welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. the headlines... the taliban says most of its search and rescue operations for victims of the quake are over — now the focus is on helping the survivors. he has translation: i he has translation: i ran towards my famil . but he has translation: i ran towards my family. but everything _ he has translation: i ran towards my family. but everything was _ he has translation: i ran towards my family. but everything was under - he has translation: i ran towards my family. but everything was under the i family. but everything was under the rubble, even my shovel, so i couldn't do anything. when we took my family out they were already dead. more strikes across the uk — rail workers walk out for a second time this week, and ground staff at heathrow vote for summer stoppages. the us supreme court strikes down new york's law restricting the right to carry weapons in public. ukraine moves a step closer tojoining the european union —

as the organisation gives it official candidate status. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to the programme. it's six in the morning in singapore, and 2:30 in the morning in afghanistan where taliban officials say the main search for survivors from wednesday's devastating earthquake in the south east of the country has ended. more than a thousand people are thought to have been killed in the remote part of the country. doctors say many children may be among the victims. relief efforts have been hampered by the destruction of already poor road and communication networks in paktika province , the worst hit area. entire villages have been destroyed with survivors saying they are finding it difficult to bury their dead.

our afghanistan correspondent secunder kermani is there and has just sent this report. homes reduced to rubble, lives reduced to memories. "these were my son's shoes," says agha jan. his three young children were killed in the earthquake as they slept, as well as his two wives. when the roof fell down, what did you do? translation: i ran toward my family, but everything was under _ the rubble, even my shovel, so i couldn't do anything. i shouted to my cousins, but when we took my family out, they were already dead. it's a three—hour drive to the nearest big city from the worst—affected villages along largely dirt roads. here, practically every home is destroyed, every family grieving. the people here didn't

have much to begin with, but they've seen their homes, their possessions — you can see them scattered amongst the debris — and their loved ones disappear in a single terrible moment. in this one home, 18 people were killed. habib gul raced back across the borderfrom pakistan to help bury 20 of his family members. translation: if the world looks on us like brothers and helps us, i we will stay here on our land. if they don't, we will leave this place, where we've spent so long, with tears in our eyes. the taliban have been flying in aid on helicopters. the search—and—rescue effort has now finished. the most pressing need is shelter. families forced to live in tents,

flanked by the remnants of homes they worked so hard to construct. khalid jan is now responsible for his five grandchildren. two of his sons and his daughter were killed in the earthquake. translation: all my son's i children have been left to me, and i'm all they have left. the house and everything here has been destroyed. i'll never be able to rebuild it. aid agencies are delivering supplies, but this is a major crisis. here, prayers for the nearly 50 people killed in one tiny village alone. prayers needed too for those who have survived. secunder kermani, bbc news, paktika province. the taliban have appealed for more international support — to help those affected by the earthquake.

humanitarian agencies are rushing to get shelter, food and medicine to the worst—hit areas — but the question is how to get the aid to those who need it, and not into the hands of the taliban. our south asia correspondent yogita limaye, who's in kabul, says the international community will have to tread a very thin line. well, afghanistan doesn't have an internationally recognised government, and that's where the problem lies. you know, whenever a disaster strikes a country, particularly an economically weak one, what you see almost immediately on the ground are rescue teams from a host of countries around the world trying to help and relieve operations. that's not something which is happening here. as far as financial assistance is concerned, there are difficulties giving that directly to the taliban because there are sanctions against the group. and therefore it comes on to humanitarian agencies, which now for a long time have been providing this important bridge for international funds and aid to be delivered to the people of afghanistan. the uk has said it's working with its partners

in the un in the world food programme, as is america. india and pakistan have both said that they have delivered aid on the ground in this country, but in afghanistan, people were pushed into near universal poverty, the health care system is near collapse since the 15th of august, since the foreign funds which were running this country stopped coming in. and that's from then on has been entirely on humanitarian agencies to try to get any funds, any aid, any support from outside to the people of this country was that they were already stretched, now they are dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake. hundreds of british airways workers — mostly check—in staff — at heathrow airport have voted to go on strike over pay. the exact dates will be announced over the coming days, and are expected to be during the summer holidays. it comes as workers in the railways in england, scotland and wales walked out for the second time this week, with just one in five trains running.

