welcome to newsday. reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... china's population falls for the first time in more than six decades. we look at the impact that is having. belgian police say a key suspect in a corruption scandal at the european parliament has cut a deal with investigators. as the us and uk renew their commitment to helping ukraine, troops on the front line tell the bbc they desperately need western tanks to make progress. both president biden and prime minister sunak have committed to standing with ukraine for as long as it takes, and our teams are in lockstep as we co—ordinate our efforts

both with one another, and also with our many allies and partners. and could one of britain's richest men become the new owner of manchester united football team? live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello, and welcome to the programme. we begin in china — where an unwelcome milestone has been reached. the country's population fell for the first time since the 1960s, and the national birth rate also fell to the lowest it's been since data collection began, in 1949. the announcement on tuesday comes alongside one of china's worst economic performances in almost half a century — the labour force is shrinking, as the country's retired population keeps growing.

this also means india is expected to overtake china as the world's most populous nation later this year. let's take a look at some of the numbers. china's population last year was over 1.4 billion people, according to official data — that's a decrease of 850,000 people from 2021. as for the national birth rate, it sank to just 6.77 births per thousand people. compare that with the united states, where it stands atjust over 11 births per thousand people. here's how some beijing residents reacted to the news. translation: | think | firstly, the cost to raise a child now is too high, from when they are little to when they go to school, and when they look for a job in the future and get married and have their own children. the cost is too high. we don't have any plans to have a second child. translation: | feel worried | about the population decline, especially for my generation who were born after 1990.

most of us are the only child. if we are not married, the girl will need to take care of her parents and her grandparents, if they're still alive. so the burden on everyone is quite heavy. putting aside the financial burdens, it's quite a heavy commitment for people in our generation, in terms of time and energy. earlier, we heard from the population expert from the school of earth and environmental sciences at the university of queensland, dr elin charles—edwards. she began by talking us through the significance of these figures. i mean, democracies have known this was coming for a real long time, but it is a real milestone and this coupled with the fact that india will take over china rose the most populous country this year is a real shift in the global population. when you look at the fact that this has been a trend, what are you expecting to see, in terms of the impact on chinese society and the economy there? look, we've known this is coming, and most countries are going

through a demographic transition where we are having sustained falls in fertility rates over time, and china's fertility levels has been below replacement levels since the 1990s. it has a profound impact on the population and you've got fewer young people supporting an ever larger share of elderly chinese. why is this happening? talk us through the historical context of all of this. there are a number of reasons that fertility falls, initially it is about childhood mortality, as infants set by, people reduce their family size but as economies develop and modernise, we had seen that the cost of children capital shifts, so in agrarian societies children can be a source of labour. but as countries industrialise and urbanise, they become a net cost, so people want fewer children, they focus on the quality rather than the quantity of children.

you referenced india a little earlier on in our conversation, things are different there in terms of population growth? they are, india is still growing. back in 1915, both china and india had fertility rates of round six children per woman but china's decline in fertility has been much more specific test than india's. —— much more precipitous. the future we are seeing in china was something that india will have to encounter and manage in the coming decades. when you look at population growth, often countries in the past had seen that has an issue, they want to keep populations under control so they can serve the people, governments can serve the people that are living in those countries, why has this become such a challenge and can administrations do anything to reverse this? i think any big shift in demographic regimes is challenging but this is something we're all going to be faced with, globally, by the end of the century. we will be looking at a stable or declining population.

the big challenges the shifting age structure, how we manage the fact that we fewer productive workers but it is something that we will all encounter and be faced with and there is very little we can do about it. that was the population expert from the school of earth and environmental sciences in queens and speaking to us earlier. —— in queensland. belgian prosecutors have struck a deal with one of the main suspects in a european union corruption scandal. pier antonio panzeri will receive a reduced prison sentence in exchange for information. qatar and morocco have contested claims they offered bribes to try to influence the european parliament. 0ur reporter sofia bettiza is following this story. antonio panzeri is a former mep member of the european parliament, and brussels. he

has been a centralfigure in this corruption scandal, so far qatar gate. he was arrested in brussels a few days ago with other eu figures. now what's new is that he's now admitted to participating in a criminal organisation and being an active corrupter. according to active corrupter. according to a statement by belgian�*s federal prosecutor, he's agreed to enter a plea bargain. now the reason that significant is he said he'll give details about how this criminal network was operating. now mr panzeri has a lawyer who is just given an interview, let's listen to what he had to say. translation: it is clear that mr panzeri's involved. - he did not deny it. this is a man who is destroyed. he will have to tell everything he knows, both about the beneficiaries of the corruption phenomenon, the organisation that was implemented, and the financial circuits that existed.

