welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm mariko oi. the headlines: as the un calls for an end to the war in ukraine, we report on the battle for a key town in the south of the country where ukrainians have pushed back russian forces. this war is only a few weeks old, and erections will certainly be back with more soldiers and a lot more firepower. —— the russians will certainly be back. fleeing the besieged city of mariupol, survivors tell of children dying

there because of a lack of food and water. a prominent kremlic critic gets anotherjail sentence — the us says it's part of the crackdown on dissent, to hide the war in ukraine. and as more cities in china lock down, can beijing's zero covid policy ever beat the highly contagious omicron variant? live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 7am here in singapore and 1am in the morning in ukraine, where the people there are said to be enduring "a living hell" where the people are said to be enduring "a living hell" according to the head of the united nations, as he appeals for an end to the war. antonio guterres warns that the situation is becoming more destructive and unpredictable by the hour. ukraine says ten hospitals have been destroyed in the russian bombardment so far, and major cities are running short of both food and medical supplies. heavy fighting is continuing

in many parts of the country. but our first report comes from the southern town of voznesensk, where troops and a small population ofjust 35,000 people have seen off an attack by the russian army. 0ur correspondent andrew harding has been there. in war, a single bridge can sometimes make all the difference. a bridge and a town determined to keep it from the enemy. and that's what happened here in voznesensk, a quiet farming community that stood its ground. security cameras captured the moment russian tanks roared into town, determined to seize the bridge, and beyond it, a clear road across southern ukraine. but the locals were already setting a trap. all hands on deck. blocking off roads, guiding the russians into an ambush.

a local shopkeeper, alexander, filmed himself on the front lines. "you little beauties!", he shouts. "it was a colossal effort by the whole town," he says. "we used hunting rifles, people threw bricks, "old women loaded sandbags, the russians didn't "know where to look. "i've never seen the community come together like that." as the invaders approached the bridge, the locals blew it up — at which point these british anti—tank weapons played a decisive role. the ukrainians destroyed almost every russian vehicle, denying them the chance to seize the town and to rebuild the bridge. tank tracks still mark svetlana nikolajevna's garden.

her outhouse took a direct hit. she says the russians took two ukrainian soldiers prisoner in there, and she feared they were going to kill them, but then the battle got out of hand. that's the blood of russian soldiers who were sheltering in her house. while she hid in a cellar, her cottage became a russian field hospital. translation: they left at night in such a hurry. | they left almost everything behind. theyjust took their dead and wounded. it may be russia's heaviest defeat so far, their troops retreating far to the east. this town, this community achieved something remarkable here, but we need to put it in perspective. this war is only a few weeks old, and the russians will almost certainly be back with more soldiers

and a lot more firepower. not surprisingly, the town hall is crowded with people wanting help getting out of voznesensk. 0thers go straight to the 32—year—old mayor. he's well guarded these days, brimming with confidence, but realistic about what lies ahead. "we know we can't win here without more anti—tank "weapons," says yevheni velichko. "we're grateful for western supplies, but we need more. "you know, the russians will be back." back for the bridge and back for the town that stood its ground. andrew harding, bbc news, in voznesensk, southern ukraine. the southern port city of mariupol is a key strategic target for the russian military. many have fled, but around 300,000 people are believed to be trapped there, with food and water running out.

0ur correspondent wyre davies sent this report from zaporizhzhia, where some people from mariupol have managed to flee. after 170 miles, mined roads and 15 russian army checkpoints — freedom. their ordeal is by no means over, but for these families who have escaped from mariupol in a motley convoy of bomb—damaged vehicles, the last month has been as close to hell as any human should ever get. it was bombing every ten, five minutes and we haven't any central heating, gas, electricity, food or water, nothing. before leaving, katya grabbed her obstinate dog jesse, but this isn't the first time she's fled war. i passed through war in 2014. i'm from donetsk. but it was light variant, really.

