welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm mariko oi. the headlines... britain's prime minister and his chancellor are fined for breaching the lockdown laws they imposed on the country. in all frankness, at that time, it did not occur to me that this might�*ve been a breach of the rules. but of course, the police have found otherwise, and i fully respect the outcome of their investigation. he's asking us to obey one rule, and then he's doing something completely different, the opposite. it's not right. itjust made me so angry. it's like one rule for. them, and one for us. on the front line with ukrainian forces in the east

of the country, as they prepare for a major russian onslaught. a manhunt is under way in new york, after 17 people were injured in a shooting at a subway station. after two weeks' covid lockdown in shanghai, officials admit they're struggling to feed the city's 25 million people. and lawyers forjohnny depp brand amber heard a liar who's "obsessed" with her image, in opening arguments of the defamation trial between the former spouses. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello, and welcome to the programme. the two most senior members of the uk government, the prime minister and the chancellor of the

exchequer, are facing calls to resign after being fined for breaking lockdown rules for attending a party in downing street in 2020. it makes borisjohnson the first—ever sitting prime minister to have broken the law. he's apologised, as has rishi sunak, the chancellor. here's our deputy political editor, vicki young. we all have images we rememberfrom lockdown — the queen forced to sit alone at her husband's funeral. but for many in downing street, it was different. drinks in the office and garden, dancing in the basement — and now, police have decided that the wrongdoing went right to the top. today, the prime minister apologised but said he wouldn't resign. i understand the anger that many will feel, that i myself fell short when it came to observing the very rules which the government i lead had introduced to protect the public. and i accept, in all sincerity, that people had the right to expect better. and now, ifeel an even

greater sense of obligation to deliver on the priorities of the british people. but you did repeatedly say that all the guidelines were followed in downing street. that was a lie, wasn't it? when i said that, i spoke in completely good faith — because, as i've said to you just now, at the time that i was standing up for nine minutes in the cabinet room where i work every day, it didn't occur to me that i was... you didn't understand your own rules, and everyone else had to follow them? it didn't occur to me that, as i say, i was in breach of the rules. i now humbly accept that i was. # happy birthday to you... this was the day borisjohnson broke his own rules — june 2020, his birthday. it started with a school visit — that was allowed. but later, there was a gathering in the cabinet room in downing street. carriejohnson turned up — she's also been fined. today the prime minister explained that he'd had a busy day, the occasion lasted less

than ten minutes, and it didn't occur to him at the time that he'd done anything wrong. the chancellor, rishi sunak, was also there for a meeting, and tonight offered an unreserved apology. in a statement, he said... this is an extraordinary moment — a prime minister standing here in chequers, admitting he's broken the law. and this wasn't some insignificant rule, these were rules that kept families and friends apart for months, stopped people going to funerals. but in the darkest hours for some people, the atmosphere in downing street was very different, where people time and again broke the laws that they drew up. and for many, this is unforgivable hypocrisy. labour's leader says for the prime minister and chancellor, the game is up.

this is the first time in the history of our country that a prime minister has found to be in breach of the law — and then he lied repeatedly to the public about it. britain deserves better. they have to go. the police investigation isn't over yet — they're looking into a long list of events in downing street and other government buildings. more than 50 fines have now been issued, and there could be more. and these words could come back to haunt the prime minister. i have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party, and that no covid rules were broken, and that is what i have been repeatedly assured. political opponents say it's damning. if you mislead parliament, if you lie to parliament, then you resign. there's no ifs, there's no buts. we know that this prime minister has lied to parliament. he should be offering his resignation. i am absolutely clear.

now that they must go, and they must go immediatelyl so we can get fresh leadership. and if conservative mps won't do that, i feel- they are directly associated with this wrongdoing. - tonight, borisjohnson has received backing from his cabinet and, more importantly, tory mps, who just a few weeks ago were trying to oust him after months of damaging lockdown allegations. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. there was fury amongst many uk voters when the claims first came out of staff parties in downing st and whitehall during lockdown. so, how are the latest revelations being viewed? 0ur correspondent danny savage has been to a town in the north of england to gauge the mood. mirfield in west yorkshire — a busy town between wakefield and huddersfield which fell silent during lockdown. an area of northern england where people we spoke to say they stuck to the rules concerning coronavirus restrictions.

they shouldn't have broken the rules anyway. they made them. everyone else was adhering to those rules, and they didn't. i think he should resign, personally, yeah. i think he should. he's asking us to obey one rule, and then he's doing something completely different, the opposite. it's not right, it's not fair, it's not british. no point resigning. pay the fine and get - on with it, and obviously don't do it again. you stuck to the rules? absolutely. yet they didn't. how does that leave you feeling? well, i'm actually angry. i'm angry. i've never been into politics, but itjust made me so angry. it's like one rule for them, and one for us. but will today's headlines damage the conservatives in a forthcoming general election? to be fair, the people we spoke to here today weren't sure. but some of their gains in 2019 have very slim majorities, like here, where they won byjust over 1,500 votes.

