welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: buckingham palace issues a formal apology, as a senior member of the royal household is accused of making racist remarks, to a black, british, reception guest. the former chinese leader, jiang zemin, who stepped in after the tiananmen square massacre, has died. it comes at a time when the nation is once again gripped by protests. celebrations in melbourne as australia's footballers go through to the knockout stages of the mens�* world cup.

and, musicians and fans pay tribute to christine mcvie, the hugely successful singer—songwriter with fleetwood mac, who's died at the age of 79. hello and welcome to the programme. a member of the buckingham palace household has resigned and apologised after she repeatedly asked a domestic abuse campaigner where she "really came from". ngozi fulani, who's black, says her conversation with lady susan hussey during a reception hosted by the queen consort was a "violation". lady susan had served as a lady in waiting for queen elizabeth

for more than 60 years, and has now stepped aside with immediate effect. nicholas witchell reports, and a warning there is some flash photography coming up. buckingham palace yesterday afternoon, a reception concerning violence against women hosted by the queen consort. standing next to camilla here and with her back to the camera is ngozi fulani, chief executive of sister space in a prominent advocate for survivors of domestic abuse. also at the reception was lady susan hussey, on the left here. she was a lady in waiting to the late queen elizabeth for more than 60 years, and a senior member of the royal household. according to ms fulani, the following conversation took place between the two women.

another guest at the reception heard the exchange. it made us feel like, perhaps we are not welcome, perhaps we do not belong here. and you can be pretty sure that a white woman would not have been on the receiving end of a line of questioning like that. buckingham palace said it took the whole incident extremely seriously.

it went on, "in this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made. the individual concerned would like to express our profound apologies for the hurt caused, and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect." lady susan hussey has worked at buckingham palace for much of her adult life. she is close to the royal family and is godmother to prince william. ngozi fulani, seen here talking to the queen consort yesterday has accused buckingham palace of being institutionally racist. and into this tonight step the prince and princess of wales, they have just arrived into boston. william's spokesman has said racism has no place in british society and it was right that lady hussey stepped aside at all amounts to an uncomfortable reminder at the start of the us visit about the start of the us visit about the comments on racist attitudes by the duchess of

sussex. well as we've just seen, the prince and princess of wales have arrived in boston for the start of their first visit to the us for eight years. daniella relph has the latest from thejfk presidential library museum. it has not been an ideal start to the prince and princess of wales was trip here to boston. it has been embarrassing and distract. this was supposed to be a trip about environmental innovation, about optimism for the future and meeting a wide range of communities here in boston but instead, the couples spokesman has had to issue that statement condemning racism describing yesterday's comments as unacceptable. but, in issuing that statement very early, right at the start of the trip, william and catherine have made their feelings and their position on this matter explicitly clear. they will now try to concentrate on the trip itself, which now includes a brief meeting with president biden on friday. they are going to try to concentrate on the things they say that matter to

them here. diversity, representation, sustainability, they are the big themes of this week and we can expect to see them on show in the kind of engagements the couple undertake here in boston over the coming days. to china now, where the former chinese leader, jiang zemin has died in shanghai. he was 96. he took over from deng xiaoping in the aftermath of the tiananmen square massacre in 1989. for more than a decade he presided over china's extraordinary rise in prosperity and global influence, though it was also a period of increased religious repression, corruption and environmental degradation. steve mcdonell reports from beijing. jiang zemin will be remembered as the leader of china when his country rejoined the global community. a time of opening up and high—speed growth. he is also known as a powerbroker, economic reformer and something of an eccentric.

after the bloody 1989 crackdown on protesters in and around tiananmen square, china was ostracised internationally. in the aftermath, jiang zemin was chosen as a compromise leader in the hope that he would unify hardliners and more liberal elements. he prioritised market forces, giving china the highest level of per capita growth of any major country. but political reforms were put to one side. and he's been criticised for the mass detention of falun gong practitioners who were seen as a threat to the party. he was at the helm for the hong kong handover, when china joined the world trade organisation, and when it was awarded the 2008 summer olympics. whether it be playing ping—pong... singing... or showing off his hawaiian guitar skills...

