steve rosenberg there. let's turn our _ in ukraine? steve rosenberg there.n _ in ukraine? steve rosenberg there. let's turn our attention to _ in ukraine? steve rosenberg there. let's turn our attention to uk - let's turn our attention to uk politics now. in the last few hours the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg has been speaking to the chancellorjeremy hunt answering questions about his budget that he delivered earlier this month. 0ur westminster correspondent georgia roberts has more. ~ , , ~' more. the prime minister this week has been talking _ more. the prime minister this week has been talking about _ more. the prime minister this week has been talking about this - more. the prime minister this week has been talking about this being i more. the prime minister this week has been talking about this being a | has been talking about this being a bounce back a year for the has been talking about this being a bounce back a yearfor the uk economy andjeremy bounce back a yearfor the uk economy and jeremy hunt the chancellor today also keen to try and capitalise on som

our russian editor steve rosenberg has more. e: it was president putin's 19th state of the nation address. and he used it to send this warning to western nations, don't send your troops to ukraine. pres. putin: they need to understand once and for all that we have weapons, too, that can strike targets in their territory. and everything they think up and scare the world with risks in your good conflict and the end -- risks a nuclear conflict and the end of civilization. steve: regarding russia, he claimed to rede poverty, boost the birth rate, and raise incomes. well, there is an election coming up. the kremlin clearly wanted russians to see the speech. it was shown live on billboards, even in some cinemas, although this moscow movie house wasn't exactly overflowing. putin and popcorn not an obvious combo. this address was part campaign speech, part state of the nation, and state of the world, as vladimir putin sees it, with promises to his people that life will get better if he stays in the kremlin. as for the current wave of rep

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ke tojohn tefft, distinguished chair in diplomacy and security at the rand corporation, and former us ambassador to russia and ukraine. thank you for being with us. there are three other names on the ballot paper but given that this election will most likely lead to vladimir putin's fifth term in office, setting him up to be the longest—serving leader since catherine the great in the 1700s, what is important about this particular election? these elections are important to vladimir putin because he looks at them as a form of legitimation or validation, if you will, of his status as the unchallenged leader of russia. we all know the results of the election will be and if we had any question about making sure that was the case, we saw that with the candidacy of the politician, mr nadezhin who got the requisite number of votes but the central election commission found some technical problems which disqualified him. he had come out against the war. clearly, he was not going to be allowed to

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's speak to daniel treisman.a professor of political science at the university of california, los angeles, and founding director of the russia political insight project. the resounding victory is what we all expected. the question is, what message will president putin want to send to the world today with this result?- today with this result? well, he wants _ today with this result? well, he wants to _ today with this result? well, he wants to show _ today with this result? well, he wants to show unity - today with this result? well, he wants to show unity with | today with this result? well, i he wants to show unity with the russian people, he wants to give those who want to view him as a legitimate president the material to back up that view, and he wants to show that he is in control, that no challenge is a real threat to him at this point, and that he can continue the war in ukraine without having to worry about any opposition to speak about. but it was very notable, as steve rosenberg said in the report, that

thank you, steve rosenberg in moscow.rah, what are the white house saying about this?— saying about this? here, us officials are _ saying about this? here, us officials are saying - saying about this? here, us officials are saying that - saying about this? here, us - officials are saying that america does have intelligence which they believe confirms that islamic state were responsible for this attack. and they believe the statement made by isis. our news partner here in america, cbs, has a source that says there has been a steady stream of intelligent dating as far back as november saying that isis wanted to strike in moscow and that that intelligence was shared with russian authorities under what is known as the duty to warn. it has been assumed that the warning the state department put out, that steve rosenberg refer to, telling americans to stay away from large gatherings including concerts because the us was monitoring reports that extremists were preparing to strike imminently, it is presumed that was related to thi

we will be going live to our roster editor steve rosenberg in moscow in a few minutes. can get more of the aftermath of the attack online including this article from steve rosenberg looking at how president putin has been reacting. you can find that on the bbc news website or app. france has raised its terror threat warning to the highest level, following the islamic state group claiming responsibility for the deadly attack in russia. it allows for exceptional security measures such as extra patrols by armed forces in public places like train stations, airports and religious sites. the country had lowered the level injanuary, with this escalation back to the highest level coming months before the paris olympics later this year. the palestinian red crescent says israeli troops have been firing smoke bombs around a hospital in khan younis in gaza to try to force staff, patients and displaced people to leave. these images from this morning show the skyline looking over southern gaza in the direction of khan younis. you can see the plumes of smoke from airstrikes. the israe