what is clear is that partygate has cut through to people far from westminster. they're fully aware of it, and have firm views. danny savage, bbc news, mirfield, in west yorkshire. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... scientists in the us have warned about the possibility of a new outbreak of the mosquito—borne virus, zika. in 2016, the virus sparked a global medical emergency. thousands of babies were born with brain damage after their mothers became infected while pregnant. dozens of people have been killed by floods and landslides in the south african province of kwazulu—natal, after days of heavy rain. the authorities have urged people to stay at home, and those living in low—lying areas to move to higher ground. the country's weather experts have forecast more "extreme" rain on the way. france's first offshore turbine has been installed in the saint—nazaire wind farm.

officials say that by the end of the year the facility will have 80 wind turbines and will produce enough electricity to provide energy for 700,000 people. ethiopia has allowed boeing 737 max aeroplanes to fly again in its air space — three years after grounding them in response to a fatal crash. the ethiopian airlines plane crashed in march 2019, minutes after take—off from addis ababa. all 157 people on board were killed. president biden has used the word "genocide" to describe russia's war in ukraine — in an escalation of his criticism of president putin. mr biden made the apparently unscripted comment during a speech in iowa on tackling rapidly rising fuel prices. meanwhile, the mayor of the besieged ukrainian city of mariupol says he estimates that 21,000 civilians there have been killed.

ukraine and russia continue to build up theirforces in the east of the country, ahead of a new russian offensive. moscow says its war aim is the "complete liberation" of the donbas region. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale is in the city of kramatorsk, in the donbas, travelling with ukrainian forces — he sent this report. this is where the war in ukraine will be won or lost. the wide open landscape of the east. we went with ukraine's army to see artillery already firing on russian forces. nervously watching for signs of russian aircraft. at their position, american—made stinger anti—aircraft missiles were ready to fire. the continuing supply of western weapons will be crucial to their success.

ukraine's military might be smaller, but they have been more mobile. translation: if we stay in one position for more | than a couple of days, we usually become the target. but if we fire 1—2 shells, nothing will happen. well, these artillery pieces are well hidden, just hearing some artillery in the distance there. but they are targeting russian military positions through here. unlike the russian artillery, which seems to be often targeting ukrainian towns and cities. columns of russian armour have already been spotted moving from the north. western officials believe russia is trying to double, even treble the strength of its military forces here in the east. ukraine is also having to keep an eye on its own population. there is pro—russian

sentiment in this region, those who they fear may be passing on information to the russians. this shows they are not just having to worry about russian armour, a russian offensive coming in this direction, but they are also having to worry about the enemy within. it's a job made all the more difficult by the regular threat of russian air strikes and artillery. sirens we have to head to a bunker for shelter. there, viktor tells me they are arresting people nearly every day. "we look for bad people who help the enemy. we find them and then hand them over to the intelligence services." ukraine is already taking casualties.

among the most recent, tatiana's only child, alexander, who was killed on the front line. there will be many more grieving families in the weeks to come. this next phase of the war could be decisive, but it will also be bloody. jonathan beale, bbc news, kramatorsk. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: lawyers forjohnny depp brand amber heard a liar who's "obsessed" with her image, in opening arguments of the defamation trial between the former spouses. pol pot, one of the century's greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians.

there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked, and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock. and, as for a sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world—best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she seemedj just to slide away under i the surface and disappear. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm mariko 0i in singapore. 0ur headlines... britain's prime minister and his chancellor are fined for breaching the lockdown laws

they imposed on the country. a manhunt is under way for a gunman who threw smoke grenades and opened fire on a new york subway train during rush hour. 17 people were injured — ten of whom were shot. nada tawfik sent this report from new york. in an instant, the rush of the morning commute turned into a race to safety. on this subway car, new yorkers went to a state of shock after a man wearing a green construction vest, a hooded sweatshirt, and a gas mask detonated a smoke bomb, then began opening fire. the attacker fled the scene to the sounds of people's screams, and the sight of some collapsing on the platform, bloodied and wounded. at 25th street, we were all told to get off. there was people screaming for medical assistance. it was just a scary moment, everyone was packed together. and i didn't know what happened till after. i saw a lot of people coming

