welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: as ukraine continues to put up a strong resistance to the russian forces, we have a special report from the southern front. six months on, the question is, what's next for ukraine? well, it needs a win here and it says... munitions explode ..that it's planning a counter—offensive in the south. thailand's prime minister is suspended by the country's constitutional court while it considers whether he's ruled for too long. we are in india to meet the rohingya families who are now unwelcome in their adoptive country but can't

be sent back to myanmar. and a helping hand for graduates. president biden cancels $10,000 of student debt for millions of americans. live 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. we begin in ukraine, where the country's president, volodymyr zelensky, says a russian missile strike on a rail station has killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens more. mr zelensky had previously warned that russia might do something "cruel" to disrupt ukraine's independence day — which coincidentally fell on the same day as the six—month anniversary of the invasion.

this is the current state of play in the country — with russia controlling ukrainian territory in the south and east. the southern front, around the occupied city of kherson, is where ukraine says it is planning a counter—offensive. from there, our correspondent quentin sommerville sent this report. once more into the line of fire and it's just another day, for the 59th brigade, of defying the odds. this is a sprawling front line, it's over 100 miles long, and it's mostly being fought and held by these men, gun crews. but the positions here haven't moved in months. they're outgunned and outnumbered, but it's been like this from day one. they've grown used to it. they're now in range of russian firepower, so they move fast, barely a word spoken, almost without thinking. it was this brigade who helped halt

the enemy's sweep across the south. their howitzer is older than most of them — it dates from soviet times. but it's almost become a part of them. theirs is a practised rhythm. a drumbeat of shelling on the enemy eight miles south. six months on, the question is, what's next for ukraine? well, it needs a win here and it says it's planning a counter—offensive here in the south. but with all that foreign military aid and with all that foreign military training, has it been enough to give ukraine the breakthrough it needs here? the russians are dug in and will be hard to shift. and the terrain isn't helping, says major tsehotskyi. translation: the unit got it in the neck. - the russians have so much ammunition.

they were shelling a lot. as you can see, this terrain is flat. it's hard to move around freely. there is nowhere to hide, really. there's very little cover. he knows what it's like to lose everything and stops to help a teacher stranded by the roadside. translation: | teach kids - so they can learn about the world, so they can learn about all life's wonderful things, but with such a war, when they forced our people to flee, these kids... i have calls with parents. sorry, my tears are just pouring. they are dispersed across our entire country. tatiana and herfamilyjoin the millions of ukrainians trying to escape russian aggression. even so, though, despite its people being scattered to the four winds, this country has never been more united. for the gun crew, it's

the end of another day. six months on, the defenders�* burden gets no lighter. 0nly last week, a number of their comrades were killed by russian fire, and tonight's blackout carries with it extra menace. cities across ukraine are on alert. of course, this independence day won't go unnoticed by russia tonight, and the fear here in the south and across the east is that ukrainian cities will face a special onslaught. it's 31 years since he left the soviet army, 31 years of ukrainian independence. tonight, major tsehotskyi is without his family. his wife, daughter and grandchildren are now all in london.

his shift isn't over, but there's time to open a window into a world away from here. translation: hello to you. glory to ukraine. glory to heroes. i wish you a happy independence day. and to you. translation: is it quiet today there? | it's war here every day. please, be strong. i'm so glad you're somewhere safe. i hope we'll see each other again soon. i wish us a quick victory. for everyone. bye— bye. for ukrainians, wherever they are, there is no escape from the war. you're notjust fighting for ukraine, you're fighting for your family, too? translation: we are fighting not only for our grandchildren l but for kids all over the world. i'm saying this from the heart —

my family is in a safe place. i didn't need to fight, but children are dying. of course, i know that it's dangerous, but as an officer, i have to be here. this is my sacred duty. this year, like millions of others, they will mark national day as exiles. ukraine's parks are empty. its celebrations have been silenced. it's a muted national day, but six months into this war, the cause of ukrainian independence has never rung so far or so loudly. quentin somerville, bbc news, in southern ukraine. joe biden will call president zelensky this thursday, a day after the us announced nearly $3 billion worth of new military aid to ukraine —

the biggest single package of assistance so far. i'm joined now by the former us ambassador to ukraine and senior director of the atlantic council's eurasia centre, john herbst, who is in fairfax, virginia. it is great to get you on the programme, john. in the first instance, what do you think the size of the package tells us about perhaps what the biden administration is thinking about how long this conflict might last? i think it is a very good step. it is a way to confirm or to make clear the biden administration understands this war may not be over tomorrow and ukraine has to be able to defend itself not only in the coming months but in the coming years. how strong, john, is but in the coming years. how strong, john. is the — but in the coming years. how strong, john. is the support _ but in the coming years. how strong, john, is the support from _ but in the coming years. how strong, john, is the support from american i john, is the support from american people, though, for these kind of financial aid packages? this isjust the latest in a number of packages that have come from the us. is the support going to continue? the

