i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. welcome to newsday on the bbc. the headlines: a day of drama in the english premier league — manchester city retain their title, ending the season just one point ahead of liverpool. more than 60 million people head to the polls in the philippines, midterm elections that could strengthen rodrigo duterte‘s presidency. i'm ben bland in london. also in the programme: how will singapore's new fake news law affect messaging services like whatsapp? we hearfrom a senior government minister.

berline commemorates the anniversary of the american airlift which saved its west german inhabitants from a russian blockade. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. good morning. it's 8am in singapore and 1am in london where the premier league season finished on sunday. if you haven't watched the matches already, you may want to turn away at this point. the title was manchester city's again after a 4—1win at brighton. they were pushed all the way by liverpool, who ended the season a single point behind. our sports editor dan roan reports.

champions again, after a title race like no other. they had been pushed all the way, but manchester city's domination of the english game continues, after a dramatic last day of an unforgettable season. earlier on, the league leaders had arrived at brighton knowing a 14th straight league win would see them become the first team to retain the title for a decade. fail, however, and up at anfield, relentless rivals liverpool could snatch glory. a point behind, to have any chance, they needed to beat wolves and hope brighton did them a favour. nerves? try telling that to sadio mane. liverpool one up, and at this stage, on course to be champions. suddenly the pressure was on city, especially when they went behind. brighton's glenn murray stunning the visitors. hope of a first league title in 29 years filled anfield, as news filtered through. almost 300 miles south, however,

the balance was about to shift decisively back towards city. rather than panic, sergio aguero immediately equalising. and then, aymeric laporte giving his side the lead, stung into action, and back in control. city made sure, after the restart — riyad mahrez‘s spectacular strike a goal befitting the champions. this what it meant to the 10,000 city fans watching on outside the etihad back in manchester. ilkay gundogan‘s spectacular free kick wrapped up the season in style. by now, up at anfield, all hope had gone. mane managed a defiant second, but liverpool's wait for a first premier league title goes on, their brave pursuit finally over. city, meanwhile, able to celebrate being champions for a fourth time in eight seasons, this arguably the best team of the premier league era. we're incredibly satisfied with what we have done, so to win 1a games in a row to retain the title, and one that's happened just once in the last ten years, it's because it's so difficult.

never take it for granted. and you've just got to enjoy it while it's there. i was born on maine road, i've been a city fan all my life, and it isjust outstanding. i'm just proud. we've struggled in europe, but now we've got back—to—back, we've proved that we're one of the greatest teams the premier league has ever seen. unlike last year, city have been challenged this time, but ultimately, it simply seemed to bring out the best in them. congratulation so manchester city. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. president trump says the us is "right where we want to be with china" — he's just tweeted again that the us will be taking in billions of dollars in tariffs which mr trump more than doubled last friday. but his economic adviser larry kudlow has been forced to admit that it will be american businesses and people that will pay. 0ur north america correspondent chris buckler has more.

president trump did double tariffs, in fact, more than double tariffs, on some $200 billion of goods imported from china into the us as those talks were taking place, and he is threatening even more, which he says is bad for china because they will be forced to pay. except that's not exactly true, as larry kudlow was forced to admit when he was questioned by chris wallace on fox news. fair enough — in fact, both sides will pay. both sides will pay, in these things. and, of course, it depends... if it's a tariff on goods coming into the country, the chinese aren't paying. no, but the chinese will suffer gdp losses, and so forth, with respect to a diminishing export market, and goods that they may need for their own... i understand that, but the president says china doesn't — it pays the tariffs. they may suffer consequences, but it's us businesses and us consumers who pay, correct?

yes, to some extent. i don't disagree with that. again, both sides will suffer on this. i think the key phrase there is this acceptance that both sides will suffer. there are dangers to both countries‘ economies as a result of all of this. and there is a danger that all of this could still escalate, because here in washington, officials are admitting that they're expecting beijing to retaliate. also making news today, the un says the withdrawal from houthi rebels from three ports in yemen is going according to plan. a government negotiator has acknowledged that it marks the start of a long—delayed plan to demilitarise the area. it's hoped the pull—out will make it easier for aid to be delivered. the conflict has left millions starving and has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. in burkina faso, an attack on a roman catholic church has left six people dead, including a priest. witnesses say several gunmen burst

into the church during mass in the northen town of dablo. the government has condemned it as a barbaric act aimed at dividing the population. there have been three similar attacks on churches there in the last month. we now know that separatist gunmen in pakistan killed five people during an attack on a luxury hotel on saturday. the military says the people killed were a guard, a member of the security forces and three staff at the pearl continental hotel in the port city of gwadar. the three gunmen were also killed. contestants from 41 countries have made their way down an orange carpet at eurovision‘s 64th song contest in tel aviv. in a move away from the traditional red carpet — the colour was chosen to match the logo of the sponsoring company. there were concerns over the contest being disrupted after cross—border violence between israel and palestinian militants in gaza, but a ceasefire from last week is still holding.

