chernihiv — in northern ukraine, according to emergency services. a new conscription drive in myanmar has prompted thousands of young men to flee the country. the bbc has met some of those escaping the draft by travelling to thailand. live from our studio in singapore — this is bbc news. it's newsday. welcome to bbc news — broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world and we start with israel's prime minister, he has insisted his country will make its own decisions about how to respond to iran's drone and missile attack at the weekend. benjamin netanyahu also has continued concerns regarding the situation in gaza — and it comes in the form

of a post on x in the past few hours from joe biden — and relates to the aid situation. the us president said that 3,000 trucks with food and supplies had moved into gaza — a daily increase of over 50% from the week prior. he added, that it's still not enough — and that he continue to urge israel to ramp up land, air, and sea deliveries for gaza civilians. benjamin netanyahu would have also had an update on the position of two other allies— as he had a visit on wednesday from the british and german foreign ministers. he expressed thanks for support over the weekend, but insisted that israel will continue to make it's own decisions. translation: i am now coming from meetings i ——i thank our friends for their support in defending israel, and i say this for both the verbal support and support in actions. they also have all kinds of proposal and advice, i appreciate it, but i want to be clear — we will make our decisions on our own, and the state of israel will do

what it needs defend itself. israel's western allies fear striking back against iran could trigger a broader war in the middle east. the british foreign minister, lord cameron, said any retaliation should be smart and limited. we wanted to demonstrator solidarity with israel and we have to be clear and any response should be smart and should be designed in a way that is going to limit and try to de—escalate this conflict. nobody wants to see this conflict grow and spread. meanwhile the united nations has announced it's launching a 2.8 billion dollar appeal to provide aid to the palestinian population in the gaza strip and 0ccupied west bank. the funds will go towards the reconstruction of vital infrastructure in the territories. it comes as the gaza peacetalks face another potentual pitfall. qatar — who's diplomats have played a pivotal role — is now questioning whether the talks will succeed.

their prime minister said they will reasses their role as a mediator between israel and hamas. take a listen. unfortunately, i mean, we have seen that there has been an abuse of this mediation in favour of narrow political interests. this means that the state of qatar has called for a comprehensive evaluation of this role. we are not the stage to evaluate mediation and also evaluate how the parties engage in this mediation. earlier i spoke to elizabeth shakman hurd. she is a political science and religious studies professor from northwestern university and middle east scholar. she said that despite the tensions between israel and iran we should not forget the situation in gaza. israel has every interest and every intention with this government of trying to distract from what is going on there, to divert attention, to divert the international community and the regional

governmental powers, attention away from gaza and toward iran as a means of galvanising support for an israeli government that is clearly acting in a way that is against all kinds of international standards, humanitarian law and international law. if the intention is to keep attention away from what's happening in gaza, will israel then, you know, contemplate greater retaliation against iran in that case risking further escalation? absolutely. that's something that we need to consider with dealing with the netanyahu government. there is a risk of further escalation. there's definitely a risk of trying on the part of the israelis to draw the united states into the front lines of this war. we know that the us shot down most of the drones that the iranians had launched at israel, and we know

that the israelis rely on the us not only financially but militarily, and also for their international standing for the legitimacy of this war. so to the extent that they begin to lose the us, which we are beginning to see that support crumble under their feet, they are at risk and they're going to consider, at least consider and perhaps undertake more extreme measures and more extreme attacks than the one we saw on april first in damascus. there are other players as well that were involved over the weekend. what significance do you put in arab neighbours likejordan and saudi arabia providing support to israel during the attack by iran at the weekend? this is really interesting to see the realignment in the middle east. i like to work on the history of this region because the realignments are fast and furious. we could go back a few decades and recollect when the us and israel and iran were all partners in a strategic alliance. and we're sharing weaponry and technology and military secrets and military aid, security assistance. now, in this day and age,

we've seen another realignment, and we are seeing indeed the saudis moving gradually toward the israeli camp. however, we don't want to overestimate that the saudis and the iranians have had diplomatic relations. they have re—established ties. they are talking to each other. and there is to some extent a risk here of exaggerating, i think, the extent to which the saudis have gravitated toward the us—israeli camp in this conflict. let's take a look at some of the stories in the headlines in the uk. members of the house of lords have inflicted a second defeat on the government over its plans to send some asylum seekers to rwanda. peers backed an amendment that would exempt afghan soldiers who served alongside british forces from being sent to the east african nation. the bill will now be sent back to the house of commons for further consideration. the rate of inflation has fallen to 3.2% in the year to march. it's down from 3.4% in the month before.

the prices of some food products have fallen. the government insists its plan is working — but labour says the prices of many goods are still too high. the scottish government is to ditch its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2030. the final goal of reaching �*net—zero�* by 2045 will remain — but the bbc understands the government's annual climate targets could also go. ministers have have been told that reaching the target by the end of the decade is unachievable. hugh grant has settled a privacy case against a british newspaper publisher. the actor claimed journalists from the sun used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house. news group newspapers had denied wrongdoing. grant said he'd been offered an �*enormous sum' to stop the case going to trial — but insisted he'd been forced to accept the money. what is the true cost in blood

on the battlefield to russia, of vladimir putin's decision to invade ukraine. well a bbc investigation, alongside the independent russian website, mediazona, reveals that more than 50,000 russian soldiers, have died so far in the war. it's a figure much higher, than the kremlin will admit to. in truth, the dead on both sides pile up. 0vernight a russian missile attack killed 17 people in the northern ukrainian city of chernihiv, while more than 70 others were injured. james waterhouse has more from in kyiv. bus passengers dive for cover after two missiles hit nearby. what follows is the haunting sounds of a third. low rumbling. in chernihiv, air strikes happen with little notice. russia tried and failed to take this city, but with its border only 60 miles away, the skies bring a constant threat. the force of the blast did this

to anastasia's home. translation: it will be very cold to spend the night here. i have the children, so i will go to the neighbour's, and then we will repair this. but i don't know if it makes sense at this stage of our lives. a familiar recovery routine followed. for ukrainians, there is no escaping russia's invasion, and after watching western allies unite behind israel, their leader wants the same for his country. translation: allies have shown in the middle east i what they can really do when there is enough determination. ukraine is increasingly fighting this war on its own. its chances of victory have become more remote, and instead of planning to liberate all of its territory, kyiv is calculating how much of it could be conceded to russia. president zelensky is being

more frank about the chances of losing in an attempt to restore a much—needed sense of urgency. nato is continuing to posture with sea and air drills along its eastern european flank. its members are still promising military aid. wejust had an important and timely discussion on how to step up further our support to ukraine, in particular on how to provide more air defence systems to ukraine. because the situation on the battlefield remains very difficult, and we have all heard ukraine's clear and urgent appeal for more air support. what kyiv is really hoping for is a £49 billion package to be signed off in the us congress. after months of delay, that's set to be voted on this weekend. if it passes, ukraine might do more than hold on.

if it doesn't, the talk may shift to compromise or defeat. james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv. now one of the main stories we've been following this week is the jury selection for the the trial of donald trump in new york — the first president — former or current — to face a criminal trial. so far seven jurors have been selected — deemed suitable for the job. as ever — mr trump's been surrounded by papparazzi every day as he makes his way into the courtroom — but once he's inside, the cameras have to stop. instead, it's down to the reporters in the room sending updates — and the courtroom sketch artists — painting a picture of what's going on inside. for a unique perspective into the trump trial. i spoke to courtroom artist jane rosenberg. in this courtroom, i'm not very close like i was in thejean carroll trial, when i sit in the jury box for the pre trial and when...

in all its cases, i've been very close to trump's civil fraud, but this during jury selection, they fill up the whole courtroom with potentialjurors and they allow six pool reporters to sit in the back row and one pool sketch artist. so i'm very far away right now during jury selection, once the trial begins, possibly monday, i will move closer towards the front. but right now i'm way in the back looking with binoculars. and still i have a lot a lot of court security officers blocking my view and civil and his secret service people. so there is a lot before i get to see him, there's a lot in front of me. and jane, i understand that every courtroom artist receives sometimes negative criticism for the likeness of people that they're drawing. and i understand that donald trump himself has showed interest in some of your sketches in your previous trials. so what has he said to you? in the trump civil fraud trial,

i was sitting very close to the entry where he'd walk in and he had to walk right behind me and and to leave during a break, he'd go right behind me. and he stopped and looked over my shoulder and he and he said, "i need to lose some weight." but his son, donjr, asked me to make him look sexy. so sometimes i have some interaction, but usually i don't. but sometimes if i'm that close and i think he knows who i am, he's seen me in the jury box every single arraignment. i was in d:c., i was in florida, i was here in new york at the hush money trial. so i think he knows who i am. yeah. and you certainly have a unique vantage point of the trial, jane. this is a a political spectacle as well as the legal proceeding, though. do you feel a pressure from there being so much scrutiny on on how you portray it? i think i always feel pressure always to to try to get somebody�*s likeness and to do

the best i can. it's just what i do the best i can. i don't always nail it. sometimes i capture something and people react and they're really excited and sometimes i get negative comments. i don't do social media because i don't want to hear all these people commenting and criticising art. so, my art, and all the courtroom artists, we all get it. i've had some strange people from his base write some strange, nasty things to me, so i try to steer clear. the us senate has swiftly rejected a partisan attempt to dismiss the secretary for homeland security, alejandro mayorkas. in february the republican majority in the house of representatives had narrowly approved two articles of impeachment accusing him of wilfully refusing to enforce border laws and lying to congress. he is the first cabinet official to have been impeached in nearly 150 years. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

