i'm babita sharma with bbc news. our top story: the british prime minister blames mps for delaying brexit and said she's on the side of the british people, who are tired of the whole process. theresa may has asked the eu to extend the date britain will leave europe welcome to newsday. i'm babita sharma in london. the headlines: to the 30th ofjune. the british prime minister blames the eu says they will only agree mp5 for delaying brexit. to a delay if she gets the backing she says she's on the side of mps for her exit plan. of the british people, rescue teams are struggling who are tired of the whole process. to reach survivors six days after cyclone idai theresa may now heads to brussels, hit southern africa. in the city of beira, where eu leaders say aid workers say they have only two they will allow an extension to three days of clean water left. to brexit, but only if the uk parliament backs her withdrawal plan. i'm rico hizon in singapore, and this story is trending at bbc.com. also in the programme: can you tell who it is? it's one of the many democratic presidential candidates. it's supposed to be a huge rescue teams struggle to reach representation of beto 0'rourke. survivors six days after cyclone idai hit southern africa. you're up to date. hundreds are feared to have died. stay with bbc world news. and the grief of a sister and daughter. maryam gul speaks to us about her parents and brother, who died in the and our top story here in the uk: christchurch attacks.

this is bbc world news. it's newsday. welcome. it's 9am in singapore, 1am here in london and 2am in the morning 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'll have more on the eu's 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 a 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 back the deal i have negotiated with the eu, a deal that delivers on the result of the referendum and is the very best deal negotiable, 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 the 30th ofjune. —— this deal. the bbc‘s chris mason in westminster. it has been an extraordinary day, i have said that rather a lot recently covering british politics but it is no less true for saying it because we are in an extraordinary period in british politics, in a moment that so british politics, in a moment that so many people here politically had been counting down to for two years at least and more than that if you include the referendum campaign before it for leave campaign, which

is the moment of actually leaving the european union. it is sitting there in british law, due to happen at 11 o'clock at night a week on friday, and the prime minister here who owns her mistakes, saying that look, there is going to be another vote on her deal, we expected to happen next week. she has gone down to two crushing defeats already but there is the prospect of leaving a deal, which the british parliament does not like the look of as the alternative, and erbil sense walking the corridors of parliament this evening that this is it, that after all of this talk about a minute to midnight, and all the imagery that reporters like i have used something like a crutch over the last four yea rs like a crutch over the last four years that this is the moment and some may big things are going to happen in the next week that are going to change the uk past relationship with the opinion for yea rs relationship with the opinion for years to come. —— and erbil sent.

relationship with the opinion for years to come. -- and erbil sent. we keep seeing amendments and changes, we're counting down the days for another five, six, seven we're counting down the days for anotherfive, six, seven days we're counting down the days for another five, six, seven days to go but it all depends on what she gets out of brussels, it does not? your scepticism is perfectly warranted in terms of people like me getting rather excited about huge days and then things not quite changing with quite the gravity that might have been predicted beforehand. what we do know is either the european union leaves without a deal next week, or the law has to change to prevent that. we also know that in the summit that is due to start in just a few hours and bustles, we will find out definitively what the eu is willing to offer the uk in terms of a delay to the brexit process we will also find out at the beginning of next week what parliament here might be willing to entertain. —— in brussels. that is if the prime minister's dealers to fail and what she was saying in that address to

the nation was that this is her last role of the dice, but she cannot countenance the idea of brexit being delayed by any more than three months, so it is her deal or who knows? —— roll. she did not explicitly say that she would leave and walk away and that would be it, there are a number of people who hope that that might be the case, whether she gets the deal through or not. yes or no, a crisis? yeah, it is. it is a crisis in british politics because there is a clash between the parliament and government and neither can agree what to do next, so i think crisis isa what to do next, so i think crisis is a justified word now. let's now 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. all of the children escaped without serious injury, after an ordeal which lasted about a0 minutes. the driver apparently shouted

that he wanted to kill himself and stop the deaths of migrants in the mediterranean sea. bethany bell has all the details. the driver is said to be an italian of senegalese origin, video has released on social media of this incident, and you can see the bus rammed into the back of other cars before it is then set alight. you can see children screaming, the driver then according to authorities poured petrol into the bus and set alight. the 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 shutting out that he wanted to kill himself and he wa nted he wanted to kill himself and he wanted to stop deaths at sea, this of course in the background of

italy's migrant crisis, at a time when the populist government here has closed italy's ports to ngo boats, which have been trying to rescue migrants. 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. —— massacre. 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. well, the british red cross is warning that the situation is set to become even more challenging, with heavy rains predicted in the coming days. our africa editor fergal keane reports now from 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. zeeshan raza was killed saying his 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 theirfamily left. i was in shock and, it was like... they were my whole family. i have only one brother and my mother and father, and that's all. so it was like what happened? how it's possible that not even one of them survived?

