welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore — i'm arunoday mukharji. the headlines. the us congress prepares a primetime hearing of its inquiry into the january sixth capitol riots. we hear from the widow of one of the policemen attacked while defending the building — who went on to take his own life. a police officer showed up at my door and told me that he was no longer with us. two british and one moroccan man fighting with the ukranian army have been sentenced to death.

and — the undercover prince — how william took to the streets of london to sell the big issue magazine for the homeless it's seven in the morning in singapore, and seven in the evening in washington where the hearing into the january 6 assault on congress last year is set to begin in an hour's time. committee aides say the evidence will show that mr trump was at the center of an effort to overturn the election result. but top republicans say the committe�*s work is illegitimate — and a sham. barbara plett usher reports. it was an astonishing attack on democracy. the capitol, stormed by supporters of a defeated president trying to overturn the 2020 election results.

the investigation into how and why it happened is the most sweeping ever conducted by congress. but much is already known because these graphic scenes played out on television screens in real time. we fight like hell, and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country any more. and president trump's fighting words that day echoed around the world. what happened here was shocking. it was dramatic, and it was a year and a half ago. americans have a lot of other things on their minds right now. so the committee is hoping to grab their attention with a blockbuster event with video and testimony and new details, arguing that the threat to democracy still remains. the committee is determined to shape the narrative of that tumultuous day. it's focused on what the president did and when he did it. we were getting ready to win this election. frankly, we did win this election. from the point when he refused to accept thatjoe biden had won the election and took steps to "stop the steal",

to the day when congress gathered to certify the vote, what was his goal? did he want his supporters to go this far? and were the militias who marched to the capitol part of a conspiracy directed from the top? more than 800 of the rioters have been charged. the big question is whether the president will also be prosecuted. the committee only has the power to recommend legal action. i think that the committee believes he has committed crimes. a federaljudge has actually ruled that he likely committed a felony conspiracy to do what he did. but whether the justice department takes that view, i think that's going to be a much longer story. the story is also about the role played by trump's aides and loyalist republican lawmakers. the committee has examined their private communications. they rejected subpoenas to testify. and after initial criticism, the party has rallied around trump. john bresnahan was inside the capitol building the day of the riot. to see a crowd of americans

openly attacking us capitol police is just stunning. he's reported on the investigation since, but in this toxic partisan atmosphere, what can be achieved? it's important still for congress to do this. ido... whether or not it changes anything, congress has to put down a marker. there can't be an attack on the capitol and congress doesn't respond. the political stakes are high because democrats could lose their congressional majority in midterm elections. they'll be trying to persuade voters to hold republicans accountable for the capitol attack. barbara plett usher, bbc news, washington. i'm joined now by our correspondent on capitol hill, nomia iqbal. thank you for coming up for us. there is so much anticipation over these hearings. can you take us through the expectations people have. there is. expectations people have. there is- there's _ expectations people have. there is. there's huge _ expectations people have. there is. there's huge media - expectations people have. there is. there's huge media interest. is. there's huge media interest in this media coverage

happening. there will be footage in this hearing for the opening video which is quite extraordinary to think about because what happened on january six is arguably one of the most documented events in modern history and it happened live at the time of the us network, we were there, the bbc to cover certifications of the election results and when the riots broke out, we saw it in real time and tightens of coverage in the last 18 months and so, will be interesting to see on—screen footage for the committee is to present. it will be effectively presenting 11 months of work that they've donein 11 months of work that they've done in investigating what happened and what we will see to start with the opening statement from the chair in the vice chair and then a very happy produced media presentation ran 15 minutes showing that on screen footage,

showing that on screen footage, showing that on screen footage, showing that testimony from those that were close to the then president donald trump and his key aides and other people that were involved on the day and now they were affected. most of the us tv networks are taking it at prime time that gives you real sense ofjust how big this will be playing out and certainly when it comes to the american media here. fin to the american media here. on the evidence is likely to be presented, is going to be predominantly focused on issues against the former president donald trump?— against the former president donald trump? yes, they will be lookin: at donald trump? yes, they will be looking at as _ donald trump? yes, they will be looking at as they _ donald trump? yes, they will be looking at as they saw _ donald trump? yes, they will be looking at as they saw there - donald trump? yes, they will be looking at as they saw there in i looking at as they saw there in the report, with the president did and when he did it. the committee is looking at the amount of time around the hundred 87 minutes they say of that day when donald trump was doing which is unaccounted for, looking into that, will hear evidence in which they will basically lay out the timeline.

