welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: russia warns it will launch strikes on targets in the ukrainian capital, kyiv, telling residents, to leave their homes. it's as russian forces hit the main television tower in kyiv, killing five people and damaging a holocaust memorial nearby. satellite images show a russian military convoy closing in on the capital, but the pentagon says the troops may have supply problems. russians forces attack ukraine's second city kharkiv with rockets and cruise

missiles targeting civilians. translation: kharviv and kyiv are the most important targets | for russia now. the tower is aimed at breaking us, breaking our resistance. the united nations says nearly 700,000 people have fled ukraine. the flow of refugees is increasing by the hour. and president biden will give his first state of the union address tonight. president zelensky urges him to send a strong and useful message. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. it's 9:00 in the morning in singapore, and 3:00am in the ukranian

capital, kyiv, where russian forces are closing in on the city. in the coming days, troops could lay siege to kyiv, cutting off food, water and other essential supplies. satellite images show a vast russian military convoy heading there, and russia's defence ministry has urged citizens living near government buildings and other official sites, to leave their homes. we begin our coverage with this report from our international correspondent, 0rla guerin. loud explosion. one more russian missile strike brings terror to the streets of kyiv. the target this time, the main tv tower. the emergency services say five people were killed. and more russian firepower is closing in on the city. satellite images show this column of armoured vehicles and tanks. it's a0 miles long and less

than 20 miles out. so, time for a do it yourself defence of kyiv. we found ordinary civilians, men and women, gathered this afternoon to make molotov cocktails. katarina, a nurse, said she couldn't stand idly by. this is our country and this is hurting us a lot. hard to discuss it... did you ever think you would find yourself a situation like this? never. nobody could imagine this. "the russians won't make it," he says. "ukrainians are doing what they need to do." there is an assembly line here now. they're filling the bottles and filling the crates. there is a real

sense of purpose and a feeling that these weapons, home—made though they may be, could soon be needed here. and many ukrainians are occupying new positions. wartime roles they would never have sought. igor, a lawyer, now mans a lookout post. yes, so, a week ago i was representing my cases in the court room. and now it's difficult to address, but if you don't think about it and simply do what you have to do, it actually feels already normal. have you ever held a gun in your hands before? at school we were trained to deal with this sort of thing but i have never dared to do it

or ever shot a gun or a pistol. this is the new architecture of kyiv. tank traps on the highway. a city trying to save itself, building barricades with whatever comes to hand. and today, more volunteers for territorial defence units, from all walks of life. not entirely sure what they are signing up for, apart from being willing to die for ukraine. they know that day might come soon. and here, a reminder... air strike. we are hearing the air raid warning siren. we have got to get to cover. many here say there is more at stake than their motherland. like dennis, who until last week was an activist fighting corruption. this is a fight for democracy.

this is a fight for freedom. for human rights. we don't want russia here, we don't want a dictatorship. we don't want russian empire here. we will fight for ukraine, for europe and for all over the world. they asked us to take a group photo. joking next week we will be reporting this group beat the russians. but by then, the picture here may be very different. 0rla guerin, bbc news, kyiv. and around about an hour's time president biden will deliver his first state of the union address. the speech has been hastily rewritten in the last few days to focus on the war in ukraine. we can speak to our

washington correspondent. i know you are waiting for that address to start. what is likely to be the main focus of the speech this evening? we are exectin: the speech this evening? we are expecting ukraine _ the speech this evening? we are expecting ukraine to _ the speech this evening? we are expecting ukraine to dominate i expecting ukraine to dominate the speech. the state of the union is traditionally an opportunity for the president to talk about his domestic agenda, what he has achieved, what he's hoping to achieve, an opportunity to remind the american people why they voted for him. 0ften, american people why they voted for him. often, the state of the union is seen as something normal standard, formulate, these are not normal times. when resident biden delivers the speech, living over it will be the war war in ukraine unleashed by russia. —— president biden. essentially he will be delivering the speech as a wartime president. they want to know more about ukraine and what the us is doing and we

are expecting to hear him talk about the economic and military assistance america is giving to ukraine. we are expecting to call vladimir putin out deliberately blaming him for the wall in ukraine and understand the maybe a possibility of a split screen showing the ongoing bombing happening in ukraine. —— war. but he will focus on a lot of domestic policies as well, touching on issues affecting americans such as inflation and he will use it as an opportunity to remind them of things he has achieved for them, such asjob things he has achieved for them, such as job growth, things he has achieved for them, such asjob growth, we will be talking about the pandemic and how he feels it is very much in the rearview mirror. but there are other challenges he will be addressing but ukraine will be very much of the focus this evening. very much of the focus this evening-— very much of the focus this evenina. .,, i. ,., evening. indeed as you point out, evening. indeed as you point out. there —

