hello, i'm lauren taylor. we start in the middle east, where there've been more israeli air strikes in rafah in the southern gaza strip. this is the moment an israeli air strike hit rafah on saturday, palestinians ran to take cover. there were more air strikes overnight, when nine people including at least four children, were killed after their homes were hit. the israeli war cabinet has been planning a large offensive against hamas in rafah, which is where an estimated 1.5 million displaced palestinians are sheltering. the us and other allies have warned israel against a full—scale assault on the city. rafah isn't the only city to come under attack — israel has carried out air strikes across the strip, these images show the entrance of the al aqsa hospital in central gaza where many of the injured were taken. one of the main un agencies responsible for getting aid to palestinians, the united nations relief

and works agency, is warning that the risk of disease is increasing across gaza because of the lack of sanitation and aid. let's hear from our correspondent injerusalem, wyre davies. over the last few days, the world and the world's media attention has been focused on those exchanges of fire between israel and iran, and the potential, a week ago, for what looked like a possible regional war. those fears have been somewhat dissipated after minimal israeli response in the last couple of days. and that side of things appears to have gone away a little bit, with both israeli and iranian governments opting to let things calm down. we have had a war in gaza now that has lasted well over six months and that continues. the latest information we have is, as you were saying, several places in gaza were hit, including the southern city of rafah, where many people were killed in reported israeli air strikes overnight.

the effect of six months of war has created a desperate humanitarian crisis in gaza. but amid the ruins of conflict, in some areas, aid is now getting through and can make the difference between surviving or dying of hunger. a flour delivery, organised by the world food programme, allowed this bakery in gaza city to reopen for the first time since the war began. translation: finally, i there is something to eat. you can go to the bakery and buy bread. just a few days ago, it was hard, we were looking for wood, flour and you couldn't find anything to feed the children. but for most gazans, the brutal reality of war is a constant companion. at the hospital in rafah, parents and siblings consoled each other after several civilians, including children, were reported killed in overnight air strikes. israel said fighterjets and other aircraft struck dozens of terror sites. among the targets, it said,

was military infrastructure, compounds and armed terrorists. the us has repeatedly urged israel not to launch what is expected to be a major offensive in rafah. we cannot support a major military operation in rafah. we believe that a major military operation, with a large presence of a civilian population, would have terrible consequences for that population. words that seem to have little impact on benjamin netanyahu. he has repeatedly said the offensive in rafah must happen, if hamas is to be defeated and israeli hostages released. for most gazans, survival is still a daily struggle. retrieving food parcels from the sea — after an air drop — shows how chaotic the delivery of aid often is, as agencies warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis. wyre davies, bbc news, jerusalem.

there has been a raid in the occupied west bank. tell us more about that. really interesting, isn't it? it is notjust focussed on gaza. we have had tensions on the northern border, again, overnight and particularly now in the west bank, the palestinian occupied west bank, where there has been repeated clashes between israeli forces and local militants, ever since october the 7th. the latest news we have is that the israeli military operation, in the palestinian town of tulkarm, and in that, ten people, including a senior palestinian islamicjihad commander were reported to have been killed. four israeli soldiers were reported to have injured. ever since 7 october about a50 people have been killed in these clashes between israelis and palestinians in the west bank, and thousands of people have been arrested. it shows just how dangerous the entire region is. the war in gaza is above and beyond. thousands of people, 30,000 people plus, have been killed in gaza.

there is a humanitarian crisis there as well. all the while, up in the northern border and the west bank, there are people being killed and there are increasing tensions as well. let's speak to scott anderson, unrwa's affairs director, who is now in gaza. there was an air strike overnight in rafah. can you tell me more broadly what the conditions are like the now that people wait to see if there is a bigger israeli offensive was yellow i think very much it is a daily struggle for people in rafah. they spend most of their day trying to find food, water, toilets and as the weather starts to get hotter now, they are trying to find shade to keep cool. we have had increased aid coming in which is welcome, i don't think we are at the scale we need to be at yet to ensure that the 2.2 million people who reside

against gaza are cared for. the other thing you see is a palpable aura of fear as they wait to see what happens. aura of fear as they wait to see what happens-_ aura of fear as they wait to see what happens. have you had any indication from _ what happens. have you had any indication from the _ what happens. have you had any indication from the israeli - what happens. have you had any indication from the israeli army i what happens. have you had any. indication from the israeli army as to what their plans might be to move the civilians to a degree of safety? has there been any communication with you about that? thus has there been any communication with you about that?— has there been any communication with you about that? thus far there has not been _ with you about that? thus far there has not been a _ with you about that? thus far there has not been a communication. - with you about that? thus far there has not been a communication. we j has not been a communication. we think they will give the civilians an opportunity to relocate. our hope is that they will be allowed to bring their belongings with them as they try to find somewhere safer than would be in rafah. but at this point, otherthan than would be in rafah. but at this point, other than believing this operation will happen, we don't have any indication around the timing of the operation nor what the plan is for the innocent civilians and to deal with a humanitarian outfall of such an operation. in deal with a humanitarian outfall of such an operation.— deal with a humanitarian outfall of such an operation. in the meantime, what kind of— such an operation. in the meantime, what kind of measures _ such an operation. in the meantime, what kind of measures are _ such an operation. in the meantime, what kind of measures are you - such an operation. in the meantime, what kind of measures are you able l what kind of measures are you able to take to try and alleviate some of

