ukraine president volodymyr zelensky calls for an international investigation. tank shells hit a un facility sheltering thousands of people in southern gaza, killing at least nine people. golden treasures looted years ago by british soldiers are now heading back to ghana under a landmark deal. hundreds of thousands of workers have gone on strike in argentina in protest at the new president's radical economic reforms. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. the un security council is meeting thursday to discuss the mystery surrounding the shooting down of a russian military transport plane. moscow says the plane was carrying ukrainian prisoners of war involved in a prison exchange.

it has accused ukraine of deliberately targetting the plane. ukraine says kyiv had not been advised on this occasion to ensure the safety of airspace where it happened. according to moscow, the military plane crashed about 44 miles northeast of the russian city of belgorod. there are said to have been 7a people on board, including 65 ukrainian prisoners of wars. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, has the latest from moscow. caught on mobile phone, the moment a russian military transport plane fell from the sky. woman speaks russian "good god," she cries, as the consequence of what has happened becomes clear. the wreckage was strewn across the fields of belgorod region. not only did russia accuse ukraine of shooting the plane down, it claimed that on board were dozens of ukrainian prisoners of war who were about to be exchanged. translation: on board the plane there were six crew members, -

65 ukrainian servicemen for a prisoner swap, and three russian military personnel escorting them. the crew and all the passengers on the plane were killed. with this terrorist attack, the ukrainian leadership has shown its true colours. over at the russian parliament, mps were quick to condemn ukraine and those countries who have been supporting kyiv during the war. but this is a war the kremlin began, with president putin's special military operation. moscow has made its position clear — ukraine is to blame, ukraine shot the plane down. now, we cannot confirm that here, but what is clear is that russian officials are using what happened today to try to discredit kyiv, to portray the ukrainian government as the aggressor in this war. but keep in mind it was russia, nearly two years ago, that launched a full—scale invasion of ukraine.

these russian soldiers were part of the last prisoner exchange between russia and ukraine. it took place earlier this month. ukraine has confirmed that another swap had been arranged for today, but it accused russia of deliberate actions to risk the safety of the ukrainian prisoners. the belgorod region where the plane came down has come under increased shelling and drone attack from ukraine. but the ukrainian authorities say that some of the attacks on their country are being carried out from this part of russia. and in the village near the crash site, a memorial service. amid the mutual accusations, more victims of this war. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. earlier s02 military expert and former us marines chief of staff in europe colonel brendan

kearney and asked what he makes of this incident. i think it's a classic case of the ukrainians taking advantage of what they thought was an absolutely legitimate military target flying close to the ukrainian border over russia. and taking it down with some anti—aircraft missiles. unfortunately, it appears, based on all the reporting, that the passengers were ukrainian personnel. they were pows that were on their way to be exchanged for russian personnel. a sad situation that this is what the circumstances have been. you wouldn't expect ukraine wilfully to take on their own. ukraine they weren't advised, on this occasion, to ensure the safety of airspace where it happened. how does such communication work? in this particular case it's my understanding

that there was a third party. i've heard it was the united arab emirates who made the arrangements, was involved in negotiations for this exchange. if that is the case, it is the third party's responsibility to be informed. there is a requirement under the law of war that you have to go ahead and protect non—combatants. you have to remove them from risk. pows fall into that category. that being said, these type of incidents have occurred throughout the history of warfare. in world war ii american submarines inadvertently sunk a number of japanese ships that were carrying allied pows. the losses were in the thousands. it's a sad situation but this could have been avoided today with probablyjust a couple of phone calls, emails that would have precluded the launching of those anti—air missiles. the un security council is set to meet today.