they want to take back the narrative of what happened that day and prove what happened that day and remind americans as well, it is been 18 months and so much as happened in that time where americans have been focusing on so many other things and the cost of gas, food, inflation. a democratic led commission were just two republicans on it as well. to say to the american people, do not forget what happened that day. the day were america almost lost its democracy and what they can do to stop it from happening in the future. very briefly, what is likely to be the political impact of this? , ., ., , this? there is already - political impact, to be honest with you. most of the republican party which are very loyal to donald trump have dismissed this committee and fox news network, i'll give you an example of this, very conservative network, there aren't even showing the hearings. and there are other

things that need to be focused on and also indicating that if they take back the house in the midst midterm elections, we are already seeing the impact. thank you very much for giving us those details in the entire team of the bbc will be on the ground giving us more updates. and stay tuned here on bbc news for detailed coverage of the january 6 hearings. at midnight gmt — when the first hearing starts — we'll have expert commentary and analysis, presented by laura trevelyan in washington d—c. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. the us policeman who fatally shot an unarmed black man following a traffic stop in grand rapids, michigan, in april has been charged with second degree murder. christopher schurr shot patrick lyoya in the back

of the head as he lay face—down on the ground. video, which emerged shortly after the shooting, shows patrick lyoya running from the officer and the two men briefly struggle over a taser. a gunman opened fire inside of manufacturing facility killing at least three people. the suspect was shot and injured during a confrontation with the state police trooper who also suffered minor injuries. the government has not been taken to hospital. the us secretary of state antony blinken has said iran's decision to remove twenty—seven surveillance cameras from its nuclear sites will undermine efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. but iranian president ebrahim raisi said his government wouldn't back down from its position. iran's move came a day after the un nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution criticising it for failing to cooperate.

a russian proxy court in eastern ukraine has handed down death sentences to two britons and a moroccan who were captured while fighting for ukraine. the three appeared in court in the self—declared donetsk people's republic. the court found aiden aslin, shaun pinner and brahim saadoun guilty of mercenary activities and actions aimed at overthrowing the de facto authorities there. emma va rdy reports forfighting as soldiers in ukraine's military, after a short trial in russian—held territory, aiden aslin and shaun pinner have been told they face the death penalty. if you're watching this, it means that we have surrendered. this was aiden aslin�*s last message to family and friends before he was captured. run out of ammunition, didn't really have any other choice than to surrender. he had spent weeks defending the besieged city of mariupol,

before his unit had to give themselves up. to lay down our arms and head towards the russian soldiers. days later, his family in nottinghamshire watched as footage of him emerged looking bruised and in handcuffs on pro—russian media outlets, being interrogated about his actions. footage of prisoners of war being paraded on television is viewed as a breach of the geneva conventions. there have been many ukrainian soldiers captured during the fighting but it is pretty clear, as british men in this conflict, their treatment has been very different. now, the court footage shows them only answering that they were happy for the trial to proceed without witnesses. but it is unclear, of course, what duress they may have been under. what has happened today i think is one of the most extraordinary things i have seen in recent years. british citizens being in a show trial and then condemned to death for

no reason whatsoever. the russian ambassador and the russian government need to know they won't get away with this. since the russian invasion of ukraine, many foreign fighters have travelled there to join the international legion and other groups helping to defend the country. but aiden aslin and shaun pinner were different. they had been fighting in ukraine's military for a number of years. aiden aslin passed out as a marine after moving to ukraine in 2018 and was engaged to be married to a ukrainian. but russian channels have called the men foreign mercenaries, and are reporting that they will face a firing squad. the foreign secretary liz truss has called it a sham judgment with no legitimacy. theirfamilies are hoping it may be possible to negotiate a prisoner exchange. but for now, for their involvement in ukraine's conflict, they have become part of russia's propaganda war.

