welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm mariko oi. the headlines. voting gets under way in the philippines as the country decides who it wants to be its next president. and i'm karishma vaswani, live in manila, where more than 18,000 posts, from president to town councillor, are up for grabs. we'll be hearing from the country's election commission as millions decide on theirfuture. our other main headlines. more than 60 people are believed to have been killed after a russian bomb hit a school in eastern ukraine. a new leaderfor hong kong — the man who oversaw the crackdown on protesters becomes the region's chief executive.

and 21st century time lord — a brand—new face for one of science—fiction�*s best known characters. i best known characters. feel very grateful to have had i feel very grateful to have had the baton had an over and i'm going to try to do my best. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's seven in the morning here in singapore, and also in the philippines, where the polls have opened in the most divisive presidential election for many years. there are several candidates hoping to replace the current leader, hardliner rodrigo duterte, but just two clear frontrunners. leading in the polls is ferdinand "bongbong" marcosjunior. he's the son of the former president, ferdinand marcos. critics say he's used his

wealth to whitewash the history of his father's brutal dictatorship. bongbong marcos was also convicted in 1995 for tax evasion while serving as a public official. his running mate is sara dutert, the daughter of the current president. the main challenger to them is leni robredo. she is the current vice—president of the philippines. mrs robredo is a former lawyer and human rights advocate. her supporters include many celebrities and leading figures in philippines life. she's a member of the liberal party, which is traditionally connected with the richest families in the country. karishma vaswani is at a polling station in manila. karishma, over to you. a big day for the philippines. absolutely, mariko, it's been about an hour since polls have opened here. i'm sure you can

see the buzz of activity at this polling station. it usually an elementary school in a normal day. i hope i got the pronunciation right. but today, it's been transformed into one of the biggest polling stations in the city. we've been told that some 32,000 voters will make their way through here throughout the day from the early morning when the polls open, to late into the evening, when close close, around seven p:m.. people have a lot of positions to choose for. some 18,000 position to president to count counsellor. make sure you've made up your mind before you've made up your mind before you get there, get through the queue quickly and someone else can go through. this is also taking place against the backdrop of the pandemic, the protocols are in place. there is a medical team to ensure anybody with a temperature of 37.5 degrees is taken to an

isolation unit if they display any symptoms, and they'll be looked after their and still get to vote. we've seen people vote already. i saw a young lady, a proudly displaying the finger you have to show you to vote here, to ensure people who've already voted don't end “p who've already voted don't end up voting again. concerns over irregularities are big issues as well in these elections. someone who knows all about thatis someone who knows all about that is here with us today. we can speak to the commissioner of the philonise elections —— philippines. i know it's a very busy day for you. thank you for joining us. what have been the biggest concerns for you on holding an election like this? thejob is big because of the the job is big because of the situation, and we have tried all the — situation, and we have tried

all the guidelines for ensuring people — all the guidelines for ensuring people are able to vote, we have — people are able to vote, we have to _ people are able to vote, we have to ensure the people are healthy — have to ensure the people are healthy. even after going out of their— healthy. even after going out of their houses and voting in schools— of their houses and voting in schools like this. it will always _ schools like this. it will always be the health protocol of the — always be the health protocol of the people. | always be the health protocol of the maple-— of the people. i can hear that the organisers _ of the people. i can hear that the organisers are _ of the people. i can hear that the organisers are giving - the organisers are giving instructions on the panel to ensure those protocols are kept in place. what are you expecting voter turnout to be? this looks like a very crowded station. . ., ~ station. overall, we have 67.5 million voters, _ station. overall, we have 67.5 million voters, but _ station. overall, we have 67.5 million voters, but here - station. overall, we have 67.5 million voters, but here in - station. overall, we have 67.5 million voters, but here in thej million voters, but here in the country— million voters, but here in the country today, we have 65.8 million _ country today, we have 65.8 million. hopefully we can accomplish more or less 60 million _ accomplish more or less 60 million voters. if that's the case, — million voters. if that's the case, that will be great, and i thihk— case, that will be great, and i think that will become the biggest so far voters turn out in our— biggest so far voters turn out in our history. hopefully despite _ in our history. hopefully despite the pandemic. there