out of the train station screaming, yelling for help. i saw a lady, she was shot right in her leg... yeah, and she was screaming for help. a massive emergency response from the nypd to the fbi flooded the area. authorities are still hunting for the suspect, whose motive remains unknown. investigators are combing through the crime scene and nearby surveillance cameras for any clues. new york has seen a rise in shootings — up until now, they were local isolated incidents. but this, the first mass indiscriminate shooting in recent times, affects the sense of security of every new yorker. commuters were just emerging from the pandemic and hoping for a return to normal. we say no more — no more mass shootings, no more disrupting lives, no more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal new yorkers. it has to end, and it ends now. new york is counting itself

lucky that no one died, but this will once again put the focus on public safety. nada tawfik, bbc news, new york. there's been a slight easing of strict covid restrictions in the chinese financial capital, shanghai. the move is in response to complaints of widespread food shortages among the 25 million residents. here's our correspondent robin brant, who's one of people dealing with lockdown. more than two years after covid first emerged here, china is still trying to keep it out. and this is how it's doing it. tens of thousands of people forced into government—run quarantine. in one of china's most advanced cities, the conditions for some are awful. translation: the moment | i really broke down was when i entered the cabin hospital.

we spoke to this 26—year—old — she tested positive a few days ago. in china, symptoms or no symptoms, you are forced to quarantine. translation: we were first assigned to the shared area. j the condition was terrible. my roommate and i found two camp bags. there was only one restroom and one washbasin on each floor. forced quarantine is one of two often brutal measures that china is using to try to be covid — the other is citywide lockdowns. i'm two weeks into the one here, along with the other 25 million people that live in shanghai. now for many, that means you can't step out of your gate. for some, it means you can't even go beyond your front door. and also, daily worries about food, for some, even about water. for some, the plight is now desperate — a battle to place an order on your phone or a fight with the authorities,

alljust to get food in. seeing video of communist party officials berated like this is rare here, but the party is digging in. everyone's being repeatedly tested — but this has become less about science. it's now a battle between a resurgent virus and communist party credibility. no one has officially died here from covid, and zero—covid remains the goal. china is still determined to prove it can beat nature. robin brant, bbc news, locked down in shanghai. australian politicians are starting to hit the campaign trail, after prime minister scott morrison announced that an election will be held on 21 may. morrison's liberal party and their coalition partners of representatives. but recent polling seems to point towards a change of government — with the opposition labour leader anthony albanese

currently ahead. jill sheppard is a researcher and lecturer in the school of politics and international relations at the australian national university — shejoins me now from canberra. thank you so much forjoining us on the programme. firstly, what are the key issues that will likely shape this election campaign — economy, covid, what's on the agenda? campaign - economy, covid, what's on the agenda? look, regardless — what's on the agenda? look, regardless of _ what's on the agenda? look, regardless of the _ what's on the agenda? look, regardless of the things - regardless of the things happening around the world at the moment, this australian election campaign looks like a pretty similar one to previous events here in australia. the keyissues events here in australia. the key issues will be economic security, national security, health and education. the incumbent government, led by scott morrison, will do its best to keep the election campaign focused around covid policies and economic recovery. we have done quite well during the covid lockdowns, and the

economy, in comparative terms, has held up quite successfully. so the government will be trying to argue its case on those terms.— trying to argue its case on those terms. talk us through the opposition _ those terms. talk us through the opposition leader, - those terms. talk us through i the opposition leader, because his critics say that he's too much of an unknown quantity. it's a very strange claim because he has been in parliament for quite some time. i think most voters are you quite used to it anthony albanese, he's been deputy prime minister, he's been cabinet minister, i think for most voters, he's more known than any other politician in australia. but we are seeing with compulsory voting is a race to the centre. so with everyone threatened with a $20 australian find of the outcome parties can be as close to each other as possible. so we see anthony albanese, a very modern style of labour leader who

doesn't want to push too hard on his centreleft credentials. he's talking up his economic skills, his concern for financial security, he's trying to minimise the space on national security, on economic recovery between the two major parties is much as possible. where he will seek to differentiate himself and make himself more of a known quantity among these voters who do perhaps want to know more about him is on issues of health care going forward, he's particularly focused on age care, access to child care for young parents, and competence generally — and he'll push very hard to portray his team as more united...— more united... sorry to interrupt. _ more united... sorry to interrupt, i— more united... sorry to interrupt, ijust - more united... sorry to interrupt, i just want i more united... sorry to interrupt, i just want to more united... sorry to - interrupt, i just want to ask one brief question before we let you go — how much will international affairs, like tensions with china, come into this election casilla—

