this is bbc news. our top stories: a 21—year—old russian soldier pleads guilty to shooting dead an unarmed ukrainian civilian, in the first war crimes trial of the conflict. on patrol with the afghan vice & virtue inspectors, as they enforce the taliban's strict rules on how women should appear in public. as india and pakistan face blistering temperatures of 50 degrees celsius, experts warn such heatwaves are now a hundred times more likely because of climate change. climate change is a hot topic here in australia too, as voters go to the polls in just two days, i'll have the latest live from sydney. and, words of advice from singer—songwriter taylor swift as she receives

an honorary doctorate from new york university, learn to live alongside cringe. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. a russian soldier has pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian, in the first war crimes trial in ukraine, since the russian invasion began. appearing in court in kyiv, the 21—year—old admitted shooting dead a ukrainian man, as he pushed a bicycle on the road. our correspondent sarah rainsford sent this report. this was a major moment for ukraine, the first russian soldier accused of a war crime already up in court. vadim shishimarin is a russian tank commander. he's on trial for shooting

and killing a civilian. all the time, the widow of the man killed was just the other side of the glass. the soldier seemed nervous and said little, until the words that mattered... asked whether he admitted his guilt, vadim shishimarin told the judge, "yes, completely. " it was the very start of this war, as russian tanks rolled south through sumy. vadim shishimarin's unit came under attack then and were forced into retreat. in the chaos, he and four others ended up fleeing in a stolen car. kateryna described seeing the russians through her gate, but her husband was out in the street. she later found his body lying here. the soldiers had seen him on his phone and vadim shishimarin had killed him. alexander was 62. he was shot four

times in the head. this was the first time his widow had seen the man responsible, so i asked how she coped. "i feel very sorry for him," kateryna told me, "but this crime i can't forgive." ukraine knows most of those it accuses of war crimes may never be prosecuted, the suspects sheltered by russia. but this soldier surrendered, his only defence that he was following orders. those in moscow who sent him to this war have not even made contact with his lawyer. the prosecutor is asking for a life sentence, so i asked him how fair this trial could be. translation: we follow - all the laws and all the norms. the trial is open. if there was any violation by us, shishimarin could have said so. he has all the rights accorded to him by ukrainian and international law. this trial is taking place extremely quickly and, of course, it's happening

in the middle of a war, but everyone here knows that they're under scrutiny, they know they have to be transparent. and what ukraine says is that it's not looking for scapegoats. this is not a show trial. they want justice. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kyiv. well earlier i spoke to oona hathaway who's a professor of international law at yale law school. i asked her how different and difficult it was for war crime investigations to take place whilst a country is in the midst of an invasion. this is pretty extraordinary. we have not really seen a case like this where we have war crime trials happening even in the midst of the war, in the country where the war is continuing to take place. it is really an extraordinary event and i think it is really to the credit of ukrainians that they are able to keep the courts running, engage in these prosecutions, and engage in evidence collection. it is really a pretty extraordinary event. i do not think that it suggests that the icc,

the international criminal court, is irrelevant, however, because that will come in later. it will come in for harder cases or come in for cases against those who are higher up in the russian leadership, if those cases are able to move forward. we have got a big country, we are talking about russia, that has committed alleged war crimes in their most horrific nature, and it is not the first time russia has been accused of such crimes, and it's not the first time big countries have been found guilty of war crimes — one wonders if international law is really being effective and if the international criminal court is being intimidating enough when it comes to those who could carry out war crimes if they wanted to? certainly, we see these war crimes happening and obviously that is evidence enough that the international law has not been perfectly effecting at preventing war crimes from taking place. we have to remember, though, this is true of law generally. we would not say the same thing

as say laws against murdering. there are still prosecutions for murder, that does not mean that laws are irrelevant. but it does mean that more needs to be done and, in fact, these trials i think are really an important step. because the war is ongoing, the fact that these prosecutions are happening is a message to all russian soldiers out there, that if they participate in war crimes, even if they are following orders, that they can be prosecuted and they may be injail for the rest of their lives. so do think this sends a really important message. we should point out and perhaps discuss as well, ukraine are cooperating with the international criminal court, even though they have not signed up to the icc. and there's a huge number of instigators out there, right now, with very fresh evidence or possible evidence of war crimes to gather. where do you, as an expert in law, see this going in the years ahead and how effective do you thin the icc can be in holding those accountable? i think this is a real test of the international

criminal court. i think this is a great moment for us to see what the international criminal court can do. they have more investigators on the ground in ukraine than they've ever had before. this is the biggest case that they have ever investigated. it is a real test of the organisation because they are going to have to see if they can carry out this extraordinary set of investigations. they are going to have to work very closely with the ukrainian government and the ukrainian courts, because the way the international criminal court works is that it only steps in if the ukrainian courts are either not able or not willing to prosecute one of the russians who might be a suspect of war crimes, against humanity or genocide. and so there is a need not only for investigation, but there is also this need for co—ordination with the ukrainian government and all this in some ways is quite new and certainly at this scale, we have never seen anything like this before at the international criminal court.

