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tv   Newsday  BBC News  March 24, 2022 11:00pm-11:31pm GMT

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welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm mariko oi. the headlines: we have a special report from the front line, inside the city of kharkiv that's under constant russian bombardment. you can see what they are up against here. this is daily, but the steadfastness of these men is being felt notjust in kharkiv but around the world. they've had four weeks of this and still they remain. the russians haven't been able to break their lines. just outside the capital, kyiv, ukrainian forces say they're pushing russian troops back in a series of counter offensives. nato has never, never been more united than it is today. putin is getting exactly
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the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into ukraine. western leaders promise to increase military aid to ukraine as president biden says russia's invasion has given the nato alliance unprecedented unity. and protests and prayers — we meet the russians desperately seeking an end to the war. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's now a month since the world changed when russia invaded ukraine. thousands of russian and ukrainian troops have been killed, as well as a huge number of civilians.
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around 3.5 million people have been forced to flee from ukraine. and today, leaders of the western military alliance nato met in brussels to discuss what the world should do now. we start tonight with a special report from inside the city of kharkiv, in the east of the country, less than 25 miles from the russian border. it has faced relentless russian missile strikes and shelling. our correspondent quentin sommerville and cameraman darrin conway have spent time with two fighters who have been on the front line in kharkiv from the very beginning. a month of fighting alone. and russian guns still haven't silenced ukraine's cry for freedom. at the kharkiv philharmonic, maria baranovska may not have an audience, but this is not a city abandoned — only a city half gone.
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she remains here with her ten—month—old boy. staying is her duty. translation: i believe in our victory. _ i know that the armed forces of ukraine will protect their home. we just need to be a little bit more patient. standing united with the boys defending her and her son. a month ago, 22—year—old vlad said goodbye to his own mother and went off to fight. he and fellow private mark have been here ever since. they have quickly grown comfortable with war�*s daily tempo. they have the upper hand in kharkiv. what are you fighting for? translation: for peace in ukraine. what about you, mark? translation: like my comrade “ust said, for peace in ukraine. �*
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these people came to our land. no—one was waiting for them here, no—one asked them to come. and what do you want to tell the russian soldiers that are shelling you? run. we were not calling you here. run away. there is nothing else to say. either you stay here forever, in the ground, or you go back home and stop killing children and destroying homes and families. go back home while you are still alive. their steady determination, and a little help from western weaponry, have got them this far. it is time to head out to the front again. this, they say, is their land. they know these fields and villages better than the invaders.
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and here, amid the melting winter snows, they cover every inch of ground. ukrainian mud is the defender�*s friend. mark's foxhole has room for one, and offers just about enough protection from exploding russian shells. suddenly, on the horizon, there is movement. an enemy scouting party spotted. shooting the russians shoot back. but the danger here is artillery. mark tells us we have to move. the russians will definitely respond, he says, 100%. it's time to seek better cover.
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what is it like, spending day and night out in those tiny, tiny little trenches? the shifts are longer during the day, but at night, when it's cold, we swap often. what about you, mark? it's ok, you get used to it. humans can adapt to... explosions humans can adapt to everything. what's going on right now? they are targeting our position. explosions get down, get down. the shells begin to land all around us, only metres away. you can see what
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they are up against here. this is daily, but the steadfastness of these men has been felt notjust in kharkiv, but around the world. they have had four weeks of this and still they remain. the russians have not been able to break their lines and this invasion might have come as a surprise to the rest of the world, but this is what they have been expecting and training for for years. unable to move, the shelling is relentless. these bombardments are endless. this is russia's tactic of choice. shouting we are told for the third time that day to get into a nearby underground shelter. the russians are pretty determined to break these lines. are they going to get past here? are they going to get
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past you and these men? i think no. we will not surrender kharkiv. our loved ones have got our backs. they won't get through here. quentin sommerville, bbc news, kharkiv. well, three weeks ago, a huge convoy of russian troops moved towards the capital kyiv, but its advance was stalled. since then, fierce fighting has taken place in the towns and cities outside the capital — and ukrainian forces now claim they've succeded in pushing russian troops back with a series of counter attacks, asjeremy bowen reports. in small groups, ukrainian soldiers are crossing the river irpin, joining the month—long battle to keep the russians out of kyiv.