chicano support going to continue? the chicago world _ support going to continue? iie: chicago world affairs support going to continue? tie: chicago world affairs council had a poll which showed an overwhelming majority almost support the aid we are giving to ukraine. the american people, i think, are giving to ukraine. the american people, ithink, understand are giving to ukraine. the american people, i think, understand moscow is notjust conducting a war of war crimes, bordering on genocide in ukraine, but also the —— that putin is dangerous to the knighted states. we need putin. idietitian knighted states. we need putin. when ou look at knighted states. we need putin. when you look at the — knighted states. we need putin. when you look at the impact _ knighted states. we need putin. when you look at the impact the _ knighted states. we need putin. when you look at the impact the conflict is having on global inflation, not just on fuel prices, food prices as well, and there is so much rhetoric about this in daily headlines, that it is driving the prices of these basic goods up, do you think that support will continue even as we see more of the economic impact start to have an impact on peoples lives? i think the support will continue,

because, again, some people understand that putin's or on ukraine is a war notjust on the west, his objective is to establish conscious control over ukraine but also the countries that used to make of the soviet union, and that includes nato allies. we have to stop prudent and ukraine. it also they understand we have the means to defend ourselves if we give ukraine, the smart way, if we give ukraine the tools to do it, and that is what this is all about. you the tools to do it, and that is what this is all about.— this is all about. you talk of the smart way. _ this is all about. you talk of the smart way. in — this is all about. you talk of the smart way, in terms _ this is all about. you talk of the smart way, in terms of- this is all about. you talk of the smart way, in terms of how - this is all about. you talk of the smart way, in terms of how to i this is all about. you talk of the - smart way, in terms of how to help ukraine. given what we know right now about the nature of the conflicts and what you've just described, is this the smart way? should the west, and in particular the us, be doing more? i should the west, and in particular the us, be doing more?— the us, be doing more? i believe that the united _ the us, be doing more? i believe that the united states _ the us, be doing more? i believe that the united states and - the us, be doing more? i believe that the united states and the i the us, be doing more? i believe i that the united states and the west in general needs to provide more assistance to ukraine was the biden

administration has sent a great deal of age, military and economic, but it is not i cannotjust up the russian offensive, and have stopped it, but also to take back territory moscow seized since the big invasion in february. but we have seen, and this is a that the us on the provided a couple of billion dollars of economic assistance. —— is that the european union has. it is a far lower commitment than the 10 million of economic aid, and that has to change. economic aid, and that has to chance. �* , ., ., ., ., change. briefly, going forward, are ou change. briefly, going forward, are you exoecting _ change. briefly, going forward, are you exoecting a _ change. briefly, going forward, are you expecting a bigger _ change. briefly, going forward, are you expecting a bigger package - you expecting a bigger package coming from the west? how long can the size and skill of these financial aid packages continue? if we understand that putin wants not to take control of ukraine but to

undermine the european union, tens of billions of dollars a year of assistance is not a very large price. imagine the price and terms of economics but also in terms of casualties if nato has to defend estonia or latvia from kremlin aggression. this is actually... some people understand it, many do not, and the commentary on the war is often very superficial, because you do not look at putin's motivation. john herbst, thank you so much. thank you forjoining us. let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk. police says the investigation into the murder of olivia pratt—korbel is "progressing at pace." the nine—year—old was shot on monday evening, by a masked attacker who'd burst into her home in liverpool. a 35—year—old man, joseph nee,

who's thought to have been the intended target of the shooting, has been arrested. the gunman is still at large. more than 3 million households are still waiting for a £150 energy rebate to help with rising costs, which councils were meant to start paying from april. 97% of people who pay the council through a direct debit have already received their rebate, but only half of those who pay in other ways have. bin collectors in many parts of scotland are taking part in industrial action over pay, joining their colleagues in edinbugh who have been on strike since last thursday. scotland's deputy first minister says the piles of rubbish seen in edinburgh are "deeply concerning" for public health. to thailand now, where the constitutional court has suspended the country's prime minister, while it considers a legal challenge claiming he's reached his term limit. the thai constitution allows prime ministers to serve for eight years. mr prayuth chan—o—cha took power in a coup in 2014 while head of the army — and opposition politicians say his time is up.

