this is bbc news, the headlines: more than 100 people die in iran in two explosions near the grave of a top revolutionary guards commander. the united nations peacekeeping mission in lebanon says it is deeply concerned about rising tensions, following the killing of a senior hamas figure. on verified today, we have been investigating one hospital under attack in gaza in a series of health facilities which have been affected by the war. and aftershocks and heavy rain complicate earthquake rescue efforts injapan — at least 64 people are now confirmed dead. time for a look at the business news now.

thank you very much. we start with the shipping crisis in the red sea. yemen's houthi militant group has claimed responsibility for yet another attack on a container vessel, this one belonging to the french shipping line cma—cgm. it happened late on tuesday — despite the presence of the us navy in the area and it's the latest in a series of attacks which are prompting major shipping lines to take alternative, longer routes. the international chamber of shipping says that one in five commercial vessels are now ships are now avoiding the red sea, which accounts for 12% of global trade. it's led to a near doubling in the cost of container shipping. the attackers say they'll continue to target vessels until palestinians in gaza are allowed sufficient food and medicine. ami daniel is the chief executive of the martime intelligence and analytics firm windward, among other things, they help companies reduce risks at sea.

thank you for being with us today. one in five ships choosing to stay away, that means four in five are carrying on regardless. what is your best advice for these ships, and why are they taking the risks?— are they taking the risks? thank you for havin: are they taking the risks? thank you for having me- _ are they taking the risks? thank you for having me. these _ are they taking the risks? thank you for having me. these are _ are they taking the risks? thank you | for having me. these are complicated times and it is affecting everybody in the world without connection to who they are what they buy. in regards to advice, i think the us navy and other navies are trying to escort vessels and convoys. i think the best advice is to make sure you are on it and communicate with your stakeholders, customers as well because it is evolving very fast. ali seen any patterns to the attacks? any type of vessel, freight or even nationality of the vessel?

originally they said they were going after israel connected vessels or things carrying things from israel, but we have not seen any connection in many of the attacks. they are not vessels that carry specific things, and i would say after consulting many people, they are looking to build their brand, and they are going after the biggest brands. cma, others. you cannot see russian or chinese vessels getting hit, so i would say western carriers are under the highest risk, and that is what we have seen. having said that, the more the us and other navies protect these vessels, i think they will go after other targets because i believe their goal is to make a name and build their brand. we believe their goal is to make a name and build their brand.— and build their brand. we know the united nations _ and build their brand. we know the united nations have _ and build their brand. we know the united nations have said _ and build their brand. we know the united nations have said they - and build their brand. we know the united nations have said they are l united nations have said they are trying to seek a diplomatic solution

to all of this. you see anyway in which a deal could be reached for them to call peter tags or is the brute force the only option? i’m them to call peter tags or is the brute force the only option? i'm not sure it is the _ brute force the only option? i'm not sure it is the only _ brute force the only option? i'm not sure it is the only option _ brute force the only option? i'm not sure it is the only option but - brute force the only option? i'm not sure it is the only option but we - sure it is the only option but we have some options. number one, we are seeing the us navy and other navies being loosely co—ordinated. they could be more co—ordinated and could run convoys, but that is not what is happening right now. they are defending in a very loose way. that could happen better, india has justjoined, that is a strong navy lots of capabilities. it is not organised on a defensive level. on the offensive level, the uk defence mr said they were considering their steps. diplomatic solutions, it is always possible if you have a

developed imagination. iwould always possible if you have a developed imagination. i would say that this could be the new normal and this double and off freight rates or even quadruple in freight rates or even quadruple in freight rates could be the situation in the coming 12 months.— rates could be the situation in the coming 12 months. thank you very much forjoining _ coming 12 months. thank you very much forjoining us _ coming 12 months. thank you very much forjoining us for— coming 12 months. thank you very much forjoining us for that - much forjoining us for that analysis. now here's something you probably don't expect to hear in the business news, but could psychedelic drugs be the key to unlocking workplace productivity? there are some who think so. the concept is known as microdosing, it's when you take a tiny amount of a drug like lsd or magic mushrooms as part of your ordinary day to make yourself work better. these drugs are illegal in most parts of the world. and there's insufficient medical evidence to tell us what the long term harm may be. our north america business correspondent reports from new york. in the �*60s, psychedelic drugs such as lsd or magic mushrooms