they were supposed to come back to pakistan next month, my mother and father. and... nobody knew that they would never come back. zeeshan had moved to new zealand from pakistan four years ago. living there was like a dream come true. he was like "new zealand is a paradise. the most peaceful country, the most beautiful country. " he came back many times to pakistan, but it was like new zealand is asking him to come back with all its beauties. funerals for the victims have begun taking place in christchurch. but for medical reasons zeeshan‘s sister is unable to travel there. she says her strong faith is all that keeping her together. yes. for this world, i feel that all of my family has gone. but i know that when you have nobody, you have allah with you. and as for the man who killed her family, she says she will forgive

him. first of all, i wanted him to be punished very severely. but then i realised that that's not the sould of my prophet. he used to forgive the people that killed his relatives. i want that he become muslim and he repent and he realise 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's at stake. also on the programme... are asian societies doing enough to include people with disablities? we'll find out what singapore's first guide dog user thinks.

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. 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 country's second largest airline. and in the international edition 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 for the first time since the military seized power five years ago. the coup 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 love the party. they think it has brought them unparalleled and asserts. they are facing possible defections as the military bring people to their side and they are not facing people like thaksin shinawatra

and his sister yingluck, who are charismatic. as well as in exile. the military has imposed a 20—year 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. there could be several weeks of horse trading before a new coalition of mergers. —— emerges. the involvement of the military

senator gives the general a good chance to keep hisjob but we are seeing 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. —— uncertain 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 — that's 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 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 uncrpd 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 needs shifting and changing. i see that is something that is very doable. and to esme is 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 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 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 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. thank you so much forjoining us. i think possibly the most well—behaved guest we have had newsday,. absolutely. so adorable. but it is all about empowering people with disabilities and my hats off to cassandra. absolutely. and a good cause to be. and how are your bluejeans today? i'm wearing them. but levi's will be listing on the us stocks change and we will talk about that an asian business report.|j

know today is different but you normally where a parent that desk... we know! —— normally wearing a pair under the desk. hello. it was the spring equinox yesterday and it felt like spring, particularly if you were in the sunshine. we had an abundance of sunshine across parts of east wales, the midlands and northern england so sheffield and harden, two of the areas to reach 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 we will have rather more cloud than yesterday. but it still should be, for many of us, dry. however, there is always an exception to the rule. for scotland we have this weather front. bring this persistent vein to the highlands and islands. quite a wet spell here for the next couple of days. that south—westerly wind maintains the wild weather through the night, just the holes in the crowd fill in with mist and fog.

it could be quite murky first thing. that fog should lift except on the hills and coasts around the south and west of england and wales, scotland too where it remains quite dreary and damp. even though the rain makes its way further northwards, you can see it has drifted into central parts of scotland so a different complexion to the weather here. if we do see some brightness, potentially up in the north—east england, temperatures again 16, 17 degrees. for most of us, less sunshines, just a lot of cloud, still largely dry weather. through the evening that rain gets pushed away on a strengthening wind and we watch the next weather front hot on its heels through northern and western areas so through the night into friday, it 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 dry up behind and sunshine returns but ahead of it on friday, for many, still be largely dry but rather cloudy and mild. it's a difference, really.

we are changing our mild atlantic south—westerly winds for a lightly cooler north—westerlies. mild, but temperatures will dip back to where they should be for the time of year and we'll see the sunshine returning. it could be disappointingly cloudy across southern areas on saturday. a third or fourth day of cloudy weather here. eventually, that brighter weather will win through and temperatures you can see are down, significantly so. we are back into that chilly air and we have some wintry showers. friday, thursday night, friday, looks like the chillier spell, we will keep the brisk wind coming in through the weekend. that will accentuate the chill. as for next week, we keep the high—pressure close to the south. temperatures recovering a little, i should say, with some spring sunshine. bye— bye.