this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: enough is enough! as florida students call for tighter arms controls, president trump says he supports efforts to tighten background checks on gun owners. more than 2.5 million newborn babies around the world die before they're a month old, but most of those deaths are preventable. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. also in the programme: the court of arbitration for sport begins proceedings against the russian olympic medallist, alexander krushelnitsky after he failed a doping test. and kfc without the c — the fast—food chain closes hundreds of its restaurants across the uk and ireland after running out of chicken. live from our studios in singapore and london... this is bbc world

news. it is newsday. thanks for joining us. it's 9am in singapore, midnight in london and 7pm in washington, where the white house says president trump is supportive of improved background checks for people who buy guns. mr trump has previously spoken out against gun control, but today's comments follow the high school shooting in parkland florida last week, in which 17 people were killed. the alleged shooter, nikolas cruz, was back in court on monday for a procedural hearing. he has admitted carrying out the attack using a semiautomatic rifle that was bought legally. meanwhile, demonstrators held a "lie—in" protest outside the white house in support of gun control. young survivors of the massacre will lead a march in washington this week to demand political action. 16—year—old rain valladares will be one of them. she was in class

when the shots rang out. now, she wants the president's attention. i feel like if he looks me ifeel like if he looks me in the eye, he looks all of us in the eye, he sees the amount of... just passion and change that we are calling, demanding from him, because he is going to know, he is going to see in our eyes that we are not going to back down, no matter what. we are not going to stop until change has happened. until this country changes. the heart can barely go through this one time, and are not going to let it happen again. i'm not going to let my heart go through it again, i'm not going to let these families, these victims, you know, indian rain. —— end in vain. michael nutter is the former democratic mayor of philadelphia with a history of antagonising the powerful us gun lobby.

he's told the bbc he believes that younger people calling for gun control could be game—changers. you would think that a while back we would have actually done something significant, certainly after sandy hook, but there is a different feeling from florida, i think a lot of it has to do with the voices of the young people, speaking out very strongly, very directly being heard, andi strongly, very directly being heard, and i hope that more and more adults, people who are supposed to be adults take there are leaves, show some guts and actually do even a few things, reasonable things. for more, our correspondent david willis in washington, joined rico a little earlier. the day the president lived to his support behind a high part of them built to basically tighten up the

criminal background checks that people have two go, undergo here before they can buy a firearm. basically these are checks carried out under the el but they rely on information from state and federal agencies regarding mental—health legion —— issues, regarding criminal convictions and so on. very often that information is not sent through. it is not compiled as part of the database. this measure would basically tighten that up, at least thatis basically tighten that up, at least that is the plan. it wouldn't necessarily prevent the sort of attack that someone like nikolas cruz could carry out, and indeed, president trump has focused on the mental—health aspect of this whole debate and the fbi letting him slip through the net, as it were, rather than looking at any form of gun control. there was a line and today, about 100 students staged this lie in infront about 100 students staged this lie in in front of the white house calling for tighter gun control

laws, there was a rally in the capital wednesday and a big rally here in the capital, washington, dc, on the 24th of march. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. the court of arbitration for sport has begun proceedings against the russian 0lympic medallist, alexander krushelnitsky, after he failed a doping test. a sample he provided tested positive for a banned substance, which the bbc understands to be meldonium. alexander krushelnitsky won a bronze medal alongside his wife in the mixed doubles curling event. the ioc may say the alexander krushelnitsky case shows that everything is actually 0k. they might say, why should we be embarrassed? might say, why should we be embarrassed 7 firstly, might say, why should we be embarrassed? firstly, the procedure is, you know, going ahead, he has still not been found guilty, and secondly, if he is found guilty, we are the ones who caught him so eve ryo ne are the ones who caught him so everyone should feel quite good about that as well. mind you,

winning that argument in the court of international public opinion is a very different matter. however, this case will be followed for that reason very closely today. we are not sure when the actual hearing is going to take less, but it could be quite fast. now, imagine, for ordinary russians and for the athletes here especially, this is pretty painful for athletes here especially, this is pretty painfulfor them. athletes here especially, this is pretty painful for them. they thought these games could represent a thawing of the relations with the ioc. hoping they were going to be welcomed back into the world of international sport and even, by the end of these games, but a decision could be taken, which would allow them to march into that closing ceremony, carrying the russian flag. but this case, especially if he is found guilty, certainly can't help the chances of that happening. also making news today: the indonesian authorities have issued their highest—level safety warning after the eruption

