this is newsday on the bbc. i'm kasia madera, in london. the headlines: as the french government reveals notre dame was just 30 minutes away from being completely destroyed by fire, president macron promised to rebuild the cathedral within five years. translation: we are people of builders. we have so much to rebuild. yes, we will rebuild the cathedral of notre dame yes, we will rebuild the cathedral of notre—dame and make it even better than before. his pledge comes as hundreds gather in paris for a vigil to honour the city's much—loved landmark. i'm rico hizon, in singapore, also in the programme:

the stage is set for indonesia's elections but religious issues crowd out the country's other concerns. and pushing for a bigger voice in afghanistan — we have a special report on the changing role of women in a deeply conservative society. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news — it's newsday. a very warm welcome to the programme. it's midnight in london, 7am in singapore and 1am in paris. just 2a hours after notre—dame burned and the worst was feared, there is tonight a mixture of grief, defiance and hope in paris. hundreds of millions of dollars are pouring in to rebuild the landmark cathedral within the next five years.

the french president emmanuel macron says it will be even more beautiful than before. however many art works inside the building have been lost for good. from paris, our correspondent lucy williamson reports. words were hard to find last night to describe this loss, to absorb this scene. what burned with notre dame, high above the paris skyline, was 800 years of history. for some, the physical anchor of paris, the cultural soul of france. it took 23 minutes to confirm the fire alert and send emergency crews to the scene. the fire was spreading quickly, oak rafters that had held the roof for centuries turning to ash in the evening sky. the central spire holding out against its own destruction until the very last moment,

its bell hanging clear and still in the flames. oh, la la, la la! to tackle the blaze, fire crews scaled the cathedral‘s main towers. this was the first glimpse of what they faced, footage of the building filmed from above, the flames mapping a cross against the night sky. inside, burning embers were still falling when the first crews made their way in. the pews where people had been waiting for mass that afternoon now covered with smouldering rubble. the empty space lit from above by a blaze of fire where the roof had been. translation: we've saved the crown of thorns and st louis‘ tunic, i think we were able to save some chalices. the fire didn't reach the treasury, and then inside they tried to save some paintings but, you know, it was impossible

to save the big ones. after four hours, firemen confirmed that the structure of the building had been saved — a test of faith for modern—day paris. "notre dame resisted the nazis," one resident said, "she's not going to leave us now." if last night was all what about had been lost, by morning the focus was on what survived. translation: we now know since this morning that 15 or 30 minutes‘ delay would have been critical to the cathedral, would have been critical to saving the cathedral, so we salute the firefighters' courage. tonight president macron addressed the nation. translation: we found that what we thought was indestructible can be damaged. everything that makes france is alive and therefore fragile. and yes, we will rebuild the notre dame cathedral and yes, we will rebuild the notre—dame cathedral and it will be more beautiful than before and it will be done in five years.

the fire burned through most of the roof, but the stone structure and many of its treasures have been saved, including the crown of thorns, some believe was worn byjesus on the cross, several important paintings, the cathedral‘s medieval organ, and the famous rose windows. these photos were taken by one of the architects invited in to assess the building. so with the vaults on one side, the walls and the flying buttresses around, so normally it should be stable, but i know they are going to investigate to see if there is some risk or not for the building itself. people came again today, as if for reassurance, counting the damage, weighing their relief. translation: it's such a shock, i am discovering it now. it is a symbolic building for us — it still is, it always will be. you don't understand, you don't get it, how can that... that kind of thing can happen right now.

it's impossible to accept that, so you just... for the life of all the parisians and even in europe, and in the world, it's... ..it exists as a symbol, and we need it. investigators are working on the basis this was an accident. the fire is thought to have started on the roof. many have questioned whether restoration being carried out on the building might have played a role. that restoration is now a much bigger project, and donations have poured in overnight — hundreds of millions of euros so far. this is where france kept not just its relics but its stories, a place to mark both heroism and loss. those two things were felt here again last night — a new chapter in the tale of notre dame. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris.