last week, we were telling you about a controversial law here in singapore, which allows authorities to block websites and social media posts. it comes into effect in the next few weeks, and allows the government to order online platforms to publish corrections or remove content if considered false. the move‘s been criticised byjournalists, academics and human rights groups. last week we spoke to frederick rawski, from the international commission ofjurists‘ asia & pacific programme. here's what he had to say then. this is an outrageous part of the bill. this isn't the first bill of its kind. there have been other bills in the region. it was passed in malaysia, and legislation in philippines used to harass journalists, myanmar and thailand. where this law goes even further is its attempt to reach into private, encrypted communication, and essentially, you know, potentially criminalise the expression of opinions in private fora.

singapore is a model, in many ways, for other countries in the region, and if they succeed in imposing this kind of draconian regulation of online speech, you know, others may follow. i mean, the reality is that much of public discourse takes place now online, and this is a real threat to the health of any country in the region that respects freedom of association and expression. earlier i wasjoined by singapore's senior minister of state for law, edwin tong. i began by asking him how this bill could effect not only public activity online, but also private messages between individuals. the information that goes on on private platforms can be false, can travel very quickly. and in fact, the fact that it's

on closed platforms like whatsapp, telegram, from friends and family members, tends to add to its believability and credibility. and, as we've seen elsewhere in the world, this kind of information can have serious effects. so what the bill does is not to look into those platforms, change it, edit, or in any way police it — none of that whatsoever. what it does, however, is to provide the ability for a platform, alternative platform, to provide the corrected information. so it allows other platforms to publish information, to counter the information going around on closed platforms. the bill does not allow any agency to look into the information, to change it, to edit, or to otherwise police it, as has been suggested. and of course, there also issues in countries such as india, apparently encryption services like whatsapp saying it's not technically possible to police and monitor private messages. so explain how, then, this law will affect a platform like whatsapp.

well, when whatsapp puts up information or its users put up information that is false, undermines public interest, then this bill allows there to be a counter to it, to correct the facts and to allow other platforms which are more open, like google or cna, any of the other news platforms, to correct the information. so how will they know what is said in those private messages? presumably somebody is going to have to report on it. well, if it's viral enough, serious and affects public interest, it will tend to be known. the other really worrying aspect about this bill as it is not the courts but government ministers who will ascertain what determines fake news, online falsehood, manipulation. now, in a one—party—dominated state like singapore, could there be potentialfor abuse, especially as this is a city that doesn't bank well on press freedoms on international indexes? well, i'm not sure which press

freedom you refer to... reporters without borders. well, those who refer to singapore as being behind south sudan and pakistan, i think i will let viewers judge those rankings. but the courts and not the government ministers decide what is false, whether it is false, and the extent to which the remedies are commensurate with the original publication. that has always been the case, and i think that has been explained in parliament last week. ultimately there will be people policing and looking at these messages, and perhaps there will be some level of self—censorship. do you not worry that might be the case? well, i think you can look at india as an example. i think that is a good example, because no—one policed it. it came up organically, but it was not countered, and when it was not countered, it went around. people thought it was true, especially on platforms like whatsapp. and so what this bill does is it allows other companies to correct information.

no—one goes into whatsapp or telegram and polices the information, no—one changes it, no—one edits it, no—one looks at what you write. ultimately, though, how big a worry is fake news today, to society? most people, particularly here in singapore, are educated. don't you think they will be able to determine what fake news is, instead of having it decided for them by a government minister? i think education, to make a public that is more critical, more discerning, is always important. education, certainly, rather than a bill like this. well, education as well as a bill like this. it needs to be arrested, needs to be look at and changed. i think when you have information which travels, which is false, sometimes it's emotional, it can play on sentiments. we're a racially and multiculturally diverse country, and just look around the world.

look at the uk. much of what happened in brexit was caused by information like this, precisely like this, preying on people's sentiments and dislikes, emotional issues, race, religion. so we don't want to end up in that situation. so i agree with you that education is important. we need to nurture a public that is critical and discerning, but at the same time, when it comes to the ability to deal with the information that is false and travelling quickly, to be able to correct it. edwin tong there. filipinos are going to the polls to vote in congressional mid—term elections. the result will embolden or weaken president rodrigo duterte. his six—year term is due to expire in 2022. the mid—terms, modelled on the us congressional format, will largely be seen as a referendum on mr duterte‘s presidency. elaine collado is philippines country director of risk consultancy vriens & partners. a short while ago she told me the election result may not make much difference to ordinary people. what we're looking at for these

elections is what we've had the last two years, and since the congress is changing, that will affect how this affects lives. and while right now it looks like there are administration seats that are poised to win, what's important to remember is that a landslide victory doesn't necessarily define the course of national policies moving forward, because policy—making is — it's a very fluid, very complicated, very complex process, and there are so many factors that you need to consider. so, to your question of whether this will affect the lives of human beings moving forward, i think there is also the elections that are stark, but we have to be vigilant in looking at what — how congress moves, and how — which policies they prioritise. will it make any difference, though, for example, to the policies that the president would like to see enacted, or not? well, he's been trying to prioritise policies like the death penalty, which he's tried to pass at the beginning of his term.

