail. and what she was saying in that address to the nation was that this is her last roll of the dice. she can not countenance the idea of brexit being delayed by any more than three months. it is her deal or... who knows? she did not explicitly say that she would walk away and that would be it. that there are a growing number of people who hope that that may be the case. whether she gets the deal through not. yes oi’ she gets the deal through not. yes or no. a crisis? it is. a crisis in british politics because it is a clash between government and the parliament and neither can agree on what to do next. i think crisis is a justified word and that was chris mason in westminster. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. a bus carrying 51 schoolchildren has been hijacked and set on fire by its own driver near the italian city of milan. a driver of senegalese origin. a

video has been released of footage. and you can see the bus ramming into the back of other cars and it is then satellite. you can see children escaping, screaming and shouting as they do. the driver then, according to authorities, poured petrol into the bus and set it alight. authorities were able to get all the children out. no—one was seriously hurt although some of the children have been taken to hospital suffering shock and smoke inhalation. witnesses, local reports say the driver was shouting out that he wanted to kill himself and he wanted to stop the deaths at sea. this, of course, in the background of italy's migrant races at a time when the populist government here has closed italy's ports to ngo boats that have been trying to rescue migrants. that was bethany bell with the

update. also making news this hour — cockpit recordings have revealed that the pilots of a boeing 737 max, which crashed off indonesia last year, had been scouring the aircraft's manual minutes before the plane hit the water. the crew were unable to find out how to stop the aircraft nose—diving. all 189 people on board died. afghanistan has delayed its presidential election by more than two months to september the 28th. the announcement comes after speculation that the vote would be postponed to create space for us—led efforts to end the 17—year war with the taliban. the hungarian prime minister viktor orban and his governing political party fidesz have not been expelled from membership of the centre—right bloc in the european parliament, the european people's party, as some of its members have demanded. but the epp voted to suspend the party, while a small committee considers whether the hungarian

government carried out an anti—eu campaign and violated the eu's rule of law. the former bosnian serb leader, radovan karadzic, will spend the rest of his life injail, aftera un court rejected his appeal and increased his sentence. in 2016 karadzic was found guilty of genocide and war crimes, including the srebrenica masacre — the worst atrocity in europe since world war ii. he was originally sentenced to a0 years in prison, but this has now been ruled too lenient. aid agencies are struggling to reach survivors of the tropical cyclone that has battered south—eastern africa. communications are down, roads are cut off and some communities completely inaccessible. the storm has left hundreds of people dead and thousands more homeless across mozambique,

zimbabwe and malawi. the british red cross is warning that the situation is set to become even more challenging, with heavy rain predicted in the coming days. our africa editor fergal keane reports from the port city of beira in mozambique sound of a helicopter flying. the water consumes the land. homes, belongings, and lives. this is 15 miles from the coast, but has become an inland sea. today, as the rain cleared, we were able to fly over one part of the flooded interior. over people waiting for food, water and medical aid. this was the town of buzi.

population — more than 170,000, wading through the floods to the upper floors of buildings or any patch of dry ground. some sought refuge in the stands of a stadium. here, crowded onto a bridge. it leads to a cathedral, one of many buildings battered by the cyclone. others have camped on roofs. hundreds have already been rescued from here, but many more are still in desperate need. nearby, we stopped on an island of higher ground, where south african military helicopters

were delivering aid. this single white tent represents the international aid community. 100 more are needed and expected, so many people have taken refuge here. what is striking is the dignity and weariness. this situation is very, very serious. there is trouble here, you can say that we are in trouble. yeah, it's a dangerous situation, because the people are dying because of this flood. but those on the dry land are the lucky ones. this man was saved from a precarious refuge above the water. international rescue teams are now stepping up their operations, flying whenever the weather relents. 0n the ground, survivors are given what comfort is available. fresh water is the first, most basic need.

in the city of beira, the thousands who've lost their homes are being sheltered in schools and churches, in the few buildings that are largely undamaged. six days since the storm struck, there's severe overcrowding, and even in the city, a serious scarcity of food. this woman was lucky to get a small supply of rice. translation: help! we're suffering here. help mozambique. here in beira, we're in a very bad way, very bad. we have no water, no food, or houses. a few days ago, they lived productive lives, growing their own food. it's not their habit to plead to the world for help, but they desperately need it. fergal keane, bbc news, beira. among the 50 people killed in the christchurch attacks were nine people from pakistan. three of the victims were from the same family — zeeshan raza, who had been working as an engineer and his elderly parents.

