�*welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines. millons of women in the us could lose their legal right to an abortion — as a leaked document shows the current law may be overturned by the supreme court. the move has been praised and condemned. no one can make thejudgment no one can make the judgment to choose to abort a child based on a decision by the supreme court. i think that is way overboard. we found that during the campaigning and even _ we found that during the campaigning and even through today is that there is a lot— and even through today is that there is a lot of— and even through today is that there is a lot of common ground on this topic _ is a lot of common ground on this topic we — is a lot of common ground on this topic. we want fewer abortions, not more _ we'll be hearing from both pro—life and pro—choice campaigners throughout the programme.

also coming up: over 100 civilians who've been living underneath the besieged steel plant in mariupol have safely arrived in ukrainian territory — many are women and children who spent 60 days trapped underground. and in shanghai, the bbc has seen evidence of people in their 90's — some even 100 years old — who've been moved out of their homes after testing positive for covid—i9 — as millions endure a strict lockdown. the five weeks i've been locked down, you cannot kill outside the gates, it's shawn hi's down, you cannot kill outside the gates, it's shawn his most vulnerable suffer the most. and most of them are unvaccinated. still, chasing zero covid—i9 is the right thing.

hello and welcome to newsday broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. it's six in the morning in singapore, and six in the evening in washington, where the us presidentjoe biden has called for the preservation of the ruling that legalised abortion across the us — after a leaked document suggested it could be scrapped by the supreme court. mr biden said �*basic fairness�* demanded that roe versus wade was not overturned. the court's most seniorjudge, chiefjusticejohn roberts, has confirmed the draft opinion was genuine, but stressed it wasn't a final decision. the bbc�*s north america editor sarah smith has more. abortion is violence! 0utnumbered but vocal, outside the supreme court, anti—abortion activists scent victory, after nearly 50 years of fighting the constitutional guarantee of abortion rights, that's known as roe v wade. with overturning roe it's going back to the states and the states

are going to come up with these great programmes, a network of support to give women the choice, because right now a lot of women feels like abortion is their only choice. we want them to have real choice. you can stay in school and have a baby. you can have a job and have a baby. pro—choice campaigners aghast that more than half the states in america could ban or severely restrict abortion in the next few months, according to a leaked document from the supreme court. what did you think when you heard the decision what did you think when you read the decision last night? i thought, this is devastating. the courts are undermining the american people. and we have a long road ahead, but we are not letting this fight slip through our fingers. we are going to keep going. nine justices sit on the supreme court, five of them, according to the leaked report, will vote to overturn abortion rights, withjustice samuel alito writing that the decades—old decision to guarantee abortion was egregiously wrong. the impact will be sudden. there are 13 us states that have so—called trigger laws in place which would lead to an immediate ban on abortion.

another 13 would move quickly to ban or severely limit access, says the guttmacher institute, a pro—choice group. it estimates 36 million women of reproductive age will live in states without abortion access. this is what the republicans have been working towards, for decades. they have been out there plotting, carefully cultivating these supreme courtjustices so they could have a majority on the bench who would accomplish something that the majority of americans do not want. abortion is violence! donald trump deliberately appointed three of the supreme court justices, hoping to overturn the ban on abortion. a move welcomed by republicans around the country. i think i've been clear, i'm pro—life and i've made that very clearfrom the moment i announced my candidacy and i believe that what we found during the campaign and even through today is that there is a lot of common ground on this topic. we want fewer abortions

in virginia, not more. president biden says he believes a woman's right to choose is fundamental. he wants to pass a law through congress guaranteeing access to abortion. everyone knew a ruling on abortion rights was coming from the supreme court, but such a dramatic change in the law has still come as a seismic shock. the passions ignited by one of the most divisive issues in america will not be silenced when the court delivers its official ruling. as we've heard — on monday — a draft ruling from the us supreme court was published by the online journalism site politico. we know the document is genuine — although it is not necessarily yet finalised. the ruling, as we've been hearing, potentially overturns a landmark 1973 ruling on abortion rights. let's take a look at the background. that ruling is known