a team from the reuters news agency, including two journalists jailed in myanmar, has won the pulitzer prize for their reporting on the murder of rohingya muslims by the burmese military. the prize, seen as the most prestigious injournalism, is the latest given to wa lone and kyaw soe oo, who are serving seven years in prison for their investigation into the 2017 killing of ten unarmed men. their wives spoke about their pride in the pair. translation: sent we got married he was always telling me about the pulitzer prize and he dreamt about receiving the highest prize. translation: i am so proud of my husband. i hope it will be taken into consideration towards the release and their family will be reunited. his daughter will surely

be proud of her father. egypt's parliament has approved a constitutional change that would lengthen president abdel fattah al—sisi's term in office and give him greater power over the judiciary. the changes, which would make it possible for him to stay in power until 2030, will now be put to a referendum. the melbourne international comedy festival has dropped barry humphries' name from its major prize, the barry award, following his remarks about transgender people. humphries, who is best known for his character, australian housewife dame edna everage, has also been critisised by other comedians over the comments. it has been five days since wikileaks founder, julian assange was removed from the ecuadorian embassy. his arrest by london police

at the invitation of ecuador‘s government brought to an end his seven year stay there. he now faces extradition to the united states on hacking charges. ecuadorian officials said assange's expulsion occurred due to a number of transgressions. well a short time ago, ecuador‘s president lenin moreno sat down with our north america editor jon sopel and he explained the reasons that went behind ecuador revoking assange's asylum. translation: several, from verbal insults and he referred to our country as insignificant. an excuse me ifi country as insignificant. an excuse me if i have to say this, but even smearing his thesis on embassy walls. i think these are sufficient reasons to walls. i think these are sufficient reaso ns to revo ke walls. i think these are sufficient reasons to revoke and terminate his asylum. earlier, i spoke tojon sopel who is in washington.

it was a kind of shocking claim, as you can imagine, coming from the country's president, which gives that all that additional force. i should say that julian that all that additional force. i should say thatjulian assange's lawyer has denied any suggestion that he behaved in that way. the president also talked about his bullying, attacking stuff, spying on style, putting cameras into the embassy and what you kind of see is at the breakdown of a relationship. he had been in that embassy for seven he had been in that embassy for seve n years he had been in that embassy for seven years and i felt from president moreno speaking, a huge sense of relief thatjulian assange was now somebody else's problem and not ecuador‘s did he say anything more about himself, the wikileaks spying on the ecuadorean government? there is a very embarrassing photograph that appeared with

president moreno lying on a hotel bed eating lobster on his birthday. this was at a time when ecuadorians we re this was at a time when ecuadorians were being asked to tighten their belts as part of austerity measures introduced in the country. it is clear that president moreno holt julian assange responsible for that and he says itjust shows a loving family and he says it had no bearing on the decision but he said it was because of the actions and the fact they got reassurances from the british side that werejulian assange to be extradited to a third country, it would not be a country that practice torture or the death penalty. 0nce those assurances had been won, they felt free to move against them. any notice of a third party working alongside julian assange? i asked the president whether he thought thatjulian

assange was an agent for the russians and he said, i cannot comment on that but it is clear that he favours one country over several others, i russia. he talked about that and said it is clear that he is working, i do not know by commission oi’ working, i do not know by commission or action, but it appears so. in other words, he was in some ways an aid to russia. 193 million indonesians head to the polls today in what is being called the world's most complicated election. indonesia's presidential, parliamentary and regional elections will all be taking place simultaneously for the first time in its history. the main contest is between incumbentjoko widodo and his long time rival prabowo subianto, who fought against mr widodo in 2014, and was defeated. the bbc‘s karishma vaswani

reports from jakarta. rockstar will come forjoko widodo and his message of unity and economic growth. he can definitely packin economic growth. he can definitely pack in the crowds. he is selling the same vision of this time round but ina the same vision of this time round but in a decidedly different political landscape and some of the choices he has made have disappointed supporters. two years ago hardline protest broke out against his former right—hand man, a chinese indonesian christian. he was accused of blasphemy against islam. and, as the nation watched, he went through a highly politicised trial and eventually went to jail. joko

widodo stayed silent. today, his running mate is a hard—line muslim cleric and one of the leaders of that witch—hunt. a visible attempt to silence those who have questioned his religious credentials. his main opponent, former military general, prabowo subianto, has also tacked into a growing desire for power amongst hardline slim groups. both sides have used religious issues, they have used islam as a tool to get support. but once the elections are over will they be able to put this genie back in the bottle and go back to business as usual? it will be difficult because they have incited lots of people and increased tensions in society and put religion at the front of politics. much of this has not been felt yet in daily life except for a growing piety in indonesian society. translation:

life except for a growing piety in indonesian society. translationzlj only wear a headscarf to work but there is growing pressure to wear one. if i am on social media not wearing i feel bad so the next time i will wear it. the millions of indonesians, this election is about so indonesians, this election is about so much more than religion. it is about the economy, jobs and a better future but religious issues are threatening to overshadow that narrative, putting indonesian democracy and pluralism at risk. you're watching newsday on the bbc. live from singapore and london. still to come on the programme: pushing for a place at the negotiating table — and society. how afghanistan's women are working to be heard. also on the programme: a blessing from the blaze — some of the priceless artefacts rescued from notre—dame.

pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock, and as for her sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemed just to slide away under the surface and disappear.

this is newsday on the bbc. eye am glad you are staying with us. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: as the french government reveals notre—dame was just 30 minutes away from being completely destroyed by fire, president macron promises to rebuild the cathedral within five years. almost 200 million indonesians are heading to the polls in what's --at ——at notre—dame. we start with le figaro,

which devotes its entire front page to a photo of the notre—dame cathedral after the fire. the paper says that emmanuel macron has pledged to restore the cathedral in five years after a vast outpouring of generosity from citizens. the south china morning post also carries the fire at notre—dame cathedral on its front page. it says that chinese president xi jingping expressed his condolences and said china was deeply saddened in a message to french president emmanuel macron. the straits times has photos of the spire of notre—dame cathedral collapsing. this paper concentrates on the fact that many of the rare art works have been saved — a consolation for parisians. you are up—to—date with the papers. a second round of peace talks between the tal abyad and an afghan delegation is that to take place in qatar this weekend. afghan women are calling

for a stronger presence at the negotiating table to ensure the fragile gains they've won since 2001 are not lost. but afghanistan is still a deeply conservative society where women are fighting for their rights. 0ur chief international correspondent lyse doucet reports from kabul. building a different afghanistan takes time, it takes effort. even body—building has been taboo — for women. hooria kurbani's family used to say this is no place for a woman. now she has her own gym but faces threats in this conservative society to shut it. translation: we have fought for our rights up to now. we will never give up. we will continue to fight. do you worry now, now that there's talks with the taliban, that you could lose some of this? translation: i have spent

all my life in a society that's full of fear, we are always in danger — i'm used to it now. zan tv, women's tv, trying to change a man's world. not just a channel for women, a place to train them to do all thejobs. 0gai wardak was born in 2001, the year the taliban were ousted from power. last year, during a rare three—day ceasefire, she came face to face with taliban fighters. the taliban that we have in this time, it's not like the past. the past taliban that i heard the stories, they are really scary. do think the taliban will let you work here at zan tv? they won't, yeah. so what will you do? so i have to fight with them, because it's my dream, and i have to work for my sisters. a deeply conservative

society is changing — slowly. this country has undeniably changed since the years when the taliban were in charge here. women of kabul couldn't even go out on the streets then. but the taliban also say they've changed. the question is, have they changed as much as their society has? that question is being asked by women who have broken through the thickest of glass ceilings. nargis nehan is a senior government minister. a growing number of women are now in topjobs. they're anxious to preserve this progress in any taliban talks. they're coming as a political group, there is no fear, and we are fully ready to discuss with them and all the difference is that we have negotiate with them. but if they're coming for a political capture only, that they will come and capture and arrest people and take us backward, it is of a big concern for us.

women insist they must be at the table. former mp fawzia koofi is one of the only women who attended the first round of talks. how did it feel to meet the man who once stopped girls, including her, from going to school? so i felt powerful, and ifelt visible, and ifelt also, i think they listened. yes, they did not agree to my view perhaps, we did not share many things in common, but they listened, and i think that was the moment that i realised, you know, they cannot take us back. afghanistan is called one of the hardest places to be a woman. women have lost so much in war — they are determined to win when there is peace. lyse doucet, bbc news, kabul. let's return to our main story — at the notre—dame cathedral in paris. firefighters have been praised for saving a building that at one point looked like it would be

razed to the ground. there's also been an outpouring of relief over the priceless artefacts that were salvaged from the wreckage. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito reports on what's been saved — and how much can be restored. there was a moment when you wondered if anything could survive this. however, the great rose window, tonight, it's rather battered and charred, still largely intact. as pieces of roof crashed to the ground, a human chain helped remove more than 1,000 years of religious history. amongst the objects saved, the crown of thorns, the tunic of st louis and dozens of other artworks. but that fire. the organ may have escaped the flames, but it's endured an ordeal of smoke and debris. it's like a part of my life which is destroyed. i think it will be hard to see, so i'm a bit afraid about seeing it over the next few days, probably. paintings have been lost. some 5% to 10% of the artworks