..jiang zemin was a showman, in sharp contrast to the leaders who have followed him. exciting! too simple. sometimes naive! he famously gave hong kong journalists a public dressing down in english, and his images have become gifs and emojis, still flying around chinese social media with a mixture of affection and hilarity. at a press conference with former us president bill clinton, there was debating and light—hearted banter. it's hard to imagine this happening now. cbs news asked if he was running a development or dictatorship. am i wrong? of course. this is a big mistake. big mistake. of course. in his elderly years, there was still talk of him retaining a factional power base, as he survived rumour after rumour

that he had passed away. yet his final public appearance in 2019 showed that evenjiang zemin had to slow down some time. for more on this i am joined now by george yeo, former minister for foreign affairs in singapore, someone who knows china very well and has written regularly about the country's politics and economics. it is wonderful to have you on the programme. i would like to get your thoughts on whatjiang zemin�*s greatest achievements were? zemin's greatest achievements were? . , ., ., were? he was the leader of china in _ were? he was the leader of china in a — were? he was the leader of china in a remarkable - were? he was the leader of| china in a remarkable period were? he was the leader of. china in a remarkable period of economic growth. he was able to do this by maintaining great strategic discipline in keeping china open and maintaining stable relations with the us. so despite the series of incidents, the taiwan strait

missile crisis,, and the bombing of the chinese embassy in belgrade in 1999, he kept relations on an even keel and after september 11 china became an ally of the us on the war on terrorism. so this is often forgotten but without that strategic stability, china would not have enjoyed two years of helter—skelter double—digit growth. years of helter-skelter double-digit growth. you say that period — double-digit growth. you say that period was _ double-digit growth. you say that period was defined - double-digit growth. you say that period was defined by i that period was defined by openness looking to where china is today relatively isolated in terms of how it compares to that period underjiang zemin. how damaging do you think this isolation is for china at the moment?— isolation is for china at the moment? ., ., , _, ., ., moment? covid has coloured our views of developments _ moment? covid has coloured our views of developments and - views of developments and especially of china. china was unsettled by the omicron variant but before that china was in fact the least damaged

economy during covid and did most of the manufacturing for the world. but this period will pass because xi jinping the world. but this period will pass because xijinping is asserting a very strong leadership not only in china but to some extent in the much wider region. i think china is entering a different phase and some of the excesses of the previous period of rapid growth are now being decisively addressed.— are now being decisively addressed. ., ., ~ ., addressed. you talk about the different phase _ addressed. you talk about the different phase for— addressed. you talk about the different phase for china - addressed. you talk about the different phase for china and l different phase for china and what it is entering. we have also seen some of the most significant protests in china against that coronavirus policies and is arguably tiananmen in 1989. how much pressure is this putting the chinese communist party under? we must put it in proportion. the first agenda item at the first meeting of the new standing committee was to

discuss the relaxation of covid measures. and china is a big country. we have to be very careful in turning the big knob because if you turn it half a degree the impact on the ground might be in kilometres. and recently they had a marathon in shanghai, no masks of course but they had to maintain a wider according around shanghai in order to manage risk. people are frustrated, they don't really know what's happening, in many places there is overreaction, but the general direction of opening up post covid i think is very clear. and do you see that opening up taking place in the next year or 18 month yellow i would say they would do it step—by—step. it will be jerky but in a year's time it will be a very

different trend and in a year's time covid will have been something of the past. thank ou so something of the past. thank you so much _ something of the past. thank you so much for— something of the past. thank you so much forjoining - something of the past. thank you so much forjoining us . something of the past. thank. you so much forjoining us with your on newsday. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the best thing since sliced bread, why the humble french baguette has been given unesco cultural heritage status. it's quite clear that the worst victims of this disaster are the poor people living in the slums which have sprung up around the factory. i'm feeling so helpless that the children are dying in front of me and i can't do anything. charles manson is the mystical leader of the hippie cult - suspected of killing sharon tate - and at least six other. people in los angeles.

