welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... russia says more than 1,000 ukrainian marines have surrendered there. kyiv says it still holds the key port city. more evidence russia has carried out alleged war crimes in ukraine. we report from bucha, where investigators are collecting details. the challenge for prosecutors will be to establish a line of command, from the grave to the top of the russian state. to show that crimes were notjust committed, but ordered. also coming up on newsdsay... a desperate search for survivors in south africa, as the president calls the flooding there a catastrophe of enormous proportions.

in the uk, a government minister quits after borisjohnson becomes the first sitting prime minister found to have broken the law. researchers in australia say freezing koala spurn could help protect them from extinction. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 6am in singapore, and 1am in mariupol — where russia is claiming more than 1,000 ukrainian troops have surrendered. but kyiv says the besieged southern port city is still in its control. gaining full control of mariupol would be a major win for moscow, creating a land bridge between crimea, which russia illegally annexed in 2014,

and areas held by russian—led separatists in the donbas region. it would enable thousands of troops to be deployed to the east for a new offensive planned there. but caught in the middle is mariupol — its mayor says around 21,000 civilians have been killed, and 120,000 remain trapped. 0ur correspondent tom bateman reports now from the city of zaporizhzhia, where some people displaced from mariupol have ended up. i want to warn you, his report contains upsetting images. this is a city reduced to darkness and death. russia's troops now occupy the theatre that was bombed as hundreds sheltered. their six—week siege of mariupol has brought it to the brink of falling. state tv in moscow showed these unverified pictures claiming they are ukrainian soldiers surrendering. but the city's defenders posted their own videos, holed up in the port and a factory,

still fighting, but their position seems desperate. "we won't give up," says this marine, "but we're encircled with no resupply of ammunition or food." 100 miles north, just over the russian line, europe's 21st—century war is fought amid mud and rage in the trenches. mariupol�*s capture could see a push north, here. if mariupol falls, what will happen here? translation: well, we won't let this place turn into mariupol. _ they're holding on. vitali shows me their soviet—era launchers. they also have brand—new western weapons but they want more, with the war about to move to a decisive phase.

they're completely dug in here, as you can see. and the russians are that way. about 11—5 miles from here, within artillery range. and you can see, they're ready for a long and grinding fight. they've been entrenched for 45 days. translation: we are on our own soil. we expect them, to bury as many of them as possible. the more troops they send our way, the more fertile our land gets. russia's siege has killed thousands of civilians in mariupol and unleashed an appalling struggle for survival for the residents that remain. and these are the children of president putin's war. this hospital, north of the front line, is taking patients from mariupol and, like those in this ward, from elsewhere in the south and east. the doctors tell me they're treating

children with injuries they usually see in soldiers, straight from the battlefield. for mariupol�*s survivors, whole lives are packed into a few bags. and they carry the fresh horrors of this war. lena and timothy are homeless. their apartment block obliterated in an air strike. ukraine's leaders call mariupol the heart of their war effort but they fear soon it could stop beating. tom bateman, bbc news, zaporizhzhia, in south—east ukraine. meanwhile, president biden says the evidence appears to suggest that russia is committing genocide in ukraine. he says it's becoming "clearer and clearer" that vladimir putin wants to "wipe out the idea of even being ukrainian." over the past two weeks, russian forces have been withdrawing from the north around the capital, after failing to enter kyiv. their retreat from the areas,

shown here in purple, has allowed a clearer picture to emerge, of the terrible damage and destruction left in their wake. 0ur correspondent mark lowen has visited the towns of bucha and borodianka, travelling with those trying to document evidence of war crimes committed by russian troops. his report contains upsetting details. ten more. the numbers, the mass graves, the contempt for life. some so badly charred, they're just the pieces for ukraine to pick up. the man and the inhuman. what happened here in bucha and elsewhere are notjust sins, says ukraine, but war crimes. french investigators and other international teams are helping prepare a lawsuit against russia. ukraine's prosecutor general says they've already opened more than 6,000 cases.

