the daughter of the ruler of dubai says she is being held prisoner by her father. the bbc has obtained video in which she says she's being kept in solitary confinement, after an earlier escape attempt. sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum says princess latifa is safe in the care of the family. president biden is taking questions from the public in his first town hall debate, so he can broadcast his post—trump agenda and promote his coronavirus relief package proposal. viewers are accustomed to televised town halls with election candidates, but debates like the one in wisconsin with presidents occur much less often. in myanmar, the trial of the detained civilian leader aung san suu kyi has begun behind closed doors. ms suu kyi faces a new charge of violating the country's natural disaster law and an initial charge of possessing illegal communications. protests against the military coup have continued across myanmar.

now on bbc news, global questions. with schools, colleges and universities around the world closed by covid—19, how can we stop this cruel disruption to young lives becoming a global generational disaster? hello, and welcome to global questions, with me, zeinab badawi. nearly1 billion students worldwide have suffered massive disruption to their education from covid lockdowns. the impact this could have on their lives now and in the future may be devastating. how can we prevent this becoming a global generational disaster? that's global questions — covid — the cost to education. to bring you this edition of global questions, as always, our questioners

and our two panellistsjoin us via video link. let me tell you who is in the hot seat this week, giving the answers. julia gillard was the first woman to become prime minister of australia in 2010. she is now chair of the global partnership for education, which focuses on transforming education in lower income countries. butjulia is also a champion for education for all, and has said no child in the world should be deprived of education as a result of the measures needed and baroness minouche shafik is director of one of the world's leading universities, the lse, london school of economics. egyptian—born minouche is an economist by training and has previously served as deputy governor of the bank of england and was the youngest ever vice president of the world bank. her new book, what we owe each other, a new social contract, is published next month. welcome to you both, ladies, and also to my questioners who come from all over

the world, and of course to you. if you to join the conversation, it's #bbcglobalquestions. ourfirst question comes from just outside new york city. michael, your question please. thanks so much. hello, julia and minouche. it's an honour. how resilient - are young children? can three— and four—year—olds who have spent so much - of their lives in covid be - expected to recover as quickly as older kids, and how can. we help parents and teachers to prepare now? lots of questions there. how resilient are children, julia gillard? i think children are inherently pretty resilient, but the onus is on us as the adults to make sure we are giving them the best enabling conditions even in these very difficult times. in many countries, we're doing a good job with educational continuity, with play—based lessons online for children at that very young age.

what we have to do is make sure that is available right around the well, that there isn't a differential system, where children in richer countries are getting so much more than children in poorer countries. but you're right, we do have to be thoughtful that when children are able to get back together again that there is the opportunity for socialisation, to pick up the things they missed out on during this period. those early years are critical as we know. 0k, minouche shafik? the early years are critical for two really important reasons. one is that they lay the foundation for future learning, and studies have shown, to give one example injamaica, kids who got good nutrition and mental stimulation in the first 1,000 days of life, earned 42% more as adults, 20 years later. so it is fundamental for laying the foundation for future

success, and it is also the best point to deal with social mobility. it's the easiest point to equalise opportunity for children from poorer families if, asjulia said, you make sure those early years opportunities are given to everyone. thank you for making that point, minouche, because people often think education, it is only the kids with exams that matter, but it is just as important for the little ones. what do you have to say, michael? those were terrific answers, thank you very much. - ijust want to make the point that educational equity - and equal opportunity- are so critical as we recover from the global pandemic, and your answers give mel reassurance that leaders| are looking at this injust the right way. thank you. we hope so, michael. these two leaders are for sure, but you're absolutely right to say that inequality is absolutely expanding at the moment between richer nations and lower income countries. to cambodia now for our next question. what do you want to ask

julia and minouche? i work for the united - world school in cambodia, an organisation giving accessi to education to out—of—school children in very remote areas. my question is, without school| being open, children in remote areas are subject to far greater risks of abuse i and exploitation. how can we continue to give children, especially- girls, maximum protection? huge problem. minouche shafik, we hear all sorts of stories, girls selling their bodies so that they can afford to go to school and all the rest of it. it is just absolutely appalling. it is a huge issue, and the pandemic has only made it worse, both for girls and for women, who carry much of burden of the virus, and all we can do is shine a light on it and make sure that authorities are aware of these risks and girls

in vulnerable positions are looked after. such an important question. we know from the ebola epidemic, which was more localised but very severe, that when schools close because of health reasons, on the reopening, it is the most marginalised kids that might never make it back to school. that's what happened with ebola — the most marginalised children never returned, and disproportionately they were girls. and early estimates in this pandemic were that, as schools closed, potentially up to 2a million children might not make it back to school. i chair the global partnership for education, which is the multilateral fund, which works with developing countries on school education. we mobilised us$500 million to try and maintain educational continuity during school closures, but also to keep

in touch with schooling populations, and when schools can reopen safely to try and do everything possible to ensure that every child, including every marginalised girl, gets back to school. so there is a real role here for the global community to lean in to making sure that this current pandemic doesn't end up equalling a lost generation of children who don't get educational access any longer. what is it like where you are in cambodia? why are you so worried that you wanted to ask this question? here, children are not - in school, they are working in the fields. during covid—19, girls are especially at risk, j they could end up in early- marriage, which leads to sexual abuse or trafficking.