were associated with long, mind—bending trips, hallucinations and hippies. exploration, transformation... today in america, some are taking such schedule one drugs in tiny doses in an attempt to improve focus, productivity and creativity. this is called micro—dosing. i would sometimes take it a few days in a row and then not do it a few days in a row. curiosity, wonder... donald, whose name i have changed, micro—doses on a regular basis. he says it helps him work. it helps me get into this calm state of flow, right? so if you could do five hours' worth of work in one hour, that is huge. not only are you doing that work, but you are more curious, you are more engaged. sometimes there is maybe a problem i want to solve, or something i want to learn about and this kind

of gives me a way to think outside the box a little bit. hallucinogenic drugs use has increased among those aged 26 and older, with over 5.5 million people using psychedelics in 2019. as attitudes change and more people micro—dose in the workplace, some employers are embracing it, too. we are taking a stance that is polarising at times. shane heath is the founder and ceo of coffee alternative mud/wtr. not only does he support employees who want to micro—dose at work, mud/wtr donates a portion of its profits to psychedelic research and education. if somebody who chooses micro—dosing as something that is helpful for them, they are free to do that. we don't have a policy that encourages or supports using psychedelics but we don't have a policy that polices it either. from my personal experience, the things that i've went through and the experiences i have had with these substances, it was just a personal choice to be an advocate.

there isn't enough evidence yet to say if micro—dosing is beneficial in the workplace or even safe, and the drugs being used are illegal at the federal level. still, that has not stopped business leaders from indulging. micro—dosing in the workplace, it sounds like, you think has a role to play? 100%. dileepan siva coaches start—up founders. 100%, yeah. most clients in this day and age are not concerned around the legal pieces, although they respect the laws. that is a sea change from, say, five plus years ago — i think there is a lot of advancement right now around the research and we are starting to see the regulation change at different levels, local, state, and nationally, all the time. there are risks. the unsupervised use of recreational drugs could be psychologically damaging to those with certain mental conditions. but with renewed interest in psychedelics, advocates hope it will help gain mainstream acceptance. michelle fleury, bbc news, new york.

finally from me, perhaps one of your new year's resolutions is to spend less time on social media. or maybe more! but if you're a regular user, you'll probably be subject to or victim of influencer marketing. the trend is forecast to grow in 2024, with the so—called creator economy expected to be worth an estimated $500 billion by 2027. a new report from the advertising agency ogilvy has been delving into the influencer trends that will shape and define 202a. here's ogilvy�*s global head of influence, rahul titus. what we are seeing is something called ai twin, so, this is basically when you have an ai persona of a very famous celebrity or influencer, you know, so these alter egos online that are basically transforming this whole space. it's really fascinating, you know, because what they do is they're taking that influencer—audience dynamic away from spectatorship to a really active one, so they can engage much more

than a real celebrity can, you know, which is really useful for brands as a whole. the new virtual influencers that are coming out today are actually ai personas of people, so, they are basically built on these celebrities and personalities, and that's going to make this whole space really fascinating. before barbie came on earlier last year, lu was the world's biggest virtual influencer. so, this is from a brand called magalu in brazil. and basically, we created a virtual influencer that could take those interactions for the brand into that dynamic space. and again, something to keep in mind as a whole is that influencer marketing works because there's trust and authenticity built into it. what we are seeing now is that these virtual influencers are also having that same level of trust and authenticity. while it's not there yet, it's slowly getting to a space where people are actually trusting them, you know, which is where the space is really going into. that is your business update. around the world and across the uk.