theissues to take to try and alleviate some of the issues that you talked about? this the issues that you talked about? sis you the issues that you talked about? is you move into summer, we are very concerned about sanitation and mosquitoes, flies and rats. we don't have enough water for people to clean properly now. we need to find a way to pick up the thousands of pounds of trash and move them to landfill, that is really a worry for us as we look to what that can do for disease in gaza. we have seen an increase in hepatitis a and b very much hope that we can contain this and it doesn't become an outbreak. our concerns and it doesn't become an outbreak. 0ur concerns remain and it doesn't become an outbreak. our concerns remain around sanitation, around ensuring there isn't an outbreak in disease and then as always, our number one concern is is ensuring people have enough food to eat every day. haifa concern is is ensuring people have enough food to eat every day. how do ou enough food to eat every day. how do you prioritise — enough food to eat every day. how do you prioritise the _ enough food to eat every day. how do you prioritise the aid _ enough food to eat every day. how do you prioritise the aid coming - enough food to eat every day. how do you prioritise the aid coming in? - enough food to eat every day. how do you prioritise the aid coming in? he . you prioritise the aid coming in? he had mentioned it had improved a little bit but took us through the mechanics and getting the right aid

to the particular areas where they are most needed? it is to the particular areas where they are most needed?— are most needed? it is a process that is undertaken _ are most needed? it is a process that is undertaken by _ are most needed? it is a process that is undertaken by the - are most needed? it is a process that is undertaken by the entire. that is undertaken by the entire humanitarian team here in gaza. every week, we update our colleagues a percentage of trucks that are coming in that contain either food, medicine and water supplies or anything like that. it is something we are working very diligently to make sure we do. for example, this week how the trucks coming in will be food, 20% will be for wash, 10% the medicine and the others for other things. the medicine and the others for otherthings. it the medicine and the others for other things. it is something we pay very close attention to given we have very limited amount of aid coming in. we have to make sure that every truck that gets in makes a difference to the people here in gaza. ., , , difference to the people here in gaza. , . difference to the people here in gaza. . , , ., , , gaza. there has been an issue with the funding — gaza. there has been an issue with the funding in _ gaza. there has been an issue with the funding in the _ gaza. there has been an issue with the funding in the last _ gaza. there has been an issue with the funding in the last few- gaza. there has been an issue with j the funding in the last few months. how has that affected what you can do on the ground?— how has that affected what you can do on the ground? funding is always a concern, especially _ do on the ground? funding is always a concern, especially with _

do on the ground? funding is always a concern, especially with a - a concern, especially with a humanitarian response at this scale. it is well over $1 billion on the bill to the funding it is well over $1 billion on the billto the funding is it is well over $1 billion on the bill to the funding is very much a lifeline that us and the refugees need. thus far we have been able to retain our operations here, continue to feed over 1 retain our operations here, continue to feed over1 million people and provide health care and other services. the people that i shouted in our schools, it is very important that we are able to continue providing the services. scott anderson — providing the services. scott anderson from _ providing the services. scott anderson from unrwa. - providing the services. scott anderson from unrwa. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. the palestinian authority will reconsider bilateral relations with the us after washington vetoed a request forfull un membership. the palestinian authority has had observer status since 2012 but cannot vote in proceedings. on thursday, 12 countries voted in favour of the resolution with the us opposing. palestinian president mahmoud abbas said in an interview to the wafa news agency that he will reconsider relations with washington, in a way that ensures the protection of the interests of the palestinian people.

iran's foreign minister has downplayed israel's involvement in the recent attack on his country describing the weapons used as more like children's toys, rather than drones. hossein amir—abdollahian made the comments in an interview with us media. he said israeli micro—drones used in the operation had caused no deaths or damage, and dismissed it as a "desperate attempt" by israel to "make a victory out of their repeated defeats". he said iran would respond at the �*maximum level�* if israel acts against its interests. tehran's muted response to friday morning's events has raised hopes that tensions between the countries can be dampened, and a wider escalation averted. a base used by pro—iranian militias in iraq has been damaged by a large explosion, a day after israel's presumed strike on iran. one person was killed and eight others injured in the blast and intense fire at the kalso military base, south of the capital baghdad. this footage from the scene shows

the aftermath of the explosion, which iraqi security sources have described as a "bombing" which hit weapons and vehicles. the base is used by the popular mobilisation forces — an umbrella organisation linking several pro—iran militias who've recently attacked us personnel in iraq. the pentagon says it has not carried out any new strike in iraq. after months of delay, the us house of representatives is due to vote on tens of billions of dollars in us military aid for israel — and for ukraine to help it fight off the russian invasion. both measures have vocal opponents in congress, and their hopes of passage have hinged on a fragile bipartisan coalition to overcome legislative hurdles. the debate is under way, with the republican speaker mike johnson allowing a vote to take place later on saturday.

are we close to the vote now? we are. the are we close to the vote now? we are- they are _ are we close to the vote now? - are. they are debating this bill and are. they are debating this bill and a number of amendments that have been proposed to the bill. in about an hour from been proposed to the bill. in about an hourfrom now, we are expecting a vote and lawmakers will initially vote and lawmakers will initially vote on those amendments. some of them have been submitted by hardline republicans who are attempting to basically kibosh this bill. those members have very little chance of going through. one those amendments are voted on, then the bill itself will go to a vote and as i say, we are expecting that to pass. there is cross—party support, which is a rare thing in the us house of representatives, for this bill. i think that gives you some impression of the significance of this moment. this really is a crucial time for assistance for ukraine. $61 billion of desperately needed assistance.

