welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. the headlines: us president biden addresses the american people, saying something has to be done about the country's shocking level of gun violence. for gods sake, how much more carnage we going to accept? how many more innocent american lives might be taken before we say enough, enough. in front of a crowd of thousands, the queen takes the salute from the balcony of buckingham palace, with members of the royalfamily, kickstarting four days of platinum jubilee celebrations. a spectacular military flypast, as planes spell out �*70�*

paying tribute to the queen's tenure. as ukraine approaches 100 days of war, president zelensky urges western nations to step up their weapons deliveries, with russia now in control of 20% of his country. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. we begin this hour with breaking news from the united stated, where presidentjoe biden has delivered a rare primetime address to pressure congress to pass gun reform laws after a string of mass shootings. from the white house, he said that it is time america needed to strengthen background checks on potential gun owners.

he appealed to congress to make changes to the existing laws. the united states has been shaken in recent weeks by high—profile mass shootings at a grocery story in new york, an elementary school in texas and just on wednesday evening a medical building in oklahoma. republicans in the congress and some democrats have blocked such demonstration for years. in the last two decades more school—aged children have died from grant than active military and police officers combined. think about that. more kids than armed duty cops killed by guns. more kids than soldiers killed by guns. for gods sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept? how many more innocent american lives

must be taken before we say enough, enough? i know that we cannot prevent every tragedy but here is what i believe we have to do, here is what the overwhelming majority of american people believe we must do, here is what the families in buffalo, and uvalde, in texas, told us we must do, we need to ban assault weapons and high—capacity magazines. if we cannot ban assault weapons, we should raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21, strengthen background checks and an act safe storage laws and an act safe storage laws and red flags. repealed the laws that protect gun manufacturers. address the mental health support. i'm joined now by the bbc�*s nomia iqbal, in washington. thank you again for coming up.

it is not every day the us president gets up and makes an address to the nation, clearly suggesting how crucial and what a priority it is for the american administration. what kind of impact are you likely to see this have now?- kind of impact are you likely to see this have now? yes, that address was _ to see this have now? yes, that address was on _ to see this have now? yes, that address was on prime _ to see this have now? yes, that address was on prime time - to see this have now? yes, that address was on prime time tv l to see this have now? yes, thatl address was on prime time tv so all the networks took it, they broke into the regular scheduling to take the address so, you are right, it is a very rare moment, and that is because america has experienced that the 33rd mass shooting this year and we are really in may, that was the shooting and tulsa at the medical centre. it is a crisis here in america. at the podium, when he was looking up, you saw the candles lit up - 56 up, you saw the candles lit up — 56 candles representing states and territories to symbolise that gun violence happens everywhere in america,

everywhere, in normal places, in shopping centres, in high schools, in primary schools, in salons, so it is an everyday occurrence. in terms of what happens next, president biden has laid out what he wants to see next, ban assault weapons, high—capacity magazines, repeal gun manufacturer immunity from liability. in orderfor this gun manufacturer immunity from liability. in order for this to happen, yes, he can pass it through the house but he has to get it through the senate in order to be enacted into law and the need republicans need to be on board. they generally are resistant to any sort of gun control because of see it as an infringement on people's rights to bear arms. there are conversation happening but it really is a case, it is such a cliche to say, of wait and see but i have to be honest with you, having covered texas, having been there for the bbc,

what people tell you is that after a mass shooting, everyone gets angry, there are all these goals but nothing in the end gets done and so president biden he is passionate speech is hoping this time something will change. we is hoping this time something will change-— will change. we will leave it there. nomia _ will change. we will leave it there. nomia iqbal- will change. we will leave it there. nomia iqbalthank. will change. we will leave it. there. nomia iqbalthank you there. nomia iqbal thank you for putting that in perspective and getting those highlights from the resident address to the nation. let's get more perspective on that. we can now speak to cassandra crifasi, who's deputy director of the center for gun violence prevention and policy, atjohn hopkins. she joins us from annapolis. thank you very much for your time here on newsday. it was rather an impassioned speech from the president and a rare one as well, talking about the priority the establishment has. do you have a sense this will have the likely impact? hat