have been — despite the pandemic. there have been concerns - despite the pandemic. there have been concerns of - despite the pandemic. there have been concerns of the i have been concerns of the irregularities in these elections. a security breach, for instance, there's been some violence. how much of a challenge are those sorts of issues? ., ._ , challenge are those sorts of issues? . ._ , , issues? there will always be allegations _ issues? there will always be allegations of _ issues? there will always be allegations of irregularities. | allegations of irregularities. there — allegations of irregularities. there is— allegations of irregularities. there is no breach as far as the — there is no breach as far as the commissioner data is concerned. maybe there is a breach— concerned. maybe there is a breach of— concerned. maybe there is a breach of the data of the provider, but that bat when it contes— provider, but that bat when it comes to _ provider, but that bat when it comes to certain violence, these _ comes to certain violence, these are _ comes to certain violence, these are not a lecture and related~ _ these are not a lecture and related. if they are, it's so minimum _ related. if they are, it's so minimum —— election related. the _ minimum —— election related. the police _ minimum —— election related. the police are in full control of the — the police are in full control of the situation. this election so far— of the situation. this election so far has— of the situation. this election so far has been the most

peaceful. so far has been the most peaceful-— so far has been the most peaceful. so far has been the most eaceful. ., , ., peaceful. you yourself as have the experience _ peaceful. you yourself as have the experience of— peaceful. you yourself as have the experience of what - peaceful. you yourself as have l the experience of what happens when one candidate challenges the outcome of the election. you represented bongbong marcos in 2016 when he contacted the victory of leni robredo. he contested _ victory of leni robredo. he contested the vice presidency. there — contested the vice presidency. there was a very slim margin. if there was a very slim margin. if in— there was a very slim margin. if in case _ there was a very slim margin. if in case the margin this time for the — if in case the margin this time for the president and the vice president would be small also, then— president would be small also, then expect that an election process— then expect that an election process will be filed. hopefully, that will not happen again — hopefully, that will not happen aaain. . , ., again. exciting times for the philippines _ again. exciting times for the philippines and _ again. exciting times for the philippines and the - again. exciting times for the - philippines and the commission. thank you so much forjoining us. that's it from us, mariko. we should be seeing thousands more people streaming through this station today with pulled closing later.—

this station today with pulled closing later. thanks for that, karishma- _ and we have much more on the elections in the philippines on our website, including this guide on all the candidates and what they stand for. just log on to bbc.com/news or download the bbc app. there are signs russia is stepping up its offensive in the eastern donbas region of ukraine, just a few hours before the annual victory day parade is to due to take place in moscow. more than 60 people are now feared dead after the bombing of a school in eastern ukraine, where civilians had been sheltering. the russian attack was on the village of bilohorivka in the donbas region. 0ur correspondent laura bicker has the story. this was a school in the village of bilohorivka. it was being used as a shelter when it was hit by an air strike. around 60 people are feared dead under this rubble. russia is stepping up

its assault on eastern and southern ukraine. in mariupol, they seek out the last ukrainian fighters holed up in the vast azovstal steel plant. "keep watching and see how they move," is the command made of this russian drone operator. there are thought to be around 2000 ukrainian soldiers still determined to make one last stand. we don't have high chances of survival while we would be captured, yeah? surrenderfor us is unacceptable because we cannot grant such a big gift to the enemy because every person who is captured is the exchange fund, is the resource. all the women and children who'd used this plant as a refuge for more than two months have been rescued, according to ukrainian officials. but daily shelling has decimated their once thriving city. the mayor claims those still there are being forced

to carry permits to move around, and some men are even being held in camps. translation: this means that the russian occupying j forces are holding captive more than 100,000 people. they are using them to clear rubble and dead bodies. our local population is now forced to work for food in the city that has been turned into a ghetto, in my opinion, established by the russian army. centres have been set up to help the tens of thousands of mariupol families trying to rebuild their shattered lives. eight—year—old vicky loves it here, but her mum is struggling to forget those harrowing last moments in her home town. translation: planes, missiles, then ships. . everything was - on fire around you. people in the streets, torn off limbs. - it was tough, - it was frightening. i don't want to i recall any of that. those left behind in mariupol

