welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... joe biden tests positive for covid, but says he's carrying on working in isolation in the white house. us lawmakers are preparing for what could be their final televised public hearing, into the january the 6th attack on the capitol. ukraine, russia and turkey strike a deal to allow grain exports through the black sea to resume. and rare detailed interviews to the bbc from former soldiers in the myanmar army. they tell of rape, murder, and the burning of villages

life from our studio in singapore... this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. it's six in the morning here in singapore and 6pm in washington, where president biden is in isolation after testing positive for covid. the confirmation came hours ago — first in a statement from the white house, then in a tweet by by the president then in a tweet by the president — and finally in this video message, released on social media.

so, that's president biden suffering from covid, and these are the last moving pictures of him before he tested positive. they were filmed as he flew back to the white house on wednesday evening, by way of comparison to how he looked a few hours ago. dr ashistha is the white house covid—19 response coordinator. he says the president is only experiencing mild symptoms, and he's started a course of pfizer's antiviral pill — called paxlovid — which reduces the severity of covid—19. because the president is fully vaccinated, double boosted, his risk of serious illness is dramatically lower. he's also getting treated with a very powerful anti—viral, and that further reduces his risk of serious illness. live now to new haven, connecticut. dr scott roberts is a yale medicine

infectious disease specialist. it's great to get you on the programme. just a start, we've heard from president biden, we've heard from president biden, we've heard from the medical advisers that these are mild symptoms and they seem to be saying he seems to be fine. we are in a be saying he seems to be fine. - are in a much different position than when president trump was infected. we have vaccines, we have treatment. we know this version of covid. we are optimistic that he will recover well.— covid. we are optimistic that he will recover well. doctor roberts, for the benefit _ will recover well. doctor roberts, for the benefit of _ will recover well. doctor roberts, for the benefit of our _ will recover well. doctor roberts, for the benefit of our viewers, - will recover well. doctor roberts, l for the benefit of our viewers, what should somebody like president biden be concerned about, given the fact that although he is vaccinated, he is elderly. what are the risks? the

bi est b is elderly. what are the risks? tue: biggest by far is elderly. what are the risks? tte: biggest by far is the one factor that he cannot change, and that's his age. we know 85 is the majority -- bas is his age. we know 85 is the majority —— ba5 is the majority. i think fortunately, vaccines hold up well. i hope he'll carry through.- i hope he'll carry through. indeed. i hope he'll carry through. indeed. i 'ust i hope he'll carry through. indeed. ijust want— i hope he'll carry through. indeed. ijust want to _ i hope he'll carry through. indeed. i just want to get _ i hope he'll carry through. indeed. i just want to get your _ i hope he'll carry through. indeed. i just want to get your thoughts i i hope he'll carry through. indeed. j i just want to get your thoughts on the treatment that he is getting. if you could describe how that might work, what should be expected in terms of the courses illness may take? �* , . ~ terms of the courses illness may take? �*, ., ~ ., ., . take? he's taking paxlovid, which would be my _ take? he's taking paxlovid, which would be my number one - would be my number one recommendation for outpatient covid. we know he tested negative tuesday and now testing positive on thursday. with most anti—viral, earlier the better. this drug has a 90% efficacy, so ird expect he's

probably feeling the effects of it. it's a five day course. we'll know once he finishes his course in about five days. once he finishes his course in about five da s. , , once he finishes his course in about fiveda s. ,, once he finishes his course in about fivedas. ,, .,., , five days. this is happening against a wider backdrop _ five days. this is happening against a wider backdrop of _ five days. this is happening against a wider backdrop of the _ five days. this is happening against a wider backdrop of the covid - a wider backdrop of the covid situation in the us, where there has been a rebound in cases. are you concerned about that? t been a rebound in cases. are you concerned about that? i certainly am concerned. — concerned about that? i certainly am concerned. and _ concerned about that? i certainly am concerned, and unfortunately, - concerned about that? i certainly am concerned, and unfortunately, i'm i concerned, and unfortunately, i'm not surprised he's been infected with this new contagious ba5 variant. we've seen surges in many regions in the us. it usually comes after relaxing restrictions. i know i many —— many of us are preparing for the worst in the weeks ahead. and just briefly, when you say you're preparing for the worst in the weeks ahead, give us a sense of what you're most worried about. t