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it's bad, said pavlo, one of the last civilians leaving. children are dying, everyone is dying. only a few other civilians are coming out of the ruins. slava emerged, desperate to save her dogs. thousands of civilians came this way when the war started, but now this whole area has been swept up by the fighting. ukrainian troops have broken all the russian ground attacks here so far. so now, moscow increasingly are using the weapon they trust most, heavy artillery. we were here about three weeks ago, and there is a massive difference. look at the devastation around this area. it's been hit very heavily. the shelling makes all movement here dangerous, so the command posts are underground. the ukrainians say the russians have only a toehold in irpin. outside, they have been pushed back.
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you say they cannot get into the city. why is that? apart from your own resistance, what do they lack? translation: they don't have the combat power. l his men are hitting their supplies and in kyiv, there would be armed citizens shooting from every window and door. shane matthews, a former british soldier is fighting here. he is a medic and a sniper and says this is the worst he's seen. i have seen lots of civilians killed. we witnessed a car with four people in get blown to pieces. it was a family evacuating from the city. took a direct hit from a 155mm artillery round. nothing left? nothing. you could've swept them up. on the road to kyiv which the russians have tried
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repeatedly to seize, either side is burning from the shells. back in the city centre, more volunteers were waiting to be transferred to the long fight in and around irpin. it was quiet, a little tense. they knew what would be waiting for them. katryn had a few minutes with her son. she's a sniper. she said his name is nikita, he's 18 months old. i will kill, she said, to protect his future. the war has changed everything for these volunteers, for all of ukraine, and the world now feels more dangerous. whatever happens in the battles that these soldiers are going to fight, it's clear already after a month that this is the biggest threat to international peace and security in decades. and the consequences, the impact of this war, is already being felt beyond the borders of ukraine.
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the younger ones were born when europe was hopeful, in the 1990s. the men in their 60s grew up when this city was part of the soviet union. it was time to say goodbye. the old drumbeat of the cold war, of the risks of confrontation between the big powers, is back for a new generation. the buses left for the front line. jeremy bowen, bbc news, kyiv. world leaders — including the us presidentjoe biden — gathered in brussels for three major summits on the war in ukraine. the nato military alliance approved plans to increase troop numbers in neighbouring eastern european countries, in the face of what nato has called the biggest security crisis in a generation. leaders of the eu, and the g7 — the group of the largest world economies — are also meeting today, in a display of international unity. our north america editor
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sarah smith reports. this show of solidarity is why president biden�*s here with the nato chief and over 30 other world leaders, to display the unity they believe is their strength. the nato summit is naturally focused on defence, how to help defend ukraine. more weapons and equipment are being promised, with britain pledging to double the number of missiles being sent. but ukrainian president zelensky wants far more. translation: you can give us 1% of all your aircraft. _ i% of all your tanks. 196. we can'tjust buy it. such a supply directly depends only on nato's decisions, on political decisions, by the way.
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nato will not send troops to ukraine, but will station many more forces in member countries bordering russia as the alliance turns to face east. nato is being rapidly reshaped by this war in ukraine in ways that, frankly, the us has been pressing forfor years. on the plane on the way over here, president biden�*s national security adviser told me it is time for member countries to put their money where their mouths are. in other words, european countries need to spend more and contribute more forces and for many years to come. putin was banking on nato being split. in my early conversations with him in december and earlyjanuary, it was clear to me he didn't think we could sustain this cohesion. nato has never, never been more united than it is today. putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into ukraine. at the g7 economic meeting, sanctions were on the table, with more imposed on russia today as everyone keeps a wary eye on whether china will try to assist russia, either financially or militarily.
