welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore. i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... nepal is mourning the victims of its worst airline disaster in decades. at least 68 people have died. everybody is confused because this pilot is one of the most experienced and well—respected pilots of nepal. officials in the ukrainian city of dnipro warn there may be no further survivors after the russian missile strike on an apartment building. 30 are confirmed dead with dozens missing. a major disaster has been declared in california, which has been hit by a succession of severe storms. and the australian open tennis tournament is getting under way. novak djokovic returns to the scene 12 months

after being deported for breaching australia's covid rules. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. we begin in nepal, where a day of mourning will be observed after officials say at leat 68 people have died in a plane crash in the central part of the country. there were 72 people on board the twin—engine turboprop plane which came down just a mile from its destination. hundreds of nepalese soldiers have been involved in the search and rescue operation at the crash site, and the government has set up a special investigation. the plane was operated by yeti airlines and was flying from kathmandu airport to the tourist town of pokhara. it came down in the gorge of seti,

a mile from the runway at pokhara airport. from kathmandu, our correspondent rajini vaidyanathan sent this report. footage thought to show the final moments of yeti airlines flight 691. first, you see the plane veer off course. then you hear it. thunderous roar a raging inferno. the twin—engine plane crashed into a gorge, close to the tourist town of pokhara, minutes before it was due to land at the recently opened airport there. translation: we heard a loud, thunderous crash and raised our| heads to see what had happened. we saw a lot of smoke and realised it was a plane crash and we rushed to the site. chaos and confusion, as some sprayed water to douse the flames. but efforts to save the 72 on board were in vain.

as the day drew on, a grim sight... bodies pulled from below in red and black plastic bags, then carried to higher ground. translation: security agencies have to accept this challenge. _ we are actively working to retrieve and identify the bodies as soon as possible and hand them over to the families. tonight, some of the victims have been identified. the plane's co—pilot, anju khatiawada, and journalist tribhuvan paudel. his brother told the bbc he felt airlines in nepal don't take safety issues seriously. the plane took off from here at kathmandu airport earlier this morning. tomorrow, the bodies of some of the victims are expected to return back here. monday's also been declared a national day of mourning in nepal. it's unclear still what caused the crash, but this himalayan nation has a tragic history of fatal airline accidents.

as a nation mourns, some are asking if enough is being done to ensure the country's skies are safe. in the last few decades, hundreds have died in air crashes in nepal. as families grieve, they also want answers. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, kathmandu. let's go to sydney now where we can speak to aviation safety expert and former head of safety for qantas, ron bartsch. it is great to get you on the programme, run. andjust it is great to get you on the programme, run. and just looking at the report by colleague has centres from kathmandu, the footage from the crash we have seen so far, are you able to tell us in terms of what you think happened and led to this fatal crash? . ~' , ., think happened and led to this fatal crash? ., ~ i. ., ., think happened and led to this fatal crash? ., ~ , ., ., ., ., crash? thank you for having me on. it is always — crash? thank you for having me on. it is always unwise, _ crash? thank you for having me on. it is always unwise, i _ crash? thank you for having me on. it is always unwise, i guess, - crash? thank you for having me on. it is always unwise, i guess, to - it is always unwise, i guess, to speculate, but in terms of the

footage that i have seen, it would appear that the aircraft has entered into what is known as an aerodynamic storm and at such a low level, it would be impossible to recoverfrom a storm. i would be impossible to recover from a storm. ~' ., .,, would be impossible to recover from a storm. ~ ., .,, i. would be impossible to recover from a storm. ~ ., would be impossible to recover from astorm. ~ ., ., a storm. i know as you point out, very difficult _ a storm. i know as you point out, very difficult to _ a storm. i know as you point out, very difficult to really _ a storm. i know as you point out, very difficult to really ascertain i very difficult to really ascertain what we know at this point, so much information still coming through, but perhaps you can talk us through the safety record of this particular type of aircraft?— type of aircraft? look, the atr 72 is an incredibly _ type of aircraft? look, the atr 72 is an incredibly reliable _ type of aircraft? look, the atr 72 is an incredibly reliable aircraft. i is an incredibly reliable aircraft. it is used extensively throughout the world and indeed, here in australia and throughout the southeast asian region. so you wouldn't expect that mechanically, unless there was an engine failure, perhaps, that it would be a mechanicalfault, but if perhaps, that it would be a mechanical fault, but if there perhaps, that it would be a mechanicalfault, but if there had been something causing the aircraft to stall, and that is obviously not keeping enough air speed, it could be very much related to the fact