this election casilla china looms large _ this election casilla china looms large in _ this election casilla china looms large in the - this election casilla china - looms large in the australian election campaigns, always there in the background. i don't think either major party will speak explicitly to china as a potential threat, but the liberal party will talk particularly about national security. and as soon as i talk about national security, recently... about national security, recently. . ._ about national security, recently. . . about national security, recentl... ., . recently... thank you so much forjoining _ recently. .. thank you so much forjoining us— recently... thank you so much forjoining us on _ recently... thank you so much forjoining us on newsday - recently... thank you so much forjoining us on newsday this| forjoining us on newsday this morning. forjoining us on newsday this morninu. . , lawyers for the actor johnny depp and his former wife, amber heard, have given their opening statements in his defamation case in the united states. mr depp is suing ms heard for $50 million over an article she wrote about being a survivor of domestic violence, that didn't mention him by name. david sillito reports from virginia, where the trial is taking place. fairfax, virginia, and in court today, a hollywood star — johnny depp, who was here to sue his ex—wife, amber heard, for libel. this is a defamation case.

it's a case about how devastating words can be when they are false and uttered publicly. in court, both barely even glanced at one another as this $50 million libel suit began, a case about an article in the washington post in which amber heard talked about enduring sexual assault and how institutions protect violent men. she did not namejohnny depp, but his lawyers say she didn't need to — everyone knew who she was talking about. his legal team said the allegations were all lies. amber heard was the abuser, notjohnny depp. she has been preparing to give the performance of her life in this trial. but this trial is about the evidence. it's about a man's reputation. his legal team described johnny depp as as a kind soul who would never raise his hand to a woman. amber heard was characterised as being troubled,

manipulative, but it's worth remembering this is not the first time the couple has met in a libel court. at a previous hearing in london, a judge ruled almost overwhelmingly in amber heard's favour. may i approach? yes, sir. and, just as in london, amber heard's lawyers today presented a very different picture of the star — a man prone to rages, a hidden side amber heard described as "the monster". you're going to see who the realjohnny depp is. behind the red carpets, behind the fame, behind the money, behind the pirate costumes, you're going to see who that man really is. so, two years on from that case in london, a second attempt to clearjohnny depp's name begins, this time with a jury. jurors have been told this could take up to seven weeks. david sillito, bbc news, fairfax, virginia.

that's all for now, thank you so much for watching newsday. hello. the easter weekend isjust around the corner and, as we move closer to it, things will turn drier and warmer for many. not always sunny, complicated slightly by some mist and low cloud lingering for northern and western areas. and here, we could see some patchy rain at times. but a lot of dry weather in the forecast. and it's looking dry for many as we head through wednesday — the area of rain that we had on tuesday came courtesy of this area of low pressure, and it's pulling away into the north sea through wednesday. still close enough to scotland that it'll bring more cloud, still some patchy rain into northeast scotland and the northern isles through the morning, that will pull away. some mist and low cloud likely to lingerfor some northern and western coasts through the day. but elsewhere, we should see some spells of sunshine developing, although also some sharp afternoon showers, perhaps with a rumble of thunder. the winds will be a light—to—moderate westerly for many, and that means a warmer day across

northeastern coasts, where we've got the best of the sunshine through wednesday afternoon — temperatures quite widely into the mid—to—high teens. pollen levels, though, will be high for much of england and wales through wednesday, moderate across northern england, and also moderate across southern scotland and into northern ireland, as well. so through wednesday evening, most of the showers will fade — for many, we'll see some clearer skies, although mist and low cloud will start to push back into wales, southwest england, northwest england, also more cloud nudging into northern ireland and the western isles. again for many, it's a mild night with temperatures typically between 6—9 celsius. so for thursday, we've got this area of high pressure, which is the dominant feature — i'm sure you can see these fronts trying to push in from the west, and that'll bring much more cloud across northern ireland, maybe some patchy rain, particularly for western areas through the afternoon, some of that could just push into the western isles, too. once again, mist and low cloud will be slow to clear for some northern and western areas. but elsewhere, spells of sunshine developing through thursday, particularly the further east you are, and here is where we'll see

the highest temperatures — and mid—to—high teens for many, perhaps 19—21 celsius across parts of east anglia and southeast england. then for the easter weekend, for many, we hold on to this area of high pressure. frontal system is trying to push in from the atlantic — they'll be fairly weak affairs, but particular as we head into easter sunday, then we could begin to see some more showery outbreaks of rain into the north and the west. but for most over the easter weekend, it's looking warmer, it's mainly dry — yes, there will be some overnight mist and fog, but also some sunshine, too. goodbye.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues, straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. what will it take to end the waeradimir putin initiated in ukraine? in military terms, russia now seems intent on a grim campaign of attrition in the east and south, a strategy which is already taking a terrible human toll. could economic isolation inflict enough pain to force the kremlin to reconsider?

well, my guest is exiled russian economist