of a large volcano sent an ash cloud shooting more than 7 kilometres into the air. officials urged individuals to stay out of an exclusion zone around mount sinubung, on indonesia's sumatra island. the president of the maldives has failed to extend a state of emergency after he didn't get the necessary support in parliament. the united 0pposition boycotted a special parliamentary session so president abdulla yameen‘s decree did not have the 43 votes it required to be adopted. syrian activists say dozens of civilians have been killed over the past 2a hours in government attacks on the rebel—held enclave of eastern ghouta, on the outskirts of damascus. the activists say air strikes and artillery fire have killed more than 70 people as the government intensifies its assault on the district. the chinese authorities have demanded a severe punishment for a man who's accused of snapping off and stealing the thumb of a terracotta warrior statue on display in the us. the life—size figures of the first emperor's army, which are more than 2,000 old,

—— which are more than 2,000 years old, are among china's most prized treasures. another three employees of punjab national bank have been arrested in connection with a $1.8 billion fraud case. billionaire jeweller nirav modi and others have been accused of colluding with employees at the bank. the latest arrest includes two bank managers. mr modi has not commented on the case and no charges have been filed. now some amazing pictures from the english seaside town of blackpool. you can see the resort‘s famous tower in the background and in the foreground, it looks like a black wave is sweeping up the beach. but it's actually a large number of starlings. the mass movement, is known as a murmur—ation with flocks of birds swirling through the skies, before settling for the night. every year,

every yea r, over every year, over 2.5 million babies around the world are not survive the on theirfirst month around the world are not survive the on their first month of life. many deaths are entirely preventable according to a report published by unicef. it says better at first to midwives and basics such as clean water and decent nutrition could dramatically alter the lives of hundreds of thousands of newborns. mortality rates differ hugely between countries. we have reports from india in malawi. first, why the prospects for babies born injapan are so good. this is a beautifulfour—day this is a beautiful four—day old baby girl. in the lottery of birth she has just hit the jackpot. injapan, the chance of a baby dying in its first month of life is the lowest in the world.

hello. please come in. it helps that her mum lives in a rich country with excellent healthcare. but there are two things that set japan apart. the first is this little book. every baby injapan gets one. it will trace her development from the womb until she is six years old. second, she gets lots of monthly checks. the first stage, until six months of pregnancy, i go — it's about once in four weeks. after that, i go two times in a month. and now, i am the last month of pregnancy, and i go once a week. this is a truly remarkable success story forjapan because just 70 years ago, in 1950, japan's infant mortality rate was 50 deaths per thousand live births.

today, for the first time, with these new figures being published, japan is the first country ever recorded to go below one death per thousand live births. in india, where a fifth of all the world's babies are born, the chances of survival are much lower than injapan. on average, 60 newborns die in this country every hour. this woman gave birth to a baby girl three weeks ago. she's been in the specialist unit in bhopal ever since. many babies end up here because their mothers are malnourished and don't get proper medical care during their pregnancy. the situation is worse in remote areas. six hours north, i meet this mother with her young son. last month, she gave birth to his sister. translation: when she was born, she would vomit every time

i tried to breast—feed her. one hospital turned us away. another asked for more money. by the time we went back to get the payment, she died. it was the second baby she had lost. access to quality health care is a key factor when it comes to newborn deaths here in india. for many people, it's still simply out of reach. you only have to come to rural areas to see the impact that's having. doctors say these specialist units are improving survival rates but in a country where so many babies are born, too many are still dying. this is agnes. being born in malawi means she has a much better chance of survival. newborn deaths have nearly halved in 16 years. simple changes have helped,

like discouraging woman from giving birth at home. translation: the difference is huge. here, you are supported. because at home, you could be losing blood. but here, if you are losing blood, they give you an injection and if there are any other problems, the doctor can help. premature babies are especially at risk. here, doctors are teaching mothers the kangaroo method, which helps keep these underweight babies warm using body heat. child marriage and the resulting pregnancies are a particular problem and can lead to early birth. 80% of malawians live in rural areas, which means if you are going to have your baby in a clinic, you've got to walk. but the bigger picture is things have got better. unicef says it's because malawi has been open to new ideas. and other developing countries may want to follow that path to give newborns a better chance in life. that was lebu diseko

ending that report. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a bbc arabic crew has gained exclusive access into afrin in the north of syria, where the kurds are fighting against turkish forces. nine years and 15,000 deaths after going into afghanistan, the last soviet troops were finally coming home. the withdrawal completed in good order, but the army defeated in the task it had been sent to perform. malcolm was murdered. that has a terrible effect on the morality of the people. i'm terrified of the repercussions in the streets. one wonders who is next. as the airlift got under way,

there was no let—up in the eruption itself. lava streams from a vent low in the crater flow down to the sea on the east of the island, away from the town for the time being, but it could start flowing again at any time. the russians heralded their new generation space station with a spectacular night launch. they called it mir, the russian for peace. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm sharanjit leyl in london. our top stories: us president donald trump supports efforts to improve background checks on gun ownership, the white house says, following the florida school shooting that killed 17 people. a unicef report on global infant mortality has found that many newborn deaths are preventable.

around the world, 2.6 million babies die each year before turning one—month—old. we're about to speak to unicef to find out more. let's ta ke let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. we start with the singapore straits times, where the government is set to raise its goods and services tax by two percentage points, the first such move in a decade. the authorities need to increase revenue amid surging healthcare, security and infrastructure spending, but the changes won't come into effect until at least 2021. the south china morning post reveals that the new prime minister of nepal wants to restart a chinese—led $2.5 billion hydropower dam project. the project was pulled by the previous government, but the new nepalese pm has promised to reverse the decision. and finally, the arab news is leading with a proposed new law that it says will give israel wider powers to strip palestinians of their right to live in eastjerusalem and the golan heights.

it follows earlier attempts to remove social security benefits and family reunification rights from palestinians in jerusalem. let's turn to syria now. state media have been reporting that pro—government forces are going to enter afrin, in the north of the country, to support kurds fighting turkish forces. but there's no sign yet that they've been deployed. turkey regards the kurdish fighters, just across its border, as terrorists and launched a big offensive against them last month. a bbc arabic crew are the only international broadcasters to have reached the region, as rami ruhayem reports. inside afrin, the newest frontline in the syrian civil war. the city is

the focus of an attack by the turkish army as they vent their angen turkish army as they vent their anger, carrying pictures of the jailed leader of the pkk, a kurdish group which has waged decades of war inside turkey. they have been pushing for autonomy and turkey has become increasingly autonomous. invading northern syria was their response. bbc arabic went through the area patrolled by the army. there was no attempt to stop us. despite misgivings about kurdish separatist, it seems they have been more incensed by the actions of turkey. it has just been announced they will send troops to repel the invasion. as turkish warplanes attack border villages, syrians flee towards afrin. this dark cellar is all the shelter this woman could find for herself and her children.

translation: on that day there was bombing. the planes came over our village. they bombed the area to pick we were frightened and we left. my pick we were frightened and we left. my daughter was crying. we came to this cave. you can see it is dark and scary. the kurdish fighters are resisting the turkish advance. they have been putting out videos showing their attacks on turkish positions. translation: so far, militarily, the turkish army is in crisis. they have entered the syrian territory and have had clashes on the border, but they have not cemented their presence anywhere. but the turkish military is showing a different picture. these shots show a kurdish unit struck by a turkish drone and destroyed. the aim of turkey is to prevent the creation of a continuous kurdish region on its border. at the

moment fighting is concentrated around afrin. the next objective of turkey is further east, but it is not just kurdish forces turkey is further east, but it is notjust kurdish forces based in manbij, the us is there as well. they are supporting the kurds against islamic state, which has strained relationships with turkey. it has been pushed away breaking point. we have been clear, support to kurdish forces is limited to achieves military objectives. as to afrin, we call upon turkey to show restraint to minimise the casualties of civilians and avoid actions that would escalate tensions in that area. back inside afrin, the conflict is taking its toll. 21 fighters are being laid to rest. it

has come at a cost. the regime will be fighting to extend its sovereignty while the kurds will be fighting to extend their dream of self—rule. rami ruhayem, bbc news. the fast food chain kfc has temporarily closed around 600 restaurants across the uk and ireland after delivery problems meant a shortage of chicken. kfc said it had been let down by a logistics company that took over its supply chain last week. jon kay has the story. no! when you've been promised kfc as a half—term treat but there is no chicken. angry. sad. and disappointed. nine—year—old maxine is not happy. and hungry? very hungry! are you more hungry or angry?

