patrol with the anti—romeo squads of india. live from our studios in singapore and london, this is bbc world news. it's newsday. glad you could join us. it is sam world news. it's newsday. glad you could join us. it is 8am in singapore and 10am in north—east australia, where residents of queensland are bracing themselves for the arrival of cyclone debbie, a category for storm. it has been described as a monster storm and they are warning of dangerous tidal surges and damaged. the cyclone has winds of 250 kilometres an hour and has already battered holiday houses on the coast. we have the details. cyclone debbie has made itself felt. people living in north—east australia in queensland have been battered by high winds. authorities knew it was coming and they have given the advice to get out. knew it was coming and they have given the advice to get outm knew it was coming and they have given the advice to get out. it is clear that the time to move is now to go to family and friends. this is a severe weather system. move now! don't wait until tomorrow because you will not be able to move. overnight, the storm was upgraded to a category 4, only one level below the most violent possible, with winds of up to 250 kilometres an hour. this is the city of bowen and it has been lockdown. —— locked down. the whitsundays and other holiday areas have also been evacuated. low—lying areas are at risk of tidal surges and have been evacuated. it is the biggest cyclone in australia since cyclone tracy in 1974. i am now proud of going because i have been thinking it is time to go. i am happy it is time to go. well, i saw in the news that we are going to be hit more by the cyclone so i thought, no, i have to find a way. the authorities had time to prepare. sandbags were filled, schools closed, shop windows taped up, and airports shut down, in what has been a 4— five—day operation. the public have been told to judge their phones as power outages are likely. the slow—moving storm is likely. the slow—moving storm is likely to hit the rest of australia soon. queenslanders will be familiar with the risk of cyclones. now all they can do is wait. caroline davies, bbc news. these are live pictures from the beach. as you can see, it looks like it is being battered at the moment, much like the rest of queensland. the wind is up the rest of queensland. the wind is up to about 250 kilometres an hour. thousands of people have been told to get to safety and leave their homes. we will go to a reporter with abc news in queensland. it looks like it is fairly calm behind you put the water levels, i mean, they are put the water levels, i mean, they a re pretty put the water levels, i mean, they are pretty high. tell us about the situation. this town of airlie is 100 kilometres away on the main eye of the storm. we will not be seeing destructive winds and heavy rains until probably another three hours time, but they are on their way here. further down the queensland coast, you have just here. further down the queensland coast, you havejust seen here. further down the queensland coast, you have just seen the here. further down the queensland coast, you havejust seen the images of the destructive wind hitting the coastline, we have had reports of trees being uprooted and roofs being torn off. we know there are about 23,000 properties without power at the moment. the massive concern for authorities here in queensland is the storm surge that will be associated with this cyclone. we are expecting at least 400 millimetres of rain each day. in fact, we have heard recently of a town just down the road that has received 200 millimetres of rain injust the road that has received 200 millimetres of rain in just one hour, an astronomical amount. and the really worrying thing is that there's rain is going to coincide with king tides. —— this. you can imagine the pressure of the cyclonic winds, building up the swell in the ocean, then having a king tide at the same time. the potential for a lot of flooding is very real. there have already been thousands and thousands and thousands of people who have had to be evacuated, some forcibly removed from their homes, because they are in the direct line of this cyclone. it is quite a huge and scary storm. i mean, the last time we had a cyclone this peak was in 2011. it really devastated the queensland coast. —— this big. not a single house was left untouched. the prediction is this will be just as bad, if not worse. i am standing here listening to you and it is absolutely shocking hearing the devastation ur expect. 200 millimetres of water in an hour. how are you preparing in terms of damage limitation? i know some people have to leave, but making showhouses are 0k to leave, but making showhouses are ok and the like? —— sure houses. to leave, but making showhouses are 0k and the like? -- sure houses. in this area in queensland we get cyclones every year and we are prepared for them to be the thing about this storm is it is the intensity that is going to determine how bad the damage is. authorities from the capital cities, brisbane, they have been deploying resources to towns up and down the coast ready to towns up and down the coast ready to move into action once the eye of the storm passes. i should point out that at the moment that has not happened. so we are still seeing the eye of the storm moving towards the coast. it is probably