in other words, he'll have to say everything he knows. this is part of the commitment he's made. fascinating stuff — talk us through the background of this, tell us more about this eu scandal. tell us more about this eu scandal-— tell us more about this eu scandal. ~ . ~ ., , ., ., scandal. what we know is that a few da s scandal. what we know is that a few days ago. — scandal. what we know is that a few days ago, four people - few days ago, four people were arrested in belgium. they are suspected of having accepted huge amounts of cash from qatar, which of course hosted the world cup recently, in exchange to gain influence over political statements — especially when it comes to workers' rights. no belgian police have also released pictures of what they say they found huge amounts of cash, around $1.5 billion in cash stashed in a hotel room, an apartment, and a suitcase. now the people who have been arrested remain in custody, including panzeri, and some of

them are quite senior eu figures including a vice president of the european parliament. so this doesn't look good for the eu institutions. it's also worth remembering that qatar strenuously denies trying to buy influence through gifts or cash. but as we've just heard from panzeri's lawyer, he is preparing to give details and to name specific people involved in the scandal. so this latest development means more details will emerge soon. just to say that members of the parliament who have been accused all deny those accusations. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines... more international aid organisations have partially 6restored work in afghanistan, after receiving assurances from the taliban government that women can work in some sectors. the international rescue committee and care havejoined save the children in resuming

a number of programmes, mostly in health and nutrition. there was global condemnation back in december, when the taliban ordered aid organisations to exclude female staff. the vietnamese president has resigned shortly after the departure of two deputy prime ministers. all have lost theirjobs following an anti—corruption campaign launched by the hard—line communist party secretary general. he won an unprecedented third term in office last year, and appears to be consolidating his power. the swedish climate activist, greta thunberg, has been detained by the police at the site of a demonstration against the expansion of an open cast coal mine, in western germany. she had been protesting with activists seeking to stop the abandoned village of lutzerath from being demolished to make room for the mining project. the uk and the us have reaffirmed their support for ukraine in its struggle against the russian invasion. the uk foreign secretary,

james cleverly, has been holding talks with us secretary of state, antony blinken, during a visit to washington. mr cleverly praised western unity and had this message for president putin. whilst three quarters of the entire membership of the united nations voted to condemn this invasion, we should remember that never in living memory has russia been more isolated and the atlantic alliance more united. if putin believed the world would succumb to ukraine fatigue and lose the will to resist his ambitions, then that was, once again, another colossal misjudgment on his part. and us secretary of state, antony blinken, welcomed the uk's defence support for ukraine and said the us would also increase humanitarian help. we applaud the prime minister's commitment over the weekend to send challenger ii tanks and additional artillery

systems to ukraine. elements that will continue to reinforce and add to what the united states has provided, including in our most recent drawdown. we remain united in strengthening our humanitarian assistance to the ukrainian people, especially as president putin continues to weaponize winter by attacking ukraine's electricity grid. meanwhile in ukraine, the intense fighting around soledar and bahkmut continues. troops on the front line there have told the bbc they welcome news from the uk that they're to receive around a dozen challenger tanks — a move they hope will turn the tide in the war. together with missile defence systems — modern equipment from the west — is likely to be pivotal in the next few months in this war. the bbc�*s andrew harding has spent some time with a tank unit near bakhmut and sent this report. lurking in a snowbound forest just behind the front lines, a cluster of ukrainian tanks.

but these are ancient warhorses, half a century old. no match for russia's army. "they are just not suitable for this era," the company commander readily admits. "they work, but the technology has moved on." gunfire which is why there's great excitement here about the prospect of new western machines. if you could have any tank — challenger, leopard, abrams, any of these foreign tanks that are being offered — would it make a difference? i think abrams, leopard, challenger, it's very good for us. any tank? any tanks, any tanks. it helps for us, for victory. suddenly, there is incoming fire close by. a hurried exit for us and a reminder of the unpredictable nature of artillery warfare. we head closer to the front,

towards two furiously contested towns, soledar and bakhmut. ukrainian footage of a recent tank battle here, firing on the move. on a frozen hillside near bakhmut, we watch more ukrainian tanks in action. they call this section of the front line the meat grinder — a savage artillery war that has raged for months with precious little progress on either side. but the ukrainians here insist that's about to change — if, that is, they get western tanks here soon. if you're going to counterattack, if you're going to seize more territory, then you need tanks, you need mobile artillery? sure. it's very useful for counterattacking, because infantry covered by tanks, for sure, win. without that, these front

