welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm steve lai. the headlines... the first ever private spacecraft successfully lands on the moon's surface. odysseus touched down on the lunar south pole where scientists hope there could be a source of water. �* ., ., water. but we are on the surface _ water. but we are on the surface and _ water. but we are on the surface and we _ water. but we are on the surface and we are - surface and we are transmitting, and welcome to the moon. transmitting, and welcome to the moon-— transmitting, and welcome to the moon. ., , ., the moon. four people have died in a fire in _ the moon. four people have died in a fire in a _ the moon. four people have died in a fire in a residential _ in a fire in a residential building in the spanish city of valencia. the head of the us house of china committee's entire want to meet with the president to show solidarity with the island. presidentjoe biden meets the wife and daughter of russian opposition leader alexei navalny as the mother said she's finally seen his body. translation: , , ., ., translation: they should have . ive translation: they should have cive me translation: they should have give me his _ translation: they should have give me his body _ translation: they should have give me his body immediately, l give me his body immediately, and said they blackmailed steve

may. when, where, how alexei should be buried.— should be buried. china plans to send a _ should be buried. china plans to send a new _ should be buried. china plans to send a new pair _ should be buried. china plans to send a new pair of - should be buried. china plans to send a new pair of panda l to send a new pair of panda bears to the san diego zoo sometime this year. in the last few minutes it's been confirmed that the odysseus lunar lander has touched down on the surface of the moon. it's the first time in american mission has returned to the moon and more than 50 years and the first ever by a private company. these are pictures of the launch last thursday, taking off on a spacex falcon nine rocket. it's not the first time the us has landed though — that was back injune of 1966 — when the surveyor one landed — that's almost four months after the soviet union landed the luna nine spacecraft, and had the first controlled,

or "soft," landing. only three other countries — china, india and most recently japan — have achieved such a milestone in the 21st century. this is the moment the contact was established with the lander and announced. what we can confirm, without a doubt, is that our equipment is on the surface of the moon and we are transmitting. so congratulations, im team, let's see how much more we can get from that. applause and here is what the company's ceo set up to the landing. ifi if i can pass on the news to the team, it's an outstanding effort, i know this was a nailbiter but we are on the surface and we are transmitting, and welcome to the moon. with a bit more detail on the mission — our correspondent, rebecca morelle, has more. on radio: im-1, odysseus lunar lander separation confirmed. -

it's a spacecraft that could make history as the first ever commercial lander to reach the lunar surface — marking a return to the moon for the united states. the mission is being run by a company called intuitive machines, but nasa is hitching a ride on the lander, paying to carry six scientific instruments. it's a different way of operating for the us space agency. it's a legitimate question. why go back to the moon? we were there. well, we go back in a different way with commercial and international partners. we're having these landers almost become scouts for our human missions to land on the moon. it's been more than 50 years since the united states landed on the moon. the last time was in 1972, and this is where apollo 17 set down. before that, there were five other apollo missions that made it down to the lunar surface,

and they were all around the moon's equator. but now the united states is heading down to the south pole, and this is the landing site of the new intuitive machines mission. it's the furthest south a spacecraft has ever been, and it's paving the way for nasa's artemis astronauts who will be exploring this same polar region in a few years' time. so why go here? the area is covered in deep craters, some permanently in shadow, and scientists think frozen water could be inside. if we can actually take advantage of that ice on the surface of the moon, that's less materials we have to bring with us. we can use that ice to convert it to water, drinkable drinking water. we can extract oxygen and hydrogen for fuel and for breathing for the astronauts, so it really helps us in human exploration. the biggest challenge is still to come.

i'm joined now by ron garan, former astronaut, author of the book floating in darkness, and ceo of lunar lander company ispace technologies, us. i want to get your first reactions to this landing. it was described as being sort of successfully on the surface of the moon and transmitting. yeah, it's tremendous. just think about it, right now as we sit here on the earth, there is a spacecraft on the moon transmitting back to earth that was built by a commercial company, not a national government space agency. this is an incredibly historic event. ~ �* ., , event. we weren't able to see the actual _ event. we weren't able to see the actual moment _ event. we weren't able to see the actual moment of - event. we weren't able to see the actual moment of the - the actual moment of the landing, the pictures coming to us were of the control room, and why do you think that was? well, there is a lot of bandwidth that's associated with transmitting video back and this was an autonomous landing at this point, so there's not a lot to spare. ok,