and now it's my second war, but it is harder. this van, filled with 25 people, also made it through today. all occupants of the same bunker in mariupol escaping together — from ages 2—75. 0vercome with emotion, babushka, or grandmother, anna, says, "it's all too much for me at my age." some of those arriving today gave us videos, a snapshot of the nightmare in which they've been living and the perils of theirjourney out. around 300,000 people are still thought to be trapped inside the besieged city, much of which has been destroyed by the russian bombardment. from the sky in particular, russia is causing real damage to mariupol�*s civilian and industrial infrastructure. it was a bombardment that almost took the life of two—month—old volodymyr.

when a shell landed near their apartment, his father instinctively threw himself over the baby. dad alexei was hit by shrapnel and glass. his son, born only a month before the war, bears no injuries. "after that, we lived in the shelter cooking with wood and just trying "to survive," says alexei. ukrainians have their differences, but the war has brought people together in adversity. volunteers provide anything those escaping mariupol need for their onward journeys, knowing full well that their town could be next. wyre davies, bbc news, zaporizhzhia. well, as the conflict goes on, how is the propaganda war being fought by both sides? i'm joined now by emily harding, senior fellow at the centre for strategic and international studies think—tank in washington. thank you so much forjoining us on

the programme. i guess this is the first war that has really played out on social media, russian trolls are trying to shape the narrative, but it appears that the ukrainian government is really outperforming in the media. government is really outperforming in the media-— in the media. absolutely. i think that president _ in the media. absolutely. i think that president zelensky - in the media. absolutely. i think that president zelensky has - in the media. absolutely. i think. that president zelensky has really drawn on his media training himself, his time as an actor, and has learned how to speak directly to the people of his allies, directly to the people of russia, really get his message out beyond the russian propaganda. you message out beyond the russian prepaganda-_ message out beyond the russian --roa~anda. ., ., , propaganda. you mentioned president zelens , propaganda. you mentioned president zelensky. has — propaganda. you mentioned president zelensky, has been _ propaganda. you mentioned president zelensky, has been addressing - propaganda. you mentioned president zelensky, has been addressing a - propaganda. you mentioned president zelensky, has been addressing a lot i zelensky, has been addressing a lot of foreign parliaments, he is addressing the japanese parliament today. how do you rate his performance in addressing those foreign governments as well? he is vastly outstripping _ foreign governments as well? he: 3 vastly outstripping expectations. i think usually remarkable amount of political savvy and media savvy. if you notice, with every single one of his speeches, he tries to use a phrase or word that is very important to that particular

country's history, he tries to draw on that country's lived experiences, things that are illegal one to resonate with the people of that nation. when he spoke to the united states congress, use the words "i have a dream", referring to the words of dr martin luther king, and he is speaking to the experience of the people he addresses. interesting. the chinese state media have been repeating russian propaganda. how do you assess china positive role in this propaganda or disinformation were? == positive role in this propaganda or disinformation were?— disinformation were? -- china's role. ithink— disinformation were? -- china's role. i think china _ disinformation were? -- china's role. i think china is _ disinformation were? -- china's role. i think china is trying - disinformation were? -- china's role. i think china is trying to i role. i think china is trying to walk a fine line. the republic in their support when dealing fixing to beijing, then they found themselves of this horrific esperance in ukraine —— when the olympics came to. they want to convince the people to. they want to convince the people to do the right thing and have used

the great firewall to a great extent, try to block out any kind of western information, or information from on the ground in ukraine, and instead have parroted the russian lies. the russian narrative, the ukrainian narrative, i think, lies. the russian narrative, the ukrainian narrative, ithink, has started to pierce the veil in russia but has done less so in china and thatis but has done less so in china and that is something i think needs to change. people in china also need to know what is going on. find change. people in china also need to know what is going on.— know what is going on. and as the work continues, _ know what is going on. and as the work continues, with _ know what is going on. and as the work continues, with everyone - know what is going on. and as the i work continues, with everyone from soldiers to residents within ukraine taking pictures and videos as well, some information on social media is very hard to verify, so how do you tackle this? is very hard to verify, so how do you tackle this?— tackle this? is a real challenge. this is the _ tackle this? is a real challenge. this is the first _ tackle this? is a real challenge. this is the first war, _ tackle this? is a real challenge. this is the first war, as - tackle this? is a real challenge. this is the first war, as you - tackle this? is a real challenge. | this is the first war, as you said, thatis this is the first war, as you said, that is played out on social media. everyone with a high—tech camera in their pocket. is a tonne of information out there. i think as a savvy consumer, you have to wonder with every thing you look at, it is this real, is this night? there are some signs, who is sending the

