welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm mariko oi. the headlines: nato says it will double the number of battlegroups deployed on its eastern flank in response to russia's invasion of ukraine. with the ukrainian city of mariupol devastated by russian shelling, we talk to one of the survivors of the siege there. with britain facing some of the worst economic headwinds in decades, the chancellor of the exchequer has insisted new tax cuts will ease the burden for millions. school's out for afghanistan's girls. heartache, as the taliban fails to resume secondary education. the girls had literallyjust sat down at their desks and the head—teacher got a whatsapp

message from the local taliban in charge saying that, actually, teenage girls can't come back to class just yet. and the girls are just devastated. and america's first woman secretary of state, madeleine albright, has died. she was 8a. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's been a month since russia's invasion of ukraine, and nato�*s secretary general says the organisation will approve major increases in the forces deployed on its eastern flank at an emergency summit tomorrow. jens stoltenberg said four

new battlegroups would be sent to eastern europe to counter the threat from russia. president biden is on his way to brussels for the summit where he'll also meet eu leaders. this is what the nato secretary—general had to say ahead of the talks. president putin's brutal invasion of ukraine is causing death and destruction every day. allies stand united in support for the brave people of ukraine and against the kremlin�*s cruelty. putin must end this war, allow aid and safe passage of civilians and engage in real diplomacy. nato allies have responded to this crisis with strong support for ukraine and unprecedented costs for russia.

i'm joined now by peter bowes in washington. firstly, what do you expect them to achieve at this meeting? this firstly, what do you expect them to achieve at this meeting?— achieve at this meeting? this is auoin achieve at this meeting? this is going to be _ achieve at this meeting? this is going to be a — achieve at this meeting? this is going to be a very _ achieve at this meeting? this is going to be a very big _ achieve at this meeting? this is going to be a very big day - achieve at this meeting? this is going to be a very big day for i achieve at this meeting? this is. going to be a very big day for the western alliance. we've got these back—to—back summits, and i think just in terms of the optics, as they say, the visual impact of nato leaders, western leaders, standing side by side at these meetings, sending a message to president putin. and i think the goal is, the aim is to show once again, a show of strength from the west. and then of course we will get down to the announcements, and as you said, the major announcement is about the west bolstering its forces on the eastern flank. this is really the nato nations doubling down on the military assistance in neighbouring countries, it is providing for

ukraine really everything short of actually stationing troops in ukraine, which we have heard time and time again of course is not going to happen. and time again of course is not going to happen-— and time again of course is not going to happen. indeed. is there an hinu , going to happen. indeed. is there anything. though. _ going to happen. indeed. is there anything, though, any _ going to happen. indeed. is there anything, though, any support . going to happen. indeed. is there l anything, though, any support that they can or they will offer ukraine? yeah, i think there will be much more than the military support. there will be further sanctions imposed on russia, which it is hoped will alter the attitude of russia and ultimately help ukraine. i think we will see more sanctions, more restrictions on russian politicians, oligarchs, russian institutions. and in terms of helping the people of ukraine immediately, especially the millions that are fleeing their homes, we expect to hear more about communitarian aid and very practical aid that we will see rolling on very quickly to help those people who have been displaced by what is happening. have been displaced by what is happening-— happening. peter bowes in washington, _ happening. peter bowes in washington, thank - happening. peter bowes in washington, thank you - happening. peter bowes in washington, thank you so | happening. peter bowes in - washington, thank you so much for that update.