police investigating canada's largest ever gold heist have arrested six people. more than six thousand gold bars were stolen from toronto airport a year ago, along with millions of dollars in cash. police fear the stolen gold has been melted down and reformed, making it difficult to track down. so far they've recovered six crudely—made bracelets, smelting pots, casts and moulds. officials in myanmar, say the jailed democracy leader, aung san suu kyi, has been moved from prison to house arrest. it comes amid a heatwave prompting emergency measures, to protect inmates. the nobel laureate who's 78, is serving a 27 yr sentence for various offences, including corruption. but her supporters say they're trumped up charges, aimed at legitimising a military coup, back in 2021.

opponents of the military, along with long—standing ethnic insurgents, have been gaining ground in a civil war. thousands of members of the myanmar army have died, deserted their posts or surrendered following a string of defeats. a new conscription drive has prompted thousands of young men to flee the country. jonathan head has been to the border town of mae sot in thailand, to meet some of those escaping the draft. thailand is bracing for the impact of a civil war in myanmar which has come right up to the border. across the river, ethnic karen insurgents have now taken control of the main crossing between the two countries. the fighting is driving even more people to seek sanctuary over here. mae sot has become a warren of safe houses, sheltering the fugitives. but some of the families here are fleeing something else.

this boy's eldest brother is 19, a dangerous age. he was about to be a matter up under the army's new conscription law. his anti—military parents were horrified and chose to flee from yangon, making a 15—day trek over the mountains to get here, carrying very little. "i could not accept my son being forced to fight other young men," says his father. there are thousands of young men now hiding out in this part of thailand, who fled the military�*s call—up in myanmar. very few of them have proper paperwork, so they live in constant fear of being sent back. i've come to meet one 23—year—old man who arrived here only three weeks ago and who's now made his temporary home among these fields. nine fugitives from conscription are living under this leaf—thatched shelter, together with assorted livestock.

sanjay — not his real name — has already seen his father jailed for supporting the resistance. so, when his call—up papers came, his mother helped him escape. translation: back home, i felt afraid every day - that they would come to take me into the army. even though we have very little food here, just rice and vegetables, no—one will come to harm me. ifeel free here in thailand. it's a precarious existence, though. without documents, most of those sheltering in mae sot cannot leave the town and have had to give up any hope of good jobs or education. mental stress is rife among the refugees. their education is stopped, they cannot support their family, they cannot support themselves, there is nojob for them so they are instead thinking, "i'm useless, my future is stopped."

a lot of young people are attempting suicide in this situation. this month, it's the traditional new year water festival, an exuberant time to let off steam in the searing heat. but there are thousands unable to join the fun this year, either because they are hiding over here or because they're fighting against the military junta on the other side of the border. jonathan head, bbc news, mae sot, thailand. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. china has warned that upcoming joint military drills by the us and the philippines in the south china sea will lead to greater insecurity in the region. beijing's warning comes shortly after the washington post newspaper published a story quoting twelve unnamed officials saying that — for the first time — the drills would take place in waters claimed by beijing. 14 nations will observe the drill, including india,japan and france.

a un report is warning that improvements in women's reproductive health has stalled, putting at risk 30 years of progress. it found that eight hundred women a day are dying in childbirth worldwide — the same figure as eight years ago. the report says women and girls need more empowerment to develop their own solutions to reproductive health. a court in pakistan has directed the government to restore the social media site x, formerly known as twitter, within a week. the platform has faced disruption for more than two months — since the jailed former prime minister imran khan's supporters called for protests after allegations of vote rigging in february's election. japan has recorded its highest—ever number of foreign tourists in a single month — with more than three million people visiting the country in march. that's almost a i2% rise from japan's pre—pandemic visitor levels recorded in twenty—nineteen. the country's tourism officials are welcoming the boom,

but some residents have been irritated by the high number of holiday makers, particularly in the historic city of kyoto. there are just 100 days until the start of the olympics in paris, the president of the organising committee has said he's "very satisfied" with preparations for the event. he's told the bbc there'll be an "unprecedented" security operation because of growing concerns about safety. our sports editor dan roan sent this report from paris. the view from the top of paris' most famous landmark is changing — 0lympic venues springing up across the city, as the biggest event france has ever organised looms into view, with almost eight million tickets already sold. paris is getting transformed into an olympic park. as you can see, most of our most iconic venues are going to be hosting some of the major events. the stands are being built. i think our city is ready to welcome you and the athletes. we were granted access to one of the most spectacular sports venues being built for the games — preparations gathering pace,

with just 100 days to go. this will be the playing surface for the beach volleyball competition. this 13,000 seater arena, a temporary venue, is rapidly taking shape. and as you can see, the setting couldn't be any more iconic. but at a time of high geopolitical tension and in a country that has seen extremist attacks, there are mounting safety concerns — especially over the unprecedented opening ceremony, with athletes set to sail along a stretch of the seine on barges. it will be well—organised. the man in charge of delivering the games told me he was remaining confident. security is the top priority. from day one, we put in place an unprecedented system. can you guarantee that an event that's open on the river is safe? yes. there is this expertise coming from the public authorities. i trust when they say "we know how to deliver an opening ceremony on the river seine."

despite such assurances, this week, french president, emmanuel macron, admitted the opening ceremony may have to move from the river if the security risk is deemed too high. do you wish it was a different world that this was being staged in? we should not be too naive. and we we know that people will try to benefit from this media exposure. but again, it's up to us to remain calm and to promote and defend what is the most important in this event — and for me, it's sport. 0rganisers say the games will help to regenerate the suburb of saint—denis, home to the main stadium and athletes' village, and one of the poorest and most diverse parts of the country. but some who live here have doubts about its legacy. it would be very complicated to travel. maybe for two months there will be some jobs, but it won't last. will it change the everyday life of the inhabitants? i don't think so. despite concerns over swimming events in the seine due to pollution, organisers claim paris will set a new

model of sustainability for future 0lympics — with 95% of the games in existing or temporary infrastructure. but with the final countdown under way, a successful event will depend on delivering on all fronts. dan roan, bbc news. the opening ceremony will be on the 26th ofjuly. goodbye for now. hello. slowly but surely, the weather is going to turn a little bit drier, but not an awful lot warmer as we head towards the end of the week. high pressure is tantalizingly close — sitting to the west of the uk, but still far enough away that weather systems can move in around the top of that area of high pressure — bringing cloud, bringing outbreaks of rain. that's exactly what we're going to see through the day on thursday ahead of that cold, frosty start, but we will see

some spells of sunshine. that will hold on across southern counties of england, but further north, it's a story of increasing clouds, some outbreaks of rain. rain for a good part of the day across scotland, some patchy rain for northern ireland. temperatures just a little bit up on where they have been recently, eight to 15 degrees. now through thursday night, we'll see clouds and increasingly light and patchy rain pushing southwards. behind that, a northerly wind kicks in — a mix of clear spells and showers to take us into the first part of friday. so this weather system easing its way through, clearing southwards with northerly winds behind. you can see quite a few isobars squeezing together on the chart, particularly across the north east of scotland. so here it is going to be windy through the day on friday, particularly around some coasts. it's a day of sunny spells and showers. some of the showers could be on the heavy side, perhaps the showers most frequent across the eastern half of the uk, not as many showers further west. temperatures, six to eight

degrees in northern scotland, elsewhere, 11—15 degrees. now into the weekend, this area of high pressure finally makes its move building across the uk. but brisk winds still affecting eastern coastal counties with potentially quite a lot of cloud, maybe even some showery rain. best chance of any sunshine out towards the west. that's where we'll have the highest of the temperatures, up to around 13, 1a degrees. but it will actually be quite chilly for some eastern parts, particularly for north sea coasts. now, as we get into sunday, again, we'll see clouds, some showery rain perhaps spinning a little bit further west this time. the lowest temperatures always closest to these north sea coast, maybe some places stuck in single digits, 11 for newcastle and for hull. but further west, with some sunshine, northern ireland could see the highest temperatures, 16, maybe 17 degrees. nothing particularly warm in the outlook for next week. 0ften dry, there will be some showers.

boeing under the scanner — the us senate examines allegations of safety failures at the plane maker. and as formula one returns to china after a five—year break, we'll explore what's driving the excitement. hello and welcome to asia business report.

i'm steve lai. boeing has been under the scanner at the us senate. the plane—maker faces allegations of safety failures after a series of incidents — including a mid—air blow out on one of its jets. boeing has defended its fleet, saying billions of travellers have flown safely. from new york, michelle fleury reports. this was damaging testimony for the plane maker. boeing engineer turned whistle—blower, sam salehpour, claimed boeing used short cuts to reduce bottlenecks during the assembly of its 787 dreamliner planes. he said he faced retaliation for raising safety issues. and after the threats and after this, you know, it's like, you know, it really scares me, believe me. but i am at peace. you know, if something happens to me, i am at peace because i feel like by coming forward, i will be saving a lot of lives, and i'm at peace. another boeing engineer, ed pierson, accused the plane—maker of a criminal cover up after a door blew

out of a 737 max plane shortly after take—off.