but it's — even if you do have a landslide win, that is still something that's very difficult to pass here. so, in terms of that priority, that's going to be quite complex. in terms of improving lives, and having more competition come in, and having the business environment be much better, and having a more level playing field, i think we're looking at... the senate still is important here, because they are — they tend to be a more independent body, and they tend to be more nationalistic, national approach. so we are watching out for how the new congress is going to think about policies moving forward, and whether they're going to — whether they're going to prioritise some of the investment—related priorities that the administration is trying to push. elaine, just briefly, what are you expecting is going to happen? well, we still think that the administration bets are going to win.

they have been trending upward in the last few months. so it is going to be a surprise if any of the opposition candidates are going to make it to the top 12 of the senate list. so we still think that the administration is going to get some seats, a majority of the seats, for the 12 seats that are up for the senate. but, if you compare that to how the senate as a whole is going to look, meaning the 2a members, then it's almost looking like an even split between the pro—administration candidates and the independents and the opposition. stay with us here on newsday. plenty more still to come. the pope was shot, the pope will live.

that was the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism has come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion, garry kasparov. it is the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a classical chess match. america's first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! welcome back. thanks for staying with us. this is newsday on the bbc.

i'm sharanjit leyle in singapore. i'm ben bland in london. our top stories: manchester city have clinched the english premier league title, ending the season just one point ahead of liverpool. more than 60 million people are heading to the polls in the philippines, in elections which will be a mid—term verdict on rodrigo duterte‘s presidency. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the international edition of the new york times explains how the year—long trade war between us and china is only an initial skirmish. the article warns the conflict between the world's two largest economies may continue for decades, as they battle for global dominance. the front page of the philippine daily inquirer is dominated by a story on vote—buying irregularities in midterm elections.

with parts of country going to polls on monday, police say more than a hundred people were caught red—handed accepting money in exchange for their votes — or handing out cash to voters in favour of some candidates. japan times reports on north korea lashing out at the united states for criticizing it over human rights abuses. north korea says the us portrayal of its human rights situation is a fabrication and warns such pressure tactics will only push them to a direction that us does not want to see. that brings you up—to—date with some of the papers. you have a fairly muddy story to tell us about. indeed. it is one of my colleagues tried to get me to do when i worked in essex, east of london. it is the pictures of people running, leaping and crawling in black mud. the maldon mud race sees participants cross a a00m stretch

of the river blackwater in england at low tide. hundreds have battled their way to raise money for charity. the annual springtime event attracts people from across europe. iam glad i am glad it is for charity then. it's less than a week untill australia goes to the polls in a federal election — and if the last election in 2016 is any measure, 90% of australia's adult population will take part. that's because australia is one of 11 countries around the world that make voting a legal requirement of citizens, and punish individuals that refuse to cast their ballot. but can a government really force people to have an opinion? hywell griffith explains how this policy works in practice. australians will vote in record

numbers at this year's federal election. about 90% of eligible australian voters will cast a ballot, way more than the 55% that voted in the last us presidential election and the 70% in the last uk general election. so why so high? well, australia has compulsory voting. here you have to vote. if you don't, without a good reason, you don't, without a good reason, you get hit with a fine. at the moment that is 20 australian dollars, which is enough to buy you five cups of takeaway coffee, two small portions of fish and chips, all on our‘s support higher at the beach. now, critics of compulsory voting is a free citizens should be able to choose whether or not to participate, but most australians seem to be in favour. i think it is a good thing. it forces people to have an opinion. definitely. we need to express our ideas. compulsory

voting means that you are expected to be able to have a chat over politics, whether that be at the water fountain at work or over a beer at the pub. you should have an opinion about who should win an election and why. but does forcing people to vote change the nature politics? in countries where the volu nta ry politics? in countries where the voluntary voting, people of lower socio—economic status are less likely to turn out to vote. these are groups that are more likely to support parties on the left, so the effect is that when voting is compulsory parties on the left benefit. it's perfectly 0k, at least legally, to turn up and spoke your ballot paper just legally, to turn up and spoke your ballot paperjust us or leave it blank. and there is also something called the donkey vote. but‘s when voters choose their preferred candidates in the same order as they appear on the ballot paper. people understand that they are obliged to turn up to vote. they also understand that they can vote in an illegitimate way as well. it is a cardinalsin illegitimate way as well. it is a cardinal sin for people? do they think it is a really, really bad