steve rosenberg, bbc news, borovsk.henko, russia editor with bbc monitoring. thank russia editor with bbc monitoring. you forjoining. reporting thank you forjoining. we have been reporting there is no credible opposition, could you tell us more about how that came about? it is the result of 20 — about how that came about? it is the result of 20 years _ about how that came about? it is the result of 20 years of _ about how that came about? it is the result of 20 years of vladimir - result of 20 years of vladimir putin's rule. it started off as a fledgling democracy after the break—up of the soviet union. but the fact is now that russia's political landscape is barren and bleak and there are no effective or popular figures bleak and there are no effective or popularfigures in russia who bleak and there are no effective or popular figures in russia who could realistically challenge vladimir putin. there are four candidates on the ballot but he is head and shoulders above the other three and from that point of view he is gu

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.we've been hearing, the islamic state group has said it was behind the attack, but president putin says the gunmen were trying to flee to ukraine. that's an allegation kyiv has described as �*absurd'. so what do we know about who may have launched the attack? here's our security correspondent, gordon corera. chaos and confusion as gunmen begin shooting inside the concert hall at crocus city. this footage, verified by the bbc, shows the gunmen in the foyer. but who are they? isis, the group calling itself islamic state, today issued a statement saying its men seen here were responsible. that's not something we can independently confirm. and the issue of who was responsible is deeply contentious. more than two weeks ago, the us issued this warning to its citizens in moscow, saying what it called extremists, thought to mean isis, might target large gatherings, including concerts. it communicated the intelligence directly to moscow. but three days before the shooting, a kremlin statement w

steve rosenberg is in moscow and _ the world. steve rosenberg is in moscow and gave _ the world.osenberg is in moscow and gave his _ assessment this was proposed by russian opposition supporters abroad, in exceland it russian opposition supporters abroad, in excel and it was supported by the most prominent opposition figure alexei navalny just before his death. they are calling people to come out in large numbers and vote for any other candidate other than vladimir putin, orto other candidate other than vladimir putin, or to spoil their ballot. they say that if large numbers of people come out, that will undermine the official results, which is expected to show a vladimir putin landslide. as i say, it's not clear how many people will come out, and in the russian capital, the russian prosecutors office has issued a warning saying that large numbers of people at polling stations at midday will be considered an unauthorised mass public event, and suggesting that will be illegal. it is not clear how that would work and if people have the right to vote today on this third and final da

steve rosenberg, moscow. christian: --met alexei navalny back in 2011.reflections on what you witnessed in moscow today? >> good evening. it is an astonishing sight of today's atmosphere of repression in russia, to see thousands of brave russians out in the streets, when it has been proven in the past that protests, kgb infiltrators can in plain get into the crowd and antagonize the population in order to spur more hard-line actions from the police and authorities. my principal reaction is one of deep sadness, for the mother and father, brother and husband. they have lost their other halves, etc. russia does not have another navalny. there is not another one waiting in the wings right now. christian: that is an interesting point you made. i asked earlier in the week who was going to carry the mantle? not only oppose vladimir putin, but lift the lid on the corruption that surrounds the kremlin. who is capable of fulfilling that role? >> it is a good question. you are right to point out that aspect, because that is exactly how vladimir putin, how navalny c

the bbc's russia editor steve rosenberg reports now on the display of public support for putin and ona goes from here. >> vladimir putin! reporter: after the landslide came the love. vladimir putin, portrayed by the kremlin as a national hero. marking 10 years since russia annexed crimea. long live russia, he cried. cue the national anthem. and some kremlin choreography, to make it look as if putin is russia and russia is putin. earlier, we saw the crowds pouring towards red square. thousands of russians had been given free tickets for the putin event. after all, a president who claims to have won 87% of the vote needs an audience. western leaders have dismissed russia's presidential vote as neither free nor fair. a stage managed election. but the kremlin could not care less what the west thinks. it paints a picture of a president who enjoys the overwhelming support of his people. down at the russian election commission, they counted all the votes and presented all their figures. so, it is six more years of president putin. but what does that mean for russia and for the world? >> it d

