welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: america says a russian fighter jet has forced one of its surveillance drones to crash into the black sea using tactics that have been condemned by officials. several times before the collision, the su—27 has dumped fuel on and flew in front of the mq—9 in a reckless and unprofessional manner. tropical storm freddie has killed more than 200 people in malawi and mozambique after striking for a second time. tougher background checks announced on gun buying in america, as president biden tries to stop mass shootings. and the uk's biggest horse racing festival is kicking off with stricter rules around

jockeys whipping horses. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. welcome to our viewers in the uk, on pbs in america and around the globe. we begin in washington where the us has summoned the russian ambassador to express concern about a collision between a russian fighterjet and an american drone over the black sea. washington has accused moscow of irresponsible behaviour and said the drone was involved in a routine operation in international airspace. russia denied the us claims, instead saying the drone crashed after it lost altitude while manoeuvring sharply.

let's speak to our north america correspondent peter bowes. talk us through what we know at this stage?— this stage? officials at the pentagon _ this stage? officials at the pentagon says _ this stage? officials at the pentagon says this - this stage? officials at the i pentagon says this encounter lasted for seemingly quite a long time, 30—a0 minutes went to russian fighterjets were within the vicinity of these us drone which they say was carrying out surveillance activity in the area over the black sea international waters. they are not being specific about what it was doing or indeed its precise location but they say these are two russian jets were close at one point, heading and dodging in front of the drone. at one point fuel was poured onto the drone after its propeller was damaged and thatis its propeller was damaged and that is what caused the drone's

remote operators to crush it into the sea. there was no hope for it. it crushed and they say it was a complete loss, in other words it could not be retrieved at all. this is what pat ryder had to say at the pentagon. we are continuing to assess exactly _ we are continuing to assess exactly what happened but based on the _ exactly what happened but based on the actions of the russian pilot, — on the actions of the russian pilot, it — on the actions of the russian pilot, it was unsafe and unprofessional and the actions speak— unprofessional and the actions speak for— unprofessional and the actions speak for themselves. what we sell again work fighter from the air— sell again work fighter from the air plane dumping fuel in front— the air plane dumping fuel in front of— the air plane dumping fuel in front of this drone comic getting _ front of this drone comic getting so close it damaged a propeller on the mq-9. we assess_ propeller on the mq-9. we assess it _ propeller on the mq-9. we assess it likely cause some damage _ assess it likely cause some damage to the russian aircraft as welt — this is a serious episode. i

understand the russian ambassador has been called in by the us. any idea what was said or what the next steps are? ~ ., ., ~ ., ., said or what the next steps are? . ., ., 4' ., . ., are? we do not know what was said at that _ are? we do not know what was said at that particular - said at that particular meeting, indeed we do not have confirmation it has taken place but clearly i think that represents and illustrates the level of anger and concern that varies into this country. in terms of the nextep, officials at the pentagon were asked whether it be possible to retrieve what was left of the drain. —— the next step. which might shed some further light in what happened. it was interesting to be, a focus of the pentagon was on the pilots of the fighterjets, the pentagon was on the pilots of the fighter jets, calling their action into question calling it a reckless and it leaves open the question, if they were carrying out orders,

at what level of the chain of command those orders came from and perhaps the answer to those questions might shed further light on the question of how much of this is going to harm us — russia relations or the difficult relationship they have at the moment with the war in ukraine and this is in the vicinity of that war.- vicinity of that war. peter bowers. _ vicinity of that war. peter bowers, thank _ vicinity of that war. peter bowers, thank you - vicinity of that war. peter bowers, thank you for i vicinity of that war. peter - bowers, thank you for keeping us up to date. that peter bowes. you will find lots more detail about the stories we're covering on our website, including that story. just head to bbc.com/news or use the bbc news app. in other headlines. more than 200 people are now known to have been killed in malawi, in one of the most powerful storms to ever hit southern africa. dozens of children are among the dead, and thousands of people have been left homeless. in an unusual weather pattern,