at 11 o'clock this morning, just half a metre of rock separated britain from continental europe. it took the drills just a few moments to cut through the final obstacle, then philippe cossette, a minerfrom calais, was shaking hands and exchanging flags with his opposite numberfrom dover. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines: buckingham palace issues a formal apology, as a senior member of the royal household is accused of making racist remarks, to a black british, reception guest.

china's former leader, jiang zemin, has died, as the country faces some of its most serious protests since he came to power after the tiananmen square massacre. south sudan is one of the most challenging countries in the world for a child to be born. that's according to the united nations children's fund unicef. constant political instability, and climate change is negatively impacting maternal and newborn health as people move from place to place, and away from the few available health facilities. humanitarian agencies are reporting higher numbers of women giving birth to pre—term babies and the country's child mortality rate is now put at 78 deaths per 1,000 live births. merchuma reports. this room holds the most fragile little babies, those born too early or too small. this is a neonatal ward in a hospital run by doctors without

borders msm. there are ten beds crammed into the ward. this mother is in one with her two baby boys. the paediatrician is checking on them. the baby boys. the paediatrician is checking on them.— baby boys. the paediatrician is checking on them. the first one in the second _ checking on them. the first one in the second twin, _ checking on them. the first one in the second twin, they - checking on them. the first one in the second twin, they are - in the second twin, they are one month old now. they've been here with us since they were born. they both were premature and low birth weight and they were very sick, they had sepsis and other things so this means they are still breathing, and then you need to touch them and try to stimulate them, and they continue breathing. they were very sick, especially both at the beginning. especially for one day, we had to resuscitate him several times. this one day, we had to resuscitate him several times.— him several times. this is the only hospital _ him several times. this is the only hospital in _ him several times. this is the only hospital in the _ him several times. this is the only hospital in the area - him several times. this is the only hospital in the area and. only hospital in the area and the world is almost full. the mother has been displaced by floods and she says she has given up hope that they would survive. �* ,, �* given up hope that they would survive. �* ,, ~ ., survive. translation: i asked the doctor— survive. translation: i asked the doctor how _ survive. translation: i asked the doctor how would - survive. translation: i asked the doctor how would you - survive. translation: i asked the doctor how would you be i the doctor how would you be able to make and breathe again and she responded, is not dead. when maria treated him, he

started reading and later, he began breast—feeding. started reading and later, he began breast-feeding. south sudan has — began breast-feeding. south sudan has been _ began breast-feeding. south sudan has been wracked - began breast-feeding. south sudan has been wracked by l began breast-feeding. south - sudan has been wracked by years of civil war and conflict on climate change is making it worse. fouryears climate change is making it worse. four years of heavy rains and flooding have brought food insecurity and a sharp increase in waterborne diseases like malaria and respiratory infections. essential newborn care which can mean the difference between life and death is nowhere near adequate. maria admits doesn't premature and low birth weight newborns each week. == and low birth weight newborns each week-— each week. -- dozens of. it's very hard _ each week. -- dozens of. it's very hard but _ each week. -- dozens of. it's very hard but you _ each week. -- dozens of. it's very hard but you have - each week. -- dozens of. it's very hard but you have to - each week. -- dozens of. it'sj very hard but you have to live with it. we have so many babies that can't survive, that at least you know you've tried your best, you've tried to give them some comfort, you've tried to give some comfort to the family. and this is a comfort for us. a ., family. and this is a comfort for us. ., ., , family. and this is a comfort forus. ., ., for us. marina moves to the next bed. — for us. marina moves to the next bed, mother _ for us. marina moves to the next bed, mother and - for us. marina moves to the| next bed, mother and baby, first child born at eight