but his supporters say the clock started ticking only when the constitution came in — or when he won an election three years ago. 0ur south east asia correspondent jonathan head reports from bangkok. when he seized power in a coup, general prayuth chan—o—cha told the thai people it was a short—term measure to restore stability. eight years later, and he's still in office. many thais say that's long enough. and so does the constitution, which general prayuth had draughted after his coup. the reason general prayuth is still here is that conservative thais, who feared the rising popularity of reformist parties, decided he was still their best bet at the last election three years ago. and while he didn't actually campaign, preferring only to appear on screen, his constitution gave his side enough advantages to ensure

they could stay in power. but they seem to have forgotten about the eight—year limit. since then, the devastating impact of covid on thailand's tourism—dependent economy and general prayuth's irascible and authoritarian leadership style have cost him a lot of support. 0n—and—off street protests have paralysed parts of the capital, bangkok. general prayuth's even faced rebellions by fractions of his own party. so we're seeing, i think, more dissatisfaction, frustration, being expressed outside parliament, because parliament is under the control of the pro—prayuth parties. so outside parliament, you will see more protests, most likely. so, will the former army commander actually lose hisjob? probably not. the constitutional court, whose judges were appointed under him, has consistently ruled in his favour

and will probably do so again. but this suspension may be a hint that his authority is waning. another election must be held here within six months, and general prayuth no longer looks like much of a vote—winner. jonathan head, bbc news, bangkok. if you want to get in touch with me on any of the stories you've seen so far on newsday, whatjonathan was reporting about in thailand, you can reach me on twitter. i'm @bbckarishma you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a success for conservation after this tiny endangered baby elephant was born at a british zoo. he's the first african—american to win the presidential nomination of a major party, and he accepts exactly 45 years ago

to the day that martin luther king declared "i have a dream." as darkness falls tonight, an unfamiliar light will appear in the southeastern sky, an orange glowing disc that is brighter than anything, save the moon, our neighbouring planet mars. there is no doubt this election is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the world's newest nation. | it will take months and billions| of dollars to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. three weeks is the longest the great clock has been off—duty in 117 years, so it was with great satisfaction that clockmakerjohn vernon swung the pendulum to set the clock going again.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines: ukraine continues to put up a strong resistance to russian force six months into the war. it comes as 22 people are killed in a rocket attack on a train station. and thailand's prime minister is suspended by the country's constitutional court while it considers whether he's ruled for too long. it's been five years since hundreds of thousands of rohingya muslims fled their native myanmar, after a deadly crackdown by the government there. more than 700,000 people escaped the country. the majority left for neighbouring bangladesh, ending up in the world's largest refugee camp in cox's bazar. others are now in other asian nations, including india. both india and bangladesh want to send them back to myanmar — but with the military in charge there, it's not an option. 0ur south asia correspondent rajini vaidyanathan sent this report from delhi.

singing the national anthem of the country their parents fled in fear, the country most of these children have no memory of. raised in this refugee camp in bangladesh, they don't get the same lessons as locals, taught the myanmar curriculum because authorities want them to return there. struggling to find stability, theirs is a lost generation. rohingya muslims living in limbo. their parents fled persecution, only to be handed a life of destitution. it's been five years since this woman witnessed unimaginable atrocities in her village. it took her days to walk here. a life now consigned to these camps.

she is forced to rely on basic rations to feed her young boys. translation: five years ago, the myanmar military - entered our houses and tortured us. we came here to stay alive. now i can't feed my children properly or give them nice clothes or medicine. we are in a bad situation. it was in august 2017 that hundreds of thousands of rohingyas crossed the borderfrom myanmar, escaping a deadly crackdown by the country's military. carrying whatever they could, they fled to neighbouring bangladesh. five years on and many of the refugees have made their way here to india, home to tens of thousands of rohingya muslims living in squalid conditions. many say they don't feel welcome here either. india's government describes them as illegalforeigners it

says should be deported. for years, rohingya muslims have led a basic existence in india. last week a minister said they'd be moved from these makeshift camps and given housing. hours later, the hindu nationalist bjp government denied the offer, threatening to move people to detention centres. it has left families like rehman�*s feeling helpless. for his four—year—old daughter yasmin, unending uncertainty. rehman wishes he could give her a better life. translation: the indian . government doesn't want us. i would rather they killed us than send us back. it feels like no—one cares about rohingyas these days. we are like old furniture in a house, kept in a corner and forgotten. and for these refugees,

the hope of returning to myanmar never fades. but with the military who attacked their families now in charge of the country, it's still not safe. what no—one can tell these rohingya children is when they'll be able to go home. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. to the us now, where president biden has announced he will cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loans for millions of americans who earn less than $125,000 each year. those who received pell grants to go to university, which are given to people in most financial need, will be eligible for double that figure. an estimated 43 million americans owe a combined total of $1.6 trillion in federal student debt. here's the president speaking earlier. much of my time is spent — how do we remain the most competitive nation in the world, with the strongest economy

in the world, with the greatest opportunities in the world? that's what today's announcement is about. it's about opportunity. it's about giving people a fair shot. it's about the one word america can be defined by — possibilities. that was president biting biden a little earlier. —— that was president biden. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. pakistan is appealing to the international community for help with flood relief efforts. it comes as the country struggles to cope with the aftermath of weeks of monsoon rains and devastation that has killed more than 800 people and made thousands homeless in the south and south—west of the country. fighting in ethiopia between tigrayan and central government forces has erupted in the north of the country, ending a months—long ceasefire. both sides blame the other for the attack.