thanks very much indeed. ok, let's go to yemen, a very conflict—ridden country there. your question, please. good evening. very happy to be able to ask this question . to julia and minouche. and international bodies prioritise funding - the education of - the most vulnerable? many children are struggling l with their mental well—being. how can the world mobilise to avoid a lost generation? | minouche, let me come to you, because we know that the united nations has said it is really worried about the psychosocial impact of covid—19 on young people's mental well—being. and there you are at the lse having to deal with a lot of students who are feeling rather disorientated. yeah. well, we have certainly had to invest more in mental health and support for both students

and our staff as a result of the covid pandemic. and i think all of us will need to provide more of that support throughout this period. and its aftermath, because it won't, even when everyone is vaccinated, whenever that happens, there will still be after effects. on getting countries to invest more, i had a colleague at the world bank many years ago who spent his entire career calculating the rates of return to education. and after looking at hundreds of countries, thousands of years of data, he concluded that the rate of return to education was about 10%. the rate of return on the stock market is about 8% over the last 50 years, so there are very few investments in the world that deliver a higher return than education. i think we have to keep reminding governments of that, especially in tight times, that there really is no better investment, and especially of course investment in girls and vulnerable groups. thank you, minouche.

julia gillard, how would you answer this question, particularly about the mental well—being of students and children? i absolutely agree with minouche on the rate of return for education. that is such an important point. on the mental health and well—being, i think this is a critical issue for countries around the world. we do need to up both the sensitivity of education to mental health support, but as things can return to more normalised human interaction, we have also got to up investment in mental health programmes. children of course rely on school as a great outlet, but it is not the only outlet — community sports, community groups matter too, and connection is such a protective factor when it comes to mental health. just to quote audrey azoulay, the director—general of unesco — the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization — says, prolonged and repeated closures of education institutions are taking a rising psychosocial

toll on students. unesco wants the world's 100 million teachers and educators to be given priority in vaccination campaigns. is that something you would both support? julia first? i note that the world health organization, in putting out its priority orders, has prioritised teachers, which i think is absolutely appropriate. obviously finejudgements need to be made here, but it makes a lot of sense to me that teachers are nearer the front, given the vital work that they do and the importance of schooling to children. and minouche, the un is saying that full closures should be a last resort. do you think perhaps we are all over the world resorting too quickly to these full closures of schools? i think we should close pretty much everything else before we close schools. do you want to come back on what you heard them say, briefly? it's very good to hear

there is prioritisation| of the mental- well—being of children. i am currently in yemen. where children are already struggling with the conflict. for many conflict—affected children schools are one . of the only safe spaces, - the only place where they feel that life can be normal. they already face so much i disruption of their education. so covid—19 adds this - additional worry, and school closure means one less space where they can get support i and when they can be with their friends, - have the teachers to support them, so that's really- something that needs to be prioritised. - thank you for highlighting that for us. let's now come to the united kingdom, to nottingham. hi, thank you for having me on and for answering - the questions. my question to you is, - how can students entering the jobs market be supported, and are universities preparingl

students with- the necessary skills? many of us suffer from impostor syndrome and we fear _ that our grades will not be taken seriously because i of the pandemic. lilith is a student at nottingham university. julia gillard, what would you say to lilith and other students who share her worries? i can understand why students like lilith are worried, and it is such a difficult time for those in the final years of school, with those all—important exams, and then of course in university as well, worried about the job market of the future. i guess what i can say is, from the contacts i have with universities, i am involved with king's college london, for example, my sense is that the university communities are very sensitive to this, are going to be very supportive of students, and i think employers, having been through this

period, also get it, and i don't think that they will be looking past this generation of graduates. that doesn't mean that you're not going to graduate into a restricted jobs market. i think, unfortunately, the economic impact of the pandemic does mean that times are going to be tough. but i do think too that with stimulus and appropriate government programmes and policies, that the economy can rebound, and hopefully we take the opportunity to build it back better, stronger, more equitable, greener, and that is the jobs market in which you will be involved. thank you. minouche, i wonder if you could focus on lilith�*s question, are universities preparing students with the necessary skills? there is a thought that perhaps some students are studying the kind of subjects which don't prepare them for the kind ofjobs which the economy needs particularly to recover post—covid. i often say this to students,