what are you expecting to emerge from the meeting? nothing. there will be some rhetoric. probably some combination of a minor condemnation of russia for putting the pows at risk. but it will mostly be aimed at ukraine. sadly, that is the way the un has displayed the vast majority of its actions over the last couple of years as it relates to this conflict. where they really want to try not to antagonise russia. no matter what comes out of it, it's not going to impact the ukrainians, not impact the russians and for the rest of the world it will just be another one of those sad situations that we see literally all over the world these days when it comes to innocents being killed during the course of conflict. the united nations says israeli tanks have hit one

of its buildings in southern gaza. at least nine people are reported to have been killed and 75 injured after two tank rounds struck the building that was sheltering 800 people. the un said the compound was clearly marked and its co—ordinates shared with israeli authorities. once again, they said we have seen a blatant disregard of the basic rules of war. the us state department said it deplored the attack on a un shelter. incredibly concern and we deplore the attack on the unit will make you an khan younis training centre. you've heard me and the secretary so before that civilians must be protected and the protected nature of the un facilities must be respected and humanitarian workers must be protected. hundreds of thousands of workers have gone on strike in argentina in protest at the new president's radical economic reforms. the industrial action is being led by the country's biggest union, which has vowed a mass mobilisation againstjavier milei's campaign of deregulation and public spending cuts. president milei took office

in december after a campaign in which he vowed to introduce sweeping reforms to tackle rocketing inflation and a struggling economy. my colleague, sofia bettiza, has more on the background of today's action. this strike is a significant test for the president of argentina, javier milei, and that's because it comes only 45 days after he took office. now this, what we can see here is just outside the national congress building in the capital, buenos aires. but this is notjust happening in the capital. there are thousands of people marching all over the country. so what do they want? well, they are mostly worried about this man. javier milei is implementing drastic measures to try and fix the economy. and the concern for many people is that those reforms will make it easier to sack people, which has already happened, and it will also cut

benefits for the poor. now, the reason why a lot of people in argentina are worried is that the country is facing a profound economic crisis. this is footage that we filmed in the south of the country in a slum. and i think it gives you an idea of how so many people are struggling and they're having to live in places like this. now, just to give you some numbers, the poverty rate in argentina is now more than 40% and the inflation rate is at 22i%. and that is a staggering number. it's one of the highest in the world. and the consequence of all of this is that two in five people now live in poverty. now, if we go back to that strike in the past in argentina, action like this, it's actually been quite successful and has stopped government reforms from from from happening. but in this case, javier milei

has a lot of support. he says he won't back down and he really believes that his shock therapy, as he calls it, is the only way to lift argentina out of poverty. donald trump has won the new hampshire primary. the content is ahead of the your selection. he bit his last remaining rabble nikki haley but she has vowed to fight on. north america editor sarah smith has the story. nikki haley... cheering and applause. when is defeat really a victory? nikki haley thinks it's when you lose by a bit less than the polls predicted. this race is farfrom over... despite losing in the state she had the best chance of winning, she insists she will battle on. well, i'm a fighter. cheering and i'm scrappy. and now we're the last one standing next to donald trump.

cheering and to the victor, sour grapes. donald trump is angry that nikki haley will not drop out and that she's claiming credit for being his sole remaining competitor. this is not your typical victory speech, but let's not have somebody take a victory when she had a very bad night. she had a very bad night. as the campaign moves on from new hampshire nikki haley argues she would more likely beatjoe biden in november and the president seems to agree with her. he would rather run against donald trump. after all, he has beaten him before. there is no guarantee mr trump will be defeated byjoe biden a second time. jae will be defeated by joe biden a second time.— second time. joe biden is -la in: second time. joe biden is playing a _ second time. joe biden is playing a dangerous - second time. joe biden is i playing a dangerous game. donald trump is the weakest candidate against him but he would cause the most concern, should he win. and joe biden at