the fighting is a major blow to hopes of peace talks between prime minister abiy ahmed's government and the tigray people's liberation front. china has re—opened forforeign students for the first time since the covid pandemic began. around half a million overseas students were at chinese universities and colleges before covid hit more than two years ago. it marks a major step towards re—opening the country, but it's not clear yet when foreign tourists will be allowed back in. and finally, a good news story for you. let's focus on what has been a success for conservation. this tiny endangered baby elephant was born at a british zoo on monday to her mother donna. she doesn't yet have a name, but she's definitely melting hearts, as dan johnson reports. these are the first of the biggest baby steps, an unforgettable new addition to the herd.

this female calf struggled to feed to begin with, causing keepers some concern, but then she got the hang of it and was described as "drunk on milk." when she has had a good feed for about two minutes, she will be dozing with her trunk loose on the ground. she fills her belly with milk and then she is really tired. she is learning all the time, developing every day, getting stronger and stronger, so she is doing really well. watch the top of the picture. this 18 stone arrival landed with a bumpety—bump on monday morning, and at first, the rest of the herd stood back in admiration, before stepping in to help mum donna and grandmother kayleigh. not only is she adorably cute, she is also really important because she is an asian elephant — note the smaller ears — they are an endangered species, their natural habitat has been under threat and it is estimated there are only about 52,000 left in the wild. as for her name, that is still to be decided, with some link to her natural home and based on the personality this big little lady displays. danjohnson, bbc news, at whipsnade zoo.

that's just adorable, isn't it? what a great way to end the programme. thanks forjoining us. do stay with bbc news. hello there. wednesday was another hot and humid day for much of eastern and southeast england — and we are likely to see a few thundery downpours breaking out, which will be slow to clear during the morning. and then, once they do so, friday on the whole will be dry, sunny, but noticeably fresher behind. so it's this weather front that's the dividing line between that fresher air to the northwest, and the humid air into that southeastern corner. it is producing some rain — some of it fairly intense, as it moves its way across the pennines and up into northeast england. and at the same time, it's this batch of thunderstorms developing which will become more of a feature over the next few hours across southeast england. so here, it will stay pretty humid, and we are likely to see a couple of inches of rainfall before that

system eases through. just how far west of london these showers go is still subject to question, but they will certainly be clearing away from norfolk, suffolk, and across the kent coast first thing on thursday morning. quite a lot of cloud behind, that should start to thin and break into the afternoon. fresher conditions with some sunshine elsewhere, a few scattered showers across the far northwest of scotland. in terms of the feel of the weather here, we're looking at around 15—21 celsius — no small difference to the feel of the weather further south, 23—24, but we've certainly lost that high humidity. now, as we move into friday, this weather front will be a very weak affair with a little bump of high pressure building in behind. so, on the whole friday, that frontal system could bring some cloud and a few nuisance showers, as you can see quite clearly, stretching across southern scotland, northwest england, down through wales, and into devon and cornwall. to the east of that, still largely fine and dry. to the north of that,

fresher, but with more sunshine coming through. we'll be a degree or so warmer potentially on friday in that sunshine — 25 is 77 fahrenheit. now, as we head into the weekend, high pressure will build — this weather front will tend to sit into the far northwest, and could impact the far north of scotland. but generally speaking, we'll have light winds, we'll have a good deal of dry weather. it's the last bank holiday weekend for northern ireland, england and wales — and it will be a pretty perfect one if you've got outdoor plans with the family.

this is bbc news, with shaun ley. the headlines... ukraine continues to put up a strong resistance to russian forces six months into the war. it comes as 22 people are killed in a rocket attack on a train station. military package on a surprise visit to kyiv to mark ukraine's independence day. mrjohnson said ukraine can and will win this war. thailand's prime minister has been suspended by the country's constitutional court while it considers whether he's ruled for too long. mr prayuth chan—o—cha took power in a coup in 2014 while head of the army. and president biden has announced that millions of americans are to have $10,000 of student loan debt cancelled. 45 million americans current have $1.6 trillion of debt