as roe versus wade — a supreme court decision which allowed the constitutional right to abortion. without it — us states would be able to set their own abortion laws, including outright bans. 22 states have legislation prepared which would ban abortion in almost all cases if the ruling is up—ended. a final supreme court ruling is expected in late june or earlyjuly. i'm joined now by carol tobias, president of the national right to life committee which campaigns against abortion rights in the us. what is your reaction to the this draft decision by the supreme court? iam not i am not going to take for granted that this is the final decision because obviously, the judges could change their minds. but i am very hopeful that it is the way the court is going to go. and we can again

start to protect unborn children in our country. just start to protect unborn children in our country-— start to protect unborn children in our country. just to say that some recent statistics _ our country. just to say that some recent statistics show, _ from the pew research centre in 2021 for instance that 6 in 10 americans are in favour of legalising abortion 7 doesn t this leaked draft go against what the majority of americans appear to want? would shown in 1973 was that the supreme court took the decision out of the state, out of the peoples hands and just set a national law. if the court does indeed overturn roe v wade, they'll mean that the 50 states once again with elected officials, elected by the people will get to make their laws. congress may also pardon this that they may be doing under federal level, but takes the decision out of the courts and into the hands of

elected representatives. to me, that is the best way the american people can speak up and have their voices heard. truly, there are some people that want to keep abortion legal, but there are a lot of them want to protect unborn children, so we have a couple of years of ongoing battles before any of this get settled. data shows that the lack of access to abortion disproportionately affects poor women 7 because rich women can pay to get access to abortion somewhere else 7 how do you see this affecting the rights of low income women? first of all, i would object to any plan that says we should be killing the children of a woman because she is poor but the pro—life movement and states are coming together to make services available that are currently. putting together

different plans that will help a woman through pregnancy, help her through the first few years of her child's life so they can get settled, there are services available and no woman has to kill her child in order to have a job, go to school, the support is going to be there to help her. it is there. would you rule an abortion an abortion in the instance of rape ? or incest? ifa if a woman has been raped, killing her child is not going to a race would happen. it is not going to remove the memories, it's not going to remove the horror, it compounds the situation because she then years later looks back and wonders if she should've done different because she

contributed to the life or death of her unborn child. it is a difficult circumstance, thankfully, it is a rare reason that a woman seeks an abortion and we have a lot of people who will stand up say not that they were proud about it, but there proud that their mothers chose life after going through a difficult circumstance like that. so if this is mainly a religious issue ? then why should it apply to women who aren t religious? the base of the pro—life movement is strong in their faith, the base of the pro—life movement is strong in theirfaith, but the base of the pro—life movement is strong in their faith, but we the base of the pro—life movement is strong in theirfaith, but we have the base of the pro—life movement is strong in their faith, but we have a broad segment of society that will also come forward and say they are secularists, atheists, agnostics. this is a civil rights issue and religion comes into play for some people, but not for others. when thing i do want to point out that in

the united states, it is legal for all nine months for any reason. we are one of only seven countries that has that kind of radical position. i was it will take some education on our part to make sure they understand that just overturning part to make sure they understand thatjust overturning roe v wade is not just want to make thatjust overturning roe v wade is notjust want to make abortion illegal everywhere but many people are actually going to except with the court is doing because they do not support the current situation under roe v. wade. i would like to say they support it because they don't know it.— say they support it because they don't know it. ., ~ , ., ., ., don't know it. thank you for “oining us on the programme. h stay with us on newsday — in the next programme we will be hearing from the other side of the debate, from a representative of the campaign group pro—choice america. in the meantime we have a live page