well as for the war on the ground, russia says almost 700 ukrainian fighters at the azovstal steelworks in mariupol, have surrendered in the past 2a hours. pictures released by the russian ministry of defence appear to show them leaving the site. russia says the total number of fighters brought out since monday is almost 1,000. in afghanistan, the number of restrictions imposed on women, under taliban rule, is growing. the ministry for preventing vice and promoting virtue, has been behind a raft of new, hard—line laws, and among them, ordering afghan women to wear the islamic face veil. 0ur correspondent, secunder kermani, has been given exclusive access to a team of inspectors from the ministry. meet the inspectors of the ministry of vice and virtue. with branches across the country, they are remoulding afghanistan to fit in with the taliban's hardline beliefs.

and how often do you do this, in a week? every day. every day? morning and afternoon. we are following one team in the centre of kabul. first stop, a shopping centre. bystanders and shopkeepers are given a lecture on the importance of saying your prayers and growing a beard, though it's all framed as brotherly advice. "if you have any problems, we can help you," maulvi mahmoud fatih tell them. you haven't been talking about women, about what they should wear? that's what your ministry is most known for at the moment. translation: we have already given advice to the owner - of the shopping centre, and put up some posters, but we can't interact with individuals, for example, stopping a woman and asking her, "why are you not wearing the correct hijab?" my manners in religion do not permit me to do that. so if you see a woman here who's got her head covered but not her face covered,

you won't say anything to her? we can distinguish between a woman with hijab and without. if a woman is completely crossing the limits without any modesty or veil, then we will try to find her male guardian. in such a conservative country, it is not clear which women he means. many already cover their faces. in cities like kabul, others simply cover their hair. this is how the taliban say they should all be dressing now. what right does your ministry have to tell them how they should practice their religion, how they should dress? translation: it is not. the decree of the ministry, it is the decree of god. the real cause of moral corruption is the face. if the face is not covered, then what is the point of hijab? the inspectors are on the move. next up, a bus stop. their ministry has a fearsome

reputation from their role during the taliban's previous regime, when offenders had been regularly beaten. but here, theirfocus is on ensuring men do not get too close to female passengers. certainly, in front of us, these vice and virtue inspectors are behaving politely, gently with the public. is that always the case when cameras are not around for teams right across the country? local residents we spoke to off cameras had no complaints about these inspectors, but many worry the taliban are growing increasingly repressive. leila bassem is an activist who was on board a bus stopped by vice and virtue inspectors. translation: some women had their faces covered, - others, like me, were wearing black gowns and face masks. i said to the inspector, there

is no—one without hijab here. he became very angry but would not even look at me, he said, "you are a very shameless woman, "this is not the afghan republic, "now it's the islamic emirate, "you cannot do whatever you want anymore." the taliban initially appeared more flexible than many expected, but they are becoming increasingly hardline. despite an economic crisis, tightening social restrictions seems their priority and the path ahead for the country looks deeply uncertain. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. let's get some of the day's other news. president biden has invoked the defense production act to address the shortage of powdered baby milk in the united states. the availability of the product

in the us has been hit since the country's biggest manufacturer, halted production in february following reports that several children who were given the food had suffered serious bacterial infections. sri lanka's energy minister says the country has run out of petrol, as protests over the deepening economic crisis continue. he's urged residents not to queue for the next two days. the government says a ship with petrol is docked at colombo port but the government does not have enough money to pay for its cargo. stay with us on bbc news. still to come on the programme, we'll be live in australia as voters prepare for the polls. and we will be looking at the issue of climate change which has become a major talking point for many voters here in australia ahead of the election season. this morning, an indian air force plane, carrying mr gandhi's body, landed in delhi. the president of india

walked to the plane to solemnly witness mr gandhi's final return from the political battlefield. ireland has voted overwhelmingly in favour of gay marriage. in doing so, it has become the first country in the world to approve the change in a national referendum. it was a remarkable climax. to what was surely the most extraordinary funeral ever given to a pop singer. - it's been a peacefulfuneral demonstration so far, but suddenly, the police are tear—gassing the crowd. we don't yet know why. the pre—launch ritual is well—established here. helen was said to be in good spirits, but just a little apprehensive. in the last hour, east timor has become i the world's newest nation. it was a bloody birth for a poor country, i and the challengesl ahead are daunting. but for now, at least, i it is time to celebrate.