months. severely malnourished. marina has been teaching mothers how to do specialised care or skin to skin contact. she picks up a baby and put it to her bosom. translators say she is finding the skin to skin funny. skin to skin is one of the best ways to improve survival and health outcomes for babies like these.- for babies like these. since i arrived i've _ for babies like these. since i arrived i've been _ for babies like these. since i arrived i've been trying - for babies like these. since i arrived i've been trying as i arrived i've been trying as much as possible to introduce this practice by training the staff, talking to the mothers and we've had some successful cases. the reality is that mothers are not used to putting babies skin to skin so it's hard for them and they don't accept it very well. but after some time, insisting a lot, they start doing it by themselves.- they start doing it by themselves. , ,, ., themselves. this kind of care is seen as — themselves. this kind of care is seen as one _ themselves. this kind of care is seen as one of _ themselves. this kind of care is seen as one of the - themselves. this kind of care is seen as one of the best i is seen as one of the best alternatives for incubators, especially in this region where there is not a single one and where the babies will keep

coming. mercy where the babies will keep coming. merchuma, bbc news, south sudan. christine mcvie, the hugely successful singer and songwriter who was part of the rock band fleetwood mac, has died at the age of 79. the band sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful groups ever. christine mcvie was born in cumbria, but spent most of her life in the us, as our correspondent david sillito reports. fleetwood mac and don't stop. the song bill clinton chose as his campaign anthem. #just think what tomorrow will do # don't stop thinking about tomorrow # don't stop because it will soon be here # it'll be here better than before # yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone #.

and the songwriter, christine mcvie. she'd been part of the british blues scene in the �*60s with the band chicken shack and also as a solo artist before joining mick fleetwood and her husband, john mcvie. she had a gift for writing hits. # tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies #. little lies, everywhere, you make loving fun, many of the band's best known songs were her work but she tired of the endless touring. # go your own way # you can call it...#. there was a long break but she rejoined the band in 2014. # and i love you, i love you, i love you # like never before #. fleetwood mac has had many ups and downs but their success owed much to the songwriting skill of christine mcvie. in a statement the band said, we were so lucky to have a life with her.

fleetwood mac's christine mcvie who's died at the age of 79. world cup in argentina and poland will progress to bar 16 of their group in australia also through to the knockout stage the first time in 16 years alongside current champions france. let's get all the details from lucy hockings in doha. what a spectacle we've had here in doha. as we watched all the twists and turns as group d reorganised itself over the course ofjust over 90 minutes. because we knew that france were always going to go through to the final 16. they essentially fielded a reserve team to give them some match time. and also giving some of their star players a rest. so in that match it was tunisia who triumphed, 1—0. it was a nice consolation for tunisia. they will not progress

to the last 16 but their fans are saying we beat the world champions. so, some pretty happy tunisia fans. despite the fact they are not progressing. lots of praise for the australian team, as well. the socceroos. they really dug in deep. they showed grit and determination in their match to beat denmark. who were the favourites in their match. 1-0. it was a stunning goal from matthew leckie. in the 60th minute. incredible scenes in the early hours in melbourne. as fans celebrated the result in federation square. in the centre of the city. so the socceroos are through to the knockout stages. and that's something the only achieved once before. that was back in 2006. let's look ahead to thursday. japan versus spain and costa rica go up against germany. that game is going to be really interesting. notjust because of the action on the pitch with the players. but the world's attention will also be focused on the all—female refereeing trio. there is history being made at this world cup because they'll take charge for the first time

in a men's world cup match. it's referee stephanie frappart who will be joined by assistants, neuza back and karen diaz. something to look forward to. something to celebrate as well as some fantastic football too. you can find lots more detail in a special world cup section of our website. or simply download the bbc news up. if you want to get in touch with me, in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. i love to hear your thoughts on any stories we've seen so far. all the world cup. there are arguably few things more quintessentially french than the baguette. and yet, the loaf has been in decline in recent years, with many traditional bakeries struggling to stay afloat. but now there's something to celebrate, as unesco has added the baguette to its "intangible cultural heritage" list. tom brada reports.

