welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: the biggest air disruption in america since 9/11. officials say a damaged database file caused a technical fault that forced flights to be grounded across the us. explosion fighting intensifies in eastern ukraine, as the battle for the town of soledar proves one of the bloodiest of the war so far. six months after unrest over rising prices, sri lanka imposes huge tax hikes and slashes spending. music hikes and slashes spending. plays and he's described as one of the greatest ever guitarists.

jeff beck has died at the age of 78. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. we begin in the united states, where the federal aviation authority says that an investigation has shown that the failure of the safety messaging system, which let to all departing flights being grounded early on wednesday, was caused by a damaged file in a database. a tweet confirmed that there is no evidence of a cyber attack. flights have been getting back to normal. our north america correspondent gary o'donoghue reports. it was in the early hours that the problems began to emerge with the notam system, which warns pilots of any dangers before they take off. byjust after 7:00am, the federal aviation authority

was ordering all carriers across the us to ground their planes until further notice, causing chaos for early morning travellers. i'm a little annoyed. a little nervous. we're going on a cruise. we have a cruise to catch at 6pm. i feel bad for the people who are actually sitting i on planes right now. i mean, we're at least lucky| that we're still in the airport and if i truly wanted - to i could go back home. you would not think that this could happen in this day and age, you know, with all the money that's pumped into transportation, but here we are again. in a tweet, the white house said the president had been informed and that there was no evidence that a cyber attack was responsible at that point. thousands of flights were delayed, affecting all airlines from coast to coast. the all clear was given around 9:00am. by that time, huge backlogs had occurred. the transportation secretary said the problems had resulted from irregularities

in the safety messages being transferred to pilots, and it was important to find out why the usual redundancies in the system hadn't prevented the failure. when there's a problem with a government system, we're going to own it, we're going to find it and we're going to fix it. my top priority right now, now that the system is working again as of about 9:00 this morning, is to understand the root cause, understand how it could have led to this level of disruption and understand how to make sure that it does not happen again. the transportation department has begun an inquiry and a senate committee has said it will do the same. given the disruption that's been caused and the fact that the faa doesn't currently have a permanent administrator in post, answers will be demanded as soon as possible. gary o'donoghue, bbc news. well, earlier i spoke to henry harteveldt, who's president and travel industry analyst at the atmosphere research group. i asked him why there wasn't a back up system in place.

well, it's extremely unusual and what it suggests is that there are backups but clearly there are backups but clearly the backup system either didn't work or weren't activated. so there are multiple points of failure that need to be investigated and, importantly, we need the results of those investigations to be shared with the public. find investigations to be shared with the public.— investigations to be shared with the public. and how long do ou with the public. and how long do you think _ with the public. and how long do you think an _ with the public. and how long do you think an investigation | do you think an investigation of this nature might take? as my colleague gary o'donoghue was reporting there, lots of questions being asked as to how something of this, of the scale, could happen because yellow absolutely. my understanding is the problem actually began on tuesday afternoon and somehow the system continue to function but then overnight tuesday— wednesday the failure occurred. some airlines may have had their own backup systems, but clearly the overall system failed the airlines and the travelling public here in the us. it should not take too long

for this investigation to be completed. they hope it would be no more than four weeks and possibly sooner. it seems like they know what the culprit is. they also need to determine is how to make sure this never happens again. i how to make sure this never happens again-— how to make sure this never happens again. i suppose on reassuring — happens again. i suppose on reassuring that _ happens again. i suppose on reassuring that has - happens again. i suppose on reassuring that has come . happens again. i suppose on| reassuring that has come out from the faa today is in a tweet they have said there is no evidence of a cyber—attack, haven't they, henry, there was some concerns, some speculation that might have been one of the reasons. but after something like this how convinced are you about the robustness and the security of us systems? well, i'm confident _ security of us systems? well, i'm confident that _ security of us systems? well, i'm confident that the - security of us systems? well, | i'm confident that the systems themselves are robust. one thing that the faa and other government agencies understand is the need to protect themselves against cyber attacks. and so why do view it as a positive bit of news that this is not a cyber—attack stop what concerns me is this may not have been a cyber—attack, could the next one be? a big

challenge we have in the us is the faa has been perennially underfunded, even though the agency is also tasked with modernising our air traffic control system and within it the various databases and tools that it uses. cyber protection is critical there. just hope that the necessary priorities remain in place. the faa clearly deserves to have adequate funding. indeed. and all of this happening, - adequate funding. indeed. and all of this happening, of - all of this happening, of course, it's wintertime in some parts of the united states, travel is expected to peak over the coming weeks. what are some of the biggest concern is that you might have over travel as people start travelling over the coming weeks?- people start travelling over the coming weeks? well, we have had a winter _ the coming weeks? well, we have had a winter of _ the coming weeks? well, we have had a winter of air— the coming weeks? well, we have had a winter of air travel - had a winter of air travel discontent so far between a massive operational disruption at south—west airlines josee we could two ago and today's disruption, we have the martin

