welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm mariko oi. the headlines: nato says it'll double the number of battlegroups deployed on its eastern flank — in response to russia's invasion of ukraine. a siege without end — we talk to one of the survivors of mariupol, the ukrainian city under relentless russian shelling. tough times ahead — the uk government spells out its spending plans, with the cost of living rising ever higher. no return to class for the girls of afghanistan. the taliban orders secondary schools to remain closed. 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 tributes are paid to madeline albright, and tributes are paid to madeleine albright, america's first female secretary of state, who's died at the age of 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 in brussels. 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 europe 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. our correspondent in washington, peter bowes, told me what he expects will be

achieved at the meeting. this is going to be a very big day for the western alliance. we've got these back—to—back summits, and i thinkjust 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'll 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 west, 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've heard time and time again, of course, is not going to happen. indeed.

is there 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's hoped will alter the attitude of russia and ultimately help ukraine. i think we'll 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 humanitarian aid and very practical aid that we'll see rolling out very quickly, to help those people who have been displaced by what's happening. peter by what's happening. bowes in washington for us. 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 j 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 and 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. 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. yuki tatsumi is a senior fellow at the stimson center in washington. she explains how the speech was received injapan. the tone of his speech was well—taken by notjust by japanese political leaders, who were watching on the closed 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 thanking japan, asking for more support, but showing an understanding that direct military support for ukraine is a bridge too far forjapan.

as you say, a lot of support towards ukraine, as japan also has its own territorial disputes towards russia. but at the same time, this seems to be a quite strong pro—kremlin voice among the japanese public and even some mps injapan. yes. i am aware of that. and i think that is not exactly pro—russia, i would say. it is more about their concern that japan taking too strong of a stance against moscow at this time could completely shut the door forjapan�*s bilateral negotiations with russia over its northern territory, which remains an unresolved issue since the end of world war ii. but then when president putin announced that he unilaterally stops or suspends or cancels the peace treaty negotiations with japan, i think that took certain types of concern out of those people's mind, that nowjapan, i think, feels... prime minister kishida

and his advisers feel quite justified to remain steadfast in their current posture, vis—a—vis russia. and briefly before we let you go, since russia's invasion, we've seen some european countries making increases to their defence budget. i know it is a very sensitive issue injapan, with its pacifist constitution, but do you think this war could change the tone withinjapan? i think thatjapan had already been on a trajectory. prime minister kishida had already mentioned about the eventual increase injapan�*s military spending, up to 2%, but i think this war between russia and in ukraine only adds to that sense of urgency that the japanese government currently has. let's now 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. us senate democrats have defended ketanji brown jackson, presidentjoe biden�*s nominee to become the first black woman on the us supreme court, on the third day of her confirmation hearing. republicans resumed attacks on herjudicial record and sought to paint her as a liberal activist. military sources in yemen say a senior general has been killed in a car bomb attack in the southern port city of aden. major—general thabet jawas was a commander of the saudi—led coalition forces fighting

the rebels to restore president hadi's internationally recognised government. cars were swept away in paraguay�*s capital asuncion on tuesday, as heavy rains and floods lashed the south american country. streets in the capital turned to rivers. cars were immersed in water up to their roofs, and many vehicles were swept away. 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. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: jamaica's prime minister tells his royal visitors the country is "moving on" and intends to become a republic. 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! this is 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. the taliban has ordered girls�* secondary schools in afghanistan to close, on the day they were due to re—open. madeleine albright, the first woman to serve as us secretary of state, has died. she was 8a. a czech refugee, albright served in the clinton administration as the un ambassador, before becoming the first female secretary of state. president biden said she was a force for goodness, grace, decency and freedom. i�*m joined now by madeleine albright�*s former special assistant in the clinton administration, ben chang. thank you forjoining us on the programme. firstly, what was it like working for her?— like working for her? firstly, thank you —

like working for her? firstly, thank you for _ like working for her? firstly, thank you for shining - like working for her? firstly, thank you for shining a - thank you for shining a spotlight on her and her legacy today. it was wonderful to work for her. day in, day out, she modelled the values she represented and really was an inspiration for all of us on the state department team, would also like to have fun, and made sure that even amidst difficult issues and challenging scenarios, that we remembered the higher virtues and the higher calling we were all trying to serve. and that she represented in her life. you talked about having fun, and i understand she loves to dance? so tell me about your special memory with her. thank ou, special memory with her. thank you. thank— special memory with her. thank you. thank you. _ special memory with her. thank you, thank you, indeed. - special memory with her. thank you, thank you, indeed. one i special memory with her. thank you, thank you, indeed. one of| you, thank you, indeed. one of the cultural highlights of the yearin the cultural highlights of the year in the state department for her was hosting the kennedy centre honours dinner, and after this very formal ceremony, during the dinner, there was entertainment, and two of the arteries in 2000 were chuck berry and herbie hancock, and so they took the stage attorney to perform ——

two of the honourees. i saw her standing by the stage, standing alone for a brief moment, and i went up to her and asked her if you wanted to dance. we had that captured on film, it is a photograph close to my heart, and reminds me of thejoy she brought to thejob and reminds me of thejoy she brought to the job as well and her commitment to the power of cultural diplomacy and the fact that she always believed that the arts and music, artists, literature, are so critical does different cultures. incredible, and she inspired a lot of people through her story of the american dream, i guess. indeed. if i may, on a personal note, as the son of an immigrant, who was raised by single mum and interested in public service, when i met professor albright at georgetown university, it could not be a more inspiring figure

for me to meet, and i know when a child with her, from uzbekistan to burma to mali and across the united states, she inspired so many people from across diverse backgrounds, especially women and girls. you were talking about afghanistan your previous report. that will pay off for generations, and thatis pay off for generations, and that is an important part of her legacy. that is an important part of her legacy-— her legacy. indeed. she remained _ her legacy. indeed. she remained an _ her legacy. indeed. she remained an important| even on current issues like ukraine. ben shane, thank you forjoining us, special assistant to madeleine albright. —— ben chang. let�*s go to an important story 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 house of 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, i 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 thisjuly, 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. my tax plan delivers the biggest net cutl for personal taxes in over a quarter of a century, i and i commend it to this house! 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. jamaica�*s prime minister has warned the duke and duchess of cambridge that his nation is "moving on" and intends to pursue independence. 0ur royal correspondent jonny 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. that�*s it for now. goodbye. 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.

welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi. my guest is somebody who can claim to be one of south america�*s best—known global icons. she knows the continent well. born in peru, raised in chile, she was also schooled in bolivia and has lived in venezuela.

isabel allende is not only an acclaimed novelist,