from singapore. i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: new zealand has a new prime minister as the education and covid response minister chris hipkins takes over from jacinda ardern. as freezing temperatures kill more than 120 people in afghanistan, we have a report. ifeel like afghanistan, we have a report. i feel like my face will fall off! imagine if you lived, day in day out, in conditions like this. also on newsday, tanks for ukraine and reports that germany has backed down following international pressure and will send leopard 2 tanks to ukraine. and a first for indianfilm making. the song naatu naatu from the hit film rrr has been nominated for best original song at the oscars.

hello and welcome to the programme. we start in new zealand where, in the last couple of hours, chris hipkins has been sworn in as the country's new prime minister, after the shock resignation of jacinda ardern last week, who said she didn't have enough in the tank to continue in the job. mr hipkins was sworn in at government house in wellington, alongside carmel sepuloni, who becomes the country's first pasifika deputy prime minister. mr hipkins�* labour party will face a general election in october. 0ur correspondent, phil mercer, has more on this. this will be a big year for chris hipkins and his reshaped

government. we are expecting a cabinet reshuffle in the next week or so and also a policy reset. the new prime minister says that inflation will be his key concern in the months leading up to that election on october leading up to that election on 0ctober1li, laterthis leading up to that election on 0ctober1li, later this year. cost of living pressures have been enormous in new zealand, as they are in many other parts of the world. chris hipkins has very big shoes to fill as well, replacing jacinda ardern, as you say, last week, announced that the prize resignation after more than five years as prime minister. jacinda ardern, for many women and children around the world, became a bit of a global icon for her empathetic and kind approach to leadership, especially after the mosque attacks in the new zealand city of christ church in 2019. jacinda ardern, saying that she no longer has the

physical capacity to continue, burn out at the highest level of government. chris hipkins is the new man in thejob and as you say he is assisted by his new deputy, carmel sepuloni. she is the first deputy prime minister of pacifico dissent in new zealand and all of this is meant to reboot the labour government —— pasifika deputy prime minister. back in 2017, whenjacinda ardern became when jacinda ardern became prime whenjacinda ardern became prime minister, she was 37 years of age and at the time the youngest female head of government anywhere in the world. it was quite a journey for her and her country over those next 5.5 years through the christchurch massacre and also the pandemic as well. new zealand is saying goodbye to one prime minister and income is another, with huge challenges ahead, as new zealand big —— begins the countdown to the election in october next —— this year.

the german chancellor has decided to send in battle tanks into kyiv. it has been that it is a pivotal moment in the war and has been a great deal of focus on germany and the supplier of the leopard two tank. an announcement is expected soon. the americans are also considering supplying their own tanks. the americans are also considering supplying their own battle tank, the abrams, to ukraine. defence officials at the pentagon say discussions are ongoing. the uk has already promised ukraine some challenger 2 tanks it's the british army's main battle tank and there are 1a to be sent. here's our europe editor, katya adler, on germany's reluctance to provide the leopard 2 to ukraine. the prospects are looking good. chancellor scholz is in front of the german parliament tomorrow for prime minister's

questions, and the talk of the town in berlin, , brussels and at nato and in washington is he's widely expected to say he is now ready to send heavy tanks to german—made, to ukraine. probably about 1a to 15 to start with, i'm told about the same number of the uk has pledged. the leopard 2 tank. but the real significance here isn'tjust about germany. about 80% of modern tanks in europe are those german—made leopard 2s, and they own all of the export rights, so this means countries like poland, desperate to send their tanks to ukraine, haven't been able to do so yet because they haven't had the nod from berlin. warsaw, kyiv, washington, they've tried to pile that pressure on 0laf scholz, so what taken him so long? i have to say he's even a bit of a frustration back home in germany for his "i'll do things at my own pace" attitude.

he's also been waiting for us to know from the us, but it's worth bearing in mind that germany already is one of the biggest suppliers of military and humanitarian aid this crisis has seen, as one might expect from europe's largest economy. meanwhile, in his latest address, ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky, said the western allies will have to do better. translation: this isn't about five, ten, 15 tanks. every day we are doing what is necessary to fill the deficit and i think everyone who supports us in this. however, discussions must end with decisions, decisions and really strengthening defences against terrorists. john herbst is the senior director at atlantic council's eurasia center, and former us ambassador to ukraine and uzbekistan. i asked him how significant this latest development is for the war effort. this is an important