on this story on our website, it's updating with the latest lines and commentsjust log on to bbc.com/news or download the bbc app. and still to come later in the programme — we'll get an udate on the covid lockdown in shanghai, officials in china's biggest city say they will begin relxing restrictions, but the bbc has seen evidence of people as old as 100 — who've been moved out of their homes after testing positive but first, let's turn to ukraine — where more than 100 people who've been trapped for 2 months beneath the rubble of a steelworks in mariupol have finally been brought to safety. the evacuees have spent weeks — without seeing daylight — living in tunnels beneath the facility. but the ceasefire that allowed them to escape was brief. fierce fighting has now begun in mariupol again. and the red cross says there are still an unknown number of people trapped in the city. our correspondent, laura bicker, watched as the first evacuees finally made it to safety

in zaporizhzhia this afternoon. theirjourney from hell is over. two months of horror ends in exhaustion and relief. katarina spent weeks hidden in the depths of the azovstal steel plant as russian bombs pounded the site. she tried to tell her children everything would be ok, even when she didn't believe it herself. translation: how we were living, to be honest, it was horrible. - from morning until night we were bombarded. artillery, rockets, air strikes, our children couldn't sleep. they were crying and scared, and us as well. there were several times we lost hope we would ever get out. we are extremely glad to be in ukraine. for more than 60 days these women and children were stuck in the darkness, living on rations handed down by ukrainian soldiers. it's been a difficult and complex operation to free them.

translation: we lived in hope that every day would be - the last day in this hell, that we would go home to a peaceful mariupol, but now it is non—existent. this evacuation represents rare progress to ease the humanitarian cost of this war but hundreds more did not manage to make it on this bus. they are thought to still be trapped in the steel plant, including around a dozen children, and talks are still under way to free them. this footage from social media is said to show the azovstal steelworks this morning, under heavy attack from russian forces. this once thriving industrial heartland is now a charred shell. later in the video, russian tanks are seen patrolling what remains of the streets and park areas surrounding the huge factory. there are thought to be nearly 100,000 people still living in mariupol. translation: idon't. know where to go at all.

i am not alone. imagine, everything is destroyed and broken. where should the people go now? here, they are sitting with small kids, little ones. i have nowhere to go. for those who have made it out, finally they have fresh food and a little hope. lives have been saved today but many more hang in the balance. let's bring you some more of the latest developments on ukraine. the western ukrainian city of lviv has been hit by a number of missile strikes. the authorities say three electricity substations have been damaged. it's the first attack in the west for more than a week. the uk's prime minister, borisjohnson, has told ukraine that it will win and be free — in an address to the country's parliament. he is the first western leader to virtually address ukraine's parliament since the start

of the invasion, you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme. we have a special report from greece and montenegro — where china is investing billions of dollars in huge projects, but there are questions over who is really beneffiting. i know segment a love will hereby serve the republic of south africa. the channel tunnel has been with the total is still not been ready for passengers and freight services to begin. for passengers and freight services to be . in. ., . , passengers and freight services to beuin. ., . , , ., , begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggle _ begin. for centuries, christianity and islam struggle for _ begin. for centuries, christianity i and islam struggle for supremacy. now this _

and islam struggle for supremacy. now this symbolised their will to coexist — now this symbolised their will to coexist. to now this symbolised their will to coexist. ., . ., coexist. to run a mile in under four minutes. coexist. to run a mile in under four minutes that _ coexist. to run a mile in under four minutes. that celebrations - coexist. to run a mile in under four minutes. that celebrations reach . minutes. that celebrations reach their climax. _ minutes. that celebrations reach their climax. this _ minutes. that celebrations reach their climax. this night - minutes. that celebrations reach their climax. this night is - their climax. this night is dedicated _ their climax. this night is dedicated to _ their climax. this night is dedicated to everyone . their climax. this night is l dedicated to everyone who their climax. this night is _ dedicated to everyone who believes in a future — dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. this is newsday on the bbc. our headlines. president biden has called for the preservation of the ruling that legalised abortion across the us after a leaked document suggested it could be scrapped by the supreme court.