hepefully _ there's not a lot to spare. ok, hopefully we'll _ there's not a lot to spare. ok, hopefully we'll get _ there's not a lot to spare. ok, hopefully we'll get some - there's not a lot to spare. ok, hopefully we'll get some images if they get sent back to us at a later date. you spent your space career with nasa, what do you think of private companies and being involved in the space race? i and being involved in the space race? ~ �* , and being involved in the space race? ~ �*, ., , , race? i think it's absolutely critical. race? i think it's absolutely critical- i— race? i think it's absolutely critical. i don't _ race? i think it's absolutely critical. i don't think - race? i think it's absolutely critical. i don't think that i critical. i don't think that nasa will be able to achieve its objectives without deep partnerships with the commercial industry and i think it's an enabling technology. it's an enabling system that is a force multiplier.— a force multiplier. could you sort of elaborate _ a force multiplier. could you sort of elaborate on - a force multiplier. could you sort of elaborate on that, i a force multiplier. could you sort of elaborate on that, a l sort of elaborate on that, a force multiplier?— sort of elaborate on that, a force multiplier? yeah, because ou force multiplier? yeah, because you know. _ force multiplier? yeah, because you know, when _ force multiplier? yeah, because you know, when you _ force multiplier? yeah, because you know, when you do - force multiplier? yeah, because you know, when you do a - you know, when you do a government mission you are limited by the finances of the taxpayers. but on this mission, you can achieve so much more. more bang for your buck, if you put it that way. no, nasa's artemis programme looks to send

manned missions to the moon, that must excite you.— manned missions to the moon, that must excite you. these are the enabling — that must excite you. these are the enabling steps _ that must excite you. these are the enabling steps to _ that must excite you. these are the enabling steps to enable . that must excite you. these are the enabling steps to enable a i the enabling steps to enable a permanent, significant human presence on the moon and this will bring back tremendous benefits to all the inhabitants of the earth. could you talk us through some of those benefits? yeah, i mean there's tonnes of science we can do on the moon. there is radio astronomy, there is resources that exist on the moon, power on the moon that can power our civilisation for centuries. the list goes on and on. ~ �* ., ., centuries. the list goes on and on.�* ., ., centuries. the list goes on and on. ., ., , on. we'll have to watch this sace on. we'll have to watch this space to — on. we'll have to watch this space to see _ on. we'll have to watch this space to see what - on. we'll have to watch this space to see what develops j on. we'll have to watch this - space to see what develops from the odysseus' landing. thank you very much for speaking to us, ron garen there come astronaut. at least four people have died after a fire engulfed a high—rise residential building in the spanish city of valencia. moon firefighters managed to rescue some from the fourteen story building, but the full impact of the fire is not yet known.

from madrid, guy hedgecoe reports. firefighters in valencia were first alerted at around 5.30 in the afternoon after a blaze broke out on one of the building's lower floors. it quickly spread with eyewitnesses saying it engulfed the entire ila—storey building in a matter of minutes. firefighters made some dramatic rescues. in this case, two people were brought down from a balcony. applause others waited on balconies for firefighters to arrive. translation: i told my daughter and mother in law to leave. -

other people stayed inside. and mother in law to leave. the residential block, which is situated in the campania neighborhood of valencia, contains around 140 flats. strong winds fanned the flames and the fire also spread to an adjoining building. more than 20 crews have been fighting the blaze with some military personnel mobilized. there are fears for those who may have been trapped inside the building. a makeshift hospital was set up nearby to take in people who had been injured with confusion surrounding the scene. who had been injured. with confusion surrounding the scene, local authorities set up a helpline for those worried about loved ones. the people of valencia are wondering how such a devastating blaze could have started and spread so fast. guy hedgecoe, bbc news, spain. palestinians in rafah say they've experienced some of the most intense israeli bombardment so far in gaza's southernmost city. another 97 people were killed over the past 2a hours

according to the hamas—run gaza health ministry. israel says it will send negotiators to paris for talks on a potential deal to free hostages held by hamas. the meeting will also involve officials from egypt, qatar and the united states. the us middle east envoy brett mcgurk, who was here in israel today, is understood to have told mr netanyahu that hamas' position has softened. we do not know the extent or the details of that softening, but clearly the government heard enough today to think that it is worth sending the massad boss and other top security chiefs to paris for those talks. the un agency for palestinian refugees is warning it has reached breaking point in a letter to the un general assembly. unrwa's chief philippe lazzarini says the agency's ability to fulfil its mandate was seriously threatened by israel's repeated calls to dismantle the agency and the freezing of funds from donors at a time of unprecedented humanitarian needs in gaza.