his sister still lives in the pakistani city of karachi, and she's been speaking to our correspondent secunder kermani. this man was killed saying his prayers at the linwood mosque. his pa rents prayers at the linwood mosque. his parents who were visiting him for the first time from pakistan died alongside him. his sister is the only one in their family left.|j alongside him. his sister is the only one in their family left. i was in shock and it was like... they we re in shock and it was like... they were my whole family. i have only one brother and my mother and father and that is all. so it was like what happened? how was it possible that not even one survived? they were supposed to come back to pakistan next month, my mother and father. and... nobody knew that they would never come back. he had moved to new

zealand from pakistan four years ago. living there was like a dream come true. he was like new zealand isa come true. he was like new zealand is a paradise. the most peaceful country, the most youthful country. he came back to pakistan but it was like new zealand wanted him to return with all its beauty is. funerals for the victims have begun taking place in christchurch. but for medical reasons she cannot travel there. she's so strong faith is all that keeping her together. yes. i feel that is all that keeping her together. yes. i feelthat all my is all that keeping her together. yes. i feel that all my family has gone. but i know that when you have nobody you still have allah with you. as for the man who killed her family, she says she will forgive him. i want him to be punished. and then i realised that that is not

what my profit says. he used to forgive the people who killed his relatives. i want that he become muslim and he repent and he realises how beautiful islam is. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: thailand goes to the polls this weekend for the first time since the military coup five years ago. we look at what is at stake. are asian societies doing enough to include people with disabilities? we will

make your today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. the trophy itself was on the pedestal in the middle of the cabinet here. now, this was an international trophy, and we understand now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories. british prime minister theresa may hits out at mps as she addresses the nation from downing street — she blames parliament for the delays in brexit. rescue teams continue to struggle to reach survivors six days after cyclone idai hit southern africa. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start off with the south china morning post which is focussing on the us china trade war and the warning by president trump that the us will keep tariffs in place for a substantial period to ensure china lives by the terms of any deal in the future. while, the business standard is looking at india's struggling jet airways. the newspaper says that lenders —

led by the state bank of india — are soon likely to take control of the countries second largest airline. and in the international addition of the japan times, the newspaper shows the unveiling of japan's new olympic torch for tokyo 2020. the torch features a cherry blossom motif with a five petal shaped top — honouring the national flower. voters in thailand head for the polls this weekend, under a system devised by the military government. the military is giving its own party significant advantages — but its challengers are still putting up a fight. 0ur south east asia correspondent jonathan head is guiding us through the maze of thai politics throughout the next few days— and here he is explaining

what's at stake. next sunday thailand will be going to the polls since the military seized power five years ago. the two leaders plan to stay in office and to do that they drafted the constitution and introduced the voting system which specifically disadvantages their main rival, this party, pheu thai, backed by thaksin shinawatra. it depends how the support base for pheu thai holds up, especially here in the poor north—east of thailand, people the party. they are facing possible defections. they are facing possible defections. they are facing possible defection as they bring people to their side and they are not facing people like thaksin shinawatra and his sister yingluck, who are charismatic. the military has put at

20- charismatic. the military has put at 20— you plan on all future governments. here in bangkok, it isn't pheu thai but a new party which is causing a real stir, especially among younger voters and 7 million of them are eligible to vote for the first time. they call themselves future forward in their telegenic young leader is calling for radical change and a curb on the power of the armed forces. they are unlikely to win that many seats in the selection but they have electrified the debate and unnerved conservative ties in particular, the military. it is uncertain which party will win seats. the involvement of the military senator gives the general a good chance to keep hisjob but we gives the general a good chance to keep his job but we sing gives the general a good chance to keep hisjob but we sing high turnout in early voting and passionate debate over the unfair

rules around this election which suggests the forces behind thailand's long political conflict had not been crushed by five years of military rule. this election could be another stage in this country's on certain political evolution. the asia and the pacific is home to at least 17 million people with disabilities, many of whom are excluded from leading a fulfilling and productive life — thats the assessment from a un project which is calling for action to address deep—rooted attitudes in asian society and an out dated understanding of what "inclusion" might mean. cassandra chiu is the first singaporean woman to benefit from a guide dog. she works as a counsellor and director of the safe harbour counselling centre. and advocates on behalf of people with disabilities. she gave me her view on the asian attitude towards disability.