here's our transport correspondent katy austin. demand for travel has taken off since covid rules eased, but there's already been disruption amid aviation staff shortages. now hundreds of british airways workers at heathrow airport, most of them check—in staff, have voted to walk out on dates yet to be confirmed. the unite and gmb unions said the action was over a 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic which hadn't yet been reinstated. our members are primarily low—paid, part—time women workers, who have been asking nicely for over a year now to have this money paid back. this is money that was robbed from them during the pandemic. british airways said it was disappointed and that despite heavy financial losses, it had offered a one off 10% payment to other workers, most of whom had accepted. the airline added it was fully committed to working together to find a solution.

cheering. also today, thousands of railway workers around britain walked out for the second time this week. the main thing that we are looking for is no attack on our terms and conditions. we need a pay rise because our cost of living is so high now but the main thing is no attack. we don't want compulsory redundancies and that is what the government is pushing for. about 20% of normal train services ran overall, finishing early while some stations had no trains at all. major hubs including glasgow looked quiet as passengers heeded the warning to avoid rail travel. many commuters switched back to working from home. that wasn't an option for pamela, who can't get to her part—time job teaching english as a foreign language in bath. i'm on a zero—hour contract, so i'm only paid for contract hours. if i can't get to work, i won't have the income to face all the extra energy bills, etc. so i do need to get to work.

some businesses, like this hotel near milton keynes, say they have also taken a hit. monday and tuesday were quiet because obviously tuesday's strike. wednesday has been quiet, thursday has been quiet. we are down to 20% occupancy on thursdays. how much do you think this week has cost you? possibly £10,000. the rail industry says ways of working must be modernised, freeing up cash for a higher pay offer, and they hope compulsory redundancies can be avoided, but the rmt union wants them ruled out. meanwhile the government has announced plans are under way to change the law so employers can use agency staff to cover staffing gaps during strikes. the business secretary insisted this would be safe. the employers will always have to maintain the highest safety sta nda rds. there is no question of them lowering safety standards, bringing in agency workers. all we are doing is creating more flexibility. but opposition parties and unions have criticised the plan, arguing it would undermine pay and working conditions.

a third day of strike action is planned for saturday and while there have been further talks today between the two sides in this dispute, there is still no sign of a deal. the rmt has warned more strikes are likely if an agreement isn't reached. katy austin, bbc news. let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk.. voting has closed in two key by—elections for the conservative party in yorkshire and devon. it's the first test of voters opinions since the partygate scandal and the prime minister's confidence vote. the results are expected in the early hours of friday. borisjohnson is in east africa ahead of the commonwealth leaders' summit which begins in rwanda tomorrow. he's been defending his asylum deal with rwanda today whie ——he's been defending his asylum deal with rwanda today while touring the capital kigali. the prime minister is due to hold a meeting with prince charles on friday as they both attend the summit. european union leaders have approved both ukraine and moldova as official

candidates for membership of the bloc. the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, said she was convinced that both countries would move as swiftly as possible to implement necessary reforms, and hailed the decision as a much needed source of hope for those countries. let me stress that i am deeply convinced that our decision that we have taken today strengthened us all. it strengthens ukraine, moldova and georgia in the face of russian aggression, and it strengthens the european union because it shows once again to the world that the european union is united and strong in the face of external threats. president zelensky has welcomed the european union's decision. in a tweet he said he "sincerely commended eu leaders"

he went on to say that he was... 0ur europe editor, katya adler, explains the importance of this moment for ukraine. president zelensky has been pushing for this moment he calls historic for a very long time, because it allows them to turn around to rush and say, love, we are ukraine, we belong in europe, we belong in the west, not in your russian sphere of influence. so he wanted the symbolism tonight. tomorrow, of course, he will be reminding the west that he also really needs that military and economic aid. from russia's perspective, it's actually hardening it stands on ukraine joining the eu, and why? welcome it says brussels is taking a much more active role these days and defence. as for the eu itself, well, leaders and there were really sincere in wanting to show