that the pilot may have misidentified at the runway and then tried to turn quickly. and because of the strong winds that are in the area of nepal, it could be a factor that may be one of the contributing factors to this awful accident. run. factors to this awful accident. run, on that, factors to this awful accident. run, on that. what _ factors to this awful accident. run, on that, what about _ factors to this awful accident. run, on that, what about the _ factors to this awful accident. run, on that, what about the conditions in nepal in terms of a flying? what is known about that and what is it like for pilots?— like for pilots? yes, in those regions. _ like for pilots? yes, in those regions. i — like for pilots? yes, in those regions, i have _ like for pilots? yes, in those regions, i have seen - like for pilots? yes, in those regions, i have seen some i like for pilots? yes, in those | regions, i have seen some of like for pilots? yes, in those - regions, i have seen some of the airports are incredibly challenging in terms of the slope and also very short distance. also, a lot of the airports are at a very high elevation. this particular elevation is 800 metres, but you got to remember this was fully laden with 72 passengers, which is the maximum for that aircraft, so that also has

a impact on the stalling speed of the aircraft, so is the weight of the aircraft, so is the weight of the aircraft, so is the weight of the aircraft increases, so does the stalling speed. find the aircraft increases, so does the stalling speed-— the aircraft increases, so does the stalling speed. and in terms of the investigations _ stalling speed. and in terms of the investigations going _ stalling speed. and in terms of the investigations going forward, - stalling speed. and in terms of the investigations going forward, what | investigations going forward, what will they be looking for now? what will they be looking for now? what will investigators be trying to find out? , ., ., , out? the investigators will obviously _ out? the investigators will obviously retrieve - out? the investigators will obviously retrieve all- out? the investigators will obviously retrieve all of. out? the investigators will| obviously retrieve all of the information they can, the black box or flight data recorder, information they can, the black box orflight data recorder, plus information they can, the black box or flight data recorder, plus the voice recorderfrom or flight data recorder, plus the voice recorder from the cockpit, and also examine in detail any other film or videos that may have been present, but they will not rule anything out. they will be looking at mechanical issues, human factors such as flight and duty time, but they will also have a look at pilot experience and training. as we are all aware throughout the world, coming out of the pandemic, a lot of people haven't flown very well. we've seen that with baggage

throughout the world, baggage collection. well, baggage handlers and pilots, the all need to become recurrent and they've got to have the absolute latest in terms of training to be able to respond appropriately to any emergency situation. ~ ., ., , situation. indeed. aviation safety ex - ert, situation. indeed. aviation safety exnert. former — situation. indeed. aviation safety expert, former head _ situation. indeed. aviation safety expert, former head of— situation. indeed. aviation safety expert, former head of safety - situation. indeed. aviation safety expert, former head of safety forj expert, former head of safety for qantas airlines, ron bartsch, thank you so much forjoining us on the programme with your thoughts. i want to turn to the war in ukraine now — and ukraine has suffered the heaviest bombardment by russian forces in several weeks, with more than 100 missiles fired into eastern ukraine. in one instance, 30 people are now confirmed dead and many more injured following the bombing of a residential block in the city of dnipro. a0 residents are still missing. rescue teams say the chances of finding any more survivors are "minimal". further to the east, there's been more heavy shelling around the mining town of town of soledar, and the city of bakhmut.