have the likely impact? not 'ust have the likely impact? not just what — have the likely impact? iirrt just what president biden is saying what other members of both parties are saying in response to these shootings that are happening, it is great to hear republicans coming out in support of policies but we have seen in some states republican governors coming out in support of raising the minimum age for semiautomatic rifles, for example. many of the policies president biden outlined have a strong evidence base. we know that strengthening background checks is an effective way to screen out individuals that should not have firearms, we note protection orders can be affected and reducing mass shootings, homicides, suicides, domestic violence. this is a suite of policies, i think it is ambitious but if we could only get a few we could see substantial new measures in the us. �* , ., substantial new measures in the us. �* ~ , substantial new measures in the us. ~ , ., substantial new measures in the us. ~ , substantial new measures in the us. , us. are you likely to see this

week and _ us. are you likely to see this week and with _ us. are you likely to see this week and with the _ us. are you likely to see this week and with the resistance we've seen in the past? i think we've seen in the past? i think we have seen _ we've seen in the past? i think we have seen movement - we've seen in the past? i think we have seen movement at. we've seen in the past? i think| we have seen movement at the state level that can help us to be optimistic about how we can get some of these policies throughout the state level so, for example, over the last several years, we have seen 19 states and the district of columbia expand extreme risk protection laws. we need more folks putting these laws in but we have seen movement at the state level which helps us understand how we can have these conversations and negotiate to make progress at the federal level. the problem with gun policy in the us, it is political among politicians. many americans support many of these policies that president biden outlined, in addition to the majority of gun owners. there are very few policy options put forward that do not have majority support. for

have ma'ority support. for those have majority support. for those who _ have majority support. for those who are _ have majority support. for those who are tuning in from different parts of the world and are not familiar with the american way of political processes, can you give us a processes, can you give us a sense processes, can you give us a sense of how strong the gun lobby really is and why do we see this kind of resistance? it is a really important consideration stop in at the us, we have an exceptionally powerful gun lobby that really is saving the needs of gun manufacturers. their goal is to get more people to buy more guns and they often use vr, not just fear of policy change but fear of other people. — — fear. when we see elections coming, there are spikes in gun sales, when we see mass shootings, there are spikes in gun sales, there are spikes in gun sales, the fear —based marketing coming out of the gun lobby and gun rights organisations.

unfortunately, half of our governmental system, the republican party, is more holding to the gun lobby than they have been to their own constituents. ifind it constituents. i find it frustrating constituents. ifind it frustrating because right now, in the us, we have solutions, we have things we know we can put into place and they have broad public support and we need to take that support and of those policies and force out legislators to act. we appreciate _ legislators to act. we appreciate your - legislators to act. we appreciate your time | legislators to act. we appreciate your time and thoughts. turning to our other main story, queen elizabeth has overseen a flypast of 70 aircraft, on the first day of events to mark her platinum jubilee. the 96—year—old british monarch was joined on the buckingham palace balcony, by family members for the aerial display. she also attended the lighting of beacons at her residence, windsor castle. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell was there.

for all that she wants thejubilee to be about local communities creating their own special memories, in the end, it's all about her. after all, there wouldn't be a platinum jubilee if there weren't a monarch who served for 70 years. it was her that the crowds had come to see. the queen appeared on the balcony of buckingham palace, but for the first time in her reign, she did not attend trooping the colour herself. that's just too physically demanding for her now. earlier, it had been the prince of wales who'd led the royal party from buckingham palace down to horse guards. also riding on horseback behind charles were prince william, the duke of cambridge, and princess anne, the princess royal. and riding together in one of the carriages, the cambridges' three children — prince george, prince louis, waving away happily in the middle, and princess charlotte. hello! hi!

