abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.m the us insititue of peace —— institute of peace to find out how he sees the situation in kazhakstan developing. in many ways, up to now, kazakhstan has been something of a poster child for successful techno—authoritarianism and a model of a successful petrostate. in the past, they've been able to take protests that are local in origin or very specific and kind of buy them off. what's really been different this time is just how widespread in geography they are and kind of the lack of focus. up until wednesday, these very much looked like the kinds of protests that you would expect in a post—covid environment where people are dissatisfied with corruption and price hikes and the government sort of treated them that way. they were trying to buy off or find scapegoats for these things. it really changed on wednesday. suddenly we saw both in the crowds a focus really on nursultan nazarbayev, the first president, we saw the current president, tokayev, make an effort to sort of put the blame

reports say security forces have taken control of central almaty. are taking place just a few hundred metres away from where i am standing now. you can hear the sound of shooting and explosions. the family of tennis star novak djokovic says he's been subjected to humiliating treatment in australia, as he's held in quarantine, fighting deportation from the country. and the award—winning american film—maker, peter bogdanovich, has died at the age of 82. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news — it's newsday. hello and thanks forjoining us. president biden has accused donald trump of holding a dagger to the throat of amercican democracy, a dagger to the throat of american democracy, in a speech to mark the first anniversary of the storming of the capitol building. mr biden blamed the former president's refusal to accept his election defeat for sparking an armed insurrection. but donald trump has repeated his discredited claims that the election victory was stolen from him. we begin our coverage with this report from our north america corres

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.elf from the us institute of peace in washington. thank you very much for coming on the programme.— on the programme. great to be here. on the programme. great to be here- we _ on the programme. great to be here- we saw _ on the programme. great to be here. we saw in _ on the programme. great to be here. we saw in that _ on the programme. great to be here. we saw in that report - here. we saw in that report 'ust here. we saw in that report just there. _ here. we saw in that report just there, yes, _ here. we saw in that report just there, yes, the - just there, yes, the disruptions in the demonstrations may be quashed by the increase in security forces there, but the underlying reasons for the protests are not going away. . how do you see this moving forward? in how do you see this moving forward?— how do you see this moving forward? . , ._ , , forward? in many ways up till now kazakhstan _ forward? in many ways up till now kazakhstan has - forward? in many ways up till now kazakhstan

and 'ust to make it clear almaty. and 'ust to make it demor— almaty.ar for our international i clear for our international audience, we say that what sparked these protest as the rising cost of fuel, but actually there are many, many other underlying issues causing people to be extremely angry at the government at the moment? that's right, the sharp rise in fuel prices is what sparked the protest but it's not the root cause for such an unprecedented, countrywide protest with thousands of people protesting and all major cities across kazakhstan and the root cause of it is the long—standing frustrations among the catholic population about —— kazakh population. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we meet pinkpa ntheress, we meet pinkpantheress, winner of the bbc sound of 2022. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief. after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of t

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.o come: the us film director known for the last picture show and paper moon has died aged 82. the japanese people are in mourning following the death of emperor hirohito. thousands converged on the imperial palace to pay their respects when it was announced he was dead. good grief. after half a century of delighting fans around the world, charlie brown and the rest of the gang are calling it quits. the singer paul simon starts his tour of- south africa tomorrow in spite of protests and violence - from some black activist groups. i they say international artists should continue to boycott south africa _ until majority rule is established. . around the world, people have been paying tribute to the iconic rock star david bowie, who sold 140 million albums in a career that spanned half a century. his family announced overnight that he died of cancer at the age of 69. the world's tallest skyscraper opens later today. the burj dubai has easily overtaken its nearest rivals. this is bbc news,

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.of state anthony blinken has been talking about the deployment of russian troops to kazakhstan as part of the the post—soviet collective security treaty organization. he had this warning for the kazakh regime over its reliance on moscow. there are very particular drivers of what's happening in kazakhstan right now, as i said, that go to economic and political matters, and what's happening in there is different from what's happening on ukraine's borders. having said that, i think one lesson of recent history is that once russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave. one place closely watching events in kazakhstan is belarus. both countries are members of the russian—led collective security treaty organization, or csto, which has sent peacekeeping forces to kazakhstan. speaking on state tv, belarusian president alexander lukashenko said his forces were not there to kill. translation: we are not fighting for anyone. - there is only one company of our troo