to china now, where after more than a month of strict lockdown, authorities in shanghai, china's biggest city, are beginning to gradually ease covid restrictions. the number of new cases is falling — but thousands of people remain in government run quarantine facilities as officials try to stop a wave of the omicron variant spreading any further. the bbc has seen evidence of people in their 90's — some even 100 years old — who've been moved out of their homes after testing positive. our correspondent robin brant is in shanghai, where he is still locked down. it's taken more than a month, but now shanghai's leaders think this outbreak is contained. so, it's time for a mass clean—up. disinfection by an army of workers, thousands of them, before a gradual opening up. but the brutal war against covid has left a scarred city. people as old as 100 were among those tested positive and taken to quarantine centres. one man detailed what he saw first—hand on social media.

translation: a lot of the old people have underlying health problems, - and the conditions inside quarantine centres are not good. we hope the elderlies can be sent to better hospitals. in the five weeks i've been locked down — you can't step outside the gates — it's shanghai's most vulnerable who've suffered the most. almost all the official dead are elderly and unvaccinated. china's leaders insist that still chasing zero covid is the right thing. the enforcement has been harsh at times. some people barricaded into their homes. or forced out of them. communities fenced off. but xijinping has made it clear there's no change. the man in charge of china's ruling communist party believes persistence is victory. this is now a test of china's way, of his credibility.

one part of china has changed tack, though. in hong kong, we never did a total lockdown. schools were closed, a lot of people were working from home, but it was by no means a lockdown. and my concern in shanghai would be how long can this go on because the case numbers are not going to come down to zero immediately. they're going to drop down slowly, but the whole thing could happen again in a month or two months or three months if there's another outbreak of omicron. debate about living with it on the mainland has been shut down in public, though, and there's little room for dissent. this man was detained by police for simply showing his shopping, some pork donated by a neighbouring province. his crime — highlighting the food supply problems. the government said this small—scale, subtle protest, banging pots in parts of shanghai, was influenced by foreign forces. china's capital is now on guard against any spread.

most of this country has been virus—free now for almost two years. but as omicron threatens, renewed anxiety is spreading. robin brant, bbc news, in shanghai. as russia has been hit with growing western sanctions over its invasion of ukraine, moscow has looked to china for support. china has not yet condemned the russian invasion but says it wants a peaceful solution in europe — where it has been investing billions of dollars in huge projects. in the second of his special reports, our europe correspondent nick beake has been looking at who s really benefitting from china s expansion. greece is emerging from the shadows of the financial crisis more than a decade ago. it's economy among the fastest growing in the eu. the boom at the port of piraeus near athens is helping. two thirds is now owned by a chinese state company. cosco has been building up its stake

after international lenders forced greece to sell this and other public assets. when you get this close, you can see just how huge these container ships are. and day in, day out, they're bringing tonnes of goods which will then be dispatched to all corners of europe. and this is a crucial gateway to the continent for china. but the expansion of this port is controversial. this lawyer has lived in piraeus all her life. she's suing the port over alleged environmental harm. everyone is against this because it will not benefit piraeus. it will benefit other people that do not live here. you think this place could be destroyed effectively? completely. workers at the port have been on strike over safety concerns. watch the containers on the right.

a narrow escape. but last year, a worker did die in a crane accident. the chinese owners didn't respond to our questions about the various concerns at the port. minister. how good to see you. greece's foreign minister says although a european buyer would've been preferable, the port will be a success for both beijing and athens. but is this the high point for the two countries' economic relations? they're not fading away, but i have to say there was not any more substantial chinese investment in greece. but we judge the investment on commercial grounds. i mean, if the chinese want to invest, we're a free country and a free economy. venture north through the balkans, and this is montenegro, apparently on the path to eu membership. but it's china lending the cash for this, the country's first motorway, a complex project which european experts had claimed was unfeasible.

