welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... protests against covid vaccine laws continue in canada. truckers had earlier blocked a key route into the us. after another frantic day of diplomacy over ukraine, poland warns it's the worst crisis in europe for more than three decades. crisis in europe for as the talking continues, we speak to people who've been caught up in violence that's been raging since 2014. what little miss made this? and the dogs in the hunt. we'll tell you about the western leading the pack for oscar nominations.

-- little —— little lady. live from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in canada, where a stand—off between truckers and the country's government over covid restrictions shows no sign of ending. canadian prime minister justin trudeau was loudly heckled by opposition mps in parliament on tuesday as he defended the use of restrictions to fight the covid—19 pandemic, measures canadian truckers have taken to the streets in their vehicles to oppose. earlier, the us—canada border crossing at windsor was blocked, closing the bridge to traffic. it has now re—opened. our correspondent samira hussain sent this update from ottawa. yesterday in this area, the scene was really

very tense, and i think it was because the state of emergency had just been declared in ottawa. now, though, you can really sense that there's sort of like a carnival theme going on. there's a stage that's set up behind me, there's music, people were dancing at some points during the day. the tense scene that we saw yesterday really hasn't been happening today at all. if you look at the vaccination rates in canada, it's almost at 80% of the country is vaccinated, so this is indeed a smaller minority. and if you ask residents around here — and, in fact, according to recently released opinion polls — most canadians are against what is actually happening right now. i mean, this is still canada, and it's a very surprising scene to have these truckers occupy such large swathes right in front of parliament hill. this is where government

decisions are made. but right now, everything around here is a standstill. i think one avenue that's really been very good, in terms of outreach between the protesters and the residents, is that there has been an injunction by the courts in order to stop the honking, the incessant levels of noise, and that has really made some inroads in terms of truckers being a little more respectful of the residents and the residents being less angry towards the truckers. samira hussain reporting. laura dudas is ottawa's deputy mayor. she says her city is being damaged by events outside their control. so, the city of ottawa declared a state of emergency on sunday because the vaccine mandates really come from the

what has happening here, this protest... it's really taking our city and a residents hostage. i had the opportunity to walk downtown, and yes, it is quiet, except for the fact that the city is overtaken by more than 400 large trucks, and now they're in residential areas. laura, is what you're saying that, are you urging the federal government at this point to reconsider those vaccine mandates to try and get this issue resolved? is that what you're trying to bring to the table? absolutely not. the safety of residents will require the scientific verification of vaccines. the majority of residents in the city of ottawa, as across the...

as across the country believe in the vaccinations. the protesters have concerns. however, it's turned into an occupation. they have removed the tyres on big wheel trucks, they are bringing fuel and they have set up temporary shelters. this is no longer a peaceful conversation. this is a hostage taking of our city. so, where do we go from here? the truckers are saying that they're not budging, so how do you get them off the streets and end this occupation? the city of ottawa has heard clearly from the chief of police that we need more officers. we had an emergency meeting with the prime minister, justin trudeau, today and were asking for 1000 police and were asking for 1800 police

officers to insist the ottawa police service and working with the protesters to reduce their footprint. we're trying to encourage any new demonstrators who are showing up to just not come, and take a democratic and safe approach. share their concerns, but don't do it on the residential streets where people are trying to live their lives safely. in 30 seconds or less, what options are on the table that would avoid an escalation? well, the federal government is welcome to work on having a mediator and speaking with the protesters. the concern is that our ottawa police service has found there is no firm leaders in this protest group, so that might be difficult. from the city's perceptive for, we need our city back.

from the city's perceptive, we need our city back. we need to return to a state of normalcy. if that means is a smaller protest, so be it. however, these are individuals who need to let go of the siege that they are upholding and return our city back to our residents. auto's deputy mayor speaking me earlier. the diplomatic push to resolve tensions over ukraine is continuing, with the french president, emmanuel macron, meeting first, the ukrainian leader. president zelensky said he wanted to see russia take specific steps towards de—escalation. then president macron went on to berlin for talks with his german and polish counterparts. the message emerging — there can be a �*concrete solution�*, but it may take months. poland has described this as the worst crisis in europe for more than three decades. despite the diplomatic flurry, russian troops remain on the ukrainian border. russia denies it's preparing to invade, but in eastern ukraine,