this is bbc news. bbc news — bringing you different stories from across the uk. tacking up to take down criminals. it might not be theirjob, butjess and clare have volunteered to even up the fight when it comes to crime in the countryside. i love where i keep my horse and i want to give a little bit back to the community. i'm out on my horse almost every day and this volunteering role came up and i thought, yeah, let's go for it. why not? the aim? to crack down on incidents like this, which last year nfu mutual says cost the midlands economy more than £11 million. you've had a tip off already? yes. we contacted by a volunteer. she had been out riding, had come across some silver tents in a hedgerow ditch line. she's hopped off to have a look. it was the remains of a cannabis grow, but it was also quite a large box with cannabis in it. the 20 riders vetted and recruited will work alongside rural policing teams to be their eyes and ears along quiet country lanes.

for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website. you're live with bbc news. the israeli military says it has told civilians to leave a refugee camp in northern gaza, as intense battles with hamas continue across the territory. israel says its planes dropped leaflets on the al—nusseirat camp telling people to move out. gaza's hamas—run health ministry says nearly 22,500 people have now been killed by israeli forces. earlier, the european union's foreign policy chief, josep borrell, said the warring sides would never reach an agreement, so a solution would have to imposed from outside. former israeli justice minister dr yossi beilin gave me his assessment. nobody took responsibility for this act. but what i can say is

that we're not speaking about an innocent guy. he was in charge of horrible, horrible terrorist activities in the last years. and i believe that the world will be a little bit better without him. and how does this represent an escalation or a ramping up of the israeli war effort now, now that it's expanded to another country, a neighbouring country? i cannot tell you. again, israel did not take the responsibility, which is not unimportant. i mean, the fact that people speak about it as if it is done, it is very clear, that it is only israel, is very different from israel taking an official responsibility and that should have some implications on the new future.

speaking about act and counteract. the bottom line is that in such a situation, even if it is eventually israel, when you are not speaking about serious collateral damage and the act is a very directed, very focused on a person who is not a disputed terrorist, i believe that it is a very different situation than when there is high collateral damage. understood on that front, but you're right, israel has not confirmed or denied that it is behind yesterday's attack. but how does what happened yesterday change the game for israel? i don't think that it is a gamechanger, but i believe that there is kind of a sigh of relief here, that this person

who is considered somebody between two and three in the hierarchy of the hamas, and especially because he was in charge of the main terrorist activities of hamas. i think that people are not sad after this event. now, we've been hearing reports that after yesterday's events, egypt now may be withdrawing from any possible talks. what's your take on that? where do you see any discussions in terms of trying to ensure the release of more hostages and ensure that more aid can get into gaza? there are two main aims of israel. one of them is to replace the government of hamas in gaza and to have another government there. it is strategic. it is very, very important. and i hope that it is realistic. another is, of course,

to release the hostages. and the question is whether it is mutually exclusive or not. i don't think that it is mutually exclusive. i believe that the hamas people, the hamas leadership, would like to use the hostages as a kind of a human shield. and as a result of it, i hope that they are not intending to get rid of them. if this is the case, then during the coming weeks, i hope that it would be possible to have an exchange of hostages for prisoners. a strike on the city of khan younis in southern gaza reportedly killed five people, including a newborn baby. it's one of a series of strikes on hospitals in gaza in recent weeks. bbc verify has been following the attacks and analysing the video. here's merlyn thomas.

hospitals in gaza have continued to come under attack in recent weeks. this is one of them, al—ahmar hospital in khan yunis, in southern gaza. and this video was released yesterday by the palestinian red crescent society and it claims to show the aftermath of an israeli strike killing five people, including a newborn child. now, we know that this is this al—ahmar hospital from the distinctive red doors that you're about to see here, as well as the wide concrete steps leading to the hospital. and the video then follows people moving outside, where we get to the street, and we can see the shape of the buildings and the placement of the trees outside, which match other images that are available online of that particular area. and the world health organization has also published their own video showing the damage to the hospital and have repeated the claim of the death of a five—day—old baby. al—ahmar is one of two

hospitals in khan yunis, along with nasser hospital, and they're just 600 metres apart and they've both been hit in the past few weeks. we've also verified at least six attacks in the vicinity of these two hospitals in the past month. these are some of those videos. now, over 12 weeks into the war in gaza, we'll continue to monitor all the footage coming out. the idf were contacted for a response, but they did not reply. live pictures as the head of hezbollah is speaking at the moment. we can take you to those live pictures now. we have been listening into some of what he has been saying as he has been speaking and he has been offering his condolences to hamas for the killing of that senior official in hamas, which he has described as a flagrant israeli aggression on beirut. we will bring