development and credit all the countries that made it happen. as regards germany, better late than never. let's not assume the decision from chancellor scholz but assume it is a very good step but point to the fact, tanks should have been sent months ago, not in the coming weeks. ukraine needs more advanced weapons, first, to stop russian advance and reducing the human cost of russian aggression and secondly to take back territory, ukraine territory, seized by my scalp, especially since invasion last february. —— seized by moscow. heard from our reporter talking about germany's reluctance, what you think is holding them back? i what you think is holding them back? ~ . , ., , ., back? i think that germany and also the united _ back? i think that germany and also the united states - back? i think that germany and also the united states have - also the united states have been intimidated by vladimir

putin's constant talk of nuclear threat, even though the chance of using nuclear weapons is tiny, even though it is tiny if not small, because russian generals have said he does not want to commit suicide and i think that is a factor but then there is the new factor over there is the new factor over the past couple of months that ukraine is done so well with counteroffensive, maybe if they were to succeed to drive russia completely out of ukraine, the regime of vladimir putin will fall on what would chaos in russia look like?— fall on what would chaos in russia look like? indeed. sorry to “um russia look like? indeed. sorry to jump in. _ russia look like? indeed. sorry toiump in. but _ russia look like? indeed. sorry to jump in, but on _ russia look like? indeed. sorry to jump in, but on your- tojump in, but on your thoughts, where do you see the war going from here, in particular, what response do you see from russia in response to these latest developments? russia has proved its armies income from such incompetent in ukraine and 0llett can do is strike civilians and civilian infrastructure so we may see more of that. moscow in theory is mobilising for a new offensive and effect is causing

operations near little towns in northeast ukraine and now also around the region of the south—central ukraine and zaporizhzhia, but making small progress. i think there will be a lot of huffing and puffing in moscow and no serious counter moves. �* , . moves. and updating the breaking _ moves. and updating the breaking news _ moves. and updating the breaking news in - moves. and updating the breaking news in the - moves. and updating the breaking news in the lastj moves. and updating the - breaking news in the last half hour and we have now heard that four crew members of the cargo ship that capsized off the coast of negus arkie injapan have been transferred to lifeboats, according to reuters news agency and the kyoto news agency, citing officials and japanese coastguard is said to be heading to the area and other ships also offering assistance to the hong kong

registered vessel with 22 on board. more updates as we get it. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. classified documents have been found at the home of the former us vice—president mike pence in the latest discovery of secret papers. they were uncovered by a lawyer for mr pence at his indiana home and handed over to the fbi. similarfinds have also been made at presidentjoe biden�*s home, and former us president donald trump's residence. the president of peru has called for a national truce as thousands of protesters remain on the streets, calling for her resignation. dina boluarte said weeks of demonstrations had cost the country more than $1 billion. around 50 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces since the former president pedro castillo was arrested and impeached in decemberfor alleged corruption. the turkish president, recep tayyip erdogan, has said sweden shouldn't

expect his support in its bid tojoin nato. mr erdogan was speaking after a swedish far—right politician publicly burned a copy of the koran outside turkey's embassy in the swedish capital. let's turn now to the humanitarian crisis in afghanistan. ever since the taliban seized power again in 2021, millions of women and girls have lost access to education and other freedoms. the country is now facing its coldest winter in a decade with temperatures as low as minus 31 degrees celsius. the united nations estimates that 97% of afghans are living in poverty. some 20 million people are facing acute hunger. two—thirds of afghans are in need of humanitarian assistance, including clean water and sanitation, and yet the taliban is refusing to lift the ban on female aid workers. that ban was confirmed in a statement to the bbc today.

0ur chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, has travelled to the salang in the hindu kush to see how bad things are. a winter wonderland of aching beauty, but brutal. we are travelling through the masses of the hindu kush, through the world's second highest road tunnel, the salang tunnel. a place of legend. it's an engineering wonder, but a death trap. especially in winter, in avalanches and accidents. the only highway rescue at this spot is sakhi momhammed, selling chains for tyres, in the coldest winter in a decade. translation: it gets so cold you cannot see the road. you can't walk, and the heaters

in cars don't work. this is the only way to reach sakhi mohammed's home. there is no road. nothing is easy in this life. this is what life is like here — literally lived on the edge. even for the littlest, with little coverfrom this biting cold. a home made of mud with the warmth of a large family. translation: i have heard people died of cold. my kids recently got sick. some of my animals died. until now, i haven't heard people died in salang. even five—year—old jamshad helps keep them alive. they survive with a traditional stove and twigs.

and under this red and gold blanket, charcoal burns. you can taste the fumes in this room. this year, their heating costs soared, just like the rest of the world. translation: no aid agencies have come to help us, - not under the last government or the taliban government. an aid agency did come by this month. this family wasn't seen as needy. imagine the others. the oldest daughters didn't go to school. they couldn't afford it. 14—year—old zainab was the luckiest — she got to go, but then the taliban shut girls' high schools. such hard lives in such harsh terrain. afghan rulers come and go. nature's power ever—present. lyse doucet, bbc news, salang.