well, on the ground in ukraine, the port city of mariupol is still under intense russian bombardment. president zelensky says around 100,000 civilians are now trapped there without food, water or power. 0ur correspondent wyre davies has been speaking to a survivor of the attack on the city's theatre, where hundreds of civilians — including children — had been taking shelter. maria walked for four days to escape mariupol. without money, a car orfamily, she has nothing. she's the first known survivor of the mariupol theatre attack to speak about what happened. translation: the theatre - was completely packed with people. there was no space to lie down people were just sitting. it was clear that this was a shelter, people knew this. also there was massive signs saying "children" that were made on both sides of the theatre. where were you at the exact

time of the attack? translation: we were getting our breakfast, . and by breakfast, i mean we were getting some boiled water. someone brought me some pieces of fish, i think, to feed the dogs. when they finished eating, i went outside to the water tank to get a bowl of water for them. this is when the shell landed. i saw that it landed just where i had been sitting. i was outside and survived only because there was some man nearby. he heard the shell falling, grabbed me by the collar, pinned me between the ground on the wall and covered me with his body. we were sprayed with broken glass and concrete. i was stunned, probably even concussed, because i fell unconscious several times since. when the dust settled a bit, i cleared my eyes. i saw injured people around. i tried to make my way inside. the dogs were the family for me. they were everything i had left.

i could not find a way to get inside, to at least find out whether they are alive or dead. i sincerely hope they died instantly. maria says there were at least a thousand people inside the theatre. while russia denies targeting civilians and says it wasn't responsible, what maria saw suggests otherwise. translation: | don't know | how many people died, sorry. there were some rooms in there. those were allocated for families with children. that part of the theatre is completely gone. partially deafened by the blast, her back in pain, maria now relies on the kindness of friends. she worries for her grandmother in mariupol and mourns her dead pets. atjust 27, it's difficult to stay strong. wyre davies, bbc news, zaporizhzhia.

let's now go to an important story here in the uk. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has set out his plans to address the cost of living crisis in his spring statement to the commons. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg has the details. rishi sunak is the man who has to manage the economy through to the other side. are you doing enough to help working people, chancellor? yet can every step be certain, when our world is anything but? i now call the chancellor of the exchequer, rishi sunak. in the next half hour, he had the power to change what's in the country's pockets. the invasion of ukraine presents a risk to our recovery, _ as it does to countries around the world. - the war's most significant impact domestically- is on the cost of living. people should know that we should stand by them, as we have - throughout the last two years. standing by is not the same

as supporting everyone's income, and help for drivers was first. i want to help people now. today, i can announce, for only the second time in 20 years, i fuel duty will be cut. not by one, not even by two, but by 5p per litre. _ with the cost of fuel for your tank and heating your home spiralling, vat will disappear on ways of making your home energy efficient and there's an extra £500 million for those who struggle most to pay the bills. yet these were not drastic moves. the chancellor holding back because... we should be prepared _ for the economy and public finances to worsen, possibly significantly. interest on debt will tip £80 billion, more than the government spends day to day on schools, courts, prisons and borders put together.

yet, although money is tight, rishi sunak vowed to undo some tax rises he's already put in place. from this july, people will be able to earn £12,570 a year _ without paying a single penny- of income tax or national insurance. and then to more cheers on his own side, he promised a penny off income tax, but not now, in time for the next election, still two years away. before the end of- this parliament, in 2024, for the first time in 16 years, - the basic rate of income tax will be cut, from 20 to 19p in the pound. my tax plan delivers the biggestl net cut for personal taxes in over a quarter of a century, - and i commend it to this house!

but there's the world in there, excitement among conservatives about hypothetical tax cuts, and the world out here, the economy promising only weak sunshine. families and firms are already struggling to make ends meet. shadow chancellor of the exchequer, rachel reeves. for labour, the ups and downs of tax vows miss the point. today was the day that the chancellor could have put a windfall tax on oil and gas producers to provide real help to families, but he didn't. today was the day the chancellor could have set out a proper plan to support businesses and create good jobs, but he didn't. today was the day that he could have properly scrapped his national insurance hike — he didn't. people are worried sick. for all his words, it is clear that the chancellor does not understand the scale of the challenge. he talks about providing security for working families, but his choices are making the cost—of—living crisis worse, not better.