what you're most worried about. i think we're most worried about about search hospitalisation that leads to straining of health care resources. we aren't seeing that yet certainly, but we are seeing in the community. we know deaths and hospitalisations can lag several weeks behind caseloads, so our hospitals are preparing and we hope this new variant appears to be more mild. but we are preparing and getting ready just in case. we are preparing and getting ready just in case-— just in case. doctor scott roberts, yale medicine _ just in case. doctor scott roberts, yale medicine and _ just in case. doctor scott roberts, yale medicine and infectious - just in case. doctor scott roberts, i yale medicine and infectious disease specialist, thank you so much for joining us. lots more on the website for you on this story, including this analysis by our health correspondent, michelle roberts, who has been looking at what the outcomes for those in their 70s with covid are likely to face. that's on bbc.com/news, or download the bbc news app. staying with the us — it's a crucial night for the committee investigating

the january 6th capitol riot, when supporters of former president donald trump supporters president donald trump stormed congress, while lawmakers met to certinyoe biden's election victory last year. this will be the committee's eighth hearing, and maybe the final televised hearing, before the report is published in the autumn. i'm joined now by nomia iqbal, our north america correspondent, who is standing by for those hearings that are due to start in the next couple of hours. great to get you on the programme. i know you've been covering this from the start, so just talk us through how significant these hearings are. these hearings have been about the committee trying to establish the official narrative of what happened on january the 6th. four official narrative of what happened onjanuary the 6th. four people were killed, more than 800 people arrested. these hearings have been

having for six weeks. telling us about what happened that day. they believe that donald trump was singly responsible for what happened that day, and throughout this hearings, they tried to show that. what's been interesting as they almost played out like an american drama show, so the first hearing was held up prime time. this hearing is also being held up prime time. they been produced by former executives. it's all, i suspect, produced by former executives. it's all, isuspect, to produced by former executives. it's all, i suspect, to get the us's attention. we are expected to hear from more witnesses who used to be part of donald trump's administration and today's focus is on 187 minutes. this is the amount of time that the committee said on that day in which donald trump went dark. no one knew where he was. it was from the moment he had called

his supporters to march on the capital till later when he told them to go home. they believe his inaction will lead to the lengthy battle between capital police and writers, so that's what we will get a sense of today. == writers, so that's what we will get a sense of today.— writers, so that's what we will get a sense of today. -- rioters. could anything-u — a sense of today. -- rioters. could anything... are we _ a sense of today. -- rioters. could anything... are we expecting - anything... are we expecting anything... are we expecting anything to come out of these hearings? any sort of consequences we might see? in hearings? any sort of consequences we might see?— we might see? in terms of criminal consequences, the _ we might see? in terms of criminal consequences, the committee - we might see? in terms of criminal. consequences, the committee doesn't have those powers. all they can do is lay out their case to thejustice department. so this is a key thing that the committee's trying to establish. they said the riots weren't spontaneous, they said it was part of the plan by mr trump and his allies to overturn the elections. once they released their report, they might get more

hearings, but when they released the report, they will give it to the justice department, who will decide if they will bring any charges. it's worth mentioning thejustice department is doing its own investigation into january the 6th. indeed, nomia, thanks forjoining us. nomia will be part of that special programme. and we have a special programme on bbc news with live coverage of the us congressional inquiry into the january the 6th invasion of the capitol building. do try to join us for that, with my colleaguejane o'brien live from washington, just over an hour and a half from now. still to come a bit later in the programme — we'll get a look at the first space telescope which can capture images of dead suns colliding. but first, let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk, starting with the race to be the next prime minister. the two remaining candidates, rishi sunak and liz truss, have begun their head—to—head campaign. the uk foreign secretary, liz truss, was at an event in cambridge

with conservative party councillors. she said the state of the economy, and how to fix it, is at the forefront of her bid to be leader. i think the problem is that if we continue with our current economic policy, which is forecast to lead to a recession, it will be very hard for conservatives to win an election. what voters willjudge us on is delivery. are we seeing the growth? are we seeing the opportunities? are we seeing the spades in the ground? and i'm somebody, in every governmentjob i've done, i've got things done. the former chancellor, rishi sunak, was also a hustings in london today. later, in an interview with lbc radio, he criticised his rival�*s economic plan. everyone knows that inflation is running much higher than we would like, but we're not alone in experiencing that — that's happening in europe and the us and other countries as well. we've got a situation where interest rates are already rising, and inflation makes everybody poorer. so, in that situation, my strong point of view

