welcome to newsday — reporting live from singapore. i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines. in a further erosion of women's rights in afghanistan — the taliban government bans women from university education. mr zelensky goes to washington — us media reports the ukrainian president is to pay an official trip to the united states. a sea of celebration — hundreds of thousands take to the streets to welcome home argentina's world cup winners. and trying to thaw relations — australia's foreign minister heads to china for a meeting with her counterpart in beijing.

it's eight in the morning in singapore, and 4:30 in the morning in afghanistan where the taliban has ordered an indefinite ban on university education for women. the order was signed by the minister of higher education, further restricting women's access to formal education, three months after thousands of girls and women sat university entrance exams across the country. i've been speaking with the bbc�*s yalda hakim, who's reported extensively from afghanistan — she told me she she's not surprised that this has happened. about two months ago the taliban warned me this was going to happen. and then silence for a period of time. so we knew it was coming. afghan girls and women expected it. i suppose in many ways there was hope against hope that they wouldn't go this far. that they would have some kind

of fear that they would become an even greater pariah state if they went down this path. so, as you say, for a58 days, girls over the age of 12 have been banned from schools since the taliban swept to power. and yet, because girls were going to university, because some of the woman were going to private universities, there was a feeling that some day the taliban would overturn these policy of girls not going to school because the universities remain open. and here we are today. yes, indeed, and just to say. as you point out, you've met the taliban repeatedly, or colleagues as well. all of you, pressing them on their position when it comes to women's rights particularly around education for girls. what's their position on this? their position is what it was in the 90s. although the taliban, before they swept to power and even the last years as you say, myself and my colleagues have pressed them on a number of occasions

in interviews when it comes to the education and basic rights of women and girls. they have continued to say that once the situation gets better in afghanistan they will allow women to go back to work and girls to go to school. yet, everything they are doing is against that. and it can only reinforce the fact that their ideology remains the same. they perhaps fought for 20 years, and this is something that i've asked the taliban on multiple occasions, did you fight for 20 years so you could take on 12—year—old girls, so you could take on teenagers and girls and university and prevent them from gaining their basic human rights? absolutely, and this announcement has already attracted international concern hasn't it? it has. the announcement came as the un was meeting at a session on afghanistan and the us and uk have already condemned the move. it also came as the united states welcomed home two

americans who were detained and held inside taliban custody. the taliban disguised as some kind of goodwill gesture. but the state department has said it wasn't lost on them that the release of those two would come on the day they prevent women going to university. now us media is reporting that ukraine's president zelensky is due to visit washington on wednesday, which would be the ukrainian leader's first visit abroad since the war began in february. the bbc�*s barbara plett usher in washington told me what we could expect from a potential visit. the us media is reporting that if president zelensky does come he would meet congressional leadership and national security chiefs from both parties and president biden at the white house. we have heard from the house representative who co—chairs the congressional ukrainian caucus and she said there have been ongoing efforts to bring him to the capital

to address a joint session ofcongress. and the house speaker, nancy pelosi, has written to her colleagues saying there will be a special session on wednesday night though she didn't say what that session would be about. if president zelensky does address congress it will be the second time. he did so right after the russian invasion in february as he has legislators, many other legislators including the one in the united kingdom. we have to stress that this has not been officially confirmed and that security concerns might change any plans that are already under way because if president zelensky does come to washington that would be his first outside of ukraine since the war started and that would be a sensitive issue. highly sensitive as you point out and not confirmed yet to the uk now, and leaders of the national health service have warned that patient safety can't be guaranteed during

the industrial action by ambulance workers in england and wales on wednesday. the public is being asked to use services �*wisely�* and to call 999 only if it's a life—threatning emergency. there's likely to be major disruption — with paramedics, call handlers, emergency care assistants and technicians going on strike. here's our health editor, hugh pym. what do we want? safe staffing! when do we want it? now! today it was nurses out on picket lines in england, wales and northern ireland. the second strike in their dispute over pay. tomorrow it will be military personnel helping with patients during strikes by ambulance workers. they've been trained to support paramedics during walk—outs staged by health unions. right, you get round there. 600 from the armed forces in total are stepping in to help, though it will be thousands of ambulance staff who are on strike. the military teams are being prepared for what to expect.