going to take somewhere in the vicinity of 12 hours for this storm the past over, it is that huge. —— to pass over. soon you will see the wind and rain, which have seen some footage from airlie beach before, that is the pre—cyclone, and then the eye of the storm. it will be completely dead. everyone will think it is over. that will last about three hours, because the eye of the storm is about 100 kilometres wide, it is so, so huge. so we are expecting that when the eye crosses over, for about three hours, it will be completely dead and steel, then the other side, the really destructive side. —— still. that is when we are really going to know just how severe that is when we are really going to knowjust how severe this storm is and just how much damage it will cause. and then it moves into the recovery phase. we know that in airlie where we are at the moment, we are staying in the emergency building with the emergency response team, and we have emergency workers that has been flown in from other regions, and they are ready to move into places up and down the coast that have been affected. it will be a massive recovery effort. the last timei a massive recovery effort. the last time i was in a cyclone like this of this intensity it literally took months for things to recover and weeks, even, just for power to be put back on and electricity to be reconnected. when we talk about this storm being very severe and the potential for destruction to be severe, we are not exaggerating. it is going to be huge. it is a really big event. the thing people are thankfulfor is big event. the thing people are thankful for is that there are a lot of resources that are going to be put into this to try to assist with the recovery. the message at the moment, though, from the emergency workers, is stay inside. here in australia and here in queensland, when the winds reach 100 kilometres an hour, the whole community goes into lockdown. not just an hour, the whole community goes into lockdown. notjust residents. anyone calling for help at the time will not be attended to and will have to wait until the storm has passed for anyone to see them. that is quite a frightening prospect, which is why authorities and services have been warning people for days, be prepared, and when the storm comes, be in the safest place possible. there have been walkable evacuation centres that have been set up. a lot of people have even taken buses to leave town and to get so far away from the cyclone that they will not be impacted at all. so we will see what damage is caused. they will not be impacted at all. so we will see what damage is causedlj hope we will see what damage is caused.” hope you and everyone out there stays safe. we appreciate you for taking the time to talk to us. bbc news. and joining us is amelia, a reporter for bbc radio one. she is in airlie on the coast of queensland. can you hear me? just fine. how are you and are you in a safe place?” hear me? just fine. how are you and are you in a safe place? i am. we we re are you in a safe place? i am. we were originally in a hotel on the seafront. but two days ago that was declared dangerous we move further up declared dangerous we move further up the hill to a much safer location ina up the hill to a much safer location in a place designed to withstand up to category 5 storm is. we are safe where we are. —— storms. to category 5 storm is. we are safe where we are. -- storms. that is good to know. we are currently seeing pictures of airlie beach and the strong rains and winds currently battering the area. and, amelia, you are right there on thursday and had no idea that the cyclone was on its way. —— arrived. where you are now, describe what is happening around you. i retreated up to my room. it is so windy it is not safe to be outside or on my balcony. things are being blown about by the wind, not falling. but while i am in my room i cannot see the sea, and it is only a couple of kilometres away from me. the trees are really taking a battering and there are branches flying around. within the last half an hour, i heard large crashes and bangs which sound like they are structures, rather than just trees falling. but i cannot see anything like that from where i am now. are you seeing any kind of damage or trees that have fallen or houses that have been damaged because of the storm? well, the trees are absolutely taking such a battering. there are branches flying through the air. balconies are getting deluged. i spoke to a reporter from an australia and network that has gone down to the marina not far from our hotel and he said it was terrifying and came right back. he was unable to stand upright because it was an exposed area and the wind is really strong. it is impossible to walk around the street. authorities are telling people to ta ke authorities are telling people to take shelter. amelia, reporter for bbc radio one newsbeat, on queensland's coast, thank you for joining us, and please take care and stay safe. we have a lot more on cyclone debbie on the website, including the latest updates on the path of the storm and what emergency services and the government are doing to try and help and keep people safe. that is at bbc.com, or you can download the bbc news app. in london, police say there is no link between khalid masood, who killed people at westminster, or al qaeda. masood's mother said she has cried