emma vardy, bbc news. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme. the remains of europe's largest ever land—based dinosaur discovered on the isle of wight. the day the british liberated the falklands. and by tonight, british troops have begun the task of disarming the enemy. in the heart of the west german capital, this was gorbymania at its height. the crowd packed to see the man who, for them, has raised great hopes for an end to the division of europe. it happened as the queen moved toward horse guards parade for the start of tropping the colour. the queen looks worried, but recovers quickly.

as long as they'll pay to go see me, i'll gol out there and take him down the hills. - what does it feel like to be the first man to go across the channel by your own power? it feels pretty neat. it feels marvellous, really. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm arunoday mukharji. in singapore. our headlines. the us congress prepares a primetime hearing of its inquiry into the january 6th capitol riots. staying with those hearings on the attacks on capitol hill. among those attending will be erin smith — the widow of police officerjeff smith. he's one of four officers who died by suicide in the days after they defended the capitol from the rioters. one of officer smith's alleged attackers is due to be charged in court with offences related to january 6. laura trevelyan has been speaking to erin smith. jeff was funny. he was always joking around. just a happy person,

liked to have fun and a good person to be around. and how important was hisjob to him? it was very important. obviously there were days that were good and days that were bad, but overall he enjoyed being a police officer and it was his calling to be one. erin smith's late husband jeff was a dc police officer who responded to the attack on the us capitol on january the 6th. in the lead—up to january the 6th, did you talk withjeff about the fact that thousands of people were descending on the capital to protestjoe biden�*s election certification? let's have trial by combat! neither of us expected it to turn into what it did. this is the violent chaos jeff went through. this footage comes from the body cam he was wearing. the body cam he was wearing, which erin's lawyer had to fight to obtain. jeff was brutally assaulted, and his head was wounded.

i knew he was in there, and i knew he was in a building he was unfamiliar with, which was even more stressful to think about. he was just told to go, and that's what he did. and when you did get to talk to jeff about what happened, what did he tell you? jeff said that january 6th was the worst day of his life. and how did jeff's mood change in the days after the attack? he immediately withdrew himself from the situation, from everything in the house. he just kept to himself, became quiet. was he worried about going back to work? he didn't want to go back. he was still in a lot of pain, but they told him to come back back and when you're ordered, you're ordered. on january the 15th, nine days after he was attacked defending the capitol, jeff smith died by suicide on his way to work. a police officer showed up at my door and told me

that he was no longer with us. in the aftermath ofjeff�*s death, erin says she didn't get the support needed from the police department or the city of washington, dc. jeff died by suicide, which is frowned upon and not accepted within police departments. and they basically wanted nothing to do with what happened. that must�*ve been very hurtful. it was. there's a stigma around it, and theyjust don't want to accept that the job can take a toll on your mental health. but after a year—long fight, the police retirement board ruled thatjeff smith's suicide was a death in the line of duty. it's a hugely important ruling for erin and potentially others in her position. it's a turning of a page, if you will, for suicides to be

recognised as line of duty and not brushed under the rug. the january 6th committee is holding public hearings this month ofjune. what do you think those hearings could achieve? i hope the hearings bring to light that for those that can't accept what happened, that it did happen, and i hope it proves to all americans that on that day, we could've lost our democracy, we could've lost everything that this country has worked towards. in the united states the american automobile association has said that gasoline prices reached "another record high" on thursday. the national average has reached $11.97 per gallon, that's up about 26 cents from last week and nearly $2—a—gallon higher compared to this time last year. soaring prices are also being seen in the uk, adding pressure on household budgets. our business editor