we're in a position where you guys are going out to support a lack of service. they're not here to do the job of a paramedic, they're here to do the job of an ambulance driver and they're providing that nonclinical support. they've got a lot of initiative, ourtroops, so they will be able to support where required. maternity kit. so, for delivering babies... as the training continued, preparing for every eventuality, the secretary of state had a message for ambulance staff going on strike. i call on the trade unions to act responsibly. they have said they will provide life—threatening cover, emergency cover. it's essential that they do so to protect patients because if there are delays in ambulances, that impacts very seriously on patient safety. 0ne minister even said, to take pressure off services, the public should modify their behaviour. where people are planning any risky activity, i would strongly encourage them not to do so because there will be disruption on the day.

and a representative of nhs leaders warned of serious problems for patients. we have reached the stage where our leaders feel- it's necessary to say - that they cannot guarantee patient safety, they cannotl avoid risks, as these strikes unfold. but a union leader, challenged by mps today on what might happen, said the situation for nhs patients was already bad. we have to realise that right now, today, people are not getting the ambulances — they are taking themselves to hospitals in a taxi because they can't get the ambulance. people are dying, waiting to be handed over at a&e departments. that's happening today. emergency ambulance, is the patient breathing? at the uk's busiest ambulance service, detailed plans have been made for tomorrow — though with only about 200 vehicles on the road, rather than 450.

call handlers will tell the lowest risk patients to make their own way to hospital. i think tomorrow will be a very difficult day, because we are already extremely busy and hospital handover delays have been very long. however, i am confident that any one who phones 999 who has a life—threatening emergency, we will respond to tomorrow as normal. striking ambulance staff will be outside stations like this one tomorrow, but there is an agreement with management that if there's a life—threatening or another very serious case, they will leave the picket lines and go straight to their vehicles so they can get on the road to the patient. so, how do the sailors, soldiers and raf staff who will be on the front line tomorrow feel about their new role? it's normal to be a little bit nervous, but feeling quite honoured to come down and do my part. it's very fast paced, but all the information is getting taken in, ready for tomorrow. i'm confident that i'm going .

to help and i'm ready to do it. they may be in for a long haul. the royal college of nursing has warned if there is no movement on pay there will be continued action. other health unions likewise. with no indication of a shift by ministers. hugh pym, bbc news. argentina's victorious world cup team has been given a heroes welcome in the capital, buenos aires and the argentine government has declared tuesday a public holiday. 0ur south america correspondent, katy watson reports. argentina's champions are home, to much fanfare and excitement. thousands waited up to greet them in the early hours, not wanting to miss this chance to see the megastars. argentina's never seen anything like it, an estimated 4 million people came out onto the streets of the capital, the country's biggest party in its history. in true argentinian style, the steaks and sausages were slapped on the barbecue

from early in the morning. people dressed in messi's number ten shirt. this world cup has made him a national hero, standing alongside diego maradona in argentine footballing fame. translation: it's - amazing, it's amazing. i don't think any country has lived through what we are living now. nobody is partying like we are right now, nobody! it is something that i will talk with my sons and grandsons for ever. the team made its way towards the centre slowly but had to change route because of the sheer number of fans. the players abandoned coming to the 0belisk, which has been the focal point of celebrations during the tournament. they ended up having to do a flyover in a helicopter instead. the celebrations on sunday after the final were massive but today has been even bigger. no—one can deny how much

the argentinians wanted this trophy to come home but i think the outpouring of pride has even surprised the authorities here. while messi is, of course, an inspiration, the whole team is being celebrated. batista is alexis mac allister�*s godfather and former coach, proud of the brighton & hove albion player coming home with the trophy. translation: he started playing here at the age of six. _ today english football is the greatest in the world, where the best players are, and thankfully clubs have been coming for argentinian footballers and that is wonderful because it opens the door to other players. back to the party of extraordinary proportions. a country battered by economic crisis, this has been a world cup to remember, allowing argentinians to park their worries and really celebrate success. katy watson, bbc news,