first of all what you are learning at university is not a special subject. there are very few subjects in which you are definitely going into that career — medicine, architecture, engineering, perhaps. but so often what you're really learning is how to learn, and you are going to take that ability to learn to whatever job you do, and employers increasingly want to know what you can learn as opposed to what you have learned in the past. and you should increasingly, i always say, think of your career not as climbing a ladder but like climbing a tree. so you don't just go linearly up a path. most of us in our own careers have taken detours, gone sideways, and that opens up new vistas and then you discover new opportunities. final thing i would say is i have long advocated that we should be giving our young people, who are going to have very long careers, not 30 or 40 years like previous generations, but probably 60—year careers, that we need to give them

opportunities to retool, and thinking about a lifetime educational allowance, where you can revisit your education many times in yourcareer, is something that will be needed for the jobs of the future. lilith, you're getting a lot of advice here from two big female leaders from all over the world. do you like what they've just said to you, the advice they have given? definitely, yeah. it's reassuring that, . although there will be challenges, graduatingl during a financial crisis, that there will be i measures in place, and that although these . industries are already ever increasingly competitive, that hopefully, a little bit - like minouche touched upon, there will be support - throughout so that we can develop our abilities and grow a kind of resilience _ as we move forward. i'm guessing you are about 20, 21, but you heard the bit

minouche said about you working until you are in your 80s. that's all right with you, is it? i mean, it's not what you want to hear, but... - i'd be packing in well before that. but there we go. thank you very much indeed. let's go to the capital of afghanistan, kabul, tojessica, who works for a prominent ngo. what do you want to ask? good evening, panel, - thank you for having me on. my question is about funding to fragile contexts _ like afghanistan. so vulnerable countries - are seeing foreign aid decrease at the exact timej when their needs have significantly increased. how can the case be made for richer countries- to boost their funding? julia gillard. we know that aid to education looks set to decline by about 12% as a result of the pandemic. and even before covid, there was a big funding gap. thank you for this incredibly important question. i referred before to

the global partnership for education, and we are grappling with this issue right now, persuading governments around the world that investment in education is about the long term. it is a bit parallel to the vaccines. the truth with the vaccines is none of us are safe until all of us are safe, and we have had the opportunity to get vaccinated. the same is true with education. our world will be strengthened, more peaceful, more prosperous, if every child gets a great education, and that should matter to all of us. our problems do not stay at national boundaries any longer. and so we are urging everybody to get involved in campaigning for resourcing to education, to make sure that domestic governments are making the right decisions, not cutting back, and there is an opportunity in the middle of this year, injuly, at an event co—hosted by the governments of the united kingdom and kenya, for everyone to be raising

their hand for education. the global partnership for education is seeking to raise at least $5 billion at that event to invest in schooling for the most marginalised children. that's not all that needs to be done, but i think that will be an early indicator as to whether the world gets this, and is prepared to put resources behind every child's future. minouche, it is not going to be easy to make the case, is it, for an increase in aid for global education from high—income countries, which have also taken a hammering because of covid—19. i think asjulia said, this pandemic has shown us that fighting global problems from a national silo is really very ineffective. and i am hoping that in the wake of this experience, that people will realise that global collaboration and cooperation is in everyone's interest. the cost of delivering decent education for the remaining parts of the world where aid is needed to fill that gap is so small, relative to the scale of fiscal stimulus

and support that advanced economies have given their own economies in this period. so i do think... you know, they have spent 20% of gdp on average in supporting their economies through this pandemic. i think these amounts are fractions of a percent of gdp, and they are affordable. we have seen $7 trillion being spent by the advanced economies in fiscal spending, giving themselves a much more secure base during this pandemic, so you are right, this is a tiny amount by comparison. jessica, very quickly, response? thank you, i absolutely agree, we know that covid is the kind| of great mirror on inequality, and we will not beat either. covid nor the many challenges we face in education, - if we all work in silos, - so support across countries is really important. the uk, i knowjulia mentioned,

is supporting education, - but they have in fact - cut their foreign aid in 2021 by 0.2% of the 0.7, - which is quite a significant cut, so it is great - that we have leaders such as yourselves and the gpe is doing great work- behind the scenes. thank you. and julia raised her hand for education, i am sure we are all raising our hands with you as well, julia gillard, thank you. last question now, we go to kinshasa, the capital of the democratic republic of congo. thank you, it is - an honour to be here. many sub—saharan countries have little or no capacity _ to equip their schools or take . advantage of new technologies. what consequences could this disparity have - on the competitiveness of young africans on the international - labour market?