civilians are already caught up in violence. separatist fighters backed by russia have occupied some areas since 2014. the bbc�*s fergal keane has reported on the conflict since it began, and has sent this report from kyiv. voices and sounds recorded over eight years of war, of agonies that can't be erased and which are revived by fears of a new conflict. in a kyiv veteran centre, the reassurances of childhood for those brutalized by battle. ok, so that was, you reckon, that was a good decision? olena was a combat medic. she's haunted by dreams in which dead comrades

return to speak to her. in my dream, i came back home and i met my dead friend and i asked him what i doing here? and he told me, "what? i'm living here, i live here". and ijust need to tell him that he's dead. he didn't know that he's dead. i wonder what all this escalation means for you, given what you've seen. once i lost my family and my home and i don't want to lose it again, so for me, this is a huge problem. i don't have one more life to restart it. since the war began in 2014, i've been photographing some of its faces... ..and hearing the testimonies of those for whom it is a constant presence. treatment of trauma

is underfunded, and many are left without help. so, you worked across both military and civilian? vladimir voloshin is a therapist working with trauma patients. translation: those people who've not been treated, - they have a feeling of anxiety in the background waiting for something bad. they have mood swings and when big stress happens like this escalation, it gets worse. amid new threats, it can be easy to overlook what's already been lost. andre is a traumatized veteran for whom metal work is therapeutic, but it doesn't alter his sense of futility over the war. translation: we wanted to free our land, but - the result was the opposite. that was the trauma for me.

what comes back the most is the loss of friends, - those who are gone, those who you could trust - with your life. there's no inevitability about war, and the hope is it will be averted, because its result is always certain — destruction of the body and the mind. fergal keane, bbc news, ukraine. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. disaster management officials in colombia say a landslide triggered by heavy rain has killed at least 11 people in risaralda province near the city of pereira. they said another 35 people were in hospital after several homes were engulfed. other residents living close to a swollen river nearby have been moved to safety. hong kong's announced stringent new covid restrictions. it follows record new infections on tuesday. the authorities have

implemented social—distancing measures and limits on gatherings at private homes. education campaigner malala yousafzai has urged indian leaders to stop what she described as the marginalisation of muslim women after some colleges banned students wearing the hijab in class. there've been clashes between campaigners and hard—line hindu nationalists who called for the ban. it's led to the state of karnataka closing high schools and colleges for three days. if you want to get in touch with me on any of the stories you've seen so far on newsday orany you've seen so far on newsday or any thoughts that you have about the programme, do send them to me on twitter. i'm looking forward to hearing from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come in the programme — an olympic balancing act — the athletes born in one nation, but choosing

to compete for another. there's mr mandela, mr nelson mandela, a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khamenei, has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, ba by doc duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, - shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud - farm's central block. shergar was driven away. in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning — elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and all her other realms and territories, head of the commonwealth,

defender of the faith. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... protests against covid vaccine laws continue in canada. truckers had earlier blocked a key route into the us. after another frantic day of diplomacy over ukraine, poland warns it's the worst crisis in europe for more than three decades. let's turn to the winter olympics now. there are an unprecedented number of foreign—born athletes competing for china at these winter olympic games, many of them hailing from north america. one of the stars of the games is the freestyle skier, eileen gu, who was born in the united states, but has chosen to compete for china. the californian—born athlete won gold for china

at the beijing olympics on tuesday. athletes like eileen gu face a complicated balancing act, with their ethnic and national identities pulling them in different directions. dr susan brownell is an expert on chinese sport and the olympic games and is a professor at the university of missouri—st louis. wonderful to have you on the programme. let's start by talking about eileen gu. she's done very well for china. born in north america, quite a different experience from somebody quite similar to her, the athleteju yi who didn't do so well and it but got a very different reaction on chinese social media. ~ ~' ., ., media. well, i think the moral ofthe media. well, i think the moral of the story — media. well, i think the moral of the story is _ media. well, i think the moral of the story is if _ media. well, i think the moral of the story is if you're - media. well, i think the moral of the story is if you're a - of the story is if you're a gold medal winner, everybody

likes you. frankly, eileen gu would have beenjust as popular in the united states, but since she was representing china, she was largely ignored until that moment. of course, she has been externally popular in china and herface is externally popular in china and her face is plastered all over walls and department stores everywhere. because of her high level sponsorships. ju didn't do well, unfortunately, and chinese fans are known for their poor sportsmanship, and they showed again this time around. ~ ., ., ., ., ., , around. want to ask how, and is it for peeple _ around. want to ask how, and is it for peeple to _ around. want to ask how, and is it for people to switch _ around. want to ask how, and is it for people to switch their - it for people to switch their allegiances, the sides they compete for.— allegiances, the sides they com ete for. , , , compete for. this is extremely common. _ compete for. this is extremely common. and _ compete for. this is extremely common, and it's _ compete for. this is extremely common, and it's becoming i compete for. this is extremely i common, and it's becoming more and more common, really, as a