it's the second time in a month that storm, storm freddy has struck southern africa, previously hitting neighbouring mozambique and madagascar before reaching malawi, as our africa correspondent andrew harding reports. this is southern malawi. whole neighbourhoods have been swept down hillsides, washed away by the storm that won't stop. there are plenty of houses, plenty of houses, but they are all gone. here in blantyre, malawi, grieving relatives queue outside hospitals waiting to identify the dead. rescue workers already grappling with a cholera outbreak, are entirely overwhelmed. cyclone freddy first hit mainland africa last month, but instead of petering out as expected, it swerved back out to sea, picked up more strength, then headed back to shore, tearing through one of the poorest corners of the continent. in the hospital where i am

speaking from at the moment, they've had around 119 deaths. at least half of those of children and the residents where the mudslide was said that there were an awful lot more people buried in the mud. so i think this is going to get worse as we get a fuller picture of what's going on. freddy first took shape off the coast of distant australia. it's since become one of the longest and most powerful storms on record. only four storms have made the journey all the way across the indian ocean from australia to africa. so this is really unusual. now, as for climate change, will it make long—lasting storms like this more common? that is really unclear. but we know in a warmer world we expect more rainfall, more flooding. so the impacts will get worse. right now, this region

needs urgent help. tens of thousands of people are homeless and the full extent of the destruction caused by the relentless cyclone freddy is not yet clear. andrew harding, bbc news, south africa. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. the state of ohio is suing the company whose freight train derailed near the city of east palestine last month. the state's attorney general wants norfolk southern to pay for the cleanup of the toxic chemicals that were leaked. the case alleges that 58 federal and state laws were broken when more than a million gallons of hazardous material was spilled. the greek government says rail traffic will resume gradually from next week, more than three weeks after the deadliest train crash in the country's history. 57 people were killed when a passenger train and freight train collided head—on at the end of february. the uk's chancellor of the exchequer is set to use wednesday's budget to promise a major expansion

of free childcare in england, as part of a drive to encourage more people back to work. the treasury hasn't formally commented ahead of the budget. a court in romania has rejected a bail application from the controversial influencer, andrew tate. he's been held since december, as part of an investigation into people trafficking and sexual abuse — allegations which he and his brother deny. president biden has signed an executive order to enforce tighter rules on gun sellers, which moves the us a little closer to what might be considered universal background checks. here he is arriving at los angeles a little earlier. he made the announcement in the suburb of monterrey park, a community devastated by a mass shooting injanuary, that claimed 11 lives and injured nine other people. last year, last yea r, after last year, after the mass

shooting in buffalo, new york and uvalve texas assigned the bipartisan safer communities act, the most significant gun law in more than 30 years. i have signed more action to prevent gun violence than any other president. today i am announcing another executive order that will accelerate and intensify this work to save more lives more quickly. first, this executive order keeps firearms out of dangerous hands, as i continue to call on congress to have background checks on all firearms sales... cheering and applause... but in the meantime, i address my attorney general to take every action possible to move us as close as we can to universal back ground checks without new legislation. it isjust

back ground checks without new legislation. it is just common sense to check whether someone is a felon, a domestic abuse, before they buy a gun. miles taylor was a former chief of staff at the us department of homeland security. he sastoe biden is taking action himself because of the political polarisation in washington. the factjoe biden is doing it by executive order is a tacit admission that the real measures cannot be passed because there is partisan gridlock in washington. the two big things this executive order does, again, commonsense measures because it bolsters background checks which the majority of americans approve of and also red flag laws which makes it harder for individuals have been deemed mentally and to get their hands on a weapon but it does not actually have any sort of massive increase on the problem we are seeing in the problem we are seeing in the united states of mass

shootings. that would require another act of congress and there just isn't a political bill because of the partisan extremism we see in washington. this executive order is an admission of the frustration they are seeing in washington. myles taylor speaking to the bbc earlier. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme: the uk's biggest horse racing festival is kicking off with new rules around how often jockeys can use whips. today, we have closed the book on apartheid and that chapter. more than 3,000 subway passengers were affected. nausea, bleeding, headaches and a dimming of vision — all of this caused by an apparently organised attack.