in buenos aires. the moroccan national football team have arrived back from doha to a massive welcome after their fourth place finish at the world cup in qatar. thousands of fans lined the streets to welcome the atlas lions who exceeded all expectations and set a new benchmark for african teams at the world's top football tournament. many felt they had won the hearts and minds of football fans around the world. if you wanyt to get in touch with me i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme. finally brought to justice — the 97—year—old women found guilty for her part in the deaths or more than 10,000 people. the world of music has been paying tribute

to george michael whose died of suspected heart failure at the age of 53. he sold well over 100 million albums in a career spanning more than three decades. the united states troops have been trying to overthrow the dictatorship of general manuel noriega. the pentagon said it failed in its principal objective to capture noriega and take him to the united states to face drug charges. a hammer and sickle was hastily taken away. in its place, the russian flag was hoisted over what is now no longer the soviet union but the commonwealth of independent states. day broke slowly over lockerbie. i over the ccockpit of - pan am's made of the seas. nose down in the soft earth. you can see what happens when a plane eight stories high, a football pitch wide falls from 30,000 feet. . christmas has returned to albania after a communist band albania after a communist ban lasting more than 20 years. thousands with the midnight mass in the town where there were anti—communists

riots ten days ago. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines... in a further erosion of women's rights in afghanistan — the taliban government bans women from university education. us media is reporting that the ukrainian president — volodymyr zelensky — is to pay an official trip to the united states. the australian foreign minister penny wong, who will visit beijing on wednesday, says she will push for chinese trade sanctions on her country to be lifted when she meets her chinese counterpart, wang yi. australia's new centre—left labour government is looking to repair diplomatic relations with beijing. there has been friction between beijing and canberra over various geopolitical issues and the origin of covid—i9. we can now speak to marina zhang, who is associate professor in australia—china relations at the university of technology in sydney. she joins us from canberra.

it's great to get you on the programme karina. how surprised were you that this is actually going to had given the friction we have seen between both sides? . ~ we have seen between both sides? ., ~' , ., we have seen between both sides? ., ~ , ., ., ., sides? thank you for having me. it's not a surprise. _ sides? thank you for having me. it's not a surprise. i _ sides? thank you for having me. it's not a surprise. i think - sides? thank you for having me. it's not a surprise. i think it - it's not a surprise. i think it is a concrete step materializing. the talks between the two heads of the two nations in bali last month. the restoring and stabilizing of the relationship is not a simple task in my view. because the australian, china relation ship is not a one dimensional issue. it sits in the china and us relationship and increasingly in the framework of the pacific dialogue. indeed, and professor mikejust indeed, and professor mike just in indeed, and professor mikejust in terms of what each site is hoping to get out of this. as you point out it is not a

simple thing to do to ease these important relationships. what is beijing and what does canberra want of this? can barrett wants _ canberra want of this? can barrett wants to _ canberra want of this? ce”! barrett wants to restore canberra want of this? can barrett wants to restore his trade with china it's better terms than the last few years. the reality is a string in exports to china accounts for 40% of us total exports and trade supplies to china back on for almost 90%. and that is substantial. 0n the other hand australia's relationship with the us is a core and cornerstone to its security. and the national policies, department policies. so to maintain such a balance between its ally and its trade partner was ok during the good terms