that includes artillery rounds, air defence missiles, as well as financial assistance for the ukrainian governance. that financial assistance has been converted into a loan. in the initial bill that was first admitted by president biden exactly six months ago today. that gives you an idea just how long this legislation has been stalled in congress. when it was admitted, it was part of the package and the financial assistance part was basically a hand—out to the ukrainians. but that has now been transferred into a loan. the ukrainians perhaps wonder how to pay that back. that is a bit of a concession to hardline republicans, conservative republicans in congress, many of them are very sceptical about funding ukraine, sending assistance to ukraine. they are part of the growing isolationist wing of the republican party. many of them think that more money should

be spent at home here in america and things like border security. they don't think that billions of dollars should be sent overseas to fight wars in foreign countries. but many democrats and the other part of the republican party, which we sometimes call the national security part or the reagan list part of the republicans, they very much support this bill. they say this is a vital moment that america needs a standby ukraine, that two years on, it is important, not only to ensure that the ukrainians had the weapons and the ukrainians had the weapons and the ammunition they need, but also for morale and ukraine. it is important that america stands by its partners. so this is really a crucial moment. so we will have to see what happened in that vote in an hour but as i say, that bill is expected to pass.— hour but as i say, that bill is expected to pass. thank you very much indeed. _ expected to pass. thank you very much indeed. as _ expected to pass. thank you very much indeed. as we _ expected to pass. thank you very much indeed. as we have - expected to pass. thank you very much indeed. as we have been . much indeed. as we have been hearing, the package includes munitions and air defence missiles desperately needed by ukraine. the

vote being closely watched in kyiv. a ukrainian drone strike has killed two people. the governors say a residential barn and a building worker pity burnt down. the governor of smolensk, just north of the belgorod region, says a ukrainian drone hit a fuel depot there overnight, setting it on fire. let's speak to our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse in kyiv. presumably they are monitoring this very closely because they have said for a long time they need the extra ammunition and equipment? absolutely. i think there has been almost disbelief that the change of tone from washington where this bill has been on the back burner, shelved, delayed, whatever you want to call it a bit over the past six months, the reality for ukraine is this, is that russia has been

capitalising on ukrainian troops finding themselves outnumbered waved when they ammunition. they have lost the east and turned back in february and the russians haven't stopped there. when he the rumbling of artillery, the majority of that fire is coming from the russians. if you are ukraine defending yourself or even hoping to liberate your territory, it certainly, that golfer kyiv in feel further away. that said, this is a sizeable intervention by the us should it be passed, the biggest one we would have seen yet and that would in theory give ukraine the tools and weapons to once again perhaps change momentum. but i think realistically, all this bill will do is keep ukraine in the fight. it will allow it once again try and suppress those russian advances and try to do something about the russian air superiority in east, where invading

forces and fighter jets flying unchallenged almost on territory that ukraine still controls. so i think there will be relief should this go through as expected tomorrow and then all eyes will turn to when this aid can arrive. you can be sure that there will be a lot of work in the background to try and get that ammunition and equipment here as soon as possible. in ammunition and equipment here as soon as possible.— ammunition and equipment here as soon as possible. in the meantime, overniaht soon as possible. in the meantime, overnight the _ soon as possible. in the meantime, overnight the habits _ soon as possible. in the meantime, overnight the habits and _ soon as possible. in the meantime, overnight the habits and drone - overnight the habits and drone attacks by ukraine on russia. talk us through the details of that? security sources are telling us that they launched drone attacks, these unmanned drones packed with explosives that are made in ukraine. in as many as eight russian regions was that they are very keen to talk to attacks on russian energy infrastructure, to the slight nervousness to some western allies, to the simple reason they are still worried about russia escalating. they are also worried that fuel prices could rise with these kind of strategies. but what ukraine says that matt is going to say is that

russia is continuing to target their energy in the structure on a far greater scale and clearly it has the confidence to keep pursuing these kind of objectives against the backdrop of little to no success over the past six months, as discussed. over the past six months, as discussed-— over the past six months, as discussed. , ., , . ., ., , ., ,, discussed. james waterhouse, thank ou ve discussed. james waterhouse, thank you very much _ discussed. james waterhouse, thank you very much indeed. _ for more on this, matthew schmidt joins me now who is the associate professor of national security at the university of new haven in connecticut. how confident are you that this bill will get through in the end? �*igg�*zse will get through in the end? 100% that it will get through in the end? 10096 that it will go _ will get through in the end? 10096 that it will go through. _ will get through in the end? 10096 that it will go through. the - that it will go through. the procedural vote show that the democrats would push this through as long other than it might as they did. if long other than it might as they did. , ., , ., did. if the bill does pass, how ruickl did. if the bill does pass, how quickly can — did. if the bill does pass, how quickly can add _ did. if the bill does pass, how quickly can add a _ did. if the bill does pass, how quickly can add a package - did. if the bill does pass, how- quickly can add a package actually come into effect for ukraine in

particular?— particular? things like the artillery shells, _ particular? things like the artillery shells, which - particular? things like the artillery shells, which are | artillery shells, which are critical, or already prioritise and position to ship in europe and i think they will move within hours of the president signing it. find think they will move within hours of the president signing it.— think they will move within hours of the president signing it. and do you think that, how— the president signing it. and do you think that, how much _ the president signing it. and do you think that, how much would - the president signing it. and do you think that, how much would he - the president signing it. and do you think that, how much would he say| think that, how much would he say the damage has been to ukraine was not worth it to have this delay with this bill? i not worth it to have this delay with this bill? ~' not worth it to have this delay with this bill? ~ ., , , this bill? i think it has been enormous. _ this bill? i think it has been enormous. this _ this bill? i think it has been enormous. this money - this bill? i think it has been enormous. this money will| this bill? i think it has been - enormous. this money will allow ukraine survive 2024, to fight into 2025 but it does ukraine the chance to be on its terms. what it does changes is the balance we have seen in the last few months. it means russia will not be able to force this war to a conclusion on the battlefield and that is absolutely critical because it gives ukrainians a chance to use the guts, their courage and their skill because they have got the guns and ammunition to do it now. we have got the guns and ammunition to do it now. ~ ., , ,., , do it now. we have seen some wry