appear to be damaged or destroyed. and the building? translation: there is an enormous amount of damage inside. some of the stones are damaged. the vaulted roof has disappeared, so we have a big job in front of us. the giant gaps in the stone vaulted ceiling tell their own story, but all this stonework has also helped protect parts of the interior, and great cathedrals have a history of recovering from fire. this was york minster in 1984. fire had turned the south transept into a gaping, sooty ruin. we're going on the high level on the scaffolding to look across at the south transept, where the fire was. 35 years later, master mason john david took me to the top, a chance to see the restoration and remember the moment he stood beneath the collapsing roof of melted lead and burning timber. flames were shooting out the actual peak of the roof there, and gradually the lead was melting and, as the roof began to fall,

some of the big bosses from the vault started thumping on the ground. you were inside? yes. everything you're looking at, tons of lead, oak, all went crashing to the ground that night, and what's amazing is that, 35 years on, you'd have absolutely no idea there was a fire here. but, while there are many similarities, there is one big difference. it's a hugejob. notre—dame has lost its choir, nave, and two transepts, so it's a huge thing. four or five times the size, we are talking about. yes, yep. but masterjoinerjeff brayshaw, another veteran of that day 35 years ago, feels optimistic. to a visitor, could they tell the difference? no, not at all. it looks like a medieval roof we are looking at. we are looking at your handiwork, aren't we? and many others. today, the only visible memory in the minster are two small scorch marks. thejob may be huge, but the message to notre—dame

is one of hope. david sillito, bbc news, from york. and grabbed us time to say goodbye from both of us. hello there, good morning. as expected tuesday was a cloudy day for many of us. rain and drizzle around as well. this was the scene in the north—west of england where it was quite a bit cooler thanks to that rain and drizzle and low cloud. we had a taste of things to come in cornwall. the sun was out and it was a good deal warmer as well. we're going to find more sunshine more widely as we into the easter weekend. as a result it will be turning warmer everywhere. still some cloud on the scene. this cloud is heading towards liberia to bring some cooler, whether weather. this cloud brought the rain and drizzle earlier on and it is tending to peter out all the while. data across western scotland. further south, clearing skies means a mist and fog

forming. that will take a little while to clear away in the morning. the drizzle won't last long in western scotland. cloudbreak ‘s comedy sunshine develops more widely. we could bubble up a bit of cloud from east anglia towards the pennines and may squeeze out an isolated late showers. a warm afternoon with temperatures getting up afternoon with temperatures getting up to 19 or20 afternoon with temperatures getting up to 19 or 20 and the south—east of england. the downside with this warmth and sunshine, high pollen levels across england and wales in particular. as we had into the evening and overnight, we have to watch out towards the east to see some mist and low cloud coming in of the north sea. that will push further inland across northern areas. este and working in the hills. chilly around some rural areas. those are the temperatures in towns and cities. it will, however, get warmer as we head towards easter. really warming up, actually, across central europe. this is where oui’ across central europe. this is where ourair is going across central europe. this is where our air is going to be coming from, hence those rising temperatures on that south—easterly breeze. there

will be mestalla cloud around to begin with on thursday. that cloud tending to break up. sunshine developing quite widely. south—easterly breezes. cool around some of those north sea coasts, these east of scotland, northeast england. 0therwise temperatures are continuing to rise, 20 or 21 is likely on thursday. friday, hardly a cloud in the sky. a beautiful day, good friday. we will see lots of sunshine. this light south to south—easterly breeze putting that warmth northwards. 21 or 22 through the central belt of scotland. 22 or 23 through london ambulance to the north—east of england. this is what is to come over the easter weekend. the peak of the heat likely to be on saturday. northern areas terminal cloudy. maybe seeing saran, particularly on sunday. dry with some sunshine does mixing some rain.

this is bbc news. france is breathing a collective sigh of relief that notre dame has largely survived a fire which officials believe was within minutes of totally destroying the cathedral. president macron has promised to rebuild it within 5 years. in a televised address, mr macron said he shared the pain and hope of the nation after the devastating fire. and he praised the firefighters who had risked their own lives to battle the blaze his address came as thousands gathered in place st michel near the cathedral for a vigil to honour the much—loved landmark. and this story is trending on bbc.com. indonesians have begun voting in what's being called the world's most complicated election — simultaeous votes for the presidency, parliament and local officials are taking place. that's all. stay with bbc world news.