indonesia has been struck by some of the strongest winds ever recorded in the country, injuring at least 33 people. buildings were damaged as the winds tore through west java province. congressman mike gallagher is the head of the us china committee, and the latest american representative to visit taiwan, in a series of visits to display solidarity. the us have labelled these trips as expressions of support for the territory, and their �*shared commitment to democratic values'. but in china, many are seeing these visits as a provocation. i spoke to ivan kanapathy, former us national security council official about the importance of the meeting. there is a long history of these visits both from executive branch officials and congressional officials like we are seeing here today. thea;c congressional officials like we are seeing here today. they may have been _ are seeing here today. they may have been increased _ are seeing here today. they may have been increased in _ have been increased in frequency lately but certainly

not unprecedented. you frequency lately but certainly not unprecedented. you expect a reaction from _ not unprecedented. you expect a reaction from china, _ not unprecedented. you expect a reaction from china, not - not unprecedented. you expect a reaction from china, notjust - reaction from china, notjust words? i reaction from china, not 'ust words? ~' .,. ., reaction from china, not 'ust words? ~' ., , words? i think the reaction is almost over, _ words? i think the reaction is almost over, you _ words? i think the reaction is almost over, you might - words? i think the reaction is almost over, you might even| words? i think the reaction is - almost over, you might even see almost over, you might even see a bit of a temper tantrum to sort of dissuade and deter others from following suit, but this is obviously becoming less and less effective.— this is obviously becoming less and less effective. now, taiwan has 'ust and less effective. now, taiwan has just had _ and less effective. now, taiwan hasjust had an _ and less effective. now, taiwan hasjust had an election, - and less effective. now, taiwan hasjust had an election, under| has just had an election, under donald trump the us election is coming up in november, how might the us taiwan relationship change if there is a donald trump white house? it may not change significantly. he remained relatively continuous between trump and biden presidencies. haifa

continuous between trump and biden presidencies.— biden presidencies. how does taiwan factor _ biden presidencies. how does taiwan factor into _ biden presidencies. how does taiwan factor into the - biden presidencies. how does taiwan factor into the broader us— china relationships? it really is a key issue is not the key issue in the us — china relationship, particularly from beijing's point of view of the two parties, the united states and china, have for a long time sort of agreed to disagree but some of these issues are becoming thornier, prickly or as time goes on, where this agreement to disagree seems to be losing its ability to hold. the us has pledged $1.9 billion to replenish us weapons to taiwan, but that package is stalled in the house.- stalled in the house. how important _ stalled in the house. how important is _ stalled in the house. how important is the - stalled in the house. how important is the package l stalled in the house. how i important is the package to stalled in the house. firm" important is the package to be passed? it's important for it to be passed, taiwan doesn't necessarily need assistance like a poor country might need security assistance, but the diplomatic show of support from the us, united states congress, therefore united states taxpayers, would really be an

medication to china and the rest of the world about how much us values peace and stability across the pacific. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. so lindsay hoyle apologised for giving mps a vote on a labour of then amendment during an smp debate on gaza on wednesday but said it was to ensure mp's safety. he is expected to meet senior party leaders later. an increasingly number of people getting behind the wheel using drugs such as cannabis or cocaine, they are now catching more drivers under the influence of illegal drugs then of alcohol. the home office said it was clamping down on behaviour. and in paris, the eiffel tower remains closed.

after unions extended their strike, the tourist attraction has been hit by the stoppage forfour has been hit by the stoppage for four days. has been hit by the stoppage forfour days. staff has been hit by the stoppage for four days. staff say there has been insufficient investment for the building and are concerned funds will be diverted away from wages. you're live with bbc news. the mother of the russian opposition leader, alexei navalny, has finally been allowed to see his body almost a week after he died. the 47—year—old was being held in a remote penal colony in siberia. his death certificate says he died of natural causes. navalny�*s mother has accused the russian authorities of trying to blackmail her into a secret burial with no mourners. our security correspondent, frank gardner reports. alexei navalny, president putin's fiercest critic, dead for nearly a week. only now has his mother been given access to her son's body. she's been forced to sign a certificate saying he died of natural causes.

translation: according to the law they should have given me his body immediately. but they didn't. instead, they blackmail me. they put conditions where, when and how alexei should be buried. this is illegal. they receive orders either from the kremlin or from the central office of the investigative committee. navalny died in highly suspicious circumstances in this grim arctic penal colony known as polar wolf. he was only a7. his family and supporters believe he was murdered on orders from the kremlin, possibly with a novichok nerve agent. russia denies it. his mother has already spent days up in the arctic trying to get access to her son's body. the delays and official statements are adding to suspicions of a cover up. it appears the kremlin does not want navalny�*s body to leave russia for forensic testing. his mother is under pressure to agree to a secret funeral.