you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: a first for indian film making — the song naatu naatu from the hit film rrr has been nominated for best original song at the oscars. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after liftoff. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman schoolteacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word revolution. the earthquake singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. tonight, the search for any survivors has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass.

the new government is firmly in control of the entire - republic of uganda. survivors of the auschwitz concentration camp have been commemorating the 40th anniversary of their liberation. they toured the huts, gas chambers and crematoria and relived their horrifying experiences. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines: new zealand has a new prime minister — as the education and covid response minister chris hipkins takes over from jacinda ardern. i asked new zealand political columnist josie pagani what she makes of the star appeal of chris hipkins.

jacinda ardern is one of a kind. you will not see her like again in new zealand for a long time and certainly that global profile was extraordinary and we loved being on the map for a while. there is a website dedicated to map support leave new zealand off and she definitely put us back on there. chris hipkins does not have the same name recognition but the day before she resigned there was a map that showed for there was a map that showed for the first time the majority of new zealanders did not have a favourable position or opinion ofjacinda ardern. so the labour government was in trouble and the thing that chris hipkins has is different. he is described as talk to her cheese. he was announced as prime minister, endorsed by the local media here and dressed in a dusty baseball cap with a pair of cheap sunglasses, the sort you can buy a petrol

station so this is not a prime minister who will end up on the front cover of vogue and the response to that has been quite positive. it is a back to basics back to pragmatic labour government and people like it. you spoke about some of the broad policies or priorities but it sounds like he will focus on. in terms of the economy i know that is an issue given that inflation is also a problem in new zealand. 50 given that inflation is also a problem in new zealand. so he is very much — problem in new zealand. so he is very much said _ problem in new zealand. so he is very much said that - problem in new zealand. so he is very much said that he - problem in new zealand. so he is very much said that he will. is very much said that he will lead a labour government that gets back to read and butter issues. cost of living, jobs, inflation, the same as you in the uk, the nhs, back to basics like access to health services. we have had seven or eight hour waiting times in emergency rooms and not enough nurses, so want. even basics like potholes on the roads that had driven them crazy over the summer in new zealand a record number of vehicles being damaged. so it

is a very pragmatic back to basics message that he will be focusing on cost of living, infrastructure, access to health and education as well. we have about 70% of children in low income areas not attending school on a regular basis so all of that has resonated quite well with new zealanders, even though resonated quite well with new zealanders, even thouthacinda zealanders, even though jacinda ardern zealanders, even thouthacinda ardern is a global superstar. this year's 0scar nominations have been announced with the science fiction film everything, everywhere all at once out in front. it's nominated in 11 categories including best picture. and closely following it — with 9 nominations each — are two wartime european dramas. 0ur entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba reports. it does not look good. she's right. in fact, it looks great. everything everywhere all at 0nce, a mind—bending, universe—hopping fantasy,

leads with 11 nominations, including michelle yeoh, the first ever woman who identifies as asian, to be nominated for best actress. just behind with nine nominations, the german war drama all quiet on the western front. now, if i've done something to you, just tell me what i've done to you. and on what's been a spectacular day for irish cinema, the dark comedy the banshees 0f inisherin. a quarter of today's acting nominations have gone to irish performers, including banshees' colin farrell and brendan gleeson. sit somewhere else. he must be somewhere behind us. films that have helped a soaring box office in 2022 have also been recognised. top gun: maverick has a best film nomination, as does the only movie that outperformed it at the box office, avatar: the way of water, and that matters to the oscars. a huge proportion of their revenue comes from the tv rights to the ceremony, and with audiences for awards shows plummeting in recent years, they know they need to try to get people watching again.

pinocchio, you shouldn't lie! of course, a nomination still carries huge cultural cache. former best picture and best director winner guillermo del toro says today's nomination for best animated film for pinocchio means as much to him as his previous ones. iam not lying! what does an oscar nomination mean? is it still the gold standard? in practical terms, it puts a lot of eyes on your movie. people that didn't see it before, now they see it, because it's nominated. if you win, the same thing, and it is undoubtedly the golden standard. # keep me close...#. one final factor that could also help boost ratings, best song nominations for rihanna for black panther: wakanda forever and lady gaga for top gun: maverick. it means we could see two of music's stars performing on the big night. lizo mzimba, bbc news.