81 years old and clearly showing his age is the weakest democrat. he has been in a house that he can defeat the most extreme republican and if he fails, he will never be forgiven. he fails, he will never be forgiven-— he fails, he will never be for: iven. . u, forgiven. the radical left... will you — forgiven. the radical left... will you shut _ forgiven. the radical left... will you shut up, _ forgiven. the radical left... will you shut up, man. - forgiven. the radical left... - will you shut up, man. american voters don't want to listen to this again. they say about oppressed by the prospect of a rematch. yet that seems almost inevitable as donald trump looks all of a sudden to be his party was my candidate for november. sarah smith, bbc news, manchester, new hampshire. the us supreme court has rejected a bid to stop the nation's first execution using nitrogen gas. kenneth eugene smith, who was convicted of murder in 1989, is due to be put to death in alabama on thursday. subject to a final appeal he will be killed by having an airtight mask strapped to his face and being forced to breath pure nitrogen. the un has urged a stay of execution, saying

the procedure could amount to torture. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. voice-over: bbc news - i bringing you different stories from across the uk. usually sorting a day out takes gary flint a lot of planning. but he has not had nearly as much work to do before coming to castleton.— to castleton. normally i'd have to castleton. normally i'd have to do research, _ to castleton. normally i'd have to do research, quite _ to castleton. normally i'd havej to do research, quite extensive research — to do research, quite extensive research online to make the day pleasurable for myself and any family— pleasurable for myself and any family member that i'll be with _ it's because a new map has been produced. on it is clearly marked where facilities are for disabled people like accessible toilets, special parking and where wheelchair hire is. the park authority's teamed up with accessible uk to produce this map. it isn't rocket science . and that's the big thing that we need to get across. this is quite basic

information. - it's hoped that castleton can become an example to other places. for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. it's been more than a century since treasures were looted by british soldiers from ghana — many of them hold huge cultural and spiritual significance. now, in a landmark agreement, the victoria & albert and british museums in london are returning them, on loan, to the asante king. our culture editor katie razzall has this exclusive report. there is anger. people look at it in colonial terms, looting of items, precious items belonging to people, items that they don't easily forget. gold from the royal court of the asante kingdom, which was once one of africa's most powerful states. these objects, and many more, were looted by british troops

in the asante capital, kumasi, in 1874, during the third anglo—asante war. now they're going back to ghana for the first time in 150 years, to kumasi's manhyia palace museum, in a landmark loan deal with the victoria and albert museum, which bought most of them at auction at the time. they're put on display and they're displayed both as a work of incredible west african goldsmithery, but also as a sort of sign of british imperial and colonial power. 17 v&a items are returning, including a peace pipe used by asante kings, the asantehene, and heavy cast gold badges worn by courtiers tasked with cleansing the king's soul. the agreement is not with the ghanaian government but with 0tumfuo 0sei tutu ii, the current asantehene, who once worked for brent council, monarch for a people whose history is steeped in gold and wealth. the deal�*s chief negotiator is ivor agyeman—duah. there's so much interest

in these items. these were objects that were created by the royal artisans for all sorts of ceremonial reasons. at least these objects will be home after 150 years. the british museum is also loaning 15 gold items, including a sword of state looted by british troops during the anglo—asante war of 1895—86. british law bans some national institutions, including the british museum and the v&a, from permanently returning objects. in giving a piece back, you're also giving back a missing piece of history. nana 0foriatta ayim is a special advisor to gha na's culture minister. she welcomes the loan deals with the ashante king — the ghanaian government could not have agreed to the terms. the metaphor is, you know, someone comes into your home and steals something from your house, keeps it in their house, and then x amount of years later comes and says, "i'm going to lend "you your thing back." i mean, it doesn't

make any sense. those objects, with origins in war, in looting, in military campaigns, we have a responsibility to the country's origins to think about how we can share those more fairly today. and it doesn't seem to me that all of our museums will fall down if we build up these kind of partnerships and exchanges. have you felt ashamed that these items are here? i don't feel ashamed they're here. i feel they're part of a history of british—ghanaian interactions, some of which is around war, some of which is around slavery, some of which is an incredible creative ghanaian diaspora in the uk today. the v&a insists this is not restitution by the back door. for ghana, it's both a way forward and a way to bring the treasures back. voters in the tiny pacific nation of tuvalu will head to the polls on friday. they will elect local mps who will then come together to decide on a new

prime minister. despite a population of less than 12,000 people the result of the election could have significant geopolitical implications in the pacific region, as tuvalu is one of the few countries that currently maintains diplomatic relations with taiwan, but local reports suggest that they could shift allegiances to china after this election. i spoke to meg keen who is director of the pacific islands programme at the lowy institute. it isa it is a small country, less than 12,000, but there are eight electorate spread across a wide number of dispersed islands. first of all, we go to elections, each mp is elected ljy elections, each mp is elected by a small number of people, less than 1200, and then once we know who they are, there is a little boat that comes around, picks up the mps, brings into the capital and those are 16 mps decide on who the prime minister will be.