translation: i'm recording this video because they started - threatening me, looking me in the eye. the investigator says that if i don't agree to a secret funeral, they will do something with my son's body, the investigator openly told me, "time is not working for you. the corpses decompose. " i don't want special conditions. ijust want everything to be done according to the law. i demand receiving my son's body immediately. the kremlin is calling western reaction to navalny�*s death hysterical. but he was considered by many the best hope for a better future for russia. his enemies clearly wanted him gone. frank gardner, bbc news. on saturday it will be two years since president putin ordered his troops to invade ukraine. both sides have sustained terrible losses — russia has lost around 110,000 people according to the latest bbc estimates. our russia editor, steve rosenberg, reports on the many changes russia has gone through since the war in ukraine began.

they are two years that have changed russia and set the country on a darker path. two years of war and heavy casualties, mobilisation and mutiny, and repression — alexei navalny, dead in prison. but the president is looking confident. vladimir putin senses the tide may be turning in his favour. but what is his goal? he wants the world to live on his own terms. i don't think that he wants some kind of a takeover of poland or the baltic states or western europe. he needs ukraine, but this is not enough for him. what is enough for him? this world must accept his rules, must accept his vision of the world. how things have changed.

there was a time when russia and the west were talking about cooperation, partnership. the putin i met with did good business with, established the nato—russia council with, is very, very different from this almost megalomaniac at the present moment. so the man who stood beside me in may of 2002, right beside me, and said, "ukraine is a sovereign, independent nation state, which will make its own decisions about security," is now the man who says that it is not a nation state, and it has got to be wiped off the face of the earth. vladimir putin once said to me at a press conference that russia was squeaky clean. nothing's changed. the kremlin continues to claim that none of what's happening today is russia's fault, that it was the west that started this war. but two years ago, it wasn't the west that invaded ukraine. that was russia.

and how does the russian public see things? this is the town of sonic nagorski, sunny hills near moscow. the last two years of russia's history. it's all here in the park. the invasion of ukraine. these russian soldiers were killed there. they're portrayed as heroes. graffiti for the varna paramilitary group. graffiti for the wagner paramilitary group. and flowers. just a few in memory of alexei navalny. for the residents of sunny hills, in two years, life has changed. "our factories are making things now that we used to buy abroad, and that's good," lydia says. "but i'm sad for the young men, for everyone who've been killed." marina praises russian soldiers in ukraine, and admits she lives in fear her own son may be called up to fight.

"we need peace," she says, "so that we don't have to fear what tomorrow will bring." and these two years have changed the war memorial on the town square. there's a whole new section, dozens of names of local men killed in what the kremlin still calls a special operation, not a war. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. china is set to send two pandas to san diego zoo this year in a return of so called �*panda diplomacy�*. the gesture is renewing the country's longstanding relationship with the conservation group and friendship towards the us. nearly all the bears on loan to zoos in america were returned as relations began to sour between the two nations. the china wildlife conservation association says it has also reached agreements with the madrid zoo in spain and is in talks with other zoos in both washington and vienna. greg vicino is vice president of wildlife care at san diego zoo,

and explained to me the significance of the announcement. pretty exciting, you know, getting back into the panda comforters conservation world. we occupied this position from the mid—90s to 2018, and it was really fruitful when it comes to actual conservation outcomes and us putting together some really great collaborations with our colleagues in china in terms of research of reproductive biology, habitat use, anthropogenic impacts on the habitat, that pandas live in, so it's pretty exciting to get back into that space and partner up with some former colleagues and really start to move that momentum again towards a really positive outcome for the conservation of that species. outcome for the conservation of that species-— that species. and when will these bears _ that species. and when will these bears arrive - that species. and when will these bears arrive and - that species. and when will| these bears arrive and what that species. and when will- these bears arrive and what has to be done before a date can be fixed? ~ to be done before a date can be fixed? ~ ., . ,, to be done before a date can be fixed? ., _�* fixed? we obviously can't commit — fixed? we obviously can't commit to _ fixed? we obviously can't commit to a _ fixed? we obviously can't commit to a date - fixed? we obviously can't