well, one of the films to receive an oscar nomination is the indian film rrr. it is an historical fantasy film, which tells the fictional story of two real—life indian revolutionaries, fighting british rule. it features dazzling action sequences, dance tracks and patriotic anthems. have a look. ashanti 0mkar is a film and tv critic and has interviewed ss rajamouli, the director of rrr. she spoke to us about how significant this nomination is, especially for an indian film from the southern region of the country.

this is not just this is notjust epic but it is making history in many ways because we have seen wins not for an indian made film. it was made by danny boyle. dan it was a completely different ball game. rrr is financed by india and made in india and the graphics effects that have astounded the world are also all indian and that is what makes the song special in many ways. we have not seen something happening a song with these dance moves which are so traditional in any ways that make many ways, this delivers similar in such a big way. in the ca south indian movie make this kind of breakthrough is epic. i this kind of breakthrough is eic. ., ., this kind of breakthrough is eic. . ., , this kind of breakthrough is eic. ., ., , ,., epic. i want to pick up on that. epic. i want to pick up on that the _ epic. i want to pick up on that. the composer - epic. i want to pick up on that. the composer of i epic. i want to pick up on | that. the composer of the epic. i want to pick up on - that. the composer of the song is a veteran, isn't he? he has done work for hindi cinema, known as bollywood, but the fact that this film is from

south india, how important is that distinction in your opinion? that distinction in your opinion?— that distinction in your oinion? , ., �* opinion? hugely important. i've alwa s opinion? hugely important. i've always been _ opinion? hugely important. i've always been an _ opinion? hugely important. i've always been an advocate - opinion? hugely important. i've always been an advocate for - opinion? hugely important. i've| always been an advocate for the fact that india, every time you move ten kilometres there is a different part of india, a different part of india, a different culture that you feel. so when it was branded as bollywood i always felt that was wrong. from day one it was one of the biggest reasons i move into doing the work i do right now. and tamale has been telling people how this is a tellywood film. and south indian movies have been moving into the biggest selling movies in india. all you have to do is flick the switch and turn on subtitles and you can watch in any language. it is a brilliant thing. any language. it is a brilliant thin. �* , , . ., thing. indeed. and it is such a catchy song- _ thing. indeed. and it is such a catchy song- my _ thing. indeed. and it is such a catchy song. my kids - thing. indeed. and it is such a catchy song. my kids have - thing. indeed. and it is such a l catchy song. my kids have been singing it at home. it is up against lady gaga and rhianna. how do you think it will fair

given the tough competition? the fact that it won best song at a critics choice award is a very good precursor to the oscars. there is a big chance 0scars. there is a big chance that we will see rhianna and lady gaga and there are so many wonderful songs on this list. so it is wonderful to see this list, it feels diverse and there is a song from everywhere all at once and we see is to ancients shining 0scar stage after a long time and for the fact that someone like michelle yeoh has been deserving of this nomination for a long time.

hello. tuesday brought some huge temperature contrasts across the uk. it was —9 in 0xfordshire in the morning and then 16 degrees in the afternoon in aberdeen. but i think over the next few days, the temperatures will balance out a little bit more — it'll be closer to the seasonal norm. we'll also lose the frosts in the south of the country where, recently, it has been very cold, and here's an example in the south of the uk. those temperatures won't be quite so low overnight as we head into next week. ok, let's get into the forecast, then. here's wednesday's weather map, and a cold front is moving across the country, introducing a little bit of rain early in the morning across northern parts of the uk through scotland and northern ireland. little bits and pieces of rain and murky conditions further south as well. there will be a touch of frost first thing anywhere from east anglia through the southeast down towards the west country, but the vast majority of us will have temperatures above freezing first thing. also the possibility of some mist and fog in the midlands, west country, possibly east anglia as well for a time. so, let's have a look at the forecast, then, for wednesday.

here's that weather front as it moves from the north southwards, perhaps reaching northern wales, the peak district, early in the afternoon — lincolnshire, too. behind it, the skies actually clear, so some sunshine later in the day for belfastjust before sunset. belfast, glasgow, ten degrees here. then notice that weather front sinks southwards and there will be some rain towards the rush hour, i think, in the south of the country, and then eventually clearing the kent coast late wednesday evening. thursday, we've got an area of high pressure building across the uk nosing in, and that spells a lot of sunny weather — it really is going to be a fine day for many of us on thursday. a little on the cool side, i think, on the north sea coast, so with that northerly breeze, perhaps one or two showers, i think beautiful weather out towards the west and those temperatures close to the norm for the time of the year — around nine in belfast, not far off that elsewhere

across the country. then the outlook as we head into the weekend, you can see temperatures actually recovering to around double figures as we head towards sunday, and we're talking about generally dry weather. that's it from me, bye—bye.