the bbc's russia editor steve rosenberg reports now on the display of public support for putin and ona goes from here. >> vladimir putin! reporter: after the landslide came the love. vladimir putin, portrayed by the kremlin as a national hero. marking 10 years since russia annexed crimea. long live russia, he cried. cue the national anthem. and some kremlin choreography, to make it look as if putin is ruia and russia is putin. earlier, we saw the crowds pouring towards red square. thousands of russians had been given free tickets for the putin event. after all, a president who claims to have won 87% of the vote needs an audience. western leaders have dismissed russia's presidential vote as neither free nor fair. a stage managed election. but the kremlin could not care less what the west thinks. it paints a picture of a president who enjoys the overwhelming support of his people. down at the russian election commission, they counted all the votes and presented all their figures. so, it is six more years of president putin. but what does that mean for russia and for the world? >> it doe

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.: finally, security measures been put in place to protect a new mural by the street artist banksy at work -- after it was defaced in north london. local counsel erected fencing around the artwork and sending community officers to the site. the art features green paint spray on a wall behind a cutback tree to look like foliage, but it was defaced with white paint. now, remember, you can find more about all the date's news on our website, bbc.com/news. you can see there's something about secretary blinken's trip to the middle east. if you want to see what we are working on at any time, check us out on your favorite social media site. that is it for the moment. i'm caitriona perry. thank you for watching "world news america." take care. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation

steve rosenberg, bbc news. anchor: thank you for watching world news ameca. get the latest developments on the bridge collapsed on our website,/news. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ william: good evening. i'm william brangham. geoff bennett and amna nawaz are away. on the “newshour” tonight, a baltimore bridge collapses after being struck by a container ship. the search for survivors and for answers. reproductive rights are back before the supreme court. at stake -- access to a commonly-used abortion pill. and israel's defense minister

i want to bring you something that has come in from our bbc russia editor steve rosenberg who is in moscowren't afraid and neither where we, and they were chanting mr navalny's name, but whatever russia editor is saying, they are also chanting, "no to war", "we will never forget", and the phrase "murderers", so i want to get your thoughts on that, olga, thinking about the huge risk people are taking injust thinking about the huge risk people are taking in just gathering let alone enchanting statements like that? , y alone enchanting statements like that? , , .., that? yes, absolutely. -- chanting statements— that? yes, absolutely. -- chanting statements like _ that? yes, absolutely. -- chanting statements like that. _ that? yes, absolutely. -- chanting statements like that. that - that? yes, absolutely. -- chanting statements like that. that is - statements like that. that is somewhere the police may count... especially _ somewhere the police may count... especially if — somewhere the police may count... especially if the slogans go against the kremlin's current narrative, the special— the

steve rosenberg, bbc news. anchor: let's look at some other headlines now.16 migrants were reportedly killed trying to reach europe from libya after their boat's engine broke down and drifted it see for several days. survivors say the engine cut out three days into their crossing of the mediterranean leaving them stuck without food or water and 25 people were rescued by humanitarian group. spain's parliament approved a controversial amnesty law that exonerates separatist and catalonia who held an independence rep from an 2017 in defiance of the national government. the spanish government said it will improve coexistence for the nationalist and the law will head to the senate which could delay its approval but not block it. the u.s. federal aviation administration says they are overseeing the investigation into space x's latest attempt to launch one of the most powerful rockets ever made, the starship, on its third test flight. the rocket made it halfway around the globe for broke up and headed back to earth but the mission is being declared a success. >> new

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. sumi: ukrainian and u.s. say russia used hypersonic missiles in its latest bombing of ukrainian capital kyiv. at least 10 people were injured in monday mornings attacks that destroyed parts of an arts academy. a 70-year-old lecturer was among the injured. >> i got hit in my forehead. go ahead, fill it, take a closer. a window frame hit me. we were standing near the window but managed to escape. there's a little room nearby and we hid their. sumi: cctv footage shows t moment a window frame came crashing down inside a coffee shop. this kind of scene is becoming familiar due to the speed of the ballistic missiles, some residents say they had less than 10 seconds from the moment they heard air sirens to find shelter. people in multiple areas of ukraine still face power cuts days after russian airstrikes targeted the country' energy systems, causing blackouts. in washington, antony blinken met with blakan leader -- balkan leaders at the state department. one of the people who was part of the meeting is the former