commit to a date yet, - fixed? we obviously can't commit to a date yet, we| fixed? we obviously can't - commit to a date yet, we don't know anything about that. one of the things we take very seriously when it comes to any sort of conservation initiatives like this when it involves multiple countries and all that is, there are 20 of federal regulations, international laws about how you do this in the most appropriate way and the best possible way not only for the outcome for the individual animals, but so that you're having a positive impact on conservation of the species. so we have our own fish and my left apartment in the united states that's going to scrutinise over the permit, hopefully very thoroughly. we work very closely with them to make sure we are checking all the boxes, meeting all the requirements and making sure we are doing the absolute best we can provoke the bears and the conservation of the bears in the wild. and of course our chinese counterparts have to do the same, so that process is just started now, we've got the agreement in place and now we need to start on the actual legal framework and the permitting process to make sure that we're doing this in the best possible interest of conservation mission. and tell

us a bit about _ conservation mission. and tell us a bit about san _ conservation mission. and tell us a bit about san diego - conservation mission. and tell us a bit about san diego zoo l us a bit about san diego zoo and perhaps why it's going to be the destination of these pandas. what is your track record for panda conservation? it's not bad, i'll be on us. between 1996 and 2018, we had five offspring born to the pair of pandas that were living there in the vast memorial majority of those were born through national reproduction —— natural reproduction rather than fertilisation. that kind of thing outside of china was not really heard of so that was a big deal. just recently recently i just went through the citations of all the peer—reviewed literature and all the contributions that are chinese counterparts and our research team, all of the contributions they made to the scientific literature about those points we spoke about with regards to the research we were looking to conduct with the bears there. so it was a pretty big, pretty big impact, you know. we were on site, we were part of that bigger picture, bigger programme of course that covered all over the world of trying to get,

have an impact on the status of those barriers to and went from endangered to threatened over the course of that time. we didn't do that alone but these partnerships are essential to getting that done. a dog previously crowned the world's oldest — is nowjust a regular dog — after the guinness world records revoked its title. our reporter, courtney bembridge, has more from the newsroom. when bobby was awarded the award it was declared that he was 30 years old, he died in 2023 at the reported age of 31 years and 165 days. that's it from us here on newsday, bye—bye for now.

hello there. it's been a pretty wet but mild february. however, thursday saw a change with this weather front, bringing some heavy rain for a time, then as it pushed its way steadily east, northwesterly wind direction kicked in and that had quite a dramatic impact to the feel of the weather wednesday afternoon. temperatures above the average mid—teens quite widely. by thursday, they were half that value and just below where they should be for this time of year. that's also translated into a pretty chilly start to friday morning. low single figures for many, and we haven't seen temperature values like that for quite some time. so certainly a shock to the system. but it will also be accompanied by hopefully some sunshine through central and eastern england and eastern scotland. there will be some showers out to the west with that brisk northwesterly wind and some of these will feed further inland as the day continues. wintry to higher ground. but a cool story again, seven to nine degrees. this is where the temperatures should be really for this time of year.

now, as we go through friday evening, some of those showers will tend to fade away and under clearing skies, those temperatures will fall even further. so saturday morning is going to be a cold start with a frost likely in rural parts as temperatures fall below freezing. so, yes, a cold start, but again, this quiet theme is set to continue. a good deal of fine weather, a few coastal showers in scotland, the risk of some showers moving through south wales and southern england for a time. but on the whole, most of us seeing some dry, sunny weather. and again, those temperatures just about scraping into double figures, if we're lucky. but for most of us, generally, between seven and nine degrees. slight problem on sunday with this area of low pressure in the fronts. now, there is the potential for that to just be a little bit further north, and if that happens, the rain could be further north. so we'll need to keep firming up on those details. but at the moment, it looks likely just to affect south west england and the channels and maybe just fringing with

the channel coast for a time. more cloud across southern england, but elsewhere, largely fine and quiet. and again, temperatures between seven and nine degrees. now, that quieter theme is going to continue monday into tuesday. but as we move through the middle part of the week, the risk is it's turning increasingly wetter. but also the milder weather is set to return as well.

wall street sees a record day, as nvidia's post earnings rally powers on. its stock value jumping 250 percent in one day. if you planning summer holiday in europe, he if you planning summer holiday in europe, be ready for putting out cash, they remain elevated making travel even more expensive. bang being hello and welcome to asia business report. i'm steve lai. to the us now, where markets have been rallying around nvidia 5 big earnings report. the company 5 been driving gains as one of the leading tech stocks and most valuable companies on wall street, and on thursday, it added $250 billion in stock market value. our north america business correspondent erin delmore has more from new york. nvidia fever is sweeping wall

street and shares rose more