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ending europe's dependence on russian oil and gas is next. the us will promise to send supplies of liquefied natural gas soon butwants to know there's a long—term plan to get supplies elsewhere, as the crisis in ukraine is reshaping global relations for the long—term. sarah smith, bbc news, brussels. i'm nowjoined by peter bowes in washington. peter, president biden said nato would respond if russia uses chemical weapons in ukraine, but what exactly does it mean? it chemicalweapons in ukraine, but what exactly does it mean? it tells us that nato _ what exactly does it mean? it tells us that nato has _ what exactly does it mean? it tells us that nato has a _ what exactly does it mean? it tells us that nato has a plan, _ what exactly does it mean? it tells us that nato has a plan, if- what exactly does it mean? it tells us that nato has a plan, if russia i us that nato has a plan, if russia does use chemical weapons, and we know that there is a track record. russia has used chemical weapons in the battlefield, in syria, for example, nato is taking the possibility very, very seriously. clearly there will be a two—pronged approach. there would be a practical
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response, in terms of providing assistance to those affected by any chemical attack, assistance to those affected by any chemicalattack, but assistance to those affected by any chemical attack, but the run also be another response, a punitive response, a punishment response, a retaliation against russia as well, and that is the area where president biden and nato are being somewhat vague. mr biden said, it will be a response in kind, but it would depend on the nature of the use of chemical weapons. depend on the nature of the use of chemicalweapons. he depend on the nature of the use of chemical weapons. he and other nato leaders are being deliberately vague in this respect, not to show their hand to russia, to explain what the response would be in advance. meanwhile, president biden also said that he would support expelling russia from the group of 620. how likely is that? it is russia from the group of 620. how likely is that?— likely is that? it is very unlikely, and i likely is that? it is very unlikely, and i have _ likely is that? it is very unlikely, and i have got — likely is that? it is very unlikely, and i have got to _ —— gota —— got a sense mr biden did not expect this to happen, although he
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said quite clearly he believed it ought to. it isn't likely to happen because, as mr biden said, it will because, as mr biden said, it will be up to the group to decide and such a decision is likely to be vetoed by at least some of the member countries. china has argued that russia should be allowed to continue as part of the 620. the next meeting is in bali in indonesia later this year, but mr biden interestingly said if russia remains part of the group, he believes that ukraine should be allowed at least to attend the meetings of the 620, to attend the meetings of the 620, to sit in and to listen.— to sit in and to listen. peter bowes in washington. _ to sit in and to listen. peter bowes in washington, thank _ to sit in and to listen. peter bowes in washington, thank you - to sit in and to listen. peter bowes in washington, thank you so much| to sit in and to listen. peter bowes i in washington, thank you so much for that update. let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk. the boss of p&o ferries has admitted the company broke uk employment law, when it "chose not to consult" trade unions before sacking 800 staff with no notice. british transport secretary grant shapps says he'll now bring forward
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measures to stop companies employing foreign workers on pay below the minimum wage. the man accused of murdering the british conservative mp sir david amess told police he'd committed an act of "terror". ali harbi ali, who's 26, denies charges of murder and preparing acts of terrorism. the jurors were shown body—camera footage of a confrontation between the suspect and two unarmed police officers. a senior british judge has concluded that the ruler of dubai abused his former wife to an exorbitant degree. the verdict ends a three—year custody battle between sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum and princess haya, who has been given sole responsibility for their two children. the un's children's agency says a5 million ukrainian children have now been displaced in the war. that's more than half