the trophy itself was on the pedestal- in the middle - of the cabinet here. now, this was an - international trophy, and we understand _ now that the search for it has become an international search. above all, this was a triumph for the christian democrats of the west, offering reunification as quickly as possible, and that's what the voters wanted. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. our main story this hour: america says a russian fighterjet has forced one of its surveillance drones to crash into the black sea using tactics that have been condemned by officials. let's stay with that story. professor matthew schimdt

is from the university of new haven. he told me that he's convinced that the collision was deliberate. absolutely. the pentagon is engaging in diplomatic speech here but it is clear if you are flying in front of the drone, slowing down to match speed and dumping fuel on it, this is a deliberate attempt to bring down a drone, absolutely. the russian ambassador has now been called in by the us as my colleague was just reporting. much of an escalation is this episode? much of an escalation is this e - isode? much of an escalation is this episode?— much of an escalation is this eisode? ., ., ., ., . episode? the pentagon announced with this that — episode? the pentagon announced with this that this _ episode? the pentagon announced with this that this is _ episode? the pentagon announced with this that this is not _ episode? the pentagon announced with this that this is not the - with this that this is not the first time they have had these kinds of incident with an asset that there seems to be the worst, the first time they have really attempted, the russians have attempted to bring the drone all the way down instead of just drone all the way down instead ofjust harassing it. it is a serious escalation at this point. calling in the ambassador is a sign of that. i don't think you will see these drones following solo anymore. they will have a manned escort

with them. what is the significance of that. as the us tries to evaluate its response? if you put manned escort is next to the drones it is a warning, saying that if you come near the drone you will have to risk engaging with american pilots. so it is escalating to the point of having two manned aircraft pairing off against each other. it is worth noting that these drones are amazing pieces of intelligence equipment. they can forward look with their senses almost over the entire peninsula of crimea. the russians have a serious stake here and stopping these drones from flying in international waters. and in terms of the surveillance operations going forward, as you point out, vital information in these drones. what, if anything, vital information in these drones. what, ifanything, does it mean forfuture drones. what, ifanything, does it mean for future escalation, professor, given the fact that things are so tense between the

two sides already. we will have to see what happens. underneath all of this is the threat of offensive operations about to begin on either the ukrainian or the russian side and the russians have claimed from the beginning that the provision of american intelligence to ukrainian forces is, in their minds, proof positive that the war is not between ukraine and russia it is between the united states, nato and russia. so these drones are invaluable intelligence that the ukrainians can use for their offensive operations coming up in the next few weeks and months and i think it will see the russians will get more and more serious about trying to stop that. more serious about trying to step that-— stop that. briefly, the reaction _ stop that. briefly, the reaction from - stop that. briefly, the | reaction from moscow, stop that. briefly, the - reaction from moscow, what do you expect there?— you expect there? they will deny that — you expect there? they will deny that this _ you expect there? they will deny that this was - you expect there? they will deny that this was a - you expect there? they will i deny that this was a deliberate attempt. they will say that the drone festival was not in international waters, they will say that the pilots were, you know, flying professionally and

claim certain things did not happen likely fuel dumping. that was matthew schmidt from the university of new haven speaking to me a little earlier. police in pakistan have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse supporters of the opposition leader, imran khan, from outside his residence in the city of lahore. the clashes broke out after police officers arrived, reportedly to arrest the former prime minister following a warrant issued by a court. he is facing allegations that he incorrectly declared gifts received from foreign dignitaries while in office. he says the case is politically motivated. our pakistan correspondent caroline davies has been speaking to former prime minister imran khan who said he is ready to face jail time. what have you seen and heard today? i what have you seen and heard toda ? ., , what have you seen and heard toda ? . , ., ., today? i have been following everything — today? i have been following everything from _ today? i have been following everything from here. i first of all the attack came. the police came in. without any knowledge.

i mean, certainly we saw news that the police were coming to arrest me. and we didn't have that many workers. so they immediately tried to remove the workers. so, they then stood their ground. and then there was the first water cannons, then this tear gas shelling. and inside my house, i mean, we were all... we had all eyes smarting, and we were, sort of, washing ourfaces because it came right inside the house. so, now there is a lull. they are gathering more force. i'm more mentally prepared that i'm going to be spending my night in a cell. god knows how many nights, but i'm all prepared for that. but i think they're determined this time they want me behind bars. so why are you resisting arrest when the police are coming now? we had taken bail, protective bail, till the 18th. so, on iltth, there was no reason why they should have come to arrest me. and the worry is that this is not... this is all what i would want in pakistan is rule of law.