evening. indeed as you point out, there is _ evening. indeed as you point out, there is also _ evening. indeed as you point out, there is also the - evening. indeed as you point l out, there is also the domestic agenda with the fact his poll ratings are at a record low, inflation at a high and the pandemic not completely dealt with. there is a lot on his plate this evening? there really is- _ plate this evening? there really is. bear— plate this evening? there really is. bear in - plate this evening? there really is. bear in mind - plate this evening? there| really is. bear in mind you have the midterm elections. his name is not on the ballot but his party will be defending a wafer thing congressional margin in the upcoming elections and trying to hold on into the senate. he is expecting to lose many seeds and it will be hard to get through much of his agenda. we will be trying to appeal to a lot of people enter this speech. notjust the democratic party where there are divisions, but also to the republicans. a lot of hostility between the democratic party and the republicans and he will need to make friends in order to pass things in the future.

he will highlight a lot of the good stuff he has done, he has to bear in mind that inflation is really affecting people, prices have gone up and there is real pain in america right now and he will have to talk about what he plans to do. lowering costs is something he wants to do, not lower wages. and remember, this is a speech watched notjust by americans but by the will, given what is happening in ukraine so a lot of people he will be speaking to tonight. i of people he will be speaking to tonight-— to tonight. i note you will be across that _ to tonight. i note you will be across that football - to tonight. i note you will be across that football our - across that football our audiences in bbc news. —— all that for our audiences. in kharkiv, ukraine's second—biggest city, to the east, there was a huge explosion tuesday, after a russian missile hit the regional government's headquarters. at least 10 people were killed and 35 others were injured. russia is now in full control of significant parts

of ukrainian territory, 0ur eastern europe correspondent, sarah rainsford, reports from dnipro, where many residents of kharkiv have fled. a warning, her report does contain some distressing images. ukraine's second city under devastating fire. russia says it's not targeting civilians here. it says it's using precision missiles. it claims its liberating ukraine from nazis. but russia has invaded its neighbour "who wanted a russian world here?" a man demands to know, "is this what you wanted?" in the rubble are the remains of a collection point. clothes and food meant for those trapped at home by the fighting, and for those defending them.

three—year—old palina is now sleeping in her bath. her mum asks why she has to go to the bunker. "it's because of the bombs," she says. palina has cancer and her medicine is running out. the family need to leave town urgently but they're scared to step outside. translation: it's such a lottery. - you sit here thinking, "will they hit your house or not?" i don't know how to get out. they tell you all the time not to go out, it is dangerous, so ijust don't know what to do. i just hope they will make a safe corridor and get civilians out. so, dnipro, the next city south, is building up its defences, determined to stop the russian advance. some people who do flee kharkiv are now heading here.

just as we were filming the volunteers making this checkpoint, one of so many fortifications now going up around dnipro, the air raid siren started to wail again and the volunteers ducked under the bridge for cover. just a reminder of how, when we talk about dnipro being safe, it's all pretty relative. vera made it here this morning, grabbing just enough for a couple of days. in kharkiv, she tells me, food and even water are growing scarce now and a friends in hospital after this morning's missile strike. she tells me, "he was right by the building. "thank god he's alive." but she says all her friends started writing and calling today when their flats were hit, or something fell really close. and this evening in kharkiv, there was this... their president calls it the price ukraine is paying for its freedom. it is an enormous price. sarah rainsford,

bbc news, dnipro. for more on this moving story, i'm joined now by our reporter mark lobel in london. he has been keeping a close eye on the latest developments. what is the latest we are hearing in terms of the situation on the ground? with president biden _ situation on the ground? with president biden about - situation on the ground? ti president biden about to address the subject, it is mixed picture on the ground. defence forces suggesting not just kharkiv surrounded but also mirror paul and north of cry mia. this is video evidence of russian troops giving themselves up, somewhere in ukraine. —— mariupol between kherson and mariupol this

resistance from civilians who stood in the way of an armed russian convoy. russian soldiers unclear what to do about it. a scene repeated in kharkiv as well. despite all of this the russian defence minister remains undeterred. this is what he had to say on tuesday. this is what he had to say on tuesday-— this is what he had to say on tuesday._ the tuesday. translation: the russian armed _ tuesday. translation: the russian armed forces - tuesday. translation: the russian armed forces group | tuesday. translation: the - russian armed forces group will continue its special military operation until it has achieved its goals. mil operation until it has achieved its coals. �* ., , its goals. all of this happening - its goals. all of this happening as - its goals. all of this happening as the i its goals. all of this _ happening as the slow-moving happening as the slow—moving convoy heading to the capital. how do things look coming into day seven of the conflict? clearly not a quiet night as these pictures show and it is still a government hands and this is the sound of things to