solidarity tonight with war—torn ukraine. at the same time, questions are being asked as to whether they can afford to take on new members. and already got 27, so dramatically different, the often can't find agreement on difficult issues like migration or russia's sanctions, so add more voices to the mix, ukraine, moldova or countries from the western balkans, and some here wondering, will that end up paralysing the eu from the inside? the us supreme court has upheld the right of americans to carry guns in public, striking down century—old restrictions in new york — that limited the ability of people to carry weapons openly. the decision could have ramifications for other states with similar regulations and is expected to allow more people to carry guns legally. the ruling comes amidst a raging debate across the us over gun control especially after the recent school shooting in uvalde. 0ur north america editor sarah smith reports.

the constitutional right to bear arms is dearly held in the united states, but what that means in practice is deeply controversial. today the supreme court ruled that individual states cannot force people to have a permit to carry guns in public. the president, myself, many of us are deeply concerned and troubled by this ruling today. it, i believe, defies common sense and the constitution of the united states. street protests and public opinion have been demanding tougher action on gun control after recent mass shootings. but new york state will now how to make it easier to carry guns on the streets. we can say with certainty, this decision has made every single one of us less safe from gun violence. cut.

many republican politicians proudly glorified gun ownership, insisting it is their right granted to them under the constitution's second amendment. this mean your second amendment right to keep and bear arms shall not be denied by an unelected bureaucrat. as the supreme court makes it easier to carry guns, congress is about to make it slightly harder to buy one. democrats and republicans have now agreed some limited gun control measures, including expanded background checks for prospective buyers under 21. this doesn't go nearly as far as the democrats, including president biden, wanted, but it will be the first gun control legislation passed here in nearly 30 years. in a country that now has more guns in it that it has people. sarah smith, bbc news, washington. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... the amazing story of how a coach saved her swimmer after she fainted at the bottom of a pool — told in her own words.

china marked its first day of rail in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the colony. the chinese president said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the unification was the start of a new era for hong kong.— unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the worlds first clone has been _ era for hong kong. the worlds first clone has been produced _ era for hong kong. the worlds first clone has been produced of- era for hong kong. the worlds first clone has been produced of an - era for hong kong. the worlds firstl clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists and scotland have produced a sheep called valley that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheet. for was cloned in a laboratory using a cell from another sheet.— cell from another sheet. for the first time in _ cell from another sheet. for the first time in 20 _ cell from another sheet. for the first time in 20 years, _ cell from another sheet. for the first time in 20 years, russian l cell from another sheet. for the i first time in 20 years, russian and american — first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit ai— american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the — american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger power and passed out almost _ challenger power and passed out almost 50 — challenger power and passed out almost 50 knots, _ challenger power and passed out almost 50 knots, shattering - challenger power and passed out almost 50 knots, shattering the i almost 50 knots, shattering the record _ almost 50 knots, shattering the record that _ almost 50 knots, shattering the record that had _ almost 50 knots, shattering the record that had stood _ almost 50 knots, shattering the record that had stood for - almost 50 knots, shattering the record that had stood for 34 - almost 50 knots, shattering the i record that had stood for 34 years. there _ record that had stood for 34 years. there was — record that had stood for 34 years. there was no — record that had stood for 34 years. there was no hiding _ record that had stood for 34 years. there was no hiding that _ record that had stood for 34 years. there was no hiding that sheer- there was no hiding that sheer elation — there was no hiding that sheer elation of—