and rule of law means, simply, whoever breaks the law should be punished. now, whether it is someone in my party or someone against me or opponent, they should all be subject to the law of the land. the law of the land says that there is an arrest warrant out for you, that you are resisting. so are you not following the law of the land? it is not the law of the land, because i had a protective bail to the 18th. they've come four days earlier. it's not the law of the land. it's the law of the jungle. that was in one can't speaking to my colleague in pakistan. —— imran khan. china says it will resume issuing visas to foreign travellers on wednesday in a major easing of pandemic travel restrictions. the country welcomed more than 65 million tourists in 2019, and it's eager to reignite its languishing tourism sector. even after much of the world

reopened, strict measures preventing chinese nationals from moving freely remained in place until late last year. gary bowerman is the director of check—in asia, a tourism intelligence and strategic marketing firm in kuala lumpur. he spoke to me about this shift in policy. this is a significant day. the reintegration of china into the international tourism fold. as you said today they will start to reissue tourist visas for foreign travellers to visit china and also today there are 40 china and also today there are lio more countries added to the list of outbound destinations around the world that chinese travellers can visit so, yeah, we're starting to see china re— embracing level travel and tourism. is this decision just an economic one, gary or is there something else at play? politics, given we just had the parliamentary congress in china in the last week? you parliamentary congress in china in the last week?— in the last week? you are

ritht. in the last week? you are right. economics - in the last week? you are right. economics for i in the last week? you are| right. economics for sure, china right. economics forsure, china does know that consumption is going to drive its economic recovery and consumption whether it is domestic tourism or inbound tourism. it also wants to reintegrate for the outbound tourism market which it knows and has been fair about in the past, it uses is a soft power tool to leveraged trade and diplomatic negotiations around the world. so this is stepping back from the fold of go global politics, economics and tourism. during the pandemic we saw that travel and tourism became a political issue and that will continue into the future. i5 that will continue into the future. , ., that will continue into the future. , , future. is there a sense, then, in china that _ future. is there a sense, then, in china that covid _ future. is there a sense, then, in china that covid is _ future. is there a sense, then, in china that covid is under i in china that covid is under control in china is ready to move forward and that travel demand, tourism, all of that is very much welcome now back into china? i very much welcome now back into china? ~ , very much welcome now back into china? ~' , . ., china? i think there is. what we saw over— china? i think there is. what we saw over the _ china? i think there is. what we saw over the last - china? i think there is. what we saw over the last two i china? i think there is. what i we saw over the last two months was china starting to open its doors onjanuary eight and we see an increase in domestic

travel tourism volume which has set the scene to see how confident the chinese are to travel themselves and to prepare for international travel and prepare for travel inbound into the country which for three years has not been possible. if you look at the curve now in terms of infections, it is flat and to where it was two months ago. it is under control, i don't think we know that around the world certainly to where it was two months ago, china is in a much better place, for sure. south korea is to lift its mask mandate from next week according to the official news agency yonhap. currently, wearing a mask is mandatory on public transportation, including buses, subways and taxis, as well as at hospitals, pharmacies and other high—risk facilities. the new rules will still remain in place for medical facilities. the indonesian island of bali

is planning to ban foreign visitors from using motorbikes following an increase in cases of people breaking local traffic laws. police say there have been more than 170 traffic violations by tourists visiting the popular destination in late february and early much alone. under the new proposals, tourists will only be able to get motorbikes from authorised travel agents. the new law is likely to come into force later this year. around a quarter of a million people are expected at the uk's cheltenham festival this week — as one of the biggest events in world racing gets underway. what's new this year are the rules on how much the jockeys can use their whips during the four days of racing. too much — and they could be disqualified. andy swiss reports. and they're off! the first race of the day, to get through the turnstiles. as fa ns as fans and horses descended on cheltenham. this quiet corner of the cotswolds again the centre of the racing world. the