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the children in ukraine. some of the ukrainian refugees are reaching australia, often after harrowing escapes from the conflict. while they await a formal process to apply for humanitarian visas in australia, a group of volunteers has stepped in to help them navigate the logistics of their new home. our guest, kateryna argyrou, is from ukraine crisis appeal and has been helping to co—ordinate support for the refugees. she joins us from sydney. thank you so much forjoining us on the programme. firstly, how been the process of settling those refugees from ukraine in australia?- process of settling those refugees from ukraine in australia? thank you ve much from ukraine in australia? thank you very much for— from ukraine in australia? thank you very much for the _ from ukraine in australia? thank you very much for the opportunity - from ukraine in australia? thank you very much for the opportunity to - very much for the opportunity to speak and raise awareness about what is happening in australia currently. we have had a massive community response to the displaced people that are coming to australia. if we
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look at the numbers we're talking about, the australian government has issued over a500 pieces, about a hundred people have already arrived. those numbers were as of the 19th of march, so as of a week ago. we assume those numbers are a lot higher now. but we have done as a community as we have established a national approach to meeting these displaced people. we have asked sydney and melbourne airports to put out signs with ukrainian flag, with a qr code, saying welcome and welcoming ukrainian, so they know that when they arrive, they can scan the qr code and there is a contact, so they have someone to reach out to, to ask for support, to ask for housing, to ask for any food, anything they may need, and have been able to greet those people arriving, which are mostly women and children. figs arriving, which are mostly women and children. �* , ,, arriving, which are mostly women and children. ~ , i. .,
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children. as you said, most of them are women — children. as you said, most of them are women and _ children. as you said, most of them are women and children. _ children. as you said, most of them are women and children. what - children. as you said, most of them are women and children. what are l are women and children. what are some of the stories that they have been telling you? just some of the stories that they have been telling you?— been telling you? just so you understand. _ been telling you? just so you understand, the _ been telling you? just so you understand, the numbers - been telling you? just so you understand, the numbers we j been telling you? just so you - understand, the numbers we are working with, as of monday, official numbers from the deferment of immigration, about a2% of the displaced people that are arriving our children under 18 years of age, and 16 to 17% are women. that is reflected by the military condition in ukraine, and that men aged 16 to 60 under martial i cannot leave the country, so some of the stories we have heard are absolute heartbreaking, to say the least. it is very difficult to describe the type of trauma that these people and gone through. i was just, type of trauma that these people and gone through. i wasjust, as i was waiting to go onto this interview, speaking to a woman. she said that she had a very horrificjourney coming here. first of all, all commercialflights from coming here. first of all, all commercial flights from ukraine are banned, so they connected a flight out of ukraine. that means anyone
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who arrived from australia has had to pithily cross the border, whether it is into poland or other neighbouring countries, looks for temporary accommodation there, sort out their visa to fly to australia, sort out a flight, which is incredibly expensive, and go through the journey of actually coming to australia. there are no direct flights from any of the immediate countries that border ukraine. therefore they have to go australia through a number of transits and a number of airports, considering the traumatic and stressful situation people are in, there is a lot of panic, there is a lot of grief, there is a lot of fear that they've left their sons and husbands and grandparents, grandfathers, behind, so the story i heard this morning, for example, was that even though this lady has arrived in australia, any time she hears a plane fly overhead or any time she hears a helicopter, her natural instinct is to brace and... i
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helicopter, her natural instinct is to brace and...— to brace and... i am sorry, kateryna- _ to brace and... i am sorry, kateryna. harrowing - to brace and... i am sorry, l kateryna. harrowing stories to brace and... i am sorry, - kateryna. harrowing stories they have been telling you, but i am afraid we have run out of time, but thank you for sharing some of their stories with us on newsday. russian president vladimir putin has never called it a war, but rather a "special operation" to demilitarise his neighbour. russia has seen protesters take the streets, and life for many has been changed drastically by economic sanctions. our russia editor steve rosenberg reports from st petersberg. at the age of 76, she's a prolific artist, but for yelena, the priority now isn't paintings, it's placards. they�* re anti—war and anti—putin. "putin is war," this one says. "we don't want to die for putin." after russia attacked ukraine, yelena took to the streets of st petersburg.