luther king holiday coming up this weekend here in the us and we will soon be approaching the holiday travel for presidents weekend here and spring and, of course, soon the summer vacation travel. and business travel stars resume this week. so i'm very concerned. when you buy an airline ticket you want to walk into that airport feeling confident that you will be able to travel from point to point being. not having a feeling of impending doom. air travel is already stressful enough, we need to be confident that the faa and our allies can get us where we need to go on time and safely. right now that trust is weak.— trust is weak. that was henry harteveldt — trust is weak. that was henry harteveldt there, _ trust is weak. that was henry harteveldt there, president l trust is weak. that was henry i harteveldt there, president and travel industry and is speaking to me a little earlier. to the conflict in ukraine now, and russia's defence ministry says fighting is continuing in soledar in eastern ukraine, despite earlier claims by the head of the russian mercenary group, wagner, that his forces

had taken the town. ukraine's president zelensky said in a video address in the past hour that the battle was ongoing. the town is seen as strategically significant as it could be used by russian forces as a place from which to launch a fresh assault on the city of bakhmut, which has been the scene of fierce fighting for weeks. the spokesperson for ukraine's eastern military command says the intensity of battles there can be compared to bloody trench warfare in world war ii. our ukraine correspondentjames waterhouse has this report. distant artillery fire the ukrainian view of the russian charge on soledar. —— the situation depends on who you ask. it's under control as of this morning, according to this ukrainian commander. they

will never break us, says he injured comrade, we are winning. but if you ask these two, wagner clearing the city, they say, russian, yes, but not from the regular army. they are from the regular army. they are from a private military group called laggner, a network that do a lot of russian fighting. as well as recently recruited convicts from russian jails and they have been spearheading the tip on solid are. we chat to one ukrainian soldier on the front to see if that's the case. ,., �* front to see if that's the case. �* , front to see if that's the case. , case. don't believe russian prepaganda- _ case. don't believe russian propaganda. it's _ case. don't believe russian propaganda. it's not - case. don't believe russian propaganda. it's not true. i propaganda. it's not true. bakhmut and soledar have ukrainian control. he bakhmut and soledar have ukrainian control.- ukrainian control. he has described _ ukrainian control. he has described the _ ukrainian control. he has described the battle - ukrainian control. he has described the battle for l described the battle for soledar and bakhmut as the bloodiest scenario yet —— kyiv. and that's all we can say with

real certainty. small amounts of territory are being fiercely fought over and the human cost is huge. but the kremlin is less keen to acknowledge that, instead accusing ukraine of trying to secure more military support by using the situation, which is continuing to arrive. on a visit to western ukraine, poland's president duda is the latest to announce the supply of tanks. volodymyr zelensky was more to follow suit. in russia, there seems to be division. the kremlin claims there is still fighting in soledar, at odds with laggner�*s take. translation: , ., ., translation: understand that the situation _ translation: understand that the situation in _ translation: understand that the situation in the _ translation: understand that the situation in the new- the situation in the new entities is difficult and hostilities continue. police for alive has not been restored everywhere in the safety of people has not been insured. moscow is continuing to claim everything is going to plan in its quest to occupy the eastern donbas region. you wonder what

will be left whether it succeeds or not. james waterhouse, bbc news, key have. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. the family of a british—iranian man sentenced to death by tehran has told the bbc that authorities are preparing to execute him. alireza akbari was arrested more than two years ago and accused of spying for the uk, which he denied. the foreign office has urged iran to release him. police across brazil have been ordered to prevent road blockades and the invasion of public buildings after supporters of the former president jair bolsonaro called for new protests. officials say they are determined to prevent any repeat of the disorder that saw government buildings stormed in the capital on sunday. a supreme courtjudge also ordered the social media service telegram to block accounts being used to co—ordinate demonstrations. the world health organization has recommended that indian—made cough syrups should not be prescribed for children

in uzbekistan after they were linked to the deaths of 19 children. tests by the uzbek health ministry showed that the two syrups contained a toxic substance, ethylene glycol. there's been no immediate response from the indian manufacturer, marion biotech. britain's culture minister has said the disputed parthenon marbles belong in the uk and shouldn't be returned to greece from where they were removed in the 19th century. michelle donelan's comments in a bbc interview followed reports that the british museum is close to agreeing a deal to return the ancient artworks. in other news for you today, the rock guitaristjeff beck has died at the age of 78. beck, who played with the yardbirds and led thejeff beck group,