a lot of people speak about genocide of ukrainian people, and actually, they have all grounds to speak about genocide. vladimir putin himself, he is president of aggressor. do you believe you will ever see him judged in an international war crimes court? it is very important, actually. it's very important to hold court to stop dictators. the challenge for prosecutors will be to establish a line of command from the grave to the top of the russian state, to show that crimes are notjust committed, but ordered. perhaps that will help give ukrainians a sense of accountability, and that from such suffering can comejustice. the long road to that goal, past a landscape of horror, is led notjust by the state, but by volunteer investigators, a grassroots army fighting for the truth. they come to borodyanka, gutted from the air in a relentless

assault tearing out its heart. amidst the ruins, banned cluster bombs. the destroyed ground is fertile for the team building their case. we're trying to tell the world the truth, and we are trying not to let russia formulate their lying narratives about the war in ukraine. we are trying to show to people that those war crimes which russian troops are committing became, like, a pattern of their behaviour. among the shattered sea of victims are 0xana and her husband, nikola. they escaped. their apartment didn't. with the need to tell this story comes the duty to collect it.

translation: our home was our cosy nest. - we were planning our. children's birthday here. my mother got outjust before the strike. - it's hard to describe our terror. it's more like hate. it's very important to say - what happened because these are notjust war crimes. russia will not stop until it destroys our country. - freedom and safety, what ukrainians held dear, has been destroyed. their solace now would be punishment for those who have broken this country. mark lowen, bbc news, borodyanka. i want to turn now to south africa, which has been hit by a catastrophe of enormous proportions — they're the words of south african president cyril ramaphosa after he visited some of the most badly—hit flood areas of kwazulu—natal. more than 300 people are known to have died and dozens more remain

missing in the heaviest rains to hit the country in more than 60 years. shinga nyoka reports from durban in the aftermath of days of torrential rain, a month's worth of rain fell in a single day in some parts of kwazulu—natal. it's a frantic search for one of their own. an anxious community watches and waits. floods are fairly common here, but rescuers say these are some of the worst they've ever witnessed. they've already retrieved the bodies of three people from a single family, and there's a desperate search for a fourth, a ten—year—old child. a woman thought she was driving her grandchildren away from danger to a place of safety. hervehicle away from danger to a place of safety. her vehicle got swept away in this river. the flood surprised many, even those who have lived here for decades. we many, even those who have lived here for decades-— for decades. we were staying awake because of the _ for decades. we were staying awake because of the rising _ for decades. we were staying awake because of the rising river. - for decades. we were staying awake because of the rising river. and - because of the rising river. and then about two o'clock, policeman came up here, then the tow trucks

came up here, then the tow trucks came in. around three o'clock, they drag the car out with one body in their —— dragged the car out. that was very traumatic because it was the first time we've seen the river rise. �* . ., the first time we've seen the river rise. �* ., ._ ., the first time we've seen the river rise. �* ., ., , ., . rise. after a day of searching, exhausted — rise. after a day of searching, exhausted volunteers - rise. after a day of searching, exhausted volunteers moved | rise. after a day of searching, i exhausted volunteers moved to another location. dozens have died in what authorities are calling the tragic toll of the force of nature. in some areas, months of rain fell in a single day and without warning. rescuers were overwhelmed with calls. workers, learners, teachers and evacuated to places of safety. authorities say most of the province is affected, highways are submerged, roads completely washed away. some communities are completely cut off. all our electricity stations, major

ones _ all our electricity stations, major ones are — all our electricity stations, major ones are also flooded. 0ur water treatment— ones are also flooded. 0ur water treatment plants that we are using to save _ treatment plants that we are using to save these communities. durbin, one of the largest _ to save these communities. durbin, one of the largest port _ to save these communities. durbin, one of the largest port cities - to save these communities. durbin, one of the largest port cities in - one of the largest port cities in africa, is the worst affected. containers were washed away as far as the i can see. the transport company says it has suspended shipping untilfurther company says it has suspended shipping until further notice. destruction will almost certainly affect south african trade. the flood is subsiding and some community is recovering — but with more brains forecasted over the weekend, the province remains on high alert. shingai nyoka, bbc news, durban. in the uk, a minister has resigned from prime minister, borisjohnson�*s government over the breaking of covid rules in downing street. lord wolfson, who was justice minister, said his resignation came after the prime minister and the chancellor were both fined for breaking the lockdown laws. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young has more. he's broken the law, and his own strict covid rules.