our correspondent andrew harding reports on the efforts of ukrainian forces on the front line, and he starts with the latest attacks on dnipro. this was last night — yet another ukrainian apartment block devoured by a huge russian missile. this morning, rescue workers in the city of dnipro were still bringing out a few more survivors. a young woman, katerina, lifted carefully from the ruins and out into the freezing daylight. she and her neighbours are victims of a brutal and blundering russian campaign that shows no signs of easing. further east in the donbas today, we drove towards the front lines, through more towns and villages targeted daily by the kremlin's artillery. and yet, civilians still cling on here. "aren't you scared?" i ask.

"sure, wouldn't you be?" he replies. "how can we not be scared living in the donbas?" "it's terrifying" she adds, "especially for the children. "we've got used to it." but russia's military is struggling too. even closer to the front, in territory recently liberated by ukrainian forces, we come across acres of destroyed russian hardware. the russians have experienced so many losses in the past few months, and yet despite all this, they still have far more men, far more equipment than the ukrainians do — which is why the fate of this conflict still hangs very much in the balance. to tip that balance, ukraine needs more western weapons like this one. we've been given rare access to a powerful british supplied rocket launcher, hidden in a forest. as we arrive, the unit is rushing to prepare for another mission. they're getting ready to fire now for the third time this morning,

attacking russian targets along the front line, just a few kilometers from here. these weapons, these foreign weapons, have made an extraordinary difference for ukraine in this conflict, but it's not enough any more. explosion a hurried launch, then an even quicker departure, before russian artillery tries to target our position. back in the forest, the commander — face hidden — talks of a catastrophic shortage of equipment, of tanks, weapons and more basic supplies. "western help has got us this far" he says, "but we can't liberate more territory without a lot more assistance." explosion back in the rubble of dnipro, the search for survivors has continued. rescue workers shouting

out, "is anyone there?" yes, yes, yes. then "yes!", when a small voice is heard. and another woman is brought to safety, or what passes for safety here, after almost a year of war. andrew harding, bbc news, ukraine. let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk. police say a seven—year—old girl remains in a critical condition after a shotgun was fired from a moving car outside a church in central london yesterday. five others were also hurt in the attack near euston station. it happened as crowds left a memorial service for a woman and her daughter. a man has been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after traces of uranium were found in a package at heathrow airport last month. counter—terrorism officers searched an address in cheshire on saturday. the man, who is in his 60s, has been released on bail until april.

temperatures are set to fall as low as minus ten degrees celsius, with snow forecast for parts of the uk, including london, the south east and scotland, whilst yellow warnings for ice have the conditions are expected to cause problems on the roads during rush hour and there's a risk of flooding in some areas. more nurses will be asked to strike next month in a dispute over pay. that's the warning from the royal college of nursing, which says the next set of strikes will include all eligible members in england for the first time, unless progress is made in negotiations by the end of the month. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. i'm looking forward to hearing from you. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... president biden declares a major disaster in california

after devastating winter storms led to floods and mudslides and the deaths of at least 19 people. donald trump is now the 45th president of the united states. he was sworn in before several hundred thousand people on the steps of capitol hill in washington. it's going to be only america first. america first. demonstrators waiting for mike gatting and his rebel cricket team were attacked with tear gas and set upon by police dogs. anti—apartheid campaigners say they will carry on the protests throughout the tour. they call him the butcher of lyon. klaus altmann is being heldj on a fraud charge in bolivia.

the west germans want to extradite him for crimes committed _ in wartime france. there, he was the gestapo chief, klaus barbie. - millions came to bathe as close as possible to this spot. a tide of humanity that's believed by officials to have broken all records. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our headlines... in nepal, at least 68 people have died in a plane crash, which happened just a mile from the flight�*s destination. officials in dnipro warn there may be no further survivors after the russian missile strike on an apartment building. 30 are confirmed dead, with dozens missing. to california now — a story we've been covering for a while now on newsday, and a major disaster has been declared there, where a series of severe storms has prompted president biden to send aid from the federal government. at least 19 people have died in the storms.