rare bipartisan _ do it now. we have seen some wry rare bipartisan to _ do it now. we have seen some wry rare bipartisan to push _ do it now. we have seen some wry rare bipartisan to push it _ do it now. we have seen some wry rare bipartisan to push it through. | rare bipartisan to push it through. how would you describe the system at the moment? would he say it is dysfunctional? the the moment? would he say it is dysfunctional?— dysfunctional? the american olitical dysfunctional? the american political system _ dysfunctional? the american political system is _ dysfunctional? the american political system is always - political system is always dysfunctional but i think it has been more dysfunctional than usual in the history of that institution. republicans are usually very strong national security. historically make sense for them to support ukraine against russia and we have seen that happening largely because of the donald trump wing of the republican party taking power. what is really important of this vote is that mike johnson is being supported by the democrats. {lin johnson is being supported by the democrats. . , johnson is being supported by the democrats. ., , ., johnson is being supported by the democrats-_ johnson is being supported by the democrats. . , ., , ., ~' democrats. on that, why do you think ou ut his democrats. on that, why do you think you put his job — democrats. on that, why do you think you put his job on _ democrats. on that, why do you think you put his job on the _ democrats. on that, why do you think you put his job on the line _ democrats. on that, why do you think you put his job on the line to - democrats. on that, why do you think you put his job on the line to get - you put his job on the line to get this through? what was the calculation for him in the end? in his mind he believes in the rightness that the ukrainian fight. he believes in right and wrong, this is a moral decision for him. he said that he would do what is right no matter what happened to his job and

i think we had to take him at face value. . ~ i think we had to take him at face value. ., ~' ,, , . value. thank you very much indeed for our value. thank you very much indeed for your analysis _ value. thank you very much indeed for your analysis there. _ here in the uk, the head of the body which advises the government on climate change policy, has attacked rishi sunak�*s commitment to cutting carbon emissions. chris stark, from the climate change committee, told the bbc that the prime minister had set back progress towards reaching net zero, and says he "clearly" hasn't made it a priority. here's justin rowlatt. the climate change committee's job is to mark the government's homework on climate, says chris stark, and he is marking rishi sunak down in dramatic fashion. the reason? in the autumn, the prime minister delayed a ban on petrol and diesel cars and watered down targets for phasing out gas boilers. we seem to have defaulted an approach which will impose unacceptable costs on hard—pressed british families, costs that no—one was ever really told about. here is what mr stark had to say about that. i think it set us back.

so i think we have moved from a position where we were really at the forefront, pushing ahead as quickly as we could on something that i believe to be fundamental to the uk economy, fundamentally beneficial to the people living in this country, whether you care about the climate or not. a government spokesperson said the uk was the first major economy to halve greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and said that record speaks for itself. mr stark was critical of other parties, too. he told the sunday with laura kuenssberg programme that politicians, across the political spectrum, have a collective fear of talking about climate. and he said he was disappointed by the snp government in edinburgh's decision to drop a key carbon reduction target this week, saying the targets had been overambitious from the start. the scottish government chose to choose an even more ambitious path than the one that we'd advised. and that's fine — i mean, i love ambition — but it only matters if you actually

deliver against that. a scottish government spokesperson said the country remains steadfast in its commitment to reaching net zero by 2045. the interview with mr stark comes as marine experts warn the world's coral reefs are experiencing their fourth mass bleaching event — driven, they say, by record high sea surface temperatures. justin rowlatt, bbc news. the world's largest digital astronomy camera has finally been built. with a whopping 3000 200 megapixels, the camera can produce with a whopping 3,200 megapixels, the camera can produce 1,000 images per night. it'll allow scientists to study dark energy, dark matter, and the distribution of galaxies. it'll now be sent from the united states to chile, where it'll arrive in a month. the public will see its first images in 2025. taking 1,000 pictures a night is wild. that is not something that is currently done by other telescopes.

and so taking that many pictures, in addition to having them being of more than the sky, in addition to having them be able to see really far, it is just a really powerful combination of being able to collect a lot of data. i like to think of it as, if you're looking for a needle in a haystack, which is essentially what you're doing when you're trying to find something cool in space, the more haystacks you have, the more likely you are to find some needles. and so we are putting together a million haystacks and we are really confident there are going to be some pretty fun needles in there. let's ta ke let's take you quickly to look at congress where the house of representatives are discussing those measures still. they will vote this afternoon on the separately —— on the aid of ukraine, israel and taiwan and another bill that could result in a nationwide ban of tiktok and new sanctions on iran. the speaker that has decided to separate out the vote so people can approve

or disapprove of some of the areas without sinking the whole bill. to thatis without sinking the whole bill. to that is the mechanism he has come up with and the votes will be starting shortly. it will start with border security, dan brown, then taiwan, then brown. stay with us on bbc news. hello. well, this time of the year, it really is all about the sunshine. it can feel quite pleasant, even if the temperature is not particularly high. but as soon as it clouds over, it can feel really cold. and i think that is the outlook over the next few days. a fair amount of cloud and feeling quite chilly, and it feels chilly right across europe. this is the temperature anomaly mapped through the weekend across the whole of europe — almost the whole of europe — the temperatures are below the average for the time of the year. even snow across northern europe and some snow across the alps, too. now over us, high pressure is in charge of the weather,

but notice that northerly breeze close to the north sea coast on the eastern side of the high pressure, which is centred around ireland. so this is the satellite picture from earlier on. it started off quite sunny, but then the clouds developed during the afternoon and it turned quite cold. now, through this evening, variable amounts of cloud, but some clear skies out towards the west here. just a little bit of rain sneaking in on a weak weather front across northern and central scotland. how about the temperatures? yes, a chance of a little bit of frost outside of town where the skies are clear through the night. but i think in city centres it's closer to around four, five, six degrees. so tomorrow, a similar day in that there will be a chilly breeze on the north sea coast, maybe one or two showers, but i think quite cloudy across northern, eastern scotland, the north east of england, too. a little bit of rain. the best of the weather by far out towards the west. the west of northern ireland could see temperatures around 17 or 18 degrees. now, the high pressure is with us into monday, but these annoying weather fronts do

sneak in on the eastern side of this high pressure. they are weak weather fronts, which means that there will be a fair amount of cloud, maybe a period of a little bit of rain moving through england, maybe reaching wales too. the best and brightest of the weather will be again out towards the west of the uk. we mightjust nudge into the mid—teens, 14, 15, maybe 16 degrees. but again on the north sea coast and central parts of england, it'll be closer to around 10 or 12. is it going to be warming up? well, no, the outlook is remaining chilly. you can see temperatures of around 12 degrees there in london. about that in edinburgh, too. towards next weekend, it could turn a little milder, but it may turn more showery.

live from london, this is bbc news. palestinians take cover as israel strikes homes in southern gaza — nine people have been killed, including at least four children, after strikes in rafah. meanwhile, the un agency for palestinian refugees warns that the risk of disease is rising. ukraine presses its western allies for more air defence systems in the war against russia. kyiv has warned of an urgent need for fresh support. i'm helena humphrey on capitol hill, as us lawmakers are set to vote on long—awaited aid to ukraine. the head of a uk government watchdog

has told the bbc that rishi sunak has "set us back" on climate change. chris stark says the pm has left the uk at risk of falling behind other countries. and thousands of people take to the streets of the canary islands in protest at what they say are unsustainable levels of mass tourism. they say it's damaging the environment and driving up costs for local people. time for sport now, and a full round—up from the bbc sport centre with lizzie greenwood—hughes. hello there. we're starting with football and the fa cup, where manchester city are in semifinal action against chelsea at wembley. they've been playing for about 15 minutes. it is goalless at the moment, but pretty evenly matched between the two sides. city are the defending champions, but they've had a difficult week after being knocked out of the champions league and they're also without their star striker erling haaland.

in the premier league, it's a huge weekend for the teams at the bottom of the table, hoping to avoid relegation, but sheffield united's stay is all but down. beaten 4—1 by fellow strugglers burnley, sheffield united stay bottom of the table — ten points from safety — and could be officially relegated as early as wednesday depending on other results. burnley stay second from bottom, three points from safety. elsewhere, just above burnley, luton's chances of staying up took a blow when they were thrashed by brentford. meanwhile, kicking off in a couple of hours are arsenal, who are away to wolverhampton wanderers. it's been a difficult week for arsenal — defeat in the league and in europe — but their manager says they're still going to try to take the title. as an experience, it wasn't the best one. obviously did a defeat in the league, if you and the champions league, and i am fully focused on the task we have ahead of us with six games to go. we are a game behind a city and we are going to

give it a real go. a superb result for chelsea women, in the first leg of their champions league semifinal. they beat the holders barcelona, in spain, to take the advantage ahead of next week's return leg. scotland international erin cuthbert scored the winner, firing past goalkeeper catalina coll in the first half. and barca missed a chance to equalise — alexia putellas putting it wide from a few yards out — so chelsea hold on for the win and, with it, end barca's five—year unbeaten run at home. o nto onto rugby union now. the women's six nations is into the penultimate round, and england are still on course for the grand slam after a record win over ireland. abby dow and ellie kildunne both scored a hat—trick of tries as they hammered them at twickenham. in total, there were eight different try scorers for england, who were utterly dominant. ireland managing only a penalty try in response, 88—10 the final score. we are so happy to play in front of this crowd at a home stadium and

to... 88-10? no this crowd at a home stadium and to... 88—10? no discredit to ireland, but we really turned it on when we needed to and theyjust kept on coming. everyone knew their role and it was enjoyable. it's enjoyable. so a convincing win for england against ireland. under way at the moment, italy are in action against scotland. it is 7-7 it is 7—7 at the moment at half—time, much more evenly matched there. max verstappen has become the first driver this century to qualify on pole position for the opening five races of a formula one season. the triple world champion cruised to victory in the sprint race at the chinese grand prix. and he then went to qualify fastest for sunday's main race, ahead of red bull team—mate sergio perez. lewis hamilton, who was second in the sprint, had a shocker in qualifying, eliminated in 01 after locking up. he'll start 18th out of 20 on the grid in shanghai. and the snooker world championship is under way in sheffield — with defending champion luca brecel amongst the names first on the tables.

the belgian is facing england's david gilbert in his opening match, and it's brecel that holds the advantage — he's six frames to three up after the morning session. the first to ten frames wins in the first round. they'll resume in the final session later. the 2019 championjudd trump is up against iran's hossein vafaei. they have just gone into the break, so their session has ended, and it is 6—3 tojudd trump. world number one ronnie o'sullivan gets his tournament under way on wednesday. that's it, you're up—to—date with all the sport. thank you very much indeed. iran's foreign minister has downplayed israel's involvement in the recent attack on his country, describing the weapons used as more like children's toys than drones. hossein amir—abdollahian made the comments in an interview with us media. he said israeli micro—drones used in the operation had caused no deaths or damage and dismissed it as a "desperate attempt" by israel

to "make a victory out of their repeated defeats". he said iran would respond at the "maximum level" if israel acts against its interests. tehran's muted response to friday morning's events has raised hopes that tensions between the countries can be dampened and a wider escalation averted. mark kimmitt is a former us assistant secretary of state for political—military affairs. i asked him how tojudge the response that has come from iran, as well as israel's reported strike in iran. i think that diplomatic talk often tries to obscure the facts. the facts are that israel, no matter the size, the quantity or the capability of the drones that attacked isfahan, in fact, they got in through what was supposed to be a formidable iranian air defence system. so, in many ways, this was a message from israel that even these, as the foreign minister would say, "small toys" can get through their

air defence systems, which is no mean feat. so i think that the situation is tamping down. it would appear to me that the war is going back into the shadows, where it's been for the last 45 years, until it came out after the israelis started boasting about the targeted assassinations inside of damascus, which led in many ways to what we've seen over the last few weeks. so we're now still in a situation, though, where things have changed in a way, in that each country has struck directly at the other. if it does go back into the shadows, as you say, to the old playbook, does it raise the risk calculus now that they have crossed that line of hitting each other directly? well, i certainly think it has. there was a protocol, sort of a status quo, that says, "we can fight each other through proxies, but not in direct attacks into each other�*s countries." that has been breached. so now the real question is, what will cause in the future a situation where one country