this is bbc world news. our main headline: a 21—year—old russian sergeant pleads guilty to shooting dead an unarmed ukrainian civilian, in the first war crimes trial of the conflict. record—breaking heatwaves in northwest india and pakistan are 100 times more likely because of climate change, that's according to a new british study. the two countries have suffered extremely high temperatures recently, as our south asia correspondent yogita limaye reports. outdoors in northern india is like the inside of an oven. this work is never easy, but during a heatwave it can be life—threatening. dozens have died of heat stroke across india, but millions of workers

cannot afford to stop. this man has travelled 800 miles from home for this job. "we face a lot of problems. "the skin all over our body burns and sometimes we feel like we might faint," he says. "like we might faint," he says. "but we have no choice, we have to work to earn." heatwaves are not uncommon in south asia, but this year they started earlier than usual and have been more harsh and frequent. in pakistan, temperatures are touching 50 degrees in some parts. this area of punjab province is facing a severe drought, putting lives and livelihoods at risk. climate change could cause extreme weather once every three years instead of 300 years, experts have warned.

barely any part of the region has been spared from these changes in weather patterns. here in the west of india, not only are we seeing higher temperatures during the summer, but during the rainy season for the past few years, we have seen cyclones hitting this coast, which is extremely unusual, and many climate experts say that is because surface temperatures of the sea are rising. hundreds of miles from the coast, this is the indian state of assam. heavy rains arrived early, and with more ferocity than normal. people used to seeing floods each year found themselves unprepared. river waters are expected to rise further. this country has a lot of experience saving people from natural disasters, but it now finds itself battling on too many fronts. yogita limaye, bbc news, india.

well, tackling climate change is very much on the agenda in australia, which is just two days out from a national election to decide who will be the next prime minister. my colleague karishma vaswani's in sydney. as you were saying, climate anxiety, the issue of climate change very much on the minds of voters in australia. just listening to that report, that anxiety also top of the mind to some of the people we have been speaking to. this country is no stranger to a warming climate and the fires and devastating floods in the last year alone it has brought here. despite those concerns, the fact that reducing emissions or the conversation around it, has become a toxic point in some

parts of the country is my colleague reports. ——as my colleague reports. ——as my colleague reports. australians have been through so much since the last federal election. one natural disaster after another, dozens of lives lost in fires and floods. climate scientists warn australia will see much more of this unless the country plays its part to cut carbon emissions and help limit global warming. with so much at stake, you would think climate action would be central to this election, but here in central queensland, an area with deep economic ties to fossilfuels, this is what campaigning looks like. this is the real stuff, this is what is paying for education, our health. there is a lot of rubbish out there that the labour party there is a lot of rubbish out there that the labor party don't support the mining sector, and what i can tell you... despite the government's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, both major parties here

are throwing their weight behind a lucrative but heavily polluting industry. the coal shipped from the port here in gladstone have helped make australia the second biggest exporter on the planet. it's contributed massively to global carbon emissions, but also to the national economy, creating jobs and providing many families with a good standard of living. gladstone's aluminium factory has pledged to move away from coal as renewables get cheaper. for workers here, the realfear is getting left behind. if the new industry comes here, we need to make sure that we're going to get our workforce that are here now trained to actually fit these roles, because if this is going to replace something, it's got to replace pay packets. just outside gladstone, a factory is being built to make equipment for producing hydrogen from renewables. but those working with local government and industry on the energy from the future say politicians continuing to support coal isn't helpful.

i'm really worried that if we can't send clearer signals to each other, but to the rest of the world, around having serious targets around decarbonisation, that we are going to miss out on a whole lot of international investment that is poised at the moment. it's a different picture in bigger cities. some independent candidates are making climate change a defining campaign issue. and that's making them a real threat to previously safe government seats in sydney and melbourne. a change in the balance of power in this election could mean a change in the country's climate policy and its attitude towards fossil fuels. shaimaa khalil, bbc news. as you heard, there are a lot of people who care very deeply about climate change in this country but opinions are split for various reasons because the economy is so focus on other aspects that do not perhaps align with climate change

concerns as much. i was speaking to a young family that had come out to the sydney harbour bridge, the view behind mejust colleges, to harbour bridge, the view behind me just colleges, to take some photographs for memories for theirfamilies. forthem theirfamilies. for them climate change theirfamilies. forthem climate change is a big issue but they were also able to recognise that across the country opinions are split and one of the other things that has been talked about in this election is something that affects all of us across the global economy and that is the rising cost of living. australia is not immune to that. price rises reaching two decade highs and that is not just in fuel and food but also housing which for increasingly young australians it is becoming simply unaffordable. we have been told that according to recent statistics, housing in a city like sydney, you can see behind some of the residential housing is some of the most expensive in the