our correspondent sophie long reports from the hills above santa barbara. frantic efforts to protect homes from further flooding. if we didn't get this done today, we would have lost our house. jeff bailey's wife and young children evacuated. he stayed to protect their home. it's been hard. my wife has been bringing them over, up at the top of the hill, and i've been giving them hugs and kisses and telling them how much i love them. but, you know, we all have to process it. sorry, it's the first time i have become emotional. so, yeah, you know. we're safe, we're surviving and we'lljust keep going forward. across california, after three weeks of almost continuous catastrophic downpours, rain is the last thing people here need. and yet, it keeps coming. widespread flooding is getting

worse, and roads are disintegrating. emergency services could only watch as this one collapses into the valley below. we joined the santa barbara bucket brigade, a local volunteerforce formed after a mudslide killed 23 people here five years ago. what's happened here? just all came down off here. this is the road. this is the road to my mom's house, she can't get home. you can see the impact of the heavy deluges here. this road has been completely cut off. people cannot access their homes. the rains have now started again after a brief period of respite, and there's concern that more is going to come down. they were west of us. the threat of mudslides means they need to move quickly. the next stop is steve's house. that was a pretty hairy drive by my standards. so this tree i planted, 26 years ago it was this tall.

and it is the only tree to survive this. the whole thing just slid down, this is about 200 feet wide. you know, you kind of get overwhelmed with a series of emotional things, which go from hope to pride to fear, to despair to all of that stuff, but at the end of the day, you know, we are a resilient lot up here, and we know what to do, so this is what we're doing today. a saturated california can only wait to see what he the next storm brings. sophie long, bbc news, santa barbara. for more on this, i am joined now by taylor poisall with the american red cross who's in fresno in northern california. great to get you on the programme. i appreciate your teams must be so busy right now. just to say, looking at my colleague's sophie's report there, conditions on the ground still really precarious. how overwhelmed is at the red cross at this moment in terms of distress calls and at the help that people

are asking for?— calls and at the help that people are asking for? thank you so much for havin: are asking for? thank you so much for having us _ are asking for? thank you so much for having us on _ are asking for? thank you so much for having us on to _ are asking for? thank you so much for having us on to put _ are asking for? thank you so much for having us on to put context - are asking for? thank you so much | for having us on to put context into what the scale of this disaster looks like. we have american red cross volunteers from almost every state and territory of the united states that flew into california to provide help, dozens and dozens of communities are impacted by their flash flooding and mudslides, rock slides, road closures, power outages and more. at the red cross has opened 70 shelters in the last two to this effort is a call for help. goodness. taylor, when you point out just how extensive the rescue operation, orthe just how extensive the rescue operation, or the aid operation is, it's really brings home the scale of what people are dealing with. in terms of the most urgent priorities, what people saying to yourright now, the red cross has focused on providing a safe a roof over people's had's._ providing a safe a roof over people's had's. providing a safe a roof over --eole's had's. ., ., , .,