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.okovic, has spent the night effectively under detention in a hotel in melbourne after his visa was revoked in a row over covid precautions. his treatment has drawn criticism from the serbian government. the country's president posted on instagram that "the whole of serbia is with him". shaimaa khalil has the latest. the world number one arriving in melbourne, ready to defend his australian open title, only to be told he's no longer welcome. after hours of being held at the city's airport, the border authorities said his visa had to be revoked because of a mistake, and novak djokovic was taken to a quarantine hotel. he came to australia with an exemption, but he's been public about his opposition to being vaccinated. on the issue of mr djokovic, rules are rules, and there are no special cases. rules are rules. it's what i said to you yesterday — that's the policy of the government and has been our government's strong border protection policies and particularly in relation to the pandemi

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.restrictions have come into effect for people in the capital delhi over the weekend. restaurants, markets and most shops will be closed until monday morning. russell trott reports. bharat�*s shop sells everything for the kitchen and more. but with fewer customers and takings down, he has been badly hit by the pandemic. yet, despite india's capital delhi locking down over the weekend, he remains upbeat. translation: the way corona cases are on the rise this - lockdown, the weekend curfew is a must. for the past two years, we have faced losses and we will face the same in the future. i will be happy when the amount of cases are lower and there is no lockdown. as the authorities grapple with a fresh surge in cases, partly fuelled by the fast—spreading omicron variant, most businesses here are still recovering from last year's outbreak that overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums. but daily case numbers had since then stayed reasonably low, until last week. all residents besides essential w

almaty last week.akhstan, where suddenly looking like war. , , like war. these bandits were controlled — like war. these bandits were controlled by _ like war. these bandits were controlled by terrorists. - like war. these bandits were controlled by terrorists. for| like war. these bandits were i controlled by terrorists. for the level of organisation here, it must have been a criminal group that planned it in advance.— have been a criminal group that planned it in advance. dozens were killed. thousands _ planned it in advance. dozens were killed. thousands have _ planned it in advance. dozens were killed. thousands have since - planned it in advance. dozens were killed. thousands have since been | killed. thousands have since been detained. there's still a lot of confusion about who was behind the violence. authorities blame terrorists and bandits. some talk about a power struggle in the ruling elite. but one thing is clear, but to stay in power, the president of kazakhstan had to call on foreign powe

the army of kazakhstan is standing guard, here on the streets of almaty.illed, the state security forces seem to be back in control, and when we came close to them, the warning not to approach is very clear. gunshot. today the president was clear too — any more unrest will be met with lethal force. translation: terrorists continue i to damage state and private property and use weapons against civilians. i have given the order to shoot to kill without warning. president tokayev portrays the protesters as terrorists who are sowing chaos. they say that their movement is peaceful and blame the authorities for provoking the violence. the unrest was triggered by a sharp rise in fuel prices, but this country's corrupt authoritarian regime is unpopular. some of the biggest clashes took place here at the former presidential residence and the mayor's office. the buildings were burned out, and you can see here all these cars were also set on fire. you can hear again the shots, but maybe it's the military and police officers are firing into the air to warn people not

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.e director of the wider europe programme at the european council on foreign relations. i asked what triggered the uprising in kazakhstan. the trigger was a change in the calculation of fuel prices, of liquid petroleum gas prices, which is very used in western regions of kazakhstan. it stopped to be subsidised on first january. so the price doubled all of a sudden. and this triggered demonstrations in this particular region, which is historically for protests in kazakhstan. there have been very serious protests. back in 2011, with brutal repression, and ever since, there have been a lot of social movements in the region. it is basically one of the richest regions of the country because that's where petroleum oil is produced. but it's also one of the regions where the living standards are the harshest for the people, so that also explains part of the social and economic demands of people demonstrating there. what came as a surprise is that the protests spread across the country very fast