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.aimed responsibility for the concert hall attack, and many analysts point the finger at its afghanistan—based off—shoot, isis—k. mina al—lami, who monitorsjihadi media for the bbc, has this report. so who carried out this attack? is has claimed responsibility. it put out the claim through its official accounts online. as evidence of its involvement, is also released a picture said to show the attackers, but with their faces blurred. however, is did not say that its afghanistan—based branch, isis—k, was responsible for the attack, though many analysts have blamed this group, mainly based on the pentagon warning they were capable of large external attacks. so what do we know about them? isis—k was set up in 2015 in afghanistan. in 2021, it grew stronger after western forces left. this is when isis—k declared a new campaign of attacks in afghanistan, which started with the kabul airport bombings. but why russia? is has always considered russia to be a key enemy. in its latest messaging, i

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.tviichuk, is head of the centre for civil liberties in ukraine — and spoke to me earlier. she told me what she thought of putin's victory speech: it was a very suitable moment for putin to attack ukraine again. our international partners promised to be with us as long as it takes, but it is not secret that military support to ukraine, in the united states it is blocked, and other partners can't help us with artillery shells and ammunition and now we have a lack of weapons for the current moment. it is a brilliant time to attack and to occupy more territories. it is a genocidal war for us, it's a war about our existence. we have no other choice. we will fight because if we stop fighting, there will be no more us. let's look at the middle east now — and our correspondent anna foster is in eastjerusalem, over to you, anna. the israeli military have urged displaced palestinians around the al—shifa hospital in gaza to evacuate for their own safety. this is after another is really read on th

steve rosenberg.ia coleman calls out the gender pay disparity in acting. we'll discuss this with a gender pay expert. around the world and across the uk, this is the world today on bbc news. in the uk, two men have been found guilty of the murder of the footballer cody fisher, who was stabbed in a nightclub in birmingham on boxing day in 2022. the 23—year—old was targeted after he brushed past one of the men in a bar two days earlier. remy gordon and kami carpenter had blamed each other for the stabbing. cody fisher's mother said the men are "pure evil." our midlands correspondent phil mackie was in court. commentator: right, we are ready to get back under way. _ cody fisher was a talented footballer who had spent time in the youth and academy set—up at birmingham city and walsall before settling into a career as a semi—pro for a number of midlands' sides. his friends and family said he lived life to the full. he was killed in the crane nightclub over a trivial incident two days earlier. we all kind o

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ess of wales has been published just over a week after she says she edited an official portrait of her and her children. the sun newspaper has printed the picture and in it appears the princess is smiling and walking alongside prince william. the paper says the photo was taken at a farmer's market in windsor. the sun newspaper on tuesday is describing this as a royal world exclusive picture first under the headline, "great to see you again, kate." it says it has obtained video footage of catherine, princess of wales, visiting a farmshop on saturday with her husband, prince william. the paper as she looks very relaxed. they've spoken to the person who took this video footage and he said he himself is doing a bit of shopping looking for some steak. he saw the couple in the bread aisle and the woman turned her face and he thought she looks rather familiar. he said then, he saw the man and thought, maybe that's the royal couple. you mentioned it to staff at the shop and then he said he wen