between us and china. but it is getting increasingly china when the us and china are engaged in strategic competition and confrontation. so how to mesh maintain such a balance is a real test to the government and to the foreign affairs minister.— to the foreign affairs minister. a ., minister. as you point out. this is a — minister. as you point out. this is a really _ minister. as you point out. this is a really delicate - minister. as you point out. this is a really delicate byl this is a really delicate by the end, isn't it? making sure the end, isn't it? making sure the us on one hand isn't too annoyed, so to speak, by throwing relationships between australia and china. how can i sure they go about navigating this difficult time? it is sure they go about navigating this difficult time?— this difficult time? it is much tou:her. this difficult time? it is much tougher- it — this difficult time? it is much tougher. it is _ this difficult time? it is much tougher. it is much - this difficult time? it is much tougher. it is much more - tougher. it is much more challenging than 50 years ago when the labor leader first established initiated the diplomat relationship with china. the reason is for sure that was relatively independent but today australia's, national

security interests have been tied to the us. and australia's strategic relationship in the months is increasing. because of its strategic location and its control of critical minerals including lithium which are all very critical to the global effort to combat climate change and energy transfer. to clean and true lean energy and so forth. 50. lean energy and so forth. so, civen lean energy and so forth. so, given all— lean energy and so forth. so, given all of— lean energy and so forth. so, given all of the _ lean energy and so forth. so, given all of the difficulties that you talked about. what can we expect in the best case scenario from this meeting between china and australia? i think this is an icebreaking step. good question. it would simplify a concrete step of

negotiation and a talk. where it would lead? i have no idea. but i think for both parties this is extremely important and critical relationship. both parties want this relationship to work. so i hope those parties will work to make these relationship beneficial to both parties. i relationship beneficial to both arties. ., ,, . ., parties. i appreciate your honest assessment - parties. i appreciate yourj honest assessment there parties. i appreciate your- honest assessment there marina thank you forjoining us. in germany, a former secretary , who worked for the commander of a nazi concentration camp, has been convicted of complicity, in the murders of more than ten thousand people. irmgard furchner , who's now 97 , was employed as a typist at stutthof camp from 1943 to 1945. she's the first woman to be tried for nazi crimes in decade , and was given a two—year suspended jail sentence. caroline hawley reports wheeled in to hear the verdict against her in what could be

one of the very last holocaust trials, irmgard furchner, herface blurred by order of the court, a blanket over her lap. almost eight decades ago she was a typist, a secretary to the camp commandant. but the judge rejected her lawyer's argument that she didn't know about the killings and ruled she was complicit in the mass murder of more than 10,000 people. translation: it is easy to say she wasjust a secretary, - but a secretary had an important role in the bureaucracy of a concentration camp. in all, over the course of the second world war, an estimated 65,000 prisoners died in the stuthoff camp in nazi—occupied poland in horrific circumstances. they were killed in its gas chamber, hanged and shot or succumbed to starvation and disease. irmgard furchner, seen here as a young woman, was only 18 and 19 at the time, so, despite her age, was tried in a specialjuvenile court. manfred goldberg, who's now 92 years old, was held in stuthoff camp for several months

as a young teenager. he told me he wouldn't want an elderly woman sent to jail, but... a two—year suspended sentence is what you might expect for perhaps severe shoplifting or an amateur burglar who didn't commit any serious offence, but not for someone who was found to be complicit in the murder of more than 10,000 inmates. it sounds incredibly insufficient. irmgard furchner had tried to evade any kind ofjustice, calling a cab from her care home at the start of her trial and going on the run. but she was arrested and eventually attended court. international lawyers say her case sends a signal to anyone who commits war crimes anywhere. you need to be aware that for ever, for the rest of your natural life, there is a possibility of the tap on the shoulder, an investigation and if necessary, a prosecution, and that applies for example equally in relation to the crimes that are plainly being committed today

on the territory of ukraine. i'm thinking of bucha. the young soldiers who were involved in that and the decision—makers know that for the rest of their lives they are exposed to the risk of a tap on the shoulder. modern germany is still grappling with the darkness of its past. the public prosecutor said this was a trial of outstanding historical importance. at a time when holocaust denial is on the rise, survivors hope it will make it harder for the world to forget the unimaginable horrors which they endured. caroline hawley, bbc news. it is one of life's simple pleasures isn't it — curling up with a good book at the end of a long day? but spare a thought for the people writing them — the authors, particularly in australia. a recent survey there has found that the average income for authors in the country was 18—thousand australian dollars — or less than 10—thousand pounds — for the whole of 2022.