thing? no, not particularly. but it is not just thing? no, not particularly. but it is notjust compulsory voting magas people to the polls. unlike many countries, elections here always happen on a saturday. theoretically making it easier for more happen on a saturday. theoretically making it easierfor more people happen on a saturday. theoretically making it easier for more people to ta ke making it easier for more people to take part. and ‘s not all. polling stations pretty much always have a charity stall selling tea, cakes, and the classic australian democracy sausage. and the classic australian democracy sausage. so even if you resent having to vote, it shouldn't leave a bad taste in your mouth. hywell griffith there. dignitaries from around the world have gathered to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the berlin airlift. after world war 2, moscow used its control of east germany to cut off all access by land and water to western parts of the city. allied forces managed to provide supplies to berlin by air for nearly a year. among the guests of honour was 98 year old gail halvorsen — known as the "candy bomber" because he flew planes that dropped supplies including sweets into berlin. he addressed the gathering.

the weather was not at this good during the airlift, of most of the time, but it's an honour, a special honour to be here for those who gave their lives for the freedom of berlin. the germans, americans, frenchmen, englishmen — we're grateful to be here. god bless you. i am honoured to be a son of berlin. berlin ist meine zweite heimat. danke. you have been watching newsday. i'm ben bland in london. and i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. stay with us, the tit for tat on tariffs continues. we'll get the latest on the trade war between the us and china. and before we go, we'd like to leave you with these pictures. and inspiring way to spend your birthday. this grandmother from the us state of arkansas decided to do something she had never done before for her 86th birthday — sky diving from 10,000 feet. rosiejohnson says that she hadn't done this before because her husband

wouldn't let her. she says that the message she took away from this adventure is: do whatever you want. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. hello there, good morning. it was 18 degrees again on sunday. but for many of us it's going to get warmer over the next few days. the weather this week looks very different from what we had last week. this was a typical weather pattern — jet stream to the south. we were in the cold air, that brought showers and longer spells of rain. as much as an inch of rain in some places last week. but at least for the next few days the jet stream is deflected well to the north of the uk. we're in the warmer air. and we've got high pressure that is dominating and keeping it drier just about everywhere. having said that, though, there is this cloud that's spilling over the top of it that's pushing its way into scotland. and it's not as cold here as it has been during recent nights. pretty chilly elsewhere, mind you. and maybe a pinch of frost here and there, especially towards east anglia. the cloud across northern scotland is going to produce a little rain and drizzle. that's got to be affecting shetland first thing in the morning,

tail end of a weather front. that moves through and we're left with some thin, high cloud, it means the sunshine could be a little hazy at times. not going to spoil the day. plenty of sunshine. light winds for most of us. and temperatures continuing to rise. may be 20 degrees were parts of northern ireland and around the moray firth as well. as we head through tuesday and wednesday, still looks pretty good across some southern and eastern parts of the uk. temperatures are going to be around 17—18 degrees. warm in the sunshine. but there will be an easterly breeze. temperatures, though, will be higher further west and north, north wales, north—west england, northern ireland, and scotland. with 23 degrees or so perhaps in scotland on wednesday. that's probably the peak of the heat. and that's because after that the position of the high, the centre is going to shift further north up towards scandinavia. it opens the door to this easterly airflow and this lower pressure across the continent, that could eventually bring cloud as in patchy rain our way. still dry, though, ithink on thursday and some sunshine around. we'll see a bit more cloud coming in off the north sea and we'll have this easterly breeze as well. that's going to be felt around the north sea coast. but even further west temperatures will not be quite as high on thursday as they will be on tuesday and wednesday. as we move into friday,

still a lot of uncertainty on the details. but we are seeing more cloud. we're seeing some showers or some longer spells of rain. now it is a little bit further south. what is more certain is that the temperatures will continue to drop away in those easterly winds, and with more cloud, we're back to around 14—16 degrees. so that's nearer normal for this time of year. but ahead of that, for the next few days, a lot of warmth, a lot of sunshine, dry weather, too, the weather starts to change, though, during thursday and into friday.

i'm ben bland with bbc news. our top story. a day of high drama in the english premier league, as manchester city clinch the crown for the second year running. city came back from a goal down to beat brighton 4—1. that victory clinched the premier league title for them, putting them just one point ahead of their nearest rivals, liverpool. millions of people are heading to the polls in the philippines, in elections which are widely expected to be a mid—term verdict on rodrigo duterte's presidency and these pictures are trending on bbc.com. they show people running, leaping and crawling across a 400—metre stretch of the river blackwater in eastern england. the annual maldon mud race attracts people from across europe, to raise money for charity. that's all. stay with bbc world news. and the top story in the uk: dominic hinds — a cabinet minister —