welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm monica miller. the headlines: as russia launches more missile strikes against ukraine, western countries say they will support ukraine for as long as it takes. the bank of england warns its bond—buying programme to stabilise pension funds will end on friday as the imf delivers a bleak assessment for the global economy. funerals have taken place in thailand for the children killed at a daycare centre last week. buckingham palace announces that king charles will be crowned at westminster abbey on saturday 6 may.

in a major scientific achievement, nasa says its attempt to deflect the path of an asteroid has been a success. last night, the police arrested him for killing hemsley post. and one of the last stars of hollywood's golden age, the actress angela lansbury, has died, at the age of 96. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to the programme. president biden and g7 leaders have said they will provide ukraine with military and financial support for as long as it takes as they warned russia against using weapons of mass destruction.

the leaders made the commitment at an online meeting, in which they promised severe consequences should moscow's rhetoric on nuclear weapons become more than just words. the meeting was addressed by president volodymyr zelenskyy, who called for more help with air defence following two days of russian missile attacks. paul adams reports from kyiv. in kyiv, a day of welcome calm after yesterday's storm. air raid sirens did sound briefly, citizens heeding their government's warning to seek shelter, some heading for the metro. translation: we don't feel safe because we don't know what's coming next. nevertheless, i hope that what happened yesterday was the scariest thing. translation: i'm not afraid because there i will be victory for ukraine, ukrainians, for all of our people. one of yesterday's missiles almost hit the city's

famous pedestrian bridge. today, after getting the all clear, people came out to see what almost happened. this popular bridge isn'tjust a tourist attraction any more, it's now what the mayor calls a symbol of ukraine's indomitability. but while the people of the city have had a pretty quiet day on which to reflect on yesterday's events, it hasn't been the same in other parts of the country. in the southern city of zaporizhzhia, a car showroom was gutted earlier this morning. officials said 12 missiles were fired at the city. zaporizhzhia has been hit almost every day for the past two weeks. officials in other cities have been ordered not to release images of damage to power plants and other infrastructure. with winter coming, they know energy is a key russian target. this afternoon, president zelenskyy directly appealed to allies for help in dealing with missiles and drones. he thanked them for helping to secure ukraine's skies, but said the threats kept coming and ukraine needed more. back in the capital,

the clean—up continues. the government has told people here to be vigilant and conserve energy. in this war with many fronts, keeping warm may soon become the next battle. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. the pound has fallen again after the bank of england's governor warned that its emergency support package for the markets would end on friday. earlier the bank warned of a material risk to financial stability, and stepped in to buy government bonds for the third time since the chancellor's mini—budget sparked alarm among investors. our economics editor, faisal islam has this report. facing the markets directly, the bank of england governor andrew bailey meeting with the world's top bankers in washington, dc on a day of a further emergency intervention for the financial market. the source of the issue

remains the market for uk government debt since the mini budget. a sudden rise in interest rates is creeping across the economy, into mortgages and lending rates for companies. the source of the issue remains the market for uk government debt since the mini budget, and so the bank of england has once again had to intervene to protect financial stability from a fire sale by some types of pension fund. the new intervention did temper short—term borrowing rates, but the effective cost of borrowing over 30 years carried on rising. these rates remain higher than at the time of the mini budget. while two—year rates were down a little, the existing rise is still filtering into mortgages. today, the rate for a typical two—year mortgage fix shot up again. it only reached 6% nearly a week ago and is already now nearly 6.5%. but the governor was making it clear to these pension industry funds that there were clear limits of this weekend to its help. a message to the firms involved, involved in managing these funds, you've got three days left now. you've got to get this done,

because, again, part of the essence of a financial stability intervention is that it is temporary. and the uncompromising message repeated outside to the bbc. we are doing everything to preserve financial stability. you have my assurance on that. i think there is an important task now for the funds to ensure they are done. reporter: but now sterling's fallen in response to - what you said, but they've got three days, does that complicate matter? no, this has to be done for the sake of financial security. the chancellor in the commons today stuck to his mini budget plan despite challenges. last month, we set out the growth plan which will focus on breaking out of the high—tax, low—growth cycle that we were currently trapped in. this will put more money in people's pockets and raise living standards for all our people. are the chancellor and the prime minister the last people left on earth who actually think that their plan is working? yes! just to pick up on a point,

the imf said today that, actually, the plan, the mini budget, has increased the forecast for growth. at precisely the same time, the chancellor was praising the imf�*s assessment of the uk economy, it was saying the rate shock was triggered by the mini budget and suggested further reversals of its unfunded tax cuts would help solve the problem. it is a rather mixed bag for the chancellor from the imf today. their new forecasts do stress the global nature of the energy shock that therefore affects the economies of germany and italy more than the uk. but here, it's also clear that the extra instability in government debt markets which have required emergency action — well, that's uk—specific, and the imf have reiterated the suggestion of further u—turns on government policy. the chancellor flies in shortly. he'll also face some questions from his fellow finance ministers. this interest rate shock is continuing to filter into the mortgage market,

and so into housing and also business lending. the chancellor now has three weeks to find tens of billions in spending cuts that are both economically credible and politically viable. faisal islam, bbc news, at the imf in washington. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. the biden administration has urged the us supreme court to reject an emergency appeal by former president donald trump in his legalfight over confiscated classified documents. mr trump has asked the supreme court to intervene, and permit an independent arbiter to review around 100 classified documents that were seized by the fbi at his florida residence in august. us prosecutors have dropped all charges against adnan syed, a baltimore man at the centre of a murder case which gave rise to the true crime podcast, serial. he was released from prison last month. adnan syed served 23 years in prison after he was convicted

of the murder of his ex—girlfriend. the european court of human rights has found switzerland guilty of discriminating against men on pension benefits. the ruling involved the case of a man whose widower�*s pension was stopped when his children turned eighteen. had he been a woman, he would have received the pension for life. the decision will cost the swiss government millions in back—dated payments. as strike action continues at oil refineries across france, petrol rationing has been introduced in and around one of the biggest cities, nice. a deal was reached with some staff this week, but members of the cgt union are holding out for a better offer. russia has added the us tech giant meta — which owns facebook and instagram — to a list of terrorist and extremist organisations. the two social media platforms were banned in the country in march for russophobia after meta said it would allow posts such as �*death to russian invaders' following the start of the war in ukraine. russian state media says the ruling means banks can freeze meta's assets in russia.

funerals have been taking place in thailand for those who were killed at a nursery last week when a former policeman went on a rampage. family members, thailand's prime minister, and members of his cabinet were in attendance. a total of 37 people — including 23 children — were killed in an attack that has shocked the nation. jonathan head has more. so many lives cut short, and so young. on the last day of these mass funerals, families prayed before the coffins of the victims for the last time.

this woman is saying goodbye to her granddaughter, who she'd brought up since she was a baby. translation: she always played like a boy. - she could be quite rough. she used to climb on me or on her grandfather. she would make him fall over and then laugh at him. like me, he loved her dearly. it wasn'tjust children who died. 13 adults also lost their lives to the killer. this woman was in the nursery with the children when it was attacked. translation: my daughter - might not have enough education to help her reach the stars, but today, she's like a hero. i'm so proud of her. the king ordered that the funerals be given royal status and a sacred flame was brought up from the palace in bangkok for the cremations. some of thailand's most senior military, religious and politicalfigures were here to demonstrate the rest of the country's solidarity with this small, rural community. this is a much grander funeral than they're used

to around these parts, but families of the victims of told us it has brought them some comfort. but the shockingly cruel killing of so many young children does leave troubling questions for thailand — was it drugs, was it guns, was it some other shortcoming in thai society or was it just a freak attack that no—one could've stopped? the search for answers to these questions has only just started. people came from far away to join this final farewell in impressive numbers. picking up sandalwood flowers to be added to the funeral pyre. then the first group was called forward to see their child's face one last time. it was nattapat, a little boy not quite four years old. one of so many families left bereft by the suddenness

and injustice of it all. jonathan head, bbc news, northeastern thailand. buckingham palace has announced that the coronation of king charles will take place on saturday 6 may next year, with the queen consort crowned alongside him. the ceremony will be held at london's westminster abbey and will be led by the archbishop of canterbury. our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell, reports. he's been king since the moment of his mother's death. charles was in ballater near balmoral today thanking local people for their support over recent weeks. alongside king charles, camilla, the queen consort. and they will be side by side in seven months' time to be crowned alongside each other at the coronation. archive: and now, - here comes her majesty. injune 1953, queen elizabeth rode

in a gold coach to her coronation. it's an event which, while it's purely symbolic in constitutional terms, has a deep religious significance. crowd: god save the queen! it's a moment when a new monarch is crowned and consecrated, when a king or queen dedicates him or herself to the service of his or her people. for king charles, the coronation will be a blend, ancient traditions with a contemporary feel. in a statement, buckingham palace said... will britain, at a time of homelessness and restricting benefits and energy prices going up, really cheer to the rafters the site of a head of state riding

in a golden coach? there are others who will say, "that's just what we want." nearly 70 years after the grandeur of queen elizabeth's coronation, the crowning of king charles and queen camilla will be shorter, smaller and more diverse. a coronation which, in the words of the new king's officials, will reflect the britain and the world of today. and will there be a public holiday to celebrate? that's a matter for the government, says the palace. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we'll tell you what nasa's verdict is on its mission two weeks ago to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid. parts of san francisco least affected by the earthquake are returning to life,

but in the marina area, where most of the damage was done, they're more conscious than ever of how much has been destroyed. in the 19 years since he was last here, he has gone from being a little—known revolutionary to an experienced and successful diplomatic operator. it was a 20—pound bomb which exploded on the fifth floor of the grand hotel, . rapping a hole — in the front of the building. this government will not weaken! democracy will prevail! it fills me with humility and gratitude to know i have been chosen as the recipient of this foremost of earthly honours. this catholic nation held its breath - for the men they call the 33. and then... | bells toll. ..bells tolled nationwide - to announce the first rescue, and chile let outi an almighty roar.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm monica miller, in singapore. our headlines: as russia launches more missile strikes against ukraine, western countries say they will support ukraine for as long as it takes. the boss of the bank of england has told investors that its emergency support package for the markets will end on friday, despite pleas to extend it. the head of the uk's gchq spy service says ukraine is turning the tide against russian forces. sirjeremy fleming says russia is running out of both ammunition and troops, but he warned against complacency, saying russia was still very capable of causing damage. our security correspondent frank gardner has more. britain's biggest spy agency, gchq, is watching carefully

at the war in ukraine. without disclosing his sources, its director general believes russia is running out of weapons. we know and russian military commanders know that their supplies and munition are running out. russia's forces are exhausted. the use of prisoners as reinforcements, and now the mobilisation of tens of thousands of inexperienced conscripts speaks of a really desperate situation. ukraine has been coming under sustained russian missile attack from several directions, from the sea, from the air and across borders. the kalibr cruise missile is one of russia's most valuable precision guided weapons, and it's almost certainly running low on these. fired from a warship ora submarine, it can deliver a 500 kilograms warhead to a target hundreds of kilometres away, with great accuracy. other weapons, though, are blunter. like this s—300 missile, designed to shoot

down aircraft, it's been used against built up areas in cities all across ukraine. then there are these low tech tube launched rockets, many of them dating from the soviet era, not very accurate and prone to failure, but russia has a lot of them. today the white house announced it was speeding up its aid. so what evidence is there that we can access from open sources that russia might be running low on weapons like these? we know, for example, that the manufacturing writs of missiles like that at the 3m 11! calibre, russia's more modern cruise missile, where around 100 a year, on average, before the war. and given that russia has used over 2000 cruise and ballistic missiles over the course of this war, its stockpiles are probably dwindling. but that's little consolation

to those on the receiving end of these weapons. the more success ukraine has on the battlefield, the more russia inflicts punishment on the civilian population. frank gardner, bbc news. nasa says its mission to change the course of an asteroid was a success. a small space craft smashed into an asteroid millions of kilometers from earth two weeks ago. and observations by telescope show that the orbit of the asteroid was shortened by half an hour as a result of the collision. the aim of the project was to test whether a space object that threatened earth could safely be deflected. rebecca morelle has more. extraordinary images from a mission like no other, as nasa's dart spacecraft closed in on an asteroid 7 million miles away from the earth. its aim — to knock the space rock off course by smashing into it. three, two, one!

cheering. oh, wow. now, at a nasa press conference, the mission team has confirmed that it's worked. and so, today, nasa confirms that dart successfully changed the targeted asteroid's trajectory. this mission shows that nasa is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us. telescopes on earth tracked the moving asteroid, capturing the moment of impact, revealing the rocky debris being hurled into space. and this image from the hubble space telescope revealed how the crash created a plume of dust 6,000 miles long. all of this debris helped to alter the asteroid's path. the target was a double asteroid system — a larger space rock called didymos orbited by a smaller one called dimorphos. before the collision, it took dimorphos 11 hours

and 55 minutes to fly around the bigger rock. but crashing a spacecraft at 14,000 miles per hour into dimorphos has given it a kick, changing its speed just a fraction. and now, nasa has confirmed that this has altered its orbit. it now takes 11 hours and 23 minutes. that's a huge decrease of 32 minutes. if you wanted to do this in the future, potentially, it could potentially work, but you'd want to do it years in advance. warning time is really key here in order to enable this sort of asteroid deflection to potentially be used in the future. another close encounter of this asteroid is already planned. in two years, europe will send a spacecraft to study the crater left by the crash — helping us to see if this really is an effective way of defending our planet. rebecca morelle, bbc news. and before we go, one of the last remaining stars of hollywood's golden age, the actress angela lansbury, has died at the age of 96.

herfamily said she died at her home in los angeles. ms lansbury was best known for starring as a television detective in murder she wrote but she also had a presence on stage and in film. sarah campbell looks back at her life. suppose the master comes back and asks where you've gone. tell him ijust went for a walk. by yourself, ma'am ? she was 17, it was her first part, playing opposite ingrid bergman, and she was nominated for an oscar. angela lansbury�*s career couldn't have started better. in due course, there were starring roles in hollywood and on television. you are to shoot the presidential nominees through the head. in the manchurian candidate, she played the monstrous mother of a brainwashed son. increasingly, it was character parts like this that she was offered. rallying a nation of television viewers into hysteria to sweep us up into the white house with powers that will make martial law seem like anarchy. in her 60s,

she reinvented herself as a television actress — above all, as the genteel detectivejessica fletcher, in murder she wrote. apparently, you haven't heard. last night, the police arrested him for killing hemsley post. she produced the shows as well as starring, and became, they said, the richest woman in hollywood, with a fortune estimated at $70 million. herfilms for children showed her gift for comedy. oh, bother, ido hate shoddy work. there was bedknobs and broomsticks, and later, nanny mcphee. i smell damp. no, at least, not noticeably. my mother was a medium before me... at the age of nearly 90, she was starring in noel coward's blithe spirit in the west end... i had my first trance when i was four and a half. ..and was thrilled to be made a dame. it's a lovely thing to be recognised and given that nod of approval by your own country

and i really cherish it. a character actress as comfortable on stage as she was on screen — over many decades, angela lansbury was one of britain's most versatile and successful performers. music: theme music from murder she wrote. dame angela lansbury who's died at the age of 96. if you want to keep up with all the stories we're covering head to our website, plenty of analysis including our top story, g7 leaders promising to keep ukraine with military and financial aid for as long as it takes. you can also download the abc app. that's all for now. again, you can always visit our

website. i am monica miller. stay with bbc news. bye for now. hello. a chilly start again on wednesday morning across parts of east anglia and southeast england. the rest of the uk will be milder, cloudier, breezier, and you may be seeing some rain around. in fact, a damp start across much of scotland and northern ireland courtesy of this weather front, and that will take some outbreaks of rain into much of wales and parts of england during the day. it'll be very patchy and showery in nature. now, temperatures first thing, quite a contrast — from the ii in belfast in glasgow to the coldest parts of eastern and southeast england that won't be too far away from freezing. more cloud here compared with tuesday, but likely to stay dry until after dark. the rain, early on in

northern ireland, clearing by lunchtime, taking till the afternoon before it pulls away from southeast scotland. sunny spells following behind into scotland and northern ireland, but for much of england and wales, it'll be cloudy outbreaks of rain across northern england, wales, pushing into parts of the midlands and southwest england as the day goes on. 18 to the southeast of the weather front, behind it, we're talking mid—to—low teens. it'll be into the evening, then, east anglia and southeast england start to see some outbreaks of rain — it'll be a milder night here into thursday morning. elsewhere, with clearing skies, it'll be a colder night and it'll start thursday not far from freezing in parts of scotland, northern ireland, maybe northern england as well. a few fog patches in wales and england gradually clearing, a lot of fine weather to begin the day. but during thursday, some outbreaks of rain just fringing in towards the far south of england — some uncertainty about the northern extent of that — and a separate weather system will bring some rain into northern and western scotland and parts of northern ireland during the day. in between the two, though, actually quite a bit of fine weather —

much of eastern scotland staying dry as well. so, here's a look at these two weather systems. the first one here will bring some strong winds, particularly into friday and to the far north of scotland. and going into the weekend, there's another area of low pressure that will come into the uk. so, a very blustery day on friday, particularly in scotland in the far north and northern isles could see some gusts in excess of 60 mph. lots of showers moving into northern and western scotland, northern ireland, and a few will move a bit further south through parts of wales and england during the day. but there will also be plenty of sunny spells, and the further south you are, you will stay mainly dry. so, into the weekend, another area of low pressure coming our way. will be a blustery weekend as a result, and there will be some showers or some longer spells of rain around, but not all the time. there'll be some drier, sunnier spells, too.

this is bbc news. we will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme.