state of israel will do what it needs to defend itself. heavy rain batters the gulf states, causing deadly flash floods and disrupting flights at the world's busiest international airport. and — we have a special report from myanmar — on the new conscription drive that has prompted thousands of young men to flee the country. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it was like newsday. —— it's newsday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. it's been five days since iran's drone and missile attack and israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu has insisted his country will make its own decisions about how to respond. he said this during talks with the british government in hopes of preventing further escalation.

translation: i thank our friends for their support i 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 demonstrate our solidarity with israel because it was an appalling attack by iran, but to be clear, we have repeated our view that any response should be smart and that 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, —— nobody wants to see this conflict grow and spread. meanwhile the united nations

has announced it's launching a $2.8 billion appeal to provide aid to the palestinian population in the gaza strip and occupied west bank. the funds will go towards the reconstruction of vital infrastructure in the territories. it comes as the gaza peacetalks face another potential pitfall. qatar, who's diplomats have played a pivotal role — is now questioning whether the talks will succeed. their prime minister said they will reassess their role as a mediator between israel and hamas. take a listen. translation: unfortunately, i mean, we have seen that there has been a —— and abuse of this mediation in favour of narrow political interests. this means that the state of catta has called for a comprehensive evaluation. we are now in the state to evaluate mediation and also how parties engage! also how the parties engage in this mediation —— how the parties engage in this mediation -- qatar. meanwhile, an israeli woman who was taken hostage by hamas in october has been describing the horrifying conditions

she was subjected to in gaza. aviva siegel was released in november — but her husband who was also kidnapped from their kibbutz is still being held. from jerusalem, lucy manning sent this report. a warning her report contains distressing details. when the hamas gunmen came to kfar aza on october 7th, they murdered and kidnapped. two of those taken, husband and wife keith and aviva siegel. she was freed. he is still a hostage. i'm not speaking, i'm screaming. i need help from the whole world. i was there for 51 days and know what it's like. can you tell me a bit about the conditions that you were held in? keith and i were moved 13 times, so with the different conditions. we met lots of terrorists and they acted brutally in every place we went to.

one of the times, they took us down to a tunnel and there was no oxygen there and theyjust left us there. and i can't explain what the feeling is of not being able to breathe and you know that it might be your last hours. keith and aviva were also held in houses with other hostages, where she witnessed beatings and was aware of sexual assaults. they were so mean to us. they just starved us for days and ate in front of us. we weren't allowed to even stand and we weren't allowed to talk. one of the days, one of the girls went to the toilet, and while she came back, i could see on the face that something happened. and only after a couple of hours, she came and she told us. she said, "he touched me." and that was one of the terriblest moments, because i felt that i couldn't even look after this little girl. she'sjust a child.

you were aware, were you, that sexual assault was taking place on some of the female hostages? yes, because i was there. and i saw the girls coming after those things happening and telling us what happened. after 51 days in november, aviva was released — but without keith. isaid i said that i am not coming without keith. and i begged him. and they didn't even let me go and say goodbye to keith until i pushed them, luckily i could give keith a hug and i told him to be strong for me and i'll be strong for him but i don't know, i'm starting to lose my hope. and i'm sure that

keith is. it lose my hope. and i'm sure that keith is. ., , �* , keith is. it wasn't until his release that _ keith is. it wasn't until his release that she _ keith is. it wasn't until his l release that she discovered keith is. it wasn't until his - release that she discovered her son shy had survived the attack. i son shy had survived the attack. . ., �* son shy had survived the attack. �* , attack. i couldn't stop hugging him and i told _ attack. i couldn't stop hugging him and i told him _ attack. i couldn't stop hugging him and i told him that - attack. i couldn't stop hugging him and i told him that i - him and i told him that i thought he was dead. i him and i told him that i thought he was dead. i do think it is that keith _ thought he was dead. i do think it is that keith and _ thought he was dead. i do think it is that keith and the - thought he was dead. i do think it is that keith and the others i it is that keith and the others are still held after all this time? i are still held after all this time? ~ ., are still held after all this time? ~ . ., time? i think that hamas is caettin time? i think that hamas is getting the _ time? i think that hamas is getting the pleasure - time? i think that hamas is getting the pleasure of - time? i think that hamas is. getting the pleasure of them being there and seeing us suffer. i think that everybody, the whole needs —— the whole world needs to do more, just get them out. just get them out. . , a, ., out. lucy manning with that re ort. out. lucy manning with that report- we _ out. lucy manning with that report. we will _ out. lucy manning with that report. we will move - out. lucy manning with that report. we will move away. out. lucy manning with that - report. we will move away from the conflict now but staying with one of the gulf states — where heavy rain has caused massive flash floods. this was what happened when a year and half's worth of rain fell in the united arab emirates yesterday — the heaviest rainfall for at least 75 years. it caused major disruption