boris johnson forced to apologise again and again for lockdown partying in downing street. i want to begin by repeating my apologies. mr speaker, i want to apologise. i once again offer a full apology. but is saying sorry enough to save his job? for now, cabinet colleagues think so. it's not defensible, and he has paid that fixed— penalty notice. the question, i suppose, in my mind is, you know, as individuals, none of us are perfect, no—one does... you know, we all err, we're all human. the question in my mind therefore is, did he set out with malice to break the law? answer — no. but not everyone is brushing it off so lightly. tonight, justice minister lord david wolfson resigned over what he called the scale, context and nature of rule—breaking in downing street, and the official response to what took place. the blackmores say what went

on amounts to hypocrisy. injune 2020, the uk was in lockdown — the month they lost their newborn daughter, just four days old. covid restrictions kept the family apart. to know that through that time, i when we were literally only getting a section of time with our baby girl and knowing she was going to die, j and there were people having - parties, and who made the rules? they're the ones who put that in place. - we're not the only people that lost somebody. - conservative mps insist they understand the public anger, but say ousting the prime minister when there's a war in ukraine would be wrong. the liberal democrats said he wasn't a decent man, and the snp condemned a culture of entitlement in downing street. labour piled in, too. the idea that we can't change leadership now because of the war in ukraine or because of the economic crisis, i think it's actually the other way round, that actually we need fresh leadership and we need leaders

who can concentrate on the job in hand, which is tackling russian aggression and supporting ukraine, and also here at home, tackling the cost—of—living crisis. very few conservatives are publicly criticising mrjohnson. one of his fiercest critics, the scottish leader douglas ross, has retracted his call for him to go. but a colleague disagrees. i think that the prime minister should walk now because, one, he's been shown to have broken the laws of the land that he himself set. because he presided over a culture in number ten where there was persistent lawbreaking. and because he went and told both the parliament and the country that no laws had been broken when they clearly had been. and he knew that they had been. mrjohnson, safe in number ten for now — but the police investigation is far from over. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme: a day after ten people were injured in a shooting on the new york subway, a man is arrested. 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 karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines... russia says more than 1,000 ukrainian marines have surrendered in mariupol — but kyiv maintains it controls the key port city. the search for survivors continues in south africa, as the president calls the flooding there a catastrophe of enormous proportions. let's turn to china now — where authorities have warned people in shanghai that they will be dealt with forcefully if they fail to comply with the city's strict coronavirus lockdown measures. while some of the city's 25 million residents are now able to go outside, many are still confined to their homes. here's our china

correspondent steve mcdonell. well, the latest numbers are unfortunately not good. yesterday, we reported a slight drop — so it was the first day since april that the official daily new cases had come down. well, they're back up again. so those that have to go to hospital, daily new cases today are over 1,000 — it was below 1,000 yesterday. those who are infected and their symptoms aren't that great — so they have to go to these centralised isolation facilities — yesterday, 22,000, today, 25,000 new infections. so the hope that things had peaked, well, it doesn't seem to have happened yet, we will see what the numbers are tomorrow. some people say you've got to look at seven days in a row to get a good idea of it. the authorities, though, in shanghai are trying to ease people's concerns, and also try to ease the load on their system by saying that those

who go to these isolation centres, the average time there is now only around a week, rather than two weeks. that'll come as good news to some people because they'd rather spend time at home, you know, if they're able to show that they don't have covid rather than these kind of packed isolation centres, which at times are pretty squalid, to tell the truth. police in new york have arrested a man after a shooting at subway station in brooklyn on tuesday. ten people were injured when a gunman fired 33 rounds from a semi—automatic handgun. an fbi official said the suspect, frankjames, would now face a federal charge for a terrorist attack on mass transit. here's our correspondent nada tawfik with the latest from new york. less than 30 hours after this massive manhunt by federal and new york officials, they have now arrested the suspect — 62—year—old frank james.