there was no hiding that sheer elation of richard _ there was no hiding that sheer elation of richard branson - there was no hiding that sheer elation of richard branson and| there was no hiding that sheer. elation of richard branson and his crew _ welcome back to newsday on the bbc with me arunoday mukharji in singapore. 0ur headlines... aid teams are struggling to reach survivors of the the earthquake in afghanistan — in some areas, people say they have no food or shelter. that is our big headline. in the us — the congressional committee investigating the january sixth attack on the us capitol heard on thursday about the pressure former president donald trump placed on the us department ofjustice to overturenjoe biden�*s win. mr trump wanted a different attorney general, who would do his bidding, and investigate voterfraud — even though there was no evidence of any. richard donoghue, a seniorjustice department official, testified how one jeffrey clark tried to convince mr trump he should

be attorney general. mr clark even draughted a letter which shocked the other lawyers. isaid, i said, that's right, you are an environmental lawyer, but you go back to her office and we will call you when there is an oil spill. pat laid in at one point, i remember saying, you know, that letter that this guy wants to send come of that letter is a murder— suicide pact. it's going to damage everyone who touches it. now to a dramatic story of rescue. the american artistic swimmer — anita alvarez — had to be helped from the bottom of the pool,

by her coach, after fainting at the world aquatics championships. the 25—year—old lost consciousness, and was not breathing, when she sank — after completing her routine in the solo free final in budapest. the us swim team, later released a statement saying alvarez, had received medical attention and was feeling better. the rescue was carried out by andrea fuentes — the head coach for the usa team. take a listen. i realised, ithink, before everyone else, because i know her very well, and i think at the last moment at the legs upside down, she had herfeet a little more pale than usual, to recognise that something was not normal, but the moment that she finished, because she was actually swimming super good, she was performing better than ever, so i was thinking she was pushing through her limits and that's it,

like it was final, so of course, they are going to go for it, and then when she finished, instead of going and breathing, because this is the first thing you want to do as an artistic swimmer, when you are finished, is like i want to breathe, no? so she went down and i was like, no, no, this is not normal, and i was like, ok, i'm going, because in my head, it was, i know how it feels in this sensation, your heartbeat is at least 200 beats per minute or almost, and i know you really want to breathe in that moment, so i just went as as fast as i could to grab her and pull her up to the surface. and once i pulled her up, my goal was only to make her breathe, and that's that. i think i knew before everyone else because i know the sport so much. i was close enough to go faster than anybody because i'm a swimmer myself in the past, so i just went for it. let's take a look at some other

stories in the headlines. police in the ecuadorean capital quito fired tier gas at protesters who tried to storm congress. it's the tenth day of demonstrations over living costs, in a standoff between the government and indigenous protesters. their demands to lift a state of emergency in six of the country's 24 provinces have been rejected by the authorities. the world's largest copper producer codelco has reached an agreement with workers to end a strike over the closure of a smelter in central chile. the federation of copper workers started the strike early wednesday morning, with some 40,000 workers taking part. after some of the worst flooding in more than 100 years, authorities in bangladesh are bracing for the spread of waterborne diseases and are racing to get clean drinking water to people stranded across a quarter of the country. more than 4.5 million people have been stranded and 42 killed in the deluge.

a decade ago, a classical orchestra came to play inviting children from one of the city's most deprived areas to perform alongside them. the idea was to use music to try to change lives. our arts correspondent has been finding out if that really happened. stirling 2012, and a moment. orchestra plays. i remember one of the most special moments in my life. gustavo dudamel, the simon bolivar orchestra and the children of the raploch estate. it was really a very special and unique moment. but this was more than just a concert — it was part of an experiment. could music change lives? and so, ten years on,

we've been finding out what's happened to the children. for instance, lewis here on oboe. he's now at the royal welsh college of music and drama. i think it was a major turning point. it wasn't until around the time of that concert, i was like, "oh no — you can actually do this as a job." and violinist luke has just completed a degree in music. changed your life? absolutely life—changing, yes. what would have happened, do you think, without music? that's a great question. to answer that question, i am not sure. that's a very hard question. and this little girl with the trombone... ..is symone hutchison — now entering her third year at the royal conservatoire. so this is where it all took place. yeah. 0ver there. right there. did it change things for you? yeah, 100%.