almaty last week.enly looking like war. translation: these bandits were controlled by terrorists. j for the level of organisation here, it must have been a criminal group that planned it in advance. dozens of people were killed. thousands have since been detained. there's still a lot of confusion about who was behind this violence. authorities blame terrorists and bandits. some here talk about a power struggle in the ruling elite. but one thing is clear — that to stay in power, the president of kazakhstan had to call on a foreign power for help, and that's russia. enter the russian military. on paper, russian troops here are peacekeepers, deployed to kazakhstan as part of a collective security alliance of former soviet states, the csto. but most of the soldiers are russian, the kremlin keen to demonstrate its regional power. addressing csto colleagues, president putin made events fit his wider narrative. translation: we understand the events in kazakhstan - won't be the last attempt to interfere in the

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.f the wider europe programme at the european council on foreign relations. many thanks for joining many thanks forjoining us. just break it down for us — why has this uprising in kazakhstan come about? what was the trigger? it uprising in kazakhstan come about? what was the trigger?— what was the trigger? it was a chan . e what was the trigger? it was a change in _ what was the trigger? it was a change in the _ what was the trigger? it was a change in the calculation - what was the trigger? it was a change in the calculation of. what was the trigger? it was a | change in the calculation of fuel prices, of liquid petroleum gas prices, of liquid petroleum gas prices, which is used in western regions of kazakhstan. its stock to be subsidised on first january. and this triggered demonstrations in this triggered demonstrations in this particular region, which is historically accredited for protest in kazakhstan. there have been very serious protests. back in 2011, with brutal repression, an

almaty last week.protests over fuel prices... ..in another part of kazakhstan were suddenly looking like war. translation: these bandits were controlled by terrorists. j for the level of organisation here, it must have been a criminal group that planned it in advance. dozens of people were killed. thousands have since been detained. there's still a lot of confusion about who was behind this violence. authorities blame terrorists and bandits. some here talk about a power struggle in the ruling elite. but one thing is clear — that to stay in power, the president of kazakhstan had to call on a foreign power for help, and that's russia. enter the russian military. on paper, russian troops here are peacekeepers, deployed to kazakhstan as part of a collective security alliance of former soviet states, the csto. but most of the soldiers are russian, the kremlin keen to demonstrate its regional power. addressing csto colleagues, president putin made events fit his wider narrative. translation: we understand th

in almaty, running battles lasted on into the night.led to maintain control in this, kazakhstan's biggest city. this is the fourth day of protests. what began as demonstrations over energy prices, now morphing into something more serious. "they said kazakhstan wouldn't take to the streets," says rafik, "but we've grown tired and we've had enough." earlier, protesters stormed city hall, security forces responding with tear gas and stun grenades. president tokayev said terrorist gangs were trying to take over parts of the country. in an address to the nation, he threatened tough action and declared a state of emergency. he's called on neighbours including russia for help. far to the west, in the port city of aktau, more crowds on the streets where it all began at the weekend. a sudden jump in the price of liquefied natural gas, used to power cars, caused fury. but the protests have now tapped into other, long—standing grievances, corruption and economic hardship. some vent their anger on the country's former leader nursultan nazarbayev, w

this is one of the electronics shops that was looted in almaty.hink the leaders tried to burn this place as well, because it still smells of smoke. this is a huge blow for almaty, the financial capital of afghanistan. it is not clear yet if the violence is over, or how much damage has been done to the authority of kazakhstan's hard-line leader. bbc news, almaty. laura: joining us from moscow is steve rosenberg. the u.s. secretary of state has warned that once the russians are in your house, it is very difficult to get them to leave. is this a temporary deployment by the russian lead security alliance to cause extent, or a more permanent one? -- to kazakhstan, or a more permanent one? stephen: quite a soundbite from anthony blinken. i have not heard any reaction. i think what russian officials would say is if that house is in russia's backyard, if that house is on fire, it is up to moscow to do something about it. the russians maintain it is a limited deployment, a temporary one, until the situation in kazakhstan has stabilized. why have the russia