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. 0ur security correspondent frank gardner provided context on why therussia, if it was them. well, there are a number of reasons. one is syria. so is have, in the past, put out statements — and quite recently — saying, we will never forgive and forget. because in syria, russian air force and russian forces are fighting isis, is, islamic state, as are the americans. secondly, there's afghanistan, where the taliban are fighting is—k which is the khorasan wilayat — that's the province of, or the branch of isis that operates in afghanistan, in that area. and back in september 2022, isis attacked the russian embassy in kabul. so they consider that the russian government is an ally of the taliban and the taliban is their enemy. and also, there are a number of disputes that they've got with regimes in that part of the world. the third reason, i think, which is perhaps the most pressing, is that there is there's recently been quite a crackdown, a clampdown by the fsb — that's russia's domestic security agency — against suspected jihadists inside russia. of cour

our russia editor steve rosenberg reports now from moscow.ass murder. four suspects. battered. blooded. and, in one case, barely conscious. all four were charged with terrorism. just days after this. islamic state had been quick to claim it was behind the attack on the crocus city hall concert hall. tonight, russia's president said radical islamists had carried out out the mass shooting. but he still tried to link it to ukraine. translation: we must, - of course, answer the question why was it ukraine that the terrorists tried to go to after their crime? who was waiting for them there? it's clear that those that support the kyiv regime don't want to be accessories of terror and sponsors of terrorism, but there are many questions. same message in the russian media. "ukraine is to blame," but no evidence. so this paper says it believes that ukraine carried out the attack, without providing any evidence for that. it writes, "there are some basic truths, fire burns, the wind blows and the kyiv of regime are murderers and terrorists." aand in this

steve rosenberg, bbc news, borovsk.ey sanovich, an expert in disinformation and social media platforms, and a fellow at stanford university near san francisco. welcome to the programme. just on that matter of whether these elections, what the point is of the selection, the government controls absolutely everything including the elections so what is the point of them?— is the point of them? well, i think in modern _ is the point of them? well, i think in modern world, - is the point of them? well, i think in modern world, as i is the point of them? well, i l think in modern world, as long as it's not a monarchy or military hunter, what is the way to legitimise leader? why boughton is different from everyone else, he needs to do that but additional functions, how well they can address local, social needs, if you can have a roof leaking, it's better chance to get it fixed ahead of elections. and don't forget, these people working and propaganda, there is a motive thereto. so, all this is spent in the federal budget, there

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.raided two properties in la and miami belonging to the rapper sean �*diddy�* combs. the hip—hop star and grammy winner has broken his silence, describing them as a gross overuse of military level force. he is facing a number of allegations of misconduct, which he has denied. emma viney has more. he is one of hip—hop's most influential and richest figures, originally known as puff daddy, later pdd, as well it is musical achievements, he is credited with launching female careers. ——p diddy. he was accused of abuse by his ex—girlfriend. they settled out of court but three others came forward, bringing courses for sexual misconduct. now his properties in la and miami have been served by federal officers. the department of homeland security simply because it was part of an ongoing investigation. the rates at this mention in this exclusive neighbourhood near beverly hills followed months of accusations. some victims claimed they were drugged and coerced into having sex. the question now is w

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.o the middle east and the head of the united nations agency for palestinian refugees says israel has told him it will no longer approve its food convoys to enter northern gaza. in a post on social media, unrwa's head philippe lazzarini described the move as outrageous. he said israel's decision meant many more people would die of hunger, dehydration and lack of shelter. there's been no word from israel. it comes as the country's defence minister yoav gallant is set to travel to washington, with israel leadership under increasing pressure from the us to halt its planned assault on rafah in southern gaza. israeli forces continue to carry out ground and air attacks in northern and central gaza, including around al—shifa hospital. juliette touma is from unrwa. she says if aid from the organisation is blocked from entering gaza, famine will take hold. it is simply outrageous. the clock is ticking, and with this recent decision, the clock will be ticking even faster towards famine. there is

we can speak to steve rosenberg, our russia editor. speaking just a little while ago about what we know so far, but this is very much an ongoing situation in this moscow concert hall. what can you tell us? steve: very much a developing story. all we know is that this evening , shortly before the start of a rock concert, a number of gunmen stormed into the concert hall, crocus city hall, quite a prominent concert venue, and began shooting. we don't know how many gunmen there were or are f some say that at least 4, 5, possibly more. we don't have official figures about casualties come how many people were killed or injured. there have been all kinds of reports on social media. we do know that 70 ambulances were called to the scene, which gives some idea about the concern that the casualty for this could be high after this shooting. the situation is still continuing. the latest information is that a number of special-force groups have gone into the building, stormed the building, and the building is on fire, crocus city hall is on fire. s