and it comes after they really urged the public to phone in with any footage that they may have captured on their phones from the scene, with any tips of the man's whereabouts. and that's exactly how they were able to locate him. a new yorker called in, gave a tip that he was at a mcdonald's in lower manhattan. when patrol officers went to the scene, he wasn't there, but they kept driving around — and lo and behold, they found him just walking new york city streets. and officials say that the officers arrested him without incident. and, you know, it's really a fascinating situation because they have already now pieced together so much evidence from surrounding businesses, and they've put together this complaint already in federal court. frankjames will appear thursday for an initial appearance on charges of committing a terrorist attack

on mass transit. they say he is someone who is known to the authorities, he was born and raised in the bronx, in new york, but then lived in other states. but here in new york, he'd been arrested nine times on crimes ranging from burglary to sex acts. and in this criminal complaint, they outline all the evidence they have — a search of a rented u—haul truck that he used to get to the scene, a search of a storage facility he has. and they haven't really given an exact motive at the moment, but they've certainly posted the many videos he's posted on social media commenting about the mayor directly, and about the state of the subway system. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... at least 53 people have been killed in landslides and floods after tropical storm megi devastated the philippines. rescue crews were still looking for survivors in flooded villages on wednesday,

digging through mud and wading through chest—high water. officials say the death toll from sunday's storm is only expected to go up. a day after sri lanka suspended international debt repayments, its central bank has urged sri lankans overseas to send money home. the bank said foreign exchange was urgently needed to fund food and fuel. since 2019, more than 60,000 koalas have died in bushfires in australia, but researchers have found a way to protect them from potential extinction. scientists at the university of newcastle, in new south wales have suggested setting up a biolab to freeze koala spurn, which could help protect the endangered animals. the collected sperm could then be used for a breeding programme to future—proof the species. dr ryan witt from the university of newcastle joins us now.

it's great to have you on the programme, doctor, and i must start by asking you, what made you think this would be an effective way to protect koalas, and how would it work? . ., , ., work? that the great question, charisma- _ work? that the great question, charisma. basically _ work? that the great question, charisma. basically the - work? that the great question, charisma. basically the way - l work? that the great question, . charisma. basically the way - what charisma. basically the way — what we've done is we've developed a modelling system which shows that theseif modelling system which shows that these if you will, like artificial insemination and frozen spurn could actually be used to save the species by supplementing captive breeding programmes that are currently in development in australia. the way it works is that you supplement the genetics every other generation, so that you are getting new genetics coming into the population. and that

gives us two things — it reduces costs, because you can keep more animals in captivity over time, and it also maintains the programme and helps us repurpose those valuable consolation dollars to other valuable programmes. it consolation dollars to other valuable programmes. it strikes me, we were just — valuable programmes. it strikes me, we were just looking _ valuable programmes. it strikes me, we were just looking at _ valuable programmes. it strikes me, we were just looking at pictures - valuable programmes. it strikes me, we were just looking at pictures of i we were just looking at pictures of these amazing animals on our screens, explainjust how these amazing animals on our screens, explain just how big a problem it is right now for qualities, in terms of how endangered they are and what prompted this research was? the auali prompted this research was? the quality has _ prompted this research was? tue: quality has been prompted this research was? tte: quality has been upgraded prompted this research was? tt2 quality has been upgraded from vulnerable to endangered and australia. this is been on the weight well before the magnifiers of 2020. we've seen over the last 200