the army of kazakhstan is standing guard here on the streets of almaty.s of violence and many protesters killed, the state security forces seem to be back in control, and when we came close to them, the warning not to approach is very clear. gunshot. today, the president was clear, too — any more unrest will be met with lethal force. translation: terrorists| continue to damage state and private property and use weapons against civilians. i have given the order to shoot to kill without warning. president tokayev portrays the protesters as terrorists who are sowing chaos. they say that their movement is peaceful and blame the authorities for provoking the violence. the unrest was triggered by a sharp rise in fuel prices, but this country's corrupt authoritarian regime is unpopular. some of the biggest clashes took place here at the former presidential residence and the mayor's office. the buildings were burned out, and you can see here all these cars were also set on fire. you can hear, again, the shots, but maybe it's the military and police officers are f

almaty last week.ere suddenly looking like war. translation: these bandits were controlled by terrorists. for the level of organisation here, it must have been a criminal group that planned it in advance. dozens of people were killed. thousands have since been detained. there's still a lot of confusion about who was behind this violence. authorities blame terrorists and bandits. some here talk about a power struggle in the ruling elite. but one thing is clear — that to stay in power, the president of kazakhstan had to call on a foreign power for help, and that's russia. enter the russian military. on paper, russian troops here are peacekeepers, deployed to kazakhstan as part of a collective security alliance of former soviet states, the csto. but most of the soldiers are russian, the kremlin keen to demonstrate its regional power. addressing csto colleagues, president putin made events fit his wider narrative. translation: we understand the events in kazakhstan won't be the last attempt to interfere in

. —— almaty.ials say troops have regained control of the municipal building but were facing fierce resistance around the main square. the president is due to address the nation later on friday. meanwhile, russia says its first military units and to support because our authorities have now arrived in the country. —— to support kazakh authorities. this is the aftermath of the mass unrest — violent clashes between riot police and protesters turned what used to be almaty�*s bustling square into a war zone. sparked by a hike of fuel prices, the roots of the protest movement go deep into the corrupt authoritarian system. and the turmoil continues. the armyjoined riot police to disperse the crowd. the number of casualties is rising. at night, the stand—off grows particularly violent. stun grenades, rubber bullets and reportedly live rounds have been used to crack down on the protest. the clashes are taking place just a few hundred metres away from where i'm standing now. you can hear the sound of shootin

the aftermath of riots in kazakhstan�*s largest city, almaty.ing guard here on the streets of almaty. after days of violence and many protesters killed the state security forces seem to be back in control and when we came close to them the warning not to approach is very clear. today the president was clear. any unrest will be met with lethal force.— clear. any unrest will be met with lethal force. terrorists continue to dama . e lethal force. terrorists continue to damage state _ lethal force. terrorists continue to damage state and _ lethal force. terrorists continue to damage state and private - lethal force. terrorists continue to j damage state and private property and use weapons against civilians. i have given the order to shoot, to kill without warning. the president ortra s kill without warning. the president portrays the _ kill without warning. the president portrays the protesters _ kill without warning. the president portrays the protesters as - portrays the protesters as terrorists sowing chaos. they say their movement is peaceful a

in almaty, running battles lasted on into the night.ity. this is the fourth day of protests. what began as demonstrations over energy prices, now morphing into something more serious. "they said kazakhs wouldn't take to the streets," says rafik, "but we've grown tired and we've had enough." earlier, protesters stormed city hall, security forces responding with tear gas and stun grenades. president tokayev said terrorist gangs were trying to take over parts of the country. in an address to the nation, he threatened tough action and declared a state of emergency. he's called on neighbours including russia for help. far to the west, in the port city of aktau, more crowds on the streets where it all began at the weekend. a sudden jump in the price of liquefied natural gas, used to power cars, caused fury. but the protests have now tapped into other, long—standing grievances, corruption and economic hardship. some vent their anger on the country's former leader nursultan nazarbayev, who remains powerful. "old man, leave," they chant. in anot