then we have a new government. it is a little country that it has got really big decisions to make that are of local importance. there is a lot of eyes and what will happen in the region and beyond. {line eyes and what will happen in the region and beyond. one of those questions _ the region and beyond. one of those questions revolves - the region and beyond. one of. those questions revolves around the speculation that tuvalu could shift diplomatic ties away from taiwan to china. do you anticipate this might happen after a new prime minister is installed? it certainly might. we are on a winning streak in this region, since 2019, three countries shifted alliance to china so now we only have three or 1a of i still recognise taiwan, most recently nauru. feeling the pressure, we know the some attractive offers on the table from china, we don't know the details because of course china is quite secretive and its operas and arrangements, lives

in the pacific island countries. it will be quite tempting. in the past, china has tried to law to the loop to recognise it and they have declined. in 2019, they offer to build artificial islands for hundreds of millions of dollars a taiwan decided it would stay true to taiwan which it has recognised vince's independence of over 45 years. at the moment we know the leadership is a bit split on whether the national interests are to stay with the friends you know or to go with the bigger player that might offer you more opportunity. fix, offer you more opportunity. a tough spot for any small nation. how can the election move away from a taiwan and impact releases with australia and the region? the impact releases with australia and the region?— and the region? the foreign minister is _ and the region? the foreign minister is on _ and the region? the foreign minister is on the _ and the region? the foreign minister is on the record - and the region? the foreign minister is on the record in i minister is on the record in australia to see if tuvalu decides it wants to switch, just will stand in the way and i think most countries due

recognise china, so this is not something that would be groundbreaking. the worry is not about the switch itself, the worry is about what follows the worry is about what follows the switch. and whether that recognition is of china will affect the security of the region. for example, police training, which is normally done regionally and there was a tight way of responding to crises or access, telecommunications access, maritime security, these are issues that australia and the us, many traditionalallies, if a switch happens, we'll be watching very carefully to ensure their own but also the reason security is not destabilised by the change of recognition.— recognition. let's take a look at some other _ recognition. let's take a look at some other stories - recognition. let's take a look at some other stories in - recognition. let's take a look at some other stories in the l at some other stories in the headlines. the us military says houthi rebels towards an american container ship in the gulf of aden. 0ne american container ship in the

gulf of aden. one result village it is the and the other were shot down by a us warship. there are no reported injuries. there are no reported injuries. the italian parliament has approved a controversial deal which would see some asylum seekers transferred to albania. the plan is to have processing centres on albanian territory which will deal with the claims under italian law. an international team of scientists has successfully implemented a sub in arena every year into a run over the first time. it's a proof ivf is possible in this species in the hopi technique can be used to save the northern white runner which is technically extinct as they are only two left on the planet and neither of them is able to reproduce. this report from our science editor. the last two northern white rhinos left on the planet. najin and fatu, a mother and daughter, living in a reserve in kenya. the species is all but extinct.

now, a fertility breakthrough has offered some hope. in a world first, scientists have successfully carried out rhino ivf, but in a less endangered southern white rhino — a close cousin to the northern white. a southern white rhino embryo created in a lab from sperm and an egg was implanted into a surrogate mum. it's taken years and 13 attempts for a rhino to fall pregnant. it is really a great milestone to achieve the first successful embryo transfer in the rhino. it's very challenging in terms of placing an embryo inside of the reproductive tract, which is almost two metres inside of the animal. with this achievement, we are very confident that we will be able to create northern white rhinos in the same manner. the material they need is held in a lab in berlin. this is a frozen ark. tissues from hundreds