and the more the crowd waved, the more louis waved, until his sister decided that that was probably enough. as the procession made its way down the mall, a group of animal—rights protesters broke through the tight police cordon and attempted to disrupt one of the marching bands before being dragged away by police. on horse guards parade, the footguards had formed up — plenty to look at for those newcomers to the parade, plenty to get used to for these newcomers. they will see it many times in years to come. absent from the parade, the duke of york, stripped of his role as honorary colonel of the grenadier guards. keen young eyes were watching from the windows overlooking the parade ground. the duke and duchess of sussex were also watching from the same building.

their presence was caught by photographers. at buckingham palace, the royal standard was being raised to signify that the queen had arrived from windsor, ready for her appearances on the palace balcony. the military parade on horse guards over, the crowds were allowed up the mall towards buckingham palace. they filled the spaces around the victoria memorial. on the balcony, the queen and the working members of the royalfamily and their children, one of whom was about to steal the show. overhead, there was a fly—past, the finest britain's armed services could offer. watching was four—year—old louis, still waving for all he was worth — fascinated by what he was seeing overhead one moment, clapping his hands to his ears the next. the queen, of course, has seen it all before and takes all such things in her stride, just as she's done throughout her long reign. her 70 years on the throne were marked in style.

the platinum jubilee celebrations for the reign of queen elizabeth ii are under way. nicholas witchell, bbc news, at buckingham palace. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: much more on the queens platinum jubilee. the queen and her husband began their royal progress to westminster. the moment of crowning, in accordance with the order of service, bya signal given, the great guns of the tower. tributes have been paid around the world to muhammad ali, who has died at the age of 7a. outspoken but rarely outfought, ali transcended the sport of boxing, of which he was three times world champion. he was a good fighter. he fought all the way to the end,

even through his illness. yes, he did. uefa imposes an indefinite ban on english clubs playing in europe. today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the beatles' lp, sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band, a record described as the album of the century. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm arunoday mukharji in singapore. our headlines — us presidentjoe biden addresses the american people, saying something has to be done about the country's shocking level of gun violence. in front of a crowd of thousands, the queen takes the salute from the balcony of buckingham palace, with members of the royal family, kick—starting four days of platinum jubilee celebrations.

in other news, president zelensky has called for weapons deliveries to ukraine to be stepped up, as he warned that russia now controlled a fifth of his country. he has also met the new us ambassador to ukraine, bridget brink. she has given herfirst broadcast interview to the bbc�*sjoe inwood, who reports from kyiv. the battle for severodonetsk is not over, it seems. this is how one ukrainian soldier experiences it. bodycam footage, released on social media, shows intense street fighting, as they try to hold back the russian advance. "calm down, calm down — it's ok," he says. one of his colleagues has been hit. they apply pressure to the wound before trying to get him to safety. it has been increasingly hard to get a clear picture of what is happening on the ground. even as the fighting rages,

the region's governor knows this city may fall. translation: it's not - the battle for severodonetsk which is most important. we need to win the war. the luhansk region became the fortress to hold back a huge influx of russian forces. by holding them back, we don'tjust keep them at a distance — they lose equipment and personnel. meanwhile, we receive weapons from our partners. and its weapons like these they're talking about — long—range rocket artillery, called himars. it's thought they could change the course of this war. it's great to be in kyiv. thanks so much for coming out. they're being delivered by the united states, and today the new american ambassador met the president, and then the media. she also gave the bbc her first international broadcast interview. part of our goal in providing all of this security assistance is also to strengthen the ukrainians' hands at the negotiating table, so it helps create a better situation for ukraine, as they may be looking at some

point to how this conflict ends. but i think it's quite remarkable, the success that the ukrainians have had. russia's invasion has triggered an expansion of nato, with finland and sweden applying to join the defensive alliance. could ukraine one day follow them? ultimately, ukraine will have to decide what it wants in its future, and then as is with the membership process, the leadership of nato countries then also make a decision. so i think if we're in that... would you support it? if we're in that position, i think we are in a very good position, because right now we've got to help ukraine win the war. but that moment is still a long way away. cities in the path of russia's invasion are still emptying out. this was sloviansk, earlier