lines are going to be stuck like they are? yeah. for now, it grinds on, a cold and lethal winter stalemate. andrew harding, bbc news, in ukraine's donbas. if you want to get in touch with me, i'm on twitter — @bbckarishma. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: we'll bring you the very latest from the australian open in melbourne, from on and off the court. 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 called him - the butcher of lyon. klaus altmann is being heldj on a fraud charge in bolivia. the west germans want i 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. 0ur headlines...

china's population has fallen for the first time in more than six decades. belgian police say a key suspect in a corruption scandal at the european parliament has cut a deal with investigators. let's take you now to a new bbc documentary which examines one of modern—day india's worst ever outbreaks of religious violence. more than 1,000 people, many of them muslims, died in the violence after a train fire had killed 59 hindu pilgrims. there have been long—standing accusations that prime minister narendra modi, who was chief minister of gujarat at the time, did little to stop the violence. a report from the uk's foreign office obtained by the bbc stated that modi was directly responsible. last year, india's supreme court upheld a ruling clearing him of complicity. jon donnison reports. in 2002, gujarat was burning in what was some of the worst religious violence in modern india.

at least 1,000 people died, many of them were muslims. imran dawood, who lives in yorkshire, was visiting family there. two of his uncles and his neighbour mohammed were killed. they got stabbed. i do not know what happened to my uncles. it's fresh in my mind. like it happened yesterday. but sadly, 20 years on, nothing has happened. the violence broke out after muslims were blamed for a train fire that killed 59 people, many of them hindu pilgrims. in the days that followed, hindu mobs targeted muslim homes and businesses, with the police apparently doing little to stop them. but a british foreign office report marked as restricted blamed the right—wing hindu nationalist group the vhp and its allies for orchestrating the violence, but also narendra modi for allowing it to happen.

at the time, modi was the chief minister of the state. he's now india's prime minister. the document was obtained by the bbc in 2002. some details were reported at the time, though this is the first time it has been reported in full. "the vhp and its allies could not have inflicted so much damage without the climate of impunity created by the state government. narendra modi is directly responsible." it also reported claims that mr modi had directed the police not to stop the violence. "reliable contacts have told us... ..narendra modi met senior police officers on 27th february and ordered them not to intervene in the rioting. police contacts deny this meeting happened." this former senior diplomat was one of the investigators. he's speaking publicly for the first time and has

asked to remain anonymous. his words are spoken by an actor. there were pretty credible reports he had specificallyj instructed the police not to intervene. - the police contact who we i talked to consistently denied that, so we did have - conflicting reports on what his direct role had been. but we did feel it was clear, i there was a culture of impunity that created the environmentl for the violence to take place. that undoubtedly came from modi.j narendra modi has always denied he allowed or encouraged muslims to be targeted. an inquiry investigating claims of criminal conspiracy cleared him in 2012, a finding upheld by india's supreme court last year. but back in yorkshire, no—one has ever been convicted for the dawood family murders. still feeling very angry, very frustrated. it feels like there's no justice there. jon donnison reporting.

to some sporting news now — and the british billionaire sirjim ratcliffe has confirmed his interest in buying manchester united. the 70—year—old, who founded the chemicalfirm ineos, has been a fan of the club since he was a child. mr ratcliffe attempted to buy chelsea last year, but his late offer was rejected, as todd boehly was successful in taking over from roman abramovich. 0ur sports editor dan roan has this update. a lot of united fans will be hoping it happens, because so many of them are desperate to see the back of the club's american owners — the glazerfamily, who have presided over a period of decline both on the pitch and in terms of the stadium, old trafford, itself. now last year, they said they would be willing to listen to offers for the club after potentially bringing to an end a period of ownership, 18 years almost, defined by fan protests, controversy, and debt. now this evening, the british

chemicals giant ineos — owned by one of the country's richest men, sirjim ratcliffe — formally said he'd entered the bidding process. will it happen? well, it's important to remember that last year, ratcliffe tried and failed to by chelsea, having bid too late. and there is no doubt he will face fierce competition for united if he does bid, with the glazer family wanting at least £5 billion, and there's expected to be interest from the middle east and us. but having said that, he already has significant sports investment in the likes of sailing, cycling, f1, and, of course, football — he owns the french club nice. and he's made no secret of the fact he is a united fan — it was his boyhood club, having grown up in manchester. and i think for that reason, many united fans will hope the first person to formally declare their hand when it comes to united ends up being the club's next owner. but it's important to note the process could have several months to run.