message? there are people out there picking the images apart in —— and confirming they did happen when they say they happened... proving it exactly factual. it is important, though, to be a savvy consumer and think before you like, think before you retweet. emilia; think before you retweet. emily hardin , think before you retweet. emily harding, thank _ think before you retweet. emily harding, thank you _ think before you retweet. emily harding, thank you so - think before you retweet. emily harding, thank you so much - think before you retweet. emily harding, thank you so much forj harding, thank you so much for joining us with your on newsday. in russia, the country's most prominent opposition figure, alexei navalny, has had his prison sentance extended to nine years, after being found guilty of fraud and contempt of court.

in russia, the country's most prominent opposition figure, alexei navalny, has had his prison sentance extended to nine years, after being found guilty of fraud and contempt of court. he was detained when he returned to russia last year, after surviving a poisoning which he blamed on president putin and those who serve him in the kremlin. 0ur russia editor steve rosenberg has more details. the images are grainy, but the meaning was clear. kremlin critic alexei navalny, already a prisoner, was about to receive anotherjail term. his prison colony had been turned into a courtroom, his supporters call it a show trial. he was sentenced to nine years, maximum security, for fraud. this was mr navalny just over a year ago. russia's most prominent opposition figure detained when he flew into moscow. his arrest and imprisonment sparked nationwide protests. but what followed was a kremlin crackdown. the result, more repression, less freedom. so much has happened here in the last year. the russian opposition has

been crushed, kremlin critics have been silenced. this feels like a very different russia. and that feeling is all the stronger after president putin's decision to send his troops into ukraine. the kremlin calls what it's doing in ukraine a special military operation. it demands that everyone do the same. the freedom of speech is non—existent. this is the horrible war that we are not even allowed to call the war because here it is called a special operation. and people that come onto the streets with a banner saying no war are detained. this russian mp thinks that in times of trouble, russians should support the motherland. as for alexei navalny? he cheated on government, he cheated on certain businesses. it is widely seen politically motivated.

it is not. so, there are no political prisoners in russia? there are no political prisoners in russia. not a single one? not a single one, absolutely. and that is precisely the picture the kremlin paints for the russian people, hoping they will believe that there is no repression here, no war, no problem. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: william and kate are welcomed to jamaica, but they may face some protests about the monarchy�*s past links with slavery. applause i'm so proud of both of you. let there be no more wars or bloodshed between arabs and israelis.

with great regret, the committee have decided that south africa be excluded from the 1970 competition. chanting streaking across the sky, the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. wow! this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. 0ur headlines: ukraine's president says the country has a chance of surviving the war, as its military stops the russian invaders advancing on a number of key targets.

the us has condemned the latestjail sentence given to kremlin critic alexei navalny as part of the crackdown on dissent, to hide the war in ukraine. china is facing its worst set of covid—19 outbreaks since the original lockdown in wuhan more than two years ago. the city of shenyang, an industrial city of 9 million people, was placed under lockdown on monday night. more than 4,000 coronavirus cases have been reported, as the nation's "zero covid" strategy is confronted by an 0micron wave. for more on china's covid outbreaks, professor dale fisher, chair of the who's global 0utbreak alert and response network, joins me now. thank you so much forjoining us, professor. i want to ask you about why china is sticking to zero covid, because recent data shows that made

in china vaccines are less effective than other vaccines, like pfizer or moderna. is that why china cannot choose to live with the pandemic like the rest of us? i choose to live with the pandemic like the rest of us?— like the rest of us? i think that ma be like the rest of us? i think that may be a _ like the rest of us? i think that may be a part _ like the rest of us? i think that may be a part of the _ like the rest of us? i think that may be a part of the reason, i like the rest of us? i think that i may be a part of the reason, but i think there is probably several reasons. firstly, let mejust say, no country has been able to keep 0micron out, and all countries, particularly in east asia, have one ljy particularly in east asia, have one by one accepted it, and i think the chinese health authorities are not fools, they will understand this, so i think it is really about positioning themselves with the necessary surge that would happen as they start to accept it. i think some of the things that make you waiting for would be probably vaccinating the most vulnerable stuff we've seen in both singapore