i was totally inspired. and it's notjust symone. as you can see... ..raploch now has its own symphony orchestra. gustavo dudamel was himself a product of a similar scheme, and ten years on, we showed him what had become of the children. a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart. wow! this is amazing. 0ne visit, one encounter. wow! no one's pretending the estate still doesn't have its struggles, but these days it's better known for its music. people like ben here, on tuba... i love every minute of it. i love it. i love it all. ..and imogen and family. it has changed the raploch. it doesn't matter what they do, really — i'm always proud. before big noise, researchers say they found one child

learning an instrument. there are now more than 400. david sillito, bbc news, the raploch, stirling. three years after an artwork by banksy was stolen from the door at the music hall in paris, eight people have now been convicted of theft or handling stolen goods. the mural, sad girl, was a tribute to the 90 people murdered in a 2015 terror attack on the venue. a hooded gang ticket injanuary terror attack on the venue. a hooded gang ticket in january 2019. terror attack on the venue. a hooded gang ticket injanuary 2019. it terror attack on the venue. a hooded gang ticket in january 2019. it was recovered 18 months later in italy. sir paul's mccartney's gauge has sold out in under an hour of being announced. the former beatles star will perform at a not—for—profit venue cut the cheese and grain in somerset tomorrow. tickets are sold on a first—come first—served basis. you can always find more on our

website. that's all for the moment. tanks very much for watching. stay with bbc world news. hello there. showers have been making their way northwards through the night accompanied by the odd rumble of thunder. not as warm for the day ahead, and there will be some sunshine around certainly, but equally a rash of showers will develop as the day goes, that's because we got low pressure moving into the west now and throwing bands of rain or showers our way. we're are also seeking some misty, low cloud and fog coming into eastern scotland, and it will be a much warmer start to friday, quite a close night and end to the night. that mist and fog could hang around, cloudy for the northern isles, showers developing quite quickly turning heavy and thundery, and then more persistent rain pushes into the southwest of england, western wales and more notably northern ireland later in the day. it turns quite wet and breezy, increasingly breezy, particularly in the west, so it will feel fresher here. we could still see 25—26

celsisus in the east, but not as warm for northern england, north wales or scotland as it was during the day on thursday. but still some very high levels of pollen despite a scattering of showers around across parts of the midlands, east anglia, up into lincolnshire in the southeast. we do see that band of rain turning more showery pushing northwards during the evening and overnight. that low pressure centred, as you can see, to the west of us, and it is going to stay there. it is going to become stalled, slow moving, and it's going to continue throw showers across the united kingdom, because its low pressure, it makes the air conducive to seeing showers anyway, so some of them will be heavy, the odd rumble of thunder, but as the breeze increases later today and through the weekend, certainly unusually windy for the time of year. it will push those showers through quite quickly and freshen the air app. temperatures around about where they should be for the time of year, but some lengthier spells of rain certainly close to that area of low pressure across parts of northern ireland and scotland.

we could easily see some lengthier spells of thundery rain pushing into the eastern side of england saturday night into sunday and then brushing close by to the east of scotland. but otherwise, the onus on the frequency of the showers, the intensity of the showers, will be in northern and western areas. really quite a brisk wind, gusts of 30—40 mph. so that's something to bear in mind if you are out and about through the weekend, otherwise temperatures once again into the low 20s. that low pressure system sat to the west will stay with us into the start of the new week, as you can see, still some showers around, more prevalent in the west, temperature staying in the low 20s at best.

hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are benedicte paviot, who's the uk correspondent for france 24, and chair of the uk advisory board of reporters without borders. and also with me is the author and journalist emma woolf. let's get to tomorrow's front pages. the strike vote by ba staff at heathrow makes the lead in the i newspaper, which warns of a �*summer of discontent�* as teachers and nursesjoin rail workers in demanding more pay. there's a similar lead in the guardian, which says there is growing unrest among many workers about the rising cost of living. the metro strikes an ominous note,

predicting a summer of travel disruption for air passengers.