thank you very much. minouche, let me come to you on that one, please, the digital haves and have—nots, particularly in africa. you've raised a very important issue, the digital divide exists everywhere, and it is perhaps most extreme in the poorest parts of the world. i think there is an upside to digital, which is of course that it provides access to information in a way that is far cheaper than before as well. so i think we have to... you know, i think countries in africa have to think about their educational strategy from a digital perspective from the beginning. and use the cost savings that digital offers in order to leapfrog some of the more old—fashioned approaches to education, which advanced economies did. so it is a constraint at the moment, but i do think

it is an opportunity. 5 billion people now have access to a smartphone with infinite access to information. if that could be harnessed in a progressive way, so that children in africa could tap into that in a cost—effective way, with low—cost devices and cheap wi—fi access, it could be transformative. so i think that is going to be the challenge for countries in africa. thank you very much, minouche shafik. and last word to you, julia gillard, how do you answer that? just end your contribution with a rousing message for us all about the importance of education. thank you, julia. thank you. i would actually like to tie this question to the comments made by minouche earlier about fiscal stimulus. governments around the world are doing the right thing and supporting their economies now through investing money. where that money gets invested makes a difference, and one of the things i would certainly advocate is that that investment

now, part of it, goes into educational infrastructure that will matter for the longer term. i know from the experience of my own country during the global financial crisis, part of our stimulus package was about school refurbishment. it could be about school connectivity as well, and the provision of new ways of working, leapfrogging, to use minouche�*s terminology. so let's make sure both in the fiscal stimulus stage and in the long term, we are investing in education. what we have talked about today, really, is the lives of children, whether they will get to live lives of opportunity, with choices, with the ability to make their way in the world, or whether as a global community we will deny them that. i am hoping that we can all say as human beings that every child is precious, and let's make sure we are resourcing and working so every child has hope and opportunity. julia gillard, former

australian prime minister, baroness minouche shafik from the london school of economics, and our questioners, and to our audience, thank you. that's all from this edition of global questions. covid, the cost to education. remember, we are the programme that brings you the trend lines behind the headlines, and if you want to be part of our next programme, the topic is travel in a post—covid world. you can e—mail us. until the next time, from me, zeinab badawi, and the rest of the global questions team, goodbye. hello there. we can expect more mild weather through the rest of this week,

but with that, there will be more outbreaks of rain. through wednesday, yes, it will be mild but also windy, some outbreaks of rain at times. quite a wet start to the day, actually, thanks to this frontal system pushing its way eastwards. now, that rain will clear from many areas quite quickly, but you can see this frontjust dangling down towards the south. that means the rain is going to linger across southern counties of england for a good part of the day. in fact, pushing back northwards into parts of south wales, the midlands and east anglia through the afternoon. elsewhere, it's a sunshine and showers day. some particularly heavy showers towards the northwest where it will also be windy. gusts of 70 mph in exposed spots in western scotland. but as you can see, it's quite a blustery day for all parts of the uk. temperatures ranging from 7 celsius there in stornoway to a high of 12 celsius in london. now, as we move through wednesday night, we see more wet weather ploughing its way northwards, particularly heavy bursts of rain across the west. the winds coming up

from the south, it's going to be a pretty mild start to thursday morning, but, we will see this rain pushed eastwards as we go through the day — pushed eastwards by a weather front, a cold front, and so behind our rain band, we will start to feel the effects of some slightly colder air. you can see the rain pushing eastwards quite quickly through the day. sunny spells and showers following on behind. more persistent rain bending back into northwest scotland. but temperatures actually falling away as the day goes by. these are the values you can expect at 3 o'clock on thursday afternoon. feeling quite chilly, actually, across the west, but that's only a temporary shift to something cooler, because by friday, the winds will be hurtling back up from the southwest again. with that, we will see some outbreaks of very heavy rain, maybe some flooding in some western areas, but those temperatures beginning to climb upwards. and as we head into the weekend, well, this weather fronts is going to be quite troublesome because it will be wriggling around, bringing pulses of rain. some uncertainty about exactly where the wet weather will end up, but to the southeast

of these weather fronts, we will continue to tap into some pretty warm air wafting up from the south. so, temperatures could get as high as 15 or 16 celsius in southern areas, but there will also be some outbreaks of rain at times.

welcome to bbc news. i'm mike embley. our top stories: secret recordings of princess latifah, daughter of the ruler of dubai, are released exclusively to the bbc. she says she's being held captive by her family. iama i am a hostage. this place have been converted into a jail and all of the windows are barred shot. i cannot open any windows. —— barred shut. president biden is in milwaukee, wisconsin for a televised debate on his one point nine trillion dollar covid rescue package. more protests gainst myanmar�*s military coup. ousted leader aung san suu kyi faces new charges. and once in a generation snowfalls across the southern us. texas bears the brunt of freezing conditions.