symbol of the interconnected world we live in. but china had not taken part in a large way until this olympic games. there was one athlete in tokyo in track and field, who was the first who had been encouraged and recruited to represent china. these games, we have eileen gu and beverly, who we mentioned, but there are also about 15 men on the hockey team and about 12 women on the women's team, so china has gone for this on a big way. i think that the sign china is joining the world. that the sign china is “oining the world.* that the sign china is “oining the world. ., �* ., , the world. you've outlined why countries _ the world. you've outlined why countries do _ the world. you've outlined why countries do this _ the world. you've outlined why countries do this - _ the world. you've outlined why countries do this - it _ the world. you've outlined why countries do this - it helps - countries do this — it helps them win medals, but what about the athletes? someone born and raised in the united states to go and compete for china. in the case of an american athlete

like beverlyju, she probably didn't have a great chance of making an olympic team ever. and her training expenses and living expenses were taken care of as well, so she had both the financial stability and the opportunity to compete in the olympic games. in the case of eileen gu, it is a little bit more complicated because even at the point that she switched and began to represent china, she was already world—class and could have easily made the us team as well, so i think she's an interesting case. one might wonder if there was a lot of money offered to her behind—the—scenes that couldn't maybe match the situation in the us, but maybe she just felt very loyal to china. that's a little bit hard to... fascinating stuff. doctor susan, thank you so much for joining us on the programme.

let's turn to the topic of plastic pollution in the world's oceans — which, according to new analysis from the world wide fund for nature, is set to quadruple by 2050. should the prediction come true, many delicate ecosystems will not survive, says the report, and precious species will be lost forever. kate noble is from wwf australia. she says the situation is very serious. well, there are a lot of things we're not getting right at the moment, but the good news is we do now have some real solutions starting to shape up. so, this new analysis really provides a more comprehensive review of the impact of plastic pollutions on oceans, overview of the impact of plastic pollutions on oceans, marine ecosystems and specific species. it looks at trends into the future as well. it looked at around 2500 scientific studies, and alarmingly found that around 90% of marine species suffer the impact of pollution.

those negative impacts can range from susceptibility to disease, right through to serious injury and death. so, we need solutions to this growing crisis right now. kate, we've only recently had cop26. did you take any confidence away from that, that governments are taking the steps they need to fix this? well, while the outcomes weren't perfect, we need to realise that some progress was made. one important development was the establishment of annual ocean dialogues to look at ocean—based mitigation and adaptation strategies, and that can certainly help to drive our progress on plastic pollution. but the reality is that we are actually seeing some really promising support behind this global move towards an agreement or an international

treaty to combat plastic pollution. in 2019, we had around ten governments who publicly stated support for this progress, and by 2022, that increased to around 150. we now have around three quarters of un member states supporting this process, and when they meet at the un environmental assembly this month, they will decide whether to work on a treaty. there's a huge amount of public support behind this, and what we really need to see is that process start the oscar nominations are out — and the 1920s western �*the power of the dog' is dominating this year's line—up. olivia colman, benedict cumberbatch and andrew garfield are among the british nominees

in the lead acting categories. with more details, here's our culture editor, katie razzell. it's showtime. 25 years since our first run together, 1900 and nothing... the power of the dog leads the oscar charge with 12 nominations, including best picture. netflix's1920s western, starring a resplendent benedict cumberbatch, is best on the big screen, and i've got the best seat in the house with film critic larushka ivan—zadeh. jane campion, the director, she has made history today. that's right, she's the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director. and her cast have done quite well as well. that's right, you've got benedict cumberbatch, kirsten dunst and jesse plemons and kodi smit—mcphee, who i think is the definite for best supporting actor. sci—fi epic dune has picked up ten nominations, best picture amongst them. and steven spielberg's remake of the musical west side story has seven, including best picture and director.

it's the bookies' favourite at 3—1, but i think its best chance for winning is best supporting actress for ariana debose. you know who you are, don't you? yes, pop. belfast has seven nominations, and with the two for best picture and best original screenplay, its director, kenneth branagh, has broken another oscar record. seven nominations across seven different categories throughout his career. and i think some of the actors have also picked up some nominations? that's right, ciaran hinds and judi dench, who leads the charge of the brits. another brit, olivia colman, has her third oscar nomination for the lost daughter, a searing look at motherhood, with ireland's jessie buckley also nominated. and you stop being a writer who waits tables... and andrew garfield, who's a top favourite for tick, tick, boom, the musical. and in that category, there are two hollywood greats, aren't there — in the best actor category? that's right, best actor very closely fought. speak, if you can.