or the other country attacks and openly admits that they are attacking? because as we've seen over the last week, that can spiral very, very close to a situation in the middle east that goes well beyond the particular aspects of both iran and israel. and you mentioned that it was an area where there is a nuclear facility, even if they didn't strike, actually, at the nuclear facility. is there a possibility now that iran, as a result of that, will either accelerate its its programme towards nuclear or move it underground? well, it's certainly underground now. there was no chance that any targeting of the isfahan facility would have been successful because it is deep and it is hard. so that's not a question. the iranians have done that for decades. but i also would suggest, i don't know if iran could accelerate their programme any faster than it already is. numerous violations of us inspectors, numerous attempts to obscure what's really happening. so i think we've just got

to presume that the iranians will continue their nuclear programme until they've reached break—out. and in terms of iran's funding of other proxies, how much do you think the current sanctions, even the new ones that have been added on, will make to changing that? very little. the sanctions regimes with iran — and for that matter, many other countries — just don't seem to be having a bite and have certainly not stopped iran from producing the drones that they've not only used in this fight, but have provided to russia as part of the fight in ukraine. the focus in recent days has been on tensions between israel and iran, but let's take you inside iran now, where the clerical regime appears to be cracking down on women again. there's been a renewed presence of the morality police on the street as videos verified by bbc persian show. parham ghobadi has more — and a warning, there are vivid accounts of violence in his report. iran is fighting on

two fronts simultaneously — launching missiles and drones at israel and flooding the streets with police to force women to wear the mandatory headscarf. but could the two campaigns be linked? it seems very likely that they are related because of the timing of the campaign against women, and many believe that the real reason behind that move is that the regime is very fearful about the possibility of another uprising against it, especially if iran is weakened by a possible israeli attack. in this video, verified by bbc persian, a woman is violently arrested by the morality police in tehran, as bystanders argue with them. in another video that shocked the nation, a girl is seen having a seizure after she was confronted by the police over her refusal to wear a headscarf.

another woman who was beaten by the morality police shared her experience with bbc persian. to protect her identity, a journalist reads her account of events. translation: a big male officer | kicked me very hard in the back. | later, i began urinating blood. the doctor told me my kidney was partly torn. the court fined me $50. the judge warned me that if i am detained again, i will go to prison and will be banned from travelling abroad. despite the threats, many iranian women are refusing to cover their hair. their campaign started after the death of mahsa amini nearly two years ago. the kurdish girl who was detained by the morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly and died in custody. protests swept the country, and over 550 people were killed in the government crackdown. according to the un, the reappearance of the morality police in such numbers follows an orderfrom iran's commander—in—chief.

translation: everyone must obey the hijab law. everyone. i believe the government and thejudiciary should carry out their lawful and religious responsibilities in this regard. despite such warnings, iranian women are refusing to give up on their dream of freedom. and we have got some pictures coming to us of a demonstration in israel which is one of the weekly demonstrations, a regularfeature in israel, against benjamin netanyahu's government and demanding new elections, and some of the relatives of hostages who are held by hamas are still expected to join in, supporters and relatives of the hostages held by hamasjoining supporters and relatives of the hostages held by hamas joining this rally there in hostages a square, as it's become known.

let's speak to our correspondent in washington, helena humphrey. she's there at capitol hill following the vote. it's been a long haulfor this bill. tell us what is happening right now. certainly has been a long haulfor this bill. now we've got to this stage where they're dumb at those debates have wrapped up. we have the first bill coming to the floor right now, it's got about six minutes left on the clock for that, with or goes to border security. it's likely to fail. it would need a two thirds majority. this is calling for more stringent restrictions with regards to the southern border at a time when we have seen record levels in recent months of migrant crossings. then we move onto this kind of catchall bill with regards to potential for a tiktok band, iranian sanctions, using russian assets and seizing them to pay for funding for that aid for ukraine, and then we go to the real nuts and bolts of what we are going to be watching very closely today about foreign aid

separated into three separate priorities about what everyone is watching is aid for ukraine, over 60 billion us dollars. then aid for israel, $25 billion, also a provision there for humanitarian assistance to gaza as well, and then over a billion us dollars set aside for taiwan and security priorities in the indo—pacific region. this has been long awaited —— $8 billion. it is expected to pass because there'll be enough democratic lawmakers to pushit be enough democratic lawmakers to push it through as well for some we saw that with the procedural vote on the floor, but then this comes to the floor, but then this comes to the crux of the criticism we know speakerjohnson is facing and why it had been stalled for so long, because an increasing chorus of republicans are against more aid to ukraine at a time when there has not been a tougher security bill for the southern border, and as such he had not thought he would be able to take it to the floor, but seemingly he

has had a change of heart, they will be voting on it today, it is expected to pass, it will then go to the senate and then go to president biden's desk, where he will sign off on it, and we know the panic on has been repositioning weapons in order to try and get them to ukraine in front lines as quickly as possible —— the pentagon has been. we are talking days. -- the pentagon has been. we are talking days-_ -- the pentagon has been. we are talking days. what provisions were made in order— talking days. what provisions were made in order to _ talking days. what provisions were made in order to make _ talking days. what provisions were made in order to make it - talking days. what provisions were made in order to make it happen l talking days. what provisions were i made in order to make it happen and get that through?— get that through? that's interesting. _ get that through? that's interesting. if _ get that through? that's interesting. if you - get that through? that's interesting. if you take i get that through? that's| interesting. if you take a get that through? that's - interesting. if you take a look at the ukraine bill specifically, there is the possibility of this being a loan for example, so this is something ukraine said they are open to, paying it back in the future, although if you take a look at the detail, there's also the possibility for the president to forgive that loan. there is the possibility as well for russian assets to be seized, to pay for this as well. some of the things that have been put in as some kind of concession to try and get it over the line, and we know that here in washington, the warnings really have been dier over