for his victims. the family of kurt cochrane has been speaking to us. it had been their first visit out of the usa — a tour of europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. but on the final day of their trip, kurt cochran was killed on westminster bridge. his wife, melissa cochran—payne, seriously injured. today, 13 members of theirfamily spoke publicly for the first time. from utah, they are a mormon family, who have found strength in their faith. i think it's hard for most of us to imagine here what it must be like to lose somebody in this way. can you give us some sense of the impact on the family? i think it's brought us really close together. our family's been always close together, and we've also had some wonderful, wonderful times together. we just love and support each other so much, and i think it's made us even that much stronger. kurt cochran ran a music studio back home, an enthusiasm supporter of local bands. their song was featured and they're about to get going right here... there have been tribute concerts in his honour. his family overwhelmed by the thousands of messages they've received. what the cochran and payne families have shown today is what happens when you are suddenly affected by an event of this magnitude. it has brought with it trauma, grief and, for them, forgiveness. none of us harbour any ill will or harsh feelings towards this. we love our brother, we love what he brought to the world. that lack of resentment or bitterness, a feeling shared by others injured in the attack. we should sort of try and unify through love and compassion, rather than through our hatred and anger about what happened. today, tobias ellwood was in parliament square to pay his respects and see the tributes. the foreign office minister had tried so hard to save the life of pc keith palmer last week. this, a chance for him to remember all of those killed. daniela relph, bbc news, westminster. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we go on patrol with india's anti—romeo squads as they crack down on the men who harrass women. let there be no more war or bloodshed between arabs and israelis. applause so proud of both of you. with great regret the committee have decided that south africa be excluded from the 1970 competition. streaking across the sky, the white hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers in fiji. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm lebo diseko in london. our top stories: people living in low—lying parts of north—eastern australia are in lockdown as cyclone debbie sweeps across queensland. around 30,000 people have been told to leave their homes before the arrival of cyclone debbie. the family of one the victims killed in the westminster terror attack speak for the first time about feeling the love of so many people. we brought you the latest from raqqa in syria a short while ago. in iraq, government forces are intensifying their efforts to drive so—called islamic state out of western mosul. but thousands fleeing the city say civilians are being killed because the assault is too indiscriminate. our middle east editorjeremy bowen reports from western mosul. this is the iraqi solution to an offensive that's stalled over the last week or so, attack again. gunfire it feels as if the air war over mosul is intensifying. the gunship pilots fly low. they seem confident they won't get shot down. and every day, a few thousand more people come walking out of the areas of mosul still held by the jihadists who call themselves islamic state. many said is used them as human shields, shooting out from the cover of their homes and streets, but the response, more air strikes, horrified them. translation: they destroyed our homes, our cars, everything. they destroyed us. entire families are gone, they are under the rubble. translation: a lot of people died, children, women and men. houses collapsed on them. i lost both my sons. some very sophisticated modern weapons are in this fight, and so are these, locally made rockets over a short range. a blunt instrument. that is an inaccurate weapon. it might be good for the tempo of the military operation, but it isn't necessarily good for preserving civilian lives. but they want to win this battle, and they're using everything they've got. most of the people arriving in government—held territory are bussed out to camps. many said is fighters forced themselves into their homes. nine of this woman's family were killed in the big raid on the 17th. she said she wasn't escaping the jihadists, but air strikes that use tons of bombs on a single sniper. translation: they destroy the houses when there are one or two or three so—called islamic state men inside them. they turn houses into cemeteries. they bring the dead out burned. we can't recognise them. my children, nine of my family killed. they call them smart bombs, but this is stupid. my grandchildren, two are gone. the people of mosul have been left with impossible choices, risk death in their own homes or risk death crossing a frontline. iraq has been shattered by the years of war and sectarian conflict that followed the us and british invasion. it might be too late to put this country back together. jeremy bowen, bbc news, mosul. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the south china morning post, reporting nine people charged over the occupy protests in hong kong in 2014. the paper points out it comes just a day after carrie lam was elected the city's new leader, promising unity. to the front page of the china daily now, and a crackdown on commercial property purchases. beijing's tightened regulations after an increase in speculative buyers. the report reckons average prices could now drop by 30%. and the guardian here in the uk has more on last week's attack near parliament. it says police believe the attacker acted alone, without contact with the islamic state group and quotes his mother saying how shocked and sorry she was. now, what's caught your eye online, rico? it's the hazards of fake cartoons online. thousands of imitations of popular children's shows with disturbing and inappropriate content have been appearing on sites like youtube. in one peppa pig—style video, a character's teeth are pulled out by the dentist against a soundtrack of screaming. parents have expressed concern. youtube says it makes it easy for anyone to flag a video. pa rents, parents, watch out for these types of videos! sexual harassment is a huge problem in india. some surveys suggest more than 80% of women there have been harassed at some time in their lives. now india's most populous state, uttar pradesh, is taking action, sending out what it calls anti—romeo squads. justin rowlatt has been to see one of the police teams in action. this seems pretty random to me. they're just stopping guys, like this guy here. asking them what they're up to, checking their id. there's no evidence actually that this guy was harassing women at all. you can go to everyone and say, what are you doing? why are you sitting like this? you stand up! this is not the way to correct your country. you have been watching newsday. stay with us. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures. a tropical cyclone beginning to batter the australian state of queensland with strong winds and heavy rain is already hitting the coast. thousands have been evacuated from coastal towns, leaving homes sandbagged and boarded up. the premiere of queensland has called cyclone debbie a monster. that's all for now. stay with bbc world news. hello there. after a gloriously sunny weekend and start to this week, things are set to turn more unsettled. low pressure in the atlantic, bringing cloud and increasing rain and wind. high pressure remains a live across the continent. this feature, bringing some showers into the south—west corner of the country. generally, a cloudy night for most. central and northern areas, some mist down the east coast. not quite as cool by the time we reach tuesday morning. the odd pocket of frost across north—west scotland. skies remaining clear here. showers from the word go across the south—west. sunshine through the midlands and the south—east. more in the way of cloud across the north. showers moving north and east as the afternoon wears on. some could be quite heavy. a cloudy day for much of scotland, especially through the afternoon. the best of the sunshine across the sheltered north—west highlands corner. a cooler feel to things. rain getting in across dumfries and galloway. northern ireland, some sunshine and scattered showers, possibly thunder. that is the same case for northern england and the midlands. some good sunny spells through the midlands, boosting temperatures up to possibly 18—20 degrees. the breeze more of a feature across the south—west. seeing weather front moving in. that will herald more persistent rain, spilling north and eastwards during the course of tuesday night and into wednesday. wednesday is looking pretty cloudy, quite damp and outbreaks of rain across the north and west of the country. the odd heavy burst mixed in. cooler as well, making 15—16 across the south—east given some brightness. a more unsettled regime midweek. tighter packed isoba rs, more of a breeze and rain. mostly across northern and western areas, closer to this low pressure. this warmth moving north, letting us tap into some warmth across the near continent on thursday. east anglia and the south—east with some sunshine could have a warm day, possibly the warmest day of the year so far. 18—20, could get up to 21 degrees. further north and west, cool and breezy with some outbreaks of rain. friday, that weather front spreading north, behind it a regime of sunshine and showers. that cooler theme continues into the weekend. i'm lebo diseko with bbc world news. our top story: cyclone debbie is sweeping across northern australia. forecasters have predicted winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour, and heavy rain. the storm could last for up to 18 hours. officials advised around 25,000 people to move away from low—lying coastal areas. government forces in iraq are intensifying their efforts to drive so—called islamic state out of western mosul. the campaign is raising further concerns about civilian casualties. and this story is trending on bbc.com. a court in singapore has jailed a couple, after finding them guilty of starving their maid. the victim, from the philippines, lost almost 40% of her body weight after being restricted to two small meals per day. that's all from me now. stay with bbc world news. and the top story here in the uk: the mother of westminster attacker, khalid masood, has said she is "shocked, saddened and numbed" by his actions. masood killed three people when he drove a car