died on tuesday. often described as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, he won eight grammys. beck's fingers and thumbs were famously insured for £7 million. his death was announced by his family in an online statement. they said he died peacefully after contracting bacterial meningitis. if you want to get in touch with me i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. i would love to hear from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: former tennis number one naomi osaka announces her pregnancy, but already has her eye on a return to the court. day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since

the second world war. tobacco is america's oldest industry, and it's one of its biggest. but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. there is not a street that is unaffected. l huge parts of kobe were simplyl demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she had been given no help and no advice i by the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. j tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws passed by the country's new multiracial government and enrolled at formerly white schools. tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long—running play the mousetrap. when they heard of her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonight's performance, but agatha christie would have been the last person to want such a thing.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines: aviation officials say a damaged database file caused the technical fault that forced flights to be grounded across the us. fighting intensifies in eastern ukraine as the battle for the town of soledar proves one of the bloodiest of the russian invasion so far. to the uk now, where the national health service is facing the prospects of more strikes by staff, after 14 trade unions said they would no longer work with the nhs pay review body for next year's awards. the news came as ambulance crews in england and wales took strike action on wednesday for the second time in the uk's winter period. our health editor hugh pym has more details. pickets out at dawn in newport, south wales. ambulance staff on strike — members of the gmb union.

in gateshead, they had vocal support on the unison picket line. oh, bless you. and in lincoln, strikers were brought refreshments by the public. the military presence was clear, too, in plymouth and other parts of the country, acting as drivers and in support roles. horns honk unions have agreed that strikers would leave picket lines for emergencies and some urgent cases, but patients with less serious injuries will be told to make their own way to hospital. scott, who's an emergency medicaltechnician, explained why he was on strike. we're here because there has been lack of funding for many years now. the services are struggling and patients, ultimately, are suffering. enough is enough now. harriet, who is 22, is a paramedic. she says it's all about patient care. it is frustrating because you feel empathy for the patients.

that elderly patient who in lying on our bed, they are not comfortable. they are getting pressure sores, they are thirsty, they are hungry. the hospital can only feed and make so many cups of teas before you just run out of things to say. you can only apologise so many times before it just becomes worthless. the government wants new laws to ensure minimum levels of service during strikes in essential public services, including ambulances. and that provoked clashes at prime minister's questions. all we're saying is that in these emergency services, patients should be able to rely on a basic level of life—saving care. jeering why is he against that, mr speaker? jeering there's not a minimum level of service any day, because they have broken the nhs! jeering so, where does this dispute involving ambulance staff and other health workers go from here?

as things stand, there are more strike dates on the calendar this month, including nurses next week. it all depends on whether there's any progress with pay talks. some union leaders were a little more optimistic after talks with the secretary of state on monday and they're anticipating some sort of follow—up. we're expecting some news over the next couple of days about what that follow—up will look like. i am always keen to maintain optimism, but, you know, the level of progress will really depend on what next steps he sets out. cheering but there's still stalemate over money, with the government saying a new offer is only possible for the next financial year. call handlers who are unison members took strike action for the first time in this dispute, after working limited hours providing basic cover. at a london ambulance service, they were applauded by colleagues as they walked out this afternoon. call volumes in the system was said to be lower

than usual, though nhs leaders are concerned about a possible sharp rise tomorrow. hugh pym, bbc news. to sri lanka next, where the government is planning big spending cuts, saying that it has barely enough money to pay salaries and pension of public servants. the international monetary fund has agreed a bail—out loan of nearly three billion dollars, but it wants sri lanka to raise taxes and cut public services. ben chu reports. cheering six months ago in sri lanka, amid sovereign debt default and economic chaos, there was a revolution. a new president has since been installed. an international monetary fund bailout has been agreed. but half a year on, are the lives of ordinary sri lankans actually any better?

is a new day dawning for the country's agricultural sector, on which a quarter of the population depends? sri lankan tea pickers like these earn a day rate of around 1,000 rupees, a little less than three usd. and though inflation in the country has eased slightly since last year, food prices in sri lanka last month were still 65% higher than a year earlier. translation: rice, sugar and everything else is expensive. even bus fares are expensive. everything is a problem now. i can't say we have enough food. i'm afraid for my child's future. more than eight million people, more than a third of sri lanka's population, are today estimated to be food insecure by the united nations. the fuel queues that snaked around this country six months ago have gone thanks to a digital rationing system. tourists are returning.

a different world from the capital colombo can be found a two—hour drive south down the coast. a million people in sri lanka are estimated to be reliant on fishing for their living. the cost of boat fuel for these fisherfolk in beruwala is still four times higher than before the crisis struck last year, making each trip into an economic gamble. places like this feel like the sharp end of sri lanka's economic crisis at the moment. it's clear that in some parts of the country, life has got somewhat better in recent months, but in places like this, it's reallyjust as painful as it was before the fall of the government. after a bad storm, there's often an extensive repairjob. this is a lesson a still economically broken sri lanka knows well.