must make what they can of their war—torn lives. and even amid the scattered ruins of their school, some have found a place to play. laura bicker, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. ukraine has been hosting the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, and the us first lady, drjill biden — who both made separate unannounced trips to the country. mr trudeau visited the town of irpin and announced canada will deliver new weapons and equipment to ukraine. the us first lady held talks with her ukrainian counterpart, 0lena zelenska, near the polish border. drjill biden said the visit on what is mother's day in the united states was intended to show support to the people of ukraine. on monday, there will be military processions in russia to commemorate the soviet victory over nazi germany in i945.

but this year, the sight of tanks and troops on red square in moscow and other russian cities will have an added significance following the invasion of ukraine. the kremlin has been accused of using the memory of world war two to justify its offensive against its neighbour. from moscow, our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports. this time of year, the traffic in moscow gets rather heavy. it's the final practice for the annual military parade. victory day marks the defeat of hitler's germany. but this year, putin's russia on the offensive. rehearsing on red square what moscow says are paratroopers back from ukraine. russia's invasion there is been presented here as another glorious chapter in russia's history. and so, you get this.

in the run—up to victory day, across russia, organised displays of the letter z, the symbol of russia's offensive in ukraine, from schools... ..to stallions. at this sports festival outside moscow, we found lots of zs. patriotic pe to support the army. many here believe the kremlin's parallel reality, which portrays russia as a victim, not the aggressor. "nato's pressuring us," says natalia. "we'll fight to the end." "they have risen from hell to destroy us," natasha says, "the fascists, the americans, everyone who is against russians." but it was president putin who started this by attacking ukraine. more than two months later, he appears far from victory. he will be hoping that

memories of world war ii will at least rally russians behind the kremlin. the defeat of nazi germany was a glorious moment in russian history, but today, the kremlin is using that victory, using the past, to try to justify the present. it's mobilising the patriotic fervour of victory day to secure public support for russia's offensive in ukraine. and that continues. kremlin critics warn that what russia is doing now in ukraine, what much of the world calls a war of conquest, casts a shadow over russia's great victory in world war ii. this victory, it was for our future. and now, we lost our future because of one man, and his name is vladimir putin. he stole our future. he stole this victory.

he stole our history. russians can celebrate the past. it's the future that's uncertain. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come in the programme — a trading dispute casts doubt over the future of power—sharing in northern ireland after sinn fein becomes the largest party in the assembly. i, nelson rolihlahla mandela, do hereby serve to the faithful that's the essence of the appalling moves this afternoon. terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they called the butcher of lyon... the

'ud . e the butcher of lyon... the judge told _ the butcher of lyon... the judge told mrs _ the butcher of lyon... tie: judge told mrs mandella the butcher of lyon... tte: judge told mrs mandella there is no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government - the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an— chinese government has called for an effort to help the victims _ for an effort to help the victims of the powerful earthquake.— victims of the powerful earthuuake. , , ., , earthquake. the deep blue has toniuht earthquake. the deep blue has tonight triumphed _ earthquake. the deep blue has tonight triumphed over - earthquake. the deep blue has tonight triumphed over the - tonight triumphed over the world — tonight triumphed over the world chess— tonight triumphed over the world chess champion. - tonight triumphed over the world chess champion. america's first le . al world chess champion. america's first legal same-sex _ world chess champion. america's first legal same-sex marriages . first legal same—sex marriages have been taking place in massachusetts.— have been taking place in massachusetts. god bless america! _ massachusetts. god bless america! cheering - this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. 0ur headlines. voting gets under way in the philippines as the country decides who it wants to be its next president. more than 60 people are believed to have been killed after a russian bomb hit