his focus, for now, though, is at the pump and the promise and reality of some tax cuts. for rishi sunak, for the government, the taxpayer cannot and should not pick up everyone's tab. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: jamaica's prime minister tells the duke and duchess of cambridge his country is "moving on" and intends to become a republic — without queen elizabeth as head of state. 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. praying streaking across the sky, the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. wow!

welcome back, you're watching newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. 0ur headlines: nato says it will double the number of battlegroups deployed on its eastern flank in response to russia's invasion of ukraine. with britain facing some of the worst economic headwinds in decades, the chancellor of the exchequer has insisted new tax cuts will ease the burden for millions. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has asked japan to step up its sanctions on russia. in an address to its parliament, he thanked japan for being the continent's first country to start piling pressure on russia. he also warned that the invasion could trigger a nuclear disaster, invoking memories ofjapan's own nuclear meltdown at the fukushima power plant in 2011. lets get more analysis on this with yuki tatsumi, a senior fellow at the stimson center in washington. thank you so much forjoining us on the programme stop firstly, what did

you think of his address to the japanese parliament? he taylor made his speech to various foreign governments, and he or his speech writer really seems to have studied japan's culturally well.— japan's culturally well. indeed. i defeat one _ japan's culturally well. indeed. i defeat one of— japan's culturally well. indeed. i defeat one of his _ japan's culturally well. indeed. i defeat one of his speech - japan's culturally well. indeed. i defeat one of his speech was - japan's culturally well. indeed. i defeat one of his speech was all| defeat one of his speech was all taken by the, notjust by political leaders, who were watching on the close circuit tv during his speech, but then also it was reported afterwards in a very positive tone. i think his choice of words were very cautious and wise and the tone of his delivery were very, i think, compatible with the sentiment of the japanese people, so not packed with really big emotions, but he was very calm, but then he was steady and he really hit all the "right points", i would say, about thinking japan, asking for more support, but showing an understanding that direct military support for ukraine is a

bridge too farforjapan. military support for ukraine is a bridge too far forjapan. figs military support for ukraine is a bridge too far forjapan.- bridge too far forjapan. as you sa , a bridge too far forjapan. as you say. a lot _ bridge too far forjapan. as you say. a lot of — bridge too far forjapan. as you say, a lot of support _ bridge too far forjapan. as you say, a lot of support towards i say, a lot of support towards ukraine, as japan say, a lot of support towards ukraine, asjapan has say, a lot of support towards ukraine, as japan has its own territorial supports towards russia, but at the same time, this seems to be quite strong kremlin voicing among the japanese public and even some mps injapan. yes. among the japanese public and even some mps in japan.— some mps in japan. yes. i am aware of that. some mps in japan. yes. i am aware of that- that— some mps in japan. yes. i am aware of that. that is — some mps in japan. yes. i am aware of that. that is not _ some mps in japan. yes. i am aware of that. that is not exactly _ of that. that is not exactly pro—russia, i would say. it is more about their concern about japan taking too strong of a stance against moscow office time could completely shut the door forjapan's bilateral negotiations over his territory. but then when president putin announced that he unilaterally stops or suspends or cancels the peace treaty negotiations with japan, ithink peace treaty negotiations with japan, i think that took certain types of concern out of those people's mine, that nowjapan, i

think, feels, the prime minister and his advisers feel quite justified in being steadfast in their current posture vis—a—vis russia. find posture vis-a-vis russia. and briefly before _ posture vis-a-vis russia. and briefly before we _ posture vis-a-vis russia. and briefly before we let - posture vis—a—vis russia. and briefly before we let you go, since russia's invasion, we have seen some european countries make some increases to their defence budget. i know it is a very sensitive issue in japan, but do you think this war could change the tone withinjapan? i thinkjapan had a ready been on a trajectory. the prime minister had already mentioned about the eventual increase in japan's already mentioned about the eventual increase injapan's in terry spending, up to 2%, but i think this war between russia and ukraine only adds to that sense of urgency that the japanese government currently has —— japan's the japanese government currently has ——japan's military the japanese government currently has —— japan's military spending. yuki tatsumi, thank you so much for joining us on newsday today. thank ou for joining us on newsday today. thank you for having _ joining us on newsday today. thank you for having me. _ let's take a look at some other