the aftermath of riots in kazakhstan's largest city, almaty.es have permission to shoot to kill those the president of kazakhstan calls terrorists and bandits. translation: the militants have not laid their arms, they _ continue to commit crimes or are preparing for them. the fight against them must be pursued till the end. whoever does not surrender will be destroyed. what started as peaceful nationwide protests against the rising cost of fuel turned violent, the worst of it in almaty. | translation: it's really frightening| because we feel in danger and we are not protected by our state. this has shown the failure of the state in general. the total number of dead and injured is not yet known. 0fficially, 18 police and national guardsmen have been killed and more than 700 officers injured. this is the russian military deployed to kazakhstan, part of a moscow—led military block requested by the kazakh president to end unrest in his country. but many in kazakhstan are concerned about russian troops on the ground and what role they will play. nor

almaty, last week.started as peaceful protests over fuel prices, and another part of kazakhstan, was suddenly looking like war. >> these bandits were controlled by terrorists. for the level of organization here, it must have been a criminal group that planned it. >> dozens of people were killed, thousands have since been detained. there is still a lot of confusion about who was behind the violence. the authorities blame terrorists and bandits. the soviets talk about a power struggle in the ruling elite. one thing is clear, to stay in power, the president of kazakhstan have to call on a foreign power for help. that is russia. enter the russian military. on paper, russian troops here aree peacekeepers, deployed to kazakhstan as part of a collective security alliance with former soviet states. but most of the soldiers are russian. the kremlin came to demonstrate its regional power. addressing colleagues, president putin made a defense his wider narrative. >> we understand the events in kazakhstan will not

abdujalil abdurasulov, bbc news, almaty.astrophic impact of the pandemic on many patients needing nhs treatment. almost six million people in england are waiting for routine operations and procedures, but the health and social care select committee says the demands of emergency care and staff shortages could ruin plans to tackle the growing backlog. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. operating theatres stood idle — some were converted into temporary intensive—care units. the nhs was braced for a covid surge in the first wave. only emergency procedures were done. so patients hoping for planned surgery had to wait. now a commons committee has set out the consequences. the chair says it's made an existing problem worse and radical action is needed. i'm worried that we could turn a temporary crisis caused by the pandemic into a permanent change in the landscape, where itjust becomes the norm for people to wait years and years for their operations. and without some really major reforms, particularly to make sure that we're tra

intense gunfire could be heard through the night in almaty — the country's largest city.ontrol. a little earlier, the interior ministry issued a statement on the unrest — saying 26 people, which it calls "armed criminals," have been "liquidated." it says a further 3,000 people have been detained, and claims 18 police and security personnel have also been killed. 0ur correspondent rayhan demytrie is in the georgian capital tbilisi. the president claiming it is all but over and? the president claiming it is all but overand? it the president claiming it is all but over and? it seems there has been pretty heavy loss of life? that over and? it seems there has been pretty heavy loss of life?— pretty heavy loss of life? that is riuht. we pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't _ pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't know— pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't know the - pretty heavy loss of life? that is right. we don't know the full- right. we don't know the full picture yet. because so far there's been total blackout, internet blackout. and

the aftermath of riots in kazakhstan's largest city, almaty.ecurity forces have permission to shoot to kill those the president of kazakhstan calls terrorists and bandits. translation: the militants have not laid their arms, _ they continue to commit crimes or are preparing for them. the fight against them must be pursued till the end. whoever does not surrender will be destroyed. what started as peaceful nationwide protests against the rising cost of fuel turned violent, the worst of it in almaty. translation: it's really frightening because we feel in danger _ and we are not protected by our state. this has shown the failure of the state in general. the total number of dead and injured is not yet known. this is the russian military deployed to kazakhstan, part of a moscow—led military block requested by the kazakh president to end unrest in his country. but many in kazakhstan are concerned about russian troops on the ground and what role they will play. normal life has been disrupted. with internet blackouts, they cannot use their bank cards.