a school in eastern ukraine. the man who oversaw the crackdown on protesters in hong kong during pro—democracy demonstrations has become the territory's new leader. john lee, a staunch beijing supporter, was the sole candidate in the closed voting process, and his appointment is widely being seen as a move by the chinese government to tighten its grip on the city. he replaces carrie lam after she announced she would not be seeking a second term in office. danny vincent reports. i hereby declare that the only candidate, mrjohn lee ka—chiu, is returned in the above—mentioned election. congratulations. there was only ever one person in the running for this race. the authorities call this a closed circle election. but critics say it was just a selection process. john lee was the sole candidate. he was voted in by

overwhelmingly pro—beijing representatives. having restored order from chaos, it is high time that hong kong starts a new chapter of development. the former police officer is seen as a hardliner, a beijing loyalist, who quietly rose up the ranks of the police force before becoming the city's second highest ranking official. he oversaw the implementation of the national security law and cracked down, ending the pro—democracy protest movement. with education, with prevention and with enforcement, we can turn the tide to let people know that protection and national security is everybody�*s responsibility. that advocacy for independence of hong kong is against the law. power to the people! but today, before voting began, a small group staged a protest calling for universal suffrage.

i spoke to one police officer under condition of anonymity. i think the law is always a weapon. i think they're now using it more to achieve their political or financial means. police in hong kong has been the force available to the government to enforce anything. in today's hong kong, the majority of its political opposition are in prison or have left the city. hong kong is experiencing a mass exodus. since the introduction of the national security law, more than 130,000 residents have left the city. that represents more than 1% of the population. and more than 100,000 residents have applied to live in the uk under a new visa scheme. there have been more than 10,000 protest—related arrests since 2019. and more than 100 have been arrested under the national security law. to many residents, this is the hallmark of a police state.

pro—beijing lawmakers disagree. it's not the police state. it'sjust somejudgment up saying that we are to a police state, but its and untrue statement. hong kong was promised a certain political freedoms certain political freedoms when it was returned to china in 1997. hong kong people were said to rule hong kong. to many, today marks the start of a political era for the territory. danny vincent, bbc news, hong kong. politicians in northern ireland are being urged by the uk government, as well as by the irish and us governments, to agree once again to power—sharing and us governments, to agree once again to power—sharing in the wake of local election results. for the first time in more than 100 years of northern ireland's history, a nationalist party has emerged with the largest number of seats. that party, sinn fein, now needs to nominate a first minister for northern ireland. here's our ireland

correspondent, emma vardy. the balance of power between the two different visions for this island has shifted — symbolically, at least. what do you think it means for northern ireland? well, it means maybe stormont will get back together and maybe it won't. i mean, this is what we've been living with for years now, dysfunctional politicians and dysfunctional systems. the immediate challenge for northern ireland is to heal the divisions caused by the brexit arrangements. the anger over a new border down the irish sea, which split the unionist vote. this place is under the jackboot of the eu, and we have been effectively held hostage in an economic united ireland. goods carried over the irish sea on ferries from britain undergo new checks when they reach these shores, which is perceived by some unionists as severing northern ireland's place in the uk and is disrupting the functions of many businesses. attempts to make the arrangement simpler has put the uk government at loggerheads with the eu.

the eu has shown no flexibility and it's very disappointing - that what we're hearing j is that the eu is already saying it won't show anyl flexibility, and that's why it is absolutely right that we, as the uk. government, are very clear. we want to get a resolution on this with the eu, - but we have never taken - anything off the table in terms of resolving this issue for- the people of northern ireland. while this persists, the dup has said it won't go back into the power—sharing executive, which sinn fein argues holds everyone to ransom. a fundamentalist approach that it is either the executive or the protocol, but you can't have both, that is not helping somebody with the cost of living. i'm a committed devolutionist, the dup are committed devolutionists, but it can only be on sound, stable footing, which means consent for both unionists and nationalists. hi, guys, can i get. you the watermelon or the coconut today? sinn fein's victory also raises new questions over what it says about the choices voters are making for northern ireland's future. the party strongly believes in holding a border poll, a vote on whether northern ireland should remain

part of the uk. there is only one person that can call a border poll, and that is the secretary of state for northern ireland. he's obliged to call a border poll if it appears to him that there is a majority in favour of a united ireland within northern ireland. at the moment, the opinion polls suggest that support for a united ireland is within the 30—a0% range, so we've still got considerable distance to travel before we get to that point. sinn fein is pushing for the governments in belfast and dublin to plan for what a united ireland might look like, fleshing out the details on things like health care and the economics of it all. and although there doesn't appear to be a majority here for it right now, sinn fein's electoral success will give more prominence to their campaign. for now, the problem for sinn fein is how to translate their victory into real power, because unless there's agreement between the parties, northern ireland remains in deadlock. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast.