stories in the headlines. a senior adviser to president putin, anatoly chubais, has quit his post as a kremlin special envoy because of the war in ukraine. chubais is known as the architect of russia's post—soviet economic reforms. and sources say he has left russia and has no intentions of returning. rescuers in china have found one of the two black box recorders from a passenger plane that crashed on monday with more than 130 people on board. no survivors have been found, although the search of the wreckage continues, despite being hampered by rain. the taliban has abruptly ordered girls' secondary schools in afghanistan to remain closed, on the day they were due to re—open. many had been shut since last august, when the taliban retook control of the country. a spokesman says more time's needed, to decide what uniforms female students should wear. 0ur correspondent secunder kermani has more from kabul.

dusting the desks. the morning began full of smiles and hope. for these students in the west of kabul, returning to school felt particularly poignant. last year, more than 90 were killed here in an attack by the local branch of the islamic state group. "we want to be successful so we can fulfil the dreams of our martyred "classmates," says zikina. "that will be our revenge on those who were responsible." not long after they've arrived, there's unexpected bad news. the girls had literallyjust sat down at their desks and the head—teacher got a whatsapp message from the local taliban in charge saying that, actually, teenage girls can't come back to class just yet. and the girls are just devastated. "we just want to learn and to serve

our country," says fatima. "what is our sin?", she asks the taliban. "you're always talking about islam. "does islam say to harm women like this? "it doesn't. "i want to address the girls of afghanistan. "please don't give up fighting for your rights." the taliban's ministry of education pressed ahead with a ceremony marking the start of the new academic year, but seemed at a loss to explain what had gone wrong. "the central leadership has said, until a plan is developed "on the basis of sharia and afghan culture, girls' secondary schools "will remain closed," a spokesman told us. we were at a school in the west of kabul today. there were teenage girls in tears because they have been told that they have to go home again. who should they blame for this? "i work for the ministry of education," he says. "we had made our preparations. "you need to ask someone

representing the leadership." the students filed home, just an hour or so after having arrived. in private, taliban members admit hardline elements within the group still find the idea of female education controversial, even though schools are already segregated. that leaves these young women deeply worried for the future. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. jamaica's prime minister has warned the duke and duchess of cambridge that his nation is "moving on" and intends to pursue independence. andrew holness told prince william and kate that their visit — to mark the queen's platinumjubilee — has givenjamaica the opportunity to address "unresolved" issues. 0ur royal correspondentjonny dymond has sent this report from kingston. today looked like business as usual. the duke and duchess at a teacher training college, pursuing kate's passion for early years learning.

but first, from the jamaican prime minister, a public reminder that he wants an end to the british monarch's role as head of state. this won't have been what the duke and duchess were expecting. the prime minister did campaign on a pledge to make jamaica a republic, but to speak to the couple like this in front of the cameras is really strong stuff. if offence was taken,

they certainly weren't showing it. but the prime minister's words are a reminder that the ties between britain and the far flung realms depend on present—day politics, as much as the long links of history. jonny dymond, bbc news, kingston, jamaica. the former us secretary of state madeleine albright has died at the age of 8a. she'd been living with cancer. arriving in america in 191t8 as a child refugee from czechoslovakia, she rose to become america's top diplomat, the first woman to become sectretary of state. 0ur washington correspondent nomia iqbal looks back at her life. madeleine albright was a trail—blazer. so help me god. congratulations, madam secretary. in 1997, she became american's top diplomat, the first female to do so. but her story began outside america. the daughter of a czech diplomat, herfamily fled prague from the nazis