that's extremely low considering the rising costs of living and the high levels of education many of these writers have. earlier i asked wenona byrne who's head of literature at the australia council for the arts — how writers' income is calculated. this research went out widely to publish authors and ask them to publish authors and ask them to report their income and many other factors to report their income and many otherfactors of to report their income and many other factors of what rights in life. and he severed 1152 writers across all genres. and this is a follow—up study to one that was done in 2015. so we were interesting to see how a sure then writers were fearing over that past seven year. even during the pandemic. is it possible to say that this situation is the same in other parts of the world with a mark or is itjust specifically australia? i or is it just specifically australia?— or is it just specifically australia? ., australia? i would say the australian _ australia? i would say the

australian market - australia? i would say the australian market is - australia? i would say the australian market is a - australia? i would say the | australian market is a very small english language market and because of that there are particular difficulties. with the australian market. but these are some of these similar trends we are seen around the world. many governments in other parts of the world, including ireland, have him implemented measures to assist writers and the rest of the creative industries to have a more sustainable income. i think australia, we really need to focus on the greater engagement to grow these numbers. and also look at investing right across the industry. christmas is coming and festive lights are on display around the world. here's the champs elysees in paris lighting up for the holidays. looking at the christmas lights is a favorite family pastime, especially while scrambling for last minute presents. what a winter wonderland.

hgppy happy christmas to all of you and thank you forjoining us on newsday. hello. it's remaining unsettled over the next few days. certainly for the rest of this week, low pressure will be in charge. and we've seen quite a lot of rainfall recently across the south and that's led to flood warnings being issued for south wales and south west england. so a wet next few days for some of us. there will be a bit of sunshine around with our air source coming in from the south west and it'll stay on the mild side. so we've had low pressure with this through tuesday. as we move through wednesday, it will be to the north of the uk. another ripple brings wet weather to the south of the country on thursday and then this area of low pressure will bring some substantial wet weather to the country during the course of friday. now we start wednesday off on a wet note for the south east of england, east anglia.

that rain will clear away quite quickly. then its bright for much of england and wales. few showers into the south west later for the far north of england, scotland, northern ireland, it's going to be blustery with sunny spells, scattered showers and temperatures range from around 7 to 11 degrees across the uk. as we move through wednesday night, it stays blustery across the north of the uk, close to the centre of the low few showers. england, wales will start drying them. we'll see areas of rain and cloud pushing in from the south west and it'll stay quite breezy, particularly across southern and western coast. another mild nights come in the south, further north, 3 to five celsius. we'll start off with some sunshine across the north of the uk on thursday. stay breezy in the far north with a few showers here. but for the rest of england and wales it looks like it'll turn cloudier through the days. more rain pushes in from the south west. some of this again could be quite heavy across southern england, south wales. that'll exacerbate already saturated ground here with flooding issues. a milder day to come in the south, a bit cooler further north. then we look to friday. this area of low pressure will bring a band of rain into southern areas. it'll slowly push northwards through the course of the day. so some areas here really could be quite wet and they'll stay

windy in the south and mild here through friday. but notice across the north, we'll start to see this blue, this cold air starting to push south. so we'll be in a battleground, i think, through friday with cold air in the north, mild air in the south. but it does look like as we move through the christmas period, certainly in the north, it'll turn colder with some wintry showers, not just hills, even down to lower levels at times. there will be a little bit of sunshine, too, but a very christmassy feeling there. some of the cold air will start to get in towards england and wales as well as we move through the christmas period. so it will be turning colder with the risk of some wintry showers.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. russia's war on ukraine has turned culture into a battleground. in countries supportive of ukraine's resistance to putin's invasion, some russian artists, musicians and dancers have been stripped of their platforms or they've been asked to denounce russia's

military aggression.