come and that convoy, russia has been warning of an imminent set of high precision airstrikes and certainty targets in kharkiv. there have been explosions heard on the outskirts of the city in the last three hours but the large convoy we focused on for several days now, about 50 kilometres or less from the capital has been analysed by mckenzie intelligence services and these are their conclusions now about the convoy. the first conclusion they found is that it is a series of logistical packets strung a long a major highway from the belarus border to the outskirts of kyiv. the second conclusion is that the convoy appears to be hampered in several places. the third conclusion is that within the column there are some armoured tanks, some towed artillery and infantry fighting vehicles but mainly logistical vehicles, suggesting they are in for the long wall. for his take on this, this is the general, the

former nato supreme allied commander in europe reading the situation. the commander in europe reading the situation. . ., ., situation. the area left and ri . ht of situation. the area left and right of that _ situation. the area left and right of that route - situation. the area left and right of that route is - situation. the area left and right of that route is fairly l right of that route is fairly muddy so they cannot get off the road, they are limited to the road, they are limited to the road, they are limited to the road and the author here they are still in it having logistical problems, not having the gas and things in some places. why they are not being struck, we have to ask ourselves what would strike them? right now, they're probably the only thing available are ground forces with these anti—tank missiles. i am pretty sure that even though the convoy may not look like it is well organised, it is probably covered by russian surface to air missiles at. these pictures just surface to air missiles at. these picturesjust in, and airstrike west to kharkiv, two people killed and ten homes and a local hospital were damaged. bbc have not verified those claims yet.

you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come: is nearly 700,000 people flee ukraine, the un says there is a desperate need for shelter and medical supplies and clean water. first, the plates slipped gently off the restaurant tables. then suddenly, the tables, the chairs and people crashed sideways and downwards. it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side. the hydrogen bomb on a remote pacific atoll. the americans had successfully tested a weapon whose explosive force dwarfed that of the bomb dropped on hiroshima. i had heard the news earlier and so, my heart went - bang, bang, bang! the constitutional rights of

these marches are their rights as citizens of the united states and they should be protected, even in the right to test them out, so that they don't get their heads broken and are sent to hospital. this religious controversy — i know you don't want to say too much about it — but does it worry you that it's going to boil up when you get the states? well, it bothers me, yes, i but i hope everything will be all right in the end of the day. - this is newsday on the bbc. headlines today: ukraine says russia has attacked the main television tower in the capital, kharkiv, killing five and damaging the holocaust memorial —— care. kharkiv was attacked with rockets and cruise missiles, targeting civilians.

ahead of the feed bombardment, people continue to flee. thousands have arrived in the western city of lviv which is a hub. a special correspondence in this report from the city. the road that goes on and on, the refugee road — of days waiting to move meagre distances. on day six of this invasion, the refugees keep coming. now, when you look at these images every day, you might think it's the same story every day. but, of course, it's not —— war never is. it's not about an anonymous mass of people fleeing. it's about individual lives that are turned upside down. over half a million have fled already, many thousands more are on the move —

like liza, leaving with her elderly mother and daughter. translation: it's scary, for sure, . it's psychologically difficult, because we lived well, we started to build a new house last year. and now we had to run, everything we have is in the car. there's shock but no social collapse. these teenagers from a local village clean the rubbish left by those fleeing. it's civic—minded, but also the solidarity of friends in the face of war. translation: it was very scary, we cried a lot, - but we are together, and we support each other. we want it to stop, we don't want any war. we want ukraine to be ukraine. back in lviv, the fighting might still be far away, but they're strengthening security along the roads — civilians

and military together. this is a brewery that's been converted into a factory for making petrol bombs. piano plays. nine—year—old maksym calms himself by practising the piano, playing in a theatre that's been converted into a refuge. the actors welcoming new arrivals like maksym and his mum, daria. translation: we didn't want to leave our home. | it is difficult, this. but i understood that the situation was escalating very rapidly, and we decided to flee with everything we could. "i'm fine, this is normal." "i don't want war," he told me.