steve rosenberg, bbc news, almaty. of polar explorers, has returned to her home in the uk after walking solo across antarctica. captain preet chandi trekked 700 miles in a0 days. our correspondent frankie mccamley has that story. cheering arriving into heathrow, captain preet chandi reunited with her bridesmaid—to—be and fiance, who proposed a week before she left for the south pole. i'm so, so glad to be back in the uk. it's so great to have an audience here, like, have a few friends here, have my partner here and people from the military as well. polar preet, as she has become known, finished a 700—mile trek to the south pole in a0 days, seven hours and three minutes, almost a week ahead of schedule, enduring temperatures as low as —50 degrees and wind speeds of up to 60 mph, while pulling a 90 kilograms sled containing her kit. and what's next? i know you've just landed, but you already have plans in the pipeline, don't you, for other things? pretty much from monday, i think i'll be in the gym again, training. my ai

steve rosenberg, bbc news, almaty.e for a new president in may. the current frontrunner is the son of the country's late dictator, ferdinand marcos. marcos sr was exiled from the country in 1986 following a popular revolt against his corrupt and authoritarian rule. howard johnson reports from manila. i am today announcing my intention to run for the presidency of the philippines. bongbong marcos kicking off his election campaign late last year. running alongside him for vice president is sara duterte, daughter of popular authoritarian president rodrigo duterte. bongbong's father, president ferdinand marcos, ruled the philippines for two decades. his regime rigged elections, tortured and killed political opponents and plundered up to $10 billion of public money — corruption immortalised by wife imelda's extravagant shoe collection. in my four years as philippines correspondent, i've seen how social media has been exploited to revise dictator ferdinand marcos's corrupt and authoritarian rule to one of aspirational leader

the internet is down in almaty, but some users have managed to connect using vpn. which showed the main administrative building in the city of almaty being set ablaze. it also sounded like there was gunfire used, but that is not confirmed. it'sjustjudging by social media pictures. similar pictures are emerging from other parts of the country. protesters attempted to storm the main government building, and the police responded with the water cannons. that is in quite freezing temperatures. also, there was some footage on social media which showed some of the military being taken hostage by the protesters, so it's all turning quite violent. kazhakstan is in central asia. it shares a border with russia and with china, and it's a vast country — about the size of western europe. 19 million people live there. kazakhstan was ruled for almost a0 years by this man, nursultan nazarbayev. he stood down in 2019, passing the reins to kassym—jomart tokayev, his hand—picked successor, although former president nazarbayev is believed to still hold considerable influence behind the

the army of kazakhstan is standing guard, here on the streets of almaty. to be back in control and when we came close to them, a warning not to approach is very clear. gunshot. today the president was clear that any unrest would be met with lethal force. translation:— would be met with lethal force. translation: ., , , ., translation: terrorists continue to dama . e translation: terrorists continue to damage state — translation: terrorists continue to damage state and _ translation: terrorists continue to damage state and private _ translation: terrorists continue to damage state and private property i damage state and private property and use weapons against civilians. i have given the order to shoot to kill, without warning.— kill, without warning. president toka ev kill, without warning. president tokayev portrays _ kill, without warning. president tokayev portrays the _ kill, without warning. presidentj tokayev portrays the protesters kill, without warning. president i tokayev portrays the protesters as terrorists. they say that their movement is peace

their own january the sixth response soon security forces in kazakhstan clear the central square in almaty after days of anti government protests and — the world tennis number one novak djokovic finds himself confined to an immigration hotel in melbourne, after running into trouble with his visa for the australian open. we start in the us, where exactly one year so on from the capitol hill riot, president biden has condemned his predecessor, donald trump, for the role he played that day. the democrats have held several events marking the anniversary, including a minute's silence in the us house of representatives. here's president biden speaking from inside the capitol building. the former president of the united states of america has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. he has done so because he values power over principal. because he sees his own interests is more important than his countries interest and america's interest. vice president kamala harris also spoke about what happened that day. here she is. what they were assaulting were the institutions that values t