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like many anti—war protests in russia, it ended like this. she describes one of her favourite placards the police haven't given back. translation: i'd been given some red tulips, | beautiful young flowers. but very quickly, they died and wilted. they reminded me of young men falling into their graves, so i made a poster and wrote, "the people were being sent to their deaths." in vladimir putin's home city, home truths about ukraine. and deep concern. this human rights group is taking calls from russian mothers worried that their conscript sons are in ukraine. under intense pressure from the authorities, the group is having to close down. translation: the authorities prefer to cover up problems, _
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to give society a false picture that everything in the army's absolutely fine. they want soldiers' mothers to be patient and to be silent. for the staff, a moment of reflection and prayers for an end to the fighting. but when this conflict does end, life here will never be the same. when vladimir putin came to power in russia more than 20 years ago, he promised russians security and stability. today, his army is suffering losses in ukraine, the economy here is suffering from sanctions and russia is facing growing international isolation. but from the kremlin, no hint of regret. and putin knows that many russians do still trust him
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because he controls the media here and the messaging. you've been watching newsday. hello there. there are some big changes in the weather pattern on the way, but notjust yet. on thursday, despite the haziness of the sunshine, temperatures reach 20 celsius in east yorkshire, the warmest place in the country. it's a few degrees cooler than that in northern ireland and across scotland, where we did see more cloud. and we've still got a weak weather front draped in the northern isles, bringing some damp weather here. otherwise, it's high pressure that's dominating the weather. with that stagnant air and no mixing, we've continued to see some poor air quality, and we'll find some high levels of air pollution, again, across some eastern parts of england, in particular on friday. underneath that high pressure with clear skies, though, we start the day on a chilly note, as we have done over the past few days. temperatures in rural areas won't be
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far away from freezing. there may be a few pockets of mist and fog to start the day across scotland and northern ireland. but away from the northern isles, there'll be more sunshine on friday for scotland and northern ireland. plenty of sunshine for england and wales — the odd shower could pop up over the high ground in northern ireland, southern scotland, and northern england. but essentially for most, it's a dry and largely sunny day. and quite warm again for the time of year — 18—19 celsius for england and wales. the high pressure is still there across the uk for saturday. there is that weather front that's moving its way down into the north sea, bringing with it some cloud — that'll be important for the second half of the weekend. could be some mist and low cloud affecting some northwestern parts of the uk, but otherwise it's another dry and mostly sunny picture, and those temperatures showing little change, really, on saturday. but on sunday, we are expecting some changes — still got the high pressure, but all that moisture, all that cloud that's in the north sea will be dragged into that area of high pressure for the second half of the weekend. a lot of uncertainty
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still about the extent of the cloud, but it looks like for england and wales, there will be some cloud, at least for a while, quite low cloud, misty weather, too. where it sticks, it'll be quite a bit cooler, but further north, across a good part of scotland and northern ireland, there's likely to be some more warm sunshine on the way. into next week, though, this is where we see significant changes — not least because we'll start to see a northerly wind moving down, and that will really drop the temperatures. as the high recedes early next week, we've got the chance of seeing some rain. and then, that northerly wind arrives — it will be much colder by day, and also colder by night.
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this is bbc news, the headlines... president biden says nato has never been more united than it is today, and that vladimir putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended when russia invaded ukraine. mr biden was speaking after an emergency nato summit in brussels. the us has announced further sanctions on hundreds of russian companies and individuals, including more than 300 members of russia's lower house of parliament. the white house accused those on the list of "fuelling vladimir putin's war machine". the ukrainian navy says it has destroyed a russian landing ship west of the port of mariupol. the attack will hamper russian efforts to create a land corridor along the southern coast. ajury in london has been shown footage of the moment two police officers tackled a knife—wielding suspect accused of murdering sir david amess mp.
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ali harbi ali denies charges of murder and preparing

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