world. hong kong is the only other place more expensive. for a lot of young people, starting out in their careers, it really is a big issue for them ahead of the elections. at the same time, you're looking at the fact that the economy is a very key point and key focus for both of the big main parties here, something that the independent candidates are bringing up is political integrity, transparency and also the treatment of women — a huge talking point in these elections. lots of issues for australian voters to focus on as they had to the polls this weekend. as they had to the polls this weekend-— weekend. thank you for the u date. the singer—songwriter taylor swift has received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from new york university. speaking to her fellow graduates, she passed on the advice she's gleaned from a career filled with awards, chart—topping hits but also intense public scrutiny. the bbc�*s azadeh moshiri has more.

it's the graduation she never had. surrounded by the class of 2022, as well as those who missed out on their own big days because of the pandemic. i am pleased to confer upon you the degree of doctor of fine arts. when taylor swift is on a podium, she is normally accepting a grammy award, but here in yankee stadium, it was an honorary doctorate. not the type of doctor you would want around in case of an emergency. unless your specific emergency was that you desperately needed to hear a song with a catchy hook and an intensely cathartic bridge section. speaking to thousands of gen—z graduates in a sea of purple, she took the opportunity to offer her own guide to life, that's best summarised as shake it off. learn to live alongside cringe.

having the world treat my love life like a spectator sport, in which i lose every single game, was not a great way to date in my teens and 20s. but it taught me to protect my private life fiercely. her last piece of advice, one taught by living life in the limelight, was to breathe in and breathe out. she would know — after all, she's a doctor now. azadeh moshiri, bbc news. some football news for you, eintracht frankfurt are the 2022 europa league champions. this is how the german fans reacted to they win. they beat the ranges 5— four on penalties. a perfect penalty shootout saw eintracht frankfurt take home the win and

finish the season undefeated. that is the latest from bbc news. thank you for watching. hello, again. there's a few big thunderstorms to watch out for over the next few hours. particularly of concern is across parts of central, southern england, southeast england, and into areas of east anglia, as well. but on into thursday's forecast, they'll all be out of the way, and we're looking at some warm spells of sunshine. so let's take a look at those storms, then. they first developed across the channel islands, and in the first hour that they existed, there had already been over 10,000 lightning strikes, these storms here. now, what's going happen over the next several hours is they'll work in probably around hampshire, sussex, surrey, greater london, moving into east anglia. they could bring some localised flash flooding — 25 millimetres of rain in some of them falling injust one hour. some large hail is a possibility,

some large hail is a possibility, as well as some very strong gusts of wind, locally. eventually it will become drier and quieter, and temperatures, as we start thursday morning, around 10—14 celsius, so it is going to be mild. now, there could be an odd shower left over across the far southeast of england, but otherwise, a largely fine morning, with spells of sunshine. there'll be a bit of high cloud in the sky, that'll make the sunshine a little hazy at times, and through the afternoon, we could see a few passing showers for northern ireland and northwest scotland, but even here, not many. most of you feeling warm in the sunshine — 19 celsius in aberdeen, 23 towards london and southeast england. it won't be quite so warm, though, on friday. the wind'll pick up, and we've got this band of rain that's going to be pushing its way eastwards off the atlantic. now, there could be another batch of thunderstorms coming in from europe, that gets very close to southeast england, so we'll have to keep a close eye on that. but otherwise, there'll be a gap between the showers and the more general rain across the north and the west, so there could be some areas that just about stay dry. but whether you stay dry or not, temperatures will be a little

bit lower, 15—18 celsius. now, the weekend starts off with some sunshine, showers mostly confined to the northwest, and after that sunny start, things tend to turn a little bit cloudier through the afternoon, but still with some sunny spells coming through from time to time. temperatures on saturday in any sunshine should reach the low 20s, but across the north and west, not much sunshine, a bit of rain, 111—15 celsius here. sunday and monday, again, there could be one or two showers, mostly across the northwest of the uk, but otherwise some pleasant spells of sunshine. that's the latest weather. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines: a 21—year—old russian soldier has pleaded guilty to shooting dead an unarmed ukrainian civilian, in the first war crimes trial of the conflict. the incident took place in the first days of the war. ukraine's chief prosecutor says they have identified 11,000 cases so far. the battle for mariupol appears to be over after a three—month siege. nearly 1,000 ukrainian fighters who'd been holed up in the azovstal steelworks, have handed themselves over to russian forces. they have been taken to russian—controlled territory. moscow says that many of the fighters will be investigated. the bbc has filmed patrols by afghanistan's ministry for preventing vice

and promoting virtue as they enforce the taliban's strict new laws, most