you more on that as we get it. the japanese government is stepping up the emergency response to monday's earthquake, which is now known to have killed at least 64 people. we've been seeing just how extensive the damage actually is. this is the coastal town of suzu — the sheer force of the quake here flattened homes and dumped boats in the streets. rescue teams have been searching collapsed houses. japanese prime minister, fumio kishida, says the number of military personnel involved would be doubled to two thousand. our correspondentjean mckenzie is in the region and travelled close to the epicentre. we finally arrived in the town of wajima three days after the earthquake. and this is close to the epicentre, and it is by far the most destruction we've seen. a fire broke out here during the earthquake, and it spread to the houses and the stalls. this used to be an old market place, and the people in the town have told

us that the flames could be seen from all around. you can see that much of the area is still smoking. walking around the side streets, and so many of the old wooden homes have completely collapsed. but most people have now left this town. they took those very early warnings to flee for higher ground because of the tsunami that was forecast. and they haven't been able to return, either because their homes have been destroyed or they are structurally unsafe. but people are returning here to search for their relatives who they think might still be trapped under the rubble. because three days on, they still don't know. it has taken some of the search and rescue teams nearly as long as us to reach here. these search dogs only arrived here this morning. there has been a huge delay in searching for survivors, and the teams are now going one by one to each of these collapsed wooden houses to search for them. but they don't know if anyone is inside here. their searches aren't based on any

information, they've told us. and so this is an incredibly slow process and this is a critical time. we do have a development that has just come into us on that story, a separate story from japan. yesterday there was a plane crash and the uk's air accidents investigation branch has said it will send a team of interest is —— investigators to investigate the accident that happened yesterday and says it will... they say happened yesterday and says it will. .. they say there happened yesterday and says it will... they say there has been an

accredited representative appointed to that investigation. police say a man was killed in gloucestershire yesterday when storm henk blew a tree onto his car. there are nearly 300 flood alerts and warnings across england and wales and about 2,400 homes are still without power. phil mackie reports. at first light, things did not look good. the river severn had risen higher than predicted to, and not far short of record levels. these housing association flats are prone to flooding. fearing the worst, susan rescued her mum, christine, last night. almost 2020 levels, i would say, it is up to the bottom of the window sill, which it was, it's only got a little bit to go to go over the windowsill, which is where it was in 2020, so just wait and see. but others were not so lucky. that's paul's car. he's onlyjust moved here and was told this was the safest place to leave it. if it gets much higher it is probably write—off. we've got flooding alarm systems that i have now learned. ijust recently moved into a new block of flats

and the alarm system went off on sunday evening so i moved the car. this is where i was advised to move it to, and i kept an eye on it over the course of yesterday. and as you can see this evening, over the night it got worse. storm henk took one life, a man whose car was hit by a tree in gloucestershire. the aftermath of the storm is still being felt across much of england and wales. there are hundreds of flood warnings and one severe one on the river near tenby in pembrokeshire. an earlier severe warning on a river in northamptonshire has been removed but the county is still suffering. in shropshire, the flood barriers are holding the river back in ironbridge but essential supplies are still getting in. back in worcester, some people are taking advantage of the situation but many are dealing with a fourth flood since october. these houses are used to flooding but the floods are happening more often and they tend to be higher and last longer so that means people living there need to take more precautions

to remain here and that is happening along the length of the river severn. archaeologists in wales have unearthed a medieval cemetery that has provided a rare glimpse into life 1500 years ago. discoveries include at least 70 skeletons, shards of glass from france and pottery from north africa. our science editor rebecca morelle reports. uncovering a medieval mystery. just outside of cardiff, archaeologists have discovered a graveyard they think is 1,500 years old. the bodies buried so long ago are giving an insight into a period we know little about. what's being revealed is baffling the archaeologists. it's really rare to have a site like this. each one of these is a grave and the team have excavated 18 so far, but they think there could be more than 70 at this site. now they're all aligned in the same position, running from east to west. and in some of them, the skeletons are flat on their backs

with their legs outstretched. but in others, like this one over here, the skeleton is in a really unusual crouching position. why this is isn't clear. were burial practices changing over time? or was there something else marking these people out as different? the skeletons are some of the best preserved, we're actually very, very lucky with that. and this particular individual is one of our better preserved ones on the site as a whole. the skeletons are being carefully excavated and they're already providing clues about who these people were and what they did. we have some teeth that are very worn in kind of a funny way. that might indicate the use of teeth as tools. maybe for textile work, leatherwork, basketry. where they're pulling something through their front teeth. got something that looks like glass. what's being found alongside the skeletons is posing even more of a puzzle. it is glass! a shard of fine french glass has just been discovered.

hopefully the rim from a cone beaker. so it would have looked like an ice cream cone and it probably was imported alongside wine in barrels from the bordeaux region of france. a really nice find. it's just one of an array of artifacts from fragments of pottery, perhaps from north africa, to a tiny carved peg. this little object is manufactured from animal bone. could be a peg for fora gaming board. it suggests people were coming to the cemetery to meet up. the living and the dead existing together. it's notjust a place where people are being buried, but it's a place where communities are coming together. they are burying their dead. but they're also undertaking other forms of activity and social practice, including eating and drinking and feasting. the items unearthed in the cemetery suggest that the people were of a high status. the next step is to work out exactly who they were. archaeologists are onlyjust beginning to scratch the surface at this unusual cemetery.

they hope their excavation will reveal much more about the medieval way of life that's remained an enigma for so long. rebecca morrelle, bbc news, cardiff. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good afternoon. today has brought somewhat brighter weather for many of us, but in the wake of storm henk, there's still a lot of water out there. the ground is saturated, numerous flood warnings in force, and there is some more rain to come. through the rest of the day, that rain mostly in the form of some quite hefty showers, it stays windy across southern counties of england and the channel islands, large amounts of cloud across scotland in particular with some showery rain, windy up towards the northern isles, and cold across shetland, ending the day with temperatures barely above freezing here, and generally speaking, temperatures around 6—9 degrees as we head into the early part of the evening. overnight, we keep fairly large amounts of cloud,

still some showers here and there, clearer skies, though, a slice of clear sky spreading from the south—west. temperatures dropping to around three, four or five degrees, some places just a little colder than that. into tomorrow, low pressure to the north of the uk, still generating some showery rain. this frontal system bringing some rain into the south, in between this slice of sunshine, tending to drift a little bit further northwards through the day. the far north of england, parts of northern ireland and scotland staying cloudy, showery, windy in the far north, and then this rain starts to edge into southern counties of england. we will have to keep an eye on this, there's still a bit of uncertainty about this weather system, it may edge just a little bit further northwards, it will bring heavy rain in places where we really do not need it, moving into south—east england and east anglia through the evening, and on the southern flank it may be that we see another swathe of quite strong winds, but by friday that weather system is clearing out into continental europe. friday is a bit of a transition day, there will still be some showers

around, but things will be slowly drying out and calming down. a lot of cloud, some sunshine, temperatures down on where they have been, and that drying out process continues into the weekend, with low pressure relinquishing its grip, and high pressure building more strongly across the uk. there will be some showers around, some of those could even be wintry, because the air will be turning colder. with that colder air and high pressure, lighter winds, we will see some mist and fog patches by night, a touch of frost for some, as well, generally the days colder than they have been, but a lot of dry weather around with some spells of sunshine.

live from london. this is bbc news. screaming more than a hundred people die in iran in two explosions near the grave of a top revolutionary guards commander. the united nations peacekeeping mission in lebanon says it is deeply concerned about rising tensions — following the killing of a senior hamas figure. and junior doctors in england begin the longest strike in the health service's history, in a six—day walk—out over pay. hello, i'm rajini vaidyanathan, welcome to verified live, 3 hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. more than 100 people have been killed and scores more injured

in two explosions in south—eastern iran, near the grave of a top