hungry! it's notjust maxine's local outlet. hundreds across the uk are shut because kf has no 'c." they've run out of chicken. pretty shocking, really, to be fair. pretty shocking. especially when you're hungry, like, you know what i mean? kfc have blamed teething problems with the new delivery contract. they switched to dhl last week, who say operational issues have disrupted the supply. it's a chicken place, so they should have enough chicken. they should be able to store it. it's a big chain, so it does seem unbelievable, really. all the chicken... there's farmers, surely there should be enough chickens. we tried several outlets across bristol today but found no fingers being licked. almost every store closed. it's lunchtime. you'd expect these hatches to be really busy at this point

but the kitchen is empty, the fryers switched off. chicken with fries, please. chicken with fries. it's a far cry from this. tonight, the company is encouraging staff to take holidays until it can meet the demand again. kfc says its own employees will be paid, but the large majority of restaurants are franchises. it just seems amazing. i thought everything was pretty much automated these days and as they use chicken, more's ordered. something has gone seriously wrong. the company says it's working flat out to rectify the problem. but, for some, that is little consolation. jon kay, bbc news. 0h oh no! it is kfc without the c! many upset looking children. a real shame. i am upset!

our next story. what's your dream job: rock star? racing car driver? lego artist? lego, as everyone knows, is a hugely popular toy for children. but for some grownups the building blocks are the foundation of successful careers as designers and artists, likejeffery kong from singapore. take a look. my my name is jeffery my name isjeffery kong. i am an artist from singapore. i create art with lego bricks. i think the building brick is a very powerful medium that anybody, young or old, can use to express themselves to tell their own story. although things are pretty small, we work together, especially for bigger projects. i also love to hang out

with artists who work in other mediums, for example, graphic artists. there is so much to learn from them. i am still discovering new ways of building, new ideas, every day. if i can put a smile on your face, every day. if i can put a smile on yourface, i will say i every day. if i can put a smile on your face, i will say i have succeeded. i believe every artist has the responsibility to showcase their work. you have been watching newsday. and before we go, let's take a look at these pictures from remote mountains in ethiopia. where a christian priest commutes almost two hours a day to his church carved in the side of a cliff. the church, which is perched above a 250—metre drop, is traditionally reached without shoes or ropes. so far, nobody has ever fallen while making the very treacherous climb. i want to bring you up—to—date with

what will happen with the weather. there will be a transformation for many of us as early as today. a much brighter day for central and western parts compared to monday simply because monday's weather front slowly but surely is easing towards the north sea. not quite completing the north sea. not quite completing thejob. that is important the north sea. not quite completing the job. that is important because that means leaden skies for tuesday. the east is where it will be confined. the west, clear skies. tuesday will start fairly cool. parts of oils and northern ireland. a touch of frost. —— wales. the school run in the morning commute. the weather front going towards the east means brighter skies. here are the details. showers, especially over the high ground. wintry in scotland. go that bit further east,

anywhere from yorkshire down to the far south—east, you are looking at a fairamount of far south—east, you are looking at a fair amount of cloud and the prospect of some rain as well, which could, for some, hang around for most of the day. onshore winds and cloud, a lack of sunshine, 7—9. towards the north, where you get some sunshine, temperatures will be pushed up, 10—12. with high pressure building across the lower weather front, we are left with just the residue of cloud keeping temperatures up as we start the new day on wednesday. either side of that, with clear skies, a touch of frost. that is the shape of things to come as we move to the latter pa rt to come as we move to the latter part of the week and into the weekend. high pressure is trying to build in and starting to connect us toa build in and starting to connect us to a cold continent. not looking at the atlantic as on monday and tuesday, looking towards the

continent, and scandinavia. high pressure is close by keeping the atla ntic pressure is close by keeping the atlantic front that day. out there will be sunshine. —— at it. look at the temperatures. 7—9 after a cool start. nothing more than 12. this is thursday. the tail end of the week. this is the mechanism that eventually draws the cold air towards the british isles. dry, yes. temperatures are set to drop quite substantially as we get towards the weekend. i'm sharanjit leyl with bbc world news. our top story — students have staged a protest outside the white house, demanding action on gun control. president trump has said he supports efforts to improve background checks on gun buyers in the wake of the florida school shooting that left 17 people dead. a unicef report on global infant mortality has found that many newborn deaths are preventable. around the world, 2.6 million babies die each year before turning one month old.

the report says better access to midwives, clean water and decent nutrition could prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of newborns. and this story is popular on bbc.com — fast—food chain kfc has been forced to temporarily close around 600 of its restaurants across the uk and ireland after delivery problems caused them to run out of their most important ingredient — chicken. that's all from me now. now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk.