welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: security is tightened across china as the authorities try to suppress the unprecedented protests taking place against covid lockdowns. one of the problems in china is that nobody knows when zero covid will end. we have a special report from the phillipines on the increase in the sexual exploitation of children online. the great barrier reef should be placed on a list of world heritage sites

that are "in danger", of the world cup in qatar with a 2—0 win over uruguay. live from our in singapore. this is bbc news. it is newsday. welcome to the programme. there are reports from china of a heavy police presence in cities where protests against covid restrictions took place over the weekend. officers were out in force in several areas of the capital, beijing, where protesters had gathered on sunday. over the weekend, protests spread to the country's biggest cities — with some demonstrators calling for president xi jinping to step down. mr xi and the communist party want to eradicate covid — but the zero covid policy is disrupting everyday life and hurting the economy.

our china correspondent stephen mcdonell has the latest. i want to warn you, his report contains some flash photography. the chinese capital became the latest city with a demonstration, calling for an end to the country's covid restrictions. the symbol of this movement has become white sheets of paper, with protesters holding them up to signify the way in which people are silenced here by official censorship. they're chanting that strict lockdowns and compulsory but dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the crisis is also spilling over into calls for press freedom and democracy.

orders, travel bans and phone apps tracking people's movements. entire cities are sometimes officially locked down yet covid—19 continues to spread. the country posted record new case numbers over the past five days in a row. last month, the country's leader, xijinping, said there'd be no swerving from the current approach, as he entered a historic third term in power. now protesters in the south—western city of chengdu are blaming him personally for allowing the covid crisis to continue. they've criticised his lifetime leadership entitlement and said their country doesn't need an emperor. this followed earlier calls in shanghai for xi jinping to step down, and for the communist party to give up power.

and there's a heavy police process in the area. waves of anger initially spread across china following an apartment block fire in xinjiang last week, which killed ten residents. people have blamed covid restrictions for hampering the access of firefighters and blocking escape routes. the chinese government says this isn't true. translation: forces - with ulterior motives have used social media to link the fire to the zero—covid policy, but the local government has combated these rumours and smears. either way, these protests have unleashed a discontent which has been not very far below the surface. one of the problems in china is that nobody knows when zero—covid will end. if the government has a plan, it's not told people what it is, and so the belief

that this could go on forever is causing a lot of consternation among the general public. for an eventual opening up, but spent that time telling its citizens how lucky they were to live in china. to have a clear way out. let's speak to drew thompson — visiting senior research fellow at the lee kuan yew school of public policy at the national university of singapore, and former us department of defense official responsible for china — he's currently in taipei. great to get you on the programme. just want to get your thoughts on the first instance. we saw some remarkable scenes in the report. do you think these protests will continue? and how

do you think we will see a response from authorities? we have already heard there is a strong police presence. certainly i think we will be able to see these protests ebb and flow. what is interesting they have been geographically distributed throughout china, they have involve very different classes of people— from students, workers in different places, migrant workers, middle—class people as well as students. so it is fairly geographically and socially spread, but there does not appear to be any sort of guiding hand, there does not appear to be a leadership, these people are not being instigated, this is a reflection of widespread discontent with the situation they are in, which is being forced to be locked in their homes, losing income and facing really economic headwinds. so i think the protest will continue, they are likely to ebb and flow because they're not being called into the

streets in a controlled fashion. so the police, of course, has tremendous capacity. china spends more money on internal security than it does on its army. so i think the ability of china to control these protests going forward, even as the ebb and flow and move between social media and the street, the ability to put that down is quite high. i am sure that the police is out in force, but at the same time you probably have the people's armed police mobilising in every province, preparing to deal with widescale unrest that cannot be handled by police itself. and bind the people's armed police, you have the pla providing their support as well. . , , ., ., providing their support as well. , ., ., well. there has been a lot said about the _ well. there has been a lot said about the fact _ well. there has been a lot said about the fact that _ well. there has been a lot said about the fact that protesters. about the fact that protesters have called for xi jinping to be held to account over the

covid policy. how much of a threat you think this will be for him personally? young i do not think these are threats. china is not governed that way. it is an interesting juxtaposition to be here in taipei for the elections this weekend and to see the transfer of power at local levels take place in a very peaceful and constructive way. it is not how power is garnered in china. the ability to control the population, whether that is online or in the street, is actually probably more important for xi jinping's legitimacy. one of important for xijinping's legitimacy. one of the factors is the covid response and the inability of the government to open up the society, to expose them to the virus. if it were to spread throughout the population, it would overwhelm the health care system, that would be an even greater legitimacy crisis for the government and party than these basically undirected street

protests. it basically undirected street rotests. , basically undirected street protests-_ protests. it is interesting, isn't it? — protests. it is interesting, isn't it? with _ protests. it is interesting, isn't it? with the - protests. it is interesting, isn't it? with the images | protests. it is interesting, l isn't it? with the images of these protests being flashed all over the world, i wonder what you make of the level of dissent within china itself. as you pointed out, they are widespread but they are in major cities, aren't they? but ma'or cities, aren't they? but if major cities, aren't they? but if ou major cities, aren't they? but if you also — major cities, aren't they? but if you also look _ major cities, aren't they? but if you also look at _ major cities, aren't they? pm if you also look at the rate of urbanisation, more than 65% of the population now lives in cities. if you go back to the 19805, it cities. if you go back to the 1980s, it was half that. if you also think about the rise of the middle class, around 2000 you had maybe a0 million people considered to be middle class people, today it is over 700 million. so you have got urbanisation, middle—class people now living in apartments and cities. that is one of the reasons i think that the fire in the apartment and the inability of people to escape the fire because of covid, literally locks on doors, i think that hits home, that affects everybody. potentially

that could be anybody in china now. that is one of the recent surge notjust now. that is one of the recent surge not just frustration now. that is one of the recent surge notjust frustration but i think a degree of fear, as well. it is notjust fear of the virus but fear of the consequences of zero covid. fascinating stuff. drew thompson, thank you so much for joining us. the philippines has become one of the world's largest centres of child sexual exploitation online, and charities say there's been a sharp increase in reported incidents since the pandemic when many vulnerable children were exploited during lockdowns — often by close family members keen to make money. much of the abuse is filmed on webcams, paid for by customers in the us, the uk and other european countries, and australia. our correspondent laura bicker has been investigating — and her report includes some distressing details.

this is manila's new front line in a war the police are not winning. a young boy is led out of the room by a social worker. he and his two sisters have been forced to act out live sex shows on camera by their mother. this home in a graveyard is where the children had to stay during a prolonged pandemic lockdown with a parent desperate for cash. it's absolutely tiny. so, are you taking evidence now? yes. and this is the subject, the mother. she's the mother? yes. so the mother is there still? it is thought the mother was paid around $20 by a paedophile in australia to exploit her own children. police gather evidence — sex toys, smartphones. they are coming under pressure to deal with a drastic

increase in these cases. there is some help for those who have gone through this trauma. at this children's home, they discuss the fairy tale cinderella. ten—year—old maria speaks up. "she didn't give up, even during hard times. she still has hope," she says. "just like us, even though our parents abused us. we should copy her." maria and her brothers, john and eric, were raped on camera by their mother, their aunt and uncle. the money theirfamily made came from accounts in the uk and europe. today, all three are safe. and now seven—year—old eric loves to sing.

however, this is the emotional cost of that abuse. screaming. it may be distressing to hear, but this is their therapy, their release. "why me?" is the most common cry, "why your own flesh and blood?" eventually, the pandemic contributed to the exploitation and abuse of children since they are isolated and they thought this is the only means of getting income and feeding theirfamily. so, these children are influenced by their families that this is just an easyjob, they do not need to do anything, just be naked in front of the video and they can earn something. and yet, these young people do have hope. they are taught ways to stay

strong, coping mechanisms. they are encouraged to play, to be children again. while the adults who have spent decades fighting child exploitation here take on a bigger battle. there has to be international law. this is the only way. and the un should be involved in this and all national governments. they must cooperate together to restrict the passage of the child abuse material and the online streaming of the sexual abuse of children. one arrest in one home. these officers are getting international help to trace abusers around the world, but charities believe more needs to be done to prevent millions of children being abused by those they should be able to trust. laura bicker, bbc news, manila.

you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we'll tell you why the un is giving warnings about australia's great barrier reef.

this is newsday on the bbc. our headlines: security is tightened across china as the authorities try to suppress the unprecedented protests taking place against covid lockdowns. police in somalia say a daylong siege at a hotel in the capital, mogadishu, has ended with the rescue of 60 people. al shabab militants had been holed up in one of the rooms after taking over the hotel. at least eight civilians and one soldier were killed. tom brada reports.

explosions and round after round of gunfire. on monday, a battle lasting more than 20 hours finally came to an end when police regained control of the mogadishu hotel overrun by militants. . , ., ~ militants. transition back al shabab killed _ militants. transition back al shabab killed civilians - militants. transition back al shabab killed civilians who i shabab killed civilians who were staying in the hotel. no one among the civilians was wounded. one among the civilians was wounded-— one among the civilians was wounded. , , ., ., wounded. they stormed the hotel armed with _ wounded. they stormed the hotel armed with explosives _ wounded. they stormed the hotel armed with explosives and - wounded. they stormed the hotel armed with explosives and guns. | armed with explosives and guns. the hotel, which is also known as villa rose, isjust the hotel, which is also known as villa rose, is just 350 metres from the presidential palace and is popular with politicians and government officials. a number of them were inside when the hotel came under attack.— under attack. there is a big exolosion. _ under attack. there is a big

explosion, massive, - under attack. there is a big explosion, massive, it- under attack. there is a big l explosion, massive, it shook the foundation of the building. of the foundation of the building. of force from the police finally overwhelmed the al shabab militants. but this latest siege is part of a menacing pattern. there was a similar attack _ menacing pattern. there was a similar attack on _ menacing pattern. there was a similar attack on another - menacing pattern. there was a similar attack on another hotelj similar attack on another hotel were 21 people were killed. a member of timbuktu is one of the most effective —— al shabab of al-anda. michael the president has pledged an shabab group. it suggest it is still some _ shabab group. it suggest it is still some way _ shabab group. it suggest it is still some way to _ shabab group. it suggest it is still some way to go. - in hawaii, the world's largest active volcano — mauna loa — has begun erupting for the first time in nearly a0 years. the authorities in hawaii have warned of falling ash, but say lava is not currently a threat to people living nearby. scientists were watching

the volcano closely because of recent earthquakes at the summit. mauna loa is more than a,000 metres above sea level on hawaii's big island. to the world cup now — brazil and portugal have joined defending champions france in qualifying for the knock—out stage of the 2022 world cup in qatar. the five—time champions left it late though, as they secured a 1—0 win over switzerland in group g. the south americans had already seen a second half strike from vinicius junior disallowed by v—a—r, when casemiro struck the winner in the 83rd minute. defeat for switzerland sees them remain in second in the table. two goals from bruno fernandes gave portugal a 2—0 victory over uruguay. the match also featured the first pitch invader of the qatar tournament — the man carried messages of support for ukraine and iranian women and had a rainbow flag. in monday's earlier kick—offs,

ghana and cameroon kept alive their chances of making the last sixteen. lucy hockings has more from doha. it has been an incredible 2a hours for some of the african teams here at the world cup, and it started with that stunning and unexpected victory of morocco's over belgium on sunday night. on monday, first up we saw cameroon draw 3—3 with serbia. it was a thrilling match, lots of twists and turns. cameroon were actually first on the scoresheet but had a breathless end to the first half. we saw two goals for serbia in added time. they continued their run into the second half. but then it was incredible, cameroon pulled back, scoring two goals in about six minutes, and that just changed the whole nature of the game. next it was ghana's turn, they beat south korea 3—2. it has been a roller—coaster for ghana, who became the first nation in a0 years to have both scored and conceded at least five goals after the opening two matches of a specific world cup. and remember, ghana are the bottom ranked team here in qatar. so tuesday is shaping up to be a really fascinating day

of games, particularly when you look at some of the rivalries because in group b we have those old foes, the usa and iran taking on each other. and then the british home nations, england and wales, are also playing. lots of people looking forward to that match. then we will see ecuador and senegal, and the hosts qatar against the netherlands in group a. lots to look forward to. lucy hawking is they're having a very good time. we will leave the world cup for now. a un—backed mission to the great barrier reef has concluded that the world's biggest coral reef system should be placed on a list of world heritage sites which are in danger. the long—awaited report on the ten—day mission that took place in march says that warming waters caused by climate change and a lack of progress in reducing water pollution are the biggest threats to the reef. this change presents a "serious challenge" to the values that saw the reef registered as a global wonder in 1981. it is the second time such a recommendation had been made

in the past two years. earlier i spoke to professorjodie rummer, a marine biologist at james cook university, based in townsville, queensland — which is in the centre of the great barrier reef. i began by asking her what does it mean to be on in danger list? yes, this is a wake—up call that we have definitely needed here in australia. this is the wake—up call that tells not only us here in australia but the global state that we need to strengthen and rapidly and urgently make a huge difference with our actions regarding climate change and emissions to protect the great barrier reef. why has it taken so long for this to happen? if you can just sort of elaborate around the background to this, in terms of how we got here. how did we get here? well, the great barrier reef has experienced, as we all know around the world now,

six mass bleaching events — just this past year in 2022, back in 2020, 2017, 2016, 2002, in 1998. so we have been looking at some really dire consequences for the reef in just a very short period of time. so this unesco and iucn monitoring mission that commenced just back in march of 2022, they assessed the condition of the great barrier reef during that six mass bleaching event, as it was unfolding, and they started putting a report together to decide, with the world heritage committee, whether to list this icon as in danger. now, a listing of "in danger", it emphasises to australia that we need to act quickly on climate change as a nation, otherwise we will lose our world heritage status. we are looking at some beautiful images of life under the ocean. and, you know, it strikes me, as i am sure it does

many in the audience, is it still saveable, the great barrier reef, is it still possible to save it? absolutely. the great barrier reef is a global icon, it is a source of pride for all of us here in australia, but it also is what people think of when they think of the natural wonders of the world and especially with australia. it is absolutely not too late. we are in a critical decade, however, where every tenth of a degree matters. every week, every month. and even right now and november, we have already seen record temperatures on the great barrier reef, on parts of the great barrier reef. and last year, 2021, we had the warmest temperatures on record. so we know that action right now is so important. and if we do that, we have absolutely a chance to save this global icon, this ecosystem that is so important and so beautiful to all of us. and just briefly, professor, i can hear the urgency in your voice on this matter,

are authorities listening, is the government listening to what needs to be done? the government is not acting quickly enough. we definitely need to accelerate the pace and scale of action. we need to be cutting our emissions from 2005 values by at least 75% by 2030. now, queensland has only suggested slightly less than that by 2030. it is not going to keep us under 1.5 degrees. we are already barrelling towards 2.2 celsius. this is alarming, we need to act quickly and at the scale that is necessary to save the great barrier reef. wise words. there is much more about that story on the bbc website, as well as all the

other stories that we have featured today, including those protests in china. lots more on that for you in later hours. for now, that is it from us. thank you for watching. hello. we started november with temperatures above average for the time of year and some very wet and windy weather. we're going to start december with temperatures nudging below average and the weather becoming increasingly settled. why the difference? well, recently it's all been about these areas of low pressure piling in from the atlantic. and this one looks like it's got good intentions to try and do the same thing through tuesday, but it will get the brakes put on it through the middle of the week by that high extending across from the east. it's quite a slow progression for the high. itjust builds gradually day on day, but by the weekend it becomes properly established across us and by then it will tap us into some much colder air. we've seen temperatures across russia recently, well below average and that

colder air will come across towards scandinavia, then the uk. first thing tuesday, on the chilly side, many of us seeing a patchy frost and some dense patches of fog, which in some areas could linger. we're only going to see very light variable winds across the uk through tuesday. so, where we get the fog lingering, our temperatures will be pegged back and even where it lifts in some areas, it may stick around as low cloud. these are the best of our temperatures and these are anticipated for areas where we do see the sun coming out and you can see they are lower than we've been seeing recently where sliding down that single figure scale. overnight tuesday into wednesday some mist and murk initially, but the wind likely to pick up to the south of the uk through the small hours of wednesday. so, perhaps actually clearer skies to the south first thing wednesday and a little milder, colder spots on wednesday. i think first thing will be across northern and eastern scotland and then through wednesday, daytime there's that front towards the west. well, it mayjust manage to get some rain into northern ireland and western scotland through the day, but

for the majority it's the high coming to dominate. the winds, perhaps up a little on the winds on tuesday may mean we've got lesser issues in terms of lingering mist and fog, but i think there could be quite a lot of low cloud around. so quite grey, quite gloomy for many. and there's that rain just briefly making its way into northern ireland and western scotland. because we're going to have a little bit more of a breeze and therefore a slightly milder start to wednesday. temperatures perhaps just nudge up briefly on those figures from tuesday. but as the high continues to build through the end of the week and takes us into the weekend, our wind will pick up, our easterly wind. mist and fog should'nt be such an issue, but we really will start to drive through that chillier air.

welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi. i'm in the serpentine galleries in london where there is a major exhibition of the work of the renowned american artist barbara chase—riboud. her art is on display in museums around the world, and she is also an award—winning novelist and poet. throughout her long career, barbara has been fascinated by public memorials and her

sculptures honour various historical and culturalfigures. but how should society commemorate controversial