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. let's look at other news morale about. provide assurances that would have freedom of speech protections and will not face the death penalty. the court has given the us government three weeks to comply with the order before making its final decision on his extradition. kenyan authorities have begun to release remains of those who died in a doomsday cult. pastor paul mackenzie is accused of breaching an apocalyptic message to followers encouraging them to starve to death to see jesus encouraging them to starve to death to seejesus quickly. charges have been brought against him and 29 others have all pleaded not guilty. shares are donald trump's social media company sought in the stock market debut, raising about 60% at its peak earlier that day. trump has nearly 8 million shares of the stock worth billions of dollars at its current pricing. it is seen as a much—needed financial boost for the former us president who has nine days to post a $175 million bond in a case where he lied about the value of his assets. now from the w

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. while ago i spoke to colin clarke, director of research at the soufan group and author of the book after the caliphate: the islamic state and the future of the terrorist diaspora. i want to ask about the claims of responsibility here and how credible does that seem to you that the group could have been behind the attack? i think there's no doubt the islamic state rarely, if ever, issues false claims of responsibility. all the pieces fit here. in fact, i wrote an article for foreign policy last may, may 2023, which was called the islamic state's new target — russia. isis makes no bones about wanting to target the russians for what they see as vladimir putin's role in spilling muslim blood in various conflicts from chechnya to syria. i know you have also been studying islamic state terror groups extensively, you probably have been looking at a lot of this footage that's been coming out on social media. what stood out for you so far from what we have seen of the footage of the actual att

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.amic politics at deakin university, explained more about the men in custody and why russia was attacked. there's four tajik nationals that at least they don't appear to speak russian. they do appear to be tajik. they're speaking through a tajiki interpreter. tajikistan, of course, is the country in central asia, along the northern border of afghanistan and islamic state khorasan, which was formed in 2015 in afghanistan. khorasan refers to the area to the east, including central asia, afghanistan, pakistan, iran. islamic state khorasan appears to be the group behind this. we know that islamic state khorasan isk has many tajik and other central asian members. we know that there are possibly several million central asians working, some documented, some undocumented in russia playing a vital role, by the way, in the war economy, working in factories where russian nationals are off serving, fighting in ukraine or suffering from — recovering from their injuries. so putin wanted to have a vic

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.ional committee. the network had reported the forked at $300,000 to hire ms mcdaniel as its latest page continued in a move that was supposed to bring a broader range of political perspectives to the network. david willis reports. it perspectives to the network. david willis reports.- david willis reports. it isn't unusual. — david willis reports. it isn't unusual, of _ david willis reports. it isn't unusual, of course, - david willis reports. it isn't| unusual, of course, perform former political party officials, and so on, to land a lucrative second gig, as a pundit on tv talk shows here. they even have a name for this process, called the politics to pundit the pipeline. but the appointment by nbc of ronna mcdaniel, former chair, as you mention, of the republican national committee, provoked an unprecedented backlash among members of staff at nbc. several of whom took to the airwaves to publicly excoriated their bosses for the appointment and to call for ronna mcdaniel�*s contract to

steve rosenberg, bbc news, borovsk.cross the mediterranean from libya. around 25 people were rescued from an overcrowed inflatable boat. they say the engine cut out three days into the crossing, leaving them drifting for days without food and water. the survivors have been taken to italy. 0ur reporter sofia bettiza is following the story. last friday, a group of migrants set off from libya on a dinghy hoping to reach italy, but their engine broke down, and because of that, they were stranded at sea for four days. they were waiting, hoping to be rescued, but they started to die one by one because they didn't have any food or water. now, this is just the latest tragedy in the mediterranean sea. and the international organisation for migration says that 2023 was the deadliest yearfor migrants on record. the un agency says that in 2023, at least 8,565 people died on migration routes. and that death toll, that number is a 20% increase compared to 2022. now, what this latest tragedy shows is that despite all these risks, thou

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. office. after a meeting of the ruling communist party the government issued a statement saying he had broken party rules and had negatively affected public opinion, and the reputation of the party. he is believed to have resigned over his links to a corruption scandal in his home province. mr thuong was appointed last year to replace another president forced to step down over corruption, which the party leadership has prioritised as a problem it needs to address. new zealand's economy has entered recession, according to government data. new zealand's economy shrank slightly in the fourth quarter as a number of industries including wholesale trade, retail and accommodation and manufacturing all weakened. pvc russia editor but a prayer invites the kremlin. baseball sensation shohei ohtani has made his regular season debut with the la dodgers in seoul. the japanese sports hero sent his fans into a frenzy on wendesday with game tickets and ohtani merchandise selling out since he landed in

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. steve rosenberg reporting there. who were they? ukraine said it had nothing to do with the attack. the reports that the islamic state had claim responsibility for the attack on the concert hall. vladimir putin has made no public comment on what happened at the crocus city concert hall, but we're told he's been kept up to date with with events there. with events there. meanwhile, security has been stepped up here in the russian capital at key installations. so, for example, that airports at railway stations, of course, questions are already being asked. how was it possible for armed men to get into a very prominent concert venue where there were potentially thousands of people attending this concert and carry out such a bloody attack, especially since earlier this month, us now, the americans were talking about an attack within a8 hours. it didn't happen, but of course, what we've seen tonight in moscow was a terrible attack, at least dozens of people killed and an attack which has shocked this whole country. what more do we know ab

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.g for more international assistance as it tries to hold back russian forces. dutch prime minister mark rutte signed a security deal with ukraine during a surprise visit to the northeastern city of kharkiv, where he met ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky. mr rutte is now the seventh western leader to sign a 10 year agreement with ukraine in the last two months. he said the netherlands will help fund the supply of 800 thousand artillery shells — something ukraine is critically short of as it battles russian troops in the east. the shells could help plug a hole in ukrainian stockpiles while us military assistance remains stuck in congress amid continuing republican opposition. the promises of aid from europe follow the recent two—year anniversary of moscow's full—scale invasion of ukraine. i spoke about all of this with ambassador mark green, the ceo and president of the wilson center, and former administrator of usaid. making some progress on the front lines you just returned from a

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.neral is considered to be the largest opposition gatherings since his jailing in 2021. i spoke about all of this with angela stent, a senior fellow at the brookings institution. welcome back. great to have you with us. we saw thousands turning out on the streets of moscow for alexei navalny�*s funeral today. some people shouting slogans, "no to war", "russia will be free". what do you make of those scenes in the russian capital? first of all, i think we have to recognise these people are incredibly brave, showing up like that with cctv cameras all around, shouting those slogans, shouting slogans like "ukrainians are good people". so the kremlin did everything they could to prevent this from happening. told alexei navalny�*s mother she had to have a secret burial. but she stuck to her guns and quoted the law to them. and, you know, there is vladimir putin, who puts himself forward as the saviour of real christianity, so i think in the end they did have to back down. the question is, wha

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.germany, france and poland met in berlin to ease tensions over support for ukraine. the french president, emmanuel macron, called on kyiv�*s allies not to be cowards, and said he would not rule out deploying western troops on the ground in ukraine. that suggestion was rejected by the german chancellor, olaf scholz. now european allies have agreed a mechanism to supply kyiv with long—range artillery. a shortage of weapons, including ammunition, has been blamed for russian advances in the war. meanwhile, russia and ukraine continue to exchange fire in the battlefield. officials in the ukrainian city of odesa say at least 20 people were killed in a double missile attack on a residential area. more than 70 people were wounded. earlier, the kremlin said ukraine carried out attacks in the region of belgorod in southern russia, and accused kyiv of attempting to disrupt russia's presidential election. our correspondent, sarah rainsford, is in kyiv with the latest. this is the deadliest attack

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. some of the news moran arrived.old after the uk's high court said the us must provide assurances that would have freedom of speech production will not face the death penalty. the court has given the us government three weeks to comply with the order before making its final decision on list stavis rjip's extradition. the use us authorities have sought the wikileaks founder execution on espionage charges. ukraine has qualified for the 2024 european championship after a dramatic 2-1 championship after a dramatic 2—1 victory over iceland. president volodymyr zelensky is elevated the win on telegram thanking the teams are proving again that when ukrainians faced challenges but refused to give up and continue the fight, he said, they invariably win. that's it for the moment. i'm caitriona perry. stay with us here in bbc news. hello. the weather is going to throw just about everything at us over the next couple of days. certainly for wednesday — lots of heavy thundery downpours, albeit with some spells of sunshine in betwe