people's had's. three hot meals a da , people's had's. three hot meals a day. emotional— people's had's. three hot meals a day, emotional support, - people's had's. three hot meals a day, emotional support, and - people's had's. three hot meals a day, emotional support, and we l people's had's. three hot meals a i day, emotional support, and we will continue to do that in the days and to come. we have shelters in santa barbara county and the sacramento area, ace of an hour drive in between, that is without a road closures and traffic delays, so the red cross is trying to pick up people immediately and provide them recovery resources in the weeks and months to come. we recovery resources in the weeks and months to come-— recovery resources in the weeks and months to come. we were listening to the stories of— months to come. we were listening to the stories of what _ months to come. we were listening to the stories of what people _ months to come. we were listening to the stories of what people have - months to come. we were listening to the stories of what people have gone. the stories of what people have gone through in sophie long's report there. what if people said to you about what they need and how they are coping with all of this? == about what they need and how they are coping with all of this?- are coping with all of this? -- what are coping with all of this? -- what are people — are coping with all of this? -- what are people said _ are coping with all of this? -- what are people said to _ are coping with all of this? -- what are people said to you. _ are coping with all of this? -- what are people said to you. some - are coping with all of this? -- what i are people said to you. some people left with the close on their back and they were wet from the downpour of the storms, so theyjust and they were wet from the downpour of the storms, so they just wanted and they were wet from the downpour of the storms, so theyjust wanted a safe place to think, again to really come to context with what is going on, what their immediate lives have changed. it might be the worst day of their lives, so we have a red cross volunteers checking in on them, taking care of their emotional support, providing them access to

mental health care, and we are also just providing scratch mixing smiles in the shelters, little girls making friends with the volunteers, giving them a break from the reality. aha, them a break from the reality. a heartening story to listen to. thank you for that, taylor. in terms of what is for cats coming up in terms of bad weather and more storms, what are you expecting? —— in terms of what is forecast. we are you expecting? -- in terms of what is forecast.— are you expecting? -- in terms of what is forecast. we have a disaster team on standby _ what is forecast. we have a disaster team on standby all _ what is forecast. we have a disaster team on standby all across - what is forecast. we have a disaster team on standby all across the - what is forecast. we have a disaster| team on standby all across the state from oregon border to southern california. we have volunteers who will open more shelters if we are requested to do so, we will continue to have them open for the weeks to come with the storm is coming in. we are adjusting our plans, but we are also out in the communities are delivering hot meals, providing the relief surprise, clean—up kits to begin to clean up the flooding the damage caused a —— providing relief supplies, and there will be more supplies, and there will be more supplies and recovery in the future.

taylor poisall with the american red cross, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us on a newsday and best of luck with that aid operation going forward. thank you very much forjoining us on the programme. thank you. to some sporting news now — and the first grand slam of the tennis season, the australian open, starts in the next few hours. novak djokovic returns to the tournament 12 months after being deported from australia because he hadn't been vaccinated against covid—i9. the serb starts his bid for a tenth aussie open title on tuesday. for a look at what we can expect over the next fortnight, let's speak to ben rothenberg. he's the senior editor of racquet magazine and host of tennis podcast no challenges remaining. hejoins me now from washington. wonderful to get you on the programme, of course, all eyes novak djokovic after that deportation. what can we expect and what are you excited about in terms of the men's draw and the first grand slam of

2023? ., ., ~ , ., . draw and the first grand slam of 2023? ., ., ~ , . , draw and the first grand slam of 2023? ., . , ,., y ., 2023? novak d'okovic is the story of the australian — 2023? novak djokovic is the story of the australian open _ 2023? novak djokovic is the story of the australian open again, _ 2023? novak djokovic is the story of the australian open again, much - the australian open again, much different from last year when he was part of a media circus around his deportation, et from australia when he turned began. this time he is the favourite to win the tournament again, winning at nine times before, and he seems to be in pretty good shape to win before, he won the adelaide one up tournament at the beginning of the month. he has a hamstring issue which could flare up, and it seems he may not be forgiving, but willing to be forgotten with a djokovic, people willing to move on from the drum of last year and focus on return amiss this time. in last year and focus on return amiss this time. , ., ., , this time. in terms of the fans were rafael nadal. _ this time. in terms of the fans were rafael nadal, it _ this time. in terms of the fans were rafael nadal, it seems _ this time. in terms of the fans were rafael nadal, it seems a _ this time. in terms of the fans were rafael nadal, it seems a bit - rafael nadal, it seems a bit trickier. ~ . , , rafael nadal, it seems a bit trickier. ~ ., , , ., rafael nadal, it seems a bit trickier. . ., , , ., trickier. what is his drawer looking like? he has— trickier. what is his drawer looking like? he has a _ trickier. what is his drawer looking like? he has a tough _ trickier. what is his drawer looking like? he has a tough draw, - trickier. what is his drawer looking | like? he has a tough draw, opening the game to jack draper, one of the fast rising british towns senator, someone has been looked at as a lung star, going under the radar —— a young star. draper has gone