at dubai airport, the busiest one internationally, and problems are still continuing. graham satchell reports. the storm that hit dubai was ferocious. more than a year's worth of rainfall fell in less than 2a hours. these time—lapse pictures show the gathering clouds as darkness falls and the rain begins. the floods left the city completely underwater, with cars submerged and stranded, including some expensive ones like this rolls—royce. some drivers attempted to make their way through, but others were left to improvise as best they could. at the airport, extraordinary images, as planes taxied through what looks like a lake. thousands of passengers — many of them british — have been left stranded, with flights cancelled and delayed. the united arab emirates is one of the driest regions in the world. experts say climate change means we'll continue to see extreme weather like this. dubai is a city of

concrete and glass, with little infrastructure like storm drains that could help it deal with a sudden influx of water. emergency services have been busy. this cat — using up one of its nine lives — had a lucky escape. graham satchell, bbc news. to the war in ukraine now and overnight 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. as the war drags on in ukraine, the number of dead is piling up on both sides of the fighting. more than 50,000 russian soldiers have been killed so far in the war. that figure has come from a bbc investigation with independent russian website mediazona, which has managed to verify the identities of those killed and found that the figure is much higher than the russian authorities in moscow have admitted to. today, the kremlin has responded to the bbc�*s report. it neither confirmed nor denied the 50,000 figure — saying it has laws on state secrets. bbc russian�*s olga ivshina reports. in russia, the number of war graves is growing fast. fifth of november. ninth of november. listing the dates of death, volunteers have sent us this video from the city

of vladivostok. and here is the same cemetery from above. in the last two years, it has grown twice in size — a pattern seen in graveyards all over russia. since the start of the invasion, the bbc and its partners have been verifying photos of graves, social media posts and news articles to track down the number of russians killed fighting in ukraine. so far, we have verified 50,000 names. our data shows that russia has lost 23% more troops in the second year of invasion compared to the first. this increase reflects a shift in tactics. at first, russia relied on its professional soldiers deployed to carry out complex operations. but since january 2023, russia began sending thousands of inexperienced troops forward in waves, to weaken ukrainian positions and expose their location to russian artillery. soldiers themselves call it the "meat grinder". the russians are now able to bring a lot more firepower

to bear against ukrainian positions when they go into the offensive. as long as the ukrainians are unable to shift that balance of firepower, the meat grinder tactics will very likely continue to be quite successful in taking limited areas of ground across the front. prisoners, recruited and sent to war, have been crucial to these tactics. in return for six months on the frontline, they were promised freedom — if they survived. we have tracked down more than 1,000 russian inmates from the day they signed up till the day they died. of that number, more than half the prisoners were killed within just 12 weeks of arriving at the front line. while our account only includes deaths recorded publicly, data from cemeteries across russia suggests the true figure is likely to be twice as high. and as russian forces continue to push on, pictures of new graves

keep coming every day. olga ivshina, bbc news. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

let's turn our attention to myanmar now, where officials 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—year 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 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're 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. ilt nations will observe the drill, including india, japan and france. 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 2019. 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. doesn't gold bars —— more than 6000 gold bars were stolen from toronto airport and police fever stolen gold has been melted down reformed, making it difficult to track down. so far they have recovered six crudely made bracelet, casts and moulds. a un report is warning that improvements in women's reproductive health has stalled, putting at risk 30 years of progress. it found that 800 women a day are dying in childbirth worldwide. the