today — a key russian target. those who can flee, those who can't face an increasingly uncertain future. joe inwood, bbc news, kyiv. a ceasefire in yemen has been extended for another two months. the country's civil war started in 2014, when houthi rebels took over the capital, prompting a saudi—led military intervention in support of the government a year later. the united nations estimates more than 400,000 people have died in the conflict. more now on britain's queen elizabeth's jubilee celebrations. more than 3,000 beacons have been lit across the uk and several commonwealth capitals around the world. the commonwealth is made up of 5a countries, almost all of which are former territories of the british empire. one of the first to light the beacon was new zealand's capital, wellington. it was ignited by the city's mayor, and the former governor

general of new zealand. in neighbouring australia, the newly elected prime minister anthony albanese lit the beacon in canberra. and here's the iconic sydney harbour bridge in royal purple — it's one of 80 monuments that are being illuminated. these are pictures from fiji. members of the rotary club of suva lit the beacon installed on the grounds of a hotel in the capital. and this is neighbouring samoa, where the beacon is burning bright in the capital, apia. the platinum jubilee has also been marked here in singapore. the bbc�*s nick marsh was at the celebrations, and filed this report. this is one of the 5a beacons being lit in every commonwealth capital city to commemorate queen elizabeth's platinum jubilee. now, tonight here in singapore, we saw bagpipes playing, there were traditional dances,

there were speeches, there was music, and then, finally, after a quick blast of the bugle, and an official proclamation, the beacon was finally lit. and it was by the chieftain of the st andrew's society singapore. that's a scottish society, dating back all the way to the 1830s here in singapore. of course, singapore was under british rule for 140 years. it got its independence from britain in 1965, and the historical ties do go deep. the educational system, the legal system, they're based on what things were like during the british rule. and you just have to take a look at the place names, the colonial buildings, the statues you see, particularly in the central part of town, to see the legacy of colonialism all around. but it does have to be said that the relevance, and perhaps the importance, of the monarchy isn't what it once was.

this, after all, was a private event. the platinum jubilee wasn't something that the average person in the street was talking about, there was hardly any mention in local media, but nevertheless, there was enough pomp and ceremony for a colourful and lively event to match all the others taking place right around the globe. well, good wishes have been pouring in for the queen from around the world, among those paying tribute was president macron of france, and president biden of the united states. your majesty. congratulations on your platinum jubilee. for 70 years you inspired people with your selfish devotion and —— selfless devotion and for the people of the united kingdom. the people of the united kingdom-— the people of the united kingdom. the people of the united kinudom. ., ., , ., kingdom. you have been a constant — kingdom. you have been a constant presence - kingdom. you have been a constant presence and - kingdom. you have been a constant presence and a i kingdom. you have been a - constant presence and a source of wisdom — constant presence and a source of wisdom for the leaders of our two _ of wisdom for the leaders of our two countries. this year, the _ our two countries. this year, the 70th _ our two countries. this year, the 70th of— our two countries. this year,

the 70th of your brain, we celebrate your achievements. we are grateful for your courage, and we — are grateful for your courage, and we share the respect and love — and we share the respect and love that _ and we share the respect and love that british people and the commonwealth have always shown _ the commonwealth have always shown you. several events planned across the uk. during those events, people from all over the uk and those visiting from many parts of the world, gathered to stand in the crowd and watch the ceremonies. the bbc�*s reeta chakrabarti was on site and in the crowd. she's been speaking to some of the spectators. it was ten deep on the mall, as people gathered to watch the parade. those at the back couldn't really see much. but that seemed to bother absolutely no one. it's incredible. i've never seen it like this, and itjust really feels like a very special occasion. we're delighted to be here. you can't see very much from back here. does that matter? no. do you know what's actually really helpful? all of the cameras in front of us. we've been getting some quite good shots of what's going on anyways. some people have travelled thousands of miles to be here.