is if the government goes on a huge borrowing spree, that is only going to make the situation worse. let's turn to turkey now, which says a deal has been reached to allow ukraine to resume exports of grain through the black sea. it will be signed on friday in istanbul by ukraine, russia, turkey and the un secretary general. russia's invasion of ukraine, which is one of the world's biggest suppliers of wheat and other grains, led to a huge rise in food prices. under the deal, russia would agree to a truce at sea to allow grain to be moved, and turkey would inspect ships to ensure they are not carrying any weapons. here's ukraine's ambassador to un sergiy kyslytsya, speaking to bbc news just a short while ago. it's a very elaborate agreement that

we all— it's a very elaborate agreement that we all may— it's a very elaborate agreement that we all may decide _ it's a very elaborate agreement that we all may decide tomorrow - it's a very elaborate agreement that we all may decide tomorrow in - we all may decide tomorrow in istanhul i_ we all may decide tomorrow in istanbul. i can _ we all may decide tomorrow in istanbul. i can assure - we all may decide tomorrow in istanbul. i can assure you - we all may decide tomorrow in istanbul. i can assure you that| istanbul. i can assure you that everybody's _ istanbul. i can assure you that everybody's dictated - istanbul. i can assure you that everybody's dictated and - istanbul. i can assure you that everybody's dictated and the i istanbul. i can assure you that - everybody's dictated and the teams of all parties — everybody's dictated and the teams of all parties will _ everybody's dictated and the teams of all parties will continue - everybody's dictated and the teams of all parties will continue working i of all parties will continue working on the _ of all parties will continue working on the final— of all parties will continue working on the final facts. _ of all parties will continue working on the final facts. if— of all parties will continue working on the final facts. if it _ of all parties will continue working on the final facts. if it is _ of all parties will continue working on the final facts. if it is signed, l on the final facts. if it is signed, not only— on the final facts. if it is signed, not only signed, _ on the final facts. if it is signed, not only signed, but _ on the final facts. if it is signed, not only signed, but also - not only signed, but also implemented _ not only signed, but also implemented — - not only signed, but also implemented — that's- not only signed, but also| implemented — that's the not only signed, but also _ implemented — that's the important thin- implemented — that's the important thing - _ implemented — that's the important thing - it _ implemented — that's the important thing - it will— implemented — that's the important thing — it will ensure _ implemented — that's the important thing — it will ensure a _ implemented — that's the important thing — it will ensure a significant. thing — it will ensure a significant number— thing — it will ensure a significant number ofm _ thing — it will ensure a significant number of... and _ thing — it will ensure a significant number of... and we _ thing — it will ensure a significant number of... and we can- thing — it will ensure a significant number of... and we can exportl thing — it will ensure a significant- number of... and we can export about 20 million _ number of... and we can export about 20 million tonnes _ number of... and we can export about 20 million tonnes of— number of... and we can export about 20 million tonnes of grain _ number of... and we can export about 20 million tonnes of grain that - number of... and we can export about 20 million tonnes of grain that is - 20 million tonnes of grain that is ready— 20 million tonnes of grain that is ready to — 20 million tonnes of grain that is ready to he — 20 million tonnes of grain that is ready to be exported _ 20 million tonnes of grain that is ready to be exported the - 20 million tonnes of grain that is ready to be exported the white. i

our international correspondent, orla guerin, has been following the talks in istanbul. she sent this update on the details of the deal. we know the broad outlines of the steel, and it relies on a sort of cease—fire at sea. russia will have to undertake not to carry out attacks. ukraine will provide vessels that will escort ships through waters that are mind. all of this will be monitored by turkey, there will be a coordination centre, and turkey will be involved in inspecting these vessels when they pass through what should be a safe corridor for the black sea. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. that situation between ukraine and russia for instance. i'm looking forward to hearing from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc.

still to come on the programme — ever wondered how dead suns look when they collide with one another? well, you can stop wondering now, with the invention of the first telescope that can capture such images. a special report coming up. coming down the ladder now. it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire has been blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30—year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the l violence and hatred that tore apart the state - of yugoslavia, but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly- rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunctioning sperm unable to swim properly.

thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... joe biden tests positive for covid, but says he is carrying on working in isolation in the white house. us lawmakers are preparing for what could be their final televised public hearing, into the january the 6th attack on the capitol. let's turn to myanmar now, where soldiers in the army have admitted to carrying out human rights abuses on the orders of the military. six soldiers — who recently defected — have given rare in—depth interviews to the bbc in which they describe killing and raping civilians

and the burning of villages. the military seized power from myanmar�*s democratically—elected government led by aung san suu kyi in a coup last year and is now trying to crush the armed civilian uprising against them. a warning: this report from rebecca henschke does include some distressing images and details. myanmar is burning. soldiers are being ordered to carry out abuses as the military fights against the civilian militias who are trying to restore democracy. this, the aftermath of a military raid on a village on the 20th of december last year. a corporal we're calling aung was in charge of one of the units. translation: the order - was to open fire as we entered. we also had an order to shoot any man we saw and to set fire to

every large and decent house in the village. corporal aung says his unit killed five people that day. the soldiers burnt at least 60 houses. this one wasn't empty. there was a girl inside. a newly recruited soldier set fire to it. translation: as we reached the centre of the village, - i heard the voice of a girl who was trapped in the house. she was shouting, "open it for me! open it for me!" i told the captain, "i saw a girl, she's trapped in the room." he said, "i've told you to kill everyone." he asked us to launch flares, so we did. the village school wasn't burnt. instead, young women were taken there. we spoke to two of them.

they say soldiers abused them in this room for three days. translation: they were looking at pornography on their phones i and talked about what they saw. they were drinking and laughing in front of us. then they came to us and blindfolded us with sarongs and pushed us down and took off our clothes and raped us. translation: i didn't want to live after that. i thought of committing suicide. i wanted to die. all across the region similar scenes. , in the last ten months, there have been more than 200 verified incidents of burning in villages, according to myanmar witness, a group that's tracking human rights abuses. in a statement, the military says the raids were to destroy the armed civilian uprising and describes those who were killed as terrorists.

they deny burning villages. at least 3,000 soldiers have now defected. many are ashamed of what they have done and some are prepared to fight to restore democracy and stop the military forces they were once part of. rebecca henschke, bbc news. let's bring you right up to date with something which is happening right now in sri lanka, where police have begun dismantling protest camps in the capital colombo. the camps were occupied by groups demonstrating against the economic crisis and the appointment of ranil wickremesinghe as the new president. he swore his oath of office on thursday and promised to restore peace and order. our south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan, is there, and has the latest. dozens of sri lankans security

forces have lined up on the main road, very close to the side, and many protesters from the other side are coming and talking with the officials. there is a tense situation at the moment. there is a standoff. these protesters believe, they suspect the protestant site over there might be cleared by these soldiers. and as we speak, there is another group of police officers over there. they're coming over there to clear. in the last few minutes, dozens of security forces have now entered this protest village and they are tearing all the tents put up months ago by these protesters. the leaders have gone to the other side, and there is a tense situation here where the soldiers

are now ripping down all these tents and telling media not to take any pictures. the protesters were worried that this might happen after the president took over. we'll be sure to get you updates as and when we can on that story. now, space fanatics, this one's for you. scientists have developed a new telescope to detect the smashing together of dead suns known as neutron stars — something that ordinary telescopes were unable to do — until now. the collisions are thought to have created heavy metals that formed stars and planets like our own billions of years ago. our dcience correspondent, pallab ghosh, has had exclusive access to the new telescope and sends this report from la palma in the canary islands. opening to the heavens, high above the clouds, a new telescope scans the skies for one of the most enigmatic objects in the universe —

a neutron star. they're the smallest and densest bodies in the cosmos, so heavy that a sugar cube of it would weigh about the same as 8 billion people. scientists have now found a way to detect them. neutron stars have such powerful gravity that they're drawn together until they eventually merge. when that happens, there's a flash of light and a powerful shockwave ripples across the universe. when that shockwave is detected on earth, the new telescope scrambles into action to find the exact location of the flash. the astronomers have to work fast. the flash of light lasts only a couple of days. computer software is key in this impossibly difficult hunt. researchers compare pictures of the same bit of sky night by night, and any speck of light that wasn't there before may be the momentary

colliding of neutron stars. you would think that these explosions are very energetic, very luminous, it should be easy, but we're having to search through 100 million stars for the one object that we're interested in and we need to do this very rapidly because the objects will disappear on a timescale of a few days. so, really, this needle in a haystack challenge almost doesn't cut it. it's a huge challenge. these quick collisions create conditions that take us to the very edge of the laws of physics. it could help to answer the mystery of how some of the heavier elements, such as gold and platinum, are created in the universe. the british—built telescope, called goto, is nimble, and can rapidly scan every bit of the sky above it. when a real good event comes along, it's all hands on deck to make the most of it, and that, you know, it's a nice sort of feeling, to spring into action. with these instruments, researchers are learning about the cosmos faster than ever before and are on the precipice

of a new age of astronomy. so, now, we have almost a new way of looking at the universe. - we're not hoping i for new discoveries. we're being told where to find them and we're getting to uncover, - piece by piece, what lays out there in the universe. - so far, just one neutron star collision has been detected. now this new telescope can pinpoint them routinely, revealing a new view of the universe that has so far been hidden. pallab ghosh, bbc news, la palma. you have been watching newsday. just time before we go to say we are celebrating our one—year anniversary since our first show. thanks to everyone who watches — we couldn't do it without you. my my personal thanks to the teams in london and singapore to make this programme every single day. they're the real stars for the show.

that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. we're certainly ending this working week on a much cooler note than we started it on. temperatures have gradually been dropping over recent days after the heat wave earlier in the week. friday is going to be a cooler day than we've seen recently. some thunderstorms are possible for some areas, but not everywhere is going to be seeing outbreaks of rain. now, we start friday morning, mild still in the south, 17 celisus or so, further north, typically 11 or 12 celsius. through the day, then, some showery rain developing, particularly across central parts of england and wales, some that showery rain drifting into parts of northern england and southern scotland. the odd rumble of thunder almost anywhere, but most likely probably for the southwest of england into wales as well. northern ireland having a largely dry day with some sunshine, and sunshine too for the far north of scotland up towards shetland in particular. temperatures ranging between about 15 to 23

celsius for most of us, a bit of a cooler breeze for the northern isles, eastern scotland and northeast england. overnight friday, then, we've still got some of the showery rain around, drifting its way northwards and eastwards. but the next area of low pressure is going to spread some rain towards northern ireland by the early hours of saturday morning, so temperatures a little bit cooler than recent nights. by first thing saturday, we're looking at the mid—teens for most of us, a little bit cooler than that across parts of scotland. during the weekend, as this area of low pressure approaches from the west, it's going to mean the winds pick up. there'll be some wet weather working in, but ahead of that, it's going to help it draw in this southerly flow of air. so, again, some fairly warm air spreading in from continental europe heading up towards eastern parts of england in particular. that's where we'll see some of the highest temperatures through saturday into sunday. so, this is how saturday shapes up. then rain initially for northern ireland, then spreading into some western parts of scotland and england as well. central and eastern england probably staying dry with sunny spells all day, and temperatures a little bit warmer on saturday compared to what we'll see on friday. so, highs the mid to high 20s.

we've lost that cool breeze from the likes of newcastle, for instance, high teens or low 20s for scotland and for northern ireland. by the time we get to sunday, low pressure spreads further east, so quite a few heavy showers on sunday, could be heavy and thundery towards the northwest. the breeze picking up too, but again, southeast remaining dry for a good part of the day where we really could do with some rainfall around. and it's going to feel warm in the southeast with temperatures as high as around 30 degrees, typically the low 20s towards the northwest. bye for now.

this is bbc news. the headlines... us presidentjoe biden has tested positive for covid. the seventy nine year old, who's fully vaccinated and boosted, has mild symptoms according to aides. he's continuing to work while isolating at the white house. following his diagnosis, the president has released a video on twitter saying he's doing well and getting a lot of work done. his doctors say he's breathing well and his oxygen level is normal. us lawmakers are preparing for what could be their final televised public hearing, into the january the sixth attack on the capitol. they're expected to hear that donald trump did nothing to prevent the certification day riot turkey says a deal has been reached which will allow ukraine to resume exports of grain through the black

sea. it's expected to be signed on friday.