the humble french baguette, a towering icon among continental baked goods, is currently the toast of the town. the crusty loaf was voted onto a prestigious unesco's list under the title artisanal know how and culture of baguette bread. and to this day, it remains a key part of french identity. transltion: you buy bread, you talk to someone, you meet people. all of this creates a social link at a time when the world is increasingly virtual without contact. the exact origins of the lengthy loaf aren't known. some say the bread was ordered by napoleon because it would be easier for soldiers to carry. that can't be proven. but the baguette, as we know it today, was only officially named in 1920. it was then that strict rules about what classed as a baguette

were put in place, standardised at 80cm long and 250 grams in weight. translation: shaping the touch of the dough by the baker. i all that is a skill that you've been learning for years. the bread sings when it comes out of the oven. the baguette has struggled in recent times, with hundreds of artisanal bakeries closing down each year. but unesco's decision has struck a chord with french society. president macron captured the mood of the nation, posting this picture along with a simple message. "250 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives." tom brada, bbc news. that certainly made all of us here in the studio and in the gallery extremely hungry. perhaps we will go and grab a baguette after this programme but for now, that is it from us here from the team in singapore. do stay with us for

the news and there is more on the news and there is more on the bbc website in terms of the top story of the day so be sure top story of the day so be sure tojoin us. hello again. wednesday brought us some big weather contrast, once again. now we have some fog that lingered all day around the scottish borders and where that happened, temperatures in places actually stayed below freezing all day, whereas across the south west of england we had some pleasant sunshine. it was quite mild. 12 degrees in cornwall, 13 in the isles of scilly. right now, fog is becoming our next concern. we've got quite dense patches of fog across southern areas of england with the risk of some fog developing across wales, midlands, east anglia and for a time as well, northeast england. so, it might be worth allowing a little bit of extra time for your commute to work during the first part of thursday, because i think some of that fog is going to be quite dense with visibility down to 100 metres or so. and some of the fog willjust

lift into low cloud and mist and could loiter all day in one or two spots. otherwise, a lot of dry weather across england and wales with some sunny spells developing, some damp weather to start the day across eastern scotland. but the rain then tends to move into northern scotland later in the day. and for northern ireland it brightens up notice again. the mildest weather will be across the north—west of the country, 12 degrees in stornoway, whereas across england, wales typically temperatures around about 7 to 9 degrees. we've got a similar mix of weather around on friday again with some mist and fog patches to start the day. and then again it's a day where we'll see quite a bit of cloud, but some sunny spells developing here and there. our temperatures not really changing too much across england and wales. again, about 7 to 9, still mild for northern ireland and western scotland. now taking a check on the weather picture into this weekend. easterly winds are going to start to strengthen and what that will do is bring us some thicker areas of cloud and we'll see some patches of mostly light rain moving in. so you could see some damp weather just about anywhere, but it's the winds that you'll notice and it will start

to feel a little bit colder as well. however, into next week, that's when we're expecting the weather to turn much colder. still, you see an area of high pressure is going to develop in greenland. and what that's going to do is it's going to shove these northerly winds southwards with polar air moving its way across the uk, really dumping the temperatures. and for some, particularly over the hills, you may all be looking at the first sign of winter. yes, there is the potential for some winter snowfall into next week. still some way off will be firming upon the details over the next few days. with his opposite numberfrom dover.

this is bbc news. the headlines and all the other main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. i started helping my father at nine years of age on the front of the show, and he gave me a microphone and said, "you get some people in this show, son." and i was on the front of the show for, what, nearly a0 years of my life?

being here, it feels right.