and hong kong there was quite a lot of reluctance to take the vaccine in the senior age groups, quite different to the west, so i think there is a cultural phenomenon there, elderly chinese people have got their own reasons for not wanting to take it, and therefore evenif wanting to take it, and therefore even if you've got a high vaccination rate, if those unvaccinated are the most vulnerable, then you need to wait until that is done. the other thing i think is the necessary surge, getting all the health facilities, the resources, ready. and we have seen recently that china is allowing the public to buy rapid tests, so i think this is probably the first sign that they're going to be accepting the people contest themselves at home. == accepting the people contest themselves at home.- accepting the people contest themselves at home. -- can test themselves- _ themselves at home. -- can test themselves. you _ themselves at home. -- can test themselves. you mention - themselves at home. -- can test themselves. you mention hong i themselves at home. -- can test - themselves. you mention hong kong, which now has the highest death rate in the world. do you expect possibly china seeing a surge in a scenario

as bad as hong kong? i china seeing a surge in a scenario as bad as hong kong?— china seeing a surge in a scenario as bad as hong kong? i think that is what the chinese _ as bad as hong kong? i think that is what the chinese authorities - as bad as hong kong? i think that is what the chinese authorities should | what the chinese authorities should be concerned about. if you consider the different scales, they would be some degree of carnage in the elderly people that have not been vaccinated, so as i said, singapore realised this quite early on, towards the end of last year, when our hospitals were not overwhelmed but heading that direction, with large numbers of severely ill elderly people. hong kong has now realised that. and i think china are taking stock of that lesson. professor dale fisher, thank you so much forjoining us on newsday today. ma; much for “oining us on newsday toda . y , ., , let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. rescuers at the site of a plane crash in southern china have found burnt wreckage and personal belongings of those on board,

but no sign of any survivors. china eastern flight mu—5735 was carrying 132 people when it nose—dived 30,000 feet into hills in guangxi province on monday near the town of wuzhou. recovery work has been hampered by difficult terrain. myanmar�*s military government has rejected the declaration by the us on monday that violence committed by the burmese armed forces against the rohingya minority amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity. thousands of rohingya muslims were killed and hundreds of thousands driven into bangladesh following the 2017 offensive. a foreign ministry statement said the us declaration was far from reality. us—based scientists say they've found a way of using plants to remove harmful microplastics from the world's water supplies. the nontoxic solution involves okra and other slimy plants often used in cooking.

extracts from the plants help remove microplastics from both fresh and sea water, often outperforming the chemicals now used in treatment plants. in the uk, more than 150,000 people have said they want to provide a temporary home for ukrainian refugees. a scheme was launched last week which requires people to identify who they want to sponsor. but the scheme has been criticised for being far too complicated. our special correspondent lucy manning has the story. tranquil marlow on the river, signs of renewal, a long way from the thunder of shells where lives end. but ukraine isn't forgotten here — farfrom it. houses are ready, but those sponsoring refugees complain the system isn't. is it your birthday soon? rebecca lewis is sponsoring maria and her two children, currently living in a room with ten people afterfleeing ukraine.

we put their visa application through, but it's taken us hours and hours. the homes for ukraine scheme is absolutely brilliant, but there are some issues with the process that is blocking people being able to help these refugees fast enough. in poland, steve mclean found the clothes he brought to donate weren't needed — homes were. he's trying to help some of the refugees come to britain, where he has 25 other homes lined up in his community. just really frustrating. we have applied for one family to go to the uk, but the visa application process has been taking them a long time. it needs to be a lot faster, the uk needs to do a lot more. the family he's sponsoring are now thinking of heading to germany instead. as the exodus continues, there are no figures for how many visas have been issued on this scheme. but the uk government says it is moving as quickly as possible

to help people find safety, and it says the home office has streamlined the visa process to welcome people faster. but most of the 150,000 rooms offered are still empty. lucy manning, bbc news. the duke and duchess of cambridge have left belize, after a four—day visit, as part of their caribbean tour marking the queen's platinum jubilee. the next stop is jamaica. jonny dymond has more.. into the sunshine and into controversy. it all looks like business as usual. the governor general brought a warm welcome. the couple brought thanks from the queen for seven decades of support over her reign. but not everyone is feeling supportive. some here, and some in government, want an apology for slavery, the slavery that britain ran and that some britons have made vast profits from, the slavery that did so much damage to this country. and there is talk of

financial compensation too. 0utside britain's high commission, its embassy to jamaica, today, a reminder of past pain and present anger. this is an issue that is only building momentum. it's clear to see that belizeans value their environment. from the couple's household, new pictures from their last stop, belize. the government there wanted the couple to see the country's barrier reef. as jamaicans waited for the couple's arrival, it was football star raheem sterling that took the spotlight. the prince will address the issue of slavery here tomorrow night. as jamaica's future turns out to see the couple, there is no escaping the shadow of the past. jonny dymond, bbc news, kingston, jamaica.

that's all for now. thank you so much for watching newsday. hello there. it's been a fine, dry, sunny day for most of us. it's been the warmest day of the year so far. we saw top temperatures of 21 celsius in both wales and in england. now, the next few days, it's going to stay warm, dry and sunny, thanks to high pressure. and there will still be that very outside chance of an isolated shower, but most places will stay dry. 0ur weather will be influenced by high pressure sitting to the east of us. we will have lower pressure out to the west — that's why we're drawing up this warm air from the south or southeast. so, any showers this evening will tend to fade away through central and northern areas. most places will be drier overnight. there will be patchy cloud, some mist and fog patches developing here and there. most places will see clear skies. it will be chilly out of town, but i think towns and cities seeing

temperatures no lower than around 3—5 degrees. so, it's a fine start to wednesday morning. any early mist and fog patches should tend to melt away quite quickly, and then it's a dry, sunny afternoon for most of us. you can see a little bit of low cloud, some mist and murk hugging the coasts of northern and eastern scotland, northeast england. could see the odd shower as well, northeast scotland and down into eastern england, but most places will be dry, and again, it's going to be another warm day. mid to high teens for most, could see the low 20s in the warmest spots in the midlands and the southeast. as we head through wednesday night, it's going to be largely dry again, widespread clear skies, could see a bit more cloud pushing to the north and west of scotland, perhaps western parts of northern ireland by the end of the night. so, here, temperatures won't fall as low as they will further south because here we have clear skies. but it should be a largely frost—free start for thursday for most of us. plenty of sunshine once again, more cloud for northern and western scotland, northern ireland, thanks to a weak weather front. more of a breeze here, one or two showers.

i think more cloud generally for the north of the uk. that will impact the temperatures slightly. so, the low teens here, but elsewhere, it's another dry, sunny warm day, top temperatures around 19, maybe 20 degrees. some subtle changes as we move through friday into the weekend. this area of high pressure begins to drift its way westwards. that will allow a bit more cloud, some slightly fresher air to move across northern and eastern parts of the country, particularly as we head through sunday. but with high pressure in charge, it's going to stay largely dry with some sunny spells. there will be increasing amounts of cloud in northern and eastern areas into the weekend. into next week, though, it starts to turn much colder to the start of april.

this is bbc news, the headlines. ukraine says continued russian shelling is still stopping rescue workers reaching the theatre in mariupol targeted in an earlier attack. they say hundreds of people are trapped in the bomb shelter under the building. ukraine says its troops have managed to stop russian soldiers advancing on the port city of 0desa. the pentagon says ukrainian soldiers are going on the offensive to reclaim ground in some areas. the un has warned the war in ukraine could lead to a global hunger crisis. some 50 countries — many in the developing world, import at least a third of their wheat from ukraine and russia. the us state department has condemned what it called russia's orchestration of a sham trial again the kremlin critic, alexei navalny.

it described it as the latest in a series of attempts to silence him.