ben chu reporting. now, take a look at this picture posted on social media by former women's tennis world number one naomi osaka. it's been viewed more than 16 million times on twitter and has prompted some 3,500 replies, mostly congratulations, of course. announcing her pregnancy, the tennis star doesn't —— and for more on this we are joined by azadeh moshiri who has been following the story. great to have you on the show. what would we know about this news that naomi osaka has shared? other than the congratulations from her peers, she has heard from her peers, she has heard from legends like billiejean king cup. it is worth pulling up king cup. it is worth pulling up the message that she posted alongside the photo of the ultrasound scan.

it was only on sunday we found out she was pulling out of the australian open, an announcement made by the organisers but we now know why and she hasn't actually played since september, since the tokyo tournament. this is someone who, in the past, has prioritised her well being, her mental health. you might remember in 2021 she pulled out of the french open and also pulled out of some of the press conferences that had caused quite a bit of controversy at the time and she went on to explain she had been dealing with bouts of depression for several years, ever since her big win when she made her name on the scene. and that she did need to take some time now to deal with some of those issues. this of course is a break, she is prioritising her personal life, having a child, and at only 25 years old she has had great success, she is a four—time grand slam winner. indie

four-time grand slam winner. we are four—time grand slam winner. we are having some technical difficulties they are, azadeh moshiri, i think we can continue to speak to you though. i am just going to try and ask another question. she is not the only other female tennis player issue that has taken a break recently tennis player issue that has ta ken a break recently after announcing pregnancy? taken a break recently after announcing pregnancy? that's ri . ht, announcing pregnancy? that's right. ashleigh _ announcing pregnancy? that's right, ashleigh barty - announcing pregnancy? that's right, ashleigh barty retired l right, ashleigh barty retired but she also announced last week that she is pregnant and someone who is taking a break is angelique kerber, a three—time grand slam winner, and in her message last august she said that she just felt like it was two against one and that isn't fair. now, there are also women, female tennis players in the past you have taken a break for their pregnancies and gone on to win a grand subtitle. it is like evonne goolagong cawley, they have come back and won battles, so of course arena williams, one of the all—time greats to —— took a break in 2017 she

came back imaged finals and retired last year. it is also worth mentioning that the women's tennis association has made great strides in order to accommodate pregnant women after they come back after having given birth, so don't count naomi osaka out, she did say she would be back next year. tatjana patitz, one of the original supermodels who dominated fashion in the 1980s and �*90s, has died aged 56. she reportedly died on wednesday morning according to a source from the manhattan—based agency model coop. the germany—born model was among a handful of women of the era whose looks and style catapulted them to a global fame that transcended modelling. lots more on the website that you have seen newsday, mummy

thatis you have seen newsday, mummy that is all for now. thank you forjoining me. stay on bbc news. hello there. we are stuck in repeat mode, i'm afraid, which means yet more wet and windy weather to come. in actual fact, to close out this week, it's going to be a case of showers, longer spells of rain at times and the winds will always be a feature. now, for the time being, we've got some wet weather pushing its way across england and wales, with the heaviest pulses of rain across south wales and parts of south—west england. it could lead to some localised flooding here, accompanied by gale force gusts of winds as well. so that weather front will linger first thing thursday morning. another area of low pressure nudging into the far north—west of scotland as we go through the morning will gradually bring wetter and increasingly windy weather here as well. sandwiched in between the two, there will be some drier, brighter interludes, and eventually that rain in the south will

start to pull away. wind gusts, though, quite a feature, in excess of 40, close to 50 mph on exposed coasts at times, so a blustery afternoon. a south—westerly wind direction, so on your thermometer, temperatures will peak at about 12—13 degrees, but it may well feel a bit cooler if you're caught in the cloud, the wind and the rain. as we go through the night, we could see strengthening winds for a time as that low pressure drifts its way eastwards, so severe gales not out of the question along the southern flank of that low. with the cloud and the rain around, temperatures will hold up above freezing, but that low pressure will start to pull away on friday, over to scandinavia. and we start to see the isobars open up. this little bump, this ridge of high pressure will quieten things down for friday, although the wind direction's swinging back around to more of a northerly or north—westerly, so a slightly cooler source. but there will be some sunshine around on friday. it will be a drier day, just a few scattered showers driven along the coast

by the strength of those winds. top temperatures in scotland between 5 and 8 degrees. highest values further south, perhaps just scraping into double figures once again. more wet and windy weather arrives, though, in time for the weekend. once again, a low centred to the far north will introduce some cooler weather as well, some wintry showers to higher ground, but there is a chance that we are going to see some pretty wet weather on saturday. fingers crossed, something just that little bit drier as we move into sunday.

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.