the bbc�*s russia editor steve rosenberg got a rare invite to the kremlin.n! they say that location is everything, if you want to impress an audience. applause so, vladimir putin invited his celebrity supporters to one of the swankiest parts of the kremlin. he wasn't easy to see, but the messaging was clear. in the hall where russian tsars had been crowned... ..russia's president thanked the vips for backing his re—election. we were there, too. a rare invitation inside the kremlin. a sign, perhaps, of president putin's growing confidence. even though the west has dismissed the election as a sham. this is, in effect, vladimir putin's victory lap. having won the race, a race so designed that he couldn't lose it, the kremlin leader wanted to thank his most famous fans for cheering him on, and was clearly happy to receive their congratulations. and his guests loyally defended a widely criticised election. do you believe the election was free and fair? laughter we created, i think, the most open and democratic elections in the bloody world! was there a serious ch

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.he finger at ukraine despite islamic state claiming responsibility. putin now seems to be blaming islamist extremists but still linking them to kyiv, who are the men in custody and why is russia being attacked? thea;r the men in custody and why is russia being attacked?— being attacked? they are supposedly from tajikistan. _ being attacked? they are supposedly from tajikistan. it _ being attacked? they are supposedly from tajikistan. it is _ being attacked? they are supposedly from tajikistan. it is a _ being attacked? they are supposedly from tajikistan. it is a country - being attacked? they are supposedly from tajikistan. it is a country in - from tajikistan. it is a country in central asia along the northern border, and islamic state. mike durward it appears to be the group behind this, we know is k has many central asian members. we know there are possibly several million central asians working, some documented, some not, and russia. playing a role in the wider company, working in

steve rosenberg there. i want to bring you some new pictures from moscow. donate blood for the victims of the attack. as we've been hearing, it's believed a least 120 people were injured in the attack. it was also reported earlier that the russian national football team would donate blood. the uk's foreign secretary, lord david cameron, is the latest on x, he wrote... we've been hearing from people caught up in the attack, via videos posted to social media. one of the first who published video from inside the hall was a russian blogger pavel shampanov. when the attack started, he recorded this video into his social media. translation: we are at a concert in the crocus city. _ some kind of shooting is taking place here. a lot of people are running, everyone is shouting. gunfire. screaming. gunfire. someone is shooting here. they are shooting from rifles, they are shooting into people. that was a blogger caught up in that attack on the concert hall. ukraine has denied any involvement in the attack. earlier i spoke to our eastern europe correspondent sarah rai

steve rosenberg, bbc news, borovsk. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. minister rishi sunak has ruled out 2 may as a possible date for a general election. that's when local elections are already taking place. speaking to itv news, mr sunak said they would not happen on the same day. earlier this year, mr sunak had suggested that the vote would be in the second half of 202a. but there had been speculation he might move that up. ministers have unveiled a new definition of extremism. the guidelines would block certain groups from government funding and meeting with officials. it would apply to groups that promote an ideology based on "violence, hatred or intolerance," but the label will not criminalise them. civil liberties advocates and some mps have criticised recent government rhetoric on extremism. and the lineup for one of the world's biggest music festivals has been announced. dua lipa and sza top the bill for glastonbury — meaning two female headliners for the first time in the festival's history. theyjoin coldplay and shania twain, who'll perform in

steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow.er attack claims as malicious lender after us and uk officials filed charges, imposing sanctions and accusing jonah of a cyber espionage campaign. —— china. in the uk, attacks on the country's electoral commission took place in august 2021 but were only revealed last year. several mps who have been critical of beijing were also targeted. our political editor chris mason has the details. who is watching? who is listening? china, an economic powerhouse, a one—party state, a world view a world away from our own. right honourable oliver dowden... beijing spying and meddling, a cyberattack on the elections watchdog — the electoral commission. this is the latest in a clear pattern of hostile activity originating in china. two people and a company linked to the chinese state are to face sanctions, banned from travelling to the uk and their assets here frozen. we will support the government in efforts to counter attempts by china or any other state to interfere with or undermine the democratic