steve rosenberg, bbc news, almaty.ng unless it can demonstrate progress in eradicating "deep—seated racism". the culture, media and sport committee made the recommendation following testimony by the former yorkshire player, azeem rafiq, who described english cricket as "institutionally racist". the england and wales cricket board currently receives more than £2 million a year of public money. our sports editor, dan roan, has the details. england enjoyed some encouragement in hobart earlier, as the final test of what's been a chastening series got under way. but back home, the game's in danger of losing more than just the ashes. a damning parliamentary report has concluded there is deep—seated and endemic racism in the sport, with a warning it could prove costly. i'd like to see public money withheld from cricket if the measures that the ecb come up with, in terms of trying to ensure that racism — the scourge of racism — is removed from the game. if they fail to reach those targets, then there should be a stopping of pu

on almaty's streets in hard to verify social media posts, an ugly overnight crackdown.they're dead, they're dead, a man says. a motionless body out of safe reach, stretched out on the freezing ground. in the same city, the country's biggest protesters fought battles with uniformed forces, casualties accumulating on both sides. law enforcement appearing to gain the upper hand with arrests and killings. police claim they took deadly action overnight. describing an as yet unverified shadowy shoot first, ask questions later crackdown. >> translator: last night, extremist forces attempted to storm the administrative buildings and police department in the city of almaty. dozens of attackers were eliminated and their identities are still being verified. >> reporter: the mayor's burnt out office. without offering proof, the kazakh president claiming protesters are foreign-backed terrorists. a characterization rejected by protesters. we are neither thugs nor terrorists, this woman says. the only thing flourishing here is corruption. we want the truth, this protester says. the go

reports say security forces have taken control of central almaty. men's tennis world number one, novak djokovic, remains under detention in a hotel in melbourne after his visa was revoked in a row whether covid precautions. his treatment has drawn criticism from the serbian government, as well as his family, who have called him the victim of a political witch—hunt. now on bbc news, it's time for take me to the opera, with zeinab badawi. i've been an opera fan for decades, and i'm on a mission to share my passion and introduce you to some of the big names today and superstars of tomorrow — and ask how they're responding to the changing world of opera. cecilia bartoli, the italian mezzo soprano who originally wanted to be a flamenco dancer, and brings flair and a female perspective. peruvian—born tenor juan diego florez, whose first ambition was to be a pop singer and brings rock—star appeal. two of the leading lights in opera. but how are they helping to define its future? we also meet a couple of rising stars — south african soprano masabane cecilia

fred pleitgen is there for us. >> reporter: inside the charred carcass of the almaty mayor's office a by hand and by machine, workers start to repair the damage caused by the grip of kazakhstan. cnn is the first allowed to survey the extent of the damage. authorities have brought in dozens if not hundreds of workers to clean up the aftermath of street battles in kazakhstan's largest city of almaty. it's remarkable to see the full scale of destruction here in the mayor's office, as authorities here say rioters entered this building and set fire to all of it. kazakhstan officials say they were dangerously close to losing control, not just here in almaty but here places across the country. kazakhstan's president said protests originally against high fuel prices were hijacked by what he calls, quote, terrorists. the issue shoot to kill order and enter military force led by russia. >> translator: we presented dangerous threats for security. as part of the counterterrorism mission, we're attempting to identify the people who committed those crimes. >> reporter: the government says things ar

in almaty, running battl lasted into the night.ice struggling to maintain control in this city. this is the fourth day of protests. what began as demonstrations over energy prices now morphing into something more serious. >> they said kazaks wouldn't take to the streets, bu we are tired and have had enough. >> protesters storm city hall. police responding with teargas. the president said terrorist gangs are trying to take over parts of the country. he threatened tough action and declared a state of emergency. he has called on neighbors, including russia, for help. far to the west, more crowds in the streets where it all began. a sudden drum and the price of gas used to power cars fueled fury. the protests have tapped into corruption -- long-standing grievances. me vent their frustrations on the leader. "old man, leave" they chant. in another city, a crowd tries to pull his statue down. the u.s. has urged authorities to use restraint. back in almaty, some policeman were giving up. eight policeman a national guardsmen have been kille