"it'll be better if it doesn't happen and everybody lives in their own house and doesn't have to go anywhere else." tomorrow, maksym will be here at lviv station, to become another story of departure. people here ask, "how long will the war go on?" it's a question, sadly, easy to answer. as long as president putin wants it to. until that happens, across ukraine, the partings will go on. fergal keane, bbc news, lviv. taking a look at other stories in the headlines today: a group of senior us officials appointed by president biden have arrived in taiwan discussing peace and security. the delegation was formulated over tensions in the ukraine and china regards taiwan as a

rebel province and some for fear baiting could use force to take control. up to 50 and their animals have been rescued after being trapped overnight in a bridge and would burn australia as they tried to escape rising floodwaters. there have been over 1000 rescue so far in the new south wales flood emergency. hong kong's chief executive, carrie lamb, has called for calm as residents emptied supermarkets and pharmacies stocking up for the coronavirus lockdown. they said to avoid unnecessary fears but the reported 32,000 new infections, severely testing its strategy of isolating every covid—19 case. in the uk, queen elizabeth is back at work after being forced to cancel engagement last week since falling ill with covid—19. the news came in a statement issued by buckingham palace. it was accompanied by these photos, showing the monarch holding virtual meetings with

ambassadors from her residence in windsor castle. it is just it isjust remind it is just remind you of the main news, russia wants it will launch strikes on targets in the ukrainian capital, telling residents to leave homes. take a moment to look at the huge military convoy we have been telling you about, approaching the north and the satellite imagery can see is taken on monday, showing russian vehicles vehicles lined up along the road near the border of belarus. you can see them stretch from the typewriter to the bottom left but experts say that claims the convoy is a0 miles long is inaccurate. rather, it is broken up into a string of what they say our logistical packets strung out along the road and the analysis suggests the convoy is making slow progress due to several broken down vehicles stay with

us on bbc news. we will be bringing you a special programme covering state of the union speech, live from washington, right here on bbc news, which you can watch in the next few minutes. lots more analysis and news coming up. thank you for watching. hello there. after that sensation of warmth from a strengthening sunshine overhead, areas that saw the blue skies today, like here in parts of scotland, you're going to feel the chill tonight with temperatures widely below freezing. different story further south with conditions a bit more like this, and it's this sort of look more of us will have as we go into wednesday. there's the cloud which kept things a bit gray, misty and damp across some southern areas. heavy bursts of rain from that creeping its way northwards, but with clearer skies across scotland, northern ireland, northern england for much of the night, this is where we will see temperatures drop below freezing, may be as low as —7 through some sheltered glens of aberdeenshire. but the rain or drizzle towards the south does become more extensive, edging into north wales,

parts of northern england first thing tomorrow morning. and temperatures don't really drop here through the night, 7—8 celsius, as i said, compared to the subzero temperatures, especially so across scotland as we start the new day. so here's the chart as we go into wednesday. 0ur weather system continues to work its way northwards. we'll have a bit more breeze as well across these western areas and even across scotland where the sunshine's out. there will be more of a breeze around, that will make it feel a bit more chilly after that cold start. the cloud, rain, drizzle across wales, midlands, southern england, then pushes into northern england, northern ireland through the morning and into the afternoon, through some southern parts of scotland. it's going to be quite murky over the hills. we could see a little bit of brightness breakthrough parts of wales and the southwest. if we do, 11—12 degrees. most places in single figures. whilst we've got the sunshine still in northern scotland, more of a breeze will make it feel chillier than today. so that breeze then takes the cloud and patchy rain across scotland as we go through into wednesday evening and wednesday night. with all that cloud around, one decaying weather front across the uk, another one pushing in from the west. it will be a much milder start on thursday for all,

but it will be a bit of a damp start as well. the weather front quickly pushing its way eastwards away from some western areas as we go through thursday morning. so a better chance of brightening up here, but its meeting resistance from developing southeasterly flow across the north sea. and that means the weather front may grind to a halt. eastern scotland down the spine of england with outbreaks of rain continuing into the afternoon and a rather gray, misty look to go with it. temperatures 9—12 celsius. similar sort of temperatures, actually, through the rest of the week and into the weekend. high pressure, though, builds around our weather front, the problem is the weather front gets trapped. plenty of cloud around, some patchy drizzle, but gradually turning drier through the weekend. see you soon.

iam laura i am laura trevelyan in washington, dc and this is the special coverage of president biden�*s the state of the union. president biden will tell a joint session of congress that the invasion of ukraine by president putin was unprovoked. he will tell americans he has a plan to fight record levels of inflation and he is expected to say america is in a new moment of the pandemic.— of the pandemic. president biden will— of the pandemic. president biden will use _ of the pandemic. president biden will use his - of the pandemic. president biden will use his biggest l biden will use his biggest platform of the year to condemn leading opponent for invading

ukraine.