same figure is eight years ago. the report says women and girls need more empowerment and develop their own solutions to reproductive health. now to one of the main stories we have been following. the jury selection for donald trump, the first current former president of a is child. —— trial. as ever, mrtrump of a is child. —— trial. as ever, mr trump is being surrounded by paparazzi every day as he makes his way into the courtroom but once he is inside cameras have to stop. instead it is up to the court room's sketch artist and reported in the room. for a unique perspective into the trump trial, i spoke to courtroom artist jane rosenberg. this courtroom i am not very close as i was in the eeg and carol trial and when i sit in thejury box for the

carol trial and when i sit in the jury box for the pre—trial -- eg the jury box for the pre—trial —— eg carrol. trump's civil fraud, i was very close. but they've filled up the whole courtroom with potentialjurors this time and they allowed six reporters to sit in the back role and —— back row. i'm very far away right now during jury selection. once a trial begins, possibly monday, i will move closer towards the front but right now i am way in the back, looking with binoculars and still i have a lot, a lot of court security officers blocking my view and and civil service people. so before i get to see him, there is a lot in front of me. i to see him, there is a lot in front of me.— to see him, there is a lot in front of me. i understand that every courtroom _ front of me. i understand that every courtroom artists - every courtroom artists receives a sometimes negative criticism for the likeness of people they are drawing. i understand that donald trump is

itself has shown interest in some of your sketches in your previous trials. what has he said to you? in previous trials. what has he said to you?— previous trials. what has he said to you? in the trump civil fraud trial. — said to you? in the trump civil fraud trial, i _ said to you? in the trump civil fraud trial, i was _ said to you? in the trump civil fraud trial, i was sitting - said to you? in the trump civil fraud trial, i was sitting very l fraud trial, i was sitting very close to the entry where he walked in and he had to walk right behind me and to leave during a break he would go right behind me and he stopped and looked over my shoulder and he said i need to lose some weight. but his son donjr asked him to make him look sexy, so... sometimes i have some interaction that usually i don't, but sometimes if i'm not close, i think he knows who i am, he has seen me in thejury box, every single arraignment, i was in florida, dc, i was here at the hush money trial i think he knows who i am. find here at the hush money trial i think he knows who i am. and a uniuue think he knows who i am. and a unique advantage _ think he knows who i am. and a unique advantage point. - think he knows who i am. and a unique advantage point. this i think he knows who i am. and a unique advantage point. this is| unique advantage point. this is a political perspective as well as a legal proceeding. do you feel pressure for them being so much scrutiny on how you portray it? i

much scrutiny on how you portray it?— much scrutiny on how you portray it? i think i always feel pressure, _ portray it? i think i always feel pressure, always, - portray it? i think i always feel pressure, always, to| portray it? i think i always i feel pressure, always, to try to get somebody�*s likeness and to get somebody�*s likeness and to do the best i can. it is just what i do, the best i can. i don't always nail it, sometimes they capture something and people react and are 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, my art. and all the courtroom artist, we'll get it. i've had some strange people write some strange nasty things to me. so... i try to steer clear. that was courtroom artist jane rosenberg, talking about her insight into what goes on in the trial that she has been experiencing quite a lot with the former president donald trump. that trial paused on wednesday but it will resume on thursday. before we go, we have some wild pictures to bring you from the us state of montana. this elephant stopped traffic

on tuesday. viola the elephant was being washed by the side of the road when she became startled by the sound of a car and took off. cctv shows the elephant walking past several cars and going into a car park with her trainer running after her. she was said to be on the loose for more than ten minutes before she was ushered back into her trailer. that brings us to a close hero newsday. thanks as for watching. —— rings us to a —— that brings us to a close here on newsday. 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 northeast 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, m 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, ii 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. often 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 i 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. let's begin with boeing. they have been under scrutiny 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