simonjack reports butcher alistair paul makes deliveries from here in inverness all over the west coast of scotland, but he is considering doing fewerjourneys in his three vans, or charging for delivery, as higherfuel costs put a squeeze on the business. we are finding it very difficult. the vans are taking about £130 each to fill up for the week. it's up to over £300 a week, where it was, you know, down in the 200s beforehand. everyone is struggling. we are struggling at home. the staff are struggling. you know, we are all struggling. so it is not only fuel, it is everything else that is going up. at least his business can claim back the vat on fuel, a tax break not available to regular motorists, spending on average over £100 on a tank of petrol for the first time. the price at the pump is about more than just the cost of fuel. in fact, of that £1.82 record per unleaded litre, only 9ap is the cost

of the petrol itself. transporting it costs 2p. the retailer takes a margin of 3p and the government adds 53p in fuel duty, recently cut from 58p, and then puts vat on the whole lot for another 30p. so 46%, nearly half, is tax, and because prices have risen so quickly, the government is now getting more money than before it cut fuel duty, which is why people now are calling on it to do more. motoring organisations say nearly 20% are taking fewer journeys, and those on low incomes or with no choice but to drive are being hit hardest. the situation is really severe. so we need the chancellor to cut duty immediately by 10p per litre and introduce a fuel price stabiliser. when prices go up, duty should come down. if prices go down, duty can go up. that will help individuals and help the economy. the chancellor today was admiring a brand—new electric lorry, but pointed

to the recent 5p fuel duty cut and said he would get inflation back under control. i want people to be reassured that we have the tools we need and the determination to get inflation back down and under control. i am making sure that our borrowing and debt is handled responsibly so we don't make the situation worse and increase people's mortgage rates, and we are doing things like increasing the supply of energy, moving people into work, to ease some of the supply—side pressures that we are seeing. but for now, at the petrol pump, the supermarket and in utility bills, there is no hiding from a cost of living crisis that is expected to get worse before it gets better. simon jack, bbc news. tourist left wear masks, take a private medical insurance and chaperone rather than state or to prevent a new covid—19 wave there. mixed feelings on the streets of tokyo about tourists making that return.

translation: i am a bit worried about covid-19, but we need - to get our economy moving and so, i think it is good where tourists and. south korea is also issuing visas now, we really need to move on. i think it's fine. i don't think we should allow a large number of visitors to come in yet because we are not done with covid—19. i don't think we have a choice i if we think about our economy. i am worried - about mask wearing. ijust saw someone not wearing a mask on the train. _ the mask wearing manners are so different and - so, it worries me. i don't think it's a problem as long as they are all tested at the border before coming to japan. they're depending on tourists. the remains of europe's biggest land—based predatory dinosaur have been found on the isle of wight, just off the south coast of england. experts say the bones show it was an immense creature.

duncan kennedy reports. it's been called a giant—killer. as high as a house and as long as a bus. this spinosaurid is a colossus from the cretaceous era. this is one of the significant pieces. this is half of a backbone. its remains are now at the island's dinosaur museum, where experts say it was a fearsome creature. you wouldn't want to go near it. they have incredibly large teeth and a lot of them in a very long skull. i mean, these things have got big fishing hooks on their thumbnail. so it's not the sort of thing you would want to bump into! the spinosaurid is 120 million years old, twice the age of a t—rex. the bones were found on the west side of the island, the coastline rich in dino discoveries. well, at the bottom here, we've got these red ancient soils... but never one quite like this. well, it's a tremendous find. something that was totally unexpected. just some bones falling out of the cliff.