you came from canada? yeah. oh, my goodness! specifically for this? specifically for this. her majesty's platinum jubilee. we came here ten years ago for the diamond jubilee. - extraordinary. thank you. and why, why have you come all this way? because her majesty the queen has- been faithfully serving us and the commonwealth i for the last 70 years. "claire was there." yeah. claire, why are you here? well, i think it's a very special occasion. we're never going to see this again, are we, really? not with our queen, bless her. and ijust feel it's very special, and you've got to be part of the atmosphere. for others, this was the tonic needed after the last long two years. incredibly proud to be part of this, and this sense of togetherness, which we haven't really felt in a long time, especially due to the pandemic. it's really special. and why are you here? oh, i'm here celebrating the occasion. _ you know, it's nice bringing

communities together. - and we're all here. you know, that's why i'm here. where have you come from today? all the way from, you know, southport, england's classicj resort. so, yeah, just i soaking it allup, making the most of it. we were just chatting, and you were saying you thought these days are very special for a particular reason. just tell me again. i just think it's great that all the good things about our country are exhibited today. cos, like, all the people come out, and there's a sense of togetherness and it's just a great event. i was here 20 years ago, it's just great to be here again. it's the atmosphere... it's the atmosphere, the sense of community all together, all for the country and for the queen. it's great. you sounded emotional. i am a little bit! we will be tracking those celebrations all through the day and across the weekend.

much more on the website. that is it on this edition of newsday. thank you very much for watching. hello. obviously, so many events taking place over thejubilee weekend, and many of us are hoping for some fine weather, and, yes, there will be plenty of sunshine around, but also some heavy showers lurking on the horizon. they will be very hit—and—miss, though. now, the recent satellite picture showed the cloud, which we had during the course of thursday, into friday, across the northwest of the uk, so some wet weather through the early hours, southwestern scotland, parts of northern england, into wales, too, but elsewhere across the country, there is actually a lot of dry weather to be had, and 13 degrees at 8am in the south, 8 degrees expected in aberdeen. now, how about friday daytime, then? so, cloud and rain comes and goes, i think, in the northwest of

the country, and then, eventually, most of that should fizzle out and give way to some sunny spells. however, to the south, across the midlands and wales, we could see showers brewing in the afternoon — again, very hit—and—miss — and the temperatures, 22 in london on friday, up to 20 degrees in the western isles of scotland, but for some of us, it'll be closer to the mid—teens, particularly on the north sea coasts, and that's because of those fresh winds blowing off the north sea, and this is the forecast for friday night. so, friday night, many of us having dryer weather, but through saturday, there is a change taking place to the south of us, a weather front here. high pressure in the north, so it's scotland, from saturday, that has the best of the weather — windless weather, clear blue skies, stunning conditions here. fine weather also stretching into the lakes, and northern ireland, but in the south, there will be more cloud, and a good chance of catching

some showers, from southern wales, along the southern counties, maybe a little bit further north. then, saturday night, into sunday, there is a risk of thunderstorms across southern areas of the uk. they will be drifting in from the south. the forecast will keep changing. these are very notorious to forecast. the sort of shape of these storms change, the sort of areas they affect may change. but the point is that, through the course of sunday morning, we think that area of thundery weather will be drifting further northwards, but even once it clears in the south, showers could return in the afternoon, so a very unpredictable day for southern parts on sunday.

platinum jubilee

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. this week, a glimpse of the queen's holiday home in the scottish highlands. i enjoy a right royal day out. i tell you what, i wouldn't mind unwinding here for a little while over the summer months. a green guide for the festival season. make sure that you've got durable camping equipment and that you take it away with you after the festival. and we uncover some of the secrets of the iconic american singer—songwriter who started a musical revolution. just amazing to see his handwriting.