it is day three of the australian open, in melbourne. after extreme heat, then rain halted play on tuesday, it is going to be another packed day of tennis. sports reporter at the age, marnie vinall, has told me the tumultuous weather on tuesday meant a lot of re—scheduled matches, which made things a bit difficult for players. frustration, especially like kokkinakis' match — he was visibly really dejected when his game was rescheduled. he was five points from victory, and if he was to win that, he would face andy murray in the second round, which would be a very exciting match especially for locals. but i think there is an element of us being used to the weather disrupting things here in melbourne. yes, that's a good way to look at it, deal with it and carry on. but i'm glad you brought up andy murray, because it was all

about andy murray yesterday, what was the melbourne crowd's response? 0h, melbourne absolutely love andy murray, his reception was amazing. you could tell he had a lot of vocal crowd support behind him. and he beat the 13th seed in matteo berrettini — and it went down to a tie—breaker in the fifth set, so a really thrilling match, and arguably that's the biggest upset of the tournament so far. and in terms of djokovic, it was the big controversy ahead of the australian open — have fans forgiven him, forgotten everything that happened last year? there was a lot of apprehension going into the australian open as to how melbourne crowds would react to djokovic, especially because melbournians were put into so many lockdowns. he was deported over his vaccination stance — but it was such a warm welcome ahead of the open, craig tiley, the ceo of tennis australia,

says he hopes melbourne would be really receptive towards djokovic and the local crowd would respect his greatness, and that definitely seemed to be the case. he definitely walked out to huge applause from the crowd, and the whole crowds were covered in the serbian flag, t—shirts were made. it was a very warm welcome. that was a sports reporter marnie vinyl telling us what we could expect in the next few days. and finally, madonna has announced a new tour this summer to mark more than a0 years of hit singles. the best—selling female music artist of all time used her instagram to share a video teeing up the tour — which will take her to 35 cities, starting in north america and moving through europe. 0rganisers said "madonna: the celebration tour" will take fans on her "artisticjourney through four decades "and pays respect to the city of new york where her career

"in music began". that's all for now. stay with bbc news. hello there. the cold weather is here to stay for a bit longer just yet, but the amount of snow we've seen has varied a lot from place to place. many of us haven't seen a single flake over recent days. there's been a smattering over the tops of the hills of the beautiful cumbrian lake district. but a bit more than that in highland, where we have seen some places reporting over 30cm of lying snow. that's where the majority of the disruption�*s been, but i suspect the disruptive potential is growing — these shower clouds, many of them with snow mixed in, are starting to become more widespread, and are moving their way across more areas of the western side of the uk — and with that comes the threat of disruption. so a band of snow crosses scotland southwards, crosses northern ireland southwards, with showers becoming much more widespread for wales and areas of western

england. now we are going to see accumulations of snow building up — 5—15 centimetres for these areas over modest hills, but at times, the snow will come all the way down to sea level. like recent nights, we still have seepage coming in from the fields, and with a sharp frost around, it's notjust the snow that has the potential to cause some transport disruption on into wednesday morning. but there'll be widespread ice — again, bringing very, very dangerous conditions out on the roads. 0n the face of it, temperatures not quite as low as recent days, however, we've got stronger winds — and if anything, i think that's going to make it feel even colder. certainly a bitter—feeling day on wednesday. the winds ease off a little bit as we head into thursday, but we're not finished with the stream of showers — they will, this time, mostly be concentrated across scotland, perhaps a bit more of a mixture here. some rain, some sleet and a bit of snow over the hills. there'll also be a few showers affecting the northwest of both england and wales. that aside, there'll be plenty of sunshine around, and our temperatures — well, not really changing a great deal, 5—6 celsius,

maybe a seven towards parts of southwest england. however, we will see some bigger changes in our temperatures as we head into the weekend, particularly across the western side of the uk, as we start to draw up these southwesterly winds. but cold air slower to move away from the east. so, there will be a big jump up in temperatures across northern and western areas — in many cases, back into double figures — as we go through the weekend. but with that will come thick cloud and outbreaks of rain. the colder air still hanging on across eastern areas, but even here, temperatures should slowly rise closer to normal.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour as newsday continues straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk from geneva. i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around

the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of