under the radar, he is a very talented strong lefty, i'm not someone that i want to play right now, who has done struggled, not winning as many matches. without the pressure of defending a title, he will feel it more than usual and be low on confidence unusual, but betting against rafael nadal has never won much for anyone his career. that is well put. let's turn to women now, last year's champion ash barty shocked the tennis world when she retired last year so who's the favourite now? i think the favourite will be englishmen tech,... swiatek. she exhibited a slower court where she has the time, but she is the

dominant player, twice as many points as the number two ranked now,. there are some real contenders, particularly number three, jessica padilla, who beat swiatek pretty handily at the beginning of the year, she could play her in the semifinals —— jessica pegu. so i think swiatek is about the favourite in the women's. the australian open is often referred to as the happy slam — what separates it from the other three slams? everything is dark up north and that is where the players and joining in the warmth, they are healthy and in peak fitness and everyone comes to australia any pretty good mood. that sounds like such _ australia any pretty good mood. that sounds like such a fun place to be. thank you for filling us in on the details. ben rothenberg,

that's all for now — stay with bbc news. hello there. the first half of the month was very wet, it was also very mild. but the weather this week is going to look very different. it's going to be cold and frosty, going to have some icy patches around and the risk of some snow. predicting where the snow�*s going to fall is going be quite difficult, mind you. these are the temperatures we start with on monday morning. coldest in the north with clear skies away from those snow showers. icy patches around in the morning. we've got this wet weather in the southeast. now, it's mostly rain. but there could be some snow over the downs and there is a risk the downs and there is a risk that we could see some snow to lower levels, as well. it is going to pull away. cloudy for a while across eastern england with one or two showers. otherwise, we see some sunshine coming through.

but we'll keep some wintry showers coming into northern parts of northern ireland and most of the snow in the chilly wind across the north of scotland. temperature wise, struggling typically around three of 5 degrees of cold a day. temperatures will fall quickly after dark. another frost in most places, monday nine to tuesday morning. the risk of snow in the far southwest is lessened and most of the wet weather looks like it's going to be in the channel and that allows more winter showers to feed into northern ireland over the irish sea and in northwest england in north wales, it is not so wet in the northwest of scotland on tuesday. many places will again have a dry day with sunshine but temperatures only around three or four degrees. we are still in cold air on tuesday and wednesday as well, that area of low pressure gets close to the northeast of scotland, bringing some stronger winds here and the threat of some snow. otherwise, the winds more northerly. so, northern scotland in the firing line, northern ireland and around some of these irish sea coasts. many other areas likely to be drained sunday. but another chilly day, perhaps not quite as cold, four to 6 degrees still a cold day

with some sunshine. how long will the cold weather last? there are weather fronts trying to push in the atlantic and it seems to be slowing down. we have a ridge of high pressure building and on thursday. don't kill most of the showers in many places 11 friday with some sunshine again. we start to see some of that cloud coming into the far west, bringing some damp weather to the southwest of england. ahead of that, temperatures are still sitting at four to 6 degrees. so come for the next few days, different sorts of hazards, really. it's going to be cold, it's going be frosty, the signs of mild weather coming and probably not until next weekend.

hello. this week i'm talking with michelle donelan, the secretary of state for digital culture, media and sport. she is the 11th conservative in the role since the party took power, and she has a huge remit — everything from the tech companies to museums and art galleries to broadcasters like channel 4, whose privatisation she halted last week, and even eurovision. but before we get onto that, i wanted to get a sense of her news habits. how does she keep up to date through the working day?

and there's a mention here right at the start