denzel washington getting his tenth nomination this year, though it has been 20 years since he won for training day. but the big favourite to win best actor is will smith. he's never won, and he's playing the father of venus and serena williams for king richard. and you think he'll win? he'll win. and king richard, the film he's in, is also nominated in the best picture category. are there any surprises there? i think drive my car, which is a three—hour—long japanese road movie. all credit to the oscar voters for getting through that. it could be this year's parasite and upset the apple cart. but is it the year of power of the dog? i think it's netflix's power of the dog, and this could be the year that netflix finally wins the best picture category. we'll find out next month. katie razzell, bbc news. we'll find out on sunday, so make sure you tune in.

from the oscars — to the brit awards — for the music lovers out there amongst you. a big victory for adele — who has won three of the biggest prizes at this years brit awards in london. she took song of the year for "easy on me", album of the year for "30" and the new category of artist of the year after they got rid of gender—specific categories. she also performed onstage — herfirst appearance since cancelling her residency shows in las vegas last month. if you wanto see a full list of winners, please visit the bbc website. in canada, a standoff shows no sign of ending. canadian prime ministerjustin trudeau was loudly heckled by opposition mps in parliament on tuesday as he defended the use of restrictions to fight the covid—19 pandemic, measures canadian truckers have taken to the streets in their vehicles to oppose. that's all the time we have for you on newsday. thanks so much forjoining me. from me and the

team, do stay with bbc news. hello. we're certainly starting to see the signs of spring on the ground and in the trees in parts of the uk, all being helped certainly on tuesday by well above—average temperatures — widely12—14 degrees across england and wales, just a touch cooler in scotland, northern ireland. but a much cooler end to the week on the way. temperatures dropping down, but closer to where it should be for this stage in february. that cooler air has been to the north of us. it'll be pushing southwards beyond this weather front, which, overnight, only slowly works its way southwards and eastwards, the mildest air coming confined to the southern half of england and wales as we start wednesday morning. a chilly start further north with some ice in places, covering of snow and the showers overnight in scotland. those wintry showers continuing through the day here and on the hills and northern ireland,

best of the sunshine to the south and east. brightening up in northern england, north wales through the morning, and after a damp start through the rest of wales and the midlands, should turn brighter into the afternoon. but after a bright start in southern areas, it turns cloudier and damper, breezier, too. strongest of the winds with gusts in excess of 50—60 mph across the north, where it could feel colder than four or five celsius would suggest. still holding onto that milder air in southernmost counties. where we'll continue see clouds and rain into the night through wednesday night into thursday morning, attention turns to what's happening in the north of scotland. we could see severe gales develop with more extensive snow to take us into thursday morning. those strong winds stop temperatures widely falling below freezing, but it will be a cold start to thursday morning with subzero temperatures on the hills. and with severe gales gusting 60—70 mph in the north of scotland to begin with, heavy snow for a while — that breaks up into sunshine and showers. showers on and off through the day across some western areas, brightening up to the south after a hazy start, and some sunshine continuing in the east through the afternoon. but all of us will feel chillier than the past few days. add on the effect of the wind, a substantial wind—chill for parts of scotland,

feeling subzero as we go through thursday afternoon. with that colder air in place, a ridge of high pressure building in — the blue colours showing the cold air — it'll be the coldest morning of the week as we head into friday. temperatures widely below freezing right across the uk, maybe —6 or —7 through parts of scotland. but a lovely, bright start to the day, crisp, sunshine overhead, a few mist and fog patches. cloud increases from the west, one or two showers here and there before the day's out, and many places will stay dry and bright. that's how it's looking. see you soon.

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues straight after hardtalk. hello. we're certainly starting to see the signs of spring on the ground and in the trees in parts of the uk, all being helped certainly on tuesday by well above—average temperatures — widely12—14 degrees across england and wales, just a touch cooler in scotland, northern ireland. but a much cooler end to the week on the way. temperatures dropping down, but closer to where it should be for this stage in february. that cooler air has been to the north of us. it'll be pushing southwards beyond this weather front, which, overnight, only

slowly works its way southwards and eastwards, the mildest air becoming confined to the southern