i would say that the asian attitudes towards disability, the background is because of our religion as well as culture in this region and we tend to view and interact with persons with disabilities and view them was object of pity and that is not quite helpful. it's not helpful to be objects of pity. what needs to be done, cassandra? you believe in a social model over a charity model. because when we are objects of pity, i lost my train of thought, there is a lot of learned helplessness and we don't step up and be agents of our own lives and what needs to happen is people can view us, interact with us is people can view us, interact with us with dignity, with respect and of course equality. it's about a level playing field. in your book called a place for us, you'd talk about

implementing more roadside design features, increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities. absolutely. besides all of this infrastructure, what are written in the book is the attitude change that is required. at a policy level, our governments here with implementing initiatives for people with disabilities. many of the governments in their region have ratified the copd and the next step is to people on the ground to shift their attitudes to disability for more empowerment, equality and giving us an opportunity to have the same opportunities as your children and siblings and parents. you may have a policy but is the political will their core, is the empowerment there? i would say the political will is definitely there but the social will be exhibited shifting in changing. i see that is something thatis

changing. i see that is something that is very doable. and to esme is with you in our studios, she is 9.5 yea rs old with you in our studios, she is 9.5 years old and will be retiring next month? why will she be retiring? she's getting on and deserves retirement. i worked pretty long hours. she is not able to keep up. 0ne dog is equivalent to seven yea rs. 0ne dog is equivalent to seven years. she will be close to 60 years old when she retires. it will be very difficult parting with esme because she's been with you for eight years. she's been to a lot of my life, a lot of ups and downs. we we re my life, a lot of ups and downs. we were one of the first teams in singapore and it's a journey. what happens next when esme retires? she becomes a lady of leisure. and what about you ? i becomes a lady of leisure. and what about you? i will have a new guide dog andi about you? i will have a new guide dog and i have one on standby completing its training at guide

dogs victoria and i'll be heading over the matched. her name is elke. esme and elke. so cute! so cute!. did you get to/ esme?” esme and elke. so cute! so cute!. did you get to/ esme? i did. she was so quiet during the interview. she is both a labrador and a retriever, golden retriever. very kind. more well behaved than some of the people well behaved than some of the people we have had on, right? absolutely. we won't see any more. you have been watching newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. and i'm rico hizon in singapore. stay with us. denim lovers like me get the opportunity to invest in more thanjust a pair of levis. we'll see why the world's biggest denim brand is going public. and before we go, europe's first every underwater restaurant has just opened in norway. more than 7,000 people have already booked reservations to eat among the fish.

we know that you sometimes wear a pairofjeans we know that you sometimes wear a pair of jeans under the desk. we know that you sometimes wear a pair ofjeans under the desk. we will be back with the headlines. hello. it was the spring equinox yesterday that felt like spring, particularly in the sunshine. we had an abundance of sunshine across parts of east wales, the midlands and northern england so at sheffield reached 19 degrees. the highest it's been since that warmth we had in february. these are the sort of weather watcher pictures we had sent in. the cloudier skies as well such as here and i think today on balance will have rather more cloud. but it shall ——it still should be dry. for scotla nd shall ——it still should be dry. for scotland we have this weather front. bring this persistent vein to the highlands and islands. that

south—westerly wind maintains the wild weather, just the holes in the crowd filling with mist and fog. it could be quite murky. that fault should lift except on the coast of england and wales, scotland is well we re england and wales, scotland is well were a tremendous period and damper. even though the rain makes its way further northwards, it has drifted into central parts of scotland saw a different complexion to the weather here. if you do see some brightness, temperatures again 16, i7 here. if you do see some brightness, temperatures again 16, 17 degrees. just a lot of crowd —— cloud, still largely dry weather. through the evening that rain gets pushed away a strengthening wind in the next weather front hot on its heels through northern and western areas so turns very wet once again so parts of north—west scotland could have a considerable amount of rain in the next day or two. it does freshen up and drive behind and headed on friday, the many, still largely dry that khadi and mild. we

are changing our mild south—westerly winds press lightly cooler north—westerly. temperatures will dip back to where they should be. we'll see the sunshine returning. disappointingly cloudy. the third or fourth day of cloudy weather. eventually, that brighter weather will win through and temperatures are down significantly so. we have some wintry showers. friday, thursday night, friday, we will keep the brisk wind coming in through the weekend. that will accentuate the chill. as the next week, we keep the high—pressure close to the south. temperatures recovering a little, i should say with some spring sunshine.