of different animals are perfectly preserved in liquid nitrogen inside these tanks. but the most precious samples are stored inside here. a small number of northern white rhino embryos, created by the scientists here. and they're the last chance of saving this species. there are just 30 of these lab—made northern white embryos, but there's a complication. najin and fatu, the last northern whites, can't carry a pregnancy. so instead the embryos have to be implanted into a southern white rhino surrogate mother. ivf across two subspecies has never been attempted before, but the team is confident it will work. the speed of progress we did, we will see relatively soon the first calf on the ground, and then i may retire before the first reintroduction into the wild will take place, but i think it is not too far away. it might be in10, 15 years. but the ivf success

with the southern white rhino was struck by tragedy. two months into the pregnancy, the rhino died of an unrelated bacterial infection. a postmortem found the foetus had a 95% chance of being born, proof that the technique works. the team's attention is now turning to the northern white rhinos, so the first calf will be born while najin and fatu are still around. it's a race against time for this species. rebecca morelle, bbc news. that's all for now — stay with bbc news. hello. after two bouts of stormy weather so far this week, things are looking quite a lot calmer over the next few days. not completely plain sailing, they'll still be some rain at times. it'll be breezy, but less windy and mostly fairly mild.

now for thursday, we've got this frontal system pushing its way northwards and eastwards. this warm front, introducing cloud, introducing some outbreaks of mostly quite patchy rain, but this wedge of milder airflooding north eastwards across the uk. so for most a mild starts to thursday. still a little bit chilly in the north of scotland. here, though, we will see some early sunshine, but generally speaking, lots of cloud, some mist and murk, farquharson hills, some splashes of rain, a few brighter glimpses. and i think particularly in northern ireland, maybe the northwest of scotland, we will see a little bit of sunshine as we head through the afternoon. but those temperatures 9—13 degrees above what we'd expect at this time of year. now, during thursday night, we will see this band of rain sweeping its way eastwards. there's a short, sharp burst of heavy rain and some quite squally winds. clear skies following on behind. and while it will stay mild across the southeast corner, it will start to feel a little bit chillier further north and west because this weather front

here pushing its way eastwards is a cold front. it will introduce for a time at least some colder air, but with a little ridge of high pressure toppling through, some spells of sunshine on friday. now there will be some showers, particularly in scotland, some of these wintry down to, say, 100—200 metres for a time, although those snow levels coming up through the day as the air turns a little bit less chilly. temperatures in single digits for just about all of us on friday afternoon. but that slightly chillier weather will not last long because as we head into the weekend, mild air is going to surge northwards once again. we're expecting some pretty high temperatures, a lot of dry weather for the weekend as well. this is saturday's forecast. some spells of sunshine. the further north and west you are more cloud and some outbreaks of rain, some quite heavy rain actually in parts of northwest scotland, seven degrees for lerwick, ten for london and for plymouth. but as we get into sunday, those temperatures will be a little bit higher. we will see some spells of sunshine,

i think most places dry again, some rain in the north—west of scotland, maybe western parts of northern ireland, but highs of 12 or 13 degrees.

boeing faces questions over its midair blowout regulators moved

to get that max nine back in the air. �* , . . , , to get that max nine back in the air. ~ , ., ., , , ., the air. australia struggles to roceed the air. australia struggles to proceed citizens _ the air. australia struggles to proceed citizens to _ the air. australia struggles to proceed citizens to choose i proceed citizens to choose green vehicles over gas guzzling alternatives. hello and welcome to asia business report. i am steve life. the federal aviation administration in the us as it will not allow boeing to expand production of the 737 max strus. almost 200 jets have been grounded after a cabin panel who are on a plane while in the air. the faa did however say the max nine, the plane involved, could return to service after inspections. noted ellyse has it been given the go—ahead to get its plans backin the go—ahead to get its plans back in the air. this is after the boeing boss faced questions from us lawmakers over that midair incident as aaron bilimoria explains. the boss of boeing david cowherd said he understood the seriousness of the safety questions facing the company as he was on his way to meet with us senators

wednesday.— meet with us senators wednesday. meet with us senators wednesda . ~ ,