in six years, only 41 kilometres has been built. the cost — 1 billion euros, which must be paid back to beijing. well, take a look. this is as far as montenegro's flagship infrastructure project extends to today. for now, yes, it is a road to nowhere. and it's held up as a warning to the rest of europe as china pursues its belt and road initiative. we need investments. if the chinese are the only one | interested in investing in you, | yeah, i say go for it, - butjust be careful about, like, the terms of these investments, | conditions of these investmentsj i and making sure that everything | is in line with your general policy. we asked five chinese ambassadors in europe for an interview about beijing's vision for the continent, but none was available. china has declared a new global order with its ally russia and has failed to condemn

the invasion of ukraine. more than ever, european nations are reassessing the risk and reward of doing business with beijing. nick beake, bbc news, montenegro. just before we go — it's affectionately labelled fashions biggest night out — the met gala in new york where this year's theme is "gilded glamour". it's hard to know where to start in terms of red carpet highlights — kim kardashian was sporting a dress once owned by marylin monroe — model gigi hadid was wearing what we're told was an extremely heavy dress — there was some light relief with pop star lizzo playing the flute — and there was even an appearance from a formerfirst lady at the annual fundraiser — the first time it's taken place since the pandemic began. that's all for now —

but do stay with us on bbc news and i'll be back with the next edition of newsday injust over 30 mins. in the meantime, you can get in touch with me on twitter — @bbckarishma hello there. we've seen plenty of cloud over the past few days. wednesday brings the promise of brighter skies. but with more in the way of sunshine, we could trigger some heavy downpours with the odd rumble of thunder and some lightning mixed in as well. here's the set—up as we move into wednesday, then. we've got these weather fronts bringing and patchy outbreaks of rain pushing eastwards, so it does mean that we start the day on a generally cloudy note. there could be a bit of mist and murk and some patchy outbreaks of rain. that is all shifting its way eastwards, so it will brighten up from the west as we go through the day. sunny spells coming through with more in the way of sunshine, could trigger those heavy thundery downpours.

parts of eastern scotland, north east england and the midlands through to southern and central england seeing those heavy, thundery downpours. of course, not everyone catching one, but if you do see one, it could be heavy. and with more in the way of sunshine, it's going to be warmer highs, around 17 celsius in the south and east. as we move overnight, we'll see those showers fading away. we'll see plenty of clear spells, but turning cloudier across the north and west with some patchy outbreaks of rain. the temperatures not falling too far at all, staying in the single figures. as we move into thursday, here's how the pressure chart looks. high pressure tending to dominate across england and wales. here, we see a good deal of dry and fine weather. we have those weather fronts just topping across the top in the north—west, bringing cloud and outbreaks of rain. we do drag in this milder air from the south—west, so thursday is looking like a warmer day. a good deal of sunshine across england and wales. cloudier skies, though, across the north and west with some patchy outbreaks of rain. so, for the north, we are looking at highs of around 13—16 c, 16—21, perhaps 22 celsius in the south. friday, we'll see this band of rain pushing its way south. there could be some heavy bursts

in there for parts of northern england and the midlands. drier and brighter behind it, and temperatures dropping off a touch here, but still warm in the south and east. highs of 20 degrees celsius. into the weekend, then, and high pressure dominates the weather, so it's looking like a settled picture. we'll see a good deal of dry, fine weather with light winds. so, if we take a quick look at those outlooks, we can see plenty of dry weather through the weekend. there'll be some patchy cloud and sunny spells and temperatures reaching a high of around 21 celsius. bye— bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines — the us supreme court has confirmed the authenticity of a leaked document which suggests millions of women could lose their legal right to an abortion. if the landmark ruling roe v wade is overturned, abortion will become illegal in 22 states. meanwhile, president biden has warned americans that any move to scrap legalised abortion would throw into question a whole range of rights and that "basic fairness" demanded the right to abortion. rival demonstrations have been taking place outside the supreme court. 101 civilians who've been living under the besieged steel plant in mariupol have finally reached safety in ukrainian territory.

many had been trapped underground for over 60 days.