this past week, ukrainian prime ministerfor this past week, ukrainian prime minister for one speaking to the bbc, saying that without this us aid, there is the possibility ukraine could lose the war here. if we take a look at what is happened in recent months, just to give some context, i was outside the white housein context, i was outside the white house in september when president zelensky was here asking for 60 billion in us aid, asking for us missiles in order to protect ukrainian skies, so there's a lot of —— at stake here and speakerjohnson has clearly had a change of heart he or, saying it is a moral imperative to pass this foreign aid. ind or, saying it is a moral imperative to pass this foreign aid.— to pass this foreign aid. and what about him? _ to pass this foreign aid. and what about him? he _ to pass this foreign aid. and what about him? he is _ to pass this foreign aid. and what about him? he is risking - to pass this foreign aid. and what about him? he is risking his - to pass this foreign aid. and what about him? he is risking his ownl to pass this foreign aid. and what i about him? he is risking his own job about him? he is risking his ownjob out of this. what is the likely outcome for him, do you think? there is the possibility _ outcome for him, do you think? there is the possibility of _ outcome for him, do you think? there is the possibility of him _ outcome for him, do you think? fuse is the possibility of him losing his job here, his gavel could be on the line with all of this. speaker johnson has said that he knows that,

he's aware of it, but he's not going to be, quote unquote, looking over his shoulder worrying about this when he believes it is the right thing to know, but we know that marjorie taylor greene has been for this motion to vacate. she could force a vote on it. she's got two other republican lawmakers who are on her side who would potentially also push this forward, whether they go with it today, is another question. thomas massey, the congressman who said that remains to be seen, but it is a real possibility. one word of caution i would say on that is that this is an election year was to potentially republicans might feel a little bit squeamish about seeing the house in more chaos at a time when we think back to october and what we saw there with the ousting thereof kevin mccarthy and all the chaos and stalled bills we saw because of that, we know that recently is what we did see speakerjohnson with president trump in mar—a—lago, seemingly in lockstep there and we

know that president trump does have a big sway, particularly over the freedom caucus. so it remains to be seen, but it's not an over estimation to say that his job is on the line over this. you estimation to say that his “ob is on the line over thigh the line over this. you mentioned former president _ the line over this. you mentioned former president trump - the line over this. you mentioned former president trump they - the line over this. you mentionedj former president trump they are. what is he expected to say if the bill does go through? because he is very much keen on the border security angle? he very much keen on the border security angle?— very much keen on the border security angle? very much keen on the border securi anale? , , . ,, security angle? he is very much keen on it. that security angle? he is very much keen on it- that has— security angle? he is very much keen on it. that has been _ security angle? he is very much keen on it. that has been a _ security angle? he is very much keen on it. that has been a key _ security angle? he is very much keen on it. that has been a key part - security angle? he is very much keen on it. that has been a key part of - on it. that has been a key part of his campaign. he is the presumptive republican candidate, so potentially we can expect to see some comments with regards to the security angle for the southern border. we know that that is top of voters concerns, republican voters concerns, i should say, if you take a look at votes and surveys, you'll see border security followed by the economy are the two top issues here, so i think it is likely that we will watch and see what donald trump tied up in his court appearances says about all of this, but i think making the point

about border security probably will be one tactic that he uses.- be one tactic that he uses. helena humphrey. _ be one tactic that he uses. helena humphrey. thank— be one tactic that he uses. helena humphrey, thank you _ be one tactic that he uses. helena humphrey, thank you very - be one tactic that he uses. helena humphrey, thank you very much l humphrey, thank you very much indeed. we think the first boat has gone through. we think 86—46... that was on the first part of the boat there which was on border security. —— first part of the vote. after a huge public backlash, the welsh government is pulling back from imposing 20 mile an hour speed limits in built up areas. it's expected some roads will now revert to 30 miles an hour. almost half a million people signed a petition, saying they didn't want the lower speed restrictions. here's tomos morgan. since this sign changed to being the rule and not the exception in september, a large part of the welsh public have not been happy in the slow lane. the £34 million policy to make 20 the default limit in urban areas was introduced by the welsh labour government in order to reduce collisions and save lives. but there has been overwhelming

public response against it. an online petition calling for 20 miles an hour to be scrapped reaching just shy of 500,000 signatures, far outweighing cycling and other campaign groups that supported it. so now the new transport secretary, who has been in thejob forjust a month, has said the policy will be reined in, making it easier for previous speed limits to be reintroduced. back in september, this dual carriageway in the centre of cardiff had its speed limit changed to 20 mph. but it's not in a built—up residential area, there is no hospital here and no school. so feasibly it could have its original speed limit of 40 miles an hour reinstated very soon. yeah, more than happy to see the move back to 30. itjust holds everyone up. i am happy with the 20 miles an hour limit. i notice the difference — when i was driving outside of cardiff, i had

less time to react. some roads i can understand it, but there's some roads that - are so quiet, nothing and nobody around and driving 20 miles- an hourjust takes ages. further details about how the welsh government will help fund councils to reverse changes on certain roads will be announced on tuesday. some within welsh labour had been critical of this policy, and in an expected general election year, there is no doubt the government here is facing political pressure to keep the public onside. tomos morgan, bbc news, cardiff. thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in the canary islands, calling for a rethink of what they say is the "unsustainable tourism" model, which draws millions of visitors to the spanish archipelago every year. the protests — held under the banner the canaries have a limit — have gained support from major environmental groups such as greenpeace and friends of the earth. 11 protesters have already been on hunger strike for a week in protest at the construction of two luxury developments on tenerife. here's simonjones.