dr who, the long—running tv series about a time—travelling time lord, has revealed the new doctor. he's shooti gatwa, born in rwanda, and best known for starring in netflix's sitcom sex education. the bbc�*s lizo mzimba caught up with him on the red carpet for the bafta tv awards in london. a new doctor on the bafta red carpet. ncuti gatwa was announced in the role shortly before today's ceremony and he said he was keen to do justice to the part. this role is an institution and it's so iconic and it means a lot to so many people, including myself, and so it makes everyone feel seen as well. it's something that everyone can enjoy, so i feel very grateful to have had the baton handed over and i'm going to try and do my best. sex education, the netflix comedy drama that he's best known for, follows a group of young people exploring areas like sex and sexuality. gatwa plays the

irrepressible eric. 0n the other side! he was born in rwanda. his family came to the uk as refugees. he then grew up in scotland and went on to study drama before his big break came in 2019 with sex education. his character being seen as aspirationalfor many viewers who felt that his experiences on screen mirrored many of theirs. lizo mzimba, bbc news. and just before go — one more story about a remarkable achievement. a nepali sherpa has set a new world record by scaling mount everest for the 26th time. kami rita sherpa broke his own record set last year. he was among 11 other sherpas on an expedition to fix ropes at the start of the new climbing season that will see about 600 people scale the world's highest peak.

incredible achievement. we'll be back with karishma vaswani and monday's villa, sojoe join and monday's villa, sojoejoin us for that —— in manila. —— do join us. hello. the weekend brought plenty of dry and settled late spring weather. one or two showers on saturday for eastern england but sunday was dry pretty much across—the—board. this was the picture in bradfield in sheffield. a bit of air whether cloud on sunday. a change in the forecast through the week ahead. it's looking more unsettled. windier, wetter too, especially for western scotland. could be some rain by the middle of the week further south in england and wales where it's been very dry recently. back to monday morning. dominated by high pressure to the east but far enough away to allow these weather fronts from the north—west. rain spilling across the west of northern ireland, and western scotland from the word go. that's going to edge its way south—east through the day. going to be quite persistent and heavy for a time in western scotland.

the wind picking up with gusts of 30—a0 mph. england and wales staying predominantly dry. things turning hazy as the cloud spills in the head of the weather front. 22 or 23 degrees, feeling point warm towards the south—east. we've still got high levels of pollen, tree pollen at this time of year across england and wales but with the cloud, breeze and rain further north, pollen levels are low and moderate. monday evening and overnight into tuesday, the weather fronts slipping further south—east, tending to fizzle out as they do so. a band of cloud, the odd spot of drizzle for central and southern parts of england and wales first thing on tuesday. clearer skies further north, but it's going to be a mild and frost free day. a bit of a breeze on tuesday coming from west or south—westerly direction, just pushing the weather front slowly away towards the south—east. it could stay quite murky for much of the day down towards the likes of kent for instance. for the rest of the uk come a day of sunshine and blustery showers. they'll be most frequent in the far north—west. temperatures somewhere 11—20 on tuesday. a bit above average to the south. towards the middle of the week

we are watching this developing area of low pressure. some uncertainty about the exact timing and track of it but it looks like it will bring some rain moving from west to east. further north across the uk, sunny spells and again some blustery showers, especially frequent for the west of scotland. temperatures 11—18, so a touch cooler in the middle of the week. bye.

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. never mind all the problems humans face here on planet earth. we still have an unquenchable curiosity about the cosmos. but in practical terms, where is our fascination with space taking us? it's more than five decades since the first moon landing, and nasa is struggling

to keep its promise to make a returnjourney.