when she was a year old. a decade later, her family was granted political asylum in the us. her childhood would go on to shape her views and her policies. 0n the political stage, madeleine albright was the face of us foreign policy during the president clinton years. she pursued what she called "aggressive multi—lateralism", pushing for intervention in the wars that tore apart yugoslavia. she was a major influence on us policy in the middle east, clashing with saddam hussein over sanctions on iraq. he called her a serpent, and so began her use ofjewellery to make a diplomatic point, starting with a snake. russia's president putin once said he knew what the mood of a meeting would be by looking at her left shoulder. the 84—year—old supported getting other women in higher positions. she backed hillary clinton in 2016 with a comment that some considered controversial. she later apologised for it. just remember — there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other!

arriving in europe tonight, president biden said in a statement that madeleine albright was a force and hers were the hands that turned the tide of history. there was also a tribute in the un from those who have followed in her footsteps. she left an indelible mark on the world and the united nations. our country and our united nations are stronger for her service. 0nly last month, she warned that if president putin invaded ukraine, it would be an historic error. madeleine albright was raised in a time when eastern europe was in crisis, to only see that crisis return during herfinal days. madeleine albright, who's died at the age of 8a. you have been watching newsday. the top story this hour.

president biden is in brussels for an emergency meeting of nato and a g7 summit to discuss ukraine. that's it for the show. thank you so much for watching. hello there. this fine, settled spell of spring weather is set to go on for several more days, with some warm sunshine by day. the nights still rather chilly with some frost and fog in places. 0ne subtle change, a bit more cloud in the north of the uk thanks to this weather front, a very weak affair. for the most part, high pressure is holding firm, and that is what's keeping things fine. but we are going to get off to quite a chilly start to the morning with those clear skies overhead, one or two fog patches around, some general mistiness here and there. that should tend to lift, and then we will see a lot of sunshine across england and wales, just the small chance for a shower, especially over high ground in northern england. more cloud for scotland and northern ireland, the odd spot of rain, but even here, there

will be some sunny spells. temperatures north to south, well, maybe 12 degrees for stornoway, but 18, 19, possibly 20 further south. but with that stagnant air, high pressure in charge, very light winds, air pollution is likely to be a problem. high levels of air pollution, particularly across eastern parts of england. as we go through thursday night, again, temperatures will drop away under the clear skies. there will be some fog patches here and there, more cloud rolling into northern ireland and parts of western scotland. towns and cities typically staying just above freezing, but one or two places in the countryside will drop below, and then for friday, well, more of the same. more sunshine and just a little patchy cloud for england and wales. northern ireland and scotland tending to see a little more cloud, especially up to the northwest. some rain for the northern isles, temperatures getting up to highs of 19, maybe 20 degrees in the sunniest spots. and high pressure is set to stay with us into the weekend. this front up to the north always bringing a bit more cloud, maybe some showery rain for shetland and for 0rkney. there will be some patches of low cloud and fog elsewhere as well, particularly around some of the coasts, but some

good spells of sunshine. temperatures dropping back maybe a little bit, 15 to 18 degrees. sunday morning could well start with some areas of low cloud and fog, perhaps most especially towards the southeast of england, tending to burn back towards the coasts. lots of sunshine, temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees. but into next week, quite a big change on the way. we will develop northerly winds and we will bring some much colder air southwards across the uk, so the temperatures will be much, much lower than they have been, and there could even be some wintry showers in places.

this is bbc news, the headlines nato's secretary general says the alliance will double the number of battlegroups deployed on its eastern flank, in response to russia's invasion of ukraine. it's set to be discussed at an emergency meeting in brussels. as the cost of living in the uk rises at the fastest rate in 30 years, the chancellor has announced new measures to try to soften the blow. they include a 5p cut in fuel duty. the un says the taliban's decision to close girls' secondary schools in afghanistan is profoundly disappointing. students who'd returned to the classroom for the first time since the taliban took power, were ordered home, leaving many girls in tears.

madeleine albright — america's first female