in the baking spanish heat that helped bring in 16 million visitors to the canaries last year, local people are hot under the collar. the message from tenerife — tourism has gone too far. translation: the canary islands say, "enough is enough." _ they have a limit. our resources and our population can't take any more. the environment is continuing to deteriorate and residents are suffering as well. the demonstrators insist they're not against tourism itself, it's vital for the economies of the island, but they want controls. there's particular concern about the supply of water in such a dry climate, and they claim there's too much focus on building hotels rather than local housing, making the area increasingly unaffordable for residents. the beaches are particularly popular with the brits. the authorities in the canaries stress they remain open for business. the spanish government admits it's about finding the right balance, so holidays can continue harmoniously. simon jones, bbc news.

some breaking news coming into us from central african republic, at least 50 people who were on their way to a funeral have died after their boat capsized in the capital. that was on friday. that's according to afp, the news agency, and they are quoting rescuers who were involved in this, so these 58 people on their way to a funeral died after their boat capsized in the central african republic. and we will bring you more on that storyjust as soon as we get further details. work has begun on one of the first official statues of her majesty queen elizabeth ii, following her death two years ago at the age of 96. the renowned artist and sculptor andy edwards has been tasked with immortalising britain's longest reigning monarch in bronze, which will go on display in staffordshire once complete. our reporter liz copper explains. a sculpture to mark a reign

of more than 70 years. andy edwards from stoke is beginning to fashion a historic piece of public art. and this is how his finished statue of queen elizabeth ii will look. i do feel that pressure, but i do relish it because it is what you aspire to, it's the highest honour, to sculpt the queen. and for that to be commissioned by your hometown is even more so. it's a visit in 1973 which has inspired the sculpture. queen elizabeth and prince philip were here to mark the 800th anniversary of newcastle borough's royal charter. the details from that visit are being carefully observed and cast in bronze. the aim is also to capture the spirit of the day. it's so evocative, itjust shows what it's like to see people on the streets, being happy, celebrating something.

there's not enough of that. even though i couldn't be further in my background and circumstance than the queen, i come from a council estate, not a royal estate, but it's the difference between people that brings us closer together, and i think it's important that we feel that we can celebrate things like the queen returning to newcastle. this will be the statue's eventual home in the town. here in queens gardens, there's a statue of victoria. queen elizabeth's sculpture will be placed so she looks towards her great—great—grandmother. i think it will be a really fitting tribute to be in such a beautiful place, where so many people from good old stoke can see it and people from newcastle—under—lyme, so i think it's wonderful. she has been queen all my life, she was queen all my life and i admired her. ijust think it will be a very nice idea. work on the statue should be complete by september. once unveiled, queen elizabeth will take her place at the very heart of this town.

and do stay with us, where we continue to report on the bill that is going through congress at the moment. votes happening at the moment, where we will be seeing some of that aid which is promised for ukraine, it's been delayed for a number of months. do stay with us here on the bbc news. hello. well, this time of the year, it really is all about the sunshine. it can feel quite pleasant, even if the temperature is not particularly high. but as soon as it clouds over, it can feel really cold. and i think that is the outlook over the next few days. a fair amount of cloud and feeling quite chilly, and it feels chilly right across europe. this is the temperature anomaly mapped through the weekend across the whole of europe — almost the whole of europe — the temperatures are below the average for the time of the year. even snow across northern europe and some snow across the alps, too. now, over us, high pressure

is in charge of the weather, but notice that northerly breeze close to the north sea coast, on the eastern side of the high pressure, which is centred around ireland. so this is the satellite picture from earlier on. it started off quite sunny, but then the clouds developed during the afternoon and it turned quite cold. now, through this evening, variable amounts of cloud, but some clear skies out towards the west here. just a little bit of rain sneaking in on a weak weather front across northern and central scotland. how about the temperatures? yes, a chance of a little bit of frost outside of town where the skies are clear through the night. but i think in city centres, it's closer to around four, five, six degrees. so tomorrow, a similar day, in that there will be a chilly breeze on the north sea coast, maybe one or two showers, but i think quite cloudy across northern, eastern scotland, the north—east of england, too. a little bit of rain. the best of the weather by far out towards the west. the west of northern ireland could see temperatures around 17 or 18 degrees.

now, the high pressure is with us into monday, but these annoying weather fronts do sneak in on the eastern side of this high pressure. they are weak weather fronts, which means that there will be a fair amount of cloud, maybe a period of a little bit of rain moving through england, maybe reaching wales too. the best and brightest of the weather will be again out towards the west of the uk. we mightjust nudge into the mid—teens — 14, 15, maybe 16 degrees. but again on the north sea coast and central parts of england, it'll be closer to around 10 or 12. is it going to be warming up? well, no, the outlook is remaining chilly. you can see temperatures of around 12 degrees there in london. about that in edinburgh, too. towards next weekend, it could turn a little milder, but it may turn more showery.

live from london. this is bbc news. us lawmakers are voting on a long—delayed military aid package for ukraine, as kyiv presses its western allies for more air defence systems in the war against russia. i'm helena humphrey on capitol hill. as us lawmakers prepare to vote on that long awaited aid to ukraine. palestinians take cover as israel strikes homes in southern gaza. nine people have been killed, including at least four children, after strikes in rafah.

and thousands of people take to the streets of the canary islands in protest against what they say are the damaging effects of over—tourism. hello, i'm samantha simmonds. there are high hopes that a $61 billion military funding package for ukraine — which stalled in the us house of representatives months ago — will be unlocked in the next hour. president zelensky has said that without the additional weapons it'll bring, ukraine will lose the war with russia. these are live pictures from the house of representatives, where a debate has been under way for the last few hours. one issue was that the bill rolled together funding for ukraine, israel, and taiwan and other allies. to try and solve it, us house speaker mikejohnson has now broken it down into three separate votes, meaning members can approve elements they support and dismiss others.

during the debate, lawmakers in support of the legislation