cheltenham festival is often described as the olympics of jump described as the olympics of jump racing for the jockeys riding here it is always a challenge but this year, how they riders under the spotlight. rules on the number of times jockeys can use the web have been tightened and serious breaches could mean disqualification.— serious breaches could mean disqualification. ultimately we wanted the — disqualification. ultimately we wanted the jockeys _ disqualification. ultimately we wanted the jockeys to - disqualification. ultimately we wanted the jockeys to think i wanted the jockeys to think more carefully about how they use the web. it is not a welfare issue, it is about engagement in the sport, and fairness. ., , fairness. come the big race, thou:h, fairness. come the big race, though. the _ fairness. come the big race, though, the focus _ fairness. come the big race, though, the focus was i fairness. come the big race, though, the focus was on i fairness. come the big race, | though, the focus was on the sports new wonder horse, a constitution hill, the hot favourite for the champion hurdle and he lived up to his billing with the most emphatic victory. but the days most special win was this. rachel blackmore on honeysuckle, the horse's last race before retiring and what a way to go out. forthe retiring and what a way to go out. for the trainer, retiring and what a way to go out. forthe trainer, his retiring and what a way to go out. for the trainer, his son died in a riding accident last year and it was a poignant vic terry. it

year and it was a poignant vic ter . , . , , . year and it was a poignant vic ter. , . ~'., terry. it is massive. we know jack is terry. it is massive. we know jack is always _ terry. it is massive. we know jack is always with _ terry. it is massive. we know jack is always with us - terry. it is massive. we know jack is always with us and i i terry. it is massive. we know| jack is always with us and i am jack is always with us and i am sure he there on rachel's shoulder and, you know, she has been a huge part of our life and hejust adored her. so, i think, she did it for him as much as all of us. andy swiss, bbc news, cheltenham. france is literally counting down to the 2024 olympics. a sign was unveiled as anticipation bill and so was the desire for tickets. and before we go, an early spring treat for visitors at tokyo's ueno park, who have been enjoying cherry flowers blooming early in the season. japan announced the official start of tokyo's cherry blossom season on tuesday, 10 days earlier than usual. in past years the country's meteorologists have linked the increasingly early

blooms to climate change, and temperatures in tokyo have been unseasonably mild in recent days. that's all for now — stay with bbc world news. hello. this week, we've got some very big swings in temperatures from one day to the next. yesterday, widely, we had temperatures double figures, whereas today, it's been about 9 celsius colder than that. for example, boulmer, 14 yesterday, just five this afternoon — now, that's a drop. temperatures has brought with it much colder air, and in turn, we've seen some snowfall over the staffordshire moors again here and here at low levels in the carlisle area. so, across parts of northern ireland, southern scotland, northern england, we have seen some snow getting down to quite low elevations, risk of a few showers pushing across the midlands, east anglia, south east england, but clearing later in the night with clear skies, then following.

well, we are looking at a widespread and sharp frost in our towns and cities. temperatures widely between —2 and —6 celsius, and where we've seen those showers, there is a risk of some icy stretches to start the day on wednesday. otherwise, it should be a fine start with lots of sunshine. now, in the west, we'll see cloud quickly thicken in northern ireland, outbreaks of rain spreading in here. you might even see a little bit of snow just on the forward edge of this weather system. but ultimately, the air is turning milder in northern ireland, so any snow will be transient, it will turn back to rain. however, during wednesday evening time, we could well see some more troublesome snowjust for a time across parts of northern england and scotland. the snow potentially could come down to quite low elevations, but it's across the hills and particularly to the north of the central belt, where we'll probably see the snow lasting longest. but as we go through wednesday night, again, we are going to see milder air push in from the southwest, so by the end of the night, most places will have temperatures above freezing. now, for thursday, friday and the weekend beyond, this area of low pressure is going to be in charge, the weather unsettled, and with those south—westerly winds feeding in, it will be

turning a lot milder. that milder air will be arriving for most parts of the united kingdom on thursday, although it will be accompanied by brisk winds and some heavy outbreaks of rain. temperatures will be climbing to around 12—14 degrees pretty widely, so very mild for the time of year. but the cold air hasn't quite left our shores — lerwick, just three celsius. through friday, generally it is going to be on the mild side with outbreaks of rain at times, but the cold air never far away across the north of scotland, and there are signs it could start moving southwards again early next week.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. screaming. the earthquake strikes. un aid arrives in turkey immediately, but take several days to reach northwest syria. bbc news arabic investigates. un teams are supposed to deploy within 48 hours of a request.