back in almaty, some policeman were giving up.oliceman and national guardsmen have been killed. >> dramatic scenes there. we go now to europe where the omicron variant of covid has led to record numbers of cases. in italy, we saw a new high of 200,000 infections today. the government is meeting to talk about compulsory vaccines for workers and people over the age of 50. in france, where 330 five cap -- 335,000 cases have been reported, president macron wants to make like difficult -- life difficult for those who have not been vaccinated. >> the youngesto be armed in the endless battle against covid. five-year-old eduardo gets his first jab as italy steps up vaccinations for children. maybe too small to grasp how the pandemic has changed their world. >> why did youant to vaccinate your son? >> because i love him. his father and i really love him and want him and all of his friends to go back to a normal life. this is the least we can do. respect science and respect our children. >> it was ok. >> did it hurt? >> just a little bit. >

. >> the internet is down in almaty, but some users have been able to connect using vpns.ome live footage which shows the maindministrative building in the city of almaty being set ablaze. it also sounded like there was gunfire but that is not confirmed. that is just judging by the pictures shown by social media. similar pictures are emerging from other parts of the country, from the western cities, where protesters attempted to storm the main government building. the police responded with water cannons. that is in freezing tempatures. also, there was some footage on social media which show to some of the military being taken hostage by the protesters. it is all turning quite violent. ros: kazakhstan is in central asia, shares a border with russia and china, and it is about the size of western europe. 19 million people live there. kazakhstan was ruled for nearly 40 years by this man. he passed on the reins to this man. he was handpicked as the successor. although the former president is out of power, he is believed to hold considerable influence behind the scenes. a sociol

reports say security forces have taken control of central almaty. men's tennis world number one, novak djokovic, remains under detention in a hotel in melbourne after his visa was revoked in a row over covid precautions. his treatment has drawn criticism from the serbian government, as well as his family, who have called him the victim of a political witch—hunt. now on bbc news, it's time for our world. the catastrophic impact on the pandemic on many patients needing nhs treatment. almost 6 million people in england are waiting for routine operations and procedures but the committee says demands of staff shortages ruin plan to tackle the backlog. operating theatres stood idle, some were converted into temporary intensive care units. the nhs was braced for a covid surge in the first wave. only emergency procedures were done. so, patients hoping for planned surgery had to wait. now, a commons committee has set out the consequences. the chair says it's made an existing problem worse and radical action is needed. i'm worried that we could turn a tempora

shouting in almaty, running battles lasted on into the night.ggling to maintain control in this, kazakhstan�*s biggest city. this is the fourth day of protests. what began as demonstrations over energy prices now morphing into something more serious. "they said kazakhs wouldn't take to the streets," says rafik, "but we've grown tired and we've had enough." earlier, protesters stormed city hall, security forces responding with tear gas and stun grenades. president tokayev said terrorist gangs were trying to take over parts of the country. in an address to the nation, he threatened tough action and declared a state of emergency. he's called on neighbours including russia for help. far to the west, in the port city of aktau, more crowds on the streets where it all began at the weekend. a sudden jump in the price of liquefied natural gas, used to power cars, caused fury. but the protests have now tapped into other long—standing grievances, corruption and economic hardship. some vent their anger on the country's former leader, nursultan nazarbayev, w

this was earlier in almaty, where demonstrators stormed the mayor's office.disperse. more than 200 people have been arrested since the unrest began. the white house has urged calm and restraint. here's our central asia correspondent, rayhan demetrie. the internet is down in almaty, but some users have managed to connect using vpn. i've seen some live footage which showed the main administrative building in the city of almaty being set ablaze. it also sounded like there was gunfire tht was used, it also sounded like there was gunfire that was used, but that is not confirmed. it'sjustjudging by the live pictures. similar pictures are emerging from other parts of the country. that's the latest there on the situation in kazakhstan. more on that throughout the day. you have been watching bbc news. hello. sunshine has been in short supply of late, but wednesday certainly made up for it with widespread blue skies across the uk. there is a price to pay for those clear skies. 0vernight tonight, temperatures falling very sharply. it will stay chilly across the uk throu