we've actually, with these fragments, been able to piece together the biggest meat—eating terrestrial dinosaur in europe. it's absolutely amazing. experts from the universities of portsmouth and southampton say they hope to discover more remains to complete the story of a creature that roamed and ruled its ancient domain. duncan kennedy, bbc news, on the isle of wight. prince william has been out on the streets of london — selling copies of the big issue, a magazine to raise money for the homeless. the prince's attempt at going undercover to help the homeless didn't last too long before he was spotted. which is how the story got out, as sarah campbell reports. at the weekend, he was with his family on the balcony of the palace he will one day call home. yesterday, prince william was in westminster selling the big issue, which for three decades has helped homeless people off the streets.

when this retired police officer explained he had no change, prince william whipped out the card machine. and there was help too for brian gilmore, who asked whether william could put him in touch with the prince's trust, and he did. i have to give it to him. i think he's a great prince, literally. i'd have to say he is the people's prince. to be out here first—hand on the streets, dealing with people and me, i'm an ex—offender, trying to help me out, do you know what i mean? like, that's big, that's rare and, yeah, he is the people's prince as far as i'm concerned. you don't want any of my recipes. it's not the first time prince william has volunteered his time to help the homeless. he has been visiting this charity, the passage, for years. a connection forged with his mother, diana, who brought him and harry here as children to show them, she said, "life beyond the palace walls". the big issue hasn't commented, neither has kensington palace. both happy to let the pictures do the talking. sarah campbell, bbc news.

you have been watching newsday. stay with us. hello there. we're going to see a mixture of sunshine and showers over the next few days. coupled with some stronger winds as well. the reason for all that is this large area of low pressure and it's actually an ex tropical storm and that is going to get steered to the northwest of scotland and bring the strongest winds into scotland in the next few days. now, during thursday, we have cloud pushing across the uk. didn't bring an awful lot of rain, mind you. and following on from that cloud, we saw clearer skies turning to move in from the west and those clearer skies are pushing into many parts of the country overnight. so, if you're heading out first thing in the morning, these are the temperatures, typically 12 to 15 degrees. not a good day for hay fever sufferers on friday because we've got very high grass pollen levels

quite widely across england and wales. we could start the day with some cloudy damp weather to clear away first thing from the southeast of england. otherwise, plenty of sunshine for england and wales, some patchy cloud, one or two showers in the west, but many places dry, the bulk of the showers coming in to scotland and northern ireland, they could be heavy, possibly thundery and the winds will be stronger here, as well. more sheltered eastern parts of scotland should see temperatures at 20 degrees and widely over 20 celsius across england and wales. promising start to the second test match at trent bridge, it looks dry on friday, dry to the weekend and into monday, as well. may turn a little bit cooler, still got those fairly brisk westerly winds. there is our area of low pressure as we head into the weekend, it's getting steered between iceland and scotland and is still going to bring some windy weather, perhaps a little more widely on saturday. strongest winds continue to be in scotland, gales in the far north of the country, showers or longer

spells of rain here. also, some showers for northern ireland, maybe one or two more for england or wales, still many places will have a dry day and temperatures probably still reaching 22, maybe even 23 degrees in the south—east of england. during the second half of the weekend, that area of low pressure starts to pull away from our shores. higher pressure in the south, the winds won't be as strong on sunday. and we are likely to have fewer showers on sunday, lighter showers as well, most of the showers will be in western scotland. again, decent spells of sunshine for england and wales and temperatures ranging from around 15 degrees in glascow to a high of 21 celsius in london.

welcome to this bbc news special coverage of the us capitol attack hearings. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. when vladimir putin ordered his invasion force into ukraine in late february,

is this the scenario he imagined for earlyjune? the brutal war of attrition in the donbas, a defiant ukrainian government deploying more heavy weapons from western allies, russian losses mounting, a punishing sanctions regime on moscow and more nato expansion in the offing. well, my guest, in an exclusive interview is russia's ambassador to the united nations vassily nebenzia. where does russia go from here? ambassador vassily nebenzia at un headquarters in new york, welcome to hardtalk. good afternoon, london time, mr sackur. it's a pleasure to have

you on the show, mr ambassador. let me ask you this, after more than 100 days,