years drastic reductions in quality populations. the 2019—20 bushfires killed around 5000 animals just in the state of new south wales alone, and this has really prompted an inquiry into the status of the quality populations in australia, which has created this need. we are looking at the situation here where we may see koalas go extinct in the state by 2050. bud we may see koalas go extinct in the state by 2050-_ state by 2050. and 'ust briefly, we onl have state by 2050. and 'ust briefly, we only have a _ state by 2050. and 'ust briefly, we only have a few— state by 2050. and just briefly, we only have a few seconds _ state by 2050. and just briefly, we only have a few seconds left, - state by 2050. and just briefly, we only have a few seconds left, do i state by 2050. and just briefly, we i only have a few seconds left, do you think this will achieve that aim of getting these qualities protected? spurn banking is a viable tool, just one tool in the tool box. 0ur papers show that it will be a potential strategy to save the species, it's not the only tool, but it certainly one we need to invest our time in now, otherwise... 50 one we need to invest our time in now, otherwise...— one we need to invest our time in now, otherwise... so sorry, we have to leave it — now, otherwise... so sorry, we have to leave it there, _ now, otherwise... so sorry, we have

to leave it there, it's _ now, otherwise... so sorry, we have to leave it there, it's fascinating - to leave it there, it's fascinating work you're doing and so very important, i wish you the best of luck with it. thanks forjoining us, that's it for newsday, thank you for joining us. hello there. apart from the odd shower, it does look like many places will stay dry for the run—up to easter. and for many of us, it'll stay quite warm, as well — particularly for england and wales, where we'll see the best of any sunshine throughout the day on thursday. we've got a weak area of high pressure tending to build in across the country — that should keep these weather fronts out at bay, which will tend to threaten parts of northern ireland and scotland through the day. however, they will tend to bring thicker cloud here through the day, some spots of rain around, particularly for western scotland. elsewhere, any low cloud, mist, and murk will tend to clear away, certainly inland, and allow for some good sunny spells to develop, though could stay quite murky around the coast. and there's just an outside chance of a shower across eastern england. again, another warm day to come for many, 15—19 celsius, we could see 20 celsius again somewhere in the southeast. there's a repeat performance as we head through thursday night.

showers die away, and we start to see more low cloud, mist, and murk rolling into southern and western areas in particular. i think eastern areas will see the lengthiest clear spells. and again, it's going to be another mild night. so for good friday, we start off mainly dry, sunshine from the word go across eastern areas, a bit more in the way of cloud across the north and the west — perhaps an odd shower for northern ireland, wales, the southwest of england. 0therwise most places dry, and it could be the warmest day of the week, good friday, we could see 21 celsius so when the south east, but even further north, the mid—to—high teens. now, as we head through the easter weekend, it does look like our area of high pressure could start to break down, and that may allow low pressure and weather fronts to sweep in to the north and the west through easter sunday and easter monday. so some areas in the north could be fairly wet. saturday itself doesn't look too bad — much of england wales again dry with some good spells of sunshine. a bit more in the way of cloud across scotland, northern ireland, perhaps some irish sea coasts, the odd shower here. and temperatures again, mid—to—high teens for many,

probably highs of 18—19 celsius in the south east. temperatures just coming down a little bit. easter sunday at this stage, it could be fairly wet across parts of the north and the west for a while. more active weather fronts try to work their way eastwards. but again, midlands, eastern england, southern england could stay dry with some good sunny spells and temperatures mid—to—high teens once again. so i think we're starting the easter weekend off on a largely fine, pretty warm note with some sunshine around — the best of it in the east, but there is an increasing chance of more unsettled weather trying to push in from the north and the west for part two of easter weekend.

this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines... russia says more than 1,000 ukrainian marines have surrendered in the port city of mariupol, but kyiv maintains it still controls the key port city. as more bodies are recovered in bucha, the world's biggest security body, the organisation for security and cooperation in europe, says there are clear patterns of russian troops violating international humanitarian law in ukraine. officials in south africa have declared a state of disaster after floods devastated the eastern province of kwazulu—natal. more than 300 people are now known to have died, and scores are still missing. in the united kingdom, a government minister has resigned after borisjohnson becomes

the first sitting prime minister